the clean contrary we fear man more than God those that can but kill the body above him that hath power to cast both body and soul into hell-fire Who would not be loth to break a King's laws in a King's sight and yet for God's Laws who fears though our most secret thoughts be always in his sight In the outward work which men see we are careful to restrain our hands and tongues from slipping lest man's Law might take hold of us but the thoughts of our heart we with all security let run at random and never once curb them What is this but to account the Laws of God as cobwebs the Laws of men as chains of Iron or openly to profess that of men we have some little fear where they command with God but where God commands alone no fear at all Even as those wicked ones whereof David speaks in the 94. Psalm v. 7. who say The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Iacob regard it But he that planted the ear saith David v. 9 10 11. shall he not hear he that formed the eye shall he not see He that teacheth man knowledg shall he not know yes The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man c. Who then art thou to use the words of Esay that art afraid of man who shall die and of the son of man who shall be as the grass and forgettest the Lord who made thee who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth The last thing I mean to observe from these two first degrees of a sinner's conversion is Wherein the life of a true Convert doth exceed the works both of the heathen and the hypocrite Glorious things are spoken of Aristides of Scipio of Socrates But their best works are but like unto counterfeit coin the outside glistering with gold but the inside lead or worse metall their hands their feet their walk like the Gate of an Israelite but their heart was uncircumcised like the heart of a Philistine for they wanted the purity of the heart seasoned with the love of God they wanted these cleansed thoughts these holy affections and therefore were their best works no better than glorious sins Even as statues and puppets do move their eyes their hands their feet like unto living men and yet they are not living actions because they come not from an inward soul the Fountain of life but from the artificial poise of weights and wheels set by the workman Even such were the vertues of the heathens very puppet-plays like unto the actions of Christian men but not Christian actions because they came not from a pure heart which gives life unto a Christian but from the poise of vain-glory from the wheels of corrupt affections from a rotten heart which wrought not for the love of God but for the praise of men â— And no better are the works of Hypocrites â—ay worse for they knew not that the heart was to be cleansed or how it should be cleansed but these know that God requires the heart and yet their works are nothing but shews unto men Such were the Pharisees of whom Christ saith Matth. 23. 27 28. Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye are like unto whited sepulchres which indeed appear beautiful outward but are within full of dead mens bones and of all uncleanness Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men but within ye are full of hypocrisie and iniquity and v. 25. ye make clean the outside of the Cup and platter but within ye are full of extortion and excess But if we are loth as who would not to share our portion with the Gentiles or to have our lot fall with the Hypocrites let our righteousness then exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees let us remember that God challenges the heart and inward man as his peculiar due Let us not therefore only forsake the walk and external gate of wickedness but even bad thoughts and evil motions with all the occasions of them Let us I say with Solomon Prov. 4. 23. Keep our heart above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life But the joy of the hypocrite saith Zophar Iob 20. 5. is but for a moment v. 6. Though his excellency mount up unto the heavens and his head reach unto the clouds v. 7. Yet shall he perish for ever like his own dung Having spoken of the two first degrees of Repentance I come now to the third which is Returning unto God It is not enough to forsake the works of wickedness or the heart to forgoe the thoughts of unrighteousness but this is more required of a sinner than he should return unto the Lord. He that hath gone out of his way and knows it will not only make a stop and go no farther in the wrong way but if he means to arrive at the place he desireth will seek the new and right way and follow it for he that standeth still will never come at his journies end Even so must every sinner do in his journey of Repentance The putting off the old man we heard before now come we to the putting on of the new In the two former steps we had eschewing of evil in this we have doing of good and without this the other is altogether vain That tree is not called a good tree which bringeth forth no ill fruit but that is a good Tree which bringeth forth good fruit and Every Tree that bringeth forth no fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire But for the better understanding of this we will consider two things proper to a man that returneth 1. To go away clean contrary to the way he went before 2. To out-tread and obliterate his former steps Both of these every one must perform who truly returns unto God by Repentance First I say He must go a way clean contrary to his former way Many men think that the way to Hell is but a little out of the way to Heaven so that a man in a small time with small ado may cross out of the one into the other but they are much deceived For as Sin is more than a stepping aside viz. a plain and direct going away from God so is Repentance or the forsaking of sin more than a little coasting out of one way into another crossing will not serve there is no way in the world to come to the place we seek but to go quite back again the way we came The way of pleasure in sin must be changed for as extreme a sorrow for the same He that hath superstitiously worshipped false Gods must now as devoutly serve the true the tongue that hath uttered swearings and spoken blasphemies must as plentifully sound forth the name of God in prayer and thanksgiving the covetous man must become liberal the oppressor of the poor as charitable in relieving them the calumniator of his brother a tender guarder of his
condemned at the last day not for reaving the meat from the hungry but for not seeding their poor brethren not for stripping the naked out of his cloaths but for not cloathing him It will not be enough for thee that thou bringest forth no bad fruit but thou must bring forth good fruit Every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewen down and cast into the fire What if thou steal not from thy brother yet if thou open not thy hand to help and succour him thou art a Robber What if thou dost neither lie nor swear yet if thou makest not thy mouth a glorious organ and thy tongue a trumpet to sound forth and proclaim the love and mercy of God thou art a deep and a round offender What if no man can condemn thee for any evil yet unless God and thine own conscience shall commend thee for some good thou hast done thou art far from any Assurance of Faith or Knowing thou knowest Christ to be thy Redeemer The End of the First Book THE SECOND BOOK OF THE WORKS OF The Pious and Profoundly-Learned Ioseph Mede B. D. SOMETIME Fellow of CHRIST'S Colledge in CAMBRIDGE CONTAINING SEVERAL DISCOURSES AND TREATISES OF CHURCHES AND The Worship of God therein Horat. de Arte Poet. Fuit haec Sapientia quondam Publica privatis secernere sacra profanis Corrected and Enlarged according to the Author 's own Manuscripts THE CONTENTS OF THE SECOND BOOK Of Churches 1 COR. 11. 22. Have ye not Houses to eat and drink in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or despise ye the Church of God pag. 319 The Reverence of God's House ECCLES 5. 1. Look to thy foot or feet when thou comest to the House of God and be more ready to obey than to offer the Sacrifice of fools pag. 340 The Christian Sacrifice MALACHI 1. 11. From the rising of the Sun even unto the going down of the same my Name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place Incense shall be offered unto my Name and a pure Offering for my Name shall be great among the Heathen saith the Lord of Hosts CHAP. I. The Text a Prophecy of the Christian Sacrifice according to the judgment of the ancient Fathers in the Second Third and Fourth Centuries The difficulty of explaining the Christian Sacrifice The Reasons of this difficulty The Method and Order propounded for this Discourse pag. 355 CHAP. II. The Christian Sacrifice defined and briefly explained The two parts or double Object of this Sacrifice What meant by Sacrificium Quod what by Sacrificium Quo. pag. 356 CHAP. III. The words of the Text explained and applied to the foregoing Definition of the Christian Sacrifice Incense denotes the rational part of this Sacrifice Mincha the material part thereof What meant by Mincha purum Two Interpretations of the Purity of the Christian Mincha given by the Fathers a third propounded by the Author pag. 357 CHAP. IV. Six Particulars contained in the Definition of the Christian Sacrifice The First viz. That this Christian Service is an Oblation proved out of Antiquity How long the Apostles Age lasted or when it ended Proofs out of the Epistles of Clemens and Ignatius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how distinguished in Ignatius The Christian Service is properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but improperly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the strict and prime sense of the word pag. 360 CHAP. V. The Second Particular That the Christian Sacrifice is an Oblation of Thanksgiving and Prayer proved from Iustin Martyr Tertullian Clemens Alexandr c. The Altar or Holy Table anciently the place of the publick Prayers of the Church Prayer Oblation and Sacrifice promiscuously used by the Fathers when they speak of the Christian Sacrifice The Conjunction of Prayer and the Eucharist argued from Acts 2. 42. and from Ignatius ad Ephes. The three parts of which the Christian Synaxis consisted pag. 362 CHAP. VI. The Third Particular That the Christian Sacrifice is an Oblation of Thanksgiving and Prayer through Iesus Christ Commemorated in the Creatures of Bread and Wine Sacrifices under the Law were Rites to invocate God by That the Eucharist is a Rite to give thanks and invocate God by proved from several Testimonies of the Fathers and the Greek Liturgies A passage out of Mr. Perkins agreeable to this notion What meant by that usual expression of the Ancients speaking of the Eucharist Through Iesus Christ the great High Priest By Nomen Dei in Mal. 1. Iustin M. and Irenaeus understood Christ. Why in the Eucharist Prayers were to be directed to God the Father pag. 365. CHAP. VII The Fourth particular That the Commemoration of Christ in the Creatures of Bread and Wine in the Eucharist is a Sacrifice according to the style of the ancient Church How Sacrifices are distinguished from all other Offerings A Sacrifice defined The Universal Custom of mankind to contract or confirm Covenants and Friendship by eating and drinking together This illustrated from Testimonies of Scripture and humane Authors Sacrifices were Federal Feasts wherein God and men did feast together in token of amity and friendship What was God's Mess or portion in the Sacrifices The different Laws of Burnt-offerings Sin-and-Trespass-offerings and the Peace-offerings Burnt-offerings had Meat and Drink-offerings annexed to them and were regularly accompanied with Peace-offerings That Sacrifices were Feasts of amity between God and men proved by four Arguments The reason of these phrases Secare foedus and Icere foedus That in those Sacrificial Feasts and also in the Eucharist God is to be considered as the Convivator and Man as the Conviva This cleared by several passages in this as also in the following Chapter pag. 369. CHAP. VIII The Fifth Particular That the Body and Bloud of Christ in the Eucharist was made of Bread and Wine which had first been offered to God to agnize him the Lord of the Creature This proved from the Testimonies of Antiquity next to the Apostles times and from ancient Liturgies as also from the Fathers arguing from this Oblation of the Creature in the Eucharist to God that the Father of Christ was the Creator of the world in confutation of some Hereticks in their days and lastly from S. Paul's parallel of the Lord's Supper and the Sacrifices of the Gentiles Two Questions answered 1. Whence may it appear that our Saviour at the Institution of the Eucharist did first offer the Bread and Wine to God to agnize him the Lord of the Creature 2. Is not the celebration of the Eucharist in the Western Churches whether the Reformed or the Roman therefore defective because no such Oblation is there in use pag. 372. CHAP. IX The Sixth Particular That Christ is offered in the Eucharist Commemoratively only and not otherwise This Commemorative Sacrifice or the Commemoration in the Eucharist explained That Christ is offered by way of Commemoration only was the sense of the ancient Church This proved from ancient
Angel's message from heaven to devout Cornelius was Thy prayers and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God whereupon S. Peter inferred That in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him Acts 10. 4 35. In 1 Tim. 6. 17 18 19. saith S. Paul Charge them that are rich in this world That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying in store a good foundation against the time to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut accipiant nanciscantur that they may receive or obtain eternal life Hence it is that we shall be judged and receive sentence at the last day according to our works Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me For inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me Lord how do those look to be saved at that day who think good works not required to Salvation and accordingly do them not Can our Saviour pass this blessed Sentence on them think they he can If he should they might truly say indeed Lord we have done no such matter nor did we think our selves bound unto it we relied wholly upon our Faith in thy merits and thought we had been freed from such services What do they think Christ will change the form of his Sentence at that great day No certainly If the Sentence for Bliss will not fit them and be truly said of them the other will and must for there is no more Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For when I was hungry ye gave me no meat c. This must be their doom unless they suppose the righteous Iudge will lie for them And it is here further to be observed That the Works named in this sentence of Iudgment are works of the second Table and Works of Mercy and Charity feeding the hungry clothing the naked visiting the sick all Almsdeeds which men are now-a-days so much afraid of as if they looked toward Popery and had a tang of meriting for now-a-days these costly works of all others are most suspicious But will it be so at the day of Iudgment True it is they merit not the Reward which shall be given them but what then are we so proud we will do no works unless we may merit Is it not sufficient that God will reward them for Christ's sake though they have no worth in themselves And thus much of the second Motive why we should do good works Because howsoever they merit nothing yet are they the means and way ordained by God to attain the Reward of eternal life The third and last Motive to works of righteousness is Because they are the only Sign and Note whereby we know our Faith is true and saving and not counterfeit For 1 Iohn 1. 6. If we say we have fellowship with Christ and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth Chap. 2. ver 3. Hereby we know that we know him viz. to be our Advocate with his Father and the Propitiation for our sins if we keep his Commandments And Chap. 3. 7. Little children let no man deceive you He that doth righteousness is righteous even as Christ is righteous The same almost you may find again Chap. 2. 29. For if every one that believeth in Christ truly and savingly believes that Salvation is to be attained by obedience to God in him and not otherwise and therefore embraceth and layeth hold upon him for that end how can such an ones Faith be fruitless How can he be without works who therefore lays hold on Christ that his works and obedience may be accepted as righteous before God for his sake and so be rewardable It is as possible for the Sun to be without his light or the Fire to want heat as such a Faith to be without works Our Saviour therefore himself makes this a most sure and never-failing Note to build our assurance of Salvation upon Luke 6. 46. where the mention of the words of my Text gives the occasion Why call ye me Lord Lord saith he and do not the things which I say 47. Whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doth them I will shew you to whom he is like 48. He is like a man which built an house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock And when the floud arose the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon a rock 49. But he that heareth and doth not is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell and the ruine of that house was great Whom these three Motives or Reasons will not perswade to good works let not my Soul O Lord be joyned with theirs nor my doom be as theirs must be A SECOND Observation out of these words and near a-kin to the former is That it is not enough for a Christian to live harmlesly and abstain from ill but he must do that which is good For our Saviour excludes not here those only who do against the will of his Father but those who do not his Father's will It is doing good which he requireth and not the not doing evil only This is an error which taketh hold of a great part of men even of those who would seem to be religious He is a reformed man and acquits himself well who abstains from fornication adultery who is no thief no couzener or defrauder of other men who will not lie or swear or such like But as for doing any works of Piety or Charity they think they are not required of them But they are much deceived For God requires some duties at our hands which he may reward not out of any merit but out of his merciful promise in Christ. But not doing ill is no service rewardable A servant who expects wages must not only do his Master no harm but some work that is good and profitable otherwise the best Christian would be he that should live altogether idlely for none doth less harm than he that doth nothing at all But Matth. 25. 30. He that encreased not his Master's Talent though he had not mis-spent it is adjudged an unprofitable servant and cast into outer darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth So also Matth. 3. 10. The tree that beareth no good fruit is hewn down though it bore none that was evil The axe is laid to the root of the tree Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down
not swerving one jot therefrom as he somewhere professeth in his Epistles Yea so cautious and careful was he not to determine positively where the Scripture was not express that he confessed he durst not so much as imagine that Christ's presence in this Kingdom should be a Visible converse upon Earth He was also well aware that some both of elder and of later times degenerating from the Piety of the most ancient and purest Ages of the Church and swerving from that Primitive sober sense and harmless Notion of the Millennium which the Christian Church generally entertain'd in the days of Iustin Martyr had shamefully disfigur'd and deformed it with several erroneous conceits and idle fancies of their own But herein our Author's name and reputation is not concern'd he had nothing to do with the wood hay and stubble which some foolish builders had built upon the old foundation nor with those unseemly assumenta and disgraceful opinions which some that were miserable bunglers at the Interpretation of Prophecies had fastned upon the ancient Hypothesis He disavow'd with as much zeal as any one the extravagancies of such men and yet he would not in a rash heat wholly reject an ancient Tenet for having some Error annex'd to it for so he might sometime cast away a Truth as he that throws away what he finds because it is dirty it was his own comparison may perchance cast away a Iewel or a piece of Gold or Silver Thirdly and lastly to conclude this argument His Notion of the Millennial State was both Pure and Peaceable and therefore not unworthy of a fair construction Pure and clean it was altogether free from the least suspicion of Luxury and Sensuality It was his express Caution to beware of gross and carnal conceits of an Epicurean happiness misbeseeming the Spiritual purity of Saints If we conceit saith he any Deliciae let them be Spirituales which S. Austin confesseth to be Opinio tolerabilis lib. 20. De Civit. Dei. And therefore he was justly offended with Hierom. who being according to his wont a very unequal relator of the opinion of his Adverâ—aries imputed to the most ancient Fathers of the Church such an Unspiritual notion as this That the Felicity of this State was Beatitudo ventri gutturi Iudaico serviens and in several parts of his Writings he has clearly detected the unfaithfulness and falshood of Hierom in loading those Holy Souls with the charge of Iudaism and Epicurism as foul and undeserved an aspersion as could be imagined And verily such a Sensual State is so contrary to the character of the Kingdom of Christ and the true importance of what is meant by Reigning with Christ that it is no other in reality than the Kingdom of the Devil and a Reigning with him He well remembred that the proper Character of the New Heavens and the New Earth that is of the World renewed is thus described in S. Peter's Prophecy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherein dwelleth Righteousness A greater increase of Piety and Peace than has yet been in the world is that which makes up the Primary notion of Felicity of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or World to come And what hearty Christian does not most affectionately desire that Righteousness and true Holiness Peace on earth and Good will towards men may spread and obtain more universally in the world These things would as naturally make the world Happy as the abounding of Iniquity with the decays of Charity in any age makes the world Miserable Nor was his Notion lets Peaceable and Pure as may partly appear by what hath been already observed He was a true Son of Peace and lived a life of Obedience to the Laws of the Realm and of Conformity to the Discipline of the Church He feared both the Lord and the King and medled not with them that were given to change And his Writings bare the Impress and Character of his Peaceable Spirit and Life for not one clause not a syllable not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that naturally tends to blow men up into such furious heats as threaten publick Disquietnesses and Embroâ—lments is to be found therein as neither in the Writings of Iustin Martyr Irenaeus Cyprian and others of utmost Antiquity whose Doctrine touching this Point as also their Practices were far from any shew of Unpeaceableness far from provoking to any thing but Love and Good works As our Author himself was a man of a cool Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so likewise is his Notion and representation of the Millennium cool and calm and moderate not ministring to Faction and Sedition to Tumults and subversion of all Degrees and Orders of Superiority in the publick And assuredly the Happiness of the Millennial State shall take place in the world without that Disorder and Confusion which some men have extravagantly imagined men of unhallowed minds and consciences who judging of things according to the lusts of ambition and love of the world reigning in them have deprav'd and stain'd this Primitive Tenet the ancient sober and innocent notion of the Kingdom of Christ as likewise every other Mystery with not a few carnal conceits and intolerable fancies of their own And thus unto them that are defiled is nothign pure Nor shall those Tempora refrigerii ever be brought in by hot fanatick Zelots men set on fire in the Psalmist's phrase and ready also to set on fire the Course of Nature as S. Iames speaks such as are skilful only to destroy and overturn Destruction and Wasting are in their ways they are good at making the World a miserable uncomfortable and unhabitable place but the way of Peace they have not known as for Peace and Charity they have no right sentiments thereof and know not what belongs to them And therefore the Temper and Frame of their spirit being perfectly contrary to the Temper and Quality of those Better times they are thereby render'd uncapable either of furthering and hasting the Felicities of the New Heavens and Earth or of enjoying them when the New Ierusalem shall be come down from God out of Heaven and the Tabernacle of God shall be with men For the primary Character of that Future State being as was before observed Vniversal Righteousness and Good will Piety and Peace it naturally follows That they who are men of embitter d passions and of a destroying Spirit altogether devoid of civility gentleness and moderation kindness and benignity towards men and altogether unacquainted with what is lovely decorous venerable praise-worthy equitable and just can have no part nor lot in this matter so gross and course a constitution of spirit as theirs is speaks them unqualified for the Happiness of this Better State Nor can they ever be made meet for the World to come and the Kingdom of Christ till they have got the victory over their Self-love and Love of the world over their Pride and Envy their Wrath and
is thought to have been long after his death surely this Chapter was written after it where both his death and burial are recorded Wherefore to say the Ark was brought thither upon this occasion will not serve turn Thirdly This place should be a Proseucha because of that circumstance of Trees growing in it which as it proves it not to have been the Tabernacle where no such thing was lawful to be so seems it to be a Characteristical note of a Proseucha For though it were not lawful to have Trees near the Altar of God that is in or about the Court of the Tabernacle yet was it not so with Proseucha's yea they seem to have been ordinarily garnished and beset with them This may be gathered from a passage of Philo Iudaeus where relating the barbarous outrage of the Gentiles at Alexandria against the Iews there dwelling in the time of Gaius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of some of the Proseucha's they cut down the Trees others they demolished to the very Foundations Mark here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They dis-tree'd the Proseucha's The same is implied by that of the Poet speaking of a Iewish Wizard or Fortune-teller conducta sub arbore conjux And Iuvenal in his sixth Satyr Arcanum Iudaea tremens mendicat in aurem Interpres legum Solymarum magna sacerdos Arboris ac summi fida internuncia coeli Interpres legum Solymarum that is of Moses Laws magna sacerdos Arboris because of the Trees in their Proseucha's or Places of worship The same appears also out of those Verses of his third Satyr complaining that the once sacred Grove of Fons Capenus where Numa used to meet with the Goddess AEgeria was then let out to the beggarly Iews for a Proseucha and that every Tree such were the times must pay rent to the people by which means the Woods which formerly had been the habitation of the Muses were become dens for beggarly Iews to mutter their Orizons in Hear his words Hic ubi nocturnae Numa constituebat amicae Nunc sacri Fontis nemus delubra locantur Iudaeis quorum cophinus foenumque supellex Omnis enim populo mercedem pendere jussaest Arbor ejectis mendicat sylva Camoenis Whence comes this connexion between Iews and Trees but from their having Trees in their Proseucha's unto which their situation without the Cities conduced as also it did for privacy and retirement Thus you see how well the description and mark of a Proseucha agrees to this Sanctuary in my Text. And that the Iews had many other such in other places as well as at Sichem even in those elder times as at Mispeh Bethel and Gilgal I make little doubt which we read to have been places of Assembly of the people and the two last sanctified of old by Divine apparition as Sichem was Of Mispah the Author of the first of Maccabees chap. 3. vers 46. if I understand him testifieth as much when he tells us that whilst the holy City lay desolate and the Sanctuary was trodden down by the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes Iudas Maccabaeus and those of the people which adhered unto their God assembled together at Mâ—spha to make there their supplications unto their God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because at Maspha or Mispah had been a place of prayer in former time for Israel as much as to say there had been a Proseucha of old And do we not read in that story of the Benjamitical war in the Book of Iudges that the Tabernacle being at Shiloh as appears by the last Chapter yet in the Chapter going before it is said that the whole Congregation of Israel was gathered together as one man unto the Lord in Mispah and that in vers 26. is mention made of an House of God there where the people prayed and fasted True it is said the Ark of the Covenant was upon that extraordinary occasion brought thither but it being certain out of the next Chapter that the Tabernacle was still at Shiloh this House of God could be none of it Nay perhaps we may hence learn that when the Ark upon occasion of such a general and extraordinary assembly was to be removed they used to bring it to such places as these which were as holy Courts ready prepared for it and that then it was lawful but not else to sacrifice in them Of these Courts for prayer we may understand that also in Psalm 74. 7. They have cast Fire into thy Sanctuary they have burnt up all the Conventicula Dei in the Land namely in the captivity by Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed both their Temple and their Proseucha's For we understand it of the persecution of Antiochus as some do it must then follow that some Canonical Scripture was written after Malachi and the ceasing of Prophecy that is in the time of the Maccabees which will not easily be granted Besides that we read not that Antiochus cast any fire into the Temple Now if it speak of the vastation by Nebuchadnezzar then had the Iews before that time not only a Sanctuary for sacrifice but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conventicula Dei that is either Proseucha's or Synagogues for either will serve my purpose But now you will say What profit is there of this long Discourse were it so or were it not so as I have endeavoured to prove of what use is the knowledge thereof to us Yes to know it was so is useful in a threefold respect First for the right understanding of such places of the Old Testament where a House of God and Assembling before the Lord are often mentioned there where neither the Ark of the Covenant nor the Tabernacle at such time were as besides the places before alledged we read in 1 Sam. 10. 3. of Saul's meeting with three men going up to God to Bethel and in verse 5. of a place called The Hill of God whence a company of Prophets came from the high place there prophesying with a Tabret Pipe and Harp before them in neither of which places can we find that ever the Tabernacle was And as for the Ark we are sure it was all this time at Kiriath-jearim till David solemnly fetcht it thence and if at any time the Ark might as now it was not be transferred to any of them upon occasion of some general Assembly of the Nation that so they might have opportunity to ask counsel of the Lord and offer Sacrifice yet were they not the ordinary station thereof Secondly we may learn from hence That to have appropriate places set apart for Prayer and Divine duties is not a Circumstance or Rite proper to Legal worship only but of a more common nature For asmuch as though Sacrifices wherein the Legal worship or worship of the old Covenant consisted were restrained to the Ark and Tabernacle and might not be exercised where they were not yet were there other places for Prayer besides that
be Proper for so it belongs unto the High Priest to have Vrim and Thummim nor Typical because the Priests only and not the under Levites were Types of Christ but the sense must be Analogical signifying some endowments common to all Levites which resemble the Vrim and Thummim upon the Breast of the High Priest Now what these are the words themselves import namely Light of Vnderstanding and knowledg this is their Vrim and Integrity of life this is their Thummim The first makes them Doctores Teachers the second Ductores populi Guides and Leaders of the People He that wants either of these two wants the true ornament of Priesthood the right character of a Levite For though these endowments may well beseem all the Tribes of Israel yet Moses specially prays for them in Levi because by him they were to come to all the rest and the want of them in him could not but redound to all the rest Ita populus sicut sacerdos Such as the Priest is such will the People be the Priest cannot erre but he causeth others to erre also the Priest cannot sin but he causeth others to sin also And this is it that Malachi saith from the Lord unto the Priests of his time Ye are gone out of the way and have caused many to stumble at or in the Law But the Levites of old saith the same Prophet The Law of Truth was in their mouth and iniquity was not found in their lips they walked with God in peace and equity and turned many from iniquity Here you see when the Levites erre the people erre also when the Levites walk in equity the people are turned from iniquity The Ministers of Christ must be Lux mundi the light of the world Vos estis lux mundi Ye are the light of the world Ye are the world's Vrim faith Christ unto his Apostles For the lips of the Priest should preserve knowledg and they should learn the Law at his mouth This light of knowledg this teaching knowledg is the Vrim of every Levite and therefore Christ when he inspired his Apostles with knowledg of heavenly mysteries he sent a new Vrim from above even fiery tonguâ—s tongues of Vrim from Heaven He sent no fiery heads but fiery tongues for it is not sufficent for a Levite to have his head full of Vrim unless his tongue be a candle to shew it unto others There came indeed no Thummim from heaven as there came an Vrim for though the Apostles were secured from errors they were not freed from sin And yet we who are Levites must have such a Thummim as may be gotten upon earth for S. Paul bids Titus in all things to shew himself an example of good works and this is a Thummim of Integrity But besides this Thummim the Ministers of the Gospel have received from God more especially another Thummim like unto that which was proper to the High Priest namely the power of binding and loosing which is as it were a power of Oracle to declare unto the people the remission of their sins by the acceptance of Christ's Sacrifice And this directly answers to Thummim in the first sense DISCOURSE XXXVI IEREMIAH 10. 11. Thus shall ye say unto them The Gods that made not the Heavens and the Earth even they shall perish from the Earth and from under these Heavens THESE words are written in the Chaldee tongue whereas the rest of the Prophecy is in the Hebrew the reason whereof you shall then have when we have first seen the Occasion Coherence and Summe of the words which is as followeth The Prophet having in the end of the last Chapter threatned the Iews and all the neighbouring Nations with captivity Edom Ammon Moab with the Arabians of the wilderness in this Chapter leaving out the rest he singles out the Iews to instruct them for their demeanour and carriage in their captivity to wit that they should not learn the way of the Heathen whither they should be carried that they should not be dismayed at the signs of Heaven nor regard their Gods of Gold and Silver which could do neither evil nor good But lest they should think they had acquit themselves well if they abstained from what they should see the Heathen do he tells them they must yet do more than this they must make open profession against their Gods they must proclaim against their Idolatry and false worship and therefore in the middle of his exhortation he enterlaceth these words in the Chaldee tongue Thus shall ye say unto them c. These words then contain a Proclamation which the Iews are enjoyned from God to make against the Gods of the Gentiles when they should be carried captive to Babylon wherein are to be considered two things 1. The Proclaiming it self 2. The Summe of the Proclamation The Proclaiming in these words Thus shall ye say unto them The Summe of the Proclamation in these The Gods which have not made the Heavens and the Earth even they shallperish from the Earth and from under these Heavens In the Proclaiming are three things considerable 1. The Persons Who. 2. The Persons To whom 3. The manner How The Persons Who in the word Ye that is Ye Iews who are the worshippers of the living God Ye captive Iews carried out of your own land and living as slaves and vassals under your proud Lords the Babylonians Ye shall say unto them 2. The Persons To whom To them what Them even your Lordly Masters of Babylon Ye shall say unto them 3. The manner How Thus that is not in cryptick or mystical terms or in your Hebrew mutterings a language which they understand not but in the vulgar tongue of Babylon in plain Chaldee Thus shall ye say unto them c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Gods which have not made the Heavens and the Earth c. In the second part which I called The Summe of the Proclamation are two things contained 1. A description of false Gods in these words The Gods which made not the Heavens and the Earth 2. Their doom in these They shall perish from the Earth and from under these Heavens I shall speak of these in order and first of the Persons who must make this Proclamation namely The Israelites Ye Israelites Ye Servants of the God of Heaven Ye Sons of promise and peculiar heritage of the Lord of hosts Ye upon whom the dew of grace is shed from heaven Ye to whom the most High hath given his Oracles and made his Name known amongst you Ye shall say unto them Hence I observe That it is the office of every one who is a member of God's Church and the child of Grace to endeavour to bring others to the knowledge of God and godliness First All things in nature desire and covet the propagation of that kind wherein themselves are ranked The Fire is no sooner kindled but presently it will turn all it lays hold upon into
and cast into the fire Matth. 21. 19. The fig-tree was cursed for having no fruit not for having evil fruit And the Sentence of condemnation as you heard before is to pass at that great day for not having done good works not for doing ill ones Go ye cursed for when I was hungry ye sed me not c. Matth. 25. 41 c. THUS having let you see how necessary it is for a Christian to joyn good works with his Faith in Christ I will now come to shew you How you must do them hoping I have already perswaded you that they must needs be done First therefore We must do them out of Faith in Christ that is relying upon him only for the acceptance and rewarding of them for in him alone God is well pleased with us and with what we do and therefore without saith and reliance upon him it is impossible to please God We must not think there is any worth in our works for which any such reward as God hath promised is due For alas our best works are full of imperfections and far short of what the Law requires Our reward therefore is not of merit but out of the merciful promise of God in Christ which the Apostle means when he says We are saved by grace and not by works that is It is the grace and favour of God in Christ which makes our selves acceptable and our works rewardable and not any desert in them or us Having laid this foundation The next thing required is Sincerity of heart in doing them We must do them out of the fear of God and conscience of his Commandments not out of respect of profit or fear or praise of men for such as do so are Hypocrites Not every one saith our Saviour that saith unto me Lord Lord but he that doth the will of my Father Now it is the will of our heavenly Father that we serve him in truth and uprightness of heart I know saith David 1 Chr. 29. 17. that thou my God triest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightness And so he said to Abraham Gen. 17. 1. I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou upright or be thou sincere This manner of serving of God Ioshua commended to the Israelites Iosh. 24. 14. Fear the Lord saith he and serve him in sincerity and truth and the Prophet Samuel 1 Sam. 12. 24. Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart This sincerity uprightness and truth in God's service is when we do religious and pious duties and abstain from the contrary out of conscience to God-ward out of an heart possessed with the love and fear of God It is otherwise called in Scripture Perfectness or Perfectness of heart For it is a lame and unperfect service where the better half is wanting as the Heart is in every work of duty both to God and men And therefore it is called perfectness when both go together when conscience as the Soul enlivens the outward work as a Body And indeed this is all the perfection we can attain unto in this life To serve God in truth of heart though otherwise we come short of what we should and therefore God esteems our actions and works not according to the greatness or exactness of the performance but according to the sincerity and truth of our hearts in doing them as appears by the places I have already quoted and by that 1 Kings 15. 14. where it is said that though Asa failed in his reformation and the high places were not taken down nevertheless his heart was perfect with the Lord his God all his days A note to know such a sincerity and truth of heart by is If in our privacy when there is no witness but God and our selves we are careful then to abstain from sin as well as in the sight of men If when no body but God shall see and know it we are willing to do a good work as well as if all the world should know it He that findeth himself thus affected his Heart is true at least in some measure but so much the less by how much he findeth himself the less affected in this manner When we are in the presence and view of men we may soon be deceived in our selves and think we do that out of conscience and fear of God which indeed is but for the fear or praise of men either lest we should be damnified or impair our credit or the like But when there is none but God and us then to be afraid of sin and careful of good duties is a sign we fear God in truth and sincerity and not in hypocrisie The special and principal means to attain this sincerity and truth of heart is To possess our selves always with the apprehension of God's presence and to walk before him as in his eye Wheresoever thou art there is an Eye that sees thee an Ear that hears thee and a Hand that registreth thy most secret thoughts For the ways of man saith Solomon Prov. 5. 21. are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings How much ashamed would we be that men should know how much our hearts and our words and actions disagreed How would we blush that men should see us commit this or that sin or neglect this or that duty What horrible Atheism then doth this argue that the presence of man yea sometimes of a little child should â—â—nder us from that wickedness which God's presence cannot This having of God before our eyes and the continual meditation of his All-seeing presence would together with devout Prayer for the assistance of God's grace be in time the bane of hypocrisie and falshood of heart and beget in stead thereof that truth and sincerity which God loveth Another property of such obedience as God requires is Vniversality we must not serve God by halfs by doing some duties and omitting others but we must with David Psal. 119. 6 20. have respect to all God's Commandments to those of the second Table as well as to those of the first and to those of the first as well as those of the second The want of which Vniversality of obedience to both Tables is so frequent as the greatest part of Christians are plunged therein to the undoubted ruine of their fouls and shipwrack of everlasting life if they so continue For there are two sorts of men which think themselves in a good estate and are not The one are those who make conscience of the duties of the first Table but have little or no care of the duties of the second And this is a most dangerous evil by reason it is more hard to be discovered those which are guilty thereof being such as seem religious but their Religion is in vain Such were those in the Church of Israel against whom the Prophet Esay declaimeth Chap. 1. from the 10. verse to the 17. To what
in the days of Nehemiah which was the space of a thousand years at the least and the most flourishing time of their Church and Commonwealth Who would have thought but some David Solomon Hezekiah Iosiah or good Iehoiada would in so long a time as a thousand years have reformed so great a neglect of God's commandment But hear what the holy Ghost says Nehem. 8. 17. Since the days of Ieshua the Son of Nun unto that day had not the Children of Israel done so A horrible thing to hear but whatsoever was written in former time is written for our learning And who knows whether there be not in this sinful omission of this Feast alone above the rest some special Mystery namely that the Iew should not acknowledge Christ whom this signified to be Emmanuel For that Iesus of Nazareth suffered upon the Cross they acknowledge whereof the Passover was a sign and therefore they blasphemously call him Talui the hanged God They will not deny also that this doctrine was published at the Feast of Pentecost though they believe not the Mystery and fruit of either the one or the other But That he is God in our flesh they could never endure to hear we know this was the cause why their Synod condemned him because he said He was the Son of God Above a thousand years they omitted the observation of the Feast of Tabernacles and now it is sixteen hundred wherein they have not believed that the Divine nature tabernacled in our flesh When they returned from Captivity they began to observe this so-long-neglected Ceremony and when they shall return again from their now-long and woful Captivity we hope they will then with us acknowledge this great Mystery HAVING hitherto spoken of the observation of these Feasts now I am according to my first Division to come unto a second part of my Text wherein is contained a special duty required of all when they came to worship God at these Feasts namely to bring a present with them not a Sacrifice of fire for these were of another nature and for another end but a Heave-offering which kind was a Tribute of Thankfulness unto God and withal of acknowledgment of his Supreme Lordship and Dominion over all For without a Sacrifice or a fiery-offering the Feast could not at all have been kept but without a Heave-offering or religious present it might though nothing dutifully and therefore is this specially added That no man should appear before the Lord empty for the Lord our God is a soveraign King and will be acknowledged so of all who come before him He is not Lord over our Persons only and therefore requires the service both of our Souls and Bodies but he is Lord of our Goods too and so is to have a Tribute of them offer'd unto him in token thereof But for the better handling of this point without confusion we will consider first What was the Iewish practice in this duty secondly What ought to be our imitation For the former The Iewish practice was as far as I can gather besides some special presents at Easter and Pentecost to perform all their Heave-offerings First-fruits Firstlings of Cattel Tithes of all things and their Free-will-offerings at some one of these three Feasts according as the season of the year served for the things they were to offer For the better understanding of which we must promise something of the manner of the Husbandry of Palaestine Egypt and those neighbour Southern Countries because it was much different from ours Pliny affirms that in Egypt and therefore in Palaestine Barley was ripe in the sixth month after it was sown and Wheat in the seventh The same Author affirms that their seed-time for both began in the month of November whence it follows that Barley was ripe almost a month before the Wheat the seed-time being the same and the Wheat not ripening a month so soon as Barley Barley then ripening in the sixth month the Harvest thereof fell about the beginning of April Wheat-harvest nigh a month after their whole Harvest by this means beginning at Easter and ending at Whitsuntide Which is the reason why Pentecost Exod. 23. 16. is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Harvest-Feast or The Feast upon the end of Harvest This shews a reason also why upon the Plague of Hail we read Exod. 9. 31 32. that the Flax and Barley was smitten because the Barley was eared and the Flax bolled But the Wheat and Rye were not smitten for they were not grown up The ear yet appeared not for this was about the beginning of the month of March as we may suppose a fortnight or three weeks before their coming out of Egypt which was the fourteenth day of the first month This was a reason also why we read 2 Sam. 21. 9. that seven of Saul's Sons were hanged for the Gibeonites in the first days of Harvest in the beginning of Barley-Harvest All which suppose Barley to begin and Wheat to end their Harvest Which with us is contrary because Barley is sown so long after Wheat viz. when Winter is past because it is a tender grain and will not endure the sharp and piercing cold of these Northern climates As for their Vintage or Harvest of Oyle and Wine it was in the seventh month or beginning of Autumn as in other Countries For their Cattel they had two breeding times the beginning of the Spring and the beginning of September but the Spring-breed was the strongest and are called Becorim that is not the first opening the womb only as most take it but the firstlings of the year for the latter breed was much the worse and weaker Which Iacob knew Gen. 30. 41 42. when he laid his Rods before the Cattel when they were strong in the Spring-time but he put them not in when they were feeble in the Autumn So saith the Text the feeble were Laban's and the stronger were Iacob's This thus explained let us now see what the Practice of the Iews was at these solemn times that they might not appear in the Lord's presence empty handed At the Feast of unleavened bread or Easter upon the second day thereof being the beginning of Harvest they were to bring a Sheaf of the first-fruits of their Harvest unto the Priest and he was to wave it before the Lord and until this were done they might eat no Corn whether parched or otherwise in the green ear as appeareth Levit. 23. 10. 14. And hence this second day of the Feast was called This was that day whereon Luke 6. 1. Christ's Disciples plucked ears of Corn and ate them for S. Luke says it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the second day of the first Sabbath or the day after the first Sabbath for I told you that the first and last days of this Feast were days of holy Assemblies wherein no servile work might be done and are therefore in Leviticus called Sabbaths the day
chiefly that Commandment That no man should appear before the Lord empty that is Let no man that comes to pray before the Lord appear empty-handed But because the first was very ordinary among the Iews my Text by a Trope only names it in stead of the whole kind of Euctical offerings Pay thy Vows that is when in praying before me thou shalt vow a gift to me or mine if I shall hear thee or at thy prayer dost exhibit the same before me that thou mightest find favour in my sight such Offerings are well pleasing unto me such Offerings will I accept at thine hands Offer therefore unto me praise and pay thy vows unto the most High This last word most High will serve us in stead of a Reason why God should require this kind of service at our hands Because he is the most High God Offer unto God an Offering of Thanksgiving because he is the most High God that is the chiefest and highest Cause of all that thou hast received Offer unto God when thou hast a suit unto him because he is the most High God that is the Lord of Lords the highest Lord and therefore it doth little beseem thee to appear before him without a present when thou wouldest do it unto thine earthly Lord if thou hadst a suit unto him Now also the Lord as he is the most High God so lie ever was and ever shall be the most High and therefore this kind of Offering is due unto God naturally and perpetually Therefore both Iew and Gentile must offer unto God Praise and make and pay their Vows unto the most High For these are Offerings made to God for a cause unchangeable our Subjection and his Greatness our receipt of daily benefits and his daily showers of blessings These therefore even among the Iews and under the Law he did accept without any regard of Type simply and for themselves and these among the Gentiles he only accepts when all the rest are quite abolished Those other he rejects because Christ who was then to suffer and to be offered is not now to be offered any more These he will still accept because the most High God then is the most High God still and shall be evermore HAVING briefly shewn the scope and meaning of these words and what these Offerings of Praise and Votal offerings are which God did chiefly accept in the Law and will only admit in the Gospel there remain yet in my purpose these things to be treated of 1. To distinguish this Moral kind of Offerings from the rest in use under the Law I will take a short Survey of all the Offerings then used 2. I will give some infallible marks whereby we may know this kind of Offerings from those whose End was to figure and represent things to come 3. I will bring some Reasons to prove That the main End of those Offerings I call Eucharistical and Votal was not Ceremonial but Moral 4. Lastly I will shew how far and in what sort these Eucharistical and Votal Offerings have been used in the first ages of the Church specially about the holy Sacrament and at the celebration of the Lord's Supper and how the blind ignorance of after-times turned them into â—xpiatory Sacrifices which were only a real Thanksgiving and a kind of real Praying unto God To begin therefore with the First All the Offerings in the Law were either Oblationes Sanctae simply Holy or Sanctae Sanctarum most Holy or Holy of holies This division is founded in the Scripture it self and without this division it is impossible either to bring the multitude of Offerings into method or to understand the End Scope and Use of them aright The Holy Offerings are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Terumoth which we translate Heave-offerings the Holy of holies or most Holy Offerings are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corbanim And the Scripture is so precise in these words as I dare affirm though one of them be used sixty times they are never confounded but Terumoth is only given to Offerings simply Holy and Corbanim only to those who were Sanctae Sanctarum or Holy of holies Now for the reason of this difference of Holy and Holy of holies it is this The Heave-offering is called simply Holy because it was only consecrate to God and had no other Holiness but this The Corban is called Holy of holies because it was not only consecrate to God as was the other but was also a Shadow and Type of Holy things to come and hence it had a priviledge that whatsoever it should touch that should be Holy also as we may see Exod. 29. 37. chap. 30. 29. Which was a Mystery of that Holy one who by the union of Faith should one day sanctifie us and whatsoever is ours as it is Heb. 10. verse 10 14. The Corban therefore or the most Holy Offering I define An Offering of fire figuring the satisfaction which Christ was one day to perform to God for us And therefore the faithful Iew was to present this Corban before God and lay his hand upon it as it were presenting unto God Christ who was to come and apprehending him by the hand of Faith But the Priest alone was to offer it and to eat up whatsoever remained from the fire and that in the Holy place that so the Sacrifice it self being turned into the Sacrificer might foreshew that our great Priest and great Sacrifice should be one and the same that is that Christ should offer himself for us to God his Father and that he should do it in the Holy City whereon the name of God was called Now every Corban or most Holy Offering was of two parts or if you will two kinds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Zebach I define a Corban or a most Holy Offering where by the slaughter and shedding of the bloud of Beasts was figured the Expiation of sin to be wrought by the death and passion of Christ to come For our Expiation could not be wrought but by death and the effusion of bloud and therefore God here made choice of Beasts for Types because they were capable of death and shedding of bloud This Offering is by a special name called The bloudy Sacrifice and the LXX in Amos 5. 22. turn it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both properly and alluding to the word Zebach the Latines well call it Hostia and Victima Mincha was a Corban for the most part joyned to a Zebach or Bloudy Sacrifice where by the burning and ascending of inanimate things as Meats and Drinks was shadowed the Obedience and Merits of Christ to come which God would accept for our want of Obedience By Obedience here I understand Christ's Active obedience whereby he fulfilled the Law for us not by his unvaluable Death but by a blameless Life for which of you saith he convinceth me of sin Here therefore was no
Rom. 12. 11. 3. Zeal is that which carries our Devotions up to Heaven As Wings to a Fowl Wheels to a Chariot Sails to a Ship so is Zeal to the Soul of Man Without Zeal our Devotions can no more ascend than Vapours from a Still without fire put under it Prayer if it be fervent availeth much but a cold Sute will never get to Heaven In brief Zeal is the Chariot wherein our Alms our Offerings and all the good works we do are brought before the Throne of God in Heaven No Sacrifice in the Law could be offered without fire no more in the Gospel is any Service rightly performed without Zeal Be zealous therefore lest all thy works all thy endeavours be else unprofitable Rouze up thy dull and heavy Spirit serve God with earnestness and fervency and pray unto him that he would send us this fire from his Altar which is in Heaven whereby all our Sacrifices may become acceptable and pleasing unto him AND thus I come to the next thing in my Text Repentance Be zealous and repent Repentance is the changing of our course from the old way of Sin unto the new way of Righteousness or more briefly A changing of the course of sin for the course of Righteousness It is called also Conversion Turning and Returning unto God This matter would ask a long discourse but I will describe it briefly in five degrees which are as five steps in a Ladder by which we ascend up to Heaven 1. The first step is the Sight of Sin and the punishment due unto it for how can the Soul be possessed with fear and sorrow except he Understanding do first apprehend the danger for that which the Eye sees not the Heart rues not If Satan can keep sin from the Eye he will easily keep sorrow from the Heart It is impossible for a man to repent of his wickedness except the reflect and say What have I done The serious Penitent must be like the wary Factor he must retire himself look into his Books and turn over the leaves of his life he must consider the expence of his Time the employment of his Talent the debt of his Sin and the strictness of his Account 2. And so he shall ascend unto the next step which is Sorrow for sin For he that seriously considers how he hath grieved the Spirit of God and endangered his own Soul by his sins cannot but have his Spirit grieved with remorse The Sacrifices of God are a contrite Spirit Neither must we sorrow only but look unto the quality of our Sorrow that it be Godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to the quantity of it that it be Great We must fit the plaister to the wound and proportion our sorrow to our Sins He that with Peter hath sinned heinously or with Mary Magdalen frequently must with them weep bitterly and abundantly 3. The Third step of this Ladder is the Loathing of sin A Surfiet of Meats how dainty and delicate soever will afterwards make them loathsome He that hath taken his fill of sin and committed iniquity with greediness and is sensible of his supersinity or abundance of naughtiness and hath a great Sorrow for it he will the more loath his sins though they have been never so full of delight Yea it will make him loath himself and cry out in a mournful manner with S. Paul Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death 4. The fourth step is the leaving off Sin For as Amnon hating Tamar shut her out of doors So he that loaths and hates his Sins the sight the thought the remembrance of them will be grievous unto him and he will labour by all good means to expel them For true Repentance must be the consuming of sin To what purpose doth the Physician evacuate ill humors if the Patient still distempers himself with ill diet What shall it avail a man to endure the launcing searching and tenting of a wound if he stay not for the cure So in vain also is the Sight of sin and the Sorrow for and Loathing of Sin if the works of darkness still remain and the Soul is impatient of a through-cure And therefore as Amnon not only put out his loathed Sister but bolted the door after her as it is said in the forequoted place So must we keep out our sins with the Bolts of Resolution and Circumspection Noah pitched the Ark within and without Gen. 6. 14. So to keep out the waters and a Christian must be watchful to secure all his Senses External and Internal to keep out sin 5. The Fifth and last step is the Cleaving unto God with full purpose of heart to walk before him in newness of life All the former Degrees of Repentance were for the putting off of the Old man this is for the putting on of the New For ubi Emendatio nulla Poenitentia necessariò vana saith Tertullian de Poenit. c. 2. Where there is no Reformation there the Repentance must needs be vain and fruitless for as he goes on caret fructu suo eui eam Deus sevit i. e. hominis saluti it hath not its fruit unto holiness nor the end everlasting life Rom. 6. 22. And thus have I let you see briefly What Repentance is Will you have me say any more to make you to affect it as earnestly as I hope by this time you understand it clearly Know then that this is that which opens Heaven and leads into Paradise This is that Ladder without which no man can climb thither and therefore as S. Austin saith Mutet vitam qui vult accipere vitam Let us change our life here if we look for the Life of Glory hereafter Let us leave the old way of sin for the new way of righteousness and to apply all to my Text Let us change our course of Lukewarmness for a course of fervency in God's service our dull and drowsie Devotions for a course of Zeal Be zealous and Repent AND thus I come to the Third thing I propounded namely the Connexion and dependance of these latter words Be zealous therefore and Repent upon the former As many as I love I rebuke and chasten Many things might be here observed but I will name but one which is this That Repentance is the means to avoid and prevent God's Iudgments For as Tertullian in his de Poenitentia observes * Qui poenam per judicium destinavit idem veniam per poenitentiam spospondit He that hath decreed to punish by Iustice hath promised to grant pardon by Repentance And so we read in Ieremy 18. 7. When I shall speak saith the Lord there concerning a Nation or Kingdom to pluck up to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from evil I will repent of the evil which I thought to do unto them And in Ezekiel 18. Repent and turn