sea yet thither shall thine hand lead me and thy right hand hold me Secondly for the circumstance of time v. 11. If I say yet the darknes shall hide me euen the night shall be light about thee yea the darknes hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darknes and light are both alike Here is no plea that olde things are out of date and sinnes committed many yeares agoe are forgotten of the Lord for be sure that the sinne of Cain in murthering of his brother is as freshly bleeding in the presence of God as the sin thou hast committed this day so that neither time past present or to come will helpe vs at all with the Lord. Thirdly for the circumstance of persons he knoweth all by their names Psal 147.4 therefore no companie shall excuse thee Indeede in the world multitudo peccantium tollit poenam peccati when multitudes sinne then mens lawes dare not execute yet be sure with the Lord he that runnes with a multitude to doe euill shal be sure to be punished with them Neither great men nor rich men shall be able to rescue vs out of the hands of God therefore the point is cleare that the Lords knowledge is most exact in all particulars 1. Vse is reprehension first confutation of the wicked that are ashamed to doe that in the presence of men which they dare most impudently doe before God surely hee is able to iudge more exactly of our offences then any man therefore if we labour to keepe our selues secret from the eyes of men how should we not tremble to sinne before God Secondly correction of the godly that doe not alwaies set themselues in the presence of God but sometimes take libertie to slip into the wayes of their owne hearts thinking that this is but a small sinne and therefore the Lord will be mercifull to me in this thing neuer considering the puritie of the Lord and the brightnesse of his glorie which is alwayes shining round about them 2. Vse instruction first an admonition to the wicked that beat their fellow feruants because their master deferreth his coÌ„ming let them take heed for he will come at vnawares vpon them and let them blush for shame seeing that mens scruants here vpon earth hearing that their master approacheth betake themselues to their worke although before they were at their sports idle recreations we know that schoole-boies in the absence of their master leaue their seats spread themselues abroad yet the verie voyce of venit magister the master comes presently makes euery one hastily betake himselfe vnto his seat Shall then man bee so bold as to dare to leaue his place betake himselfe to his owne pleasure when the verie eye of his God lookes vpon him surely nothing is more obuious vnto our eye then this which argueth that the world is very destitute of the feare of God Secondly this may be a driection to the godly to examine them-selues in all their particular carriages Thus Dauid deales with his soule vpon the consideration of Gods excellent knowledge Psal 139. to the ende first a pretious estimation of it 17 18. how deare how great what account to make vp the summe all is too short yet this will he aime at when he awakes he will still be with God Indeede in the violence of passion Dauid may make warre a pretense to excuse Vrias death but yet Psal 51. it shall cause him vtter many a bitter word heauie sighs and euen water his couch with teares The second is the manifestation of his zeale 1. in his loue of the maiestie of God v. 19 20.2 of his hatred to the wicked that dishonour God v. 21 22. See them both Oh that thou wouldest slay O God the wicked and bloody men to whome I say depart ye from me which speake wickedly of thee and beeing thine enemies are lifted vp in vaine I hate them I contend with them as with mine vtter enemies The 3. his confidence v. 23. Trie me O God and know my heart prooue me and know my thoughts consider if there be any way of wickednes in me and lead me in thy way for euer This consideration can not but haue powerfull operations in the hearts of Christians fire all that is within them let vs see it in a few of Dauids affections in the Psalmes breathing zeale out of euery pipe How doe I loue thy law O Lord more then the hony or the hony combe Loue. more then thousands of siluer and gold Thine enemies I hate with a perfect hatred Hatted Thy testimonies are my delight Ioy. I reioyce more in them then they that finde great spoyles more then in my appointed foode Mine eyes gush out riuers of teares Griefe Oh that my head were a fountaine of teares because they destroy thy law Mine eyes are dimme with waiting Hope how doe I long for thy saluation Thy iudgements are terrible Feare I tremble and quake Looke what pitch of affection the naturall man bestowes vpon his dearest darling what vnsatiable thirst the couetous worldling vpon his mammon the ambitious vpon his honour the volupâ—uous vpon his pleasure the same the Christian striueth in equall yea if possible farre exceding in as much as the more pure the heart is the more actiue we shall finde it Zeale is to the soule that which the spirits are to the bodie wine to the spirits putting vigour and agilitie into them be not drunke with wine wherein is excesse but be filled with the spirit an excellent Antithesis the soule may be filled with this zeale and yet neuer exceede As wings to the foule as wheeles to the chariot as sailes to the shippe wind to the sailes courage to the soldier mettell to the horse and dust to make the earth fruitfull so is zeale as wings to the soule to flie aboue earthly and worldly cogitations as wheeles not to goe but runne the wayes of Gods Commandements as sayles to driue vs with a plerophorie vnto God This makes vs fight and puts mettle into vs yet must we take heede how we meddle with this fire least wee heape coales vpon our owne heads and bring an ill sauour vpon all â—ur seruice as Nadab and Abihu beeing vnsanctified Aguish and distempered heats are farre remote from the radicall nay an enemie vnto it and the verie causes of sickenesse and death a very empericke may iudge of them For first some of these are deepely sicke of the Pharisaicall humour they ioue more to be seene of men then God and yet God wil see them the best as Iâ—hu Come and see how zealous I am for the Lord of hosts These trumpets praise them before men but shame theÌ„ before God An aguish or consuming heat by his flushings is seene more in the face then the naturall heat that warmeth the heart In wisdome and skill artis est celare artem hiding of art is the best art so hidden zeale is often the
the sacrifices of the Lord are a contrite spirit broken heart not burnt offrings not calues of a yere old not thousands of rams or ten thousand riuers of oyle not the first borne or fruit of the bodie He hath shewed thee O man another lesson and that which is good and which the Lord requireth of thee surely to doe iustly and to loue mercie and to humble thy selfe to walke with thy God Go too then we haue fasted and thou seest it not wee haue punished our selues and thou regardest it not I tell you It is to seeke your owne wills and require your owne debts and therefore you haue your reward therefore Isa 48.1 Heare yee this O house of Iacob which are but called by the name of Israel and are naturally come out of the waters of Iudah which sweare by the name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israel but not in truth or in righteousnesse You are indeede called the holy citie and stay your selues vpon the God of Israel but his name is the Lord of hosts he hath an armie against you First a iust cause is giuen him of warre for he declared these things of old made thē plaine and brought them to passe therefore of what can you accuse him Well thou art obstinate thy neck is an iron sinew and thy browe brasse I haue done much for thee the old I haue made knowne vnto thee that thou mightest not blesse thine idol for it nor say it was his command newe things againe haue beene made for thee and not reueiled lest thou shouldst be arrogant in saying I know them for I knew thou would grieuously transgresse therfore haue I called thee a transgressor from the wombe therefore if I forbeare thee a while it shall be for my names sake and for my praise Indeede I kindled a fire against thee and fined thee but not as siluer for I found no purenesse in thee all was drosse I haue chosen thee in the fornace of affliction to saue thee from consuming for surely except I that appeared to Moses in the bush Exod. 3. to keepe it from burning when it was all on fire had been in thee which wert but as a bush in Egypt thou had been consumed and perished for euer but alas thou wilt consume thy selfe by thy hypocrisie and dissembling lips Reas 1. Gods truth Rom. 3.4 Let God be true and euery man a lyar as it is written that thou mightest bee iustified in thy words and ouercome when thou art iudged therefore except the Lord should put forth himselfe hypocrites would prooue God a notorious lyar for they belie him most and if they should so leaue him he should be thought an Idol god therefore will he make their secrets appeare 2. Because Gods word which is a light in it selfe by them is put vnder a bushel therefore will the Lord set it vpon a candlestick that it may giue light to descry all the corners of their hearts 3. The last iudgement Eccles. 12. v. last God will bring euery secret thing vnto iudgement but hypocrisie is a secret and therfore shall God iudge it Reas 4. From hypocrites themselues and it hath many branches first because pure in their owne conceit Prou. 13.12 this generation must bee knowne that they are not washed from their sinnes Secondly to answer their murmuring Isa 58. for if God should not speake vnto that which they haue said of him he should be thought to bee a God that regarded not fasting and calling vpon his name Thirdly to detect their sanctification Isa 66.3 which is no better then the blessing of an Idol killing a man or offering swines blood Fourthly to detect their repentance 1. Sam. 15.13 I haue saies Saul fulfilled the commaundement of the Lord but the bleating of the sheepe and lowing of the oxen shewe his infidelitie Fiftly to detect their faire pretexts Ezra 4.2 Gods enemies come to Gods people and say we will build with you for we seeke the lord your God as ye doe c. Sixtly to detect their slanders Neh. 6. yea they speake in his praise before me and told him my words and Tobiah sent letters to put me in feare Seuenthly because they leane on God to hurt others Micah 3.11 Lastly that they may see truely whither all their worship tended Reas 5. That the godly may not stagger Psal 139. Dauid prooues himselfe faithfull by a speciall liuing in Gods presence 1. Vse reprehension First confutation of all those that may not endure to haue their sinnes detected or thinke themselues so pure that they haue nothing to be discouered Hypocrites are the onely Puritans of the world for such persons as can not endure the ministers reprehensions are shroudly to be suspected of hypocrisie Secondly correction of the godly that make not a distinction of their loue betwixt formall professors and true hearted Christians Dauid is onely a companion of all them that feare the Lord and are approoued of God but for the wicked and hypocrits that wil not confesse that excellent presence of the Lord as he doth Psal 139. He hates them earnestly with an vnfained hatred as though they were also his vtter enemies 2. Vse instruction First admonition of the wicked that they bee better aduised of their presumptions for surely they are sarre out of Gods loue and therefore that they may a little try themselues I will helpe them a little to examine their estates Luk. 12.1 take heed to your selues of the leauen of the Pharisies which is hypocrisic for there is nothing couered that shal not be reuealed neither hid that shall not bee knowne The Scripture laies downe plainely what hypocrites are and what they are not both of them are laid together Prou. 30.12 first what they are to wit a generation for multitude pure for qualitie in their owne conceit for the best ground of all their religion a generation borne of themselues pure in outward profession to deceiue the world and in their owne conceit to deceiue themselues Let vs therefore see their building that they raise out of their owne conceit Maskes once serued men to play and sport in iest but now they are vsed in good earnest and the hypocrite is the most excellent at this game these men would be kings haue all at command and scorne to abase themselues in comparison with any but let them know that as at the chest play the king commands all vntill the mate be giuen without redresse and then he is but like the rest so when death shall checke these kingly hypocrits it shal be knowne that they are no better then the common sort of people that must euerie mothers sonne of them to hell Indeede the Cupresse tree is straight and tall in colour fresh and greene yet on the same no holsome fruite doth growe which is fit for nourishment so that by the tast we may espie the goodnes of the tree therefore saith Christ by their fruit yee shall know them In Phaenicia
of the way and then assuredly that our pleasant way did not affoard vs so much comfort but the want of the signes will as much discomfort vs and therefore affliction may more comfort vs then all worldly pleasure because the Lord hath made the one a signe we are going toward heauen Heb. 12.6 but the other none at all saue onely of our iourneying toward hell But you may obiect that euerie crosse is not a marke for first the sinne against the holy Ghost is a mark of reprobation secondly impenitencie and therfore when he hath these sinnes in the eies of his conscience how shall he be perswaded that he can euer be brought into the way to heauen For the answer of this point let vs consider a threefold fountaine of this perswasion First for that open and wilfull apostasie from God is a voluntary willingnes malitious hatred against the profession of a knowne truth now the fruits will iudge the cause Is there in you the renouncing of Gods truth which before you haue professed heartily embraced perceiue you this malice prosecuting this mischiefe what persecution doe you remember in word or deede you euer raised against the truth what sword haue you euer drawn against it or what volumes haue you either written or approued against found doctrine with purposed opposition against your owne conscience neither that of frailty but of meere will and obstinacie of this examples are rare as Iulianus the Emperour called Apostata Of the second impenitencie there is the same fountaine but not in the same degree and that is extremitie of hardnesse of heart of which kind was Cain Esau Saul Iudas many of the prophane people of the world that know not Christ and such as knowe him onely in vaine profession outwardly and so continue are partners of the sinne and shal be examples of Gods vengeance This fountaine cannot be in them that sinne onely against their conscience for then should euerie man be guiltie of it when the sinne was committed we may remember that the illumination of our vnderstanding the regeneration of our wills did oppose it but both beeing weake and imperfect we were drawn vnto the euill And here before I come to the second fountaine I propound a briefe distinction of temptations some touch our faith whether we beleeue or not othersome the fruits of faith either of profession of the truth or els of obedience sutable and kindly to our profession the former is tryed by persecutions feare fauour c. the second concerning persons possessions and good name is knowne by charitie in keeping of the second table Now these are not the things that exclude Christs propitiatorie sacrifice except incredulitie bringing forth impenitencie and vtter renunciation of the faith be ioyned with them But here we often heare the cries of Gods children alas I beleeue not therfore draw vpon me the paine due to the vnfaithfull Here I would intreat euery one to waigh with circumspection and due consideration his owne estate in so waightie a point as this And therefore let him be aduised that there be other two fountaines that may scare our soules with these feares The first is corporall infirmitie deluding the heart and braine whereby strange imaginations are wrought in our heads and dolefull passions in our hearts these things alwaies vrge terror and distrust and deludeth vs with opinion of want of that whereof we haue no lacke as others often are caried with opinion and confidence of those things whereof they haue no part Aetius reporteth that Phylotimus was faine to put a cap of lead vpon a Melancholickes head that could not be perswaded he had any head at all vntill at the length feeling the waight to oppresse him cryed out my head akes why thē saies his freinds you haue a head Artemidorus the Grammarian did imagine that he wanted both an hand and a legge when euery man els could iudge it was but a fancie from which he could not be recalled to his dying day So often deales the deuill with vs by deluding of our phancies that we want both head and heart to God-ward and that we haue disposed both to him-ward But many a bleeding soule may go further what tell you me of melancholie it is a disease that I am free from well let that be granted yet rare it is to finde persons without it that are touched with this kinde of griefe yet we finde a third fountaine that may without all delusion streame this water of bitternes as the sense of our sinnes may pricke vs especially such as most hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and are poore in spirit and broken in heart yet this is an infallible token of grace that they long after the liuing God and their soules pant for him Oh when shall I enter into his presence Oh men of God what shall I doe to be faued The rest of the world except some vengeance of God lay hold vpon them or some horrible fact gnaw their wounded consciences passe their time in blind securitie carelesse of God and empty of all sense hope of a better life these passe their daies and finish their courses as the calfe passeth to the shambles not kowing his ende to be slaughter by the butchers knife You therfore that truly grone vnder the burden of your sinne consider the groūd of your error you iudge your faith by inward feeling and your actions proceeding therefrom by your thirst of righteousnesse and presence of your wants Here you iudge by the quantitie of faith and not by his vertue when a very graine of mustard seed a little smoking flax or a broken reed may suffice with God to bring forth a tree a burning fire and a stable plant of righteousnesse for both the sense of faith the sincerity of the fruits and increase of the measure are all the gifts and graces of God dispensed vnto vs according to his owne wisedome making most for his glory and our good If we consider but the extemity of our misery the lest sparke of faith may giue vs a world of comfort and the smallest worke of obedience performed in sincerity though not in perfection may perswade vs of the same loue of God as though we were as strong as our father Abraham or any resolue martyr that hath sealed his religion with his blood But the Christian saies I haue no feeling of Gods grace and therefore no faith I answer true faith may bee without feeling and therefore it is dangerous to iudge the want of faith Faith without feeling by the want of feeling That this is the truth let these be the grounds of it First a man may rest vpon God and yet want the feeling of the loue of God as Iob. Dauid the woman of Canaan c. Iob 13.15 God is mine enemie the arrowes of the Almightie drinke vp my blood he makes me as a butte to shoote at here Iob hath none of the feeling of Gods loue