for the whole contained in this commandement yea it reacheth also to the times which the familie appointeth that euery one for his priuate and lone prayer purposeth although the bond to that time is not so strict as is the bond to obserue daies of rest VVhat need is there euery sennight of a whole day to serue God in seeing we may serue God euery day That is not enough for to the end we should not plunge our selues so deeply into the affaires of the world from whence wee should not recouer our selues the wisedome of God hath thought good that one day in seuen there should be an intermission from them when wee should wholly separate our selues to the seruice of God What other can you alleage For that a whole day is needfull for the performance of the whole seruice of God hearing of publike prayer and the word preached catechising administration of the Sacraments exercise of holie discipline and consideration of the glorie of God in the creatures What further For that if Adam in his perfection had need of this helpe much more we which are so grieuously corrupted You are then of iudgement that the rest of the Lords day and of the seuenth day cannot be taken away Yea verely as that which is constantly and perpetually to be obserued How proue you that this commandement is not ceremoniall but perpetuall First no Ceremonie hath place in the morall Law whereof this is a part otherwise if this be Ceremoniall then there are but nine words Secondly for that it was written by the finger of God which the Ceremonies were not Thirdly it was written in tables of stone as to signifie the hardnesse of our hearts so to signifie the continuance of it Fourthly it was before any shadow or ceremonie yea before Christ was promised whom al ceremonies haue respect vnto But sith it sometime shadowed our eternall rest is it not therefore ceremoniall That followeth not for that the ceremonie of representation of the spirituall rest came after the commandement of the rest and therefore is accessorie and accidentall for which cause the time of correction and of abolishment of ceremonies being come that ceremonie may well fall away and yet the Commandement remaine as being not of the substance of the Commandement Haue you yet any further reason to confirme the perpetuity of the rest of the seuenth day Our Sauiour Christ willing his children which should liue about 40. yeeres after his ascension Mat. 24. to pray that their flight might not bee vpon the Sabbath thereby to hinder them in the seruice of God doth thereby sufficiently declare that hee held not this Commandement in the account of a ceremony But is our rest vpon the Lords day or Sunday perpetuall and vnchangeable or may not another seuenth day be placed in stead thereof No creature in heauen or earth can alter it Why so Because as God ceased from his labors on the Saturday so Christ ceased from afflictions on the Sunday As the one therefore was sanctified in regard of the creation much more should the other bee sanctified in respect of the restoring and redemption of the world being a greater worke then the creation Is there any further proofe hereof The continuall practise of our Sauiour Christ Iob. 20.19 and 26. and of the Apostles should bee a sufficient rule vnto vs Act. 2.1 and 20.7 c. Reuel 1.10 1. Cor. 16.1 much more when the Apostles haue added a commandement thereof When doth this our Sabbath begin At the dawning of the day for Christ rose in the dawning and to put a difference between the Iewish Sabbath and the true Christian Sabbath it is needfull that ours should begin at morning when by the resurrection of Christ the world began to be renued whereas the other began at night when the world in the creation thereof was finished Declare that by some example Act. 20. Paul being at Troas after he had preached a whole day vntill midnight celebrated the supper of the Lord the same night which was a Sabbaths day exercise and therefore that night following the day was a part of the Sabbath for in the morning he departed hauing stayed there seuen daies whereof it is euident that it was done on the Lords day How is the Commandement set forth First in a short summe and after declared by parts What is the short summe Remember thou keepe holy the Sabbath day What is to be obserued in the word Remember That although all the Commandements are needfully and diligently to be remembred yet this more specially Why so First because this Commandement hath least light of nature to direct vs to the obseruation of it Secondly for that wee are naturally most negligent in the obseruation of this in suffering our selues to be with drawne by our worldly businesse from Gods seruice vpon the Lords day therfore this speciall warning is added to it What is it wee should here remember for the better sanctifying of the Sabbath That we should compasse all our businesse within the working daies that the worldly affaires enter not or encroch into possession of the Lords day not onely willingly but not so much as by any forgetfulnesse as when for want of foresight the payment of money due by obligation falleth out on that day What are the parts of the Commandement They consist partly in declining from things vnlawfull and partly in doing the dutifull workes of this day What must wee decline and leane vndone on the Lords day Generally all our workes Numb 15.32.33 Exod. 31.10.11.12 and particularly those of the least importance as gathering of stickes also those of greatest weight as to worke in haruest or on the Tabernacle and building the Temple What gather you from hence In the forbidding of the gathering of stickes Exod. 34.21 that the rest of the Lords day is broken by the smallest workes and in that it was forbidden to build the Lords house vpon the Lords day that the greatest and most important businesse as working in seed time and haruest is forbidden Is it meerely vnlawfull to doe any bodily worke on the Lords day Things belonging to common honestie and also to necessity for preseruation of life health and goods which otherwise would perish if they were not saued on that day are excepted Are we as strictly bound to keepe this Commandement as the Iewes Yes verily so farre as the Commandement reacheth and more then they because of the greater measure of Gods graces vpon vs aboue that which was vpon them Exod. 35.3 and 16.23 What do you say to the making of a fire and dressing of meat vpon the Lords day for neither of these were lawfull to the Iewes Not to make a fire or dresse meat on the Sabbath were proper to the Pedagogie or maner of the gouernment of the children vnder the Law as may appeare in that there was no Commandement of such strict obseruance of the Sabbath before the Law was giuen
either impunitie or tyrannous tortures of consciences may bee taken away VVhat further doe we pray for That God would furnish his Church with all such officers as hee appointeth that being endued with speciall gifts may bee both able and willing to execute their charge diligently and faithfully What further desire we in this petition That where these things are onely begun they may bee perfected and that euery Church may bee polished and garnished that Sion may appeare in her perfect beautie and so the Iewes may bee called and so manie of the Gentiles as belong vnto Christ and the contrary enemies may be either conuerted or confounded What do we pray for the kingdome 〈…〉 member of the Church We out of a sorrowful feeling of the spiritual bondage we are in to Satan and sinne pray that the kingdome of Christ may come and be aduanced in euery one of our harts in Iustice Righteousnesse Peace and Ioy in the holy Ghost euen as poore captiues are alwaies creeping to the prison doore Rom. 14.17 and labouring to get off their bolts So much of the kingdome of God in this world What pray you for concerning the kingdome of Christ in the last day or for the kingdome of glory Reuel 22.20 2. Tim. 4.8 That Christ would hasten his comming for the elects sake who with singular loue and affection long for it saying Come Lord Iesus come quickly The third petition Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen VVhat is considered in this petition By earth those that are in earth and by heauen those that are in heauen VVhat is heere meant by the will of God Deut. 19.29 His reuealed will and Commandement wherein is set downe what we ought to do or leaue vndone as also his promises which we ought to beleeue Is there any other will of God besides his reuealed will 1. Pet. 3.17 Yea verily that whereof the Scripture speaketh thus if so be the will of God and that the petition is not meant of this it appeareth first because that no man can know it nor search it out vntill it come to passe whereas to the doing of this wil knowledge is necessarie Secondly for that no man can resist it Thirdly for that there are no promises for the performing of it seeing a man may doe the secret will of God and perish as Pilate c. Is not the secret wil of God contrary to his reuealed wil No in no wise it differeth in some respect but is not another wil much lesse contrarie How differeth it The secret will of God considereth especially the end and the reuealed will the things that are referred to the end And the secret will of God is of the euent of al things Ioh. 14.1 1. Thes ◠3 where the reuealed will is of those things onely which are propounded in the word as to beleeue in Christ and to be sanctified c. It may seeme that the reuealed will of God is sometimes contrarie to it selfe as when God forbiddeth murther and theft yet God commandeth Abraham to kill his sonne and the Israelites to take the goods of the Egyptians Here is no contrarietie because God in giuing a law to man giueth none to himselfe but that he may command otherwise therefore the law hath this exception that it is alwaies iust vnlesse God command otherwise But it seemeth that the secret wil of God is often contrarie to the reuealed will seeing by the former many euill things are committed and by the other all euill is forbidden In as much as by the prouidence of God euill things come to passe it is for some good of Gods glory or good of the Church or both in which only respect they by the prouidence of God are done or suffered to be done What more specially of sanctification do we pray for in this petition First that wee may know his will without the which we cannot do it then that so many as are subiects in the kingdome of Christ may do the dutie of good subiects and bee obedient vnto the reuealed will of God Mat. 6.33 otherwise called the righteousnesse of of Gods kingdome so that there is a mutuall relation of this petition to the former where we pray that God may rule as heere that his rule may be obeyed What learne you out of this word Thy Psal 86.11 110.37 Gen. 6.5 8.21 Rom. 8.6 Rom. 7.24 Wee learne that when wee pray for obedience to Gods will wee desire the suppression of our owne will as that which being prone to all sinne as a match to take fire is naught and repugnant to the will of God so farre are wee from hauing any free will naturally to doe that which is good 2. Pet. 2.7 Ezech. 9.4 which wee must bewaile both in our selues and others What by this word done Philip. 2.13 Act. 20.24 That it may not onely be intended and indeauoured but accomplished although it bee with griefe and smart What learne you of this as it is in heauen That our obedience should bee done most willingly readily cheerefully and wholly and not to do one and leaue another vndone As the Angels do the will of God so Psal 103.20 Mat. 18.10 Esa 6.2 Ezech. 1.7 and therefore are set forth winged to shew their speedinesse and round footed to expresse their readinesse to all and euery commandement of God And so all vnwilling or by law inforced obedience is heere condemned But seeing wee are sinfull and the Angels holy how can we imitate them Wee should endeauour to the like holinesse and so grow therein daily more and more till we be like vnto them not that we can performe it to the full as they doe Leuit. 11.44 1. Pet. 1.16 As also in this regard God himselfe saith Be ye holy as I am holy and yet it were absurd to say or thinke that any man could come to the holinesse of God whose holinesse hee is commanded to follow This petition also agreeth well with our desire of hastening the Lords comming in the former petition Hitherto of the petitions that concerne God What is generall to bee considered in the next for our selues That there is no lawfull vse of these petitions which follow or any of them vnlesse we first labour in the former petitions concerning the seruice of God 1. Tim. 4.8 considering that godlinesse hath the promises of this life and the life to come VVhat further That as in the former the word thy did only respect God so in these following by these words Ours and vs we learne to haue a fellow feeling of the miseries and necessities of others and therfore in care to pray for them which is the triall of the true spirit of prayer Is there any thing else common to them all That for them all we depend on God on his prouidence for the first of our nourishing on his mercy for pardon of our sinnes and on his power for
vers 3. VVhat comfort learne you from that God reigneth First Ecclesiast 5.7 that when wee are wronged and oppressed by tyrannie of men wee may haue our recourse to the iust and righteous iudgement of God which is the righteous Iudge of the world Secondly Psal 93.10.11 97.1 that although all the world rore and fret yet wee should not feare because the Lord is greater VVhat learne you of that the Prophet saith he is high and higher then they That which himselfe teacheth vers 5. Psal 145.12 that we extoll him with praises VVhat are the parts of his kingdome Two 1. His decree 2. The execution of his decree vers 4. VVhat is Gods Decree It is an action of his most perfect will which maketh the thing he decreeth perfectly good Seeing his Decree is defined by his will what must we consider therein Wee must not subiect it to our shallow and base capacitie to measure it by our reason considering that the will of God from whence the decree commeth is vnsearchable VVhat gather you from that fourth verse Acts 27.20.21.22.23.24.25.26.17.31.32.34.44 That hee hath not only decreed the things themselues but also their circumstances of place or time so that they shall not come in any other place or time then he hath ordained and then and there they shal come to passe necessarily VVhat is the principall decree of God in the things he hath ordained for his glorie That which is of the good or euill of men or Angels which is called predestination VVhat is predestination It is the decree of God touching the euerlasting state of men and Angels VVhat are the parts of predestination Two Election and Reprobation VVhat is Gods election of them It is his predestination of certaine men and Angels to euerlasting life to the praise of his glorious grace VVhat is Reprobation It is his predestination of certaine men and Angels to destruction to the praise of his glorious iustice Rom. 9.22 VVhat is the cause why these are chosen and refused and not these The meere will and pleasure of God GEN. Chap. 1. vers 1 2 3 4 c. to the 13. 1 In the beginning God created the heauen and the earth 2 And the earth was without forme and voide and darkenes was vpon the deepe and the Spirit of God moued vpon the waters 3 Then God saide Let there bee light and there was light 4 And God saw the light that it was good and God separated the light from the darkenesse HItherto of the decree of God What is the execution of it It is an action of God working all things effectually according to his decree VVhat are the parts of the execution Two Creation and Gouernment VVhat is Creation It is the execution of the decree of nothing making all things very good VVhere is this taught In sundrie places of the Scripture but especiallie in Genesis 1. and 2. chap. VVhat are the generall things considered in all this creation First the Creator of these which is God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Secondly his omnipotencie that he made all by his word that is by his only will who calleth things that are not as though they were Thirdly that he made not all at once and in a moment but in six daies and six nights VVhy did hee worke them in six daies which could haue perfected all in a moment First because hee would teach vs the better to vnderstand their workmanship euen as a man which will teach a childe in the frame of a letter will first teach him one line of the letter and not the whole letter together Secondly that wee might also by his example finish our worke in six daies How many sorts of creatures are there Two Visible Inuisible VVhat are the things inuisible The Angels and Soules of men Why is not mention made of the creation of the Angels more expressely especially being creatures in glorie passing all others They are not expressely mentioned because Moses setteth foorth the things that are visible But that they were in one of the sixe daies created it is most euident Psal 103.20 c. Psal 148.2.5 Col. 1.16 What are the visible things Two The rude masse or matter of the world made the first night wherein all things were confounded and mingled one in another And secondly the beautifull frame thereof which hee made the rest of the six daies and nights What are the parts of that rude masse Heauen and earth as it were the center and circumference for as the Arch-builders first shadow out in a plot the building they intend and as the Painters draw certaine grosse lineaments of that picture which they will after set foorth and fill vp with orient colours so the Lord our God in this stately building and cunning painting of the frame of the world hath before the most beautifull frame set out as it were a shadow and a common draught thereof Why is the rude masse called heauen and earth By a trope of the matter whereof all the bodilie creatures were made it seemeth that the rudenes was in the earth only containing the water and the drie land because the Prophet saith that the earth was voide and without shape It is true that Moses giueth this to the earth rather then to the masse of the heauens because the confusion and rudenesse was greater there then in the masse of the heauens because the water and drie land being mingled together there was no forme or figure of them VVhereof was the rude masse of heauen and earth made Of nothing as appeareth both by the word of creation which Moses vseth signifying the making of a thing of nothing and that hee made this in the beginning that is when before there was not any thing but God the Creator and before which there was no measure of time by man or Angels It being without forme and voide how was it kept By the holy Ghost which as a bird sitting ouer her egges kept and preserued it VVhat were the things which were made of this rude masse The beautifull frame and fashion of this world with the furniture thereof What doe you consider in the frame and fashion of the world Two things the elements which are the most simple substances by the vneuen mixture whereof all bodies are compounded and the bodies themselues that are compounded of them What doe you generally obserue in all them First that they are all said to be good which stoppeth all the mouthes of those that speake against thē How did he make all things good when we see there be diuers kinds of Serpents and noisome or hurtfull beasts That they are hurtfull it commeth not by the nature of their creation in regard whereof they at the first should only haue serued for the good of man What other things doe you obserue generally Secondly that their names are giuen them Thirdly that their vses and ends are noted What is the first of the
by Moses it being therefore not perpetuall must necessarily follow to be ceremoniall Why is there so large a rehearsall of works and persons in this Commandement To take away all excuses from all persons for the Lord did see the corruption of men who if they themselues come to the Church would thinke it sufficient tewing and wearying their seruants at home with continuall labour as many doe so that it were better to be such mens oxen then seruants for the small care they haue of their soules What is the vse then of this rehearsall That euery one is bound to yeeld a dutie vnto God Was it not ordained also for rest vnto beasts and honest recreation for men especially seruants They that say it was a policie for the rest and refreshing of men and beasts which could not otherwise continue without it say little or nothing to the purpose sith all things here contained do concerne the worship of God but that tewing and wearying of seruants and beasts is against the sixth commandement Why doth he then make mention of the beast in this Commandement Because of the whole imployment of men in the Lords seruice for that beasts cannot bee trauelled vnlesse man be withdrawne from Gods seruice yea though the beast could labour without mans attendance yet his mind would be caried thither But to whom specially is the charge of this Commandement directed To Housholders and Magistrats What is the charge of Housholders That not onely himselfe keepe the Lords day but his wife and all his children and seruants for as they serue him in the weeke so must he see that they serue God on the Sabbath What gather you of this That a Housholder should at least be as carefull of the Lords businesse as of his owne and if hee will not keepe such a seruant as is not faithfull in his ordinarie worke much lesse should he keepe any that will not be carefull in the Lords worke how skilfull soeuer he be in their owne VVhat is the Magistrats part To see that all within his gates keepe the Lords day which sith he must doe to strangers as Turkes and other infidels by causing them to cease from labour and to restraine them from all open and publike contrarie worship of God much more to all the subiects vnder him whom hee ought to force to heare the word So much of the things that are forbidden and of the persons whom this Commandement concerneth What is to be done on the Lords day We must wholly exercise our selues in the holy seruice of God partly in the Church which is the proper vse of the Sabbath and partly out of the Church and in the familie the better to performe the exercises in the Church before they bee done and the more to profit by them after they are done What must we doe in the Church 1. Cor. 16. Heare the word preached pray with the congregation receiue the Sacraments in the appointed time and to giue vnto the poore according to our wealth and the blessing of God vpon vs. What must be done out of the Church Luk. 14.7 to 16. Examination of our selues and those that belong vnto vs what wee haue profited familiar talke of things belonging vnto the kingdome of heauen Psal 80. also we must meditate vpon the exercises and vpon the creatures Psal 92. and vpon the prouidence especially that in the gouernment of the Church and visit the sicke for that is a worke of the Sabbath What further proofe haue you of this continuall exercise In the Law euery euening and euery morning were sacrifice swhich on the Sabbath were multiplied and the Psalme appointed to bee sung that day declareth that it is a good thing to begin the praises of God early in the morning Psal 92. and to continue the same till it be night What gather you of this That al exercises which serue not to make vs more fit to the Lords work are vnlawful vpō the Lords day What difference do you make between Sabbath nights and other nights Great for we should lay our selues down in greater quietnesse that night vpon the sense and feeling of the comforts of the former exercises So that our sleepe should be more quiet by so much as the former exercises of the day haue bin more holy otherwise we should declare we haue not kept a holy day to the Lord. So much of the commandement What is the reason A secret reason of comparison of the lesse that for so much as God hath giuen man sixe daies to doe his owne businesse in whether in labour or honest refreshing which might haue giuen but one hee ought not to grutch vnto God the seruice of one whole day in seuen who might haue taken sixe to himselfe and left one onely to him What gather you from thence The inequall and niggardlie dealing of men with God How so For that by this commandement asking at their seruants hands the worke of a whole day yet in the Lords day are contented both for themselues and those vnder them to measure the day at three or foure houres vsing one measure to mete the seruice due vnto them and another to mete the seruice due vnto God which thing is abominable before God Prou. 11.7 and so much the more as the things are greater wherin the vnequalitie of measure is What is the other reason A reason expressed which depēdeth vpon the example of God That as God hauing made all things in the sixe daies rested the seuenth from creating any more so should we rest from all our owne works Was the Lord idle on the seuenth day No verilie he did a great work in preseruing the things created So must we learne not to be idle vpon the Lords day but to attend vpon the Lords seruice by whose example wee may saue things on that day but no waies get or gaine more What is meant by sanctifying Setting apart from worldly busines to the seruice of God What by blessing Not that this day in it selfe is more blessed then other daies but by blessing it hee meaneth those that keepe it shall be blessed Wherein are they said to be blessed that keep the Sabbath day First in al the holy exercises of the Sabbath which shal serue to their further increase both of the knowledge and feare of God secondly in matters of this life we shal not onely not be hindred by keeping the Sabbath but more blessed then if we did worke that day as of the other side the gaine on the Lords day shall by the curse of God melt and vanish away what shew of profit soeuer it haue So much of the first table concerning pietie whereby God as a King or father of a houshold doth teach his subiects or familie their duties towards himselfe What is taught in the second table Iustice set downe in sixe commandements Wherby he teacheth his subiects and family their duties one towards another What is generall to them
a man loue the truth For the truthes sake not for vaine glory fleshly delight or commoditie How appeareth it that men loue the word of God When they walke accordingly and keepe faith in a good conscience which some losing by their wicked life lost also their faith that is their religion How is it to be vnderstood that God giueth men vp to strong delusions Because God is a iust Iudge which by them either punisheth or correcteth former sinnes and especially the contempt of the Gospell in which regard euen amongst vs now some are cast into the sincke of Poperie some into the familie of loue some become Arians some Anabaptists all which are as it were diuers gaoles and dungeons wherinto he throweth those that are cold and carelesse professors of the Gospell What learne you by this That they which imagine God fauourable vnto them notwithstanding their sinnes because their life or goods or honours are spared are foulely deceiued rather when the Lord ceaseth to reproue any or to striue with them then doth hee giue them vp into vanitie of their owne minds to doe their owne wicked wils What is our duetie in such cases To pray vnto the Lord to keepe vs from all errour but if for our triall or further hardening of others it please him to send errours amongst vs that it would please him to preserue vs in that danger that we taste not of that baite whereby Satan seeketh to angle vs. What other cause is there of sending these errours That those may bee damned which beleeue not the truth for as God hath appointed them to damnation so betwixt his counsell in reiecting them and the finall effect of it there must bee sin to bring that effect iustly vpon them VVhat reason is annexed of their iust damnation Because they rest in vnrighteousnes hauing their eares itching for errour which they drinke in as the earth drinketh vp raine or the fishes water So that albeit they bee powerfully sent of God in his iust iudgement yet are they also greedily desired and affected of them MAT. chap. 24. vers 23. to the 29. 23 Then if any shall say vnto you Lo heere is Christ or there beleeue it not Hitherto wee haue heard of the tokens that goe long before the comming of Christ VVhat are the nearer tokens of the latter day They are such as shall come within an age of the second comming of Christ VVhat is the first of them That there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders What haue we heere to consider Two things especially first the errour secondly the remedie against it VVhat is the errour That it shall be said heere is Christ or there for there shall be false Christs which shall pretend the very person of Christ not Antichrist who tearmeth himselfe the vicar of Christ These also shall haue their ministers namely false prophets which shall get credit vnto the false Christs What learne you by this That the Church of God is put vnder triall first of their knowledge and vnderstanding whether they can discerne betweene errour and truth secondly of their loue and fidelitie that after they know the truth they will sticke by it What doe you note of this kind of errour The danger of it in that it maketh shew of the corporall presence of Christ whereunto wee are naturally greatly giuen as appeareth not only by the Papists but by the holy Apostles themselues which were too much addicted to the corporal presence of Christ secondly also by the great meanes they shall haue of the wonderfull miracles they shall doe especially when the true Ministers of God shall not haue for any warrant we haue out of the word any power thereunto What further doe you learne of this The extreame impudencie of the diuell in the wicked in those daies which hath neuer beene heard of before that a sinfull mortall man should take vpon him to be the son of the most High for notwithstanding there were many that took vpon them to be the Messias before and after the first comming of our Sauiour Christ yet they imagining the Messias to be a bare man were neuer so impudently arrogant as to challenge to themselues to bee the very sonne of God VVhat note you of this that if it were possible the very elect should be deceiued Not onely the certainety of their happie estate from whence they cannot fall but that the same certainety hath a foundation not in any thing that is in men but in the purpose and counsell of God which cannot be deceiued So much of the error What is the remedy against it First an admonition then a confutation What is the admonition First not to go out that is so certainly to be resolued of the vntruth of the thing notwithstanding the greatnesse of the miracles as not once to enquire after it for those that haue itching eares and wanton rolling eyes to heare and see things are often times by Gods iust iudgement deceiued although they haue a purpose to the contrary Secondly not to beleeue them although they should heare or see those things that are done by some particular calling of their place constraining them to bee present at the place where those are or otherwise to bee brought forciblie vnto them What is the confutation First that it cannot bee Christ that they should goe out into the wildernesse to see because he commeth with great brightnesse as the lightning commeth from the East and shineth vnto the West neither shall one need to go vnto the wildernesse to see him first because his light shall bee seene in all places of the world alike secondly also hee will not come on the earth but into the aire onely VVhat further That hee shall come suddenly as in a moment whereas before hee had space to goe from place to place Neither auailes it then to go out after seeke him because as speedilie as the Eagles are gathered to the dead carcase so the children of God being compared vnto Eagles shall suddenly be gathered to our Sauiour Christ who is compared to a carcase in respect of his death So much of the tokens which come within an age of the latter day What are the neerest tokens or rather such as are ioyned with the second comming of Christ The neerest are that the Sun shall bee darkened and the Moone shall not giue her light the Starres shall fall from heauen the Sea shall rore terriblie the earth shall tremble and in a word all the powers of heauen and earth shall be shaken VVhat are we heereby to consider First the comming of Christ secondly the effects of it At what time shall his comming and the signes which are ioyned to it come to passe Immediately after the false Christs and Prophets which as hath beene spoken shall raise vp a maruellous errour and vexation and therefore it is said after the tribulation of those daies shall the immediate signes of the comming
of Christ be accomplished What is the cause of these signes appearing and consequently of the comming of Christ The faithfull prayers of the Saints of God which doe desire him to make an end of these dangerous wicked daies for they shall desire him to see one day of the son of man during the vexations of the false Christs Hitherto of the comming of our Sauiour Christ and the effects of it What followeth That hee shall send his Angels to the vttermost parts of the earth to gather the elect How shall they be gathered By the sound of the trumpet Numb 10.3.4.5 as sometimes the people of Israel did by Gods Commandement which shall not be of brasse or such like mettall for the Angels haue sufficient might and skill to make a sound like vnto the sound of a Trumpet Exod. 19.20 without any such instrument in which respect it is also said how that they shall see the signe of the sonne of man in the heauen as the Captaines set vp their flag and banner to gather their souldiers VVhat shall all the Angels vse the voice of one Trumpet Not so but as amongst the diuels Belzebab is said to be the chiefest so also among the Angels 1. Thes 4.16 there shall be an Archangell which shall blow the Trumpet What gather you of this Ioh. 5.20 First the vnspeakeable power of Christ in his Angels at whose sound not onely the liuing shall bee changed but the dead euen from Adam to that time shall be raised who shall not be preuented of the other but all appeare together before Christ it being all one with his power to gather the dead as the quicke Secondly also in that they shall bee changed suddenly in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump Shall there bee more trumpets then one or shall one trumpet be sounded oftentimes No verily but one trumpet being a great while founded at the last blast thereof all shall be changed What further learne you of this The infinite knowledge and wisedome of God in coupling euery bone to his proper ioynt in his owne body with the proper flesh and sinewes thereof notwithstanding the confused masse of all things that they shall be turned into whether dust aire or other element whatsoeuer Notwithstanding also that they are so diuersly distracted in place What is the reason thereof That those that haue glorified God in their bodies might bee also glorified in the same and contrariwise those that haue dishonoured him in their bodies might receiue dishonour of God How shall the sound of the trumpet raise vp the dead No otherwise but by the quickening of God by the power of his spirit whereby it shal come to passe that both the dead shall be raised out of the dust and the mortall made immortall But cannot God doe this without the sound of a trumpet Yes verily hee is able to doe it without any such instrument as he is also able to saue men extraordinarily without the preaching of his word yet hee will vse this outward meanes of a sound as of a trumpet in gathering of his saints as he vseth his word an ordinarie meanes to call them Is not this power of Christ exercised in vs whilest we are aliue Yes very effectually in quickening vs by the Gospell to his obedience who are by nature dead in sin and so not onely vnable but also vnwilling to any good wherefore God ioyneth power to his word to raise from death to life as well spiritually in the first as corporally in the second resurrection and that this first resurrection is a manifest pledge of the second there being greater difficultie in the former then in the latter resurrection for as in the latter there is no will to rise so there is no till or gaine saying which in the former is great After what manner shall the resurrection be First the godly shall arise to euerlasting saluation and then the wicked to eternall damnation What doe you gather of this That seeing our bed is fitly compared vnto the graue and our sleepe vnto death wee consider how wee lay our selues downe into our beds being assured that if we haue faith as a fetherbed under vs and good workes as a couerlet ouer vs then no doubt as a wearie man in the morning is refreshed so shall we after the troubles of this life rise againe in ioy and consolation and as if the sunne set faire it is a token that it will so rise so when the sunne of our soules sets well it is a token of a ioyfull rising of the body What is meant by this that one generation shall not passe That as it was said before that one generation should not passe vntill the destruction of Ierusalem were accomplished which indeed came about fortie yeeres after so verily all these signes of the false Christs and the darkening of the lights of heauen as hath beene spoken shall come within an age of the latter day Wherefore is this vehement asseueration vsed that heauen and earth shall passe but not one iot of the word shall passe Against those mockers which shall come in the latter time and charge the Ministerie of the Gospell with vntruth because they see no alteration in the course of nature But all this while heere is no mention made of the saying of Elias touching the time of the last day which is that there shall bee two thousand yeeres before the law two thousand vnder the Law and two thousand after the Law and then that these daies shall be shortened for the elects sake There is no cause why considering it is without authority of the word as that which is not in the Scripture and of Elias the Prophet but of another Elias neither Prophet nor son of a Prophet Beside that the vntruth therof doth manifestly appeare considering that both before the Law there were more then two thousand and vnder the Law there were lesse then two thousand by sundrie hundred yeers And where it is said that for the elects sake those daies shall be shortened it is spoken of the slaughter daies of the Iewes by the Romane in the destruction of Ierusalem and not of the latter day For it is rather true that the end of the world is deferred for the elect for that there shall be an end thereof assoone as the number of the elect be come into the world and fulfilled 2. Pet. 3. and for that the day of the Lord shall not come vntill all the prophecies in the booke of the Apocalyps be fulfilled Last of all that the iniquitie of the wicked be come to a full measure which the Lord obseruing in other iudgements will in that most fearefull iudgement much more obserue Howbeit this opinion is strengthened in that the world shall bee gouerned six thousand in a proportion of one thousand yeers to euery of the six daies wherein it was created the proofe whereof is drawne from Saint
Peter who saith that with God a thousand yeeres are as a day This reason interfeereth with the other for the other saith that there shall bee cut off from the last two thousand where this presupposeth a full accomplishment of them otherwise it cannot be proportionable to the daies of the creation which was not accomplished but in the full number of six daies the same space and time being taken in the creation of the last day which was vsed in any of the rest And as for the place of Saint Peter it is not so narrowly restrained to one thousand yeeres but that it may be retched out further for vnto God two thousand yeers is not so long as one day are vnto vs which is the comparison which Saint Peter speaketh of They alledge further that there shall be such coniunction and disposition of the starres at the end of that time as must needs make an and of all But this doctrine of the time of the worlds end is a part of the Gospell and therefore hidden so in God as if hee had not reuealed it by his sonne could not haue been knowne And if the end of the world could bee knowne from the course of the planets and starres then our Sauiour Christ being as hee is a man the cunningest Astronomer that euer was should as a man haue knowne it The follie and vanity of this opinion also may partly be seene by those which haue waited for this destruction of the world by concourse of the heauenly bodies in the yeere 1588. Is not the day and hoare of the comming of Christ reuealed vnto man No verily his comming within an age may bee knowne vnto man but the day and the houre no man knoweth no not the Angels What gather you of this That there appeareth no euill will of God towards vs in concealing the day of his comming forasmuch as the Angels who are said to be full of eyes in regard of their singular wisedome know it not yea and that which is more Christ himselfe who is greatly wiser then Angels is ignorant of it But how can that bee that he which gouerneth all things should be ignorant of that day True it is that in that regard he is both God and man he knoweth it but not as he is the son of man especially vnglorified that is to say before his ascension into heauen What are the reasons that God reserueth the knowledge of the hoare of his comming to himselfe They are two one in regard of himselfe and another in regard of vs. What is the reason in regard of himselfe That as it is the honour of a King as Salomon saith know something that his counsell and all other are ignorant of so and much more it is an honour vnto God to conceale from other both men and Angels some secrecie which he onely knoweth What learne you of this That the Lord thereby doth 〈◊〉 the humilitie of men whether they would be so impudently bold as to goe labour to breake open the secret closet of God What is the cause that men seeke to know the secrets of God Because they know not those things that are reuealed vnto them which if they did they would resist without curious search What is the reason of concealing the day and houre of the latter day in regard of our selues For that by this concealement we are made more watchfull for although the time of the Blood was knowne to the old world yet it came to passe that it ouertooke them vnawares and Prou. 6.7 the harlot is the boldes to commit wickednesse because the day of her husbands returne was set and appointed by him How is the state of the latter daies made more manifest By the state of the daies of Noe in the old world and Lot in Sodome which are an expresse image of them as wee haue heard of the destruction of Ierusalem What note you especially of the latter daies and the daies of Sodom hath comparison of those times In the daies of Noah the vniuersalitie of the iudgement and in Sodome c. the destruction by fire further for that the same times shall bee at the latter day which were in those daies What are they Such as were in the daies of Noah For as they were eating and drinking marrying and giuing in marirge vntil the Flood came and tooke them away so likewise it shall come to passe in the latter daies What learne of you this That besides the dangerous rocks of the false christs and their prophets which shall carrie away many there shall be yet more dangerous rockes and sands namely that in the last times men shall be eating and drinking marrying and giuen to mariage What gather you of this That thereby the Lord doth take a triall of the consciences of his children whether they will be caried away with the inticements of these pleasures as before he tooke triall of their knowledge by the former errours and withall by the same meanes hee disposeth of the meanes whereby the wicked may deseruedly perish in that those whom one mischiefe doth not entangle another may reach Why shall those things bee imputed as sinnes vnto men seeing they are both lawfull and necessarie True it is that eating and drinking and giuing to marriage buying and selling planting and building are in their owne nature lawfull and necessarie but our Sauiour Christ chargeth them with the abuse of these things thereby to declare that a great condemnation is due vnto those things which before men are not condemned And therefore doth charge them with these things rather then with idolatrie whoredome murther or such like so God condemned the world in the eating of the forbidden fruite How is the abuse of them gathered First from the Hebrew phrase of eating and drinking which being vttered in the present time noteth a continuance of eating and drinking Secondlie from S. Lukes manner of vtterance of them without any copulatiue conioyning of them on this maner They ate they dranke they bought they sold they planted they builded that is to say they were excessiuelie aboue measure giuen ouer vnto these things Thirdlie from a metaphore borrowed from the manner of beasts that eate all the day and some part of the night Wherein is the abuse of buying and selling When men doe imploy themselues so much in buying and selling Matth. 22. Luke 14. that they cannot attend to the seruice of God How is it in building When men build excessiuelie first 1. Cor. 7. further then their abilitie Secondly then their calling Thirdly then the manner of the Countrie wherein they liue will afford What is the abuse in marrying and giuing to mariage In that the children of God shall take vnto them prophane women such as they like best Gen. 6. Likewise when men doe ioyne themselues in Matrimonie for liuing or parentage onely without respect of religion Lastly when men liue vnchastly euen in wedlocke 1. Tim. ◠whereas we are commanded
that wee should partake this benefit of marriage that is soberly vse it and that with prayer What other sinne will be then Securitie and carelesnesse How so That as it was in the daies of Noah notwithstanding they were forewarned of the flood both by the preaching of Noah and the building of the Arke yet as men being cast into a deep sleep they cried peace peace vnto themselues vntill the Flood swallowed them vp so it shall bee in the latter daies that men shal be ouertaken suddenly as a woman with child with the iudgement of God when they thinke all to be well with them What learne you of this That we should not defer the time of our repentance euen vntill we see the neerest signes of the latter day as the darkening of the lights of heauen and the roaring of the seas forasmuch as they will minister greater matter of feare vnto vs then of conuersion How is this securitie made manifest By a separation that two shall bee in the field one receiued another left two in one bed one taken another reiected What learne you of this Gen. 18. Ionah 4. That then it shall not auaile a wicked man to be in the company of the godly for as much as they shall be separated whereas now we see that the wicked are sometimes spared for the godlies sake or for the children and beasts sakes What further instruction doe you gather of this That we should so vse our societies here that afterward we might haue comfort by them Is not this separation now in these daies Yes verily heere it beginneth when the Gospell and afflictions seuer the wicked and the godly but then shall bee a full separation when neither Cananite Iebusite or Moabite shall bee amongst the children of God So much of the separation What followeth That we should wake because we know not what houre our Sauiour Christ will come How is that set forth By a similitude of an housholder which if hee knew what houre the theefe would come he would surely watch then much more should we watch because in an houre that wee thinke not will the sonne of man come How is the preparation to the latter day further declared By the parable of the ten Virgins Matth. 25. What is the summe of it It doth effectually stirre vs vp to prepare our selues for the comming of Christ What difference is there betwixt this parable and others tending this way That where the other do solicite vs to watch both for the day and houre of Christs comming that wee be not surprised at vnawares this parable doth teach how dangerous it is and how desperate our estate shall bee if we be carelesse thereof and withall presseth that point especially of watching euen for the houre or moment when our Sauiour Christ commeth What instruction doe you gather of this That if men knowing the day of our Sauiour Christ comming be condemned because they did not watch for the houre it behoueth vs much more to stand vpon our guard and our watch that know neither the day not the houre wherein he will come Why doth our Sauiour Christ vse so many parables for declaration of his latter comming Because the dulnes of our capacities and the corruption of our affections is such that wee are hardly lifted vp from earth to heauenly meditations and being raised vp wee are ready of our naturall weakenesse eftsoones to fall in which regard the multiplying of parables are as studdes to lift and vphold our affections to the meditation of the former doctrines besides the weight and importance of the matter he setteth forth by the parables From whence is this parable of the tenne Virgins taken Iudg. 14. Mat. 9. It is borrowed from the maner of the countrie where our Sauiour taught where a maid giuen to mariage had her maidens and the bridegrome his yong men which gaue attendance on them fetching the bride from her friend to his house which was done in the night thereby rather to prouide for the shamefastnes of the bride What is the meaning of this By the bridegrome is signified our Sauiour Christ himselfe whose spouse is the Church and by the ten Virgins are meant the professours of the Gospel professing their attendance to the Church their mother and Christ their redeemer What badges had the Virgins of their diligence in waiting for his comming They tooke with them their lamps to declare their profession of their attendance What note you of that That it is not sufficient to haue only the bare signs of Christianity and some taste of the good word of God and of the power of the world to come but we must examine our selues whether wee haue that oyle of the grace of God whereby true Christians may bee discerned from hypocrites as these wise Virgins from the foolish Wherein standeth the wisedome of the wise Virgins In that before their slumber whereby those seeme to be noted that being aliue at that day shall be changed or death noted by sleepe they prouide themselues of such graces as forsake them not when they come to iudgement but following them are in a readinesse when they shall bee changed to stand by them Wherein standeth the follie of the foolish Virgins Not that they had no light of Gods graces in them at all but that all the light they had was of that kind that dieth with them not being in the number of the graces of true sanctification and repentance so that when they were to bee changed or raised in the latter day they haue no good grace at all whereby they might with boldnesse appeare before the Iudge of all the world Shall there be any such communication betweene the godly and wicked after the resurrection as is heer set downe No verily How it it then that the foolish Virgins demanding oyle the wise answer that they wil not giue lest c To set forth vnto vs that in what state the last day shall find vs in that men shall be iudged May it not bee gathered from hence that there are no workes of supererogation It is indeed vsed for that purpose of good men But beside that in matter of controuersie it is not meete to stretch parables beyond their scope the ouerthrow of the workes of supererogation would build another dangerous errour that men should haue workes enow to saue themselues What other parables are there that doe prepare vs to the comming of Christ Two one of the distribution of the talents another of the separation of the sheepe from the goats What is the summe of the former of these The same in effect with the last of the ten Virgins for as there was in the other a bridegrome and a bride virgins wise and foolish the wise receiued the other reiected so heere there is a master and his seruants of whom some be faithfull and some vnfaithfull the faithfull plentifully rewarded the vnfaithfull iustly punished yet this doth more effectually prepare vs