then sometimes biting but yet it is a season meete for plowing which because the aire is nipping and sharp he letteth alone by which manner of speech is meant that a small matter will easily stay an idle person from following his calling Wherefore he shall begge shall be driuen to seeke reliefe at other mens hands in Sommer in haruest when his neighbours that tooke paines in due time are reaping of their commodities and inioy plenty which will be the greater eye-sore and harts-griefe vnto him because it is in the nature of sluggards to be enuious and haue nothing he sheweth the cause of his begging namely penury and neede when all his substance is consumed and sometimes it falleth out also by Gods righteous prouidence to be the successe of his begging that no man shall be moued with compassion towardes him to minister any or at least sufficient foode or apparell vnto him ¶ Light occasions will hinder carelesse men from the doing of Doct. 1 necessary duties It was said in the former Chapter vers 24. that it was more then the slouthfull was willing to doe to plucke his hand out of his bosome and put it to his mouth againe ¶ Wherefore he shall begge c. He that will take his ease when Doct. 2 he ought not shall feele misery when he would not Vers 5. The counsaile in the hart of a man is like deepe waters but a man of vnderstanding will draw it out THe counsaile in the hart of a man the secret intent of his minde and purpose of his hart which is like deepe Waters is by some diuers times so cunningly hidden closely concealed in the secret corners and bottome of the soule that it is a hard matter to sound or perceiue the same But a man of vnderstanding will draw it out he that is indued with wisdome and discretion will discouer and apprehend what practises are in hand and what matters are like to be attempted So it commeth to passe often but not alwaies nor necessarily because good men are not seldome circumuented by the wiles and crafty deuises of the wicked ¶ Malicious men haue further reaches and plots in their heads Doct. 1 then the world knoweth of Be a valiant Sonne in law saith Saul to Dauid and fight the Lordes battailes and I will giue thee my Daughter to Wife but Saul thought saith the Text my hand shall not be vpon him but the 1. Sam. 18. vers 17. 25. hands of the Philistines shall be vpon him And againe I desire no dowry for my Daughter saith he but an hundreth fore-skins of the Philistines to be auenged on the Kinges enimies but what moued him to offer such great kindnes vnto Dauid Why Saul thought saith the holy Ghost to make Dauid fall into the handes of the Philistines When Abshalom had a minde to raise a rebellion at Hebron and to conspire against the State and life of the King his owne Father what pretence had he of going thither and drawing company vnto him He had forsooth a vow to be performed 2. Sam. 15. v. 7. at Hebron and that with as much deuotion and great solemnity as might be When Herode had a full resolution to goe to Bethlehem that he might murther Iesus Christ he desireth to be informed of the wisemen where he might be sure to Math. 2. vers 8. finde him to the end that he might repaire to the place and worship him First corrupt nature hath poysoned the harts of all men vnregenerate Reas 1 with guile and subtlety in such sort as that the Prophet maketh a grieuous complaint thereof saying The hart is deceitfull Ier. 17. vers 9. and wicked aboue all thinges who can know it Neither are Gods owne people no not the best of them free from that venome of hidden craft lurking secretly in their soules whereby themselues are many times beguiled Did Dauid once dreame or had the least doubt that he should be so farre carryed away with wanton lookes and wicked lusts as thereby to fall into so foule adultery and murder And would Peter beleeue though Christ did speake it that there would be found such cowardise in him that he should forsake and for-sweare his owne Master whome he bragged so much that he would stand to so manfully and dye with Secondly malice doth alwaies beare craft and false-hood with it making semblance of one thing and minding an other neuer hauing keener purposes with edges of swordes then when they giue sweetest speeches with smoothnesse of oyle Ioab would imbrace Abner and Amasa when he intended to slay them and Iudas would needes kisse our Sauiour Christ when his purpose was to betray him Thirdly Sathan doth inspire and learne them his skill of deceit because they are in hand with his worke of mischiefe By the same meanes wherby he proceedeth and seemeth to prosper in his owne hellish attempts he informeth them to manage theirs Instruction to shake off this sinne of guile and dissimulation Vse and let our harts be apert and single though not indiscreet and too simple For two extremities are with great heedefulnesse to be auoided that we neither be deceiuers nor negligently suffer our selues to be deceiued that we be not like greene quagmires to intice others into our daunger nor like seely Birds for a baite to cast our selues into other mens nets It is not alwaies safe to wade in still waters which runne softly because they often proue very deepe neither is it wisdome to trust to faire shewes of faithfulnesse because they are found diuers times to be deceitfull It was a barbarous treachery of Ishmael the Sonne of Nethaniah so fraudulently to surprize and massacre that charitable Gedaliah and his company who little suspected any perill from him and Ier. 41. v. 1. 2. it was too much security of Gedaliah not to mistrust Ishmael especially being forewarned by Iohanan of the practise in hand and the purpose of his comming But a man of vnderstanding c. There be none so crafty but Doct. 2 others may be as wise to sift them Fishes by long lines or nets are drawne from the bottome of Riuers and Marriners with their plummets vse to sound the depth of the Sea it selfe and no mans hart is vtterly bottomeles though it be farre and hard to peirce to the bottome thereof They that preached Christ of enuy would not tell the people Phil. 1. vers 15. what was the motiue of their preaching and yet Paul was able to discouer it And they that heard Ezechiel so negligently without conscience of obeying professed not their worldly affections Ezech. 33. v. 31. that their harts went after their couetousnesse for they came to him as people vsed to come they sate before him they heard his wordes and praised his sermons yet Ezechiel could conuince them of hypocrisie First the Lord himselfe knoweth all their intents thoughts Reas 1 and imaginations and who shall inioyne him to keepe their counsailes and not
disclose them Secondly he hath variety of meanes whereby he doeth impart to his people the plots and practises of impostors directing them sometimes by ordinary rules to detect them as by parling with them and propounding questions vnto them and seriously iudging of their speeches and answeres and so by obseruation of their gestures of their countenance c. which now and then bewray the mischiefe which they conceiue in their mindes And sometimes by extraordinary reuelation as Ieremy confesseth saying The Lord hath taught me and I know it euen then thou shewedst me their practises But I was like a Lambe or Bullocke Ier. 11. v. 18. 19. that was brought to the slaughter and I knew not that they had deuised thus against me saying let vs destroy the tree with the fruit thereof and cut him out of the Land of the liuing that his name may be no more in memory As craftily as Ieroboam had contriued the matter to send his wise disguised to Abijah the Prophet yet Abijah informed by the Lord knew who shee was and why shee came before shee set a foote within his dore In like manner was Gehesi found out by Elishah and Ananias 1. King 14. v. 6 with Sapphyra by Peter and others by other of his seruants Instruction to imbrace this wisdome and vnderstanding which Vse 1 will deserye the traines of our aduersaries and preuent their fetches that they cannot preuaile against vs. It went to the hart of Saul to be so often defeated of his purposes against Dauid that he could neuer succeede to make a dispatch of him and what was the let and impediment The watchfull eye and mighty hand of God which was alwaies his shield and present refuge but meanes there were beside which Saul in discontentment declareth in the worst manner saying He is subtile and 1. Sam. 23. v. 22. crafty and Dauid in thankefulnesse acknowledgeth in the best saying By thy Commaundements thou hast made me wiser then Psal 119. v. 98. mine enimies Terrour for them that harbour euill thoughts and affections in their harts for they are alwaies in danger to be dismasked and laide open to infamy and shame for their false-hood and lewdnesse no art can preserue them from reproch and contempt they daunce in a net when they seeme to deale most closely And if a wise man can espie a dissembler now in this world when the one hath so many couerings to hide him and the other so great dimnesse of sight to hinder him shall not all guilefull persons much more be sound out and exposed to confusion in the world to come and at the day of the Lord when all their cogitations and courses shall be stript naked and all eyes most clearely behold them when the Iudge of the quicke and the dead shall indict and arraigne them before that great and generall assembly both of Men and Angels and bring all their wayes to light and iudgement Vers 6. Many men will boast euery one of his goodnesse but who shall finde a faithfull man MAny men Proude and vaine-glorious persons which are many Will boast euery one of his goodnesse wil publish and set abroade the commendable qualities which they take to be in themselues and the kindnesse and benefits which they performe to others but who can finde a faithfull man The interrogation doth import an impossibility that faithful men are not only rare but none at all yet his meaning is not absolutely that there are none faithfull for that would contradict other Scriptures which haue testified of the vprightnesse of sundry good men by name and described the integrity of others which are not particularly mentioned but that among these braggers which are so foreward to magnifie themselues and celebrate their owne praises there is not one faithfull man to be found which doeth good with a good conscience in singlenesse of hart towardes God and loue and compassion to his brethren ¶ The best workes of vnfaithfull men be of no valew with God Doct. They are highly conceited of that which they doe whereas he little passeth for that but rather obserueth what ones they are Men neuer gather Grapes of Thornes nor Figs of Thistles A Math. 7. 16. 18. good Tree cannot bring forth euill fruit neither can an euill Tree bring forth good fruit The Pharisees were knowne both in Ierusalem and through out all the land to giue much almesse to the poore to fast to pray to doe diuers thinges which the world admired and for the same had them in great estimation and yet because the men were naught and their harts were naught all those glorious painted workes were sinnefull and loathsome Our Sauiour telleth vs of many that will seeke acquaintance of him for prophecying in his name and casting out of Deuils by his name and doing many great workes in his name and yet he will professe that he neuer knew them but bidde them depart from him Math. 7. v. 22. as being workers of iniquity First whatsoeuer proceedeth from an vnregenerate and fleshly Reas 1 man must needes be corrupt as a worke of the flesh and consequently vnsauoury and sinnefull Secondly all the workes of the wicked doe want good seasoning by faith and Christian loue without which euery thing is distastfull to God how delectable soeuer it seemeth to men Thirdly the harts of hypocrites and gracelesse men by occasion of any good which they performe are much puft vp with pride and so made the worse by good actions as here appeareth by the boastes which they make of their goodnesse and by Luk. 18. v. 11. 12 the example of the Pharise glorying how iust he was how much he gaue how often he fasted and what duties he discharged whereas euery good seruice vprightly performed by the Godly will cause them the more to see their vnworthinesse and to be humbled When Dauid and his subiects had liberally contributed towardes the building and beautifying of the Temple he breaketh out into the praises of the Lord and debasement of himselfe and his saying Who am I and what is my people that 1. Chro. 29. v. 14. we should be able to offer willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine owne hand haue we giuen them When Isaiah had vsed his lips and his tongue as faithfully as he could in the ministery of God and for the benefit of the Church yet at the sight of Gods glory and his owne vilenesse he cryeth out Woe Jsa 6. vers 5. is me for I am vndone because I am a man of polluted lips Instruction to take heede to thy selfe in all thy wayes that Vse thy integrity rather commend thy actions to Gods eyes then that thy tongue should extoll them to mens eares and let thy good workes be alwaies well done issuing from a sincere affection and an heart purged by faith that the streames may bee more cleare and acceptable for the purity of the fountaine He that indeede
throne shall be established for euer First God exalteth and depresseth he setteth vp and plucketh Reas 1 downe he maketh men to stand fast or to fall from their places according to his owne will and are not righteous rulers then sure of best protection who do him best seruice and most please him in their gouernment Secondly no might or munition no Warlike skill or armes or whatsoeuer else may seeme defensiue are of such force for the safegard of any potentate as are the hearty and feruent prayers of the faithfull and what vpright and mercifull gouernour is not euery where continually inuironed with them Thirdly the Lord out of his goodnes in loue to his people wil vphold and defend a worthy ruler as he that is prouident for his flocke will keepe and maintaine a skilfull and faithfull sheepeheard See other proofes reasons and the vses in the sixteenth Chapter v. 12. Verse 29. The glory of young men is their strength and the honour of the aged is the grayhead THe glory of the young is their strength It is an ornament vnto them and praise for them to be strong valiant and full of agility and courage if they vse these gifes wel and exercise them profitably in their callings and for the good of the common wealth wherein they line for otherwise if they bee boisterous violent and giuen to fighting and quarrelling especially if they imbolden themselues therewith to robberies or such like villanies they are no more commendable in them then is the strength of great Beares or other wilde beasts which are noysome and hurtfull Goliah and Og and the Anakims and other Gyants were tall men yea huge and strong and yet are neither praise worthy nor praised and the honour of the aged is the grayhead the white haires which publish their aunciency and the multitude of yeares which they haue liued doe bring credite and reuerence vnto them so that they be garnished with grauity wisdome and other vertues as it is sayed Old age is a crowne of Glory when it is found in the way of righteousnesse Chap. 16. v. 31. ¶ God doth adorne men with seuerall giftes according to Doct. the diuersity of their conditions Some are decked with iudgement and wisedome some are armed with fortitude and power some excell in one grace and some in another I haue written vnto you fathers saith S. Iohn because ye haue knowne him that is from the beginning 1. Iohn 2. 14. I haue written vnto you young men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye haue ouercome that wicked one And as seuerall ages haue their seuerall ornaments for them that are Godly so haue seuerall states or at least the Lord doth qualifie his people with vertues and graces such as are fit for their present estates and therefore Saint Iames incourageth the brother of lowe degree to reioyce in that he is exalted againe him that is rich in that Jam. 19. 10 he is made lowe That poore Christians shold comfort themselues in their spirituall promotion and the wealthy in their gratious humiliation First thereby the Lord dooth set forth the riches of his Reas 1 goodnesse and power who hath such choise of robes in his Wardroppe to cloath his children and of iewels to adorne them that he can decke so many yea all and euery one of them if neede were with different sorts Secondly it is expedient for the common good both of Church and Common-wealth for the promoting of Christianity and the preseruation of humane society that there should be variety of gifts among men and some to excell in one kinde and some in another It was commodious for Israel that Dauid was puissant warlike and victorious against his enemies that God had girded him with strength Psal 18. to battell and taught his hands to fight so that he could breake a Bow of Brasse with his armes And it was a great benefite to them that Salomon was wise wealthy and peaceable and freed the land from warres and troubles S. Paul bestowed well neare a whole Chapter in this Argument to the Corinthians in declaring and proouing and amplifying of the matter To one saith he is giuen the word of Wisedome to another the wordes of Knowledge to another the gifts of Healing to another diuersities of tongues some are Apostles some are Prophets some Teachers some workers of miracles some helpers some Gouernours c. Instruction that no man be proude and high-minded for Vse ought that he hath in himselfe more then his brethren neyther yet repine or be discouraged at the gifts of his brethren beyond his owne for no man excelleth as chiefe and principall in euery faculty but he that taketh place before all in some things must be content to giue place and come behinde many in other things The eye is honoured with that necessary and noble sense of seeing and so is the eare with that worthy and needfull sense of hearing and the nose is preferred before them both in that profitable and vsefull sense of smelling And likewise is each member apparelled and decked with such vestures and ornaments as are most seemely for it and proper vnto it the hand requireth not shooes as the foote doth nor the foot needeth gloues as the hand doth a garter is vncomely about the necke and so is a chaine about the legge If the members then of the naturall body of man be satisfied with those induments which nature hath allotted vnto them and doe willingly yeelde to their fellow members that which belongeth vnto them and in loue one to another and for their own sake helpe to inuest them with the same why should the members of the mysticall body of Christ be discontented with those indowments where with grace hath qualified them or disdain that their fellow brethren should in any respect be made equall or superiour to them when it is for the publique good of many Let yong men therfore how fresh in wit or strength soeuer they be yet honour and not despise the ancient who by long experience and obseruation are of deeper iudgment and better able to giue counsell though they be weaker in body and haue defects in their senses and let the aged giue countenance and good encouragement to them of younger yeares if they be honest and vertuous and not scorne them as greene heads and vnskilfull if they be ingenuous and teachable for albeit they haue lesse vnderstanding to speake and giue direction yet they may haue greater power to practise and put matters in execution as the one sort will serue for the eyes and tongues of the Common-wealth to finde out and declare what is meete to be done so will the other for feete and handes to goe to the places whither they shall be sent and to performe the seruices whereunto they shall be called Verse 30. The blewnesse of the wound serueth to purge the euill and the stripes within the bowels of the bellie THe