out the truth and accordingly determine for that which is good and against that which is evill a 1 Thes 5. 21. 22. And excellently by our Saviour in the seventh of John The Pharisees being much offended at his healing the man upon the Sabbath Joh. 5. 8. he having Joh. 7. â—4 in the 21 22 and 23. verses of this chapter justified his Act and strongly proved that howsoever it might looke like a breach of the Sabbath and was by the Jewish Prelates condemned as a breach of it that yet indeed it was not at last he addes this generall admonition yet with reference to his owne particular that they should not judge of his act by the shew and face of it and that they should not looke at his meannesse that stood for it nor the Pharisees greatnesse that condemned it but examine it by the rule Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgement First For the negative part of the rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies the face or countenance of a thing and his direction is negative for that not according to appearance Secondly For the affirmative judge righteous judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here translated righteous signifies according to Arist such an exact division of a thing that each part hath neither more nor lesse then its true proportion so that to judge righteous judgement is to give each thing its true estimate Arist Eth. l. 5. c. 7. and this is to judge according to truth as Saint Paul b Rom. 2. 2. and what is right as our Saviour speakss c Luk. 12. 57 Judgement is the determination that the understanding by discourse maketh of a thing Now indeed rash usurped or unjust judgement is condemned as sinfull 1 Joh. 4. 1. 1 Thes 5. 21. 1 Cor. 10. 15. but judgement it selfe allowed as lawfull yea commanded as necessary and not onely to enquire and examine this even the Papists allow to every man but also to determine and that not onely for publicke persons Magistrates in the State Ministers in the Church but even for private persons also indeed the judgement of supreame authority belongs to God and the judgement of B. Daven in praelect de Iud. controv ministeriall and subordinate power to publicke persons but the judgement of practicall discretion belongs unto every private Christian and that not onely concerning persons but things also alwayes for the manner observing this rule first to enquire and see and then to determine First in judging of persons and actions in reference to persons Rumours and probabilities are ground sufficient for a cautelous jealousie our Saviour would not trust the Jewes because he knew what was in them c Joh. 2. 24 25. though we cannot looke into the heart and see what particular projects and designes are there as Christ did yet we know there is corruption enough to warrant a cautelous jealousie where there is an appearance of evill and yet we must not peremptorily determine but upon cleare grounds of pregnant testimony or strong presumptions this the Lord teacheth by his owne example he would not proceed against the Sodomites upon the crye that came up but he would first goe downe and see d Gen. 18. 21. Deut. 13. 14. and wee have it given in precept in the 13. of Deuter. for publicke judicature and I conceive it holds as well in private censure that we diligently enquire before we determine Now because man cannot see as God doth for he lookes directly on the heart e 1 Sam. 16. 7 and so judgeth of it f Jer. 17. 10 but man cannot therfore he is to finde out the heart by words and actions as the naturalists judge of the forme of a thing by its qualities and operations so we of the habit of the heart by its constant and naturall productions as of a tree by its fruit g Mat. 7. 20. The Apostle tels us 1 Tim. 5. 24. some mens sinnes are open before-hand and goe before unto judgement and some mens follow after h 1 Tim. 5. 24. some conjecture that at the last Judgement such as are eminently good or notoriously bad shall not come into the judgement of disquisition or examination but onely come under sentence namely Aq. sup q. 89. the judgement of retribution and the like course may we observe in censuring as for such as are eminently good or notoriously bad the best of the good and the worst of the bad there needs no great inquiry concerning them before we censure but for the two middle sorts the best of the bad and the worst of the good here it is hard to discerne betweene the precious and the vile a Jer. 15. 19 and therefore of such we are diligently to enquire before we censure As some persons like the Moone at the change seeme to have lesse light and worth in them then indeed they have little in the eye of the world much in the eye of heaven So others seeme better then they are like blazing Starres that make a great show and looke as gloriously as any starres in the heavens and yet no starres but stinking meteors Also there are aggravating and extenuating circumstances making the good or evill more or lesse in Gods account and therefore if we would make a true estimate of men and their actions we must diligently enquire before we censure In judging of things we ought to judge secundum quod sunt but in judging of persons or actions in reference to persons it is not alwayes so indeed in re comperta in a case that is evident it 's equally an abomination to the Lord to justifie the wicked person or action as to condemne the just But in re dubia it 's otherwise for here c Prov. 17. 15. Aq. 2. 2. q. 60. the rule holds dubia in meliorem partem sunt interpretanda charity to the person should sway the judgement though not absolutely to determine yet to thinke him good whom we doe not know to be bad d 1 Cor. 13. 7. Secondly in judging of things tenents or practises we ought not to take things upon trust but our selves to examine and determine of them First We must not judge according to appearances Now appearances are 1. personall 2. reall First A personall appearance is that estimate which the quality of the persons opposing or maintaining an opinion or practice hath brought upon it We are not to judge what kinde of creatures the Moone and Starres are by that luster and splendor that the Sun hath cast upon them for then we shall judge them far more glorious creatures then they are As we are not presently to imbrace and cry up an opinion or practice because good men stand for it and bad against it as if all were good which Nero persecutes so neither are we to cry downe a tenet or practice because good men are against it and bad
it did de jure unchurch them and de facto had unchurched any other Nation whatsoever And during their continuance in that sinne they had forfeited their right lost the comfort and sense of that relation betweene God and them neither could others that were unacquainted with that absolute covenant looke upon them as Gods Church any longer Now as our Saviour yeelds that the Jewes though they had nothing of God in them and were none of his spiritually but Joh. 8. 37. 39. 41. the children of the Devill yet living under right ordinances they were members of the true visible Church the sonnes of Abraham and of God by externall sonship so also the Jewes confesse that if they were children of fornications i. e. members of an idolatrous Church they were broken off from God and none of his sons no not by externall adoption Indeed superstitious additions to the ordinances or an erroneous way and manner of using them are sins of an high nature and in a sense the taking of Gods name in vaine in hindering the ordinances from attaining their true and proper end namely the honouring of Christ and edification of his people at least in that degree as otherwise they might Yet as I conceive such superstitious additions and errours in the manner of using the ordinances cannot amount to a setting up of an Idol and so dissolve a Church Though the wife be a blasphemer and guilty of the grossest sinnes yet a wife still adultery onely breakes the marriage bond so only Idolatry breakes that bond of relation betweene God and a people When rebellious Israell had played the harlot and would not repent but continued obstinate in her Idolatry the Lord gave her a bill of divorcement Jer. 3. 8. and cast her away Use Now therefore it nearely concernes a people of all other sinnes to beware of Idolatry and idols b 1 Joh. 5. 21 As we have cause to be humbled for the Idolatry that hath beene committed in the Land lest it becomes ours by consent so for time to come with detestation to cast it utterly out of the Land c Isa 30. 22. Yea to remove all appearances of it a true Church like a modest woman should not endure a whorish dresse Yea and to remove all occasions of Idolatry though not formally so not gradus in re yet if it be gradus ad rem any occasion helpe or step to it put it farre away d Job 11. 14. and so keepe the Kingdome farre from an evill matter In the fourth place be pleased to take notice of the nature of Israels sinne and the judgement denounced against it First their sinne is obstinacy metaphorically set downe they are a stiffenecked people First By necke is meant the heart or will as Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart e 2 Chro. 36. 1â— which is all one as the neck of the Oxe beareth the yoke and so drawes in the Teame so should the heart beare the yoke of Christ and goe on in his wayes Secondly By stiffenesse or hardnesse of the heart is meant the settled strength of the will to goe on in sinne And when once it is so set First the heart becomes impenetrable like Pharaohs nothing can pierce it f Exod. 7. 23. either with feare of sinne before it is committed or with remorse for sinne when it is committed but is fearless and senslesse Isa 28. 15. Zep. 1. 12. Secondly the heart becomes also inflexible and unalterable like the Adamant stone g Zach. 7. 12. nothing can worke upon it or bring it into a better forme No washing can make this Blackmore white h Jer. 13. 23 Indeed first there is a naturall hardnesse which we bring with us into the world i Isa 48. 8. a child though it hath a tender body yet it hath a hard heart Secondly there are some remainders of this hardnesse in the hearts of the best even of Christs owne disciples k Mar. 6. 52. but this is partiall and but for a time But when this sinne comes to the height and is totall and finall the heart fully and unalterably set to doe evill a Eccles 8. 1. then it properly denominates a person or people obstinate and stiffenecked This hardnesse is partly habituall voluntarily procured and that First by long and frequent committing of sin b Neh. 9. 29. acts encrease habits and indispose the subject to receive contrary habits thus the heart becomes like the high way so hardned by the often passage of sinne that no seed will enter c Mat. 13. 4. Secondly by long standing out under the meanes of grace like the Tortoise which floats so long upon the water untill the Plin. beames of the Sunne have hardened its shell that it cannot sinke so living long in sinne under the Sun-shine of the Gospell the heart becomes so hardened that it cannot repent d Rom. â—5 This hardnesse is partly also penall and judiciall The Lord for their sinnes so many and so long continued in and for refusing of grace offered in the meanes in his just judgment gives men up to Satan and to their owne hearts lusts letting them loose upon them and so their hearts become fully obdurate This is the nature of their sinne but in what degree and how generally spread we cannot exactly determine Secondly the judgement denounced is set downe in a metaphoricall expression and implies that the Lord was ready by some severe judgement to consume that people his anger growne hot even to fury like an enraged Lyon ready to teare to peeces and consume From the sinne and punishment the doctrine which ariseth is this Doctr. 4 That obstinacy in great and grievous sinnes under effectuall meanes is usually the immediate forerunner of ruine it is a token that the Lords anger is hot against a Nation and ready to breake in upon it by some consuming judgement I desire to instance in an example or two In the 13. of Jeremiah Jer. 13. by a linnen girdle hid at the river Euphrates untill it was rotten Ver. 10. the Prophet shewes that the Lord would cast the State out of his sight untill it was consumed verse 10. Now because they presumed of safety that either through the wisedome of their State or at least that by their cunning each private person would make some shift for himselfe therefore he tels them that they should be like drunken men a Ver. 12 13. sottish and staggering to and fro in their resolutions not knowing what to pitch upon for their safety And because they presumed of their power b Vers 14. he tels them that they were to God but as a pot in the hand of the potter soone broken to pieces by him yea the Lord will cause them one to dash against another one to plunder and kill another And because they expected forraine helpe from Aegypt he tels them c Vers 16. that it should
to the Lord with all their hearts and thereupon the Lord was found of them and turned away their captivity Secondly when the Lord intends to destroy a people he so carrieth Corol. 2. things about in his providence that his peoples prayers shall be wanting We finde Jer. 7. that when the Lord by an irrevocable Ier. 7. 14 15 16. decree had determined the destruction of the Jewish State he prohibits his Prophets praying for them Where there is upon good ground a totall despaire of a thing there will yea and ought to be a totall recesse and falling off from use of meanes to effect a thing in it selfe and in our apprehension not feceable And therefore the Creators decree being either by the event or by his revelation made certainly knowne the creature must submit the Prophet though his heart was much set upon that State Ier. 13. 17. yet must not struggle against the knowne will of God Now howsoever we have no such prohibition the Lords decree being hidden from us so long as a Nation hath being we ought not to cease praying yet when the Lord intendeth the ruine of a Nation either the Lord takes away his Lots into his mountaine and leaves not any considerable number of holy men morally none not a man to stand in the gap or he takes off the hearts of his people Ezek. 22. 30. Ion. 1. 6. Luke 18. 1. and suffers them as he did Jonah to be asleepe when the Ship is in greatest danger or he lets the spirits of his people fall as being discouraged or weary or withdrawes the breathings of his Spirit in their hearts and so prayer being gone the gap is open the judgement breakes in upon a Nation And now for Use and Application Use 1 1. This Doctrine teacheth us that in a warre that side which hath the prayers of Gods people hath a great advantage their prayers set up or pull downe a side it is not the falling in of the great multitude with swords and speares though yet this God useth as a meanes but the unfained falling in of Gods people with their prayers and teares that turnes the scale a few Jacobs wrastling with God can doe more then a thousand of others and spirituall weapons can doe more then naturall Luther was wont to call the prayers of Gods people his great Ordnance and a praying people are the horsemen and the Chariots of Israel In that famous battell against the Amalekites the prayers Exod. 17. 11. of Moses gave a sensible advantage to Israels side and indeed the victory The bringing of the Arke into the host put courage into 1 Sam. 4. 5. 7 8 the Israelites in so much that they shouted for joy but it struck a terrour into the Philistims they cryed O woe unto us God is come into the host effectuall prayers bring God into an army and carries him along with them fighting for them against their enemies When Jonathan and his Armor-bearer were to set upon the Garrison 1 Sam. 14. 6. of the Philistims Jonathan went upon this ground that the successe of a warre or a battell depended not principally upon multitude of men but upon Gods cooperating with them we are indeed the weaker side saith he but it is no matter for that if God worketh with us now we finde vers 45. he wrought with Verse 45. God doing his worke in a dependance upon him and you see Vers 14 15 16 what a great victory the Lord gave him Use 2 Secondly this Doctrine discovers unto us that such as doe oppose and seeke to hinder the prayers of Gods people for a Nation are enemies unto it for though perhaps ex intentione agentis they seeke not intentionally therein the Kingdomes ruine yet exnatura rei they doe that which in its nature tends that way they do with Sampson endeavour to pull away the Pillars that doe uphold the State they open the breaches and seeke the removall of them that stand in the gap and so let in the wrath of God into our Land Psal 106. 23. Ezek. 22. 30. As the Pelican in seeking to blow out the fire kindled about her young ones with her wings the flame thereby was increased her wings burnt and so became a prey so these that by their persecution of Gods people and by their evill speeches doe seeke to blow out this flame of zealous prayer in the Land by their opposition that fire will increase and they procure their owne ruine For fire shall goe out of the witnesses mouths and consume Revel 11. 5. their adversaries Vse 3 In the third place it affords us a caveat to beware that we doe not marre this engine in the using Prayer is indeed of great use and of singular efficacie to save a Nation in a time of danger provided we use it not amisse as Saint James speaketh When Iam. 4. 3. men make many prayers and yet their hands full of bloud when they Isa 1. 15. Hos 7. 14. Ier. 3 4 5. houle and cry and yet rebell against God they pray and yet grow worse and worse thus an effectuall meanes of saving a Nation is marred in the using and prayer to such a people like the Arke among the Philistims provokes the Lords anger and doth a people more 1 Sam. 6. hurt then good We finde in Isa 58. that the people sought the Lord by a daily use of his ordinances they drew neare to God by Isa 58. an outward performance of them in hearing in fasting and praying as if they had beene the most righteous Nation in the world vers 2. And they complaine and expostulate with God as if he Vers 2. had not dealt well with them in not regarding their Fasts vers 3. Vers 3. Now therefore the Lord answers it 's true fasting is a service that I require as a most effectuall meanes of safety in a time of danger But saith he Is this the Fast that I have chosen to hang Vers 4. 5. the head like a bulrush with an outward shew of humiliation whiles the guste of Gods wrath is over to hang the head and the heart not dejected to pinch your bodies and feede your lusts to fast to strife and debate and smite with the fist of wickednesse to fast and pray and yet live in strife and oppression surely such Vers 4. Vers 6. 7. prayers will never be heard above But saith the Lord verse 6 7. Fast and pray as yee ought to doe as the Lord hath prescribed not so much with rent garments with outward shewes though even Jo. 2. 13 this ought to be likewise but come before the Lord with rent and wounded hearts and broken bleeding spirits for your owne sinnes and the sinnes of the Land and with an unfained purpose of breaking off of your owne and others sinnes by a through reformation both personall and nationall And then vers 8 9 10 Vers 8 9