mercie if that then either I must be saued or damned but alas that is a harsh conclusion both in regard of God and in regard of my selfe well consider that it is one thing to determine of thy sinne and another thing to punish thee assure thy selfe that this is good reason that euery law of God must determine before thou doe any thing els were the rule no wisdome of God but also take this with thee that thou shalt neuer take any hurt by the law vntill thou thy selfe haue done some hurt vnto it the Law will not sting vntill thou haue stung thy selfe and then take heede of poison vnto death And therefore seeing Gods wisdome runnes along in this order to determine all matters not casually but certenly long before they come to passe we should yeild it and not denie it because of the execution which followes after which hath other iust causes then Gods decree but none to exclude it Argum. 3 God is Alpha and Omega the first and the last the beginning and the ende therefore nothing before him neither any thing after him therfore he closeth all things in these two tearmes therefore euery thing must haue something to doe with this first and last as from him and to him therefore must they be decreed els should they not be from him and to him Hence sinne comming within the limits of this circle that incloseth all things must needes some way come from God and be for God and therefore decreed How sinne may be from God and to God is hard to explaine yet in my poore iudgement vnder the correction of my betters I iudge this the most true and safest that the good the Lord will haue out of euil is from God and to God all the rest that remaines is nothing at all for Gods purpose and therefore he hath no hand in it he will haue the gold by his owne fining but the drosse he will leaue to the first inuentors that digged vnto themselues such kinde of pits that would hold no water for the Lord of hosts but such as he drew out by his prerogatiue royall ouer all his creatures and their actions Therefore thus is sinne decreed and the Lord had his hand in it For the other consideration of sinne as sinne it is a by-respect in it selfe nothing tending to Gods purpose but onely as the Lord drew his owne goodnes out of him And this makes vs speake so of sinne that he is decreed meaning the goodnesse out of sinne which the Lord hath appointed for himselfe II. Part in the ordering of sinne concerning his entrance and progresse This point would a little more be insisted vpon for the slanders that Bellarmine hath laid vpon Calvin Luther Martyr and sundrie other of the greatest Diuines of the Reformed Churches making them to defend That God by reason of his decree is made the cause of sinne Of this sinnefull wicked and lying report we are sure God is not the author but the deuill For the clearing of this point two things offer themselues to our consideration the first entrance of sinne Entrance prâ—gresse causeâ— of sinnes entrance principall instrumentall accidentall and secondly his progresse For his first entrance sinne had two causes one blameable the other holy and good The blameable cause is either principall or instrumentall principall the deuill and man The deuills beeing Apostates and rebells through their pride against God and malice against man became lyars and murtherers of man by bringing him into his fall man by his free receiuing of the tentation and hearkning thereunto contrary to the commandement of God when he might haue resisted the same The instrumentall causes were the serpent and the woman the serpent abused by the deuill was vsed as an instrument of seducing Evah the woman deceiued by the deuill and the serpent became an instrument to deceiue man The vnblameable cause was God and his lawe for as his law did it so he himselfe did it and if there had been no law there had been no transgression yet the law of it selfe sauoured nothing but life vnto life which thorough mans default became the sauour of death vnto death But how could this bee seeing mans will was created good How mans will beeing good could produce euill I answer First it was created mutably good secondly though there was no imperfection for kind of beeing yet his beeing was defectiue and imperfect in regard of absolute beeing therefore man compared to God was defectiue and imperfect and so might come short of his created perfection and fall away from that wherein he was created Hence man might fall but how should this power come into act here diuines lay downe a substraction of grace which they affirme to bee double first of that without which man could not but fall and without which he could not continue in his integritie if God had denied man this grace it could not bee imagined but that God should haue beene the author of sinne 〈…〉 this was debitum naturae due to his nature this God gaue him and would haue continued with the supply of actual grace to haue liued for euer if he had once pleased God A second substraction or rather withholding of grace was that without which God saw hee would not continue though both in dutie he ought 〈◊〉 posse si veâ—â—â—t sed non veile 〈…〉 and in respect of abilitie he might if he would God gaue him not a would to his might yet a might if he would neither was God bound vnto this by law of creation for it was expedient giuing him freedome of will to trie him how he would exercise it yet most certain hee would abuse it no man denies but that God might haue giuen grace to Adam in such degree measure and kind as might haue preserued him from all possibilitie of falling and haue holden him inseparably to himselfe for euer which while he denied he gaue way vnto the fall of man Thus then we conceiue of the entrance of sinne First God purposed eternally to make man a rationall and intellectuall creature indued with knowledge of all things Vnderstanding and facultie and power to make choice of what he would Secondly man could not be thus made and be naturally free Election from possibilitie and danger of making an euill choice disposing himselfe amisse and offending against the lawes of his righteous Creator Thirdly Meanes God wanted not gratious meanes whereby to hold him inseparably to himselfe and to preserue him infallibly from falling away though he were not nor could be Fall contingent naturally free from possibilitie of falling Fourthly God knew man beeing so left would sinâ—efully depart from him not necessarily but contingently yet most certenly not by any constraint but by his owne created free will Fiftly God saw this to be the best for the manifestation of his glorie and of that good which otherwise the world could neuer haue knowne Sixtly
which cannot be done except wisedome take notice of it and most truely God vnderstands the aberation from hence it followeth that he coÌ„ceiued it could neuer touch that goodnes which was well pleasing vnto himselfe fortune and chance to men is both in the scope and aberration to the intended scope the ignorance neuer lies in the scope but in the aberration for a man that misseth his scope intent and purpose knowes that it is so but yet he conceiues not the means that brought that thing to passe and so he is ignorant not for the scope and end that hath happened but he knows not how he came to that end therefore sinne being beside Gods scope is accidental and neuer intended of God yet God cannot be ignorant of it in so much as his eyes did see the aberration how it was the direct way to frustrate man of his good ende with himselfe Position 2 Secondly sinne is against Gods law therefore in reason sinne were no sinne except there were a law there could be no blindnesse except there were an eye this makes contrarietie hence enmitie betwixt the law and sinne and from enmitie contention therefore the law must plead for it selse and be earnest in his own defence so will sinne on the contrarie part Gen. 3. Sinne pleads Hath God said ye shall not eate of euerie tree no it is not so the lawe is your hinderance God knowes when ye shall eate that yee shall bee like God himselfe Hence riseth an irritation or prouocation of the lawe when man expounds him as a bridle to his libertie therefore he labours to pull his neâ—ke from such a yoke now a worke of contrarietie comes from their natures and here the law works by his owne force for as often as we conceiue the lawe to be our enemie it will wrastle with vs and before we are aware the law giues vs the fall and this is called fighting against God when men will be more wise and strong then God therefore Iob 9.4 he is wise in heart and mightie in strength who hath been fierce against him and hath prospered and in this regard no strange accident befell the deuils and men when they would become disputers with the law of their maker The Smith that hath his hammer often beating against the inward parts of his hands hath them hardened euen by that mutuall opposition so the heart of man often beating against the hammer of Gods law is hardened and made senselesse vntill God mollifie it by his sauing grace Position 3 Thirdly in opposites when the one is beeing and the other no beeing that which is being is alwaies to be conceiued for the knowledge of the other I could not tell what darknes were but for the light so sinne being a priuation can no otherwise be knowne but by his contrary and that is the law except it had bin for the law there would haue bin no knowledge of sinne againe beeing is before not beeing therfore the law being before sinne detemins of sinne long before he be in his nature in his vse or in his end and why should we denie vnto God the determination of sinne long before he had any existence God must needs know mans fall long before it was and determine of it Position 4 Fourthly where there is contrarietie there is action and passion therefore betwixt the law and sinne must there needs be action and passion the weaker must alwaies suffer and good reason that sinne should suffer of the law yea and oftentimes punish it selfe with it selfe but this is not for the first entrance of sinne for man was holy vntill his first sinne which could not punish a former sinne yet for action and passion it is true in the first sinne for in that sinne man did fight against God hence no maruell if the lawe stroke him out at the first brunt A man that will fight with the stone wall may haue his fingers easily stricken out of ioynt so man beeing compassed about with Gods law as a wall of defence might most cafily breake himselfe in peices when hee laboured either to leape against it or else skippe ouer it Position 5 Fiftly in opposites the stronger cannot be resisted and the lawe of God beeing the stronger wil haue his worke neither can it any wayes be resisted of men Rom. 9.22 what and if God would to shew his wrath to make his power knowne suffer with long patience the vessels of wrath prepated to â—estruction who hath resisted his will Now if the question be whether the law was determined to refist man before he fel it is easily answered The lawe was not to prepare for man when man tooke the battel in hand he is an vnprouident Generall that hath all to do when his enemies are in the field vp in armes against him but the wise God of heauen and earth could not be out of readines when the rebellious angeli and mankind meant to wage warre with him and his lawe he had prepared yrons and harrowes sawes and gybets to bring all his enemies vnder them and after to imprison them in hell for euer Rom. 9.23 Yet what and if he would declare the riches of his glory vpon the vessels of mercy which he hath prepared vnto glorie long before they need any redemption And this is a fift way for the entrance of sinne euen the manifestation of his power Sixtly 6. Position opposites beeing laid together make things more eleare and euident and one opposite stirres vp another and they neuer cease quarrelling vntill one haue gotten the victorie and so leads his enemie in fingular triumph Pharaoh stirs vp God and God stirres vp Pharaoh now if the question be whether had the first purpose to the battell the Scripture sayes it for God Rom. 9.17 yea and to Pharaoh too that God may giue him the challenge and why should the warre be continued so long but euen for this same purpose that God might she we his power in Pharaoh and that his name might be declared thorough all the earth neither is God in any fault for he intended that Pharaoh alone should fight for the kingdom of darknes but God would fight for the cleane contrarie for his owne name and what is his name surely his glorious attributes Exod. 34.6.7 and what are his attributes all his vertues therfore God opposed Pharaoh for vertue and the manifestation of his vertues was his glorie but Pharaoh opposed God for vice and therefore for his shame and confusion Contraries can doe no better then fight but alwaies for a diuerse end purpose therefore O man Rom. 9.20 who art thou which pleadest against God will thou needs make the opposition worse consider that thou art the thing formed and therefore say not to him that formed thee why hast thou made me thus thou art the clay in the potters hand the lumpe is one therefore be content to serue thy maker as a vessell of honour
members become sinnefull It is not simply a sinne to looke on a woman for so much as to see is done by the concurrence of a rule of Gods wisdome but in that it is to lust after a woman and so here the eye looking vpon this tree is made sinnefull because inwardly she lusts after it and that is expressed in the next words when shee saies a tree to be desired and the ende of that is to get knowledge This ende is good but will not iustifie the action because the very eating for this end was expressely forbidden The 3. act is taking of the fruit thereof neither can this simply be condemned for it might be they might haue gathered the fruit and I am thereunto perswaded because this tree as well as the rest was for man and some good vse might haue beene made thereof 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 conâ—â—â—ing the first sinne The 4. act And did eate neither here am I of Arminius minde that meant subtilly to crosse an argument in M. Perkins by affirming that the very act was forbidden The natural act was good but onely the morall act which was respectiue and in reference to Gods law that onely was sinnefull The 5. act And gaue also vnto her husband this was likewise a sinne seeing God had made her a helper vnto him to become his ruine this was the breach of charitie The last act and he did eate To this some might reply but how could this bee a sinne seeing he was ignorant of it to which I answer 〈◊〉 present 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 First I doubt not but by that excellent knowledge he had he was able vpon the very sight thereof to know that it was the fruit of the forbidden tree God brought him the beasts of the field and he named them according to their natures he knewe his wife when shee was brought vnto him these were farre more difficult then to know euery seuerall fruit in the garden seeing they are so easily distinguished by many outward appearances therefore questionlesse he knew the fruit But then you will obiect man was more foolish then the woman for shee did it by strong perswasions and he without any more adoe vpon his very wiues giuing it did eate thereof alas neuer thinke so But how then was he tempted surely I thinke it was not a new disputation betwixt his wife and himselfe that as the deuil had dealt with her so she might deale with her husband for if Adam had been absent all the while of that communication and then the serpent and the deuill in the serpent had been departed that Adam would so soone haue yeelded vnto her motion Secondly it is said that as soone as shee desired it she tooke it and did eate if this was done in the place where shee stood then assuredly her eyes would haue been open to haue seene the offence before she could haue brought Adam vnto it Thirdly if she must first haue plucked the fruit and then haue carried it to Adam and lastly haue disputed with Adam for the eating of it it had been too long a time for a woman with child in sinning and longing for an apple or a figge or what else the fruit was to haue staied her appetite so long and therefore as I doubt not but she presently are it so presently her husband yeelded too and so both their eyes were opened together But you will say did Adam stand by all the time of their disputation I know no other meaning of the text but that it should be so and therefore Adam was exceedingly too blame to suffer his wife to haue such communication with the serpent hee should haue shut him out at the first entrance for God set him to keepe the garden that no beasts should come in it Now tell me I beseech you what concourse Gods law had in mans fall and the selfe-same is my iudgement that God had in it Now the lawe stood at hand to haue ioyned with man to haue brought forth his obedience vnto God and haue kept him from all sinnes of omission but man would not heare the voice of the lawe but of the deuill against the law therefore no maruell if he fell So then the Lord concurred by his law I will vse the word of Arminius quantum decuit yea and quantum oportuit as much as was seemely and as much as was expedient and this none of our Diuines denie if I may speake it bona venia with the good liking of all Arminians so that God withheld none of this grace from him but as I said before the deede of his will or that velle quod potuit which was not of such absolute necessitie neither wanted man any concourse if he had been as good as his meanes were But you say further Gods will no irresistable motion to mans â—ill the motion was irresistable and so man was no faultie cause seeing he could doe no better Alas had they all those free actions in sinne and yet did nothing proprijs voluntatibus I see nothing at all done by them but was done most freely But then you say the will of God might haue beene frustrated Alas senslesse creatures when the Apostle saies who hath resisted the will of God at any time is most certaine in very reason it selfe for the superiour cause can neuer suffer of the inferiour cause therefore if mans will should goe about to resist or frustrate the will of God it were euen against reason it selfe for then should Gods wil suffer of mans will And againe with Arminius God forbid it should be otherwise but that consilium Deistaret that Gods counsell should stand and therefore God hath an irresistable will and if that then the motion of his will is also irresistable if this then man cannot resist it and if he cannot resist then is hee mooued irresistably to sinne Fiue propositions to explaine how Gods will cannot be resisted stay there the consequence is false I know you will graunt me these fiue propositions and I know no more that our Diuines defend first that Gods will is the supreame cause secondly that Gods will cannot suffer thirdly that none can resist it fourthly that his motion is likewise irresistable fiftly that neither men nor angels can resist it But tell mee how you can prooue your consequence therefore man in sinning followes Gods irresistable motion I know no such consequence either in the Scriptures or our men for euery motion of Adam and the woman were most free and they followed most willingly their owne motion But you will say God decreed this motion true yet no cause thereof for he decreed man should be the cause of it himselfe But could this be done and yet God be no cause thereof yes assuredly for you are deceiued of Gods decree by putting it into the thing when it is in himselfe And here I will cleare vnto you another way that God takes in his decree then you imagine First Gods decree ariseth from
according as he had vse of them So God made all these things fit for his glorie this fitnesse was good and absolutely willed of God and the vse that God made of this fitnesse was likewise good but no excuse for mans sinne no more then the fitnesse of an house for habitation an excuse when it is made a denne of theeues whores and prophane persons Of the second speciall booke wherein Sinne is ordered to wit the Morall Law THe Law of the Lord is the perfect Rule of righteousnesse and the forbidder of all vnrighteousnesse it shews vs what ought to be our worship of his sacred Maiestie and the loue we must beare vnto our neighbour In the first Commandement all our sinnes of Atheisme either in not worshipping God or worshipping another god or preferring any thing before him whether it be in thought word or deede In the 2. Commandement we shall haue ordered all our ill worship deuised by others or our selues in the seruice of God In the 3. we shall be condemned for all kind of prophannesse and light estimation of God and his goodnesse and here will come in an infinite number of sinnes called in one word vngodlinesse In proper signification impietie is against the first Commandement superstition against the second and vngodlinesse in this third which was a principall sinne in these hypocrites In the 4. Commandement all imployments of the seuenth day to any other vse then it was appointed of God whereby holy exercises are hindred and here alas a whole yeare would scarse suffice to number them vp but I doubt not but he that said he will order will make a quicke dispatch and yet leaue none out of his catalogue For the 5. in this Commandement shall come in all neglect of dutie toward our superiours In the 6. all want of care and neglect of my brothers life In the 7. all kind of vncleannesse whatsoeuer yea in the very thought In the 8. all corrupt dealing In the 9. all lying yea euery speech that may doe harme vnto my neighbour In the 10. all repining and enuying at another mans prosperitie O Lord thy Law is perfect thy testimonies are sure thy statutes are right thy commandements pure thy iudgements truth but alas who can vnderstand his faults surely thou canst order all our sinnes O therefore for the merits death and passion of thy Sonne cleause vs from our secret sinnes Iames 1.25 teacheth vs how we may be blessed Gods law the true discerner of complexions if we vse the perfect Law of God as a glasse appointed of the Lord and is able to shew vnto vs the good face or the bad face of our conscience what kinde of complexion we beare whether well tempered ruddie fresh and well-liking hauing the blood of Christ sprinkled vpon vs in iust proportion and measure that the King of glorie may be delighted with our beautie or ill tempered with the pale and deadly complexion of our sinnes and transgressions hated and detested of God on which God can shew neuer a good looke It is reported of a certaine fountaine in which a glasse beeing dipped and holden before a man sicke on his bed if it shew him a deadly face then it is a plaine signe he must die but if a cheerefull countenance then he is sure to liue of the truth of this I will not dispute yet this I am sure of take this glasse of the Law and dippe it in the blood of Christ if it shew a pale face then there 's no hope of life because the law shewes nothing but a man looking vpon it with his deadly sinnes hanging vpon him but if it shew a merrie countenance then the law shewes that we haue the beautie of Christ reflected vpon vs and this may assure vs of life and saluation Now as a glasse helps to order men in the cariage of thēselues for their bodies among men so the law of God doth direct and shew vnto vs what course we are to take to walke with God And herein it declares three things The law shewes what is comely and vncomely what apparell must be put on what off and then what must be our behauiour First what is comely or vncomely Eph. 5. To be followers of God as deare children and walke in loue as Christ hath loued vs is a seemely thing but fornication vncleannes couetousnes filthines foolish talking iesting c. are things not comely and rather giuing of thankes then the very naming of these things becommeth the Saints Secondly after it hath shewed vs what beseemeth Saints it teacheth what apparell we must off and what must be put on Eph. 4.22 The old man with his whole conuersation must be cast off the new man which after God is created in righteousnes and true holines must be put on Thirdly after we haue apparelled our selues it will order the behauiour and carriage of our selues all the daies we haue to liue vpon this mortall earth Tit. 2.12 For the grace of God that bringeth saluation hath appeared and teacheth vs to denie all vngodlines and worldly lusts and to liue holily righteously and soberly in this present world Yet may we admire what should be the reason that for all this sinne is no better ordered when the Lord hath left vs so perfect a law The law no false glasse better then all the looking glasses in the world for it tells men most truly their bad faces and their good faces it beguiles no man in making him better thē he is nay it hath a priuiledge aboue all other laws to wit many particular examples which are as little glasses contained in this great glasse wherein men may see their owne faces by the face of another As good Kings may not onely see themselues in Gods law what is to be done and left vndone and what is the reward of both but they may see themselues in Dauid a man after Gods owne heart Iosias Ezekias true reformers of religion euill Kings in Saul Ieroboam and Manasses good rich men in Abraham euill in Dives ambitious persons in Hammon contented in Mordecai couetous in Iudas liberall hearted in Zacheus euill counsellers in Ahitophel good in Samuel 1. king 12. embracers of the world in Demas close stickers vnto Christ and his seruants in Philemon sound friends in Ionathan rotten at the heart in Ioab faithfull children in Salomon rebellious in Absalom good seruants in Abrahams seruant euill in Onesimus obedient and louing wiues in Sara euill in Michal Dauids mocking wife Alas will neither precept nor example deale with man but the Lord must bring in a third bnoke to order sinne and that is to set it in the eyes of the conscience as he doth in this place surely it were not amisse by the way to shew the reason of this last refuge of the Lord and this last appeale to the court of conscience Reasons why Gods law can order sinne no better but the last refuge must be to
the 8. the 5. of disgrace against the 9. 1. Is any thought that tendeth to the contempt and dishonour of the person of our neighbour and that is a base estimation of the persons of our inferiours in respect of our selues Luk. 18.11 the learned and zealous Pharisie thinkes basely of the Publican this thought is like to Adonibezek who sitting in his royaltie had diuers kings with their thombs cut off receiuing meat of him vnder the table as dogs Pride makes a man destitute of all friends he hath neither God nor his neighbour nor himselfe he that hath not God what happinesse can he haue he that hath not his neighbour what societie can he haue and not to haue himselfe is to be a slaue when he thinks he domineers ouer all Therfore with Iob learne to say Lord I am vile when we can say this see it it will be a meanes to represse this thought Iob 39. 2. Thought of murther is any intent of murthering his neighbour or any thing tending to murther Deuter. 15.9 where two signes are laide downe of it first an euill eye to looke vpon the poore without compassion secondly vnmercifull dealing A second is the thought to doe some hurt to them that worship God truly Psal 74.8 the Babylonian speakes against the Iew Let vs destroy them altogether Christ saith Ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake this hath bin since the time of righteous Abel This thought proceeds from an other set downe 1. Pet. 4.4 the wicked maruell that others will not doe as they doe Ob. Nebuchadnezzar a wicked man fauoured Daniel Ans Dan. 1.9 it was Gods prouidence that disposed the Kings heart to doe good 3. Murdering thought is when a man thinks the Minister ripps vp his sinne in malice 3. Thought of adultery as all vnchast thoughts 4. thought theft Psal 50.18 when thou seest a theefe thou runnest with him this seeing makes him runne in thought and deede 5. thought disgrace to thinke a thing well done ill done or ill done well done 1. Sam. 1.13 and v. 17.28 Matth. 19.4 Act. 2.13 yet loue thinkes no euill which beeing wanting amongst men makes them thinke all euill Mens hearts are like drie wood which burne not alone but put the least cole to them and they will burne so the least occasion offered wil set all on fire This thought of dishonour is as the table of Adonibezek in respect of murther it is a meere slaughter-house in respect of the thought of adulterie a meere stew in respect of theft a den of theeues and in respect of the thought of disgrace a verie fountaine of all backbiting slaundering reuiling c. 3. Point euill thoughts touching our selues fowre 1. The thought of pride thinking himselfe most excellent Isa 14.13 Zeph. 2.15 Luk. 18.11 Reu. 18.7 Gen. 3. our first parents learned this lesson of the deuill You shall be as gods and the lesse we see it the more it raignes in vs. Pride in outward apparell is a most damnable pride but none aboue spirituall pride from hence sprung many sinnes and therefore to be abhorred As 1. ambition whereby men are not content with their owne estate but seeke to be aduanced 2. presumption in daring things aboue his calling 3. boasting 4. hypocrisie 5. obstinacie 6. contention 7. affectation of nouelties Secondly when this thought raignes in vs Gods spirit cannot dwel in vs Luk. 1.51 52. Iam. 4.6 Isa 66.2 Thirdly when all other sinnes die in vs this thought dies not nay when the graces of God come this thought reuiues because he makes them matter of his pride 2. The highest degree of this is when a man thinkes himselfe check-mate with God Isa 14.14 two waies first when he thinks he may haue power to preuaile with or against God Dan. 3.15 Exod. 5.2 Secondly taking honour due vnto God vnto themselues Act. 12.22 23. 2. Thess 2. Antichrist sits in the Temple of God as God Obiect But he is servus servorum Ans It is not in word but in the thought of his heart in that he thinks he hath power to make lawes binding conscience to dispense with the morall law and Apostolicall constitutions and to forgiue sinnes hereby he thinks himselfe to be equall with God 2. Thought I am righteous and neede no repentance Deut. 9.4 two things first that a man thinks himselfe by nature righteous secondly that the Lord giues them all that they haue for their righteousnes Ier. 2.25 Reuel 3.17 Christ came not to call these righteous because their imagination was such that they were vncapable of his grace The angels reioyce more for one penitent sinner then for nintie nine that neede no repentance Come to an ignorant man aske him can you keepe the law yea and that he lookes to be saued by this righteousnes and by the works of the law Hence we see how euery man by nature is a Papist Secondly this sheweth vs that it is a very difficult point to bring a man to true humiliation Thirdly we see why men neglect the preaching of the Gospel because it teacheth a strange doctrine vnto corrupt reason 3. Thought of securitie I prosper and am free from all Gods iudgements I am not in danger of hell death and damnation Psal 10.6 Isa 28.15 Psal 30.7 This makes the Ministers labour in vaine Zeph. 3.5 Noe an hundreth and twentie yeares Fourth thought in miserie to thinke my crosses to be worse then indeede they are Iob. 6.3 come to comfort them Oh neuer man was vexed as I am The cause of these is Gen. 6.5 v. 21. the heart which sometimes signifieth the fleshie part of man which is the beginning of vitall blood placed in the middle of the body 2. the soule 3. the faculties 4. the middle of any thing Psal 46.2 but here is meant the vnderstanding wil and affections Ephes 4.23 imaginations this word sheweth the frame of the heart first for his corruption 2. for his fruits 3. tearmed mans heart not euil men alone or those before the flood but all men naturally 4. word euill that is against Gods lawe 5. from his childhood as soone as he beginnes to vse reason he frames euill in his heart Hence the cause plainely riseth want of all good thoughts or want of all consideration this is the mother sinne we must keep all the morall law euen in thought Luk. 10.27 the want of this may be seene in matters earthly 2. in matters spiritually in matters earthly Eccles 4.8 in regard of their natures ends and vses but in spirituall things there is an absolute want 1. Is want of the consideration of Gods presence and prouidence in regard of our sinnes Hos 7.2 2. In regard of Gods iudgements for men neuer thinke of iudgement in this life nor in the life to come An 120. yeares Noah preached yet no consideration Luk. 12. the rich man neuer thought that his soule was in danger 3. Is in respect of a mans owne sinnes for we cannot turne
free-will This doctrine hath two branches the first that all the thoughts of wicked men are corrupt and wicked the second that a good thing by accident may be the cause of euill for Thou thoughtest in this place is brought in as a consequent of Gods silence 1. Doct. All mens thoughts by nature are sinnfull this doctrine is alreadie cleared for these reasons haue beene formerly inlarged 1. The fountaine is altogether vncleane and who can bring that which is pure out of corruption not one of a thousand surely none but God 2. Man is depriued of all good consideration and therfore nothing is in his heart but the consideration how to doe euill 3. The vnderstanding is altogether blind the wil and affections neuer seeke after God the whole man is declined from good to euill and all that he doth is vnprofitable 4. Nothing can extend it selfe beyond his nature therefore man beeing carnall and sold vnder sinne cannot get vp so high in his meditations as the lawe of God which is spirituall 5. He who takes counsell with his owne flesh yeelds to his owne lusts discourseth against Gods wisedome lets his owne will raigne is captiuated by the deuill and allured by the world cannot but think of that which is euil against God and man Vse 1. reprehension 1. Confutation of Papists that magnifie free will 2. the world that say thoughts are free they haue good meanings c. Secondly correction of the godly for iudging the pollicies of the wicked as strong castles of defence Vse 2. instruction 1. Admonition to the wicked not to boast too much of their plots and deuices for all their imaginations thoughts are sure to come to naught Secondly direction vnto the godly alwayes to haue God in their thoughts Vse 3. consolation First in aduersitie to consider that all the plots of wicked men are not onely vanitie but also impietie and therefore as they cannot stand so shal they be seuerely punished Secondly in prosperitie to consider how God is the vpholder of their heads their lot portion and inheritance and therein to repose the sweetnesse of their thoughts 2. Doct. A good thing by accident may be the cause of euill as silence the cause of this thought Hos 7.1 When I would haue healed Israel then the impietie of Ephraim was discouered c. God here put on the person of a Physitian who while he goes about to heale the maladie makes it worse and finds the euill to be more gricuous 1. Because he finds the patient more peruerse and to vse all ill diet 2. the disease beeing stirred and so sturdie in his owne nature that it rebells against the remedie Rom. 7.8 sinne is dead without the law but the law makes it to liue hence wee see that God would heale vs but we turne our disease into putrifaction and rottennesse and so become incurable and no maruaile for though all men bee made of one mettall yet they bee not cast all in one mould there is framed of the selfe same clay as well the tile to keepe out water as the pot to containe licour the brickie nature of man will not be washed by Gods raine from heauen it shall haue no entrance into his soule The Sunne doth harden the durt and melt the waxe so the wicked being the filth of the world cannot be stamped with the beames of Gods wisdome but are hardened Fire maketh the gold to shine and the straw to smother perfumes refresh the doues but kill the beetles so the fire of Gods word smothereth in the wicked and the verie sweetnesse of it kills them The vine will spread by nature and the more we seeke by art to alter it the more in the ende we shall augement it It is proper for the palme tree to mount the heauier we load it the higher it sprouteth although yron be made soft with fire it turneth to his hardnes the silly mouse wil by no manner of meanes be tamed the subtill fox may wel be beaten but neuer broken from stealing his pray season the wood neuer so well the wine will tast of the caske translate the crabbe-tree where and whensoeuer you please and it will neuer beare sweet apple the blacke will take no other colour the stone Abeston beeing once made hot neuer will be made cold can the Ethiopian change or alter his skinne the Leopard his hew it is impossible to gather grapes on thrones or figs on thistles this cannot be brought to passe by any art the stone in Scicilia the more it is beaten the harder it is so the more God handles the wicked the worse they are He that stoppeth the streame causeth it to swell higher he that casteth water on the fire in the smiths forge maketh it to flame fiercer so is it with the wicked touch them and they sparkle in your face But alas they know not how the wound that bleedeth inwardly is most dangerous that the fire kept most close burneth most furiously that the ouen dammed vp baketh soonest that sores hauing no vent fester secretly Thus they swallow the baite which will breed their bane they swill the drinke that wil expire their date the Scorpion can feed on the earth the quaile can be fat with poyson but alas their food bee it neuer so good yet they wil sat vp themselues with it against the day of slaughter Thus then good things are peruerted to the wicked to their ruine The fire is an elemēt most necessary yet the wicked housholder may as wel make it burn his house as burne in it tryacle doth as well poyson as help if it be taken out of time wine immoderately taken kills the stomacke enflames the liuer and mischeifes the drunkard Physicke destroyes if it be not well tempered Lawe accuseth if it be not wel interpreted poyson is taken out of the hunny-suckle by the spyder venome out of the rose by a canker dung out of the maple tree by the scorpion so the greatest wickednesse out of the greatest good if it be abused O therefore I intreat you that haue beene deceiued by your own fancies the glasse of pestilēce or deluded by your own thoughts the gates of perdition be as earnest to seeke a medicine as you were eager to runne into a mischiefe God hath left as well endiue to delight and cure as hemlocke to endanger the rose to distill as well as the nettle to sting the bee to giue hony as the spider to yeld poyson so for the soule as well a word to saue as to destroy Indeede by accident wee make it to bee so and if hitherto wee haue wounded our selues by it let vs now leaue the point of this sword and catch it by the handle The Poets affirmed that Achilles speare could as well heale as hurt I am sure this can a great deale better heale then hurt the Scorpion though he stings yet he stints the paine though the hearb Nerius poyson some beasts yet is it a remedie to man
against poyson therefore if we haue made the word of God a Scorpion to sting vs yet let vs now make it a lenitiue to cease the paine if we like beasts haue poysoned our selues yet now like men created for God let vs recouer our selues againe by this word of life But to proceed Thou thoughtest this is the consequent of Gods silence not proper but by accident forced and befide the scope of it therfore this wicked thought of an hypocrite argueth strange corruption of heart that can frame no obiect vnto it selfe that shall make good thoughts Surely affections haue gotten the masterie ouer the mind so that now it must become a slaue to serue them and dispose it selfe that all his iudgments may aime at their satisfaction and thus the good word of God by accident becomes the cause of sinne Gen. 3. hath God said Yee shall not eate of the tree of knowledge of good and euill the Lord by this law debars you of great good for it is certaine when yee cate yee shall beas gods knowing good and euill therefore the law is too strict and rather an hinderer then furtherer of your good Men we see are very quiet vntil they be prouoked by the preaching of the lawe Steuen Act. 7. shall be stoned for his good sermon Christ shall be an enemie to church and common-wealth because he speaks against the Scribes and Pharisies Moses Aaron shal be hated of Pharaoh for preaching a deliuerance Iohn Baptist for telling Herod his sinne Elias shall be Ahabs enemy for telling him the truth and Paul shall become an enemie to the Galatians for telling them of their apostacie from Christ thus lawe and Gospel mercie and iudgement are abused of the wicked yet for all this the law is holy and iust as for example a man that holds a glasse in his hands as long as it â—ests there is safe but if they throwe it against the wall the wall will breake it but the sault will rest in the hands so when we take our selues dash our selues against Gods law the law breaks vs but the fault is in our selues the bankes are no cause of the furie and rage of the waters but the waters themselues so the lawe of God that banks in our corruption is no cause why it rageth but the nature of it which can indure no limits Reasons 1. Because sinne will indure no law There be three effects of the law that sinne cannot away withall First it stoppeth corruptioÌ„ hence the irritation of the law Secondly it terrisieth the conscience and that cannot be indured they that liue like gallie-slaues and are whipped euerie day will doe nothing but by force and are glad any waies to rid them-selues of such a burden Thirdly it exacts perfect obedience which our nature can not away withall to loue God with all our hearts with all our soules with all our minde and our whole strength is a lesson that will neuer be learned or practised Reas 2. A misconceit as a medicine against which the stomack ariseth will not be indured a plaister which stings at the heart must be throwne off and a glasse that sheweth vs an vgly face cannot be looked into so the misconceiuing of Gods silence makes it that it can neither become meate or medicine to our soules Thirdly the diuersitie of subiects the selfe same seed is sowne in all the foure grounds yet takes but root in one the hammar beats vpon all but it makes not all pliable to Gods worke the axe hewes at all but it timbers but some for building the rest it hewes downe for firing the fire burnes all but only the the gold loseth his drosse the light shines to all but only they that haue eyes behold it the salt seasons all but in some it cannot enter to the bone and therefore they putrifie and rotte away foode would feede all but some want stomacks appetite and digestion therfore they pine away with the best nourishment the goad prickles all but some are hardned that it cannot enter and therefore no maruell that the mercies and filence of God should worke no good effects in the wicked Fourthly the curse of God is vpon them therefore they shall eate but not be satisfied drinke but not to quench their thirst sleepe but not to take their rest for God alone giues rest vnto his welbeloued nay let them doe what they will all shall be nought pray or not pray sacrifice or not sacrifice come to church or not come to the church for they cannot lay aside their wicked thoughts and therefore according to our prouerb all is marred in the making Deut. 28.16 cursed shall they be in the towne and cursed shall they be in the field they shal make no good markets of that which god hath giuen them in the field cursed shall they be in the basket and in their dough bad prouision shall be in their houses when the Lord will not become both the master and the steward cursed shall be the fruite of his body and the fruits of his land the increase of his kine and the flocks of his sheepe extreame pouertie in the middes of all his wealth cursed shall he be when he comes in and cursed also when he goes out ill successe in his interprises neither will the Lord here make an ende These be foure great curses First he shall make no good market in buying and selling Secondly from this shall follow he shall haue no good prouision in his house Thirdly from this shall rise the next that he shall haue no true riches Fourthly to make that good fortune shall alwaies crosse him Fiftly to proceede yet further God will make him cracke his credit for trouble shame shall be vpon all that he sets his hand to do euerie man shall call him banke-rout neither shal he haue any law against theÌ„ for with God he hath lost his credit and therefore shall he perish quickly Sixtly that he may make his word good in all these the pestilence consumption feuer burning ague sword blasting mildew the heauens aboue shall be brasse and the earth vnder iron for raine dust and therefore no staie but perish thou must in bodie goods and good name Seuenthly to make the finall vp-shotte of his bodie he shall fal before his enemies and his carkeis shal be without all burial the foules of the ayre and the beasts of the field shall haue him for their pray and none shall rescue him if the enemies spare him God will smite him with the botch of Egypt with the Emorods with the scab with the itch euen worse then he hath done Egypt for he shall not be healed neither will God be defectiue in his methode for from these more sensible torments vpon the bodie he will proceede to greater iudgements vpon the soule which though least felt yet more fearefull madnes blindnes astonying of heart with all their ill consequents to grope at noone day to be oppressed powled and
hath the keyes of Dauid which openeth and no man shutteth which shutteth and no man openeth And for the sunne in the other hand they haue none for how can they hold out the Sonne of righteousnes that neuer had him in their hearts by faith they shine indeede but it is like vnto a blazing starre which seemes to mooue as though it came from a true starre indeede but alas it is in the fall and presently comes to the earth and then what is it but a lumpe of very crude matter and as cold as a stone or like glow-wormes which in the night time make a shew of fire but when a man takes them in his hands and bruiseth them they are nothing but a deale of crude rough blacke blood So these hypocrites they come from heauen like lightning by the taile of the deuill and fall to the ground and then their glorie appeares no more they were alwaies cold at the heart and therefore their shining vanisheth when the true Sonne of righteousnes appeareth to trie them Let vs then examine the hypocrite and wee shall finde that although his sword and all the weapons of his profession be ouerspread with honie yet a bee shall sting him at the last and make him know that all that honie was none of his owne but that hee had stollen it from Gods bees and therefore beeing but the waspe must be cast out of Gods hiue The fisher oftentimes when he bragges of store of fishes puls vp a scorpion in his net which becomes his death so these hypocrites they fish for heauen but the scorpion is alreadie in their bosomes which will sting them to death they hatch cockatrice egges whatsoeuer commeth from them is poyson and death they weaue the spiders webbe all their religion comes to no proofe he that eateth of their egges dieth and that which is troad vpon breaketh out into a serpent For it is impossible that all mankind being the seed of coruption and secondly the most of them the seed of the serpent should bring forth any other thing but corruption and young serpents And therefore hypocrits remaning in their former estate must needs be farre from God and all true holinesse They are not washed therefore not in Christ Secondly they are in their filthinesse therefore in themselues Not in Christ because they know not the father by the Son through the holy Ghost They are most busie with the father but alas for Christ and the spirit they cast them both off God will haue mercie and God forbid that any man should think that God meant to damne his creature but alas they are silent of his iustice Christ is little in their mouthes for the satisfaction of Gods iustice and the onely foundation of Gods mercie to come vnto them the spirit is farre estranged from them as appeares by their sanctification But let them know that Gods saithfull ones make an other kinde of demonstration then to beginne with the father first Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ but how shall that be knowne surely by that which followeth which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit but how shall this be knowne why looke into the Gal. 5.19 to v. 24. That this may the better appeare let vs see how hypocrites pull downe the old building and reare vp the new for vntill that be gone there is no hope of a better That they would haue the old building stand it shall euidently appeare in the 7. of the Romans first if you looke vnto their mariage you shal see they will sticke to their old husband the lawe yet will they haue Christ too and therfore commit adulterie for God will but permit them one husband therefore either Law or Gospel doing or beleeuing Christ or Moses both can not stand together to make vs the spouse of Christ Secondly let vs see their seruice and obedience that they yeild vnto their husbands It is not in the newnesse of the spirit but in the oldnesse of the letter surely an hypocrite is all in the letter no iot of inward sanctification is in him but Law and Gospel speaks vnto him as a deafe man and so for power both of them are but dead and dumbe vnto him Thirdly they loue no innouations they would haue the old ordination to stand to doe and liue but now to be slaine by the law and to haue sinne made sinne indeede and haue their hearts euen bleede to the death by it that can not be indured for men naturally loue life better then death but now it is come to passe by our fall that except the Law kill it can not saue Fourthly they haue no discorning spirit to see how the Law is spirituall and they carnal fold vnder sinne for they alwaies allow that which they doe their will and doing goe together their hatred is not their doing when Paul saith hee wills one thing by Gods good spirit and by his flesh doth the cleane contrarie hee hateth sinne by the spirit and yet often is made to doe it by his owne corruption thus doth hee iustifie the lawe and and makes it good and substantiall but himselfe euill and naught when hypocrites take the law to make them good for they are iustifiers of themselues Paul by this meanes came to see that it was not he the newe man that did these things but sinne that dwelt in him and therefore hee onely iustifies not Gods law to condemne himselfe but also he makes a glorious confession that all power may be taken from himselfe and ascribed vnto the holy Ghost for his sanctification for I know that in me setting the spirit aside and therefore I meane in my flesh and corruption dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me but I find no meanes to performe that which is good And surely reasons of this I haue many First the strength of my corruption secondly it is yoked with me and therefore beeing the stronger drawes me vnto euill thirdly I am a double person or a double man the inner and outward man which is so rebellious that I neuer liue at peace with my selfe fourthly these two haue their lawes and the outward man doth often captiuate me and make me a slaue vnto sinne and I am so sore oppressed that I must needs cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death yet thanks be to God through Iesus Christ our Lord that my mind is so good vnto God and his lawe though my flesh will not as yet shake hands with sin But hypocrits are of another mind they will neither iustifie lawe nor gospel which shall condemne themselues they will not ascribe all vnto Gods spirit that is good and the rest vnto themselues they haue means enough to doe well they are Papists they can supererrogate they feele not the strength of sinne they are not yoaked to drawe contrarie waies like oxen they can drawe
his posteritie who couenanted with God for vs as well as for himselfe for performance of obedience therefore he breaking we breake likewise by the law of inheritance he was our father we his heires he was the root of all mankind and we were in his loynes the manner is by imputation of the transgression and so consequently of blame guilt and punishment Originall sinne is conceiued in vs by our next parents and so goes a long to all posteritie bodie and soule are the excellent worke of God as if a skilfull workeman should make all the wheeles of a clocke verie artificially but being put into the hands of an vnskilfull prentice is so disorderly set together that one wheele cannot go aright so God the maker both of bodie and soule hath left them to our first parents and so consequently to our next parents to put them together who hauing lost their first standing with God are become not onely vnskilfull but also vncapable of any vertue to put together a man brought forth in the image of God for as this was onely Gods creation so must it againe be the new creation of God so that man and woman being not the causes of bodie and soule but of the procreation of a third thing riing from both may truly be said to beget a man according to their owne image and similitude Lastly it is true that euerie man shall beare his burden for actuall sinne is not conueyed in speciall but in generall so that euerie one shall answer for his owne actuall sinnes without hee followe his forefathers steps and then shall he be punished for both because he will needs haue both imputed vnto him the first by nature the second by imitation Therefore if man may see in this world thus much of Gods placing of sinne for this is but our obseruation what shal then this God of all order do when he shal not only set it forth but apply it to our hearts and consciences then shall we experimentally know the causes of all our mischeife the consequents in the guilt of conscience and the punishments both vpon soule and bodie so that that which is in this world both sinne and punishment shall be felt of vs in hell in no other regard but as punishment In this world we haue had some pleasure in sinne but in hell all shall be onely in torment the miseries of the body in this world haue vexed vs and the soule hath beene senslesse of punishment but in hell both bodie and soule shall haue exquisite sense of Gods anger wrath and vengeance and the soule shal then exceed in feeling And this is the setting of sinne in his place and order Reas 1. Because things must be separated Now methode alone is the true diuider of things and makes euerie one to rainne and hasten to his home we see how euerie creature maketh hast vntill he be come to the place in which alone he can rest sinne therefore which is frozen with many things that it ought neuer to haue touched and will not out of them because then he knowes not where to haue rest must needs beâ— disioyned els would all lie together in a confusion You see how cold congeales together water earth stickes stones and many disagreeing natures but when the fire comes it dissolueth and parteth them and maketh euerie one appeare in his nature So method finding men and their sinnes all on heapes disioynes them lets them see what is Gods what is their own But because men are blind and will see nothing God hath prepared hell fire to dissolue these frozen soules that they may see what a strange confusion they haue made of the workes of Gods hands by their owne Reas 2. Is perspicuitie and cleare knowledge The onely rule of perspicuitie is methode and therefore sinne beeing fullest of darkenesse had neede of the best helpe to make all cleare and euident especially seeing that sinne is one of the haters of light The darkenesse of the night opposeth the day and likewise the day the night wee see the morning expells the darkenesse and the appearance of the Sunne makes the shadowes of the night part away they that haue gotten themselues into holes and rockes must be pulled out off their dens by violence A theife or murtherer that hath gotten a hole fights like a beare and roares before men can drawe him into the open view of the world and he comes to Gods iudgement seat as beares vnto a stake They that haue seene villaines pulled out of their holes may marke them to look like fiends comming out of hell therfore great need of method that must cleare so hard causes as these are and bring all things vnto the light Reason 3. Iudgement which can not begiuen before euidence haue bin brought in and therfore must methode needs cleare all the bills and inditments that are to be brought in against wicked and euill doers that so iudgement may be truly and substantially deliuered Reason 4. Because of the consciences of wicked men which haue bin so long accustomed to sinne that they are so confufed that they can giue no euidence against the sinner therefore must the Lord needs vse his methode before conscience can any way assist the Lord in his iudgement Reason 5. Gods glory which must shine brightly out of all workes euen out of the workes of darkenesse which cannot be imagined without methode the glory of a stately building is not seen in the confused masse of it lying vpon the earth but when it is reared vp to the view of the whole world Reason 6. Multitude of offences now wee can doe nothing with multitudes vnlesse we bring them vnto some heads How should a iust account be taken of all sinne if the Lord should not summe them vp into some generall how should the general be prooued except the order of the specials might be seene how they were contained in the generall Reason 7. Quicke dispatch If truths were to be tryed by Syllogismes with the Lord it would be a long time before all arguments should be brought in and euery conclusion inferred Again much time would be spent in prouing of euery doubtfull proposition and great dispute might be held on this side and on that therefore the Lord will speedily finish all in an exact methode which is alwaies full of breuitie and perspicuitie Reason 8. Remembrance neither God nor man should be able to carry in mind the sinnes of the world but for methode we might wonder how the Lord should tel vs all that euer we haue done except it were for this rule of methode and man could neuer make any good account out of his broken crafie memory except the Lord by his own method should helpe him Methodus mater memoriae Vse 1. Reprehension first a confutation of the wicked that thinke as they haue done all in the darkenesse so the darknes shal couer them for euer but Psal 139.12 the darknes hideth not from
children are in sorrow but when they consider how of his owne will he hath begotten them with the word of truth that they should be as the first fruits of his creatures then their hearts doe reioyce and their ioy no man shall take from them Now that compleat ioy may be drawne out of all these arguments it is necessary that the word of God be specially looked vnto for in afflictions it onely giueth vs the liuely sight of our sinne manifests the riches of the mercies of God in Christ Iesus to deliuer vs from sinne and therefore Dauid saies often but for thy lawe I had perished in mine afflictions therfore for further comfort he shewes what is required to make vs profit in Gods word first qualification secondly practise the first the soule the second the life of the soule the qualification v. 19. the reason of it v. 20. and the conclusion out of both ver 21. Wherefore laying apart all silthinesse and superfluity of malitiousnesse receiue with meekenes the word that is grafted into you which is able to saue your soules After this qualification followes the practise that the mercies of God might not be in vaine which he hath bestowed vpon them therefore v. 22. be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiuing your selues now because this cousening of our selues in hearing of Gods word is a disease incident to the most hee playes the good Physitian first discouering the disease by a familiar similitude laying together these fowre tearms spots and a glasse sins and the law as spots may be seene in a glasse so sinnes may be seene in the law secondly in their qualitie wherein they are laid together and that is beholding considering and immediately forgetting as a man beholding falls to consider something amisse in himselfe yet going his way and other matters possessing his head immediately forgetteth what manner of face-he had So they come to the Church looke into Gods word consider that all is not well yet going their way home againe to their olde courses and now all is spoiled and they are neuer better Secondly hauing discouered the disease by the most familiar fymptomes applyes the remedie and tells them what must be their receit ver 15. the perfect law of libertie must be carefully looked into Thirdly he giues them the manner how it must be receiued first what must be abstained from as deadly poison to the nature of a Christian and secondly the onely hinderer of the worke of all good physicke First therefore v. 26. If any man seeme religious and refraineth not his tongue but deceiueth his owne heart that mans religion is in vaine Secondly thus must it bee taken according to pure religion and vndefiled before God in visiting the fatherles and widdowes in their necessity and to keep himselfe vnspotted of the world Seeing then that God hath so many comforts patience to possesse the soule when it is at a loffe wisedome to make i◠finde it selfe in the greatest night of trouble contentation to quiet it as well in aduersitie as prosperitie a crowne of glory to recompence it after all combats and such a word as may be a light to direct a sword to defend and teach the true watch word of a Christian when he is readie to be swallowed vp of his enemies it cannot bee but that we should alwaies rest in the hauen of happinesse A recaptulation of all the former heads in a briefe and perspicuous table for the further impression of Christian comfort in the memories of the faithfull Comfort in affliction donation of grace informing the action present patience working v. 4. perfecting v. 4. wifedom giuen freely and liberally receiued by praier faith future true contentation in all things v. 9 the ende of the action blessednes in the crowne of life v. 12. sanctifying causes principall the will of God v. 18. instrumentall the word of truth v. 18. effect first fruits a holy kind of offering taken out of the residue of men v. 18. true application in the qualification manifested v. 19. prooued in clearing the point v. 20. in concluding v. 21. in the practise honest and good hearing and doing v. 22. dishonest and vnprofitable illustrated 23. 24. by tearms spots a glasse sin and the law qualitie beholding forgetting applyed first in the prescript v. 25. in the vse vnlawfull v. 26. lawfull v. 27. Seeing then that this is the course that the Lord will take let no man think to be Diues all his life time in this world and Lazarus after death If God promise riches the way thereunto is pouertie before loue correction before exaltation deiection whom he saueth first he damneth he bringeth not to heauen but by hell if he promise life hee slaieth first Ioseph sawe the sunne moone and starres worshipping him neuertheles yet that could come to passe God laid him where he could see neither sunne nor moone nor any starre of the skie and all that many yeares and also vndeserued yet all this while to nurture him vp against the time of honour God promised Israel a land of milke and honie yet for the space of forty yeeres they went through a land not only where there were no riuers of milke and honey but not so much as a droppe of water to refresh them withall yet all this was done of God to doe them good at the latter end God promised Dauid a kingdom yet immediatly he stirred vp Saul against him to hunt him and ferret him out of euery hole and that many years Thus he that will weare the crowne of glory must weare the crowne of thornes he that will haue all teares wiped from his eyes must first shed them Reu. 15.3 the children of God before they can sing the song of Moses the seruant of God and the song of the lambe Christ Iesus must first swim through the glassie sea mingled with fire and brimstone It is not the way to heauen to liue in this world in perpetual ease rest quietnes in body soule goods and good name therefore as the end of all afflictions is full of ioy and comfort so is the way seeing it is appointed of the Lord most comfortable because euery steppe brings vs towards Gods kingdome and I may tearme afflictions markes in the way to tell vs we are to keepe on that way they lead vs. A man inquiring his way and is told he hath no plaine way but by desolate woods hills and mountaines very stony and troublsome to passe by when the trauailer seeeth these marks he saies vndoubtedly I am right but if he find all to be plaine presently stands still lookes about and saies I see neuer a one of my directiōs therfore I am assuredly wrong this way will neuer bring me to the end of my iourney So the Lord hath told vs that this is the way to heauen to passe by many crosses we run a long and find no such matter well may we suspect that we are out
any consolation or what assurance of escape if wee would flee the punishment hath no miserie to compare with it the sense of it passeth the capacity of man for as blessednes with God is aboue all conceit of mans bea rt and report of tongue so the contrarie estate exceedeth all vnderstanding of the mind and vtterance of speach and is such as is aboue measure vnhappy and most miserable inflicted by Gods reuenge who is himselfe a consuming fire whose wrath once kindled burneth to the bottome of hell Againe the minister of reuenge is without all compassion he will not be content with Iobs riches and possessions but he vrgeth skin for skin would haue God permit him to streatch out his hand to touch his bones and flesh neither there would he satisfie himselfe but euen against Gods expresse commandment if it were possible bring his life into the dust neither there would he rest vntill he had brought him to damne both bodie and soule Now if God would but look on as he did while the deuil was beating Iob it would wonderfully refresh the wicked though the Lord meant neuer to helpe them but alas hee wil not vouchsafe them the lest countenance but suffer the deuill to torment and racke them to the vttermost of his power Therefore as he hath mourthered the soules of infinite men he shal be praying on them for euer Oh wofull estate I know not what to say of it our life and length of dayes will forsake vs the deuill worse then all tyrants sauage beastes harpies vultures yea then all the creatures of God shall seaze vpon vs our consciences with a worme that neuer dyeth shall gnaw vpon vs surely for want of words I must leaue it therefore euery one as he loues the good of his owne soule let him bee admonished to thinke of this fearefull sentence I will set thy sinnes in order before thee Reasons First because the conscience is made of God a little iudge and witnes of all our deeds and actions and therefore must be ioyne with the Lord against his owne subiect Reas 2. Because wicked men should be happie if it were not for their consciences therefore must the Lord needs awake them to see their miserie Reas 3. That his law may haue his effect and that the power of him may be made manifest whereby God may be glorified the wicked ashamed for putting out so good a light and fret and gnash with their teeth that they regarded not so good admonitors as the law of God and their own conscience did continually set before their eies Reas 4. That their misery might be perpetuall and dispossesse them of all ioy it is necessary that the Lord should make their sinnes euer to stand before the eyes of their conscience Vse 1. Reprehension confutation of the wicked that they would neuer consider of their sinnes but still did forget God and his law putting them farre from them but now shal they be sure to haue both sinne and punishment God and his law to draw so neere them that they could wish themselues to bee nothing or at least that the verie mountaines and rockes might fal vpon them a burden more easie to beare then the least touch of their conscience seeing their sinne feeling their punishment from the law accusing and God himselfe reuenging the violation of the same Secondly a correction of the godly that they be not too cruell vnto their owne soules conceiuing that the Lord hath done vnto them as he hath done vnto the wicked when indeed it is rather their owne phansie assisted by their corruption that makes them iudge so miserably of themselues as though they were reprobates and with Cain cast out of the presence of God for euer yet let them knowe that is but the tendernesse of the conscience and not that violent haling of them to the stake which is in the wicked whose consciences strike against the law as stones and hammers that would rather haue the lawe broken then themselues to bee broken and hammered by it Vse 2. Instruction first admonition to the wicked that they be not so cruell vnto themselues but consider that euery sinne they commit is the stabbing and wounding of their consciences and he that stabbes often the selfesame place wil be sure to bring out his heart blood and make a most fearefull ende for though the wounds of the conscience bleeding fresh are not so sensible yet beeing festered and full of corruption hauing no oyle of grace powred into them shall bee extraordinarie sores and so miserably felt of the patient that when the Lord shall touch them they shall roare and gnash with their teeth for the extremity of the paine Secondly direction to the godly to bee most tender for the eie of their conscience We vse the eye of the bodie most tenderly and great is our care to safegard it much more ought wee to tender the eye of our soule beeing farre more excellent then the eie of the bodie Vse 3. Consolation first in all distresse to knowe that it is a happie thing to beare the yoke in our youthes to know our diseases betimes and haue our sinnes discouered for then is there hope of cure but if they continue vntill old age then wil they be in greater danger Secondly in all our welfare to labour for the assurance of a good conscience which is our best felicitie Application of the whole sentence in the two last verses Want of consideration makes men forget God and both these are forerunners of Gods vengeance and euerlasting destruction therefore the admonition is to all wicked and godlesse men that betimes they arraigne themselues call a Iurie try their wayes and examine their own hearts how they stand with God for it seemes their estate is verie lamentable First in that they are styled forgetters of God and he that forgets God cannot but forsake God Ier. 2.12 Oh yee heauens be astonied at this be afraid and vtterly confounded for my people haue commited two euills they haue forsaken me the fountaine of liuing waters to digge them pits euen broken pits that can hold no water Oh generation take heede to the word of the Lord consider in your minds ponder in your hearts and obserue in your waies whether the Lord hath bin as a wildernesse vnto you or as a land of darknesse Oh consider what a mischeife you haue procured vnto your selues in that you haue forsaken the Lord your God which hath lead you by the way and hath bin as a familiar friend vnto you nay as a prince to command heauen earth to giue you safe-conduct through all the dangers and perills that might befall you Can a maid forget her ornament or a bride her attire yet you for whom I haue done all this haue forgotten me dayes without number But if you will not consider then assure you selues that your owne wickednesse shall correct you and your turnings backe shall reprooue you know therefore
God seeing man this way to determine his will Mansâ— determination made the determination thereof a iust way for his owne glorie God decreed mans fall and he also decreed that he himselfe would not be the cause but that man himselfe should onely cause his own ruine Thus then God did absolutely decree but not absolutely determine mans wil for that was left vnto man himselfe Determination no impulsion yet the determination of that determination was absolute and that without impulsion or coaction of mans will for determination is alwaies of things vnto their ends therefore is called absolute in regard of the end but coaction is onely of an efficient which is not necessarie for an absolute ende All Gods ends are absolute and necessarie yet the meanes that God vseth are of all kinds contingent necessarie dependent independent Suppose God had decreed to haue giuen man actuall grace as alreadie the angels haue it in heauen had it therefore been necessarie that man could not haue fallen or that God should haue constrained his wil to haue imbraced this grace no assuredly therefore on the contratie God decreed not to giue man this actuall grace of standing is therefore his auersion necessarie and constrained no but God by this meanes gaue way vnto the sinne of auersion and permissiuely yet willingly did suffer it for to enter for otherwise it could not haue entred and by a positiue decree resolued that auerting himselfe from the fountaine of all goodnesse and the rule of all righteousnesse he should runne into innumerable dangerous euills and grieuous sinnes both of commission and omission Omission is alwaies the first sinne Omission a priuation for a man falleth first from the loue of God before he can loue or desire any other thing now this sin beeing a neglect hath no positiue cause it selfe being a priuatioÌ„ neither need we seek any higher spring of it Non 〈…〉 then the will of such a creature as is defectiue and therefore doth not alwaies necessarily attend to the rule it should conforme it selfe vnto and thus of the first sinne we can find no cause in God because hee is no wayes defectiue The second sinne is commission which is a positiue act and therefore hath a positiue cause now God that neuer ceaseth to doe his worke of moouing but alwaies carrieth forward all things with restlesse motions cannot but cause the verie substance of a sinne of commission 〈…〉 of the Schâ—olman neither here am I of the opinion of the School-men that defend the very deformitie of this sinne to be nothing but the act and very substance of it for an act is a generall tearme and hath speciall limitations added vnto it therefore it is said to be well done when it keeps his rule euill when it misseth his rule now the Lord in no action goeth against the rule of his wisdome therefore he can work no deformed act only man that is defectiue may goe against the rule and so causeth the deformitie A cunning artificer makes a clocke but he suffers his apprentice to helpe to ioyne it together the deformitie of the motion is none of the artificers but onely from the vnskilfull apprentice yet will the skilfull artificer haue his praise in correcting of that aberration and turne the motion to his owne ende The causes then why sinne entred as efficient are properly the deuill and man as determined to an ende properly Gods who might well so determine of man seeing he created him mutable But to come more neerly How Gods lawe works sinne we may expresse this most familiarly in a comparison taken from an earthen pitcher dashed by the hand of a man against a stone wall that the wall breaketh it that is no fault of the walls but rather the coÌ„mendation of it working according to his owne nature but the fault is in the partie that dashed it against the wall so man being dashed by the deuill and himselfe and the serpent and the woman vpon the law of God too hard to bee ouerwrastled of man was broken in peices yet the lawe was without all fault onely the fault was in the deuill Adam and the woman the law therefore a most iust and holy cause of mans fall as the law caused mans sinne so I dare boldly say that God cansed it yet most holily and iustly Hence it followeth most plainely that God was no bare permitting cause or a forsaking cause but a working cause euen in the fall of man now as God did it so he was able to doe it and so to decree it to his owne glorie according as it seemed best vnto his own wisdome and so might it be willed as absolutely good and iust and therefore no sinne God made them the beginners of their owne actions beeing indued with free will by well doing they might deserue both praise and prize and by ill doing might deserue both dispraise and punishment But you will obiect then God might both will it and not will it Very true as God willed it it had respect of good and was iust and therefore to be willed but as they willed it it was euill and so God hated it and his law forbad it The sonne may desire the death of his father and so may God too but in so doing the sonne sinnes against God yet God is free from sinne the Iudge desires that a malefactor should die so doth the hangman yet may be the hang-man is guilty of murther when the Iudge is a true executioner of iustice Obserue then for the entrance of sinne these positions Positions for sinnes entrance First that to sinne is directly beside the scope intent and purpose of the law and therefore if the law cause sinne it is by acccident as to the law so to Gods wil which can neither intend purpose or will any impietie and therefore sinne is accidental and externall in regard of God now an accidentall principle is either in regard of necessitie or fortune How a cause by accident may be giuen vnto God now for necessitie to sinne that cannot be giuen vnto God for he can suffer of no causing principle and fortune is too strange a tearme to stand with Gods prouidence where then is this externall principle I answer if wee soberly conceiue of the nature of a cause by fortune we shal not much swarue if we say sinne was chance in regard of Gods will for chance and fortune according to true reason is nothing but the accident or euent of any thing beside his end and scope now only good is the end and scope of Gods will and therfore sinne which is not good is beside Gods scope and ende therefore it is accidentall in Gods scope and end But you wil say then God was ignorant of mans sinne I answer no because sinne is not onely accidentall to a good ende but also an aberration from the true rule of wisdome and must stand to the iudgement and sentence thereof
decree can haue no other force of reason to presse the conclusion but a cause Secondly they answer that the antecedent beeing granted and from thence the consequent concluded is causall when there comes no middle cause betwixt them but God decrees that man should fall by his free-will comming betwixt the fall and Gods decree thereof But this is no answer for so mans free-will came betwixt the Deuils temptation and the yeilding thereunto and so the Deuill should be no cause of mans fall this then is but a shift Thirdly they answer that God may will that man should fall and yet man might fall by his owne free will The answer is ouerturned because a man might haue fallen infallibly and freely but necessarily and freely can neuer stand together Infallibilitie is in respect of Gods infinite diuine prescience but necessitie is of the thing done Infallibilitas est â—ognitionis imnustibilitas rei which is immutable and immutabilitie takes away all contingencie in the thing and consequently libertie so then necessitie contingencie and libertie can neuer stand together Fourthly they answer per desertionem nempe ipsius non collationem necessary ad cauendum peccata auxilij vnde sequitur hominem necessariò peccare that is by desertion of him and not collation of necessary helps to beware of sinne man fell necessarily But this will not salue vp the matter because God gaue the lawe therefore it was necessarie that he should affoard man all necessaries to obey him otherwise the transgression might be giuen vnto God but they will say that Gods desertion had mans free will to come betwixt it and the fall but to that it may be replyed then man deserued that desertion But the question is whether man could wil such a thing or no if it be said he could then hee sinned freely but againe how could he will this if it be answered he could not then surely God made him will it if he could then what was the cause of it surely they defend that God did forsake him before he willed to bee forsaken in that he forsooke to giue him that grace which should haue kept him from sinne Lastly there commeth nothing betwixt Gods desertion and mans willing of it if so then either God or man must be the cause not man because he suffers it therefore God and indeede they confesse that peccatum est merum consequens decreti a meere consequent of Gods decree nothing interceding must necessarily be a cause But they answer this cause is deficient for desertion is but the taking away not concurring but this deficient cause was a necessarie cause why Adam should fall because he could not otherwise escape it And thus much from the Decree now I come to mans will impelled to sinne Obiect 3. That man is compelled to sinne Neceâ—â—â—â—e of Gods decree it is first prooued from the decree graunt the decree and then man could not abstaine from the act of sinne if he could then might he haue frustrated Gods decree Deâ—◠〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 but that is impietie once to thinke consilium enim deistat Secondly that which makes the wil to loose his libertie must needes compel the will the libertie is gone because it is not free ad opposita but must needes incline it selfe to one thing and that necessarily Neither are we here to conceiue coaction or violence for the will hath two motions one of nature another of libertie libertie is taken away when the will is carried with his naturall motion this is spontaneus assensus a natural willing which is alwaies of one thing To be happie is willed of all but neither by violence or freedome but natural inclination for no man wills miscrie Therefore Gods decree takes away his libertie but not his assent to mooue naturally which way God would haue it And though it be not constrained yet can it not resist neither indeede would it resist for this determination Necessitie and libertie cannot stand together Thirdly and lastly necessitie takes away all libertie because all libertie is in contingent things What libertie hath a man ouer the fire or any immutable thing Againe libertie is alwaies with consultation now consultation is in things contingent What man will consult whether the fire burne and surely God and man vnderstands one truth how then should I conceiue that necessarie to God which must be contingent to me Contingencie and necessitie can neuer stand together And to say Adam fell contingently and yet necessarily is an impossibilitie The principle of necessitie is immutabilitie not infallibilitie Certitude makes infallibilitie that which is certen is infallible Time changeth not nature and so may a contingent thing be certen Neither must we measure the thing by time for time is not of the essence of any thing but a thing adioyned to all created beeings Now then time past present or to come change not the nature of any beeing but diuersly qualifie him Was the thing contingent before it fell out then why should it be of the nature of necessitie when it is come to passe hath the time present made it otherwise then it was in time past Define me Adams fall was it not an apostacie from God his Creator this is one thing and is neuer changed now necessitie followes the nature of things and not of time in things You graunt it contingent vntill it came was not this a truth and truth I am sure pronunciat vti res est pronounceth as the thing is will you then make truth pronounce one thing before the thing was and another thing when it is is the nature changed because the time is varied then farwell all truths and that common axiome which is no more common then true That definitions of things are not onely to be conceiued in the present time but also past and to come Let vs examine the definition of contingencie and necessitie â—â—e definition of contingency Contingencie is that which is so true that it may be false is this onely for future no but thus may be false or might haue bin false I am sure you will say that mans fall might haue bin false for God might haue decreed otherwise and therefore marke what you doe affirme to wit that God might change necessarie truths then may he make contradictions true He may make a man and not reasonable fire but not hote Let it then be what it will be if once it might haue bin changed it can neuer be made an vnchangeable nature by time Achilles might haue killed Hector Saul might haue fallen on his owne sword Adam might haue runne into the finne of auersion from God These before they were done you confesse were contingent but Achilles hath slaine Hector Saul is fallen on his owne sword Adam is become an Apostata from God now the case is altered and they are become necessarie But do you not vnderstand reason tell me I pray you Achilles to kill Hector Saul to fall
denying graunt the one and graunt the other denie the one and denie the other Secondly because it is not onely the part of a wise man to produce his worke but also to direct it to his ende therfore most absurd to denie it of the wisest Thirdly because it is impossible that a thing should be produced by one wisdome and gouerned by another thus things would not serue the ende of their creation but another Observ 6. According to this wisdome euery nature worketh and to this he ought to obey Reason 1. Because they are Gods effects and therefore obeying the cause must needs obey the wisdome that ordered the causes sinne therefore beeing nothing obeies not God neither any sinner as he serues sinne Secondly this wisdome carries to the ende and euery thing obeies his ende and inclines bends and bowes vnto it Observ 7. This obsequie or obedience of the creature is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or true impression of this producing and gouerning wisdome This first wisdome is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The gouernement of the Creator the obedience of the creature or liuely seale that stamped that marke vpon the creature therefore the stampe is the liuely effigies or impression of that first wisdome and the obsequie or obedience of the creature is nothing but to imitate his gouernour A familiar example of this you may see in the seale and the impression vpon the waxe the seale leaues his marke and the marke is a plaine representation of the seale though the seale it selfe could be seene of none but him that stamped his marke vpon the waxe The waxe sets forth the creature the stampe the obedience and the seale Gods wisdome and this is that Idaea which is so much dreamed of whereof the creature is not capable yet the reflexion of it may be in the creature As for example sixe or seuen men may see their faces all in one glasse yet the glasse is farre lesse then any one of their faces for the naturall face of a man can not be put into the glasse but the image of his face reflected and that in most liuely proportion so Gods face no man can see yet his backe parts may be seene Exod. 33. now this face as I may say of Gods wisdome beeing stamped vpon his creatures carrie them in all their motions to their ends appointed of his Maiestie These things beeing well conceiued of wee finde two things most necessarie to concurre to the producing of any act 〈◊〉 and 〈…〉 First facultie or power which God giues the creature when he giues them beeing 2. a rule of Gods wisdome to bring that facultie into exercise and so carrie it along vnto his ende The rule is the principall cause the facultie the instrumentall or ministeriall cause to ioyne with the principall neither alone can doe any thing but both together can doe any worke that the Creator would haue to be done To come then to our purpose God created man a reasonable creature indued with two most excellent qualities will and vnderstanding so that man was made able to vnderstand his Creator and will him as his onely good Yet man could not actually will God except God had giueÌ„ a rule to haue taught him so to doe the Lord bad man loue him with all his heart soule minde and strength and then to loue his neighbour as himselfe And for the effecting of this he gaue him a perfect rule of righteousnes to ioyne with his will in the performance of any dutie neither did God withhold this rule from him at any time and therefore God gaue man by creation power to will and rule sufficient for to haue taught him how to will so that neither for power or act any thing was wanting Let vs see then how these two things concurred in mans first fall How rule and facultie meet together in the first fall The deuill comes in the serpent and he beginnes to withdraw man from his rule knowing if man and woman had sticked close thereunto sinne should haue had no entrance He beginnes first to propound a question that so he might bring the woman to dispute with him and the question is made about the rule of obedience Hath God indeed said Ye shall not eate of euerie tree of the garden To this the woman answers first by affirmation we eate of the trees of the garden secondly by negation from the sentence of the law of the fruit which is in the mids of the garden God hath said not onely I The dispuâ—â—â— on of the 〈◊〉 man and 〈◊〉 deuill but neither I nor my husband must eate of it neither shall ye touch it and to the prohibition she laies the curse least ye die So then the rule would haue made his part good against the Deuill and haue taught the woman to haue holden this conclusion against all the deuills arguments The deuill replies againe vpon the woman and first he begins to take away that which might feare her in breaking the law yee shall not die at all and then to her negation brings a testimonie first from God God doth knowe secondly from contradiction to the law when ye shall eate therof thirdly a threefold reason to perswade them to that act of eating first knowledge your eyes shall be opened secondly the measure of this knowledge it shal make you like God himselfe thirdly from the kinds of their knowledge knowing both good and euill As yet no hurt was done Let vs now see how the Law concurres in the next The conâ—â— of the 〈◊〉 and we shall easily see both Gods and the lawes confluxe with Adams fall The 1. act of the woman was approbation of the deuills reasons so the woman here 's consent against both God the law The 2. act was seeing here God concurred naturally and that by the rule of nature in optickes neither was this the breach of that rule but presently the will wheeles or turnes it selfe vpon the obiect and saies the tree was good and that approbation was also good for the tree was good by Gods creation but this goodnesse did so affect the will that Gods law must be forgotten and the tree beeing made good for that which the law forbad to wit that it was good for meat when before out of the sentence of the law she had saide the law and God himselfe hath saide ye shall not eate and to say it was good for meate was a direct affirmation against both God and his law and so could not haue their concourse and this was her internall iudgment The next is her externall iudgment in regard of the tree obiected to her eyes in these words and that it was pleasant to the eyes Now this was no where forbidden but that they might looke on it and it may be she said too much when she added we may not touch it yet this likewise is made a sinne for after the will is spoyled then all the other
cognitione secondly in manifesting his desree it is done cognitione indirecta first generall in his creation for from his efficiencie and omnipotencie potuit he could reueale it hence in respect of himselfe being meere acts he could not haue any such attribute for potuit may be or could be can neuer be said of him that euer was actu therfore must it respect the things that may be may feele the act of God hence qua potuit efficit as he could bring them forth so he did it most effectually Now because omnipotencie and efficiencie respects both posse and efficere to be able and to doe Constanter verâ— sideliter and what God can doe and will doe that must he needs decree constantly truely and saithfully Now because this decree of God cannot but be brought to passe after the best way and manner therefore must he decree by counsell if by counsell then must the scope be prefixed therefore must the ende of it manifest his glorie therefore all his goodnesse therefore his vertues which are his attributes and if them then his iustice and mercie To doe by counsell is to haue some expresse forme of working the plot whereof makes euery thing agreeable to his counsell this plot seemes good vnto his wisedom and this the Lord wills and that with a most free will arbitrio iudicij libertate voluntatis wit and will Out of these grounds we easily answer the doubt Application to the doubt that God did neither omit or commit any thing in mans fall he did not omit for the rule was at hand and mans facultie to doe well was sufficient the concourse was not in man therefore did he omit denying the law that due respect that it challenged I told you before that neither the law alone nor the facultie alone was able to produce the act of obedience therefore the law alone could not do it not that it was an vnsufficient rule but because man would not practise this rule Now you know it is said to be impossible vnto the law not in regard of it selfe but in regard of vs that cannot concurre with it to that righteousnesse which it exacteth which we might haue done by creation For commission it is plaine that the Lord did no otherwise concurre with mans fall then the law did which you haue heard in explication of the causes of the first transgression was no causa perse but causa per accidens and therefore an vnblameable cause If man will rush against it what fault can he finde with the lawe if it doe mischiefe him Hee that takes a sword by the poynt is sure to wound himselfe which if he had taken by the handle might haue been vsed both for defence and offence But it is further replied the motion of man to finne followed Gods motion which was irresistable True it is the will of God is irresistable when it is opposed and therefore in resisting the will of God he followed an irresistable motion in opposing the law of God he suffered his owne ouerthrowe So that resistentia beeing only of enemies that suffer mutably and God beeing sine passione resistentia without passion or resistence and therefore cannot be resisted Then your meaning is this that man was a resolute enemie to sinning and fought with God about this action but God would haue man to sinne and so man should not resist But alas it was cleane contrarie Gods will was not to haue man to sinne and mans will was to sinne and therefore hee fought against Gods wil yet could he not resist Gods will or falsifie the least of his decrees Rom. How God concludes hiâ— mercy and iustice not ex prâ—uâ—sa fidâ— or ex pecâ—ato bâ—t from the promise which was his meere good will and pleasure 9.19 the conclusion in the 18. verse is the manifestation of Gods mercie and iustice by what argument you shal conceiue if you looke from the 6. verse it is drawne from contraries mans infidelitie and Gods fidelitie the infidelitie of man cannot frustrate the promise of God first because his promise is either generall or speciall generall as it respects the roote speciall as it respects the branches therefore hee saith all are not Israel that is the true liuing branches which are of Israel that is the root vnto which the promise was made it was made to Abraham it was made to Isaac c. Abraham the roote and some of the seede of this roote were indeed the seede of Abraham but yet in Isaac must the true seed be called this second promise is the effectuall promise which must stand v. 8. for there be some the children of the flesh hauing Abraham for their root but others are the children of God which haue God for their father and therefore must needs effectually be made partakers of the couenant and these say the Apostle are properly counted for the seed this hee shewes first because of the time appointed ver 9. secondly from the paritie of coÌ„ception Sarah had a sonne but the other was by her maide and therefore no maruell if God sanctified the true seed the other was bastardly borne yet v. 10. the matter was brought to more equall tearmes euen Rebecca she conceiued by one euen by our father Isaac therefore this conception would admit no exception for the parents Nothing either in the parents or children why God should purpose one to life the other to death but yet it may be the exception is to be made in the children themselues therefore v. 11. he proues Gods purpose to exclude all outward or inward considerations that might be found in them First from the constancy of his purpose that it might remaine secondly from the forme of his purpose according to election a setled decree thirdly from the eternitie of it yer the children were borne fourthly from the deniall of all causes out of himselfe first by an ennumeration either good or euill it was neither the goodnesse of Iacob nor the euill of Esau that caused the Lord to purpose any such thing secondly from the practise of good or euill done that distinction of facta and facienda of done or to bee done is idle for the fifth and last argument knocks it in the head which is drawne from the remotion of a false cause and the position or laying downe of the true cause not by workes generally done or to be done but by him that calleth if this be the true cause then say the other and you oppose Gods call for workes and Gods call be membra diuidentia therfore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as cannot stand together This cause is proued to be the truth First by Gods oracle Gen. 25.23 the elder shall serue the younger this is against the ordinarie course of nature but God that calleth will haue it so Secondly from a testimonie Mal. 1.2.3 as it is written I haue loued Iacob and haue hated Esau that is I haue called Iacob to the feeling
necessarily must needes be a cause The answer is it is a necessarie conclusion by way of ratiocination or discourse but not from the argument it selfe the disposition makes it necessarie but the third reason is no necessarie cause seeing that the action of Gods decree as out of himselfe and in the creature is externally and materially to be considered and so is not necessarie but contingent temporarie and mutable and therefore if it had pleased God it might haue fallen out otherwise for euery necessarie truth is an eternall truth And therefore that which is in time and not eternall is contingent mutable and alterable That which is said to the interceding cause betwixt Gods decree and the fall Of the interceding cause to wit mans free will to exempt God from sinne is most true for God did not immediatly worke mans fall But you obiect that the remote cause is as well sinfull as the next because the deuill was the remote cause and yet guiltie of the same sinne Adam commited A speciall neuerprooues a generall The answer is when the causes are vniuocall homogeniall and of the same order of working but in causes heterogeniall and equiuocall which are of diuerse natures the remote cause is neuer tainted with the same fault that the next cause is As wine is a remote cause why a man is drunke yet no faultie-cause of his drunkennesse The Gospell and our Sauiour Christ came to send a sword into the world but yet were no true causes of sedition and quarrels among men The Sunne raiseth putrified creatures out of dead carkases it can harden as well the clay as melt the waxe A sonne desires the death of his father so doth God One thing effected of diuerse causes may bee faultie in one but not in another but the sonne breaks Gods commaundement God doth it according to the true rule of iustice a sonne would haue his father liue God would the contrarie yet a sinne in neither And therfore a remote cause is onely guilty of the same offence with the next when they worke all after one forme and manner otherwise the immediate cause is the onely author of the sinne al the rest by accident and by abuse The Gospel is the sauour of death vnto death as well as the free will of man but not eodem genere causandi after the same manner of working Pharaoh hardneth his owne heart so doth God but the one immediatly the other mediatly by the abuse of mans freewill Therfore the answer is from the distinction of remote causes in vniuocall causes the remote cause is as guiltie as the next and therefore the deuills will In causes vniuocall all are guiltie of the same crime but not in equivocall and mans will working vnivocally are both in the same offence but Gods will and mans worke equiuocally the one one way and the other another and therefore no neede of participation seeing they haue no next genus of a cause in which they should communicate Answer to Gods desertion To the third euasion betwixt infallibilitie and necessitie it is granted that man fell infallibly but not necessarily except we vnderstand it of Gods decree in himselfe and then the truth was an eternall truth And in this sense our Diuines hold it not of any necessitie in mans will therefore it was only necessarie in Gods wll but contingent in mans yet the truth it selfe in the thing is to God and man contingent to God most certen but to man vncertaine For desertion we hold that God did not forsake man in any necessarie requisite for his true obedience vnto the law onely he with-held his confirmation of man If a man were set in some office for triall of his gifts is it necessarie that he should be confirmed in it I trow not and therefore this desertion was of confirmation and not of necessarie helpes for execution And here our Orthodoxe writers when they answer to that argument that iustice and mercie presuppose misery Misâ—rie potentiall reall habituall make answer of a threefold miserie first actuall which is in sense and feeling secondly habitual which is in the bosome of a man but as yet puts not forth it selfe the third potentiall into which a man may fall and this they call a miserie in comparison Iob 4.18 Behold he found no steadfastnesse in his seruants and laid folly vpon his angels Iob 9.2 Howe should man compared vnto God be iustified Habituall and actuall miserie had no place in man by his creation but possible or potentiall miserie was laid in the freedome of his will which if God had inclined vnto good and man so determined then had he come into the estate of the blessed Angels and so miserie had been impossible and his estate should haue been confirmed vnto him with God for euer not from the freedom of his will but from his obedience and Gods promise thereunto Therefore that desertion and not collation of necessarie helpe to auoide sinne is to be vnderstood of this third grace which was not a grace of creation but a further liberallity which God might haue bestowed if it had pleased him But I dare not rest satisfied with this answer because I see this third grace was onely to be obtained by the obedience of the creature that is if he did the will of God then would God haue beene as good as his promise thou shalt liue therefore in my iudgement Confirmation of life by creation was to follow our obedience vnto the 〈◊〉 confirming grace was a subsequent grace to followe obedience and not an antecedent grace to goe before it and so the angels obtained it by their obedience and from their obedience are confirmed if then without their obedience they could not be confirmed then must confirming grace belong vnto the law of creation as well as any other for what grace should man haue receiued by creation but that which God would haue communicated vnto him by the rule of obedience doe this and thou shalt liue to confirme him in life was vpon his doing I answer therefore Desertion 1. in not rebuking Sathan 2. In diuiding of the lawe and his facultie 3. In that God suffered man to be distracted and did not hold him close vnto his law in despite of the deuill that desertion is no cause of mans sinne but that God was wel-pleased to suffer the deuill to worke more strongly in the temptation then mans will should be able to oppose not for power giuen but for present act and as in this temptation the law forsooke man so God may most iustly bee said to forsake him I haue before declared that two things are most necessary for euery good action rule and power which if both concurre not the action cannot bee produced Now the law concurred not and therefore man was forsaken of the lawe not actiuely but passiuely euen as a master should promise his seruant all aide and succour as long as hee would
third of such things as would bee if such and such things went before If Caine doe well he shall be accepted Gen. 4. if Dauid stay in Keilah the lords of the citie will deliuer him if I continue in beleeuing then I shall be saued if I continue in sinne I shall bee damned And on this knowledge for any thing that I can perceiue doe the Papists and Lutherans hang all predestination and so make Gods will the consequent in decreeing and mans will the antecedent in giuing God the occasion The deceit is this that from the connexion of things they iudge of Gods will about things which is most indirect and a knowledge that agrees not to God but at the second hand It is true that the first knowledge beeing iudged according to logicall inuention is of things possible for arguments or reasons afore they come to bee disposed are onely in potentia ad arguendum haue an affection to argue and so many things that might be haue this potentiall kind of reason and so we say they are knowne of God because we so conceiue of them The second knowledge which is more actuall is properly science the laying together of those things which before were onely in affection to argue The third is of these things which beeing laid together can no otherwise haue force of reason but vpon connexion and supposition and in this head would they tie Gods decree and knowledge when indeed God followes no such suppositions but absolutely knowes and wills what he pleaseth yet seeing his decree is as large as all reason it cannot otherwise be imagined but that in the manifestation of it all reason should appeare And so we grant a connexion supposition condition and occasion in all Gods works that is in the effects of his will but none of all these in the will it selfe Therefore they doe amisse to put that vpon his will which is the cause which ought to be in the effect of his will and thereupon no antecedent of Gods will but meere consequents That creation should go before the fall the fall before redemption redemption before saluation and sinne before damnation are all of them most necessarie suppositions connexions conditions and if you please occasions And thus much for that occasion which is to Arminius delphicus gladius but it cuts asunder such knots as God hath tied together whose will in all things drawes the first linke and cannot be drawne of any M. Per. 3. Principle in sense is this that God does all by counsell therefore he hath his scope which he knowes wills and disposeth vnto most prudently and therefore decrees euery thing therevnto I. Ar. The most wise God doth all things for some ende and purpose euen that which he doth not yet hee permits it for some ende and purpose therefore first it is a fault to say that God must either agere be doing or otiose spectare become an idle beholder which is no good distribution for agere and permittere to doe and permit are really distinguished and both these are for good purpose and therefore God must either be doing or an idle beholder are too scant for he may permit Secondly prudence is too short a word to inlarge it selfe to all Gods wisedome Thirdly adhibito certo fine the ende applied finis gratia and for the ende are not all one for no man workes for the ende applied but for the good therein implied Fourthly Deus non vult aut non decernit quod non potest God neither wills nor decrees that which he cannot here no sense except it be further added which he cannot do or permit and therefore the conclusion is most imperfect so God decreed to doe except this be added or permitted Collat. Agere prudenter to doe wisely will beare the sense of permission for permission comming from Gods wil is considered of vs as an effect this effect is produded by counsell therefore for a good ende and purpose so then that which God doth permittere he doth prudenter agere grant then that Gods permission comes from his counsell and aimes at his glorie and then it must bee more then a negatiue act But to speake the truth permission as it is expounded of Arminius maintaines nothing but absurdities First in regard of the cause for saies he permission is voluntatis remissae now such a will as this cannot be in God whose will is meere act and therefore cannot admit of degrees all remissiuenesse of Gods will is in regard of the subiect which is quantum and may be lesse and more but in regard of himselfe it is impossible Secondly a remisse will doth either will or not will or suspend to suspend is neither to hinder nor further the act and so the Lord should haue no stroke in sinne which is the deniall of his prouidence in the apostacie of man if his prouidence did not suspend nor his power then his wil was not to suspend in that action if he did more then suspend then it was either to will or not to will if not to will then sinne should not haue beene therefore God did will it per modum actionis That this may appeare Gods manner of working in sinne we are to consider what manner of efficient causes true reason laies downe vnto vs And the first manner of causes efficient are either to beget or preserue the second to worke alone or with others the third by himselfe or by accident and agere is giuen to euery one of these Let vs then see where Gods action in sinne comes in and because it is most apparent in the third I answer God is the cause of sin by accident And this will appeare if we consider how many causes wrought by an internal principle these were foure the deuill and Adam principally the serpent and the woman instrumentally and all these were blameable causes The externall cause was the lawe and will of God which in mans transgression did all they did by an externall facultie for the lawe is made the sauour of death vnto death not by his own facultie but by the deuills and mans free will and this work of the law was most holy and iust And this is a working cause iustified by the true rule of reason and not a bare permission If a man take a knife and thrust it into his bowels it is the cause of murder and no permission if man therfore was thrust thorow and wounded to the death by the law of God it was no bare permission but a working cause yet in all things vnblameable And therefore to denie Gods will all causation is impossible If a man would faine kill himselfe and could finde no instrument to effect it withall he would be kept from the fact for want thereof so if the Law had not bin man could not haue died Therefore it is most true when our Diuines speake of permission that they doe not in the generall latitude of action exclude it
though by their fall they became miferable and so might haue receiued mercie yet because they sinned against the holy Ghost their sinne was vnpardonable and vncapable of mercie Leaue we the Angels and come to men where more especiall communication is to be obserued from the diuine wisedome of God First Men set forth goodnes 〈◊〉 and mercy God did communicate with them infinite goodnes but it must be receiued by a rule of iustice Doe this and thou shalt liue and also a commination of the losse of it But if thou doe not thou shalt die the death here no man communicated with God in obseruing of the Law and therefore could there not be found in man any rewarding iustice as was found in the good Angels so that man was now for euer put out of the possession of happinesse by the Law of God and if euer he receiue this happinesse againe it must be by mercie O therefore for the loue of God you Papists consider this one thing That man is not now to be saued as the Angels are in heauen and therefore denie all your workes if it were for no more then Adams sinne for now will he haue it vnder the condition of mercie Man then hauing put himselfe out of Gods fauour and not by a sinne against the holy ghost may be receiued vnto mercie So here is a fit subiect for God to shew his goodnesse iustice and mercie and where he had decreed the manifestation of his mercie it shall appeare when he hath sent his Sonne gathered his Church and ingrafted euery faithfull soule into the mysticall bodie of this Sauiour Againe where he hath decreed the manifestation of his iustice it shall appeare in all those that are passed ouer of Christ and haue not his blood sprinkled vpon them This shall make all spirituall Egypt euen at the midnight of their miserie to crie out most lamentably but Israel shall then receiue the best Iewels costly attire and euery pretious thing that heart can wish I should follow Arminius in the rest but because I heare some other are about it that are worthie men I breake off for I confesse that I was drawne vnto it by considering how many runne after Arminius If the learned of the Land shall approoue this which I haue done and no others shall haue taken it in hand I will be readie to stand at their command to proceede in the rest And I can not but breake out to blesse and praise God that hath lately raised vp such worthie Bishops the true Defenders of the Orthodoxall truth and resolute enemies to all that oppose it I am at their command to stay or goe forward and if I haue slipped in any thing for I confesse my ignorance may soone draw me into error and error may plunge me in heresie it selfe I am willing to heare any and yeild presently but I hope it is the truth and then it will stand We haue great cause to bewaile the miseries of these wretched times in which Atheisme clouds of heresie worldly policie fasly so called beeing indeede little better then plaine villenie and temporizing haue like a canker fretted out the very heart of pietie they are but a few which seeke to search out the certaintie in matters of Religion or which care to haue established hearts and know precisely which is the true God Baal or the Lord. We had rather halt betweene two opinions that so we may be for all times then vndergoe the labour of gayning aduised resolution Some slippe into Poperie beeing lead captiue God in iustice sending them strong delusions by those false brethren which are priuily crept into euery corner through the remissenes of these euill times Others runne headlong to prophannesse and that which is of all other the worst luke-warmenes This brings in want of loue to the truth and want of this heresie so that we may well say except the Lord of hosts had reserued vnto vs euen a small remnant culling out as it were one of a citie and two of a Tribe as the shepheard taketh out of the mouth of a lyon two legges or a peece of an eare according to the election of grace we should long ere this haue beene as Sodome and like vnto Gomorrha we had bin as it is said of a cursed tongue a very world of wickednes And surely except the good Gouernours and Shepheards of our Land be vigilant and carefull we shall not so much haue the sheepe in the mouth of the lyon as the Shepheards themselues and then woe be to the flocke It is reported that Beza conferring with Arminius and seeing in his young yeares such ripenesse of wit brake out into these words Goe thy way for I am fully perswaded that thou wilt either prooue an excellent instrument of Gods Church or a most pestilent heretike which prophesie we see now come to passe God deliuer our Shepheards out of his mouth and establish them in soundnesse of doctrine that so the silly sheepe may not be deuoured by their owne Pastors Propositions 1 Gods will his glorie 2 His glorie is his goodnesse 3 His goodnesse is all his attributes 4 His attributes are his vertues 5 His vertues are intellectuall and morall 6 His morall vertues are his iustice and mercie 7 All these he wills absolutely 8 That which he wills he can doe 9 That which he can doe and wills that he decrees 10 That which he decrees is done by counsell 11 That which is done by counsell is wisely done 12 That which is wisely done is for some good ende 13 That which is for some good ende hath all good meanes 14 Creation is a good meanes of Gods ende 15 The world is made for Gods ende 16 Men and Angels are made for this ende 17 Angels shew forth his goodnesse and iustice 18 Men shew forth goodnesse iustice and mercie 19 Christ is a meanes to declare Gods mercie 20 Men onely receiue mercie from Christ 21 All out of Christ are iustly condemned 22 A iust condemnation is for sinne 23 All this God hath done 24 That which he hath done he could doe 25 From both these he decreed 26 That which he decreed he purposed 27 That which he purposed respected his glorie 28 His glorie was agreeable to his wisdome 29 That which agreed with his wisdome was good 30 That which was good he absolutely willed therefore he absolutely willed all these things Obserue that the end confists not in vse but in his goodnesse and fitnesse for vse the ende of an house is not habitation for that is after the house is made now the ende is before the making of the house and therefore that a house should be good fit for habitation that is the ende though the house it selfe were neuer inhabited The world was made for man yea and that before man was existent yet that goodnesse and fitnesse which respected man was put into the creature and should be brought forth after the creation of man
the coâ—rt of conscience First is an euill conscience it selfe that may not indure the Law to rubbe on that sore as timorous patients had rather die and rotte away then that either bitter purgation should be inwardly taken or any corasiues applied outwardly or like bankerupts hate nothing worse then to looke vpon their bookes of accounts or like the Elephant least he should see his foule great bodie muds the water that he may drinke So these in like manner had rather rot away in their sinnes then that the purging physicke of the law should be administred or the corasiues of Gods curses should be laid vpon their sores the soule bankerupt of grace may not indure to heare of the accounts and reckonings that it must make with Gods law and the bodie of sinne is so foule that he would not looke vpon it and therefore by his pleasures and pastimes he laughs sinne out of countenance but woe be vnto him when he shall be pressed of God to confesse his sinne vpon the racke of his conscience 2. is continuall liuing in darâ—nesse The second reason is the loue of darknes and the hatred of the light A man that hath a long time bin shut vp in close prison and kept from the light of the sunne when he is drawne into the open aire his eyes are so dazeled with the bright beames thereof that he cannot looke about him but desires to be in his denne againe and with the owle had rather put his head into a hole then haue the sunne shine on it his time is with the Bat to flie abroad when the night is come therefore Gods law beeing as the shining of the sunne and his life lead in darknes he will not to the light least his workes should be reprooued Thirdly 3. Negligence men are either so lasie in themselues that they will not goe to the glasse of Gods law or els they can indure no smart because the law would haue them wash and be cleane like little children though they see their spots in a glasse yet they may not indure the cold water Fourthly 4. Lusts men are not ordered by Gods law because they will attend vpon their lusts Like schoole-boies that see their foule faces yet because they are giuen to play runne away from the water so many a man by the cares of the world as of pleasure profit honour or such like cannot stay to make any vse of the beholding of themselues in Gods law Iam. 1.24 For straight way he is gone and so forgetteth what manner of person he was Our Sauiour Christ when he inuited his guests to his marriage-feast found many idle excuses returned vnto him One hath bought a farme and he must goe see it others a yoke of oxen and they must goe trie them others haue married a wife and they desire likewise to be excused Euery one hath something to doe to keepe them from God and his law it were well if they knew how faithfull reckonings make long friends and therefore it were very good not to delay the time with God for he will not be mocked Christ hath stood a long time knocking he is standing if we put off to answer he may soone be gone away from vs. We vse Christ as he was vsed in his birth no roome for him in the Inne if he please he may haue the stable and the manger and good reason for great personages and vsuall guests haue taken vp the inner roomes so deale we with our Sauiour our soules are taken vp with great personages as lords and commanders whome we cannot but obey as lord couetousnes ambition pride selfe-loue pleasure and many vsuall guests with which we haue had great custome so that Christ beeing an vnknowne guest vnto vs it may be for meere pitie we will bestow vpon him our worst roomes if he please to goe into the stable and will not vexe vs in the inner roomes of our soules he shall haue a nights lodging and we will bestow vpon him some of our refuse such as our great lords care not to meddle withall This I tell you is a strong meanes to keepe vs from Christ and his law when like slaues we will be at the command of our base affectons Fiftly disordered callings take away the ordering of sinne as what law can order our commoÌ„ beggers stage-players fidlers and such like so many a wretched calling into which men thrust themselues takes away all ordering by Gods lawe and makes them runne head-long into all shame and confusion nay further many callings from God by the wickednesse of mans heart are become exceeding sinnefull when indeede Gods callings are all happie orders for our good As for example shop-keepers they cannot liue except they sell their wares vpon the Sabbath day how should Gods lawe order these persons in the sanctification of the Sabbath for it is in vaine for that person to wash which presently after hee hath washed his hands must foule them againe so Ale wiues how should they sanctifie themselues when they are readie to serue euery filthy puddle and durtie foule it is hard to ride with an other in fowle way and not be plashed by him for one to be at the mill and not to be dusted to touch pitch and not be defiled to carrie burning coales in his bosome and escape the burning Sixt is a misconceit of the word of God and his ministers 6. Want of loâ—e that they would make him worse then he is We see a man when the glasse doth discontent him throwes it away and will not beleeue that he is so deformed and therefore that glasse shall not teach him to apparell himselfe so men deale with Gods word and his ministers as Ahab dealt with the Prophet Shall I seeke vnto him he neuer prophecied any good vnto me wherefore hast thou found me O my enemie thou art the troubler of my state and therefore shalt haue no hearing Seuenth inquirie of their companions 7. Mis information of others whether the matter be so hainous as the word of God and his ministers would haue it What is good fellowship for halfe a douzen of ale so great a matter Is playing a game or two at the cards on the Sabbath day so great an offence as nothing will pay for it but damnation Alas he surely is too precise and denies all libertie truely truely as long as one slovin inquires of another there is like to be no handsomnesse so as long as one drunkard will be resolued by another one whoor-master by another one swearer by another one beastly companion by another the law of God shall appease no tuinults among them Eigth 8. Habit of finning the habite of vndecencie hence no care to looke into the glasse he applauds himselfe in that profession would haue the world so account of him he laughs at his own foule face and this vnhandsome apparell so the habite of sinne makes men laugh at reformation Ninth
of Samaria whose eyes were opened to let them then see how they were in the midds of their enimies that meant to doe a mischiefe vnto Gods messenger so the deuill hath lead these men blindfoulded into the midds of hell and there the Lord hath opened their eyes to let them see what they haue done against himselfe and all his Saints The summe then of the words is thus much A briefe recapitâ—â—ation these things that is these sinnes before mentioned done that is committed and I held my tongue that is was mercifull in sparing and thou thoughtest that is framed me and my silence to thy owne conceit and liking like thee that is of the same mind nay more then that one altogether like thee and that which is most shamefull should neuer alter my mind toward thee but I wil reproue thee that is most certainly I will plague thee and set them that is sinne shall be brought vnto his own place In order that is make the booke of conscience most euident that thou may read in it distinctly without all confusion and haue it so fixed before thine eyes that I will keep thee to thy reading though thou would faine turne thine eyes another way Before thee that is in the eyes of thy conscience which shall be so vnlocked that it shall be impossible for thee euer to get them shut againe And thus much of the words CHAP. III. Concerning the disposition and reasons NOw I come vnto the reasons contained in the words The logicall analysis and as I goe along with them I shall raise my doctrines and my vses which after resolution is our imitation of Gods worke And therefore I first enter the consideration of the disposition of the words secondly of the simple inuention the first shewes how reasons are ioyned together the second what they are asunder For the first the bond that tyes them is twofold generall or speciall the generall bond is in this word but all that goes before it is called the antecedent all that followes the consequent The nature of the bond is to set apart such things as doe not disagree in themselues but in respect of some third thing vnto which they cannot both bee giuen and this alone makes them disagree So in this place the antecedent which containes the mercie of God and the consequent which containes Gods iustice do agree in themselues for mercie and iustice kisse each other and therefore the hypocrite hath set them at variance that God must no longer bee mercifull but iust in punishing him Partiuâ—◠〈◊〉 partium discreâ—es Therefore in this bond are two things to be iudged first the truth of both parts secondly the distinction or disagreement Truth is required on both sides for falsifie the one side and the other will not stand good because both of them make but vp one ioynt truth from whence these obseruations are truely gathered Obser 1. First that that God is equally iust and mercifull hee that will haue his mercy must be sure that he falsifie not his iustice for a breach of the one makes a breach of them both Reason 1. Because they are equall in God for they are indeed his verie beeing Hence ariseth an impossibilitie in God to forgiue an offence against his iustice by his mercy vntill a satisfaction of his iustice be made for the Lord cannot denie himselfe indeed men may passe by offences committed against them without satisfaction because their iustice is not their being but a qualitie in it and therefore the iniurie is lesse but in nature we see that whatsoeuer makes against the beeing of it cannot be indured or any peace made with it and therfore sinne beeing against the very beeing of God God can make no peace with man vntill reconciliation bee made by Christ that hath giuen a ful satisfaction to Gods iustice for the sinnes of his children Reas 2. Is the manifestation of his glorie God will equally haue the glorie of them both wicked men should neuer glorifie God except it were for his iustice Indeede we graunt that in regard of man there is an inequalitie for God may be said to be more mercifull vnto them that are saued then iust to them that are condemned for of condemnation the iust cause is in man but of saluation it is wholly from grace yet in himselfe they are both equall and also by them he is equally glorified seeing that nothing in God can receiue augmentation or diminution Reas 3. Is to leaue man without all excuse for he shal haue no cause to complaine of his iustice aboue his mercy but shall confesse that the Lord is equall in all his doings Vse 1. For confutation of errour 1. If God be equal in iustice and mercie then no mercy to bee expected but that which will stand with the iustice of God therefore mercie in Christ must stand with the iustice of God and Christ must bring in mercy by perfect fulfilling of the law Christ is the cause of life and saluation In Adam dying to die was necessarie vpon the transgression els peraduenture we shall die had been true therefore die we must either in Christ or in our selues if in Christ then by his death we are freed from that sentence of the lawe In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death being dead in Christ we are iustified from the sentence of condemnation But yet there is an other more effentiall part of the lawe Passiue obedience might free from death but actine brings life and that is doe this and thou shalt liue and God may as well free vs from death without dying as bring vs to life without doing We grant then that the passiue obedience of Christ hath taken away death and this is legally done on Christs part but most mercifully in regard of vs if then no more but this righteousnesse were imputed it would prooue of workes in regard of Christ though of grace in regard of vs. So then this mercie of our deliuerance from death is equall with Gods iustice Here is dying in stead of dying and so that part of the law that is sinne and die is repaired and fully answered but as yet all righteousnesse is not fulfilled for I am sure that this is a righteousnesse of the lawe as well as the other doe this and thou shalt liue and if this bee not done then Christ hath not fulfilled the speciall part of the righteousnes of the law for vs To doe and liue was our debt vnto God and therefore Christ our suretie must fulfill it for vs. And this wil prooue a wonderfull mercy to miserable man that hath Christ to pay his debts and bestowe the whole purchase of life and saluation vpon him It is a false dreame to think that non peccator and iustus a iust man and no sinner are equipollent tearmes For non peccator is a contradiction to peccator but iustus is an opposite habite and in act an
can swallowe the ground for their fiercenesse and rage and beleeue not that it is the noyse of any trumpet that cals to iudgement therefore their sound is ha ha they smell the battel a farre off and they neuer regard the noyse of the Captaines of the Lord and the shouting of the mighty angels with their approach attending vpon God neither shall they stagger at the thunders and the appearance of flaming fire when the Lord shall come to render vengeance on euery one that knowes him not or hath not obeyed his holy Gospel These are like the giants of Gath they haue fingers and thumbes enough they wil not loose it for the catch but alas poore creatures I feare these Gyants of Gath will prooue poore Adonizabesech that wants both fingers and thumbes to feed withall and therefore shall they perish as he did for want of apprehending the foode of their soules Christ Iesus therefore let all our propositions be out of Gods word nothing from our selues Vse 3. for consolation First for wel-doing when our hearts will tell vs we haue bin affected as well with mercie as iudgement to serue the Lord and that all our care was the keeping of a good conscience Secondly in regard of trouble whether it come for weldoing as a triall or for euill as a correction and that is to drawe good out of all cleane contrarie to the wicked which conclude all in verie ill forme and contrarie to the mind of God for thereby shall wee come to that blessed comfort which is laid downe Rom. 8.28 all things worke together for the best of them that loue God which wee may prooue best by our conclusions Obser 2. Wicked men do more then they directly thinke and yet in truth they think as much as they doe It is the nature of a wicked man to make vnknown conclusions for surely a wicked hypocrit wil denie this conclusion Did I euer make God like my selfe I knowe his ordinances and am well seen in his statutes therefore such matters are farre remooued from my thoughts But the conclusion is made and pronounced by the spirit of truth and therefore is no lie they haue made it but the Lord must inferre it their liues and practise haue set to their seales it is as good in lawe before God as if they had thought it for the Lord knowes they were not asleepe when they hated to be reformed and cast his lawes behind their backes they did this willingly and yet as willingly would they seeme to haue on their backes Gods apparell they would cloth themselues with an outward profession they would haue his law at their fingers ends declare his ordinances and take his couenant into their mouthes The deuill will speake as well as they Acts 16.17 These are the seruants of the most high God which shewe vnto vs the way of saluation neither was this constrained for shee did it many dayes surely for this ende that Paul might take notice that by her confession she was as good a professor as the best that followed Paul yet his spirit was able to see the imposture and deceit of Sathan and therefore grieued for her hee turnes about and bids the vncleane spirit be gone So these persons they crie the temple of the Lord they haue a faire crie but alas it is that they might liue in the church as the deuill liued in the woman yet assure themselues that as the deuill by this confession made a conclusion directly against himselfe so these men by these faire words make an vnknown conclusion and for the same shall be cast out of Gods Church and packt to hell with all those vncleane spirits which for their aduantage can open their mouthes and speake like the blessed angels The Indians would none of the Popes Catechisme because they saw the Priests liues demonstrate nothing but cruelty The Indians could iudge the Spanyards and priests in their army by their liues when they were readie to hang them and put them to death then must the priest stand out to catechize them and shew them the way to heauen but these poore Indians were able to ioyne a better conclusion to all their premisses then going to heauen for hauing asked what master they themselues serued and whither they meant to go answer beeing made they meant all of them to go to heauen and there should be their resting place after this life presently they bid the priest spend no more words in vaine for such seruants could haue no good masters and if they meant to go to heauen then they would go to hell good iudgement from the practise of these Priests and Spanyards all their faire shew of godlines made conclusions against themselues to wit that it was impossible that a good God would euer acknowledge them or that any place of blisse should be their resting place and therefore best for them to goe the cleane contrarie way euen to hell it selfe then haue such companions to be with them in heauen Reas 1. Blindnes of minde Ignorance which sees no further then the present propositions Euery man will say that a drunkard whoremaster vncleane person shall neuer inherit the kingdome of heauen the word of God is plaine for it and they yeild to the truth Againe come to the assumption and tell them You are of the number of these persons you know it your selfe and all your neighbours can testifie with you this present truth he will yeild vp that too but the conclusion that followes most necessarily he will not see but defie all them that shall bring it and say he shall be damned Great blindnesse that will not graunt a consequent as necessarie as burning to the fire would not the world count him a very ignorant person that should say here is fire but I make question whether it can burne Well foole the best argument for thee is put thy singer into the fire and see if thou can feele it So these men will yeild vp all but that which is as necessarie as the rest shall not onely be called into question but denied with an execration of all that bring it Therefore no resolution vntill God come and say In to hell fire and then shall they feele the conclusion of their waies Reas 2. is the diuersitie of lusts that leads them about Multitudes of lusts which make distraction of the mind and alwaies vnto it selfe nothing must conclude that pleaseth not his lusts 2. Thess 3.7 Which women are euer learning and are neuer able to come to the knowledge of the truth the reason is in the verse before because they are simple women laden with sinnes and lead with diuers lusts Reas 3. is want of all good method in their liuing Disorder of life for he that keepes no order in his actions can neuer be able to bring any thing to good passe and it makes such a confusion in his head that he cannot tell what will be the issue of
not able to put life into that dead picture and therefore to goe before them was impossible it would not so much as follow them except they caried it and therefore beasts they were that saw how God went before them in a pillar of fire by night and in a cloud by day and when there enemies were behinde them made this pillar stand behinde them should now put their confidence in a dead picture The Papists say man is Gods image which may be painted therefore may there be an image of God Alas what Papist can paint the soule of man or the righteousnesse and holinesse that is in the foule Thomas Aquinas saies the starres might be worshipped but for feare of Idolatrie euen the selfe same as if I should say a man might cut an other mans throate but for feare of murther to cut the throate and murther are not farre asunder for the first is the cause and must needs bring in the other For heresie meere conceits This is my body Heresie therfore it is so in deed Christ is a rocke a stone a vine therfore he is so in deed nothing but a rocke a stone a vine surely stones and rockes will reason better then thus Christs man-hood is vnited to the deitie therefore it is euery where as though things vnited were confounded and the man-hood were equall with the deitie nay the very selfe same for to haue the same essentiall properties is to haue the same essence Christ must die therfore he is not Christ because be that dies endures not for euer as though the graue hauing shut in Christ three dayes should haue kept him for euer well he rose againe and hath openly manifested himselfe to liue for euer Diues calls in bel father Abraham haue mercie vpon me therefore to call to the Saints is no such intolerable thing a good argument that must needs be fetch out of hell to prooue so damnable an assertion Pope Alexander treading vpon the necke of Fredericke hath his conceit for it vpon the basiliske shalt thou goe the kissing of his feete because the sinner kissed the feet of Christ therefore his church because bone of his bone therefore the Pope because he is the church as beasts Psal 8. are subiect vnto man so all men vnto the Pope surely as beasts for he is the master beast of them all Reu. 13. Two swords in Christs family therefore two kingdomes on the Popes head Peter Act. 10. rise and kill therefore may the Pope excommunicate and kill Princes As good conceits as may be and at the best they are no better For profanation Profanation let vs sinne that grace may abound who will deale thus with a kind friend he is liberall vnto me therefore will I prouoke him to doe me good by my vnkindnesses the Physitian is skilfull and hath cured a deadly disease therefore I will drinke some more poyson that the physitian may not be idle the surgeon hath healed a dangerous wound therefore will I stabbe my selfe in the same place that I may trie him againe If I must be saued I must be saued if damned no remedie why then depriue I my soule of ioy in my pleasures If I should tell thee thou must liue and that is according to Gods appointed time why wilt thou eate or drinke this thou wilt say is a conceit therefore iudge so of the rest for the cause is alike Now I come vnto the reasons 1. Vâ—nity Reas Vanitie of minde Rom. 1.21 But became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darknesse Hence did arise those conceits following that the glorie of the incorruptible God was to be turned into the similitude of the image of a corruptible man and of birds and foure footed beasts and of creeping things this is Idolatrie They turned Gods truth into a lie there is heresie And for prophanation strange to consider what followed hereupon 2. Reason is the abuse of the obiect Selfe-conceit turning it vnto their owne conceit and not their conceit vnto it They would haue their knowledge like vnto Gods that first sees all things in himselfe and after all things in the creatures So would man doe he would first see all things in himselfe and then himselfe in all things when indeede by Gods creation man is made to looke vpon all Gods wisdome in the creatures and so by reflexion to see himselfe euen as a man sees a face in a glasse and by that knowes his owne and he that wil first know his owne face before he see it in Gods glasse will be sure his face shall be a good one and therefore will he neuer see any bad face in Gods law and so shall his iudgement be a conceit of himselfe 3. Reason the violence of passions which are in wicked men Violent 〈◊〉 as a melancholike humour in the bodie which makes men strangely conceited and so stiffe in their opinions that neither wise men by counsel or learned Physitians by purgations and cordialls are able to remooue it except they turne the conceit into an other by letting them plainly see that which fed their humour was so but now is otherwise Tralianus cured a woman that could not be perswaded but that shee had swallowed downe a serpent by causing her cast and priuily caused a serpent to be put into the bason and so shee was deliuered Philotomus cured a person that was conceited that his head was cut off by a tyrant by causing an yron ball to be put into his hat the waight whereof did so sore oppresse him that he cried out his head did ake the standers by tells him why then thou hast an head Some haue thought they haue beene dead men and therefore would not eate because dead men can not eate yet one faining himselfe to be dead and they putting meat into his mouth falls to eating and the conceited person seeing that he falls of eating too and so his life was preserued Others haue beene so resolute in their conceits that they haue died in them as Arthemidorus a Grammarian who vpon the sight of a crocodile was so sore amased that he forgat all his learning and became so madde that he thought his legges and armes were cut off neither would he euer be perswaded to the contrarie Euen thus falls it out with wicked men that either they see one conceit by another to prooue foolish or els they doe so strongly ground themselues in their conceits that they will neuer be drawne to any better perswasions As many an ignorant Papist his fathers were so and he hopes well of them and God forbid that they should be in hell therefore he liues as they did he hopes well Yet others after they haue seene as the Apostle saith no profit of those things whereof they are now ashamed become to change their minds and see all was but a conceit of pleasure Thus men become more wise after sinne committed then before because the passions
place First it brings sinne to Gods goodnesse then along to Gods law and thirdly to Gods plagues They that tame vnruely creatures first bring them to the thing and place where they haue done the iniurie then labours to let them see the fault by beating of them So the Lord first brings vs to our selues and his silence le ts vs see what we haue done against our selues and his silence and then doth he let vs feele the power of his wrath that hereafter he may be our feare either filiall or slauish for he will haue euerie knee to bowe vnto him either a knee of power or of reuerence of loue or constraint from heart or from bodie Vse 1. reprehension First confutation of all those that denie Gods prouidence because they see not present execution of iudgement for sinne and present reward for weldoing the Lords times are in his owne hands and he is verie wise in them all therefore it is my wisdome to rest content with patience and expect Gods leasure Secondly correction of the godly that are too importunate with the Lord to destroy the wicked Wilt thou not breake the heauens and come downe but hee that beleeues will not make hast Vse 2. instruction First admonition to the wicked that they agree with their aduersarie while he is in the way least he deliuer them to the iudge and they be cast into prison and there lie vntil they haue paid the vttermost farthing Secondly direction to the godly neuer to be at rest vntill they know themselues reconciled vnto God in Christ Iesus for that is Gods heartie loue no bare silence for one may hold his tongue and yet be extreamely angrie Vse 3. From Gods direct knowledge consolation First in weldoing surely if God can agree with a sinner for a time how shall hee reioyce to doe his child good that labours to serue him Secondly in miserie this may affoard comfort that God will not bee worse vnto me then he is vnto the wicked nay he will spare me as a father spareth his child that hee sees endeauour to do well CHAP. IIII. Of the simple inuention First of Gods knowledge NOW I come to the simple inuention and consider euery reason by himselfe the sentence hath two parts Gods truth Gods holinesse Gods truth in these words these things hast thou done wherein we haue knowledge without all error secondly integritie without all partialitie thirdly equity without all contradiction Obser 1. Gods knowledge is a most exact and particular knowledge of all things these things are knowne vnto the Lord to wit the verie consent vnto adultery and theeuery the very running of the heart though the world could neuer coÌ„demne them of any such crimes this knowledge therefore is most particular of sinnes persons things causes ends effects and all circumstances that accompany them Reas 1. Because all things are in God long before they exist in the world Hence is God called the most perfect idaea of all things a skilfull workeman hath the plot of his building in his head long before he begin his worke out of himselfe Psal 139.2 thou vnderstandest my thought afarre off and v. 16. thine eies did see me when I was without forme for in thy booke were all things written which in continuance were fashioned when there was none of them before 2. Reason As all things were in God From creation so all things were from God and that which was from him must needes be knowne of him Psal 94.9 He that planted the eare shall he not heare he that formed the eye shall he not see Psal 139.13 Thou hast couered me in my mothers wombe therefore thou hast possessed my reynes v. 15. My bones are not hid from thee though I was made in a secret place and fashioned beneath in the earth And it is a most cleare knowledge for Heb. 4.13 Neither is there any creature which is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open vnto his eyes with whome wee haue to doe The word in the originall is taken from a beast that hath the skinne fleaed off his necke so that all the nerues and arteries that runne that way may plainly be seene or els from a man cast on his backe with his face toward heauen which may be seene of all Neither is this a bare knowledge but with care and counsell Eph 1.11 Which worketh all things after the counsell of his will and most particular Matth. 10.39 A sparrow falls not to the ground without Gods will yea and all the haires of your head are numbred and most certen Numb 23.19 God is not as man that he should lie neither shall it be resisted Exod. 4.11 he will giue a mouth to man make the dumme speake it and the deafe heare it before it shall be silenced by man the very stones shall speake out of the wall and the timber before man shall burie Gods truth or obscure that which he would haue reuealed 3. Reason As all in God and from God From proâ—dence so for his prouidence and preseruation of them they liue mooue and haue their beeing continued from him Act. 17.25 And therfore seeing the Lord hath gone with vs all our daies he must needes be priuie to all our doings There is not a motion in the heart a stirring of the hand a turning vp of the eye or a foote of ground troden but the Lord knoweth it because he was in that motion Againe for our liuing whether generall or speciall the Lord taketh notice of it generall with what conscience good or euill with what faith or infidelitie whether we haue had our conuersation in heauen or vpon earth particular first to himselfe what pietie in his worship thankfulnes for his blessings praier in our needes prouidence in the vse of meanes and without meanes Secondly towards man first all in generall what charitie iustice peace loue in speciall towards superiours what reuerence equalls humilitie inferiours kindnes lastly to thy selfe what modestie temperance sobrietie 4. From the ende Reason God must dispose of all things for himselfe therfore must he know them Rom. 11.36 For in him and through him and for him are all things c. 5. From circumstances of time place and person Reason In that the Lord knoweth not all things as in himselfe from himselfe and working by himselfe and for himselfe but also in that he knoweth euery circumstance of time place person Of place Psal 139. first for the positions of it v. 3. Thou compassest my pathes and my lying downe and art accustomed to all my waies thou holdest me straight behind and before and laiest thy hand vpon me Againe for the place it selfe v. 7. Whether shall I goe from thy spirit or whether shall I flee from thy presence if I ascend into heauen thou art there if I lie down in hell thou art there let me take the wings of the morning and dwell in the vttermost parts of the
discretion and that is in beeing too prompt and readie in blazing abroad the faults of others especially the infirmities of their brethren We see the Lord is silent at the grosse sinnes of prophane hypocrites and therefore shall not we passe by the infirmities of those that ought to be deere vnto vs surely this wil bring vs to communicate with the hypocrite Psal 50.20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother and slanderest thy mothers sonne therefore my brethren iudge your selues least the Lord iudge you with the hypocrite for this offence 2. Vse instruction First an admonitian of the wicked to consider with themselues that God will not alwaies be abused he will not alwaies keepe silence for it is but the holding of the tongue so that he is neither dumbe nor deafe but refraineth his lips for a time that a word may be spoken in his place and it shall be a most fearfull one for it shall be in flaming fire rendering vengeance vpon them for the abuse of his mercie Secondly a direction to Gods children to magnifie his maiestie for giuing them so large a time of repentance also to be carefull of the day of our visitation Hebr. 3.13 Exhort one an other daily while it is called to day least any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnes of sinne 3. Vse consolation to all those that lie vnder the burthen of their sinnes for if the Lord spare them that neuer seeke vnto him much more will he spare vs that seeke vnto him earnestly Sect. 3. Of wicked thoughts Concerning wicked thoughts First the originall of them Kinds of thoughts Thoughts haue diuers considerations First they are giuen to God and that is a direct thought whereby God first thinkes himselfe and then in himselfe all things els Gods knowledge and thoughts are direct of himselfe and indirect of all things that are not himselfe the reason because God directly knows no lesse then himselfe and therefore can thinke no lesse then himselfe so that out of himselfe he knowes all things which no creature in heauen or earth is able to doe And this thought may be called a direct thought free from all errour and false hoode because it can no wayes be blinded by any externall or internall obiect seeing it is tyed to none The second thought is indirect when the thing must first be thought and then may it thinke it selfe for as in a glasse first I must see the image of my face and then from that my natural face so in thinking I must first see the image of the thing represented vnto my vnderstanding and then by knowing of it I know my selfe to know this is a reflexed thought agreeing both to angels and men and hence riseth the possibilitie of being deceiued because they may iudge of the obiect amisse and if they doe so then they iudge amisse of them-selues Hence the Angels and Adam ouerthrew themselues the angels by proud thoughts of their estate and in contempt and disdaine to be ministring spirits for the good of man Adam againe was deceiued in neglecting of his true conformitie with Gods lawe but thought it was to limite him from a great good in becomming like God A third thought is when a man will thinke all things out of himselfe and through his owne corruptions and therefore all the beames of Gods wisedome comming through so corrupt a medium must appeare according to his corruption euen as the sunne shining through a glasse windowe which is painted resembles the colour of the glasse And thus man that would needs become like God is in a paritie of contraries like God God thinks himselfe first and then all things out of himselfe so corrupt man will now needs thinke himselfe and so all things out of himself but here lies the difference that God being no thing bur goodnesse it selfe can thinke nothing but good thoughts but man beeing nothing but a lumpe and masse of sinne can think nothing but euil thoughts it is Gods happinesse to thinke himselfe but mans miserie as long as he flickes to his owne thoughts and therefore no maruell if the silence of the Lord take no better impression in his mind but become like his mind a wicked thought Yet obserue this by the way that as the beams of the sunne comming through the glasse are not changed by the glasse into another nature nor lighting on the dunghill polluted by the filthines thereof so the beames of Gods goodnes passing through the soule of a sinner though he abuse them yet still they retaine their goodnesse Hence we learne three kind of thoughts first a direct thought the secoÌ„d a reflexed thought the third a corrupt thought which is meant in this place the fountaine of corrupt thoughts is the heart Gen. 6.5 whose conception is in imaginations the verie forming and laying of an accursed birth shewing that the frame of the heart is full of corruption and secondly that his fruits are accursed as the conception is so is the birth for the thoughts comming froÌ„ the corrupt frame of the heart cannot be cleane but must needs rellish of their originall and therefore the holy Ghost hath stiled the verie imaginations of the heart to be euil onely and continuall Gen. 8.21 euen from his childhood as soone as we begin to vse reason wee frame euill in our hearts Hence the cause plainely riseth want of all good thoughts or want of all consideration with the concourse of all the contraries want of consideration made the couetous man euen in temporall things destitute of all the comfort of them Isa 44. the cause of all that strange Idolatry is v. 8. because they haue not known nor vnderstood and v. 19. none considereth in his heart neither is there knowledge nor vnderstanding to say how foolish haue I beene to burne halfe of my wood in the fire for to bake my bread and rost my flesh and yet of the residue to make an abhomination to bowe vnto it Ier. 8.4 5 6. There is more consideration in the verie bruit beasts then in Gods Israel and therefore the heart beeing so polluted and destitute of all good consideration how should it possibly prooue otherwise then that man should become full of all euill thoughts And thus much of the fountaine which will better be discouered in the other points For the second The wayes to discerne of mens thoughts there bee two wayes of knowing mens thoughts 1. immediate and direct and this is proper vnto God 1. Kin. 8.39 2. indirect and by meanes For as God onely first knowes himselfe and then all things by himselfe so euery creature euen angels themselues first knowe the thing and then themselues by the thing this makes their knowledge indirect And there be foure meanes to helpe in the knowledge of thoughts First the agreement of natures as spirit with spirit may haue secret familiariâ—y and a communication of thoughts Thus the deuill beeing a spirit can come more neere our soules
with my heart and for my spirit to search diligently will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and will he shewe no more fauour is his mercie cleane gone for euer doth his promise faile for euermore hath God forgotten to be mercifull hath he shut vp his tender mercie in displeasure what will this doe vnto my soule surely it will prooue my death Yet I remembred thy workes meditated in them deuised with my selfe what should be the ende of them and I found thy way in the Sanctuarie whither I must ascend by faith if I meane to declare thy power among the people to wit thy redemption The waters of the red sea seeing thy power were afraid the depths trembled thou rainedst vpon Egypt and madest thy thunders to be heard the lightning lightned the world the earth trembled and shooke thus thou didst lead thy people like sheepe by the hands of Moses and Aaron so that they wanted no comfort in the midst of many waters and all because God did dispose of all their troubles Surely that God orders all things is a most admirable comfort of the faithfull and a reson that I cannot leaue vnpressed Thy little finger shall not ake a haire of thy head shall not fall to the ground without Gods disposition Psal 121.4 behold a note of admiration both to good and bad of demonstration to all that expect the mercies of the Lord and of attention to those that are too negligent and what may they all behold euen this that the keeper of Israel will neither slumber nor sleepe A keeper what is that surely to be set in some office and therefore too base for the great God of heauen to become Israels seruant if Dauid had not styled him so in the next verse I should haue beene vnwilling to haue thought it but nowe I dare say it the Lord is thy keeper and therefore O Israel thou art but as a child vnder tuition as a sheepe vnder a pastor but happie that thou art put into the hands of no gouernour saue into his that gouernes the whole world not a sheepe left vpon the mountaines without a shepheard but euen vnto him that against the fond conceit of the Aramites is the God both of the mountaines and vallies the keeper of Israel First he had Iacob in his keeping the younger brother who when he feared the strength of his brother Esau became Israel one that preuailed with God and therefore sure to preuaile with man He had stood before the lyon of the tribe of Iudah and therefore needs not blush at the face of Esau Againe all the twelue Patriarks haue gone into Egypt and their whole progeny taking the name of their father and therefore were preserued in Egypt brought out with ioy lead through the red sea protected in the wildernesse and most safely conducted into the land of Canaan and since that all spirituall Israel hath bin lead by Christ Iesus out of spirituall Egypt through the red sea of his baptisme to passe through the wildernesse of this world vnto the celestiall Canaan where they shall appeare in Sion Now beloued what is this keeper vnto Israel not onely no sleeper but also free from all slumber he neuer layes his eyes together as though he were wearie with watching Psal 34.15 The eies of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open to their cries neither hath he any neede to close them vp for it is onely proper vnto the creatures that are wearied with labouring and watching but the Lord is no more wearie in his care for the whole world then he is for one of the heires of thy head See it in his Saints hee preserued Noe in the great deluge Abraham and Lot in all their dangers Iacob could not be hurt of Esau nor Ioseph in prison Moses cannot perish in the riuer nor Israel in the yron fornace and therefore the heathen by the light of nature could paint out prouidence in Argos with an hundred eyes so that if one were at rest yet another might be waking but the Lord is totus oculus nothing but eie and therefore all comfort to them for whom he watches for good and not for euill Vse 1. Reprehension first the confutation of the wicked that thinke by their disorder to confound the Lord indeede man is confounded in many law causes and knowes not to what heades to bring some crimes that so they may be iudged but the Lord wil not misse his scope for all their confusion Secondly a correction of the godly that depend no more vpon God is God thus excellent Oh then I will neuer be from his elbowe I will keepe me to my station that so when my God shall call I may be in readinesse Vse 2. Instruction first admonition to the wicked that for shame they set something in order and leaue not all in heapes seeing the God of heauē means to visit their houses Secondly let thē be admonished to deale better with their neighbours and bandle them more gently for that must come on their skore The other vse is a direction to the godly concerning the faithful cariage of themselues in this world Let them haue as little to doe with the wicked as they can for euery secret of them shall be brought to light How would a man tremble when he knows that any person is detected for villanies with whome he had to doe be none of their receiuers for they are theeues and they will indanger euery one of the law that hath any thing to doe with them Vse 3. Consolation vnspeakable that the Lord will haue the handling of all matters first in thy necessities hast thou any wrongs offered thee be of good comfort for the Iudge is for thee hast thou any trialls be exceeding ioyfull the matter shall be caried on thy side against the face of all thy aduersaries hast thou lost any thing by theeues and wicked oppressors of the world if they now be vnknowne vnto thee thou shalt haue them then detected if thou knowest them but can get no redresse here vpon earth rest quiet thine heart the matter shall be amended and for deferring of the payment thou shalt receiue the whole with all the forfeits Secondly in thy plenty reioyce in the Lord for he orders all things to increase thy store and to giue thee thy fill of ioy Sect. 2. Of the placing of sinne Set The second argument is the setting or placing of sinne Hos 2.10 from whence it is plaine that sinne hath wholly put man out of ioynt and alas when this setting shall come he shall be so forlorne that it shall be impossible to bring his ioynts into any good frame It shall then be past time for turning the wheele of the vnderstanding for disposing the will to runne in her created course to bring the affections to good order place euerie member of the bodie to become a weapon of righteousnesse to serue uhe Lord yet there shall be a
begin to swage hence the prouerb serò sapiunt Fryges they shut the stable dore when the steed is stoln And so many like Diues in hell would be wise when it is too late Thus when we are taken away we come to had I wist and doe penance in hell to no purpose 1. Vse reprehension First confutation of all wicked men that boast of their newe inuentions We haue many that crie with Pythagoras 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but alas what haue they found parturiant montes nascetur ridiculus mus they haue found out strange matters yet when all is brought to the birth it was but a mountaine conceiuing and the offspring was a poore mouse They were in the toppes of Kings houses in their vaine conceit but alas all is but the spiders webbe fitting for nothing but the besome to sweepe it to the dunghill 2. Vse is correction of the godly that are too credulous of wicked mens opinions Good Bereans will search whether the things be so or no and these shall be wiser then they of Thessalonica It behooueth a wise man in these cases to haue his eyes in his head 2. Vse instruction First admonition Thou saiest thou art rich and increased with goods and hast neede of nothing and knowest not how thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked Reu. 3.17 This is the conceit of all hypocrites therfore let them looke to Christs admonition v. 18. I counsell thee to buie of me gold tried by the fire that thou maiest be made rich and white rayment that thou mayest be cloathed and that thy filthy nakednesse doe not appeare and annoint thine eyes with eie salue that thou mayest see Surely if God loue thee hee will rebuke and chasten therefore in the second place let it be a direction to the godly that they be zealous and in their zeale ielous ouer their hearts with a holy inquisition how it stands betwixt God and their soules if they find Gods truth rooted in their hearts praise God for it but if they see the deceits of their hearts repent and amend least the Lord come against them and cut them in peices with the sword of his iudgements that would not suffer the word of God liuely and mightie in operation sharper then any two edged sword to enter through euen to the diuiding asunder of their soule and their spirit of their ioynts marrow and to discerne of the thoughts and intents of their hearts let this be powerfull and we shall neuer be conceited Vse 3. consolation First when we do not conceit too high of any grace or gift of God in vs but say from the very heart glorie be to God When Dauid can say I am not puft in minde I haue no proud looke then he found ioy at will Secondly in our affliction not to conceit with Cain my sinne is greater then can be forgiuen but as wee descend downe into our owne hearts and plead guilty so againe by the eye of faith to ascend vpward vnto God in Christ and then shall we say with Iob although he kill me yet will I trust in him and I know my redeemer liueth and shall stand the last vpon earth and that I shall see him with these eyes And thus much of the bond of inference the bond of copulation followeth These things hast thou done and I held my tongue Sinnes Sinne and Gods silence may for a time agree together and Gods silence are no kindly friends yet they are here yoked together and that by a bond that doth not onely conioyne but gather together and that not by connexion but cheeke by ioule not one drawing in another for neither can sinne by any good consequence drawe after it Gods silence neither Gods silence except abused any wayes allure vnto sinne both are absolute and therefore soone may they bee parted From hence might be obserued first that more may absolutely be affirmed of sin silence coupled together then can be vpon condition for God makes no condition with sinners for the time of his silence neither haue they any lease from God how long they shall sinne and he wil say nothing for God will haue his libertie Secondly wicked men shall haue nothing to excuse them from God Indeed their sinnes goe before Gods silence Gods silence comes after and they againe come after with more sinne for so are the words ioyned together 1. They doe 2. God is silent 3. They thinke it may be by their latter sinning they haue a perswasion of conditions of peace but alas they are deceiued for hereby riseth a threefold iudgement against them one for their first sinne a second for the abuse of his silence and a third for that they haue had no measure in their sinning and therefore shall God haue no measure in his punishing Obser But the obseruation proper to the place is this that mans sinnes and Gods silence may stand together for a time The disciples of our Sauiour Christ knewe not of what spirits they were when they asked Christ that hee would call for fire from heauen to destroy his enemies Indeed if any tender hearted man should sit but one howre in the throne of God almighty and look downe vpon the earth as God doth continually and see what abhominations are done in that houre he would vndoubtedly in the next set all the world on fire and not suffer his wrath to bee pacified or the fire to be quenched Reas From opposition 1. From the nature of opposition Two things that disagree may be coupled together by some third and in that third they may agree Heate and cold may stand together in water but because water hath cold naturally and heate accidentally the heate must out againe and the water remaine in his nature So our sinnes and Gods silence euen fire and water stand together in this world and sinne burnes very hote in this world insomuch that the whole world boyles with it and the Lord hath a long time beene silent with the world verie coole and patient with sinners but this burning must out of the world for the world in Gods creation did neuer acknowledge him as any home borne brood The deluge once cooled him sufficiently and againe another fire stronger then he shall get the conquest and then shal an ende be made of Gods silence and smoaking coales shall issue out of his mouth for euer to augment the fire of hell that it may neuer bee extinguished Reas 2. The order of lawes which is to promise threaten The order of lawe punish all the while the law is promising and threatening the Iudge sits still as one at rest but when that time is expired he ascends the throne of iudgement giues sentence deliuers to the executioners and straitly commands that such villaynes be dispatched out of the world Reas 3. From meth◠de Methode makes a good agreement betwixt things that dissent when it brings euerie thing to his proper