Malice towards him but God vsed their Malice for the instrument of his glorie And God was with Ioseph and he became a luckie man continuing in the c. By this example in Ioseph we haue to learne that God oftentimes Suffereth those that he loueth most deerely and by whome he will set foorth the Glorie of his name to be cast unto * Trouble and Affliction But yet he is so carefull for them that he doth not onely Stay the power of the wicked towarde them but also worketh them Grace Fauour and Credite euen with Heathens and vngodly persons such as this Putifer the Egyptian and the keeper of the prison were So that vnder his * very Enimies he doth preserue hys elect and chosen Ioseph was nowe become a Bondeman and afterwarde is made a Prisoner and yet God increaseth him with his blessings Whereby we may vnderstande that God hath a loue and care of his thoughe they be neuer so base so simple and so Miserable in the worlde And the Lorde blessed the Egiptians house for Iosephs sake c. God for his electes sake doth not onely oftentimes Spare the godlesse and Wicked Persons but also * blesseth them with increase of worldly benefites by that meanes to asswage their furious and Tyrannicall spirites towarde them that they may liue in more Quiet and comfort vnderneath them And after this his master wife cast her eyes vpon Ioseph and saide c. Nowe falleth out a newe temptation to Ioseph by his masters wife through which he was cast into greater trouble then euer he was before In Putifars wife yo haue y example of a wicked and Adulterous woman who although she had a Noble man to her husband that honoured and loued her yet of a sinnefull and shamelesse nature being a Woman Woeth this godly yongman her own Seruant and entiseth hym to horrible Aduterie moued onely therevnto by the good giftes and blessings of God as well in the Bodie as in the minde of Ioseph And in thys her diuelish purpose gyueth not ouer by sundrie repulses but with impudent Obstinâ—â—â— contrarie to the nature of Womanhead contynueth in the same euen to the vsing of Violence to the yong man And when she sawe his Constancie to be such as by no way shée could winne him with shamelesse Malice to cloke and colour her owne wickednesse as the * maner of such persons is she accuseth hym to her husband that he would haue Rauished her and by that occasion caused him to be cast into prison In Iosepth you haue the example as wel of a faithful seruant as of a Chast yong man hauing the feare of God before hys eyes For albeit he were vnmaried in the Heate of yong yeares and prouoked by his Ladie and Maistres at sundrie times watching fitte occasions of secreasie for so lewde a purpose yet could he neuer be wonne to yeelde to such vnthankfull Villanie toward his Maister of whome he had bene intertayned with so great fauour Yea and when by the Malice of the woman the matter was brought to extremitie he rather chose bothe to * leese the Fauour and credite wyth his maister and to abide all Miserie Imprisonment yea and Death also then any way to haue his Conscience touched with so Fowle a sinne before God. And Iosephs maister tooke him and put him in prison in the place c. This was great Lightnesse and rashenesse in Putifar eyther by the blinde Rage of Ielousie or by Immoderate affection and Credite toward his lewde wife without iust and further Examination to condemne a seruant whom he had of long time Tried so Faithfull and profitable and in whome he had seene the euident tokens of Gods Fauour and assistance in all his doings But the Lorde was with Ioseph c. and gotte him fauour with c. God neuer leaueth his but in the * deepest afflictions is with them and procureth them reliefe The thirde Sunday in Lent at Euening prayer Genesis 42. ANd Iacob seyng that there was corne in Egypt said vnto hys sonnes Why gape ye one vpon another 2 And he sayde Beholde I haue heard that there is corne in Egypt get you downe thyther and bye vs corne from thence that we may lyue and not dye 3 So went Iosephes ten brethren downe to bye corne in Egypt 4 But Beniamin Iosephs brother would not Iacob sende with his other brethren for he sayde Lest peraduenture destruction come vpon him 5 And the sonnes of Israel came to bye corne among other that came for there was dearth in the lande of Chanaan 6 And Ioseph was gouernour in the lande solde to all the people of the lande And Iosephes brethren came and bowed themselues with their faces downe to the ground before him 7 When Ioseph sawe his brethren he knewe them and made hymselfe straunge vnto them and spake roughly vnto them saying Whence come ye They answered Out of the lande of Chanaan to bye vittayle 8 And Ioseph knewe his brethren but they knewe not him 9 And Ioseph remembred his dreames which he dreamed of them and saide vnto them Ye are spies and to sée where the lande is weake is your comming 10 And they saide vnto him Nay my Lorde but to bye vittayle thy seruantes are come 11 We are all one mans sonnes and meane truely and thy seruantes are no spies 12 And he sayd vnto them againe Nay but to sée where the lande is weake is your comming 13 And they saide We thy seruants are twelue brethren the sonnes of one man in the lande of Chanaan and behold the yongest is this day with our father and one no man weteth where he is 14 And Ioseph sayde vnto them That is it that I spake vnto you when I sayde Ye are spies 15 Hereby ye shall be proued by the lyfe of Pharao ye shall not go hence except your yongest brother come hither 16 Send out one of you which may fet your brother and ye shall be kept in prison that your wordes may be proued whether there be any truth in you or else by the lyfe of Pharaoye are but spies 17 And he put them altogither in warde thrée daies 18 And Ioseph sayd vnto them the thirde day This doe and liue for I feare God. 19 If you be true men let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison and go ye carie corne to put avvay the famine from your housholde 20 But bring your yongest brother vnto me and so shall your wordes be tried true and ye shall not die And they did so 21 And one sayde to another We haue verily sinned against our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule when he besought vs and we would not heare him therfore is this trouble come vpon vs. 22 And Ruben answered them saying Saw I not vnto you that you should not sinne against the laâ— and ye would not heare and sée
now his bloud is required 23 They were not aware that Ioseph vnderstoode them for he spake vnto them by an interpreter 24 And he turned from them and wept and turned to them againe and communed with them and tooke out Simeon from amongst them and bound him before their eies 25 And Ioseph commaunded to fill their sacks with corne and put euery mans money in his sacke and to giue them vittaile to spende by the way and thus did he vnto them 26 And they laded their asses with the corne and departed thence 27 And as one of them opened his sack for to giue his asse proueÌ„der in the Inne he espied his money for it was in his sackes mouth 28 And he saide vnto his brethren My money is restored to me againe for lo it is in my sacke And their heart fayled them and they were astonied and sayde one to another why hath God dealt thus with vs 29 And they came vnto Iacob their father vnto the land of Chanaan and tolde him all that befell vnto them saying 30 The man vvho is the Lorde of the lande spake roughly to vs and tooke vs for spies of the countrie 31 And we sayde vnto him We meane truely we neuer were spyes 32 We be twelue brethren sonnes of our father one is awaye and the yongest is thys day with our father in the lande of Chanaan 33 And the Lorde of the countrie saide againe vnto vs Hereby shall I knowe that ye meane truely Leaue one of your brethren here with me and take foode to put away the famine from your housholdes and get you awaye 34 And bring your yongest brother vnto me that I may knowe that you are no spies but meane truely so will I deliuer you your brother and ye shall occupie in the lande 35 And as they emptied their sackes beholde euery mans bundell of money was in his sacke And when both they and their father sawe the bundelles of money they were afraide 36 And Iacob their father sayde vnto them Me haue ye robbed of my children Ioseph is away and Simeon is away and ye will take Beniamin away all these things are against me 37 Ruben said vnto his father Slay my two sonnes it I bring him not to thée againe deliuer him to my hande and I will bring him to thée againe 38 And he sayd My sonne shall not go downe with you for his brother is dead and he is left alone if destruction come vpon him by the way which ye go ye shal bring my gray heade with sorowe vnto the graue The Exposition vpon the .42 Chapter of Esay And he saide beholde I haue hearde there is corne in Egypt c. THe house of the good Patriarke and godly father Iacob was subiect to the necessitie and daunger of the Famine euen as * before it had happened to Abraham and Isaac So God is wont often to make his good and godly persons partakers of the common Calamities to the ende that that rod which is to the wicked a Punishment and correction may be to them an Exercise of their Fayth and pacience to their greater benefite So it fell out to * Ieremy Ezechiel Daniel We haue here also to obserue the course of Gods Prouidence falling out to truth when men least thinke of it Iosephs * Dreame that moued his brethren to enuye him is nowe vpon this occasion to be fulfilled Ioseph was now of great authority in Egypt without whose consent no Corne could be solde And Iacob although vnknowing is moued by the Instinction of God to sende his sonnes into Egypt to bye corne by which occasion they must needs come to Ioseph and Honor him as Lorde of the lande So went Iosephs tenne brethren c. but Beniamin Iosephs brother Iacob c. You haue here the Example of a Fatherly and tender Loue towarde his yonger sonne whom he would not rashely commit to Daunger eyther by reason of his Tender age or other Incident occasions more like to fall to hym then to his other Children And Iosephs brethren came and bowed themselues before him c. The Dreame that Ioseph tolde to his brethren Cap. 37. is here performed but vtterly as yet vnknown to themselues as often Prophesies are fulfilled by the Ignorance of men in Gods affayres It was prophesied that the Iewes should Reiect and put to death Christ the Son of God which they did in deede by Ignorance For if they had known it they would not haue crucified the Lord of glorie Act. 3. 1. Cor. 2. The Apostle propheseth That in the latter dayes some should attende to false spirites and doctrines of Deuils 1. Tim. 4. And so we see it to haue fallen out but not with the Knowledge and Confession of them that doe it who obstinately stande in this that they Defende nothing but Truth and Godlynesse But * God will be alway iustified in his Prophecies and Promises and all * Men shall be founde Liers When Joseph sawe his brethren he knewe c. and spake roughly vnto them c. This might seeme to be of 〈◊〉 or vpon desire of Reuengement that Ioseph vseth the 〈◊〉 Roughly But we 〈…〉 the Acts of good men by the 〈…〉 at the first vntill we see the Ende of their doings For oftentimes they haue other causes 〈…〉 then commonly to all men are knowne Christ him selfe spake * Roughly to the 〈…〉 the first 〈◊〉 in the End he 〈…〉 with Clement Ioseph knowing by his 〈…〉 the Wickednesse of his Brethren might 〈◊〉 Doubt whether they had 〈◊〉 the 〈…〉 his yongeâ— brother 〈…〉 To boulte it out whether it 〈…〉 And Ioseph remembred his dreames that he dreamed of them c. Ioseph 〈…〉 before â–ª Therefore being put in 〈◊〉 of them now he so dealeâ—â—y 〈◊〉 his brethren as when they should be opened vnto them thée might not onely simplie Beleeue them but with Feare 〈◊〉 Reuerence acknowledge the Triâ—â— of GOD in them with 〈◊〉 of their 〈…〉 Malice Hereby you shall be prooued be the life of Pharao ye shall not go hence c. It may seeme iustly to be called into question both how Ioseph might without blame Dissemble as he doth in this 〈◊〉 also vse this Prophane and 〈◊〉 Othe by tho life of pharao Surely I thinke Many Singuler factes of the auncient Potriaâ—kes before the law published are not to be drawâ—e into commen Examples for vs now to 〈◊〉 It may be that they had certaine 〈…〉 of God by which they were mooued to doe some thinges otherwise then the common precept requireth Neither is it necessarie for vs to Iustifie all their Factes as good For they 〈…〉 in a Heathnish maner And bee put them altogether in Warde three dayes c. While we read this we may be admonished to 〈…〉 of vs. For God may * turne our State and giue to him 〈◊〉 to be Reuenged as we see here
so often desire pardon of his speeche What if tenne shall bee founde there He answered I will not destroy c. Some may doubt why Abraham descended not to a smaller number of sixe or foure but stayed at ten But it may be that he was stayed with Modestie and â—ash fulnesse hauing so often before excused his boldnesse Or else wheÌ„ he perceyued the Angell to yelde to tenne he thought it were vnlikely that in so Great a companie there should not be that number of Iust men Or else vnderstanding by the Angel that there were not tenne he did not iudge them Worthie to be preserued by Gods mercie and therefore so stayed himselfe But whatsoeuer the cause hereof was This is of Gods exceeding great Mercies and a singular Comforte to the Iust and godly that the Angel of God in punishing the wicked shall not only Fynde them out and Preserue them as appeareth by * Loth but also in respecte of a smal number of them will spare the Sinfull and wicked that they may haue loÌ„ger * tyme to Repent This Horrible wickednesse of the Sodomites did not at once encrease to so greate an outrage as it may before be perceyued by the Angell but first began Riot and Seusualitie thorough Wealth and plentie of Gods benefites Then followed Pryde Crueltie and Vnmercyfulnesse And lastly InduratioÌ„ with Contempt of God and all godlie Aduertisementes so that they * gaue themselues ouer to all Fylthynesse euen with Delight And the Lord went his way so soone as he had lefte communing with c. The other two Angels are mentioned before Vers 22. to haue departed toward Sodome but this thirde to whom Abraham had directed his talke taried with him vntill this tyme. So that we haue here a testimonie of Gods great goodnesse who wold not haue his Angel departe before that Abraham had finished euen his Last demaund And then Abraham also departed homewarde beeing vndoubtedly very pensiue and sorie for the plague that should fall vpon the inhabitantes of Sodome and Gomorrha But in the meane tyme they themselues whome this thing shoulde haue moste nighely touched were drowned in deepe Securitie and delighting in filthie pleasure to fulfil the same assaulted the house of iust Loth to pul foorth the StraÌ„gers that were with him Thus * sodainly when the sinfull least thinke of it doth their Plague fall vpon their heads by the iust iudgement of God. Trinitie Sundaye at Euening prayer The firste Chapiter of Iosuah AFter the death of Moyses the seruaunt of the Lorde it came to passe that the Lorde spake vnto Iosuah the sonne of Nun Moyses minister saying 2 Moyses my seruant is dead nowe therefore aryse goe ouer this Iordane thou and all this people vnto the lande the which I to them the children of Israell doe giue 3 All the places that the soales of your féete shall treade vpon haue I giuen you as I sayde vnto Moyses 4 From the wildernesse and this Libanon vnto the great riuer Euphrates all the lande of the Hethites euen to the great sea towarde the goyng downe of the Sunne shall be youre coast 5 There shall not a man be able to withstand thée all the dayes of thy lyfe for as I was with Moyses so will I be with thée and wil not fayle thée nor forsake thée 6 Bée strong therefore and bolde for vnto this people shalt thou deuide the lande for inheritance whiche I sware vnto their fathers to giue them 7 Only be thou strong and of a stoute courage that thou mayste obserue and doe according to all the lawe whyche Moyses my seruaunte commaunded thée turne from the same neyther to the ryght hande nor to the lefte that thou maist doe wysely in all that thou takest in hande 8 Let not the booke of this law depart out of thy mouth but occupie thy mynd therin day and night that thou maist obserue and doe according to all that is written therein for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then shalte thou doe wisely 9 Haue not I commanded thée that thou shouldest be strong and hardie and not feare nor be faynte hearted For I the Lorde thy God am with thée whether soeuer thou goest 10 Then Iosuah coÌ„manded the officers of the people saying 11 Go through the middes of the host coÌ„maunde the people saying Prepare you vitailes for after thrée days ye shall passe ouer this Iordane to goe in and enioy the land which the Lord your God giueth you to possesse it 12 And vnto the Rubenites Gadites and halfe the tribe of Manasses spake Iosuah saying 13 Remember the worde whiche Moyses the seruante of the Lorde commanded you saying The Lord youre God hath giuen you rest and hathe giuen you this lande 14 Youre wyues youre chyldren and youre cattell shall remayne in the lande which Moyses gaue you on this side Iordane but ye shal go before your brethren armed all that be men of warre and helpe them 15 Vntill the Lorde haue giuen youre brethren rest as he hath you and vntyll they also haue obteyned the land whiche the Lorde your God geueth them and then shall ye retourne vnto the land of your possession and enioy it whiche land Moyses the Lords seruant gaue you on this side Iordane toward the sunne rising 16 And they aunswered Iosuah saying All that thou hast commaunded vs we will doe and whither soeuer thou sendest vs we will go 17 According as wée obeyed Moyses in all thyngs so will wée obey thée onely the Lorde thy God be with thée as he was with Moyses 18 And whosoeuer he be that doth disobey thy mouth and will not hearken vnto thy words in all that thou commandest him let him die only be strong and of good courage The Exposition vpon the firste Chapter of Iosuah After the death of Moyses the seruant of the Lorde it came to passe c. THe fyrste Chapiter of the Booke of Iosuah conteyneth three parts First the Calling Comforting of Iosuah secondly the accepting of the Charge by Iosuah and thirdely the Submission of the people vnto his gouernement After what manner God spake to Iosuah at this tyme it is not in the Scripture expressed whether it were by inwarde inspiration or by vision or by the ministerie of an Angell or some good man Only we haue to vnderstand that the wordes here vttered to Iosuah proceeded from God and from hys authoritie and teache vs these good lessons Firste that Moyses the good seruant of God dyed and went the common waye of all fleshe and therfore that we that folow may not looke for any * perpetuitie or long continuance in this life but must loke and * long alway for the blessednesse and Happie estate of the Lyfe to come where Death shall * ende his kingdome bothe of Soule and Bodie Secondly wee are instructed what to iudge of Moyses after his death and by him of all other the
Saintes of God that is to Iudge thē the good seruāts of God and the blessed Ministers of his vnestimable Benefites towarde Mankinde but yet not so that wee make them Gods by worshipping of them by putting trust and confidence in them and by calling on them in the time of our distresse For those pointes of * honor belongeth to God alone can not be giuen to other without manifest perill of Idolatrie And therefore it may be thought that the prouidence of God did hide and keepe secrete the bodie of Moyses from the Ievves Deut. 34. that they myghte not haue that occasion to abuse it to Idolatrie Thirdly wee haue to obserue by the example of Moyses that albeit God sometyme doth punish good mē temporally for offences cōmitted yet he doth not perpetually reiect them but after their death acknowledgeth thē for his seruants as he did here call Moyses notwithstanding that for his mistrust at the * Waters of strife he did cut him off frō enioying that lād of promise Fourthly lette vs learne That when good Princes or Magistrates be taken away that it is in the hand of God to * place others and that his diuine Prouidence hath singular care therof as we may vnderstand as wel by this place as by a number of other examples in the scriptures God punished Nabuchadnezer Daniel 4. Vntill he vnderstode that the moste high ruled in the kingdom of men and gaue it to vvhō he lusted All the places that the soales of youre feete shall treade vpon c. In this place the Lord as it were boūdeth out that land countrey that by his promise he gaue to the seede and issue of Abraham On the East part vnto the great riuer Euphrates vnto which the bounds of the dominion of the Ievves were extended vnder Dauid and Salomon and not before On the West with the great Sea that is the middle Sea whiche is here called Great in comparison of those pooles which in the Hebrue tongue are called Seas as the Sea of Tyberias On the Northe with Mounte Libanus On the Southe wyth the Desertes of Arabia and the Countrie of Aegypte In these bounds is cōteined the whole land of Chanaan There shal not a man be hable to withstand thee all the dayes of thy life c. Forsomuche as Iosuah might iustely be abashed to take vpon him that Charge and gouernement whiche besides the way wardnesse of the people was ioyned with so greate Difficultie and * danger it pleaseth God in this place to Comfort and strengthen hym with the assured* promise of his assistāce and good Successe in his doings against all his enimies whatsoeuer they be Out of which words al good Princes Magistrates Officers may gather singular instruction of comfort to Animate them against the difficulties troublous Storms of their charge which are such as oftētimes hath caused euē Heathen persons rather to desire to liue a Priuate life than to abide the hazard and daunger thereof And surely there is no State of men that needeth so greate comforte of the Prouidence and care of Almightie GOD for them as Princes and Magistrates do Their office is not only to * Establish and Spread the true Religion and worshipping of God but also to * represse the contrarie To make and defende good lawes agaynst all kynde of enormities To iudge iustly and to defende the cause of the poore and innocente againste the violence and iniurie of the oppressoure Yea and oftentimes to leuie warre either againste the * foraine enemies or to represse wicked and rebellious * subiectes which things if they doe faithfully and diligentlye it cannot be but they shall cast themselues into so great perils daungers as will greatly abashe and trouble them if by this place and suche other they doe not * conceaue an assured trust in the helpe and assistaunce of God whose Magistrates and Officers they be For this cause doth God so oftē repeate here vnto Iosue that he should be Strong and Stoute and Bolde and of good Courage for that he vvould be vvith him and not faile him in anie distresse c. Onlie be thou strong and of a stoute courage that thou mayest obserue c. Aboue all things God will haue a Prince or Magistrate to be constante earnest and of stoute courage in the obseruation and maintenance of his holy lawe and so to cleaue to his word that he depart not from it Either on the right hand by adding Superstitious holines vnto it Either on the lefte hande by Altering or Diminishyng any thing therin conteined For this cause doth he so straitely charge Iosua in thys place to bende his studie especially to his lawe and to occupie his minde therin both daye and nighte By whych wordes their * wicked errour is reproued which bothe dehorte Princes from the Study of the Scriptures as a thyng not fitte for them and also pull from them the charge to see vnto the Maintenance of true Religion and Holinesse as a matter that litle belongeth to their office But God here doth not onely require it of Iosue but also addeth a promyse that So he shall doe vviselie in all that he taketh in hand and make his vvaies and doyngs prosperous Then Iosuah commaunded the Officers of the people saying c. This is the second part of the chapiter wherin Iosuah vndertaketh the office and sheweth example of his Faith and Obedience to the calling of almightie god For albeit there mighte appeare many things in sighte of the worlde to deterre him from it yet because he had the calling of God and the promise of his assistaunce he cleaueth to that and is not driuen backe wyth the apparance of anye worldlye daunger like to fall vnto him Vpon this Pillar ought all good Princes to staye themselues in their calling and in doyng anie thing that apperteineth to their office Iosuah putteth the people also in mind of their duetie and appoynteth them in good order and Policie what to doe Wherin Magistrates also haue to learne that althoughe their chiefe staie and comforte be in the prouidence promise of God whose Ministers they are yet they may not neglect suche lawfull and Politique meanes in doyng of things as by the which God commōly vseth to giue Salftie Successe Victorie to his people For to neglecte ordinarie meanes so long as a man maye haue them vse them is rather to tempt God than truelie to put confidence and trust in him The Rubenites and Gadites Iosuah appointeth to goe before their brethren bicause they had their possession assigned them on that side of Iordane and forsomuche as they had that preheminence first to know their portion of the lande of Promise it might seeme good reason that they did abide the greater burden vntill their brethrē also were settled in their places that shoulde be allotted vnto them And so the Rubenites and Gadites did promise to