Ahashuerosh disposed himselfe to bee merrie with his Princes and shew the riches and glorie of his kingdome and the honour of his Maiestie hee feasted them an hundred and fourescore dayes togither therefore infinite will the ioy and triumph bee in the court of heauen when the king of all kinges shall feast his deare Saintes not for a time but for all eternitie and shall shew them his heauenlie dignitie and felicitie which is prepared for them It is vsuall with many to celebrate with mirth the memoriall of their birth Gen. 40 Mark 6 when it rather occasioneth vs with Ieremie Ierem. 20 and Iob Iob. 3 to bee heauie for it Pharao solemnized the day of his natiuitie with triumphant feasting and so did Herod yet this myrth and musick was mixed with mourning for the one at that time hanged his chiefe Baker and the other beheaded innocent Iohn the Baptist But in heauen when we solemnize our newe birth wee shall haue all ioy without mixture of sorrow there can neuer any more miserie or calamitie befall vs. The wise men of the East were exceeding glad when they saw but the Starre Matt. 1 which prognosticated and foreshewed the natiuitie of our sauior Therefore when wee in heauen shall bee partaker of his glorie then must needes our heartes be filled with laughter and our tongues with ioy We see how the birdes of the aire are ioyfull at the arising of the sunne chirping and singing and leaping vpon the branches Wherefore when the sonne of righteousnesse appeereth comforting our hearts how ought we to skip like a Hart to leape vp and downe like a yong vnicorne Gene. 2 It was a ioy to Adam when he was in his prosperitie in his earthly Paradise in his created holines but afterward when he had transgressed the mandate God gaue him and did degenerate from his first creation â—â—b 30 his harp was turned into mourning and his organes into the voice of them that weepe What ioy then will it be vnto vs when we are in heauenly paradise where we can sinne no more and so consequently can sorrow no more where are all kindes of pleasures in aboundance at the right of the father for euermore The foure leapers when they entred into the Aramites campe â—ing 7 and shared out their goods they mutuallie ioyed one an other for that happe Oh therefore let vs be ioyfull togither let vs reioyce in our beddes For our ioy is as the ioy of haruest 〈◊〉 9 and as men reioyce when they diuide a spoyle For the hoast of our sinnes shal then be discomfited when we are in heauen Sathan shal no more haue ought to do with vs death shall bee destroyed and swallowed vp in victorie all our enemies shall flie away before vs and wee of Gods housholde shall diuide the spoyle Though we hung our harpes vpon the willowe trees when we sate by the waters of Babylon yet now O man of God call for thy instrument awake lute and harpe and let vs awake earlie and let vs sing the Lords song in our owne land If he that hath matters of law depending in iudiciall courts A similitude cannot but be glad when his case is put to his counsellor and aduocate to be comprimitted and awarded for he is thereby sure that it will goe wel on his side Why then deere Christian comfort thy sobbing and sighing soule for this is thy case thy sinnes that pleaded against thee at Gods barre and were like to condemne thee are put to Christ thy sauiour redeemer to vmper and determine so as we need not feare for though we sin we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust 1. Iohn 1 he is the propitiation for our sinnes our sinnes shall rather adorne vs then disgrace vs because of him For it is no disgrace to haue a rent garment if so be it may be hidden and couered with a lace our sins are rents and the red blood of our sweet sauiour is the redde lace which hath couered the scame and rupture of our sinnes If the men of Bethshemeth reioyced with themselues because they had espied the ark of the Lord 1. Sam. 6 wee shall haue much more matter of myrth affoorded vs when we shall see the verie heauens open readie to receiue vs and we shall espie Iesus at the right hand of his father who hath prepared a place for vs. A glad man was Zacheus when so good a guest Luk. 19 as Christ diuerted into his house but gladder may we be that he will vouchsafe to enter into our souls that we shall dwell with him and he with vs in his fathers kingdome world without ende Mat. 13 The husbandman when he found the treasure in the field he could not rest for ioy but forthwith departed made a sale of all that he had in the worlde beside to make purchase of the field But all the treasures of God the father in his sonne Christ shal be giuen vnto vs. Base therefore in our eyes is the vanitie of this world we willinglie renounce it to make so good a change and wee are glad of such successe King 1 When Salomon was aduaÌ„ced to his fathers crown and dignitie all the people piped with pipes and reioiced with great ioy so that the earth rang with the sound of them We shall see our Christ the king of peace who hath triumphed valiantly who hath put downe all his enemies vnder his feete verie exceeding glorious crowned with maiestie and honour our heartes therefore shall be glad and our tongs shall reioice for the staffe of our shoulder the yoke of our burden the rod of our oppressor shal be broken as in the day of Midian Wherefore reioice in the Lord alwaies â— 9 and again I say reioice Let the flouds clap their hands and let the hils reioice Let the singers go before and the minstrels folow after and let the damsels come playing with their pipes Let the Leuites daunce before the arke and let the priests be clothed with gladnes and let vs all sing praises vnto the holy one of Israel FINIS Imprinted at London by P. S. for Nicholas Ling. 1599.
sanctifie them and that was the cause it came speedilie on them 〈◊〉 â—1 The Prophet Esaie declaring the office of Christ in preaching the Gospell sheweth that the subiect of this preaching is to publish Gods readinesse to pardon sinners and his vnwillingnes to take iudgement of them And to make proofe thereof hee compareth them together and maketh his clemencie to be far greater and of longer continuance towardes vs then his iustice For hee restraineth his vengeance and limiteth it to a daie but hee extendeth his mercie infinitelie beyonde it giuing a continuance of time vnto it the space of a yeere For thus the spirit speaketh Isai 54 To preach the acceptable yeere of the Lord and the daie of vengeance of our God The same Prophet in an other place confirmeth the same doctrin most comfortablie vnto vs when in the person of God himselfe hee saith A little while haue I forsaken thee but with great compassion will I gather thee for a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee for a little season but with euerlasting mercy haue I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer The due regard hereof breedeth no admiration but it tendeth exceedinglie to our consolation for this is natural and proper vnto God to be gracious and mercifull it is a strange worke to him as the scriptures say of him to punish and shewe vengeance A similitudâ— Euen as a Painter when he hath elaboratelie finished a picture if so be he be constrained in regard of some faultes which he findeth in it vtterlie to blot out and deface all his worke hee is much grieued for it so when God seeth manie defaults and blemishes in vs who are his workmanship engrauen image vpon whome he hath bestowed such exceeding cost as varnishing vs and adorning vs with liuely colours which must be reformed for which cause he must marre that he hath made and begin his worke anew it cannot but bee grieuous and troublesome vnto him A similitude If thou wouldest place a stone of great waight vppon the roofe of thine house thou hast neede of pullies cables for to reare it but if thou wouldst throw it to the ground thou needest doe nothing but let it fall from thee for it will fall of his accord vnto the grounde for naturallie heauie things doe tend downeward as those that are light do ascend vpwarde It is as naturall with God to shewe mercie to a sinner as it is for a stone that is heauie to fall downewarde for the Sunne to shine for the fire to burne or anie other thing to performe his nature Wherefore thou readest euerie where in the historie of Christ of innumerable mercies which hee shewed vnto many but thou readest not of his punishments inflicted vpon any but only at one time when hee made him a whip â—n 2 and chased out of the temple such impure copesmates as had too abhominably prophaned the temple Was there euer any that intreated his mercy and did not obtaine it He healed graciously Malchus his eare â—â—ke 21 his professed and sworn enemie then one of the furious bloud thirsty souldiours who combined together intending his destruction The murmuring Israelites exasperated the Lord exceedingly against them when as the spies returning from Chanaan their tidings displeased them for they so mutinously muttered against God as they were threatned of him that they should not possesse the inheritance promised them or enter into the lande Yet after that when the people were in armes and prepared vnto battell in the middest of iudgement the Lorde could not vtterlie forget mercie hee is so naturallie disposed to bee mercifull and therefore both in anger and loue hee saieth vnto them Doe not ascende vp Num. 14 for I am not with you least yee fall before your enemies If he had not been with them he would not so graciouslie and louinglie haue warned them that they should not go vp but would haue suffered them to fall vpon the sword and bee a pray vnto their enemies Againe if so be he had beene with them and had not been angry with them he would not haue said so directly vnto them I am not with you He was with them and was not with them He was not with them that they should haue the conquest he was with them that they should not be conquered If the Lord be thus mercifull when men are so sinful it is thereby manifest that hee is soone satisfied The foure beasts which Ezechiel did see in a vision had the faces of a Lion Ezech. 1 also of a man in the right side to signifie vnto vs that as he looketh like a lion vpon a sinner that cannot repent vtterlie to destroy him whilest there is none to helpe him so when a sinner returneth from his sinnes and turneth vnto him he hath the louing and kinde face of a man and intreateth him familiarlie and kindlie as a man This father could not be more forwarde in fauor towardes this his lost sonne then to looke out after him and to cast his eyes about to espie where hee might see him and when he had happily seene him a far off to hic out vnto him to embrace him to fall on his neck and kisse him Al these are good notes of good nature and affections but when they do paâ—ley and talke together the zeale is admirable which he expresseth towards him For he is so soon pleased as no sooner the sonne beginneth to speak but the bowels of the father are so presentlie mooued as hee suffereth him not to vtter all he meditated for before he could come to this clause of his set speech Make me one of thy hired seruauntes the father interrupteth him and breaketh off his speech preuenting him graciouslie with his blessings of goodnes and granting infinitly more then he desired Thy God as so reaâ—â—e to shew â—is sinner â—h mercy The father in great wisedome vsed this great speede because his sonnes estate and neede so required it For when as a sinner through anguish of sinne is in extremity as this sinner was hee hath neede of present comfort to preuent despaire and ready encouragement to allaie the rage and furie of his passions which otherwise woulde bee verie dangerous vnto him For this cause God vseth no delay with such but immediatly vpon the forgiuenes of sinnes hee giueth therewithall the riches of his grace there is no time betwixt them but they come both together The remission of sin and the giftes of grace come together Before we can recouer our bodily health after a great sicknesse it is a long time by little and little and by degrees we leisâ—râ—ly attaine it for the body is not of that moment as the soule therefore there is no such vrgent necessitie of the present health of it for by lingering and time it may do wel enough It is otherwise with the soule which woulde languish with griefe
Trinitie exceeding wrong when as wee depriue them of this their ioy and we grieue tâ—â— much the holy spirit of God by which we are sealed vnto the day of redemption The Lord therefore giue vs his grace to turne from our sins to make God ioyfull of it For by his ioy we shall haue all ioy for in his ioy is eternall ioy and glorie for euer The ninth Chapter Wherein is shewed by the present estate of the prodigall sonne howe God mingleth prospopitie with aduersitie WHen the sorrowes of the prodigall sons heart were enlarged and he sayde in his soule On when wilt thou comfort mee then the Lord declared his saluation and his mercie did he openlie shewe in the sight of the people Despaire not therefore O sinner of the louing kindnesse of thy God neither fall thou vnder the burden and heauy weight of thy afflictions for God casteth down raiseth vp again hee taketh the simple out of the dust and the poore out of the mire that he might set them among the princes euen the princes of his people As God departeth froÌ„ a sinner for to humble him so hee returneth againe vnto a sinner to haue mercie on him It is Gods maner to temper and mingle aduersitie with prosperitie and prosperitie with aduersitie He hath two strings to his bow if one will not serue an other must But hauing sufficientlie tamed his sonne with the sorrowe of the one hee now forthwith refresheth him againe with the comfort of the other God forsaâ—eth not his 〈◊〉 aduersity God doth not vtterlie cast off his children and forsake his inheritance But when the time commeth that they return to him he returneth to them and bringeth all ioy with him â—uit 22 â—um 28 When as God ordained in the olde lawe diuerse set seasons to be consecrated vnto feasting hee preciselie charged that the first and latter day shoulde be more solemne and ioyfull then the rest In the beginning of our conuersion and in the ende of our perfection the Lord doth minister vnto vs greater gladnes Wee haue peace of conscience and ioy in the holie Ghost vppon our true repentance in this present life and in our perfect consummation and blisse wee shall enioy all honour and felicitie in the life that is to come Be our afflictions neuer so grieuous and come vnto extremitie they shall be at the last all taken away from vs nay the more afflictions we indure here the more ioyes and comforts wee shall enioy else where Great and vnspeakable were the sorrowes of the Israelites whilest they were in Egypt but the Lord did not leaue them in the midst of them but deliuered them out of al and gaue them noble victories ouer all their enemies so long as they obeyed him Iohn 2 If there had beene a hundred water pottes at the marriage at Canaa as there were but sixe Christ might and woulde as easilie and willinglie haue turned them into wine so hee both can and will turne the waters of our aduersities though they rage neuer so much so as the streames thereof runne ouer our soules into all kinde of comfort as most delightfull wine which gladdeth all our hearts if so bee wee will turne vnto him at the last God giueth prosperitie in his due time The sufferinges of Gods people cannot bee perpetuall but sorrowe must depart and ioy must returne at the last But yet hee suffereth vs first for good causes to be euill intreated to wander to and fro and to suffer all aduersitie before hee sendeth vs his gracious helpe which bringeth prosperitie 2. King 4 The widow woman was first brought to all pouertie before by his Prophet he would supplie her necessitie Before the Israelites were deliuered they were brought to the exigent the sea was before and the Egyptians behind them so as then there was but small hope left of deliuerie of them Hierusalem was reseuâ— and saued from Senacharib but Rabsâ—chah and his rabblemenes had sealed the walles first and were at the gateâ— The woman was cured of her bloodie issue but first shee spent all shee had vpon Phisitians The prodigall sonne was honourablie entertained and with all good things replenished but first his father suffered him to bee seruilye entreated yea almost with famine and all extremitie consumed God is not â—â—anged And yet for all this in the Lord there is no variablenesse nor shadow oâ— change The change and alteration is in the creature and not in the Creator who is alwaies the same A similitude When fiâ—st the ship setteth out from the hauen and launcheth into the deepe the land and houses hard by seem to him that is in the ship to rotteâ— to and fro and that hee himselfe mooueth not at all when as it is quitâ— conâ—â—â—râ—â—â—t he only staggreth and is euer moouing the and â—s immoueable and cannot be stirred Saâ—â— was verie sottish â—am â—4 and he reasoned absurdlie when as he sayd Thâ— Lord hath 〈…〉 sight a 〈◊〉 me For it was not God that depâ—â—â—â—â— from â—â—â—l 〈◊〉 it was 〈◊〉 that departed 〈◊〉 God The â—ather â—eparted not from the prodigall sonne but the proâ—â—â—â—â— sonne â—ooâ—e his vagaries and depaâ—ted 〈…〉 And this is one case for God is alwayes one 〈◊〉 similitude Imaâ—ine that thou seest a man â—â—â—tâ—ng 〈◊〉 and â—ne 〈…〉 at his right hand râ—â—ch vp and 〈…〉 is it not manifest that this man that flitcheth and changeth hands is the man that mooueth and that the other al the while mooueth not so we when we are at the right hande of Gods mercies and do wilfullie turne by our sinnes and wickednes into the left hand of his iudgement is not this alteration and turning wholie in our selues It is a cleare case that it is God said indeed by the mouth of his Prophet Ionas Ionas 1 Yet within fortie dayes and Niniueh shall be destroyed And yet Niniueh was not then destroyed and yet God was not changeable For the Niniuites that then stoode at his left hand by reason of their sinnes and were then to be stroken turned to his right hand by their speedie repentance and so escaped that iudgement The prodigall sonne when he was at Gods God is gracious thogh sinners bee vngracious left hand and should haue perished in time turned vnto his right hand and so was entertained God cannot but haue a recourse to his wonted mercie The stubborne Iewes exasperated him mightilie and prouoked him wrathfullie to thunder against them in this maner Oh sinfull nation Esai 1 oh people laden with iniquitie the seede of the wicked and corrupt children the daughter of Syon shal remaine like a cottage in a Vineyard like a lodge in a garden of Cucumbers and like a besieged Citie But presentlie his heate is allayed and qualified and he speaketh thus mildlie and meekelie vnto them Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes though your sins were as Crimson they shal be