Pharaoh was to be softned and if you mark it when upon the importunity of Moses God was perswaded to withdraw that rod to intermix deliverances these never wrought any good upon Pharaoh when Pharaoh saw that there was respite respite but for a minute he hardned his heart c. Ex. 8.15 an observation that made S. Basil resolve that 't was God's patience or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hardned Pharaoh's heart the removings of his plagues interealations of mercy the taking off the water from the fire and letting it cool again that as Aristot saith makes it freez so hard and so speedily The Devil and the Magicians would have been better at the cure of an hard heart than Moses and his prayers they could only conjure up more blood and more frogs but could not remove any and that it seems was the most likely means to have kept him humbled And therefore in the New Testament 't is the Apostles saving method in such great cures to call in the Devil into consultation to deliver men up unto Satan as the last and surest remedy the continued stripes and the no-respite to give the impenitent to drink of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Apoc. that hath so pose◠the Interpreters the unmixt mixt wine the all myrrh but no water the all manner of imbittering heightning but none of the allaying cooling mixtures in it and so still the portion of our crucified Master i. e. by the way of this Text all smitings and disciplining real corporeal inflictions of Satan to the diseasing and destroying of the flesh and it seems no popular Empirical means so probable for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. And then my brethren to bring down this first particular unto our selves was there ever such a course of sour discipline such a delivering up unto Satan as this Nation of ours hath for some years been under Were there ever such real bufferings not like that in Saint Jerom's Dream to convert the Ciceronian into a Christian but as upon a waking Bedlam a daily constant exercise of stripes or like that on the possessed in the Gospel the spirit taking us and tearing us till we foam again and our base reviling and slandering one another is that foam O how many sad falling fits hath this poor demoniack been wrastling under and unless an over-ruling mercy interpose perhaps the bitterest part of the agony still to come in the strugling of life to return again is not this the antitype of a smitten Ephraim I speak not this particularly of those that have been the sufferers under this rod believe it the catalogue of the smitten is larger than so You may mark it that the Rod it self is smitten whensoever it smites at every blow wounded and torn by way of re-passion And so the most distant atomes of this Kingdom are once united in this one sad notion of stripes and wounds fit to become one common 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precentor in the first note of this sad anthem the flagellâsti me thou hast smitten me O that we could get but one word farther join all in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or counterpart flagellatus sum in the real passive and I was smitten This were but justice unto God that hath taken all this pains with us been at such an expence of culters with these stony fallow hearts of ours You shall see how rhetorically he expostulates it Amos 3.4 Will a Lion roar in the forest to have no prey shall my chidings and threats and thunderbolts tearing your Ephod and your Altar rending not the veil but the Temple it self from the top to the bottom be spent all to no purpose Will a young Lion give forth his voice from his den that he may take nothing that is the best rendring of the place Shall all this tragical scene designed and acted by God all but our sin-parts in it be but a beating of the air or a scourging of the sea unprofitably no one sin in such a legion brought down or vanquish'd by all this storming Nay shall we at once evacuate and reproach frustrate and defame his methods pronounce unto all the world that God hath lost his design for want of conduct shall we set up for the Master-wits get Proselytes away from heaven to Ephraim's heresie preach back again to God's Rod and tell him that afflictions are very improper engines to make batteries on Souls If so then are we just the indomiti juvenci in this Text so perfectly untamed after all this smiting I wish we could say as true in that that follows the Turn thou us and we shall be turned that the resolvedness not to benefit by stripes were not so like the blasphemy against the holy Ghost that when this hath failed any other method might hope to prove successful That Prosperity might do it was Ephraim's fancy though distant enough from God's which brings me to my second particular Man's judgment or the sinners perswasion of himself that Roses are more wholesome than Wormwood that Prosperity will do it better and a bribing God with a promise that it shall do it Converte convertar Turn c. And this we shall not fully carry away with us if we do not view it distinctly in three notions 1. As 't was a perswasion or act of belief in Ephraim that so 't would prove Turn thou me c. 2. As a promise that it should be thus Turn and I will c. 3. As in truth it was an excuse to get off the Rod or to procrastinate the repentance the present method of smiting may be superseded Turn thou me c. The first an act of judgment in Ephraim The second of temporary resolution The third of artifice and design In each of these Ephraim may chance to prove our mirrour 't will be worth your patience that I shew you how And 1. As it was a perswasion or act of judgment in Ephraim that Prosperity was the way to make them better 'T was a truth of God's own pronouncing that his thoughts are not like our thoughts consented to by the Philosopher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Xenophanes God hath no more of our fancies than of our shapes heaven and earth are seldom of an opinion 'T will be most pertinent and visible in matters of his providence When God hath designed the cross the constant post and stage in our gesses to Heaven we must needs set up another oeconomy fansie it a kingdom of uncompounded felicities croud all the Godly into one throne and the ungodly into one footstool bring Christ unto this Earth again on a second more prudent errand to have an age of reigning not of suffering among a world not of followers but of fellow-kings and so in the Apostles judgement inclose him in a kingdom of bastards whom we are resolv'd quite contrary to God's pronouncing to be the only sons and Saints
Pharaoh's butlers and Pharaoh's bakers dreams which accordingly came to pass brought him to the knowledge of Pharaoh and then the interpretation of Pharaoh's dream also revealed unto him by God perfectly purged him from the crime of incontinence falsely charged against him this being an evidence of his integrity and perfect innocence that God would vouchsafe thus to inspire him 20. The King sent and loosed him even the ruler of the people and let him go free 21. He made him Lord of his house and ruler of all his substance 22. To bind his Princes at his pleasure and teach his senators wisedom Paraphrase 20 21 22. Hereupon therefore Pharaoh not onely set him free from his restraint but withall advanced him to be next himself in a most supereminent power over the whole nation to controll and do whatsoever he pleased 23. Israel also came into Aegypt and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. Paraphrase 23. By this means joyned with the occasion forementioned v. 16. the famine in Canaan upon which Jacob sent down his sons unto Aegypt where alone by Joseph's providence it was to be had to buy food Joseph by degrees made himself known to his brethren and at length invited his father Jacob to come and bring all his family with him into Aegypt providing him a part of the countrey where they might live by themselves and use their own rites and customs as they pleased and accordingly Jacob overjoyed to hear that his beloved son whom he thought devoured by wild beasts was yet alive accepted the offer and came and dwelt in Aegypt Gen. 46. 24. And he increased his people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies Paraphrase 24. And in his journey at Beersheba God appeared to him Gen. 46.1 and incouraged him in his journey to Aegypt and promised to make to him a great nation there v. 3. And according to that promise so it was For there being but a small number of persons in this family when they came down but seventy reckoned in all Gen. 46.27 whereof some also were born after their coming into Aegypt see note on Act. 7. b. they were within few years increased to a multitude and waxed exceeding mighty and the land was filled with them Exod. 1.7 and the King of Aegypt entred into consultation about them taking notice to his people v. 9. that the children of Israel were more and mightier than the Aegyptians 25. He turned their heart to hate his people to deal subtily with his servants Paraphrase 25. This great and signal goodness of God to the posterity of Jacob in multiplying them so exceedingly was a means to provoke the Aegyptians jealousie and from fear they turâ—ed soon to hatred and mischievous machinations against them giving order first for the oppressing them by burthens and hard labour Exod. 1.11 and when that did not prevail to the lessening but increasing of them v. 12. then inhansing the rigor of their servitude v. 13 14. and at length appointing all their male children to be killed as soon as they were born 26. He sent Moses his servant and Aaron whom he had chosen Paraphrase 26. In this point of time was Moses seasonably born and preserved by Gods providence miraculously and when he was 40 years old it came into his heart to visit his brethren in Aegypt but he was soon forced to fly thence and sojourn in Madian Act. 7.23 29. and about fourty years after v. 30. he was called by God and sent as his impowred commissioner to Pharaoh his brother Aaron being joyned with him to negotiate the delivery and departure of this whole people out of the bondage of Aegypt 27. They shewed his signs among them and wonders in the land of Ham. Paraphrase 27. To that end God gave them power of working miracles to gain belief both from the Israelites themselves that they were sent from God to deliver them and from Pharaoh also and particularly directed them from time to time what miracles they should work and they performed exactly according to direction 28. He sent darkness and made it dark and they rebelled not against his word Paraphrase 28. For example when many of the miracles prescribed by God had been successless and but inraged and not melted or perswaded Pharaoh and withall now after the time that God had told Moses that he would send all his plagues upon Pharaoh's heart ch 9.14 and that he is said expresly to have hardened Pharaoh's heart v. 12. after which Moses was in reason to expect he would be more inraged by his signs yet putting off all fear of Pharaoh's wrath and cruelty as soon as God Exod. 10.21 commanded Moses to stretch out his hand to heaven that there might be darkness over the land of Aegypt even darkness that might be felt Moses immediately obeyed stretched forth his hand to heaven and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Aegypt three days v. 23. 29. He turned their waters into blood and slew their fish Paraphrase 29. Before this God had begun with Pharaoh with variety of other plagues by Aaron's striking his rod upon the waters the waters of all the land of Aegypt were presently turned into blood Exod. 7.20 and the fish that was in the river died v. 21. 30. The land brought forth frogs in abundance in the chambers of their Kings Paraphrase 30. Then after that he smote all their borders with frogs Exod. 8.2 upon Aaron's stretching out his rod over the streams v. 5. and the frogs came and covered the whole land of Aegypt and came into Pharaoh's house and into his bed-chamber and upon his bed v. 3. 31. He spake and there came divers sorts of flyes and lice in all their coasts Paraphrase 31. After this at Gods appointment Aaron with his rod smote the dust of the earth and it became lice in man and beast Exod. 8.17 a judgment wherein the Magicians themselves acknowledged the finger of God all their skill in sorcery being not able to arrive to this Then when that would not work great swarms of flyes Exod. 8.24 came upon Pharaoh and all the Aegyptians the Israelites onely being free from them 32. He gave them hail for rain and flaming fire in the land 33. He smote their vines also and their figg-trees and brake the trees of their coasts Paraphrase 32 33. Then after two other plagues the murrein and the blains Exod. 9.3 and 9. God sent a most grievous hail v. 18. and with it thunder and fire running along upon the ground v. 23. and these brake to small pieces all sorts of trees in the field and smote all sorts of plants v. 25. 34. He spake and the locusts came and caterpillars and that without number 35. And did eat up all the herbs in their land and devoured the fruit of their ground Paraphrase 34 35. Then what was left undestroyed by the hail of their plants and corn and trees and innumerable multitude of
expect all rage and ill usage from him yet as God commanded them or according to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the words of his signs v. 27. see note g. they did couragiously proceed from one sign to another not fearing the wrath of the King or people to shew all God's miracles upon the Aegyptians The Latin reads non exacerbavit he did not provoke in the singular but to the same sense referring it I suppose to Moses But neither singular nor plural can probably refer to Pharaoh or the people of Aegypt that he or they resisted not God's word for though upon that plague of darkness Exod. 10.24 Pharaoh called unto Moses and said Goe ye serve the Lord yet that is attended with an onely let your flocks and your herds be stayed and then it follows v. 27. he would not let them goe The importance therefore of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they resisted not seems no more than what is affirmed in the story v. 21 22. The Lord said unto Moses stretch out thy hand And Moses stretched forth his hand i. e. readily obeyed and did what God directed and that at a time when Pharaoh was likely to be incensed and vehemently offended with them For which consideration the story there gives us this farther ground For as v. 10. he had before expressed some anger and threats Look to it for evil is before you and they were driven from his presence v. 11. so now upon the hardening his heart which follows this plague of darkness he said to Moses Get thee from me take heed to thy self see my face no more for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die the death v. 28. This rage of Pharaoh Moses in reason might well foresee but he dreaded it not but boldly did as God directed and that is the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they resisted not God's words The LXXII now reade it without the negation some copies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they exasperated others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they exasperated his words And the Syriack and Arabick and Aethiopick follow them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they murmured so that word seems to be translated into other languages or resisted his word And thus it might have truth in it being applied to Pharaoh and the Aegyptians who could not yet be brought to be content to let the Israelites go free and carry their goods with them out of their Kingdom Exod. 10.24 27. But 't is more probable that the true original reading of the LXXII was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither which as it is the exact rendring of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not so it is very near to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some copies now have And from this light but very ancient corruption of their copy the other translations have it which consequently must be reformed by the Original V. 30. Brought forth The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly belongs to water breaking or springing out of the earth and is applied to any plentifull production Exod. 1.7 the children of Israel grew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and procreated abundantly and as it there follows the land was filled with them The noun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from hence is used for all sorts of creatures of the earth or water that goe not on legs Locusts Ants Worms Hornets Fishes c. because they procreate so exceedingly It cannot therefore more fitly be rendred both according to the force of the verb and noun than by swarming and that in such a degree over all the land that the palace which may be supposed to be most carefully kept was not free from them The Chaldee render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies among them scaturivit any copious production also But the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the notion of the word for creeping What is here said of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their land that that produced these swarms of frogs is Exod. 8.3 said of the river and so 5. and 6. stretch forth thy hand over the streams the rivers the ponds and cause frogs to come and as this makes more for the propriety of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to that of Gen. 1. speaking of the waters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let them swarm or produce abundantly the swimming thing so the earth and the waters being now but one globe the earth may be said to bring forth that which the waters produce or 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their land may signify their countrey of which their rivers were a part or 3. though the rivers produced the frogs yet the land swarmed with them as appears by the consequents they went up into the King's chambers V. 42. Holy promise That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 joyned to a verb intransitive signifies with is acknowledged by Lexicographers and here such a verb is understood after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word of his holiness which he spake or had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Abraham so the Chaldee understood it and read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which with i. e. which he had with or to Abraham and so the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he had or which was made to Abraham The Hundred and Sixth PSALM Praise ye the Lord. The hundred and sixth Psalm the last of the fourth partition intitled Hallelujah is chiefly spent in confessing the sins and provocations of the Children of Israel but begun and concluded with the praising and magnifying of God's mercies and by the beginning and two last verses of it set down 1 Chron. 16.34 35 36. appears to be one of those Psalms which David delivered into the hand of Asaph and his Brethren v. 7. to record and thank and praise the Lord in their continual or daily ministring before the Ark v. 4. 1. O Give thanks unto the Lord for he is gâ—od for his mercy endureth for ever Paraphrase 1. Let us all joyn in proclaiming the abundant goodness and continued mercies of God which from time to time he hath vouchsafed and will never fail to reach out unto us 2. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord who can shew forth all his praise Paraphrase 2. His miraculous works of power and grace are far beyond our describing or expressing 3. Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doth righteousness at all times Paraphrase 3. O 't is a blessed thing to be always engaged and exercised in the service of so gracious a master and by the continual practice of all duties of justice and mercy to be qualified for those mercies and protections which he never fails to make good to those which are thus fitted to expect or receive them 4. Remember me O Lord with the favour which thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with thy salvation Paraphrase 4. O blessed Lord of thy great abundant goodness to all thy faithfull servants be thou pleased to look favourably upon me though
thy self to God might recover you to Heaven O then what power and energy what force and strong efficacy would there be in this voice from God Why will you die I am resolved that heart that were truly sensible of it that were prepared seasonably by all these circumstances to receive it would find such inward vigor and spirit from it that it would strike death dead in that one minute this ultimus conatus this last spring and plunge would do more than a thousand heartless heaves in a lingring sickness and perhaps overcome and quit the danger And therefore let me beseech you to represent this condition to your selves and not any longer be flattered or couzened in a slow security To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts If you let it alone till this day come in earnest you may then perhaps heave in vain labour and struggle and not have breath enough to send up one sigh toward Heaven The hour of our death we are wont to call Tempus improbabilitatis a very improbable inch of time to build our Heaven in as after death is impossibilitatis a time wherein it is impossible to recover us from Hell If nothing were required to make us Saints but outward performances if true repentance were but to groan and Faith but to cry Lord Lord we could not promise our selves that at our last hour we should be sufficient for that perhaps a Lethargy may be our fate and then what life or spirits even for that perhaps a Fever may send us away raving in no case to name God but only in oaths and curses and then it were hideous to tell you what a Bethlehem we should be carried to But when that which must save us must be a work of the Soul and a gift of God how can we promise our selves that God will be so merciful whom we have till then contemned or our souls then capable of any holy impression having been so long frozen in sin and petrified even into Adamant Beloved as a man may come to such an estate of grace here that he may be most sure he shall not fall as St. Paul in likelihood was when he resolved that nothing could separate him So may a man be engaged so far in sin that there is no rescuing from the Devil There is an irreversible estate in evil as well as good and perhaps I may have arrived to that before my hour of death for I believe Pharaoh was come to it Exod. ix 34 after the seventh Plague hardning his heart and then I say it is possible that thou that hitherto hast gone on in habituate stupid customary rebellions mayst be now at this minute arrived to this pitch That if thou run on one pace farther thou art engaged for ever past recovery And therefore at this minute in the strength of your age and lusts this speech may be as seasonable as if death were seizing on you Why will you die At what time soever thou repentest God will have mercy but this may be the last instant wherein thou canst repent the next sin may benumb or fear thy heart that even the pangs of death shall come on thee insensibly that the rest of thy life shall be a sleep or lethargy and thou lie stupid in it till thou findest thy self awake in flames Oh if thou shouldst pass away in such a sleep Again I cannot tell you whether a death-bed repentance shall save you or no. The Spouse sought Christ on her bed but found him not Cant. iii. 1 The last of Ecclesiastes would make a man suspect that remembring God when our feeble impotent age comes on us would stand us in little stead Read it for it is a most learned powerful Chapter This I am sure of God hath chosen to himself a people zealous of good works Tit. ii 14 And they that find not some of this holy fire alive within them till their Souls are going out have little cause to think themselves of God's election So that perhaps there is something in it that Matth. iii. 8 the Exhortation Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance is exprest by a sense that ordinarily signifies time past 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have brought forth fruits It will not be enough upon an exigence when there is no way but one with me to be inclinable to any good works to resolve to live well when I expect to die I must have done this and more too in my life if I expect any true comfort at my death There is not any point we err more familiarly in and easily than our spiritual condition what is likely to become of us after death Any slight phansie that Christ died for us in particular we take for a Faith that will be sure to save us Now there is no way to preserve our selves from this Error but to measure our Faith and Hopes by our Obedience that if we sincerely obey God then are we true believers And this cannot well be done by any that begins not till he is on his Death-bed be his inclinations to good then never so strong his faith in Christ never so lusty yet how knows he whether it is only fear of death and a conviction that in spight of his teeth he must now sin no longer that hath wrought these inclinations produced this faith in him Many a sick man resolves strongly to take the Physicians dose in hope that it will cure him yet when he comes to taste its bitterness will rather die than take it If he that on his Death-bed hath made his solemnest severest Vows should but recover to a possibility of enjoying those delights which now have given him over I much fear his fiercest resolutions would be soon out-dated Such inclinations that either hover in the Brain only or float on the Surface of the Heart are but like those wavering temporary thoughts Jam. i. 6 Like a wave of the Sea driven by the wind and tost they have no firmness or stable consistence in the Soul it will be hard to build Heaven on so slight a foundation All this I have said not to discourage any tender languishing Soul but by representing the horrors of death to you now in health to instruct you in the doctrine of Mortality betimes so to speed and hasten your Repentance Now as if to morrow would be too late as if there were but a small Isthmus or inch of ground between your present mirth and jollity and your everlasting earnest To gather up all on the Clue Christ is now offered to you as a Jesus The times and sins of your Heathenism and unbelief God winked at Acts xvii 30 The Spirit proclaims all this by the Word to your hearts and now God knows if ever again commands all men every where to repent Oh that there were such a Spirit in our hearts such a zeal to our eternal bliss and indignation at Hell that we would give one heave and
by which to make a judgment of Gods decree concerning us I say if we will believe God hath elected us 't is impossible any true Faith should be refused upon pretence the person was predestined to destrustion and if it were possible yet would I hope that Gods decrees were they as absolute as some would have them should sooner be softned into mercy than that mercy purchased by his Son should ever fail to any that believes The bargain was made the Covenant struck and the immutability of the Persian Laws are nothing to it that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. iii. 15 Wherefore in brief let us attend the means and let what will or can come of the End Christ is offered to every soul here present to be a Jesus only do thou accept of him and thou art past from death to life there is no more required of thee but only to take him if thou art truly possessor of him he will justify he will humble he will sanctifie thee he will work all reformation in thee and in time seâ—l thee up to the day of redemption Only be careful that thou mistakest not his Person thou must receive him as well as his promises thou must take him as a Lord and King as well as a Saviour and be content to be a subject as well as a Saint He is now proclaimed in your ears and you must not foreslow the audience or procrastinate To day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts He holds himself out on purpose to you and by the Minister wooes you to embrace him and then it nearly concerns you not to provoke so true so hearty nay even so passionate a friend if he be not kissed he will be angry Lastly if in this business of believing so vulgarly exposed there yet appear some difficulties in the practice to be overcome before it prove a possible duty If self-denial be incompetible with flesh and blood if delights and worldly contentments if an hardned heart in sin and a world of high Imaginations refuse to submit or humble themselves to the poverty of Christ if we cannot empty our hands to lay hold or unbottom our selves to lean wholly on Christ then must we fly and pray to that spirit of power to subdue and conquer and lead us captive to it self to instruct us in the baseness the nothingness nay the dismal hideous wretchedness of our own estate that so being spiritually shaken and terrified out of our carnal pride and security we may come trembling and quaking to that Throne of Grace and with the hands of Faith though feeble ones with the eye of Faith though dimly with a hearty sincere resigning up of our selves we may see and apprehend and fasten and be united to our Saviour that we may live in Christ and Christ in us and having begun in the life of Grace here we may hope and attain to be accomplished with that of Glory hereafter Now to him which hath elected us c. SERMON XII ACTS XVII 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent THE words in our English Translation carry somewhat in the sound which doth not fully reach the importance of the Original and therefore it must be the task of our Preface not to connect the Text but clear it not to shew its dependence on the precedent words but to restore it to the integrity of it self that so we may perfectly conceive the words before we venture to discuss them that we may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle phrases it first represent them to you in the bulk then describe them particularly in their several lineaments Our English setting of the words seems to make two Propositions and in them a direct opposition betwixt the condition of the ancient and present Gentiles that God had winked at i. e. either approved or pitied or pardoned the ignorance of the former Heathens but now was resolved to execute justice on all that did continue in that was heretofore pardonable in them on every one every where that did not repent Now the Original runs thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is in a literal construction God therefore passing over the times of ignorance as if he saw them not doth now command all men every where to repent Which you may conceive thus by this kind of vulgar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sensible proceeding in God God always is essentially and perfectly every one of his Attributes Wisdom Justice Mercy c. but yet is said at one time to be peculiarly one Attribute at another time another i. e. to be at one time actually just at another time actually merciful according to his determination to the object As when God fixes his Eyes upon a rebellious people whose sins are ripe for his justice he then executes his vengeance on them as on Sodom when he fixes his Eyes upon a penitent believing people he then doth exercise his mercy as on Nineveh Now when God looks upon any part of the lapsed World on which he intends to have mercy he suffers not his Eye to be fixed or terminated on the medium betwixt his Eye and them on the sins of all their Ancestors from the beginning of the World till that day but having another account to call them to doth for the present 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 look over all them as if they were not in his way and imputing not the sins of the Fathers to the Children fixeth on the Children makes his Covenant of mercy with them and commandeth them the condition of this Covenant whereby they shall obtain mercy that is every one every where to repent So that in the first place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must not be rendred by way of opposition he winked then but now commands as if their former ignorance were justifiable and an account of knowledge should only be exacted from us And in the second place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word read but this once in all the New Testament must be rendred not winking at but looking over or not insisting upon as when we fix our Eyes upon a Hill we suffer them not to dwell on the Valley on this side of it because we look earnestly on the Hill Now if this be not the common Attical acception of it yet it will seem agreeable to the penning of the New Testament in which whosoever will observe may find words and phrases which perhaps the Attick purity perhaps Grammar will not approve of And yet I doubt not but Classick authorities may be brought where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall signifie not a winking or not taking notice of but a looking farther a not resting in this but a driving higher for so it is rendred by Stephanus Ad ulteriora oculos convertere and then the phrase shall be as proper as the sense the Greâ—k as authentical as
admiration of Gods excellency which was a kind of glorifying his power and those Philoponus calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfect exact Naturalists who from physical causes ascend to divine Witness Galen de Vsis partium where from the miraculous structure of the foot he falls off into a meditation and hymn of Gods Providence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Psalm or holy Elogy of him that hath so wonderfully made us So Hermes in his first Book of Piety and Philosophy makes the only use of Philosophy to return thanks to the Creator as to a good Father and profitable Nurse which duty he professes himself resolved never to be wanting in and after in the latter end of his fifth Book he makes good his word breaking out into a kind of holy rythme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The like might be shewed in some measure out of others more Classick Heathen Writers which may briefly serve to upbraid our defects and aggravate our offence if we with all our natural and spiritual light go on yet in learning as travellers in peregrination only either as curious inquisitors of some novelties which they may brag of at their return or else having no other end of their travel but the journey it self without any care to direct our studies to the advancement either of Gods glory in other or graces Kingdom in our selves For this is the thing no doubt here aimed at and the performance of it as strictly required of us Christians and that not some only of us but as many as the commandment is here given to every man every where So I come to my last particular the extent and latitude of the persons with whom this Covenant is made and from whom this condition is exacted All men every where Now the universality of the persons reflects either to the preceeding words Commands or to the subsequent the matter of these commands Repentance From the first the point is that Gods Commands were made known by the preaching of the Gospel to all men every where From the 2. that the Repentance here meant is necessary to every man that will be saved For the first it hath been already proved out of Scripture that the vocal articulation of Gods commands the sound and preaching of the Gospel hath gone out into all the World and that not Vniversis but singulis directed and promulged at least to every Creature Mar. xvi 15 the whole Gentile World has title to it Now for the spiritual efficacy of this Voice the demonstration of the spirit and of power hath not this also waited on the Voice and in some kind or other evidenced it self in the like extensive latitude Yes no doubt for there being two effects of the preaching of the word either converting or hardening either dissolving the Wax or stiffening the Clay you shall in every man be sure to meet with one of them For the conversion what a multitude came in at the first noise of it primo manè as soon as ever the Sun of righteousness began to dawn In the ancient Sea-fights they had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 little light Ships 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Zenophon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say Thucydides and Polybius which they sent out as spies in the night or at day break to bring word how the Seas were cleared that so they might dare to make use of the first opportunity to go out with their whole Navy Thus was Job and some few other Gentiles before the Gospel and Cornelius at the dawning of it sent before in a manner ut lembi ante classem to spy and bring word whether the Gentiles might enter and be received and these returning to them like Noahs Dove in Gen. viii 11 with an olive leaf in her mouth as a token of Peace and Safety to all that would venture then did the whole Navy and Troop follow then did the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the many the root the common people of the World out of all Nations and conditions some hasten and run and croud for a part in this Salvation and the Glory of the Lord was revealed and all flesh saw it together as it is in the phrase of the Prophecy Isai xl 5 or in the words of the Story They were daily added to the Church such as should be saved Look but on the Doctor of the Gentiles as he sits in his Chair in Tyrannus his School Acts xix 10 and you shall find that at that one Lecture which indeed was two years long all the lesser Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus both Jews and Greeks The 3000. Souls which were added to the Church at St. Peters Sermon Act. ii 4 was a sufficient hours work and a thing so admired by the wise men of the Gentiles that they imputed it magicis Petri artibus veneficis carminibus saith Austin to some incantations and magical tricks which Peter used And they got the dying oracle to confirm it with some supposititious Verses to the purpose forged by them that the Christian religion was raised by Peters Witchcraft and by it should last 365. Years and then be betrayed and vanish But had these same Gentiles in this humour of malice and prejudice seen a third part of the Roman World all the Proconsular Asia converted by one Pauls disputations they would certainly have resolved that all the Sorcery of Hell or Chaldaea could never have yielded such miraculous enchantments And this the Sons of Sceva had experience of Acts xix 14 who with all their Exorcisms and the name of Jesus added to them could not yet imitate the Apostles in any one miracle but the Devil was too hard for them wounded overcame prevail'd against them Briefly 't was more than the magick either of Men or Devils which so convinced the Artificers of Hell that they brought out their Books and burnt them openly which beside the price of their most profitable skill were rated at 50000. pieces of silver which is computed to be about 6250 l. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed and the first effect of it conversion was miraculously manifest though not on all yet on many of all people every where Now for the other effect of it the hardning of obdurate Atheists look on Acts xix 9 where it is plain that for all Pauls Logick and Rhetorick disputing and perswading for the space of three months many were hardned and believed not They had within them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Theodoret calls it a heart that would reverberate either precept or instruction and make it rebound against the hand that sent it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Philoponus phrases it in his 1. l. de animâ their spirits fatned and incrassated within them stall'd up and fed to such a brawniness that neither the understanding nor the affections were capable of any impression and so their condition proved like that