into the secretes of God But it is as true which the Apostle demandeth on the behalfe of the Lord Is there any iniquity with God far bee it Therefore they sinne a sinne which the darkest darkenesse in hell is too easie to requite who when they haue spilte the bloud of the innocent like water vpon the grounde defiled their neighbours bed troubled the earth and provoked heauen vvith many pernitious infamous mischiefes rapes robberies proditions burninges spoylings depopulations c. spewe out a blasphemy against righteousnesse it selfe countenauncing their sinnes by authoritie of him who hateth sinne and pleading that they haue done but the will of God in doing such outrages I knovv that the vvill of God though they had staves of yron in their handes and heartes to resist shall be done Vngracious vnwillinge and vnbeleevinge instrumentes shall doe that service to God which they dreame not of When God saith kill not and they contradict wee will kill even then though they violate the law of God yet is his will accomplished He hath hookes for the nostrelles and bridles for the chawes of the vvicked which they suppose not I will adde more Iudge yee vvhat I saie and the Lord giue you vnderstanding in all thinges He hath spurres for their flankes and sides which they neuer imagined Senacharib founde a bridle to stay him and an hooke to turne him backe Pharaoh had a spurre to driue him forwarde I vvill harden the heart of Pharaoh Exod. 4. and in many other places Let him alone let him take his pleasure and pastime but when he hath hardened his ovvne heart by malice then will I also harden it by iustice Thus the will of God is one way renounced and as sure as hee liveth and raigneth in heauen shall at the same time and in the same action some other way be perfourmed And yet are the men wicked though they do that which God would God most holy iust though he would that which the wicked do They beguile theÌ„selues heerein by a fallacy they are taken in their owne nets which they lay for an other purpose For thus they presume Hee that doth the will of God sinneth not true keepe the commandements honour God obey the Prince loue thy neighbour as thy selfe this is voluntas signi his will recorded in holy writ published abroade signified to all flesh and as it were proclaimed at a standard by precept threatnings promises terrour reward earnestly and openly required Novv the murtherer assumeth vpon the former grounde I doe the will of God For had it not stood with his vvill my power had fayled my hart had not beene able to conceiue a thought within me and my hande had vvithered and shrunke togither before I had giuen the stroke true likewise But this iâ— an other will a secret will of God his will at the second hand if I may so call is and by an accident a vvill against a wil that because hee did not that which God had publiquely enioyned hee should doe another thing which he had privately deterâ—ined Augustine deliuereth it in wise and pithy tearmes De hijs qui faciunt quae non vult facit ipse quae vult Of those vvhich doe vvhat God would not hee doeth what hee would and by a marveilous vneffable meanes it commeth to passe that it is not done without or besides his vvill which is euen done against his wil. Euclide to one that neuer rested to enquire of the Gods aunswered deseruedly Other thinges I knovve not this I know that they hate curious and busie inquisitours Adam was driuen out of paradise for affecting too much knowledge Israell had died the death Exod. 19. if they had past their bounds to climbe vp vnto the mounte and to gaze vpon the Lorde The men of Bethshemesh vvere slaine to the number of fiftie thousande for prying into the Arke 1. Sam. 6. The question is as high as the highest heauens dwelleth in light as vnsearchable as God himselfe couered vvith a curtaine of sacred secresie vvhich shall neuer bee dravvne aside till that day come vvherein wee shall knovve as wee are knovvne and then but in measure and proportion VVho is able to decide that dwelleth vvith mortall flesh how farre the counsell of the Lord goeth in ordering and disposing sinfull actions This I am bolde to say because I am loath to leade you farther into a bottomeles sea than where the lambe may wade without danger of miscarying and if there be ought behinde which is not opened vnto you let this bee your comforte Deus revelabit GOD will one daie reveale it but in this present question there is an errour I suppose in two extremities either to thinke that God is the authour of sinne which sensuall and phantasticke Libertines rubbing their filthinesse vpon his puritie haue imputed vnto him or that GOD doeth only but suffer and permitte sinne sitting in heaven to beholde the stratagemes of the vvicked vvithout intermedling as if his Godhead were bounde like Sampsons armes halfe of his power and liberty restrained a greater parte of the world and the manners thereof running vpon wheeles and the cursed children of Beliall hasting like dromedaries to fullfill the lustes of their owne godlesse heartes vvithout the gouernment and moderation of the highest Lorde Either of these opinions mee thinkes denyeth the Godhead For howsoever in wordes both may admitte it they deny it in opinion They receaue it at the gates and exclude it at the posterne The one destroyeth the iustice goodnesse of the deity in that they charge GOD to bee the authour of sinne the other his omnipotency and providence in that they bereave him of a greate part of his businesse The latter of these two positions that God doeth permit sinne is sounde and catholike enough if more bee added vnto it for God doeth more than permit the former is filled to the brimme with most monstrous impiety If the devilles in hell may bee hearde to speake for themselues and against God what coulde they say to deprave him more than this Indeede wee haue sinned and forsaken our faith but God caused vs It is a most damnable and reprobate thought that any vessell of clay shoulde so conceaue of his former who in the creation of all thinges made al things good and past not a vvorke from his fingers without the approbation of his most prudent iudgment Beholde it was good very good God saw it Aske but the maisters of humane wisedome they will enforme you in this behalfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God by no meanes is vniust but as righteous as possible maybe Seneca asketh the cause why the Gods doe good hee aunswereth their nature is the cause They can neither take nor doe wronge they neither giue nor haue mischiefe in them You haue the same doctrine Iames 1. Let no man when he is tempted say that he is tempted by God for God is not tempted with evill and
foresawe their sinnes not his owne The Iewes committed a sinne which hee compelled them not to doe who is displeased with sinne but onelye foretolde that they would doe it because nothing is hid from him Iustus Lipsius as acutely as any man vidit ab aeterno sed vidit non coëgit scivit non sanxit praedixit non praescripsit hee sawe it from all eternitye but hee sawe it enforced it not knew it decreed it not foretolde it prescribed ordeined it not For tell mee yee adulterers murtherers vsurers drunkardes traitours and the rest of this accursed seede when you committ such things whereof you are now ashamed and seeke vnlawfull helpes to be rid of them whether you doe them against your willes whether you finde any force offered vnto you whether you are drawne vnto them with lines or rather draw not them vnto you with cart-ropes when the devill prompteth and suggesteth iniquity vnto you whether you yeeld not your neckes to his yoke with easines if the least obiect of pleasure allure not pull not your senses after it if ever your meate and drinke were sweeter to your palate and throate than these sinnes to your soules if there be any christian resistance in you Quod nolo malum hoc facio that evill which I would not that doe I if you set not windowes and dores open that the strong man who carrieth the mindes of men captive may enter in Have you not will in all these or is it a possible thing that will can be constrained It is as proper to will to keepe a libertie I meane from coaction as for fire to burne Else it were not voluntas but noluntas as not will but no will if violence coulde be offered vnto it I desire to open my meaning The foreknowledge of God is vnto him if shallowe and deepe may bee compared togither as memory is to vs as memory presenteth vnto vs things that are past so prescience vnto God things which are to come Memory is our booke wherein wee reade the one and prescience his booke wherein hee readeth the other and as memory in vs is not the cause vvhy thinges past were done but onely recounteth so Gods prescience is not the cause why future thinges shal be done but only foreknoweth them as we remember some things which we do but do not al things which we remember so God foreseeth al things wherof he is authour but is not authour of al things which he foreseeth lastly we remember God foreseeth the doing of every thing in the nature kinde therof we remember a stone throwne wherewith a man vvas slaine by violence no by chance so God foresawe it we remember since a vineyard was planted and the trees therof brought forth grapes by violence no by nature so God foresaw it we remember a theefe which lay in waite for bloude and committed a murther by the high way side by violence no by wil so God foresaw it Thus al things are done according to the foreknowledge will of almighty God necessary things of necessity contingent by contingency and happe as we call it naturall by kindely course voluntary with election and choise their natures neither changed nor any way enforced by the foresaid meanes I conclude with Saint Augustin God created me with free will hee speaketh of freedome from coaction If I have sinned It was I that sinned it was neither destiny nor fortune nor the devill I will pronounce against my selfe not against the Lord. I knowe I sin of necessity in one sence because the corruption of nature hath remooved that originall integrity wherin man was first created but I sin not violently because mine owne will is reserved vnto me For as it was true of man in the state of innocency Potest non peccare hee may if he will not sin because God lefte him in the hande of his owne counselles and gave him liberty both waies so it is now as true in the state of corruption Non potest non peccare he cannot chuse but sinne the whole lumpe of his nature being sowred with that auncient leaven neither shall he ever be delivered from the corruption wherevnto he is subiect till he attaine to the state of glorification wherein it shall as certainely be verified non potest peccare he cannot sin though he would corruption having put on incorruption both in body and spirit Which necessity of sinning the meane time is not in any externall cause either creator or creatures but in the decayed nature of man vpon the fall wherof commeth vanity in the mind and a frowardnes in the will to depart from the living God Now I returne to my former assertion that nothing is done without the wil of God yet the will of man therby no way corrupted or compelled And surely the very tenour and sound of the scripture phrase bewraieth a degree of some forwarder dispositiō frō God in the actiōs of vnrighteous men than his bare toleration For why was it said not onely in the 3. of Exod I knowe that the king of Egypt will not let you goe but by strong hand which is referred to the prescience of God foreseeing what woulde come to passe and in the 7. chapter the heart of Pharaoh was heavy and dull which is referred to his owne obstinate hardening of it but I will harden the heart of Pharaoh and he shall not let the people goe Exod. 4. and Pharaoh shall not harken vnto you Exod. 7. For when Pharaoh hardened his owne hearte both against the people of Israell give them no straw get you to your burthens Exod. 5. and in the same chapter against the Lorde himselfe who is the Lorde that I should heare his voice then did God permit all this to be done and helde his peace as the Psalme speaketh gave him the hearing and the looking on but afterwardes when hee putteth as it were iron to iron adamant to adamant I will harden his heart it cannot reasonably be supposed but that besides his sufferance there was an accession of some worke of his VVhen the sonnes of Zerviah woulde have taken Shemei his head from him because he railed at the king throwing stones at him and calling him a murtherer the sonne of Beliall c. David stayed them with strange and vnexpected speech what have I to doe with you yee sonnes of Zerviah for hee curseth mee because the Lorde hath bidden him curse David And further as if the rayler were safe vnder the wings of Gods authority who then dare say wherefore hast thou done so and once more suffer him to curse for the Lorde hath bidden him Nathan the prophet had tolde him before that for his murther and adultery the Lord had thus decreed aginst him I will raise vp evill against thee out of thine owne house and will take thy wives before thy face and give them to thy neighbour he shall lie with thy wives on the sight of the sunne for
from the 8. verse their turning from their evill waies and from the wickednesse of their handes which some expound of restitution wee shall see that they went from fasting and sackcloth to that which was more then both The persons are as rightly placed For they humble themselues from the greatest of them to the least of them which declareth not onely an vniversall consent that there was but one heart one soule one faith one fâ—st one attire amongst them all but that the king began the people were led by him and that olde menne gaue example to the younge parents to their children Lastly according to the wordes of the Psalme I beleeved therefore haue I spoken no sooner had they holde of faith in their heartes but their tongues are presently exercised nay their pens set one worke not onely to speake but to speake publiquely to speake vpon the house toppes by open proclamation that all might vnderstande and it is probable enough from the 7. verse that ill the proclamation was heard for order and obedience sake they did nothing More particularly 1. the radicall and fundamentall action wherewith they begin is faith 2. the obiect of that faith God 3. the effectes and fruites of their faith abstinence from tvvo vices the slaunder and reproch whereof Asia was famously subiect vnto 4. their generality in that abstinence 5. their warrant and commission for so doing by the edicte of the King I reserve to an other place So the people of Niniveh beleeved God When Ahiiah the prophet told Ieroboam that God shoulde raise vp a king in Israell to destroy his house not to leaue him in hope that the time was far off remooved hee correcteth himselfe with sudden and quicke demaunde and maketh the aunswere vnto it What yea euen now Did I saye hee shoulde nay it is already done So soone as the worde was gone from the mouth of Ionas yet 40. daies and Niniveh shall bee destroied vvithout pawsing and resting vpon the matter they beleeved God What yea even now It vvas so speedily done that almost it was lesse then imagination It is very straunge that a Gentile nation vvhich vvere ever alâ—ants from the common wealth of Israell and straungers from the covenants of promise should so soone be caught within these nettes For when prophets preach the mercies or iudgments of God so fatte are the eares and vncapable the hearts of the incredulous vvorlde much more when God is a straunger amongst them that they may preach amongst the rest as Esay did who hath beleeved our report or to whome is the arme of the Lord revealed either the gospell which is his power to salvation to them that beleeue or the lawe which is his rod of iron to crush them in pieces that transgresse it Rather as it is in Habbaccuk they will behold amongst the heathen and regarde and wonder and mervaile they vvill lend their eies to gaze their tongues to talke but with all they will despise and lightly esteeme all that is saide vnto them Beholde yee despisers and wonder at your vnbeliefe you that wonder so much yet despise For I will worke a worke in your daies saith the Lord yee will not beleeue it though it be told you The Lord vvill worke it prophets declare it and yet the people beleeue not Nay their manner of deriding and insulting at the iudgments of God is let him make speede let him hasten his worke that wee may see it and let the counsaile of the holy one draw neare and come that wee may know it And sometimes they plainely deny the Lorde and all his iudgements saying It is not hee neither shall the plague come vpon vs neither shall wee see sworde or famine And as for his prophets they are but wind and the word is not in them Moses and Aaron preached vnto Pharo not onely in the name of the Lord and with kinde exhortations let my people goe nor onely by threates and sentences of iudgement but by apparant plagues the effectuallest preachers that might bee by the tongues of frogges lice flies grashoppers of morraine botches darkenesse haile-stones bloud and death it selfe could not all these mooue him No but the first time hee returned into his house and hardened his heart and the second When he saw he had rest he hardned his heart againe and the thirde time his heart remained obstinate and likewise the fourth though Moses gaue him warning let not Pharaoh from hence-forth deceiue mee any more and so hee continued to his dying day building vp hardnesse of heart as high as ever Babell vvas intended even vp into heaven by denying and defying the God thereof till hee quite overthrew him in the red sea What shall vvee say to this but as the apostle doth All men haue not faith God sent his patriaâ—kes in the ancienter ages of the vvorlde and founde not faith sent his prophetes in a later generation and founde not faith Last of all sent his sonne a man approoved to the vvorlde and approoving his doctrine with great vvorkes and vvonders and signes and founde not faith and vvhen the sonne of man commeth againe shall hee finde faith on the earth So contrary it is to the nature of man to beleeue any thing that custome and experience hath not invred him with or may be coÌ„prehended by discourse of reason Yet this people of Niniveh having received you heare but one prophet and from that one prophet one sentence and but in one part of the citty skattered and sowen amongst them presently beleeved as if the Lord from heaven had thrust his fingers into their eares and hartes and by a miracle set them open It rather seemeth to haue beene faith of credulity which is heere mentioned yeelding assent to the truth of the prophecie then faith of affiance coÌ„fidence taking hold of mercy That is they first apprehend God in the faithfulnes of his word they knowe him to be a God that cannot lie they suspect not the prophet distrust not the message assuring themselues as certainly as that they liue that the iudgment shall fall vpon them without the iudges dâ—spensation Notvvithstanding there to haue staied without tasting some sweetenes of the mercy of God had ben little to their harts ease The devils beleeue and tremble They are reserved to the iudgment of the great daie and they keepe a kalender that they are reserved For they neither see nor heare of Iesus of Nazareth the iudge of the quicke and dead Angels and men death and hell but they are inwardly afflicted and aske why hee is come to vexe them before the time And surely to beleeue the truth of God in his iustice without aspect and application of mercy to teÌ„per it to consider nothing in that infinit supreme maiestie but that he is fortis vltor dominus the Lorde a strong revenger reddens retribuet hee that recompenceth will
mee recompence but to the poore and if ever I defrauded much more if ever I defeated by mighte any man straunger or home-borne I say not of his maine estate but of anie his smallest portion nor by open detected wronge but by secret concealed cavillation I restore it principall and damage for I restore it foure-folde VVhat follovved but that hee emptyed his house of the transitorie treasures of this vvoorlde and insteede thereof let in salvation vnto it This day is salvation come to this house not onely to the private soule but to the house of Zacheus thorough his meanes I scarsely thinke that these ravenous and greedy times can yeelde a man so innocent as to say vvith Samuell vvhose oxe or asse haue I taken or vvhome haue I vvronged At the least let him say vvith Zacheus I say not in the former parte of his speech halfe of my goodes I giue to the poore for that vvere heresie to bee helde and false doctrine to bee preached in this illiberall age but in the latter clause if I haue iniuried anâ—e man though I restore not foure-folde yet I restore him his owne Otherwise our houses and consciences vvill bee so full of houses fieldes vineyardes oliues silver golde vnrighteous pledges that there wil bee no roume for the peace and consolation of GOD to dwell vvith them Therefore washe your handes and heartes from this leprosie my brethren that you may bee receaved into the hoste of the Lorde and dwel with his first-borne and either forsake your violence or convert it an other way Let the kingdomes commodities of the earth alone and learne that the kingdome of heaven suffereth violence and must bee wonne by force See if you can extorte this spoyle from him that keepeth it Spare no invention of witte intention of will contention of sinewes strength of handes to get this kingdome Begge it buy it steale it assault it vse any meanes This this is the onely oppression and violence that we can allow you and in this onely thing Bee not modest and curteous towardes any man in this heavenly price Hither if you bring not tooth and naile and resisting vnto bloud and hating your liues vnto the death you are not worthy of it It suffereth violence it selfe it is so proposed conditioned and they are men of violence that by violence must attaine vnto it Therefore wrastle for this blessing though you lame your bodies and striue for this kingdome though you loose your liues THE XXXVIII LECTVRE Chap. 3. vers 9. Who can tell if God vvill turne and repent c. THE last thinge in the repentaunce of the Ninivites by the order of the wordes though in purpose and intention first and that which presently giveth place to the repentaunce of God their expected deliverance in the nexte sentence is the foundation wherevpon they grounde a knowledge and apprehension such as it is of the goodnesse of God and some likely hope to escape his vengance intended There may be some part of repentance without faith contrition anguish vexation for sinne till not onely the heart aketh but the conscience also is quite swallowed drowned in the gulfe of it As there is no question after that horrible fact of Iudas but his spirite was as full of griefe as before of trechery and covetousnes Let the world witnesse with him how deepely he rued his malice vvhen hee pledged body and soule for it and gaue over the one to the tree the other to hell fire For it there had beene a penaltie to haue taken of himselfe worse than death and damnation hee woulde not I thinke haue shunned it Caine was also as sory for his bloudy fact as ever greedy before to commit it He felt even a talent of lead vpon his soule never to be remooved and therefore vttered a blasphemy against the grace of GOD never to be pardoned My sinne is greater than can bee forgiven This is the reason that he had a marke set vpon him that no man shoulde kill Caine who with a thousand daily woundes killed himselfe and that â—ee ranne from place to place not so much in his bodie as in his minde tossed like a waue of the sea and finding no place for rest because the mercy of God shone not vnto him Beholde thou haste cast mee this daie from the face of the earth is that all And I shall bee hidde from thy face driven from thy presence banished from the light and favour of thy gracious countenance This is the dart that woundeth him to death For this received into the minde that we are hidde from the face of GOD that wee are so farre in contempte and hatred with his maiestie that hee vvill not vouchsafe to giue vs the looking on if all the clowdes in the aire rained loue and compassion we could not bee perswaded that any of the least droppes thereof should fall vpon our grounde VVherefore there must be a beleefe to conceiue and an hope to expect our reconciliation and and attonement with God and GODS with vs or it will bee an vnprofitable and vnpossible attempte to endevour a true repentance For either it will followe that wee become desperate and giue over care of our selues it is in vaine to serue GOD and vvhat profit shall we reape to humble our selves before him seeing his mercy is cleane gone from vs for ever and hee hath bent his soule to doe vs mischiefe And as it is written of Iulius the Pope that having received an overthrow by the French at Ravenna which he looked not for he set his face and mouth against the God of heaven and thus spake vnto him So hence-forth become French in the name of all the divels of hell holy Switzer pray for vs so wee betake vs to new Saintes or rather to newe divelles flying to hardnesse of heart carelesnesse of salvation contempt of God or else vve repent but after the manner of hypocrites wee make some proffer and likelyhoode of returning to God but cannot do it Such I thinke was the repentance of the Philistines the first of Samuell the fift and sixt when they had taken the arke of the Lorde and placed it first in Ashdod and there were punished with Emerodes and with death afterwardes in Gath and Eckron and there they could not endure it It is said of them not only that they were troubled and conferred of carrying home the arke againe but that they cried and their crie vvente vp to heaven and they sent it backe with a present vnto the Lorde and with sinne offerings nay their priestes and sooth-sayers saide vnto them wherefore shoulde you harden your harts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs Such the repentance of Saul 1. Sam. 15. who having received a message by the prophet that as he had cast of the word of the Lorde so the Lord had cast him of from being a king and that his kingdome was given to his neighbour better than
or irrogating any the like iudgment that he doth non impartiendo malitiam not by infusing any wickednesse as the magistrate putteth no venime into the hearbe sed non impartiendo misericordiaÌ„ but by not imparting his mercy or auferendo spiritum by with-drawing his holy spirite as when yee withdrawe the pillers or proppes of the house vvhich Sampson did the house falleth to ruine with the very weight of the building that is laid thervpon or if a countrey he vvaste and vnpeopled it becommeth a desert of it selfe for lacke of better inhabitants it is covered with nettles briers satyres shrich-owles hedg-hogs take it vp so when the aide assistance of Gods grace forsaketh a man vvhose body soule vvere apointed to haue beene the temples of the Lord of hosts to dwell in presently wildnes barbarousnes succeedeth and that which by the mercies of God might haue beene as his garden pleasant paradise through the absence therof becoÌ„meth an habitatioÌ„ for fowle vncleane spirites For as the removing of the sun from these vpper partes of the earth where we liue into the other hemisphere bringeth darknes vpon vs not that the body of the sun is not altogither lightsome his natural office to lighten but because he is gone departed further of so the departure of God himselfe most righteous froÌ„ an vnrighteous soule by the only remove of his gracious presence leaveth it to it selfe in an habite of iniustice never to be recovered Wherein notwithstanding the case is not so harde against God as some imagine it that it is all one to thrust an olde man dovvne and to take away his staffe the only stay to keepe his feete from falling for his helpe being gone he caÌ„ no longer stand as if in God the withdrawing of his grace which is his rodde or staffe to sustaine vs were effectuallie no lesse than to thrust vs into wickednesse for thus they should rather propose it that as when an olde man wilfully casteth away his staffe and no man restoreth it to him againe he falleth through his owne folly not by anothers instigation so when the wicked despisers of the world not only neglect but contemne defie that saving grace wherby they staÌ„d through their own stubbornnes perversity they run a werisome race of wreâ—chednes the Lord not lending them his helping hand to bring theÌ„ backe againe And therfore as they that purposedly abandoÌ„ the light of the sun to goe into a darkesome cave of the grounde where the sunne never shone have no reason to complaine that the sunne woulde not followe them so they that wittingly and stifly renounce the acceptable visitation of God whereby he would have led them into the waies of peace let them blame their owne impenitency that they are not afterwards attended vpon by the like compassion Or to match these incomparable things with Irenee as the sunne which is the creature of God blindeth the eies of such as for the infirmitie of sight cannot behold his beames so God the creator of the sunne hardeneth the heartes of such as for the hardnesse of beleefe will not receave his goodnesse For whome he fore sawe vndisposed to beleeve those hee delivered to their infidelitie and turned avvaye his face from them leaving them in darkenesse which they chose to themselves What is it then to harden the heart of Pharaoh and others nolle emollire this that hee will not soften it What is it to make blinde this that hee will not illuminate what to reiect or to cast of this that hee will not call vvhich is ment not of his generall calling but of that which is effectuall and belongeth to the chosen yet me thinkes there is more â—n it For not onelye hee is vnvvillinge to soften illuminate call the impenitent but hee hath further a will not to doe it For there is greate difference betwixte these two speeches hee will not and hee hath a will not doe it the former arguinge but an indifferent and milder alienation of the minde and rather a carelesse neglect than a purposed and prounded hatred the latter a bent and resolved decree As when a poore man asketh an almes some are vnwilling to relieve him not weighing his necessitie and bidding him goe in peace c. others have a vvill not to relieve him it is determined in their heartes not to afforde him comforte either because they are vnmercifull towardes all the poore or for that they are out of likinge with the manners or person of this man Augustine in three words decideth this whole question against Faustus the Manichee touching the hardening of heartes and the like iudgmentes Diabolus suggerit homo consentit Deus deserit The devill vvorketh it by suggestion man by consenting GOD by forsaking by suffering an hard heart to vvaxe as fatte as brawne by giving successe to â—ll purposes which hee could have stopped by not communicating the helpe of his blessed spirit vt non ab illo irrâ—getur aliquid quo sit homo deterior sed tantùm quo sit melior non erogetur God were able I confesse to soften the hardest heart open the blindest eies when and in whome and where he listed But when he doth so hee doth it by mercy and vvhen he doth it not hee doth it not by iudgement Meane-while let this be helde for a constant and vnfallible rule that although there be many whome God lifteth not vp yet there is none whome properly he throweth downe Ab illo est quòd statur non est ab illo quòd ruitur From him it commeth that we all stand but not from him that any falleth and many have beene helde that they fell not no man pushed at to cause him to fall Onelie hee casteth them downe by a consequence because hee giveth not his grace which might have susteined them as if a nurse lend not her hand to support her childe the childe will fall I graunte but the cause of the falling is the vveakenesse and debility of the childe the nurse no further the cause thereof then that shee did not hinder it Which though it bee a fault amongst vs because wee are members one of the other and tied togither by the bonde of charity yet it is no fault in God who having power over his clay may worke at his pleasure either in iudgement to make it a vessell of dishonour or of honour in mercy For manifestation of this latter point that God instilleth not malice into the offendours in this execution of his iudgementes by punishing sinne by sinne but finding these vesselles of iniquity full fraught of themselves leaveth them with the season of their owne licour and onely applieth theÌ„ by his wisedome to some good service of his though I were able to open it vnto you in all the examples before alleadged yet I will rest in the seducement and fall of Ahab Wherein it may seeme that God
for the kings shippes went to Tharsis with the servants of Hiram every three yeares once came the shippes of Tharsis and brought golde and silver yvorye apes and peacockes or vvhether it signifie Carthage which Dido sometime built and is now called Tunes which is the opinion of Theodoret and others or vvhether Tartessus a towne in Spaine or vvhether that city in Cilicia nearer to Syria vvhence Paul reporteth himselfe to haue beene in the 21. of the Actes I am a citizen in Tharsis a famous city in Cilicia or vvhether the whole countrey of Cilicia because in auncient times if Iosephus deceiue vs not all Cilicia vvas called Tharsis by the name of the chiefe city or whether it name vnto vs any other place not yet agreed vpon partly by curious partly by industrious authors it skilleth not greatly to discourse I leaue you for your satisfactiō therin to more ample cōmentaries But certeine I am vvhether his minde beare him to lande or to sea to Asia or Africk cuntry or city nearer or farther of at Niniveh he commeth not which was the place of Gods apointment Many dispute many things vvhy Ionas forsooke Niniveh and fled to Tharsis 1. The infirmity of the flesh some say was the cause pusillanimity of minde vvant of courage beeing terrified vvith the greatnesse of the citye 2. Or there was no hope say others of the dry when the greene was so barren The children of Israell had so hardened his heart with the hardnesse of theirs that he coulde not imagine the children of Ashur would ever haue fallen to repentāce 3. Or the strangenesse of the charge dismaide him for vvhen all other Prophets were sent to Israell he reasoneth vvith himselfe vvhy should I bee sent to Niniveh it was as vncoth vnto him as when Peter was willed to arise kill and eate vncleane beastes and hee answered in plaine termes not so Lorde 4. Or it might bee zeale to his countrey because the conversion of the Gentiles hee sawe woulde bee the eversion of the Iewes And surely this is a greate tentation to the minde of man the disadvantage and hinderance of brethren For this cause Moses interposed himselfe in the quarrell betvveene the Hebrew and the AEgyptian and slew the AEgyptian and in the behalfe of all Israell he afterwardes prayed vnto the Lord against his owne soule If thou wilt pardon their sinne thy mercie shall appeare but if thou wilt not I pray thee raze mee out of the booke of life which thou hast written 5. Or it might bee hee was afraide to be accounted a false prophet if the sequele of his prophecy fell not out which reason is afterward expressed by him in the fourth chapter I pray thee Lorde was not this my saying when I was in mine owne countrey c. As I saide of the place before so of the reasons that mooved him for this present till fitter occasions bee offered vvhatsoever it vvere that drewe him awaie vvhether weakenesse of spirite or despayre of successe or insolency of charge or ielousie over the Israelites or feare of discredite sure I am that hee commeth not to Niniveh but resolveth in his heart to reiect a manifest commandement I make no quaestion but in every circumstance forehandled he vncovereth his owne nakednes and laieth himselfe open to the censure and crimination of all men As who would say will you know the person without dissembling his name It was Ionas his readines without deliberation he ariseth his hast without intermission he flyeth the place farre distant from the which God had appointed Tharsis And if all these will not serue to prooue the disobedience of Ionas a a fault by his owne confession then harken vnto the next word if other were but candels to discover it this is a blazing lampe to lay it forth to all mens sight 5 From the presence of the Lord. He flyeth into Tharsis from the presence of the Lorde how can that bee if it bee true which David wisheth in the 27. Psalme Blessed bee his glorious name for ever and let all the earth bee filled with his glorie But in the hundreth thirty and eighth Psalme wonderfull are the testimonies that the prophet there bringeth to amplifie Gods illimited presence O Lord thou hast tried mee and knowne mee thou knowest my sitting and my rising thou vnderstandest my thoughtes a farre of c. For not to stay your eares with commemoration of all those argumentes this I gather in summe that there is neither heaven nor hell nor the outtermost part of the sea neither day nor night light nor darkenesse that can hide vs from his face Our sitting rising lying downe the thoughtes of our heartes wordes of our tongues waies of our feete nay our raines our bones our mothers wombes wherein wee laye in our first informitye and imperfection are so well knowne vnto him If this vvere his purpose to thinke that the presence of God might bee avoided who sitteth vpon the circle of heaven and beholdeth the inhabitantes of the earth as grasse-hoppers whose throne is the heaven of heavens and the earth his footestoole and his waies are in the greate deepe I must then needes say vvith Ieremie doubtlesse every man is a beast by his owne knowledge Prophet or no prophet If the spirit of God instruct him not hee is a beast worse then Melitides that naturall foole of vvhome Histories speake that hee coulde not define whether his father or his mother brought him forth But I cannot suppose such palpable and grosse ignorance in a prophet who knowing that God was well knowen in Iurie and his name greate in Israell coulde not be ignorant that God was the same God and the presence of his Godhead no lesse in Tharsis and all other countries What then is the meaning of this phrase He fled from the presence of the Lord 1. Some expounde it thus He left the whole border and grounde of Israell where the presence of the Lord though it were not more then in other places yet it was more evident by the manifestations of his favours graces towards them There was the Arke of the covenant and the sanctuary and the Lord gaue them answere by dreames oracles and other more speciall arguments of his abode there Moses spake truth in the 4. of Deut. of this priviledge of Israel what nation is so great vnto whom their Gods come so neare vnto them as the Lord is neare vnto vs in all that wee call vpon him for Davids acclamation Psalm 147. goeth hande in hand with it He hath not dealt so with other nations neither haue the heathen knowledge of his iudgments But I rather conceiue it thus which maketh much for the confirmation of my matter now in hand He fled from the presēce of the Lord when hee turned his backe vpon him shooke of his yoke and willfully renounced his commaundement It is a signe of obedience that servantes beare vnto their Lords and maisters when
so disguised with our owne corrupt additions THE XI LECTVRE Chap. 1. verse 8. Whence commest thou which is thy country and of vvhat people art thou THese three questions now rehearsed though in seeming not much different yet I distinguished a parte making the first to enquire of his iourney and travaile for confirmation whereof some a little change the stile quo vadis whither goest thou askinge not the place from which hee set forth but to which hee was bounde or of the society wherewith hee had combined himselfe the seconde of his natiue countrey the thirde of his dwelling place For the countrey and citty may differre in the one wee may bee borne and liue in the other as for example a man may be borne in Scotlande dwell in England or borne at Bristow dwell at Yorke Wherein that of Tully in his bookes of lawes taketh place I verily thinke that both Cato and all free denisens haue two countreyes the one of nativity the other of habitation as Cato being borne at Tusculum was receaved into the people of the citty of Rome Therefore beeing a Tusculan by birth by citty a Romane hee had one countrey by place another by law For we tearme that our country where wee were borne and whereinto wee are admitted So there is some oddes betweene the two latter questions There was greate reason to demaunde both from whence hee came and whither hee would because the travelles of men are not alwaies to good endes For the Scribes and Pharises travaile farre if not by their bodilie pases yet by the affections of their heartes they compasse sea and land to an evill purpose to make proselytes children of death worse then themselues As the Pope and the king of Spaine send into India they pretende to saue soules indeede to destroy the breede of that people as Pharaoh the males of the Hebrewes and to wast their countries They walke that walke in the counsell of the vngodlie and in the waies of sinners but destruction and vnhappinesse is in all their waies They walke that walke in the waies of an harlot but her house tendeth to death and her pathes to the deade they that goe vnto her returne not againe neither take holde of the waies of life Theeues haue their ranges and walkes Surgunt de nocte latrones they rise in the nighte time they goe or ride farre from home that they may bee farre from suspicion but their feete are swifte to shed bloude and they bestowe their paines to worke a mischiefe Alexander iournied so farre in the conquest of the worlde that a souldier tolde him we haue doone as much as mortalitie was capable of thou preparest to goe into an other worlde and thou seekest for an India vnknowne to the Indians themselues that thou mayest illustrate more regions by thy conquest then the sunne ever saw To what other ende I knowe not but to feede his ambition to enlarge his desire as hell and to adde more titles to his tombe They haue their travailes and peregrinations that walke on their bare feete with a staffe in their hand and a scrip about their necke to Saint Iames of Compostella our Lady of Loretto the dust of the holy land What to doe the dead to visit the deade to honour stockes and to come home stockes to chaunge the aire and to retaine their former behaviour to doe penaunce for sinne and to returne laden with a greater sinne of most irreligious superstition meeter to bee repented if they knew their sinne Of such I may say as Socrates sometime aunswered one who marveiled that hee reaped so litle profit by his trauell Thou art well enough served saith he because thou didest travell by thy selfe for it is not mountaines and seas but the conference of wisemen that giveth vvisedome neither can monumentes and graues but the spirit of the Lord vvhich goeth not with those gadders put holinesse into them They haue their walkes and excursions which go from their natiue countrey to Rome the first time to see naught the second to be naught the third to die naught was the olde proverbe The first last now a daies are not much different they go to learne naught they drinke vp poison there like a restoratiue vvhich they keepe in their stomacks along Italy France other nations not minding to disgordge it till they come to their mothers house where they seek to vnlade it in her bosome to end her happy daies Ionas for ought these knew might haue come from his countrey a robber murtherer traitor or any the like transgressor therfore haue ran frō thence as Onesimus from his master Philemō to escape iustice wherevpon they aske him whence commest thou that they may learne both the occasion scope of his iourney And if you obserue it well there is not one question here moued though questions only cōiecturall but setteth his conscience vpon the racke and woundeth him at the hart by every circumstance whereby his crime might be aggravated Such is the wisdome that God inspireth into the harts of men for the triall of his truth in the honor of iustice to fit their demands to the conscience of the transgressours in such sort that they shall even feele themselues to be touched and so closely rounded in the eare as they cannot deny their offence There are diverse administrations yet but one spirit Warriours haue a spirit of courage to fight counsellors to direct prevent magistrates to governe iudges to discerne examine convince and to do right vnto all people For the questions here propoūded were in effect as if they had told him thou dishonourest thy calling thou breakest thy commission thou shamest thy country thou condemnest thy people in that thou hast committed this evill They aske him first What is thine art that bethinking himselfe to be a prophet not a marriner as these were not a master in the ship but a master in Israell set over kingdomes Empires to builde pull downe plant roote vp he might remember himselfe and call his soule to account Wretched man that I am how ingloriously haue I neglected my vocation They aske him next whēce cōmest thou that it mighte bee as goades prickles at his breasts to recount in his minde I was called on lande I am escaped to sea I was sent to Assyria I am going to Cilicia I was directed to Niniveh I am bending my face towardes Tharsis that is I am flying frō the presence of my Lord following mine own crooked waies Thirdly they aske him of his coūtry that hee might say to himselfe What are the deeds of Babylō better then the deeds of Sion was I borne brought vp instructed an instructor in the lande of Iurie in the garden of the worlde the roiallest peculiarest nation that the Lord hath and haue I not grace to keepe his commaundemente Lastly they enquire of his people a people that had al things but flexible
driue him to desperation the Sabaeans to store vp treasures of vvickednesse and to shew that stolne bread is sweet vnto them The envy and malignity of Sathan whence is it of God No. God borroweth and vseth his service I graunte but Sathan first profered it so the malice is his owne who was a murtherer from the beginning hee onely addâ—ng gouernement and moderation therevnto The furious and bloudy rapines of the other whence are they from God no. They lay in the cisternes of their owne heartes Sathan drew them forth by insâ—igation themselues let loose the streame and when it was once on flote the Lorde directed and disposed the course by his wisedome For this present I ende God is of pure eies and can beholde no vvickednesse hee hath 〈◊〉 righteousnesse to the rule and vveighed his iustice in a ballance his soule hateth and abhorreth sin I haue served with your iniquities It is a labour service thraldome vnto him more than Israell endured vnder their grievous task-masters his law to this day curseth and condemneth sin his hands haue smitten scrouged sin he hath throwne downe angels plagued men overturned cities ruinated nations and not spared his owne bowels whilst hee appeared in the similitude of sinfull flesh hee hath drowned the world vvith a floud of waters shall burne the world with a floud of fire because of sin The sentence shall stand vnmooueable as long as heaven and earth endureth tribulation anguish vpon every soule that doth evil Ievv or Gentile All adulterers murtherers idolaters sacrilegious blasphemous covetous wretches liers swearers forswearers whom the Apostle calleth dogges barking at the iustice of God making a causelesse complaint against him as if he were cause of their sins shall one day see the folly and feele the price of their vnrighteous inâ—ectation Let God therefore be true and let all men be liers let God be iust and all men sinners let God be iustified in al his iudgements and let all his accusers vanish and consume in the madnes of their heartes as the fome vpon the waters THE XIX LECTVRE Chap. 1. ver 14. For thou Lord hast done as it pleased thee THe Mariners in this reason of their petition acknowledge 2. things directly 1. the worke of God in the casting foorth of Ionas Thou Lord hast done it 2. the ground of his workes his owne will as it pleased thee A third thing is acknowledged by implication the equity iustice of that will as the warrant for their deed for thou Lord c. their meaning is not therein either to charge him with a tyraÌ„nous will quod libet licet as the manner of grievous princes is to thinke that lawfull whatsoever pleaseth them either to insimulate and accuse him of iniustice to make him actor or patrone of any their sins who dealeth in the actions of meÌ„ sometimes with open sometimes with secret but alwaies with a righteous iudgement Therefore I noted their corruption who thinke themselues excused in their most enormous and execrable sins because they fulfill the will of God in one sense not that open and revealed will which he hath given in tables published by sound of a trumpet specified by blessings cursings promises threatnings exhortations dehortations and such like wherevnto they stand strictly bound but a secret and hidden will written in another booke wrapt vp in the counsâ—iles of his owne breast which neither they intended when they did their misdeedes neither were they ever charged therewith from Gods lips Secreta Domino revelata nobis filijs nostris Secret thinges belong to the Lord revealed to vs our children 1. Quantum ad ipsos fecerunt quod Deus noluit touching their owne purpose and intendment they have done that which God would not they have transgressed his lawe with contentation of heart perhappes with gladnes it may be with greedinesse taking a solace and pleasure therein and not wishing to have done otherwise they have pursued it to the third and fourth generation from the first assault or motion of sin to consent from consent to delight from delight to custome and yet not giving over till they come to a spirit of slumber or rather a death in sin 2. Quantum ad omnipotentiam Dei nullo modo id efficere valuerunt touching the omnipotencie of God they were never abâ—e to doe it he sitteth in heaven that laugheth them to scorne he besiegeth them round about and his hand is vpon them They are not able to depart from his will more than if a ship were going from Ioppe to Tharsis as this ship was from West to East and one by walking vpon the hatches a contrary course as if he would goe from East to West from Tharsis towardes Ioppe againe might stay the motion or flight of the shippe he doth his endevour to hinder it by bending both his face and his pace backewarde but the ship is too well winged and of too huge a burthen to be resisted so those others shewe their will to frustrate and faile the will of God by committing sinne prohibited but yet they shall doe a will of his or rather his will shal be done vpon them maugre their malicious and sworne contradictions De hijs qui faciunt quae non vult facit ipse quae vult Of those that doe what he would not he doth what he would and as he commanded light to shine out of darknes so he can commaund good out of euill treasure from out the midst of drosse and commodity from the very heart of deepest wickednesse at least he will execute his iustice vpon offenders as he professeth Exod. 14. I will get me honour vpon Pharaoh and all his host for this cause he set him vp to shew his power in him and that his name might be declared to the whole earth Exod. 9. To reduce a diffused but a dangerous intricate question wherin as I then protested the warinesse of my proceeding so now I againe protest the subiection of my spirite to the spirites of prophets God forbid that I should not bee readier to learne than to teach I say to reduce it to heads I proposed vnto you the errors of some in 2. 〈◊〉 of extremities some going too far in that they make God the 〈◊〉 of sin others comming aâ— short that God doth only permit 〈◊〉 The former an error 〈◊〉 for devils than men the latter an error of humanity offending of simplicity rather then malice speaking truth of God when they acknowledge his permission of sinne but 〈…〉 who le truth because they thinke God only permitteth it both deny the godhead in effect the one destroying the goodnes and 〈◊〉 the other impairing the omnipotency providence government thereof in that they restraine it from some thinges The former of these two opinions that God is the author of sin most prodigious to coÌ„ceive though engendred in the braine I know not whether of men or devils yet is taken by
gracious long suffering and of great goodnesse He crieth vnto the fooles and such vvee are all Proveâ—bes 1. O yee foolish howe long will yee loâ—â— foolishnesse hee dealeth vvith sinners as David dealte vvith Saul vvho tooke avvay his speare and his vvaterpot and sometimes a peece of his cloake as it were snatches and remembraunces to let vs vnderstande that vvee are in his handes and if wee take not vvarning hee will further punish vs. He dresseth his vineyarde Esay the fifth vvith the best and kindliest husbandrie that his heart coulde invente aftervvardes hee looked required not the first howre but tarrying the full time hee looked that it shoulde bring foorth grapes in the autumne and vintage season Hee vvaiteth for the fruite of his figge tree three yeares Luke the thirteenth and is content to bee entreated that digging and dounging and expectation a fourth yeare may be bestowed vpon it They saie that moralize the parable that hee stayed for the synagogue of the Iewes the first yeare of the patriarches the seconde of the Iudges the thirde of the kinges and that the fourth of the prophets it was cut dovvne Likewise that hee hath waited for the church of Christianity three yeares that is three revolutions and periodes of ages thrice five hundreth yeares from the passion of Christ or if we furtheâ— repeate it that hee hath tarried the leasure of the whole world one yeare vnder nature an other vnder the lawe a thirde vnder grace The fourth is nowe in passing vverein it is not vnlikely that both these fiâ—ge-trees shall bee cut dovvne VVhatsoever iudgementes are pronounced Amos the first and second against Damascus and Iudah and the rest are for three transgressions for foure so long he endured their iniquities Hee was able to chardge them in the fourteenth of Numbers that they had seene his glorye and yet provoked him ten times Ierusalems prouocation in the gospell and such care in her loving Saviour to have gathered her children vnder his winges of salvation as the henne her chickens seemeth to bee without number as appeareth by this interrogation O Ierusalem Ierusalem howe often Notwithstanding these presidents and presumptions of his mercy the safest way shall bee to rise at his first call and not to differre our obedience till the second for feare of prevention least the Lorde haue iust cause given by vs to excuse himselfe I called and you haue not aunswered And albeit at some times and to some sinners the Lorde bee pleased to iterate his sufferance yet farre be it of that we take incitement thereat to iterate our misdeedes He punished his angels in heaven for one breach Achan for one sacriledge Miriam for one slaunder Moses for one vnbeliefe Ananias and Saphira for one lie he maie be as speedy and quicke in avendging himselfe vpon our offences But if we neglect the first and second time also then let vs know that daunger is not farre of Iude had some reason meaning in noting the corrupt trees that were twice dead For if they twice die it is likely enough that custome vvill prevaile against them and that they vvill die the thirde time and not giue over death till they bee finally rooted vp There are tvvo reasons that maie iustly deterre vs from this carelesnesse and security in offending vvhich I labour to disvvade 1. the strength that sinne gathereth by growing and going forwardes It creepeth like a canker or some other contagious disease in the body of man and because it is not timely espied and medicined threatneth no small hazarde vnto it It fareth therevvith as vvith a tempest vpon the seas in vvhich there are first Leves vndae little waues afterwardes maiora volumiâ—a greater volumes of waters then perhapps ignei globi balles of fire fluctus ad coelum and surges mounting vp as high as heaven Esay describeth in some such manner the breedes of serpents first an egge next a cockatrice then a serpent afterwards a fierie flying serpent Custome they hold is an other nature and a nature fashioned and wrought by art And as men that are well invred are ashamed to giue over so others of an ill habite are as loth to depart from it The curse that the men of Creete vsed against their enemies vvas not a svvorde at their heartes nor fire vpon their houses but that vvhich vvoulde bring on these in time and much worse that they might take pleasure in an evill custome Hugo the Cardinall noteth the proceeding of sinne vpon the vvordes of the seventh Psalme If I haue done this thing if there bee any wickednesse in my handes c. then let mine enemie persecute my soule by suggestion and take it by consent let him tread my life vpon the earth by action and lay mine honour in the duste by custome and pleasure therein For custome in sinning is not onely a grave to bury the soule in but a great stone rolled to the mouth of it to keepe it downe And as there is one kinde of drunkennesse in excesse of wine an other of forgetfulnesse so there is a thirde that commeth by lust and desire of sinning 2. Nowe if the custome of sinne bee seconded vvith the iudgement of God adding an other vveight vnto it blinding our eies and hardening our heartes that vvee may neither see nor vnderstande least vvee should bee saved and because wee doe not those good thinges which wee knowe therefore wee shall not knowe those evill thinges which wee doe but as men bereft of heart runne on a senselesse and endlesse race of iniquity till the daies of gracious visitation bee out of date it vvill not be hard to determine vvhat the end vvill bee Peter saieth vvorse than the first beginning Matthew shevveth by hovve many degrees vvorse For vvhereas at the first vvee vvere possessed but by one devill novve hee commeth associated vvith seven others all vvorse than himselfe and there they intende for ever to inhabite Therefore it shall not be amisse for vs to breake of vvickednesse betimes and to followe the counsaile that Chrysostome giveth alluding to the pollicy of the vvise men in returning to their countrie an other waie Hast thou come saith hee by the waie of adultery goe backe by the waie of chastity Camest thou by the way of covetousnesse Goe backe by the waie of mercy But if thou returne the same vvaie thou camest thou art still vnder the kingdome of Herode For as the sickenesses of the body so of the soule there are criticall daies secret to our selves but well knowne to God whereby hee doth ghesse whether wee be in likelihode to recover health and to harken to the holesome counsailes of his law or not If then hee take his time to give vs over to our selves and the malignity of our diseases wee may say too late as sometime Christ of Ierusalem O that wee had knowne the thinges that belong to our peace but nowe they are
the best wine is that which is farthest brought for the more it is shaken in carriage the more it is fined and made fit for vse so there is both pleasure profit to heare any point of learning sifted moved to fro by the diverse iudgmeÌ„ts of learned men If I were as skilfull in simpling as some are I woulde giue you my simple opinioÌ„ But now I must speake froÌ„ mine authors R. Esdras saith that the wise of Spain called it Cucurbita or Cucumer which is in English a gourd or cucuÌ„ber but withal he addeth ratio iniri non potest vt sciatur quid sit we caÌ„not finde out the meanes to knovv what it was The Latin vular traÌ„slatioÌ„ calleth it Hedera which in our English signifieth Ivy Ierome disprooveth that eveÌ„ against himselfe saith that the Latines haue no name for it for Ivy and gourds and cucumers he saith creepe vpon the grouÌ„d haue need of tendrels props to beare theÌ„ vp but this tree sustained her selfe with her owne truncke had broad leaues like a vine the shadow which it cast was very thicke Some called it Bryonia bryony or wild nep the white vine which groweth in the hedges with red berries blistereth his skin that haÌ„dleth it SoÌ„e rapuÌ„ siluestre the wilde rape roote The Hebrews the Chaldees name it KikaioÌ„ the GreciaÌ„s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Arabians Elkerva whereof ye haue the oile of kerva in the Apothecaries shops Sometimes they cal it Cataputia maior great spourdge Pendactylum for the similitude which it hath with the 5. fingers of the haÌ„d Whervpon the French by reason of the ioints knots which are in the leaues therof name it Palme de Christ that is to say Christes hande The Hetrurians call it Phaseolum faselles or long pease a kinde of pulse rising so high that it served them for arbours Lastly the Germanes for the admirable heigth of it call it wonder boome that is the woÌ„derful tree Thus every nation as it could get any tree which in their imagination came nearest vnto it so they lent it a name But we may coÌ„clude vvith Oecolampadius according to that of Esdras before Incertum qualis frutex vel arbor It is not knowne what bush or tree it was At length the Latines the latest and in my iudgment the skilfullest amongst them haue all agreed to call it riciâ—us which in propriety of speach signifieth a tike a creature noisome to dogs for the likenes of the seed or grain that it beareth is applied to this tree Dioscorides calleth it arborosum fruticeÌ„ a bush yet a tree like vnto a figge-tree but lesse with leaues like to a plane but greater soft blackish and bearing seed like vnto tikes We may read of it in Pliny and of the oyle that coÌ„meth therhence togither with the variety of names that are giveÌ„ vnto it But al with one coÌ„sent agree that it sodainly springeth to the heigth of an Oliue diffuseth it selfe like Ivy that it hath scattering boughes broad leaues like the plane tree wher-vnder they were wont to feast most coÌ„modious to giue a shadow For which cause R. Kimhi noteth they vsed to place it before tavern dores Whither wee haue lighted vpon the name or not it sufficeth for the history to vnderstand that God provided a tree wonderfully tall plentifully stored with boughes leaues such as was most convenient to give comfort vnto Ionas O how admirable are the works of God the least wherof may challenge so many coÌ„mentaries expositions to be spent vpoÌ„ it what shall we then thinke of all nature if the whole table book therof were set before our eies to be viewed coÌ„sidered when one plant of the ground findeth not learning enough amongst Iews Barbarians nor Christians to vnfolde it When we behold the heaveÌ„s the works of his fingers the moone and the stars which he hath ordained I say not then as the Psalmist doth Lord what is man or the son of man that thou shouldest so visite him but what is man or the son of man that he should iudge or giue sentence of the and we may both begin end that Psalme as the prophet doth O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the world in the great buildinges treasures therof when one small creature parcell of thy workes breedeth such confusion in the wits of man Much more deepely might the Lord oppose vs as he did his servant Iob with the greater wonders of nature wheÌ„ we straine at gnats cannot coÌ„ceiue of little things hast thou entred into the bottomes of the sea or walked to seeke out the depth haue the gates of death ben opened vnto thee or hast thou seene the gates of the shadow of death hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth tell if thou knowest al this where is the way that light dwelleth where is the place of darknes Anaxagoras being askt why maÌ„ was made auÌ„swered to behold the heaveÌ„s to magnifie God in his creatures Surely as our Saviour coÌ„meÌ„ded the smal mites which the widow cast into the treasury so there is not the least worke that God doth but deserveth the greatest admiratioÌ„ that our hearts can coÌ„prehend And therefore the enchauÌ„ters of Pharoah wheÌ„ they were come to try their cunning in lice the basest conteÌ„ptiblest creatures they were enforced to cry out this is the finger of God To conclude as Christ made the coÌ„parison betweene the lillies his servants if God so cloath the grasse of the field which to day is standing to morrow is cast into the oveÌ„ how much more shal he do vnto you O ye of little faith so may we say if God be so glorious in a meaÌ„e plaÌ„t of the field which in a night caÌ„e vp in a night perished again much more are his mightier works highly to be marvailed at But in this 6. verse to bring it into order there are two parts 1. the creation of the gourd by the hands of God 2. the acceptation of Ionas The former hath 4. ioints divisions in it 1. the gourd was prepared by the Lord God for who els was able to create some haue gone about to imitate the workes of creation as to make thunders and lightnings and to fly in the aire but they haue paid the price of saying in their foolish harts I wil be like the most high 2. It was made to ascend 3. to be a shadow over the head of Ionas 4. to deliver him froÌ„ his griefe The preparing of the gourd had little pleasured Ionas vnlesse it had ascended to some height nor the ascending on high vnlesse it had beene flexible and bowed it selfe over his heade nor the hanging over his head without such quantity of boughes and leaues as were sufficient to shadow it all these grow and ascend
but they continued knocking till in the ende he arose and granted them their hartes requests The nexte condition of their praier was that it was properly and pertinentlie applyed to their present feare Let vs not perish for this mans life c. It was written in their heartes which others might haue red in the Psalmes of David Touch not mine anointed and doe my prophets no harme They thought that Prophets were iewelles and pearles vnto God and that the marring of one such woulde severely bee required Hence come their teares this is the thorne that pricketh them feare to offende in hurting an harmelesse man togither with that stinge and venime which sinne leaueth behinde it they knowe it will call for vengeaunce and though it passe the hande and the eye speeding it selfe in the seeming of him that doeth it into the lande of forgetfulnesse as it shoulde neuer bee thought vpon yet the Lorde will fetch it backe againe and set it before the face of the sinner and lay it as freshly to his charge as if hee vvere then in the act and perpetration thereof These bee the sores wherevvith they smarte daunger of their owne liues if they assaulte the life of Ionas and watchfulnesse of the iustice of GOD in taking account of forepassed sinnes To these they applie the medicines VVe know the order of thy Courte and iudgement seate to exacte life for life therefore let not vs perish for this mans life wee knowe that no sinne can escape thy dreadfull hande therefore if we happe to offende in spilling innocente bloude laie not our iniquitie vpon vs blotte it out of thy booke let it passe as a morning dewe before the sunne and not be imputed In disposing our praiers to God vve must as the Scribe in the gospell bringe forth of our treasures thinges olde and nevve For the blessings of God in generall there may bee generall thankes-givings for sinnes in generall generall confessions auncient and vsuall formes of prayer for auncient and vsuall occurrences Wee may take vnto vs wordes as the Prophet speaketh and say vnto the Lorde at all times Take away all iniquitie and receaue vs graciously so vvill wee render the calues of our lippes But as the matter of Gods iudgments and our dangers is varied so must we accordingly vary our praiers In the time of a plague wee must make of our praiers a particular Mâ—thridate against the plague acknowledging the hand of God that inflicted it knowing that the cause and originall thereof is not so much infection in the aire as rottenesse and corruption within our owne bones beseeching his maiestie as Phinees did that the plague may cease and that hee vvill visite no longer with that kinde of iudgement If the lande bee smitten with leanenesse and skarcity so that the children thereof cry for breade and sowne as they goe in the streetes for vvant of foode wee must pray in another stile that the LORD vvill vouchsafe to heare the heauens againe the heavens may heare the earth the earth the corne the vine and the oyle and these Israell or other his distressed people and that hee vvill visite no longer vvith this kinde of iudgement If the enemy shall saie against vs Come vvee will devour vvee will devoure the name of Sion shall bee no more had in remembraunce wee must turne vnto the Lord with another forme of supplication Spare thy people O Lorde and giue not thine heritage into reproache that the heathen shoulde rule over them vvherefore shoulde they say amongest the people vvhere is novve their God O cease to visite thy servants with this kinde of iudgemente If the heavens be brasse aboue vs and droppe no moisture vpon our fruites or if the spoutes which God hath devided in the aire powre downe too much vpon our heads sometime hee roareth so fearefully with his voice of thunders as who may abide it his lightnings giue shine to the earth and our eies are daseled thereat hee raineth dovvne tempestes and stormes vpon vs haile-stones and coles of fire this is our portion sometimes to drinke still as his plagues are newe so let vs come before him vvith newe songes new intercessions meekely kneeling before the Lorde our maker and falling lowe at his foote-stoole that his hand may be turned backe in these kindes of iudgements Thus did Salomon dedicate and blesse the temple beseeching the Lorde that vvhen the people shoulde pray vnto him accordinge to their sundry needes whether they were troubled vvith the assault of their enimy or vvith wante of raine with famine or mildewe or vvith captivity he would then heare them in heauen and be mercifull vnto them The sickenesse which these marriners suspecte is an issue of bloude which being once opened vvill euer runne and keepe a course if it be not stanched vvith the mercy of God and therefore they call vpon him as that present occasion enforceth them O let vs not perish for this mans life and bring not vpon vs innocent bloud Besides which purpose of theirs in laying their finger vpon the sore that is in suiting of their prayer with the present daunger for the fuller explication of the wordes themselues it may please you to take knowledge of two thinges 1. The proceeding of God in the case of bloudshead life for life deliuered in the former clause Let vs not perish for the soule of this man 2. How the bloud of Ionas in the latter may be called innocent bloud The lawe is generall touching the former Exod. 21. life for life eye for eye tooth for tooth hande for hande foote for foote burning for burning wounde for wounde stripe for stripe It is added Leviticus 24. Breath for breath blemish for blemish Gen. 9. I will require your bould wherein your liues are that is one reason in the nexte wordes vvho so sheadeth mans bloude by man shall his bloude bee shed for in the image of God hath hee made man That is an other reason Our Saviour reciteth the lavve in the gospell Math. 26. vvho so taketh the svvorde shall perish vvith the sworde And that wee may knowe this lavve was neuer repealed wee finde it in the last booke Reuelation 13. If anie leade into captivitie hee shall goe into captivitie if any man kill with a sworde hee must be killed with a a sworde Heere is the patience and the faith of Saintes that is this they beleeue and this they verilie expect to bee perfourmed vpon their enimies So the ordinary rule without question is this He that taketh away the life of man himselfe shall likewise perish Notvvithstanding the maker of the law may and doeth sometimes dispense with his owne lawe Many a one I confesse hath killed his neighbour himselfe not ending his daies in the like manner Be it so yet first he is slaine with a sword of his owne as Golias was he dieth daiely with the stabbing and launcing of his owne hearte and as in that first plague
wherewith Pharaoh was smitten all the waters of Aegypt in their rivers their streames their pondes their pooles their vessels of woode and their vessels of stone were changed into blood so in the minde and conscience of a murtherer there shall alwaies remaine a plague of bloud his eies shall behold no other colour but sanguine as if the aire were died into it the visions of his head in the night time shal cast a boule of bloud in his face all the cogitations and thoughtes of his heart shall overflow with the remembrance of that bloud which hee hath effused Againe if he that hath killed a man dieth in his bed or otherwise by the handes of God without the irrogation of this iudgement vpon him to be killed or executed by the hands of men yet let him know that he is dead by the law already the sworde of the spirit of God hath fallen vpon him the word and sentence of the law hath condemned him and that hee is reserved to the iudgemente of the greate daie where the sworde of eternall damnation the double and triple edge whereof can neuer be rebated shall feede vpon his flesh and be drunken with his bloude without ceasing Or lastly if he escape the dint of all these swordes temporall in this life internal in the conscience eternall in the worlde to come let him thanke his crucified redeemer whose stripes haue healed him the wounding and bleeding of whose precious body hath made intercession with his father in heauen that the wounds and bloudshed which he was worker of are not thought vpon Secondly we enquired how the bloud of Ionas might be tearmed innocente a man that fled from the face of God whom the winds and the sea hated with a perfite hatred euen vnto death an an vvhome the Marriners themselues rebuked and novve by the instant voice of God are ready to cast forth how is he innocent I answere In part not wholy with respect not absolutely innocent towards these men whome hee neuer iniuried not vvith relation to God whom he had hainouslye offended The Pelagians of our time magnifying the arme of flesh and the nature of mankinde more than reason admitteth by a sophisticall and deceitfull conclusion haue sought to obscure the trueth and to overâ—reach the world in this pointe For because they finde in the scriptures often mention of the innocencie iustice perfection of the children of God they dissembling or not wiselie weighing the drifte of the place simplie inferre thereupon that the law of GOD may be kept and fulfilled in this life Their paralogisme is easily discovered and disprooued by the rule of Augustine When the perfection of any man is named vvee must consider wherein it is named A man may bee a perfite hearer of vvisedome not a perfite teacher Thus is hee perfite and vnperfite a perfite knovver of righteousnesse not a perfite doer perfite in this that hee loueth all men and yet vnperfite in the loue it selfe It were absurdly concluded Ionas was innocent towards the Marriners therefore innocent towardes the Israelites innocent towardes man therefore innocent towards God innocent in this present behaviour therfore innocent in the whole conversation of his life As it hath no iust consecution David was innocent towardes Saul therefore innocent towardes Vrias A man may be righteous both in comparison of others for hee is the best which hath the fewest faultes and in comparison of himselfe for wee must iudge of a man by that whereto the greater part of his life and disposition hath beene inclined And because there was no father in the church who had greater reason to ventilate this argument vnto the bottome than Augustine had himselfe in that ambitious age being sifted and proued by so many adversaries to the grace and righteousnes of God I will giue you a short taste of his aunswers and satisfactions to the question as I finde them in his writings Touching perfection hee vvriteth thus by occasion of the Apostles wordes Philippians the thirde Let vs as manye as bee perfiâ—â—e bee thus minded Yet in the twelfth verse before it is contraried Not as though I had alreadie attained it or that I were alreadie perfite How may these stande togither Perfite and vnperfite If vve take perfection in intention and purpose not in pervention and obtaining the purpose in contention endevour inchoation that is in imperfection and not otherwise thou canst not otherwise bee perfite in this life vnlesse thou knovve that in this life thou canst not bee perfite There is a certaine perfection according to the measure and proportion of this life and to that perfection this is also deputed If a man knowe that yet hee is not perfite So as it is not the least parte of our perfection to knovve and confesse our imperfections Bernarde vpon the former wordes to the Philippians that I may inserte his iudgement also by the way beateth downe the arrogancie of all high minded flesh Magnum electionis vas profectum abnuit perfectum fatetur The greate vessell of election denyeth perfection to himselfe confesseth his profection and goinge forwarde I endevour my selfe to that vvhich is before I proceede vvith Augustine VVee maye be perfite travellers in righteousnesse before heereafter vvee shall â—ee perfite owners and possessours of righteousnesse vvee may bee perfite by anticipation carrying the name of the thinge before vvee haue attayned vnto it as vvee are saide alreadie to bee glorified though our glorification shall bee consummate in time to come We are the sonnes of God saith the Apostle and yet it appeareth not what wee shall bee What meaneth this vvee are and vvee shall bee but that vvee are in hope and shall be indeede Finally hee alloweth a certaine perfection sufficient to converse and holde societie vvith mankinde a perfection for the modell and capacitie of this life for the state of passengers and way faring men and whatsoeuer hee allovveth more in this kinde I am sure he concludeth that the perfection of all righteous men vvhile they are in the flesh is imperfect This of perfection Of righteousnesse and iustice thus hee affirmeth in other places The Evangelist Sainte Luke reporteth of Zacharie and Elizabeth his vvife that they vvere both righteous before God that is without hypocrisie vvalking in the commaundementes of God Now because they vvalked it is an argument that they were not yet come to the marke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in all the commauddementes and iustifications of the Lorde The testimonie is alreadie verye large but yet hee addeth more They vvalked in them all vvithout reproofe Howe without reproofe Augustine interpreteth it to Innocentius Sine querelâ non sine peccato Not vvithout sinne but vvithout grievance quarrell iust complainte or exception to bee made against them Nay hee proveth out of the same scripture that because Zacharie was a Priest therefore a sinner for hee was bounde to offer for sinnes aswell for his own parte as for