priviledge is it and this is a mercy promised to all Saints For so saith our Saviour If my mords abide in you and you abide in me aske what you will and you shall have it And againe S. Iohn telleth us This is our confidence that whatsoever we aske according to his will he heareth us Therefore let us keepe our interest into this mercy by not having respect to sinne in our hearts and by constant endeavour to walke holily before the Lord. And if we have found and doe finde God favourable to us in this kinde so that we lose not our prayers which wee make unto him let us then comfort our selves in this benefit and be carefull to yeeld as obedient an eare to his word as hee doth yeeld a patient eare to our supplications And now of Iacobs temporall benefits First he was blessed with a large estate in the world according to his profession being a Shepheard his flocks did thrive he had cattell and servants in abundance God blessed him in Labans house and made all the stronger cattell to bring forth just such kinde of young as Laban had consented to give him for his wages so that he could not but see a Divine hand taking Labans goods and giving them to him as himselfe noteth Riches are do great matter but when God giveth them as tokens of his love and tender respect they are desirable Let those that enjoy them be sure that they come to them from God as fruits of his goodnesse or else the worst men may be wealthier than the best And let those that are upright with Iacob learne to trust God with their estate and to know that what shall be good for them shall be seasonably provided for them Secondly God delivered him out of all adversity as himselfe saith on his death-bed The Angel that redeemed me from all evill His three greatest dangers were first from Esau both when hee went unto Padan Aram and when hee returned at the former time God brought him safe to Padan and so restrained the minde of Esau that then hee put off the thought of killing him to his Fathers death and at the later time God so melted him that hee shewed himselfe exceeding kinde and fell upon his neck and kissed him instead of killing him which hee had intended and therefore hee tels Esau that hee had seene his face as the face of GOD. Laban pursued him too with a purpose to strip him of all and to send him empty home and he had power in his hand to doe it as himselfe saith but God appeared to him and rebuked him that he durst not handle him amisse The Inhabitants of the Countrey were much insenced against him in respect of that outragious murder and rapine committed upon the Sichemites and by his Sons in so much that Iacob feared much that they would pursue him and cut him off but God cast a feare into their hearts so that they did not offer any violence unto him as is noted by the Story These three great deliverances God vouchsafed Iacob O let us learne to turne to God and to walke before him in truth and then we shall have God ready to help us in all our necessities and at that time and in those exigents to provide for us meanes of escape by his providence when our owne wit and strength faileth as we finde him dealing with Iacob What could he doe against Esau Laban or the Inhabitants of the Countrey Let us cleave to God that hee may be out Buckler also and our strong Tower and Rocke of defence and if we have found so much favour with God as to rescue us out of such dangers as seemed unpreventable let not us attribute the deliverances to any other secondary causes but even see God in them ascribe them to him and learne thence to feare honour and praise him Those deliverances are indeed profitable that are cords of kindnesse to tie us nearer to God Hee that improveth not such benefits to that end loseth the most desirable fruit of them Further Iacob had a large off-spring of children twelve sons and one daughter this is a favour to give a man store of children of these sons all had wealth enough Ioseph was very religious in his youth and Benjamin civill and orderly at least and at the end all of them turned home and became godly men O happinesse to have so many children some good betime all holy at last all prosperous in outward things and one much advanced Another mercy of God was the providing of Ioseph as a man before to maintaine him and his family in Aegypt and bringing him to see Ioseph and enjoy his preferment for seventeen yeares together where he lived in as great a fulnesse of prosperity and concluded his dayes as happily as ever man did living in Iosephs bosome as it were seeing all his children godly and prosperous and feeling no considerable adversity having Iosephs oath also to bury him in Canaan This is a singular favour of God to make ones old age prosperous and to cause his eyes to see so much happinesse as he can wish when now he is ready to leave the world Marke the righteous man in the Psalme it is said The end of that man is peace Study righteousnesse that you may inherite this blessing and never threaten your selves how miserable you shall be hereafter God can provide wayes that you know not to make you safe and comfortable beyond your thoughts O be faithfull with him and trust in him and feare nothing So much for Iacobs life Now for his death It was a most seasonable death after a large time of life a most peaceable death in the midst of his Sonnes a most religious death blessing them and confirming their faith with his last words a most comfortable death so soone as he had ended his blessing he pulled up his legs and gave up the Ghost and then he had also an honourable embalming and buriall as at large is set downe in the Story Who would not wish such a death And yet more after death he hath an honourable name on earth and liveth in eternall glory in heaven Now let us imitate Iacobs vertues and labour to be upright and then notwithstanding many sins we shall have at last eternall happinesse and so much happinesse in this world also as is needfull for us Now we will shew you what calamities he suffered for the people of God must looke to suffer much tribulation in this world as it is foretold them both because their owne need requireth it to make and keep them good and cause them to grow in goodnesse as also because the Lord sees it fit thus to magnifie his power justice wisdome and goodnesse in sustaining and delivering them His chastisements then were these First that his Father did not love him so well as his brother but did manifestly prefer hunting Esau before
of gladnesse even then when your selves want it Happy is he that partakes in every mans happinesse It is in a mans power to taste some of the sweete of every mans estate and to heale his wounds by a medicine made of comfortable rejoycing in their soundnesse Why should we not make our selves merry at things rather than sad and discontented If we were so wise and godly as to seeke and desire Gods glory as our maine end then we should rejoyce at all those things which conduced to that end and so doe the benefits bestowed upon our brethren as well as those that our selves enjoy If wee could bee lovers of the common good and desirers of the publike welfare why the benefits of others further that and therefore should also glad us Mankinde was encreased the power of God in furnishing the world demonstrated by Leahs off spring as well as if Rachel had conceived two and shee two be we therefore lovers of Gods glory and lovers of the common good and we shall not be envious This vice sometimes seekes a reason to hide its unreasonablenesse by conceiting that anothers having such things hinders himselfe and so it may fall out in some cases as when two stand in competition for the same thing but this is no wrong though it be a damage and therefore should not produce any grudge For seeing but one can have the thing and he hath it is it just to bee offended with him that hath done no more to my self than I would have done to him even preferred himselfe before me Wherefore see that you give not place to this wicked vice but learne so to love your neighbours as your selves that you may rejoyce in their prosperity as in your owne But let us every man prepare himselfe to meete with this fell monster of envy that if it encounter us yet we may not be thrust into distempers by it It is not in any mans power to hinder the malicious and malignant natures of other men from shewing it selfe but to be quiet milde and patient towards him that envies a man that his wisdome and charity should inable him to performe for is it not common to all good things to come attended with envy Was not Christ envied Was not Paul Have not the best been Yea wee must endure envy even from our nearest kindred The brother must bee prepared to suffer the envy of the brother the sister of the sister and must bee able to hold their spirits in such order that they may not lesse love one that envies them which yet is hard to love those that use us ill For by how much envy proveth more implacable than other kindes of grudges by so much carnall reason will bid us to bee more apt unto it but Gods Spirit frames men to a gentle carriage Pray God to make you of such a temper that you may bee able to shew kindnesse even to him that envies you I come to another fault of Rachels shee was passionate and snappish towards her husband Iacob and in a fume shee quarrels with him for not having children as if it were his fault that her selfe was barren It is a great fault in a wife to bee angry and finde fault with the husband without due cause and to lay blame upon him when hee deserveth it not as did Sarah upon Abraham It is contrary to the reverence obedience and love which they owe to their husbands it is a meanes of estranging the husbands heart by putting him into frequent fits of anger You wives bee sorrowfull if you have in such a case over-shot your selves and now labour for so much discretion and meekenesse of wisdome that may preserve your tongues from speaking passionately and unadvisedly to those whom the Lord commands you to feare What a fond speech was Rachels Give me children Beware that anger doe not fill your mouthes with foolish words And if this bee a fault in your Wives good men know it is a great fault in your selves in whom more wisdome is required Nourish peace betwixt your selves your yoake-fellows and shunne angry and brawling words that breede such a koare of unkindnesse as sometimes runs forth into alienation and perpetuall jarring But Rachel was discontented so that shee would die if shee had no children shee doth not meane that shee would kill her selfe Wee must not put the worst sence no not upon cholericke speeches but she meaneth that shee thought her selfe no better than dead that shee should not enjoy her life that it would doe her no good that shee wished her selfe rather dead than alive This shee meaneth and this is bad enough O what a mixture of pride and folly is it to wish ones selfe dead for so small crosses as this that one hath continued a little while barren Good men have beene over-taken with such cloudes of discontent as have made them desire death but to bee weary of life because one hath not a childe I meete not with such impatiency any where but in Rachel Take heed to your selves that no crosses no not the greatest draw such distempers into your mindes as to make you weary of life but be much more ashamed if a small thing hath thus put you out It is true that many times this lavish talke of Would I were dead is from the teeth alone If death should offer it selfe at that instant they would finde some other imployment for him than to take them out of the world but to be so full of discontent and vexation as to give vent to such words whether they seriously meane them or not is a proofe of a man that doth not weigh things rightly in his minde Rachel had a good husband she had likelihood of a good estate and now lived abundantly shee had the love of her husband shee had health What and was not the fruition of all these able to make life sweet to her but she must die if she had not a childe Did wee not forget or dis esteem the favours God hath shewed us wee could never be put so far out of taste as it were that want of one benefit should imbitter it selfe But envy doth so rot the bones that no ease can be felt of him that hath suffered that sicknesse to breed and grow strong in him Yea see how all Hamans honour contented him nothing so long as Mordecai was an eye-sore to him Pray God to keep you from such disordered passions and greatly bewaile them when you meet with them But see another folly of Rachels Shee brings her maid servant to her husband and he must take her for his Concubine to see if shee might be made a kinde of foster-mother by her Fond Rachel was not Leah nearer to thee than Bilhah Couldest thou not have esteemed thy sisters children thine owne as well as thy bondmaids Here were two faults First she pressed her husband to Polygamy but that was a fault of meere ignorance let it be passed by The next
PROTOTYPES OR THE PRIMARIE PRECEDENT PRESIDENTS OVT OF THE BOOKE OF GENESIS Shewing The Good and Bad things They did and Had Practically applied to our Jnformation and Reformation By that faithfull and painefull Preacher of Gods Word William Whately late Pastour of Banbury Together with Mr. WHATELYES Life and Death Published by Mr. Edward Leigh and Mr. Henry Scudder who were appointed by the Authour to peruse his manuscripts and printed by his owne Coppy Vivitur Exemplis Praecepta ducunt Exempla trahunt 1 COR. 11.1 Be yee followers of me even as I also am of Christ EXOD. 23.2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill 1 COR. 10.11 Now all these things happened unto them for Ensamples And they are written for our admonition LONDON Printed by G. M. for EDVVARD LANGHAM Booke-seller in Banbury MDCXL TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL THE MAIOR THE VVORSHIPFVLL THE ALDERMEN AND BVRGESSES AND THE REST OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWNE AND PARISH OF BANBVRY Right Worshipfull c. AS I could not but congratulate my owne and your happinesse in the injoyment of your worthy Pastours labours so both I and many other Christians do now condole your misery in the losse of the good Authour The greater your happinesse was the greater now is your misery and I feare many of you prized not the blessing so much as you should have done and that you knew not the greatnesse of the benefit so well by the fruition as now by the want of it At Banbury even amongst you was your Pastour borne and bred and there he lived and died Ministers are called Incumbents so was he being diligently resident in his place they are stiled Lights so was he like a candle or lampe which spent himselfe to give light to others He spent his means and strength amongst you and as himselfe in his sicknesse said He sought not yours but you Of all the Ministers that ever I knew so experimentally he was the most unblameable in his conversation I had the happinesse to live almost a yeare with him in his house neare foure yeares under his Ministry and to be esteemed by him one of his faithfullest friends I have cause to blesse GOD for him whilst I live since it pleased him by his meanes not onely to reveale many saving truthes unto mee but also to set them on with such power as I hope I shall never forget them Oh with what life and zeale would hee both preach and pray and how strict and watchfull was hee in his whole life being as every good Minister should be Blamelesse Sober Just Holy Temperate of good Behaviour given to Hospitality apt to teach a lover of good things and good men Hee studied to approove himselfe unto GOD a workeman that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth He propounded to you the Examples of holy Writ and was himselfe whilst he lived an Example and Patterne of all good works If that saying therefore of Austins be true So many as a man shall edifie by a good Example for so many he shall receive a reward of a blessed life than surely he hath now received a full reward for all the good hee did by his holy life unto those with whom he conversed In a word hee was a most pious and accomplisht Divine for his ministeriall parts and paines as one of his neare Friends said truely hee might sooner bee envied than matcht and equalled being in this like Saul higher than his brethren by the head He was well skilled in both the Originall tongues being able to render the Text out of his Hebrew Bible or Greeke Testament to another in our mother tongue as familiarly almost as if it had bin English For the Arts he was a good Logician as his exact Analysis of the ten Commandements sheweth a good Philosopher as his Sermons in manuscript on the 104. Psalme doe witnesse a good Rhetorician or Oratour as his printed Treatises aboundantly testifie Hee had words at will and could readily and aptly expresse himselfe in his Sermons which gift of Elocution is requisite if not necessary for a compleate Divine He had by long Experience gotten the art of preaching and he wrote a tract concerning that subject hee had an excellent faculty in characterizing or fitly describing a vertue or vice or any other thing and though he had no common-place-booke of his own yet he could treat of any subject I might also extoll his other indowments and without danger of exceeding magnifie him for his strong naturall parts his solid judgement and tenacious memorie and commend some vertues wherein hee excelled to your imitation as his Humility Mercifullnesse Beneficence Laboriousnesse and Diligence in his Calling and then also shew how comfortably he died being full of heavenly speeches and godly Exhortations Therefore I passe from himselfe to this Opus posthumum this first worke of his which since his death came to light viz. Sermons on all the Examples or Historicall part of Genesis which Booke containeth a briefe and short Story of the things done from the beginning of the world to the death of Joseph for the space as it is thought by some of 2309. yeares by Doctor Willet of 2368. yeares Examples are not unfitly compared unto looking-Glasses wherein one may behold as well what to eschew as what to follow So you should follow the Faith of Abraham and Obedience of Isaack but shun their lying and dissembling follow Noah and Lot in their Righteousnesse and Zeale but shunne their drunkennesse and incest And because an Example of a Person living amongst you may bee more prevalent with some then the Examples of others though singularly holy whose vertues they onely read of as a Sermon delivered Viva voce doth more affect then the same reade out of a Booke So walke therefore as you had him for an Example and bee you followers of him as hee was of CHRIST in the Graces before mentioned and all holy conversation Remember him who had the rule over you who hath spoken unto you the Word of GOD whose Faith follow and Charitie too for Master Whately was the most bountifull Minister to the poore I thinke in England of his meanes your Consciences will witnesse that hee hath often pressed and urged this Dutie upon you and as hee was earnest in perswading his Hearers to beneficence so hee practised the same Himselfe entertaining some poore widdowes or necessitous Persons weekely at the least at his Table and giving the tenth of all his Estate that way and see how GOD blessed him for the same his Estate as himselfe told mee prospered the better after hee tooke that course and in his sickenesse hee comforted himselfe with that Promise Psalme 41.1 3. Blessed is hee that considereth the poore the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing O follow him therefore who by Faith and Patience inherits the Promises let
his good Example and wholesome Instructions provoke you to all holinesse that you allso may partake with him in that happinesse of which hee is now fully possessed Your true Christian Friend Edward Leigh TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Reader AMidst the numberlesse number of Bookes wherwith in this scribling age the presses are oppressed there is scarcity enough of such as are usefull and profitable As therefore the Art of Printing was a happy invention for the propagating of learning so surely wee are beholding to those who write such things as are worthy to be published Since as one saith Hee that speaketh profiteth for an houre but he that writeth profiteth for ever This subject thus handled by this worthy deceased Authour is an unbeaten tract few if any having gone over the Exsamples of Scripture in such a doctrinall and practicall way both It seemed to me in the preaching both pleasant and profitable pleasant in regard of the explaining of divers stories profitable in respect of the particular application of all Hee being according to his manner large and lively therein Had it pleased God to have continued him in life untill hee had finished all the Examples of either Testament such a worke from so able a Divine would have beene of singular use But he was Frumentum Dei as Ignatius said by Mortification and Selfe-denyall Hee was made cleane bread for Christ who was the bread of life for him God therefore hath gathered this wheate into his garner and he now rests from this and all other labours We thinke fitting also to give others to understand which be M. Wheatelyes owne workes done by himselfe and such as they may account genuine viz. those onely which come forth either in our names viz. EDWARD LEIGH HENRY SCUDDER or with an Epistle at least from one of us You may observe in the beginning of this Treatise what was M. Wheatlies constant method in handling the Examples In each person hee considered three things His Birth Life and Death In his Life he observed his carriage and behaviour in respect both of the deeds hee did good bad indifferent and doubtfull and the things which befell him either prosperously or adversly in benefits or afflictions This shall suffice in briefe to premise concerning this Worke and so wishing thee much benefit by the same I rest Thy hearty Well-wisher EDWARD LEIGH THE LIFE AND DEATH OF Mr. WILLIAM WHATELY LATE Minister of the Word at Banbury in the County of Oxford written by Henry Scudder Minister of the Word at Collingborne-ducis in the County of Wilts IT hath beene a commendable use in the Church of God from the Primitive times downe to us that the lives of some or other especially of the more famous Ministers and lights therein have beene written by men who best knew and had learned what their lives and conversation was This they did not onely to vindicate their names from the slanders of the wicked who will speake evill of all that oppose their evill wayes and also that the dead might bee duely honoured but chiefly that the living by their good Examples might glorifie God for them and be edified This writing and printing the lives of worthy men is like the engravings with the point of a diamond raising up for them an everlasting monument upon which the light of their Faith and good workes is made to shine before men that seeing their Faith and holinesse they may follow them and may also praise God for his graces in them and for the good which hath bin done by them and so glorifie their Father which is in Heaven I have beene earnestly intreated to write the Life and Death of M. William Whately late Pastour of the Church of Banbury I was made choice of the rather because of that intimatenesse of Friendship which was betweeene us and because of our long acquaintance being of the same time in the famous Vniversity of Cambridge and of the same Colledge and Chamber and having the same Tutor and afterward when wee were both placed in the Ministery wee lived sometime together in one house and a great while neare one another and were also nearly allyed I know none that had like meanes to know him more thoroughly then I. I have therefore not unwillingly set pen to paper and doe here in all plainenesse and sobriety of truth reckon up and report his life and death in a short summe that those who will may read and make their use of it For in many things hee may bee a lively patterne to us his Bretheren in the Ministery of the Gospell of Christ and the like in many things for the imitation of all that desire to live godly in Christ Iesus This M William Whately was borne at Banbury a burrough Town very well known in Oxfordsbure His Parents were both of them forward professours of the Gospell of Christ and of the power of Godlinesse and Religion according as it is now mainetained in the Church of England They were both of chiefe note and place in the Towne his Father being oft Major and a long time a standing Iustice of Peace in that Burrough His Mother was a rare woman for naturall parts but chiefly for Piety Diligence in her Calling Frugality and Mercifullnesse to the poore She was a right Lois or Eunice in breeding up this her Son as shee did her other Children in the Knowledge of the holy Scriptures from a child His Parents trained him up in his yonger daies to learning settiâ—g him to the best Schooles that were in those parts where he profited in learning as also hee did in the Vniversitie above most of his equalls in yeares This hee did by reason of the Excellency of the naturall parts which God had given him namely a quicke apprehension a cleare judgement and a most happy memory His ripenesse in Grammer learning in Latine Greeke and Hebrew was so earely that about the fourteenth yeare of his age he was sent to Christs Colledge in Cambridge where God provided him and me a Tutor one of a thousand for Pietie Learning Diligence in reading unto and in a most loving and wise care of governing and godly instructing of his pupils In the Vniversity he was an hard Student and quickely became a good Logician and Philosopher a strong disputant and an excellent Orator He delighted much in the study of Poetry and the Mathematiks Hee was a constant hearer of M. Doctor Chaderton and of Mr. Perkins who at that time were famous Preachers in Cambridge And it was our Tutors manner to cause all his Pupills to come to Prayers into his Chamber every evening and hee called all the under graduates to give account of what they had heard upon the Lords day and when any of us were at a stand and non-plus hee would say Whately what say you then hee would seldome faile but repeate as readily as if he had preached the Sermon himself By this he did win our Tutors love
servnig sinne as sure as hee had power to abstaine from committing sinne Say to your selves Adams sinne shall not damne mee if in sence of the misery which it brought upon me I can fully seeke to Christ the promised seed Further let us follow him and her in that was good in both How did Adam accept his wife saying This is flesh of my flesh and shee shall be called Evah and a man shall forsake Father and Mother and cleave to his wife O you husbands love your wives as your owne flesh cleave to them above all and forsaking all other keepe you onely to them You wives be content to be subject to your husbands as it is sure Evah was before her fall at least and probable after too for we reade of no braules betwixt them O joyne together to bring up your children well first in some honest calling then in the knowledge of the true God and care of worshipping him I say teach your sonnes and daughters things necessary for their profitable and holy living in the world bring them not up in idlenesse and ignorance but so carry your selves to them that it may not be imputed to you if they prove wicked and be thankfull to God for your children and learne to rejoyce especially in their goodnesse as Adam and Evah did in Seths Learne of your first Parents to be good Parents and follow all the things that were good and commendable in them Againe from their afflictions learne to prepare for afflictions and to make a good use of them when they come if you thinke to live in this world without briers and thornes without sweat and labour you are much deceived Crosses are assigned to us as just chastisements for our sinne we must to dust let us expect misery and death and labour to make our selves fit for crosses It was Gods great goodnesse that he would not suffer Adam to remaine in Paradise and to joy the tree of life For had hee lived in so much pleasure as that place would have affoorded and had he found all the creatures as good and comfortable to him now after his fall when his nature was made sinfull as when it was sinlesse O how greatly would his sin have growne through the fatnesse of that over delightfull estate even as weedes doe in a rich and unmanured soyle Sure had not God sent a curse on the earth and inflicted griefe and misery upon man hee would never have repented never have conceived of his spirituall misery never have turned to God and sought God so that as it is a mercy in the Physitian to make the patient sicke with a medicine so it was in God to send these afflictions on us Let us not therefore flatter our selves in vaine conceits of living merrily but let us prepare for afflictions which all must in some degree meete withall in their severall callings It was the voice of an Epicure in the rich man that said eate and drinke and take thine ease we should say to our selves rather sinne hath made mee subject to divers crosses and I will labour to receive them patiently from Gods Almighty hand if he thinke it fit to exercise me with them Especially you that are Parents of children looke for crosses in your children thinke this boy may proove not an Abel not a Seth but a Caine a wicked and a sinfull Caine a hater of goodnesse and fugitive from God Let mee take heed therefore that I doe not over-love him that I doe not cocker him and as it were marre and kill his soule by over-cherishing his body If wee finde our selves apt to over-prize and over-love our children wee must moderate those passions by such meditations and if we finde our selves apt to over-grieve for their death wee must tell our selves Ah might not their lives have prooved much more bitter to mee then their death can who would not rather bury a sonne young then live to see him proove a Cain and who can tell but his sonne for whose death he takes on with so much excessive sorrow may not fall out to be as wicked as Caine. If any say I hope not so I answer him where be the grounds of his hope did not our first Parents hope as much thinke you Sure Evah giving Caine a name shewed that shee had good hopes of him when he was borne yea those that have good and godly children must prepare to be crossed in their afflictions Hast thou an Abel a godly child O make thine heart ready to heare that some wicked hand hath knockt him on the head perhaps his owne Brother that some violent death hath seized upon him and taken him away before his time and labour to be willing to yeeld to Gods hand if he will so crosse thee for why shouldst not thou stoope to as heavie a burden as that which Adam and Eve did beare in the beginning of the world For the death of good children yea their miserable and untimely death and for the wickednesse yea the notorious and unnaturall wickednesse of other children let every man prepare himselfe by looking upon the example of Adam and Eve that suffered these crosses yea let every godly man learne to prepare for persecution from all Caines but that wee shall treat on when we come to Abels example But Brethren we must not onely prepare for crosses of this kinde but we must also make a good use of them when they come that is wee must turne them into medicines as Physitions doe some poysons causing the sorrow which they will worke in us to become a medicine against our sinnes of which they be the proper and naturall effects When you meete with crosses and calamities say now I see Gods Justice and Gods Truth now I see the hatefullnesse and hurtfullnesse of sinne and therefore now I will mourne not because I am crossed but because I have deserved this crosse and a worse too and so frame to confesse and bemoane the sinne and to supplicate for pardon and helpe at the hand of God in the name of Christ especially looke to those sinnes to which your crosses have some reference and respect Are you crossed in your goods thinke if you did not over-love them and get them unjustly or if in your children see if you did not over-love them and cocker them and so in all things of like kinde In what God smites you see if you have not in that sinned against him and so frame to lament your sinnes and to seeke helpe against them This will helpe to make your crosse easie and quickly to remove it this will cause that you shall be gainers even by crosses When wee see the ill deservings of sinne and the perfect righteousnesse yea the goodnesse of God in calling thus to repentance happy are they that be so afflicted and so taught in Gods waies And Brethren let mee yet make one use of Adam and Eves great sinne to warne you that you take heed of presuming of
other and so persists impenitently For that is the last of all his sinnes he goes away quite from God and his Father ceaseth to continue a member of that family and of that Church gives over all outward shewes of religion turnes meere worldly and earthly and seekes to ease the smart of his conscience by building and busling in the world declaring a piece of vaine glory too by calling his City after the name of his first-borne as it were boasting of it that hee should have his sonne the Lord of a City of his owne name Henoch of Henoch A fearefull offence to persist still in impenitencie to cast of all shew of religion to excommunicate himselfe out of the Church and burie himselfe in vanity and worldlinesse so to stifle his owne conscience and deaden his owne heart more and more Now I have done with Caines carriage good and bad I come to the things that befell him good and bad First good you see God gave him a sonne and sonnes sonne and continued his life along time to give him space of repentance and set a mark upon him to save him from the violence of all men threatening to punish him seven-fold that is seven times as much as he had hurt Caine if any should kill him Seeing it pleased not God to tell us what this marke was with which hee noted this prime murtherer it is fondnesse in us to weary our selves with conjectures some think it was visible to all men but what I know not nor I am sure can any man else tell but it was the goodnesse of God to secure him of life who had deserved death for the Law of putting the murderer to death was not yet and God would not put Adam to so hard a taske as killing his owne sonne but would shew himselfe to be above Law in forbearing to doe that which he will not suffer a Magistrate to forbeare even putting to death of a wilfull murderer yea it was the great goodnesse of God to give him health and many children and childrens children and to grant him riches and prosperity in the world abundantly if it had beene possible to have drawne him to repentance yea it was a great benefit that God came gently to admonish him of his inward malice if it might have beene to have hindred the breaking of it out into murder and after it was done to come againe with this gentle second admonition if it had beene possible to have melted him and have drawne him to submissive humiliation So God vouchsafed him meanes to keepe him from sinne and to draw him out of sinne and time long enough to make use of those meanes and many benefits to allure him to make use of them thus good is God even to sinners and impenitent sinners to offer them meanes of repentance and acceptation upon their repentance and vouchsafe them store of good things for a long time notwithstanding their obstinatenesse in refusing to repent Now lastly let us consider Gods punishments viz. the evill things he met withall The first is sentencing him for his fault and laying open the greatnesse of it in saying What hast thou done thy Brothers blood cryeth to mee from the earth which hath drunk it in at thine hand Secondly hee curseth him from the earth that is in respect of the earth which shall not be halfe so fruitfull to him as before nor yeeld its increase as it had done for he doth not meane simply it shall yeeld no fruit but nothing so much nor so easily Lastly thou shalt be a fugitive a runnagate that is a man full of unquietnesse and terrours that canst have no rest nor peace in thine heart nor any content any where yea it signifieth a giving him over to cast off all goodnesse and leave him to himselfe to forsake his Fathers house and so a selling him over to profanenesse and utter impenitency Thus we have done with Caines life and for his death the Scripture vouchsafes not to mention it nor how long he lived but he lived a long time even to see the sonnes of Lamech who was the sixt generation from him and vaunted that if God would so avenge Caine he would be avenged more by which speech it is very probable that Caine was then alive So we have spoken all we have to speake of Caine. Now I will make some use of all First from that that was good in Caine I pray you learne at least to be as good as so bad a man was and therefore may sure be attained by naturall indeavours You see Caine did not give himselfe to runne idling about the world but submitted to his Fathers government so farre as to give himselfe to Husbandry O let no man turne himselfe into a cipher nay into an excrement that lives in the world to no purpose yea to bad purpose for hee shall not but doe naughtily that will doe nothing set your selves therefore to have and to follow some calling and employment Live not like those playfull creatures imperfect pictures of men but of such men the fitrest emblemes like apes and monkeys onely to skip up and downe and to make sport but live to bestow your selves in some profitable vocation for your owne and the common good If any say Caine was necessitated to it because there were no other to till the ground for them he being Adams first-borne I answer first I desire you should live somewhat better then Caine and doe good out of choice which perhaps he might doe out of necessity Secondly I answer that though you be not necessitated to any calling by want yet wisdome and a good conscience binde you for must you not submit to that of God In the sweate of thy browes shalt thou eate and to that of the Psalmist he shall eate the labour of his hands and to that of Paul which condemnes the inordinate walkers which wrought not at all and is it not wisdome to forbeare walking on a thorne hedge which Salomon saith the idle man doth and to prevent many occasions as the having no calling and being carelesse of it will surely bring I say againe then be as good as Caine have and follow some calling Againe looke that there be some at least outside of religion in you worship God and be not so much lovers of money as not to give him something even to be at cost for his worship in such kind as cost is now needfull as they were to performe a worship then required the cost notwithstanding Be not profane to neglect Gods Worship out of sleighting it be not niggards to put of God with as little as you can but give him of the fruits of your ground and now know that that is given to God which is given to the maintenance of his Ministers which performe his Worship and other instruments necessary to the performance of it as a fit place and the like O be as good as a
seeketh to be justified before God by doing this and by his owne working Now of a man that is thus righteous there are three sure plaine and evident signes 1. Hee desireth to know and doe all that God revealeth to him out of his Word I have lifted up mine hands unto thy testimonies which I have loved and O that my heart were directed to keepe thy righteous judgements then shall I not be confounded when I have respect to all thy Commandements 2. Hee confesseth and bewaileth before God his failings and errours that breake forth in him quite contrary to his purpose and desire Against thee have I sinned and He that confesseth his sinnes c. And if you turne to mee I will turne to you for If wee say we have no sinne wee deceive our selves But if wee confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull c. 3. He resteth wholy upon the mercy of God in Christ for pardon of his failings and acceptation of his indeavours So saith Iohn If any man sinne wee have an Advocate with God Iesus Christ the righteous and hee is the Propitiation for sinne and Abraham beleeved in God that justifieth the ungodly S. Paul would have the righteousnesse which is by the faith of Jesus Christ I beseech you looke that you be so righteous men as Abel was else you shall never be saved For even Balaam saw that only the righteous should be saved and therefore he wisheth Let mee die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his Now we have the good of Abel we should speake of his evill but wee have none to speake of For the Holy Ghost hath not told us of any evill that hee committed not because he had none but because his life was so short and withall so good that the Lord saw it not fit to make mention of any and surely though the Scripture doe report the faults of other godly men yet it seemes here to set forth Caine and Abel as the two seeds the one of the Woman the other of the Serpent and therefore of the good seed mentions no faults because in him God saw none that is would not impute any Now let us consider the things that befell him 1. Good 2. Bad. The good are two first God had respect unto his gifts Secondly God gave witnesse and testimony of his gifts He had respect unto them for the present he gave testimony to them both at that time and also after by the pen of Moses and by the tongue of our Lord Jesus calling him righteous Abel We cannot affirme any thing concerning the meanes by which the Lord did expresse the liking of Abel and his Sacrifice but that it was by some sensible and evident signe discoverable by Caine as well as by himselfe Caines doggednesse stirred up by it doth clearely evince The Lord hath respect unto his true hearted servants that worship him in truth and in faith and are truely righteous he hath respect unto them and to their Services he likes their persons loves their workes The prayer of the upright is his delight saith Salomon The righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse God doth to his faithfull children sooner or later evidently discover his approbation and liking of them and their workes as David prayeth Accept the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart yea he doth make knowne this his favourable acceptation by which as it is in the Psalme he accepts their burnt Sacrifices that is all their holy services he makes it knowne by the comfortable testimony of the Holy Ghost as Paul saith This is my glorying the testimony of my conscience that in simplicity c. When Gods people walke in Gods waies he causeth his Spirit to witnesse with their spirits and their spirits to witnesse to them that themselves and their waies please God by which their spirits are refreshed and comforted against all the taunts and opprobries of sinners and scoffers And this is a sufficient recompence to all our labours and for all our sufferings that God accepteth us If hee accept us what need wee care though the world deride and scorne and hate us O let those that have seene God thus vouchsafing to respect them comfort themselves in that yea I shall not need to give them such advice this apprehension of Gods gratious accepting us is a thing so sweete and delightfull that the people of God which have enjoyed it will preferre it before the approbation of all men For whom he thus respecteth them will hee likewise approve in the face of all the world and therefore beare testimonie to their workes even at the last day yea the light to which he that doth well delighteth to come that will make it knowne that his workes be wrought of God Iohn 3.11 If Gods Spirit within if Gods Word without doe testifie of your deeds that they bee wrought in God how easie a thing is it to sleight and despise the false and foolish censures of the world But now come we to the evills that he suffered for Gods people must suffer evill for well-doing his Brother hated him laied a traine for him slew him Abel was the first Martyr the first man that died for goodnesse hee was Gods first Witnesse as Steven was Christs Those that will live godly in Christ must suffer persecution and of whom even of the dearest friends they have in the flesh and how farre even to the lying in waite for their lives and taking the same away The Lord would have the first bloud that was spilt spilt in his quarrell in his holy quarrell in standing for righteousnesse sake that we which follow after might learne to stick close to this cause and not to feare to lay downe our lives for it S. Iohn tells us no wonder if the world hate us The world is the number of unsanctified men in the world these will hate such as Abel the righteous yea if Father be unrighteous and Sonne righteous Brother righteous and Brother unrighteous Husband righteous and Wife unrighteous the Father Brother Wife will hate and maligne the childe the Brother and the Husband God hath put enmity betwixt the seed of the Woman and of the Serpent good and bad are of two contrary natures what the one loveth the other hateth and contrarily this contrariety in disposition will breed contrariety in affection Hee that is Caine a formall Hypocrite and satisfieth himselfe with a bare outside service will hate him that worshippeth in spirit and in truth They that are after the flesh will persecute them that are after the spirit and all that will live godly must suffer for it Prepare your selves to meete with the same measure that Abel met withall you had need of patience saith our Saviour Be not discouraged at the hatred and ill usage of wicked men but have respect to the recompence of reward looke to the end of your faith set
the joy before your eyes and feare not any of these things that you may suffer An over-tender spirit is not fit to be Christs Souldier if you will raigne with him you must be crucified with him Arme arme my Brethren arme you are in the battell you must expect knocks but be not dismaied the victory shall be yours God will so stablish you that you shall not be driven out of the way of righteousnesse by any thing that Satan can do by the world and hee conquers that keepes close to the waies of righteousnesse what ever he suffer Wee have done with Abels life wee bring him to his death at what age we cannot shew you but in what manner and by whose hand we can tell you Here is a tragicall narration the murderer a bad man and a Brother the murdered a good man and a Brother and the quarrell goodnesse and the manner sodaine and unexpected and violent Flesh and bloud perhaps would finde fault with God why did not God protect Abel when the world had so few Inhabitants was it not pittie that one should be taken out of it so untimely and in such a manner and much more was it not pittie that the more godly and the more usefull should be so soone bereft of life It is a thing that a shallow wit is ready to impleade God for But God is such a ruler that will order things according to his owne perfect wisedome It shall be worse in outward respects with the good then with the bad the sinner shall out-live the Saint and flourish in the world when the other is rotting in the grave and why so that God may teach them hereby to looke for happinesse in another world that is to come that they may expect a better and induring substance in Heaven If in this life onely wee had hope wee were of all men the most miserable but We are dead with Christ and our life is hid with God in Christ When Christ shall appeare then shall wee also appeare with him in glory We must not therefore be offended at the miseries which befall the godly in this life but cause our mindes to look beyond the world unto the future recompence God were not just towards his people if there were not another world where they shall have their portion as the worldly minded have their portion in this life Now concerning Abels death consider we that it was violent and suddaine whereby we must be taught to walke alwaies ready for death and to looke for it in every place by such violent meanes as our selves cannot foresee in particular Who knowes when or where he shall die how soone and by what meanes he must leave this world afore he be aware Labour therfore to prepare for death every day get faith get repentance get new obedience get your sinnes pardoned and your selves sanctified that if death come sodainely yet it may not be sodaine to you because you have made your selves ready for it if we be thus fitted for death happie are we though it come without giving warning but if we have not so fitted our selves we shall be most miserable though our death be long and lingring and come not with any violence Yea we must learne to be thankefull to God for his goodnesse in protecting us against the rage of evill men that they be not able to cut us off in the midst of our daies as they would do if God did permit us to fall into their hands No good man that liveth but some Caine or other would soone dispatch them out of the world and doe the same thing for them that Caine here did for Abel for the sinner hateth the righteous and gnasheth against him with his teeth but the Lord will not give him into his hands It is a divine providence that maketh the godly dwell in safety in the midst of their enemies and walke in a fiery furnace and yet not be burned and lie in the den of Lions and yet not be touched by them Now therefore let Abels example put you in minde to be ready alwaies for death and to observe the goodnesse of God in saving you from the hands of sinfull men and spirits that they cannot destroy and devoure as their malice and might would cause them to doe if God did not incompasse you with his favour as with a shield We have done with Abel the next to be spoken of are Caines posterity of whom little is spoken because the Lord intended a very short story Caine begat a Sonne and called his name Henoch at the same time he was building a City and called it Henoch The word signifieth to initiate dedicate or teach perhaps because hee left the City to his Sonne to finish and to dedicate himselfe not being able to doe it because of his distempered conscience which made him wander as a fugitive This Sonne begat a Sonne also and called him Irad the word signifieth I thinke a City of one that ruleth of the Hebrew words Gnir that signifieth a City and Rad that signifieth to beare rule because belike he had finished that City and hoped to leave it to his Sonne to rule in it And this Irad begat a Sonne and called him Mehuiael which signifieth one that is destroyed or blotted out by the Lord God perhaps because God had laid sore punishments upon them at that time their sin increasing against him This Mehuiael begat Methusael which signifieth one that asketh after or requested his death it may be because then men were so afflicted that they grew weary of life * ⎠* THE FOVRTH EXAMPLE OF LAMECH c. THE roote of Woman-kinde were Adam and Eve The branches were 1. Bad Caine and Caines posterity 2. Good The first stocke Abel the second Caine and his posterity Now the linage of Caine is set downe in the sixth generation mentioning onely the eldest in a direct line Adam had Caine Caine Irad he Methuiael he Methusael he Lamech Lamech had two wives one Adah the other Zillah Adah had Iabal and Iubal Zillah had Tubal Cain and a daughter called Naamah shee is the first woman named after Evah perhaps because shee was a woman of great power and name in her time for her name signifieth faire or sweete or pleasant or beautifull and it seemes that in those times beauty began to be much set by Now for Lamech we must observe his faults I meane of his behaviour and the benefits he enjoyed and the misery that befell him His faults are 1. He corrupted the ordinance of marriage by taking two wives God at first made but one man and one woman and joyned them together and Adam said they shall be one flesh signifying that hee conceived it to be the will of God that one woman should serve for one man and addes A man shall forsake Father and Mother and cleave to his wife not wives But this man would not satisfie himselfe with Gods
his name And this seemeth the rather to be the meaning because there is little reason to thinke that Adam and Seth did not long before this apply themselves to the carefull worshipping of God in their assemblies and to take all good meanes to save themselves from the corruption of the Kaynites Or it may be rendered then it was begun to call by the name of Lord that is men began then to have that name given them of the sons of God and this I like best of all the three because in the beginning of the sixt Chapter which continues the story and the fift Chapter is but a digression put in to shew the age of the world at the floud it is said the sonnes of God saw the daughters of the sonnes of men Whereby it is apparent that to the men that professed true religion with Adam and Seth the name of the sonnes of God was given and to the rest the name of the sonnes of men The professors of the true religion were called sonnes of God that did worship the true God after the manner that God taught by Adam The other were called sonnes of men that gave themselves over to worldlinesse and vanity and prophanenesse for my part I suppose that before the floud there was no Idolatry because the Holy Ghost would not have omitted the taxing of that sinne as well as those it doth taxe if it had beene then used in the world But let us take the words to meane then it was begun to call on the name of the Lord and then it shall be added as a commendation of Seth that in his daies religion began to flourish more then ever before by his diligence joyning with his Father Adam much more respect was had to piety and greater numbers of men imbraced the profession of piety And this ought to be the care of every good man to further the progresse of true religion and to cause the name of God to be faithfully called upon of many Now of the rest of Adams seed there is a Catalogue made in the fifth Chapter of all the ancient Fathers from the first man Adam to Noah in whose daies the floud fell out by which it appeares of what standing the world was when it was growne so corrupt that the Lord could no longer endure the manners of it And in this Catalogue the Holy Ghost takes this order 1. He shewes of what age every one was when he begat his eldest sonne How many yeares he lived after the birth of that sonne 3. How old he was when he died The number of the persons are in all ten Adam Seth Enoch Cainan Mahalaleel Iared Enoch Methuselah Lamech and Noah Adam at a hundred and thirty yeares begat Seth and after lived eight hundred yeares and had more children in that time and died aged nine hundred and thirty yeares Adam was in truth the eldest man all things considered for though Methuselah out-lived him thirty nine yeares for he was nine hundred sixty nine yeares and Adam but nine hundred and thirty yet Methuselah was borne an infant Adam was made a perfect man the first day and in those times a man was but a child at thirty nine yeares for no question they would give their mindes to marriage in that newnesse of the world paucity of men and plenty of ground so soone as they were fit for it So Adams perfect estate at the first countervailed the living of forty yeares and more Seth he lived a hundred and five yeares and begat Enos and living eight hundred and seven yeares begat divers more children and ended his daies at nine hundred and two Enos lived ninety yeares and begat Cainan c. as you may reade in the story Nothing is mentioned of any one but the length of his life the time when hee had his first sonne and that hee had more sonnes Onely of Henoch it is noted that he walked with God that is lived a most holy life and that he died not at all but was translated after hee had lived three hundred sixty five yeares The Lord shortned the daies of his pilgrimage and rewarded his singular piety with taking him up to Heaven soule and body immediately without dying He was changed without any separating of his spirit from his body and in him we have an example what should have beene the course that God would have taken with all men if man had continued in the state of innocency viz. he should not have died soule and body should never have departed one from the other but after a man had proceeded in godlinesse till hee had gotten so large a measure of it as in this life hee could for though Adam were perfect habitually yet not actually I meane though hee had an ability to attaine perfect knowledge of God and the creatures yet hee had not yet actually gotten all such knowledge as hee was to get both of God and of the creatures then should he have beene translated into Heaven to see God immediately and to know him better then in this life he could be knowne Sinne entring caused death had not that come in we should have gone to Heaven without death as this Henoch did Now out of all these things written concerning these Ancients the direct parents of our Lord wee gather this that death is common to all and how long soever a man lives at last hee must leave the world and therefore we learne two things principally First to prepare for death that whensoever it befalleth wee may change for the better not for the worse and this preparation for death must be not alone a little before it comes or at the houre of its approach but in the whole course of our life by beginning early to repent and continuing daily to turne and renew our repentance that so we may get an assurance of our being taken from earth to Heaven for he that begins unfaignedly to turne to God and so continues hee shall surely be saved and for the most part shall obtaine before his departure hence an assured apprehension of his salvation Therefore hee must as Henoch did walke with God in a continuall care of obeying him and labouring to hold fast a constant perswasion of his favour and love to him in his Sonne for it is testified of Enoch that he pleased God so that what in Genesis is called a walking with God that S. Paul calls pleasing of God and also that by faith he was translated that he should not see death even by his beleeving and resting upon Gods mercy for so it is said he beleeved that God was and was a rewarder of them that diligently seeke him which finding himselfe to do he resolved that God would reward him So must each of us walke with God constantly resolve and indeavour to please God in all things and retaine in our selves an assured peaswasion that God will graciously accept and reward us in Christ with giving us life eternall and
causing us never to see the second death though we must not be freed from the first for that was the speciall priviledge of Enoch and Eliah and was never granted to any other that we read Labour therfore to hold fast in your soules a firme perswasion of Gods love to you in Christ and withall a firme purpose of pleasing him in all things Let sincere truth of obedience be joyned with a firme perswasion of Gods love and the firme perswasion of Gods love be joyned with a sincere indeavour of obedience then death shall never come amisse then you are alwaies ready for it So David faith I have hoped in thy salvation and done thy Commandements So then if we would be ready for God we must doe two things Turne to him and walke with him To turne is to begin to walke with God to walke with God is to continue to turne to him O ye that have not begun to turne doe it to day turne now call to mind your former evill waies to judge your selves for them to lament them to seeke of God in Christ forgivenesse of them and power against them and labour to rest your selves upon his goodnesse in Christ for pardon and helpe and so have you made your peace then keepe your peace by a constant indeavour to please God in holinesse of life and a constant renewing of your assured perswasion of his love O happy man he that can so fit himselfe for his latter end Brethren let the mention of the deaths of so many aged persons make you carefull to prepare for death you that be young doe it because death takes away young men as well as old and you that be old doe it because you may meete with it very suddenly and must needs meete with it afore it be long Againe you see these long-liv'd men here wrestling with the corruptions of the world and their owne some a longer time and some a shorter but all in comparison of our selves a great while The longest lived man for number of dayes was Methuselah who lived nine hundred sixty nine yeares but for perfection of life Adam who lived a perfect man nine hundred and thirty yeares The shortest lived of all the Patriarkes was Noahs Father Methuselahs Sonne Lamech for he lived seven hundred seventy and seven yeares and died the yeere before the floud a little before his Father Methuselah who lived till that very yeare that the floud came and drowned all and was taken away that he might not see the floud Now why did God lengthen out the daies of the Patriarkes I answer chiefely to maintaine the knowledge of God and true religion in the world that by the long life of one godly man the truth which then was not put in writing but by word of mouth delivered from man to man might be kept more pure and undefiled Adam lived till Methuselah was two hundred forty and three yeares old Methuselah lived till Sem the Sonne of Noah was one hundred yeares lacking two so that Sem talked with him that had talked with Adam who could acquaint him with all things concerning the creatures the fall and the promised seed out of his certaine knowledge and experience he had beene made of nothing he had seene all perfections and Methuselah could tell it to Sem and Sem lived to see Isaac borne and a Father So that Isaac might speake mouth to mouth with him that had spoken with him that had spoken with Adam the first man that ever was Was not this a notable confirmation of his Faith THE FIFTH EXAMPLE OF The Old World WEe have propounded particular Examples unto you hitherto as also the Scriptures have done Now following them wee must set before your eyes the Examples of an whole multitude even of an whole World full of men and women that gave themselves to worke wickednesse before the Lord. It is called in Scripture the old World and the world of ungodly In the space of a 1656. yeares the generation of mankind was growne to that height and exorbitancie of wickednesse that the patience of God could no longer endure them Now concerning this Old World we will shew you three things 1. Their sinnes 2. The goodnesse of God to them notwithstanding their sinnes 3. The severe punishment that fell upon them at the last and so will make use of all First for their sinnes the Holy Ghost sets them out in generall and more particularly In generall the sinne of man is said to be great and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was evill and onely evill and that continually Secondly it is said that all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth So their naughtinesse was remarkeable in these two respects it was exceeding hainous and grievous in that they committed great and fowle sinnes in great abundance with great wilfullnesse and gave themselves to add sinne to sinne doing nothing but plodding and contriving wickednesse and then all men gave themselves over to the same bad course you could not finde a man that made scarce a shew of goodnesse out of Noahs house When all consent together to sell over themselves to worke iniquity and grow past shame or feare running into most grievous and notorious sinnes with greedinesse and wilfullnesse this is very offensive to Almighty God and will certainely provoke his wrath to bring upon them some fearefull and heavie punishments Divers reasons may be thought of that caused this exceeding great growth of sinne in those times 1. The long life of men for let an unsanctified man continue long and he will grow more and more sinfull the longer he continues Sinne by frequent exercise growes more and more violent and head-strong So living a great space of time they grew above measure naught 2. They had strong and able bodies together with health and ability to enjoy the things of this life 3. They had great peace in regard they all lived under a paternall governement the agedst in the family still being acknowledged the governour of the family and they had all one language and so no great cause of controversie and one religion too it is like seeing the Patriarkes lived so long that they were immediately taught of God save that they degenerated to prophanenesse and the most became of no religion and so did not warre with the contrary little partie unlesse it were with jests scoffes and contumelies Long life great strength great peace begat great wickednesse But more particularly the Lord takes notice here of their 1. Unlawfull and carnall marriages 2. Of their violence and oppression And our Saviour telleth of their great worldlinesse that did sell over themselves to temporall dealings and cared nothing for better things and S. Peter tells of their obstinacy in sinning and their not beleeving nor regarding they were disobedient whilest the long suffering of God waited in the daies of Noah Yea our Saviour
The most probable opinion is as I thinke that because he was a Preacher of righteousnesse and did more largely and plainely denounce Gods wrath against sinners and his blessing to the godly for a Preacher of righteousnesse must needs doe both these things therefore he gave much refreshing to the soules of the godly and made all their labours easie Even as now if Gods people have a painefull Minister amongst them that ceaseth not to acquaint them with Gods mercy and justice and to revive the remembrance of Heaven and all the Promises in their hearts they live much more comfortably then any outward thing without this helpe could make them to live So it was in those times also with those godly Patriarkes Againe as it would be a great comfort to good men now if any man were sent by God to assure them of the last day of judgement for they would even lift up their heads and rejoyce so Noah in telling of the floud which to that world was a kinde of judgement-day did greatly solace the spirits of the good against all their sorrowes Now this Noah was the sonne of Lamech the sonne of Methuselah in the 1056. yeare of the world He was the tenth after Adam inclusively borne after Adams and Seths death and Henochs translation and lived to see the death of Enos Kainan Mahalaleel Iared Methuselah and Lamech This is all we have to say of his Birth or entrance into the world Now concerning his life I pray you consider foure things 1. His goodnesse 2. His bad deeds 3. The sorrowes and miseries he met with 4. The benefits God gave him And let us make use of all as we goe along and so come to his death last of all First for his goodnesse it is set forth in the Scripture generally and particularly In generall these three things are affirmed of him Gen. 6.9 He was a just man and upright or perfect and walked with God Before it is affirmed of Henoch that hee walked with God and the Scripture told us also of Abel that hee obtained a divine testimony that hee also was just and Iob is said to have beene a perfect man yea it is added by way of amplification to his goodnesse that hee was a just man and perfect in his generations that is in his owne time in those most sinfull daies when all were naught Noah was good when all had corrupted their waies he was sincere and upright in his waies For this is the truest commendation of vertue when it keepes a man unspotted of those evils which are every where practised in the world Let us now request you to consider of your selves every man whether he be a Noah Surely none but Noahs shall be admitted into the Arke and escape the waves of destruction none but Noahs shall finde favour with God and be delivered from eternall death Whosoever cannot approve himselfe to be such a one as this good man let him never dreame of comming to Heaven But who is a just man who a perfect who walketh with God I answer A just man is first he that renounceth his owne justice which is of the Law and imbraceth the righteousnesse of faith even the righteousnesse which is of God by faith relying wholy upon the merits of Christ and Gods mercy in Christ for pardon of his offences and acceptation of himselfe and his indeavours to salvation The Scripture witnesseth that Noah was an heire of this righteousnesse Heb. 11.7 And this is that that must be first found in every man He must see and confesse his owne unrighteousnesse and utterly disclaime his owne righteousnesse as knowing that it is no better then a menstruous rag in respect of his justification Doe you this my Brethren Are you made to see your selves grievous sinners such as in your selves must needs be damned and cannot possibly bee saved by the worth and merit of your owne goodnesse Secondly a righteous man must stay rest depend on beleeve in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ labouring to build up in his own heart a particular perswasion and assurance that the Lord of Heaven will accept him as perfectly righteous in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ his Sonne and that alone for so was Abraham made partaker of that blessednesse which stood in the imputing unto him of righteousnesse without workes and Abraham is the Father of the faithfull as he was justified so must all we be justified and no otherwise See into your selves doe you rely upon our blessed Saviour the Lord Jesus for pardon of your sinnes or doe you waver from him or stay upon any other besides him Lastly a righteous man must himselfe also worke righteousnesse and give himselfe to be a servant of righteousnesse that is to say he must resolve and indeavour to leave every sinne by Gods Word condemned and to doe every duty by Gods Word commanded and that also for Gods sake with reference to him and out of a desire to please him that is to keepe his favour This is a righteous man He strives in all things to please God according to his Word but finding his defects bewailes them and resteth alone on Gods goodnesse in Christ for pardon and salvation If you be such then are you Noahs indeed and shall surely bee saved if not you bee but dissemblers and no shew of religion shall save you from destruction Therefore all of you that are not such I pray you feele your unhappinesse you are not good enough to goe to Heaven yet whatsoever you have imagined of your selves Therefore also now seeke to be such begin with lamenting your unrighteousnesse before God and craving pardon and helpe and so proceed to pray for and indeavour after all the things before prescribed Be the better for Noahs example Let not this story be preached unto you in vaine you know Noah was one whom God loved whom God hath saved study to be such as Noah What riches he had the Scripture takes no notice of but righteous he was studie you to be such and be happier then all riches can make you And especially I pray you labour to follow Noah in this onething to be good in your generations in those things I meane wherein your present times take generall liberty to be nought that so you as Noah may at once glorifie God and condemne the world What evill things all doe commit those doe you forbeare what good things all doe neglect those be you more carefull to performe Many things are growne into common fashion swearing pride in apparell formality in religion covetousnesse monstrous fashions mishapen long haire O be yee in these things carefull to avoid the corruption which is in the world Many good things are growne quite out of all fashion almost constant reading Gods Word holy conference keeping a treasure or purse for God in your houses meditation of Gods Word and carefull sanctifying of the Lords day O strive to performe these duties He
did shew his goodnesse to Noah and gave him dominion over all creatures and power to eate flesh which before God had given them no warrant to doe and therefore I suppose the godly did not usually unlesse in sacrifice if then And herein the Lord was gratious to Noah that for his sake he made a covenant And he was a figure of Christ in whom the Lord did make a covenant with all mankind then the second time not to destroy them with eternall destruction if they would trust in his mercy and repent of their sinnes For this temporall covenant was a shadow of that eternall into which all mankind was againe admitted through Christ that was to come But they did soone cast of this covenant in running to other gods which may seeme to be the onely sinne that then did cast the committers quite out of the covenant other sinnes did keepe them from injoying the good things of the covenant but this did cast them out of it altogether so that having runne into that they were no longer in the covenant Now see Gods grace more fully to us that hath renewed this covenant which is in Christ more evidently and take we heede of casting our selves out of it againe by following strange Mediators and Jesusses as I thinke the Papists doe Whosoever doth seeke to any other merits but only those of Christ thrusts himselfe out of the covenant of grace and Christ is become of none effect unto him Lastly Noah had two Godly sonnes and this is a singular favour to give a man a Sem and Iaphet if he have a Cam and that all his sonnes be not discoverers of their Fathers shame Lastly after 950. yeares Noah died and so must we all after not so long a life O therefore prepare wee for the comming of death that it may not take us away in the midst of our impenitency * ⎠* THE SEVENTH EXAMPLE OF HAM NIMROD Babilonians I Have offered to your consideration the Examples of the Old World I proceede to speake of the World that now is as S. Peter calles it 1. from the floud to Abraham and then from Abraham to the death of Ioseph for there the Booke of Moses called Genesis is concluded Now here first I will set before you the bad examples of bad men then the good examples of good Of the bad we have Cam Nimrod particulars and the builders of Babel in an heape as it were and of the good wee have Sem and Iaphet and the godly posterity of Sem whose geneologie is noted to shew the age of the world till Abram First J will begin with Ham and note his parentage and life for of his death in particular Moses hath made no mention For his parentage he was the son of Noah borne to him before the floud after his 500. yeare for to that age lived he before he became a Father and after that in the whole time of his life hee had no more children God of purpose it may seeme giving him but few children because his minde was to begin the present world with a few as he did the first with one man that so his blessing in the large increase of mankinde afterwards might be more evidently discovered But the youngest sonne was this Ham. Now for his life I marke three things in it First the great benefits God bestowed upon him Secondly the great sinnes he committed Thirdly the great punishments which God inflicted upon him for his sinnes First God vouchsafed to save him in the Arke from the Deluge of waters so that he perished not with the world but escaped with his Father and Brethren It was a speciall and singular favour to make him one of the few that is eight persons that were delivered from the raging waves and enjoyed the benefit of a miraculous preservation of that little handfull of men whereof the Church visible did then consist Wee see that one was an Hypocrite a dissembler a wicked unsanctified man who though he continued a professour of the true religion and worshipper of the true God with his Father and Brethren yet was destitute of true piety and continued gracelesse a servant of sinne voide of due reverence and charity towards his aged Father Gods Minister and the most holy man of all those times and served God with them alone in outward forme and fashion For had he beene truly good he would not have run into so foule a sin at least he would not have persisted in it without repentance as he did See then that the Lord shewes a great deale of patience long-suffering and goodnesse to hypocrites in the Church and maketh them partakers of all outward benefits and priviledges which are bestowed upon the Church so did Ishmael live in Abrahams family a long time and Esau longer in Isaacs So Core Dathan Abiram and the rest of those rebels and murmurers were brought out of Egypt passed thorough the sea saw the miracles and did eate Manna and drunk water out of the rock and were shadowed with the cloud and conducted by the pillar of fire among the rest of the sons of Iacob And I pray you to take heed by this warning of priding and pleasing your selves in this that you be members of the Church escape divers punishments enjoy many mercies live in good esteeme among the godly and carrie away as great credit as any other men in the Church All this befell Cham a wicked Hypocrite and at last a damned Reprobate It is a dangerous thing to flatter our selves in a bad estate and to couzen our selves with false arguments making our selves to trust upon a false conclusion and to judge our selves Gods children and in the state of salvation upon such reasons as have no verity nor stability in them You live in the true Church so did Cham you live amongst godly men have beene borne of godly parents have beene instructed in the doctrine of godlinesse so was Cham you have escaped great punishments enjoyed great benefits and beene well reputed of by godly men all this befell Cham and all this notwithstanding Cham was cursed and damned and so may you In after times the Jewes bragged of the Temple of the Lord and the Temple of the Lord are we and yet the Lord rejected them and cast them out of his sight In Christs daies the Jewes bragged that Abraham was their Father for Iohn Baptists warning would not serve the turne to make them forbeare such idle boasting of their Pedigree but our Saviour telleth them that the Divell was their Father yea Iudas himselfe was one of Christs Familie and Disciples and Apostles and trusted with the bag and yet a Divell O therefore beguile not your selves with ill grounded hopes and build not upon a rotten foundation If you say unto mee why then you leave us in uncertainty and affoord us no sure pillar upon which to ground our hopes I answer not so but I will turne you to
good as dead at a 100 yeares old It is improbable that there should have beene so great difference of bodily strength betwixt the Father and the Sonne Now from Abraham forward the Holy Ghost maketh his story more large then that of former times We shall follow Gods pen and propound unto you this Father of the faithfull that by doing his workes you may shew your selves his children In him looke to his 1. Birth 2. Life 3. Death For his Birth he was the sonne of Terah borne as some thinke about the 200th yeere of the world some 352 yeeres after the floud but as some thinke 60 yeeres sooner about 1948 of the world and after the floud 298. For his life we will consider his carriage good and bad and the things that befell him good and bad Let us begin with his vertues and good deeds and observe him as an excellent patterne of all vertues and goodnesse that we may profit the better by considering his life more particularly Let us see what vertues and good deeds he practised towards God first and then towards man First for God hee is commended for faith Abraham saith the Author of the Hebrewes by faith called of God c. and Abraham by faith offered up so that faith he had and was called the friend of God as the Apostle S. Iames witnesseth now without faith no man can possibly please God or be his friend So had Abel as we shewed you before so had Noah so had Henoch so had all the godly at all times This grace is the cardinall grace the radicall grace that upon which all other graces grow as on their roote and on which they move as the doore upon its hinges Therefore you that would be called the children of Abram heires of the blessing of Abram come and compare your selves with him and see whether you be faithfull as he was to that end know that faith is the grace by which we beleeve things invisible and supernaturall concerning another life hereafter So the Apostle distinguisheth walking by faith from walking by sence or sight and Faith is said to be the Evidence of things not seene and ground of things hoped for Reason and naturall discourse will informe of things sensible and naturall concerning the present life but the things that are above sence and reason concerning a future life hoped for hereafter nothing doth informe us but faith and faith is that grace by which the soule beleeveth such things It hath three sorts of acts in regard of which it is stiled by three titles Faith of God Faith to God Faith in God Faith of God is that by which we beleeve that there is such a God as indeed he is All conceits of God are not of faith but those apprehensions of him which agree to his being and conceive him to be such as himselfe doth set forth himselfe to be and you shall see what Abraham beleeved concerning him 1. He beleeved that this God was one and but one as the Scripture witnesseth of him He worshipped God he called on the name of God he builded an Altar to God not to gods or more gods but to one God JEHOVAH 2. He beleeved that this one God was True Omnipotent able and willing to doe any thing that he should speake viz. that he was All-sufficient and faithfull as S. Paul witnesseth being fully perswaded that what he had spoken he was able also to performe and Heb. 11. that he was able to raise him from the dead 3. He beleeved that this one God was possessor and judge and therefore also Maker of Heaven and Earth And 4. That he was righteous and would doe righteousnesse in punishing the wicked that lived in sinne and in sparing and being favourable to the righteous man that did study to walke before him in a good conversation Now these be the principall things to be assented unto concerning God Secondly Abraham had faith to God that is he gave consent to all those things that God said because he said them which necessarily followeth from his acknowledgement of the truth power and All-sufficiency of God So doth the Author to the Hebrewes note that it was a land which after he should receive for an inheritance He beleeved that God would give him that land according to his promise and he beleeved above hope in hope that he should be Father of many Nations and it is said that God preached the Gospell unto him saying in thy seed which is Christ shall all Nations be blessed He beleeved that of his seed should come the Messiah which should free mankinde from the curse and make them partakers of the blessing So he beleeved Gods threats against Sodome that God would destroy it with fire Thirdly he believed in God 1. He trusted upon his mercy in the promised seede that for his sake not for the worth of his owne righteousnesse God would be mercifull to him and save him He beleeved in God and this faith was counted unto him for righteousnesse He was justified by this faith as the instrument he did not worke meaning in respect of justification he did not thinke to be pardoned and accepted for the workes sake but beleeved in him that justified those which in themselves be ungodly by justifying he meanes pardoneth their sinnes as it is said Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne for the promise was not made to him by the workes of the Law but the righteousnesse of faith that is the righteousnesse without workes as he described it before Now if you have this faith and all these acts of faith then you are Abrahams sonnes if not in vaine doe you lay title to his inheritance Therefore trie your selves and if you have this faith then know your selves happy if not you are farre from blessednesse you are still under the curse But secondly Abraham feared God True faith will bring forth the feare of God not the passion of feare nor slavish feare nor feare of flight but the feare of caution and warinesse a not daring to offend God as the Lord himselfe witnessed of him saying Now I know that thou fearest mee when thou hast not spared thine onely sonne Loe the feare of God is such a disposition of heart to God-ward out of the apprehension of his excellency and greatnesse and justice that will cause a man not to be bold to dare to omit any worke that Gods Commandement injoyneth him unto and so not to commit any thing that God condemneth I pray you consider have have you this vertuous feare of God Doe your hearts stand in awe of him so that you flie from the offending and displeasing of him as from the greatest of all evils those that have Gods feare before their eyes they are godly like Abraham those that have it not they are wicked as Abram thought the men of Gerar and Egypt to be O labour for
it by renewing our meditations of Gods promises and putting our selves often in minde of the power and truth of God the promise-maker which are the pillars and foundations of our faith For if Abraham when these doubts began to stirre in his minde had called to minde Gods promise of giving him seede and had reasoned with himselfe thus hath not the living God possessour of Heaven and Earth undertaken to give mee a seede to inherit this land after me How then can I be killed by the Philistins How can they take away my life whilst this promise is not yet fulfilled Surely God both can and also will give mee life and preserve me from the hands of these godlesse Philistins for how else should he fulfill his promise to me of giving me seed after me If Abraham I say had thus stirred up his faith by serious consideration of Gods power and truth he had not beene foyled so as he was Let his weaknesse and failings be our warning that we may escape the evills which he fell into Againe as Abrahams faith was weake and yeelded a little to doubtings so was he possessed somewhat strongly for the time with a kinde of carnall feare of death Gen. 12.12 and afterwards Gen. â—0 13 He said they will slay mee for my wives sake So you must note another weakenesse in Gods people flowing from the former imperfection of faith They are apt to be over-fearefull of dangers and by name of death even to be so much terrified with the apprehension of danger especially of loosing their lives that they cannot must upon God and rest upon him for safety as they should doe This feare was found in David it was found also in Peter and in divers others of Gods people The ground of it is as I said partly the weakenesse of their faith and partly the terriblenesse of death which is the terriblest of all terrible things as being a separation of the soule from the body and a stripping a man at once of all those things that are most deare unto him and conveighing him out of this world into another concerning his happinesse herein he is not alwaies so full of assurance as he should be For when these feares doe suddainely seize upon a man upon occasion of some sensible object that threatens him they pull out of the minde for the time the thought of Gods promises and hold the soule alone in the apprehension of the greatnesse and inevitablenesse of the danger which looketh him in the face Let us therefore learne not to be heartlesse our selves because we hare have beene so transported with feare as was Abraham nor yet be censorious to others whom wee shall see thus for a fit even shaken and almost overcome of feare It is a fault indeed and we must blame our selves for it and be humbled but it is such a fault as may stand with truth of grace and which doth not give just reason to conclude ourselves unsanctified or not to be Gods true children And let us learne to beware of feare to resist and oppose it at the beginning by the opposition of Gods love and protection yea let us labour to worke in our mindes such a true apprehension of the harmelesnesse of death and other crosses that we may learne not to be afraid of them though we must needs suffer them For why should we feare that which cannot hurt yea that which shall be an advantage to us Feare none of those things that you shall suffer saith the Lord and David saith I will not feare what man can doe unto mee and againe I will not feare though I walke in the valley of the shadow of death It is an excellent thing and very comfortable when our heart is so setled that feare may not dismay us And the way is to get assurance of Gods favour and of eternall life and that all things shall worke for our good and speedily to set this faith on worke when dangers shall offer themselves unto our sight But further Abraham to avoid this danger consulted with flesh and bloud and used deceit and shifting and falsehood for though his words were in some sence true as he telleth Abimelech because Sarah was his sister by one side yet in the meaning which he would have those to interpret his words to whom he spake them they were not true For his intent was to make them conceive that she was so his sister as not his wife He resolved to use false speeches and draw his wife likewise to joyne with him in these false speeches yea they agreed upon it before hand as he tels Abimelech Gen. 20.13 Abraham said to her this is the kindnesse thou shalt shew mee at every place whether wee shall come say he is my brother You see they agreed before hand to dissemble and to continue dissembling yet sure dissembling is a sinne and ought not to be done as Abraham heares even from Abimelech himselfe verse 9. Thou hast done deeds unto mee that ought not to be done So it may befall a good Abraham out of inconsideratenesse and heedlesnesse in not pondering their pathes nor thinking of their waies or in a suddaine to dissemble and deale falsely for the preventing of danger as may be seene also in David and in Peter when he denied Christ and when he withdrew himselfe from communion with the Gentiles for feare of them which came from Iames to Antioch For a thing not considered of is for present as uselesse as if it were not knowne at all Therefore here also we must learne not to be utterly discouraged if we have run into such a fault when we bethinke our selves after of such offences we must be humbled bewaile them confesse them condemne and judge our selves for them but we must not be fearefull of asking pardon and of intreating mercy to forgive them must not conclude that there was no truth of grace in us because of such palpable failings yea we must take boldnesse to goe to the throne of grace renewing our repentance and earnestly suing for pardon And we must also take heed of censuring others and bitterly and harshly for such offences though they be grosse even Abimelech did not esteeme Abraham a dishonest and naughty man because he had found him tripping in this matter onely take heed least we misuse this Example and the like to build upon them a boldnesse to such sinnes that were a great wickednesse They must imbolden us to repent and crave mercy after we have through weakenesse offended they must not imbolden us before hand to resolve on a sinfull deed Yea when we behold their stumblings it should make us to be earnest in our prayers to God for a great measure of strength that we may escape such offences and to be more frequent and firme in renewing our purposes of not finning in the like kinde Resolve therefore that nothing shall make you lie or dissemble and if you doe resolve you will seeke
saith or doth to them that have angered him Secondly When you finde them to fall upon them with sorrow and lamentation arraigning and judging your selves for them before God and labour to make your selves seeme base in your owne eyes because of them Thirdly To pray heartily against it and to beg the Spirit of God to humble you and cast you downe There is a thing that looketh somewhat like humility and it is nothing but a heart a little kept downe with crosses or with education and good instructions this may be found where the Spirit of sanctification is not but true humility is an effect of Gods Spirit thoroughly sanctifying the heart A man by being conscious to himselfe of his owne naturall imperfections and defects may be kept a little under so that his pride will not so boldly lift up it selfe but no man deposeth pride from raigning but by the Spirit of God you must therefore intreat the Lord by the operation of his Spirit to subdue your pride Lastly You must exercise your selves in good meditations concerning First your naturall misery and meanenesse Secondly your spirituall The naturall seene in our birth life death entrance into the world continuance in it departure out of it First how little and meane are we in respect of our entrance what did we come from at first and originally but very nothing there was a time when we were not having alone a potentiall being that is a being not yet in being but alone lockt up as it were in the causes of it yea there was a time when wee were not in any secondary causes but alone in the omnipotency of God who was able to make us of nothing And surely that which comes from nothing can be no exceeding excellent thing in it selfe and if it have any excellency it hath it from another to whom all the glory of it is due Yea what was the matter of which God made us at the first not gold silver brasse iron wood or any more then common thing but even the dust of the earth for you have heard how Adam was formed Doubtlesse the Lord did this of purpose to minister matter of humbling men unto their meditations for if I came from dust I shall surely savour of mine originall a thing made will have a relish of the matter whereof it is made unlesse it receive an exceeding great change therefore Abraham confessed unto the Lord I am dust and ashes Call we our selves by that name seriously and often and dust cannot swell it may be blowne away it cannot be puffed up But let us looke upon a man in the course of his life and that with reference to the good he hath and can doe and to the evill he hath or is able to doe The good he hath first is exceeding little compared to that which God and Angels have as no man will deny that shall make the comparison Now he ought if he were wise to compare himselfe with his betters and not with his inferiours Set a man in ballance to a beast he is some body he hath reason wisedome and the like set him in the ballance with God he is a meere foole a compound of weakenesse and vanity all he doth know all he can know is lesse then nothing Yea compare him with an Angel how silly is he how feeble one Angell is able to know more then all men and to doe more one Angell can beguile all men and destroy all men yea if you compare him with beasts he hath a little more wit then most of them but they have stronger bodies perfecter sences are able to teare him in peeces and can live without him many of them better then he without them so that he is more beholding to them then they to him So his good is little little knowledge in respect of what God and Angels have and in respect of that he once had and might have had still but that himselfe deprived himselfe of it Little strength even in comparison of beasts and must continue here but for a little time Againe this little is all borrowed it is none of his owne he hath it of meere curtesie and from the goodnesse of another so that he is not to be counted better for it but alone more indebted who swelleth for a borrowed thing or if he doe who doth not befoole him for it If a man that hath no horse be friended with a good one shall he be proud of it and is not all we have borrowed Nay thirdly must we not be accountable for all we have so that we are but as servants which have charge of their matters goods and and must answer how they have ordered it shall such a person bee proud And lastly what we have is uncertaine too 't is moveable 't is fleeting wee may loose it we know not how soone we are like tenants at will that cannot challenge so much as a quarter nay not a weeke or minute it ill becomes so meane a thing to thinke well of it selfe Now for the evill we have that is much and our owne that is inseperable and inavoideable it is great O to how many and sore crosses is every man subject to diseases to casualities for goods to madnesse to injuries and to a 1000. unhappinesses from which neither wisedome nor strength nor riches nor high places can fence and save him especially to the vexation of his owne heart which is enough to make him miserable though he were rid of all other evils And these evils are come unto him as due punishments of his owne sinnes as fruits of his ill deservings and as effects of his owne folly and misery is shamefull as well as bitter when it is justly imputable to the persons ill carriage that suffers it because his faults have brought it on himselfe and this evill is properly his owne because he owes it to none properly but to himselfe neither can any care of his prevent it but he shall be so during life and ever as he lives longer so shall he be subject to more misery Indeed some men scape in this world with more ease then divers others but every man hath his portion enough to make him know himselfe to be nothing and enough to dash pride out of countenance if he would not hide his owne eyes from taking notice of it Now looke to him in his end how little a thing will kill him a haire or a stone of a raisin the least thing going awry How little a place will hold him when he is dead a poore winding sheete a coffin a little hole in the earth how little can he doe then nothing but feede wormes and yeeld forth a stinking smell Looke upon a man lying upon his death-bed groaning and panting for life looke upon him in his winding sheete and coffin bound hand and foote and imprisoned in that narrow stockes Looke upon him in his grave rotting and smelling and putrifying and I hope you will easily confesse he
forth his griefe before God in these words If thou wilt deale thus with me kill me now kil me if I have found favour in thine eyes and let me not see mine evill Sometimes you finde good men desirous to escape death and crying Lord save me from the hands of mine enemies and sometimes againe even covetous of it and crying with vehemency again and again kill me Lord kill me and if thou lovest me kill me Iob was exceeding desirous to die and said He would seek for it as for gold yea and fine gold So you perceive that mans nature is prone to waxe weary of living because of affliction and that this is a fault and a weaknesse is evident It is an act of ingratitude because a man considers not as well the good he enjoyeth as the evill for if he would reckon well he doth alwaies receive more good at Gods hand in this life than evill but as one bitter morsell causeth that the mouth tasteth nothing almost but bitternesse though it have before received many dainty morsels so it is with us in this case Againe it is a fruit of hopelesnesse and despaire the soule doth not expect the favourable goodnesse of God to strengthen and deliver in due time but thinks it will never be better with mee till I die and therefore wisheth it selfe out of the world Hope would hold the heart up from these faintings but it is a kinde of despaire that casts it into such swounes as Iob said As for mine hope where is it Thirdly pride is one great cause of this disposition men consider not with themselves how unworthy they be of any good how much they have deserved far greater evill and therefore are immoderately vexed with those they feele and therefore count their beeing a burden But is it not a fruit of great pride in a man that as if he were his own maker preserver disposer will be no longer then he may have his own will and may see things to go along with him after his owne wishes Further a man wrongs himselfe exceedingly by suffering himself to grow weary of life for first he makes the misery greater by makeing himselfe weaker to beare it If a man be to beare a great burden it doth him much hurt to scratch the skin of his shoulder for that will adde much to the pain of bearing A gauled place will smart of it selfe how ill doth be provide for himselfe that rubs off the skin from his shoulders when he is put to carry a thing So doth he that will needs give way to so much impatiency as to be weary of life yea he exposeth himselfe to the danger of becomming a self-murtherer that yeeldeth to this wearinesse of life For it will not be very hard to perswade any man to cast away that which is his burden So it is evident that this was an offence in Rebekkah And now come you men and women of all rankes looke into your selves Have not you also been weary of life and that upon a very small occasion A maide is crossed in her desires by her parents for her good and she sees no likelihood of having what shee would have then she pules and takes on and wisheth she were dead and buried she would forgive him that would knock her on the head A man hath met with somewhat a froward woman which vexeth him with her words then he will be dead in a chafe I would I were out of the world never man was so pestered with a shrew as I so it is with wives too Come now recount you owne passions are you not ashamed of these drunken distempers what is life a thing so dog cheape with you that upon every occasion you would cast it away Are your selves things of so little value that so small a matter should make you weary of your selves You wrong God exceedingly in such distempers for you make it appeare that you think of him as of an angry governour that cares not how unreasonably he laies upon his servants in his anger Either these corrections are sufferable or not I meane such as by wisdome and discretion you might compose your selves to beare with gentlenesse or they be not if they be why do you chafe thus If they be not who hath sent them Verily you provoke God to send unsufferable crosses that will make easie crosses unsufferable What saith the Father to the froward childe doe you cry for nothing take you that then to make you cry for something and so doubles and redoubles his blows with a strong arme till the childe feeling the smart of his Fathers anger begins to compose himselfe to a little more sufferance Brethren let us repent of this folly there scarce liveth a man that hath not overshot himselfe in this fashion O let us repent of it and let us diligently resist such disorderly passions hereafter Let nothing make us weary of life but sin and not that so excessively as to make us intemperately wish death Of sin we should be weary but of life for sins sake I know not whether we may allow our selves at all to be weary But for crosses be they what they will we should not be so weak and impatient as to grow weary of life For God is able to deliver us out of all crosses and will do it and he will so sanctifie them to us that it may be more for our profit than if it were removed and can give as in Iobs case he did so blessed an issue that our selves shall confesse it was but our folly not to be willing to continue under them according to his will Had not Iob cause to unwish his former wishes when the Lord did make so large an addition of happy dayes unto him Above all we must consider of our worthinesse to be damned that we may not thinke much of crosses and labour so to rest upon God for the escape of damnation that afflictions which are but for a short season may not seeme unto us extreame Looke upon our Lord Iesus Christ what sufferings were comparable to his Yet we never meet with any wearinesse of life or wishing of death in him Looke upon S. Paul too Never man had feeling of greater tribulation and he tels us that hee tooke pleasure in necessities afflictions tribulations but that he wished himselfe dead that hee might be free from his crosses wee never reade Let us follow the vertues of godly men but let their weaknesses be our warnings And that we may not distaste life for any crosses that befall us therein let us often renew our faith in Gods gracious promises to give us an happy issue out of all and to bring us safely to his heavenly kingdome Moreover if sometimes these fainting fits doe gather upon us and our mindes be overtaken with this tirednesse of spirit let us learne though to be humbled yet not to be discouraged We conclude not against Elias Moses Rebekkah Iob that they were not truly
sanctified because they were imperfect in patience Why should we make such untrue and uncharitable and indiscreet conclusions either against our selves or others with whom we live As an extenuating of faults to make them seeme nothing and make our hearts hard under them is to be condemned so an over-aggravating of them to make our selves seem no children making our case worse then ever any mans before is likewise to be condemned Satan is author of both these follies and the effect of the latter is to drive us from God as well as of the former and all things are ill used when they tend to keepe us from comming to God and trusting in him So much of Rebekkahs good and bad now of the good and evill occurrents that befell her Her prosperity first was great for God called her from her Fathers house in which Idolatry did raigne and false worship prevailed to be a member of Abrahams house and a mother of the Messiah and a professor and practiser of Gods true religion and not alone so but gave her grace to be a godly woman an heire of the promise made to Abraham together with her husband This is the greatest of mercies here below to be called from darknesse to light from serving the devill and Idols to serve the true and living God If God have granted to any this mercy even to call them effectually to himselfe out of the darknesse of a false worship and religion to the light of a godly life How much cause hath he to blesse God and to rejoyce in this mercy above all mercies and bee freequently and heartily thankfull But if you have not yet attained it for many live in the Church that be not of it take notice of your wretched condition and now cry earnestly to God to bring you to the effectuall and saving knowledge of his truth that you also may be indeed and â—ot in bare profession of the houshold of Abraham the true Church But Rebekkah had other benefits beauty health and strength for ought we reade after marriage as before A rich and godly husband in whom she was doubly happy for her soule and state and one godly childe too whom she dearely loved and who shewed himselfe a man worthy to be loved A good husband a good state a good childe good health bee they not benefits indebting us to God in many praises and thankes and much carefull obedience Let not these mercies be strangers to your thoughts but ponder upon them to stir up your selves to thanksgiving and obedience Now for her crosses some shee suffered in her dayes as well as others First her husband fell blinde and weake and almost bedridden No doubt but she did participate with him in this affliction and it was a griefe to her to see him so imprisoned in darknesse and some trouble it must needs be though her love made it easie to give attendance upon him in that estate Likewise she could not but grieve to see her husbands affections to be so much more than they should have been for a long time upon her elder but worser son It was also a great griefe unto her to see the rudenesse and bloodinesse of her son Esau who comforted himselfe against his brother with an intention so soon as his Fathers funerals were over to dispatch him and rob him of the blessing though he could not get it to himselfe Would it not cut the heart of one of you Parents to heare that one of your sons you having but a couple in all the world should resolve to become a murderer of the other and so you stood in danger of being deprived of them both at once would not both these things grieve you Againe it was a griefe to her to have her good son as it were banished from her house and compelled to fly away in secret for his life For had he not been compelled to steale into Padan Aram in respect of Esau as to steale thence again in respect of Laban his Fathers estate was not so low that he must needs have travailed over that Iordan with a staffe and come to Labans house all alone and there have served an hard service for a wife Sure Isaac was not a prodigall he had not consumed his estate so that Abrahams grandchilde must be sent out so poorely appointed whose steward when he fetched a wife for Isaac had ten Camels well laden with rich things and many servants to attend him and so with speed returned home with his errand But feare of Esau caused him to goe speedily and secretly that no man might know it lest so he might have fallen into mischiefe by his meanes and to tarry so long till he might heare his brother was pacified Now did not this think you wound Rebekkahs heart Did she not part with a great part of her comfort when she parted with her beloved son Iacob so far so long and in such a manner But worst of all so long as she lived with her daughters shee was miserably vexed with their frowardnesse and ill conditions Indeed at length Esau tooke his journey to mount Seir where her friends dwelled and made this crosse more easie by removing his habitation with his wives and all he had but in the mean it was an anguish to her and that viz. losse of Esau too when Iacob was gone could not but minister matter of some affliction to her in minde Now let all of us be perswaded to looke for these and the like crosses that by fortifying our selves against them we may be made more patient and so beare them with lesse discontent for what are we that God should handle us with more indulgence than this so good a woman And those that lie under any such crosse in husband sons daughters daughters in law let them frame themselves to a more contented suffering because they finde that they bee no other kind of evils than those wherewith their Father hath exercised their betters in former times as he doth also for the present Hee must be an unruly childe that will roare and take on when he beareth no more than his other brethren and sisters beare before him yea and if we have escaped these particular crosses let us be thankfull to God for our freedome even from them and make the bearing of the rest more easie because we have not as we have deserved and might have had the same we have and these also for an overplus of misery THE SEVENTENTH EXAMPLE OF ESAV WEE are now to handle the example of Esau Hee was a twin Iacob being the other twin We must treate of his birth life and death First for his birth we are informed that hee was the son of Isaac and of Rebekkah the wife of Isaac daughter of Bethuel by his wife Milcah Which Bethuel was son of Nachor the brother of Abraham He was borne in the yeare of the world 2108 as some thinke and as others
blessing was this that he made him a godly man giving him true faith so that he did unfainedly beleeve in God and was a right godly and religious man For it is noted of him that he beleeved in God and was an heire with Abraham of the same promises both concerning the land of Canaan as a Type and heaven it selfe the thing figured by the land of Canaan So Iacob was a true servant of God and member of Christ and inheritour of heaven and from him the Church is many times called by the name of Iacob and Israel And this is the greatest good that can be found in this life in comparison of which all other benefits are of no value and without which other things are not sufficient to make a man happy though he should possesse them in never so great abundance for what will it advantage a man to win the whole world and lose his owne soule Now therefore we must learne most earnestly to seeke this benefit which God is ready to give to us as well as to him For Iacob was not godly by nature nor by any power of his owne but by the free grace of God and the mighty and saving worke of his owne blessed Spirit which Spirit he hath promised to all that aske even as undoubtedly as any tender hearted Father will give food unto his hungry childe that shall crave it at his hands Let no man be discouraged because of the corruption and naughtinesse of his nature for the same bad and depraved nature was found in Iacob that in himselfe seeing Iacob also was a son of Adam by corrupt nature a childe of wrath and heire of death as well as any other but God did circumcise his heart as well as his flesh and made him partaker of the divine nature by which he prevailed against the corruptions that are in the world through lust Wherefore let each of us take notice of his owne wickednesse and inability to make himselfe good and of his manifold sins and inability to procure pardon of them to himselfe and let him earnestly call upon God to worke true repentance and unfained faith in him and the Lord will graciously worke these things in him as well as in Iacob and will pardon his sins and sanctifie his soule and make him an inheritour of his heavenly Kingdome I beseech you therefore bury not your selves in the world and in the study of earthly things but Seeke first the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and labour to come into the state of grace by meditating on the Gospell seeing your misery in your selves and endeavouring to turne unto the Lord. For in the Church no man is left destitute of grace but through his own default in neglecting the great salvation that is there offered unto him Againe those to whom the Lord hath pleased to shew the same goodnesse working in them true faith inabling them to beleeve in his mercy through Christ and to walke in his wayes with truth and uprightnesse of heart must learne to shew themselves exceeding thankfull to God for this mercy and strive to take comfort in it and to walke worthy of it Blesse God with constant and daily blessings that hath blessed thee with spirituall blessings in Christ and rejoyce in the riches of that inheritance to which thou are interessed and shalt possesse whatsoever wants afflictions crosses thou maist bee exercised withall yet be glad in the Lord and count thy selfe an happy man because the Lord hath granted thee that which may abundantly satisfie thy soule in the want of all outward things and support thee in all afflictions and miseries and countervaile and more then overweigh all manner of calamities Let not the rich man rejoyce in his riches nor the wise man in his wisdome nor the strong man in his strength nor any man in any terrene thing he hath but Let him that rejoyceth rejoyce in this that he knoweth me saith the Lord. It is our duty to raise up our hearts so that no earthly adversity may coole or damp our prayers and dismay our hearts and fill us with anguish and grief and that no outward benefits may glut and satt our hearts and turne us away from taking comfort in this true and everlasting mercy God hath made us his owne given us faith sanctified us by his Spirit united us to his Son and caused us to see beleeve and embrace his promises What though we want wealth honour pleasure and these sensuall benefits He hath given us Wheate What though he feed us not with huskes He hath given us Gold What though he lade us not with dirt Hee hath given us himselfe and his Son What though he give us not the vanities of this life It is a sin for a godly man to be out of heart and comfortlesse because of any other want and any other crosse If God have granted you this chiefe benefit glory in it and thinke that you have gotten a good portion though your estate in the world be never so low and poore only be sure that your faith bee true by causing you to abound in those fruits of it which we shewed you before that it brought forth in Iacob Now I come to some lesse principall mercies flowing from this First he gave him the priviledge of the first-borne that Christ should come of him and that the visible Church should continue in his posterity That part of the dignity of the primogeniture to have Christ the blessed seed come of him cannot be bestowed upon any of us neither that to have a great Nation flow from our loines that shall be also the Church of God and a Nation in which true religion and piety shall be continued But to have our children godly and become members of the Church that we must earnestly desire and seeke for and that we may hope for and attaine if we pray earnestly for it and make our children as good as we can by bringing them up in the true knowledge and worshipping of God Further Iacob had the blessing given him First by his Fathers mistake when he tooke him for his eldest son Esau to whom he intended the blessing then after by his Fathers witting and deliberate pronouncing it upon him by the direction of Gods Spirit The former you may see pronounced upon him in Genesis where he saith God give thee of the dew of heaven and after God Almighty blesse thee and give thee the blessing of Abraham This blessing is the bestowing upon him all temporall benefits so far as they are subordinate to his spirituall and then spirituall benefits viz. all sorts of graces by which he may be happily guided to the possession of life eternall This is an excellent mercy to be freed from the curse of the Law and to be made partaker of the blessing of Abraham even that God shall love one take care of him and prosper him in all things hee takes in hand and conduct him
to be made as Laban was worldly minded Now for crosses Wee reade little of Labans affliction it may bee it was a griefe to him that his daughters and grand-children went so farre from him but such a crosse even a naturall wise man may make easie to himselfe by considerations of reason that the good of their children so requires and that their comfort in their children stands not so much in seeing them as in their well-doing Onely Laban did make Iacobs prosperity a crosse to himselfe in suffering his minde to bee alienated from Iacob because Iacob did thrive a great deale faster than himselfe and to his hinderance which cannot bee done without a great deale of vexation It is an ill disease to bee sicke of another mans prosperity take heed you suffer not covetousnesse or other distempers to bring such sicknesse upon you With farre lesse vexation may a man lose halfe hee hath than beare the torment which such estrangement of heart will bring with it And now for Labans death we heare nothing of it onely hee lived and dyed so farre as wee see like a carnall man and he had no grace in him but after a little time here spent in earth prosperously enough at last so far as we can see he perished eternally for no footsteps of faith and true piety appeare in him O my brethren take heed that you doe not carry your selves so foolishly as to live in a meere worldly fashion scraping together a great heap of muck and dung on which the much deceived world doth falsely bestow the name of goods and then with the rich glutton and him that said Soule eate and drinke and be merry for thou hast much riches laid up in store for many yeares have your soule taken away and carried into the place and state of eternall death for our Saviour hath said that So is every one which is rich in the world and is not in GOD. * ⎠* THE TWO AND TWENTIETH EXAMPLE OF IACOBS Children AFter Iacobs Wives and Father in Law wee will proceed to his children which were twelve sons and one daughter Concerning his sons they were sixe of Leah Reuben Simeon Levi Iudah Issachar Zebulun two of Bilhah Dan and Nephthali two of Zilpah Gad and Asher two of Rachel Ioseph borne in Padan Aram and Benjamin borne in the Land of Canaan The daughter was Dinah of Leah of the birth and names of each of these the Scripture takes speciall notice Reuben signifies Behold a son for his mother tooke it as a great favour of God whereby he would mitigate her sorrow yea and help to remove it too by winning her husbands love to her the want whereof was her greatest trouble as you shall finde Simeon signifies the hearing of God because she said God heard that she was hated and hath given me this son too It was a good thing in Leah to give her sons such names as might minde her of Gods goodnesse in considering her affliction and when shee saith that God saw first and then heard her affliction the last speech is a proofe that she made her moane and complaint to God and so this mercy came to her as a fruit of her prayers The next son is called Levi for said she Now my husband will be united to me or cleave to me for the word Levi signifieth as much as cleaving She was earnestly desirous of her husbands love and would as it were minde him of her hopes and desires that he would recompence her paines of bringing him three sons with the increase of his affection A wife is not good if she be not very covetous of her husbands love some probably say that he meaning Iacob hearing Leahs word to comfort her called him Levi and the originall seemes to leade us to that opinion for the former word translated called is of the feminine gender and is plainly referred to the woman spoken of before but the latter is of the masculine and so may very likely note the husband of whom she had immediatly spoken And if so it was well done of Iacob at last to speak some word of comfort to his drooping wife and to let her see that the riches of three sons had made him forget that great wrong she did him of obtruding her selfe upon him against his will and without his knowledge which shee ought not to have done though at her Fathers command The fourth son is Iehudah in short Iudah as much as praise of the Lord or the Lord be or is praised to expresse her thankefulnesse for she said Now I will praise the Lord which hath caused mine husbands affections somewhat more to incline unto me by making me a mother of foure sons For so it may seeme they did and that also maybe justly accounted one cause of her sisters envy because shee saw Iacob begin to love her more heartily than before These foure were borne one after another yeare by yeare without long intermission then she ceased bearing till Iacob had foure children by the two handmaids then she had two more sons Issachar the fifth sonne signifying there is a reward for giving her maide to her husband but in this she was much mistaken God is not wont to give rewards for our bad deeds and though it was of ignorance yet it was a sin in her to give her maid to her husband therefore we must take heed of imitating her in conceiting that God is well pleased with our faults Such is the blindnesse of our mindes that we are apt to run into such errours The last son was Zebulun signifying dwelling because God had given her so goodly a dowry as six sons she now begins to hope not alone that her husband will love her more but so much now as to affoord her more of his company and dwell with her which it seemes before he accustomed not to doe but with Rachel For love is never satisfied unlesse it enjoy the presence and company of the person loved these are Leahs sins envy at her maide Rachel so far plaid the foolish woman that she gave her handmaiden Bilhah to be her husbands Concubine and she had two sons which Rachel would needes take as her owne rather than those that her owne sister brought forth and the first she called Dan which signifies He hath judged for saith she God hath judged me and hath heard my cause and hath given me a son She bewrayes a distempered passion and would needes interest God into her folly as if now God in great favour seeing how shee was wronged had come to right her Fond Rachel no body wronged her but her selfe by entertaining the bone-rotting vice of envy into her bosome and yet she will needes take this as a righting of her wrong from above for so the word judging signifies so foolish we be that we will count our selves either to be wronged by men when we have received none at
is a most disbecomming vice it causeth hard censures from every mouth that doth heare he that hath practised it in himselfe cannot but condemne it in another as David did his owne fault in a third person forget not to blame your selves for having so forgotten And now be taught to use your memory vertuously to remember those that are indistresse and under injuries and those that have suffered with you and those that have beene instruments of comfort to you in the common sorrowes that befell both Memory cannot be better exercised next after the remembrance of God and his benefits and our sinnes then in remembring the miseries of others with whom once our own selves were joyned in the same misery and the kindnesses we have received of them in our miseries And so much of the faults of these men Now of their crosses they both were imprisoned and sure imprisonment is a crosse To be limited to one chamber to be denied the common benefits that bruit creatures enjoy drawing in the fresh aire and a free beholding of Heaven and Earth to want the benefit of ones friends company and be so restrained that neither he can goe to them nor they can come to him to have one wall one chimney one window for his prospect and either none or but a few and those disconsolate persons as himselfe to talke withall this is a crosse I say so tedious as none can judge of it but by experience yet many persons both of high place and of great vertues have suffered it O now therefore let mee counsell you to be thankefull for liberty and to praise God that hath not laid you fast in some place of custody that hath set you at large and given you liberty to be with whom and where you would your selves in your owne houses or in your friends houses or where you desire to be where you have no doores locked upon you no keeper to shut you in and let you forth no controler to take you up with surly words none to finde fault with you in that kinde or to exact upon you I say thanke God for liberty and know the benefit by having which would seeme great unto you if you wanted it And secondly use your liberty well keepe your selves from ill company and ill courses runne not into places worse then prisons then when you be out of prison Moderate your selves in your freedome that you may not be abridged of your freedome especially take heede of running into such crimes as should cause you to deserve imprisonment Harmefull creatures are chained or tied up so must harmefull men let your behaviour be such that you may not inforce Governours to lay you fast let not Satan get you into his bondage be not prisoners to your lusts and in this sence also I may use Peters words Abuse not your liberty as a cloake of maliciousnesse or as an occasion to the flesh the abuse of mercies doth forfeit them and addeth bitternesse to the want of them If there be not a grosse fatnesse growne over the heart of a man he will call to minde with anguish his unbridled walking in his liberty that now is bound to one place But howsoever learne to prepare for imprisonment and for that purpose keepe friendship with God in your owne consciences with whom you may comfortably conferre when the prison doores be shut and your other friends are kept out from you And labour to get the knowledge of the Word of God the meditation of which may be sweete unto you when solitarinesse would else cast you into your dumpes He that can powre out his soule to God in prayers and in supplications and in thankesgivings may make his prison comfortable to him he that can heare peaceable answers from his conscience may sing Psalmes in the stockes and he that can meditate of Gods Word can never languish with solitarinesse when he lieth under lock and key and that himselfe alone also And another crosse is to the Baker alone he lost his life violently disgracefully and it may seeme deservedly for on the third day the King tooke them both out of prison and then putting them to triall hanged the one and acquitted the other restoring him to his place To die an unnaturall and shamefull and violent death is a misery a crosse a punishment death at what doore soever it carry a man out of the world is grimme enough to looke upon but to hale a man out of the world by violence and disgrace makes his approach more terrible Nature hates its owne destruction the soule and body cannot well indure their separation but so much the lesse by how much the destruction is more violent and the parting more contumelious Let us be thankfull to God therefore that hath taken our friends out of the world by faire and naturall deaths and let us abhorre and shunne those capitall sinnes that may cause the Lord to bring us into the like misery and to pull us out of the world before our time and with much contempt also and let us be alwaies ready not for death alone but for such a kind of death A man is to brooke reproach with death and as well as death If onely malefactors did fall in this manner it were our duty to care for no more but to prevent crimes but seeing the innocent also have beene oppressed witnesse above all exceptions our Lord Jesus Christ and his blessed Prophets and Martyrs now it is requisite for us to prepare for a violent death onely praying to God that wee may not pull it on our selves by our sinnes and then bearing it quietly though it should befall us without doing ill and most comfortably if it should befall us for having done well And so much for the crosses of these men Now their benefits First they were both officers under a great King enjoying places of honour and like by too if they wanted not good husbandry of wealth To have preferment and riches or to be in the way of both by attending upon a mighty Prince is such an outward thing as men make great account of O how much more worthy a thing is it to be an attendant on God and a speciall officer as it werein his Court They know not God and his service that cannot see an excellency in being admitted so neere to the King of Kings But secondly they had in the prison an excellent person to attend them and one of such endowments that was ready by diligence to minister any thing unto them and by wisdome to advise counsell and informe them It is a great happinesse in misery to meete with a person able and ready to comfort and cheere up a sad heart by cheerefull serving and by hearty counsell Hee is as happy as one can be in prison that hath a Ioseph to be with him or to waite upon him God can give this benefit to us we must supplicate for it and learne to make
her hate him Their hatred made him a slave her hatred made him a prisoner bondage and imprisonment brought him acquainted with the chiefe Butler made himselfe known to Pharaoh and so brought him up to this exceeding height of place Blessed be God for his goodnesse to his people no man shall hazard himselfe to temporall misery for conscience sake but God will requite him with a hundred fold at least more comfort here as well as with life eternall hereafter Let Iosephs wages make you not afraid so farre as you are called to it to doe Iosephs worke that is to say and doe good and forbeare evill though you incurre hatred and danger and much affliction thereby Lastly Ioseph was blessed too in his posterity to make his wellfare up fully he lived to see the sonnes of Manasseth and Ephraim his two sonnes and he lived to see the part of the birth-right even the double portion conferred upon his children and that by the mouth of his Father inspired by God when he made his last will Iacob adopted his two sonnes to himselfe to make two Tribes and God made them both great but especially the younger he made him a principall Tribe for possessions and command afterwards and this also is some satisfaction to a Father if he know that his children after him shall flourish for many generations O that we could feare God and follow true vertue and piety as Ioseph did that he might blesse us also as he did him in our selves and posterity in our state and our name in our bodies and in our soules and in all that pertaineth to us according to his promise And let all that feare God be assured that so farre as is good for them the Lord will give them prosperity in these things for he made the same promises to all his people and will confirme them so farre as they are capable and it may stand with their spirituall good Now you have heard of Iosephs life conclude we with the conclusion of his life his death For neither honours nor favours nor grace nor any thing could keepe death away and it must befall me and you and all that now live and are to live hereafter onely marke that he dyed a godly and comfortable death for in the cloze of his life he made profession of his being an Hebrew not an Egyptian by taking an oath of them for the carrying of his bones into the Land of Canaan gave them a promise of their returne thither which was also an exercise of his faith to demonstrate his comfortable expectation of life eternall whereof the Land of Promise was a figure You are not ignorant Brethren that within the compasse of an hundred yeares a minute being compared to eternity the whole number of you must be as well as Ioseph dying and dead men Be intreated to divorce your hearts from sinne the cause of death from the world which at death you must leave and from men which cannot helpe you neither in nor after death and labour to get righteousnesse which will deliver from death some assurance of heaven that ye may have a place of comfort after death and interest into Christ who can save you from the hurt of death And these things if you attaine you may triumph over death with Pauls question Death where is thy sting else death will triumph over you with the question of Christ Whose then shall be these things of which thou gloriest So much of Ioseph THE TWENTY SEVENTH EXAMPLE OF IOSEPHS STEVVARD ONE person alone remaineth to be spoken of whom wee cannot name to you for the Scripture giveth him no name at all He hath a good name a good report in Scripture for a good man but no name that is no particular surname or proper name by which he was usually knowne and distinguished from other men of his Country or progenitors of his birth or death we have nothing but he is set forth by his relation to Ioseph he was Iosephs Steward for as Ioseph sowed so did he reape what a kind of servant and Steward himselfe was to Putiphar such a kind of Steward in some degree did God provide for him He himselfe was a good servant to his Master and himselfe being a Master enjoyes a good servant to himselfe many times the Lord sees fit to bring a mans good deeds into his owne bosome a good child to his Parents hath good children himselfe a good servant hath good servants and so in the rest Let this incourage you that be in the place of servants to performe your duties diligently unto your domesticall Rulers your Masters for by this meanes you may lay up for your selves a comfortable hope of being served with like care and diligence your selves God no doubt hath a speciall hand in disposing of servants to every Master it is he that ordereth things so as such a man hath good and such a one bad servants men often use great care to choose a servant and meete with a very bad one contrary to all their hopes and care againe sometimes by meere casualty almost men light upon a very good servant More particularly his carriage was good to his Master and to the strangers brethren to his Master but not by him knowne so to be 1. Teachable they learnt some knowledge of the true God from him The God of your Fathers saith he and your God hath given you this treasure How came this man to know a distinction of Gods How came he to know that they had a God of their owne peculiar to them and to their Fathers which was not then acknowledged to be the God of all the world Egypt had many Gods this man acknowledgeth one God and that one God which was acknowledged and worshipped by these men and by their Forefathers It is not likely that Ioseph told his Steward that these were his brethren but it is undoubtedly manifest that they were some such as he knew to be worshippers of the true God which hee knew by some few men to be worshipped in the Land of Canaan Therefore you see how kindly he speakes to them that a man may even perceive by his words that they were so much dearer to him because they pertained to that God This was the more observable because he was an Egyptian servant O that all you which be servants to godly Governours would learne some goodnesse from them even to know and serve God you all have some knowledge of that one God but learne also the feare and love of that God the sincere and carefull worship of that God from your Governours that would fain teach it you and would count themselves happy if you would learne it from them But for a servant to live in the family of a Ioseph that laboureth to teach godlinesse unto him by word and example and yet declares no sense nor feeling of God no knowledge or respect of him how great a sinne is this and how
acknowledgement If you would learne that all things are pure unto the pure you would not bee hindred from so good a service by any scruple or abuse But I am afraid niggardlinesse hath as great a hand in breaking of such feasts as any thing else Whether you feast or not be it at your choise but mee thinks againe I repeat it safe escaping the danger that tooke away Rachel may well call for even a publicke and thankfull acknowledgement So much of Rachel whom we leave by her husband solemnly interred unner a monument erected upon her grave which kept her name up long and occasioned the calling of all the mothers dwelling thereabouts by her name When it is said Rachel weeping for her children because they were not Now of Leah she was a wife of Iacobs the first he had given though not promised Of her vertues we have not much noted but she shewed her selfe patient and loving to her husband somewhat quiet to her envious sister and thankfull to God for her children though her husband loved her lesse than was meet yet we read of no brawles either with him or her sister She entertained him very lovingly when he came home from field and she had hired him of her sister She consented also to goe with him into Canaan she was desirous of children and had many but a fault or two she slipped in First she went to bed to her sisters husband at her fathers persuasion which she ought not to have done In him that thought she was Rachel there was no sinne in her that knew she was not Rachel it was a great fault but excused by the fathers authority but she wronged Iacob much and made her owne life full of affliction Another little fault she had shee seemed a little too unkind to her sister in not being willing to impart some of her sonnes mandrakes but often unkindnesses and wrongs breed such an estrangement betwixt them who are otherwise neerly joyned as that they sticke at small curtesies We must take heed it doe not so with us but Leah had a little anger with her she could upbraid her sister with an injury when she came for a curtesie O that she had not too many followers in this weaknesse Her benefits were these she had a good husband and many children and was matcht into the Church and we hope went to Heaven for her carriage in respect of her children shews some goodnesse Indeed she was faulty in imitating her sister and giving Zilpah to Iacob much more faulty in thinking that God gave her the next sonne for a reward of that fault But so weake we are and ignorant of sin somtimes that we verily thinke God is pleased with our sins and recompenceth them with benefits And for her crosses they were want of her husbands love and comfortable cohabitation and all the miseries shee underwent with her husband besides her Father was something unkinde as it may seeme for she saith He counted them strangers and she also had an imperfection in her visage for she was bleare-eyed I hope you will all learne to imitate her vertues flie her sins be thankfull for the like mercies and patient under the like crosses and then you shall not be losers of time by hearing her story Now the two handmaidens Zilpah and Bilhah Zilpah hath nothing said of her but that Shee bare Iacob two children Gad and Asher So called of Leah that would needs imitate her sisters weaknesse and call them hers Bilhah is taxed of a grievous sin she suffered her selfe to be polluted with incest by Iacobs first borne If he offered her violence or surprized her by any device it was his fault not hers but it is not likely to have been so because God doth not report it so For God would not wrong any in reporting their acts to the worst but if there had been any excuse of her fault the Lord would have done her right in rehearsing it he should not else doe the office of a good writer of a Story O let all women take heed of adultery and chiefly of incestuous adulteries with their husbands son in law or brothers or a like neare of blood where the offence is made much more heinous by that aggravation and if any have committed any such crime let the mentioning of it in this woman bring it to their remembrance and provoke them to repentance that they may not have so fearefull a crime to answer for upon their sick-bed in the houre of death Likely such grosse crimes will cry out then if they have been smothered before but a conscience purged from them by sincere repentance performed in health may enjoy quiet and peace in death notwithstanding the remembrance of them For a sin repented of shall be pardoned and a pardoned debt cannot hurt at all not so much as terrifie if the pardon of it be knowne But something there was in it that God saw it fit to have his Church stored with the seed of bond-women for two of Iacobs wives were such because he would have us know that hee doth not much stand upon nobility and being free borne and the like One third part of his people Israel were seed of bond-women Though he would not let Hagars seed inherite yet that was not because he did looke to her condition but that he might figuratively set forth his aversnesse from them that will needs be in bondage under the Law when the Gospell brings them liberty and therefore now he doth equally take into the Church Dan and Nephthali Gad and Asher as well as Reuben and Levi Simeon and Iudah These earthly considerations vary nothing with God nor is the one any more acceptable with him than the other Let not those which enjoy the priviledges of this world in these matters sleight or despise such as want them and let not those that are meanlier borne trouble themselves at that depression Spirituall priviledges may belong to those that are of no reckoning in the world and those that are of high esteeme in it may be deprived of them The Tribes that came of the bond-woman were admitted into the possession of Canaan and to the fellowship of the Tabernacle as well as the rest It were a misery indeed to be outwardly mean if that would impeach our spirituall estate but seeing no such thing will follow let us shew our high esteeme of the soul above the body by not regarding the things of the body so that the soul be wel * ⎠* THE ONE AND TWENTIETH EXAMPLE OF LABAN WE have spoken of Iacobs selfe and of his Wives now I will goe on to speake of his Vncle and so of his Children His Vncle and Father in law was one Laban of Padan Aram of whose birth and death the Scripture takes no notice at all and indeed it is scarce worth the while to mention the birth and death of wicked men It is no great matter when they
were borne or when they died seeing both their comming into the world and their departure out of it do perish for they come to nothing and both come in and go out as it were in an evill time But we have something to say of his parentage and life For his Parentage we learne Gen. 22.26 and 24.29 that he was the sonne of one Bethuel who was the sonne of Nachor the brother of Abraham who did not leave his Countrey and Fathers house with Abraham when he travelled at Gods Commandement into the land of Canaan but abode still in Padan Aram the land of his Nativity and there continued to follow strange gods and commit Idolatry of which all the world and by name the countrey was then full So hee was the Idolatrous son of an Idolatrous Father and Grandfather which did as most men doe take up the religion of his forefathers without more adoe not looking whether hee served God aright but counted it sufficient to serve God as his Progenitors had done before not at all considering whether it were the true God or the false whom they served or whether it were true or false worship which they performed Now in his life wee must consider his deeds good and bad and the things that befell him good and bad First then for his good deeds for even a bad man may have some civill vertues found in his life out of a common worke of Gods Spirit who will not suffer men to be so farre over-runne with vices but that for the preservation of humane societies they shall have some shadows of vertues seene in them These good deeds of his looke partly to men and partly to God His good deeds to men-ward are first to Abrahams servant Secondly to Rebekkah his sister Thirdly to Iacob his kinsman Fourthly to his Daughters and Grandchildren First let us consider his carriage to Abrahams servant Eliezer of Damascus who was sent by his master Abraham to fetch a wife for his son Isaac out of Padan Aram because he would not match him with the cursed seed of the Canaanites The first thing commendable in him is that hee vouchsafeth curteous entertainment unto him for when the servant meeting with Rebekkah had found great kindnesse from her in watering his Camels as well as giving himselfe drinke out of her pitcher and that hee had rewarded her with precious gifts Gen. 24.22 viz. with a golden eare-ring of halfe a shekel weight and two golden bracelets of ten shekels weight for her hands and that shee had invited him to her Fathers house and comming home had told Laban her brother of the man who hee was and what hee had bestowed upon her presently Laban goes forth to the man ver 31. and invites him to the house with very kinde words saying Come in thou blessed of the Lord wherefore standest thou without for I have prepared the house and roome for thy Camels and so bringing him home they ungirded the Camels and hee gave him straw and provender for them and water to wash his feete and the feete of those that were with him and then set meate before him that hee might eate Loe here an example of curteous hospitality hee gave him good and loving words and provided and ministred to him all things necessary for his cattell and companions and himselfe Thus should men use kinde and liberall hospitality towards such friends as upon occasion doe repaire unto their houses and this is a kinde of vertue which may bee found in men that are destitute of all true grace and piety For even nature it selfe teacheth men to shew love and humanity to men that are of the same nature with themselves because they looke to finde the like gentlenesse themselves from others upon like occasions Here is one thing in Laban worthy praise and imitation another is that hee gives him an honest and good answer when hee had declared unto them his errand For the man refusing to eate till hee had related his businesse unto them being very faithfull to his master and diligent in the matter committed to his trust up and told them all that had fallen out why hee came thither and how hee had by a speciall providence of God met with Rebekkah at the fountaine of water requested to know their minde and what hee must trust unto in this matter and from Bethuel the maides Father and Laban of whom wee are speaking her Brother hee received this just and discreete answer That the thing proceeded from God and they were able to say neither good nor bad unto him that is not to crosse his motion by any allegation one way or other concluding that Rebekkah was before him and that hee might with their good consent take her and goe that shee might bee his Masters sons wife as God had spoken ver 50 51. of the same Chapter In this passage you see a great deale of honest plainnesse seeing God had directed him by his speciall hand to this maiden they would bee no hinderance unto him but would give their willing consent to the marriage It is a good thing for men to consent unto honest and good motions chiefly when they see God himselfe by his good providence going before them and as it were leading the way unto them A third good thing in Laban was that hee doth speedily dismisse the man and hindered not his present returne unto his Master with a wife for his son For so it is written ver 59. that when hee rising betimes in the morning was earnest to returne that very day and that they at first required ten dayes stay for Rebekkah but hee requesting them not to hinder his expedition seeing God had prospered him they called the Damsell and asked her consent viz. Whether shee was willing to goe with the man and finding her very forward they sent her away without further lingring It is a good thing when wee have entertained any one in our house and his desire is as his occasions shall require to make haste home to further him by all meanes and not to stop his proceedings with delayes For many times such deferring proves very unpleasing and sometimes dangerous to the party to whom wee would seeme to shew love and good will as wee see it did in case of the Levite whose Father in Laws importunity caused him to stay a day or two beyond his desire in the later end of the Story of Iudges Thus hath Labans carriage beene good to this servant of Abrahams We must follow the goodnesse of all men even Idolaters and Heathens Now consider how hee behaved himselfe to his sister to whom he discovers good affection and love by a curteous dismissing of her ver 60. They blessed her and said thou art our sister bee thou the mother of thousands of millions and let thy seed possesse the gates of them which hate them that is prevaile mightily against all their enemies and conquer them