Then assuredly his heart is voide of true faith and farre from the life and power of religion For assuredly where God is knowen and beleeued there that mans heart though hee be a King cannot once thinke of God without a reuerence of his Maiestie and an admiration at his greatnesse and his owne basenesse therefore the want of this argueth a want of true religion and true faith in mens hearts Secondly this profanenesse discouers it selfe to the world by want of reuerence to Gods workes Let the Lord send vnseasonable weather or famines or plagues or any strange signes in heauen or in earth forthwith they are but fooles that cry out Behold the finger of God the hand of God No this is nature and is produced by naturall causes Ill weather comes from the starres famines from ill weather and mens couetousnesse Plagues from famines or from ill aires or else by apparant infection from another place But cannot Nature and naturall meanes haue their place vnlesse they haue Gods place God ouerthroweth not them why should they ouerthrow God Yet thus it is in the world and thus God is robbed of his glory and he is but a simple fellow which is moued with reuerence at sight of such things or begins to magnifie Gods power and iustice in them This is too apparant to be denied for haue wee not now as great causes of feare as can be Noah heard of water and wee heare that fire is to destroy the worlde and yeâ— where is hee that is mooued with reuerence as Noah was and yet Noah could saye The floud shall not be these 120. yeeres but who can say and proue that this world shal not be destroyed by fire within these 120. yeeres And till the floud came they had doubtlesse many otheâ— plagues which were fore-runners of the generall destruction all which as they came Moued Noah vnto reuerence and so wee in this age doe see the great workes of Gods Iudgements vpon men vpon families vpon townes vpon countries and whole kingdomes and wee feele his heauie hand in many sharpe strokes but who and where are they whose hearts feare God the more and doe tremble in the consideration of his Iudgements Nay alas amongst many it is but a matter of mockerie so to doe This is not the fault of our religion but the want of it for if men truly knew and beleeued in God they could not thinke nor speake of God nor looke at his workes but with feare and reuerence For as our feare of God is so is our faith little feare of God little faith and no feare at all no faith at all Let therefore all men shew their religion by their feare of God and let euery Christian acknowledge God in his workes England hath beene faulty herein in one point especially Wee haue had great plagues which haue taken away many thousands in short time wherein God hath shewed himselfe mighty against our sinnes But Gods hand would not be seene nor acknowledged but onely nature and naturall causes But let England take heede that God send not a plague so generall and so greeuous that euen the most profane men euen the sorcerers of Egypt if they were here doe acknowledge that it is the finger of God and so giue God that due reuerence which in his ordinary visitations he hath not Thus wee see the ground whence this reuerence in Noah sprang namely his faith Now let vs see the occasions or considerations in Noahs heart that made him feare The ground wherupon he feared was true faith for else he had not beene capable of any feare or reuerence of God but the occasions which stirred vp this feare in him were some things else Now if we looke to humane reasons Noah had no cause at all to feare as he did For first the Iudgement was farre off 120. yeeres after and common reason saith its folly to feare any thing so farre off but its time enough to feare when it is neere at hand Againe he was one single man and the world was full of wise and mighty men they all heard of it yet none of them feared therefore their exsample might preuaile with him to keepe him from feare and to make him secure and carelesâ—e with the rest for exsamples are strong especially when they are so generall Thirdly the strangenesse of the Iudgement threatned was such as might driue any man in reason from fearing it at all For first who would euer beleeue that God would drowne all the world with water such a thing neuer had beene and therefore how could it be And againe If all should be drowned who would thinke that Noah should escape and none but he These three considerations being wayed in the ballance of mans reason would haue kept Noah from fearing or beleeuing this word of God But behold the power of faith it goeth beyond all humane reach fixeth it selfe fast on Gods word and therfore he not only beleeueth it but hath furthermore his heart possessed with a great reuerence of Gods Maiestie vpon this message And there were three motiues stirring him vp vnto this Reuerence First the consideration of Gods strange Iudgement vpon the sinfull world to see that his wrath was so prouoked that he should bring so vnwonted a plague so strange both for the nature of it a floud of water to drowne men whereas generally all men can auoide the violence of that element for the measure of it so great as it should drown all the world and destroy all men Now that which this Iudgement of God wrought in Noah the same effect should Gods Iudgements worke in vs namely they should moue vs with reuerence For as Christ saith Our dayes are like Noahs As it was in the dayes of Noah so shall the dayes be before the comming of Christ Mathew 24.37 These dayes are as wicked men are as couetous as cruell as malitious as voluptuous and yet as secure as they then were as full of sinne and yet as dead in sinne as they were then Therefore Noah looked for a floud 120. yeeres after and who can tell whether our world shall last so long a time or no At least wee may safely say whatsoeuer the world doth there is no man liueth but within farre lesse time then 120. yeeres is assured to be throwen to hell by a floud of Gods wrath at his death vnlesse in the meane time hee repent and yet alas where is hee that is moued with reuerence at consideration hereof The wicked man may escape the water of a floud but hee cannot scape the fire of hell hee cannot escape death hee cannot escape the last Iudgement These are to come yet they are sure why then doe not men feare as Noah did hee feared 120. yeeres afore it came We can indeede tremble a little at a present Iudgement as when fire breakes out when waters ouerflowe when the plague destroyeth or when famine consumes but to tremble at a Iudgement threatned though it
and we seeme presently to enioy them we cannot enioy any of them fully but sauing Faith hath this power to giue them all a present being in our hearts and vs such a real possession of them as greatly delighteth a Christian soule insomuch as the feeling of the sweetnesse of this glory though it be to come ouerwhelmeth the feeling of a worldly misery though it be present Fourthly it is added And the euidence This word signifieth and teacheth vs two things concerning faith 1. Faith is an euidence c. That is Faith so conuinceth the minde vnderstanding and iudgement as that it cannot but must needes yea it compelleth it by force of reasons vnanswerable to beleeue the promises of God certainly 2. It is an euidence that is whereas life euerlasting and all other things hoped for are inuisible and were neuer seen of any beleeuer since the world began this sauing faith hath this power and property to take that thing in it selfe inuisible and neuer yet seene and so liuely to represent it to the heart of the beleeuer and to the eye of his mind as that after a sort he presently seeth and enioyeth that inuisible thing and reioyceth in that sight and enioying of it and so the iudgâ—ment is not onely conuinced that such a thing shall come to passe though it be yet to come but the minde as farre as Gods word hath reueald and as it is able conceiues of that thing as being really present to the view of it Let one example serue for all life euerlasting is a thing hoped for Now Faith not onely by infallible arguments grounded vpon the word and promise of God conuinceth a mans iudgement that it shall come to passe insomuch as he dare say that he knoweth as certainly there is a life euerlasting as that he liueth and moueth but this Faith also as much as Gods word hath reueald and as farre forth as the minde of man is able to conceiue of it so representeth this life euerlasting to the eye of the soule as that the soule seemeth to apprehend and enioy this life euerlasting yea often in such measure as that he contemneth the world and al the present felicity of it in coÌ„parison of that measure of the ioyes therof which faith representeth to his soule and thus faith makes that present which is absent and makes that manifest and visible which in it selfe is inuisible inuisible to the eyes of the body it makes visible to the eye of the soule the sight of which eye is both giuen and continued and daily sharpened by sauing faith And thus faith is a most excellent euidence of things not seene So then the whole suÌ„me of this first effect is briefly thus much Whereas things to be beleeued as perfection of sanctification resurrection glorification c. are not yet seene neither can be in that they are not yet come to passe yet if a man haue grace certainly to beleeue the promises of God these things shall haue a being to his soule in that both his iudgement knoweth assuredly they shall come to passe and his soule in most liuely and ioyfull representations seemeth to enioy them Hitherto of the meaning of the first effect Now in the second place let vs see what instructions this first effect thus vnfolded doth minister vnto vs. First whereas faith giues a substance and being to things that are not we learne that the Fathers in the old Testament that liued afore the incarnation of Christ were truly partakers of the body and bloud of Christ. If any alledge that this is strange considering that Christ had theÌ„ no body bloud neither had he any vntil the IncarnatioÌ„ how theÌ„ could they receiue that which theÌ„ was not I grant it is true they theÌ„ had no being and yet the Fathers receiued theÌ„ but how can this be I answer by the wonderfull power of sauing faith which makes things that are not in nature to haue in some sort a being subsistence and so was Christ though he was to come present to the beleeuers of the old time For Apoc. 13.8 Christ is a Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world That is slaine as wel then as now and that not only in the counsell decree of God wherby he is borne slaine in all times and places nor onely in regard of the eternal power efficacie and merit of his death but also euen in respect of the heart of the beleeuer whose faith makes that that is locally absent after a sort truly and really present euen so also is Christ a Lambe slaine euen from the beginning of the world See a plaine demonstration hereof in Ioh. 8.5.6 Abraham saw me saith Christ and reioiced How could this be when as Christ was not borne of 1000. yeares after Ans. This could not be in reason but it was indeed to Abrahams faith wherby he saw Christ more liuely and more to his ioy consolation so many 100. yeares afore he was theÌ„ many which liued in Christs time and saw him and heard him and conuerâ—ed with him for they liuing with him yet were as good as absent from him because they beleeued not in him And Abraham though Christ was so far from him yet by his faith was present with him Againe 1. Cor. 10.3 the ancient beleeuing Israelites ate the same spirituall bread and dranke the same spirituall rocke and that rocke was Christ How could they eate and drinke Christ so long afore he was I answere they did it by reason of that wonderfull power of faith which makes a thing absent present to the beleeuer By that faith they receiued Christ as liuely as effectually as much to their profit and comfort as we do since his comming If any man aske how could their faith apprehend that that then was not I answer by giuing them interest title to it and so the Fathers are said by faith to haue receiued Christ because their faith gaue them right and title in Christ and in their hearts they felt the efficacie of his death resurrection whereby they died to sin and were renewed in holinesse as well as we are now by the same efficacie Secondly whereas faith makes things absent present Here they are confuted that teach that the Lords supper is no Sacrament vnlesse the body bloud of Christ be either truly turned into the bread wine or at least be in or about the bread that so he is locally present must locally and substantially be receiued and this say they is the most coÌ„fortable receiuing of Christ for what comfort is it to receiue one absent but these men know not this notable prerogatiue of true faith Faith giues being to things which are not and makes things present which are absent they therefore that will haue Christ locally present they take this noble prerogatiue from faith for here is nothing absent which faith should make present we neede not goe in this Sacrament to require a
it And this is the name which commonly is gotten in the world because men first seeke not a good name with God but that good name which is obtained by faith will stand continue all a mans life and at his death leaue behind it a sweet perfume abideth for euer in the world to come Secondly this maintaines the excellencie of our religion against Atheists and all enemies of it which esteeme call it a base contēptible religion of which cā folow no credit nor estimation But see their malice is here controlled our religion is a most glorious excellent professiō it is the high way to get true credit estimation it makes a mā honorable in the sight of God men for by it our Elders obtained a good report which continueth fresh to this day In the fourth place Were they wel reported of for their faith therefore their faith was not hid in their hearts but manifested in their liues for the world cannot see nor commend them for their faith but for the practice of faith Here it is plaine that men must not be content to keep their faith close in their hearts but they must exercise the fruites of it in the world and then both these together will make a man truly commendable Thy faith approues thee vnto God but the practice of it is that that honours thee and thy profession in the world Lastly in that faith was that which approued our Elders vnto God here is a storehouse of comforts for all true professors of this faith Art thou poore thy faith doth make thee rich in God Art thou simple and of meane reach thy faith is true wisedome before God Art thou any way deformed faith makes thee beautifull vnto God Art thou weake feeble or sicke thy faith doth make thee strong in God Art thou base in the world and of no account thy faith makes thee honourable in the sight of God and his holy Angels Thus thou art poore and foolish and deformed and sicke and base in the world but marke how God hath recompensed thee he hath giuen thee faith whereby thou art rich and beautifull wise and strong honorable in heauen with God say therfore with Dauid the lot is fallen vnto thee in a faire ground and thou hast a goodly heritage Namely thy faith which thou wouldest not change for all the glory of the world Faith is the true riches the sound strength the lasting beauty the true wisedome the true honour of a Christian man therefore take thy selfe 10000. times more beholden vnto God then if hee had giuen thee the vncertaine riches the crafty and yet foolish wisedome the decaying strength the vanishing beauty the transitory honour of this world If thou hast true faith thou art sure to haue many enemies 1. The wicked of the world will neuer brooke thee but openly or priuily hate hurt thee Thē the diuel is thy sworn enemie how canst thou deale with so powerfull an enemie and all his wicked instruments Here is sound comfort if thou hast faith thou hast God thy friend labour therefore for this true faith and then care not for the diuel and all his power Night and day sleeping and waking by land sea thou art safe and secure the diuel cannot hurt thee thy faith makes thee accepted of God and brings thee within the compasse of his protection That same little sparke of faith which is in so narrow a compasse as thy heart is stronger thē all the power and malice of sathan As for the malice which his instruments wicked mē in this world shew against thee in mocks and abuses much lesse care for them for their nature is to speake euill and cannot doe otherwise looke not therfore at them but looke vp into heauen by the eye of thy soule where thy faith makes thee beloued and approued of God himselfe and honourable in the presence of his holy Angels And thus much of the second action or effect of faith the third followeth VERSE 3. Through faith wee vnderstand that the world was ordained by the word of God so that the things which wee see are not made of things which did appeare IN this verse is contained the third action or effect of faith namely this Faith makes a man to vnderstand things beyond the reach of mans reason This third effect is set out in these words by the instance of a notable exsample namely of the Creation of the world 1. By the word of God 2. Of nothing both which that wee may the better vnderstand let vs consider of the words as they lye in order Through faith 1. By faith in this place as I take it is not meant that sauing faith which iustifies a man before God but a generall faith wherby a man imbraceth Christian religion or wherby a man beleeueth the word of God in the doctrine of the law and the Gospel to be true My reason is because a man that neuer had iustifying and sauing faith and is no member of the catholike Church nor childe of God may haue this gift To beleeue that God by his word made the world of nothing Therefore I thinke that this is an action of a generall and not of sauing faith We vnderstand That is Whereas there are many things beyond the reach of reason and therefore by reason cannot be apprehended or vnderstood yet by vertue of this faith a man is brought to vnderstand them and to beleeue them to be true Now then whereas generall faith brings vnderstanding of many things which reason cannot reach vnto here such as be students in humane learning which labour to attain to the deepenesse and perfection of it are taught with their trauell in humane studies to haue care to ioyne faith and knowledge of religion For there are many things which our vnderstanding by reason cannot conceiue and many truthes which Philosophy cannot reach vnto nay many also which it denies but faith is able to perswade and demonstrate them all and it inlightens the mind and rectifies the iudgement when as Philosophy hath left the mind in darknesse and the iudgement in error Now in whom sound knowledge in Philosophy and this faith in religion do concurre together he is a man of a most rectified iudgement and of a deepe reach in the greatest matters but separate faith from humane knowledge and he will stumble at many truthes though hee had the wit of all the Philosophers in his owne head For exsample that God should make the world of nothing that it should haue beginning ending that God should be eternall and not the world that mans soul being created is immortal These many other truths reasō cānot see therfore Philosophy wil not admit but ioin faith to it then that crooked vnderstanding is rectified made to beleeue it It is therfore good counsel to ioyn both these together Religion hinders not humane learning as some fondly thinke but is
sacraments of the old as also of the new Testament all aymed at these two ends to shew vs our sinnes and our miserie by sinne and to foretell or represent our reconciliation by Christ. Which being so our lesson is this Wee haue all receiued those two Sacraments the first once the second often Now if they haue beene duly receiued of vs they ought to haue this double vse vnto vs 1. To cause vs to make a search of our owne sinnes and of our miserie by sinne and seeing it to be cast downe and humbled considering how corrupt our hearts are and how wicked our liues And secondly when this is so then to make vs seek for reconciliation with God by faith in Christ to make vs desire it loue it and pray for it aboue all things in the world Abell not onely offred but offred so as that it put him â—n minde of his sin and of his redemption by the death of the Messias to come So wee must not onely outwardly receiue the Sacraments but so receiue as that wee may see and be humbled for our sinne and seeke to be reconciled to God in Christ. Such vse also ought we to make of hearing the word and not to be content with bare hearing of it or to get a generall knowledge out of it but it must giue vs a speciall sight of our owne estate by sinne and vrge vs forward to seeke the fauour of God in Christ. Religion stands not in hearing the word and receiuing the Sacraments with the congregation though it be done neuer so often and neuer so formally But so to heare and so to receiue as that they may worke in vs those two things and that is the pith and life of religion And whosoeuer he be that professeth religion and sheweth not the fruit of it in these two that mans profession is in vaine and it wil go for no payment at the day of iudgement Thus we see they offred and what they offred It followeth A greater sacrifice then Cain The third last point is the difference of these sacrifices For although Cain offred as well as Abell and offred sacrifice as well as Abell yet was there a difference in their sacrifices for Abels was better then Cains This is the chiefe point for this sets downe what was that excellency of his faith for which he is here commended Abell is not commended for offring by his faith for so did Cain that had no faith nor for offring sacrifice by his faith for so did Cain that had no faith but because that by his faith he offred a better sacrifice then Cain could The holy Ghost calls Abels a better or greater sacrifice because Abell brought the best and fattest of his sheepe and so bestowed the most cost hee could as signifying that hee would haue bestowed more cost had hee knowne how to haue done it For he that giues as he hath would giue more if he had it And he that doth the best he can in any thing it is certaine hee would doe better if he could Cain contrariwise brought not the best of his fruites but either the worst or whatsoeuer came first to hand as thinking that whatsoeuer hee brought was good enough therefore worthily is Abell saide to haue offred a better sacrifice then Cain And further this holy practice of Abell came to be a law written euen one of the commaundements of the Ceremoniall law namely that the first borne should be offred to God Exod. 34.19 And the first fruites of the corne Leuit. 23.10 c. And that nothing that was lame blind maymed or had any blemish in it should be offred to the Lord. Deut. 15.21 Abell here did euen that which these lawes commaunded and these lawes commaunded the same that he did Thus God vouchsafed to honour his seruant Abell for his obedient and honest heart euen to make his practice the ground and beginning of one of his owne lawes that so the Israelites in all their generations might in their daily practices remember this worthy deede of holy Abell to his perpetuall honour Now for vs the truth is this law bindes vs not for it was a ceremonie and is ended in Christ. Yet the equity and vse of it reacheth euen to vs namely it teacheth vs when we will giue any thing vnto God to giue the best we haue This is the equity of all those lawes ceremoniall which commaunded them to giue to the Lord their first borne and their first fruites and the fattest of their cattell and so much of them do still binde vs. Now from this rule are taught diuers duties 1. To the Parent Hast thou many children and wilt giue some to the Lord namely to serue him in the ministerie The practice of the world is to make the eldest a Gentleman the next a Lawyer the next a Merchant hee that is youngest or least regarded or that hath some infirmity in wit or deformity in body set him to schoole let him be a Minister But Abels sacrifice controlles this profane course of the world Learne therefore by him whomsoeuer of all thy children thou findest fittest in gifts and graces of body and minde whom thou louest best and most esteemest he is fittest for the Lord and the Lord is most worthy of him consecrate him to the Lord for his seruice in the ministerie 2. To the young man He being in the strength and ripenesse of wit senses memory capacity and in the best of his age he saith I will take my pleasure now I am fittest for it I will repent at the end of my dayes and that is a fitter time This is a vile policie of the diuell to dishonour God and to cast away their soules What a griefe is it to giue the diuell his young yeares the strength of his body and wit and to bring his withered old age vnto God nay be sure God will not accept thy rotten sacrifice of old age but rather giue thee vp to the diuell that hee may haue thee altogether which hath had the best then follow rather Salomons counsell Eccles. 12.1 Who bids thee remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth Remember Abels sacrifice it was of the best So thou hast no sacrifice but thy selfe to offer offer then the best thy young yeares is the best time giue them vnto God 3. To all Christians Abell offred the best it teacheth vs all if wee will professe and serue God not to doe it by the halfes or for shew and fashion sake or negligently as not caring how Thus to do is but to offer the sacrifice of Cain and that makes the most professors goe away with their seruice vnaccepted as Cains was for God will haue all or none he is worthy to haue no partner hee must be serued with all the heart with soule and body so that a man must consecrate himselfe wholly vnto him 2. Kings 23.25 It is the speciall commendation of good King Iosias That hee turned vnto the Lord
sinnes from the world for this is one of the strongest and commonest encouragements that men take to liue in a sinne If they thinke it likely to be concealed But here they see how false a ground that is For if they can conceale it from men yet can they not from God and if God know it then can he reueale it to the world when it pleaseth him Againe whereas Abels bloud cried when he was dead It teacheth vs that God had a care of Abell both liuing and dead for it were nothing to say his bloud cried if God heard not that cry But it s apparant he heard it for he reuenged it and punished Cain when Abell was dead and could not reuenge it himselfe And this care God hath not ouer Abell alone but ouer all his children and as the Psalmist saith Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints that which is vile and of no regard in the world is pretious with God Tyrants make hauocke of the Church and kill them vp by heapes but God records vp euery one and will not faile to reuenge it when they are dead For if God haue bottles for the teares of his seruants surely much more hath he bottles for their bloud The vse whereof is to teach vs in all extremities of danger or distresse to learne patience yea though we be sure to die yet as Christ saith To possesse our soules with patience For we haue one wil heare the cause and reuenge our quarrell when we are gone So that if wee be patient wee loose nothing but if wee be impatient wee get nothing Let vs therefore hold our tongues for the wrong done to vs crieth loude enough to God for reuenge who will heare it as assuredly as he did Abels And thus wee see how Abell spake then euen after he was dead The second point is Hee speakes also yet and that three wayes First his faith yet speaketh because it admonisheth all men euery where who either heare or reade this story to become such as Abell was namely true worshippers of the true God for in Abels example it prouokes all men to be like him because it assureth them of the same regard and reward with God that Abell had and so Abels faith is a neuer dying Preacher to all Ages of the Church Here wee learne that the holy Examples of Gods children are reall teaching and loude preaching to other men For there is a double teaching namely in word or deede It belongs to the Minister to teach in word and to all men to teach by their deedes and good examples And if the Minister teach not thus also it is the worse both for him and his hearers It sufficeth not for him to teach by vocall Sermons that is by good doctrine but withall by reall Sermons that is by good life His faith his zeale his patience his mercy and all other his vertues must speake and cry call to other men to be like vnto him which if he practice carefully in his life as Abell did then shall his vertues speake for him to all posterities when he is dead Againe Abell though dead may be said to speake because howsoeuer his body be dead yet in soule and spirit hee liueth with God in heauen And thus the word speaketh may be vnderstoode because it is here opposed to death by which he being dead yet speaketh that is being dead in body yet liueth in soule which life with God was obtained vnto by his true and sauing faith Thirdly hee may be said to speake yet as all other Gods Martyrs are said to crie in the Reuelation from vnder the altar How long Lord holy and true doest thou not auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth As this is true of all Martyrs so specially of Abell the first Martyr of all which words are not spoken neither by him nor them vocally with vttrance of voice but it is so said to signifie what feruent desire the seruants of God haue in heauen of the full manifestation of Gods glory in their bodies and of an vtter abolishment of sinne in the whole world Which their desire they doubtlesse vtter to God in a more excellent manner then in this world wee can vtter any thing with our voice and thus Abell speakes yet and shall speake till the worlds end Hitherto of the first Example the Example of Abell The second is of Henoch in these words By faith Henoch was translated that he should not see death neither was he found for God tooke him away for before he was translated he was reported of that hee had pleased God c. THe second example of faith is taken also out of the old world before the floud and it is of Henoch the seauenth from Adam to whom strange and miraculous things befell by reason of his faith Let the meaning of the words be first examined By Faith That is by his confidence in the Messias or his sauing faith he was taken away Taken away That is from earth to heauen not by an ordinary worke but miraculously as is euident by the next words That he should not see death That is that he should not feele death nor any dissolution of soule and body and therefore his taking away was miraculous For to be taken away by death is an ordinarie worke but to be taken away and yet not die that is miraculous and extraordinary and such was Henochs So then the substance of these words is thus much Henoch hauing this grace from God to beleeue stedfastly in the Messias to come was likewise honoured with this high prerogatiue To be taken into heauen without tasting of death further was taken away to the end that he might not die Thus we haue the meaning Now concerning this translation of Henochs there are two opinions Some thinke hee was translated in soule onely and not in body and they say he died in the translation so as his soule onely was taken vp into heauen and his body slept in the earth Though this appeares false at the first sight yet let vs see their reasons and what they can say for themselues Their first reason is this No mortall body vnglorified can enter into heauen but there is no mention of his glorification therefore his body could not come in heauen Answer It is certaine it was glorified ere it came in heauen If they reply it is not mentioned I answere it followeth not that therefore it was not for euery circumstance of euery action is not mentioned For many circumstances of actions must necessarily be supposed such a one was this Againe the glorification of his body is here plainly enough implied where it is said he was translated that he should not see death Now if his body sawe not death it was made immortall which is a speciall part of glorification Their second reason Christ was the first that euer entred into heauen both in
be afarre off this is the worke of true faith This was in Noah wrought in him a reuerence and so would it in vs if it were in vs. When men crie fire fire wee stirre wee runne wee tremble but God crieth in his word the fire of hell the fire of his wrath and wee care not wee stirre not wee leaue not our sinnes wee are not moued with reuerence as Noah was therefore it is more then manifest that holy faith is wanting in the world which Noah had The second motiue stirring vp this reuerence in him was the consideration of Gods wonderfull mercie to him and his family in sauing them This mercy seemed so wonderfull to him both for that hee knewe it was vndeserued knowing himselfe a sinnefull man and therfore not able to merit Gods fauour and being priuy to himselfe of his owne manifolde imperfections and also vnexpected for he neuer thought to haue been spared alone in an vniuersall destruction therefore he wondred with reuerence at so great a mercy Thus Gods mercies doe not onely winne a mans heart to loue God but euen to feare him with much reuerence this Dauid proueth Psalm 130.4 There is mercy with thee O Lord that thou maist be feared as though he had said thy great mercies to thy children O Lord do make them conceiue a reuerent estimation of thee This made Dauid cry out in a holy passion How excellent are thy mercies O Lord Psal. And as Gods childreÌ„ wonder at the excellencies of Gods mercies vnto them so also at their owne basenesse and vnworthinesse Thus doth holy Dauid 2. Sam. 7.18 who as hee was a man of much faith so was he full of excellent meditations and reuerent speeches of God which are the true effects of faith when God had set him in his kingdome hee saith Who am I O Lord and what is my house that thou hast brought me hither And 1. Chron. 29.14 But who am I saith he and what is my people that wee should offer thus vnto the Lord And doubtlesse euen so said Noahs blessed soule often vnto the Lord and to it selfe Who am I O Lord and what is my family that we should be chosen out of so many thousands and be saued when all the world perisheth Let vs apply this to our Church and State If any Nation haue cause to say thus it is England God hath deliuered vs out of the thraldome of spirituall Egypt and led vs out not by a Moses but first by a childe then by a woman and giuen vs his Gospell more fully and freely and quietly then any kingdom so great in the world and still deliuereth vs from the cursed plots of the Pope and tyrannous inuasions of the Spaniard who thought to haue marked vs in the foreheads with the brand of infamie and to haue done to vs as they haue done to other nations whom they haue conquered but God from heauen fought for vs and ouerthrew them in their owne deuises yea the Lord put his hooke in his nosethrils and his bridle in his lips and caried him backe againe with shame and reproach Wee are vnworthy of such a mercy if our soules doe not often say vnto God O Lord what are we and what is our people that thou shouldst be so wonderfull in thy mercies vnto vs And particularly this must teach euery Christian to be a carefull obseruer of the fauours mercies that God vouchsafes to his soule or body to him or his and the consideration of them must make him daily be moued with reuerence and reuerent thoughts of Gods Maiestie still as the Lord is more and more mercifull vnto him to beare still the more feare and reuerence vnto him for the same The last motiue of this Reuerence in Noah was the consideration of Gods power and wisedome both in the Iudgement vpon the world and in the mercy vpon him for first in the Iudgement it was wonderfull that God would chuse so weake an element as water to destroy vanquish the huge Giants of those dayes but therein appeared first Gods power that by so weake meanes can cast downe his enemies And againe his wisedome that as an vniuersall wickednesse had polluted the whole world so a floud of water should wash the whole world Secondly the mercy was also wonderful that God should chuse to saue Noah by so strange a meane as an Arke which should swim on the waters For Noah thought if the Lord will saue me he will either take me vp into heauen as hee did Henoch a little before or else make me build a house vpon the top of the highest mountaine But the Lord will saue him by no such meanes but by an Arke wherein appeared first Gods power that would saue him by so weake a meanes as might seeme rather to destroy him For Noah must lye and swim in the midst of the waters and yet be saued from the waters and the Arke mâ—st saue him which in all reason if the Tempests had cast it against the hard rockes and mountaines or vpon the strong Castles and houses of the mightie Giants would haue beene broken in pieces and so it had but that God himselfe was the Maister and Pilot in that voyage And secondly Gods wisedom shone cleerly in this means because God would haue him saued not in such sort as the world might not see it as it would haue beene if hee had beene taken vp into heauen or into the aire but would haue him saued in an Arke that so alâ— the wicked men as they â—ere a dying in the water or expecting death vpon the tops of the hills might see him liue and be saued to their more torment and to their greater shame who would not beleeue Gods word as he did For as the wicked in hell are more tormented to see the godly in the ioyes of heauen so doubtlesse were the wicked of that age to see Noah saued before their eies The view of this power wisdom of God herein made Noah giue great reuerence to Gods Maiestie And no lesâ—e ought it to worke in the hearts of all true hearâ—ed English men and faithfull Christians For did not the Lord restore establish the Gospell to our nation by a child and by a woman and in her time when all other Princes were against her coÌ„trary to the rules of policy and did not God in our late deliuerance ouerthrow our enemies not so much by the power of man as by his owne hand Did not he fight from heauen Did not the starres and the winds in their courses sight against that Sisera of Spaine Let vs therefore with blessed Noah staÌ„d amazed to see Gods mercies with reuerence feare magnifie his great and glorious name And thus we haue the three motiues that moued in Noah this Reuerence of God the consideration first of his great Iudgement on the sinfull world 2. Of his great mercy in sauing him 3. Of his admirable power and wisedome shewed both
imprint it more deepely in his heart least at the first brunt he should haue obayed and afterward haue shrunk back For it is doubtlesse that this calling was harsh to reason and that Abraham found many hindrances and therefore it were dangerous he would haue started back after som trial of these difficulties he must passe throgh if he had had but a bare call commaundement to go But when God saith to him Goe out of thy natiue Country let it not stay thee that thou wast borne there nor hinder thee that thy kinred dwels there but leaue all and come with me forsake all and trust me follow me into the land that I will show thee I take thee from one but I will giue thee another When God I say vseth all these and it may bee many more like words to Abraham its apparant hee would haue him furnished with strength and resolution to goe through with his calling after he had once made entrance into it Out of which practice of God we learne this Instruction that God would haue no man enter vpon any calling or dutie with a fearefull and faint heart nor with a doubtfull minde but with a strong settled resolution to go through stitch with it and not to relent and repent in the midst And for this end God would haue all men afore they enter seriously to consider the place or duty they are to vndertake for the Lord had rather a man should refuse at first then hauing entred to looke backe againe and it is great folly for men hastily and suddainly or humorously to cast themselues vpon any calling and then vpon triall and experience of the dangers and difficulties thereof to be weary and wish they had neuer done it Men in this world are generally wiser in matters of the world If a man bee to build a house hee will not forth-with set vpon building such a house as his humor desireth but wil first of all sit down count the cost then his owne ability to see if the one will counteruaile the other else hee neuer begins it So saith Christ the wisedome of God of the wisedome of this world and the like also he saith for warre that no Prince will fight with his enemie on vnequall tearmes but will knowe himselfe able to sustaine the encounter Luke 14.28.31 So the calling of a Christian is to professe the Gospell of Christ. As the Magistrates is to defend it the Ministers to teach it so all meÌ„s to professe it now it is as impossible to build without cost or to fight without power of men as to profess Christ in any calling either generall or particular without crosses We must therefore consider first what our calling and profession will cost vs it is sure to cost vs a dangering of our credites and estimation in the world it may be our goods our liberties it may be our liues themselues Againe what enemies we haue to encounter in this spirituall warfare the diuell death hell sinne corruption and the crafty malice of wicked men all these we are sure to meete withall Were it not then folly for a man to vndertake this profession and not to consider thus much aforehand The want of this is cause why some put their hands to the plough and after shrinke away and make themselues ridiculous to their enemies corporall and spirituall And for particular callings the case euen standeth so also Some men thinke the calling of a Magistrate a place of honour and therefore ambitiously plot and desire to raise themselues into authority neuer remembring the burden and trouble they are sure to finde Which when they feele to be too heauie for their lazie shoulders to beare with ease they foully fall to plaine carelesnesse and neglect all doing good in their places and wish they had neuer bought honour so deare So others thinke the Ministerie nothing but a place of ease exemption and preferment And in these conceites rush presumptuously rashly into that holy State neuer thinking aforehand of that great charge of soules they are to take nor of that heauie account they are to make for them nor of the hatred and contempt and extreame disgraces they are sure to finde if they doe their duties with conscience And therefore when vpon experience they finde it so to be they either fall to carnall courses with the world and neglect their duties that by these two meanes they may please the world or else they continue in their duties with much griefe and vexation wishing they had chosen rather any calling then the Ministerie and by either of both do expose themselues to shame and much rebuke Whereas contrariwise hee that aforehand casts his account what it will cost him to be a Minister what he must vndertake what he must lose what hee is sure to finde is so settled and resolued afore-hand as hee goeth through all dangers and contempts with comfort courage and contentment Let vs therefore all learne by this practice of God when we thinke to enter vpon any such duty to reason with our selues as God did with Abraham what we are to forsake and what we are to meete withall So shall we not afterward repent vs but goe on with much assurance as Abraham did This point I haue the more inlarged because it is of speciall vse in Christian life Thus much of the Cause of Abrahams faith Gods calling and all the circumstances therein The second point is the excellencie and commendation thereof commended by the fruite and effect It made him yeeld to this calling of God And this obedience of his faith is spoken of two wayes 1. It is laide downe generally Hee obayed God 2. It is further commended by diuers particulars which we shall see in their places Obayed God Here is the obedience of Abrahams faith laide downe in one generall word He obayed that is when God called him to leaue his Country kindred and friends hee yeelded against reason because God bade him When God told him he would carie him into another land he beleeued it and lest a certaine for an vncertaine a possession for an expectation heere was the power and excellencie of his faith appearing in this obedience From hence we learne two instructions First seeing Abraham is the Father of the faithfull Rom. 4.11 and our glory is to be children of faithfull Abraham Therefore wee must all learne as good children to followe our Father in framing our liues according to Gods calling when GOD calleth vs to anie state of life then to obay and when not God but the world or ouâ— owne corrupt hâ—m ours call vs then not to obay For to obay the first is the obedience of faith but to obay the second is the obedience of corruption Therefore against this practice of holy Abraham two sorts of men doe offend and thereby shewe themselues children vnlike their Father Abraham First such men as being called by God to some functions or duties will not obay
this commaundement was personally directed to Abraham and concernes not vs as it did him yet it hath his force and vse euen to vs. For though we are not to goe out of our Country and leaue our liuings and habitations yet we must doe that that is proportionable hereunto That which is commanded to Salomons wife is to all Christians Harken O daughter and consider incline thine eare forget thy owne kindred and thy Fathers house so shall the King take pleasure in thy beauty Psalm 45.10.11 This wife of Salomon is the soule of euery Christian the spouse of Christ the true Salomon who by nature is daughter to heathen Pharaoh that is to sinne corruption and wrath but being maried to Christ must forget her owne kindred and Fathers house that is their owne nature and naturall affections and carnall desires and then shall Christ our King and spirituall husband take pleasure in vs and reioice to doe vs good And this is the chiefe trauailing of all and most acceptable to God when a man goeth out of himselfe and denieth his owne desires to obay God and to serue Christ Iesus Thus we see the matter of his obedience Now followeth the end Which he should after receiue for inheritance The second particular in his obedience is the End why he went out of his owne Country namely to inherite another that is the land of Canaan called else-where the land of Promise because God promised it vnto him and to his â—eed Now Abraham at Gods commaundement went out of his owne Country into this place to inherite it and to take possession of it But it may be obiected He inherited it not yea furthermore Stephen saith Act. 7.4 God brought him in but gaue him no inheritance in it no not the bredth of a foote I answere though Abraham did not inherite it personally himselfe yet he may be said to inherite it two wayes 1. Sacramentally or Mystically 2. In his posteritie First Sacramentally thus The land of Canaan is to be vnderstoode not onely as a Country of Asia fruitfull and fertile and plentifull of all good things wherein the onely visible Church was confirmed till Christs comming But further as a Type of the heauenly Canaan where the triumphant Church raignes in glory with God And thus Abraham did in his owne person inherite it for he was translated from this world after his death into the glory of heauen And in that respect the glory of heauen is rather called the bosome of Abraham Luke 16 then of any other the Patriarkes both for the excellencie of his faith as also for that the promise of inheriting the land of Canaan was first of all personally made to him which because he enioyed not he was recompenced with the fruition of the true Cannaan From hence we learne a notable doctrine That God in performing of his promises giueth not oftentimes the verie particular thing promised but something equiualent or proportionable to it or else better Thus in the fift commaundement obedient children are promised by God long life as a reward for honouring their Parents Now when hee takes them away in their best age as hee did Iosias 2. Kings 22.10 hee giueth them eternall life which is not onely proportionable but farre exceeding the thing promised So heere hee promiseth Abraham the land of Canaan but when it comes to the performance hee giues him a better euen the true Canaan the kingdome of heauen The vse heereof is to teach vs wisedome for the true discerning of Gods mercifull performance of his promises for he performeth them not alwayes one way vnto his children sometime he giueth the very particular thing promised as vnto the children of Israel their deliuerance out of Egypt vnto Hezekiah the restoring of his health and such like Sometime he giueth not it but something which shall be as good or better vnto his children as when they are in some great danger and craue deliuerance or in some necessitie and haue promise of supply God oftentimes deliuereth them not but giueth them patience and feeling of his fauour in such sort as is many degrees more comfortable vnto them And herein God heareth their prayers and performeth his promise to them to their full contentation Secondly Abraham inherited Canaan in his posterity For though God promised it to himselfe when he was 75. yeeres olde Gen. 12.4 and to him and to his seede Gen. 15.7 Yet neither he nor his immediate seede enioyed it but his posteritie the Israelites 430. yeares after the promise as S. Paul proueth Galath 3.17 And so Abraham inherited it in his posteritie which is a part of him and they inherited it many hundreth yeares euen vntill the comming of Christ. As afore we learned that God in the performance of his promises giueth not alwayes the thing promised so heere let vs learne that he doth not alwayes performe them to the same parties and yet most truly performeth them If therefore God doth not to our selues nor in our times accomplish his promises or prophecies we must not be impatient but waite in patience For as the holy Prophet saith The vision is yet for an appointed time but at the last it shall speake and not lie though it tarie waite for it it shall surely come and shall not stay Habba 2.3 To this end Dauid also most diuinely saith Psalm 97.11 Light is sowen for the righteous and ioy for the vpright in heart See light and ioy belongs vnto them but how It is sowen that is it is in hope and expectation and not alwayes in fruition Therefore as the Husbandman casts his seede into the earth and is content to stay almost a full yeere without it or any profit of it and yet is patient all that while because he is sure it will come bring encrease with it So must wee waite patiently on the Lord and know that whatsoeuer he hath promised we or ours after vs shall be sure to enioy it And though we doe not what great matter is it if our children doe For we know that oftentimes the Father soweth and dieth ere the haruest and so the sonne reapeth So for Gods great and gracious promises which are sowen vnto the Fathers if themselues do not their children are sure to reape the comfortable haruest of performance And thus we see how Abraham inherited the land of Canaan which is called the land of Promise because it was so long and so often promised to so many great Patriarkes In the second place it is to be obserued when God promised this vnto Abraham euen then when the land of Canaan was possessed by many mighty Kings So that it may be here further doubted how Abraham could take any comfort in this promise seeing it was at that day held by almost 40. Kings greater and lesse as we may see in Ioshua Chap. 10.11.12 and further The people were many and strong the Cities were strong walled and full of huge Giants Numb 13.28.29 Yet for all this he
a citie also and the best on earth are but shadowes of it And it may shame them that are drowned in the pleasures and delicacies of earthly cities and care not nor looke after the city of the liuing God the heauenly Ierusalem as it is called Heb. 12.22 But alas it seemes they care not for this shame for where is securitie wantonnesse profanenesse oppressions so coÌ„mon as in these great cities And as in the Apostles times the countrey towne Berea was more zealous and religious than the rich and stately citie of Thessalonica Acts 17.11 So is it generally to this day especially at such places in the countrey where teaching and knowledge is But let such cities know that as they haue better meanes more comforts and their very name should put them in minde and make them in loue with heauen so they shall receiue greater damnation Lastly Cities are places of freedome and all such great places haue some notable priuiledges therefore men desire to be free in such places as is to bee seene in London Rome Venice c. Euen the greatest persons will bee content to be free of them and many seeke it and pay deer for it or at least worke a long time for it But heauen is the City of cities the perfection of beauty and true happinesse therefore let euery one that desires either honour or happinesse labour and striue to be a free-man of heauen and neuer rest till he know hee be And let those that liue in cities when they are admitted free-men as daily some are remember what a blesâ—ednes it will be if they can bee admitted free-men of the glorious Citie which is aboue and how little that shall auaile them if they want this which was the hope and ioy of Abraham and all holy men To goe further This Citie which Abrahams faith waited for is described by two points 1. That it hath a foundation 2. That the maker and builder was God For the first Heauenly Ierusalem hath a foundation such a one as no city in this world hath by this phrase the holy Ghost insinuates vnto vs what be the properties of heauen which be two 1. The state of heauen is vnchangeable 2. Euerlasting and eternall First the state of the Elect in heauen their glory there is not subiect to corruption or the least alteration as appeareth in that notable and loftie description of the heauenly Ierusalem Apoc. 21.14 and from the 10. verse to the 21 It hath a great wall and high 12. gates 12. Angels for Porters and the wall had 12. foundations of 12. sorts of most excellent pretious stones and the wall it selfe was Iasper and the citie pure gold like crystall The state of it is shadowed by pretious stones and gold to signifie as well the durablenesse as the excellency therof And in the 15. Psalme vers 1. it is called the mountaine of Gods holines Hills are hardly remoued and therefore Dauid saith that Mount Zion cannot bee remooued but remaineth for euer Psal. 125.1 Now if that be true of Mount Zion in this world which must needes bee taken either literally for the state of the visible Church which cannot be vtterly ouerthrowen or mystically for the state of Gods grace which in this world cannot totally finally be lost I say if this Mount Zion standeth fast and cannot be remoued how much more true iâ— it of the state of glory in heauen and of the triumphant Church and of heauenly Zion that it is so vnchangeable so durable so vnremoueable that it cannot be shaken but standeth fast for euer And in this respect well may the Apostle say here It hath a foundation which the holy Ghost in the Reuelation saith to haue 12. foundations Secondly the state of the Elect in heauen is not onely sure but euerlasting that is without end Psal. 37.18 the Inheritance of holy men is perpetuall And therfore S. Peter 1.1.4 saith that the inheritance reserued in heauen for vs is immortall not fading away It fades not away there is the vnchangeablenesse It is immortall there is the eternity of it And this is meant by hauing a foundation for in this world so much the longer doth any thing endure as the foundation is stronger Therefore seeing the heauenly city hath such a foundation no maruell though it indure for euer Now put these two together and they shew the perfect excellency of that city which is both vnchangeable and eternall Where we learne the great difference betwixt the state of that world and this present world wherin we liue in the body For what is there in this world so excellent so pâ—etious so costly so artificiall but is subiect both to alteration and in the ende to dissolution The longest day hath his night and the longest life endeth in death after many miseries and tossings the longest Empires and mightiest Monarchies had their period after many mutations the stateliest and strongest cities ended in ruine after many ciuill broiles massacres and other miseries So that no glory no strength no happinesse nothing at all is there in this world that is either constant or perpetuall but subiect to vtter dissolution in the end and in the meane time to pittifull alterations So weake a foundation hath this world and the best things in it But contrariwise the glory of heauen hath such a foundation as it is both vnchaâ—geable and eternall The consideration of this difference hath manifold profitable vse First we may see how reasonable the counsell of the Apostle is 1. Tim 6. â—7 Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded and put not their trust in vncertaine riches but in the liuing God For what a misery and vanity is it to trust in that that is vncertaine and therefore will deceiue them The Apostle tells them what to doe namely Doe good and be rich in good works and be ready to distribute laying vp in store for themselues a good foundatioÌ„ against the time to come that they may obtain eternal life that is that they so speÌ„d their riches in holines charity that they may 〈◊〉 the ende attaine heauen which is the Citie that hath a foundation and who would not spend riches which are so vncertaine for heauen which is so certaine a glory Secondly this must teach vs to followe the Counsell of Christ Iesus Math. 6.19.20 Lay not vp for your selues treasures on earth where moth and canker corrupt theeues steale but in heauen where is neither canker moth theefe nor any other corruption Euery man naturally must haue his treasure and that is it whereon hee sets his heart now that is vnworthy of a mans heart which will bee lost wee knowe not how soone But let vs make heauen our treasure the glory whereof is both eternall and vnchangeable Againe seeing nothing here is certaine wee must learne to seeke sound comfort where it may be had Seeke it in this world and it will faile
haue said little lesse But if the holy Ghost may moderate this disputation hee plainely tells vs here That God is the maker builder of it Therfore assuredly it is not God but one of Gods creatures Thirdly and lastly let vs obserue the description of heauen included in these two words maker and builder God made it that is it is one of his creatures hee made it as well as the rest and he builded it that is as the word signifieth made it with arte or he bestowed skill and wisdome vpon it For though we may not imagine any substantiall difference betwixt these two words for matter yet in signification they differ and so farre wee are to obserue it Here then wee learne that the third Heauen is like a peece of worke wherein an excellent workeman hath spent his arte and shewed his skill that is that the highest heauen is a most glorious place and surpasseth all other creatures of God in glory and excellency so farre as therein shineth the glory skill and wisedome of the Creator more than in any other creature In which regard it is no maruell though the Holy Ghost say in another place That the eie hath not seene nor the eare heard nor mans heart conceiued what God hath there prepared for them that loue him 1. Corinth 2.9 And Saint Paul himselfe though hee had the honour to be taken vp into this third heauen and to see and heare the glory which is there yet afterwards could not he expresse the glory hee had seene And this was figured in the Temple of Ierusalem which was the mirrour and beauty of the world for the building whereof God both chose the skilfullest men and endued them also with extraordinary gifts namely Bezaleel and Aholiab Now as thereby that Temple was the most excellent piece of worke that euer was in this world made by man so the highest heauen which was mystically prefigured in Salomons Temple is the most excellent of all the workes of God The vse of this doctrine is not to be omitted First if that bee so excellent and glorious a place wee must all labour to come thither for aboue all things it seemes worthy to be sought for People come out of all places of the countrey to dwell in great townes and rich cities and men labour to be free-men there and to haue their children free in them and euen the greatest men will haue their houses either in or neere them that so though they will not alwaies dwell in them yet they may soiourne in them at their pleasures now and then And why all this but because first they are places beautifull and many waies pleasant to the eie Secondly full and frequented with the best company Thirdly replenished with aboundance of all things needfull for mans life for necessitie comfort and delight Fourthly they enioy many priuiledges and freedomes And lastly all this is most true of such cities where the King keepes his Court. If this bee so then how is heauen to bee sought for Behold here a goodly citie a citie of God whereof London Paris Rome Venice nay Ierusalem are scarce shadowes the true Ierusalem the ioy of the whole earth nay the ioy of the world and the glory of all Gods creatures made immediately with the hand and built with the skill and cunning of God himselfe The Princes of the world euen of Rome it selfe wondred at the beauty and were amazed at the magnificence of Ierusalems city Temple yet it was but a type and figure hereof For that had indeed the glory of the world vpon her But the new Ierusalem hath the glory of God vpon her Reu. 21.4 Shall we then seeke to dwell in the cities of this world and not labour to come to heauen Are they any way excellent wherein heauen is not much more to be desired Are they beautifull and is not it the beauty of the world Read the 21. chapter of the Reuelation and suppose that the beauty of it were but outward and worldly and sensible to humane capacitie yet is it farre more excellent than euer any was in this world And is not there the company of the deitie of Christs humanity of the holy Angels and all good men And is not there aboundance of whatsoeuer belongs to perfect happinesse And is not there freedome from the diuell sinne and death And is it not the Court of God the King of glory Then why doe we not sigh and grone and long to be free-men of this glorious citie And though we cannot come to it as long as wee liue in this world yet why doe wee not striue to come as neere it as may bee In this world when a man cannot dwell in the heart of a Citie yet he will rather dwell in the suburbs than hee will not be neere it and beeing there he knowes he can soone steppe into the citie So let vs in this life come as neere heauen as wee may let vs get into the suburbs and dwell there The suburbs of heauen is Gods true Church on earth where his word is freely knowen and preached and his holy Sacraments administred and therein God truely serued Let vs associate our selues to this Church and liue according to the holy lawes thereof This is the suburbs of heauen so shall we be ready to enter into the glorious city it selfe when the Lord calles vs. And as this is for our selues so if wee loue our children or care for their aduancement let vs make them free-men of that citie whose maker and builder is God So shall we bee sure to haue comfort and ioy of them here and with them in heauen But if wee will haue them free-men in heauen wee must make them Gods apprentizes on earth they must serue out their time else they get no freedome This time is all their life Men are deceiued that let their children bee the diuels slaues here and thinke to haue them free in heauen let vs then binde our children prentizes to God that is make them his seruants here then assuredly as in their repentance and regeneration here they are borne free-men of heauen so after this life they shall inioy the freedomes and priuiledges of that heauenly citie which was made and built by the wisdome of God Lastly here wee see how true it is that Dauid teacheth Psalm 15.4 No vile person can come in heauen And no maruell for if men thus and thus defamed cannot be free men in the Cities on earth built by men is it likely that sinners and profane men that care not for repentance regeneration for they bee the vile men shall be admitted into that city whose maker and builder is God It is the holy citie no vncleane thing can enter into it Reuel 21. It is Gods holy mountaine how shall vngodlinesse ascend thither Psalm 15.1 It is the newe Ierusalem how shall the olde man that is sinnefull corruption get into it Wee must therefore cast off the olde man
wish themselues to be Dogges Toades or Serpents rather then men and women and yet though they would be glad of that exchange of state they shall neuer compasse it but shall remaine woefull men and women for euermore because that once they made so profane a choise when the path of life was set before them they chose the way of death rather then of life and therefore when they would desire death they shall not haue it but shall liue a life more bitter for euer then any death in the greatest pangs Thus wee see in generall their choise was of the better Particularly the Text addeth That is an heauenly In which words is laid downe the last and chiefe point in this reason to wit that the Patriarchs desired a better Country then the Land of Canaan and that was an heauenly Country euen heauen it selfe the proofe whereof is principally intended in this place Now whereas the Patriarchs being our fore-fathers in faith and patternes whom we must followe did desire heauen by their example euery one of vs is taught the same duty to aime at another and a better Country then that in which we liue euen at the kingdome of heauen and not to thinke that this world is the Country we are borne for This better Country we must all seeke for whatsoeuer we be high and lowe young and olde learned and vnlearned if we will followe these godly Patriarchs And this wee must doe not at death onely seeking this world all our life long for that is to despise heauen but euen in the time of our youth strength of our daies must we set our hearts on heauen endeauouring so to vse this world and the things thereof that when we die we may come to heauen that blessed countrie which we desired and sought for in our liues And to perswade vs hereunto consider the reasons following First worldly wisdome teacheth this If a man dwell on his owne land and in his owne house he is carelesse But if in another mans house whereof hee hath no lease but contrariwise is certaine to be put out hee knoweth not when this man wil in time prouide himselfe of another that so he may remooue into it and not be destitute and if it be within his power he will prouide a better that so he may not remooue for the worse Beholde while wee liue in this world our bodies are tents and tabernacles wherein our soules doe dwell for a time and besides this time is vncertaine for there is no man that can say certainly he shall liue to the next houre Therefore we must euery one of vs prouide for himselfe a dwelling place in heauen where we may abide for euer in all blessednesse Again consider the state of all sorts of men in the world for sinne Atheisme and profanenesse abound euery where the blaspheming of Gods holy name and the breaking of his Sabbath besides daily sinnes against the second table Now all these crie continually for vengeance and for Gods iudgements to be inflicted vpon vs and we know not how God will deale with vs for owne sinnes whether he will take from vs our goods and good name our health friends or life it selfe and therefore it standeth vs in hand to prouide for our selues a resting place wherein we may abide for euer after this fraile life full of misery is ended Thirdly if we shall not doe this marke what followeth this and no other is our estate By nature wee are the children of wrath and of the deuill and by our manifolde sinnes we haue made our ease farre worse Now what is due vnto vs for this corruption and for these transgressions Surely not heauen but another place euen the contrary the place of eternall woe and destruction the bottomlesse pit of hell Now if this be our due by nature then let not sinne nor Sathan deceiue vs perswading vs that wee may come to heauen and still continue in the state of our corrupt nature but let vs labour by all meanes to eschew this place which is due vnto vs by nature that thorough the gift of faith in Christ we may come to the heauēly citie which these godly Patriarchs so seriously soght for But if we remaine in our sinnes and so die we are sure to goe to the place of destruction and there to remaine in woe and torments with the diuell and his angels for euermore so that it stands vs in hand to vse all good meanes to come to heauen or else our case will be the most miserable of all creatures for perdition and destruction will bee our portion world without ende This must awake and stirre vp our dead and drowsie hearts that are so besotted with sinne that though wee heare yet wee neither learne nor practice In worldly things we can take care and paines but if we will doe any thing for our owne euerlasting good let vs labour by all meanes to come to heauen for if wee misse of that citie it had beene good for vs we had neuer beene borne or that we had beene the vilest creatures in the world rather than men For when the vnreasonable creatures die there is an ende of all their miserie but if we die and be not prepared for that place our death will be vnto vs the beginning of all woe and miserie Wherefore God is not ashamed of them to be called 〈◊〉 their God for hee hath prepared for them a citie In these words is laid downe a second reason whereby is prooued that these Patriarchs died in the faith seeking their countrie in heauen The reason is drawen from the testimony of God himselfe recorded by Moses in the booke of Exodus where God saith He is the God of their Fathers the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Exodus 3.16 The exposition Wherefore that is that this might appeare and be euident that these Patriarchs died in the faith and sought this Country of heauen God was cōtent to vouchsafe grant vnto them this fauour to be called their God Was not ashamed To be or not to be ashamed of one properly belongs to men and it cannot be affirmed properly of God that hee is ashamed or blusheth as the word signifieth but the meaning is that God vouchsafed vnto them this fauour and shewed them this honour and dignity Quest. What was this honour and dignity which he shewed vnto them Answer To be called their God By which is meant thus much that God accepted them in his mercy to be such with whom hee would make his couenant of saluation and not with them alone but with their seed after them Secondly that he chose them to make the couenant in their names for all the rest Thirdly he vouchsafed them a speciall and extraordinary fauour euen that himself would beare their names they should beare his making his glorious name renowmed to the worlds end by this title The God of Abraham Isaac Iacob Hereupon the reason is framed thus
offred him for though the common opinion be that he was but 13. yeares olde yet the more receiued opinion of the best Writers is that Isaac was 25. or 27. yeares olde How then could Abraham being an olde man of more then 120. yeares be able to binde Isaac being a young and lusty man and lay him on the altar to kill him For though Abraham had a commaundement to kill Isaac yet wee finde not that God commaunded Isaac to suffer himselfe to be killed now Nature moues euery one to seeke to saue his owne life and to resist such as would kill vs. How then was Isaac brought to yeeld thus farre to his Father For answere heereunto wee are to knowe that Abraham was no ordinarie man but a Prophet and that an excellent and extraordinary Prophet So God himselfe testifieth of him to Abimelech Hee is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee yea he was esteemed and reuerenced as a Prophet an honourable man euen of the heathen The Hittites tell him Thou art a Prince of God amongst vs. Genesis 23.6 Now being a man of so high place and so great regard euen in the world doubtlesse hee was of much more authoritie in his owne house It is therefore very likely that hee tells Isaac his sonne that hee had a speciall commaundement from GOD to kill him in sacrifice Now Isaac being an holy man and well brought vp hearing this is contented to be sacrificed and obayes his Father herein This I speake not as certaine but as most probable and it is the iudgment of best learned who haue had good experience in the Scripture This circumstance well obserued serues greatly for the commendation of them both of Abraham the Father that had so religiouslie brought vp his onelie Sonne that was most deere vnto him that hee would not resist the will of GOD reuealed vnto him though it cost him his life Oh that Parents would followe Abraham in so doing to their children then would it goe well with the Church of GOD. Againe Isaacs behauiour is heere admirable that hee would not resist his weake and aged Father but suffereth him to binde him and to lay him on the Altar yeelding himselfe vnto death when his Father tolde him My sonne GOD will haue it so This example must bee a patterne of obedience not onely for children towards their parents but for vs all towards Gods ministers when they shall tell vs what God would haue vs doe we must submit our selues and yielde though it turne to our bodily paine and griefe for Isaac yeelds though it were to the losse of his life But alas who will follow Isaac For let the minister speake against our carnall pleasure and vnlawfull gaine let him crosse our humour and affections then wee refuse to heare and will not obey Nay if the minister of God as the Lords priest come with the sacrificing knife of Gods word to the throat of our sin to kill the same in vs that so we may bee pure and acceptable sacrifices vnto God doe we not resist him and say in our hearts Wee will none of this doctrine Or if he like a Prophet of God come and offer to binde our consciences with the cordes of obedience and to lay our affections on the altar of the Law then we resist and are either too yong or too olde too rich or too learned or too great to be taught and bound to obedience But let vs know that if wee will bee true Isaacs euen the sonnes of faith and obedience and the true heires of Abrahams faith as wee would beare the world in hand then as he did submit himselfe to be bound of his father so must wee yield our selues to the ministers of God to bee bound by his word and suffer the same word to be in vs the two edged sword of the spirit to cut downe sinne and corruption in vs and to make vs newe creatures that so both in body and soule wee may become pure and acceptable sacrifices vnto our God Thus much of the facte it selfe wherein Abrahams faith is set forth Now follow the Arguments or reasons whereby the same worke of faith is commended vnto vs. The first Argument is taken from the great impediments which might hinder his faith and they are in number three First that he was brought to this worke not by ordinary command but by an extraordinary course in temptation Beeing tempted Secondly that he was to offer his own childe yea his onely begotten sonne Thirdly that he who had receiued the promises must offer him and kill him in whom the promise was made For the first impediment In the ordinarie translation it is read thus When he was tried But that is not so fit beeing rather an exposition of the meaning than a translation of the word For the very word signifieth to be tempted and the meaning is when he was tried I would therefore rather read it thus when he was tempted or beeing tempted as the word signifies In the handling hereof first wee will intreat of the nature of this temptation and then come to the circumstances belonging to the same Temptation as it is here vsed may be thus described It is an action of God whereby he prooueth and makes experience of the loyaltie and obedience of his seruants First I say it is an action of God This is plaine by the testimony of Moses in Genesis Gen. 22.1 where if we read the history we shall finde that God did prooue Abraham Obiect But against this it may be obiected that Saint Iames saith Iames 1.13 God tempteth no man and therefore no temptation is the action of God Answ. That place in Iames is thus to bee vnderstood God tempteth no man that is God doth not stirre vp or mooue any mans heart to sinne Yet further it will be said That temptation is an action of Satan for so in the Gospel wee may read Mat. 4.3 that hee is called the tempter Answ. Some temptations are the actions of God and some the actions of Satan God tempteth and Satan tempteth but there is great difference in their temptations first in the manner for Satan tempteth a man to sinne against the will of God and to doe some euill God tempteth a man to doe something which shall be onely against his owne affections or his reason Secondly God tempteth for the good of his seruants but Satan tempteth for the destruction both of their bodies and soules Againe I say Whereby he makes triall c. Here some will say God knowes euery mans heart and what is in them and what they will doe long before and therefore hee needeth not to make triall of any man Answ. God makes triall of his seruants not because hee is ignorant of that which is in their heart for hee vnderstandeth their thoughts long before but because he will haue their obedience made knowen partly to themselues and partly to the world so that hee makes triall of his seruants
Christ concerning life euerlasting and theron we must rest and stay our selues Then let temptations assault vs and driue vs whither they can still wee must holde fast the promise with both hands of faith and aboue hope by faith appoint and designe vnto our selues a part and portion in the kingdome of heauen And so doing wee shall bee true Israelites and true followers of this faithfull Patriarch who by faith beyond all likelihood allots the Land of Canaan to his posterity 3 Circumstance The parties whom he blessed namely the two sonnes of Ioseph Manasses and Ephraim Hereof wee may read at large Gen. 48.8 9 c. where among many things obserue this one Ioseph brings his two sonnes Manasses and Ephraim vnto Iaacob his father that hee might blesse them as he lay on his bedde Now Iosephs mind was that Manasses the elder should haue the chiefest blessing and therefore he set Manasses at Iaacobs right hand and Ephraim the yonger at his left But Iaacob beeing to blesse them laies his hands a-crosse putting his right hand on Ephraims head and the left on the head of Manasses whereby he gaue the birth-right which was a principall prerogatiue vnto Ephraim contrary to Iosephs desire Vnto Manasses hee gaue a blessing also but farre inferiour to Ephraims Now here we may not thinke that Iaacob did this vpon any fond affection as parents oftentimes doe because they loue one childe better than another but hee did it after a speciall manner by the direction and instinct of Gods spirit which so appointed it For when Iaacob blessed them he knewe not of his owne knowledge by the benefit of his senses which was Ephraim and which Manasses Againe looke as Iaacob gaue the blessings at this time the principall vnto Ephraim and the lesser to Manasses so afterward they came to passe For as we may read the tribe of Ephraim was farre more populous and more glorious than the tribe of Manasses And therefore in the bookes of the Prophets Hos. 4.16 and 5.9 and 6.4 c. we shall finde that the name of Ephraim is giuen to all the ten tribes and they are called by that name because it was the most noble tribe of all and the most valiant and as it were the shelter of all the rest Yea further of this tribe came 1. Chron. 7.27 Iehosuae that noble captaine and 1. King 11.26 Ieroboam and many other mighty Kings of Israel Where we may learne that God is the disposer of honours and dignities in this world he giueth these to whom he will to some more and to some lesse as pleaseth him yea sometime he raiseth vp men of base and lowe degree to great dignitie as Dauid saith Psal. 113.7 He raiseth the needy out of the dust and lifteth the poore out of the dongue Now whence comes this Is their learning their great strength their beautie or wonderfull skill and knowledge the cause of their preferment or the wealth of their parents or any thing in them No surely If we speake of the first cause wee see in this example that the preferment of Ephraim aboue Manasses was for no cause in Ephraim for what was in Ephraim that was not in Manasses when Iaacob blessed them Surely nothing for hee was but a childe as the other was and a yonger childe also but hee was preferred by reason of Gods good will towards him And so it is with all those that are aduanced to preferment in this world Wherefore seeing honour and dignity commeth not from themselues or any thing in them therfore they must not ascribe it to their owne wit learning strength or friends but wholly to the gift of God as the first cause and so must labour to vse it to the honour of him that onely giues it of his good pleasure else they sacrifice to their owne net Hab. 1.16 Quest. Why doth the holy Ghost in this place put Iosephs name downe who was not blessed and conceale the names of the two children that were blessed Answer If wee reade the History in Genesis wee shall see the reason hereof For when Ioseph heard that his Father Iacob was sicke though he was a mighty Prince and a noble Potentate among the Egyptians and his Father but a poore Pilgrime yet hee comes to his sicke Father before his death and brings his two sonnes with him to haue his Father to blesse them before he died and therfore the holy Ghost heere nameth Ioseph to shew vnto vs what respect he had of his Fathers blessing hee made more account thereof and did more esteeme it that so he might haue his sonnes within the couenant than of all the Kingdomes in the world and therefore he brings them both to his Father to be blessed a little before his death Now looke what minde affection Ioseph beares the same should be in euery one of vs. Whatsoeuer our estate be whether honourable or base and meane wee must with Ioseph esteeme more of Gods couenant to be members of Gods Church then of all the honour in the world besides and we must esteeme our places and preferments that we haue or our children may haue to be nothing in comparison of the blessing of God and his fauour Yea we must chuse with Ioseph rather to leaue our honours and dignities for a time or if it were for euer then to lose the blessing of Gods grace and blessed shall those Fathers be with Ioseph who had rather haue their children blessed of God then aduaunced in the world The second action of Iacobs faith is in these words And worshipped on the end of his staffe and it is a notable worke for the cōmendation of his faith But before we come vnto it there are certaine questions which may profitably be considered As first for the translation how the words should be read The Papists read them thus And adored the top of his Rod that is say they the top of Iosephs Scepter who came to visit him From whence they would gather and ground their abhominable Idolatrie in the Adoration of creatures and namelie of Holie things as Crucifix Reliques Images as also of God at and before such holie things But we must know that their translation is false and erronious and cannot be iustified howsoeuer they may bring some mens witnesse and testimonie for the same For in reading it thus and adored the top of his Rod they leaue out a substantiall word of the text to witte this word vpon whereby they corrupt the Text and depraue the meaning of the holy Ghost Againe their obseruation and collection hence is most abhominable for to worshippe an Image or other holy thing or GOD himselfe in or at the same is flatly forbidden in the second Commaundement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image c. Thou shalt not bow downe to them But our Translation in this place is true and right according to the wordes of the Text and the meaning of the holy Ghost That
hee worshipped vpon the ende of his staffe Yet further there may be a question moued about the words for if wee reade the Historie in Genesis it is there saide that Iacob worshipped towards the end or toppe of his bed Genesis 47. Now there is great difference betweene these two To worshippe on the toppe of his staffe and on the toppe of his bed How therfore can they stand together Ans. They may stand wel together and be both true for when Iacob was about to giue vp the Ghost and was ready to die hee raised vp himselfe vpon his pillowe towards the beds head and thereon rested his body Now because his body was weake and feeble hee staide himselfe also vpon his staffe and thus comparing the places together we see there is no repugnancie in them Againe this wee must knowe that the same sentence of Scripture may be diuersly read in diuers places of Scripture without any impeachment to the truth certainty or perfection of Scripture for when the holy Ghost speaketh the same thing often yet in different tearmes as in this place the diuersity of wordes doth enlarge or open the sense and meaning but no way corrupt or depraue the same And thus much for the words Now to come to the fact it self in Iacobs worship three circumstances are to be considered 1. The occasion 2. The time 3. The manner of it The occasion of Iacobs worship heere spoken of as we may reade Genesis 47 was this when the time drew neere that Iacob must die hee called for his sonne Ioseph and chargeth him deepely That hee should not burie him in Egypt when hee was dead but that hee should carie him thence and burie him in the buriall of his Fathers Ioseph consents vnto his Fathers request and yet Iacob for certaintie makes him to sweare that hee shall doe so and Ioseph sware vnto him Now vpon this issue that Iacob had with Ioseph the Text saith That Israell worshipped towards the beds â—ead that is hee praised GOD and gaue thankes vnto him for this benefite that hee should be buried with his Fathers Abraham and Isaac And yet this benefite did not so much concerne himselfe as his children for the carying of his bones thither was to be a token and pledge and a certaine assurance vnto them that the Land of Canaan should be theirs and that God would bring them thither againe In this circumstance obserue a notable dutie belonging vnto Fathers and Masters of families they must in their life time haue care of their posteritie and vse all meanes to helpe them and benefite them in the faith not onely while they are aliue but also after they are dead after the example of this holy Patriarch and when they haue obtained this benefite for them they must be glad in their hearts and reioyce and thereupon take occasion to praise the Lord as Iacob did in this place 2. Circumstance The manner how hee worshipped Which is set downe in these words on the end of his staffe This circumstance is worth the marking for good Iacob by reason of the weakenesse of his body and olde age was not able to come forth of his bed and kneele downe or prostrate himselfe but raiseth himselfe vp vpon his pillowe towards his beds head and by reason of feeblenesse being not yet able to sit vpright he doth leane and beare himselfe vpon his staffe Heere wee learne that wee must not onely worship GOD with our soules and hearts but with our bodies also for GOD hath created both and therefore will be worshipped in both 1. Corinthians 6. verse 20. Olde Iacob might haue excused himselfe that by reason of the weakenesse of his body hee was not able to adore GOD with any bodily reuerence but yet wee see hee leanes vpon his staffe and so making supply to his bodily weakenesse adoreth GOD with his bodie Question In what kinde of gesture then must we worship God with our bodies Answere The word of GOD doth not prescribe any by way of limitation For sometimes our Sauiour Christ prayed kneeling Luke chapter 21. verse 41 sometimes groueling Matthew chapter 26. verse 59 sometime standing Iohn chapter 11. verse 41 as also did the Apostles And the Scripture approoueth the Publican who stoode a-farre off and prayed Luke chapter 18. verse 13. Elias also 1. Kings chapter 18. verse 42 is saide to pray with his head betweene his legges so that wee haue no certaine forme prescribed vs onely this wee must vse that gesture which may best set forth and declare our humble heart and holy affection vnto God Here then is confuted an opinioÌ„ of those which thinke that a man may worship God with his heart yet worship images with his body that he may bee present at idolatrous worship yet keep his heart vnto God But Iacobs behauiour in this place doth both confute and condemne them for he thought his body as due to God as his soule and therefore worshipped God with both 3. Circumstance The time when hee worshipped God thus namely when he was dying euen then he worshipped God In this circumstance we may note diuers things First here behold the bad practice of the world for many men when they are dying now-adaies are so farre from following Iacobs example in worshipping and praising God that then they are faine to call for men to teach them how they should worship God hauing spent the former part of their life carelesly in regard of their soules following worldly profits and pleasures neuer thinking of their duty to God till they die But what a fearefull course is this that men should thus brutishly goe on from day to day not knowing how to worship God Well all such as loue their owne soules and would be like to godly Iacob or as our Sauiour Christ said to Nathaniel would be true Israelites Ioh. 1.47 the naturall sonnes of old Israel indeede they must haue care so to liue in this world that they may worship God when they die therfore they must not deferre but learne betime the knowledge and feare of God that when death comes they may bee able to shewe forth and practice the same It is a lamentable thing to coÌ„sider how the diuel bewitcheth mens hearts so as they liue in the world as though they should neuer goe out of it neuer caring for religion till the day of death come vpon theÌ„ then it is too late to learne But this is to followe Esau and not Iacob who is therefore condemned by the holy Ghost 2 Againe in this that Iacob worshipped God at his death we learne this That as men liue so they die for the most part Iacob was brought vp in Gods worship therein liued all his life long and looke as hee liued so he died for when he died hee worshipped God resting his body on the end of his staffe This same truth is verefied now and shal be for euer let a man worship God through the course of
made vnto him in Christ then he reasoneth and striueth against temptation and layes the word as a shield vnto his soule to keepe out the fierie darts of Satan yea hee applies the same word to his owne soule as a corrosiue vnto corruption whereupon it is said that faith purifieth the heart Act. 15.9 How namely beside the applying of Christs blood it brings to memory Gods mercifull promises in Christ which stay a man from committing such things as would pollute and defile the heart And therefore is faith said to bee our victory ouer the world 1. Ioh. 5.4 because by applying to our soules Gods promises in Christ we doe not onely contemne the world in regard of Christ but also stand against the assaults thereof so that it is a most notable and excellent worke of faith Lastly obserue the circumstance of time when Ioseph made remembrance of their departing The text saith When he was dying Hereof wee haue spoken in the former verse yet this one thing may here againe bee well remembred Ioseph cals to mind the promises of God at his death which concerne the temporall deliuerance of his people we by his example when we are dying must learne to call to remembrance the gracious promises which God hath made vnto vs in Christ touching our eternall deliuerance from the spirituall bondage of the diuell Oh! great will bee the fruit hereof not onely for inward comfort to our own soules and ioy to such as loue vs but also we shall hereby giue a worthy euidence to the world that we haue bin sound in the faith wherein we shall leaue a good president to those that follow vs. The second fact of Iosephs faith is this He gaue commandement concerning his bones The meaning thereof is this that Ioseph lying on his death bed gaue a solemne charge to his brethren to haue speciall care how and where they buried him that his bones might not be lost but so preserued while they staied in Egypt that at their departure they might be carried into the land of Canaan there buried in the sepulchre of his fathers The causes why Ioseph gaue this commandement were these 1 Hereby to testifie vnto his brethren posterity that howsoeuer he liued a long time in the pompe and glory of Egypt yet his heart was neuer set thereon but hee had a greater delight and more esteemed to bee counted a true member of the Church of God than to be a noble prince in the Land of Egypt For if hee had loued and liked the pompe of Egypt hee would haue had his sepulchre among them but giuing commandement to the contrary it sheweth plainely that his heart was neuer set on that glory and pompe in which he liued By whose exāple we are taught that in vsing the world and the things therof we must not set our hearts on them but as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 7.31 Vse them as though wee vsed them not still hauing our affections set on heauen which is our spirituall Canaan 2 Hereby Ioseph would testifie vnto his brethren what he esteemed his chiefe happinesse namely that in faith hope he was ioyned vnto his fathers and auncestors that beleeued in God and that hee was of their religion and looked for a resurrection and another life as they did And this he would haue knowen not only to his brethren and posteritie but to the Egyptians also among whom he liued 3 Ioseph hereby intended principally to confirme the faith of his brethren and posterity in Gods promise for enioying and possessing the Land of Canaan after his death and this was a notable way to strengthen their faith For when they should see or remember his corps it was vnto them as a liuely sermon to shew them plainely that howsoeuer they liued for a while in bondage in Egypt yet the day should shortly come wherein they should be set at libertie and brought as free-men into the land of Canaan And vndoubtedly Ioseph would therefore haue his bones kept among them that they might be a pledge vnto them of their deliuerance Yea note further the story saith Gen. 50.15 that Ioseph did not onely charge his brethren generally but bindes them by an oath to carry his bones hereby shewing that it was a matter of great weight which hee did inioyne them euen a signe and pledge of the truth of Gods promise in their deliuerance Whence we learne that it is a matter of great moment for euery Christian both carefully and reuerently to vse the sacraments which God hath giuen as pledges of his couenant of grace made with vs in Christ. For shall Ioseph cause his brethren and posteritie to sweare concerning his bones that so they might more reuerently regard that pledge and signe of their outward deliuerance And shall not we with all reuerence good conscience both esteeme and vse those holy pledges of our eternall deliuerance by Christ Iesus The Papists from this place would iustifie their practice in reseruing and honouring the Reliques of Saints Now by Reliques they meane the parts of the bodies of Saints departed as the head of Iohn Baptist the armes or bones of this or that Saint the milke of the virgin Mary and also the parts of the crosse whereon Christ suffered with such like Answ. First let vs knowe that their Reliques are nothing else but forged deuices of their owne and no true Reliques of Saints as by one instance may appeare For the parts and parcels of wood kept in Europe which they say are parts of the crosse whereon Christ died are so many that if they were all gathered together they would load a ship which shewes plainely that herein they vse notorious forgerie for it was no greater than a man may beare And the like is their behauiour in the rest Secondly the keeping of Iosephs bones was for a good ende and purpose namely to testifie his owne faith and to confirme theirs in beleeuing Gods promise for their deliuerance out of the bondage of Egypt but their Reliques serue rather to extinguish faith in Christ than to confirme it for they nourish men in fond deuices and foul superstitions and not in the truth of Gods promises Thirdly we doe not read in all the Bible that Iosephs bones were euer worshipped and therefore from this place they haue no ground whereon to build their superstitious worshipping of Reliques And thus much of the example of Iosephs faith Moses Faith VERSE 23. By faith Moses when he was borne was hid three moneths of his parents because they saw he was a proper childe neither feared they the kings commandement IN this verse the holy Ghost proceedeth further and setteth downe vnto vs a notable and worthy example of the faith of Moses parents If we would see the history at large we must read the 2. Chapter of Exodus of which these words are an abbridgement or briefe Epitome Now here the faith of Moses parents is commended vnto vs by two notable
did the Gadarens there was set before them Christ Iesus the Lord of life and their hogges and cattell Now they prefer their hogges before Christ A most miserable and senselesse choice And is it not as ill with vs There is set before vs on the one side heauen and on the other side hell but men for the most part chuse hell forsake heauen Ciuill worldly men whose delight is all in riches they prefer earth before heauen the seruice of sinne which is the greatest slauerie before the seruice of GOD which is perfect freedome and glorious liberty of the Saints in light and thus doe all men without Gods speciall grace Whereupon Paul prayes in his Epistles for the Churches that God would giue vnto them the spirit of wisedome that they may be able to iudge betweene things that differ And this wisdom we must labour for that when these different things are set before vs we may make a wise choise otherwise we shew our selues to be like brute beasts without vnderstanding do quite ouerturne our owne saluation In the Ministerie of the word we haue life and death good euill set before vs as Moses said to the people Deut. 30.15 19. Let vs therfore endeuour our selues to chuse life by embracing and obeying the word of God so shall we followe both his precept and practice To suffer aduersity with the people of God Heere wee may obserue what is the ordinarie state and condition of Gods Church and people in this world namely to be in affliction and vnder the crosse Hence Paul saith That we must come to heauen through manifold afflictions Acts 14.23 The Lord knoweth what is best for his seruants and children and therefore he hath set downe this for a ground that all that will liue godly in Christ Iesus must suffer persecution 2. Tim. 3.12 Thus the Lord dealeth with his children for speciall causes for first all crosses as losse of goods friends liberty or good name they are meanes to stirre vp and awake Gods people out of the slumbring fit of sinne for the godly are many times ouertaken this way The wise virgines sleepe as well as the foolish Now afflictions rouze them out of the sleepe of securitie See this in Iosephs brethren who went on a long time without any remorse for selling their brother But when they were stayed in Egypt then they are rowzed vp and can say Genesis 42.21 This trouble is come vpon vs for selling our brother Secondly afflictions serue to humble Gods children Leuiticus 26.41 So the Church of God speaketh I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him Micah 7.9 Thirdly they serue to weane the people of God and to driue them from the loue of this world for if men might alwaies liue in ease they would make their heauen vpon earth which may not be And heerein GOD dealeth with his children like a Nurse when shee will weane her childe she layes some bitter thing vpon the pappes head to make the childe to loathe the pappe so the Lord to draw our hearts from the world and to cause vs to loue and seeke after heauen and heauenly things hee makes vs to taste of the bitternesse of affliction in tâ—is worlde Fourthly afflictions ferâ—e to make Gods children to goe out of themselues to seeke sincerely vnto GOD and to relie onely vpon him which in prosperity they will not doe This Paul confesseth of himselfe and others Wee saith hee receiued the sentence of death in our selues because wee should not trust in our selues but in God 2. Corinthians chapter 1. verse 9. So good King Iehosaphat when hee was compassed of his enemies Hee cried to the Lord and said Lord wee knowe not what to doe but our eyes are towards thee 2. Chronicles chapter 20. verse 12. Yea the rebellious Iewes are heereby driuen to seeke the Lord whom in prosperity they forsooke as wee may see at large Psal. 107.6.12.13.19 Lastly afflictions serue to make manifest the graces of GOD in his children The Lord saith Iob knoweth my way and trieth me Iob 23.10 Deuteronomie 8.2 Remember all the way saith Moses to the Israelites which the Lord thy GOD ledde thee this fourtie yeares for to prooue thee and to knowe what was in thine heart Hence Iames calleth temptations the triall of faith Iames chapter 1. verses 2.3 And Paul makes patience the fruite of tribulation Romanes chapter 5. verse 3. For looke as the showers in the spring time cause the buds to appeare so doe afflictions make manifest Gods graces in his children Patience hope and other vertues lie close in the heart in the day of peace but when tribulation comes then they breake forth and shew themselues Hence wee learne that it is not alwayes a token of Gods wrath To suffer affliction If any man or people be laden with crosses it is no argument that therefore they are not the children of GOD for as Peter saith Iudgements begin at Gods house 1. Peter chapter 4. verse 17 and any crosse vpon a people family or particular persons if it bring forth the fruite of grace in them is a true signe they belong to GOD. Yea when men wander from God by an euill way these afflictions are meanes to call them home to GOD. Psalme 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray And they that forsake their sinne and returne to GOD in the time of affliction are certainly Gods people for the wicked man fretteth and murmureth against God when a crosse commeth and he cannot abide it But the godly man is humbled therby and it makes him more obedient in all duties vnto God This wee should consider for by an outward profession wee beare the world in hand that we are Gods children and therefore wee come to heare Gods word and to learn how to behaue our selues as beseemeth his children But if we would be knowen to be Gods children indeede then when any of Gods iudgements doe befallâ— vs wee must make this vse of them namely labour thereby to be humbled for our sinnes and to forsake our sinnes and to make conscience of all bad wayes for euer afterward and then wee shewe our selues to be Gods children indeede but if vnder the crosse or after the crosse wee be as dissolute as euer wee were and still followe our olde sinnes then wee cannot be iudged to be Gods people and children but rather a wicked and stubborne generation which the more they are corrected the worse they are like a stithy the more it is beaten the harder it is Let vs therefore by the vse of Gods iudgements shewe our selues to be Gods children so shall wee say with Dauid with much ioy and comfort It is good for vs that wee haue beene in trouble Psal. 119.71 Thus wee see what Moses chose now come wee to the thing he refused To enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season By pleasures of sinne wee must vnderstand the riches and dignitie that Moses
reward Now euery true beleeuer that endeuours to doe the will of God is in Christ and so Christes righteousnesse with the merit thereof is his so farre forth as serues to make his person acceptable to God Whereupon hee hath a promise of reward made vnto him vpon his obedience yet not for his worke but for the worke of Christes obedience in whom he is And so must these words here be vnderstood 1. The consideration of this reward of life eternall giuen through Christ to those that suffer for his sake may make vs ioyfull and patient in all our afflictions for righteousnesse sake A naturall man will endure much for a good recompence in the end Now Christ saith Great is your reward And therefore let vs reioice in suffering for Christ holding fast our confidence which hath so great recompence of reward Heb. 10.35 Secondly is life euerlasting a recompence that is a giuing of a reward Then heere is condemned the desperate practice of many a one who spend their whole life in a greedie pursuite after the profites and pleasures of the worlde as it were running themselues out of breath in the way to hell without all regarde of their soules till death come thinking that if at the last gaspe they can crie God mercie and commend their soules to GOD all is well But all such persons for the most part deceiue their owne soules not considering that life euerlasting is giuen as a reward Now wee knowe that no reward is giuen to any man till the worke be done which hee is set about he must come worke in the Vineyard some part of the day that would haue his pennie at night as for those that neither stirre hand nor foote to doe the worke what reward can they looke for And yet this is the state of carnall liuers they addict themselues wholly to earthly things But if wee looke for any reward at the day of death wee must labour in the workes of godlinesse all the dayes of our life for therefore were wee redeemed Luke 1.74.75 In the whole booke of God wee finde but one man that liued wickedly and repented at his end that is the thiefe vpon the Crosse. Which shewes that it is a most rare thing for a man to haue the reward of life euerlasting after this life that labours not in the workes of godlinesse in this life Thirdly the consideration of this reward must stirre vp all Gods children vnto all diligence in the duties of godlinesse that with cheerefulnesse through the whole course of their liues When wee shall die wee will looke earnestly for this reward and therefore while we liue we must diligently doe the workes that God commaundeth and then when death comes we may assure our selues that God will giue vs this reward not because wee did deserue it by our works but because he hath promised it in Christ vpon our endeuour in obedience and true repentance And thus much for the reason of Moses choise VERSE 27. By faith he forsooke Egypt and feared not the fiercenesse of the King For he was couragious as hee that saw him that is inuisible IN this verse the spirit of God proceedeth to another example of Moses faith and heereto also in the verse following hee addeth a third Now hee is thus large in the commendation of his faith for this end to perswade the Hebrewes to whom this Epistle is sent that they were not to looke for any Iustification by the workes of the Law and his reason is because if any man could be iustified by the workes of the Law it must be Moses who gaue the Law to the people from the Lord and did excell in obedience to both Tables and therefore is a renowmed Prophet vnto all posterity in speciall fauour with God Numb 12.7.8 But Moses could not be iustified by the works of the Law for here the holy Ghost proues that Moses was iustified saued by faith The thing that cōmends Moses and makes him stand before God is not his works but his faith and therefore the conclusion is that as Moses was not iustified by his works but by faith no more must they stand vpon their works to be iustified therby but labour for such faith as Moses had Now this faith of Moses is a true sauing faith founded on these two promises of God 1. On this great maine promise made to Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed 2. On another particular promise rising from the general made vnto him when he was called to fetch the Israelites out of bondage which was this I will be with thee and guide thee And in this place Moses is said to haue faith not onely because he beleeued that God would be his God as hee was the God of all Abrahams seed but because he beleeued particularly that God would be his God defend and be with him in the deliuerance of the Israelites out of Egypt To come particularly to this fact By faith Moses forsooke Egypt Moses departed from Egypt twise First when hee had slaine the Egyptian and fled from Pharaoh vnto Midian and there kept Iethroes sheepe Secondly fourty yeares after when hee led the people of Israell out of Egypt into the Land of Canaan and heere some make it a question whether of these departures is meant in this place Answere It is most like that this place is to be vnderstoode of his second departure rather than of the first And the reason is taken out of Exodus Chapter the second verses 14 15. Where wee finde that the first time he fled for feare for so soone as he heard that his slaughter of the Egyptian was knowen to Pharaoh he fled in such feare as that hee durst not returne againe of 40. yeares Now these words are not to be vnderstoode of such a flight for here it is said Hee departed not fearing the Kings wrath or fiercenesse Here some will say This is no commendation for malefactors and rebels doe flie their Country Answer They flie indeede yet not in faith but in feare Moses fled in faith and hereby his faith is commended that hee fled not fearing the King But malefactors flie for feare of due punishment Moses departed with courage and boldnesse and therfore fled not as a malefactor for he feared not the King as appeareth plainely in the History for though Pharaoh had said vnto him Exod. 10.28 Get thee gone see thou see my face no more for when thou commest in my sight thou shalt die yet Moses went once more namely the tenth time and tolde him of the tenth plague and saide That Pharaohs seruants should come downe vnto him and fall downe and pray him to get him out with the people and their cattell And when the Israelites murmured against him at the red sea when Pharaoh was at their heeles and they had no way to flie Moses encourageth the people saying Feare not stand still and behold the
home-borne traytor seekes to deliuer the heart into the possession of Satan and so to defraud God of his right Againe the heart is mans Treasury from whence come all actions good and badde now if it bee well kept and guarded the Lord will dwell in thy heart and thence will proceede the issues of life but if it bee left open for corruption to enter and take place then is it made an habitation for the diuell If a citie were besieged about by bloody enemies the inhabitants thereof would set watch and ward in euery place to keepe out the enemie so wee hauing originall sinne as a fierce enemie compassing vs about for to work our destruction some way or other must labour to haue our hearts guarded with a watch of grace that our corruption may not let in Satan there to dwell or to haue any abode But will some say how shall we get a watch that may thus keepe our hearts Answ. Wee must labour that the word of God may dwell plentifully in our hearts and there as the scepter of Christ to be held vp by the grace of faith ruling our wills and affections bringing into subiection euery thoght to the obedience of Christ. In such a heart Christ dwells who is stronger than Satan and here can neither corruption set open the doore to Satan nor Satan enter but all things are in safetie Also the actions that proceede hence shall be the issues of life beeing holy and pleasing vnto God And thus much of the second point The third duty to bee performed for our continuance in the faith is this Wee must runne with patience the race that is set before vs. In these words the holy Ghost borroweth a comparison from the games of men that did runne a race and thus we may conceiue it The race that the Holy Ghost propounds vs to runne is the race of Christian Religion the parties that must runne in this race are all Christians men or women high or lowe not one excepted the price and crowne for which we runne is euerlasting glory the iudge of the runners is the Lord himselfe who hath appointed this race vnto euery Christian in this life who also will giue the reward to euery one that runneth well In this comparison wee may obserue many good instructions First in that Christian religion is compared to a race We are taught that euery one that professeth religion must goe forward therein growing in knowledge faith piety and in euery grace of God He that runnes a bodily race must neither stand still nor goe backward for then then he shall neuer get the price but still goe forward to the race ende So must euery Christian goe forward in grace following hard towards the marke for the price of the high calling of God If wee care not for eternall life then we may take our ease and let grace alone but if wee tender our owne saluation wee must goe on in the graces of religion as a runner doth goe forward in his race This beeing wel obserued would rowze vp our drowzie Christians that make no progresse in religion Secondly this resemblance of Christianity to a race teacheth vs al to striue to go one before another in knowledge faith and holy obedience thus runners doe that run a bodily race Also in the world the manner of men is to labour and striue to goe one before another in riches preferment in fine apparell and in all bodily delights now shall men striue to bee first in these transitory things and shall wee neglect our duty about these spirituall graces wherein the more we excell the more acceptable wee are to God and shall bee more glorious in the world to come Thirdly seeing Christianity is a race wee must remember to be constant therein till we come to the ende of our faith euen the saluation of our soules It hath beene the manner of our people to turne in religion with the State and Time and yet to this day many thousands come to our assemblies that would turne to Popery if that abhomination should be set vp againe for say they It was a merry world when that religion was vp But this is not the property of good runners If wee would haue the crowne of life we must hold true religion constantly vnto the death Lastly like good runners we must minde our way and haue our hearts set vpon the ende of our race which is euerlasting life Each ordinary traueller is very inquisitiue of his way and all his care is to goe the neerest way he can to his iourneys ende Behold wee are trauellers and our iourney is to heauen we must therefore endeauour to goe the straightest way we can to come to life euerlasting neither must we make delaies in this way but vse all helpes to further vs herein for the matter is of great importance whereabout we goe Here some will say We like this well but true religion hath alwaies many enemies and fewe hearty friends besides if a man run this way hee must runne alone and suffer also many crosses and reproaches Answ. This is most true and therefore the holy Ghost addeth That wee must runne this race with patience We must not be discouraged because of these crosses and afflictioÌ„s but labour with patience to beare that part of affliction what euer it bee that shall light vpon vs in our iourney This is Christs counsell to his Disciples Luke 21.19 Possesse your soules in patience as if hee should say If you would saue your soules you must labour to beare all crosses that fall on you with patience In the parable Luk. 8.15 They that receiue the seed in good ground are they which with an honest and good heart heare the word and keepe it and bring forth fruite But how with patience Euery one that heares Gods word makes conscience thereof shall haue enemies to scoffe and mock and to afflict him which the diuell sets a-worke to hinder the growth of the word in his heart but must he therefore cease to bring forth fruite no hee must bring forth fruite with patience And so must we doe in the race of true religion for crosses afflictions and mockings will come but these stormes must not turne vs backe nay the more they beate vpon vs the more must we arme our selues with patience by which wee shall be able to beare them all And thus much for this third duty as also of the exhortation vnto Constancie in the faith after the example of all these godly Fathers FINIS The Printers Aduertisement CHristian Readers in most part of these printed Books yee shall finde the faults heereunder set downe already amended to your hands onely in some fewe of the Copies wherein they past vs vnespied they had neede to be corrected with your Penne viz. Page 160 line 20 sinne for sonne p 358 line 24 they iolly for the iolly p. 359 line 30 Ismael for Israel And in all the Copies there is a vvrong Title escaped in the Page 384 viz. Moses faith for Moses Parents faith Exod. 33.15 1. Cor. 10.6 Heb. 10.38 2. Cor. 5.7 1. Pet. 1.9 Gal. 3.3 2. Tim. 4.10 1. Ioh. 3. â—â— Heb. 6. 1. Pet. 1.7 Phil. 5.14 Luke 1.79 a Ier. 22.15 c. to the end b 1. King 11.11 1. Sam. 2.30 Psal. 37.4 Heb. 11.5 Verse 10. Verse 24. c. Heb. 12.39 The Coherence Verse 1. Math. 3.17 Acts. 4.12 Psal. 16.6 Math. 12.36 Gen. 1.31 Gen. 2.25 3.21 Iohn 1.3 Rom. 5.1 Apoc. 21.27 Chap. 12.24 Genes 4.10 Psal. 56.8 Habbak 2.11 Eccles. 10.20 Psal. 116.115 Luke 21.19 Reu. 6.10 2. Example Henoch Verse 5. 1. Cor. 15.20 1. Cor. 15.20 2. Kings Genes 3.19 Gen. 5.24 Verse 6 Genes 5.22 Amos 3.3 Gen. 17.1 Psal. 116.9 Genes 24.40 Genes 50.20 Genes 39.9 Acts. 15.9 Psal. 2. Micha 6.7.8 2. Timoth. 3.16.17 1. Timoth. 4.4.5 Deut. 17.17 18.19 Psal. 2. 1. Timoth. 3.2 c. Exodus 20. Math. 7.12 1. Cor 10.31 1. Cor. 14.26 1. Cor. 10.24 Gen. 22. Exod. 11.2 Math. 11.29 Iohn 13.13.14 15. Heb. 4.16 7.25 10.22 Psal. 10.11.12 13. Esay 36.18.19 c. Esay 28.15 Psal. 14.1 1. Iohn 2.23 Tit. 1.16 1. Timoth. 5.8 Malach. 3.14 Psal. 73.13 c Verse 17. Verse 1. Verse 28. Psal. 116.11 Verse 11. Verse 12. Psal. 31.19 Luke 16. Psal. 139. Iohn 8.41 44. Rom. 6.20 Psal. 17.14 Luke 16.25 Luke 4.6.7 Iohn 8.44 Gen. 3.4.5 3. Exsample of Noah Commaundements 3. 4. 1. Kings 6.15.16 1. Thess. 2.20.21 2. Cor. 12 2 1. 2. Cor. 2.15.16 2. Cor. 3.18 Deut. 32.33 Gen 18.19 Gen. 24.63 Ioh. 8.56 Gen. 12.8 â—2 9 33.10 1. Sam. 15.23 Isay 66.3 Prou. 30.8 Psal. 1.2 Luke 2.51 Phil. 4 11. Exod 20.12 2. Tim. 2 2â— Num. 21.8.9 Gen. 20.7 2. Chro. 32.31 1. Pet. 1.16 Leuit. 10.1.2 Iohn 3.16 Math. 8.9 Num. 6.23 Luke 24.50 Leuit. 19.31 Isa. 8.19.20 Math. 1. Gen. 33.3 Gen. 18.17.18.19 Amos 3.7 Luke 16. Isa. 6.11 Exodus 2.3 Exod. 2.3 1. Sam. 10.23 1. Sam. 16.12 1. King 8.3 Psal. 110.2 Psalm 16. Phil. 3.14 Math. 21.19 Gen. 18 3â— Philip. 1.10 Eccles. all ouer Titus 1.15 Math. 19.24 Dan. 5.1.3 Mat. 5. 1. Pet. 4.14 Mat. 19.29 Philip· 28 29. Math. 5.11 Exod. 3 1â— Exod. 11.8 Dan. 9. Psal. 42.11 Gen. 5.22 Gen. 39.9 Exod. 12.27 Exod. 23.18 Leuit. 3.4 2. Chr. 35.12 Exod. 12.13 1. Cor. 5.7 Math. 26.18 Luke 22.7 11. Math. 26.28 1. Cor. 10.4 1. Cor. 5.7 Luke 22.49 Numb 21. Verse 8. Isay 37.26 1. Cor. 10.4 Numb 20.11 Ezek. 9.4 Psal. 32.7 Exod. 14 11 12. Exod. 14. â—â— 2. Kings 9.35.36 Acts 12.23 Isa. 54.17 Genesis 17.2 and 18.18 Ephe. 6.16 Psalm 3.6 Iosh. 6.20 Ephe. 2.12 Gen. 17.27 Exod. 18 1â—.12 Iude 4. Deut. 29.19 20. Hebr. 12 1. Math. 1.5 Iosh. 2.20 Iosh. 29.10 11. Iosh. 2.11 Marke 10.17 Iosh. 6.22 Heb. 6.17.18 Ioh. 2.18 21. Gal. 4.22 Iudges 6.12.14.16 Math. 8.3 Gen. 14. 1. Iohn 3.7 Pro. 20.7 1. Cor. 6.9 Math. 7.12 â— Rom. 13.7 Ephes. 3.20 Psal. 21.3 Acts 12.4 Deut. 20.2.3 â— Kings 17. 2. Kings 4. 1. Cor. 15.20 Acts 17.28 Cant. 8.6 Exod. 32.32 Iohn 1.12 Heb. 4.2 Rom. 15.4 Exod. 14.20 Isa. 43.9.10 12 Dan. 6.10