as great account of such in prosperity as in adversity Now it might have beene to the Baker a benefit if his want of due knowledge had not unfitted him to make it usefull that he had three dayes warning to fit him for death There is no man that can promise himselfe life for the space of three dayes but so easy are we to make and beleeve promises of life to our selves unlesse we see the time of our life most inevitably determined that we will hardly set our selves to prepare heartily for death unlesse we be made to see that now before such a time we must needes die But it is our duty to looke for that and walke prepared for it that may come every houre must come within a short time for what is the longest life when once the conclusion of it is come upon us Againe it was a benefit to the Butler he both knew he must be delivered and was delivered out of prison and retured to his place of honour againe To have a comfortable deliverance out of crosses is a benefit that we can easily discerne to be great who doth not desire it rejoyce in it pray for it and applaud others for it It is therefore a great goodnesse of God to grant it indeed if one have beene caught by some affliction through wrongfull meanes when nothing worthy thereof hath beene done by him it is a favour of God to make his innocency knowne and so to grant him a happy escape but howsoever it is a mercy But you see here it is a common mercy be thankfull for it walke capable of it by being such as God hath ingaged himselfe unto to deliver them out of all adversity And most of all make a good use of your crosses and deliverances both that you may be better after a crosse and that your deliverance may deliver you also from sinne Hee that getteth not some more grace in adversity then he had before it came and doth not use that grace after to shew himselfe to have profited by his crosse comes out of a crosse none otherwise then a beast may scramble out of a ditch and to such an one a worse thing shall befall afterwards And so much for this couple Now we proceed to Pharaoh himselfe King of Egypt we consider in him the same things his good and bad deeds the good and bad occurrents that befell him First for his good deeds Pharaoh was indeed an Heathen and an Idolater but he seemeth to have beene a man of good wisedome and morall parts the good deeds recorded of him in Scripture are these First having dreamed a divine dreame I meane a dreame sent to him of God for some speciall purpose he used all the waies he could to come to the knowledge of it and was much troubled when he saw that he could not attaine the interpretation of it For a dreame was but a kind of riddle or similitude offered unto a man in his sleepe which did darkely and yet truely represent some truth necessary for him to know Indeed sometimes God did appeare to his servants in dreames without any such darke and obscure revelations and in expresse and plaine termes did tell them the things which they were to know as in the dreames of Abimelech and of Abraham but many times he appeared to them alone in similitudes yet so that he made them know the meaning easily as in Iosephs dreames and in Iacobs dreame of the ladder now such an enigmaticall dreame being offered unto Pharaoh he sought all meanes of getting the interpretation of it surely we should much more seeke to attaine the knowledge of the Scripture and desire to have some to interpret the same unto us where it is doubtfull and obscure And if we neglect to seeke the meaning of it we shall doe as much wrong to our selves as Pharoah should have done to himselfe if he had sleighted this dreame for then should his land have beene consumed by famine as well as other lands Therefore since God hath appointed you his written word for your instruction in matters concerning salvation as then he pleased by dreames to reveale what hee saw fit unto men see that you seeke to know the word of God as he sought to know these dreames Onely know this that often the wise men and men of repute in the world cannot tell you these things but some poore imprisoned and neglected Ioseph This is Pharaohs first good deed Nex when he heares of Ioseph he contemnes him not because hee was a poore servant and of low degree but is carefull to send for him and to consult with him and by this meanes attaineth to the knowledge of that which all his inchanters wise-men and diviners could not helpe him unto Surely it is a point of wisedome not to sleight men because of their outward meanenesse but without prejudice to conferre with them if we heare good of them and to be ready to hearken to their wise words Can any good come out of Nazareth saith Nathaniel prejudice against the meanes of Christs birth and education would have kept him from Christ if he had not followed Philips advise who bid him come and see It pleaseth God to triumph over the folly of men that will measure things by worldly greatnesse and to give them over to undoe themselves In Ieremies time the Priests and men of note were opposite to him so Christ was therefore neglected because he was the sonne of a Carpenter Take heede that you measure not men by their high place and worldly accoutrements God is often pleased to sleight great ones and to respect the meaner In this case learne wisedome of Pharoah and judge not by the appearance Thirdly when he saw the high wisedome that God had given to Ioseph he prefers him and makes him chiefe ruler of his Kingdome next under himselfe and commits into his hand the care of gathering corne in the yeeres of plenty to serve against the yeeres of famine Oh how desirable a thing is it in Princes to commend men to high place for their worth sake And how happy is that nation when not a mans either friends or money or flattery or ambitious insinuations of himselfe but his parts the abilities God hath given him and fitnesse to discharge an high place is the rule which the Prince doth follow in advancing men It shall procure a world of welfare to the state and comfort to the Prince to whom the Lord giveth so much wisedome as thus to dispence places of preferment But I speake to subjects wee must be helpefull to our Soveraigne Lord with our prayers that is all which our hands can reach unto A fourth thing is Pharaoh continued to favour Ioseph all his life long and for his sake shewd great respect unto his bretheren and to his Father sending for him willingly and saluting him curteously and planting him and his in the fruitfull place of his Kingdome and fittest for cattle
even in the land of Goshen Thus it behoveth a good King yea and a good man to favour still whom he hath begun deservedly to favour and for his sake to shew all good esteeeme to his friends and kindred so farre as they shew not themselves unworthy to be favoured Constancy in loving and honouring a worthy man becomes Kings and largenesse of love even a kind of royall love beseemeth their persons and places for a worthy servants sake to advance his Father Bretheren and kindred This is a right Kingly love and such as can sort alone with men of such high quality Meaner persons want meanes to shew their favourable respect in such a spreading manner Indeed to preferre unworthy persons because they be of kinne to a man of great worth and much favoured is not agreeable to the rules of wisdome but let them be men capeable of favour and he doth not love a man thoroughly that for his sake doth not also love those that are neere unto him And if Princes have such a Princely love to their vertuous favourites how much more hath the living God to his These be things commendable in Pharaoh For his faults God hath beene pleased to reveale none but that common fault hee continued an Heathen though he had a Ioseph in his Court and highly preferred by himselfe It is a hard matter to get out of darkenesse and to come into light a divine spirit must joyne with the meanes or else the meanes will prove ineffectuall Let us pray to God to leade us into the knowledge of his truth or else we may live long with them that know it and yet learne nothing of it It is in our nature to settle our selves in the religion of our forefathers and not to consider whether it be true and good yea or not A kind of slitenesse in matter of religion doth raigne in the world men will not be at the trouble to examine that which they find in use they will not hazard themselves in crossing the common-voice so they swimme downe the streame and runne into perdition for company Let us be carefull to examine the things that we finde and seeing God hath vouchsafed us the happy guidance of his word let us learne to try all things and hold fast the good Onely in crying we must take heede that we be not of a kind of crosse humour that will strive to goe in a single way and will refuse things upon sleight grounds as if they were glad to find occasion to goe alone And so much for Pharaohs faults too Now his prosperity was great First God warned him of the Famine before hand that hee might prevent the danger of it to his people a great mercy to be made to understand evills long before that a man may hide himselfe from the evill of them the wisedome of man can alone guesse of future things and of some it cannot so much as guesse O how great favour doth God shew to men when he will lend them a little part of his Wisdome and tell them what mischiefes are comming on the world So God told David how Saul and the men of Keilah would have conspired against him Christ foretold his Disciples of the ruine of Ierusalem and made them able to save themselves out of that destruction Now wee must learne to esteeme it a greater mercy that we are forewarned of the evill to come in another world and acquainted with the onely meanes of flying from that unsufferable wrath Let us be as carefull to beleeve those predictions and to follow that counsell for escaping the mischiefe foretold as here Pharaoh was to beleeve Ioseph and to take his counsell and then shall we as assuredly escape the misery of eternall destruction as he and his Countrey escaped the unhappinesse of Famine A second benefit God gave Pharaoh a Ioseph a worthy servant a man of excellent Wisdome and faithfullnesse fit for that high honour of being Second to Pharaoh who in all things behaved himselfe as became a wise and godly man The Lord cannot give a greater benefit to a King and a Kingdome then by preferring a Ioseph by providing such a man and inclining the hearts of Kings to favour such this is a mercy which our prayers must obtaine for our King and for our selves Lord send Iosephs to the Court and guide the heart of his Majesty to love and advance Iosephs A third mercy he grew exceeding wealthy and a mighty Prince possessor in a manner of all the land of Egypt and had all the people as his servants to plow the ground for him so that he was a rich and mighty Prince But when Princes or other men become very great and high many times their weakenesse and corruptions turne that benefit into a misery and occasion of much mischiefe learne so to receive this benefit as to be earnest for grace to use it well that it may not turne to your destruction But of Pharaohs crosses we reade nothing he was so prosperous a King that no adverse accident is recorded to have befallen him Even to escape great crosses must be accounted a great mercy and if the Lord have caused any mans life amongst us to runne with so even a threed as it were that no adversity hath interrupted it he is so to take notice of this mercy as to take heed withall that he flatter not himselfe with vaine thoughts as if he were therefore much in Gods favour because of such immunity from outward evills Not so but we must ever remember that in the Psalme That the wicked are lusty and strong that they have no bonds in their death and that they be not in adversity as other men Hitherto of Pharaoh now of the Aegyptians both the land in generall and the chiefe officers about Pharaoh The land of Egypt was a rich land and fertile the Holy Ghost doth not speake much of their idolatry in Genesis But in after times they were infamous for it and there did Israel learne to be Idolatrous If God leave a people to themselves they will soone degenerate either into prophanenesse and a meere contempt of God or into false worship and Idolatry How thankfull ought wee to be to whom the Lord hath pleased to reveale his truth and to keepe us farre from worshipping a false god or embracing a false religion But we have an example of some good in these Egyptians and a great vertue it was they submitted themselves to their Governours with a very great submission The Famine lay upon them they were content to buy corne of Ioseph for money and when that failed to pawne their cattell and when that meanes was gone to sell their lands and themselves and did not rebell and with strong hand take corne to themselves whither Pharaoh and Ioseph would or not This was a most commendable thing in the Egyptians they would rather sell themselves to the skinne yea sell themselves
ability would deale thus wisely not alone for their privat but also for the publike good the pismire layes up in summer man should bee wiser then a silly creeping thing oh how foolish and naught be those that when they get much spend all and reserve nothing for harder times You have some men can earne much in health but lay up nothing against sicknesse can get much in youth but reserve nothing for age Most just it is that they should be pinched in a deare yeare which lavished and surfetted in a plentiful Brethren you must not alwayes have such yeeres as will bring forth by handfuls be wise therefore for our estates I wish you not to be niggardly and defraud your selves but to bee discreet and lay up for yourl selves if God send no more then is needfull spend it and trust his providence if he send an overplus so much I mean as will serve for the present and some to spare waste not all at the present but know that now he calleth to storing up remember Salomons Proverb in the house of the wise is treasure and oile but the foole consumeth it up Be not fooles but in plenty remember dearth as in dearth you wish for plenty you know that by well husbanding of plenty a wise man should take such an order that he may feele no dearth The love of riches is a banefull thing but the wel-husbanding of abundance is not alwayes a fruit of loving riches but of a wise fore-sight And so much for one part of Josephs care diligence and fidelity in gathering corne Now he is in like manner faithfull in bringing out the corne in due time for when all the corne of private men was spent and that Aegypt also began to be affamished Gen 41.55 and the people cryed unto Pharoah and he sent them to Joseph it is noted that Joseph opened the store-houses and sold unto the Aegyptians one would have conceived that the Aegyptians having heard of Pharaohs dreames the interpretations as such a rare thing must needes flye throughout all the Kingdome speedily as having occasioned the strange preferment of Ioseph a prisoner and an Hebrew which could not but fill the mouthes of people with discourse should each man have provided of his owne abundance to serve their turn in hard times for they were informed both how long and how strange the plenty would be and how hard and of what continuance the dearth but it is apparant that most of them were so foolish that they did not so therefore now the publike store-houses must supply them or else they must dye See in them the fault of improvident carelessenesse whereof we spake before but note Josephs faithfulnesse hee doth open the store-houses now that pinching want began to bite them and sels them Corne. It is fit that men in dearth should bring out and sell Corne if they have it and not to suffer their neighbours to starve for want of that which themselves have in their possession We must not love gaine more then the lives of men yee see that Joseph sold to strangers too and not alone to Aegyptians so that our charity in this case must exercise it selfe as ability will serve to men of other Nations as well as our owne countrey men The Natives must not mutter because forreiners are helped with some of the abundance of their owne countries see here Josephs charitablenesse to put you on the like good disposition when time shall call for it and if you have store of corne bring it forth The people shall curse him saith Solomon that hoordeth up corn but they shall blesse him which doth Sell it To that purpose his Proverbe is doe not bring a curse upon your selves but a blessing for when God saith they will curse or blesse his meaning is not only that the people shall doe thus but that the thing shall fall out accordingly they shall so curse and blesse that neither shall be in vaine Againe it is noted that Joseph by his meanes got all the money in the Land you may see here that it is lawfull to make a gaine of ones providence and by deare selling of what he bought in plentifull times to enrich himselfe much so did Joseph I thinke his example is a due warrant indeed care is to be taken that oppression be avoided and then it is lawful to make ones selfe a gainer not by other mens losses but by his owne providence for by this meanes Joseph did gaine also the land and persons for the King it is not contrary to equity to sell things at a great and dear rate when there is great want of them A thing must bee esteemed worth so much and may bee sold for so much as the present dearth doth make it worth and in such case he doth not wrong that takes the present times onely note that Joseph did not oppresse the poore but they had of him as well as the rich the one gave all and the other could give but all and both had necessaries so should it be done in hard times by publike charity The poore must be provided for as well as the rich but note also Josephs faithfulnesse no doubt himselfe was not wanting to his owne inriching how else could hee have maintained his Fathers houshold with necessaries but he contented himself to take what was allowed him and brought the money to Pharaohs house not to his owne and made the Cattle and land sure to Pharaoh not to himself Oh that all Officers would learn to enrich the King above themselves and themselves but in such a proportion as is fit under the King but in our times it hath bin noted that often the Officers rise and the King is indebted would we had Josephs under his Majesty and then hee could not want for money And last of all note his Justice as well as his wise dealing for to assure the land to the King hee removes and translates the inhabitants so that wise care may lawfully bee used to assure a mans title to that which is his owne and then hee makes this order that Pharaoh shall have a fift part of the encrease and they foure parts to live on Hee lets the land out unto them againe at a reasonable rate whereby themselves might live comfortably of it and this is the duty of all Land-lords that have such things to set they ought not to raise rents to so high a rate that the people shall toyle the hearts out and get nothing but remember that themselves be Gods Tenants who hath commanded all men to doe as they would be done to and that we should not seeke every man his owne things onely but the things that are anothers they must as well looke that the people have to live of chearefully as that themselves be made rich But how unconscionable men be now a dayes in ordering themselves to those that must live upon them whether by taking lands from them or being set a
he conceived at first to be men though indeed they proved to be Angels for so you have his hospitality recorded by the Holy Ghost Gen. 18. 1. ad 17. When he saw certaine men which he tooke to be travellers he ranne to them and with importunity brought them on their way A courteous free and honourable intertaining of strangers is a vertue commended to our imitation by the example of Abraham for so saith the Author to the Hebrewes Be not forgetfull to intertaine strangers for by that meanes some have received Angels unawares and we are bidden to be given to hospitality Let us therefore be farre from niggardlinesse in this case and yet farre from profusenesse too And if to strangers much more to our friends and acquaintance must we shew our selves humane and liberall in this kinde and most of all to our poore and needy neighbours that cannot reward us for our Saviour prefers mercy before curtesie and tells us that such cost shall be reckoned for So have we done with Abrahams vertues which if we can take out in our practise happy shall we be for to this end are good mens good deeds registred in the Booke of God that we which reade them by following them in the waies of goodnesse might be sure to over-take them in the end of our journey and to dwell in the place of happinesse whether they have safely gone before us Now I proceede to tell of his sinnes and offences for such is the state of mortall men in this life that it shall be found true of every man which S. Iames tells us in many things we offend all Doubtlesse he arrogateth greater perfection to himselfe then ever the word of God hath attributed to any meere man since Adam that conceiveth himselfe to be quite free from all evill corruptions and from the breaking out of corruptions The first fault of Abraham was that in which he lived before his calling by God out of Vr of the Chaldees for it is manifest in the 24. of Iosh v. 2. that the Fathers in old time even Terah the Father of Abraham and of Nahor and consequently the sonnes themselves being so brought up of their Fathers served other gods Here then is a sinne in Abraham that he tooke up the religion of his Fathers without making any diligent inquiry into the matter whether the religion and gods were true or not And this is a fault common to all mankind they take their religion on trust serving those gods which they find in the places where they dwell to be worshipped and served and labour not to find out and serve the true God alone who is onely worthy to be served yea if it fall out that the true God be served amongst them they cleave not to him out of judgement and well grounded knowledge that he is the onely true God but alone out of common custome because all men do so and this their religon becommeth but a vaine religion and is of no force to their salvation Indeed it was not so strange a thing that Abraham should be thus carried away after false gods according as he was led by the common example seeing at that time they had not the word of God written by Prophets and Apostles to direct and guide them in this matter But for us whom God hath so farre favoured as to give us the cleare light of his holy word it is a most grievous sinne to be led wholy by custome and example and not to build and ground our selves upon that light which God hath ministred unto us And the true cause why men do follow such false guides in matter of Gods worship is the blindnesse of their mindes and carnallnesse of their hearts and the secret atheisme which is in them by which they are not thoroughly and certainely perswaded that there is a God at all and therefore care not to finde out and serve the living God as if it made no great matter so they served one which they served Let us therefore beware of false gods and false religions and let us beware of walking after a false rule even in following the true God that is of serving him not because wee have any true and certaine knowledge of him in our owne mindes but onely because we have beene so taught of our Fathers and see the whole world where we live to take the same course for he that is thus blindly led worships God but by chance as it were and is as ready for a false god as for a true and this was Abrahams fault before his calling Now after his calling he fell into some sinnes though not wilfully nor presumptuously but of weakenesse and of infirmity The first fault was weakenesse of faith Though he was the Father of the faithfull and is commended in Scripture for the strength of his faith and that he wavered not nor staggered at the promise of God through unbeleefe yet at the first his faith was mixed with unbeleefe and shewed it selfe to have some feeblenesse in it For first when he went downe into Egypt because of the famine and saw that the men were wicked and feared not God he was in doubt least the men of the place would kill him for his wives sake God had promised him before that time to give the land of Canaan to him and to his seede after him and yet he had no seed therefore as yet hee could not be put to death unlesse the promise of God should faile him and come to nothing Notwithstanding the promise which should have beene frustrated if himselfe had died without issue he doubted least he might be slaine by them as being distempered and diverted by feare from considering and taking diligent notice of the promise This was a manifest imperfection of faith you see Wherefore let us take notice that in the faithfullest of Gods people there will be defects of faith as also there was want of it in David when he said I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul and in Moses when he said How will Pharaoh heare mee seeing the Israelites did not and againe Why hast thou sent mee to deliver the people seeing Pharaoh oppresseth them the more since I spake to him And therefore let us not be discouraged though we finde weakenesse in our faith though faith I say doe shew it selfe feeble and be much troubled and sometimes foiled by doubting especially in great and sore temptations yet we must not be heartlesse nor conclude that we are utterly destitute of faith or that our faith is not true and sincere and unfained True faith you see in Abraham may be weake yea cannot but be weake so long as we be cloathed with tabernacles of flesh He that truly beleeves may yet be carried away with doubting sometimes when occasions of perill and danger incounter his faith and therefore also let us be carefull to confirme and strengthen our faith more and more and to grow in
the riches of the whole world If Abraham had enjoyed this whole world and not this sweete entercourse with God his life would not have beene halfe so comfortable and happy but if his estate had bin never so poore and meane in outward things yet would this sweete fellowship with his Maker have made him happy and blessed enough Spirittuall good things are the chiefe and principall blessed is the man whom God pleaseth to take for his owne to call to himselfe to strengthen in faith to make more and more certaine of his salvation This is the blessing of Abraham that comes unto the Gentiles by faith in Jesus Christ This poore and afflicted Saints enjoy as well as rich This seeke this labour for by indeavouring to walke with God and by being upright If any say But alas I want this I find not God shewing himselfe to me in his ordinances I find him not setling my heart I Answer If hee have called thee out of sinne to a good life and that thou indeavourest to follow him he will in due time shew himselfe unto thee feare it not and the longer he seemes to deferre the revealing of himselfe the more abundant and exceeding great shall the comfort be at last God will not faile to blesse his people with spirituall blessings and comfort them with spirituall comforts if they walke before him in sincerity I proceed to tell you of good Abrahams crosses which if you compare them with Isaacs were much greater then his if with Iacobs they seeme in some respects much lesse But if you consider them simply they were some of them exceeding heavy to beare Wee will ranke them into a certaine order First God put him to suffer an heavy crosse at his first call as many times also he doth many of his servants His kindred and his Fathers house were all Idolaters and God saw that he should have had much adoe to have maintained himselfe and the truth of his religion if he should have continued amongst them Wherefore hee caused him to leave that place and those persons and to goe into another land which he should shew him according as in the Psalme the Prophet speakes to Pharaohs daughter forsake thy kindred and thy fathers house and this affliction often assaileth the Saints of God at their looking towards true piety when they begin to forsake sinnefull courses and to looke towards Heaven though they change not their countrie for a new habitation nor leave their fathers house to goe into a region farre distant yet their fathers house falleth out with them they cease to be friends to them and they feele that which sometimes our Lord hath foretold a mans enemies shall be those of his owne house yea father hates the sonne and the sonne the Father For a mans inward and neerest friends are more weary of him then then any other because having occasion of conversing with him they more see his piety else as Owles are more offended with the light and because wanting that commerce in evill and vanity which once they had they are more displeased at the change We must learne therefore whosoever mindeth to follow Christ and be his Disciple learne to love him above all persons yea as himselfe teacheth us to hate Father and Mother even to hate them I say that is to be willing to part with them as if we hated them for Christs sake And as here the Lord so provided for Abraham that he wanted no friend in any place where ever he came a forreine countrey afforded him as much welfare as his native soile could have done so whosoever shall loose any such thing for Christs sake shall be sure to receive in this life an 100. fold that is an hundred times more good and comfort then those things or persons could have afforded yea many times also a larger measure and greater number of outward things and outward friends This was the first crosse of Abraham leaving his countrey see next what he met with in Canaan another countrey in respect of his estate and the persons that were dearest to him First for his estate God gave him no possession no not the bredth of a foote but made him travaile up and downe in tents without either certaine house or any inheritance This is a crosse too and a thing little pleasing to flesh and bloud to be of a fleeting condition not knowing where he shall dwell next month or next yeare to be without house or home that he can call his owne by which God taught Abraham to use the world as though he used it not and to set his heart more upon the things above because he had so little setlednesse in the things below The people of God must be content to be rowled as it were up and downe from place to place to be in the Earth as in a Sea in which they shall be tossed now hither now thither and have no fixed dwelling almost and our Lord Christ after he was a Preacher was accustomed to such a kind of Pilgrims life now in Iudea now in Galilee now in Caesarea now in Cana now in Decapolis hee had not an house to lay his head in S. Paul was likewise accustomed amongst other miseries to beare this of having no certaine dwelling place If God call any of us to such a condition it must not seeme much to us to eate the bread of such worthy men nor to pledge them in the same cup. Hee whose soule is not glewed to the world can well endure this kind of tumbling none other will unlesse hee be a man that loves to wander Now for the persons neere to him first his Kinsman then those of his family One and onely one Kinsman he had with him that wee reade of Lot In him he suffered two troublesome crosses First upon occasion of a trouble that fell out betwixt the servants of Lot and of Abraham they were faine to part habitations Their riches were so great that the land affoorded not roome for both their herds and flockes hence the herdsmen and shepheards on both sides had occasion of jarring about places of pasture One would have his cattle here another would have his and so variance grew Abraham saw that this variance would proceed farther and farther and to prevent mischiefe gives Lot his choice where hee would dwell so saith the Scripture they were separated a man from his brother This no doubt was tedious to Abraham that Lot and he might not be neere neighbours at once for the event after made it appeare how deare Lot was unto him and therefore after Lots departure the Lord appeared unto Abraham to comfort him as taking notice what a trouble it was unto him And this kinde of crosse doth fall out to men either increase of riches or want of it or some thing falleth out that causeth they must be separated from their speciall friends or some unkindnesse and jarres grow betwixt them that their
we be not overapt to accuse and disgrace others whilest wee seeke to gaine friends to our selves Ioseph spake nothing sharply against his brethren no nor yet against his Mistresse the more to prevaile in his request to the Butler that might speed him Hitherto of Iosephs private life now of his more publike carriage 1. To strangers 2. Towards his owne kindred and Fathers house First towards the Egyptians both to Pharaoh and then to the Communalty of Egypt First in his carryage to Pharaoh 1. Before his preferment then after Before his preferment 1. he deales plainely faithfully with him as before in interpreting his two dreams After he had shaved himselfe changed his garments he came in speedily to the King and told him the meaning of his dreams fully shewing what was signified by the seven fatte and leane Kine and what by the seven full and leane Eares of corne and then what by the seven leane Kine and leane Eares which devoured the fat ones viz. By the former seven most plentifull yeares in which the earth should bring forth corne and all fruits in great abundance and by the latter seven most scant and penurious yeares of great famine in which the earth should yeeld none increase at all so that the plenty should be utterly forgotten and the Land should be consumed with scarcity and the doubling of the dreame he saith did shew that the thing was certaine to be accomplished without all faile and also the speednesse of the thing which should begin presently to be accomplished Thus Ioseph tells the things to come with all plainenesse and most fully Dreames were one of Gods ordinances by which hee did in those times reveale those things to men which he intended they should know and the interpreter of Dreames was to shew the true meaning of God plainely without adding or diminishing and without any doubting or ambiguity Hence all those to whom the interpretation of Gods will revealed unto men shall be committed must learne to deale plainely fully and truly They must with all evidence and perspicuity shew the things which God hath told them and must not not hide or alter any thing at all what God declareth they must declare making manifest also the certainty and speedinesse of the things both that they shall surely come to passe and presently in the due time appointed Oh that the Lord would thrust out into his Church able faithfull and painfull men that might search diligently into the meaning of his Oracles and fully declare his will unto his people carefully stirring them to believe the things and to expect them and make use of them now you see his faithfulnesse Secondly marke his wisedome and prudence joyned with love and good will for he perswades Pharoah to appoint fit persons to gather up the abundance of the plentifull yeares and keepe the same in store against the penurious and scant yeares that so he may prevent the misery which else would have fallen on the land So those that are to interpret Gods Word to his people must adde counsell advice perswasions and exhortations to provide them to make good use of their knowledge even to provide against the danger to come and to make use of all those good helpes which God shall affoord them for that purpose We have now plentifull times of spirituall provision by which wee may get knowledge how to prevent the danger of eternall death who can tell what scant and thinne times may come hereafter in which we may feele a sore famine of the Word and not be able to get instruction and exhortation which now wee have in abundance Let us store our heart with knowledge now in these times of plenty that our soules may not perish for want of true knowledge then when the means of knowledge shall be diminished make use of Gods goodnesse that you perish not for want of true knowledg Yea the Lord in his Word hath plainely revealed his minde concerning the damnation of impenitent sinners and salvation of the penitent O now labour to get repentance in these happy seasons of Repentance wherein God offers grace unto you and put not off these great workes till after uncertaine times when no more meanes of repentance shall be granted then the Aegyptians had of getting corn in the seven yeeres of deadly famine use the opportunity of getting grace as Pharaoh did of getting Corne. Now it is the day time now the light shineth now the Lord continueth to stretch out his hand oh turne to him feed of the Word of life heare the Word reade it and ponder upon it obey it and turne to God and believe and obey whilst it is called to day that you may not hereafter labour in vaine about so necessary a businesse Thirdly you shall see in Josephs carriage great humility lowlinesse of heart hee brags not of himselfe and his owne skill and ability hee doth not lift up himselfe because this rare gift of interpreting of Dreames was given unto him from God but saith it is not in me God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace Wee see the same humility in Daniel when he did likewise interpret the dreames of Nebuchadnezzar for he saith expressely as for mee this secret is not revealed unto me for any wisedome that I have more then any living Loe he depresseth himselfe and gives the glory to God wee must learne to bestow Gods gifts humbly not vaine-gloriously and with ostentation setting up our selves but humbly acknowledging our owne meanenesse must give God the honour and labour our selves to be made instruments of good to men by those indowments wherewith the Lord shall enrich us Humility adorneth and beautifieth all graces it is this Vertue that addeth lustre to all graces and commendeth him in whom it is more then all his abilities besides but vaine glory and ostentation and selfe conceitednesse and vaunting ones selfe and being pussed up doth as it were soyle and sullie and defile and dawb all gifts and maketh him in whom they worke this effect as loathsome and contemptible as if he wanted all of them learne not to exalt your selves that God may exalt you Another thing to be noted in Joseph hee shew'd all reverence and due respect to the King as Daniel also did giving him dutifull words and carrying himselfe submissively so must we doe whensoever we approach before Rulers and Kings our words and gestures must bee decent and respective tending to expresse an honourable esteeme of them because of the Image of Gods Majesty and greatnesse which shineth in them Joseph would not come before Pharaoh in the sordid garments of his prison house nor with the haire of the dungeon but polleth himselfe and getteth on better attire and sets himselfe in all his carriage to honour the King saying God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to doe and God will answer for Pharaohs peace Oh that we could learne mannerly and dutifull and respective