gold and pictures of silver 3 Ubi Where As there is a time so there is a place to open our lips Christ was like a Lambe non aperies es thou shalt not open thy mouth before Pilate 4 Cus to whom David refrained even from good words whilst the â—icked â—â—â— before him Counsell and reproofe are cast away upon fooles and mad men and scorners Saint Gregory addeth there must be 1 Gravitâ—â— in sensu Weight in the sense 2 Moâ—â—â— in verbis Measure in the words 3 Poâ—dâ—â— iâ— sermone Weight in the words Otherwise wee open our own mouthes God openeth them not It is Davids prayer to God Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keepe the doore of my lips Saint Augustine noteth that it is osâ—iâ—m â—riâ— ergo aperiatur claudatur Aperiatur aâ— confessioneÌ„ â— laudatur ad excusatione in peccati The door of the mouth therfore let it be opened and shut opened to confession shut to excusing of sin And Luâ—olphus faith Aperiri debet Deo clauci diabolo aperiri Deo in oratione claudi in vanalâ—cutione It must be opened to God shut to the Devill opened to God in prayer shut to the Devill in vain-speaking David for ten moneths together was mute sinne had shut up his mouth for as long as we live in impenitencie a spirit of dumbnes possesseth us we cannot neither pray or prayse God In this time his acultery did cry alowd so did Uriahâ— drunkennesse so did his letters to Joab to did the murther of Uriah Now hee prayeth that the mouth of accusation may be stopt and that God would open his mouth that he may speak for himself against these accusing sins that hee may magnifie the loving kindnesse of the Lord. 1 I conceive that this petition for the opening of his lips intendeth a â—itting preparing of him for the praise of God Wee advise well before wee put up a petition in the causes of our estate or good name to any superiour authority More ought wee to God he best knoweth himself how to accommodate us to his service and therefore Domine aperias Lord open thou The necessity of an holy preparation for any part of Gods Service doth admonish and exact an holy advice with God before we go about it Reading of his word meditation invocation of his Name by prayer that hee would put our hearts in tune and set our song of his prayses for us that wee may sing Canticum Domini the song of the Lord and then it will be Canticum Domino a song to the Lord. 2 We may also conclude from hence that though an inward worship of the heart be much commended to us in Scripture so Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spiâ—it rejoyceth â—n God my Saviour and David stirreth up his soule to this service My soule prayse thou the Lord c. Yet that menâ—all and animal service is not all that God requireth hee would have the service also of our lips of our tongue which is our glory And to make the voice of Gods prayse to be heard be saith I wil prayse God with my glory Awake Lute and Harpe awake my tongue of my glory And he calleth upon the Church to prayse him in the sound of the trumpet with timbrell and pipe with stringed instruments and organs Upon the lowd Cymbals upon the high sounding Cymbals For as we have our private Chappels for our private duties the secret of our heart and the closets of our conscience So we have our part in Choâ—â— in the Congregation of Gods Saints and there wee must sing cheerfully and lowd that God may be praysed according to his excellent greatnesse this is heaven upon earth 3. The bold sinners say Our lips are our own who is Lord over us These assume to themselves both power and skill to menage their tongue and acknowledge no Lord above them to restrain or check them David in his Domine aperias Lord open thou confesseth a Lord above him And there is no such way to impudent freedome of speech as a bold contempt of autority It is one of the provoking sins of our time the over-bold liberty of speech and procacity of the pen censuring and depraving Superiours scandalizing all that our dislike hath set light The ground of this gall and worm-wood in the tongues and pens of the time is a vain opinion that there is no Lord over us to stop our mouth and to tongue-tie us Yet wee know the lash of the Law smarteth upon some that shoote for arrowes bitter words and some are made examples of terror to awe others But if men feare not those Lords and Lawes which take this petulancie of the tongue to talke David confesseth a Lord in my Text to whom he committeth the opening of his mouth Domine aperias Lord open thou Let us take heed how we rule our Lips and how wee open them before him for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned And of every idle word that we speake we shall give accompt to him in the day of judgment Evill words corrupt good manners and such as doe evill are but hardned and exasperate by Libels and scandalous obloquies When Michael the Archangell disputed against the Divell about the body of Moses he durst not bring against him a rayling accusation True and just quarrels by intemperancie of the tongue may turne into rayling accusation and it is not reproofe but rayling so Aug. Quicquid lacerato animâ— dixeris malè dixeris Whatsoever thou speakest with a distructed minde thou speakest evill Beloved there is a Lord over us who hath dominion of all our parts if he open our eyes we shall see clearely if he open our earâ—s we shall heare quickly if he open our lippes we shall speake wisely and soberly This is our Master-piece to governe our tongue well to open and shut the doore of our lippes wisely and seasonably He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life but hee that openeth wide his lippes shall have destruction The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lippes but a man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth Who so keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soule from troubles We have no better way to decline the danger of the tongue to reape the good fruit of it then 1 To pray as here Domine labia Lord open thou my lips or as David Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable c. Set a watch O Lord before my mouth 2 To resolve as David to take heed ne peccemus lingua lest wee offend in our tongue To keepe our mouth bridled not to speak thine own words 3 The promise subjoyned setteth the tongue a work and giveth it matter of long and speech And my mouth shall shew forth c. Saint Gregory observeth the sequence of the text first
Achivi great ones desart makes the poore smart The Apostle biddeth us pray for Kings and for all that are in autority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty Wee shall all go more safely in our wayes if God guide the hearts and wayes of our Rulers aright But if God give us Kings in his fury our portion will be sorrow for their sins will set Ierusalem and Sion a mourning Who then shall pittie thee ô Ierusalem or who shal be sorry for thee I speak not of our Kings God hath blest us graciously I know where I am and addresse this point to the common use of the Church as it may concern all Countries For as we are all members of the Church and of the houshold of faith so our iniquities which are offensive to God and hurtfull to our selves may be also scandalous and hurtfull to the Church A wicked man in a Congregation the Apostle calleth leaven Know yee not that a little leaven sowreth the whole lumpe Sins like the disease of Leprosie infect per contactum by the touch The point is when any of us come to make our peace with God for our sins as we have care of our selves and our owne reconciliation to God so let us remember to commend to God the care of his Church which by our sins is wronged For can the toe stumble at a stone without the hazard of a fall to the whole body seeing wee are members one of another Therefore the care of Gods Angels descendeth solow as the foot Ne offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum lest thou dash thy foot against a stone He that desireth by true Repentance to set al to rights let him look every way where his sin hath done hurt and labour to repair it Great is the example of Gods proceeding against his own people Israel in judgement for the sin of Achan The Lord saith Israel bath sinned and they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them Therefore they fled before their enemies And when this matter came to scrutinie the fault was found to be in Achan onely Hee had stolne a Babylonish garment two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold c. All Israel fared the worse for his one sin his one sin is charged upon the whole Kingdome Lyran. quia factum unius de communitate in malis toti communitati attribuitur because the deed of one that communicateth in evill is ascribed to all them that communicate with him We do not beare one anothers iniquity the soule that sinneth shall die but such is the conjunction of the body of the Church that wee cannot commit grosse and eminent sins without the hurt and infection one of another Therefore to accomplish our Repentance and heale all wee have here a good example to close our penitentiall prayers as David here doth This remayne of the Psalme hath two parts 1 Davids petition verse 18. 2 The successe of his prevailing in his suite verse 19. The petition hath two parts 1 Do good in thy good pleasure to Sion 2 Build thou the walls of Ierusalem 2 The successe is double 1 God shall be pleased 2 His servants shall do their duty to him 1 Of Davids petition 1 Of his first petition Do good in thy good pleasure to Jerusalem wherin we must consider 1 The petitioner David 2 For whom he petitioneth for Sion for Jerusalem 3 The petition it self Do good 4 The limitation of the petition in thy good pleasure 1 Of the petitioner David whom wee againe consider foure wayes 1 As he was a private man a member of the Church 2 As he was an holy Prophet of the Lord 3 As hee was the head of the Church the King of Israel 4 As he was a penitent Convert now again received into the favour of God 1 As a private man It is the dutie of every private man to pray for the welfare of the Church of God The Church is called a Communion of Saints and we are knit together vinculo amoris with the bond of love there is unus amor one love but as it hath a double reflection 1 Vpon God whose honour wee preferre above all things 2 Vpon our neighbours whom wee ought to love as ourselves So wee have two great arguments to induce our devotion to this holy duty of prayer for the Church 1 In respect of God The three petitions in the first Table of the Lords prayer do maintain this For 1 Herein we sollicite our God for the honouring of his own name the sanctifying of it here amongst men for his name is great in Israel In his Church every thing speaketh of his glory The Church is the Congregation of them that call upon the name of the Lord. It is the prayer of Iesus Christ Father glorifie thy name Wee have great reason for it because our helpe is in the name of the Lord. It was the old petition of the Church To beseech God for his Names sake 2 We pray for the comming of Gods Kingdome His Kingdome of power is over all the World But his Kingdome of grace is the holinesse of his Church onely and his Kingdom of glory is the Crown of the Church onely Here God reigneth The Lord is King and hath put on glorious apparell he hath clothed himself with majestie and honour His Kingdome is within us his wisdome our guide his word our law his mercy our hope his judgements our feare his truth our faith his will our obedience 3 Wee pray that the will of God may be done on earth sicut in coelo as in heaven So if the Church thrive and prosper here will be an heaven upon earth and wee shall be like the Angels of God who obey him by fulfilling his will For the Church is the Congregation of such as labour to walke with God in all pleasing 2 In respect of our neighbours We consider our selves as members one of another so the welfare of the members dependeth on the welfare of the body Every ones good ought to be as precious to us as much desired of us as our own God is rich in mercy and we need not feare that what is bestowed on our brethren will abate any thing of his bounty to us which in things temporall doth often disquiet us And herein the weakest members of the Church may be helpfull to the whole body of it for prayer and wel-wishing which proceed from zeale and love may come from the poorest the sickest member of the Church no prison can shut it up 2 Consider him as a Prophet of the Lord. The prayers of all men have good accesse to the throne of grace but Prophets of the Lord beside the common obligation as members of the body of the Church have a speciall duty ex officio by their office and are as it were Masters of Requests to put up the prayers of the Church to God Samuel God forbid
such way to blot our misdeeds out of Gods booke of remembrance as this to publish our owne faults and our repentance of them as David here doth From the whole petition we gather one substance of request which is that God would forgive him all his sinnes which petition is grounded upon an Article of faith the tenth in our Apostles Creed Forgivenesse of sinnes It is also the fifth Petition in the Lords Prayer dimitte nobis debita nostra Forgive us our trespasses David saith Credidi proptereà locâ—tâ—â— sum I beleeved and therefore I spake If we beleeve the Article we may move God in the Petition It is as great an honour to God to be a forgiver as to be a giver Amongst our selves we know that it is one of the hardest taskes of our religion to forgive an injurie Our hearts rise against them that doe it our bloud boyles our countenance falleth it is much more easie to winne us to give gifts to our brethren then to forgive injuries yet we are never out of that Petition to God and in our daily prayer as we aske bread for the day so we aske forgivenesse because our soule needeth pardon as much as our body needeth food I may say much more for wee may goe in the strength of one meale some houres but there is no moment of our life which doth not need to cry God mercy and to aske his pardon for our sinne The necessitie whereof is such that our Saviour taketh advantage of it to establish our charity to our brethren that way That wee might begge no pardon for our selves but with a Sicut â—os dimittimus As we forgive The phrases used in Scripture in petition of Gods pardon are much varied Christ biddeth us say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put them away which Isay doth render thus Thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe Micah is more full in this expressure He will turne again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sinnes into the depths of the sea This David doth call washing cleansing purging hiding Gods face from them and blotting out All meete in one full point of gratious pardon for all these phrases desire an absolute totall and finall remove of our sinnes both from the displeasure of God and from both the annoyance and the punishment of our selves And we can have no peace in our conscience till we be comfortably perswaded hereof Sinnes are called debts Agree with thine adversarie for feare of the Prison thou shalt not come out thence till thou hast paid the utmost farthing blessed is the man whose unrighteousnesse is forgiven I his text teacheth that we must strive and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contend with God by our prayers for the forgivenes of our sinnes Observe the contents of the Lords Prayer in which would all our lawfull petitions are cast and by which modell the whole building of our supplications is erected The three first Petitions respect the glory of God The latter regardeth our good in two things 1 In our esse our being Give us bread that is let us live we pray for supportation of our being 2 Our bene esse our well being and that consisteth in these three things mainly 1 In the pardon of our sinnes past Et dimitte and forgive 2 In the prevention of temptations to come et ne nos inducas and leade us not 3 In deliverance from punishment and from the power of Sathan Which three Petitions have respect to our sinne so important is our suit for pardon that Christ beginnes our bene esse well being at dimitte forgive Doe but observe your selves how importunate you are with God for ease and health when you are sicke your mouth is full of miserere mei Deus have mercy on mee O God You call upon all that visite you to comfort you with their prayers you send to Church to crave ayde of the congregation you give God no rest How is it that in your sinnes the mortall diseases of your soules you are not thus earnest with God for his pardon which is the onely physicke for a diseased soule David saith God healeth all our infirmities and he sheweth how hee pardoneth all our sinnes therefore the way of cure in all griefes of the body is to heale the soule first so David Sana animam meam c. Heale my soule c. How came it sicke quia peccavi contrate because I have sinned against thee Christ usually in his cures began his healing there fili dimittuntur tibi peccata tua sonne thy sinnes are forgiven thee But the reason why we are so importunate for our body so slight and negligent for our soule is this wee feele the aking and smart the convulsions and crampes the cold shakings the fiery inflammations the trembling palsies the griping and grating collickes and other afflicting diseases which cruciate the body we are not so sensible of the spirituall disease of sinne till we come to remove it by repentance then all other griefes fall short of the griefe of sinne that is a breaking of the bones as before it is exprest Surely if I were limited to one petition and no more for my selfe I would choose this before any Dele omnes iniquitates meas blot out all mine iniquities for there is nothing can be ill with him that hath no iniquity to answer for his soule shall dwell at ease I therefore presse the doctrinall example of David Let us never leave begging of God the pardon of our sinne I will not streine my selfe to multiply reasons of this doctrine that were to follow the new fashion of preaching for we also are at our fashions One maine reason hereof may serve There is nothing so much displeaseth God nothing so much endangereth this life and that which is to come as sinne This I thinke no man will refuse to put for granted Then I say there is no way to be found out of this danger of our sinne but by Gods pardon Come to the Court of justice the law condemneth us Cursed is every one that confirmeth not all the words of the law to doe them Come to the judgement of most voyces all the people shall say Amen for who will blesse where God curseth Come to the Court of Conscience our owne heart condemneth and smiteth us for our sinne is ever before us What have poore sinners then to say for themselves why death should not be the wages of sinne The fault is capitall here is no escape from the justice of the Law but by the Kings gratious pardon In our Ecclesiasticall Courts we have power in the discretion of the Iudge in causes criminall commutare poenam to change the punishment to let offendors buy out a shame of publique disgrace with some pecuniary mulct to be employed in pios usus in religious uses If in causes capitall there have beene Commutatio paenae change of punishment and
were filled with laughter and our tongues with joy Then they said the Lord hath done great things for us the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoyce As God is described in the shepheard who recovered his lost sheep and in the woman who found her lost groat and in the father who recovered and received his prodigall sonne with more joy than the shepheard had in his 99. than the woman had in the rest of her money than the father had in his eldest sonne that had alwaies beene with him So a converted sinner delighteth more in God after his conversion then he did before Ibo revertar ad patrens moum I will goe and returne to my father I will goe and returne to my first husband for then it was better with me than it is now A Convert can tell transgressors how his father espied him a far off how he met him upon the way how he fell on his necke and kissed him and bade him welcome how he brought first stolam primam the chiefe garment to cover him how he killed vitulum illum that calfe and had musicke and dancing for joy for his returne One of the greatest feares of a sinner who hath sold God for some vaine pleasure is that God will never be recovered to favour him againe and that is one of the Scorpions wherewith the very Saints of God are scourged Sathan abetteth that feare in them with terrible overtures of the impartiall justice of God and it is the voyce of the wicked of the earth Tush God hath forsaken him and there is none to helpe him David was heart-sicke of this disease Many there be that say to my soule there is no helpe for thee in thy God A true penitent reconciled to God can tell such that they belye the holy one of Israell with the Lord there is mercy that he may be feared He giveth pardon for sinnes and forgiveth all thine iniquities He continueth but a while in anger if a sinner wil not come to him he wil whet his sword he will make ready his bow and prepare his arrowes for execution But if a sinner will forsake his evill wayes and returne to him he will behold him a farre off and meete him upon the way and embrace him with his savour This is the chiefe errand that we have from God to his Church to carry to them the word of reconciliation to preach peace to them that are neare and to them that are farre off liberty to the imprisoned and to such as are opprest the taking off of the yoke He that hath beene scorched with the flames of hell who hath felt the sting of a cruciating conscience who hath beene shaken and shattered with the terror of the Lord and hath found joy and comfort upon his repentance he can testifie for God that he is gratious and mercifull that he may be entreated so David Come hearken to me all ye that feare God and I will tell you what he hath done for my soule There is a Psalme of purpose for it wherein the Prophet magnifieth both his owne miserie and Gods singular mercy with a probatum est so it is experto crede beleeve him that hath found it by experience he tels what he hath comfortably found and the Church hath joy of it Seeing a convert is so fit for this service let all sinners labour to hasten and accomplish their conversion of purpose to doe God this good service in teaching others This would multiply teachers in the Church and turne us all into ministers of reconciliation Every one should teach his neighbour the feare of the Lord. We cannot put our selves in a fairer way to glory for They that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine as the starres in the firmament Be they Ecclesiasticall or Lay be they such as doe it ex officio out of duty by vertue of a speciall calling or ex charitate from the love they beare to God and their brethren Their reward is with God and they shall eate the fruit of their labours from the tree of life in the middest of the garden It is the nature of goodnesse for Bonum est communicativum sui Good is of a spreading nature bonus malum bonum esse vult ut sit sui similis the good would have the evill to be good that he may be like himselfe We cannot more holily more charitably expresse our conversion to God than by teaching transgressors his waies We cannot want schollers for totus mundus est in maligno positus the whole world is set upon evill what if some say Nolumus scientiam viarum tuarum wee desire not the knowledge of thy waies and hate to be reformed yet others will hearken and even they may by the favour of God be softened to an impression In our evill conversation we were forward enough to draw in others to the societie of our evils to corrupt and pervert good manners So theeves that say we will all have one purse and immoderate drinkers sit together till strong drinke inflame them Me thinkes the Apostle is very reasonable Sicut dedistis membra vestra as you have given your members so give your members I may say to a Convert doe but the same diligence in converting thy brother that thou hast done and used in corrupting him and it will passe currant let thy counsell and example looke that way and thinke thy conversion effected for this The father of mercies and God of all comfort comforteth us in all our tribulation that wee may be able to comfort them which bee in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God The rule holdeth throughout as in consolation so in instruction and in reprehension and in conviction of the conscience As every one hath received any measure of grace from God so let him communicate his knowledge and his grace to others in love remembring that we are members one of another This is the way to advance the building up of the Church of God and to demolish the power of Sathans kingdome None can pleade exemption from this duty for when David the King offereth his service this way who can sit out The more eminent the person is the more effectuall is his teaching and the sooner will transgressors give eare to him See here the wisedome and goodnesse of God how he hath wrought good out of evill for he hath stooped the Majestie of a King to the service of a teacher and hath sanctified the person of a transgressor to the conversion of transgressors The corrupter of his owne waies becommeth a guide to others This also doth encourage our labour for our conversion because it is a new making to us The proofe of it we haue in Saint Paul who no sooner was himselfe converted but he laboured the illumination of such as were in darkenesse the confirmation of the weake and the conversion of all that were in their owne crooked
offering So soon as sin is removed wee are presently fit for prayse It is the generall part of our service of God and it makes our prayers and prayses miscarry when we come to God charged with sins without repentance wash you make you clean c. Then come and let us reason together 2 Quid promittit What hee promises Here observe 1 What instrument he will use for Gods service lingua the tongue 2 Lingua mea my tongue 3 Cantabit shall sing The manner of his service 4 Aloud the intention 5 The argument of his song justitiam righteousnes 6 Tuam Thine 1 Lingua the tongue This is tuba animae the soules trumpet The best member that we have for this service So our old English Church Psalmes doe reade I will sing give prayse with the best member that I have The K. B. readeth I will sing give prayse even with my glory So Awake up my glory awake Psaltery Calvin readeth Exurge lingua arise ô tongue For that is the glorious instrument of Gods prayse The tongue hath an ill name in Scripture because it is the instrument of Gods dishonour and our neighbours great hurt oftentimes The tongue of David had lasciviously courted Uriah's wife and had spoken him faire to his hurt The tongue often blasphemeth God the common crying sinne of the time lying swearing flattering slandering false witnes multiloquium much-speaking turpiloquium filthy-speaking cursing boasting c. There are so many sins of the tongue that Saint Iames saith If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the wholebody But if any man seeme to be religious and bridleth not his tongue this mans religion is vain It is Davids first note of the tenants of Gods house aloft He that speaketh the truth in his heart and backbiteth not with his tongue And it is the first rule for him that desireth life and loveth many dayes that hee may see good Keepe thy tongue from evill and thy lips from speaking guile No lesson so hard to be learned of us here as the wise and â—â—â—creet government of the tongue David promised a singular care of this I said I will take heed to my wayes that I sin not in my tongue Socrates reports of one Pambâ— an honest wel-meaning man who came to his friend desiring him to teach him one of Davids Psalmes he read to him this Verse He answered This one Verse is enough if I learn it well Nineteen yeers after he said In all that time he had hardly learned that one Verse David is now in a good way to employ his tongue in the service of God For they are out which say with our tongue will we prevaile our lips are our owne who is Lord over us he that distinguished man by this excellent gift from all other his creatures meant it not to him for a rod to scourge himself for a Scorpion to sting his neighbour nor for mans own self punishment There is better use to be made of it as here 2 Lingua mea my tongue God cannot want prayse and glory from his creatures for Coeli eâ—arrant gloriam Dei the Heavens declare the glory of God and one generation prayseth him to another But that is no thanke to thee Lingua mea tua sua thy tongue mine his As David Let every thing that hath breath prayse the Lord. So let every thing that hath a tongue sing aloude c. Thou God of my salvation let it be lingua mea my tongue that sings To say the truth why is it lingua mea my tongue but to serve mine own turn in offices of piety charity it hath not a better employment then the prayse of the Lord. When any thing of ours doth omit or slight duty to our maker our interest in it ceaseth For our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost and our tongue is the Organ of the Church hee that made it tuned it to his prayse Christ cured the dumbe as well as the blinde deafe and lame c. 3 Shall sing This is the voice of joy and gladnesse in the tabernacles of the righteous These carry forth their seed with teares they sowe in teares their dwelling is in convalle laeâ—rymarum in the vale of teares Though they sit by the rivers of Babel they never hang up their Harps they can and do sing the song of the Lord in a strange Land For whatsoever their outward calamities are which often wash their faces with their teares they have upright hearts to God My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour There is in every one of the Elect an outward man which negotiateth in outward things and hee hath his hande full There is also an inward man and he is willing but weak The calamities of life the dishonours done to Gods name and glory by others the failings on our own part in duty our fallings from it doall work our grief and turn our organs into the voice of them that weep Yet in the midst of these sorrowes wee may rejoyce in the Lord like Musique in the cabin when the ship is in a storm My song shall be alwayes of the loving kindnesse of the Lord. Amongst all the favours of God none tasteth stronger of his divine nature none happieth us more in the peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost then his pardon of our sin and deliverance from it Fils dimittuntur tibi peccata tua Sonne thy sinnes are forgiven thee answereth Davids suite Sana animam meam heale my soule for donation the Lord doth not magnifie himself so much in it seeing he hath power over all But to pardon sinnes which do so violate his Majesty and are so contrary to his holinesse and doe so abuse his bounty and free favour this may make us sing I never read that any thing which God gave away grieved him but the sins of men grieve him at the heart and make him repent his making of them Therefore no such provocation to sing as deliverance from sin by pardon Songs were in fashion of old the Church was full of Musique the old Testament full of songs Some of our curious Zelotes cry it down in Churches it did well when time was â— but every particular person receiving Gods gracious pardon of his sin in the spirituall comfort of his conscience shall doe well to declare his thankfull recognition of it and his singular delight in it the cheerfullest way he can Is any merry let him sing 4 Alowd This â— for God for himselfe for the Church 1 For God That his honour may be proclaimed therfore they borrowed the voice of still and lowd instruments David make the voice of his prayse to be heard Dicitâ— in gentibus tell it among the nations Sicut in Câ—lo as in Heaven there the quire of the new IerusaleÌ„ cease not day and night to voice
shall make way into the favour of God Gods people lost their costs and labour in their Sacrifices and solemne worship of God and nausâ—ated the soule of God with them because of their iniquities These returne our prayers empty handed from God yea these do turn our prayers into sin When the Prodigall sonne returneth penitent to his father all is for given and forgotten and his father now rejoyceth more in him then he did before He was al rags he needed not to aske raiment his father called for it stolam primaÌ„ the best robe he came home hungry hee demaÌ„ded not food his ambition was but bread the fat Calf was killed for him he was received with musique and dancing The bent of the Parable and the other two of the lost sheep and the lost groat is to shew that repentance putteth us into a better state of favour then we had before For where sinne aboundeth grace doth superabound I may give two reasons of it I Here God taketh occasion to open the bowels of his tender compassion and to declare his mercy which is over all his works 2 True Repentance is an act of so much anguish and bitternesse it is for the time a frying in the flames of hell that no man would have the heart to undergoe the torments of it if he did not by the cleere eye of faith looke beyond it to the joy and comfort of Gods recovered favour The point teacheth its own use for if we would have any audience with God for our selves or our brethren we must first present God with a Sacrifice of contrite and broken hearts and then God will meet us upon our way to him and prevent us with his free favours Surely goodnesse and mercie shall follow us all the dayes of our life There is no service to the service of the King The Lord is our King of old let it be our glory and our fence that we are the servants of the living God All Gods enemies will be daunted at the sight of us and the feare of us will be upon all the Nations of the World And as all Nations feared the face of Israel because God had led them through the Red Sea and given them victory all the way c. So will they say Let us flie from the face of this people Is not this the Nation that under the Rule of a Virgin Queen expelled superstitious Religion out of their Land That to a people that sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death a great light shined even the cleer light of the holy Gospel Is not this the state against which so many damnable treasons were plotted under a Womans government and all were by the singular favour of God happily but wondrously defeated Is not this the Nation for whom God himselfe fought against Sisera and Iabin the winds and the Seas fought against the supposed invincible Armado of Spain nothing more verifying the prediction Octogâ—simus octavus mirabilis annus 1558 a yeer which wonder at we might Is not this the Nation whom God preserved from the powder treason the bloudiest the closest stratageme that ever was contrived and ripened even to the season of dismall execution All these favours wee have had our many crying sins have lost us this glory this defence our repentance may yet recover our God to us and restore us to his favour and replant us in our former strength Nothing but repentance can call us again the servants of the living God and that were our safety There is a certaine Majesty and power in the faces of Gods servants to daunt the courage of Gods enemies when God pleaseth to have it so It was a bold resolution of Iaddus but suggested by Almighty God in a dreame When Alexander set on toward Ierusalem to conquer it and all his people followed him with expectation of all that force and fury could worke against their City Iaddus the high Priest and all the Priests of the Lord came forth to meete him in their Sacerdotall Vestments followed by the people in white garments The chiefe Priest carrying the name of God on his Mitre Alexander durst not lift up his hand against that name hee fell downe and worshipped it The reverence of the servants of the living God awed him and softened him to such good respect as caused all hostilitie to cease and produced gracious favours from him For God can make them that leaâ— his children captive to pittie them This state we may gain by Repentance and being the knowne servants of the living God the feare of us will be upon all the Nations of the earth This shall be a greater safety to us then our Armes and Fortifications then our Walls of stone ashoare of wood at Sea It is the voice of joy in the tabernacles of the righteous The Lord of hosts is with us the God of Iacob is our refuge We have a sure word for it For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his eares are open to their prayers but the face of God is against them that do evill And who is he that will harme you if ye be followers of that that is good 2 Observe his prayer here is for the Church for wee must enquire why he addresseth his prayer next after his Repentance for the state of the Church I conceive the reason this David being an eminent person a mighty King and an holy Prophet had by his great sinne done wrong to the state of the Church of God and therefore after his peace made with God by repentance he pleadeth the cause of the Church with God by petition Sin generally is of a contagious nature the first sin brought a curse upon the whole earth And Hagge hath told us that the sinne of the Iewes in their neglect of building Gods House did bring upon their land barrennesse unfruitfulnesse upon their trees their wages did not prosper for the works of their hands nothing thrived with them But especially the wickednesse of their Kings did ever bring great evill upon the Church and Common-wealth Rehoboams sin rent the Kingdome and lost the Church ten Tribes at once and divided the State into two Kingdomes The Kings of Israel and of Iudah were the ruine of their Kingdomes And Davids sin crimsoned his house with bloud The pollution of Thamar the death of Amnon the Rebellion of Absolon as these were the great sorrows of David s they were the disquiet and vexation of the whole State and these were the effects and fruits of Davids sinne Therefore David doth well to repaire the ruines of Sion by his prayers to solicite the peace of the Church which his sin had so much endangered In the later end of his Reigne hee displeased God in the numbring of his people and the whole Kingdome suffered for it God sent â— pestilence amongst the people which in three dayes consumed of that great number threescore and ten thousand plectuntur