Pietie and Godlinesse This that he might the better effect he calleth their Sin first to minde and that was Treason against himselfe and that in the Second Verse Secondly hee shewes vnto them his lawfull calling to the Kingdome and that in the Third Verse Thirdly he counselleth them to repent to turne from their wicked waies and that in the Fourth Verse Fourthly to shew vnto the World the Fruit of that repentance and that in the Fift Verse These things thus premised he teacheth them to ayme at true Felicity concerning which seeing it was a great Question even in those daies wherin it did consist as it is in the Sâ—xt Verse He shewed that it consisted in the favour of God towards Man as it is in the Seauenth Verse and amplifieth that favour of his in respect of the Effects that followe which are Gladnesse of heart as it is in the Eight Verse fearelesse Security as it is in the Ninth And thus much of the Analysis VErse 1. Heare me when I call O God of my Righteousnesse for thou hast set me at liberty when I was in trouble haue mercy vpon me and harken to my Prayer Between the Throne of God in Heaven his Church vpon Earth here militant b Mr Hooker Eccles Pol. l. 5. §. .23 saith Reverend Hooker If it be so that Angels haue thelr coÌ„tinual intercourse where should we find the same more verified then in these two ghostly Exercises the one Doctrine the other Prayer For what is the assembling of the Church to heare but the receauing of Angels descended from aboue What to pray but the sending of Angels vpward His heauenly Inspirations and our holy Desires are as so many Angels of Entercourse Commerce betweene God and vs. Now that our Prophet here though in exile had this Angelicall Attendance about him and an Heauen as it were vpon Earth in regard of those Troopes coelestiall what more pregnant Proofe vnto vs then those many Prayers in this Book and this amongst the rest of singular good importance The Prayer it selfe is not many words it is short and cutted but of which we may say as c Tull. Epist Fam. l. 11. Ep 24. Tully in another case Quà m Multa quà m Paucis How much in how few words The Christians vpon this Example made their Prayers it should seeme of this mould The Bretheren in Egypt d Aug. Ep. 121. c. 10. Vid. Hooker Eccl. Pol. l. 5. §. 33. saith S. Austen are reported to haue many Prayers sed eas tamen brevissimas taptim quodammodo jaculatas but al of them very short as if they were so many Darts throwne out with a kinde of suddaine quicknesse least that Vigilant and erect attention of Minde which in Prayer is very necessary should bee wasted or dulled through continuance if their Praiers were few and long Such a darted Prayer was the Publicans e Luc. 18.13 Lord be mercifull to mee a Sinner Such another was S. Stephens f Act. 7.59 Lord laie not this Sinne to their charge And such a short one was that of our Saviours when being vpon the Crosse g Luc. 23.34 Father saith he forgiue them for they knowe not what they doe Where by the way may be noted the obliquity of Him who finding fault with many our Church Prayers vsed at Divine Service that are not much longer will not afford them the name of Prayers Insteed of such Prayers h Cartwrightâ— Reply to D. Whitegift l. 1. p. 108. saith he as the Primitiue Churches haue vsed and those that bee reformed now vse we haue divers short Cuts Shreddings which may be better called Wishes then Prayers which hee speakes to as good purpose as if he should say in defence of some that would stab Men with their Daggers they vsed short little cutted Things and Shreds of Iron which may better be called Daggers then Weapons Otherwise what is a Wish but a thing much desired a Request a Prayer which the Poet might haue taught him by ioyning them both together i Virg. Aeneid l. 6. Cessas in Vota Precesque Tros ait Aenea cessas And yet the Prophet here in this place tearmes these few Words as short a Cut and as small a Shredding as they seeme to be a PRAYER Haue mercy vpon me saith he hearken vnto my Prayer But to come vnto my purpose The Prayer here in this place as it is but short briefe so let me briefly consider therein First for what it was Secondly to whom Thirdly why to him to whom it was made It was first for a Day of Hearing and for Mercy on that Day whenas that hearing should be Which yet is not so to be taken as if the Court of Heauen were like some earthly Courts where the Petition may be put in to day and a day of hearing a Tweluemonth after I twaine I k Only the Areopagites went beyond such Iudges who posted off a matter till an hundred years after A. Gell. Noâ—t Att. l. 12. c. 7. Valer. Max. l. 8. c. 1. twenty Nor meane I in Vtopia but perhaps in Eutopia too where all things are or should be not Benè onely but Optime by reason of the GOSPELL No God heareth in a moment and the Petition is no sooner put vp but the Day of Hearing is granted presently nay sometimes before Witnesse the Prophet m Esay 65.24 Before they call I will answere and whiles they are yet speakiâ—g I will heare Indeed the selfe same Prophet tells vs that some others he wil not heare n Esay 1.15 When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eies from you yea when you make many Prayers I will not heare marry then there was reason for it for what kinde of Hands spread they forth Puras Manus as o 1. Tim. 2.8 vulg speakes the Apostle in his first Epistle to Timothy Pure and Cleane Hands No but they were bloudy nay they were full of Bloud for so it followeth in that place And yet euen that such also should not vtterly despaire Wash ye make ye cleane p Esay 1.16 saith he put away the euill of your doings from before mine eyes cease to doe euill learne to doe well seeke Iudgment relieue the Oppressed iudge the Fatherlesse plead for the Widow Come now and let vs reason together saith the Lord though your Sinnes be as Scarlet they shall bee as white as Snow though they be red like Crimsin they shal be as Wooll And this is the Mercy here petitioned in this place without this Mercy what had the Prophet bene but a Map of Misery If thou Lord wilt be extreame q Ps 130.3 saith he to marke what is done amisse oh Lord who may abide it And S. Austen to like purpose r Aug. Confess l. 9. c. 13. Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum si remota Misericordia discutias eam Woe to the Life of Man be it never so praise
lesse then Nothing and Vanity Verse 2. The Kings of the Earth stand vp and the Rulers take counsell together against the Lord and against his Annoynted Before was Fury and Folly and both in the People now the Prophet shewes vnto vs that the Magistrates themselues began to take the matter in hand So that where formerly there was small likelyhood of bringing ought to passe in that kind the People but an head-strong multitude and vnable to performe their Designes now Wit and Cunning and Policy begin to play their parts and a Body would now thinke that all should be as they would haue it Loe here an Vnity such at it was but Vnit as Facinoro sorum as o Bernard de Assumpt Mariae Ser. 5. speakes St Bernard an Vnity not of Saints but of Sinners Peruersa execranda talis Vnitas such an Vnity as that saith he is both praeposterous and execrable Amat Auaritia Vnitatem Quod amat bonum est sed vbi amandum sit nescit Euen Couetousnes it Selfe p Aug. de Verb. Dom. Ser. 20. saith St Austen doth loue an Vniting together Now the thing she loueth is good but she knowes not where to place her Loue. Right so is it a blessed thing that the Magistrate and the People should both agree together but when they shal agree in that which is notoriously bad as here they do in this place it aggrauates eithers fault and bâ—th are lyable to the more exception And that so they do here in this place witnes the words of this Verse for it is First against the Lord Secondly his Annointed First concerning the Lord though commonly in holy Scripture LORD be put for the second Person in Trinity God the Sonne yet here is it set for God the Father who is the Lord as the Prophet Amos q Amos. 5.16 speakes and the God of Hosts It is in the Originall the Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and God is therfore called Lord because as S. Ambrose r Ambros in ep 〈◊〉 Câ—loâ—s c. 4. saith he hath dominion both ovâ—r our Bodies ouer our Soulâ— because as Å¿ â—act â—nâ—it l. 4 c. 3. Laectantius hee hath the greatest power that can be both in correcting and punishing And our Saviour indeed instructing vs how great his Power is Feare not them which kill the Body t Mat 10.28 saith he but are not able to kil the Soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both Soule and Body in Hell St Gregory speaking of the diverse Appellations that are in holy Scripture giuen to God When he will be feared u Greg in Cant. Cantic Prol. saith he then doth he name himselfe LORD when he will be honoured FATHER when he will be beloued HVSBAND though in the Old Testament the two Appellations Fâ—th r and Huâ—bâ—nd are seldome mentionâ—d Lord most often Many thinâ—s x Aug. de Ser. Dom. in Mont. l. 2. such S. Austen are dâ—liuered in holy Scripture to be spoâ—â—n in Gods praises 〈◊〉 sâ—all â—ou find it to â—aue beene commanded to the Pâ—â—plâ— oâ— Isrâ—el that sâ—eaâ—â—â—g vnto God they sh uld s y OVR â—ATHER or that they should pâ—ay vnto God aâ— a Grâ—tius Nomen est Pietaâ—â— quà m Poteâ—at Tertull. Apolog c. 34. FATH R but he is 〈…〉 LORD to put them in mind 〈…〉 Servants to â—im And yet our Sâ—â—â— ur Câ—â—isâ— God and Mâ—n Heâ—câ—fâ—rth I call you not 〈◊〉 y Ioh. 15.15 sâ—iâ—h he for the Sâ—â—uâ—nt kâ—â—weth not what hiâ— Lâ—rd 〈…〉 I hâ—â—â— câ—lle◠〈◊〉 FRâ—NDS for all things that I â—auâ—â—â—â—rd of my Father I haue made knowne vnto you Secondly concâ—â—ning Anâ—ointâ—d that is here set for the Second Person indeed Chrâ—st Iesus our Saviour who was to be our Prophet our Priest and Prince and therefore is said in holy Scripture to bee Annointed by God Not that at any time hee was Annointed with materiall Oyle z Act. 4.27 but as S. Peter in one place a Act. 10.38 With the Holy Ghost with Power And as our b Ps 45.8 Psalmist in another With the Oyle of Gladnesse aboue his Fellowes The time of this his Annointing was no doubt in the time of his Conception even before he was bâ—rne and therefore he was no sooner borne but an Angell said vnto the Shepheards c Luc. 2.10 Behold I bring you good Tydings of great ioy which shal be to all People for vnto you is borne this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord CHRIST that is Annointed And thus is this Scripture alleaged by the Church in the Acts of the Apostles who vpon the report Peter and Iohn made of their vsage by the Rulers of the Iewes they lift vp their voice to God with one accord said d Act. 4 2â— Lord thou art God which hast made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and â—ll that in them is Who by the mouth of thy Seruant David hast said why did the Heathen rage and the People imaginâ— vaine things The Kings of the Earth stood vp and the Rulâ—rs were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ For of a truth against thy holy Child Iesus whome thou hast annoinâ—ed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the People of Israel were gathered together for to doe whatsoeuer thy Hand and thy Counsell determined before to be done Thus was it e Exod. 14.26 Ioh. 19.36 said of the Paschal Lambe that not a Bone thereof should be broken and it was applyed to our Saviour by the Evangelist S. Iohn It was said of the Israelites Hos 11.2 Mat. 2.5 Out of Egypt haue I called mâ— Sonne and it was aâ—plied to our Saviour by the Evangelist S. Mâ—thew It was said of King Solomon 2 Sam. 2 14. Hâ—b 1.5 I will be his Father and he shall be my Sonne and it was applyed to our Saviour by the Apostle S. Paul These two Senses of the Scriptures there are that call them the one a Literall the other a Mysticall Sence but h Dion Carth. in Mat. 2. Art 5 Dionysius Carthusianus i Tost in Deut. 18. qu. 6 Tostatus and the l Rhem. in 2. King 7.14 in marg Rhemists in the Doway Bible doe make them both Literall Tostatus giues the Reason Nam vna Litera benè potest importare duos sensus quando vnus subordinatur alteri Hauing spoken of a place of Scripture that might be vnderstood either of our Saviour or of his Prophets Sensus literalis est vterque Either saith he is the Literall sense For one and the self same Letter in Scripture doth wel import two Senses when one is subordinate to the other And of this mind with them was that worthy Professor of ours most worthily afterwards Bishop of Salisbury m D. Abbots Sermon vpon 1. Cor. 10.32 not printed D. Abbots who in a Sermon of his to the Vniversitie not only hath the Premisses but hee
Praising Magâ—ifying and Lauding God in the Memory of hiâ— manifâ—ld Bl ssings â—â—â—ria or the Worship of God is a Vertue Morall not Intellectuâ—ll â—hâ—rfâ—re to despise saith he as many doe or neglect as most doe Cultum Latriae this Praising and Mâ—gnifying of God and to gad vp and downe to heare the Word preached as they call it is not only against the Lawes of this Land the Statutes of our Colledges but against the chief Institution of the Lords Day This by all likelyhood seemes harsh to Many that consider not Things aright but as if the Gospell of Christ were Faction and all to be as they would haue it h Horat. Serm. Sat. 4. Nam multo plures sumus ac veluti te Iudaei cogemus in hanc concedere Turbam it is strange how CHVRCH-SERVICE is generally now neglected of all Sorts nay and so much vilyfied of some that would seeme to be Protestants to and of the forwarder Sort that the very Scriptures there read are despised and with Choroebus in the Poet as if they resolved with Papists to fight with their Weapons against the said Scriptures i Virg. Aeneid l. 2. Mutemus Clypeos Danaumque insignia nobis Aptemus they stick not to giue out that they are read there to little purpose because forsooth not interpreted And indeed I must needs say they are so heard by Many that they profit by them never a whit who did they heare also Lectures and Sermons no better would profit as little by them And by them how litle they profit CREDITE OPERIBVS They are our Saviours owne Words l Ioh. 10.37 If I doe not the Workes of my Father beleeue me not But if I doe though ye beleeue not me beleeue the Workes But concerning the Profit that may be taken by Scriptures read in the Church let vs heare what Strangers say seeing our owne Men at Hoame haue thought so hardly of it Concerning the Scriptures to be read m Zanch. Tom. 8. De Rel. Christ Observat in c. 25. Aphoris 10. 11. ex Bucer in Ep. ad Eph. c. 4. saith Zanchius and he confirmes it by MARTIN BVCâ—R whose Words they are Concerning the Scriptures to be read saith he God be thanked it is well ordered in the English Churches Let it therefore be pondered diligently whose Mouth they represent themselues to be which in the sacred Assemblies read the Divine Bookes vnto the People that is to wit they represent the Mouth of God Almighty Next of what Moment of what Dignity the Matters are that are recited they are the Words and Precepts of Life Eternall Lastly to whom they read namely to the Sonnes of God These things if a man with true Faith consider with himselfe what Gravity Decency Religion can be yeelded in any Action which should be omitted by such a Reader Thus farre Zanchius and with him Martin Bucer hand in hand Had our owne Mothers Children at Hoame had the like Opinion of Reading Scriptures in the publike Congregation which Strangers you see haue had our Church by this time had bene too happy nor had our Adversaries the Papists gotten so much Ground of vs as they seeme to haue But it befalls GODS SERVICE what oftentimes befalls his Prophets n Mat. 13.57 It is not without Honour saue in our owne Country God grant it followeth not with vs what doth in that place concerning our Saviour o V. 58. that it doth not many mighty Workes here because of our Vnbeliefe But to returne to my purpose The Reason here giuen of Giuing Thanks is because the Lord defends them but of Defending them in the next Verse in the meane time let vs consider what it is to Loue his Name and this is the Effect of all Thy Name p Mollerus in hunc Ps saith Mollerus that is thy Word whereby we are made acquainted how and in what sort the Lord will shew himselfe vnto those that are his For that is called a Name saith he whereby any one is knowen or the Remembrance of him is kept in mind Such are the HOLY SCRIPTVRES by them the Lord is knowen by them his Remembrance is kept in mind The Ignorance of the Scriptures q Hieron Comment in Esay Prooem ad Eustoch Virg. saith S. Ierom is the Ignorance of Christ and Haec est Mors Animae vt Deum nesciat Not to know God r Aug. Annot. in Iob. c. 9. saith S. Austen is the Death of the Soule Vers 13. For thou Lord wilt giue thy Blessing vnto the Righteous and with thy favourable Kindnes wilt thou defend him as with a Shield Who they are that are the Righteous and whence it is they are so tearmed I haue declared Å¿ Exposit on Ps 1.7 p. 29. before Here the Prophet shewes vnto vs that they which indeed are Righteous what Benefits they shall reape thereby And first here is Blessing in the Singular Number which is not so to be taken as if it were but only One No it cannot be said to God as was said to Isaac by Esau his Sonne t Gen. 27.38 Hast thou but one Blessing my Father For God hath many So that the Blessing here though it be but One yet is it indeed a Swarme a Cluster of Blessings One Swarme many Bees one Cluster many Grapes And as S. Austen in an other case u Aug. in Ps 141. Quae Via ipsae Viae quae Ecclesia ipsae Ecclesia quod Coelum ipsi Coeli Way and Wayes Church and Churches Heauen and Heauens are spoken Singularly and Plurally and therefore by the Singular Number the Plurall is meant euen so in this Case by Blessing in the Singular the Plural is vnderstood And would you now see the Plurality of these Blessings I specified them x Exposit on Ps 1.1 p. 4. before it is but to haue recourse to the First Word of the First Psalme That the Prophet here addeth that the Righteous shall be defended with the favourable Kindnes of the Lord as with a Shield we are first of all to consider what this Favourable Kindnes is then the manner of the Defence thereof namely as with a Shield It is in the Originall RATSON Benevolentia Beneplacitum and rendred by the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which wee say in English Favour or Goodnes the Benignity of God readily doing good to any of his Creatures It is that which the Apostle calls y Rom. 2.4 The Riches of his Goodnes whereby we may vnderstand that saying of his in the same Epistle where it is said that he is z Rom. 10.12 Rich vnto all that call vpon him Indeed his gracious accepting of vs and mercifull Readines to doe vs good is the everlasting true RICHES Of worldly Riches it may be said that wich Solomon saith of them and many a man findes too true a Prov. 23.5 they certainely make themselues Wings they flye away as an Eagle toward Heauen but Riches