commeth his helpe will not be amazed for any thing that man can doe For hee knowes that if hee keepe in with God mans euill will shall either be reconciled or shall doe him no hurt And hee that knowes so much will neuer turne from man a smoake to turne vpon God a consuming fire or make man his friend with Gods enmitie Ioseph Daniel and Daniels three fellowes had great knowledge this way therefore Ioseph when hee was tempted to wickednesse would in no case yeeld Gen. 39.10 God was his delight and hee could not take pleasure in that which God abhorreth neither would he set God against him to make his Mistris his friend Daniel feared the King as was fit but feared the Lord more then all Kings and therefore when the King commanded that which was dishonourable to God the highest King hee rather yeelded his body to the Lions then his obedience in such a matter Dan. 6.10.16 Also Daniels three fellowes must either bow to an Idole or burne in a fierie furnace seuen times heated Dan. 3.15.19 but what of that Not doubting but the God whom they serued wold deliuer them as they knew he was able they denied to serue any but him that is Lord of all and yet if hee should not deliuer them they would neuer bee drawne to doe the Kings commandement against his Dan. 6.17.18 Thus they resolued and no threatnings of Tyrants nor iniuries of men could alter them The reason was they tooke his word for their peace who promiseth to deliuer his and therefore they fainted not in any affliction They knew that it cannot but bee well with them that feare the Lord and doe reuerence before him that is well at the last Eccles 8.12 Though not so with the sinner whom God spareth long though hee doe euill an hundred times that is sinne without end or measure for it shall not be well to him neither shall he prolong his dayes ver 13. But to proceede further with you in some further benefit of this Scripture here it is apparent what an interest they haue in God and to his gracious prouidence that are vpright and iust men Their end is peace that is they cannot miscary and they shall bee sure to speede well at the last that make him their confidence And that Gods children iust and vpright men in whose heart his Word is shall not want safety and comfort long Dauid in another Psalme teacheth vs for speaking of such Psal 34.9 hee saith that nothing shall be wanting to them that is nothing that for them shall appeare to be absolutely and necessarily good For the Angel of the Lord shall keepe them verse 7. and they can take no hurt and the Lord himselfe will deliuer them ver 18.19 and how can they perish ver 22. his eyes are vpon them verse 15. hee seeth their troubles and eares open to them he heareth when they crie Doth he see and heare and will hee not regard Nay but he redeemeth the soules of his seruants and they shall not bee desolate but they that hate them shall ver 21. And though Dauid himselfe was in many perils at home by Saul abroad by other enemies yet neither Saul nor they could take his pillow from him at night but he did lie downe in peace and sleep hauing his dwelling in safety Psal 4.8 And this because hee had the promise of God for a wall about him Daniel among the hungry Lyons came out safely Dan. 6.23 and Daniels three fellowes in a very hote furnace walked securely and without hurt Dan. 3.25 So Pauls deliuerances were as many as his troubles afflicted on euery side yet not in distresse in pouertie but not ouercome of pouerty persecuted but not forsaken cast downe but he perished not 2 Cor. 4.8 9. For hee shooke off these vipers with safety Act. 28.5 and they had no power against him to hurt him Thus the iust haue beene are and shall be deliuered and it cannot bee other wise for the Lord being their shield they that strike at them must strike through him before they can be touched they are those faithfull seruants and loyall subiects whom a good Master and gracious Prince will countenance And where they that are obedient seruants to a good Master are in fauour and grow in wealth shall wee thinke that vpright and iust men the good seruants of God can long liue in misery and die vnrewarded Hath godlinesse the promise of this life and of that to come 1 Tim. 4.8 And shal the godly misse of their peace here and hereafter now and continually Surely if the Couenant that God hath made betweene the day and night can be broken Ier. 33.20 this may be or if it can faile to bee day and night in their season the vpright mans peace may faile when his end is come Dauid knew this and therefore in another Psalme stood vpon it with a verely there is fruit for the righteous as surely as there is a God that iudgeth in the earth Psal 58.11 Here is a plaister of much vertue and of as much good vse for the sores of those broken consciences which Sathan hath wounded for well-doing With the storme in their faces they cannot see how it should bee peace where there are so many skirmishes in the house and without doores so many alterations and breakings and so much a doe to obtaine a dayes truce with the enemie of their peace But marke the vpright man and behold the iust that is looke vpon them with a Spirituall eye and as when men marke a thing that they still keepe their eye vpon and yee shall finde nothing but peace in all their wayes Their falles make them wary and circumspect how and where they walke their buffetings humble them that they may bee raised their bitter draughts are compounds of the Lords owne making to purge them their complaints of the want of faith are the best kinde of faith and lest they should decay in zeale afflictions are the bellowes to blow the fire Also we know that all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God and are called of his purpose Rom. 8.28 And if all things then afflictions then Satans rage and the Worlds vniust malice for good deedes For what are these other then certaine bitter remedies to correctour corruptions or exercises of Gods graces in vs to trie how much we wil suffer for his sake And who can denie the name and worke of peace to these temptations that are sent not to consume vs like drosse but to refine vs like gold Or is this end of them any other then peace But specially this concerneth the troubles that are inflicted vpon the righteous by the Worlds spite and by Tyrants that seeke their life And it assureth them whatsoeuer their troubles are and of what malice or greatnesse so euer they be that trouble them their deliuerance which is their peace shall come Many are the afflictions of the righteous yea great and many
exhorts them to abstaine not from euill onely but from all appearance and shew of euill for the common sort takes euery one to be as he seemes and will take a small occasion to condemne him and his profession that seemes not I doe not speake this as if men should liue to opinion and shew and that euery thing were best that seemes best or that the common sort thinkes best but I speake it to the end we should not vtterly neglect the vulgar report or which is the disease of an impudent face and heart neuer regard what men say of vs for that which Tullie spake of friendship is true of reports graue est amicitia verè accusari sed si falsò accuseris non est negligendum In friendship it is a grieuous thing iustly to be accused and not to be neglected if we be accused falsely for albeit a cleare conscience be a brazen wall yet as Saint Austin noteth duo sunt necessaria conscientia bona fama conscientia propter te ipsum bona fama propter Proximum that is two things are needefull in a peaceable Christian life good conscience and a good name good conscience for our owne sakes good name for our neighbours sake And this later is said by Salomon to be aboue great riches Pro. 22.1 that is more then any or all the commodities of this life In another place by the same wise King in Ierusalem it is preferred before the best ointments and esteemed with the most precious things Eccles 7.2 Dauid was carefull not to seeme delighted with Sauls death and therefore to satisfie others as well as to content himselfe he greatly mourned for it 2 Sam. 11.17 19. c. The like satisfaction he was carefull to giue about the death of Abner 2 Sam. 3.31 hee would not haue the suspition of that trecherous deede to come neere him but remoues it by making great lamentation for him though he had beene his enemie though it be not in our power to bridle the tongues and pennes of ill disposed persons yet it much concernes vs to beare off their stroakes with our innocencie and to be sure that we giue them no iust occasion The true light that came into the world entred with this condition that men should not onely sit still in darkenesse but loue darkenesse and not onely so much but more then light Iohn 3.19 so ordinary a thing it is for truth it selfe to heare ill and where there is most neede not to be receiued Christ is tearmed but the Sonne of a Carpenter though the Sonne and great power of God the Apostles men of excellent tongues and speech are said to be full of new wine Acts 2.13 Paul most sober is said to be mad and beside himselfe Acts 26.24 Iohn Baptist to haue a Diuell Mat. 11.18 the Primatiue Christians to beleeue in a Galilean and hangd God these did well and yet heard ill in the world that was not worthy of them so true it is that the world speakes no language so much and perfectly as reproach and slander and hence it is that of late the execution of Iustice is called persecution for the Gospell punishment of Traitors martyring of Saints the preaching of Faith the preaching of loosenesse is not our diuision among our selues come to this that on the one side all zeale is made hypocrisie and all learning iudged vanitie on the other on either side what is so good but it is made ill and what so ill that is not made worse These things as I haue said well considered haue we not great cause to looke to our wayes and our selues circumspectly and seeing wee are to regard our brethren in our example as well as to cleare our selues in our doings how warie should wee be both of doing euill our selues and of being any occasion that euill be done by others The Heathen Law-giuer appointed a double punishment to a publique ill-doing Magistrate the one for doing euill the other for giuing an euill example And so Christians when they doe amisse stand doubly charged before the Lord once for the euill they doe and againe for the hurt that commeth of it So Dauid bore a double sinne in his sinnes of adultery and murther one before God that was put away 2 Sam. 12.13 another by which he made the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme and this was visited with certaine sharpe chastisements temporall the childe that was borne must dye and the sword of trouble must be walking verse 14. and verse 10. Therefore though this counsell of a heathen man be good Ne te quaesi veris extra that is let no man seeke himselfe in other mens mouthes yet that which another saith is necessary viuendum recte cum propter plurima tunc has precipue ob causas vt linguas mancipior contemnas we ought to liue wel as for many other reasons so for this chiefely that we may contemne the tongues of railing Martius And it cannot but be necessary for euery one that doth tender his credit though in the first place to take heede that hee deserue no euill yet in the second to be no lesse carefull that he be not euill spoken of without deseruing So we see that hee had neede to haue as many eyes as Argus or rather to be full of eyes as an Angell of God that will be circumspect enough in an age so full of temptations and in dayes so euill to which let me adde this one reason more and that is the small incouragements that this froward world affords to those that follow after things of best report the disgraces that it casts vpon grace in the children of light the no accoūt that it makes either of godlines or of godly persons able to make them to turne out of their good way if they walk not circumspectly And here the admonitiō that Christ gaue would be remēbred it is a good antidote against carnall weaknes blessed is he that shall not be offended in me Mat. 11.6 we shall haue need of it for our more comfortable passing through this vale of Baca. It is a hard condition that we are put vnto hard I confesse to flesh and bloud to beare the crosse with patience when our good conuersation in the world is not onely left without honour but filled with reproach for will it not much trouble a man in his way who yet walketh weakely when he shall heare with his eares that that which is most precious and aboue all worldly treasure shall beare no price or be reckoned nothing in the ballance that is in the opinion of the greatest and greatest part of worldly men Besides what incouragement is there for good things and good men when no rewards here are ascribed to them when no nobilitie is giuen to the new birth no honour to the seruice of God no beautie to the beautie of the daughter of Sion whose glory is all within no ioy externall to a good conscience no glory to the
Abraham Mat 3.9 and he made them that were Gentiles no longer Gentiles that is strangers but sonnes and those that were vncircumcised in the flesh circumcised in the spirit and the old men of sin the new borne of God and those without Christ the very members of Christ and those heires of promise that had no hope and those that were aliens from Israel partakers with Israel of the couenant of life and strangers Citizens and farre of neere and without God in the world Gods children and no people a glorious people Yet because he is not a Iewe that is outwardly one and because many that are called few are chosen therefore we that are Citizens must liue as Citizens not the worlds Citizens but Citizens with the Saints Ierusalem is builded as a Citie that is compact together Psal 122.3 this was spoken of the earthly and may well be applied both to the spirituall Ierusalem the Church of Grace and the heauenly which is the Church in glory for we must not thinke that Gods delight was any way set vpon timher and stone or at any time vpon faire and well compacted buildings but this was rather to admonish the Citizens then to praise the Citie teaching them that if God be pleased with such an vniformitie and compactednesse in materiall buildings much more will he respect in them his owne building by grace spirituall order and compactednesse of minde And so if the Citizens at Ierusalem must be in order to God shall the Citizens in the Gospel breake order and liue in no conformity to him Are we then Citizens of God we must keepe Gods order and not what rule we list in his Citie we must honour his person and word reuerence his name and Sabbaths bow to him onely and to no creature with him keepe his ordinances and obserue his lawes The Magistrates that watch his gates must see that no prophanenesse be either practised or countenanced within them they must see that the good be encouraged and the euill taken away or reformed also that all within their authoritie as it were gates serue the Lord or be made to serue him The Ministers must faithfully execute their charge in the watch of this Citie they must not be blinde guides nor sleepie watchmen and they must eate the roule and goe and speake to the house of Israel Ezech. 3.1 they must warne the people of their danger with the trumpet at their mouth Ezech. 33.3 6. and feeding them with good and sound teaching lead them to the pure streames and riuer of life The people the Citizens must be ruled by the good word of God and by humaine ordinances and lawes agreeable to it not resisting gouernment and giuing honour to God by honouring those powers that are of him Thus if we be Citizens we must liue as they that dwell in Gods Citie and not in the worlds forest So if we be of the houshold of God we must liue as his houshold seruants and sonnes and not as seruants of sinne and sonnes of Belial and so shame our Masters house and discredit our Masters seruice or we must liue that is holily liue as his seruants and sonnes Now holinesse becommeth Gods house Psal 93.5 and they that are of his houshold must be holy Many get in that are not so but they shall be turned out as hee was that had not on his wedding garment Mat. 22.11.13 for God cannot endure that any vncleane person that any Moabite Cananite Ismalite or other sonne of Belial should be witnesse of his praise The gates of the Lord are gates of righteousnesse and the righteous shall enter into them Psal 118.19 His house is the house of his honour and they that be of his houshold must doe him seruice which dogges and swine cannot doe and therefore though such be sometimes in the house yet they are but strangers and none of the houshold which is true in all that prophane rabble of swearers drunkards filthy adulterers and other notorious offenders and in all hypocrites of whom the Apostle Saint Iohn speaketh thus they went out from vs but they were not of vs 1 Iohn 2.19 and generally in all contemners and despisers of God who though they liue in his house haue no inch of priuiledge neither any allowance therein Gods houshold is the houshold of faith and of faithfull men or it is the Church of Gods Saints and not a stable of beasts or cage of vncleane birds In a word Gods house it is the house of good people and of goodnesse and will ye steale murther and commit adultery and sweare falsely and burne your incense to strange Gods and come and stand before the Lord in the house whereupon his name is called though ye commit all these abominations Ier. 7.9 10. If ye be of the houshold of God ye must not conspire against him in his owne house as a houshold of rebels and increase of sinfull men and ye must be ruled by him and doe reuerence to him that hath the key of the house of Dauid Some liue in his house that both dishonour him and his house and many arme themselues with the name of the Church when yet saue for name the Church hath no greater enemies then they are therefore least in stead of the Arke of the Church we fall into a ship of Pirats and in stead of the Lords house vpon a den of theeues we must as followeth see that our Christian outward calling haue a good and sure foundation VERS 20. Built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and Iesus Christ himselfe the chiefe corner-stone THat is grounded by the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles vpon Christ The Rhemists in their annotations vpon the new Testament would wrest this which is here spoken of the foundation in Christ to the persons of the Prophets and Apostles his seruants But besides that it makes flatly against the supremacy of Peter to haue that giuen to all that they would appropriate to him it seemes to haue no shadow of that that they would haue it in substance to be for whether by the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles be meant as some vnderstand it that the vocation of the Gentiles had the same ground which the Prophets and Apostles had or which seemeth to be neerer to the Apostles minde that the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets was the foundation of their calling in Christ in neither can it any way fauour their absurd opinion or if there had bin any respect of persons in this recitall of names the Apostle might as well haue mentioned the Patriarks to whom the promise was made and the worthy Kings by whom it was continued as the Apostles and Prophets by whom it was but spoken And here first he nameth them that were last to wit the Apostles not that they preached any other doctrine then was agreeable to that of the prophets which were before them but because they witnessed that to be done which before was