senses at the present and if it be liberally taken upon that invitation brings satiety and bitterness and pangs after it in the stomach for so honey doth Prov. 25.16 27. is any way comparable to this which as in the consequents it is most salubrious and profitable so at the very instant of the making use of it is most extremely delectable to any man that hath a palate qualified for such delicates 104. Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way Paraphrase 104. And the advantages it brings are not inferiour to the pleasure He that is not thus studied and instructed is apt to be seduced and insnared in many deceitfull and mischievous lusts but this instruction will keep men from that danger give them a timely knowledge and beget in them an hatred and abhorrence of all such fallacious flattering pleasures which mean us no kindness but treachery and the utmost malice NVN. 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths Paraphrase 105. Thy law is the onely guide and directour of all my actions 106. I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgments Paraphrase 106. And being instructed in that both what my duty is and what the means that may be safely relyed on for the performance of it thy grace to be obteined by constant prayer and vigilance diligence and indeavour to receive and make use of that grace and withall being by my admission into the number of thy people entred into a solemn sacramental covenant to perform obedience to those commands wherein God hath commanded us to walk and an obedience to which he hath in that covenant promised to justifie and accept us and without which either constantly performed or returned unto by a sincere repentance and persevering reformation he will neither justifie nor accept us I am now most indispensably ingaged and most nearly concerned to perform this obedience uprightly 107. I am afflicted very much quicken me O Lord according to thy word Paraphrase 107. Lord thou hast promised to relieve and support and refresh the afflicted be thou now pleased accordingly to reach out thy hand to me and seasonably to restore and revive me 108. Accept I beseech thee the freewill offerings of my mouth O Lord and teach me thy judgments Paraphrase 108. Lord I have nothing to present to thee but my prayers and praises those are my richest oblations which I most chearfully address to thee acknowledgments of thy former and petitions for thy continued deliverances Lord be thou graciously pleased to accept these and to add this constant mercy to all other thy grace to instruct and excite and assist me in a sincere obedience to thy commandments 109. My soul is continually in my hand yet do I not forget thy Law 110. The wicked have laid a snare for me yet I erred not from thy precepts Paraphrase 109 110. My malicious enemies have very treacherous designs against my life I am in continual danger of being seised on and destroyed by them yet shall not this fear amate or divert me from a most vigilant attendance on thee and constant performance of obedience to thee My dangers be they never so great shall not discourage or slacken my diligence in attending to and relying on thee from whom I am sure or from none my deliverance must come 111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway even to the end Paraphrase 111 112. Whatever afflictions or distresses thou sendest or permittest to fall on me I have all reason to take them in good part having also so rich a portion as I have that of thy law and covenant and promised mercies These are an inheritance that will never fail me the most joyous and blissfull that can be to which therefore by all obligations of justice and gratitude I am bound to perform my constant obedience And this I shall carefully doe and all little enough by way of return to so superlative a mercy SAMECH 113. I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love Paraphrase 113. Wicked men I detest and fly from and have no such pleasure and joy as the meditation and practice of all holy duties 114. Thou art my hiding place and my shield I hope in thy word Paraphrase 114. When any distress approaches to thee I betake my self for relief and succour thy promises are my safe and constant refuge on them I can chearfully depend and am confident to be defended by thee 115. Depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the commandments of my God Paraphrase 115. I have no need of the aids that wicked men can suggest unto me and as little am I concerned in their scoffs whereby they indeavour to weaken my confidence I will admit of no other policies but those of studying and practising his commandments who I am sure will continue stedfast to me if I do not forsake him 116. Uphold me according to thy word that I may live and let me not be ashamed of my hope Paraphrase 116. He hath promised me his support and will undoubtedly make it good unto me and in his time rescue me out of the saddest estate he will certainly answer and never disappoint this confidence O be thou now pleased to interpose thy hand effectually to defend and relieve me 117. Hold thou me up and I shall be safe and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually Paraphrase 117. Thus if thou doest I am then most certainly provided for What greater safety can I desire than the guard and tuition of the divine providence There shall I repose my self most chearfully and account it a continued felicity of my life that I am thus part of thy care considered and protected by thee 118. Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes for their deceit is falshood Paraphrase 118. Wicked men have no other wisedom or policy but that of their falshood and deceitfulness their lying and treacherous imposing on the simplicity and uprightness of honest men is the onely advantage they have above others and this being so contrary to all laws of God and man to justice and charity and common ingenuity but especially an affront to God a setting ones self in opposition to his rules and methods God is ingaged sooner or later to pluck off this visard to bring disappointments and ruine on those that make use of such impieties 119. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore I love thy testimonies Paraphrase 119. The wicked men of the world compared to the righteous are but as so much dross to good metal And the judgments of God which are as searching and discerning as fire will certainly make this separation first purge out the dross divide it from the purer metal and then
us for ever for it 28. My soul melteth away for heaviness strengthen thou me according to thy word Paraphrase 28. My sorrow and vehement contrition exprest by the tears of my very soul qualifies me for that comfort and raising up which thou hast promised to all truly humbled sinners 29. Remove from me the way of lying and grant me thy law graciously Paraphrase 29. And then I may be a meet suiter for thy grace to mortifie every wicked desire in me every false apostatizing or hypocritical affection and to inliven me to a pious vertuous life exactly regulated by thy will and word the richest donative that can be bestowed upon me 30. I have chosen the way of truth thy judgments have I laid before me Paraphrase 30. This of obedience and fidelity and sincere adherence to thee is to me far more eligible and desirable than the contrary v. 29. I have therefore proposed to my self thy Law as the rule of my life and stedfastly resolved to direct all my actions by it 31. I have stuck unto thy testimonies O Lord put me not to shame Paraphrase 31. And having done so if I adhere and constantly cleave unto them persevere as I have resolved I am sure I shall never be disappointed of my expectations I shall never miss of the comforts of this life or the joys of a better 32. I will run the way of thy commandments when thou shalt inlarge my heart Paraphrase 32. This is matter of infinite delight and pleasure to me and a special act of thy gracious dealing with us men to bind up our present joys in our practice of vertue to make us at once pious and happy This shall certainly ingage me to all the speed and diligence of a most alacrious obedience HE. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end Paraphrase 33. O blessed Lord God let thy holy spirit direct and guide me in performing an acceptable obedience to thee and I shall by all laws of justice and gratitude be ingaged to continue the course with all possible care and diligence 34. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart Paraphrase 34. Be thou pleased to illuminate my mind to remove from me that darkness of spirit that my corruptions and sins have brought upon me and give me that practical pliableness and docileness and humility that may be assistant to the work by the continuance of thy grace to work in me to doe as well as to will to perform a most carefull watchfull diligent and withall a most impartial uniform obedience to thee 35. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments for therein is my delight Paraphrase 35. Lord let me never fail of thy direction and guidance in all the obedience which by thy grace I shall indeavour to perform to thee There is nothing so pleasurable to me as to be thus exercised and imployed O do thou conduct and assist and direct me in it 36. Incline mine heart unto thy testimonies and not to covetousness Paraphrase 36. It is much more desirable to me to be imployed in thy laws than in any matter of the greatest secular advantage O let thy grace so prevent and bend my heart that this pleasure may still possess me and never give place to any secular pursuance or carnality 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken thou me in thy way Paraphrase 37. Lord grant me a strict guard over mine eyes those inlets of many sins withdraw me from all delight or complacency in wealth or worldly grandeur on which the lust of the eye is wont to be placed in frail false deceitfull beauty which is apt to accend foul flames within the breast in any other vain transporting object and on the contrary inliven and inflame in me all pious and vertuous designs and pursuits 38. Stablish thy word unto thy servant who is devoted to thy fear Paraphrase 38. There are in thy word the revelation of thy will to us the greatest arguments imaginable to ingage us to fear and reverence of and uniform obedience to thee promises of the divinest and terrors of the most formidable sort To this are the oracles of God all designed to bring us to the practice of true piety O grant me that grace that I may never permit these to depart out of my mind but make use of them constantly to this end to which thou hast designed them persevere firmly in thy obedience 39. Turn away my reproach which I fear for thy judgments are good Paraphrase 39. O what a shame and reproach would it be to me who acknowledge thy yoke to be so easie and pleasurable the obedience to thy commands so sweet and desirable ever to fall off from it into any unprofitable work of darkness This the sight of my own frailty bids me to fear beyond all things and to be for ever jealous of my self in this behalf O let thy word and thy grace give me that stability v. 38. and constancy that I never thus shamefully miscarry 40. Behold I have longed after thy precepts quicken me in thy righteousness Paraphrase 40. All that I can say of my self is that I have an ardent desire to obey thee O let thy grace which in mercy thou wilt not fail to give to all such that in humility address to thee excite and inliven me from time to time in all works of obedience to thee that so I may daily improve in all righteousness VAV. 41. Let thy mercies come unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word Paraphrase 41. Lord be thou graciously pleased to compassionate me to espouse my cause to rescue me out of mine enemies hands according to the promise thou hast made unto me 42. So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me for I trust in thy word Paraphrase 42. And then I shall be able to make a solid reply to all my despitefull enemies which are ready to insult over me in any distress and upbraid my trust and reliance on thee 43. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth for I have hoped in thy judgments Paraphrase 43. It is thy promise of eternal immutable truth that thou wilt never forsake them that trust in thee and adhere to thee O let me never be forsaken by thee in any such eminent degree that I may doubt of applying this promise to my self and assuming on the strength thereof this assurance that thou wilt infallibly rescue me 44. So shall I keep thy Law continually for ever and ever Paraphrase 44. This shall ingage and oblige the constancy of my obedience to thee from this time to the end of my life 45. And I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts Paraphrase 45. And being delivered by thee I will most chearfully and alacriously set to the ways
of all piety there being no course wherein I shall more delightfully exercise my self 46. I will speak of thy testimonies also before Kings and will not be ashamed Paraphrase 46. Yea I will proclaim and boast of the excellency of thy Law and the advantages of ordering our lives by it and recommend it with confidence to the greatest Princes in the world as that which will inhaunse their crowns and make them much more glorious and comfortable to them if they will resolve to guide their lives after this model 47. And I will delight my self in thy commandments which I have loved Paraphrase 47. And for my self as in my love and value of thy precepts I prefer them before all other jewels in the world so will I entertain and recreate and gratifie my self by this exercise the meditation and practice of these rather than by any other way of divertisement which the world doth most esteem of 48. My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments which I have loved and I will meditate in thy statutes Paraphrase 48. And this pleasure shall not be an aerial idle speculative pleasure but such as shall set me vigorously about the practice of all holy obedience to thee and therein will I constantly and diligently exercise my self and thereby express the reality of my love to them ZAIN 49. Remember the word unto thy servant on which thou hast caused me to hope 50. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickned me Paraphrase 49 50. O Lord thou hast made me many most gracious promises and thereby given me grounds of the most unmoved hope and comfort And these are able to support and inliven me in the midst of the greatest pressures 51. The proud have had me greatly in derision yet have I not declined from thy law 52. I remembred thy judgments of old O Lord and have comforted my self Paraphrase 51 52. Atheistical wicked men when they see me in distress make a mock at my relyance and trust in God and think it ridiculous to talk of relief from heaven when earthly strength faileth But all their scoffs and bitterest sarcasms shall not discourage me or tempt me to forsake my hold I have many notable illustrious examples of thy power and goodness of the seasonable interpositions of thy reliefs to thy servants in their greatest distresses and these being laid to heart have infinitely more force to confirm my faith than all their Atheistical scoffs to shake it 53. Horror hath taken hold on me because of the wicked that forsake thy law Paraphrase 53. Nay these their heathenish discourses have been so far from working thus on me that they are matter of great disquiet and commotion and trembling to me to think of the direfull condition which they are in that have utterly forsaken God and all thought of obedience that have quite devested themselves as of all hope so of all dread of him 54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage Paraphrase 54. For my part what ever can befall me in this frail transitory life I can take joy in the commands and promises of God and make them true real solaces to me in whatsoever distress as knowing that I suffer nothing but what God sees to be best for me and that if I faithfully wait on him he will in his time give me a seasonable deliverance 55. I have remembred thy name O Lord in the night and have kept thy law 56. This I had because I kept thy precepts Paraphrase 55 56. With these thoughts of God I have in the solitude and darkness of the night intertained and supported my self and thereby taken up a courage and constancy of resolution never to relinquish this hold for any other Thus hath God abundantly rewarded my diligence in his service by a pleasure resulting from it v. 54. by a stedfast unmovable hope and comfort in him v. 50. and by a durable constant resolution of a persevering obedience never to depart from him CHETH 57. Thou art my portion O Lord I have said that I would keep thy word Paraphrase 57. Blessed Lord of all the possessions and comforts of the world thou onely art worth the having thy promises are precious promises thy commands most excellent divine commands I have by thy grace deliberately made my choice preferred these before all the glories of this world and resolved that thy word shall be my treasure which I will most diligently preserve 58. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart be mercifull to me according to thy word Paraphrase 58. To this thy grace is most necessary for without it I can do nothing for this therefore I make my most humble sincere passionate address to thee O be thou graciously pleased to grant my request to vouchsafe me this mercy which thou hast promised never to deny to those that ask and importunately seek and beg it of thee 59. I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Paraphrase 59. But neither have I contented my self with my bare prayers for strength and grace I have set to my part in a diligent examination of my past sins and a carefull watch over my future actions and so have forsaken my old ways and diligently pursued that course which thou hast prescribed me 60. I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments Paraphrase 60. And to this end I did immediately set out I made no one minutes stay in so necessary a pursuit as knowing that the longer I should dally the more unlikely I should be ever to perform so great a journey 61. The bands of the wicked have robbed me but I have not forgotten thy law Paraphrase 61. In my course I have oft met with disturbances the assaults and injuries of wicked men but these how sharp soever they were have been but exercises of my patience have not provoked me to doe any thing but what best becometh thy servant 62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments Paraphrase 62. This and the many other benefits and advantages of thy Law and my obedience to it are such as I am bound to acknowledge all the days of my life and even to interrupt my lawfull sleep and repose to find frequent vacancies for so necessary a duty of lauding and magnifying thy mercy 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts Paraphrase 63. And for my days exercise I endeavour to associate my self with all those that serve and obey thee conscientiously by that society to excite one another and to attain to some proficiency in so good a work 64. The earth O Lord is full of thy mercy teach me thy statutes Paraphrase 64. O Lord thy goodness and mercy and grace is abundantly poured out upon the men in the world O let me enjoy a special degree of it for the sanctifying my soul
may do so here of this there is no doubt but it belongs to charity or duty toward men in its latitude of which alms giving is one most special part and except our righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven the text on which that heavenly Gospel-Sermon was preach'd upon the Mount If we have any design toward Evangelical perfection toward the Christian pitch the abundance of goodness and mercifulness as that is improved by Christianity then this third years tithing will prove but a beggarly thin proportion that that a Jew if he were a religious one would have been ashamed of But be our aims never so moderate if a door-keepers place will serve our turn to be one of the Nethinim of the meanest rank in the kingdom of heaven yet still we must exceed that proportion of the Jews righteousness their third years tithe that they were bound to or else we are strangely mistaken in Christianity I am unwilling to descend to the arraigning or indicting or so much as examining any man here for the omissions of his former life in this kind my humble lowliest request is that you will do it your selves and if either through ignorance you have not reckoned of it as a duty or through desire to thrive in the world you have omitted to practise it heretofore you will now at last at this instance take it into your consideration and remember that there is such a thing as charity a pale wan despised creature commended to Christians by Christ not to suffer it any longer to go for one of those Magicians Serpents which faith like Moses's rod is appointed to devour if it do know this that that rod is the verier serpent of the two and for the quickning that resolution in you I shall proceed unto the third particular the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to consider it as a duty and so to make an end of my first general In this slothful but confident age of the world 't were admirably worth ones pains to instruct men what duty is now under the Gospel what the very word signifies in a Christian Nomenclature There are so many descants of fantastical brains on that plain song of the Apostles We are not under the law but under grace that 't is scarce agreed on among Christians what 't is to be a Christian nothing more unresolved than what 't is that 's now required under the second Covenant as necessary to salvation One thinks that the believing all fundamentals is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only qualification for a Christian and what hath duty to do with that Another makes the Gospel consist all of promises of what shall be wrought in us and on us by Christ and so gives an absolute supersedeas for duty a◠a legal out-dated thing that is utterly antiquated by grace Another contents himself with purposes and resolutions thin airy inclinations to duty and is utterly indifferent for any performance doubts not but to pass for a Christian as regenerate as S. Paul when he wrote c. 7. to the Romans though he never do the good that he resolves live and die carnal and captived and sold under sin A fourth dissolves all to a new-found faith A full perswasion an absolute assurance that he is one of Gods elect is abundantly sufficient to estate himself in that number a piece of magick or conjuring that will help any man to heaven that will but phansie it enrol their names in the book of life in those sacred eternal diptycks by dreaming only that they are there already Others there are that seem kinder unto duty are content to allow Christ some return of performances for all his sufferings yet you see in the Gospel 't is in one but the patience of hearing him preach A Lord thou hast taught in our streets we have heard so many Sermons passes for a sufficient pretension to heaven in another the communicating at his table We have eat and drank in thy presence a sufficient viaticum for that long journey a charm or amulet against fear or danger in a third the diligence of a bended knee or solemn look of formal-outside-worship must be taken in commutation for all other duty and all this while religion is brought up in the Gentlemans trade good clothes and idleness or of the Lillies of the field vestiri non laborare to be clothed and not labour Duty is too mechanical a thing the shop or the plough the work of faith or labour of love are things too vile too sordid for them to stoop to heaven will be had without such sollicitors Shall I instance in one particular more That Satan may be sure that duty shall never rescue any prey out of his hands one thing you may observe that most men never come to treat with it to look after to consider any such thing till indeed the time comes that no man worketh till the tokens be out upon them till the cry comes that the bridegroom is ready to enter that judgment is at the door and then there is such running about for oil as it 't were for extreme Vnction and that a Sacrament to confer all grace ex opere operato on him that hath scarce life enough to discern that he received it the soul sleeps in it's tenement as long as its lease lasteth and when 't is expired then it rouseth and makes as if 't would get to work the Christian thinks not of action of duty of good works of any thing whilst life and health lasteth but then the summons of death wake him and the prayers which he can repeat while his cloaths are putting off shall charm him like opium for a quiet sleep Thus doth a death-bed repentance a death-bed charity a parting with sins and wealth when we can hold them no longer look as big in the Calenders of Saints stand as solemnly and demurely in our diptycks as judgment and mercy and faith that have born the heat and burthen of the day Our hearts are hardned while it is to day against all the invasion of Law or Gospel judgments or mercies threats or promises all Christs methods and stratagems of grace and just at the close of the evening the shutting in of night we give out that the thunderbolt hath converted us the feaver came with its fiery chariot and hurried us up to heaven Surdus mutus testamentum facit quite against Justinians rule he that hath sent out most of his senses before him and retains but the last glimmering of life is allowed to make his Will and reverse all former acts by that one final Satan hath all the man hath to give under hand and seal all his life time the spring especially and verdure of his age the children pass through the fire to Moloch and just as he is a dropping out of the world he makes signs of cancelling that will and by a
Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prayer the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayer the Latine deprecationem and so the Arabick and the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cry and so the not despising or abhorring or casting ouâ— will best agree with it and the subsequents also when I cryed unto him he heard And so the word will well enough bear from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speak as that is here applyed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the poor of whom the wise man saith the poor man speaketh supplications V. 2â— Keep alive Where the Hebrew reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he hath not quickened his soul the LXXII and Syriack Latine Arabick Aethiopick render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and my soul lives to him for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soul reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my soul for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him and then joyning the masculine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the foeminine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the Chaldee rendring it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the soul of the wicked he shall not enliven do evidence our vulgar reading of the Hebrew to be that which they then used and so the LXXII to have mis-read it The literal meaning of it is somewhat difficult Castelliâ—'s conjecture is not unfit to be taken notice of who joyns it with that which follows thus and he that hath not quickened his soul i. e. who is dead his seed shall serve him Eorum progonies quorum vita non perdurat cum colont the pâ—â—gony of them whose life continues not shall serve or worship And thus may the ellipsis be well enough supplied and with as little violence as any other way Yet because both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are in the singular not plural number and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seed without any affix of any number must agree with those it will be more reasonable to change his plural eorum and quorum into ejus and cujus and then reteining that his way of interpretation the rendring will be literally this and for him who doth not enliven his soul i. e. who dies his seed or posterity shall serve him i. e. God This may have a commodious meaning in respect of David himself that when he is dead and so can praise God no longer himself for these his mercies yet his posterity shall praise God for them and by that ingagement be moved to undertake and adhere to his service But in respect of Christ the completion is more signal that though he dye yet he should have a numerous posterity and those begotten as it were by his blood-shedding as Isa 53.10 when he hath made his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed and this seed of his shall serve him viz. the multitude of Christians that adore the crucified Saviour of whom it very agreeably follows that they shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation being the men that make up the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the future age as Christianity is called of which Christ is stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the father in the LXXII their rendring of Isa 9.6 If this be not the meaning of the place then taking the words by themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and enlivens not his own soul must probably be thus supplied as our English hath it and none can keep or more literally to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath kept alive his own soul i. e. in relation to David 't is God that hath delivered and preserved him and none else could have done it being destitute of all worldly aides and the same by way of pious aphorisme is appliable to all others all deliverance from the least to the greatest streight or danger is totally to be imputed to God But most eminently and signally to Christ who being dead in the flesh was quickened by the spirit being put to that shameful death of Crucifixion in his humane nature was raised again by the power of his divine nature and in that was founded the propagation of the Christian Religion as the interpretation of that which follows His seed shall serve him and be numbred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or accounted to God for a generation V. 31. That he hath done this Where the Hebrew hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that or because he hath done it the Chaldee renders paraphrastically and in sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the miracles which he hath wrought The LXXII applying it to the people that should be born reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Lord hath made and so the Latine and Aethiopick and the Syriack also save that they read it in the future That which is most exact and according to the letter will be to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he hath wrought it by it meaning the righteousness praecedent so Castâ—llio renders it ut exponant quâ— sit usus justitiâ— that they may shew what righteousness he hath wrâ—ghâ— by righteousness meaning either fidelity and perâ—ce of promise or more fitly in the sacred notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 benâ—gnâ—y or beneficence The Twenty Third PSALM A Psalm of David Paraphrase The Twenty Third Psalm was composed by David and is a most passionate expression of Gods abundant care and providence toward all those that faithfully depend on him And hath its most eminent completion in Christ the great shepheard and Bishop of our souls of whom that this Psalm is a Prophecy see Maximus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 3. c. β. and l. 2.55 c. 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want Paraphrase 1. The Lord my God is to me and all that diligently wait on him as a Pastor is to his flock of sheep though it be in a wilderness he is able to provide for me I shall not be left destitute 2. He maketh me to ly down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters Paraphrase 2. He provideth abundantly both for my food and refreshment 3. He restoreth my soul he leadeth â—he in the paths of righteousness for his names sake Paraphrase 3. He revives and refreshes and comforts me by his spirit affords me a full and plenteous baite and thereby enables me for the hardship of a journey as he did Elias 1 King 19.8 and then leads me forth in the even paths of pious duties gently and carefully as I am able to goe by this means directing me to that true felicity even of this life the exercising my self and guiding my steps by his excellent laws and rules of living and this out of his free mercy to me the greatest and most valuable that any mortal is capable of 4. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shaddow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Paraphrase 4. And though this course should engage me
and therefore as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word of the same origination signifies both a cake and a jeer so those that gibe for a cake may here be thought fit proverbially to express those that scoffe and jeer and reproach causlessly in the former verse and accordingly they are here styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very word from which our English knave seems to be deduced It signifies simulatores men that act parts and personate and particularly delators whisperers backbiters and with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subsannationum from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 irrisit added to it it signifies that sort of delators that do it by way of jeer or derision As for the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which begins the verse it is best rendred cum with as that signifies like them or after the manner of them Impurorum helluonum ritu saith Castellio after the manner of such Another possible notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the learned Mr. Pocock hath suggested to me from the Arabick use of the word for perverse or crooked as if it were mockers of perversness i. e. perverse mockers V. 20. Speak peace In this verse the LXXII have much departed from the Hebrew as now we have it For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they speak not peace they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they speak indeed peaceable words to me evidently reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to me for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not which both the Chaldee and Syriack retein though the Latine and Arabick following the LXXII leave it out Then for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and against the quiet of the land from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quievit which the Chaldee accordingly renders against the righteous of the earth being quiet in the age they read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in anger not imsreading it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 anger as some think but taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that notion of anger or commotion as sometimes it is acknowledged to signifie The Latine follow them herein but then add terrae of the earth which makes it probable that so the LXXII also read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that Scribes deceived by the affinity of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the last syllable of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chanced to omit it however the Arabick and Aethiopick herein follow them though the Latine do not V. 25. So would we have it the phrase of saying to their souls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a token of joy or satisfaction is very ordinary The LXXII have literally rendered it by saying to their soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well well the Chaldee paraphrastically our soul is glad the Syriack our soul is at rest agreeable to that of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soul take thy rest Luk. 12.19 The cleer meaning of it is their applauding themselves in their doings and the prosperousness thereof rejoycing and triumphing therein The Thirty Sixth PSALM TO the chief Musitian A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord. Paraphrase The Thirty sixth Psalm was composed by David in reflection on himself and his own sincerity and dependance on God in the time of his distress when Saul persecuted him saith the Syriack and the Arabick and it was committed by him to the Praefect of his Musick 1. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes Paraphrase 1. The actions of wicked men are such so absolutely contrary to Gods laws and threats and promises to all that we know of God that a man that considers them cannot choose but resolve that either they do not believe at all that there is a God or that they do not really and in earnest fear or care for him 2. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes untill his abominable sin be found out Paraphrase 2. For committing these sins that God sees and hates and abhors and is even ready to punish they think they can put so fair a gloss upon them that God shall not find any fault with them They pretend forsooth that they have done nothing amiss varnishing over the fouler parts of them with some specious colour of pious intentions c. And so impudent they are that they do this flatter God and pretend to Religion even then when their sin is ready to be found out and punished by him 3. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit he hath left off to be wise and to do good Paraphrase 3. All their speeches are designed to mischief and cheat others and advance and benefit themselves and for justice or charity they give over all care or study of them being so far from the practice of them that they do not so much as desire to understand what belongs to them 4. He deviseth mischief upon his bed be setteth himself in a way that is not good he abhorreth not evill Paraphrase 4. They plot and study and meditate wayes of wronging other there is nothing so ill that they will not adventure on if it be for their turn they overcome those aversions that even corrupt nature hath to some greater more enormous sins it will go down with them if it seem contributive to their interests 5. Thy mercy O Lord is in the heavens and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds Paraphrase 5. But from all their machinations I have my sure and safe resort to thy goodness and thy fidelity O Lord each of which are infinite and unmeasurable and shall never fall them that are qualified to receive benefit from them 6. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains thy judgments are a great deep O Lord thou preservest man and beast Paraphrase 6. What thou hast once promised shall most certainly be performed thy faithfulness is unmoveable What thou pleasest to have done shall certainly come to pass though by means unfathomable and unsearchable such as no man can give account of Thy over-ruling and wisely disposing providence it is by which all creatures have their being and preservation 7. How excellent is thy loving kindness O God therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings Paraphrase 7. Thy mercy and favour O Lord is of all things in the world most highly valuable and therefore for them that have their hold in it that have not forfeited their tenure in thy favour and fatherly providence they may be most confident that no evil shall befall them 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures Paraphrase 8. All the good things of this life shall be in the greatest abundance of satisfaction reacht out unto them their life shall be filled with pleasures continually flowing in to them in all their performances 'T is out of an unexhausted magazin that they are provided for out of a most fluent stream of
many shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord. Paraphrase 3. Thus hath he given me abundant matter of praise and thanksgiving unto his blessed name who hath thus magnified his mercy to me And this dealing of his with me may well allure all men to the consideration of it and thereby to the performing of all faithful obedience and placing their full trust and adherence on him 4. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust and respecteth not the proud nor such as turn aside to lies Paraphrase 4. There being no such happy man as he that relyes not on any wit or aid or strength of man but reposeth his full trust in God and on that security never applyes himself to the practises of atheistical insolent deceitful men in hope to gain any thing by such arts as these 5. Many O Lord my God are the wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to us-ward they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee If I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbred Paraphrase 5. O thou God of power and fatherly goodness toward me thou hast abounded to me in thy rich mercies thy works and thy counsels of grace to us are wonderful and inexpressible I would fain make some acknowledgment thereof to thee but they surpass my arithmetick to recite much more to make a just valuation of them 6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine eare hast thou opened Burnt-offering and sacrifice thou hast not required Paraphrase 6. Above all is that admirable work of thy mercy in giving the Messias In stead of the legal sacrifices of all sorts which were but shadows of this great evangelical mercy thou hast decreed that thine eternal Son shall assume our humane nature and therein abundantly fulfil all that which the sacrifices and oblations did faintly prefigure and thereby take away sin which the legal observances were not able to do 7. Then said I Lo I come in the volume of the Book it is written of me Paraphrase 7.8 At this coming of the Messias therefore the ordinances of Mosaical sacrifices shall be abolished and the eternal Son of God shall agree and contract with his Father to perform that perfect obedience to his laws and to offer up himself such a divine and spotless sacrifice for the sins of the whole world as shall most effectually tend to the working an expiation for sin and bringing men to the performance of holy sincere obedience to God thus visibly exemplified to them by Christ and consequently to salvation And upon this intuition he shall most gladly and with all delight and joy set about the whole will and counsel of God and go through the office assigned him very chearfully and heartily Another sense of the words as understood of David himself see in note d. 8. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy law is within my heart 9. I have preach't righteousness in the great congregation loe I have not refrained my lips O Lord thou knowest Paraphrase 9. I will proclaim this and all other thy works of evangelical infinite mercy before all that acknowledge and profess thy service my tongue shall never be confined or silent in this matter any more than as thou knowest hitherto it hath been 10. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy righteousness and thy truth from the great congregation Paraphrase 10. This goodness of thine this performance of all thy rich promises this work of redemption and spiritual deliverance is too great to be meditated on in silence 't is fit to be proclaimed aloud to be promulgated to all men in the world 11. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me O Lord let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me Paraphrase Be thou therefore pleased not to be confined or restrained in thy bowels toward me at this time but shew forth thy compassions to me Thou art good and gratious and faithfully performest all that thou ever promisest O let thy promised mercy be continually made good to me for my deliverance from all dangers 12. For innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me that I am not able to look up they are more than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me Paraphrase 12. And this most seasonably at this time now that I am surrounded with so many dangers now that the punishments which my sins have most justly deserved my multiplyed crying innumerable sins have so violently seized upon me cast me into a black and comfortless condition 13. Be pleased O Lord to deliver me O God make hast to help me Paraphrase 13. O blessed Lord let it be thy good pleasure to afford me speedy deliverance out of it 14. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil Paraphrase 14. Let not them prosper and succeed in their attempts that design to take away my life or do me any other mischief but do thou please to discomfit and disappoint them all And this I am confident thou wilt do 15. Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me Aha Aha Paraphrase 15. And reward their abominable actions with confusion and desolation that triumph over me in my distress and scoffe at my placing my affiance and trust in God 16. Let all those that seek thee rejoyce and be glad in thee Let such as love thy salvation say continually The Lord be magnified Paraphrase 16. By this means shall all pious men that place their trust in thee and depend onely on thy aids and rescue be incouraged for ever in their hopes and adherence on thee and praise and magnifie thy mercies and applaud thee for them 17. But I am poor and needy yet the Lord thinketh upon me Thou art my help and my deliverer make no tarrying O my God Paraphrase 17. How low soever my condition is my comfort is that God hath a fatherly care of me On thee O Lord is all my trust whether for deliverance or relief O defer not the interposition of thy hand but hasten speedily to my succour Annotations on Psal XL. V. 2. Horrible pit From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 personnit is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here a noise or loud sounding and being applied to a pit is a resounding pit or a pit of sounding it signifies the depth and watryness of it from the conjunction of which proceeds a profound noise or sound when a stone or any such thing is thrown into it Thus the Chaldee understand it rendring it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make a tumultuous noise The LXXII read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
righteous judgment in God and a testimony that all that should pass should be from Gods particular disposing And so it was in the story before the fatal siege of Hierusalem all the Christians in obedience to Christs admonition Mat. 24.16 fled out of Judea unto Pella and so none of them were found in Judea at the taking of it See note on Mat. 24. g. 7. Hear O my people and I will speak O Israel and I will testifie against thee I am God even thy God Paraphrase 7. Then shall he establish a new law with these his faithful servants the disciples of Christ the members of the Christian Church entring into a stedfast covenant of mercy with them ratified and sealed in the death of his Son 8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-offerings to have been continually before me Paraphrase 8. And abolish the old Mosaical way of Sacrifices and holocausts of bullocks c. constantly offered up unto God by the Jews 9. I will take no bullock out of thy house nor he-goats out of thy fold Paraphrase 9. And never any more put the worshipper to that chargeable gross sort of service of burning of flesh upon Gods Altar that the smoak might go up to heaven and Atone God for them as was formerly required whilst the Jewish Temple stood 10. For every beast of the forrest is mine and the cattel upon a thousand hills 11. I know all the fouls of the mountains and the c wild beasts of the field are mine 12. If I were hungry I would not tell thee for the world is mine and the fulness thereof 13. Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats Paraphrase 10 11 12 13. For indeed this kind of service was never appointed by God as that which he had any need of or pleasure in it If he had he might have provided himself whole hecatombs without putting the Israelites to the charge or trouble of it having himself the plenary dominion of all the cattel on the earth and fouls of the air and the certain knowledge where every one of them resides so that he could readily command any or all of them whensoever he pleased But it is infinitely below God to want or make use of any such sort of oblations sure he feeds not on flesh and blood of cattel as we men do There were other designs of his appointing the Israelites to use these services viz. to adumbrate the death of his own eternal Son as the one true means of redemption and propitiation for sin and the more spiritual sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving and almes to the poor members of Christ which may receive real benefit by our Charities which cannot be imagined of God 14. Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High Paraphrase 14. And such are the sacrifices which under the Messias are expected and required of us 1. That of the Eucharist the blessing God for all his mercies but especially the gift of his Son to dye for us and this brought to God with penitent contrite mortified hearts firm resolution of sincere new obedience and constantly attended with an offertory or liberal contribution for the use of the poor proportionable to the voluntary oblations among the Jews and these really dedicated to God and accepted by him Phil. 4.18 Heb. 13 16. 15. And call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Paraphrase 15. 2. That of prayer and humble address unto God in all time of our wants to which there is assurance of a gracious return and that must ingage us to give the praise and glory of all to the Messias in whose name our prayers are addrest to God 16. But unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth 17. Seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee Paraphrase 16 17. But as for those that make no other use of these mercies of God than to incourage themselves to go on in their courses of sin which think to perform these sacrifices of prayer and praise and yet still continue in any wilful known vice unreformed make their formal approaches unto God but never heed his severe commands of reformation these have no right to the mercies of this Evangelical Covenant and do but deceive themselves and abuse others when they talk of it and the more so the more solemnly they pretend to piety and talk of and perhaps preach it to others 18. When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him and hast been partaker with adulterers Paraphrase 18. Such are not only the thief and adulterer those that are guilty of the gross acts of those sins but such as any way partake with them in these 19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil and thy tongue frameth deceit Paraphrase 19. Such the evil speaker and lyer 20. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son Paraphrase 20. The backbiter and slanderer 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Paraphrase 21. When men commit such sins as these God doth not always inflict punishment on them immediately but defers and gives them space to repent and amend that they may thus prevent and escape his punishment And some make so ill use of this indulgence and patience of his which is designed only to their repentance as to interpret it an approbation of their course and an incouragement to proceed securely in it But those that thus deceive themselves and abuse Gods mercies shall most deerly pay for it God shall bring his judgments upon them here cut them off in their sins and pour out his indignation on them in another world 22. Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Paraphrase 22. This therefore is matter of sad admonition to every impenitent sinner that goes on fearless in any course of evil immediately to stop in his march to return betimes lest if he defer Gods judgments fall heavily upon him selfe him and carry him to that place of torment for then there is no possible escaping 23. Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Paraphrase 23. Whereas on the other side the Christian duties required v. 14. Repentance and charity c. and the orderly spending of these few days of our life in this world are beyond all the sacrifices of the Law an eminent means of glorifying God and providing for the present bliss and eternal salvation of our souls Annotations on Psalm L. V. 3. Shall come The notion of Gods coming must here first be established as that
to mortifie corruptions The Philosopher was said to overrule his nativity and stars and sure Davids divine Philosophy had thus inable him if he had not sinned against grace and strength And so to him that was thus inabled the consideration of his natural corruption could be no competent matter of extenuation The more turbulent his passions were the stronger his inclinations to sin the more he was obliged to devotion and watchfulness the one constantly and frequently to pray for grace which he stood so much in need of and the other to imploy his utmost industry not to betray but make the best use of those aids to secure him from so visible and imminent a ruine And to this sense some of the antients understand the next verse Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and as the LXXII read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom Though by nature I am corrupt and unclean yet thou by thy special grace and revelation and communication of the secrets of thy wisdom thy Christ unto me hast elevated me above that low pitch of my natural corruption And thus 't is not extraordinary in Scripture for two things to be mentioned one after the other when the latter only is principally intended and to the purpose and the former only as it is preparative and introductory to the latter And if this be the meaning of the place then the account is clear that the former verse taken alone as it cannot be an extenuation so neither need it be lookt on as an ingredient in the aggravation of Davids present actual guilts but only as an introduction to the latter verse Gods divine revelations to him which were very proper to aggravate his sins as being committed against special grace and illumination and so neither of weakness nor ignorance But then Secondly though his natural inclination to sin were no ground for the aggravation of his actual sins yet being not as hath been shewed useful for the extenuation of them it may fitly come in to bear its part in a penitential Psalm eo ipso as it is a sin though but of our nature For he that is truly sensible and humbled for his grosser actual enormities will and ought to confess to God his lesser and inferior guilts even his sins of ignorance and infirmity and by no means to omit his natural corruptions and all the branches thereof First the darkness of his understanding Secondly the unruliness of his affections and Thirdly the crookedness of his will the bending down of that toward the carnal part and great proneness to gratifie it Which last as it differs very much from the complacency of the senses in their proper objects or the inclinableness of the flesh to that which is prohibited which were in our first parents in Paradise the beauty and sweetness of the apple were then grateful to two of their senses and fit to be desired by them and therefore no sins so is it a degree of aversion from God and so contrary to that degree of love with all the heart which is commanded us by the Law and consequently an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or breach of Gods Law and a sin And being so and withall so connatural to the will since the fall that it is not perfectly rooted out of us in this life it may sure be very fit to be put into the Catalogue and fill up the number and increase the weight of those sins for which men are to humble themselves before God at all times but especially upon conviction of any one or more gross actual sins For then the more truly sensible we are the more wounding will every the least obliquity or but inclination of the will to evil appear to us the least weight adding to his pressure that is so much overladen already And so this is a second use of this reflexion on his natural corrupt state in the work of his repentance But S. Chrysostome hath another notion of this passage that it was used by David to introduce his prayer for that pardon which is promised sinners by Christ For this he makes the meaning of the next verse that God had revealed Christ unto him enabled him to praedict his birth passion resurrection and ascension and therefore as these were means of cure for the corruption of our nature and of obtaining pardon for the infirmities thereof so the Psalmist prays to God who desireth and loveth truth that knowing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the weakness of our nature he will communicate his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 medicines of pardon to them that beg them of him by prayer and again that he that had been taught this mystery of our redemption before-hand by the holy Spirit prayed that he might obtain his part in that grace which he praedicted to others and therefore cried out v. 8. Thou shalt purge me with hyssope And in this understanding of it as a part of a plea for pardon in Christ it will be perfectly fit also for a penitential Psalm though it tended not in the least to his humiliation Deprecation of punishment being as proper a part of such an office as aggravation of sin can be supposed to be But the former seems to me the more probable design of the Psalmist in this passage and that in either part is matter of aggravation of sin and to that I have confined the Paraphrase though the other being honoured with so great an Author was not wholly to be forgotten or omitted V. 6. Truth From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to cover is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kidneys or reins because they are covered over with fat So once more 't is used in Scripture Job 38.36 where as here our English renders it inward parts somewhat too generally The Chaldee expressing it more particularly by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the reins and these in the Scripture stile being frequently taken for the seat of the affections the purity whereof is most contrary to the natural corruption or inbred pollution in the preceding verse As for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truth that ordinarily signifies sincerity uprightness and integrity and so truth in the reins is aequivalent to an hearty sincere obedience not only of the actions but of the very thoughts and affections to God and so in things of this nature wherein this Psalm is principally concerned denotes the purity of the heart the not admitting any unclean desire or thought the very first degree of indulgence to any lust And this God is said to will or desire or delight in so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluit frequently signifies and so to command and require of us Then though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be in the future tense yet in reason that is to be rendred in the past or the present thou makest or hast made me know wisdom secretly by wisdom meaning the knowledge of his duty and by
successively before the Sun i. e. live and prosper and the names of evil men die and perish The LXXII literally enough render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall continue before the Sun and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is before the Sun But the Jewish Arab in agreement with his notion of v. 5. till the heavens vanish V. 17. Men shall be blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall be blessed in him is no more than men shall bless themselves in him i. e. when they will bless any man they shall use this forme let him be blessed as Solomon was Thus we see the phrase explained Gen. 48.20 In thee shall Israel bless saying God make thee as Ephraim where to bless in any man or any name is to pray that he may be as that man wise as Solomon a peaceable and happy ruler as Solomon c. see more of this phrase note on Gal. 3. c. The interpreters generally joyn it with the nominative case that follows all nations shall be blessed in him and so it may well be but it may also be set absolutely they shall be blest i. e. men shall bless themselves in or by him and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all nations shall bless him or proclaim him blessed The Chaldee renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all nations shall be blessed in his righteousness or purity merito saith the Latine interpreter of the Targum which though it have a primary sense in application to Solomon thus All nations shall bless themselves in this or the like form God make thee as pious just blameless excellent a person as Solomon was yet it must be allowed a much more eminent notion in reference to Christ that all Christians shall desire to imitate his divine patterns and bless and pray for one another in that form God indow thee with some degree of those virtues which were eminently observable in Christ THE THIRD BOOK OF PSALMS The Seventy Third Psalm A Psalm of Asaph Paraphrase The Seventy third Psalm the first of the Third Book of this Collection seems to have been composed by Asaph either the Recorder the chief of the Levites that ministred before the Ark of the Lord who is frequently mentioned in the story of David see 1 Chron. 16.5 or else some other of that name of latter times It contains a discourse of Gods providence and the wise purposes thereof in permitting wicked men to prosper though but for a time It is much of the same subject with Psalm 49. and seems to have been composed by him for the use or as in the person of David see v. 24. 1. Truly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart Paraphrase 1. It is a most certain infallible truth that God is abundantly gracious and kind and not faithful and just only to every true hearted sincere upright servant of his 2. But as for me my feet were almost gone my steps had well-nigh slipt Paraphrase 2. Yet was I under no small temptation to doubt of the truth of this and so to deny that which is so main an article of the belief of all that acknowledge a providence 3. For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked Paraphrase 3. For I had a zealous displeasure or indignation against ungodly wicked men to see them go on still in their sins so foolishly and irrationally and being thus affected I was surprised with a sudden incitation to think that they were likely to prosper and enjoy a secular felicity and all good successes in their impieties and this was a matter of temptation to me 4. For there are no band◠in their death but their strength is firm Paraphrase 4. For when I considered them me thought they were strong and vital likely to live and prosper a long time 5. They are not in trouble like other men neither are they plagued like other men Paraphrase 5. Whereas many other men meet with diseases and maladies of all sorts and the generality of mankind with misadventures and afflictions and sundry sore scourges and chistisements these seemed to 〈◊〉 an immunity from all 6. Therefore pride compasseth them as a chain violence covereth them as a garment Paraphrase 6. And being thus heightned and puft up they set themselves out most magnificently and make use of all the unlawfullest means oppression and rapine to maintain it 7. Their eyes stand out with fatness they have more than heart could wish Paraphrase 7. They thrive and increase in wealth and grandeur exceedingly and unexpectedly advance to a greater height than either themselves could at first project or any man else divine or imagine possible 8. e They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression they speak loftily Paraphrase 8. And being thus elevated they deride all others say any thing that may tend to the mischieving others and out of the pride and haughtiness of their hearts profess to commit all injustice to oppress and scorn to be restrained by any laws divine or humane 9. They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue talketh through the earth Paraphrase 9. They profestly blaspheme the God of heaven despise his threats oppose and resist all his commands and take liberty to say what they please of any the most innocent or holiest man upon earth 10. Therefore his people return hither and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them Paraphrase 10. And this tempts pious men when they see them thus riot it in violence and blasphemy and contempt of all sanctity to pour out abundance of tears in the contemplation 11. And they say How doth God know is there knowledge in the most high Paraphrase 11. And thus to dispute and argue within themselves Doth God indeed see and discern and take notice of all this If he doth how comes it about that he permits them 12. Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches Paraphrase 12. 'T is most visible that they which are thus wicked injoy the greatest tranquility and prosperity in this life have all the wealth and greatness of the world heaped upon them 13. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency Paraphrase 13. And there◠as they are moved to argue what reward is there for perfect purity of hearts and hands of thoughts and actions for all the strictest exercises of all virtues if the quite contrary to all this be thus prospered by God 14. For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning Paraphrase 14. And they that have faithfully endeavoured to make good their innocence in both are yet exercised with continual afflictions 15. If I say I will speak thus behold I should offend against the generation of thy children Paraphrase 15. Such thoughts as these are apt to suggest themselves on
or distress or suffering shall be for the remainder of time perpetual I call to mind thy former benefits to us and my hope is strengthened and despair ceaseth making this sadder part an introduction to the more chearful And so the Jewish Arab And when I say this is my dejection prostration and the space or duration of the plague or punishment of the most High I remember c. The Seventy Eighth PSALM MAschil of Asaph Paraphrase The seventy eighth Psalm is a reflexion on Gods various dealing his mixtures of mercies and punishments on the people of Israel from the time of their being in Egypt to Davids exaltation to the Kingdom It seems to have been composed by Asaph and set to the tune called Maschil See note on Psal 32. a. 1. Give ear O my people to my law incline your ears to the words of my mouth 2. I will open my mouth in a parable I will utter dark sayings of old Paraphrase 1 2. Let all the people of God give diligent attention to what I shall now deliver as to that which is designed for their special instruction and gathered out of the records of Gods providence toward his own people the Jews see note on Psal 49.6 that all that profess Godliness may be admonished thereby 3. Which we have heard and known and our Fathers have told us 4. We will not hide them from their children shewing to the generations to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he hath done Paraphrase 3 4. And the truth of the things being so undoubtedly certain as well as of weighty consideration either particularly known to us that now live or thought fit to be by tradition conveighed down to us by our ancestors I have all reason to communicate and propagate them to others to whom also our Fathers designed them as well as to us of this age that they might joyn with us in blessing and praising and magnifying the glorious attributes of God and the powerful and gracious acts that he hath wrought for us 5. For he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children Paraphrase 5. For thus indeed did God himself appoint when he first revealed his will and laws unto the Jews by Moses laying it as an obligation on the parents to be strictly careful to â—nstruct their children to all posterity in the knowledge of them see Deut. 4.9 and 6.7 6. That the generation to come might know them even the children that should be born who should arise and declare them to their children Paraphrase 6. That not themselves only but even all their posterity those that were not then born should first learn them themselves and then diffuse and instil them into all others 7. That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments Paraphrase 7. And that in order to the preserving and cherishing all parts of piety in them a chearful relyance and dependance on him that had thus demonstrated his readiness to succour them thanksgiving and praising of him for his works of power and mercy and a careful performance of all holy uniform obedience to his commands as to him that had wrought redemption for them and so purchased them to be his servants 8. And might not be as their fathers a stubborn and rebellious generation a generation that set not their heart aright and whose spirit was not stedfast with God Paraphrase 8. And to restrain them from transcribing their fathers copies who when they were thus strangely obliged by God were yet guilty of most vile provoking obstinacies unbeliefs and rebellions murmurings and downright Apostasies from his law by Idolatry c. would either never set themselves heartily to the ways of God or if they did presently relapst into foul transgressions 9. The children of Ephraim being armed and carrying bows turned back in the day of battel Paraphrase 9. Delaying in their performances with God as they did sometimes in their warlike engagements when they were just ready to fight and wanted nothing toward the doing it successfully they fainted in the very point of the assault and fled out of the field Thus the Ephramites appear to have done and consequently were defeated and assaulted by the Philistims 1 Chron. 7.21 And just thus did many other of these when any service was really to be performed to God any danger to be combated with and virtue of patience or faith or courage to be exercised then were they sure to falter and fall off shamefully 10. They kept not the Covenant of God and refused to walk in his law 11. And forgat his works and wonders which he had shewed them Paraphrase 10 11. And seldom or never made they good any constancy of obedience to him were still apt to murmur and distrust his promised assistance though ascertained to their faith by never so many wonderful experiments of his power and providence toward them would not go on in the way that God directed them but through fear and distrust fell into mutinies and quarrels with Moses and refused to be ruled or conducted by him 12. Marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt in the field of Zoan Paraphrase 12. And this was a most hainous aggravated infidelity much heightned by the many works of wonder that God had afforded their fathers so lately in bringing them out of Egypt by a mighty hand and fearful prodigious judgments upon Pharaoh and his people 13. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through and he made the waters to stand as an heap Paraphrase 13. The conclusion of which was that he made the very sea recede and depart before them and stand still like a wall Exod. 14.22 or like a heap Exod. 15.8 see note on Psal 33. b. to secure them from all danger of approach and so carried them through the chanel as on dry ground and conducted them safe out of Egypt 14. In the day time also he led them with a cloud and all the night with a light of fire Paraphrase 14. To this end he set a lightsome cloud over their heads at once to overshadow and inviron them see note on 1 Cor. 10. a. and this cloud so disposed that in the night-time it afforded light to the Israelites though not to the Egyptians that followed them but made a clear separation between them Exod. 14.20 and in the day-time when they needed not its light it was yet visible over them and about them by this means miraculously directing and conducting them in their journeys 15. He clave the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of the great depths Paraphrase 15. And in their journeying in the wilderness when they wanted water he commanded Moses to strike a rock with his rod and by so doing there came
God the Idolatrous Philistims take possession of that Ark wherein God was wont most powerfully and gloriously to exhibite himself to his people 62. He gave his people also unto the sword and was wroth with his inheritance Paraphrase 62. In that rout thirty thousand of the people were slaughtered an evidence of his great wrath against them 63. The fire consumed their young men and their maidens were not given in marriage Paraphrase 63. And among them the choicest floure of their youth by whom their families were to have been supported and the people multiplied 64. Their priests fell by the sword and their widows made no lamentation Paraphrase 64. And withal Hophni and Phinehas were slain 1 Sam. 4.11 and the wife of Phinehas fell in travel for grief and did not long survive him v. 20. 65. Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine Paraphrase 65. This sad calamity was as an evident token that God had been sore displeased and withdrawn his protections from his people that he did no more espouse their cause or go out with their armies or conduct and assist them than a General doth when he is asleep or the most puissant Warrier when his senses are fast bound with wine Yet at length as he that was asleep awakes and he that was overcome with wine returns to his senses again so did God again return in mercy to his people and in the exercise of his soveraign power which he was now pleased to shew forth for them against their enemies 66. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts he put them to a perpetual reproach Paraphrase 66. Pursuing the Philistims with his plagues who had taken the Ark not only destroying of Dagon but farther smiting them with Emrods a reproachful disease and that which assured them that Gods wrath was against them whosoever detained the Ark 1 Sam. 5.7 8.9 and the memorials of this plague the five golden Emrods and five golden mice continued as testimonies of this c. 6.4 and .11 and a stone was set up for the remembrance of it c. 6.18 to the great reproach of the Philistims and the magnifying of Gods power 67. Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim 68. But chose the tribe of Judah the mount Sion which he loved Paraphrase 67 68. And the Ark being thus returned to Kiriath-jearim 1 Sam. 7.1 and there continued all the time of Samuel and Saul David fetcht it from thence 2 Sam. 6.2 and leaving it a while at the house of Obed-Edom at length by the appointment of God he brought it up to Jerusalem the Metropolis of Judaea and there placed it in Mount Sion the place which God preferred both before Shiloh a city in the tribe of Ephraim one of Josephs sons where before it was and before all other places 69. And he built his Sanctuary like high palaces like the earth which he established for ever Paraphrase 69. And there a structure was built on the top of the hill where the Ark was put as in a most conspicuous place and though it were built so high yet was it so firmly pitcht that it should not fear that the most violent storms should be able to beat it down An eminent type of the Church of Christ conspicuous and durable by force of that promise that the gates of Hades should not prevail against it 70. He chose David also his servant and took him from the sheepfolds 71. From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance Paraphrase 70 71. And as Sion in the Metropolis of Judah was the chosen place for his Ark so was David also of that tribe taken from the mean trade of a shepherd to be the King of all the tribes of Israel and Judah 72. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands Paraphrase 72. And this faithful servant of his governed his people with great uprightness and skill being a very just and wise manager of all affairs that were intrusted to him Annotations on Psal LXXVIII V. 8. Stubborn and rebellious The difference and distinct importance of thete two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be here observed the former fitly rendred by the LXXII 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crooked or perverse those that the New Testament dialect styles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disobedient those against whom Gods oath was that they should not enter into his rest Heb. 3.19 the murmuring Israelites who were all excluded Canaan Then for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the actual Apostate the LXXII render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 provoking from whence the Apostle hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 3.16 Some when they had heard provoked i. e. apostatized in heart and desired to cast off all obedience to Gods Law referred to v. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in apostatizing from the living God to their Aegyptian Idols Thus is Apostasie stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the gall of bitterness Act. 8.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a root of bitterness Heb. 12.15 And accordingly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so frequently discours'd of by the Talmudists are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostates In the end of this verse where the Hebrew hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we with the Chaldee and LXXII render whose spirit was not stedfast with God the Syriack read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and confided not in the God of its spirit rendring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a masculine verb and thus indeed the sense will very well bear and the change of genders is not unusual and God is frequently known by that title the God of the spirits of all flesh see Num. 16.22 V. 9. Carrying bows Of the Ephraimites 't is here said that being armed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shooting with bows from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to cast or dart or shoot they turned back in the day of battel Of their being archers we have an intimation Gen. 49.24 where in Jacobs blessing of Joseph the father of Ephraim it is said his bow abode in strength c. But of their cowardly flight the Scholion of Kimchi may deserve to be considered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this was done saith he in the wilderness in the desert it was that they were put to flight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and although the story be not mentioned in the law or books of Moses yet it is written in the books of the Chronicles viz. 1 Chron. 7.21 where on occasion of Zabad the Ephraimite and Shutelah and Ezer and Elead it is added whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew because c. and Ephraim their father mourned many days and his brethren came to comfort him The manner of this relation
certainly fulfil it he can no more fail in that than he can renounce his holiness which is of all others his most divine attribute always most illustriously visible in all his proceedings and so shall continue to the end of the world And this discernible in nothing more than in his making good his promises to the Christian Church The Ninety Fourth PSALM The ninety fourth Psalm is an earnest prayer to God and a confident assurance of him that he will dissipate the attempts of wicked men and uphold the righteous 'T is thought to have been composed in Babylon for redemption from thence 1. O Lord God to whom vengeance belongeth O God to whom vengeance belongeth shew thy self Paraphrase 1. Thou Lord of heaven and earth to thee only pertains that great judicial office of distributing punishments and rewards in the world we that are injured and opprest as we are not able so neither is it our duty to avenge our selves this is the divine prerogative annext to thy soveraignty Be thou now pleased to interpose on our side and testifie to all that at length thou takest the matter into thine own hands 2. Lift up thy self thou judge of the earth render a reward to the proud Paraphrase 2. Thou art the one supreme Governour of the world against whose Edicts it is that these proud oppressors exalt themselves It is just with thee to depress those that exalt themselves to punish the injurious O be thou now pleased to execute thy justice upon them 3. Lord how long shall the wicked how long shall the wicked triumph 4. How long shall they utter and speak hard things and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves Paraphrase 3 4. Wicked men if they be long permitted to thrive and prosper in their course are apt to talk Atheistically to perswade themselves and others that they have mastered heaven that there is no power superior to theirs that they can carry all before them Blessed Lord permit them not to go on in this proud errour subdue at length and humble and let them no longer continue under so dangerous a temptation to impiety and profaneness as their prosperities have proved unto them 5. They break in pieces thy people O Lord and afflict thine heritage 6. They slay the widow and the stranger and murther the fatherless 7. Yet they say The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it Paraphrase 5 6 7. When they oppress and grind the faces of the people and servants of God riot and glut themselves with the blood of those whom by all obligations of charity they ought to relieve and support tyrannizing over all that are weaker than they they flatter themselves that God either doth not see or will not call them to any account for all this 8. Understand O ye bruitish among the people and ye fools when will ye be wise Paraphrase 8. This is a strange brutish irrational mad folly for any that hath the understanding of a man to be guilty of 9. He that planted the ear shall he not hear he that formed the eye shall he not see 10. He that chastiseth the heathen shall not he correct he that teacheth man knowledge shall not he know Paraphrase 9 10. Certainly the Creator of eyes and ears he by whose only power it is that any creature is indued with those faculties cannot be imagined to want himself or not to possess in a more eminent manner what he out of his own fulness hath derived in some lower degree to others 'T were hard to think that the sole omnipotent Creator should want any power or excellence which he alone hath imparted to his creatures And so there can be no question of his most exact seeing and knowing all which is here done by wicked men And as strange it were that having taken such care as God hath done to reveal his will to give laws to the sons of Adam and Noah and after by Moses to the Jews and at last to send his own Son and Spirit and by those divine means to disperse his commands of transcendent purity and charity to all the men in the world he should not after all demand exact obedience to these commands and chastise and punish all disobedience 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vanity Paraphrase 11. Let those that thâ—s flatter themselves and blaspheme God and think that they shall carry it away unpunished know this that even these very thoughts of theirs so false so foolish and Atheistical are perfectly discerned by God the searcher of all hearts and shall one day be severely punisht by him 12. Blessed is he whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest him out of thy law Paraphrase 12. The prosperity of impious men is so far from being a felicity to them that injoy it as these men deem that the direct contrary to it viz. to be punisht and rebuked by God for all that we do amiss and by that means to be reduced to the sense and practice of our duty is indeed the greatest favour and mercy of God and so the most valuable felicity and evidence of Gods tender care of us whereas they that are left in their sins unpunished permitted to go on securely in their course have reason to look on it as an act of the severest vengeance from God a leaving them and delivering them up unto themselves 13. That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity untill the pit be digged for the wicked Paraphrase 13. And withal makes us capable of Gods farther mercies in removing afflictions and persecutions when they have obtained their desired end upon us rectified and reformed what was amiss for then without question God will at once restore rest and tranquility to the opprest pious man and destroy and consume the ungodly oppressor cast the rod into the fire when his children have been sufficiently corrected by it 14. For the Lord will not cast off his people neither will he forsake his inheritance Paraphrase 14. For though God may and sometime will fatherly correct and chastise his children and permit them a while to abide under sharp oppressions yet will he not utterly forsake them but in his own chosen season restore their prosperity and subdue their enemies 15. But judgment shall return unto righteousness and all the upright in heart shall follow it Paraphrase 15. The time shall certainly come that all wrong judgments shall be reverst that the sufferings of good men shall be turned into their greatest advantages that the righteous and truly pious man shall be the most thriving and prosperous even in this world and all impious opposers and oppressors the most improsperous This was eminently fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and heathen Rome the crucifiers of Christ and bitter persecutors of Christians and the halcyonian days that the Christians had after each of these see Psal 96.13 and Isai 42.1 and
vengeances as on so many accursed Malefactors whose lives and estates being forfeited to the law their widow'd wives and orphan children shall become vagabonds over the face of the earth covetous and griping and beggerly for ever 11. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath and let the stranger spoil his labour 12. Let there be none to extend mercy to him neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children Paraphrase 11 12. And as they corrade and indeavour to get together the wealth of others so shall others when they have any thing to be seis'd on plunder and rifle and pillage them rob them of all these gainings and no man take any compassion on them or their posterity in their sufferings be they never so cruel 13. Let his posterity be cut off and in the generation following let their name be blotted out 14. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembred with the Lord and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out 15. Let them be before the Lord continually that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth Paraphrase 13 14 15. As for the principal instruments in these wicked rebellions and treasons against David and the son of David they shall certainly come to untimely deaths so did Achitophel 2 Sam. 17.23 and Absalom c. 18.14 and Saul 1 Sam. 31.5 and Doeg Psal 52.5 and so Judas Matth. 27. and their posterity shall not last beyond the next age They shall be cursed by God and all the punishments due to their fathers sins shall be so visited on this their wicked progeny that they shall soon come to utter eradication and extirpation 16. Because that he remembred not to shew mercy but persecuted the poor and needy man that he might even slay the broken in heart Paraphrase 16. And this a most just reward for their uncharitable and cruel dealing with him whose distresses might justly have extorted their greatest kindness and assistance but found nothing but bloody pursuits from them This seems especially to refer to David at Nob and Ahimelech and the priests slain by Doeg 17. As he loved cursing so let it come unto him as he delighted not in blessing so let it be far from him 18. As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment so let it come into his bowels like water and like oile into his bones 19. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually Paraphrase 17 18 19. 'T is to be expected from the all-just retributions of heaven that as they were willing to mete to others it should be meted back to them They were for nothing but mischief and cruelty and they are to expect no least mixture of compassion or mercy They delighted in slandering and cursing wishing and speaking ill of them that least deserved it and the bitter water that causeth the curse Numb 5.21 that maketh the thigh to rot and the belly to swell shall enter as water is wont into one that is overwhelmed with it into his stomach belly bowels and make them as the bitter water did to swell and burst so it happened literally to Judas Act. 1.28 and probably to Achitophel see note on Matt. 27. a. and in effect to the others also in their untimely excision And as oile which is more piercing than water penetrates the very flesh veins nerves and bones so shall this the most inward parts of them seise upon their very spirits and souls so it did remarkably on those two Achitophel and Judas and the same every such wicked man is to expect and never be gotten out again but within afflict and without incompass them and cleave to them for ever 20. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord and of them that speak evil against my soul Paraphrase 20. Thus will God certainly punish them that either so rebelliously or so bloodily and cruelly set themselves against me and so those hereafter that oppose and crucifie the Messias 21. But doe thou for me O God the Lord for thy names sake because thy mercy is good deliver thou me Paraphrase 21. As for me I have no other solicitude than to repose my self in God's hands he is a God of most abundant goodness and mercy and his honour is ingaged in vindicating my cause in maintaining me whom he hath set on the throne against all opposers He is also an omnipotent Lord whose power can soon overrule and calme all these tempests To him therefore I humbly address my self for his seasonable interposition and relief referring the way and means to his all-wise disposal 22. For I am poor and needy and my heart is wounded within me 23. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth I am tossed up and down as the locust Paraphrase 22 23. And of this his mercy I am very confident being a most seasonable object of it at this time brought to great want to a sorrowfull deplorable condition every day growing lower and lower like the shadow about sun-set driven from my home and by the same danger that drove me thence removed from place to place like the silly impotent locusts that are carried without any aim design or conduct whithersoever the tempest drives them 24. My knees are weak through fasting and my flesh faileth of fatness 25. I am become also a reproach unto them when they looked upon me they shaked their heads Paraphrase 24 25. We are now quite wearied out ready to faint and fail and accordingly are lookt on by our enemies with scorn and derision making no question but we shall soon fall into their hands to be destroyed and devoured by them 26. Help me O Lord my God O save me according to thy mercy 27. That they may know that it is thy hand and that thou Lord hast done it Paraphrase 26 27. To thee therefore O God of all power which hast obliged and insured thy particular mercy to me I humbly address my self be thou pleased seasonably to relieve and rescue me that it may be visible to all that this so opportune interposition of thine hath wrought the deliverance for us 28. Let them curse but bless thou when they arise let them be ashamed but let thy servant rejoyce Paraphrase 28. Though they rail and defame and rise up against me yet I shall be secure of thy benediction and this shall be sure to give me the victory when they are put to flight and dissipated 29. Let my adversaries be cloathed with shame and let them cover themselves with their own confusion as with a mantle Paraphrase 29. And this shall certainly be their portion and consequently nothing but shame and confusion of face for all their malicious successless enterprises 30. I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth yea I will praise him among the multitude 31. For he shall stand at the right hand of
profits c. thy promises made to obedience infinitely above the proportion of those advantages and to the additions of threats thy terrors and denunciations against sin as much above the sise of all those dangers that the devil or world or mine own flesh or phansie can suggest unto me 12. Blessed art thou O Lord teach me thy statutes Paraphrase 12. O Lord I praise and glorifie thy name for all thy mercies and that I may do it so as may be accepted by thee Lord give me thy grace both to know and obey thy commandments which is the most noble way of glorifying thee living worthy of so divine a master 13. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth Paraphrase 13. I have made it one of my special exercises to express to others the venerable opinion I have of thy laws and that of all and every of them 14. I have rejoyced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches Paraphrase 14. The joy that I have in performing obedience to them is so great so much exceeding the delight that any worldly man takes in the greatest plenty that I cannot but express the transportation 15. I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways 16. I will delight my self in thy statutes I will not forget thy word Paraphrase 15 16. And therefore if I had nothing to consider but these present joys which result from the service of God I were most unwise if I should change this study this exercise this felicity for any other if I should ever forget or forsake the comforts of a pious life GIMEL 17. Deal bountifully with thy servant that I may live and keep thy word Paraphrase 17. O Lord I am constantly resolved to obey and adhere to thy known will all the days of my life O make me those gracious returns which thou hast promised to all such 18. Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law Paraphrase 18. And what are those The inlightening and removing all degrees of darkness remaining on my heart quickening and enlivening my faculties giving me a vital taste and relish of the delights of that obedience which is performed to thy precepts which when I have I shall then truly discern those admirable Divine excellencies of thy Law those pleasures resulting from the practice of it which are not to be found any where else and consequently learn to love and adore the Author of it be ravish't and transported with the thought of thee that hast dealt thus wonderfully with thy servants given them a rule of life and promised them eternal felicities as their reward for their being content to be â—uled by it when if we might have been our own choosers we could not have pitcht on any thing so advantageous and pleasurable to our selves at the present as this obedience to thy laws will be certainly found to be by any that will experiment it 19. I am a stranger in the earth hide not thy commandments from me Paraphrase 19. For mine own part I may truly say though I am possest of a great sovereignty am by thy providence placed in a most prosperous condition upon earth yet in all this secular greatness and plenty I enjoy no more than a meer stranger or lodger that hath supply for his present necessities but nothing more The one true comfort of which I am capable is that of obedience to thy precepts O let me never be deprived of this advantage and comfort without which a Kingdom is not able to make me tolerably happy 20. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times Paraphrase 20. My desires are vehement languishing and continual toward thee and thy judgments I desire to be always imployed and exercised in them and when I am not my soul is wholly taken up with a love and desire of them 21. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed which do err from thy commandments Paraphrase 21. All disobedient obstinate persons which stand out against these laws of thine are sure to be punisht by thee and eternally accursed and rejected from thee And indeed their very present course of irrational sottish pride and obstinacy is a very competent curse unto it self robs them of all the comforts of a pious life and ingulphs them in many sad miseries in this life sufficient to denominate them accursed if there were no arrear of torments and woes in another life 22. Remove from me reproach and contempt for I have kept thy testimonies Paraphrase 22. But I have carefully observed and practised thy precepts Lord do thou preserve me from all the rebukes or punishments that the malice of men can design against me 23. Princes also did sit and speak against me but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes 24. Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellers Paraphrase 23 24. And this I am confident thou wilt do and in that confidence I shall not seek out for any other security Whatsoever conspiracies are laid against me by the greatest Potentates whatsoever reproaches from my heathen neighbours depending on their own strength and deriding my trust in God they shall not take me off from this one constant exercise the study and practice of thy law to these shall I resort as for all the comforts of my life the joy and delight of my soul so for advise and counsel also in time of difficulty and danger and from thence take my directions how to prevent or avert them DALETH 25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust quicken thou me according to thy word Paraphrase 25. Whensoever I am cast down in a sight either of my unworthiness or my sins 't is then a season for God to interpose his hand for my comfort and relief This he hath promised to doe for all that are truly humbled and I doubt not he will in his good time perform it for me 26. I have declared my ways and thou heardest me teach me thy statutes Paraphrase 26. As soon as I make my confession to him and with a sincerely contrite heart petition his pardon he is graciously pleased to hear my prayer and to be reconciled with me and then I may seasonably beg and hope for his grace to support me for my future life that I may no more fall off and provoke him 27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous works Paraphrase 27. Then I may pray for an understanding heart an experimental knowledge of his easie and gracious yoke which when I have obtained I shall be for ever most delightfully exercised in the meditation and discovery of thy most admirable dispensations towards us especially of that transcendent goodness of thine in pardoning of sins giving us such admirable precepts assisting us to the performance of them accepting our imperfect obedience and then crowning
and planting an uniform obedience to thy commandments in the depth thereof TETH 65. Thou hast dealt well with thy servant O Lord according to thy word Paraphrase 65. O Lord I cannot but acknowledge thy great bounty toward me to the utmost that any promise of thine gave me confidence to hope 66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge for I have believed thy commandments Paraphrase 66. I am fully resolved to adhere to and obey thy precepts O be thou pleased by thy grace to rectifie my inclinations and natural bent of mind to work all corruption perverseness or contumacy out of it and then to illuminate my understanding to give me that knowledge of my duty and that resolvedness of mind that I may never swerve from it 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word Paraphrase 67. To this end I must acknowledge the chastisements and afflictions which thou hast sent me to have been very advantageous and instrumental to me I was out of the way but thy rod hath reduced and brought me into it again 68. Thou art good and dost good teach me thy statutes Paraphrase 68. Thou art a gracious father and all that thou dost is acts of grace and goodness even the sharpest of thy administrations v. 67. see Rom. 8.28 are sent by thee as that which is absolutely best for us O lead and direct and assist me in thy obedience and then I have no farther care to exercise me 69. The proud have forged a lye against me but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart Paraphrase 69. My malicious adversaries have contrived slanders against me But I shall not be much concerned in their practices I shall indeavour carefully to preserve my conscience upright to God and then not fear their suggestions or machinations 70. Their heart is as fat as grease but I delight in thy law Paraphrase 70. They are obstinately and imperswasibly bent upon their course and please themselves very much in it But I shall not envy their felicities but take infinitely more pleasure in a strict adherence to thy law than they in all their impieties 71. It was good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes Paraphrase 71. Nay the afflictions and chastisements thou hast sent me are to me much more beneficial and valuable than all their prosperity can be to them being very contributive to the reforming what was amiss and so most wholsome profitable discipline to me V. 67. 72. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver Paraphrase 72. And all the wealth in the world is not near so considerable to me as this JOD 73. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me give me understanding that I may know thy commandments Paraphrase 73. Lord thou art the author of my life and being I am a meer creature of thy forming and therefore obliged by that title to pay thee all the obedience of my life Lord be thou pleased by thy grace to instruct and assist me to it 74. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in thy word Paraphrase 74. By this means shall I be cause of joy to all pious men who know that I have depended on thy promised assistances when they see me thus answered and supported by thee 75. I know O Lord that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me Paraphrase 75. All the dispensations of thy providence O Lord be they never so sharp are I am confident made up of a perfect justice and not onely so but it is an act of thy sovereign mercy which thou hadst promis'd to make good to me to send me such afflictions as these These are but a necessary discipline and so a mercy to me and having promised not to deny me real and principal mercies thou wert obliged in fidelity thus to send them 76. Let I pray thee thy mercifull kindness be my comfort according to thy word unto thy servant Paraphrase 76. But there is one mercy more of which I am capable thy favour and loving-kindness thy sealing pardon and peace unto my soul and that thou hast promised me also and if thou affordest me this it will be an allay abundantly sufficient to all my afflictions 77. Let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live for in thy Law is my delight Paraphrase 77. Without this favourable aspect of thine I am even a dead man thy restoring it to me will raise me as it were from death to life there being now no joy that I take in the world but in thy favour and my obedience And this I hope may render me capable of this mercy from thee 78. Let the proud be ashamed for they dealt perversely with me without a cause but I will meditate in thy precepts Paraphrase 78. My malicious enemies have without all guilt of mine accused defamed and depraved my actions this shall bring shame and mischief as well as disappointment to them but shall never disturb me in my course of obedience by that I hope I shall refute all their calumnies 79. Let those that fear thee turn unto me and those that have known thy testimonies Paraphrase 79. And as long as all that truly fear thee and have lived conscientiously in thy service continue faithfull to me I have no reason to wonder at the defection of others But if any man that is truly pious be seduced by their slanders and ingaged against me Lord in mercy to them be thou pleased to disabuse and reduce them 80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed Paraphrase 80. As for me I desire and beg of thee that if there be any degree of unsincerity in me any spared sin still remaining it may be effectually wrought out of my heart that I may approach thee with confidence and never be in danger of being rejected by thee CAPH 81. My soul fainteth for thy salvation but I hope in thy word 82. Mine eyes fail for thy word saying When wilt thou comfort me 83. For I am become like a bottle in the smoak yet do I not forget thy statutes Paraphrase 81 82 83. It is long O Lord that I have waited and attended with great desire for deliverance from thee the expectation hath even worn me out yet have I not forsaken my hope or permitted my self to be tempted to any sin whether of impatience or applying my self to any indirect means for my relief but remain still confident that thou wilt in thy good time still send me release 84. How many are the days of thy servant When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me Paraphrase 84. How long Lord wilt thou permit this weight to continue upon me and not take my part against my enemies punishing or restraining them and delivering me out of their hands
faithfull servant 142. Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and thy law is the truth Paraphrase 142. The things which thou commandest are of eternal truth and goodness no time shall ever come that the Law which thou hast given to mankind to guide their actions by that of loving of God above all and our neighbours as our selves shall be out-dated or unseasonable 143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me but thy commandments are my delight 144. The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting give me understanding and I shall live Paraphrase 143 144. And this eternal justice of thy precepts as it is matter of infinite advantage in many other respects so is it more especially in this that it yields the greatest joy and comfort in time of afflictions through the conscience of duty and the chearfull reflexions on afflicted innocency And if God grant a man that grace of regulating his actions according to that divine rule 't is not then in the power of the world to make him miserable KOPH 145. I cried with my whole heart hear me O Lord I will keep thy statutes 146. I cried unto thee save me and I shall keep thy testimonies Paraphrase 145 146. Lord in my distresses have I called and invoked thee addrest my self to thee for thy seasonable rescue and deliverance grant it me now I beseech thee and I will faithfully return thee the sincere obedience of my whole life 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried I hoped in thy word 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-watches that I might meditate in thy word Paraphrase 147 148. The comfort and repose that I take in meditating on thy word and the hope that at length thou wilt hear my prayers is such that I come to this double exercise with the greatest appetite get up early in the morning and all the day long entertain my self most delightfully therein 149. Hear my voice according to thy loving kindness O Lord quicken me according to thy judgment 150. They draw nigh that follow after mischief they are far from thy Law Paraphrase 149 150. O Lord my enemies are maliciously resolved against me they forsake thee and contrary to all justice approach and endeavour to mischief me O be thou pleased to confirm thy wonted goodness toward me and of thy mercy rescue me out of their hands 151. Thou art near O Lord and all thy commandments are true 152. Concerning thy testimonies I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever Paraphrase 151 152. But they cannot be so near to mischief me as thou O Lord art nigh and ready for my defence and support Thou art made up of mercy and fidelity thy promises and decrees of caring for those that adhere to thee are most firm constant and immutable This I am not now to learn I have always since I knew any thing of thee resolved of the truth of it RESH 153. Consider mine affliction and deliver me for I do not forget thy Law 154. Plead my cause and deliver me quicken me according to thy word Paraphrase 153 154. Lord my pressures and enemies are great but my trust is constantly reposed in thee that thou wilt be the friend and advocate of the afflicted as thou hast promised thou wilt O be thou now pleased to make good this mercy to me and raise me out of this desolate condition 155. Salvation is far from the wicked for they seek not thy statutes 156. Great are thy tender mercies O Lord quicken me according to thy judgments Paraphrase 155 156. In this estate I am sure to have no relief from wicked men but on the contrary all accumulations and increase of misery they delight in that more than in any works of justice or mercy But the less I have to expect from men the more I am confident to receive from God whose mercies are beyond the proportion of their cruelties O be thou now pleased to bestow this thy promised seasonable relief upon me 157. Many are my persecuters and mine enemies yet do I not decline from thy testimonies 158. I beheld the transgressours and was grieved because they keep not thy word Paraphrase 157 158. Though my enemies daily increase in number and malice yet shall they not be able to prevail to weary me out of my constancy affiance and obedience to thee All the passion they shall excite in me is that of excessive trouble and sorrow to see men so desperately and obstinately oppugne and disobey the commands of God 159. Consider how I love thy precepts quicken me O Lord according to thy loving kindness 160. Thy word is true from the beginning and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever Paraphrase 159 160. Lord I appeal to thee whether my obedience to thy commands have not been sincere and such as to which thou hast promised thy mercies O then be pleased to bestow them on me For of this I am sure that thy promises are most constantly performed They are faithfull and of eternal truth and never fail any that are qualified to receive them SCHIN 161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause but my heart standeth in awe of thy word Paraphrase 161. 'T is not the power or malice of the world though exercised never so virulently and causelessly against me which shall any way provoke me to forsake my obedience to thee 162. I rejoyce at thy word as one that findeth great spoil Paraphrase 162. But on the contrary my adherence to thee and the comforts which thy Law and the promises annext to it afford me are matter of as great rejoycing and triumph and exultation to me as the richest and most gainfull victory could be to any worldly man 163. I hate and abhor lying but thy Law do I love Paraphrase 163. The false deceitfull practices of ungodly men whereby they advance their interests are most degenerous and unworthy of any ingenuous man I cannot but detest and have an aversion to them whereas the ways which are prescribed by God of adherence to him in the practice of all works of justice and charity are most amiable and eligible 164. Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments Paraphrase 164. I can never admire and magnifie sufficiently the divine excellency of God's most righteous Law If I had nothing but that to make matter of my lauds I would think my self obliged every day seven set times to make my solemn addresses to God to praise his blessed name and offer up my prayers to him 165. Great peace have they which love thy Law and nothing shall offend them Paraphrase 165. There is no such prosperity and felicity in this world as that of those who take delight in the commands of God and the practice of all duty They shall be in no danger of any of those snares and temptations which the world is full of and which frequently bring other men to
sin and ruine The pleasure they take in duty will with them infinitely out-weigh all the pitifull transient delights or advantages that can offer themselves as the bait to any unlawfull commission 166. Lord I have hoped for thy salvation and done thy commandments 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies and loved them exceedingly 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies for all my ways are before thee Paraphrase 166 167 168. Accordingly thus have I endeavoured to secure my self from all such dangers whatsoever my pressures have been I have reposed my trust in thee relyed on thee for deliverances kept close to thy commandments and so qualified my self to receive them and withall laboured to approve the sincerity of my obedience to thee not onely by doing what thou commandest but even by loving and liking that better than any thing else by applying all my endeavours to walk piously and acceptably in thy sight laying all my actions open and naked before thee for thee to judge whether there be any the least malignity in them And by so doing by keeping my self for ever as in thy all-seeing presence I have performed an uniform faithfull obedience to thee TAV. 169. Let my cry come near before thee O Lord give me understanding according to thy word 170. Let my supplications come before thee deliver me according to thy word Paraphrase 169 170. O Lord I humbly address my prayer unto thee in this time of my distress and beseech thee first to bestow on me that wisedom see Jam. 1.5 which may support me and direct me to order all my actions aright in all the pressures thou shalt permit or appoint to lie upon me and then to interpose thy hand and give me a seasonable deliverance out of them 171. My lips shall utter praise when thou hast taught me thy statutes 172. My tongue shall of thy word for all thy commandments are righteous Paraphrase 171 172. Thus shalt thou oblige me to bless and praise thy name thy mercies and the perfect uprightness of all both thy commands and promises when those that thus adhere to and depend on thee are supported and delivered by thee 173. Let thine hand help me for I have chosen thy precepts 174. I have longed for thy salvation O Lord and thy Law is my delight Paraphrase 173 174. Lord I beseech thee interpose thy hand for my relief And if my obedience to thy Law and not onely so but my taking more pleasure in it valuing it more than all other things in the world together with my constant dependance on thee for my deliverance may give me a capacity of this mercy thou wilt not deny it me who am by thy grace in some measure thus qualified 175. Let my soul live and it shall praise thee and let thy judgments help me Paraphrase 175. Lord grant me this thy mercy of seasonable preservation at this time succour me according to thy promised and wonted mercies so shall my life twice received from thee in my birth and in this my preservation be as in all justice it ought for ever dedicated to thy service 176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep seek thy servant for I do not forget thy commandments Paraphrase 176. I have been driven from place to place in perpetual hazards and distresses flying and desolate as a partridge on the mountains thou hast justly permitted me to be persecuted by my enemies to wander up and down as a silly sheep driven by the wolf and scattered from the fold Lord I repent me of all my former sins and shall unfeignedly set my self to the performance of new obedience all my days Be thou pleased to consider my afflictions and in thy good time to relieve and restore me Annotations on Psal CXIX V. 1. Way 'T is usually observed that the composure of this Psalm doth affect the frequent reflections on the Law of God in the several parts and appellations of it and those are observable to be no less than eleven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kimchi adventures to give the critical several importance of each of these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 setting down of duties how they are to be done as 't is said Lev. 6.17 this is the Law of the sin-offering c. R. Gaon saith 't is the speculative part of the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rule upon which the precepts are grounded as Be holy because God is holy mercifull as he is mercifull referring probably to Moses's request to see God's way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies those precepts whose reason is not known as the purification of the legally unclean not wearing linsey-wolsey and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the judgments that pass betwixt a man and his neighbour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the precepts that are for a testimony or faederal commemoration as Sabbath Feasts Phylacteries c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those precepts which reason teacheth that are as it were according to the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deposited in our nature And so on in the rest But these without question are indistinctly and promiscuously used through this Psalm Proportionably the practice of these commandments is exprest in as great variety by walking seeking keeping c. Of the last of these it is not amiss to add a little in this first place once for all The Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 2◠as also v. 34 69 115 129. is by the LXXII rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Latin scrutantur searching or seeking out So again Psal 25.10 they render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seek out as here v. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have sought and v. 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will seek and v. 100. And this the Hebrew well bears from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 custodivit curavit watching or taking care of looking diligently after as those that search and seek do And so the Arab notion of the same word which changing צ into ט they make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well accords being to behold contemplate consider observe and so likewise the Chaldee and Syriack use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exactly to the same sense and so it here best accords with that which follows seeking him with the whole heart And this is better and with more clearness rendred observe for that fitly signifies watching or looking to than keep which ordinarily denotes no more than performing them This is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diligently seeking of God Heb. 11.6 and contains more than a resolution and purpose to obey God a studying his precepts seeking out means to facilitate the performance of them and an exact care and diligence in the use of them The word is here in the participle and so agrees with the foregoing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the perfect or undefiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the LXXII
failing which if thou shouldest proceed with us in thy just severity would render us uncapable of thy absolution 4. But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared Paraphrase 4. But thou art a God of grace and mercy which allowest place of repentance to those that have offended and wilt allow pardon to the penitent Were it not for this we were all in an hopeless desperate condition and that utter desperation of mercy would ingage us for ever in our course of sin without any thought of returning or repenting But being by thy mercy respited and by thy gracious call invited and by the attraction of thy spirit if we do not resist effectually drawn to repentance and assured of thy acceptance if we come here is a full concurrence of all arguments and motives and aids to bring us and oblige and ingage us to it 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope Paraphrase 5. In thee therefore my hope and full trust is repoposed thy mercies and gracious promises are the onely anchor and support of my soul 6. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning I say more than they which watch for the morning Paraphrase 6. To thee I daily betake my self early in the morning at the time that the Priests offer their morning-sacrifice in the temple I constantly address my prayers and my very soul before thee 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption 8. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities Paraphrase 7 8. And the same is the duty of all true Israelites let all such apply themselves diligently and constantly to God as to a God of mercy and pardon and propitiation that will be reconciled to all truly penitent faithfull servants of his not imputing to them their frailty and sins of infirmity if they be guilty of no other nay nor their grosser sins knowingly and deliberately committed if they be retracted and forsaken by confession contrition and renovation of mind and their pardon humbly sued out by constant prayer For as a remedy for all such the blood of the Messias was most sufficient and that decreed and designed by God to all the world for the obtaining of actual redemption and pardon and restitution to his favour as of captive Israelites to their countrey and temple upon their sincere change and reformation Annotations on Psal CXXX V. 4. Feared For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thou mayest be feared our copies of the LXXII have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for thy names sake and that joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have waited for thee O Lord following But the Hebrew no way inclining to that reading of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 name and the Latin which most commonly follows the LXXII reading propter legem tuam sustinui te Domine for thy law I have waited for thee and the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read without points being easily mistaken for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 law in all probability the original reading of the LXXII was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for thy laws not for thy names sake But this as it is evident by a double mistake one in the reading of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other whether in the Latin only or in the LXXII also 't is uncertain by taking that word from the end of the former and joyning it to the latter period But without either of these the Hebrew reading is very current But so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is oft to be rendred there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pardon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the LXXII propitiation with thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thou mayest be feared by the fear of God signifying obedience to his laws to which his pardoning of the frailties and slips of our lives invites and draws us when a desperation of all mercy for such would certainly avert us from it V. 6. More than they that watch for the morning This verse is very perspicuous in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 literally my soul to the Lord where is an Ellipsis necessarily to be supplied by riseth or cometh or hasteneth or the like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the watchers or warders or guard in the morning i. e. as early from that time that they come or hasten to their watches then follows again repeated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the guard or watchers in the morning which repetition in Hebrew Dialect signifies the daily several watchers of every morning as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man man i. e. every man one after another the Hebrews wanting forms of distribution see note on Mar. 6. e. And so this is the full importance of the verse The guards every morning that hasten to their watches are not yet earlier than I in my daily addresses to God What these watchers or guards of the morning are the Chaldee hath best exprest they that observe the morning watches say they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they may offer the morning oblation i. e. the Priests which in their turns officiated or rather some officers of theirs which were peculiarly appointed from a tower to expect the first appearance of break of day the manner of which is at large described in the Talmud Cod. Joma The Chaldee for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the watchers reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 just to the same sense which yet their Latin render plusquam observantes more than they that observe But the words do not so import nor could it truly be said that he waited or observed his offices more than the Priests or guards in the Temple did who never mist the performing of their daily offices there The LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the morning watch till night by the addition of till night thinking to supply what was wanting and to the term from which he began his watch adding the term to which he continued it hereby evidencing their understanding of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the notion of from And so the Syriack do also who reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the watches of the morning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and untill the morning watch i. e. from one morning watch unto another Whereby they rightly render the former part but observe not the elegancy in the repetition but suppose the preposition ל to to be there wanting which they thus supply But the interpretation we have given is most agreeable both to the sense which is to express his daily constant earliness in the service of God equal to that of the Priests in the Temple every morning of every day and to the Hebrew idiome also Of these watches somewhat hath been said note on Psal 119. hh Yet in this place it will not be amiss
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so taken up by the Aethiopick V. 16. The desire In this place it is doubtfull to what subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the last words of the verse belongs From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluit placuit the noun signifies will good pleasure benevolence favour With thy favour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hast thou defended me Psal 5.12 so Isa 49.8 I have heard thee in the time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of favour we render it acceptable time parallel to a day of salvation that follows where as the salvation is the deliverance wrought by God so the favour must be God's also And thus the word may probably seem to be used here he satisfieth every living thing so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with or by his favour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the LXXII thou fillest every living thing with thy good pleasure the Latin have benedictione with thy benediction perhaps reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Aethiopick more expresly according to thy decree or good pleasure the Jewish Arab reads every living thing with favour good will or complacency from thee But the Chaldee reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the plural which cannot belong to God thou satisfiest all living with their will or desire and the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou satisfiest the desire of all living And so the learned Castellio optatis satias thou satisfiest them with their desires i. e. with the things which are desired by them And to this sense the use of the same word v. 19. inclines where of God it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will doe or perform the will of them that fear him V. 17. And holy Of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there can be no question but 't is to be rendred when spoken of God mercifull abundantly good and so 't is here joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteous in the notion thereof frequently exemplified for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pitifull or charitable or liberal for both these are here clearly inferred from the three last verses which are instances of his mercy and bounty In this place is fit to be observed what we find in the LXXII their translation after v. 13. and before v. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord is faithfull in his words and holy in all his works The same we have in the Syriack and Latin and Arabick and Aethiopick and onely miss it in the Original and in the Chaldee And that it is not added superfluously by the rest but really wanting in these we have this argument of some appearing force Because the Psalm being Alphabetical and exactly so in all other parts is yet deficient in the letter Nun as now we have it in the Hebrew which yet from this reading of the LXXII c. is so readily supplied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there seemeth little cause of doubt but this was the ancient reading and so continued to the time when the LXXII first and after when the Syriack made their translations If thus it were the occasion of the omission seems most probably to be taken from this v. 17. the words whereof being of so great affinity with those others might by unskilfull scribes be confounded and conceived to be the same with them and so on that conceit deliberately left out in one place to avoid that which they deemed a Tautology But if this were it then herein they erred more than one way For first it is no news for this Psalmist in his lauds of God to repeat the same expression more than once witness that solemn Epiphonema His mercy endureth for ever 2. These two verses if they be better considered are not the same but perfectly different and each of them according to that difference fitted to the place wherein according to the alphabetical order they ought to stand The eleventh twelfth and thirteenth verses are spent in admiration of the power and glory of God's kingdom and that is fitly concluded with an Epiphonema of God's fidelity in performing of all his promises and perfect justice and holiness and other divine excellencies in all his dispensations toward men And that is the sum of the letter Nun which therefore with very good harmony follows the thirteenth verse and so will put forward the fourteenth which now is Saniech unto the fifteenth which is the proper place for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord is faithfull in his words and holy in all his works i. e. veracity and holiness are two great inseparable attributes of God the one in his words he never affirmeth what is not most true or promiseth what he doth not perform the other in his actions and works of providence wherein he is so far from having any real causality in the sins of Angels and Men that he doeth all that reasonably can be done by a God of holiness and purity toward any rational and free agents whom he means to punish and reward according to their works to prevent them and assist them and inlighten their minds and sanctifie their hearts thereby to keep them from sinning or to return them by repentance to that innocence as near as may be from which they are fallen And this as the chief exercise of his kingdom of grace the glories whereof are set out in those three verses immediately foregoing Whereas this which is now the seventeenth but in that other account ought to be the eighteenth verse as it is introduced by the three verses more which are all spent in the view of the transcendent compassion mercy and liberality of God so being duly rendred it is a very proper Epiphonema to conclude and shut up the praises of God in that behalf The Lord is righteous in all his ways and mercifull in all his works Where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteous and mercifull are but two words ordinarily used in scripture to signifie charity and compassion the former not that righteousness which we style justice but that charity which is by the law of God due to all men and so in us is our righteousness and in God is his goodness and charity to mankind and the latter a more abundant degree of that styled goodness graciousness bowels of compassion in man and the most transcendent degree of infinite mercy and pity in God The LXXII render the former of these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latin justus and that being understood in our ordinary notion of justice was apt to be conceived all one with faithfull or true in that former verse And the LXXII again render the latter of these by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Greek word indeed oft signifies holy and so is interpreted sanctus by the Latin but being but lightly changed by cutting off the last letter from the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and giving it the Greek termination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
their impenitent course of sensuality and to all the most importunate calls and invitations reprehensions and denunciations of God by his Messengers his Prophets nay his own Son incarnate for this end will afford no audience or regard but reiect and frustrate all his wisest and most gracious and powerfull methods designed to work their reformation they are by law of retaliation to expect from him to be neglected and scorned reproached and frustrated in all their addresses and petitions for mercy to be delivered up a prey and laughing-stock to their enemies especially to Satan and find no relief or rescue at God's hands when calamities or dangers come upon them 27. When your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you Paraphrase 27. And these they are without question to expect and the less beforehand they apprehend them the more suddenly and frightfully tumultuously and dismally they will seise them as an army falling in upon the unprepared with an amazing noise or a whirlwind that comes on a sudden and carries all before it giving them no space or possibility to prevent them 28. Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me Paraphrase 28. And then they that have held out against all God's importunities shall find the sad effects of it their miseries will set them a praying and importuning when 't is too late and then it shall not avail Those that have lived impenitent and obdurate till judgments surprise them the attrition the confession the sorrow or requests for pardon which the sight of their present danger extort from them cannot hope to be accepted by God their former continued obstinacy manifesting that it is not sincere contrition from which it flows 29. For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. 30. They would none of my counsel they despised all my reproof Paraphrase 29 30. For thus in the case set it was discernible that till these judgments surprized them they continued to avert and hate piety v. 22. rebell'd and stood out obstinately against heaven whilst God's proceedings were soft though never so powerfull whilst he called and advised and instructed them furnishing them with light and strength and all that was necessary onely leaving them the liberty of their choices if they would use them so perversely to their mischief setting life and death before them and in a most friendly manner advising them to choose life and the ways that lead to it and to avoid and forsake the contrary As long I say as God dealt thus treatably with them they would never be brought to piety but stood out unchanged against all his most powerfull impressions resisted and frustrated both the light and the grace the advices and the reprehensions that were afforded them And then what acceptation could that which was so far from voluntary or chosen these their extorted prayers and cries and importunities expect at God's hands Had they been earlier whilst the judgments were onely impendent and might then fitly have infused or occasioned sober counsels to them they might have been deem'd to have come from the heart as sincere and durable but having held out as long as they could and coming in onely when they could hold out no longer God that sees this cannot be imagined to be atoned with such a forced hypocritical change 31. Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices Paraphrase 31. And then it is most just that they should not be denied but granted their own choices that having the option of life and death of piety and impiety blessing and cursing set before them with sufficient instruction and strength to choose and attain the one and to avert and escape the other if they will still resist and deny their own mercy and whilst their time of choice lasteth obstinately persist in the ways of death 't is agreeable to all rules of the mildest tribunals with which nothing is deem'd injurious that is will'd or called upon a man by his own deliberate choice that they that doe thus should finally fall under the eternal wrath of God which they would not timely prevent and so be more than fill'd even glutted with their own choices come to that sad end to which they so eagerly posted and then though not till then find cause to retract and repent when they begin to taste the bitterer part to reap the fruits and receive the just rewards of their own ways and works 32. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them Paraphrase 32. Thus nothing but their own perverse obstinacy than which there can be no greater folly is to be accused for the ruine of those that perish God earnestly desired and endeavoured their reformation and salvation but they would not be rescued If any thing on God's part contributed toward it it was his long-suffering and mercy which occasionally encreased as in Pharaoh their obduration And this is of all others the most irrational folly and madness that the very blessings of heaven should enhance their hell and the tranquility and preservations of God afforded them should become so noxious in their hands as to be used for weapons to offend God and so mortally wound their own souls 33. But whoso hearkeneth to me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil Paraphrase 33. Yet thus it is with all that reject the admonitions and frustrate the methods of heaven as every obstinate impenitent sinner finally doth whereas every faithfull obedient servant of Christ shall by his spirit be furnished with sufficient strength to secure him against all danger of temptations and be either delivered from or supported under them and so hath the privilege of living cheerfully and comfortably and fiducially need never fear being forsaken by God as long as he continues carefull to keep close to him and then there is no enemy beside himself that can ever harm him As for any secular infortunities or miscarriages that can befall such a man as he hath not the privilege of exemption from them so he hath an armature that shall fortifie him against the evil of them a superiority of mind that keeps him from being concern'd in such things at least an acquiescence in the wisedom of God's choices who sees these best for him to take off his heart from any thing so gross or transitory as all worldly felicities are and so in all these he is more than conquerour by the instructions and assistance of Christ that eternal uncreated Wisedom Annotations on Chap. I. V. 2. Words of understanding The peculiar importance of the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place is fit to be considered it is literally enough rendred words of understanding or intelligent words as that signifies
the trouble to mortifie his own unruly appetites is soon overrun and laid waste by them All these sorts of misery though he expects them not but in confidence of safety goes on in his idle slothfull course will when he little thinks of it knock at his door as a traveller or way-goer to an host that knows nothing of his coming and when it comes it comes with a vengeance there is no way of resisting and as little of supporting it This traveller is stout and armed and will force his entrance and lay all waste where he enters 12. A naughty person a wicked man walketh with a froward mouth Paraphrase 12. Among other most noxious effects of idleness and unprofitableness one deserves to be taken notice of and most carefully avoided that of whispering and backbiting calumniating and detracting labouring nothing so much as to deprave and defame the actions of other men This is an eminent fruit of sloth and wickedness combin'd together and a most diabolical sin 13. He winketh with his eyes he speaketh with his feet and teacheth with his fingers Paraphrase 13. Such an one when he hath nothing of weight to say against a man will by significative gestures of all sorts give intimations of some grand matters and so perswade others without laying any particular to his charge that he is a most pestilent fellow 14. Frowardness is in his heart he deviseth mischief continually he soweth discord Paraphrase 14. His thoughts which have no good business to take them up are continually imployed in projecting what mischief he may doe and are never more gratefully busied than when he is a causing debate among neighbours One such person in a City is enough to embroil the whole and put it into a tumult 15. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly suddenly shall he be broken without remedy Paraphrase 15. And as to idle persons v. 11. so to this above all a proportionable vengeance is to be expected He that is of this temper seldom fails to be met with in his kind to fall unexpectedly by some secret hand parallel to the secrecy of his detracting whispering humour and when he falls he can never be recovered again he perishes unpitied unregarded 16. These six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination to him 17. A proud look a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood 18. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations feet that be swift in running to mischief 19. A false witness that speaketh lies and him that soweth discord among brethren Paraphrase 16 17 18 19. And there is all reason for this for as there be seven sins which be very hatefull to God so this is a compound of five if not of all seven of them The seven are these 1. pride or haughtiness 2. lying or fraudulence 3. guilt of blood 4. malice or projecting of evil 5. a pleasure in mischieving any 6. false witness or calumny 7. causing of discord or debates among those that live friendly together Of these the second the fourth the fifth the sixth and seventh are evidently in this of the detractour or calumniatour see v. 12 14. And that pride is the root of it and blood-guiltiness the effect of it cannot be doubted the pride and high opinion of our selves and desire to be esteemed above all constantly inciting us to defame others and the debates and discord which are caused by back-biting ending generally in feuds and the bloodiest murthers And this is a competent indication how odious this sin is and how punishable in the sight of God 20. My son keep thy father's commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother 21. Bind them continually upon thy heart and tie them about thy neck 22. When thou goest it shall lead thee when thou sleepest it shall keep thee and when thou awakest it shall talk with thee 23. For the commandment is a lamp and the law is light and reproofs of instruction are the way of life 24. To keep thee from the evil woman from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman Paraphrase 20 21 22 23 24. In the next place a principal caution there is for all young men of which they are to take an extraordinary care 'T is that which all parents timely warn their children of and it concerns them to lay it up and never forget it to carry it continually about with them as the Jews do their Phylacteries that it may be a perpetual memorative never out of their sight If they doe so they will have the comfort and benefit of it at home and abroad sleeping and waking in all the varieties of their life they will see and discern that timely which they that discern not run into all the most noxious and ruinous courses And what is this so important a caution thus pompously introduced Why onely this that thou be sure to keep thee from that horrible sin of fornication or adultery and not suffer thy self by whatsoever flatteries and deceits by soft and fair speeches the common address of whores to be seduced and ensnared in it 25. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart neither let her take thee with her eye-lids 26. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life Paraphrase 25 26. Whatever allurement is in her beauty that may warm and attract thy love whatever invitation in her behaviour and amiableness of her looks or address thou art most nearly concerned to guard and fortifie thy self that thou beest not captivated thereby that thou permit not any unclean desire to kindle so much as in thine heart for as that is adultery in the eyes of that God that requires purity of the heart as well as actions see Matt. 5.8 28. so most sad and dismall are the effects of this passion as by many thousand examples hath been evidenced both in relation to mens estates and also their lives Many great estates have been utterly ruin'd and brought to the smallest pittance by that sin and many bodies have been exhausted and brought to noisome diseases and untimely death the very life and soul and whatsoever is most precious is the prey that this vulture gorges herself on 27. Can a man take fire in his bosome and his clothes not be burnt 28. Can one go on hot coals and his feet not be burnt 29. So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent Paraphrase 27 28 29. It is as imaginable that a man shall put fire in his bosome or walk upon live coals and receive no harm from them either to his garments or his flesh as that a man shall adventure on this sin of adultery and not exhaust and ruine himself by that course A fire in his bones and a wasting to his estate are the regular natural inevitable attendants of this sin But that is not all The wrath
that follow that we have no reason to doubt of the present reading V. 12. A froward mouth The Hebrew reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perverseness of mouth by which the Syriack understand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quarrelling strife from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 litigare jurare or as their Latin renders it detraction the cause of quarrels among neighbours the Chaldee render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pervert deprave distort and having for the man of Belial in the beginning of the verse set 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man that is a calumniatour they seem to direct it wholly to this signification of detracting and depraving the actions of other men and so perverting all to the worst sense that is possible The LXXII reades more loosely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he goes ways that are not good But Symmachus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by distortions of the mouth i. e. either making wry mouths as detractours use to doe or by his speech distorting depraving the actions of other men This is here affirm'd of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of Belial as that is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 profit i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unprofitable person as that signifies a very wicked man The phrase is used of Nabal 1 Sam. 25.25 and there rendred by the Chaldee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fool as elsewhere 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sons of wickedness Deut. 13.13 But in the New Testament it is applied to the Devil 2 Cor. 6.15 who we know is styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calumniator as here the Chaldee render it The LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a foolish man as folly and wickedness are all one The Latin homo apostata an apostate that being the notion of the word Deut. 13.13 In this place it most probably denotes an idle foolish and withall a wicked man that cares not for God's directions of his tongue or life for of such a one that is true which follows he goes about depraving and calumniating idleness folly and wickedness leads to this course see 1 Tim. 5.13 V. 30. Despise What is the notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here will reasonably be resolved by the consent of all the ancient Interpreters The Chaldee reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no cause why we should be astonished or wonder and the Latin non grandis est culpa it is no grand crime But this I suppose not from any special notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for wondring but from that use of it for contumely or reproach as that notes the capital punishment of malefactours paradeigmatizing bringing exemplary punishment upon them To this sure the learned Castalio refers reading Non tractatur contumeliose he is not handled contumeliously V. 31. Sevenfold That the Law of Moses required not a sevenfold restitution is manifest by the express words Exod. 22.1 fourfold of sheep fivefold of oxen it prescribes but not sevenfold of any thing And in the New Testament when Zacheus Luk. 19. converts to Christ and proffers a full restitution for all that he had injuriously taken from any and by his abundant charity giving to the poor half that he had demonstrates his care of exact justice yet the restitution he mentions is not seven-fold but fourfold It cannot then with truth be said of the thief here that he shall restore sevenfold And when some endeavour to salve this by saying that seven is the perfect number and restoring sevenfold signifies making perfect restitution it is not reasonable to admit this Scholion because the perfect restitution being by the Law specified to be four or fivefold and not left indefinite it were strange that the legal definite proportion should be omitted and another definite proportion that of sevenfold named when but four or five at most was intended It is therefore much more reasonable what the learned Franzius from Martin Luther observes that the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to be rendred seven times not seven fold so the word is used and rendred by us Psal 12.6 And then the meaning will be evident he that steals if he be found shall restore according to the legal rate of amercement and if he steal again so shall he suffer again if he steal seven times he shall be forced to restore seven times yea though it amount to all the substance of his house all that he is worth And then the comparison in the Text betwixt the Thief and the Adulterer lies thus The Thief pays dear for his stoln goods sometimes whatever he is worth but these other sort of stoln goods which to some men are the sweetest prize that of his neighbour's wife this costs him much dearer even the loss of his life and soul The Thief as oft as he stole so oft had he ways of redeeming himself but the Adulterer cannot ransome himself by any price his life is forfeit to the Law nay if by secresie he avoid that he oft brings foul and destructive diseases upon himself and his soul is in the same danger as his life see Note g. V. 32. He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul The Hebrew setting of this passage is most fully expressed by the Chaldee The Hebrew literally sounds thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that corrupteth his soul or destroyeth his life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall doe this And the Chaldee reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he that seeks to corrupt his own soul or destroy his life he will doe this All the difficulty is whether it be to be rendred of destroying the life or corrupting the soul the words signifying both indifferently If the latter then it signifies this sin of adultery to be against the notions of common ingenuous nature and founded in a corruption of those principles of right judgment as Aristotle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleasures are corruptive of principles and this foul sin is an effect of that corruption which was noted before when it was said of him that commits adultery that he is destitute of a heart But it is more probably interpretable of destroying the life either by bringing diseases and so death it self or by calling down capital punishment on the malefactour that so it may be here fitly opposed to theft in the comparison here made theft being punished by the Law with restitution but adultery with death V. 6. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behold and be wise the LXXII reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeing imitate and become wiser than he An usefull paraphrase V. 8. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gathereth her food they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 maketh great provision by way of paraphrase also But after this they add another example agreeable to the Ant that of the Bee in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or go to the bee
and learn what an artificer she is and how venerable a work she makes whose labours kings and private men bring for health and she desirable and famous to all though weak in strength having honoured wisedom she hath been advanced This large addition having no footsteps in the Hebrew cannot be thought any genuine original part of the LXXII their Translation but inserted by a later hand yet it is so ancient as to be found in most copies and there read by S. Ambrose Hexam l. v. c. 21. and S. Jerom on Ezek. iii. In Proverbiis de ape dicitur c. V. 10. For a little sleep they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou sleepest a little thou sittest a little to note the sitting still as well as the sleeping of the sluggard For folding the hands to sleep they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou embracest thy breast with thy hands as it is the manner of the idle as well as the sleepy person to doe V. 11. For a traveller they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an evil way-goer for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of shield which we render an armed man Symmachus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 literally and Theodotion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a spear-man they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a good courser in the same manner as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swift of foot is Homer's Epithet for Achilles that valiant Warriour or as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is one of the Olympick Games or exercises of Valour and then they add 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but if thou be diligent thy harvest shall come as a fountain and thy poverty shall fly as an ill courser meaning to illustrate the former sentence by the contrary But this with no more probability to be thought a genuine part of the LXXII than the passage of the Bee v. 7. was V. 14. For soweth discord they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such an one brings troubles to a city V. 16. For these six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are an abomination to him they reade in coherence with the former verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he rejoyceth in all things which God hateth but he is broken for the uncleanness of his soul In the former part for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 six they seem to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gavisus est which they frequently render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as here they doe Isa 66.10 and 14. Lam. 1.22.4.21 And in the latter part for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and seven they seem to have read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is broken and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abomination to his soul is easily transformed into for the impurity of his soul V. 19. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 breatheth lies they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accendeth inflameth lies from the diverse uses of the breath to inflame or set on fire as well as to speak V. 22. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she shall lead thee they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lead it away and let it be with thee by way of paraphrase for as in taking a guide to conduct one in the way this is the manner the man takes the guide and keeps him with him and he directs the man in the ambiguities of his way so here the taking the Law and keeping it with him is equivalent to the Laws conducting him in his journey V. 23. For the commandment is a lamp and the law is light they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the command of the law is a lamp and light joyning those into one the commandment and law which whilst they are severed are yet supposed to signifie the same thing Whereas in the end of the verse they sever those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reproof and instruction which in the Hebrew are in regimine reproof of instruction V. 24. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the smoothness or flattery for which Symmachus hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 smooth-tongued they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calumny whereas elsewhere they render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deceit and ch 7.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a snare either because flattery and calumny go together he that flatters one calumniates others to him or because the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies first to divide then to smooth and that of calumniating may refer to the former signification calumny breeding discord and division Accordingly the Syriack here reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from feeding on delations or accusations which is their phrase for calumny and accordingly they call the Devil he that eats accusations and the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which they use comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to cut or divide V. 25. For lust not after her beauty in thy heart they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of excellent paraphrase for if lust gain the consent of the heart it hath certainly overcome that man before it break out into the actions V. 26. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 literally by a whorish woman to a cake of bread they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the price of a whore is as much as of one loaf thus supplying the Ellipsis to which also the Latin agrees pretium scorti vix est unus panis the price of a whore is scarce that of one loaf And the learned Castalio seems to approve it nam meretrix libidinosa mulier cum valeat ipsa unum panem pretiosam venatur animam a whore when her self is worth but one loaf hunts the precious soul And thus the sense is well made up But the Ellipsis is most readily supplied by that way which our English hath made use of V. 32. For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an heart which the adulterer is said to want they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 understanding the volitive faculty which is seated in the heart CHAP. VII 1. MY son keep my words and lay up my commandments with thee 2. Keep my commandments and live and my law as the apple of thine eye 3. Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of thine heart 4. Say unto wisedom thou art my Sister and call understanding thy kinswoman 5. That they may keep thee from the strange woman from the stranger which flattereth with her words Paraphrase 1 2 3 4 5. And as the caution thus far insisted on ch 6. was that which all parents see necessary timely and frequently to inculcate to their sons v. 20. so is it an eminent part of the admonition of wisedom to all her children as thereby is meant the commandment of God and the eternal wisedom of the Father the Messias and Son of God There is no duty that these exact of all more indispensably to be treasured up in the heart in order to continual practice to be prized as life and guarded as that which is soonest hurt and most tenderly valued by men to be
observed in all their actions and imprinted in their very hearts as the Law by the finger of God was engraven in the tables of stone No more genuine branch of true saving knowledge that more nearly allies us to the purity and wisedom of God than is a constant and obstinate chastity that will never be ensnared with the most liberal promises and invitations of the most pleasant sin or by the most cunning and flattering soliciter drawn into any unlawfull embraces 6. For at the window of my house I looked through the casement 7. And beheld among the simple ones I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding 8. Passing through the street near her corner and he went the way to her house 9. In the twilight in the evening in the dark and black night 10. And behold there met him a woman with attyre of an harlot and subtil of heart Paraphrase 6 7 8 9 10. And certainly there is great need of caution to be timely given to all young men and sadly considered by them there being nothing of more ordinary experience and observation than the seduction of such to this wasting sin He that shall but look out of his window into the streets where the young men resort shall ever and anon see some such unwary seducible person thus ensnared If he have any design or project that way and discover it but by walking toward that part of the city where any such a Merchant dwells either in the dark of the night or the shutting of the evening he shall be sure to meet with this game without much seeking If any man be discern'd to be of such inclinations she is ready for him prevents his enquiries or solicitations comes out in a dress which tells him what she is and addresseth her self to him with her artifices besiegeth and takes him presently 11. She is loud and stubborn her feet abide not in her house 12. Now is she without now in the streets and lieth in wait at every corner Paraphrase 11 12. By this you may know her she is extremely bold and forward to talk runneth about from place to place never keeps within doors as all sober and chast persons are wont to doe but intrudeth her self into all company is in all places of publick resort and where any prey can be hoped for there she lies in ambush to seise on it and in order thereto chooses out the corners of the street for her station from whence she hath the fairer prospect sees and hath the command of all that pass through either of the streets which thus meet in that corner see Matth. 6.5 13. So she caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face said unto him 14. I have peace-offerings with me this day have I paid my vows 15. Therefore I came out to meet thee diligently to seek thy face and I have found thee 16. I have deckt my bed with coverings of tapestry with carved works with fine linnen of Aegypt 17. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh aloes and cinnamon 18. Come let us take our fill of love till the morning let us solace our selves with loves Paraphrase 13 14 15 16 17 18. And generally the first of her address is with great familiarity of kindness then with great constancy of look as if she were in great earnest she invites him home to an entertainment at her house pretends she had received some mercy from God for which she had vow'd a sacrifice of thanksgiving and this being the day of paying her vow she had consequently a sacrifical feast at home and she could not satisfie her self to eat it without his company and to be sure of it she would not trust to the care of a messenger to invite him but came out her self to make diligeâ—â— inquisition for him to carry him home with her And having put on this mask of piety to introduce it she proceeds to downright bare-fac'd solicitation tells him how she hath adorned and perfumed the very bed with all costly furniture and incense and by these and the like advantageous allectives she attracts him to her embraces 19. For the good man is not at home he is gone a long journey 20. He hath taken a bag of money with him and will come home at the day appointed Paraphrase 19 20. Then lest he should be deterred by the danger of the sin and the effects of the husband's rage she assures him he is gone a long journey and taken provision with him for a competent space and will not return again till the next month 21. With much fair speech she caused him to yield with the flattering of her lips she forced him Paraphrase 21. And by these and the like artifices she prevails with him and carries him with a kind of violence to his ruine 22. He goeth after her straight way as an oxe goeth to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks Paraphrase 22. By such fair promises of sensual pleasures and security in the enjoying them he is led on as insensibly and unconcernedly as the Oxe that is led crown'd to the place of slaughter and knoweth not nor suspecteth any such danger and not onely unconcernedly but gladly danceth as it were to his execution as a fool which is pleased and gratified with his tinkling ornaments when indeed he is led to punishment in them On these motives he goes on confidently and chearfully to the commission of this sin which costs him so dear at last 23. Till a dart strike through his liver as a bird hasteth to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life Paraphrase 23. And thus he goes on without dread or hesitancy till he be wounded as a deer by the arrow of the hunter or engaged like a bird in the fowler's snare one such act of sin introduced with those flattering invitations becomes such a wound and snare to his soul such a wasting of all grace and even common notions of piety and justice and purity in his heart that he seldom gets out again and so though his expectations of carnal pleasure and no apprehensions of any farther inconvenience made him greedily to take down this morsel it proves to his dammage most poisonous and mortiferous and so his case when he is thus seduced and ensnared though to him it seem very desirable is most sadly to be compassionated and averted as being that which betrays all the joys and comforts of his life delivers him up to all noisom effects beggery reproach diseases and even to death it self 24. Hearken to me now therefore O ye children and attend unto the words of my mouth 25. Let not thy heart decline to her ways go not astray in her paths Paraphrase 24 25. This most sad but true and obvious representation so frequently experimented among men may render it a very necessary and seasonable advice to all that pretend to
which the fisher boys toll and catch with the foam of the Sea and signifies proverbially 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that is quickly and easily drawn or seduced or deceived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Hesychius and this by way of paraphrase yet also with respect to the original notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simple or foolish But Aquila and Theodotion reade more literally 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 presently CHAP. VIII 1. DOth not wisedom cry and understanding put forth her voice 2. She standeth in the top of high places by the way in the places of the paths 3. She crieth at the gates at β the entry of the city at the coming in at the doors Paraphrase 1 2 3. In this is the infinite goodness and abundant care and solicitude of God expressed that when they provoke him in the highest measure to leave them to their own ungodly desires and purposes and to forsake them utterly without ever recalling them to repentance he contrariwise is most importunate in his calls to them by the law of reason and conscience in the heart by voices from heaven by judgments by mercies by Moses and the Prophets and at last when all other means were successless by his own Son God-man the great Prophet fore-promised and after him by the descent of his Holy Spirit on the Apostles commissionated by him by these so many distinct articulate ways of revelation making known his will to them in such a manner as if he were resolved to leave no one man in the world ignorant of his duty and of his own nearest concernments in the discharge thereof Should divine knowledge be imagined to be an Herald with a Trumpet in his hand or a Crier with his Oies sounded aloud in the presence of the whole world on a place of the greatest advantage to be heard in those meetings of ways entrances into cities and houses that no man living might possibly be left ignorant of that which is proclaimed it could not by that means be more audible and leave mankind more inexcusable in going on in their sinfull ways than now it is and doth by means of those loud calls that God hath vouchsafed to the world 4. Unto you O men I call and my voice is to the sons of men Paraphrase 4. And is it not a great enhansement of the mercy to mankind that when a multitude whole legions of Angels were fallen into an abyss of sin and misery as well as mankind yet this favour being not shewed to any one lapsed Angel of all that multitude all the whole race and kind of men were thus graciously considered by God as to have God's calls nay his Son Christ the most articulate calls communicated to them Gentiles the most idolatrous polluted Gentiles as well as Jews the most proud provoking rebellious crucifying Jews all of each sort redeemed by him and no one of all mankind left out of that purchase and his calls to repentance dispatched to all by the Apostles in his name preaching pardon for what was past and now commanding all men every where to repent Act. 17.30 5. O ye simple understand wisedom and ye fools be ye of an understanding heart Paraphrase 5. And the interpretation of that is that they should rescue themselves from the reproach and wretched effects of the utmost folly judge what the rules of true wisedom or but craft and subtlety and care of their own interests will exact from them and set cordially and resolutely to the practice of it 6. Hear for I will speak of excellent things and the opening of my lips shall be right things Paraphrase 6. This certainly may deserve audience from us being a most venerable and excellent subject and all other knowledge unworthy to compare with it either for profit or certainty 7. For my mouth shall speak truth and wickedness is an abomination to my lips 8. All words of my mouth are in righteousness there is nothing froward or perverse in them 9. They are all plain to him that understandeth and right to them that find knowledge Paraphrase 7 8 9. The precepts which thus are given us by God in order to the regulating our lives are most just and righteous precepts most extremely far removed from all iniquity or impurity such as the law of reason in men's hearts if it do not exact of all men doth applaud and highly approve in those that practise them Onely those that go on in their wicked courses obstinately and imperswasibly that keep at a distance from them that never had the least experience of the pleasures which vertue yields they may doubt of the reasonableness of these precepts imagine them too severe design'd to betray them to a joyless life But for all that apply themselves to true wisedom moderation of affections acting according to rules of vertue as they are most plain and obvious to be understood as visible as what is directly before me so are they most agreeable to the better part of the man to reasonable and ingenuous nature 10. Receive my instruction and not silver and knowledge rather than choise gold 11. For wisedom is better than rubies and all the things that are to be desired are not to be compared to it Paraphrase 10 11. And indeed if the comparison should be made betwixt the practice of vertue in the one scale and all the silver and gold and most precious stones and whatsoever is most valued and eagerly pursued among men it is certain the amiableness and true excellency of the former would in any sober man's esteem infinitely outweigh all the rest amassed together All that outward plenty and splendour can never make any man contented much less happy but generally brings additions of fears and turmoils and so of miseries to the possessours Onely the practice of all vertue moral and christian are the foundation and matter of a pure immixt substantial lasting satisfaction and happiness to all that are uniformly exercised therein 12. I wisedom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions Paraphrase 12. And let all the cunning and subtlety in the world combine in the most dextrous artificious projects which wicked men use in the bringing their unjust machinations to pass the practice of vertue constant and uniform will be able to outvie and outwit them all and though at first the subtlety of the world may seem to get the start yet vertue will carry it at long running and in fine approve it self the onely true policy 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the froward mouth do I hate Paraphrase 13. This vertue if it be such as will approve it self to God consists in the forsaking of every wicked way it being certain that not onely some but every sort of such in thought deed and word is most detestable in the sight of God The wisedom
through the ear by his old Master rather than thus dignified with the Title of Free-man and denied the Libertinism that belongs to it But the truth is there is a third notion of these words which will be a Supersedeas to that of a Promise and that is as this art of promising is only an excuse or shift or pretence to get off the present smart of the rod or the importunity of the Prophet to escape the smiting or the being smitten the cross or following of Christ Should the unmanaged Horse instead of the Bullock in the Text desire his Rider to put off his Spurs and Whip and at once to ease him both of Bit and Saddle and then promise to be the tractablest Beast in nature but till then profess that all those Instruments of Discipline should never tame him I beseech you what would be thought of this Oration would you certainly be perswaded that the Beast spake reason that it was a serious design of a generous obedience a gallantry of a voluntary unconstrained vertue If so you may believe the Beast within you that makes the same proposal to God and you In the mean time 't will not be amiss to resolve that he that hath exceptions to God's methods hath some other Master to whom he is more inclinable to retain he that will not serve God for nought that is all for the thriving Piety the gainful Godliness that must have his reward just as he is a doing the work a payment in hand even before he sets about the duty will sure bring in little profit to God be he fed never so high very thin returns of good life for all his donatives He that will not now mend under the rod edifie by so many doleful Lectures as have been read us out of a Zachary's and a Jeremy's roll that hath arrived to Theodoret's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a mind that can reverberate judgments and make them rebound in more provoking sins against the hand that sent them is of the Pharaoh the anvil-temper and let him pretend or promise or flatter himself what he please by holding out his white Flag for Treaty he desired to be in case to maintain his Fort still against God and 't is not victualling and bribing but starving and storming must help to drive him out of it Which brings me to the third and last particular The stating of this difficulty betwixt God and man and in it the falseness of man's judgment and fallaciousness of such his promise both in respect of God who will never send them Prosperity that Adversity wrought no good on and of Prosperity it self which would never do the work if God should send it For the first in respect of God who will never send them Prosperity that Adversity wrought no good on this you may judge of not only by that great Rule of State in Heaven of God 's resisting the proud and Surely God heareth not sinners compounded into one Gospel-aphorism the incorrigible beggar can never have audience in heaven nor returns from thence save only of stones and thunder-bolts but especially on that wise ground of divine oeconomy on which all these stripes are sent God's first method of calling us off from the world is the soft and friendly the having therefore these promises let us cleanse our selves a Heaven a Paradise and a Canaan to confirm Angels and bring men to bliss to draw with the cords of a Man with the bands of love and if that prevail Afflictions are superseded and were it not that there is another special use of them to illustrate our Christian vertues and improve our Crown and withall to confute Satan when he accuses us of unsincerity the reformed Christian should never be thus exercised But when Prosperity will not work when the calmer physick is digested into nourishment of the disease then and not till then the vomit comes in on the reserve the tempest and deluge to drown those Serpents that had ingendred and thriven in the shallow and stlll waters as to them that are sick of perfumes the noisomest Smell is the only Cordial and then as Cusanus observes there is in God coincidentia contrariorum this severity is the only mercy these wounds the only balsame the hostile approach the most obliging charity and as by the Heathen artifice in Hero's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as soon as ever the fire was kindled upon the Altar the plummets fell and the doors flew open and the God appeared upon the Chair of State so by this rarifying power of flames and judgments the earthly obstacles are oft removed and the Deity set up and inthron'd in the heart and then sure 't was good for that man that he was in trouble And generally the rule is true in Gerson Omnes poenae non exterminantes sunt medicinales All mulcts that are not undoing and our Law admits not of any but such as are salvo contenemento are a piece of charity and physick in the Judge For this cause are many sick and weak nay many fallen asleep if we will believe the Apostle and all these judgings of the Lord the only Antidotes against that fatal poyson the being condemn'd and ruin'd with the world And then you will not blame the wit or piety of the old Heathens who deifi'd all their Benefactors that they had Temples for such Fevers as these the friends that had so oblig'd them I 'm sure St. Augustine makes it his wonder that upon that score they had not erected one Altar more impietati hostium to the impiety and rapine of their enemies which was constantly if they had but the grace to make use of it so royal a Benefactor The sovereign power of this Recipe being thus considered you will give it leave to be the last in God's prescribing and the most depended on and the Patient being not fit for the cost or trouble of any farther experiments when these have proved successless the greatest mercy of the Physician is to leave him with these Cupping-glasses at the neck that if there be ever a spark of vital spirit within it may by this assistance discharge it self of that poysonous vapour and yet possibly overcome and quit the danger but if not 't is sure too late to divert to any new course the fetching out the Cordials will but enhance the Bill and maintain the Lamp a little longer will never beget a new stock of spirits or spring of life when 't is once so quite exhausted and therefore the conclusion is clear and the Prophet Amos hath exprest it by an apt resemblance Amos 3.5 Shall one take up a snare from the earth and take nothing at all Shall God remove his judgments from a Nation while the sins are still at the high-water Infallibly he will not do it If he do 't is a sad presage his soft hand is but absolute desertion the leaving to our selves is the giving us up to our bloudiest enemies that unseasonable
eternally happy if either or all may effectually perform the work on him But then still if we observe distinguishingly and exactly apply and proportion the arguments to the imperfect Christian state you shall find that Promises are the most proper congruous agreeable argument most apt and hopeful to do the deed to have the impression upon the heart Fear is an argument but to an ingenuous nature not altogether so appropriate Hope the relative to Promises is more generous than that more noble more worthy of the Christian's breast a person of so royal an extraction On the other side the Love of God for his own sake Love of his attributes and excellencies that admirable dazling amazing beauty of his Divine Essence O! 't is a warming grace infinitely melting and ravishing to those that have their hearts truly possess'd with it But is not this again a little above the proportion of the imperfect inchoate very moderate state of the Christian in this life is it not a little more proportionable to that of the future vision The Christian you know here is made up of two Contraries the flesh and spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 combind'd and yok'd together and as the Fear may be too degenerous for the spirit so the Love of so transcendent a spiritual object will be far too elevated and generous for the flesh 't is not capable of so pure Angelical a guest This of Hope is of a middle temper and so a little more congruous and apportion'd to the middle state more ingenuous than Fear and not so elevated as Love Let Hell be set open wide upon us on one side and it is apt to swallow us up with horrour and despair and so that Fear may miscarry and ruin us Let the transcendent Excellencies of God be let loose on us on the other side and they swallow us up again in ecstasie and amazement When our Saviour comes into Peter's Ship clothed but with one ray of this infinite beauty the gracious miracle of the fish poor creature he falls down at Jesus's feet with a depart from me for I am a sinful man and the Text gives the reason For he was astonished at such a presence of his And you know what Moses thought of seeing God's face ut videam vivam he should be never able to out-live it And as the beholding and the presence so the high pitch of Love let in by that beholding fasten'd on the divine lustre 't is most-what too high for our earthly state even for the regenerate Christian in this life The beholding him in the reflexion and the dark beholding is that which in the Apostles judgment is the richest portion we can aspire to in this life and that is the beholding him in his graces and in his promises as Hope is but a glimpse of Vision and thus we chearfully and with delight to our very flesh expect that glory which shall be reveal'd not which is revealed already or if it were would burn up and calcine this flesh of ours turn the natural into a spiritual body could not consist with such temper'd or constituted Tabernacles as now we carry about with us And let that serve for the clearing the first step in the gradation that Promises are a fit and proper argument to work upon our present state to set us a purifying And O that this might be our use of Promises no flattering our selves into Hell with a claim of Heaven but as a crane or engine to raise us from the depth fetch us from the lees of sin and like the Sun-beams on this earth of ours to attract and force us up toward its region of purity that as the Philosopher in Eunapius was taller in his study in time of speculation than at any other time so this meditation and study of this part of the Book of life the Promises of Christ might be able to raise us above our ordinary pitch or stature to rarifie and so to cleanse Having therefore these Promises let c. 2. Of all Promises the conditional are fittest for this turn to oblige and engage us to purifying 'T is the property of conditional Promises never to belong to any but those that perform the condition That which Christ requires of us in the great Indenture between him and us as the homage to be perform'd to him on our part be it never so slight and inconsiderable never so despicable a pepper-corn so pitifully unproportionable to the great rent he might require or to the infinite treasure of glory that he so makes over to us that mite of obedience of faith of love of purity is yet most strictly required by Christ even now under the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Gospel to be performed to him The mercy and the pardon and the huge moderation of that Court though it hath mollified the strict Law into never so much Chancery will not proceed further and mollifie obedience into libertinism It hath treasures of mercy for those who have not obeyed the Law in the strictness of perfect un-sinning obedience the Evangelical righteousness shall serve turn where the Legal is not to be had but then still there must be honest punctual payment of the Evangelical and without that the Gospel is so far from being Gospel message of mercy embassie of Promises that it is but an enhancement and accumulation of much sorer punishments on them that have sinn'd against that that have not obeyed the Gospel of Christ Our Saviour hath brought down the market provided as easie bargains of bliss for us as could be imagin'd but this being granted you must not now fancie another farther second Saviour that must rid you of these easie gainful tasks which the first in meer kindness and benignity to you hath required of you Be Heaven and the vision of God never so cheap a purchase yet the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law of Faith of Gospel is as that of the Medes and Persians that no unclean thing shall enter therein and that without holiness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all one with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Text without that sincere though never so imperfect sanctification without cleansing mortifying here no man shall ever see the Lord. Should any boisterous unclean unqualified invader 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 break in on those sacred mansions commit such riots such burglary upon Heaven Heaven must be unconsecrated by such violence cease to be the Palace of God a place of purity or of bliss And if this be not an argument fit to impress this duty the necessity but withal the ease of the performance the no Heaven without it hereafter and yet the no grievance by it here if this be not an obligation to cleansing I know not what may be counted such He that hath taken down all the Promises of the Gospel as absolute unconditionate Promises that sees his name written indeleble in the Book of life I know not through what tube or
Army once did and an Army of united prayers may do so again but the Eagle to a carkase the Night-raven to the funeral of a Consumptive Church and Monarchy an Hell from Heaven upon an abominable people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 could the Tyrant Phalaris say He that is not made soâ—er by many sufferings is absolutely insensate And yet God knows out of this rock the greatest part of this Age seems to be hewed The thunder about our ears that could teach the most barbarous Nations to believe and tremble the breaking in of the Lions that disciplin'd the Assyrians in Samaria to seek out instruction in the manner of the God of the land 2 Kings 17. Gods using us as the Physician in the Epigram did the Lethargick Patient putting a Lunatick into the same room with him to dry-beat us is possible into sense and life again His proceeding to that great cure of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dissolving the habit of the body politick and to that end letting blood to a deliquium which Hippocrates resolves so necessary to abate the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the high full athletick health that is so dangerous in his Aphorisms the driving out into the field with Nebuchadnezzar which infused reason into that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which untransform'd him again and raised up his eyes to an acknowledgment of him that liveth for ever Dan. 4. have God knows wrought the quite contrary on us wasted the seeds of natural piety within us erected Academies of Atheism endowed them with Schools and Professours where the art of it may be learned at a reasonable rate a young sinner of an ordinary capacity may within a few months observation set up Atheist for himself prophane scoff at the Clergy be very keen and witty upon Scripture have exceptions against the Service of the Church and all with as good grace as if he had serv'd and Apprentiship in Italy or at the feet of that great Master that Martyr of Atheism Vanninus He that at the breaking in of this torrent of misery upon the land had but walk'd in the counsel of the â—ngodly was but upon probation and deliberation whether he should be wicked or no that after some months when the waters began to turn into blood was yet advanced to a moderate proficiency a standing in the way of sinners and found it but an uneasie wearisome posture a standing upon thorns or flints is now fairly sate down in the chair of the Scorner or prophane Atheist in cathedrâ as a place of ease or repose can blaspheme without any regrets of a petulant conscience in cathedrâ as a seat of state prophanes with a better grace than he can do any thing else is become a considerable person upon that one account is valued among Lookers on by that only excellency and in cathedrâ again as a Professors chair a Doctor of that black faculty ready to entertain Clients to gather Disciples to set up an Independent Church of rational Blasphemers and being himself a complete Convert sufficiently approved to Satan to confirm and strengthen those puny Brethren that are not arrived to the accursed measure of that fulness fit them with Machiavels capacity for vast undertakings by that excellent quality of being wicked enough the want of which saith he hath been the undoing of the world And shall not God visit for this shall he not be avenged on such a Nation as this A wonderful and horrible thing is wrought in the land the judgments that were sent to awake have numni'd and petrefied us the fire in the bowels of this earth of ours hath turn'd us into perfect quarry and mine and as Diodorus tells us in Arabia the Ice and Crystal is congeal'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the power of Divine fire and not by cold so are these icy Crystal hearts of ours frozen by that fire from Heaven that shall one day set the whole Universe a melting But besides these Atheists of the first magnitude other inferiour pretenders there are that cannot shake off all apprehensions of all judgment to come but yet upon distant tamer principles can do Satans business as well for such trifles as this Text takes notice of the contraries to justice and continence they have an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like Marcus in Iren. that charnied shield from the Mother of the Gods which shall render them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 invisible to the Judge The judicature erected by Christ takes not cognizance of such moral breaches as these there nothing but infidelity proves capital or if the breaches of the First Table may be brought in collaterally under that head yet for these venial defailances against the Second this toy of circumventing our brethren of defiling the flesh as its consequent in S. Jude speaking evil of dignities Christ came to make expiation for such not to receive bills of indictment against them to be their Priest but not their Judge I remember a saying of Picus Mirandula That a speculative Atheist is the greatest monster but one and that is the practical Atheist And yet this is the darling of the carnal Fiduciaries that can help him to reconcile his grossest sins his any thing with Faith how well you will have leisure to see if you please to descend with me from the absolute to the relative view of the matter of S. Pauls Sermon and consider first the relation which it hath to the Text on which he preach'd it and that you shall see in the former verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning the faith on Christ and that is my next stage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The faith on Christ the phrase that some nice Observers have laid such weight on to denote the special act of justifying faith as 't is and affiance on Christ of a far higher pitch than either the believing Christ or believing in Christ and yet it seems those so despicable moral vertues those that so few think necessary and some have affirm'd destructive and pernicious to salvation are here brought in by S. Paul I hope not impertinently under this head justice and continence and judgment to come parts of a Sermon of the faith on Christ So 1 Cor. where St. Paul had fasten'd his determination chap. 2. to know nothing among them but Jesus Christ and him crucified in the very next chap. he charges them with sins of carnality strife envyingâ— factions in the 5. with Fornication or incest In the 6. with going to law before Infidels all these it seems the prime contrarieties to the faith or knowledge of the crucified Saviour Thus in St. James you may mark that works of charity and mercy are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Religion ch 1.27 And being authorized from such great Apostles I shall not fear to tell you that the prime part of the knowledge and faith and religion of CHRIST the life and power of Christianity is the setting up and reigning of these vertues in our hearts
be true which Pamelius cites out of Honorius that instead of the antient oblation of bread and wine the offering of money was by consent received into the Church in memory of the pence in Judas sale Only 't were well if we were a little more alacrious and exact in the performance of the duty and more care taken in the distribution especially that that notorious abuse of this most Christian custome which they say I hope unjustly some part of this city is guilty of in converting this inheritance of the poor into a feast of entertainment for the Officers of the Church may be branded and banish'd out of kenn It is yet but a sin which like some in Aristotle hath never a name had never yet the honour to be forbidden if it should chance to live to that age thrive and prove fit for an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the imposition of a name let me have the favour to Christen it A new-found sacriledge a most inhumane at once and unchristian profanation And if you want an embleme for it that antient piece of Nathans designing will serve the turn the rich man feasting on the poor mans ewe lamb his luxury maintained by the others bloud 'T were an admirable work of Ecclesiastick discipline some way or other to bring the Corban in such favour with us that it might prove a bank or storehouse in every parish able to supply the wants of all but much better if we would fall in love with it our selves as a way of binding up both the tables of the Law into one volume of ministring both to God and man by this one mixt act of charity and piety of mercy and of sacrifice and so in the wise mans phrase to lay up our riches in Gods storehouse without a metaphor But if it please you not that any body though in the resolution it be Christ himself should have the disposal of your alms as charity now adaies is a pettish wearish thing ready to startle and pick a quarrel with any thing that comes to meddle with it then shall I not pursue this design any farther So thou art really and sincerely affected to the setting out of the third years tithing thou shalt have my leave to be thine own Almoner have the choice of the particular way of disposing and ordering it thy self And yet three things there are that I cannot choose but be so pragmatical as to interpose in this business 1. For the quando when this tithe should be set out Let it not be deferred till the Will be a making till death forces it out of our hands and makes it a non dat sed projicit only a casting over the lading when the ship is ready to sink nor yet till our coffers be ready to run over till a full abundant provision be made for all that belong to us for that is to feed the poor like the dogs only with the orts of the childrens table but as other tithes are paid just as the increase comes in presently after the whole field is reap'd so must the poor mans tithing also set out I say then dedicated to that use that we may have it by us at hand told out ready when the owner calls for it 'T was a thing that Antoninus recounts as matter of special joy that which he numbers amongst the felicities for which he was beholden to the Gods that he was never ask'd of any that he thought fit to give to that he was answered by his Almoner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there was not store at hand to perform his will A most joyous comfortable thing in that heathen Emperors opinion and yet that that will hardly be attained to unless we take some such course as this mentioned in terminis by S. Paul 1 Cor. 16.2 Vpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gathering when I come a weekly provision laid in and ready in numerato for this purpose that you be never surprized on a sudden and so disabled to perform this duty 2. For the quibus I would answer To all whom Christ hath made our neighbours and brethren and I know not any that are excluded from this title But you would then think I were set to sollicite against the laws of this realm and plead the cause of the idle wandering beggar that most savage barbarous unchristian trade among us set a man would think in the streets by the devil on purpose to pose and tire and non-plus mens charity to dishearten and weary them out of this Christian duty No we have a countermand from the Apostle against these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disorderly walkers 2 Thes 3.7 that if any would not labour neither should he eat v. 10. the best alms for them the seasonablest provision and charity to such is the careful execution of laws upon them to set them every one single in an orb to move in by that means perhaps to teach them the skill in time to be alms-givers themselves at least to become fit to be receivers For such of all others is the fixt stationary diligent labouring poor man whose motion is like that of the trembling sphere not able to advance any considerable matter in a whole age be they never so restless whose hands with all their diligence cannot give content to the mouth or yield any thing but stones many times to the poor child that calls for bread All that I shall interpose for the quibus shall be this that seeing a do good to all is now sent into the world by Christ and that but little restrained in any Christian Kingdom by an especially to the houshold of Saints all Christians being such and seeing again no man hath hands or store to feed every mouth that gapes in a kingdom or particularly in this populous city we may do well to take that course that we use in composing other difficulties referatur ad sortem let the lot decide the main of the controversie and reserving somewhat for the publick somewhat for the stranger somewhat for common calamities somewhat as 't were for the universal motion of the whole body somewhat for excentricks let the place whereon our lot hath cast us be the principal orb for our charity to move in the special diocess for our Visitation And when that is done and yet as 't is in the parable there be still room store left for others also then to inlarge as far as we can round about us as motion beginning at the centre diffuses it self uniformly sends out his influence and shakes every part to the circumference and happy that man who hath the longest arm whose charity can thus reach farthest The third thing is that my text obliges me to the how much out of every mans revenues may go for the poor mans due which brings me to the second particular the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here
mentioned in these words tithing all the tithes of thy increase the third year That there was a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 defin'd by God to the Jews Charity a proportion for every man not which they might not exceed for there were other ways of vent for their charity mentioned beside this but which no man was to go under is manifest by the text and c. 14. of this book the proportion you see a tithe or tenth part of all the increase not yearly but only every third year to raise a bank as it were for the maintenance of the poor till that year came about again This if we would dissolve into a yearly rate and so discern the Jewish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more perfectly it is equivalent to a thirtieth part every year the Jew whose yearly revenue amounted to thirty shekels was every third year to pay three of them to the use of the poor that is in effect one for every year the triennial tenth being all one with an annual thirtieth The account is clear and no man but hath Arithmetick enough to conclude that a thirtieth part is the third part of a tenth and so a tenth every third year is all one with a thirtieth every year I shall insist on this no farther than to tell you that Gods judgment in this affair is worth observing that alms-giving or mercifulness being a dictate of nature but that like other such Laws given only in general terms for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not so as to descend to particular cases it pleased God to his people the â—ews to express his judgment at that time in that state for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how much was by Law to be laid aside for that use out of every ones increase Now if I should press this practice of the Jews as matter of obligation or prescription to Christians that you are not in conscience to do less than the Jews were bound to do every man to set apart a thirtieth of his yearly revenue or increase for the use of the poor brethren I know not how you would take it many would startle at the news of the doctrine many more when they came to the practice of it many quarrels you would have against it He that were merciful already would think his gift would become a debt his bounty duty and so be wrongd and robb'd of the renown of his charity by this doctrine and the covetous that were not inclined to giving at all would complain that this were a new kind of ghostly stealth a way of robbing him out of the pulpit of burthening his conscience and lightning his bags and both joyn in the indictment of it for a Judaical antiquated doctrine that hath nothing to do with Christians And therefore to do no more than I shall justifie from the principles of the Gospel I shall confess unto you that this precept as it was given to the Jews is not obliging unto Christians and therefore I have not told you it was but only gave you to consider what Gods judgment was for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to his own people Only by way of application to our selves give me leave to add these four things which I deliver in as many propositions 1. That mercifulness or charity or giving alms is no part of the Ceremonial Law which is properly Judaism but of the eternal law of reason and nature part of the oath or Sacrament that is given us when the fiat homo is first pronounced to us a ray of Gods mercifulness infused into us with our humane nature in a word that mercifulness is all one with humanity a precept of the nature the God the soul we carry about with us 2. That being so it comes within the compass of those Laws that Christ came 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to destroy but to fulfil i. e. as the Fathers before S. Augustin generally interpreted it to improve it set it higher than it was before require more of Christians than ever was exacted of the Jews or heathens by the Law of Moses or of Nature Thus Irenaeus mentioning Christs improvement of the Law pro eo quod est Non moechaberis nec concupiscere praecepit for Thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not look to lust he adds pro eo quod est decumare omnia quae sunt pauperibus dividere instead of tithing this third years tithing thou shalt divide all thou hast to the poor give them some plentiful part of it And this saith he an act of Christ non solventis sed adimplentis extendentis dilatantis legem not loosing but filling up extending dilating the Law And S. Hierome on 2 Cor. 8.20 avoiding this that no man should blame us explains it thus lest any should say how did Christ fill up or fulfil the Law cùm videamus Christianos non tantam eleemosynam facere quantam fieri in lege praeceptum est when we see Christians not give so much alms as was by the Law of Moses prescribed to be given 3. That there were among the Jews two sorts of mercifulness the first called literally righteousness and by the Septuagint when it belongs to works of mercy is rendred sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteousness sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mercy and this is that mercifulness that Moses's Law required of the Jews and so was part of their righteousness he was a breaker of the Law that did neglect it and so opera justitiae in Lactantius the works of righteousness meaning works of charity by that phrase The second was mercy i. e. an higher degree of charity rather benignity mercifulness being full of good works and this was more than their Law exacted and therefore was styled goodness as that was more than righteousness 4. That by force of the second proposition and by the tenure of Evangelical perfection that Christ commended to his disciples this highest degree of mercifulness among the Jews is now the Christians task and that to him that will be perfect yet in an higher degree not only that degree which the Law required of the Jew a little raised and improved by us for that will be but the Christians righteousness but even the benignity of the Jews abundance of mercy improved and inlarged by us also And from these premises if I may in the name of God take boldness to infer my conclusion it can be no other than this That the proportion to be observed by the Christian alms-giver to speak at the least must be more in any reason than the thirtieth part of his revenue or increase The thirtieth is but equivalent to the third years tithing of the Jews which was the righteousness that which they were bound to do by the Law the Pharisee did as much and Christ tells us that except our righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very word that signifies the legal alms-giving many times in the Bible and who knows but it
dumb act of revocation bequeaths his soul to God and his Executor must see it paid among other Legacies and all this passes for legal in the Court and none of the Canons against the ancient Clinici can be heard against them The greatest wound to duty that ever yet it met with among Christians Thus do our vain phansies and vainer hopes joyn to supplant duty and good works and dismiss them out of the Church and if all or any of this be Orthodox Divinity then sure the duty of alms-giving will prove a suspected phrase haeretici characteris of an heretical stamp and then I am fallen on a thankless argument which yet I must not retract or repent of but in the name of God and S. Paul in this way that these men call heresie beseech and conjure you to worship the God of your Fathers For this purpose shall I make my address to you in Daniels words Dan. 4.27 Break off your sins by righteousness and your iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor righteousness and mercy the two degrees of alms-giving that I told you I hope that will not be suspected when he speaks it Shall I tell you what duty is what is now required of a Christian and that in the Prophet Micah's phrase Mic. 6.8 And now what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God justice and mercy the two degrees of alms-giving again that I told you of and I hope it will not prove offensive when he speaks it Shall I tell you of a new religion and yet that a pure one and the same an old religion and yet that an undefiled for so the beloved disciple calls this duty of charity a new Commandment and an old Commandment 1 Joh. 2. it shall be in S. James his words Jam. 1.27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world Shall I tell you in one word that though heaven be given us freely yet alms-giving is the consideration mentioned in the conveyance that men are acknowledged the blessed of God and called to heaven upon the performance of this duty that although it pretend not to any merit either ex congruo or condigno yet 't is a duâ—y most acceptable in the sight of God that alms-giving is mentioned when assurance is left out charity crown'd when confidence is rejected I love not to be either magisterial or quarrelsom but to speak the words of truth and sobriety to learn and if it be possible to have peace with all men only give me leave to read you a few words that S. Matthew transcribed from the mouth of Christ Mat. 25.35 Then shall the King say to him on his right hand who should the King be but Christ himself Come ye blessed of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat Tell me in the name of truth and peace who now were they for whom the Kingdom was prepared from the foundation of the world who were there the objects of that great dooms-day election his Venite benedicti If Christ do not tell you neither do I the Text is of age let it speak for it self For I was an hungred and ye gave me meat If all this will justifie the doctrine and make this Text Christian perswade your judgments that charity may be the Queen of heaven maxima autem harum charitas the greatest of these is charity without affront or injury done to any other grace I hope it will be seasonable for your practice also as it hath been for your meditation become your hands as well as it doth now your ears And to infuse some life some alacriousness into you for that purpose I shall descend to the more sensitive quickning enlivening part of this Text the benefit arising from the performance of this duty Dicas coram Domino then thou shalt or mayest say before the Lord thy God And in that I promised you two things 1. To shew you in thesi that confidence or claiming any thing at Gods hands must take its rise from duty in performance 2. In hypothesi to give you the connexion betwixt this confidence and this performance claiming of temporal plenty upon giving of alms 1. In thesi That confidence or claiming any thing at Gods hands must take its rise from duty in performance If there be any doubt of the truth of this I shall give you but one ground of proof which I think will be demonstrative and 't is that that will easily be understood I am sure I hope as easily consented to that all the promises of God even of Christ in the Gospel are conditional promises not personal for the Law descends not to particular persons and in this the Gospel is a Law too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law of faith nor absolute as that signifies irrespective or exclusive of qualifications or demeanure for that is all one with personal and if either of those were true then should Christ be what he renounces a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an accepter of persons and individual Entities and so the mercies of heaven belong to Saul the Persecutor as truly as Paul the Apostle Saul the injurious as Paul the abundant labourer Saul the blasphemer as Paul the Martyr It remains then that they be conditional promises and so they are explicitly for the most part the condition named and specified 2 Cor. 6.17 Come out and be you separate and touch not the unholy thing a the condition you see set foremost in the Indenture and then I will receive you and therefore most logically infers the Apostle in the next words the beginning of c. 7. Having therefore these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Had the Promises been of any other sort but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these i. e. conditional Promises the Apostles illation of so much duty cleansing and perfecting had been utterly unconclusive if not impertinent So Rom. 8.28 All things work together for good to whom to them that love God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them that are called according to purpose the word called a noun in that place not a participle noting a real not only intentional passion those that are wrought upon by Gods call and are now in the catalogue of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the lovers of God and that is the condition in the subject and then to them that are thus qualified belongs that chain of mercies predestination vocation to a conformity with Christ justification glorification immediately ensuing You see the proof of my ground by a taste or two Now what condition this is that is thus prefix'd to Gospel-promises that is not obscure neither Not absolute exact never sinning
perfect obedience that was the condition of the first covenant made in paradise when there was ability to perform it but a condition proportioned to our state sincerity in lieu of perfection repentance in exchange for innocence evangelical instead of legal righteousness believing in the heart i. e. cordial obedience to the whole Law of Christ impartial without hypocrisie or indulgence in any known sin persevering and constant without Apostasie or final defection and at last humble without boasting If you will come yet nearer to a full sight of it sometimes regeneration or new life is said to be the condition Except you be born again you can in no wise enter Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision but a new creature Sometimes holiness without which nemo Deum no man shall see the Lord Sometimes repentance in gross nay but except you repent sometimes in retail repentance divided into its parts he that confesseth and for saketh shall have mercy sometimes repentance alone but now commands all men every where to repent as if all duty were contained in that sometimes in conjunction with faith repent you and believe the Gospel sometimes faith sometimes love sometimes self-denial sometimes mercifulness sometimes hope but that an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a this hope that sets us a purifying every one of these when you meet them single goes for the only necessary the adequate condition of the Gospel to teach you to take them up all as you find them leave never an one neglected or despised lest that be the betraying of all the rest but make up one jewel of these so many lesser gems one body of these so many limbs one recipe compounded of so many ingredients which you may superscribe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catholicon or the whole duty of man From this general proposition without the aid of any assumption we may conclude demonstratively enough promises of the Gospel are conditional promises therefore all confidence must take rise from duty Duty is the performance of that condition and to be confident without that is to conclude without promises and consequently to claim justification or pardon of sins before sanctification be begun in the heart to challenge right to heaven before repentance be rooted on earth to make faith the first grace and yet define that assurance of salvation to apply the merits of Christ to our selves the first thing we do and reckon of charity good works duty as fruits and effects to be produced at leisure when that faith comes to virility and strength of fructifying what is all or any of this but to charge God of perjury to tell him that impenitents have right to heaven which he swears have not or to forge a new lease of heaven and put it upon Christ the calmest style I can speak in is that it is the believing of a lie and so not faith but folly an easie cheatableness of heart and not confidence but presumption Hope a man may without actual performance of duty because he may amend hereafter though he do not now and so that possibility and that futurity may be ground of hope but then this hope must set us presently upon performance He that hath this hope purifies himself or else it is not that grace of hope but an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a youthful daringness of soul a tumour a disease a tympany of hope and if it swell farther than it purge if it put on confidence before holiness this hope may be interpreted desperation an hope that maketh ashamed an utter destitution of that hope which must bestead a Christian O let us be sure then our confidence our claims to heaven improve not above their proportion that we preserve this symmetry of the parts of grace that our hope be but commensurate to our sincerity our daringness to our duty A double confidence there is pro statu and Absolute pro statu when upon survey of my present constitution of soul I claim right in Christs promises for the present and doubt not but I shall be bless'd if I be found so doing Absolute when at the end of life and shutting in of the day I am able to make up my reckonings with S. Paul I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness a crown of felicity I have done what I had to do and now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is nothing behind but to receive my pay I have been too long upon the general consideration of the connexion between confidence and duty if it were an extravagance I hope 't was a pardonable one I descend with speed to the hypothesis the connexion betwixt this confidence and this performance claiming of temporal plenty upon giving of alms my last particular And that I shall give you clearly in this one proposition That alms-giving or mercifulness was never the wasting or lessening of any mans estate to himself or his posterity but rather the increasing of it If I have delivered a new doctrine that will not presently be believed an unusquisque non potest capere such as every auditor will not consent to I doubt not but there be plain texts of Scripture more than one which will assure any Christian of the truth of it Consider them at your leisure Psal 41.1 2. Ps 112. all to this purpose Pro. 11.25 12.9 19.17 and 28.27 Add to these the words of Christ Mar. 10.30 which though more generally delivered of any kind of parting with possessions for Christs sake are applied by S. Hier. to the words of Solomon Pro. 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth quia centuplum accipient in hoc tempore because saith he they receive an hundred fold in this world And that no man may have any scruple to interpose 't is set in as large and comprehensive a style as the art or covetous scrupulous wit of man could contrive for his own security There is no man who shall not All which being put together must to my understanding make it as clear to any that acknowledges these for Scripture as if the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daughter of voice were come back into the world again and God should call to a man out of heaven by name bid him relieve that poor man and he should never be the poorer for it 'T is not now to be expected of me in conscience having produced this kind of proof the express texts of Scripture to add any second to it I might else farther evidence it from examples not such as Moscus's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will furnish you with for I know not of what authority they are nor yet from S. Hieroms observation who is said to have turned over histories on purpose and never found any merciful man which met not with some signal blessing in this world as the reward of that vertue but even by appealing to your selves and challenging any man here
fooling after Idols which was the Original of the Heathens being given up to vile affections Rom. i. for one that lives in a civil Countrey among people that have the faces and hearts of men and Christians made as it were to upbraid his ways and reprove his thoughts for one that is within the sound of Gods Law and Light of his Gospel by which he may edifie more than ever Heathen did by thunder and lightning for one that cannot chuse but fear and believe and love and hope in God in some measure or kind be he never so unregenerate for him I say that hath all these outward restraints and perhaps some inward twinges of Conscience to curb and moderate him to be yet so stupid under all these helps as never to be able to raise up one thought toward heaven to have yet not the least atome of Soul to move in the ways of godliness but to fall prostrate like a Carkass or a Statue or that Idol Dagon with his feet stricken off not able to stand before the slightest motion of sin or if a lust or a phansie or a devil be he the ugliest in Hell any thing but God appear to him presently to fall down and worship This is such a sottish condition such an either Lethargy or Consumption of the Soul such an extream degree of weakness that neither original sin that Serpent that despoiled Adam nor any one single Devil can be believed to have wrought in us but that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Platonicks call it Apopular Government of sin under a multitude of Tyrants which have for so long a while wasted and harassed the Soul so that now it is quite crest-faln as that legion of Devils Mar. v. 3 which dwelt among the Tombs in a liveless cadaverous noisome Soul or more truly that evil spirit Mark i. 23 that made the man disclaim and renounce Christ and his mercies when he came to cure Let us alone what have we to do with thee by which is noted That contentedness and acquiescence in sin that even stubborn wilfulness and resolvedness to die that a long sluggish custom in sin will bring us to and that you may resolve on as the main discernable cause of this weakness of the heart a habit and long service and drudgery in sin But then as a ground of that you may take notice of another a phancy that hath crept into most mens hearts and suffers them not to think of resisting any temptation to sin that all their actions as well evil as good were long ago determined and set down by God and now nothing left to them but a necessity of performing what was then determined I would fain believe that that old heresie of the Stoicks revived indeed among the Turks concerning the inevitable production of all things that fatal necessity even of sins should yet never have gotten any footing or entertainment among Christians but that by a little experience in the practice of the world I find it among many a main piece of their faith and the only point that can yield them any comfort that their sins be they never so many and outragious are but the effects or at least the consequents of Gods decree that all their care and sollicitude and most wary endeavours could not have cut off any one sin from the Catalogue that unless God be pleased 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to come down upon the Stage by the irresistable power of his constraining spirit as with a Thunderbolt from Heaven to shake and shiver to pieces the carnal man within them to strike them into a swoon as he did Saul that so he may convert them and in a word to force and ravish them to Heaven unless he will even drive and carry them they are never likely to be able to stir to perform any the least work of reason but fall minutely into the most irrational unnatural sins in the world nay even into the bottom of that pit of Hell without any stop or delay or power of deliberating in this their precipice This is an heresie that in some Philosopher-Christians hath sprouted above ground hath shewed it self in their brains and tongues and that more openly in some bolder Wits but the Seeds of it are sown thick in most of our hearts I sear in every habitual sinner amongst us if we were but at leisure to look into our selves The Lord give us a heart to be forewarned in this behalf To return into the rode Our natural inclinations and propensions to sin are no doubt active and prurient enough within us somewhat of Jehu's constitution and temper they drive very furiously But then to perswade our selves that there is no means on earth besides the very hand of God and that out of our reach able to trash or overslow this furious driver that all the ordinary clogs that God hath provided us our reason and natural conscience as Men our Knowledge as Christians nay his restraining though not sanctifying graces together with the Lungs and Bowels of his Ministers and that energetical powerful instrument the Gospel of Christ Which is the power of God unto salvation even to every Jew nay and Heathen Rom. 1. To resolve that all these are not able to keep us in any compass to quell any the least sin we are inclined to that unless God will by force make Saints of us we must needs presently be Devils and so leave all to Gods omnipotent working and never make use of those powers with which he hath already furnished us This is a monstrous piece of unchristian divinity a way by advancing the Grâ—â—e of God to destroy it and by depending on the Holy Ghost to grieve if not to sin against him to make the corruption of our nature equal to nay surpassing the punishment of the Devils a necessary and irreversible obduration in all kinds and measures of sin This one practical Heresie will bring us through all the prodigies of the old Philosophical Sects from Stoicks to Epicurism and all sensual Libertinism and from thence to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Pythagoreans For unless the soul that is now in one of us had been transplanted from a Swine or some other the most stupid sottish degenerous sort of Beasts it is impossible that it should thus naturally and necessarily and perpetually and irrecoverably delight and wallow in every kind of sensuality without any check or contradiction either of Reason or Christianity If I should tell you that none of you that hath understood and pondered the Will of God wants abilities in some measure to perform it if he would muster up all his forces at time of need that every Christian hath grace enough to smother lusts in the Womb and keep them at least from bringing forth to quell a temptation before it break out into an actual sin you would think perhaps that I flattered you and deceived my self in too good an opinion of your
is engaged in such a pile of flames If there be any Charity left in this frozen World any Beam under this cold uninhabitable Zone it will certainly work some meltings on the most obdurate heart it will dissolve and pour out our bowels into a seasonable advice or admonition that excellent Recipe saith Themist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That supplies the place and does the work of the burnings and scarifyings a cry to stop him in his precipitous course a tear at least to solemnize if not to prevent so sad a fate And it were well if all our bowels were thus imployed all our kindness and most passionate love thus converted and laid out on our poor lapsed sinner-brethrens souls to seize upon those fugitives as Christ is said to do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. xi 16 to catch hold and bring them back ere it be yet too late rescue them out of the hands of their dearest espoused sins and not suffer the most flattering kind of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Gal. de Athl. the Devil in the Angelical disguise the sin that undertakes to be the prime Saint the zeal for the Lord of Hosts any the most venerable impiety to lay hold on them Could I but see such a new fashioned Charity received and entertained in the World every man to become his brothers keeper and every man so tame as to love and interpret aright entertain and embrace this keeper this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Guardian Angel as an Angel indeed as the only valuable friend he hath under Heaven I should think this a lucky omen of the worlds returning to its wits to some degree of piety again And till then there is a very fit place and season for the exercise of the other part of the passion here that of Indignation the last minute of my last particular as the how long is an expression of Indignation Indignation not at the men for however Aristotles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A man ought to have indignation at some persons may seem to justifie it Our Saviour calls not for any such stern passion or indeed any but love and bowels of pity and charity toward the person of any the most enormous sinner and St. Paul only for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the restoring setting him in joynt again that is thus overtaken in any fault but Indignation I say at the sin at the simplicity and the folly that refuse reproachful Creature that hath the fate to be beloved so passionately and so long And to this will Aristotles â—eason of indignation belong the seeing favors and kindness so unworthily disâ—eâ—ced the uâ—tarts saith he and new men advanced and gotten into the greatest dignities knowledge to be proâ—estly hated and under that title all the prime i. e. Practical Wisdom and Piety and simplicity i. e. folly and madness and sin to have our whole souls laid out upon it O let this shrill Sarcasm of Wisdoms the How long ye simple ones be for ever a sounding in our ears Let this indignation at our stupid ways of sin transplant it self to that soyl where it is likely to thrive and fructifie best I mean to that of our own instead of other mens breasts where it will appear gloriously in St. Pauls inventory a prime part of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the durable unretracted repentance an effect of that godly sorrow that worketh to Salvation And if it be sincere O what indignation it produceth in us What displeasure and rage at our folly to think how senselesly we have moulted and crumbled away our souls what unthrifty bargains we have made what sots and fools we shall appear to Hell when it shall be known to the wretched tormented Creatures what ambitions we had to be but as miserable as they upon what Gotham errands what Wild-goose chases we are come posting and wearied thither O that a little of this consideration and this passion betimes might ease us of that endless wo and indignation those tears and gnashing of teeth quit us of that sad arrear of horrors that otherwise waits behind for us Lord do thou give us that view of our ways the errors the follies the furies of our extravagant Atheistical lives that may by the 〈◊〉 reproach and shame recover and return us to thee Make our faces ashamed O Lord that we may seek thy Law Give us that pity and that indignation to our poor perishing souls that may at length â—wake and fright us out of our Lethargies and bring us so many confounded humbled contrite â—tentiaries to that beautiful gate of thy temple of mercies where we may retract our follies implore thy pardon deprecate thy wrath and for thy deliverance from so deep an Hell from so infamous a vile condition from so numerous a tale of deaths never leave praising thee and saying Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy glory Glory be to thee O God most high To whom with the Son and the Holy Ghost be ascribed c. SERMON IV. MATT. I. 23 Emmanuel which is by interpretation God with us THE different measure and meanâ— of dispensing Divine Knowledg to several ages of the World may sufficiently appear by the Gospels of the New and Prophecies of the Old Testament the sunshine and the clearness of the one and the twilight and dimness of the other but in no point this more importantly concerns us than the Incarnation of Christ This hath been the Study and Theme the Speculation and Sermon of all holy Men and Writers since Adam's Fall yet never plainly disclosed till John Baptist in the third of Matth. and the third Verse and the Angel in the next Verses before my Text undertook the Task and then indeed was it fully performed then were the Writings or rather the Riddles of the obscure stammering whispering Prophets turned into the voice of One crying in the Wilderness Prepare ye the ways of the Lord c. Isa xl 3 Then did the cry yea shouting of the Baptist at once both interpret and perform what it prophesied At the sound of it Every valley was exalted and every hill was brought low the crooked was made straight and the rough places plain v. 4. That is the Hill and Groves of the Prophets were levell'd into the open champain of the Gospel those impediments which hindred God's approach unto mens rebel hearts were carefully removed the abject mind was lifted up the exalted was deprest the intractable and rough was render'd plain and even in the same manner as a way was made unto the Roman Army marching against Jerusalem This I thought profitable to be premised to you both that you might understand the affinity of Prophecies and Gospel as differing not in substance but only in clearness of revelation as the glorious face of the Sun from it self being overcast and mask'd with a cloud and also for the clearing of my Text For this entire passage
mis-shapen horrid monstrous Vices have so framed and fashioned the whole fabrick of their lives without any blush or lineament of God in them that they are afraid ever to mention him in earnest for fear of putting them out of their course they dare not believe too much of God lest it should be their undoing a little sense of him would take off many of their tricks of sinning and consequently spoil their thriving in the world like Diana's Silversmith Act. xix 24 for by this craft they have their wealth The least glimpse of God in these mens hearts nay one solemn mention of him in their mouths were enough to bring them into some compass to upbraid their ways and reprove their thoughts Were these men taken to task according to the Canon Laws of our Kingdom and not suffered to live any longer amongst Christians till they understood clearly the promise of their Baptism till they durst come and make the same Vow in their own persons before all the Congregation which in their infancy their Sureties made for them were our Canon of Confirmation duly put in execution and every one as soon as he were capable either perswaded or forced to fit himself for the receiving of it as it is severely required by our Rubrick though much neglected in the practice I doubt not but there would be fewer sins amongst us much more knowledg of God and mentioning of his Name without the help of Oaths and Blasphemies to which God now is in a kind beholding that ever he comes into our mouths But now men having a great way to go in sin and nothing in the world to stop them begin their journey as soon as they are able to go and make such haste like the Sun or Gyant in the Psalmist to run their course are so intent upon the task the Devil hath set them that they can never stay to see or hear of God in their lives which yet is legible and palpable in every syllable of the World If they are so well brought up as to have learned their Creed and Catechism they have no other use for it but to break jests and swear by and would soon forget God's very Name or Attributes did they not daily repeat them over as School-boys their Parts and often comment on them by Oaths and Prophanations and these are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Apostles phrase Ephes ii 12 without God in the world Others there are of a prouder loftier strain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that pitch Camp and arm and fortifie themselves against God that would fain be a forging some other Religion they are so weary and cloy'd with this Thus have I heard of some that have sought earnestly for an Alcoran and profess an opinion that all true Divinity lies there and expect to be esteemed great Wits of a deep reach for this supposal Others that have not skill enough to understand Turcism yet have lusts enough to admire it and the brave carnal Paradise it promises and if they cannot perswade themselves to believe in it yet they phansie it notably and because they cannot expect to have it in another life they will be sure of it in this Hence do they advance to such a pitch of sensuality as Heathenism was never guilty of their whole life is a perpetual study of the arts of death and their whole Souls an Holocaust or burnt Sacrifice to their fleshly lusts It were an horrid representation but to give you in a diagram the several Arts that the god of this World hath now taught men to vilifie and reproach the God of Heaven Profest Atheism begins to set up it comes in fashion and then some Courtiers must needs be in it Prophaning of Scripture and making too cheap of it was never so ordinary that holy Volume was never so violently and coursly handled even ravished and defloured by unhallowed lips 'T is grown the only stuff in request and ordinariest garment to cloth a piece of scurrilous Wit in and the best of us can scarce choose but give it some applause Beloved there is not a sin in the World that sticks closer to him that once entertained it the least indulgence in it is a desperate sign 'T is called the chair of scorners Psal 1. a sin of ease and pleasure a man that uses it that is once a merry Atheist seldom if ever proves a sad sober Christian Julian and many others have gone scoffing to Hell like men whose custom of mocking hath made wry mouthed scarcely composing themselves to a solemn Countenance till horrour either of Hell or Conscience hath put smiling out of date And if any of these sins are but crept in amongst you it will be worthy our enquiry and examination and God grant your own impartial Consciences may return you Not guilty However this will but prove you no worse than Jews for they here acknowledg God in their brain and tongues they said The Lord liveth Your second Interrogatory must be Whether whilst you thus profess you do not also swear falsly And then 't is to be feared that every action of your lives will bring in an Evidence against you 'T were an accusation perhaps that you seldom hear of to be challenged for Hypocrites to be turned Puritans and pretenders to Holiness yet this is it my Text must charge you with professing of Religion and never practising it assenting to the truth of Scripture in your brain but not adhering to it in your hearts believing in Christ and yet valuing him beneath the meanest sin you meet with Look over your Creed and observe whether your lives do not contradict every word in it and is it not Hypocrisie and Perjury or if you will have it high Complementing with God to be thus profuse and prodigal in our professions which we never mean to perform Then is it to be called belief when it is sunk down into our hearts when it hath taken root in a well-tempered soil and begins to spring above ground and hasten into an ear That which grows like Moss on the tiles of an house which is set no deeper than the phancy will never prove either permanent or solid nourishment to the soul 'T were a new hours work to shew every defect in our Faith by our defections and desertions of God in our manners yet if you will be in earnest with your selves and apply the grounds premised to your serious Examination your meditations may throughly make up what here is likely to be omitted One thing take home with you for a Rule to eternity That every indulgence in any sin is a sure argument of an Infidel be you never so proud and confident of your Faith and Justification by it be you never so resolute that the Lord liveth yet if your obedience be not uniform if you imbrace not what you assent to surely you swear falsly Your particular failings I am not knowing enough to
Cleonard proposed to most Courts of Christendom and to that end himself studied Arabick that Princes would join their strength and Scholars their Brains and all surprize them in their own land and language at once besiege the Turk and his Alcoran put him to the Sword and his Religion to the touchstone command him to Christianity with an high hand and then to shew him the reasonableness of our commands Thus also may we complain but not wonder that the Reformation gets ground so slow in Christendom because the Forces and potent Abettors of the Papacy secure them from being led captive to Christ as long as the Pope is riveted so fast in his Chair and as long as the Rulers take part with him there shall be no doubt of the truth of their Religion unless it please God to back our arguments with steel and to raise up Kings and Emperours to be our Champions we may question but never confute his supremacy Let us come with all the power and Rhetorick of Paul and Barnabas all the demonstrations of reason and spirit yet as long as they have such Topicks against us as the authority of the Rulers and Pharisees we may dispute out our hearts and preach out our Lungs and gain no Proselytes all that we shall get is but a scoffe and a Curse a Sarcasm and an Anathema in the words next after my Text This people which know not the law are cursed there is no heed to be taken to such poor contemptible Fellows To bring all home to the business of the Text Let Christ come with all the enforcement and violence and conviction of his Spirit sublimity of his Speech and Miracles all the power of Rhetorick and Rhetorick of his power so that all that see or hear bear witness that never man spake as this man yet all this shall be accounted but a delusion but an inchantment of some seduced Wretches unless the great men or deep Scholars will be pleased to Countenance them And 't is much to be feared they are otherwise possessed and rather than this shall not be followed Christ shall be left alone rather than they shall speak in vain the Word it self shall be put to silence and if they which were appointed to take and bring him to judgment shall be caught by him they came to apprehend and turn their accusations into reverence the Pharisees will not be without their reply they are Doctors in the Law and therefore for a need can be their own Advocates Then answered the Pharisees are ye also deceived have any of the Rulers or Pharisees believed on him Concerning the infidelity of the rulers in my Text as being not so directly appliable to my audience I shall forbear to speak My Discourse shall retire it self to the Pharisee as being a Professor of learning brought up at the Vniversity in Jerusalem and God grant his vices and infidelity be not also Academical The words we shall divide not into several parts but considerations and read them either as spoken by the Pharisee or recorded by the Evangelist In the first we have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rational force of them as they are part of an argument that they which believed in Christ were deceived sub hâc formâ he that would judge of the truth of his life is to look which way the greatest Scholars are affected and then though in that case it concluded fallaciously yet the argument was probable and the point worth our discussion that the judgment of learning and learned men is much to be heeded in matters of Religion In the second we have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rational sense of the words being resolved as affirmative interrogations are wont into a negative Proposition Have any c. The Pharisees did not believe on him i. e. the greatest Scholars are not always the best Christians And first of the first the authority of learning and learned men in matters of Religion noted from the logical force of the words Have any c. Amongst other acts of Gods Providence and wise Oeconomy of all things there is not one more observable than the succession of his Church and dispensation of his most precious gifts attending it you shall not in any age find the flourishing of learning sever'd from the profession of Religion and the proposition shall be granted without exception Gods people were always the learnedst part of the World Before the Flood we are not so confident as to define and set down the studies and proficiency in all kinds of knowledge amongst those long-liv'd ancients how far soever they went belongs little to us The Deluge made a great chasm betwixt us and 't would be hard for the liveliest Eyes to pierce at such distance through so much Water let those who fancy the two Pillars in which all learning was engraven the one of brick the other of marble to prevent the malice either of Fire or Water please themselves with the Fable and seem to have deduc'd all arts from Adam Thus far 't is agreed on that in those times every Father being both a Priest and a King in his own Family bestowed on his Son all knowledge both secular and sacred which himself had attained to Adam by tradition instructing Seth and Seth Enoch in all knowledge as well as righteousness For 't is Josephus his observation that whilest Cain and his Progeny employed themselves about wicked and illiberal inventions groveling upon the Earth Seth and his bore up their thoughts as well as Eyes towards Heaven and observed the course and discipline of the Stars wherein it was easy to be exquisite every mans age shewing him the several conjunctions and oppositions and other appearances of the luminaries and so needing no Successors to perfect his observations Hence Philo calls Abraham 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and says his knowledge in Astronomy led him to the notice of a Deity and that his sublime speculation gave him the name of Abram a high exalted Father before his Faith had given the better Compellation of Abraham Father of many Nations hence from him 1. Chaldaea 2. Aegypt 3. Greece came all to the skill they brag of so that Proclus made a good conjecture that the Wisdom of the Chaldaeans was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gift of some of the gods it coming from Abraham who was both a Friend and in a manner an acquaintance of the true God and far ancienter and wiser than any of their false In summ all learning as well as religion was pure and classical only among the Hebrews as may appear by Moses in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only true natural Philosophy that ever came into the World so that even Longinus which took the story of the Creation to be a Fable yet commends Moses his expression of it Let there be light and there was light for a Speech admirably suited to a God
homage to it as Servants always to attend and confirm its Proposals never to contradict it as Aristotle hath it Met. 2.2 3. Though Faith depend not upon reason though it subsist entirely upon its own bottom and is then most purely Faith when it relies not on reason and adheres wholly to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Gods word yet doth the concurrence and agreement and evidence of reason add much to the clearness and beauty and splendor of it takes away all fears and jealousies and suspicious surmisings out of the understanding and bestows a resolution and constancy on it For Faith though in respect of its ground Gods word it be most infallible yet in its own nature is as the Philosopher defines it a kind of opinion and in our humane frailty subject to demurs and doubts and panick terrors for fear it be false grounded and therefore Aristotle saith of it that it differs from knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a sickly man from a strong 't is very weak and aguish subject to sweats and colds and hourly distempers whereas the evidence and assurance of sense and reason added to it bestows a full health and strength upon it an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a perfect state that it shall never be forced or frighted out of In brief where reason gives its suffrage it unvails Faith and to adherence super-adds evidence and teaches us to feel and touch and handle what before we did believe to gripe and hold and even possess what before we apprehended and these are believers in a manner elevated above an Earthly condition initiated to the state which is all Vision where every thing is beheld 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naked and display'd as the entrals of a Creature cut down the back or with open face beholding as in a glass 2 Cor. iii. 28 4. There be some difficulties in Religion at which an illiterate understanding will be struck in a maze some depths of mystery where an Elephant can scarce tread Water a Lamb must not hope to wade Many above the apprehensions of the most capacious brain where reason being not able to express must be content to shadow and describe in some rude lines what it cannot perform in pourtraicture and here I say learning though it cannot reach yet can heave up and point at profit though not perfect us help us to some images and resemblances to conceive that which we cannot fully comprehend so saith Philoponus will Mathematical abstractions facilitate the simplicity of Gods Essence to our understandings the lucid nature of the Sun express the brightness of his glory and the mysterious numbers of the Pythagoreans represent the Trinity to our phansies And thus doth Zoroastes in Patricius Philosophari de Deo subdue as it were divinity to reason and raise up reason to join issue with divinity and by his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that paternal depth made of three threes comprise all the secrets of the Godhead But besides these secrets of the upper Cabinet these supernatural depths there are others secundae altitudinis and as Halicar calls those which are above the reach of all but Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 natural miracles which none but Scholars can attain to And these I hope shall never be discust upon a Shop-board or enter into any brain that is not before well ballast with weight and substance at the bottom I need not name them to you you may know them by this that when they come into an empty brain they breed Winds and turn all into vertigoes and dizziness There be yet farther lights of a third magnitude which yet every one hath not Eyes to gaze on and of this condition are almost all the speculations in divinity nay the ordinariest truth in a Catechism can scarce be forced into a vulgar understanding his brain is not set that way and many of our subtilest Worldlings have mistaken the Virgin Mary for an Angel and the Apostles Creed where only they find mention of her for a prayer and then you cannot imagine what stead a little learning would stand these men in what even Miracles 't would work upon them 5. 'T is but necessity and exigence of nature that those which are the weak should apply themselves for help and directions to those that are stronger the Child in a Cradle must be put to a Nurse which may give it suck till it be able to eat and for a while bear it in her arms that it may be taught to go There be in nature saith Aristotle in his Mechan many wants she performs not all our needs and therefore Engines were invented to supply defects Thus is Art a Machina or invention 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to furnish us with those abilities which nature was a niggard in and therefore to deprive our selves of this guidance when it is offered is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to put out an eye of his that hath but one in all which was of old a great aggravation to the injury in the Rhetor. indeed to leave our selves desperately blind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Iambl In matters of Religion we must not so much as speak nay not think without a Candle we shall want the guidance of some Teacher to direct every such word out of our mouths or thought into our hearts An ignorant man must not have leave so much as to meditate on God without a guide for he is mad say the Philosophers and then every thought of his will be a kind of delirium or phrenzy 'T is the law of nature saith the Historian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that superiours should have a kind of sovereignty over all that are inferiour to them a magisterium and command over them to rule and order them and this superiority and sovereignty hath the learned Pastor or generally the Scholar over all ignorant men be they never so rich or potent and whosoever denies or scorns thus to obey I say not is to be slain as the Law was in the ancient Wars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without an assizes but to be condemned of much peevishness and more stupidity and his punishment is Let him fall into his own hands i. e. be ruled by a fool or mad man 6. Much of the speculative part of Religion may be had from a Pharisee as well as a Disciple Christ himself bears witness of him that he was Orthodox in matters concerning the Law They sit in Moses Chair and therefore whatsoever they bid you that observe and do Mat. xxiii 3 They err indeed in prescribing their additions to duty as divine command but the chief obliquity was in their lives they were Hereticks nay Apostates from their Doctrine and therefore do not after their works for they say and do not verse 4. If I am resolved of such a mans abilities in learning but see him a scandalous Liver I will borrow of his gifts and
of literature and chiefly Philosophy for fear saith Nazianzen they should be able to grapple with the Heathen and cut off Goliah's Head with his own Weapon The continuance of these arts of spiritual Tyranny you may observe in the prescribed stupidity and commanded ignorance of the laity through all Italy All which must call for a superlative measure of thanks to be exprest not in our tongues and hearts only but in our lives and actions from us I say who have obtained not only a knowledge of his laws but almost a Vision of his secrets and for as much as concerns our eternal bliss do even see things as they were acted having already comprehended in our reason not only in our Faith the most impossible things in nature the bredth and length and depth and height of the conceived incarnate and crucified God and if all that will not serve our turn but we must press into his Cabinet-secrets invade the Book of Life and oversee and divulge to all men abscondita Domini Dei nostri then are Gods mercies unworthily repaid by us and those indulgences which were to bestow civility upon the World have only taught us to be more rude In summ the reallest thanks we can perform to God for this inestimable prize is modestly and softly to make use of it 1. To the confirming of others Faith and 2. to the expressing of our own For 1. he is the deepest Scholar saith the Philosopher who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 best able to teach other men what himself conceives and then 2. he hath the habit most radicated who hath prest it down into his heart and there sow'd a Seed which shall encrease and fructify and spread and flourish laden with the fruits of a lively Faith He is the truest Scholar that hath fed upon learning that hath nourished and grown and walked and lived in the strength of it And till I see you thrive and bestir your selves like Christians I shall never envy your learning the Pharisees were great Scholars well seen in the Prophets and 't is much to be suspected could not choose but find Christ there and acknowledge him by his Miracles they saw him plain enough and yet not a man would believe on him My second part The greatest Scholars are not always the best Christians 'T is observable in the temper of men that the cowardly are most inquisitive their fears and jealousies make them very careful to foresee any danger and yet for the most part they have not spirit enough to encounter and they are so stupid and sluggish that they will not get out of its way when they have foreseen it the same baseness and timorousness makes them a sort of men most diligent at a distance to avoid and near hand most negligent to prevent Thus in Dan. iv 5 Nebuchadnezzar dreams and is affrighted and a Proclamation is made for all the Wisdom of the World to come in and consult and sit upon it and give their verdict for the interpretation of the Dream and when he had at last got the knowledge of it by Daniel that his fears were not in vain that the greatest judgment that ever was heard of was within a twelve Month to fall on him then as though he had been a Beast before his time without all understanding he goes and crowns himself for his slaughter Just when according to the Prophecy he was to suffer then was he walking in his pride whilest he was ignorant he was sensible of his danger and now he sees it before his Eyes he is most prodigiously blind At the end of twelve months when his ruine was at hand ver 29. he walked in the Palace of the Kingdom of Babylon and the King spake and said Is not this great Babylon that I have built c. In brief he that was most earnest to understand the Dream is most negligent of the event of it and makes no other use of his knowledge of God's Will but only more knowingly and wilfully to contemn it And this generally is the state of corrupt nature to keep a distance and a bay betwixt our knowledge and our wills and when a truth hath fully conquer'd and got possession of our understanding then to begin to fortify most strongly that the other Castle of the Soul the affections may yet remain impregnable Thus will the Devil be content to have the Out-works and the Watch-Tower taken so he may be sure to keep his treasure within from danger and will give us leave to be as great Scholars as himself so we will continue as prophane And so we are like enough to do for all our knowledge for Wisdom saith Aristotle is terminated in it self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it neither looks after nor produces any practical good saith Andronicus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nay there is no dependence betwixt knowing and doing as he that hath read and studied the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may perhaps be never the better Wrastler nor the skilfullest Physician the more healthy experience and tryal must perfect the one and a good temperature constitute the other A young man may be a good Naturalist a good Geometer nay a wise man because he may understand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wonders depths nay Divine matters but hee 'l never be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prudent or actually vertuous i. e. a good Moralist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 moral precepts they cannot be said to believe they have not entred so far they float only in their memories they have them by heart they say them over by rote as Children do their Catechism or Plato's Scholars saith Plutarch his depths of Philosophy they now recite them only and shall then understand them when they come of Age when they are stayed enough to look into the meaning of them and make use of them in their practice The Mathematicks saith Aristotle have nothing to do with the end or chief good that men look after never any man brought good or bad better or worse into a demonstration there 's no consultation or election there only plain downright diagrams necessary convictions of the understanding And therefore for these meer speculations which hover only in the brain the youngest Wit is nimblest for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sharpness of apprehension is a sprightfulness of the mind and is there liveliest where there be most spirits but prudence and active vertue requires an habituate temper of passions a stayedness of the mind and long tryal and experience of its own strength a constancy to continue in vertue in spight of all foreign allurements or inward distempers And the ground of all this is that those things that most incumber the Will and keep us from practice do nothing clog or stop the understanding sensuality or pleasure hinders us not from knowing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that a Triangle hath three angles equal to two right ones and the like Nay the
of these words though somewhat obscured in our English reading of them Now the accepting of this righteousness is an act of ours following a proposal or offer of Christ's and consummating the match or bargain between Christ and us Christ is offered to us as an Husband in the Gospel we enquire of him observe our own needs and his excellencies and riches to supply them our sins and his righteousness and if upon advice we will take him the match is struck we are our beloved's and our beloved is ours we are man and wife we have taken him for our husband and with him are entituled to all his riches we have right to all his righteousness and enjoy by his Patent all the priviledges all the promises all the mercies of the Gospel But if the offer being thus made by God to give us his Son freely we stand upon terms we are too rich too learned too worldly-minded too much in love with the praise of men John xii 43 i. e. fixt upon any worldly vanity and resolve never to foregoe all these to disclaim our worldly liberty our own righteousness and to accept of so poor an offer as a Christ then are we the Infidels here spoken of We will not come to him that we might have life John v. 40 When he is held out to us we will not lay hold on him we have some conceit of our selves and therefore will not step a foot abroad to fetch his righteousness home to us And indeed if any worldly thing please you if you can set a value upon any thing else if you can entertain a Paramour a Rival a Competitor in your hearts if you can receive the praise of men how can you believe John v. 44 So that in brief Infidelity consists in the not receiving of Christ with a reciprocal giving up of our selves to him in the not answering affirmatively to Christs offer of himself in the not taking home and applying Christ to our souls And this is done either by denying to take him at all or by taking him under a false person or by not performing the conditions required or presumed in the making of the match They that deny to take him at all are the prophane negligent presumptuous Christians who either never hearken after him or else are so familiar with the news as to underprize him have either never cheapned Heaven or else will not come to Gods price like Ananias and Sapphira perhaps offer pretty fair bring two parts of their estate and lay them at the Apostles feet but will give no more fall off at last for a trifle and peremptorily deny Christ if they may not have him on their own Conditions Some superfluities some vanities some chargeable or troublesome sins perhaps they can spare and those they will be inclinable to part withal but if this will not serve Christ must seek for a better Chapman they stand not much upon it they can return as contentedly without it as they came And this arises from a neglect and security a not heeding or weighing of Gods justice and consequently undervaluing of his mercies They have never felt God as an angry Judge and therefore they now scorn him as a Saviour they have liv'd at such ease of heart that no legal terrour no affrightments or ghastly representations of sin can work upon them and if the reading of the law that killing letter have been sent by God to instruct them in the desperateness of their estate to humble these libertine souls to the spirit of bondage and so school them to Christ they have eyes but see not ears but hear it not they are come to this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. i. 28 a reprobate sense or as it may be rendred an undiscerning mind not able to judge of that which is thus read and proposed to it or again a sense without sense not apprehensive of that which no man that hath eyes can be ignorant of nay in Theod. phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an heart that will reverberate any judgement or terrour receiving no more impression from it than the Anvil from the Hammer violently returns it again smooth'd somewhat over perhaps by often-beating but nothing softned Nay if the law cry too loud and by an inward voice preach damnation in their bowels and resolve to be heard before it cease then do they seek out some worldly employment to busie themselves withal that they may not be at home at so much unquietness they will charm it with pleasures or overwhelm it with business as Cain when his Conscience was too rough and rigid for him Gen. iv went out from the presence of the Lord ver 16. and as 't is observed built Cities v. 17. got some of his progeny to invent Musick v. 21. perhaps to still his tumultuous raving Conscience that the noise of the hammers and melody of the Instruments might outsound the din within him as in the sacrifices of Moloch where their children which they offered in an hollow brazen vessel coâ—ld not choose but howl hideously they had tymbrels and tabrets perpetually beating whereupon Tophet where these sacrifices were kept is by Grammarians deduced from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tympanum to drown the noise of the childrens cry These I say which will not be instructed in their misery or better'd by the preaching of the law which labour only to make their inward terrors insensible to skin not cure the wound are Infidels in the first or highest rank which deny to take him at all will not suffer themselves to be perswaded that they have any need of him and therefore let him be offered for ever let him be proclaimed in their ears every minute of their lives they see nothing in him worth hearkning after and the reason is they are still at home they have not gone a foot abroad out of themselves and therefore cannot lay hold on Christ He that never went to school to the law he that was never sensible of his own damned estate he that never hated himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will never receive never accept of Christ Secondly Some are come thus far to a sense of their estate and are twing'd extremely and therefore fly presently to the Gospel hearing of Christ they fasten are not patient of so much deliberation as to observe whether their hands be empty they are in distress and Christ must needs save them suddenly they lay hold as soon as ever they hear a promise and are resolved to be saved by Christ because they see otherwise they are damned And these take Christ indeed but under a false person either they take the promises only and let Christ alone or take Christ the Saviour but not Christ the Lord Are willing to be saved by him but never think of serving him are praying for ever for Heaven and glory but never care how little they hear of grace the end they fasten on the Covenant they hug and gripe
they had been so starved with thin hard fare under the tyranny of a continued superstition which gave them no solid nourishment nothing but Husks and Acorns to feed on that they were now grown horrid and almost ghastly being past all amiableness or beauty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good for nothing in the World We see in Histories that perpetual Wars hinder Tillage and suffer them not to bestow that culture on the ground which the subsistence of the Kingdom requires Thus was it with the Gentiles in the time of their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their hostility with God they generally bestowed no trimming or culture on the Soul either to improve or adorn it and then receiving no spiritual food from God all passages being shut up by their Idolatry they were famished into such a meagerness they were so ungainly and Crest-faln that all the fat Kine of Aegypt according to Pharaoh's Dream all heathen learning could not mend their looks they were still for all their Philosophy like the lean Kine that had devoured the fat yet thrived not on it they were still poor and ill favoured such as were not to be seen in all the land of Jury for badness Gen. xli 19 2. They had engaged themselves in such a course that they could scarce seem ever capable of being received into any favour with God Polybius observes it as a policy of those which were delighted in stirs and Wars to put the people upon some inhumane cruel practice some killing of Embassadors or the like feat which was unlawful even amongst Enemies that after such an action the Enemy should be incensed beyond hope of reconciliation So did Asdrubal in Appian use the Captive Romans with all possible Cruelty with all arts of inhumanity fley'd them cut off their Fingers and then hanged them alive to the end saith he that thereby he might make the dissentions of Carthage and Rome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not possibly to be composed but to be prosecuted with a perpetual hostility This was the effect of Achitophels counsel to Absalom that he should ly with his Fathers Concubines and this also was the Devils Plot upon the Gentiles who as if they were not enough Enemies unto God for the space of 2000. years Idolatry at last resolved to fill up the measure of their Rebellions to make themselves if it were possible sinful beyond capability of mercy and to provoke God to an eternal revenge they must needs join in crucifying Christ and partake of the shedding of that blood which hath ever since so died the Souls and cursed the successions of the Jews For it is plain 1. by the kind of his death which was Roman 2. by his Judge who was Caesaris Rationalis by whom Judaea was then governed or as Tacitus saith in the 15. of his Annals Caesars Procurator all capital judgments being taken from the Jews Sanhedrim as they confess Joh. xviii 21 it is not lawful for us to put any one to death 3. by the Prophecy Mat. xx 19 They shall deliver him to the Gentiles by these I say and many other arguments 't is plain that the Gentiles had their part and guilt in the Crucifying of Christ and so by slaying of the Son as it is in the Parable provoked and deserved the implacable revenge of the Father And yet for all this God enters League and Truce and Peace with them thinks them worthy to hear and obey his Laws nay above the estate of Servants takes them into the liberty and free estate of the Gospel and by binding them to Ordinances as Citizens expresseth them to be Civitate donatos coelesti within the pale of the Church and Covenant of Salvation They which are overcome and taken Captives in War may by Law be possest by the Victor for all manner of servitude and slavery and therefore ought to esteem any the hardest conditions of peace and liberty as favours and mercies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Marcus in Polybius they which are conquered must acknowledge themselves beholding to the Victor if he will upon any terms allow them quarter or truce Thus was it above all other Sinners with the Gentiles of that time after 2000. years War with the one God they were now fallen into his hands ready to receive the sorest strokes to bear the shrewdest burdens he could lay on them had it not been then a favour above hope to be received even as hired Servants which was the highest of the Prodigals ambition Luke xv 19 Had it not been a very hospitable carriage towards the Dogs as they are called Mat. xv 26 to suffer them to lick up those crums which fell from the childrens table Yet so much are Gods mercies above the pitch of our expectation or deserts above what we are able or confident enough to ask or hope that he hath assumed and adopted these Captives into Sons And as once by the counsel of God Jacob supplanted Esau and thrust him out of his Birth-right so now by the mercy of God Esau hath supplanted Jacob and taken his room in Gods Church and Favour and instead of that one language of the Jews of which the Church so long consisted now is come in the confusion of the Gentiles Parthians Medes Elamites and the Babel of tongues Act. ii 9 And as once at the dispersion of the Gentiles by the miracle of a punishment they which were all of one tongue could not understand one another Gen. xi 9 so now at the gathering of the Gentiles by a miracle of mercy they which were of several tongues understood one another and every Nation heard the Apostles speak in their own language Acts ii 6 noting thereby saith Austin that the Catholick Church should be dispersed over all nations and speak in as many languages as the world hath tongues Concerning the business of receiving the Gentiles into covenant St. Austin is plentiful in his 18. Book de Civit. Dei where he interprets the symbolical writing and reads the riddles of the Prophets to this purpose how they are called the children of Israel Hos i. 11 as if Esau had robbed Jacob of his name as well as inheritance that they are declared by the title of barren and desolate Esa liv 1 whose fruitfulness should break forth surpass the number of the children of the married wife To this purpose doth he enlarge himself to expound many other places of the Prophets and among them the prophecy of Obadiah from which Edom by a pars pro toto signifying the Gentiles he expresly concludes their calling and salvation but how that can hold in that place seeing the whole prophecy is a denunciation of judgments against Edom and ver 10. 't is expresly read For thy violence against they brother Jacob shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut out for ever How I say from that place amongst others this truth may be deduced I leave to the revealers of Revelations and
and sentences are subject either not to be understood or amiss and may either be doubted of by the ignorant or perverted by the malicious You have learnt so many words without Book and say them minutely by heart and yet not either understand or observe what you are about but this unwritten Law which no Pen but that of nature hath engraven is in our understandings not in words but sence and therefore I cannot avoid the intimations 't is impossible either to deny or doubt of it it being written as legible in the tables of our hearts as the print of humanity in our Foreheads The commands of either Scripture or Emperour may be either unknown or out of our heads when any casual opportunity shall bid us make use of them but this law of the mind is at home for ever and either by intimation or loud Voice either whispers or proclaims its commands to us be it never so gag'd 't will mutter and will be sure to be taken notice of when it speaks softliest To define in brief what this law of nature is and what offices it performs in us you are to know that at that grand forfeiture of all our inheritance goods truly real and personal all those primitive endowments of Soul and Body upon Adams Rebellion God afterwards though he shined not on us in his full Image and Beauty yet câ—st some rayes and beams of that eternal light upon us and by an immutable Law of his own counsel hath imprinted on every Soul that comes down to a body a secret unwritten yet indeleble Law by which the Creature may be warn'd what is good or bad what agreeable what hurtful to the obtaining of the end of its creation Now these commands or prescriptions of nature are either in order to speculation or practice to encrease our knowledge or direct our lives The former sort I omit as being sitter for the Schools than Pulpit to discourse on I shall meddle only with those that refer to practice and those are either common which they call first principles and such are in every man in the World equally secundum rectitudinem notitiam saith Aquinas every one doth both conceive them in his understanding what they mean and assent to them in his will that they are right and just and necessary to be performed and of this nature are the Worship of God and justice amongst men for that lumen super nos signatum in Bonaventures phrase that light which nature hath seal'd and imprinted on our Souls is able to direct us in the knowledge of those moral principles without any other help required to perswade us or else they are particular and proper to this or that business which they call conclusions drawn out of these common principles as when the common principle commands just dealing the conclusion from thence commands to restore what I have borrowed and the like And these also if they be naturally and directly deduced would every man in the World both understand and assent to did not some hindrance come in and forbid or suspend either his understanding or assent Hindrances which keep him from the knowledge or conceiving of them are that confusion and Chaos and black darkness I had almost said that Tophet and Hell of sensual affections which suffers not the light to shew it self and indeed so stifles and oppresses it that it becomes only as Hell fire not to shine but burn not to enlighten us what we should do but yet by gripes and twinges of the conscience to torment us for not doing of it And this hindrance the Apostle calls ver 21. the vanity of imaginations by which a foolish heart is darkned Hindrances which keep us from assenting to a conclusion in particular which we do understand are sometimes good as first a sight of some greater breach certain to follow the performance of this So though I understand that I must restore every man his own yet I will never return a Knife to one that I see resolved to do some mischief with it And 2. Divine laws as the command of robbing the Aegyptians and the like for although that in our hearts forbid robbing yet God is greater than our hearts and must be obeyed when he prescribes it Hindrances in this kind are also sometimes bad such are either habitude of nature custom of Country which made the Lacedemonians esteem theft a virtue or a-again the Tyranny of passions for every one of these hath its several project upon the reasonable Soul its several design of malice either by treachery or force to keep it hood-winkt or cast it into a Lethargy when any particular vertuous action requires to be assented to by our practice If I should go so far as some do to define this law of nature to be the full will of God written by his hand immediately in every mans heart after the fall by which we feel our selves bound to do every thing that is good and avoid every thing that is evil some might through ignorance or prejudice guess it to be an elevation of corrupt nature above its pitch too near to Adams integrity and yet Zanchy who was never guest near a Pelagian in his 4. Tome 1. l. 10. c. 8. Thesis would authorize every part of it and yet not seem to make an Idol of nature but only extol Gods mercy who hath bestowed a Soul on every one of us with this character and impression Holiness to the Lord which though it be written unequally in some more than others yet saith he in all in some measure so radicated that it can never be quite changed or utterly abolished However I think we may safely resolve with Bonaventure out of Austin against Pelagius Non est parum accepisse naturale indicatorium 't is no small mercy that we have received a natural glass in which we may see and judge of objects before we venture on them a power of distinguishing good from evil which even the malice of sin and passions in the highest degree cannot wholly extinguish in us as may appear by Cain the Voice of whose Conscience spake as loud within him as that of his Brothers blood as also in the very damn'd whose worm of sence not penitence for what they have done in their flesh shall for ever bite and gripe them hideously This Light indeed may either first be blindness or secondly delight in sinning or thirdly peremptory resolvedness not to see be for the present hindred secundum actum from doing any good upon us He that hath but a vail before his Eyes so long cannot judge of colours he that runs impetuously cannot hear any one that calls to stop him in his career and yet all the while the light shines and the voice shouts and therefore when we find in Scripture some men stupefied by sin others void of reason we must not reckon them absolutely so but only for the present besotted And again though they
have lost their reason as it moves per modum deliberationis yet not as per modum naturae their reason which moves them by deliberation and choice to that which is good is perhaps quite put out or suspended but their reason which is an instinct of nature a natural motion of the Soul to the end of its creation remains in them though it move not like a Ship at hull and becalmed is very still and quiet and though it stir not evidently yet it hath its secret heaves and plunges within us Now that the most ignorant clouded unnurtured brain amongst you may reap some profit from this Discourse let him but one minute of his life be at so much leisure as to look into his own heart and he shall certainly find within him that which we have hitherto talkt of his own Soul shall yield him a comment to my Sermon and if he dare but once to open his Eyes shall shew him the law and light of nature in himself which before he never dreamt of Of those of you that ever spared one minute from your Worldly affairs to think of your spiritual there is one thought that suddenly comes upon you and makes short work of all that spiritual care of your selves You conceive that you are of your selves utterly unable to understand or think or do any thing that is good and therefore you resolve it a great pain to no purpose ever to go about so impossible a project God must work the whole business in you you are not able of your selves so much as either to see or move and that is the business which by chance you fell upon as soon as shook off again and being resolved you never had any Eyes you are content to be for ever blind unless as it was wont to be in the old Tragedies some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some new supernatural power come down and bore your Foreheads and thrust and force Eyes into your Heads 'T is a blessed desire and gracious humility in any one to invoke God to every thought they venture on and not to dare to pretend to the least sufficiency in themselves but to acknowledge and desire to receive all from God but shall we therefore be so ungratefully religious as for ever to be a craving new helps and succours and never observe or make use of what we have already obtained as 't is observed of covetous men who are always busied about their Incomes are little troubled with disbursements 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without any proportion betwixt their receipts and expences Shall we be so senseless as to hope that the contempt of one blessing will be a means to procure as many I told you that God had written a law in the hearts of every one of you which once was able and is not now quite deprived of its power to furnish with knowledge of good and evil and although by original and actual and habitual sin this inheritance be much impaired this stock of precepts drawn low yet if you would but observe those directions which it would yet afford you if you would but practise whatever that divine light in your Souls should present and commend to you you might with some Face Petition God for richer abilities and with better confidence approach and beg and expect the grace that should perfect you to all righteousness In the mean time bethink your selves how unreasonable a thing it is that God should be perpetually casting away of Alms on those who are resolved to be perpetually Bankrupts how it would be reckoned prodigality of mercies to purchase new lands for him that scorns to make use of his inheritance As ever you expect any boon from God look I conjure you what you have already received call in your Eyes into your Brains and see whether your natural reason there will not furnish you with some kind of profitable though not sufficient directions to order your whole lives by bring your selves up to that staidness of temper as never to venture on any thing till you have askt your own Souls advice whether it be to be done or no and if you can but observe its dictates and keep your hands to obey your head if you can be content to abstain when the Soul within you bids you hold you shall have no cause to complain that God hath sent you impotent into the World but rather acknowledge it an unvaluable mercy of his that hath provided such an Eye within you to direct you if you will but have patience to see such a curb to restrain and prevent you if thou wilt only take notice of its checks 'T is a thing that would infinitely please the Reader to observe what a price the Heathens themselves set upon this light within them which yet certainly was much more dimmed and obscured in them by their Idolatry and superstition than I hope it can be in any Christian Soul by the unruliest passion Could ever any one speak more plainly and distinctly of it than the Pythagoreans and Stoicks have done who represent Conscience not only as a guide and moderator of our actions but as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a tutelary spirit or Angel or genius which never sleeps or dotes but is still present and employed in our behalf And this Arrian specifies to be the reasonable Soul which he therefore accounts of as a part of God sent out of his own Essence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a piece or shread or as others more according to modest truth call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ray or beam of that invisible Sun by which our dull unactive frozen Bodies after the fall were warmed and re-inlivened Now if any one shall make a diligent inquisition in himself shall as the Philosopher in his Cynical humour light a Candle to no purpose or as the Prophet Jeremy seek and make huy and cry after a man through all Jerusalem and yet not meet with him if I say any body shall search for this light in himself and find all darkness within then will you say I have all this while possest you with some phansies and Ideas without any real profit to be received from them you will make that complaint as the Women for our Saviour We went to seek for him and when we went down all was dark and emptiness They have taken him away and I know not where they have laid him Nay but the error is in the seeker not in my directions he that would behold the Sun must stay till the Cloud be over he that would receive from the fire either light or warmth must take the pains to remove the ashes There be some encumbrances which may hinder the most active qualities in the World from working and abate the edge of the keenest metal In summ there is a cloud and gloom and vail within thee like that darkness on the face of the deep when the Earth was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without form
and void Gen. i. 2 or like that at Lots Door among the Sodomites or that of Aegypt thick and palpable and this have we created to our selves a sky full of tempestuous untamed affections this cloud of vapours have we exhaled out of the lower part of our Soul our sensitive faculty and therewith have we so fill'd the air within us with sad black meteors that the Sun in its Zenith the height or pride of its splendor would scarce be able to pierce through it So that for to make a search for this light within thee before thou hast removed this throng and croud of passions which encompass it and still to complain thou canst not meet with it were to bring news that the Sun is gone out when a tempest hath only masked it or to require a Candle to give thee light through a Mud-wall Thou must provide a course to clear the Sky and then thou shalt not need to entreat the Sun to shine on thee especially if this Cloud fall down in a showre if thou canst melt so thick a viscous meteor as those corrupt affections are into a soft rain or dew of penitent tears thou mayest then be confident of a fair bright Sun-shine For I dare promise that never humble tender weeping Soul had ever this light quite darkned within it but could at all times read and see the will of God and the law of its Creation not drawn only but almost engraven and woven into its heart For these tears in our Eyes will spiritually mend our sight as what ever you see through water thought it be represented somewhat dimly yet seems bigger and larger than if there were no water in the way according to that rule in the Opticks Whatever is seen through a thicker medium seems bigger than it is And then by way of use shall we suffer so incomparable a mercy to be cast away upon us Shall we only see and admire and not make use of it Shall we fence as it were and fortify our outward man with Walls and Bulwarks that the inner man may not shine forth upon it Or shall we like silly improvident Flies make no other use of this Candle but only to singe and burn and consume our selves by its flame receive only so much light from it as will add to our hell and darkness 'T is a thing that the flintiest heart should melt at to see such precious mercies undervalued such incomparable blessings either contemned or only improved into Curses Arrian calls those in whom this light of the Soul is as I shewed you clouded and obscured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dead trunks and carkasses of flesh and to keep such men in order were humane laws provided which he therefore calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 miserable hard laws to keep dead men in compass and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Earth and Hell the places to which dead bodies are committed And certainly if so then by way of contrary all the life that we possess is but by obedience to this law within us and 't is no longer to be called life but either sleep or death or lethargy every minute that we move out of the circle of its directions There is not a step or moment in our lives but we have a special use and need of this law to manage us every enterprize of our thoughts or actions will yield some difficulty which we must hold up and read and judge of by this Candle nay sometimes we have need of a Glass or instrument to contract the beams and light of it or else 't would scarce be able to get through to our actions passion and folly and the Atheism of our lives hath so thickned the medium Wherefore in brief remember that counsel Mal. ii 15 Take heed to your spirit and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth the Wife of his youth i. e. saith Jeroms gloss legem naturalem scriptam in corde the law of nature written in his heart which was given him in the Womb as a Wife and help to succour him Let us set a value on this polar Star within us which hath or should have an influence at least directions on all our actions let us encrease and nourish and make much of the sparks still warm within us And if Scholars and Antiquaries prize nothing so high as a fair Manuscript or ancient Inscription let us not contemn that which Gods own Finger hath written within us lest the sin of the contempt make us more miserable and the mercy profit us only to make us unexcusable And so I come to my second part the sin of contemning or rejecting this law For this cause he gave them up i. e. because the contempt of his law thus provoked him The guilt arising from this contempt shall sufficiently be cleared to you by observing and tracing of it not through every particular but in general through all sorts of men since the fall briefly reducible to these three heads First The Heathens Secondly The Jews Thirdly Present Christians and then let every man that desires a more distinct light descend and commune with his own heart and so he shall make up the observation The Heathens sin will be much aggravated if we consider how they reckon'd of this law as the square and rule and canon of their actions and therefore they will be inexcusable who scarce be ever at leisure to call to it to direct them when they had use of it The Stoick calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the promise that every man makes the obligation that he is bound in to nature at his shaping in the Womb and upon which condition his reasonable Soul is at his conception demised to him so that whosoever puts off this obedience doth as he goes on renounce and even proclaim his forfeiture of the very Soul he lives by and by every unnatural that is sinful action 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 destroys the natural man within him and by a prodigious regeneration is in a manner transubstantiate into a Beast of the Field Which conceit many of them were so possest with that they thought in earnest that 't was ordinary for souls to walk from men into Cocks and Asses and the like and return again at natures appointment as if this one contempt of the law of nature were enough to unman them and make them without a figure comparable nay coessential to the beasts that perish 'T were too long to shew you what a sense the wisest of them had of the helps that light could afford them so that one of them cryes out confidently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. If all other laws were taken out of the world we Philosophers would still live as we do those directions within us would keep us in as much awe as the most imperious or severest Law-giver And again how they took notice of the perversness of men in refusing to make use of it for who saith
Ezra iii. 12 or building or repairing of it with all alacrity as all Israel did through that whole Book their whole endeavour and project was even to destroy the ruins and utterly finish the work of destruction which Adam had begun as being impatient of that shelter which it would yet if they would but give it leave afford them Thus that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 two sparks of that primitive sacred flame which came from Heaven still alive and warm though weak in them intended by God to direct them in his will and for ever set either as their Funeral Pile or their Ordeal Fire their punishment or acquâ—ttal either as their Devil or their God to accuse or else excuse them were both in their practice neglected and slighted nay in a manner opprest and stifled For any natural power of doing good God knows it was utterly departed and therefore this thin measure of knowledge or judgment betwixt good and evil that was left them which my awe to Gods sincere love of his Creature makes me hope and trust he bestowed on them for some other end than only to increase their condemnation to stand them in some stead in their lives to restrain and keep them in from being extreamly sinful This I say they horribly rejected and stopt their Ears against that charmer in their own bosoms and would not hear that soft Voice which God had still placed within them to upbraid their ways and reprove their thoughts What a provocation this was of Gods justice what an incentive of his wrath may appear by that terrible promulgation of the ten Commandments at Mount Sinai They despised the law in their hearts where God and nature whisper'd it in calmly insensibly and softly and therefore now it shall be thunder'd in their Ears in words and those boisterous ones at which the whole mount quaked greatly Exod. xix 18 And in the 16. verse it must be usher'd with variety of dismal meteors upon the Mount and the Voice of a trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp trembled Thus upon their contempt and peevishness was this manuscript put in print this Privy Seal turned into a Proclamation and that a dreadful one bound and subscribed with a Cursed is he that continues not in every tittle of it to perform it Mean while the matter is not altered but only the dispensation of it That which till then had taught men in their hearts and had been explain'd from tradition from Father to Son Adam instructing Seth and Seth Enoch in all righteousness is now put into Tables that they may have Eyes to see that would not have hearts to understand that the perverse may be convinced and that he that would not before see himself bound may find and read himself accursed And after all this yet is not the old Law within them either cast away or cancel'd by the promulgation of the other for all the Book is Printed the old Copy is kept in archivis though perhaps as it always was neglected soil'd and moth-eaten and he shall be censured either for ambition or curiosity that shall ever be seen to enquire or look after it Still I say throughout all their wayes and arts and methods of Rebellions it twing'd and prickt within as Gods judgments attended them without and as often as sword or plague wounded them made them acknowledge the justice of God that thus rewarded their perverseness Nay you shall see it sometimes break out against them when perhaps the written Law spake too softly for them to be understood Thus did Davids heart smite him when he had numbred the people though there was no direct commandment against mustering or enrolment yet his own Conscience told him that he had done it either for distrust or for ostentation and that he had sinned against God in trusting and glorying in that arm of flesh or paid not the tribute appointed by God on that occasion To conclude this Discourse of the Jews every Rebellion and Idolatry of theirs was a double breach of a double Law the one in Tables the other in their heart and could they have been freed from the killing Letter of the one the wounding sense of the other would still have kept them bound as may appear in that business of Crucifying Christ where no humane Law-giver or Magistrate went about to deter them from shedding his blood or denying his Miracles yet many of their own hearts apprehended and violently buffetted and scourged and tormented them At one time when they are most resolved against him the whole Senate is suddenly pricked and convinced within and express it with a Surely this man doth many miracles John xi 48 At another time at the top and complement of the business Pilate is deterr'd from condemning and though the fear of the people made him valiant yet as if he contemn'd this Voice of his Conscience against his will with some reluctance he washes his hands when he would have been gladder to quench the fire in his heart which still burnt and vext him Lastly When Judas had betray'd and sold him and no man made huy and cry after him his Conscience was his pursuer Judge and Executioner persecuted him out of the World haunted him would not suffer him to live whom otherwise the Law of the Country would have reprieved till a natural death had called for him Lastly Even we Christians are not likely to clear our selves of this Bill 't is much to be feared that if our own hearts are called to witness our Judge will need no farther Indictments 'T was an Heathen Speech concerning this rule of our lives and actions that to study it hard to reform and repair all obliquities and defects in it and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to set it up strong and firm as a pillar in our hearts was the part and office of a Philosopher and then afterwards to make use of it in our whole Conversation this was the part of a virtuous man compleat and absolute And how then will our contempt be aggravated if Christianity which Clemens calls spiritual Philosophy and is to be reckoned above all moral perfections hath yet wrought neither of these effects in us if we have continued so far from straightning or setting up or making use of this rule that we have not so much as ever enquired or mark't whether there be any such thing left within us or no Theodoret in his second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is very passionate in the expression of this contempt of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the light of truth shining in our understandings There be a sort of Birds saith he that fly or move only in the night called from thence Night-Birds and Night-Ravens which are afraid of light as either an Enemy to spy to assault or betray them but salute and court and make love to darkness as their only Queen and
to look more like a man to hold thy head more couragiously and bend thy thoughts more resolutely toward Heaven and I shall expect and hope and pray and almost be confident that if thou dost perform sincerely what thy own soul prompts thee to Gods spirit is nigh at hand to perfect and crown and seal thee up to the day of redemption In the next place thou maist see thine own guilts the clearer call thy self to an account even of those things which thou thinkest thou art freest from that which the Apostle in this chap. and part of my Discourse hath charged the Heathens with and if thou lookest narrowly I am afraid thou wilt spy thine own picture in that glass and find thy self in many things as arrant a Gentile as any of them For any sincere care of God or Religion how few of us are there that ever entertained so unpleasant a guest in their hearts we go to Church and so did they to their Temples we pray and they sacrificed they washed and bathed themselves before they durst approach their deities and we come in our best cloths and cleanest linen but for any farther real service we mean towards God there for any inward purity of the heart for any sincere worship of our Soul we are as guiltless as free from it we do as much contemn and scorn it as ever did any Heathen Again what man of us is not in some kind guilty even of their highest crime Idolatry Some of them took the brain to be sacred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Athenaus and therefore hearing some cry God help when one sneezed the ignorant sort worshipt that noise as an expression of a deity in the brain and so as senselesly many of us deify our own brains and adore every thing that ever comes out of them Every conceit of ours must be like the birth of Jupiters brain a Minerva at least be we never so ignorant or mechanical every device every fancy of our own especially in matters of Religion is straight of divine authority and having resolved our selves the Children of God every crochet we fall upon must be necessarily Theopneust and inspired and others accused for irreligious or singular that will not as soon give homage to it In summ every imagination becomes an Image and the Artificer deifies his own handy-work forgetting that he made it as 't is described in the xiii of Wisd toward the end and this is one kind of Idolatry Again who is there that hath not some pleasure in his heart which takes place of God there They had their Sun and Moon most glorious Creatures their Heroes whose vertues had even deified their memory and silly men they admired and could not choose but worship The Devil and a humour of superstition customary in them fee'd and bribed the law in their hearts to hold its peace and not recal them But how basely have we outgone their vilest worships How have we outstript them Let but one appearance of gain like that golden Calf of the Israelites a beautiful Woman like that Venus of the Heathens nay in brief what ever Image or representation of delight thy own lust can propose thee let it but glance or glide by thee and Quis non incurvavit Shew me a man that hath not at some time or other faln down and worshipt In summ all the lower part of the Soul or carnal affections are but a picture of the City of Athens Acts xvii 16 Wholly given to Idolatry The basest unworthiest pleasure or content in the World that which is good for nothing else the very refuse of the refuse Wisd xiii 13 is become an Idol and hath its shrines in some heart or other and we crouch and bow and sacrifice to it and all this against the voice of our Soul and nature within us if we would suffer it to speak aloud or but hearken to its whisperings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Philoponus Nature only bids us feed our selves with sufficient lust brought in superfluity and pleasure But this only by the way lest you might think that part of my Sermon concerning the Heathens contempt of this law did belong little to you and so might have been spared Lastly Not to lade every part of my former Discourse with its several use or application take but this one more If this Light shines but dimly within us then let us so much the more not dare contemn it That Master that speaks but seldom then surely deserves to be obeyed he that is slow in his reproofs certainly hath good reason when he falls foul with any body If Croesus his dumb Son in Herodotus seeing one come to kill his Father shall by violence break the string of his tongue that formerly hindred his Speech and he that never spake before roar out an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sir Kill not Croesus I wonder not that the Persian held his hand a very Barbarian would be amazed and stopt by such a Prodigy it must needs be an odious thing when the Child which can scarce speak expresses indignation Wherefore if ever our bestial soul that of our sense shall seduce us to any thing that our manly soul that of our reason which is now somewhat decrepit and dim-sighted shall yet espy and find fault with if in any enterprize this natural law within us shall give the check let us suddenly remove our project and not dare to reject such Fatherly sage admonishments if all the means in the World can help to avoid it let us never fall into the snare And if at thy audit with thy own Soul and examination of thy self amongst the root of thy customary ignorant sins and O Lord deliver me from my secret faults if in that heap and Chaos thy own heart can pick out many of this nature and present them to thee which it before forewarned thee of then let the saltest most briny tear in thy heart be called out to wash off this guilt let the saddest mortified thought thou canst strain for be accounted but a poor unproportionable expiation Think of this seriously and if all this will nothing move you I cannot hope that any farther Rhetorick if I had it to spare would do any good upon you Only I will try one suasory more which being somewhat rough may chance to frighten you and that is the punishment that here expects this contempt and that a dismal hideous one all the wild savage devourers in the Wilderness Vile affections which punishment together with the inflicter and manner of inflicting it are the last parts of my Discourse of which together in a word God gave them up to vile affections A punishment indeed and all the Fiends of Hell could not invent or wish a man a greater there is not a more certain presage of a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or total subversion of Body and Soul not a more desperate prognostick in the World 'T is observed in
whensoever this light shall fail that it cannot guide us or our Eyes dazle that we cannot follow let us pray to the Father of lights and God of Spirits that he will shine spiritually in our hearts and fulfil us with his light of grace here which may enable us to behold him and enjoy him and rejoice with him and be satisfied with that eternal light of his Glory hereafter Now to him that hath elected us hath created redeemed c. SERMON XV. GAL. VI. 15 But a new Creature AMongst all other encumbrances and delays in our way to Heaven there is no one that doth so clog and trash so disadvantage and backward us and in fine so cast us behind in our race as a contentedness in a formal worship of God an acquiescence and resting satisfied in outward performances when men upon a confidence that they perform all that can be required of a Christian they look no farther than the outward work observe not what heart is under this outside but resolve their estate is safe they have as much interest in Heaven as any one Such men as these the Apostle begins to character and censure in the twelfth Verse of the Chapter As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh c. They that stand only on a fair specious out-side and think all the sap and life of Religion lies in the bark they do this and this these will have you circumcised and constrain you to a many burthensom Ceremonies measuring out Religion to you by the weight thus much is required of you to do as Popish Confessors set their deluded Votaries their task of Ave Maries and Pater nosters by tale and thus you may be sure to be saved In brief the Apostle here shews the unprofitableness of all these and sets up the inward sanctity and renewedness of heart against them all as the only thing that will stand us in stead and appear to be of any weight in the balance of the Sanctuary If you observe all the commands and submit your selves to all the burden of both Law and Gospel and bear it upon your shoulders never so valiantly if you be content to be circumcised as Christ was or because he hath now abrogated that make use of Christian liberty and remain uncircumcised notwithstanding all inducements to the contrary In brief be you outwardly never so severe a Jew or Christian all that is nothing worth there is but one thing most peremptorily required of you and that you have omitted For neither circumcision availeth any thing neither uncircumcision but a new Creature The particle but in the front of my Text is exclusive and restrictive it excludes every thing in the World from pretending to avail any thing from being believed to do us any good For by circumcision the Church of the Jews and by uncircumcision the whole profession of Christian Religion being understood when he saith neither of these availeth any thing he forcibly implies that all other means all professions all observances that men think or hope to get Heaven by are to no purpose and that by consequence it exactly restrains to the new creature there it is to be had and no where else thus doth he slight and undervalue and even reprobate all other ways to Heaven that he may set the richer price and raise a greater estimation in us of this The substance of all the Apostles Discourse and the ground-work of mine shall be this one Aphorism Nothing is efficaciously available to salvation but a renewed regenerated heart For the opening of which we will examine by way of doctrine wherein this new Creature consists and then by way of use the necessity of that and unprofitableness of all other plausible pretending means and first of the first wherein this new creature consists 'T is observable that our state of nature and sin is in Scripture exprest ordinarily by old age the natural sinful man that is all our natural affections that are born and grow up with us are called the old man as if since Adams fall we were decrepit and feeble and aged as soon as born as a Child begotten by a man in a Consumption never comes to the strength of a man is always weak and crazy and puling hath all the imperfections and corporal infirmities of age before he is out of his infancy And according to this ground the whole Analogy of Scripture runs all that is opposite to the old decrepit state to the dotage of nature is phrased new The new Covenant Mark i. 27 The language of believers new tongues Mark xvi 17 A new Commandment John xiii 34. A new man Ephes ii 15 In summ the state of grace is exprest by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all is become new 2 Cor. v. 17 So that old and new as it divides the Bible the whole state of things the World so it doth that to which all these serve man every natural man which hath nothing but nature in him is an old man be he never so young is full of Years even before he is able to tell them Adam was a perfect man when he was but a minute old and all his Children are old even in the Cradle nay even dead with old age Eph. ii 5 And then consequently every spiritual man which hath somewhat else in him than he received from Adam he that is born from above John iii. 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it may be so rendred from the original as well as born again as our English read it he that is by Gods spirit quickned from the old death Ephes ii 5 he is contrary to the former a new man a new creature the old Eagle hath cast his beak and is grown young the man when old has entred the second time into his mothers Womb and is born again all the gray hairs and wrinkles fall off from him as the Scales from blind Tobits Eyes and he comes forth a refin'd glorious beauteous new Creature you would wonder to see the change So that you find in general that the Scripture presumes it that there is a renovation a casting away of the old Coat a Youth and spring again in many men from the old age and weak Bed-rid estate of nature Now that you may conceive wherein it consists how this new man is brought forth in us by whom it is conceived and in what Womb 't is carried I will require no more of you than to observe and understand with me what is meant by the ordinary phrase in our Divines a new principle or inward principle of life and that you shall do briefly thus A mans Body is naturally a sluggish unactive motionless heavy thing not able to stir or move the least animal motion without a Soul to enliven it without that 't is but a Carcass as you see at Death when the Soul is separated from it it returns to be but a stock or lump of flesh the
Of all c. Where first the cadence or manner how Paul falls into these words is worthy to be both observed and imitated the chief and whole business of this Verse being the truth the acceptable truth of Christs Incarnation with the end of it the saving of sinners He can no sooner name this word sinners but his exceeding melting tenderness abruptly falls off and subsumes Of all sinners c. If there be any thing that concerns Sinners I am sure I have my part in that for of that number I am the chief The note by the way briefly is that a tender conscience never hears of the name of sinner but straight applies it to it self It is noted by Aristotle the Master of Humane Learning that that Rhetorick was very thin and unprofitable very poor and like to do little good upon mens affections which insisted on general matters and descended not to particulars as if one should Discourse of sin in general and Sinners without reference to this or that particular sin or Sinner and the reason of his note was because men are not moved or stirred with this Eloquence The intemperate person could hear a declamation against Vice and never be affected with it unless it stooped to take notice of his particular enormities and so it is with other Criminals This reason of his was grounded upon the obdurateness of mens hearts which would think that nothing concerned them but what was framed against the individual Offender all such being as dull and unapt to understand any thing that being applied might move or prick them as men are to take notice of a common national judgment which we never duly weigh till we smart under it in particular This senselessness may also seem to have been amongst St. Paul's Corinthians which made him use Aristotles counsel in driving his Speech home to their private persons 1 Cor. vi Where telling them that neither Fornicators nor Idolaters and the like shall inherit the Kingdom of God for fear they should not be so tender-conscienced as of their own accords to apply these sins to themselves and read themselves guilty in that glass he is fain to supply that office and plainly tell them what otherwise perhaps they would not have conceived and such were some of you ver 11. This senseless hard-heartedness or backwardness in applying the either commands or threatnings of the Law to ones self is by the Apostle called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we ordinarily translate a reprobate mind but may be brought to signify a mind without judgment that hath no faculty of discerning that cannot in a general threatning observe something that may concern the danger of his particular state or as it may be rendred a mind without sense not apprehensive of those things which are manifestly proposed to them like those walking Idols described by the Psalmist Eyes have they and see not Ears and hear not Noses and smell not only beautiful Carcasses of Christians which have nothing but their shape and motion to perswade you that they live unless we add this most unhappy symptom which indicates a state more wretched far than Death it self that there is strength and vigour to oppose recovery that amidst Death there yet survives a hatred and antipathy to Life In such a Soul as this there is a perpetual re-action an impatience of the presence of any thing which may trash incumber or oppress it a judgment or denunciation is but cast away upon it it shall be sure to return unprofitably and neither move nor mend it This hath been and much more might be observed to you of the carriage of the hard stupid heart toward either Scripture or Preacher to the plain opening of this point for you shall more clearly understand the tender heart by observing the obdurate and learn to be affected aright with Gods Law or punishments by knowing and hating the opposite stubborn senselessness Now in brief this tender heart in the discovery of a sin or denunciation of a judgment needs not a particular Thou art the man to bring it home to his person The more wide and general the proposal is the more directly and effectually is this strucken with it In a common Satyre or Declamation against sin in general it hath a sudden art of Logick to anatomize and branch this sin in general into all its parts and then to lay each of them to its own charge it hath a skill of making every passage in the Scripture a glass to espy some of her deformities in and cannot so much as mention that ordinary name of sin or Sinner without an extraordinary affection and unrequired accusation of it self Of all sinners c. The plain reason of this effect in the tender heart is first because it is tender The soft and accurate parts of a mans body do suffer without re-action i. e. do yield at the appearance of an Enemy and not any way put forward to repell him These being fixt on by a Bee or the like are easily penetrated by the sting and are so far from resisting of it that they do in a manner draw it to them and by their free reception allure it to enter so far that the owner can seldom ever recover it back again Whereas on a dead Carkase a thick or callous member of the body a Bee may fix and not forfeit her sting So doth a tender heart never resist or defend it self against a stroke but attenuates its self layes wide open its pores to facilitate its entrance seems to woo a threatning to prick and sting and wound it sharply as if it rejoyced in and did even court those torments which the sense of sin or judgment thus produced Again a tender heart ordinarily meets with more blows more oppressions than any other its very passiveness provokes every ones malice the fly and dust as if it were by a kind of natural instinct drive directly at the Eye and no member about you shall be oftener rubb'd or disorder'd than that which is raw or distempered the reason being because that which is not worthy notice to another part is an affliction to this and a mote which the hand observes not will torment the eye So is it with the Conscience whose tenderness doth tempt every piece of Scripture to afflict it and is more incumbred with the least atome of sin or threat than the more hardned sinner is with a beam or Mountain Thirdly One that hath any solemn business to do will not pass by any opportunity of means which may advantage him in it One that hath a search to make will not slip any evidence which may concur to the helping of his discovery one that hath any Treatise to write will be ready to apply any thing that ever he reads to his Theme or purpose Now the search the discourse the whole imployment of a tender heart is the enquiry after the multitude of its sins and in summ the