deed But God loves to help his people with a little help Dan. 11.34 that through weaker means his greater strength may appear His end here may seem to be the same as before in setting forth Jacobs meannesse to take down the haughtinesse of the people proud of their Founders and forefathers A Prophet he is purposely called and his name concealed 1. To shew that the work was done not by might nor by power but by Gods Spirit Zech. 4.6 2. To shew what God will do for his people by the prayers and for the sake of his Prophets when they are most shiftlesse and hopelesse 3. To let this unworthy people see how much God and done for them once by a Prophet how little soever now they set by such This is Cyrus observation Verse 14. Excusserunt ex suâ—vissimâ— pectore meo suevitatem Ephraim hath provoked him to anger most bitterly Heb. with bitternesses or unto bitter displeasure or with bitter things that is sinnes that imbitter Gods Spirit and put thunder-bolts into his hands As a Bee stings not till provoked so neither doth God punish till there be no remedy 2 Chron. 36.16 If Ephraim will provoke him to anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he will not dare to do to his land-lord if he will put it to the triall whether God can be angry as those did Heb. 3.9 he shall know the power of his wrath Psal 90.11 he shall feel to his sorrow that it is an evil thing and bitter that he hath forsaken the Lord and that his fear is not in them Jer. 2.19 there will be bitternesse in the end Principium dulce est sed finis amoris amarus Amâ—r amaror Lust is a lie as Amnon proved Her end is bitter as wormwood though her lips drop as an honey-combe saith Solomon of sinfull pleasure Prov. 5.3 It is like Jonathans honey or Esau's pottage or Iudas his thirty pence which he would gladly have been rid of but could not Those that provoke God shall one day hear Do ye provoke me to anger Are ye stronger then I they shall be taught to meddle with their match and not to contend with him that is mightier then they Eccles 6.10 they shall cry out in the bitternesse of their souls as Lam. 3.15 He hath filled me with bitternesses he hath made me drunk with wormwood And God shall reply as Jer. 4.18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee and this is thy wickednesse because it is bitter therefore shall he leave his blood upon him God shall bring upon him deserved destruction he shall bring him into the fire and leave him there Ezek. 22.20 the guilt of his sinne shall remain upon his soul and then punishment cannot bee far off See Ezek 24.7 8. with chap. 18.13 Josh 2.19 Or the enemy shall leave him all bloody and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him His Lord not the Assyrian as some sence it but his Liege Lord whom he hath reproached by changing his glory into the similitude of a calf and other corruptible things shall cry quittance with him as verse 2. cast utter contempt upon him according to 1 Sam. 2.30 Rom. 1.23 and make him know that he is his Lord. CHAP. XIII Verse 1. WHen Ephraim spake trembling Or there was trembling as there is among the beasts of the field when the Lion roareth Ephraim whiles innocent of the great offence spake with authority and none durst budge against him for he had great power in his hand Now as the Philosopher told Adrian the Emperour who challenged him to dispute Difficile est ei contradicere qui potest aqua igni interdicere vel adversus 〈◊〉 â—â—â—scribere qui potest proscribere It is dangerous medling with the Lions beard Nâ—â—uchadnezzars Majesty was such that all people nations and languages trembled and feared before him Dan. 5.19 wheresoever his commands or armies came there were very great heart-quakes and concussions of spirit Where the word of a king is there is power and who may say unto him What dost thouâ— Eccles 8.4 Job was no king and yet whiles hee was Jobab that is in a prosperous condition The young men saw him Gen. 36.34 and hid themselves the nobles held their peace and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth Job 29.8 10 The people feared Joshuah â— chap. 4.14 as they feared Moses all the dayes of his life for why the Lord had magnified him in the sight of all Israel Naturall conscience cannot but stoop to the image of God in whomsoever When Ephraim was first in the Throne he became formidable but when hâ—â—fell openly from God he grew feeble first he was a terrour and then a scorn But when he offended in Baal he died When by Jezabel who did all under her husband she was King and he Queen Baal-worship was brought in then Ephraim fell from his dignity then every paltry adversary trampled upon him as the Hare will do upon a dead Lion See how Benhadad insulted over Ahab 1 King 20. Thy silver and thy gold is mine thy wives also and thy children even the goodliest are mine And the king of Israel answered and said My Lord O king according to thy saying I am thine and all that I have Look how the worried Curre falls upon his back and holds up all four as craving quarter so did this sordid Idolater glad to crouch to his enemy when God was departed from him he was even as a dead carcasse Morti vicinus jam magis atque magis He that departeth from God who is his life by an evil heart of unbelief Heb. 3. subiecteth himself to all sorts of deaths Naturall Civil Spirituall and Eternall Verse 2. And now they sinne more and more Heb. They adde to sinne God in his just judgement hath given them up unto hardnesse of minde and to their hearts lust that for all this sudden change they repent not but run more and more into Idolatry Not content to worship Baal and such Heathen-Deities They make them molten images of their silver they laid their monies together to make the golden-calves or silver-shrines as Acts 19.24 and other idolatrous trinkets they lavished silver out of the bag and were at no small charge They multiplied their altars chap. 10. and abused Gods gold and silver to mysticall adultery chap. 2. All this they did Now saith the Text most unseasonably and as it were in flat opposition to God after he had sought to reclaim them both by counsels and corrections and had hang'd Ahab and his house up in gibbets as it were before them for their admonition Surely it is a just both presage and desert of ruine not to bee warned See chap. 7.1 with the Note And idols according to their own understanding i. e. according to their own inventions motu suo proprio forsaking the Rule of the Word they will needs be schollers to their own Rea2on though they are sure
him O the never-enough adored depth of Gods free grace and fuperabundant love to his people This David well understood Psal 25.11 and therefore prayed pardon my iniquity for it is great He knew that God both could and would remit more then he could commit and that mercy rejoyceth against judgement whilest God for his own sake though not for ours blotteth out the thick cloud as well as the cloud enormities as infirmities Esay 44.22 See his Non-obstante Psa 106.8 his Resolve Gen. 8.21 and his Mandamus Psal 14.4 and then it must needs be done though no god would do it but himself Mic. 7.18 though no man could imagine how it should be done Esay 55.7 8. I will allure her that is I will effectually perswade her by the preaching of the Gospel Men may speak perswasively but God onely can perswade Gen. 9.27 they may speak to the ear but He to the heart and this He doth to his Elect not onely by a morall perswasion but by an irresistible inward attraction Act. 11.17 by a mercifull violence by making them willing to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth They kisse the Son with a kisse of love and homage having first been kissed with the kisses of his mouth whereupon immediately followes Draw me we will run after thee Cant. 1.1 4. Elisha could more with a kisse then his man could with a staffe in raising the dead child Christs works upon his people fortiter but yet suaviter powerfully Recte Calvin textum hunc reddit Inclinabo eam but yet sweetly he inclineth their hearts to his testimonies and not to covetousness Psal 119.36 and brings them to the obedience of faith monendo potius quam minando docondo quam ducendo If he do seduce them as some render the word here it is for no hurt it is but to speak in a word private with them as one friend may with another it is but to give them his loves as he speakes in the Canticles to shew them his glory as he did Moses to spread before them his beauty and so to catch them by guile as Saint Paul did Corinthians 2 Ep. 12.19 to steal away their hearts before they are awar◠according to that Cant. 6.12 that they thenceforth may be an Amminadib a willing people a free-hearted people Psal 110.3 waiting for the law Esay 42.8 and walking by the rule Gal 6.16 c. Oh it is a blessed thing to be thus allured thus inveigled thus seduced out of the wayes of sin and death into the wayes of holiness and happiness by the doctrine of the Gospel Mercer Rivet which is the true Pitho the Suadae medulla qua capiuntur homines sed bono suo the divine Rhetorike wherewith mens minds are taken but for their greatest good and I will bring her into the wilderness Look how I at first allured my people out of Egypt where they sat by the flesh-pots and enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a season out of Egypt have I called my son that I might set him higher then the Kings of the earth and brought them into the wilderness and there extraordinarily provided for them never was Prince so served in his greatest pomp and spake to their hearts giving them right judgements and true lawes good statutes and commandments Neh. 7.13 to their great comfort Ps 19.8 So will I again do for them and much more then so by Christ in the dayes of the Gospel Indeed as the people at their first setting foot upon the promised land met with trouble in the valley of Achor by the sin of Achan so shall the Saints be sure of troubles but Christ will not leave them comfortless a door of hope he will open unto them in their deepest distresses Death shall be unto them not a trap-door to hell as it is to the wicked but an inlet into life eternall where they shall sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Rev. 15.13 Let the Saints therefore rejoyce in hope be patient in tribulation Vineyards God will give them here some grapes at least of the heavenly Canaan aforehand spirituall benedictions Divine comforts to sustain them such generous wine as shall make the lips of those that are asleep to speak Cant. 7.6 Yea to sing Eph. 5.18.19 Lo such wine of the bests and such songs of joy shall the Saints have for those vines which before he threatened to destroy vers 12. and that mirth which he would cause to cease vers 11. Repentance can turn crosses into comforts and like the Philosophers stone make golden afflictions 1 Pet. 1.7 As it is the fair and happy daughter of an ugly and odious mother viz. sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so it is the mother of all mercies and benefits for it is repentance unto life Act. 11.18 yea to salvation and therefore never to be repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 It is that rainbow which if God see shining in our hearts and lives he will not onely not drown us but do us all good and speak comfortably to her Heb. speak to her heart such things as shall chear her up and make her heart leap and even dance Levalto's Confer Gen. 34.3 Ruth 2.13 Judg. 9.3 Pastquam perauxero eam Tremell Benigne alloquar Castalio See Isai 40.1 and comparing 1 Sam. 15.35 Observe that the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nacham signifieth to repent first and then to comfort And to this purpose it is that some translate the text thus After I have brought her into the wilderness and so humbled her thoroughly as I once did her forefathers there I will speak to her heart yea I will take her alone for the purpose even into a solitary wilderness where I may more freely impart my minde to her so some fense it that having her whole desire she may come up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved Cant. 8.5 and so be brought into the bride house with all solemnity Verse 15. I will give her her vineyards from thence or from thenceforth either from that time or from that place God as out of his melting heartedness toward her he thinks she hath suffered double for all her sins Esay 40.1 though she think she hath suffered less then her sins Ezra 9.13 So he is ready upon her repentance to make her strait a plentifull amends He destroyed her vineyards and damped her mirth vers 11.12 Now she shall have all again with advantage not her corn onely for necessity but her vineyards also for delight yea an honest affluence of both She shall have reall manifestations of his love and although he take her into the wilderness yet will he not be unto her a wilderness or a Land of darkness wherefore then should his people say we are Lords we will come no more unto thee Jer. 2.31 why should they not rather reason thus with the prodigall I will go to my father for in his house is bread enough I will return to my first husband
now cheared up himself with the remembrance of This last is a very slight and sorry comfort indeed The former hath much in it for a good man keeps every day holy day said Diogenes and can be merry without musick saith another Philosopher He hath a merry heart or good conscience which is a continual feast and is bound to rejoyce evermore 1 Thes 5.16 and to keep the feast in all countries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 5.8 the Calender of his whole life is crowned with continual festivals and he is the happiest man and may be the merriest if he but understand his own happinesse But this alas was not the case of these woful caytives and captives They had sinned away all their comforts and what with the sad remembrance of their former enjoyments and with the sense of their present servitude they had little mind to keep holy-day Hence this passionate exclamation what will ye do c God had threatned before Chap. 2.11 to take away their feast-dayes new-moons sabbaths and solemnities but they heeded him not tanquam monstra marina Dei verba surda aure praeterierunt therefore now God fulfilleth what he â—ad forethreatned Lam. 2. â—â— and calleth as in a solemn day his terrours round about them what they were wont to do in their solemn dayes and festivals may be seen Num. 10.10 what we do or should do at least upon our Lords day-sabbaths the delight of every good soul we need not be told Let us take heed lest by profane violating or carelesse observing that holy rest with all its solemnities we deprive not our selves as these Israclites did of such a precious priviledge God gave us a good warning in that the first blow given the German Churches was upon the sabbath-day which is there so ill sanctified Alsted in Encyclop Dike of Consc pag. 276. that if it should be named according to their deserving of it Doemoniacus potius quam Dominicus saith Alsted it should be called not the Lords-day but the Priests-day rather It is very remarkable that upon that day was Prague lost and with it all opportunity of hearing singing publique praying communicating on that high and honourable day Esay 58.13 Vers Abierunt i.e. obierunt 8. For lo they are gone because of destruction They are gone either into Egypt for refuge or into the state of the dead they are gone out of the world They shall perish by destructiou so some render it When God had said in the former verse what will ye do they should have faln down before him and said What wilt thou have us to do Lord we know not what at all to do but our eyes are toward thee This had been right and thus they might have disarmed Gods indignation but they had other carnal shifts and thought they could tell well enough what to do and whither to go whereupon they were so fully bent that the prophet here reports them gone already For lo they are gone and got to Egypt as divers of them did doubtlesse during the siege and after the sack of Samaria when they were forced to shift for themselves as they could but did they so escape by iniquity in thine anger cast down the people O God saith David and it is not more a prayer then a prophesie Psal 56.7 and this people had the proof of it Egypt shall gather them either for punishment or for burial as Ezech. 29.5 Jer. 8.2 so that they fled but out of the smoak into the fire and in running from death they ran to it as the Historian saith of those poor Scots at Muscleboroughfield who running for their lives S. J. Heyw in Edw. 6. p. 35. so strained themselves in their race that they fell down breathlesse and dead Memphis shall bury them Lest they should please themselves with vain hopes of return to their countrey he shews that that shall never be but they shall lay their bones in a strange land Memphis anciently called Noph Isay 19.13 or as some will No Nahum 3.8 at this day Grand Caire famous for the Pyramides and the kings sepulchres Memphis I say a principal city of Egypt shall be a Kibroth-hattaavah to you a place of sepulchres especially then when Nebuchadnezzar sent by God who giveth him Egypt as his pay for his paines at Tyre shall come and smite that land and deliver such as are for death to death and such as are for the sword to the sword c. Jer. 43.11 The pleasant places for their selves nettles shall possesse them Heb. shall possesse them as their inheritance so that the Israelites nor their heirs shall ever repossesse these pleasant places for their silver i. e. where they either laid up their silver their repositories or counting houses or where they laid out their silver either in costly buildings and sumptuous furniture or else in idols and statues placed therein to their no smal charge delight These shal be ruined and over-run with nettles thorns and thistles a token of horrible desolation Esa 32.13 and 34.13 Note hence that as God spareth a place for a few good men found therein as he would have done Sodom which is now a place of nettles and saltâ—pits Zeph. 2.9 so a fruitful land bringeth he into barrennesse or saltnesse for the wickednesse of them that dwel therein Psal 107.34 witnesse Judaea that land of desire Ezek. 1. ult that garden of Eden Joel 2.3 that glorious land Dan. 11.16 yea glory of all lands Ezek. 20.15 now wofully waste and desolate so is Grecia formerly so farmous for armes and arts so are some parts of Germany and so may England soon be without the greater mercy of God by a miracle of whose mercy and by a prop of whose extraordinary patience we have hitherto subsisted I say England whose vallies now are like Eden whose hils are as Lebanon whose springs are as Pisgah whose rivers are as Jordan whose walls is the Ocean and whose defence is the Lord Jehovah Vers 7. The dayes of visitation are come A visitation that is like to prove a vexation for every transgression and disobedience that is Omission and commission shall receive a just recompence of reward from the God of Recompences so he is called Jer. 51.56 whose eyes behold his eye-lids trie the children of men Psal 11.4 the former points out his knowledge the latter his judgement or his critical descant in his visitation or inquisition the dayes whereof are set Stat suae cuique dies and Israels dayes are come are come it is repeated for more assurance as Babylon is fallen is fallen certò citò penitus and as Ezek. 7.5 6 7. the Prophet tells them The end is come is come is come and so some ten or twelve times that he might beat it into them and awaken them them out of the snare of the devil The wickeds happinesse will take its end surely and swiftly but its hard perswading them so And the Jews as they were
to come out of the filth of his sins or to be washed from his wickednesse Rather then be regenerated without which there is no heaven to be had Ioh. 3.5 or freedom from deadly dangers upon earth he will venture to stay a while at least as the Text here hath it in the mouth of the matrix though it cost him a choaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such Ephraims we have not a few that proceed no further then to conviction debarring themselves of the benefit of a thorow conversion These go as far as Kadesh-barnea they are nigh to Gods kingdom they are almost perswaded to be true Christians they are come as far as the place of the breaking forth of children but there they stick and are stifled they are never brought forth from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive remission of sinnes and inheritance among the saints and sonnes of God Acts 26.18 Oh make much of the least beginnings of grace saith a Reverend man even those called repressing since they prepare the heart for conversion There is a faith in the true convert of no better perfection then that in the Temporary though he stay not there as the other being an unwise sot doth c. And although we bring forth good things saith Another as Sarah's dead womb brought forth a child it was not a child of natures but of the meer promise yet it cannot be denied that a naturall man though he be Theologically dead yet he is Ethically alive being to be wrought upon by arguments and that grace doth for the most part prepare naturals before it bring in supernaturals and if we hide our talent we are not allowed to expect the spirit of Regeneration As if we die in the wildernesse of preparatory antecedaneous works we never get to Canaan Verse 14. I will ransom them from the power of the grave c. Some read it thus Calvin Tigurin Isid Clar. Danaeus Drusius I would have ransomed them c. I would have redeemed them c. had they been wise or oughts as we say had not their incurable hardnesse and obstinacy hindered had they put forth into my hands as unto a midwife c. But alas it is no such matter therefore that that will die let it die repentance shall be hid from mine eyes I am unchangeably resolved to ruine them Or repentance should have been hid from mine eyes my goodnesse toward them should never have altered c. But let us rather look upon the words as a most sweet and comfortable promise of a mighty redemption and glorious resurrection to the Remnant according to the election of grace whom God would not have to want comfort I will ransom them Here therefore he telleth his Heirs of the promises that he will bring them back out of captivity wherein they â—ay for dead as it were and that this their deliverance should be an evident argument and sure pledge of their resurrection to life eternall To which purpose the Apostle doth aptly and properly alledge it 1 Cor. 15. and thereupon rings in Deaths ears out of this Text and Esay 25.8 the shrillest and sharpest Note the boldest and bravest challenge that ever was heard from the mouth of a mortall Death where is thy sting Hell where 's thy victory c Oh thanks be to God who hath given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ and thereby hath made us more then conquerours that is Triumphers 2 Cor. 2.14 But to return to the Text. Be it saith the Prophet that the Common-wealth of Israel both mother and child must perish for want of wisdom as was threatned in the foregoing verse yet let not the penitent among them despair for I the Lord Christ will ransom them by laying down a valuable price so the word signifieth from the power Ephdem Heb. hand of the grave or of hell that though hell had laid hands on them yea closed her mouth upon them as once the Whale had upon Jonas yet I would open the doors of that Leviathan and fetch them thence with a strong hand I will redeem them from death by becoming their near kinsman according to the flesh whereby I shall have the next right of redemption But how shall all this be done After a wonderfull manner O death I will be thy plagues Not one but many plagues even so many as shall certainly do thee to death The Vulgar rendreth it Ero mors tua O mors morsus tuus O inferne The Apostle for plagues hath sting for the plague hath a deadly sting and so hath sinne much more the guilt thereof is by Solomon said to bite like a serpent and sting like a cockatrice Prov. 23.32 Now Christ by dying put sinne to death Rom. 1.25 Ephes 1.7 Heb. 2.14 We read of a certain Cappadocean Sphinx Phil. pag. 750. whom when a Viper had bitten and suckt his blood the Viper her self died by the venemous blood that she had suckt But Christ being life essential prevailed over death and swallowed it up in victory as Moses his serpent swallowed up the sorcerers serpents or as Fire swalloweth up the fuell that is cast upon it yea by death he destroyed him that had the power of death the devil whose practise it was to kill men with death Rev. 2.23 this is the second death O grave or O hell I will be thy destruction thy deadly stinging disease joyned with the pestilence Psal 91.6 Death to a beleever is neither totall nor perpetuall Rom. 8.10 11. Christ hath made it to him of a curse a blessing of an enemy a friend of a punishment an emolument of the gate of hell the portall of heaven a postern to let out temporall but a street-door to let in eternall life And to assure all this Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes i. e. there shall be no such thing as repentance in me for all things that are at all are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do Heb. 4.13 The meaning is I will never change my minde for this matter my covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Psal 89.34 Confer Psal 110.4 Rom. 11.29 Some render it but not so well Consolation is hid from mine eyes and so make them to be the words of the Church q. d. I see not this promise with mine eyes but I receive it and accept of it by my faith Verse 15. Though he be fruitfull among his brethren In allusion to his name Ephraim which signifieth fruitfull and flourishing Gen. 41.52 Confer Gen. 48.16 19 20 c. 49.22 See the like allusions Am. 5.5 Mic. 1.10 An East-winde shall come which is violent and hurtfull to the fruits of the earth the winde of the Lord a mighty strong winde meaning that most mercilesse and impetuous enemy the Assyrian sent by the Lord to avenge the quarrell of his
not as your fathers Man is a creature apt to imitate to be led more by his eyes then by his eares and children think they may lawfully Be as their fathers St. Peters converts had received their vaine conversation from their fathers as it were ex traduce or by tradition 1 Pet. 1.18 And St. Steven tells his perverse hearers that they were as good at resisting the Holy Ghost as their fathers had been before them Act. 7.51 They used to boast much of their Ancestours Ioh. 8.33 and to bind much upon their example and authority Ier. 44. 17. Mat. 5.21 They thought they were not much to be blamed because they did but as their fathers had done before them The Prophet therefore dehorts or rather deterrs them from that folly serting forth both the crime and doome of their forefathers whom they so much admired and so stifly imitated and this he ost repeateth that they might once consider it and be wrought upon by thosé domestick examples have cryed Loudly and lustily Es 58.1 according to that Cry aloud spare not Lift up thy voice like a trumpet sic clames ut stentora vincas A minister should be a Simon Zelotes a son of thunder as Basil was said to thunder in his preaching lighten in his life as Hierome for his vehemency was called Fulmen Ecclesiasticum the Churches light-bolt as Harding before his shamefull Apostasy wished he could cry out against Popery as loud as the belles of Oseney and as Farellus that notable French Preacher whose voice when the envious Monks sought to drown by ringing the bells as he was preaching at Metis he lifted up his voyce adravim usque and would not suffer himselfe to be outroared The Saints-bell as they called it Pierius useth for an hieroglyphick of a preacher who must not speak the word onely but sound it out into all the earth Rom. 10.18 not preach it onely but cry it as the Apostles word signifieth 2 Tim. 4.2 clangite clamate Jer. 4.5 Boâte vociferate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Boantis Vociferantis Mat. 3.3 Ministers have to doe with deafe men dead men living carcasses walking sepulchers of themselves Now therefore as our Saviour lifted up his voice when he said Lazarus come forth so must they stand over men and cry aloud awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead that Christ may give thee light Eph. 5.14 turne you now from your evil wayes c. This was the constant cry of the Prophets as here and Apostles as Acts 26.18 to open mens eyes naturally closed up that they cannot see the evill of their wayes Ier 2.35 Rev. 3.15 to turn them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God and from your evill doings Heb. Designes gests or exercises enterprized advisedly and prosecuted studiously of natural disposition and inclination as Prov. 20.11 and 1 Sam. 25.3 This St. Iohn usually calleth committing of sinne 1 Epist 3.4 8 9. Iohn 8.34 this is to adde rebellion to sinne Iob 34.37 impudence to impotence browes of brasse to iron sinewes Isa 48.4 This is wickednesse with a witnesse which if men could but see in its native colours and cursed consequents they would soon be perswaded to turn from it As the eye cannot but be offended with a lothsome object so neither can the understanding Take rats-bane it looketh not evil bu◠when a man feeles it boyle burn torture him c. he hates it extremely So he should doe sinne he will doe else at length when it is too late For prevention take the counsell of a Martyr get thee Gods law as a glasse to look in So shal you see your faces foul-arrayed and so shamefull mangy pocky and scabbed Bradfords serm of Repent p. 20.26 27. that you cannot but be sory at the contemplation thereof and seek out for cure Especially if you look to the tag tied to Gods law the malediction which is such as cannot but make us to cast our currish tailes between our legs if we beleeve it But O faithlesse hard hearts O Iezabels guests rocked and laid asleep in her bed O wicked wretches c. but they did not hear Though the Prophets cryed and spake loud enough to bee heard and heeded An heavie eare is a singular judgement Isa 6.10 An hearing eare a precious mercy Prov. 20.12 God must bee intreated to boare our eare Psal 40.6 and to make the boare so big that the word may enter to say as Isa 42.18 Hear ye deaf and looke ye blind that ye may see Verse 5. Your fathers where are they Is not the grave their house have they not made their beds in the dark are not they gone down to the Congregation house of all living Iob 30.23 Every man should die the same day he is born as being born a child of death the wages of sinne is death and this wages should bee paid him down presently But Christ beggs their lives for a season 1 Tim. 4.10 he is the Saviour of all men not of eternal preservation but of temporal reservation But what a sad thing is it for men to dye in their sinnes as these in the Text and their Nephews did Iohn 8.21 24. How may such men on their death-beds say to their sins as Charles the fifth did of his honours victories riches Abite hinc abite longè Go Mornaeus go get you out of my sight or as Cornelius Agrippa the conjurer did to his familiar that used to accompany him in the shape of a dog Abi à me perdit a bestia Joh. Manl. loc com 136. P. Sut. de vit Caribusian quae me perdidisti Be gone thou wretched beast that hast wrought my ruine Petrus Sutorius speaks of one that preaching a funeral sermon on a religious man as he calles him and giving him large commendations heard at the same time a voice in the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mortuus sum judicat us sum damnat us sum I am dead judged and damned The Devill preached Sauls funeral 1 Sam. 28.19 though David made his Epitaph 2 Sam. 1. And do the Prophets live for ever Those false Prophets so Hierome senseth it that cryed peace peace to your fathers and made all fair weather before them when the fierce wrath of God was even ready to burst out upon them as an overflowing scourge But they doe better that understand it of Gods true Prophets who are dead indeed for wise men dye as well as fooles Psal 4◠10 Good men dye as well as bad Ezech. 21.4 yea good men oft before the bad Esay 57.1 but their words dyed not with them the truth of their prophesies not onely lived for ever for ever O Lord thy word is stablished in heaven Psal 119.89 but struck in the hearts and flesh of their perverse hearers like the envenomed arrowes of the Almighty throughout all eternity Haeret lateri lethalis arundo Wicked men may as the wounded Hart frisk and skip
shall they say unto him Lord Lord have not we prophesied in thy name and eat and drunk in thy presence that is communicated at thy table and heard thee teaching in our streets But he o' to'ther side will as deeply disavow them as they do boldly lay claim to him Math. 7.23 for then will I professe to them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity And if they shall offer yet to make request for their lives with Hamâ—â— and to speak for themselves as once those Israelites we have sinned do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee deliver us onely we pray thee this day he will answer them according to the idols of their hearts as he did those of old Ezek 14.4 and say Ye have forsaken me and served other gods wherefore I will deliver you no more go and cry to the gods that your selves have chosen let them deliver you in the day of your tribulation Jud. 10 13 14 15. Formidaehilis erat Adamo Dei vox cùm lenitèr paternè eum alâ—oquehatur in paradiso in aura aurorae nedùm cum in furore turbine c. Ca â—w Heb. 9.27 Dan. 12.2 At the day of Iudgement secrâ—t things shall be brought to light as packs and fardels are not opened till they come to the fair or market D. Willet than the which I know not what more dreadful or direful sentence can possibly fall from Gods holy mouth unlesse it be that last irrevocable doom of damnation go ye cursed c. At the first hearing whereof their very heart strings shal crack and their hearts fall asunder in their bosoms like drops of water Well were it with the wicked in that day if they might trudge directly on to damnation and not be forced to see the face of the Judge that they have buffetted and to hear his voice that they have despised But alasse for their misery it may not be For after that all in vain they have tired out the deaf rocks and mountains with their continuate cryings Fall upon us cover us hide us dash us and quash us to pieces grinde us to powder do any thing to dispatch us they must perforce in person measure the place and race of judgement It is appointed for all men once to die and after death judgement Not a man that sleeps in the dust of death but must needs awake some to everlasting life and preferment and some to shame and everlasting contempt as those that have all their evil deeds as it were written in their fore-heads so that all shall see and say Behold the man and behold his works These and these things hast thou done will the Judge then say and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such as thy self but I will set thee down and set them down in an order before thee to thy perpetual confusion As the word goeth forth of the kings mouth their faces shall gather blacknesse and be covered as Hamans and themselves shall be speechlesse They shall be confounded and troubled for ever they shall be put to shame and perish That men may know that he whose name is Jehovah is the most high over all the earth Psal 83.17 18. Enoch foretold this day of judgement before Noah foretold the flood That day is longer ere it comes but shall be more terrible when it is come SECT VII Terrour to those that set themselves against the Saints Secondly Use 2 Doth the Lord graciously own and honour all that fear his name how should this terrifie and take off all those dogged dogs and bedlam Belialists that offer any manner affront or offence to such sith how mean soever and miserable in the worlds eye they are dearly beloved of God as Daniel highly favoured inheaven Dan. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 7. Heb. 12. Rom. 8 Psal 45. 1 Cor. 4.13 Rom. 3.8 Nemo me impunè lacessit Irascipop Rom. nemo sapienter possit Tacit. as Mary dearlings to the Almighty as David faire to God as Moses and not only faithful as he in al Gods house as servants but such as have a naile a name there better then of sons and of daughters Esay 58.5 For they are the first-born whose names are written in heaven as free denisons yea they are heires of God and coheires with Christ who is not ashamed to call them brethren fellows friends favorites any thing every thing that may evidence the dear respects he bears unto them Now were it a wise-mans part to fall out with the Kings favourite to lowre upon his son and heir to deface his picture to tread under foot his Jewels to spit upon his royal robe or imperial diadem How as Balaam slain by the Lord for but wishing evil to his Israel Goliath for but defying his host Nabal for reviling his David which was scandalum Magnatum and in the new Testament termed blasphemy How was Cain schooled for but scowling upon Abel and Laban threatened for but following after Iacob and Abimelech plagued for but an unwittingabuse to Abraham Thus he suffered none to do them wrong yea he reproved even kings for their sakes Psal 105.14 will ye know the reason he remembred his covenant to Abraham and his oath to Israel ver 8.9 There is a straight league betwixt God and his people such as was that betwixt Jehosaphat and Ahab nay such as passed betwixt David and Abiatbar Look what David said once to him the same saith god to his Abide thou with me feare not for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life but with me shalt thou be in safeguard He is a Sun saith the Psalmist to refresh his people 1 Sam. 22.23 Psal 84.11 and a shield to shelter them As the shield is betwixt the body and the dart so is God betwixt his people and their hurt He carrieth them on his wings as the Eagle doth her yong so that there is no wounding of them but through his sides Deut. 32.11 Aquilae pullos suos in alis portant alites reliqui inter pedes Munster â— ex rabbi Solomon Zach. 3.8 Acts 9.4 2 King 19.22 nay no touching of them but ye touch the apple of his Eye As the eye is vexed with the least mote that gets into it so is he with the least indignity done to his people If Saul tread upon the least toe in Christs my sticall body the head will try out from heaven why hurtest thou me If Rabshakeh raile upon Hezekiah Against whom hast thou railed saith God and whom hast thou provoked to wrath even the Holy one of Israel In pushing at any of these lively stones in Gods temple men spurne at the corner-stone it self and so kick against the prickes In offending the least of Christs little ones they presently proclaim open war against Him who keepeth all their bones bottles up all their teares yea numbreth all their haires not one of them
Corsâ—etur Lutherus so esse Apostatam sed â—eatam sancium qui fidem diaâ—olâ— datam non servavit Athanasius was impeached by the Arrians of adultery Basil by his brethren of heresie Luther by the Papists of Apostacy Austere John is said to have a devil Sociable Christ to be a wine-bibber And it was the worse because from Scribes and Pharisees whose word must carry such credit with it as alone to condemn Christ We would not have brought him to thee were he not worthy of death And whose life must be a rule to others Do any of the Pharisees beleeve in him Take heed therefore what you hear and to whom you give credit But may I not beleeve mine own eyes Oâ—j judge the tree by the fruits Matth. 7. Not alwayes in matter of fact Sol. Our Saviour speaks there of heretikes and seducers and bids judge of them by their fruits that is by their doctrines and opinions that are corrupt and carnall But for point of practise the best tree doth not alwayes bear or not alwayes alike An apple-tree may have a fit of barrennesse as well as a crab tree or the fruit may be nipt sometimes by a frost God onely knows what sap is in the root what truth is in the heart and let him that knows it judge of it 2. Be favourable in sinnes strengthened by naturall inclination or by long continued custome which is not so easily broke off or by multitude of temptations and enticements The best minds when troubled yeeld inconsiderate motions as water that is violently stirred sends up bubbles and how often have carnall respects drawn weak goodnesse to disguise it self with sinne 3. Judge no man by that he is in a passion whether of grief fear or anger for these are violent and have made the holiest in their behaviour little â—esse then bestiall witnesse David in his sear of Sauls fury in his roaring over Absolom and rage at Nabal Passions like kine in a narrow passage ride one upon another and like heavy bodies down steep hills once in motion they know no ground but the bottom Oh how subject are Gods best Saints to weak passions and if they have the grace to ward an expected blow how easily are they surprized with a sudden foil Sometimes both grace and wit are asleep in the holiest and wariest brests and the wisest are miscaried by their passions to their cost What shiprack of his faith and patience had meek Moses well-nigh made against the Rock Rimmon As at another time how did he in a sudden indignation cast away the two-Tables and abandon that which he would in cold blood have held faster then his life But passion doth so bemist the cleerest judgement otherwhiles that a man shall bee apt to think there is sense in sinning and that he hath some reason to be mad 4. Censure not any to be either better or worse for some particular action but consider what his main bent is and accordingly conceive of him David that saith his sinnes were more then the hairs of his head saith also in respect of his generall resolution and full purpose of heart I have not declined from thy statutes neither is there any way of wickednesse in me Saint Iohn looked upon the Lady 2 Joh 1.4 and her children as elect because they walked in the truth though not without some particular stumblings and aberrations And Saint Paul was confident of the Thessalonians election 1 Thes 1.4 though so compassed with infirmities that he doubted he had laboured in vain and feared their Apostacy 1 Thes 3.5 Perswaded also he was better things of the Hebrews Heb. 6.9 and such as accompany salvation though he found them slow of foot and dull of hearing and frights them with the terrour of the Lord upon Apostates Who can promise himself freedome from grosse infirmities when Aaron that went up into the mount comes down and doth that in the valley which he heard forbidden in the hill Gods best children may not onely be drenched in the waves of sinne but lie in them for a time and perhaps sink twice to the bottom before they recover Sudden indeliberate out-bursts contrary to the generall bent and purpose break not the league betwixt God and his people as the robberies done by Pirates of either Nation do not betwixt King and King A good man is habitually good when actually evil and an evil man is habitually evil when actually good He that goes up a hill may have many slips and falls yet is still said to be going up the hill because his face is toward the top A sheep may slip into a dich as he is leaping over it yea lye there some time till the shepheard finde it and help it out Behold I even I will both search my lost sheep and seek them out saith the Lord. I will seck that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away and will binde up that which was broken Ezek. 34.11 12.16 Rev 24. Psal 119.176 and will strengthen that which was sick I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day Christ the good shepheard tiddleth his lambs dyed for their ignorance Heb. 7.7 bare their infirmities Esay 53. breeds a first love in his little ones and gives charge that none despise them much lesse discard them no though they go astray as David did like a lost sheep And mark his reasons God despiseth them not Math 18.10 but senthis son to seek them and sets his Angels to tend and look to them therefore let none set light by them SECT XIV Take comfort and courage notwithstanding infirmities and failings in the manner LAstly this doctrine methinks might make the servants of God everlastingly merry it should wonderfully clear up the countenances and cheer up the hearts of all Gods chosen it should banish and bar out of their blessed souls all their unnecessary scruples distrusts dejections and discouragements arising from the sense of their manifold defects distractions in duty indisposition ignorance forgetfulnesse omissions or failings in the manner All which so long as they are groned under grieved at and striven against Peccata nobis non nocent si non placent Augustin God will never impute unto them nay he will spare them as a man spares his own son that serves him Now how that is they can well tell that are parents of towardly and tractable children that are good-natured and well-conditioned And yet they cannot neither be they never so tender and their children never so tractable sith there is no more comparison betwixt their mercy and his then is betwixt a molehill and a mountain nay the least drop of a bucket and the main Ocean Yea I dare be bold to say that all the mercies of all the fathers mothers husbands wives friends allyes in the world compared to his mercy are mere cruelty This makes the Prophet as having
are wickednesse with a witnesse because they do wickedly against the covenant Dan. 11.32 Prov. 2.17 these treacherous dealers deal treacherously yea these treacherous dealers deal very treacherously Isay 24.16 And this they have done against Me who have stooped so low as to strike a covenant with them and such a covenant 2 Sam. 23.5 and have never failed or falsified See Deut. 29.24 25. Vers 8. Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity Another Poeniropolis such a city there was in Greece and so called by king Philip for the naughtinesse of the Inhabitants This Gilead was one of those ten cities of refuge beyond Jordaen given to the Priests for a possession Josh 21.36 c. and probably the chief city which therefore bare the name of the whole countrey as Athens was called the Greece of Greece The inhabitants thereof though Levites were the worst of men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 workers of iniquity such as did wickedly with both hands earnestly wearying themselves in the Devils drudgery and then sitting down to rest them in the chair of pestilence There is not a worse creature upon earth or so fit for hell as a profane Priest a debauched Minister Mat. 5.13 Corruptio optimi pessima as the sweetest wine makes the sowrest vinegar as the finest flesh is resolved into the vilest earth and as the whitest ivory burnt becomes the blackest coal Who would have looked for so much wickednesse at Gilead at Shiloh at Anathoth at Jerusalem where the Priests and Scribes bare sway and did dominari in suggestis And yet that once faithful city was become an harlot it was full of judgement righteousnesse lodged in it Isay 1.21 but now murderers In our Savours time it was Prophetarum macellum the slaughter-house house of the Saints as now Rome is and once London was in bloody Bonners dayes Act. Mon. whom a certain good woman once told in a letter that he was deservedly called the common cut-throat and general flaughter-slave to all the Bishops of England At his death he boasted as Stokesley had done before him how many heretikes he had burned seven hundred saints in four or five yeers space those bloody and deceitful men sent to heaven in fiery charets There are none so cruel to the lives of men as wicked Clergy Gilead was polluted with blood Ezek. 33.7 3.18 not onely with the blood of souls by their default drowned in perdition and destruction but of bodies too destroyed by their hands or means The Priests of these times may seem by what is said of them in the next verse to have been men of their hands the sworn sword-men of the devil such as was Timotheus Herulus Bishop of Alexandria Anno 467. Pope Innocent who threw Peters keyes into the river Tiber and took up Pauls sword as he called it and that Philip Bishop of Beau-vieu in France taken in a skirmish by our Richard the first who sent his armour to the Pope with these words engraved on it Vide num filii tui tunica sit vel non See whether this be the coat of thy son or of a son of Mars These and their like in their several generations were non Pastores sed Impostores non Doctores sed Seductores non Episcopi sed Aposcopi as an Ancient hath it And indeed the Church hath ever been so pestered with leud and lazy Ministers those dehonestamenta Cleri that Chrysostome thought there were scarce any of that order in his time that could be saved Hierome saith that the paucity of such as were good had made them very precious And Campian cries out not altogether without cause Malice may be a good informer though an ill Judge Ministris eorum nihil vilius Now this is here instanced as an odious transgression of the covenant when such as made such a shew of sacrifice to God should exercise so little mercy to men when such as should be Teachers were turned Tyrants and blood-suckers Verse 9. And as troops of robbers wait for a man This verse hath much of the former in it saith an Interpreter The sum of it is saith Wigandus to shew that all the forementioned wickednesses were committed instinctu doctorum by the instinct of their Priests who were now turned Tories or Mosse-troopers Hierome asked his Jew-doctour the meaning of this text and received this answer that at the time of the Passeover and the Pentecost the people used to come to Jerusalem and as they were going in their journey these Priests would stand in the way and slay them Others think that these corrupt priests took into their city of refuge divers thieves and murtherers who not having whereupon otherwise to subsist turned hiwaymen as they call them and returning again into the city divided the spoyle with the Priests who had their share and are therefore called companions of robbers and are said to murder in the way by consent or with one shoulder or as Simeon and Levi did at Shechem q. d. Sichemicc crastily and cruelly for so many wayes these words are rendred all this they did of malice forethought Ex destinatae malitia inito consilio of prepensed mischief called here committing leudnesse Even as they thought in their hearts so they acted saith King David They executed the counsel of the wicked saith the Chaldee Paraphrast Non tam ovum ovo simile Faciunt quicquid cognitant They machinated mischief and then practised what they had plotted with a deliberate will and as it were with an high hand Look now upon the Popish Monkes saith Tarnonius and compare them with these Priests whom Hosea reproveth And Luther saith that they had a proverb in Germany that there was nothing so bad which the Monkes could think of but they would dare to do it Non audet Stygius Pluto tentare quod audet Effrenis Monachus Vers 10. I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel Now a very den of theeves as vers 9. a Panthion of all sorts of idols a chamber of imagery an Egyptian Temple gay and goodly without but within an oxe or calfe with women weeping for Tammuz Ezek. 8.12.14 that is for Osyris King of Egypt whose image under the shape of an oxe his wife Isis had advanced to be idolatrously there adored Cap. 6. This kind of abomination Ieroboam had learned in Egypt whither he fled from Solomon his master and brought into the house of Israel And whereas those Idolaters said The Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the earth Ezek. 8.12 I have seen it saith God and been sore troubled at it and even affrighted so as a man is quando horripilatur when his hairs stand an end as when the devil appeareth to him like an hairy Satyr See Lev. 17.7 with the Note Certain it is that God hateth sin but especially Idolatry that abominable thing as he calleth it Jer. 44 4. worse then he hateth the devil himself
such denunciations thereof And so must Gods Ministers c. Because they have transgressed against me This is a new degree of their Apostasie from God Wicked men and deceivers grow worse and worse and adde rebellion to sin As a stone will fall down to come to its center though it break it self in twenty pieces so will Apostates till they come to their own place with Judas they cease not till they become altogether filthy Psal 53.3 as the dog at his vomit or the sow in her slow 2 Pet. 2.22 It fareth with such as in that case Lev. 13.18 19 20. If a man had a bile healed and it afterwards brak out it proved the plague of leprosie Though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lies against me All was done against God whence the word me is so often inculcated in this and the next verse God is as it were a sufferer in all the sins of the sonnes of men and this is no small aggravation of the evil of sin that it strikes at Gods face lifts at his throne makes to his dishonour Thou hast made me to serve with thy sinnes and wearied me with thine iniquities Esay 43.23 And to shew this to be so it was that the offendour was confined to the city of refuge during the High-priests life Godw. Antiq. Heb. p. 98. as being the chief God on earth Good David was very sensible of this and much humbled when he said Against thee thee onely have I sinned Psal 51.14 The trespasse was against Vriah but the transgression against God so gracious a God and there lay the pinch of his grief viz. the unkindnesse that was in his sinne Therefore also Moses in his swan-like-song sets on this humbling consideration Deut. 32.6 Do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is not hee thy Father and wilt thou kick against his naked bowels hast no where else to hit him but there Again Is not he thy Redeemer that hath bought thee and brought thee out of the iron furnace where thou labouredst in the very fire and wast wearied out with unsufferable servitude More hath he not made thee and dost thou rebell against thy Maker thy Master Or hath he not made thee that is exalted thee in which sence he is said to have made Moses and Aaron 1 Sam. 12.6 that is to have advanced them to that honour in his Church and so we say Such an one is made for ever Lastly hath he not established thee that thou mightest abide in his grace and remain unmoveable And dost thou yet evil requite him c. To render good for evil is Divine good for good is humane evil for evil is brutish but evil for good is devillish See how grievously God taketh it here Though I have redeemed them viz. out of the hands of their enemies in generall See an ample proof hereof Nehem. 9. and the whole book of Judges thorowout and in speciall as a late particular mercy to Ephraim I have delivered and prospered them in their warres under Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash 2 King 14.27 and therefore they should have given me their good word at least and spoken good of my Name yet They have spoken lies against me Ascribing the glory of their deliverances to their Idols or arrogating it to themselves or fathering their false worship upon me as the Authour or at least Abbettour thereof by my present prospering of them See Ier. 7.10 Verse 14. And they have not cried unto me with their heart Hitherto hath been said what they had done now what they had not done Omissions are sins as well as commissions Not serving of God not sacrificing is condemned Mal. 3.18 Eccles 9.2 Not robbing onely but the not relieving of the poor was the rich mans ruine Omission of diet breeds diseases and makes work for hell Luke 16. or for the Physician of our souls It is the character of a gracelesse man that he calleth not upon God And wee have too many of that profane Earl of Westmorelands mind who said that he needed not to pray at all Camd. Elisa for he had Tenants enow to pray for him Some wicked pray so as it is indeed they Cant or Charme rather then pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Esay 26.16 they powred forth a charme when they chastening was upon them but they pray not with their heart Their hearts are exercised with covetousnesse 2 Pet. 2.14 and inhabited by the devil Acts 5.3 Simon Magus his heart was not right with the Lord Acts 8.21 How could it be when it was in the gall of bitternesse and bond of perdition 23. as every unregenerate heart is Hence though God be neer in their mouthes yet he is far from their reins Jer. 12.2 and though they honour him a little with their lips yet their heart is farre from him Matth. 15.8 A little artificiall breath they can give God and that 's all The breath that comes from life is warm as that from the body whereas artificiall breath is cold as that from bellows The deeper and hallower the belly of the Lute or Violl is the pleasanter is the sound the fleeter the more grating and harsh in our ears The voice which is made in the mouth is nothing so sweet as that which comes from the depth of the breast Ephes 6.6 Do the will of God from the heart serve God in the spirit Rom. 1.9 Lift up hands and hearts to God in the heavens Lam. 3.41 Lip-labour is but lost-labour yea it is sin Prov. 15.8 Displeasing service is double dishonour as dissembled sanctity is double iniquity These men cried vociferabantur voce stentorea sonum edebant They did set up their note yea they howled upon their beds whereupon they had cast themselves being sick not of wantonnesse as once Ahab was but of want which made them howl as dogs do when tied up from their meat and hunger-bit but were no more regarded then a dog that howleth or then the Cuckow in June For why Jejelilu They howled indeed to some tune as they say the Hebrew word hath a letter more then ordinary to note as much It was the Heathen fashion to cry hideously to their gods as also the Indians do at this day So did these because kept short and held to strait allowance It is said of the Ravens of Arabia that when they are hungry they screech horribly And a Parrot when he is beaten utters an hoarse and harsh voice Esay 66.3 The songs of the Temple shall be howlings in that day Amos 8.3 Their sacrifices as the cutting off a dogs neck which is not done without much howling and yelling They assemble themselves sc To make publike supplication in their Idol-temples called beds before as some conceive because as corporall fornication is committed in beds so is spirituall in those places of superstition Here therefore they met not ad ruminandum as the vulgar Latine to feed as beasts nor to cut
if it get as seed into the bosome of the earth either it breeds an earth-quake or at least ariseth in a whirl-winde which blowes dust into the eyes and once at least buried a considerable Army in the Lybian sands Solomon saith Cambyses his souldiers He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity Pro. 22.8 But our Prophet here saith more He that soweth the wiude of iniquity shall reap the terrible tempest of unconceiveable misery By the blast of God he shall perish and by the breath of his nostrils he shall be consumed Job 4.8 9. As the beginnings of Idolatry hypocrisie vain-glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carnall policy c. are empty and unhappy it is but the sowing of blasted corne as the Septuagint here hath it seed corrupted by the winde so the end thereof is very sad and dismall The word here rendred the whirl-winde hath a syllable in it more then ordinary to note saith Tremellius the fearfulnesse of the divine vengeance Suphathaâ— that will befall the forementioned and especially at death when they are entring upon eternity Oh what a dreadfull shriek gives the guilty soul at death to see it self launching into an infinite Ocean of scalding lead and must swim naked in it for ever not having the least cold blast of that winde it sowed all its life long to cool it but rather to adde to its torment Then will God speak to such as once he did to Job out of a whirl-winde but after another manner Go to now ye formalists false-worshippers triflers troublers of Israel ye that have been meer mutes and ciphers nullities in the world superfluities in the earth or worse then all this Jam. 5.5 Go to now I say weep and howl for the miseries that are come upon you Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Jam. 5.5 But now an end is come is come an evil an onely evil without mixture of mercy sorrow without succour mischief without measure torments without hope of ever either mending or ending are the portion of your cup the dregs of that cup of mine must you now drink off that hath eternity to the bottome O lamentable Oh did but men forethink what would be the end of sin they durst not but be innocent Oh let that terrible tempest at death bee timely thought on and prevented Job 27.20 21 c. Terrours take hold of him as waâ—ers a tempest stealeth him away in the night The East-winde carrieth him away and hee departeth and as a storm hurleth him out of his place For God shall cast upon him and not spare he would fain flee out of his hand c. It hath no stalk the bud shall yeeld no meal Nihil habet fertilitatis firmitatisque as Ruffinus expoundeth it It hath no firmnesse or fruitfulnesse the winde of wickednesse that thou hast sown the blasted corn that thou hast committed to the earth will yeeld thee nothing but losse and disappointment A blade there may be but not a stalk or if a stalk yet not a bud or if a bud yet it shall bee nipt in the bud it shall yeeld no meal but onely dust and chaff or if it come to the meal yet strangers shall swallow it up so that you shall bee never the better for it but after that ye have sown the winde of iniquity ye shall reap the whirl-winde of misery maledictionem omnimodam curses of all kindes which God hath hang'd at the heels of your idolatry a pernicious evil whatever those superstitious shecsinners bragg'd to the contrary Ier. 44.17 Or if they flourish for a season and have hopes of a large crop yet God will curse their blessings and frustrate their fair hopes Psal 37.2 as he dealt by that rich wretch mentioned by Mr. Boroughes in his Comment on the second Chapter of this Prophesie pag. 379. I had certain information saith he from a Reverend Minister that in his own Town there was a worldling who had a great crop of corn A good honest neighbour of his walking by his corn said Neighbour you have a very fine crop of corn if God blesse it yea saith he I will have a good crop speaking contemptuously And before he could come to get it into the barn it was blasted that the corn of the whole crop was not worth six pence Verse 8. Israel is swallowed up Not their meal onely as verse 7. but themselves also are devoured by those workers of iniquity that eat up Gods people as they eat bread Psal 14.4 Persecutours are men-eaters more cruel then those American Canibals that devour men peece-meal they make but a breakfast of Gods people as Senacherib meant to do of Ierusalem and the Powder-papists of England If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us Then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us But blessed bee God who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth Psal 124.2 3 6. Let us keep us out of the clawes and clutches of that old man-slayer who night and day walketh about in a circular motion that he may take us at advantage seeking whom hee may swallow down his wide gullet which he hath even made red with the blood of souls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 5.8 and is therefore happly called the great red-Dragon Rev. 12.3 that hath seven heads to plot and ten horns to push men into the sin of idolatry and thereby into hell So long as Israel was holinesse to the Lord and the first-fruits of his increase all that devoured him found that they offended for evil came upon them Ier. 2.3 they could no more disgest him Judg. 5.1 then the Whale did Ionah a cup of trembling or of poyson he was to all the people round about Zech. 12.2 See the Note there But when he offended in Baal he died when he chose new gods then was warre in the gates when they made leagues with idolaters then were they even swallowed up by them as were likewise the Greek and Latine Churches by the Eastern and Western Antichrist those crooked Leviathans those dragons in the sea as the Egyptian and Assyrian are called Esay 27.1 now shall they be among the Gentiles whose favour and friendship they have basely sought and dearly bought It was threatned in the former Chapter verse 16. that they should be a derision in the land of Egypt See the Note To have Egyptians deride us and that for sin is an heavy judgement So here to be disdained and vilified by such as an old broken vessell fit for none but unclean uses as a vessell wherein is no pleasure No delight or complacency vas despectum reijculum abjectum a vessell that is for the carrying up and down of excrements so shall Israel be employed by Gentiles in base and contemptible offices as they were by the Babylonians Jer.
fruit of the womb Deut. 28.11 18. Luk. 1.42 Doegs doom shall befall them Psal 52.5 God shall destroy thee for ever he shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the land of the living Selah Yea though they bring forth as Ahab did seventy sonnes after that God had threatened his utter extirpation following the work of generation so much the rather see the note on verse 13. Yet I will slay for it is God that lets in and sets on the enemy it is he that killeth and maketh alive 1 Sam. 2.6 Even the beloved fruit of their womb Heb. their desires or their desireable ones Valete mea desideria valete Cic. ep fam l. 14. ep 2. their dearest children called by Tully also his desideria The Latines seem to have their filius a son from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beloved there is an Ocean of love in a fathers heart Tres vomicas tria carcinomata Sueton. though the more he loveth the lesse he is loved sometimes as David by Absalom and is sure if he belong to God to be crossed in his earthly Idol Children are certain cares but uncertain comforts they may prove as Augustus his three children did whom he called his three ulcers or cankers c. Vers 17. My God wil cast them away My God not their God for they are cast-awayes and Apostates see the like 1 Iohn 5.17 and learn to stick to God the closer when others start from him to secure our own interest in a general defection by siding with God and subscribing as here the prophet doth to his perfect righteousnesse in the rejection and destruction of reprobates Wil cast them away with disdain and detestation as vile and execrable He will do it saith the prophet here not without a great deal of grief as finding that God was fully resolved and would not alter The eternity of Israel will not he nor repent 1 Sam. 15. for he is not a man that he should repent saith Samuel to Saul that cast-away and it is very dreadful as indeed it is for any wicked men to have such as have interest in God to declare against them sith the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him Psal 25.14 and their sentence is not to be slighted Gods messengers especially out of their acquaintance with their masters proceedings can foresee and foretel a punishment Because they did not hearken unto him Haec not abilis est sententia This is a notable sentence saith Luther upon the text and worthy to be written upon all our walls and windows Death came into the world by the ear so must life for it is Hear and your soules shal live and they that will not hear the instruction of life are doomed to destruction as were Eli's sonnes 1 Sam. 2.25 and Amaziah 2 Chro. 25.16 A heavy ear is a singular judgement Esay 6.10 an uncircumciled ear a forerunner of ruine Jer. 6.10 11. O pray God to pull off that filthy foreskin and to give us an hearing ear that way to wisedom an understanding heart such as Solomon begged 1 King 3.9 Pray that he would bore our ears as Psal 40.6 and make the bore big enough that we may not onely hear but hearken listen as for life hear and give ear be not proud for the Lord hath spoken it Jer. 13.15 when God hath spoken once let us bear it twice as David did Psal 62.11 he preacht over the Sermon again to himself at home We must do with the words directions as we do with oyl to a stiffe joynt rub and chafe them on our hearts by deep and frequent meditation and prayer lest else we hear with these in the text Because they did not hearken unto him they shal be wanderers among the nations Gen. 4.12 Heb. Nodedim Cains curse shall befall them A fugitive and a vagabond shal I be upon the earth but could not wander so wide as to misse of hell nor flie so far as from his own evil conscience Lo this is the case of these wandering Jewes a disjected and despised nation exiled out of the world by a common consent of all people till God turn again their captivity as the streams in the south till he gather the out-casts of Israel CHAP. X. Vers 1. I Sracl is an empty vine Heb. an emptying vine losing her fruit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so deceiving the owner How can Israel but be empty of all good of all fruits of the spirit when he will not hearken unto God nor dwell under the droppings of a powerful ministry when he is cast off by God Chap. 9.17 who fils his people with the fruits of righteousnesse and is not a wildernesse a land of darknesse unto them Jer. 2.31 when his root is dried up Chap. 9 1â—â— Phil. 1.11 and all his juyce and strength runs out into leaves so that is frondosa vitis as the vulgar renders it a leavy vine such as are our profligate professours and carnal gospellers and such as was Saint James his solifidian that empty fellow as he calleth him Chap. 2.20 when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lastly the holy Spirit those two golden pipes Zach. 4. empties not into his candlestick the golden oyles of all precious graces as from two blessed olive branches The Vine and the olive two of the best fruit-trees grow best together saith Melanchthon If Israels heart be divided from God as vers 2. and hath not his fruit found in him as Chap. 14.8 what marvel if he prove as Nahum 3.10 empty and void and waste and though as verse 2. the Lord turn away the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel for the emptiers have emptied them out and married their vine branches He beareth fruit to himself As he beareth fruit in and from himself like the ivy which though it clasp about the oak and sometimes kils it yet brings forth all its berries by virtue of its own root so he beareth fruit for himself or to himself Profit pleasure and preferment is his Trinity and corrupt self is all these in unity He fasteth to himself as those hypocrites Zach. 7.5 he prayes hears confers giveth alms c. cut of sinful self-love In all that he doth sibi soli velificatur he seeks his own ends onely as the Eagle when he flieth highest hath his eye on his prey In parabola ovis capras suas quaerit like the fish in the Gospel either he is dumb or hath nothing but silver in his mouth he is a notorious self-seeker he bears fruit to himself he sacrificeth to himself as Sejanus did As Prometheus is fabled to have stollen fire from Jupiter so the false Israelite would cozen God of heaven if he could tell how Spira confessed that he used prayer onely as a bridge to bring him to heaven and therefore he despaired of acceptance as well he might for how should God relish such sorry
4. I drew them with cords of a man Not of a beast though they have deserved to be hampered as unruly heifers and to be yoked and ruled over with rigour to be tamed and taken down a link lower yet I out of my Philanthropie yea out of singular grace have dealt civilly nay courteously with them in an amicable and amiable way and not as I might have done out of my Soveraignty and according to my justice I drew them by the cords of a man that is 1. Gently and favourably suiting my self to their dispositions which are oft as different as their faces hiring them to obedience afflicting them in measure with the rods of men 2 Sam. 7.15 fitted to the weaknesse of men If God should plead against us with his great power as Job speaks chap. 23.6 it would soon grinde us to powder but he hath no such designe he correcteth his children vel ad demonstrationem debitae miseriae Aug. Tract in Joan. 124. vel ad emendationem labilis vitae vel ad exercitationem necessariae patientiae saith Austin ad exercitium non ad exitium saith another Ancient to refine and not to ruine them 2. Rationally by cogent arguments and motives befitting the nature of a man able to convince them and set them down with right reason would they but consider Deut. 32.29 would they but be wise and weigh things aright This God wisheth they would do calleth them to reason the case with him Esay 1.18 pleads with them in a friendly way Jer. 2.31 and then appeals to their own consciences whether they have dealt well with him yea or no Esay 5.3 making them read the sentence against themselves as did Judas the traytour Matth. 27.4 and those Pharisees Matth. 21.40 He bespeaks them after most clear conviction as Esay 46.8 Remember this and shew your selves men bring it again to minde O ye transgressours Most people are led on in a continued hurry of lusts and passions and never bethink themselves as 1 King 8.47 never say so much as What have I done Orat. pre Quintio Si haec duo tecum verba reputasses quid ago saith Cicero to Nevius Hadst thou but bethought thy self of those few words What have I done thou wouldst never have been so covetous a cormorant Oh could men have but so much power over their passions and lusts as to get alone and weigh Gods wayes much good might be done upon them But for want of this Fertur equis auriga c. they rush into all excesse of riot as an horse into the battle yea they are so farre unmand as to think that they have reason to be mad and that there is no small sense in sinning I do well to be angry even unto death Jon. 4.9 with bands of love Heb. thick cords cart-ropes as it is rendred Esay 5.18 ropes of many wreathes twisted together and inter-twined with love that sweetest Attractive So Jer. 31.3 With loving-kindnesse have I drawn thee and Esay 63.9 In his love and his pity he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the dayes of old He gave them a law the summe of which was nothing but love and multiplied mercies upon them without measure as is amply set forth by those holy Levites Neh. 9. Now mercy commands duty and every new deliverance is a new tie to obedience Love should have love Publicans and sinners yeeld that Matth. 5.46 Yea love should shew it self strong as death Cant. 8.6 Jonathan would have died for his David David for his Absalom Cos amoris amor Priscilla and Aquila for Paul Rom. 16.4 Christ out of his love did die for his people Have I but one life to lose for Christ said that holy Martyr Let men take heed how they sinne against love for this is the greatest aggravation of sinne this is bestiall this is like unruly horses in a teame to break the gears to snap in sunder the traces that should hold them Such yokelesse sons of Belial shall one day be held by the cords of their own sinne and whipt with those cords of conviction that they would not be drawn by Shall the harlots hands be bands her words cords to draw men to destruction and shall God stretch out his hand all day long to them to no purpose Shall he lose his sweet words upon them c Peters heart burst and hee brake out in weeping when he saw Love sparkling in Christs looks Mar. 14.72 and considered how he had burst asunder the bands of love sinned against such manifestations of mercy wiped off all his comfortables for the present drew from Christ those piercing quick questions Lovest thou me yea but dost love me indee O let the cords of Gods kindnesse draw us nearer to him hold us closer to sinne against mercy is to sin against humanity and as no surfet is more dangerous then that of bread so no judgement is more terrible then that which grows out of love felt and slighted and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on the jaws c. i. e. on their neck albeit it seemeth by that law made for not muzling the oxe that treadeth c. that those creatures when they wrought were muzled or haltred up and that halter fastened to the yoke that was upon their necks The sence is this I unyoked them often to give them meat as the good husbandman doth that is mercifull to his beast he lifts up the yoke that lies hard upon its neck leads it to the manger layes food before it c. So dealt God by this people all along from the wildernesse and forward not suffering them to abide jugiter sub jug is Gentium long under their enemies yoke but delivering them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them Ezek. 34.27 Christ also hath delivered His out of the hands of those that hated them and lay hard upon them as the devil is an hard taskmaster that neither takes off the yoke nor layes meat gives no rest or refreshment to his drudges and dromedaries but acts them and agitates them day and night c. Now those that are His Christ brings them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God that they may do works meet for repentance that weigh just as much as Repentance doth Acts 26.18 20. and so finde rest to their souls Provided that they take and keep Christs yoke upon them not thinking to live as they list more saying as those Libertines in Jeremy we are delivered to do all these abominations and learn of him to be meek and Iowly c. Jer. 7. Mat. 11.29 so shall they soon find Christs yoke easie Luth. in loc and his burden light Vers 40. And of this easie yoke of Christ Luther understands this text in Hosea and thereupon discourseth of the Lawes rigour and Gospels relaxation according to that of Austin Lex jubet gratia juvat the Law
might make the people the more sensible There is nothing in the world more stupid and more stubborn then a drunkard Of such it is that that saying of an Ancient is often verified Ablatus est à peccantibus timor ne possit esse cautela Feare is taken away from offendours that there should be no caution against it Here therefore let the words of the wise be as goads and as nailes fastened by the Masters of the assemblies Let them so preach with Peter that their hearers may be prickt at heart Act. 2 37. may be galled and sawed as it were Act. 7.54 may startle and tremble as Act. 24.25 may awaken out of that dead lathergy 2 Tim. 2.26 whereinto Satan hath cast them and recover out of his snare who are taken captive by him at his pleasure True it is we can hardly get men to believe that hell is so hot or sin so heavie or the devill so black or God so unmerciful as the Preachers make him The Lion say they is not so terrible as he is painted nor is our case so dangerous as is born us in hand Sed nos pergamus exaggerare saith Pareus here Let Gods Ministers lay load upon mens sins and set forth to the full the miseries that will fall upon them The Prophets did so for temporal as here most graphically and to the life shall not we much more for eternal punishments Oh saith One that I could get words to gore your very hearts with smarting pain that this doctrine might be written in your flesh and barked my fig-tree Take away the bark from the tree and the sap can never find the way to the boughes These Vermine had barked the trees with their teeth cast the bark out of their mouths upon the ground and made the branches naked and all white as froth so that the drunkards deprived of their sweet draughts were brought ad efflationem animae as the Calde here expoundeth Chetsephah to an yielding up of the ghost yea ad laqueum restim as the Latines to the very halter Verse 8. Lament like a Virgin Our Prophet hath done with his drunkards and now applyeth himself to the soberer sort whom also he calleth to deep and downright mourning in this case of common calamity there being not any so innocent and holy but had some hand if not upon the greater cart-ropes yet surely upon the smaller cords that drew down dearth and judgment upon the land lament therefore like a Virgin betrothed but bereft of her espoused husband before she was married to him So Piscator Others understand it of her that lately a virgin but now new-married passionately loved her husband and bitterly bewaileth his death which some young women have taken so grievously that they have refused to live any longer but have chosen to put an end to their life and grief together as historians testify girded with Sackcloth Sacco non serico with mourning weeds as a testimony of help to your humiliation The dead we see may be lawfully lamented indeed it is one of the dues of the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justa defunctorum It is fit that the body when sown in corruption should be watered by the tears of those that plant it in the earth Only we must not mourn in this case as heathens Without hope 1 Thes 4.13 Our grief must not be excessive either for measure or continuance Neither must we mourn so much for our friends departed as for our sins against God In the former case baldness is forbidden in the later it is required Isa 22.12 And Zach. 12.10.11.13 One poor woman weeping over Christ shall be as deeply affected as all the people were in that unspeakable losse of their good king Josiah at Hadadrimmon in the vally of Megiddo where Jeremiah lamented and all the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentation and made them an ordinance c. 2 Chron. 35.24.25 Verse 9. The meat-offering and the drink-offering is cut off Periit libatio oblatio This was the godly mans greatest grief that there wanted matter of testifying their thankfulness to God in his commanded worships and that God was so deeply displeased as that he had deprived Himself and his Ministers of the due allowance so that they also mourned and could not chreefully execute their office for lack of maintenance for they were not of the Camelion-kind Verse 10. The field is wasted the land mourneth The sacrifices are not only cut off for present but little hopes left for the future for the field that common store-house that horreum unde hauriatur is wasted Shuddad Sadeh there is an elegant allusion in the Original as in the following words a Prosopopoeia not inferiour to those of the Poets as Luther and Vatablus here note The land mourneth By an ordinary Metaphor among the Hebrewes those things are said to mourn that are wasted defolated corrupted and changed for the worse Lam. 2.8 the rampart and the wall are said to lament Plutarch and to languish together When Ephestion died Alexander not only clypped his horses and mules hair but plucked down also the battlements of the walles of the city because it should appear that the walls and ramparts did mourn for his death So Esay 24.7 The new wine mourneth the vine languisheth all the merry-hearted do sigh It is fit that if the land mourn and faile of her increase men should much more mourn and be moved with a sense of their sins the cause of such calamities The earth lies under a curse of barrennesse at its best Gen. 3.17 and was never so beautiful and cheerfull since the Fall of Adam At this day it lyeth bed-rid as it were waiting for the comming of the Son of God that it may be delivered from the bondage of corruption Rom. 8.20 But in times of dearth it seemeth to mourn more then ordinary yea to blush and bleed the new wine is dried up Or is abashed as loth to look men in the face because not answerable to their expectation See Esay 33.9 the oyl languisheth Or is sick Corn wine and oyle are the maine supports of mans life all 's gone Verse 11. Be ye ashamed O ye husbandmen This Repetition of his former exhortation is not needlesse for man is a stout and stubborn creature neither goeth any thing more against the hair and the heart with him then to come downward and to be so soundly sensible of Gods judgements as seriously to repent Hence St. James his extraordinary importunity in pressing this most needfull but much neglected duty chap. 4.9 10. He knew so did our Prophet that this work must be done or else men are undone Hence that heap of words Seâ—â—ca Nunquam satis dioitur quod nunquam satis discitur That can never be too much taught that is never enough learned Verse 12. The Vine is dried up and the Figtree languisheth God cutteth you short of all things both
banishment by reason of the barbarous usage of the fouldiers that led him along hired for that purpose sweetly and blessedly breathed out his last the English Exiles in Queen Maries time whereof many returned and did excellent service here Calv. in loc But I doubt not saith judicious Calvin but God intends here a spiritual gathering together of his people into one body by the bond of faith and this was principally fulfilled after the death of Christ who died for that Nation And not for that Nation onely bus that also hee should gather together into one the children of God that were scattered abroad Joh. 11.51 52. so that those whom God hath gathered together and caused to return non pedibus vel navigio for that needs not to Hierusalem which is above which is the mother of us all from the lands of the East of the West of the North and of the South Psal 107.2 3. shall praise the Lord together as the Psalmist hath it and will return your recompense upon your own head God delights to retaliate to bloody and decitufull men especially as were easie to instance in the Egyptians Adonibezek Polybius Agag Attilius Regulus the Roman Generall who dealt most cruelly with the Carthaginians and was shortly after as cruelly dealt with by them when fallen into their hands Here at home in K. Edw. the sixths time the remembrance of Somerset much moved the people to fall from Northumberland who had wrought his death in his greatest attempts and to leave him to his fatall fall whereat also they openly rejoyced and presented to him handkerchiefs dipt in the blood of Somerset Life of Edw. 6. by Sir I. H. for whom they thought he suffered rather late then undeserved punishment So certain it is saith the Histarian that the debts both of cruelty and mercy go never unpaid Verse 8. And I will sell your sonnes and your daughters And so the scene shall be soon altered and a strange vicissitude easily observed But when was this done or was it ever done Ego putarim factum etsi scriptura non dicat quando saith Tarnovius I suppose it was done though the Scripture say not when Others flie to Allegories and understand the Text of the conversion of the Gentiles I like their way best that say That which God did for the Churces sake the Church it self is said to do it For their cruelties to the Jewes God delivered these Nations up into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar first who had a hard tug of it and had therefore Egypt given him for his wages and afterwards by Alexander the Great who took Tyre and rased it And this was that great service spoken of Ezek. 29.18 wherein every head wasmade bald and every shoulder bare in filling up that strait of the Sea which separated it from the Continent before it could be taken But taken it was together with Sidon and Philistia and their children sold as far as Sabaea which was then counted the utmost part of the known earth Mat. 12.42 Luke 11.31 being part of Arabia the Happy or as some will the Desert All this was done for the Jews sake though the world little considereth it It was enough for them that they knew it to be so according to this Prophecy and that God did hereby shew his high esteem of them by avenging them of their enemies and by thus giving men for them and people for their life Esay 43.4 for the Lord hath spoken it And will therefore surely do it neither could their Apollo deliver them out of Gods hands though to prevent his forsaking of them when besieged by Alexander the Tyrians chained and nailed that Idoll of theirs to a post that they might be sure of it But all would not do Verse 9. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles Oratio tota est figurata saith Pareus All this following discourse is figurative Hortatio sarcasmon habens saith Mercer It is an Ironicall challenge to all Gods enemies to do their worst to Christ and his Church Somewhat like that Iudg. 9.29 Increase thine Army and come out which seems to be the challenge that Gaal sent to Abimelech by some messenger Or that of Rabshakeh Esay 36.8 I will give thee two thousand horses if thou be able on thy part to set riders on them Or that Esay 8.9.10 prepare warre Heb. sanctifie warre that is laying aside all other businesse give your selves wholly to it like as at holy services they were called upon Hoc agere to minde the businesse in hand and nothing else as Scanderbeg did out of whose lips whiles he was fighting the very blood would ftart so earnest he was at it wake up the mighty men the Giants the champions such as were Goliath the Gittite Davids band of worthies Achilles Albertus Marquesse of Brandeburg who for his valour was called Achilles Teutonicus Put what metall you can into these your Mighties that they may do their utmost But withall know that they shall soon meet with their matches viz Gods Mighty Ones mentioned verse 11. let all the men of war draw neare that they may joyn battel and not stand daring and facing one another as the two armies of Christians and Turks did in the dayes of Baldwin the second king of Ierusalem for three moneths together Turk hist fol. 27. and then rose and returned without any notable thing done Speed 963. It is the ancient and manfull fashion saith our Chronicler of the English who are naturally most impatient of lingering mischiefs to put their publike quarrels quickly to the triah of the sword Praestat semel quam semper was Cesars motto and his property was Credere nil actum dum quid superesset agendum Lucan Verse 10. Beat your plowshares into swords Come with the best preparation you can make that ye may seeme as they say of a travelling Turk to be so many walking armouries Voyage into Levant let the weak say I am strong Come forth full and whole yong and old weak and strong all that are able to bear armes without excuse It is an ancient custome in Scotland in cases of importance to command the fire-crosse to be carried that is two fire-brands set in fashion of a crosse and pitched upon the point of a speare Life of Edâ— 6. p. 20. and proclamation is thereupon made that all men above 16 yeares of age and under 60 shall come into the field to oppose the enemy Those were desperate boyes in Kets conspiracie that at the battel nere Norwich pulled the arrowes out of their own flesh Ibid. 75. and delivered them to be shot againe by the archers on their side and those other wounded and weakned no less desperately resolved who being disabled almost to hold up their weapons Ibid. 72. would strive what they could to strike their enemies others being thrust thorough the body with a speare would run themselves further on to reach those that wounded them deadly The enemies
like was Ioel 3.16 for the comfort of the godly See the Note there The word as Moses saves the Israelite slayes the Egyptian and is as the fragrancy of precious ointment of which Oecumenius tells us Columbam vegetat scarabaeum necat Oecum that it refresheth the Dove but killeth the Beetle See 2 Cor. 2.16 with the Note The Prophet here tells Idolatrous Israel to their teeth that God will no longer deal fairly with them as a shepherd but fiercely as a lion he will not onely roar upon them but rent the caul of their hearts as the lion together with his roar layes his pawes upon the prey And that ye may know that these are not bug-bear termes devised on purpose to affright silly people and that I shoot not Fot-guns at you the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn c. That is all your bravery shall down all your wealth and wordly greatnesse shall wither the top of your Carmel the Zenith of your prosperity shall be blasted and the scene soon altered All this the Prophet used to shepherdy Navita de ventis de tauris narrat orator Bucholcer expresseth accordingly Artis suae usus sermonibus as it is naturall for all Artists to do but with a great deal of life and boldnesse Verbis vivis animatis sententiis spiritus fervore flagrantissimus as One saith of Savanarolas Meditations upon Psal 51. Verse 3. For three transgressions of Damascus and for four For their seven that is severall sinnes not a few for their many and bony provocations for their progresse in sinne without mean or measure The Jews here note that for three faults God will pardon a man but let him beware of the fourth God will not alwayes serve man for a sinning-stock but break off his abused patience and proceed to punishment Lo all these things worketh God twice and thrice with man Iob 33.29 but let him not thereupon grow over-bold lest he pay for his presumption Sin iterated is greatly aggravated as cyphers added increase the summe and though it may sleep a long time yet it is but as a sleeping-debt not called for of many yeers required at length as Sauls sinne in slaying the Gibeonites was not punished till fourty yeers after as Ioabs killing of Abner slept all Davids dayes c. Now lest Israel looking upon Syria yet flourishing should promise themselves like impunity they are here thus threatned I will not turn away the punishment thereof but pay them home for the new and the old yea for the old by occasion of the new for their obstinate and incurable wickednesse I will punish them seven times more and seven times more and seven to that Lev. 26.24 c. and so hang them up as it were in gibbers for a warning to Israel that they may wash their feet in the blood of these Heathens and redeem their own sorrows because they have threshed Gileaed i. e. the Gileadites whom they had taken captive and thus cruelly intreated See 2 King 13.7 and 10.32 where it appeareth that all this was done not without the Lord which yet is no excuse to Hazaels cruelty That Conquerours were wont to use this kinde of torment and punishment see 2 Sam. 12.31 But that David should do so is some wonder hee was hardly recovered of his late foul fall and thence haply so much harshnesse Certain it is that the mercifull God abhorreth cruelty toward his creature and severely punisheth it such as was this of Hazael toward Israel foretold by Elisha 2 King 8.12 and afterwards of Ptolomie Lathurus King of Egypt who slew 30000. Jews at once and forced the rest to eat up their dead carcasses Joseph So that barbarous Duke of Alva rosted some of his prisoners to death starved others and that even after quarter saying though he promised to give them their lives Hist of Netherl Grimst he did not promise to finde them meat Dio telleth us of the Jews that dwelt about Cyrene in the dayes of Trajan that they slaughtered a great sort of Romans and Greeks after a miserable manner sawing them down the middle from the crown of the head tearing their flesh with their teeth smearing themselves with their blood Eio in vit◠Trajan and wearing their skins for coverings c. so that 200000 people perished there and besides in Egypt and Cyprus 240000 by the like abhorrid cruelty and about the same time by the same hands Beware of men Mat. 10. Verse 4. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael Sin doth as naturally draw judgements to it as the load-stone doth iron or turpentine fire and hainous sinnes heaviest judgements devouring plagues Such as are the fire of warre Psal 78.63 pestilence Lev. 10.3 forreigne enemies Num. 21.28 Jer. 48.45 homebred conspiracies Judg. 9.15 20. besides the fire of hell whereof all miseries here are but typical Let men kisse the Son therefore lest Gods anger be kindled and get the spirit of judgement and of burning that they may dwell with everlasting burnings For even our God is a consuming fire Heb. 12.29 Verse 5. I will break also the barre of Damascus i. e. their power and might all strength defensive or offensive and so make way for the enemie into the city give him a fair entrance without resistance It is God that orders the battle and renders mens attempts vain or prosperous Esay 54. ult Jer. 50.9 whencesoever the sword comes it is bathed in heaven Esa 34.5 and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven Campus idoli the plain or valley of idols so Mercer rendreth it that is of Syria given to idolatry or Damascus a very Poneropolis and therefore ripe for ruine and him that holdeth the scepter A plain periphrasis of a king called oft by Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scepter-bearer or of him that was to succeed in the kingdom The French call him Dolphin the Spaniards Jnfant c. Our Henry the second Daniel crowned his eldest sonne Henry while he was yet alive and put the Scepter into his hand which made his ambition quite turn off his obedience from the house of Eden Or of pleasure the kings palace a very paradise God denieth not great men their lawfull pleasures for refreshment amidst their weighty businesses c. but yet they must remember St. Iames his charge against the Grandees of his time Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth Jam. 5.5 and been wanton ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter or of good cheer And that of Abraham to Dives Jam. 5.5 Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things c. Luk. 16.25 which text Gregory the great could never read but his heart aked with feare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lest it should be his own case It is well observed that Philedoni Lovers of pleasures are set as last and worst of those wicked ones 2 Tim. 3.4 Solomon is blamed
and I will one day read them aloud in the ears of all the world Fac ergo confitendo propitium quem taeciendo non facis nescium saith Austin Make therefore God thy friend by confessing thy sins to him which thou caust not by any means conceal from him they afflict the just they pinch and distresse him by their oppressions which are often here laid in their dish as an abomination to the Lord for he is mercifull See Chap. 2.6 they take a bribe Cophe◠A ransome to blinde their eyes as 1 Sam. 12.3 or a pacification of their pretended displeasure against heinous crimes brought before them Olim didici quid sint munera said a worthy man Once I have learned long since how dangerous a thing it is for men in place to meddle with gifts A publike person as he should have nothing to lose so nothing to get he should be above all price or sale c. they turn aside the poor in the gate that is in the place of Judicature This makes many that go to law to be at length of Themistocles his minde who professed that if two wayes were shewed him one to hell and the other to the barre he would chuse that which went to hell and forsake the other Another said that hee wondered much at two sorts of men viz. those that go to sea and those that go to law not so much that they did so at first but that after triall they would ever go a second time Verse 13. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to that old and good rule Either keep silence or speak that which is better then silence There is a time to keep silence and a time to speak Eccles 3.7 and it is a singular skill to time a word Esay 50.4 to set it upon its circumferences Prov. 25.11 so to speak and so to do as those that shall be judged by the law of liberty Iam. 2.12 He that would be able to speak right and forcible words must first learn how and when to keep silence It is not good casting pearls before swine nor pulling a Bear or mad dog by the ear 'T is the true ambition of a Christian to study to be quiet 1 Thess 4.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to meddle with his own businesse to affect rather quietnesse from the wicked world then acquaintance with it and to passe thorow it with as little noise and notice as he can Not but that Gods faithfull servants must cry aloud and not spare lifting up their voyces like a trumpet c. Esay 58.1 and casting away the inverse trumpets of Furius Fulvus which sounded a retrait when they should have sounded an alarme But this must be done with godly discretion Zeal should eat us up but not eat up our widome saith One nor should policie eat up our zeal The Apostles professed that they could not but speak the things that they had heard and seen they must either vent or burst And yet holy Paul who was full of the spirit of judgement and of burning Esay 4.4 though he preached at Ephesus where hee lived two yeers and more together that they be no gods that are made with hands yet he made no particular invective against their great goddesse Diana whereon they so impotently doated Act. 19.26 37. He that hath a good mixture of zeal and prudence is like a ship well ballasted that sails with a prosperous gale but zeal without discretion is like fire on the chimney-top or like mettle in a blinde horse or the devil in the demoniack that cast him sometimes into the fire and sometimes into the water What a storm of persecution raised Bishop Abdias in Persepolis by his intemperate zeal not bridled with discretion as the Poets fable that Minerva put a golden bridle upon Pegasus lest he should flie too fast And it was some disadvantage to Paul when in the Councel though provoked and unjustly smitten he called the high-priest whited wall he was glad to excuse it by his ignorance We may not be too bold or too forward to speak in a good matter to such as hate him that rebuketh in the gate and abhor him that speaketh uprightly verse 10. for it is an evil time by reason of an evil and adulterous generation that make it so It is a day of evil as Psal 41.1 that is of difficulty and danger to those that dare speak out Such as were Tiberius his times That Tyger laid hold with his teeth on all the brave spirits that could speak their minds fitly and durst do it freely He put to death a certain Poet which in a Tragedie had inveighed against Agamemnon suspecting himself to be intended Senec. Freedom of speech used by the Waldenses in blaming and reproving the vices dissolute manners life and actions of great ones made them looked upon and persecuted as hereticks Girardus and enemies to the Sea Apostolike as Manichees Catharists what not Verse 14. Seek good and not evil that ye may live See verse 4. and 6. Oh Seek seek seek saith our Prphet as some of the Martyrs cryed out Pray pray pray Mr. Sanders and Mrs. Askew repeated those words two severall times together Mr. Marsh once adding Never more need To seek God is to seek good and to finde life for with him is the fountain of life Psal 36.9 To seek evil is to seek the devil who is that evil one it is as Solomon saith in a like case 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death Prov. 21.6 and so the Lord the God of Hosts shall be with you to assist and accept you in seeking good to protect and provide for you in shunning evil Deal couragiously therefore and God shall be with the good 2 Chron. 19. ult as your seven-fold shield 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 See the note there as ye have spoken Vt praedicatis jactitatis as ye boast and bear your selves bold upon saying as Mic. 2.11 Is not the Lord amongst us none evil can come upon us But that 's as you make it for ye are upon your behaviour The fault is not in God but wholly in your selves if ye live not happily reigne not everlastingly at Paris ut vivat regnetque beatus Cogi posse negat Horat. ep 2. God is far from mens hearts and therefore far from their help for can two walk together except they be agreed Chap. 3.3 Verse 15. Hate the evil and love the good God doth so you must also or else never look for his gracious presence with you for idem velle atque idem nolle ea demum vera est Amicitia Cicer◠True friends do both will and nill the same things Minutius Foelix saith that he and his friend Octavius did so The like did Basil and Nazianzen Jonathan and David Corporibus geminis spiritus unus erat All Gods
not be subject to Gods command is now liable to the censures conviction and condemnation of rude barbarous men which being humbled in the sense of his sinne hee doth patiently endure without grudging Danaeus his Note here is that concerning themselves and their own sinnes against God these good fellowes spake nothing what ever they think but demand of the Prophet why hast thou done this as if he were the onely misdoer because he had told them As willing now to give glory to God and take shame to himself this is the property of a true penitentiary See Psal 52. Title where David stands to do penance in a white sheet as it were and Augustines Confessions Hypocrites deal with their souls as some do with their bodies when their beauty is decayed they desire to hide it from themselves by false glasses and from others by painting so do they their sins from themselves by false glosses and from others by excuses But as the prisoner on the rack tells all and as things written with the juice of limmons when held to the fire are made legible so when God brings men into straits when he roasteth them in the fire of his wrath then if ever they will confesse against themselves and so give glory to God Josh 7.19 by putting themselves into the hand of justice in hope of mercy Verse 11. Then said they unto him What shall we do unto thee q. d. Thou art a Prophet of the Lord and knowest how he may be pacified Thou art also the party whom He pursueth say what we shall do to thee to save our selves from thy death that even gapeth for us from this Sea which else will soon swallow us up for the Sea worketh and is tempestuous so Kimchi readeth the Text making these last also to be the words of the Marriners Thou seest that there is no hope if thine angry God be not appeased Wo unto us who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty Gods 1 Sam. 4.8 If the Sea be thus ragefull and dreadfull as verse 15. if it thus work and swell more and more as we see it doth thereby testifying that it can now no longer defer to execute Gods anger tell us what we shall do in this case and strait What Verse 12. And he said unto them More by Gods inward revelation then by discourse of reason not as rashly offering himself to death but as freely submiting to the mind of God signified by the Lot that fell upon him calling for him to punishment Take me up and cast me forth into the Sea Eximia sides saith Mercer Before we had his repentance testified by his confession with aggravation Here we have his faith whereby he triumpheth over death in his most dreadfull representations Take me up saith he with a present minde and good courage as also his charity whereby he chose rather to die as a piacular person then to cause the death of so many men for his fault Like unto this was that of Nazianzen who desired Jonah-like to be cast into the Sea himself so be it all might be calme in the Publike that of Athanasius who by his sweat and tears as by the bleeding of a chast vine cured the leprosie of that tainted age that of Ambrose who was farre more sollicitous of the Churches welfare then of his own that of Chrysostome In 1 Cor. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. who saith That to seek the publick good of the Church and to preferre the salvation of others before a mans private profit is the most perfect Canon of Christianisme the very top-gallant of Religion the highest point and pitch of Piety so shall the Sea be calme unto you Not else for I have forfeited my life by my disobedience and my repentance though true and so to salvation never to be repented of comes too late in regard of temporall punishments 2 Cor. 7.10 as did likewise that of Moses Deut. 3.26 and of David 2 Sam. 12.10 such is the venemous nature of sinne in the saints 't is treachery because against covenant and such is the displeasure of God upon it that he chastiseth his here more then any other sinners Lam. 4.6 Dan. 9.12 and whoever else scape they shall be sure of it Amos 3.2 The word here rendred calme signifieth silent for the Sea when troubled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est maris agitatio Eâ—â— stach in Hom. Hiad H. roareth hideously so that the roaring of the devils at the painfull preconceit of their last doom of damnation is set forth by a word that is taken from the tossing of the Sea and the noise thereupon Iam. 2.19 The devils beleeve and tremble or shiver and shudder with horrible yellings for I know that for my sake this tempest is upon you If Jonah were a type of Christ in that being cast into the Sea a calme followed yet herein hee differed that Christ suffered not for his own offences 1 Pet. 2.24 and 3.18 but bore our sinnes in his own body on the tree and died the just for the unjust Verse 13. Neverthelesse the men rowed Heb. digged for so they that row seem to do with their oars Virg. Aeneid Vastum sulcavimus aequor as with spades Hence also the Latine Poets say that Boat-men cut plow furrow the waters Infindunt pariter sulcos The Seventy render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they did their utmost indeavour with violence to bring the ship to shore and to save Jonah and not as those bloody Emperours Tiberius Caligula and Claudius who took delight in the punishment of offenders and used to come early in the morning into the market-place to behold their executions Non nisâ— coactus Vtinam literas nescirem said that better Emperour when he was to subscribe a sentence of death and Oh that I could not write mine own name said Another upon the like occasion but they could not They did but strive against the stream for the Lord had otherwise determined it and Voluntas Dei necessitas reâ— who hath resisted his will for the Sea wrought and was tempestuous against them As verse 11. Praesentemque vires intentant omnia mortem Verse 14. Wherefore they cried unto the Lord Not unto their false gods but unto the true Jehovah of whom they had learned something by what they had seen and heard from Jonah Vaetorpori nostro We beseech thee O Lord we beseech thee A most ardent and affectionate prayer A naturall man may pray from the bottome of his heart out of a deep sense of his wants but he cannot give thanks from the bottom of his heart because void of the love of God and joy of faith Danaeus noteth from these words that Iudges ought to pray before they passe sentence of death upon any Let us not perish for this mans life which we take away but full sore against our wills Wilfull murther was ever accounted an heinous crime among the Heathens also
incompleat it was an imperfect thing the better part of it was yet wanting Next that till that chare were done he could not be at peace within himself he could not be quiet for vowes are debts and debts till they be payed are a burden to an honest minde and do much disease it Salvation is of the Lord. Salus omnimoda as the Hebrew word having one letter more then ordinary in it importeth Jeshugnathah all manner of salvation full and plentifull deliverance is of the Lord who is therefore called the God of salvation unto whom belong the issues from death Psal 68.20 A quo vera salus non aliunde venit This Ionah speaketh as he doth all else in this holy Canticle not by reading or by rote but out of his own feeling and good experience his whole discourse was digg'd out of his own breast as it is said of that most excellent 119. Psalme that it is made up altogether of experiments and it therefore hath verba non legenda sed vivenda words not so much to be read as lived as One said once of it Dives thought that if one went from the dead to warne his wicked brethren they would never be able to resist such powerfull Rhetorick Behold here is Ionah raised from the dead as it were and warning people to arise and stand up from dead courses and companies that Christ may give them light why do they not then get up and be doing at it that the Lord may be with them Shall not the men of Nineveh rise up in judgement with this evil generation and condemn them because they repented at the preaching of Jonas Mat. 12.41 but these do not though they have many Jonas's that both preach and practise non verbis solum praedicantes sed exemplis as Eusebius saith Origen did that live sermons and not teach them onely Verse 10. Dci dicere est facere Aug. And the Lord spake unto the fish He spake the word and it was done He is the great Centurion of the world that saith to his creature Do this and hee doth it Yea he is the great great Induperator to whom every thing saith Iussa sequi tam velle mihi quà m posse necesse esse Lucan I am wholly at thy beck and check Jonah spake to God and God to the fish It may be said of faithfull prayer that it can do whatsoever God himself can do sith he is pleased to yeeld himself overcome by the prayers of his people and to say unto them cordially as Zedekiah did to his Courtiers colloguingly The king is not he that can deny you any thing Prayer is of that power that it can open the doors of Leviathan as wee see here which yet is reckoned as a thing not feisible Iob 41.14 yea of the all-devouring grave Heb. 11.35 If the Lord pricked on by the prayers of his people set in hand to save them and shall say to the North Give up and to the South Keep not back bring my sonnes from farre and my daughters from the ends of the earth Esay 43.6 they shall come amain and none shall be able to hinder them Come therefore with those good souls in Hosea who had smarted for their folly as well as Ionah and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn Hos 6.1 2. and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up After two dayes will he revive us in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight A time we must have to be in the fire in the fishes belly as in Gods Nurturing-house but hee will take care that wee be not there overlong what 's two or three dayes to eternity Hold out faith and patience Yet a very little little while Heb. 10. and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry and it vomited up Ionah upon the dry land And here Death was defeated and wiped it was much more so when it had swallowed up Christ Quantum in devoratione mors laetata est tantum luxit in vomitu Hieron and little dreamt that it self should have been thereby swallowed up in victory But then was fulfilled that of the Prophet O death I will be thy death And as there so here in a proportion and as a type omnia jam inversa saith Mercer all things are turned t'other way Before the fish was an instrument of death now of life and serves Jonah for a ship to bring him to dry land This fish useth not to come neer the shore but to sport in the great waters howbeit now he must by speciall command vomit up Ionah upon the dry land Why then should it be thought a thing incredible with any that God should raise the dead The Sea shall surely give up the dead that were in it and death and hell deliver up the dead that were in them Acts 26. S. Sen. Nat. quaest l. 3. c. 26 27 28 29 30. and they shall be judged every man according to his works Rev. 20.13 This some of the Heathens beleeved as Zoroastres Theopompus and Plato And the Stoikes opinion was that the world should one day be dissolved by fire or water and all things brought to a better state or to the first golden age again But we have a more sure word of Prophesie and this that is here recorded may serve as an image and type of our preservation in the grave and our resurrection from the dead by one and the same Almighty power of God CHAP. III. Verse 1. AND the word of the Lord came unto Ionah the second time Ionah is a sinner but not a cast-away God layes him not by as a broken vessel treads him not to the dung-hill as unsavoury salt but receives him upon his return by repentance and restores him to his former employment gives him yet a name and a nail in his house yea sends him a second time on his message to Nineveh and counting him faithfull puts him again into the ministery who was before a runagate a rebel c. But he obtained mercy c. 1 Tim. 1.13 as did likewise the Apostles after that they had basely deserted our Saviour at his passion and Peter after he had denied him See Ioh. 20.22 23. and 21.15 16 17. Quem poenite peccasse poenè est innocens Sen Agam. The poenitent are as good as innocent Return ye back-sliding children saith the Father of mercies and I will heal your back-slidings Ier. 3.22 The Shulamite returning is as lovely in Christs eye as before and all is as well as ever betwixt them Cant. 6.4 There is a naturall Novatianisme in the timerous conscience of convinced sinners to doubt and question pardon for sinnes of Apostasie and falling after repentance But had they known the gift of God and who it is that saith to them Be of good cheer thy sinnes are forgiven thee they would have conceived strong consolation Verse
mean while so should we glad to hover and cover under the shadow of the Almighty by the grace of faith quae te pullastrum Christum gallinum facit which makes Christ the hen and thee the chicken saith Luther till he might see what would become of the city whether God would not ratifie his word by raining down hell from heaven upon it as once he did upon sinfull Sodom or overwhelme it with the river Tigris as once he did some part of it saith Diodorus Siculus Diod. lib. 2. so that twenty furlongs of the town-wall were thrown down by it And the Prophet Nahum threateneth that with an over-flowing flood God would make an end of the place thereof chap. 1.8 Verse 6. And the Lord God prepared a gourd sc after that his booth was dried up and the leaves withered God by his providence and not without a miracle because without seed and so suddenly furnished Ionah with this gourd or ivy-bush or white vine or the plant called Palma Christi or Pentadactylon because it resembleth a mans hand with five fingers something it was but what is not certainely known Kimchi thus describeth it Est herba longis altis frondibus umbrosa It is an herb or plant that yeeldeth good shade with its long and large leaves And many yeares before him one Rabba son of Hanna said that it growes by the waters side is commonly set for shade-sake before tavern doores and that oyle is made of the seeds of it and made it to come up over Ionah Not only to refresh him who having been so lately in the whales-belly was haply more tender-skinned then before and not so well able to endure the heate of the Sun but also to make way to that reproof he afterwards gave him ver 10. Hoc enim exierno signo saith Mercer for by this outward signe God sporting with him as it were clearly convinceth him of his impatiency admonisheth him of his duty this He thinketh was not done till the forty dayes wore over to deliver him from his grief from his head-ach caused by the heat of the Sun which yet he cursed not as the scorched Atlantes are said to doe Or to exhilarate and refresh his spirits after his self-vexing for the hasty man never wants woe and the envious person because he cannot come at another mans heart feedeth upon his own Esa 5.7 Now though God chide him for his fault yet as a father he tendereth his infirmity and taketh care that the spirit faile not before him and the soule that he had made And it is as if he should say Ionah goeth on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heale him I will leade him also and restore comforts unto him Esay 57.16 17 18 As it is a rule in Physick still to maintaine nature so Ionah was exceeding glad Heb. rejoyced with great joy that is supra modum he was excessive in all his passions which speakes him a weake man Some think he rejoyced the more in the gourd as conceiving that God thereby voted with him and for him This was also Leahs errour when rejoycing in that whereof she should have repented rather she said Gen. 30.18 God hath given me my hire because I have given my maiden to my husband and she hath borne me a fist son So much mistaken are the best sometimes and so bladder-like is mans soule that filled with earthly vanityes though but wind and gone with a wind it growes great and swels in pride and folly but if prickt with the least pin of piercing grief it shriveleth to nothing Verse 7. But God prepared a worm All occurrences are to be ascribed not to Nature Fate or Fortune but to God who as he is Great in great things so is he not little in the least Maximus in magnis nec parvus in minimis He prepared first the gourd and then the worm and then the wind He was the great doer in all He so attempereth all that his people shall have their times and their turns of joy and sorrow These two are tyed together said the Heathen with chaines of Adamant hence also Ageronia's altar in the temple of Volupia Flut. See the circle God usually goes in with his Psal 30.5 6 7. c. to teach them that all outward comforts are but as grass or flower of the field which he can soone blast or corrode by some worme of his providing Moneo te iterumque iterumque monebo saith Lactantius I warn thee therefore will do it againe againe that thou look not upon those earthly delights as either great or true to those that trust them De opisicio Da. ad Dem. but as things that are not onely deceitfull because doubtfull but also deadly because delicious There is a worm lies couchant in every gourd to smite it a teredo to wast it besides the worm of conscience bred in that froath and filth for a perpetuall torment and it smot the gourd that it withered Plants have also their wounds diseases and death Lib. 17. cap. 14. saith Pliny The gourd being gnawed at the root and robbed of its moistness withered Sic transit gloria mundi But the righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree tree not like this palm-crist Psal 92.12 Now the palm-tree though it have many waights at the top and many snakes or wormes at the root yet it still sayes Alciat Emb. Nec premor nec perimor I am neither born down nor dried up but as Noahs olive drown'd kept its verdure and as Moses bush fired but not consumed so fareth it with the righteous persecuted but not forsaken c. 2 Cor. 4.8 9. and at death a crown of life awaites him Quanta perennis erit an immarcescible crown Sr. Thom. Bodlye 's posy an inheritance undefiled and that withereth not Pet. 1.4 that suffereth no Marasmus but is reserved fresh and green for you in heaven like the palm-tree which Pliny saith never loseth his leafe nor fruit or like that Persian tree whereof Theophrastus saith that at the same time it doth bud blossome and beare fruit Verse 8. God prepared a vehement East-wind The windes then blow not where they list at randome I mean and without rule but are both raised and layed againe by God at his pleasure He prepared and sent out of his treasures Jer. 10.13 this violent East-wind ◠Heb silent R. Selomoh so called either because it silenceth all other winds with its vehemency or because when it blowes men are made silent or deaf with its dinn so that their tale cannot be heard There are that by silent here understand a still low gentle East-wind that cooled not the heate of the avre inflamed by the Sun but rather added to it and set it on 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Greeks interpret it and this suites well with that which followeth and the Sun beat upon the head of
Jonah Vssit laesit Psal 121. So the Poet seriente cacumina Sole Chrysostome cannot but wonder that whereas all fire naturally tendeth upwards the Sun should shoot his beames downwards and affect these lower bodyes with his light and heat Whereby if he be troublesome to any Jonah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is because God will have it so for he is a servant as his name in Hebrew importeth without whom neither Sun shineth nor raine falleth Mat. 5.45 Mat. 13.6.21 Rev. 7.16 and 16.8.9 1 Pet. 4.12 and who by afflictions set forth in Scripture by the heate of the Sun bringeth back his straglers Psal 119.97 that he fainted Though the head of man bath a manisold guard upon it as being overlaid first with haire skin and flesh like the three-fold covering of the Tabernacle and then encompassed with a skull of bones like boards of Cedar and afterwards with diverse skins like silken curtaines Obtectue fuit maerore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. and lastly enclosed with the yellow skin which Solomon calleth the golden ewer Eccle. 12.6 yet Jonah fainted and wished in himself to die Ita ut ab animo suo peteret mori he required of his soule to go out of his body Egredere ô anima mea as Hilarion said but in a better sense he called for death as his due being belike of Seneca's mind that Nature hath bestowed this benefit on men that they may bereave themselves of life whensoever they please not considering that God is Lord of lise and death neither may any one lay down his life but when He calleth for it as a souldier may not leave his station but at the command of his captaine it is better for me to die then to live Not so Jonah unlessed you were in a better mind You should rather say as Martinus on his sick-bed did Sever. Epist 3. Bernard Domine si adhuc populo tuo sum necessarius Lord if I may yet be serviceable to thee and usefull to thy people I refuse not life and labour Or as Mr. Bolton on his death-bed desirous to be dissolved when he was told by some standers by Mr. Bagshaw in the life of Mr. Bolton that though it was better for him to die then to live Yet the Church of God would miss him He thus sweetly replied with David 2 Sam. 15.25 26. If I shall find faevour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again c. but if otherwise loc here I am let him do what seemeth good in his eyes A good man is born for the benefit of many as Bucers Physitians said to him neither may he desire to die out of discontent Mel. Ad. Non sibisâ—sed multerum utilitati esse natum as Jonah did for a trifle wherein he was crossed and rather then which to have been deprived of Niniveh that great city by his consent should have been destroyed That he never after this would return to his own countrey but was so sick of the fret that he died of the sullens as some Hebrewes say I cannot beleeve See the Note on ver 3. Eneid lib. 1. Ver. 9. Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd What so soon blown up for a thing of nothing Tantaene animis coelestibusira Dijne hunc ardorem mentibus indunt Euriale Aeâ—neid lib. 1. an sua cuique deus fit dira libido Ibid. lib. 9. Knew not Jonah that to be angry without a cause was to be in danger of the judgement Mat. 5.22 that it was a mortall sin and not veniall as Papists falsly conclude from that text which sets not forth a different punishment of rash anger but a diverse degree of punishment that it is the murther of the heart as our Saviour there shewes and the sountaine of the murther both of the tongue and of the hand will he be like the foolish bee who loseth her life to get revenge See the Note on ver 4. and he said Before he said nothing when reproved for his rash anger ver 4. and that was best Now he chats against God laying the reines in the neck of his unruly passions and running riot Who can understand his erâ—ours and who can tell how oft a servant of God may fall into a foul sin if strongly inclined thereto by nature or violently tempted by satan and his instruments Of Judah indeed it is expresly noted that he knew his daughter-in law Tamar againe no more Gen. 38.26 But what shall we say to Lots double incest to Sampsons going down againe to Gaza Iudg. 16 to Abrahams twice denying his wife to Iohns twice adoring the Angell Rev. 19.10 and 22.8 Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall and let Gods people see that there be no way of wickednesse found in them that they allow not wallow not in this guzzle sith hereby they loose not their jus haereditarium but yet their jus aptitudinale not their title but yet their fitnesse to Gods kingdome and perhaps their fulnesse of reward there 2 Iohn 8. and he said I do well to be angry even unto death A fearefull out-burst resist passion at the first rising up else who knowes whither it may transport us Passions saith One like heavy bodies down steep hils once in motion move themselves and know no ground but the bottome Ionah saith Another upon this text slights admonition riseth up in an animosity against it to a desperate degree of anger such wild beasts are surious passions when we give them the reines Thus He Surely as the Lion beateth himself with his own taile and as sullen birds in a cage beate themselves to death so could Ionah in this rage find in his heart to do and he shames not to tell God as much It was therefore no ill wish of him that desired God to deliver him from that naughty man Himself Domine libera me à malo hemine meipso from headlong and headstrong passions which may not only dissweeten a mans life but shorten it The Emperor Nerva died of a sever contracted by anger Valentinian by an irruption of blood Wenceslaus King of Bohemia in a rage against his cup bearer fell presently into a palsey whereof he died What disease Ionah died of I know not but this I know that in his heat he did and said enough here in this text to have made Almighty God resolve as he did once against those muttering Mutineeres in the wildernesse As truly as I live saith the Lord as ye have spoken in mine eares so will I do to you Num. 14.28 Thou shalt surely dye Jonah out of thine own mouth will I judge thee c. But God chose rather to glorifie himself in Jonah's salvation then in his deserved destruction Dat igitur poenitentiam poste à indulgentiam as that father prayed He therefore first giveth him repentance and then pardon as appeareth partly by his recording of these passages and so shaming himself
Church out of which went the law that is the Gospâ—l ver 2. See Esa 40.9 and 52.7 Heb. 12 22. There shall Christ raigne and so he did ever but now he shall declare himself to be Messiah the Prinâ—e Dan. 9.25 Lord and hâ—â—st Act. 2.36 Saviour and Soveraigne As king he 1. of rebels makes them sâ—â—jects willing to be ruled by him 2. He preserves them in that priviledge by his spirit 3. He gives them lawes far better then those of the twelve tables â—â— Rome which yet far exceeded saith Cicero all the learned libraries of the Philosâ—phâ—rs in worth and weight 4. He sweetly inclineth their wilâ— to yeâ—â—d universal obedience thereunto and to crosse themselves so they may please 〈◊〉 5 He rewards them with comfort and peace here and with life eternall hereafter 6. He destroyes all the enemies of his Church and then at last delivers up the kingdome to his Father 1 Cor. 15.24 not his essentiall kingdome as God but his oecâ—â—omical kingdome as Mediatour Verse 8. And thou O tower of the flock that is O Church of Christ who is oft compared to a shepherdesse in the Canticles here to a Migdal-â—der or tower of the flock that flock of Christ which hath golden fleeces precious souse in reference either to that tower Gen. 35.21 built for the safety and seâ—vice of shepherds or else to the sheep-gate in Ierusalem whereof read Nâ—h 3.1 and 12.39 so called from the sheep-market which for the conveniency of the Temple was neare to it as was also the sheep-pool called Bethesda Ioh 5.2 where the sacrifices were washed The world is a field the Church a fold in that field and a strong fold strong as a tower yea a strong-hold Ophel as it is stiled in the next words and that of the daughter of Zion that is of the Christian Church the inviolable security whereof is here noted unto thee shall it come even the first dominion such as was in Davidâ— dayes and Solomons laâ—ge rich peaceable prosperous terrible to other nations c. This was carnally understood by the Jewes who therefore drâ—ame to thiâ— day of an earthly kingdome and have in their â—ynagogues a crown ready to set upon the head of their Messiah whensoever he shall come neither were Christs disciples without a tincture of this Pharisaicall leaven whence their often-enquiries when the kingdome of God shall come and their frivolâ—us contests among themselves who should be the greatest in Christs kingdome who should sit at his right hand and at his left c. as if there should have been in Christs kingdome as in Solomons a distribution here of honours and offices And this groundlesse conceit hung as bullets of lead at their eye-lids that they could not look up to see that Christs kingdome was spirituall and not of this present world the kingdome shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem This the Jewes mistaking it as before pray earnestly that it may come citò Baxtor Syn Jud. citiùs citissimè bimherah bejamenâ—s with speed and even in our dayes oft throwing open their windowes to behold their King and to receive their long-looked-for preferment in his earthly monarchy Ver. 9. Now why doest thou cry out aloud Hout and houle q.d. hast thou any such cause to be so unreasonably and out ragiously impatient so long as Christ is thy king and counsellour What if there now be no king in thâ—e What if thy counsellour be perished A wo-case I confesse and great confusion most needes be the issue of it as it fell out in Ierusalem after Iosiah was slaine Confer Hos 3.4 with the Note there But yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing neither need the Saints be so excessively dejected with outward crosses so long as Christ is with them and for them If Seneca could say to his friend Polybius Fas tibi non est salvo Caesare de fortuna tua queri Be thy case never so miserable Sen. ad â—olyb Consol thou hast no cause to complaine so long as Caesar is in safety How much lesse ground of mourning or murmuring have Christs subjects so long as He liveth and raigneth Gaudeo quod Christus Dominus est Calvin Epist alioqui totus desperassem writeth Miconius to Calvin of the Churches enemies I am glad that Christ is Lord of all for otherwise I should have had no hope of help at all David in deep distress comforteth himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30.6 and Psal 119.94 I am thine save me saith He q. d. my professed subjection to thee calleth for thy care and protection of me and here he stayes himself Kings and Councellours are great stayes to a state but Christ is not tied to them These are but particular good things as is health against sicknesse wealth against poverty c. but Christ is an Vniversall good all sufficient and satisfactory every way proportionable and fitting to our soules and severall necessities Why then do we cry aloud as utterly undone why sing we not rather with David when at greatest under The Lord liveth and blessed be the God of my salvation Psal 18.46 It is God that avengeth me and delivereth me from the violent man c He is King of all the earth He is wonderfull in counsel and excellent in working c. It was a learned mans Motto Blessed be God that he is God and blessed be Christ that he reignes for ever that Counsel is his and sound wisdome that he hath understanding he hath strength Prov. 8.14 for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travel They have but they needed not hadst thou but turned into thy counting-house and considered thy manifold priviledges in Christ thy King and Counsellour We oft punish our selves by our passions as the lion that beates himself with his own taile Sed ô benè saith an Interpreter here quod sint hidolores saltem similes parturientium It is yet an happinesse that the Churches pangs though bitter Tarnou yet are no worse then as those of a woman in travell For 1. The paines of travell seldome bring death but life both to mother and child so do afflictions to the Saints 2 Cor. 4.17 Heb. 12.9 2. Travell comes not by chance nor for long continuance neither doth affliction Ioh. 7.30 Luk. 22.53 3. Travell is unavoidable and must be patiently born so must affliction or else we lose the fruit of it Act. 14.22 2 Tim. 3.12 4. Sharp though it be yet it is short so mourning lasteth but till morning Psal 30.6 and 73.24 and 135.14 Ioh. 16.15 Ier. 10.23 5. As the travelling woman hath the help of other women so hath the afflicted of God Angels and men 6. Lastly as she remembreth the sorrow no more for joy of a manchild born into the world so is it here Ioh. 16.20 Rom. 8.17 18. Verse 10. Be in pain and labour to bring forth c. Be sensible of thine ensuing captivity and take on but yet with hope
cause before he proceedes to judgment this deserves admiration and acknowledgement in the highest degree O the depth Verse 4. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt Here God twits them with his former favours which he never doth but in case of brutish unthankfulnesse Now there was brutish and worse To render good for evill is divine good for good is humane evill for evill is brutish but evill for good devilish This makes God contrary to his custome upbraid people with what he hath done for them and angrily call for his love-tokens back againe as Hos 2.9 For their deliverance out of the Egyptian servitude how great a mercy it was see the Note on Hos 11.1 such as they were againe and againe charged never to forget Deut. 6.12 and 5.15 and 26.5 to 12. How much more bound are we to God for our Redemption by Christ for what 's Pharaoh to Satan Egypt to this present evill world Egyptian bondage to fins slavery Seeing then that our God hath given us such deliverance as this should we againe break his commandements c. Well might the hills and mountaines testify against such a monstrous unthankfullnesse and disingenuity and redeemed thee out of the house of servants Gradatim progreditur saith Calvin It was somthing to be brought out of the land of Egypt a most superstitious place where they turned the glory of the incorruptible God to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man for they defiled their king Osiris and of birds for they worshipped the hawk and Ibis and of foure-footed beasts for they worshipped an ox Rom. 1.23 a dog a cat a swine and of creeping things for they worshipped the Crocodile Ichneumon c. yea they worshipped plants and pot-herbs Hence the Poet Felices gentes Iuven. quibus haec nascuntur in hortis Numina To be brought out therefore from amongst such hatefull Idolaters was no small favour lest they should smell of their superstitions as Mica's mother did after all that ayring sin in the desert Judg. 17.3 and Jeroboam by being there awhile had learned calf-worship hence that strickt charge never to make leagne with them But to be redeemed out of the house of servants was more out of the iron furnace Deut. 4.20 Ier. 11.4 where they wrought night and day in latere luto Exod. 1. in setting up those famous Pyramids and treasure-cities for Pharaoh where they served with rigour Exod. 1.13 their lives were made bitter with hard bondage ver 14. till God withdrew their shoulders from the burden and their hands did leave the pots Psal 81.6 till they saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a paved-work of a Saphire-stone Exod. 24.10 to shew that God had now changed their condition their bricks made in their bondage to Saphirs Confer Esay 54.11 and consider what God hath done for us by bringing us into the glorious liberty of his own children who were once the devils drudges and dromedaries serving diverse lusts and pleasures Tit. 3.3 which gave lawes to our members Rom. 7. and held us under in a brutish bondage much worse then the Heathens mil-house the Turks gallies Bajazets iron-cage the Indian mines or Egyptian furnace For there if they did their task they escaped stripes but here let men do the devill never such doughty service they are sure of scourges and scorpions after all armies and changes of sorrowes and sufferings terrours and torments without any the least hope of ever either mending or ending This should make us lift up many an humble joyfull and thankfull heart to our most powerfull Redeemer saying with St. Paul Now to the King eternal immortal invisible the only wise God be honour and glory for ever and ever Amen 1 Tim. 1.17 and I sent before thee Moses Aaron and Miriam As three principall guides and Miriam for one who did her part among the women Exod. 15.20 and having a prophetick spirit became a singular instrument in the hand of God who spake by her Num. 12.2 But her weak head was not able to bear such a cup of honour without being intoxicated which caused her father to spit in her face Num. 12.2 14. Her death is recorded in scripture Num 20.1 but not her age as is Sarahs Gen. 23.1 Some have observed that God thought not fit to tell us of the length of the life of any woman in Scripture but Sarah to humble that sex But as soules have no sexes so of some women such as were Miriam Deborah the Virgin Mary Priscilla Blandina the Lady Jane Gray Q. Elizabeth c. it may be said that in them besides their sex there was nothing woman-like or weak as if what Philosophy saith the soules of these noble creatures had followed the temperament of their bodies which consist of a frame of rarer roomes of a more exact composition then mans doth It is possible that Miriam might till that matter of emulation betwixt her and Moses his wife fell out be as helpfull to Moses and Aaron as Nazianzens mother was to his father Non solum adjutricem in pietate sed etiam doctricem gubernatricem Nazian Epitap pat not a help-fellow only but a doctresse and governesse Verse 5. O my people remember now what Balak There must be a Recognition of Gods mercies or else there will neither follow Estimation nor Retribution Else we that should be as temples of his praises shall be as graves of his benefits Our soules are naturally like filthy ponds wherein fish die soon and frogs live long rotten stuff is remembred memorable mercies are forgotten whereas the soul should be as an holy Ark the memory like the pot of Manna preserving holy truths as the Law and speciall blessings as Aarons rod fresh and flourishing This Israel did not and are therefore justly blamed Psal 106.7 13 21. and here againe reminded of one signall mercy among many that they might take notice of the enemies malignity Gods benignity and their own indignity and ingratitude that parching wind that drieth up the fountaine of divine favours Ventus urens exsiccans what Balack king of Moab consulted Joshua saith that he arose and fought against Israel chap. 24.9 that is he had a good mind to have fought but he did not because he durst not So Esth 8.7 Haman is said to have laid his hand upon the Jewes because he intended and attempted such a matter They that is the Sortilegi or Lot-sorcerers with whom Balack-like he consulted cast Pur that is the lot before Haman from day to day and from month to month viz. Esth 3.7 to find out what month or day would be lucky for the accomplishment of his intended massacre of the Iewes but before that black-day came Mordecai was advanced and Haman hanged Now as there by the speciall providence of God over-ruling the superstition of that wicked wreth way was made for the preservation of Gods people So
spite he beares to such singling them out and sifting them to the bran as he desired to do Peter stirring up unreasonable and wicked men against them as he dealt by Paul when he fought with beasts at Ephesus with breathing divels where ever he came being in deaths often When the viper hung upon his hand Act. 28. the devill doubtlesse thought to have dispatcht him but he was deceived So he is ever when he attempts as an Accuser of the Brethren he is sure to be non-suted and his plea to be cast out of the court by our Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who appears for us as he did here for Jehoshua to put away sin Heb. 9.24 26. and to take away the iniquities of their most holy things standing before the Angel of the Lord i. e. before Christ his best friend and doing his office as an High-Priest Such is Satans malice and impudency saith an Interpreter here to hurt and hinder us most in our best imployments and to accuse the Saints even to their best Friend Christ Jesus He knowes well that as Sampsons strength lay in his hair so doth a Christians strength lie in his holy performonces perfumed and presented by Christ Hence his restlesnesse in seeking to set a difference and to breed bate Hence also as the foules seised upon Abrahams sacrifice and as the Pythonisse interrupted Paul and his company when they were praying and well-doing Act. 16.16 17. so deales he still by Gods best servants and that sometimes so that if after duty they should put that question to their own heart as God did to Satan Vnde venis whence comest thou it would return Satans answer â—â—om compassing the earth and Satan That Adversary the devill as St. Peter calleth him the Accuser of the brethren Rev. 12.9 that trots betwixt heaven and earth as a teaser and makes a trade of it Once this name Satan is applyed to an holy Angel going forth as an adversary to wicked Balaam Satans spelman as One calleth him standing at his right hand why there Because say some the Accusation was as true as vehement and so Satan had the upper hand For Ioshua was cloathed with filthy garments verse 3. and there was cause enough why his own cloaths should abhorr him as Iob hath it chap. 9.31 what his particular sin objected to him by Satan was is hard to say Some will have it to be one thing some another It is plain by Ezra 10.18 the some of his sons and allies had taken strange wives which he might have hindered but that himself had taken a harlot to wite Dialog com Tryphon as Justin Martyr affirmeth is no way likely I should sooner beleeve with Thedoret and Sanchez that the sins here alledged by Satan against Ioshuah and laid to his charge were not so much his own personall sins as the sins of the whole people quodammodo enim totus populus est in sacerdote in sacerdote peccat for the whole people is after a sort in the Priest c. to resist him Heb. To Satan yet against him to do his kind by frustrating his prayers and intercessions for the people by laying his and their sins in his dish and by laying claime to them for his Carried on still by like hellish hatred of God and his people he sins that sin against the holy Ghost every moment As Pliny speaks of the scorpion that there is not one minute wherein it doth not put forth the sting Our comfort is that 1. We have an Advocate with the Father c. and he is the propitiation for our sins the Patron as well as Judge of his Saints 2. that as Satan stands at our right hand to molest us in holy duties so do the holy Angels stand there to withstand him Luke 1.11 whence it was that the Curtains of the Tabernacle were wrought full of Cherubins within and without 3. That if we resist the devill steadfast in the faith and strong in the Lord he will fly from us Iam. 4.7 For this old serpent having his head already bruised and crushed by Christ cannot so easily thrust in his mortall sting unlesse we dally with him and so lay open our selves unto him He shall in vaine strike fire if we deny tinder He may knock at the dore but if we answer him not at the window he cannot get in Verse 2. And the Lord said unto Satan The Lord Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who then shall condemne us who shall lay ought to our chaâ—ge Rom. 8.33.34 35. who shall separate us from the love of Christ Satan may attempt it but can never effect it We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not sc unto death but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself sc in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life Ind 21. 1 Ioh. 5.18 and that Wicked one or that Troubler of the Saints toucheth him not viz. with a deadly touch so as to poyson him and undoe him Christus nobiscum state The Prince of Persia cannot stand before Michael the King of Saints Dan. 10.13 21. the Lord rebuke thee O Satan even the Lord Christ argueth not the case with Satan but cuts him off short with a vehement check and reproof turns him over to his father to give him his due Inhonestum enim est saith Cyrysostom honestam matronam cum meretrice litigare It is not fit for a matrone to scold with a strumpet Admit the accusation wiâ—â— true yet it was maliciously and unreasonably urged Doeg spoke nothing but truth against David and Abimalech yet he heareth What shall be given upto thee or what shall be done unto thee thou salse tongue Sharp arrowes of the mighty that pierce deep wound deadly Psal 120.3 4. with coales of Juniper that shall burn fierce in respect of thy self and sweet in regard of others for men are wondrous well pleased when such ill members are punished even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem He chose her for his loves and now loves her for his choise He loveth her and washeth her with his blood that he may present her to himself holy and without blemish Eph. 5.26 27. The Persian maids were first purified and perfumed before Ahâ—suerus made his choise Esth 2 Not so here A fountain of free grace is opened for sin and for uncleannesse to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem Zach. 13.1 And Uranople or the new Jerusalem hath its foundation garnished with all manner of precious stones Reu. 21. Now the fundation of God standeth sure so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it Satan must know that God hath chosen Ierusalem and will not cast away his people which he foreknew Rom. 11.2 is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire Titio ex
that in baptisme they renounce the devill and all his works part whereof say the Papists amongst whom they live are the Jews goods being gotten either of themselves or of their Ancestours by usury Now this is such cold comfort to men of their mettall that they have little mind to turn Christian And as little doubtlesse have such as with these in the text have got their living by lying and through covetousnesse with fained words made marchandise or prize of mens precious soules to return to the hard labour of husbandry or any other lawful but painfull employment Yet this was done both in Wicklifes dayes by many Fryars that fell to him and embraced his opinions and in the reformation by Luther many Monkes and Nuns betook themselves to honest trades renouncing their Popish vowes and orders yea Scultetus reporteth that at Aushborough in Germany by the powerfull preaching of Dr. John Speiser Ann. 1523. some harlots forlooke the publike stews and married to honest men lived chastly and were great pains-takers Verse 6. And One shall say unto him What are these wounds in thine hands Hierome here supposeth the false Prophet crucified for his false doctrine and thereupon thus questioned This is better then that of the Popish Interpreters who will needs have it to be meant of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 27 63. that cozener to our very faces Eustath and of his wounds on the crosse as a deceiver of the people Lucian the Atheist villanously tearmeth him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the crucified Cozener But the Text is clear that the person here spoken to and returning an anser is the false-Prophet now a true Convert as appeareth by his fruits which he beares quick and thick being like Aarons rod soon changed from a withered stick into a flourishing tree Ashamed he is at heart of his former falsities and as in heart so in habit he is altered for he will no longer weare a rough garment the garb of Prophets in those dayes to deceive as the Cappuchines and other orders of Friars or rather Lyars at this day 2 King 1.8 Isa 20.2 Mat. 3.4 He abrenounceth and abjureth quasi conceptis verbis his former profession of a Prophet or chief speaker amongst others I am no Prophet But a plain husbandman or a shepheard that 's all I can truly pretend to And lastly in this verse having passed thorough the churches discipline as a seducer Iosh 7.19 he shall doe as Ioshuah advised Achan Give glory to the Lord my son and confesse thy sin he shall approve of the Churches severity used for his correction though he should go maimed or marked for it to his dying day In point of seducement saith Mr. Cotton descanting upon this text if a man upon conviction shall see the wickednesse of his way and humble his soule before God The powring out of the 7. viuls â— third viall 11. and give satisfaction to the Church and State where he shall be convinced on such conviction and repentance we find liberty to pardon but yet stigmatize him Thus He. But what reason had the Convocation held at Oxford to set a brand of ignominy upon the cheeks of those outlandish Divines that came to assist them because they pleased them not in the point of Priests marriage which they defended Or Bishop Laud for his Stigmata Laudis on renouned Mr. Prinne for his constancy to the truth How much better his predecessours Stephen Langton who crucified that Pseudo-Christ who shewed marks of wounds in his hands feet and sides Anno 1206. And Odo Severus who burnt King Edwins Concubine whom he most doted on in the forehead with a hot iron and banished her into Ireland Anno 934 c. Verse 7. Awake O Sword against my Shepheard A powerful expression containing a commission given out to the sword by way of Apostrophe Awake or up as the Septuagint up and about thou that hast long lain lockt up in the scabbard Thus the sword is of Gods sending it is bathed in heaven Isa 34.5 Ezek. 14.17 Jer. 47.6 7. It is he that awakes it and sets it on work he commands it Am. 9.4 and ordereth it Jer. 50.25 Let this patient us under it as it did Job Chap. 1.15 17 21. Among Philosophies the most noted sect for patience was that of the Stoicks who ascribed all to destiny O sword Framea which seems to come of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Septuagints word here by putting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Glâ—die which comes à claae from destruction like as the Hebrew word Chereb from desolating and laying wast Hence the sword is said to contemn the rod Ezek. 21.10 13. that is all lighter and lesser judgements which are but its forerunners and whereof it seemes to say What does this silly rod doe here Will not-men stoop Let me come I le make them either bend or break either yield or I le have their bloud against my shepheard i.e. saith Calvin against Magistrates and Ministers Gods undershepheards and Associates in feeding the flock Labourers together with him 1 Cor. 3.9 But because Christ is the great shepheard Heb. 13.20 and the good shepheard John 10.11 Optimus maximus that is Gods fellow-mate and yet suspending his glorie became a man to seek him out a flock in the wildernesse and afterwards laid down his life for his sheep John 10.11 underwent the deadly dint of Gods devouring sword put into the hands of those men of Gods hand Psal 17.13 who put him to many a little death all his life long and at length to that cursed and cruel death of the crosse at which time the Shepheard was smitten and the sheep scattered as this Text is most fitly applyed Matth. 26.31 therefore I understand it thiefly of Christ the chief Shepheard and Bishop of our soules Esay 53.5 who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities c. And this not by chance or malice of his enemies only though they laid upon him without mercie nailing him to the tree in the hands and feet which in all men are the most sensible parts of the body as being fullest of nerves and sinews but in him much more as being of the sinest temperature and most exquisite sense but by the determinate counsel of God as St. Peter shewes those Kill-Christs Acts 2.23 and according to the Scriptures that went before of him and foretold all his passion even to the casting of the dice upon his cloathes Psal 22. and Isai 53 by the reading of which lively description of Christs sufferings in that Chapter Hoc ego ingenuè confiteuor ait ille caput illud ad fidem Christime adduxisse Johannes Isaac a Jew confesseth that he was converted to the faith of Christ He is called Gods Shepheard because God anointed and appointed him to that Office putting a charge into his hands John 10. and 17. that he might tend them and tender them
reserved unto judgement 2 Pet. 2. â—4 Iob felt but his little finger as it were and yet cryes out for help Have pitty upon me have pitty upon me O ye my friends for the hand of God hath touched me Iob 19.21 It had but lightly tonched him and yet he was hardly able to endure it Oh the bloody wails that Gods hand hath left upon the backs of his best children Wo then to his enemies when he comes forth to fight against them Their flesh shall consume away whiles they stand upon their feet They shall pine away in their iniquities Levit. 26.30 their beauty shall consume away like a moth Psal 39.11 they shall melt as wax before the sun or as the fat of lambs before the fire God if he be not unto them as a lion to tear the kell of their hearts in sunder yet he will be as a moth and as a worm insensibly to consume them Hos 5.12 14. If he break not their teeth in their mouths by smiting them upon the cheek-bone yet he will make them to melt away as waters which run continually as a snail which melteth and as the untimely birth of a woman that never seeth the sun Psa 58.6 7 8. God hath secret wayes to wast his enemies and to bring them on their knees when they are best under-set He can trip up their heels when they are standing upon their feet and lay them low enough in the slimy valley where are many already like them and more shal come after them Iob 21.31 32. God hath a Marasmus an evil messenger for a malicious persecutor as he had for Antiochus Epiphanes for both the Herods for Maximinus the Tyrant 1 Machab. 6. Joseph Antiq. l. 12. c. 11. for Philip the second of Spain Charles the ninth of France Queen Mary of England Steven Gardiner Arch-Bishop Arundel Nestorius Arrius and other odious Hereticks and enemies of the Church amongst whom à Lapide the Iesuit reckons here Calvin and saith That like another Hered he died a lowsie lothsom death and for his authority thinks it enough to say uti refert Bolsecus in ejus vita But it must be understood that the lives of Calvin and Beza were spitefully written by this Bolsecus their sworn enemy that twice banished and thrice runnagate Friar liar I might have said and Physician for those names his often changes and hard chances have given him This man being requested by the popish side and it s likely hired by them to write thus Spec. Eur is in all their writings alledged as Canonical And their eyes shal consume away in their holes Physicians tell us of two thousand diseases that annoy mans body two hundred whereof affect the eyes All these are part of Gods hosts which are as much at Gods command as the Centurions servants and souldiers were at his when he said but Go or come and they did accordingly He can make mens eyes drop and cease not without any intermission as Lam. 3.49 till they melt out Mat. 8.9 as the Hebrew here hath it even the very same word as before he can smite men with sudden blindness as he did the sinful Sodomites that had eyes full of adultery such as tormented their eyes as if they had been pricked with thorns as the Hebrew word signifieth Gen. 19.11 Failing of eyes and sorrow of minde is threatned as a judgement Deut. 28.65 yea thou shalt be mad for the fight of thine eyes which thou shalt see is another piece of the curse verse 34. See 1 Sam. 2.33 And their tongue shal consume away in their mouth As did the tongue of Nestorius the Heresiarch eaten out of his mouth with worms Tho. Arundel and Steven Gardiner two bloody persecutors died of a like disease Diodate understands all this to be a description of hel-torments Their flesh shall consume yet never be consumed for they still stand upon their feet or subsist that they may still suffer having no end that their pain may be endless Their eyes shal consume c that is saith he though they be alive and can see yet shall they be deprived of light in infernal darknesse having neither eyes nor understanding but onely to see and judge of their extream misery Their tongue shal consume away c. as did the rich gluttons Luke 16.24 M. Calvin observeth here that all is delivered in the singular number his flesh shal consume his eyes shal melt his tongue c. for so runs the Original to note that every of Ierusalems enemies shal taste of Gods wrath though some of them may haply hold themselves out of the reach of his rod. And Secondly that God can as easily destroy them all as if he had to do but with one fingle man Verse 13. A great tumult from the Lord shal be among them He shall fright them as he did the Philistines by a sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees 2 Sam. 5.24 and the Syrians by a hurry noise in the air causing a Pannick terror 2 King 7.6 Therefore some render it Erit strepitus vel fragor Domini magnus in eis ut 1 Sam. 7.10 with 1 Sam. 2.10 Or he shall exasperate and imbitter them one against another as he did Abimelech and the men of Shechem by sending an evil spirit between them Judg. 9.23 that is by letting loose Satan upon them that old man-slayer that kindle-coal and make-bate of the world and this in a way of just revenge for their treacherous conspiracy against the house of Gideon Thus God first divided and then destroyed the Midianites by setting every ones sword against his fellow Judg. 7.23 So he dealt by the Philistims 1 Sam. 14.15 20. So the Kings of Syria and Egypt that succeeded Alexander and were enemies to the Jews destroyed one another So did the Primitive Persecutors the Turk and the Persian the Spaniard and the French In the year 1526. Charles the fifth Emperour of Germany set at liberty his prisoner Francis King of France Scultet Annal. Dec. 2. pag. 2 upon this condition among others that they should joyne their forces and do their utmost to suppresse and root out the Lutheran Heresie that is the truth of the Gospell out of both their Dominions But soon after they fell at variance amongst themselves the Pope blowing the bellowes whereby the Church had her Halcyons sic canes lingunt ulcera Lazari shall take the hand of his neighbour as those yonkers of Helcath-hazzurim did that sheathed their swords in their fellows bowels 2 Sam. 2.16 Verse 14. And Iudah also shall fight at Ierusalem Shall fight like a lion and do great exploits for his countrey as Judas Maccabeus did as Hunniades that Maul of the Turks and Scanderbeg who killed 800. Turks with his own hand and fought so earnestly sometimes that the very blood burst out at his lips So did Zisea and the rest of Christs worthy warriours who by faith and yet by force of arms too waxed
not preach though gifted men Rom. 10.15 with Esay 52.8 All that are in office to preach are Apostles Evangelists Prophets Pastours or Teachers Eph. 4.11 Elders onely my preach Tit. 1.5 And the contrary would prevent the Apostle willeth that in the Church all things be done decent'y and in order 1 Cor. 14.4 which could not be if all were teachers for then there would be no distinction of Ministers and people But Are all teachers saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.29 And he answers himself No but onely those whom God did set verse 13. like as he set apart the tribe of Levi to execute the Priests office which whiles Corah Dathan and Abiram sought to impugne and level they went quick into the pit Num. 16.30 Meddle not therfore without a calling that in the day of Gods displeasure you may appeal unto him with Jeremy and say As for me I have not hastened or thrust in my self for a Pastour after thee neither have I desired the woful day thou knowest that which came out of my lipps was right before thee Jer. 17.16 And being able safely to say this thou mayest binde upon it that God who is in covenant with all his Levi's his faithful Ministers will be their shield and their exceeding great reward how ever the world deal with them Verse 5. My covenant was with him of life and peace Now Gods covenant saith an expositour here is of four sorts 1. General made with all creatures Gen 9.2 2. With the Church in general Gen. 17. 3. With the Church of the Elect Jer. 31.33 4. With some particulars of some special graces as here with Levi of life and peace So then to ministers above others hath the Lord bound himself by special covenant to be their mighty Protectour and rewarder to give them life and peace that is long life and prosperous See Num. 25.12 13. Life of it self though pestered with many miseries is a sweet mercy and highly to be prized Better is a living dog then a dead lion Eccles 9.4 And why is the living man sorrowful a man for the punishment of his sins Lam. 3.39 As who should say let a man suffer never so much yet if he be suffered to live he hath cause to be contented It is the Lords mercy he is not consismed When Baruc sought great things for himself Jeremy tels him he may be glad in those dear years of life Jer. 45.5 Gen. 45.26 when the arrows of death came so thick whisking by him that he had his life for a prey Jacob took more comfort of his son Josephs life then of his honour Joseph is yet alive c. Quis vitam non vult saith Austin who is it that desires not life When David moveth the question what man is he that desireth life and loveth many dayes that he may see good Austin brings in every man answering I do and I do Long life and happy dayes is every mans desire If God give these blessings to those that are gracelesse it is by vertue of a providence onely and not of a promise and that 's nothing so comfortable life in Gods displeasure is worse then death said that Martyr if wicked men live long it is that they may make up the measure of their sins and by heaping up sin increase their torment If godly men die soon God taketh them away from the evil to come as when there is a fire in an house or town men secure their Jewels And though they fall in wars yet they die in peace 2 Chron. 34.28 Hieren as good Josiah did who also in brevi vitae spacio tempora virâ—utum multareplevit lived quickly lived apace lived long in a little time For life consists in action Esay 38.15 16. The Hebrews call running water living water Now Gods faithful Ministers if they work hard and so wear out themselves to do good to others as a lamp wasteth it self to give light or as that herb mentioned by Plâ—y that cures the patient but rots the hand that administreth it if like clouds they sweat themselves to death to bring souls to God yet shall they be sure to finde it a blessed way of dying they shall mori vitaliter die to live for ever God will not send any of his to bed till they have done their work The two witnesses could not be slain till their testimony was finished No malice of man can antedate their ends a minute The dayes of mourning for my father will come said Esae and then Hekâ—ll my brother Jacob Gen. 27.41 Here Esâ—uâ— that rough reprobate threateneth his father also as Luther conceiveth For it is as if he should have said I will be avenged by being the death of my brother though it be to the breaking of my fathers heart But what 's the proverb Threatened falk live long for even Isaac who died soonest lived above forty yeers beyond this My times are in thy hands saith David and that 's a safe hand And blessed be God that Christ liveth and reigneth alioqui tot us desperassem or else I had been in ill case said Miconius in a letter of his to Calvin Ren. 1. Ministers are stars in Christs right hand and it will be hard pulling them thence They must carry their lives in their hands and be ready to lay them down when it may be for the glory of their Master but they shall be sure not to dye whether by a natural or by a violent death till the best time not till that time when if they were but rightly informed they would desire to die But whether their death be a burnt-offering of Martyrdome or a peace-offering whether they die in their beds as Elisha or be carried to heaven in a fiery chariot as Elijah let it be a free-will-offering and then it shall be a sweet sacrifice to him who hath covenanted with them for life and peace They shall by death as by a door of hope Esay 56.2 Eccles 5.12 enter into peace they shall rest in their beds yea in Abrahams bosome and as the sleep of the labouring man is sweet unto him whether he eat little or much so heaven shall be so much the more heaven to such as have here had their purgatory Mark the upright man Psal 37.37 saith holy David and behold the just for how troublesome soever his beginning and middle is the end of that man is peace and I gave them to him Here 's the performance of Gods covenant to Levi and his posterity God doth not pay his promises with fair words onely as Sertorius is said to do Neither is he like Amigonus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ignominiously so called because forward in promising slack in performing But as he hath hitherto kept promise with nights and dayes Jer. 33.20 25. that one should succeed the other so much more doth he keep promise with his people for as his love moved him to promise so his truth bindeth him to perform
at Johns coming Zach. 11.8 The Pharisees were held the best of those three si ad legem respexeris saith Tremellius if you look to the law and Saint Paul who was once a Pharisee of the Pharisees calleth them the most strictest Sect of the Jewish religion Act. 26.5 like those district ssimi Monachi among the Papists and yet there were seven sorts of Pharisees Talm. tract Suta cap. 3. as we find in their Talmud Hence much alienation of affection amongst them and great animosities father hating sonne and sonne father for truths sake as Mat. 10.35 So powerfull should John be in his Ministery that although the leprosie were gotten into their heads and were therofore held incurable Lev. 13.44 yet he should tuen the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdome of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord Luke 1.17 All head-strong and bâ—utiâ—h affections should be calmed and corrected as Isa 21.6 7 8. and the peaceable v. isdome from above inâ—tilled lam Eph. 4.3 3.17 so that they shall indeavâ—ur to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace And albeit some jarrs may fall out a betwixt Paul and Barnabas yet Gods people can soon pecce again and reunite Job Worver in Polymath Vt 〈◊〉 percussus non laeditur into no dividitur quidâ—m sed resundit â—esâ— spissior redit c. As the ayre divided by a stone or stroke soon closeth and thickencth the more Certainly there is no such onenesse and entirenesse any where as among the saints their love is spirituall Cant. 6.9 The very Heathenâ— acknowledged that no people in the world did hold together and love one another so as Christians did Tacitus observeth of the Jews that there was misericordia in promptu apud suos but contra omâ—â—s alios hostile odium mercy enough for their own countreymen amongst them but hostile hatred against all others they use to say that there is no Gentile but deserves to have his head bruised c. But John Baptist by hiâ— preaching made Jewish Pharisees and Roman soubliers according to the phrase that Josephus useth of him to convent and knit together in baptisâ—ne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antiâ—dib 18. cap 7. 〈◊〉 I conte and sinite the earth with a curse that is lest coming I smite c. For there is no doubt to be made of his coming and as little of his smiting if men amend not These words menace as many as resisted Iohns ministry with utteâ— destruction whether it be done against the whole nation or against a mâ—â— only Iob 34.29 The Romans came and took amay both their place and their Nation not for leâ—â—ng Christ alone as they feared Iob. 11.48 but for laying wicked hands upon him and putting to death the Lorn or life Act. 2.23 Iohn also preached damnation to them Mat 3. and so did our Saviour Aâ—at 23. where by eight dreadfull woes as by so many links of an adamantine chain he drawes chose irreformable hypoerites down to hell their place and thâ—n lâ—aves them to be reserved unto judgement S. Jerome waâ— called 〈…〉 the Churchthunderbolt Mr. Perkins was a most caâ—â—st preacher and would prâ—n unce the word Damne with such an Emphasis M. Fullers Holy State 90. as lest a 〈…〉 in his Auditouts eares a good while after And when Catechist of Christ-coâ—â—eage 〈◊〉 pâ—unding the commandernents he applyed them so home that he made his hearers hearts sall down and their hairs to stand opright almost And surely this 〈◊〉 the way to work upon hard-harted sinners whence the Apostle bids Tâ—ns rebuke with all autâ—oâ—ty and then turning him to the people as Carvin sâ—â—â—th it chang th â—â—em not to despise him for so doing Tit. 1.15 The Apeille knew well that men are for most part of delicate eares and can 〈◊〉 abide plain dealing Ahab hates Micâ—iah and hath him in prison ever since that creadsull denunciation of displeasore and death for dismissing Benhadad for he was probably that disguised Pâ—ophet for which he was ever since sast in prisâ—n deep in disgrace But truth must be spoken how ever it be â—â—ken and those that will not be pricked at heart as Act. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. â—ut take up bucklers to ward oss the blow must have the sword of the spirit sheathed in their bowels and bâ—thed in their blood for mall this we are a sweet savour unto God 2 Cor. 2.15 yea though a savour of death unto death The barren earth must be smitten with cuâ—sing and they that minde earthly things Terra autem sunt qui terrona sapiunt saiâ—â— A sbon have damnation for their end De civ Deil. 20. c. 29. so that St. Paul cannot speak of them 〈◊〉 teares of compâ—ssion Philip. 3.18 19. Oh that it might expresse from them teares of compunction Oh that they would be forewarned to slee from the wrath to come Oh that they would think upon eternity and by breaking â—fâ— their sins disarme Gods indignation justly conceived against them He therefore threateneth that he may not smite he proceed not to punish till there be no remedy 2 Chron. 36.16 Crudelem medicum intemperans aeger sacit An unâ—â—ly patient makes a cruell Physician O that we could all resolve to deal by our sins as Levis King of Fiance did by the Popes Bulls whereby he required the fruits of vacancies of all Cathedrall Churches of France Speed 496. about the year 1152. he cast them into the fire saying he had rather the Popes Bulls should restin the fire then his own soul should fiy in heil For a perclose of all take an observation of Amamas and before him of Baxtorfes that in many Hebrew Bibles the last verse save one of this Propesy as also of Ecclesiastes Isaiah and Lamentations is repeated again in the end thereof though without pricks lest any thing should be thought added to Gods word Factum hoc ex Scriharum decreto c. This the scribes thought fit to do either for the dignity of those repeated verses that the Reader might again ruminate and remind them or else as some will have it because all those bookes end in threatenings and sad speeches And therefore lest the Sun of Righteousnesse should seem to set in a cloud or not to shine upon the departing passenger they thought sit to leave the verse before to be last as being sweet and full of comfort that the Reader might Sampson-like goe his way feeding on that hony-comb Laus Deo in aeternum The Righteous mans Recompence OR A TRUE CHRISTIAN CHARACTERIZED AND ENCOURAGED Out of MALACHI 3.16 17 18. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord harkened and heard it and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name CHAP. I. The Text opened and analyzed THAT which was anciently spoken of Iohn Baptust who was
mean fear of punishment is a good legall preparative to filiall the spirit of bondage to the spirit of Adoption which it introduceth as the needle or bristle doth the threed that follows it Secondly as it cannot be utterly cast out whiles we are here so it is of singular use to a Christian in his way homeward for being paâ—tly flesh and partly spirit it is profitable for the unregenerate part which is a slave and not a sonne to be contain'd in duty and restrain'd from sinne by the fear of Gods justice power and punishments And hence it is saith One that the fear of God is so much urged in Scripture Cum audis quod Dominus tuus dulcis est attende quid disigas cum audis quod rectus attende quid timeaâ— ut amore timore Dei excnatus legem ejus custodias Cass super Psal 25. Dulcis rectus Dominus Si amor Deite tenere noâ— potest saltem teneat terreat amor judicis meius gehennae laqueâ—mâ—tis â—olorâ—s injer ni ignis urens vermis corrodens c. Hug. l. 3. de anima to shew a difference between mans first integrity wherein he needed no other motive to duty then love and the renovation of Gods image in us since the fall which being but imperfect and in part onely therefore hath God purposely fixed in us the affection of fear and sanctified it in his own to the restraining of them from sin and provoking them to duty How farre forth then may it be lawfull to stand in fear of Gods wrath and judgements Quest Divines determine it thus Answ we may not fear the punishment onely and not the offence The chief object of godly fear is evil of sin a just man is one that feareth an oath Eccl. 9.2 Gods offence rather then his own distresse which appears in that however God spare him yet he will not spare himself he is a law to himself nor yet the punishment chirefly and more then the offence but the punishment must be feared with the offence the offence being feared first and most And this is both commanded by the Lord Christ q Maâ— 10.28 29. and commended unto us in the examples of David r Psal 119.120 Jostah Å¿ 2 Chron. 34.27 Habakkuk t Hab. 3.16 and diverse other saints And the reason is ready rendred by Moses Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath u Psal 90.11 that is As any man fears thy displeasure more or lesse so shall he feel it as some understand that Text. SECT IIII. Use 1. Information They that scar not God are not his and who these are by their Character out of Psal 36.1 2 3 4 c. Vse 1. NOw for Use of this point Is it so that every faithfull servant of God feareth God hence then in the first place will follow as a consectary that all such as are destitute of this reverentiall fear of the Almighty are notwitstanding all their other commendable parts and properties to be esteemed no better then gracelesse and irreligious persons Hence it is so often made the brand of a sonne of Belial that there is no fear of God before his eyes and this is purposely reserved in Scripture after a large bedroll of other abominations found in mens hearts and lives to the last place of all w Rom. 3.18 Mal. 3 5. to intimate that the want of Gods fear is the ground of all the forementioned mischiefs the mother of all the misrule in the world As in that unjust Judge for instance who was therefore unjust because he fear'd not God nor regarded man x Luk. 18.2 And surely the fear of God is not in this place therefore they will slay me said Abraham of the men of Gerar y Gen. 20.11 Lo he could promise himself no good at all of that place and people Object Sol. where God was not feared God was not feared may some say what a reason 's that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Timendus terribiliâ— per Metonyâ—â—aÌ„ Deus cui timor debetur Shindler there is no people so barbarous or person almost so bruitish that feareth not God For answer I confesse there is nothing more naturall then to stand in awe of a Deity Whence also it is that God in the Greek tongue hath his Name from fear as some derive it And the Chaldee Paraphrast sometimes useth the word Fear or Terrour for God because of the fear confessedly due to him Hence Jacob coming from Syria and being to swear to a Syrian sware by the fear of his father Isaac z Gen. 31.53 But that all fear not the true God or 2. that they do not truely fear him and so are none of his 't is more then evident First 't is certain that all men fear not the true God but some thing else which they set up in his room Who seeth not that some fear idols and devils a 1 Cor. 10.20 Lev. 17.7 Seghnirim of their horrour and terrour which they cause to men as Pagans some hee-saints and shee-saints as Papagans some the Queen of heaven b Jer. 44.17 as the superstitious person that consults his calendar and scars nothing more then to fall sick upon an evil day Some again fear diâ—grace as Saul c 1 Sam. 15.30 see Jer. 38.19 danger and displeasure of great Ones as Pilate who fear'd if he released Clirist according to his conscience Caesote * Caius Imperator should as indeed afterwards he did pull his purple over his ears and kick him off the bench * Contra propriae couscientiae testimoniuÌ„ ores sui enuntiatum he delivered up to death the Lord of life so not only drew upon Casar and his throne the guilt of innocent blood in which respect Christ is said to have been crucified at Rome Revel 11. but also ran himself at once vpon Gods and the Emperours heavy displea sure shortly after became his own deaths-man Eurrop 1.7 Eus b.l. 2 c. 7. some fear losse of goods as the rich young man that went away sorrowfull for nothing more then that Christ should require such conditions as he was not willing to yeeld to d Mat. 19 20 21 Some fear losse of liberty as those that forsook Paul the prisoner and were ashamed of his chaiâ— e 2 Tim. 4.16 some fear losse of life making much of a thing of nought f Psal 39.5 shrinking in the shoulder when called to carry the crosse of Christ or to suffer with him though it be to bee glorisied together g Rom. 8.17 Thus men can make a shift to fear any thing so what they should fear God I mean 〈◊〉 proper object of this and all other our affections whatsoever There is I confesie a â—nd of fear of God abusively * Timor Dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sic appellatus Polan Synt. so called a generall fear a
with unbeleevers m Mat. 24.51 Luk. 12.46 What though they flourish awhile here and spread themselves like a gren bay tree n Psal 37.35 exorientur sed exurentur it is that they may be cut off for ever What is fairer then the corn-field a little before harvest then the vineyard a little before the vintage Thrust in thy siclke and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe and cast t into the great wine-presse of the wrath of God o Rev. 14.18 19. SECT V. Vse Let them therefore hasten out of the Devils danger and get into Gods service How that may be done KNowing therefore the terrour of the Lord Vse 3 we perswade men p 2 Cor. 5.11 And oh that we could perswade all unregenerate prsons first by this point to do as Saint Peter adviseth all in their case Repentye saith he and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord q Act. 3.19 Bloted out I say and first out of Gods book of remembrance where they stand written with a pen of iron and with the point of a diamond r Jer 17.1 Secondly out of the book of their own consciences where they stand recorded for future time as ye may see in Josephs brethren Their own hearts condemned them and called them miscreants twenty years after the fact committed ſ Gen. 42.21 their consciences also bearing witnesse as saith the Apostle and their thoughts between themselves accusing one another t Rom. 2.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 formavit pinaeit Where it is remarkable that the Syriack translatour useth a word for conscience that signifieth a written or painted thing For the conscience now is as a table wherein are many things painted which sort of writting is fitly compared to that we write with the juice of an onion or lemmon hold it to the fire and it is legible So when the conscience is once put to the fire of Gods wrath all will out and old sins come to a new reckoning The onely way to spunge out this writing is by weeping upon it repentant tears that God may wash us throughly with the blood of his Son For if we confesse our sins against our selves with David u he is faithful and just to sorgive us our sins x 1 Joh. 1.7 9 and to crosse out of his debt-book the black lines of our sins and arrerages with those red lines of his sons blood I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins y Esay 43.25 And again I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses and their sins will I remember no more z Heb. 8.12 Lo if we but remmber our misdoings he will forget them if we reveale them with shame and sorrow he will cover them a Psal 32.1 if we but see them to confession we shall never see them to our confusion if we but acknowledge the debt he will cancel the bond blot out the hand-writting that was against us b Col. 1.2 14 and cast all our sins behinde him c Micah 7.19 as off-cast eidences that are past date into the depth of the sea so that we shall never see them again otherwise then the Israelites saw their enemies the Egyptians dead upon the shoare 2 Next doth the Lord so remember to requite the services of his people is there such a lively remembrance and ample recompence preparing for them how should this fire up the affections of all unregenerate persons to hire themselves out to God for servants d Rom. 6.13 to swear with David e Psal 119.106 to vow with Ioshua f Josh 24.14 to serve Iehovah renouncing the devils drudgery to whom they have hithereo damned themselves voluntary slaves to their inestimable disadantage It is a point I wot well they will not hear of that the devil is their good Lord that he sets them awork and will pay them their wages You know how ill the Jews took it to be told as much by our Saviour Christ g Ioh. 8.44 But that it is no better with them the scripture is clear and the joynt testimony of all Gods redeemed ones concurrent for we our selves also even I Paul and thou Titus were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving diverse lusts and pleasures h Tit. 2.3 hampered and enwrapt in the invisible chaines of the kingdom of darknesse being taken alive captive by the devil at his pleasure i 2 Tim. 2.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hurried about by him as Bajazei in his iron cage toiled out of all true comfort as Samson at his mill opprest with unreasonable tasks and insupportable burdens as hrael in the iron-furnace this is their work And for wages they are exposed to a world of plagues and curses armies and changes of sorrows and calamities here their whole life being but one continuate vexation k Eccles 2.17 besides the fear of death that upshot and center of evils to evil men making them subject to bondage all their life time l Heb. 2.15 And worthily for terrours take hold of them then as waters they make them afraid on every side m Job 27.20 18 19 Trouble and anguish make them afraid they shall prevail against them as a king ready to the battle n Iob. 15.23 24 Death seizeth upon them as a mercilesse officer o Psal 55.15 takes them by the throat as that cruel servant in the Gospel feedeth upon their flesh as a greedy lion p Psal 49.14 stings them to the soul as a fiery serpent q 1 Cor. 15.55 gripes them to the quick as a bear robbed of her whelps comes upon them with a firmae Ejectione as an inexorable Landlord carries them away as Gods executioner yea as the messenger and forrunner of the second death where the worm never dieth where the fire never goes out r Mar. 9.44 where they seek death but finde in no◠yea desire it but it fleeth from them ſ Rev. 9.6 It is reported of Roger somtimes Bishop of Sal shury the second man from king Steven that he was so tortured in prison with hunger and other calamities usually accompanying people in that case ut vivere noluerit mori nescierit live he would not die he could not How much more true think we is this of all those that are thrust into that outer-darknesse Nubrigensis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that darknesse beyond a darknesse as the word seems to import that utmost dungeon of the damned where there is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnaihing of teeth Weeping for extremity of heat and gnashing of teeth for extremity of cold Weeping is the expression of sorrow and sorrow cools the heart and cold makes the teeth to chatter Thus those miserable creatures do at some time freez and
fry weep and gnash live and die a dying life a living death not for a time or times or half a time t Rev. 12.14 oh happy they if ever they might hope an end but ever and ever and beyond all time throughout all eternity Oh considerchis all ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you u Psal 50.22 Save your selves from this tormenting Tophet and be forwarned to flee from the wrath to come See what miserable slaves ye are to Satan being altogether as much in his power and clutches x Act. 26 18 as he that goes gyved is in the gaolers or he that goes up the ladder pininond and hoodwinkt in the hangmans and for how little good advantage ye lay forth your selves and toyl out your lives in wearisome * Ier. 9.5 Psal 55.10 wickednesse Do but summon the sobriety of your senses afore your own judgments and see what uncessant pains ye are at and all to go to hell whiles you do wickedly with both hands earnestly y Mic. 7.3 working hard at the works of the flesh but putting your gets into a bottomlesse bag z Hag. 1.6 Nay that 's not all for he that soweth the winde shall reap the whirelwinde a Prov. 22 8 Hos 10 12 saith Solomon that is he that soweth the wind of sin and vanity shall reap the whirlwinde of vengeance and misery And he that soweth to his flesh shall of the fiesh reap that corruption that is contradistinguisht to life everlasting b Gal. 6.8 for the wages of sin is death c Rom. 6. ult Sursum cursum nostrum dirigamus minantem imminentem exterminantem mortem attendamus ne simul cum corporis fractura animae jacturam faciamus temporal spiritual and eternal And is it nothing to lose an immortal soul to purchase an everliving death hear then set thy self in good earnest to see and sigh under Satans servitude be sensible of his yoke as galling thy neck and let it make thee cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this unsufferable servitude Behold I am more miserable then Samson at the mill for he had hope in his death d Prov. 14.32 but what hope have I When God shall take away my soul e Job 27.8 I am more miserable then Zedekiah in cold irons for though he los his eyes yet he escaped with his life but I alasse am am dead while alive f 1 Tim. 5.6 a very living ghost a walking sepulchre of my self I am more miserable then Ieremy in the dungenon for he found friends and means of enlargement but to which of the Saints shall I turn my self g Job 5.1 or where shall I finde help or rescue in heaven or earth I am more wretched then Israel in Egypt for if they performed their tasks they escaped the lash but I after all my best services done o the devill am laden with stripes and shall be scourged with scorpions * â—â—â—nsideret his quilibet quam jod 1 sir servitus servhe priacipi immò tyranno diabolo qui subditos sibi infandis divexat modis Bucer Thus make moan to thy self first and tenmake out to Christ next for manumission and enlargement for if the son set you free you shall be free indeed h Ioh. 8.36 Cry to the Lord Christ in the words of the ancient Church O Lord other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but we will remember thee only and thy name i Isa 26.13 Thy name is as an oynt munt powred out theresore the Virgins love thee k Cant 1.3 O pour upon my dry soul of that precious oyntment and stablish me with thy free spirit l Psal 51 12 for where thy spirit is there is liberty m 2 Cor. 3.17 from both the commanding and the condemning poer of sin and Satan O deliver not the soul of thy turtle dove to these wicked ones x in thy righteousnesse rid me and set me free For a day in thy courts is better then a thousand other-where I had rather be a dore-keeper in the house of my God o Ps 84.10 11 then to be Satans chlef-favourite or one of the privy chamber For the Lord God is a Sun and a shield the Lord will give grace and glory large wages grace and glory what things be these one would think that were reward enough for such sorry service as we can do him a best ey but then her 's more then enough for no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Oh bountifull God! who would not chuse and covet to be thy servant who would not gladly stand waiting at the posts of thy gates p Prov. 8 34 if haply at any hour of th day he might hear thy happy call and be hired into thy heavenly Vineyard who would not â—un through thick and thin * Quidam ad omnia viae vitae hujus exercitia non solum ambulant sed currunt imò potius volant Bern. Serm. 3. de Asc Dom. to compasse such a gainfull service And yet 't is a world to see a wonder to behold how strangely men hang off here how hard they are to be wonn to the setting in hand with the works of the Lord miserably slighting God offers and letting slip their golden opportunities of getting into his employment They talke sometimes of the wages but shrink at the work as the Israelites talked of the reward of Goliath's conquest yet fled from it when they had done q 1 Sam. 17.24 25 The land is good said those faint-hearted spies but the cityes are walled up to heaven and the inhabitants unconquerable They wish well other-whiles to heaven as he that kneeled to our Saviour with good master r Mat. 19.16 Turpe est impios diabolo tam strenuèservire nos Christo pro sanguinis â—retio nihil rependere Cyprian lib. de oper et eleemos in his mouth they could be glad with Balaam to dye the death of the righteous but to live their precise and austere life that goes to the heart of them they cannot frame to it O blinder then Beetles the merchant refuseth no adventure for the hope of gain the hunter shrinketh at no weather for love of game the souldier declineth no danger for desire of glory or spoile the bear breaks in upon the hives contemning the stings And shall we fain to our selves an ease in not understanding or an idlenesse in not seeking after that service that will be a means unto us not only of avoyding intollerable and endlesse torments which is the devills meed and wages but also of attaining immeasurable and immortall glory pleasure and gain which is Gods reward and guerdon For glory honour and peace to every man that works good to the lew first and also to the Gentile Å¿ Rom. 2 10 And contented godlinesse
the spirit x Rom 8.27 so of the flesh too though it never put forth it self in the outward man that he sets our secret sinnes also in the sight of his countenance y Psal 90.8 and will not fail to bring every secret thing to judgement z Eccles 12. ult even all their Atheisticall vainglorious covetous ambitious adulterous malicious thoughts and projects against the Lord and his Christ his crown and dignity And that none may be ignorant he makes Proclamation thereof as it were in open Sessions by the voice of his holy Prophet with a solemn Oyes Hear O earth behold I will bring evill upon this people even the fruit of their thoughts a Jer. 6.19 Where ye have to observe that the heavy wrath and vengeance of Almighty God is both the just desert and certain event of evil thoughts and count you that a small matter Is it nothing to fall into the punishing hands of the living God b Heb. 10.31 Is there not a fire kindled in his wrath even for some one root of bitternesse that is inward distemper and mentall abomination harboured and allowed that burns as low as the nether-most hell c Deut. 32.22 SECT V. Against thoughts of Atheisme Blasphemy Infidelity and Rebellion BUT in the third place most of all to be condemned of want of Gods holy fear are such as not onely not think of God or not duely think of him but unto all other their sinnes adde this that they think thoughts against him directly opposite to his Name Devise things contrary to the Name of Jesus d Acts 26.9 taking up high and haughty imaginations such as exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and obedience of Christ e 2 Cor. 10.4,5 And of this sort of sinners is that heavy complaint made by God himself in the Prophet Hosea Though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lies against me though I have bound and strengthened their arms yet do they imagine mischief against me f Hos 7.13 15 Hitherto may be referred 1. Thoughts of Atheisme as to think there is no such thing as God or if any yet that hee seeth not careth not doth neither good nor evil g Zech. 1.12 Deos didici securum agere aevum Nec siquid miri faciat Natura Deos id Tristes ex alto coeli demittere tecto Horat. serm walks in the circle of heaven and hides himself in the thick cloud h Job 22.13 without any respect at all to this inferiour world 2. Thoughts of blasphemy as to murmur grudge and speak against him in our hearts and secretly to mock at his mighty works his powerfull ordinances i 1 Cor. 1.23 the promise of his coming c. 3. Thoughts of infidelity and despair as that God doth not heed me will not help me l Gen 4.13 save me make good his word unto me c. This is to make God a lier m 1 Ioh. 5.10 Cum Leoni X. Papae Bembus Card. aliquid ex Evangelio obijceret subridens ille dixit Nunquid non compertum abunde fuit quantum nobis coetui nostro contuler it haec de Christo fabula Alsted Chronol p. 398 saith St. John and upon the matter to averre and avouch that there is no such thing as Christ or at leastwise no such vertue and efficacy in his death and life k 2 Pet. 3.4 as to save all those that repose upon him 4. Thoughts of high-treason and open rebellion against heaven as when men rise up against God in their hearts as the horse against his rider thinking within themselves though they shame to say as much Who is the Lord that wee should serve him o Exod. 5.2 Who made thee a Prince or a Ruler over us p Act. 7.27 Our lips are our own who shall controll us q Psal 12.4 The word that is spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord we will not do No but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth r Ier. 44.16 17 say the Prophets and Preachers what they can to the contrary Against all which detestable and damnable Atheists yokelesse and frontlesse Belialists Behold the Lord cometh saith that ancient Enoch with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgement upon all and by vidicating his glorious Name from their base surmises and blasphemous aspersions to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which upon such false and abhorred principles they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have out of the abundance of their hellish hearts spoken against him ſ Iude 14.15 Where wee leave them for present to chew awhile upon that fearfull doom that abides them till we hear of their amendment and hasten to a second Use SECT VI. Use 2. Examination Where trialls of the goodnesse of our best thoughts by their 1. cause 2. effects IS this so that the thoughts of the righteous are right t Prov. 12.5 and that wheresoever the true fear of God is there are great thoughts of heart u Iudg. 5.15 concerning God and his Name This then serves next for an Use of Triall And so let every man learn hence to take a true estimate to make a right judgement of his spirituall good estate by the quality of his thoughts For ever as the man is such are his thoughts and as the thoughts are habitually and ordinarily good or evil so is the man Purity in the inward parts is the most sound and infallible evidence of our portion and interest in the power and purity of Christs saving passion and sancifying bloodshed Whereas if our speeches and actions be never so Angelicall yet if the thoughts of our hearts be not forgiven us x Acts 8.22 Verse 23. Quum reproborum mentibus occasto perpetrandi peccati deest desideriorum cogitationes eorū cordibus nullatenùs desunt quum non semper diabolum sequuntur in opere valdè tamen se illi obligant in cogitatione Greg. Moral lib. 14. and we enabled to keep them in some good compasse by the spur of the first and curb of the last commandement we are in no better case then Simon Magus was who for all his fair pretences stuck fast still in the gall of bitternesse and bond of perdition A civil honest man a painted hypocrite a gracelesse and wicked persn dare insatiably mind and muse upon those foul evils which for want either of ability or opportunity or both he cannot act Now such a man as this though his outward behaviour be never so fair and unrebukeable yet the Scripture every where brands for a sonne of Belial one that hath nothing of the spirit of God in him y 2 Cor. 10.5 but is filled with the devil that foul spirit from corner to corner z Act 5.3 4 a man not washed from his wickednesse a Jer. 4.14
locusts c. Till Pharaoh was compelled to answer for him The Lord is righteous but I and my people are wicked This was a faire confession but extorted for he was no sooner off the rack but he bit it in again and became more hard and hardy as water grows more cold after a heat And such for all the world was the forced and fained obedience of those Israelites im the wildernesse while God slew them by fiery serpents and others his warriors then they sought him yea they returned and enquired after God Psal 78.34.36 as if they would have done the deed Neverthelesse they flattered him with their mouthes and lied unto him with their lips So must not we do if ever we mean to do well but throwing away our weapons lay our selves low before his foot-stool unfainedly submitting to the scepter of his kingdom obeying from the heart that form of doctrine whereunto we have been delivered For what a shame is it for us not to do that homage to God Rom. 6.17 that all other creatures so gladly pay perform what a monstrous thing that man amidst al Gods handy-works that revere the Almighty and readily do his will that he I say should prove a great Heteroclite an open rebel a profest adversary to God his soveraign Lord his crown and dignity Oh send a lamb in token of homage and fealty to the ruler of the world Vow and pray to the Lord your God bring presents unto Fear that is to him that ought to be feared And for as much as with your ten thousand you are not able to encounter this great King that comes against you with twenty thousand times twenty thousand send an embassage quickly of prayers and tears whiles he is yet on the way Irent propè ne remorando iram victores exasperarint Tacit hist lib. 2 Mittamus preces lacrymas cordis legatos Cyprian 1 Kin. 20.32 The British Embassadours came in torne garments with sand on their heads in the time of Valentinian the third Daniels hist of Eng. The Callice men came to Ed. 3 bare headed bare-footed in their shirts with halters about their necks c. lib. p. 240. Psal 27. and desire conditions of peace Luk. 14.32 You know how Jacob disarmed that rough man Esau that came against him with 400. cutthroats at his heels how Abigail appeased that enraged man David that had desperately vowed the death of so many innocents how the Syrians prevailed with that non-such Ahab for the life of their Lord Benhadad Having heard that the kings of Israel were merciful men they put sackcloth upon their loines and ropes upon their heads and in this form of humble suppliants they came to the King and said Thy servant Benadad saith I pray thee let me live And a like addresse we read of in our own histories of the old Brittones to Aetius the Roman Governour and of the Calice-men to one of our Edwards Oh let their practise be our pattern We have heard abundantly that there is a matchlesse mercy in God for all penitent persons above that ever was found in the best king of Israel this mercy we have a promise of if we submit to the condition in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy Hos 14 3. So had not the Syrians their best encouragement was a general hear say This condition is no more then what every man will yeeld to be reasonable viz. that we lay down the bucklers first that we come before him in lowliest manner with ashes on our heads so they of old as unworthy to be above ground with sack-cloth on our loyns as unworthy the coursest cloathing with ropes about our heads as deserving to be destroyed yet humbly begging that we may live in his sight with Ismael yea that we may serve in his presence with Moses and dwell in his house with David all the dayes of our lives to behold the fair beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple This is all that God requires and this was that one thing that David beg'd so dearly at Gods hands Psal 27.4 and accordingly obtained it Hence he so confidently calls his soul to rest amidst a multitude of molestations and incumbrances Hear him else Psal 3. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about I laid me down and slept I awaked c. He never brake his sleep for Absalom and all his forces the up in arms against him For why salvation saith he is of the Lord his blessing is upon his people Ver. 5 6 8. whereof I am one and shall therefore be in safety Behold I have blessed him and he shall be blessed said Isaac of Iacob saith the God of Iacob of all those that rest confidently upon his power for their preservation that hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto them at the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.13 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh saith Eliphaz neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee Iob. 5.22 23. SECT VII Set his power awork by prayer The power of prayer LAstly is God Lord of Hosts how should this consideration quicken and call us up to a constant instancy in prayer to that God Eph. 3.21 2 Cor. 8 Phillip 4 Oratio fidelis omnipotens est Luther Est quaedam omnipotentia precum Alsted syst Theol. lib. 4. cap. 2. Luk. 18.6 who is able to do for us above that we are able to ask or think that we having all sufficiency alwayes in all good things may abound unto every good work through Christ that strengthneth us Many and glorious things are spoken of the power of prayer in the book of God Indeed there is a kinde of Omnipotency ascribed unto it and not without cause For certainly whatsoever God can do prayer can do sith prayer sets God awork God sets his power awork and Gods power sets the creature awork as at Peters enlarge ment and then what wonder the thing come on an end though never so difficult For shal any thing be too hard for God or shal not God avenge his praying people that cry day and night unto him though he bear long with them I tell you that he will avenge them speedily Asa and Iehosaphat prayed down their enemies so did the Jewes in Esthers time the Saints in the acts the thundering legion The death of Arrius Acts 4. Secrat lib. 1. cap. 15. was precationis opus non morbi He was brought to confusion by the prayers of Alexander the good Bishop of Constantinople Luther had obtained of God that whilst he lived the enemie should not plunder his countrey when I am gone said he Acts Mon. let those pray that can So when the states of Germany were once assembled to consult
the Lord draweth nigh And to the same purpose St. Paul Philip. 4.5 Let your patient mind be known to all men Why the Lord is at hand to right your wrongs and plead your cause against an ungodly Nation Yea it may be God will look upon Davids affliction the sooner and do him good the rather for Shimei's cursing this day 2 Sam. 16.12 God gives over the wicked many times to exceed their commission that he may hasten deliverance to his chosen destruction to their enemies Gen. 15.16 their sinnes being once full See for this Psal 119.126 Jer. 51.33 34. Zach. 1.15 I am very sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease For I was but a little displeased with Israel my people but they helped forward the affliction that is they were excessively outragious above that they were bid to do I gave them an inch they took an ell Now therefore lest the righteous put beyond his patience should reach forth his hand to iniquity now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him Psal 12.5 God seeth it but high-time to make us heavâ—e other-whiles with manifold afflictions But blessed is the man that endureth temptation for after hee hath suffered awhile he shall receive the crown of life For this light affliction which is but for a moment Jam. 1.12 2 Cor. 4.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A levitate agilitate cervgrum nomen habet Chemnit Leve pondere â—â— pluma Cornel à Lapide Heb. 5.8 Luke 17 Psal 27.14 Eccles 3.1 11 Deut. 5 worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory An exceeding excessive eternall weight of glory is wrought out unto us by our short and light afflictions God will look upon us as those that have been judged already and account the present sufferings sufficient unto us 1 Pet. 4.13 Good therefore is the counsell of our Saviour who himself was perfected by sufferings In your patience possesse your souls And that of the Psalmist Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. He hath appointed a time for all and every thing is beautifull in its season The Israelites had their flesh at Even and bread in the Morning God will be waited on and give the consummation of his blessings at his leisure Their journey from Aegypt to Canaan might have been dispatcht in three dayes as Philo tells us but God led them up and down the wildernesse as if they had been treading a maze and held them sometimes a yeer together in a place to their grief no doubt but for their good that He might humble them and try them and do them good in their later end Water was not turned into wine till the wine failed Joseph was not set out of prison till the set time came The Israelites went not out of Egypt till the very last day of the four hundred yeers was well-nigh at an end Smyrna must be in prison ten dayes at least that she may be tried and that the trial of their faith being much more precious then that of gold that perisheth though tried in the fire might be found to praise honour and glory The day of the churches restauration by Christ here promised was not performed of 400. yeers after yet when the fulnesse of time was come Rev. 2.10 1 Pet. 1.7 Gal. 4. God sent his son made of a woman made under the law c. Say it had been 4000 years a thousand years is to God but as one day because in him there is no flux nor motion Our purblinde eyes see nothing but that which toucheth the lid as it were when Gods quick sight vieweth that as present that is a world off But now when all was at worst in Church and common-wealth and scarce a Ioseph or a Simeon left that looked for the consolation of Israel scarce a Mary or an Anna that waited for salvation in Ierusalem then came the desire of all nations Hag. 2 then the sun of righteous broke out with healing under his whings What shall I say more Christ himself the Captain of our salvation was fourty dayes and fourty nights tempted by the devil before the Angels ministred unto him his soul was heavy unto the death ere his heart was glad and his glory rejoyced Math. 4 Psal 16.9 Rom. 8.17 We also must suffer together ere we can be glorified together as two pieces of iron cannot be fastned till both hath passed the fire SECT XIII Helps to patient waiting upon God for deliverance VVHerefore lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees Heb. 12.12 and for suport consider First that life it self in its full length and latitude is but short the afflictions therefore of life cannot be long To live saith one is but to lie a dying Venire me oper tet praeterire ut horam Epist Multos often dunt terris bona fata ultrà esse sinunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. Iliad l. 12. Thetis de Achille Dego à de ago Ita degimus quum quia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 minus fit nos unà Bèdman de Orig. Rev. 7.16 There is a time to be born and a time to die saith the wise-man He saith not There is a time to live for death borders upon life and a mans cradle stands in his grave Oh what a short cut hath the longest liver ab utro ad urnam from the womb to the tomb from the birth to the burial We chop into the earth before we are aware like a man that walking in a field covered with snow falls suddenly into a marle-pit Few and evil are the dayes of my pilgrimage saith old Iacob Evil they are but few and evil Man that is born of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble Troublesome his dayes are but soon determining sharp his sufferings but short withal as the paines of a travelling woman whereunto they are oft compared Every day we yeeld somewhat to death and death at utmost cures all diseases as that Martyr said Secondly this life once ended heaven begins and makes amends for all For they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more nor shall the sun light on them nor any heat but the lamb shall feed them and lead them to the waters of life and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes as a nurse doth from the eyes of her tender babe Now she is a sorry spouse saith one that cannot make shift with an uneasie horse while she rideth to see the consummation of her love with her betrothed husband I reckon saith that great Apostle that had seen as much of this and the other world as ever man saw that the afflictions of the present time are not worthy to be compared or are in no comparison worthy of the glory that shall be revealed in us Rom. 8.18 For
the Jews valued our Saviour at 2 Cor. 6 20 Zech. 11.13 the price of a slave but with the blood of God Act. 20.28 For we are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold poor things to purchase a soul with more likely a fair deal to drown it desperately in perdition and destruction but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb undefiled 1 Tim. 6.9 1 Pet. 1.18 19 1 Pet. 1.2 Tit 2.14 and without spot who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify us to himself by that blood of sprinkling that saved us from the Destroyer a peculiar people and present us to himself a glorious church not having spot wrincle or any such thing Eph. 5.27 SECT IIII. Reason 4. 4. HE hath effectually called us with an high and heavenly calling Heb. 3.1 Reas 4 Whereby we that in times past were not a people as St. Peter after the Prophet hath it or if any a disobedient and gainsaying people Rom. 10.21 a people laden with iniquity Isay 1.4 a people of Gomorrah ver 10. a naughty people Ier. 13.10 good for nothing but to be cast off as a rotten girdle ibidem and therefore the people of Gods wrath Isa 10.6 and of his curse Esay 34.5 are now by a gracious calling and speciall priviledge become the people of God a righteous people Esay 60.21 a holy people Esay 62.12 wise and understanding above all people Deut. 4.6 a people in whose heart is Gods law Isa 51.7 the epistle of Christ written not with inke but with the spirit of the living God known and read of all men 2 Cor. 3.2 whiles we walk Phil. 2.15 as examples of the Rule harmelesse and blamelesse the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and corrupt nation amongst whom we shine as lights in the world holding forth the word of life as an ensigne or badge of our high and honourable vocation and as an holy nation a peculiar people shewing or preaching forth the vertues of Christ that hath called us out of Egypt into Goshen out of palpable darknesse into his marvelous light And this the rather 1 Pet 2.9 1 Cor. 1.24 because not many wise mighty or noble are called 't is a wonder that any But God hath made known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory even us whom he hath called according to purpose not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles As he saith also in Osee I will call them my people which were not my people and clepe her beloved which was not beloved Rom. 9.23 24. yea I will betroth her unto me in faithfulnesse and marry her in mercy for ever Now marriage in it self is honourable among all men Hos 2.20 Heb. 1.2 How much more when to such and such an honourable personage as the Heir of all things Especially since to make her a fit spouse he purifies her as they did Esther and beautifies her as Abrahams servant did Rebeccah for he puts a Jewel upon her fore-head earerings in her eares and a crown royall upon her head Ezek. 16.12 he decks her as a bride-groom and as a bride adornes her self with Jewels Isa 61.10 thus is her beauty perfect through his comelinesse put upon her And herein the Lord Christ goes beyond all earthly bride-grooms whatsoever Moses married a blackmore and could not change her hue Solomon an Egyptian and could not convert her to the truth But Christs conveys and communicates his beauty to his bride every grace in that chaine about her neck wherewith Christ is ravished Caent 4.9 being as a costly Jewel set in fine gold and whensoever he calls a man to an heavenly kingdome as once Saul to an earthly he makes him to be of another spirit then before and to walk worthy of God and worthy of the vocation wherewith he is called Eph. 4.1 SECT V. Reason 5. LAstly God hath already glorified his people so the Apostle doubts not to deliver himself of sanctification begun here Reas 5 Rom. 8.30 and to be perfected hereafter set them together with Christ in heavenly places given them the earnest of their inheritance for a pawn of the whole bargaine Ephes 2.6 the first-fruits of the spirit as a foretaste a pledge of the whole harvest garnished them with that grace that will one day be glory nay is so already for what is grace but glory begun and what is glory but grace perfected They differ not in kinde but degree only whence it is that grace is in scripture put for glory and glory again is used for grace yea that Gods people 1 Pet. 4.14 for their graces are called the Glory Esay 4.5 46.13 as having the spirit of glory and of God resting upon them Indeed there is a naturall glory stampt upon the very persons of true Christians Colos 2. ult such as those that are but meer civil men cannot chuse but honour as the Hittites did Abraham Thou art a Prince of God among us nay the wicked and worst of men as Jehoram did the Prophet Elisha over whom when sick he wept out O my father Acts Mon. my father the horsemen of Israel and charets thereof And Master Bradfords death is said to have been bewayled of many Papists also that knew his piety in his life and patience in his death so much honour God did him in the consciences of his very enemies Vnde indicatur conscientiae puritas causae benitas Malcolm in Act. 7 Ephes 4 Mat 4 Cant. 4. Wisdome maketh the face to shine as it did St. Servens They saw his face as the face of an Angel such was the goodnesse of his conscience his cause and his courage And could they have seen his inside they should have discerned and admired a farre greater glory that new man I mean that new world above-mentioned that after God or according to the likenesse of the heavenly paterne is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse The transcendent beauty and bravery whereof is such that the Lord Christ himself who was nothing moved with an offer of the glory of the whole world professeth himself ravisht and lost in love toward a sanctified soul For albeit we are sanctified but in part and there be yet many flawes and blemishes in the best whiles here yet he considers us as we are in himself and as we shall be in the state of perfection like as we do kings children Colos 3.3 whiles yet in their nonage For when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Israel in the mean-while is his glory Esay 46.13 a crown and a diadem in the hand of Jehovah actually possest of heaven aforehand as it were by turf and twig Joh. 5.24 1 Joh. 3.14 And albeit the Saints have not yet attained to the full degree of the shining brightnesse of
carried captive by Kederlaomer Whereas else he would make a short work upon the earth Rom. 9.28 If the mourners were once marked and set safe out of harmes way he would soon say to the Angell Ezek 9. Smite and spare not Look what Elisha once said to Jehoram King of Israel the same saith God to all ungodly persons Surely were it not that I regard the presence of Iehoshaphat the good king of Judah 2 King 3.14 I would not look toward thee nor see thee Add hereunto that God not only spareth and blesseth but also graceth and gifteth the wicked with excellent abilities and endowments for his peoples behoof and benefit as Saul with a spirit of government for Israels sake and of prophecy for Davids safety the Egyptians with Jewels for the use of the sanctuary and those that shall hear Depart ye with the power of prophesying and doing miracles for the Churches use and benefit Nay more Prov. 21.18 the wicked shall be a ransome for the righteous and the transgressour for the upright Thus God gave Egypt for Israels ransome Isa 43.3 4. I gave Ethiopia and Seba for thee And why Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable and I have loved thee Therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life Thus is the righteous delivered out of trouble and the wicked comes in his stead Prov. 11.8 SECT IX OH but we see it otherwise often that those you call righteous are not delivered Ob. Sol. And what more sure then sight First sight though the most certain sense may be deceived about its own object if it want a clear middle For example A man beholds a staff part through the clear ayre and part through the dark water and so deems it crooked when indeed it is straight So the purblind world beholding the Christian life thorough the dark middle of prejudice judgeth it miserable and disconsolate not knowing that to the righteous there ariseth light out of darknesse joy out of grief good out of evill comforts out of crosses and those equivalent to deliverances Those mentioned in that little book of Martyrs Heb. 11. though tortured and tympanized yet they would not be delivered that they might obtain a better resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It was never merrier with the three children then in the midst of the furnace where the son of God was walking with them Dan. 3. Gen. 28. Iacobs heart was never so light as when his head lay hardest Secondly there is a double deliverance One keeping us from the evill and another keeping us under it that it shall not hold us much lesse hurt us And this later way at least every of Gods Jewels is made up and delivered For though ye have layne among the pots all burnt and swooty yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her feathers of yellow gold Psal 68.13 Delivered then the righteous are we see though not delivered That they are not here fully freed from trouble they may thank themselves in a great measure For as the subjection of the creature to us depends upon our subjection to God and our peace with men upon our keeping peace with him Iob 5.23 So our subjection to God and peace with him here being only inchoate and imperfect we recover our safety from the creatures and peace with men but in part and unperfectly But look what is wanting therein is recompensed with spirituall peace even here Ioh. 16 â—3 how much more hereafter And say that God suffer his Jewels to be killed all day long and counted as sheep to the slaughter yet precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints Psal 116.15 Rom. 8. and neither life nor death shall sunder them from Gods love in Christ Jesus So that if they ' scape not his sword without yet they shall ' scape the terrour within which is that that sets an edge upon the sword and makes it enter into the soul The godly man shall be able in the worst times to call his soul to rest with David Psal 116.7 1 Sam. 30.6 Luc. 21. Deut. 20. and to comfort himself in the Lord his God in a common combustion then when others shall be at their wits ends and even mad again for the sight of their eyes and perplexity of their spirits Death he knowes is the worst that can befall him and that ever since it ran through the veins of Christ crucified is so sweetened unto him that he is little or no whit amazed at the fore-going gripes which are but as the throwes of Child-birth by which the soul is borne out of this lothsome body into endlesse felicity Oh therefore the safety and dignity of a true Christian whom very pain easeth whom death reviveth whom dissolution uniteth whom lastly his very corruption preserveth and sin glorifieth As for our full deliverance from all annoyances we grone within our selves and with patience wait for it even the redemption of our bodies Rom. 8.23 24. Pectatum tametsi non bonum tamen in bâ—num Aug. And when that happy day once begins to shine forth then look up if ever for your redemption draweth nigh Luc. 21.28 The Lord Christ will then lift up your heads as Pharaoh did his Butlers take you from the prison to the palace and restore you to your ancient honours and offices loft in Adam as to be Kings Priesty Judges Benchers c. He shall say unto you then as once to Israel Behold I will settle you after your old estates and will do better unto you then at your beginnings and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Ezek. 36.11 This meditation setled David â—â—eedingly Psal 17. where having spoken of the men of this world Psal 17.15 which have their portion here he presently subjoynes As for me I shall behold thy face in righteousnes I shall be satisfied when I awake that is out of the dust of death with thine image This also kept Jobs head above water when else he had been overwhelmed with floods of affliction Job 19.25 26 I know that my Redeemer liveth c. And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall see God Daniel 12.1 2. Though things be otherwise darkly delivered yet when the Jews were to lose land and life then plainly the Resurrection is named And Heb. 11.35 we read of some that were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection Joh. 11.24 I know saith Martha that my brother shall rise at the Resurrection at the Consolation saith the Syriack Translator And well he might call it the Consolation to the righteous for these prerogatives and priviledges that shall befall all such in that day SECT X. FIrst a glorious resurrection of their dead bodies by vertue of the mystical Union they have with Christ The bodies of the Saints though
so much only as the Eccho resounds But we must be getting and growing in this grace even in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ He is the brightnesse of his fathers glory and the expresse image of his person The beam of the Sun is not so like the body of the Sun the character on the wax is not so like the seal that imprints it nay milk is not so like milke as Christ is like his father He is up and down the self-same that his Father is they differ in nothing Christus est alius à patre non aliud but that the one is the father and not the son the other is the son and not the father Hence that of our Saviour to Philip when he said Lord shew us the father and it sufficeth us Jesus saith unto him Have I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not known me Philip He that hath seen me Ioh. 14.8 9 hath seen the Father and how sayest thou then shew us the Father The very same All-powerfull God who in fellowship of his sacred person hath a soul and body glorified the same spirituall nature is the nature of the Father As if the same soul and body that is in you were communicated with the person of your child Well might our Saviour therefore say If ye had known me ye should have known my father also John 14.7 Oh learne and labour therefore to profit more and more in the mystery of Christ to know him better in his natures in his offices in his workes both of Abasement and Advancement of Humiliation and Exaltation but especially to know him as St. Paul did for the other you may easily know out of every Catechisme to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death Phil. 3.10 This is the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus ver 8. this is life eternall Ioh. 17.3 We know no more of God and his will then we practise and have experience of Christ is said to know no sin because he did none and Eli's sons knew not the Lord though priests because they feared him not they deteined the truth they knew in unrighteousnesse as those Philosophers did Rom. 1.18 SECT IX Let them thankfully acknowledge his free grace in their adoption and why A Second duty we owe to God as his children is thankfull acknowledgement of that never-enough adored depth of his singular love in our Adoption The absolute and independant freedome of his grace herein was such that without any the least colour of cause or shew of reason in us without any defect on his part or desert on ours He drew us out of the most vile and servile condition that could be into the glorious liberty of the sons of God David was to be gathered to his fathers Psal 132.11 Esay 9.6 1 Tim. 1.17 Psal 2. and it was therefore a singular favour to him that he should have children to sit upon his throne after him But God is the King immortall as St. Paul stiles him the everlasting Father as Esay and therefore needs no son to succeed him But if he did he had a son of his own as like him as is possible whom also he hath set as King upon his holy hill of Sion Amongst men those that have children of their own if they adopt another mans childe it is commonly because their own are unfit for succession either from some bodily weaknesse as not likely to leave issue or for basenesse of spirit and badnesse of behaviour as uncapable and unfit for government Now none of all this can without horrible blasphemy be said of the Lord Christ But admit the case had so stood with God that it had been requisite he should have adopted any for his sons and heirs the good Angels might have drawn away his affection from us by their holinesse or the evill angels his compassion for their wretchednesse or he could for a need of very stones have raised up children to himself to be heirs of his kingdome in Christ It was his will only and nothing else that moved his will to set his love upon us as we may see both in the type Deut. 7.7 and in the truth Eâ—h 1.5 Surely as there was no defect or need in him so there was as little merit or desert in us For whereas in the civill adoption as when Pharaohs daughter adopted Moses Mordecai adopted Esther Jacob the two sons of Joseph there is something in the Adopted that moveth the Adoptant cither some outward inducement as kindred beauty favour c. or some inward as the gifts of the minde understanding ingenuity hopefulnes c. there was nothing at all in us to move God to such a mercy For outward respects there was neither kindled to mâ—â—te him for our father was an Amorite Ezek. 16.3 4 5 6. Christ calls his spouse first his Love and thâ—n his fair one Câ—â—t 2.10 Homo est inversâ—s decalogus Eph. 2.1 2. our mother a Hittite we were the sons of the perverse rebellious woman as Saul reproached Ionathan nor yet beauty to intice him for we were in our blood in our blood in our blood when he spread the skirt of his garment over us and said unto us Live Blood is so many severall times there named to note our extreme filthinesse so little amiable were we when he set his love upon us And for any inward motive grace which is the only thing that God looks after Psal 14.2 is not at all to be found in the naturall man Nay he stands acrosse and is quite contrary to it as being acted and agitated by the devill and held captive as a slave by him at his pleasure Loe this was our estate thus the Lord found us when he came to adopt us And indeed Adoption to speak properly as it is a borrowed terme from the civil law imports as much For it is the raking of one foâ— a son who is for present in some servitude to another And so Lawyers distinguish it from Arrogation which is say they the chusing of one for a son that is free his own man not under the command of another But such alass was not our case 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 3.23 for both Jews and Gentiles were shut up under sin fist shut up close prisoners in the devills dungeon whose works we did as slaves and could not but do them whose image we bear as sons and could not but resemble him being as like the devill as if we had been spâ—tout of his mouth and had perished together with him in our own filth and blood like that forlorne infant Ezek. 16. had not he of his mere grace and goodnesse when it was thetime of loves said unto us Live yea when we were weltring in our blood he said Live Oh let the deep and due consideration of this matchlesse mercy and free favour ravish and
Aarons rod better then the rest that it alone should bud and the rest lye dry by it n Num. 17.8 every name was alike written in their rod there is nâ— difference in the letters nor in the wood it is Gods choise that made the distinction So what was the floore of a Jebusite to the Lord above all other soâ—les to build an Altar on after the raging plague in Davids time o 2 Sam 24.18 As in places so in persons God maketh men to differ p 1 Cor. 4.7 and that is ever worthiest that he pleaseth to accept Araunah a Jebusite by nature but made a Proselyte by grace giveth his freehold as a King to the King q 2 Sa. 24.23 This deed of his or rather this work of Gods free grace is long after remembred by the prophet as some not improbably interpret him Ekron shall be as the Iebusite r Zach. 9.7 That is say they the barbarous people of Palestina shall be as the famous Araunah by kindred indeed a Jeâ—usire but by Gods gracious acceptation and adoption an Israelite Like as elsewhere Jether that was by his country and Ismaelite Å¿ 1 Chro. 7.17 is for his faith and religion called an Israelite t 2 Sam. 17.25 So then to summ up this reason albeit by nature that 's never a better of us but all are in the same hatefull and wofull condition all cut out of the same cloth as it were the sheers only going between Yet when grace once comes and sets a difference when that divine nature u 2 Pet. 1.4 as St. Peter calleth it is transfused into a man and he begins to be like unto God in some truth of resemblance the Lord cannot chuse but love and delight in his own image where ever he meets with it Now the persons of such being once in acceptation through Christ Gods beloved one x Eph. 1 6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their sacrifices cannot but be well accepted also Thus the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering to Noah and his burnt-sacrifice to Abraham and his intercession for Sodom to Iobs request for his friends to Davids for his people to Pauls for those in the ship Will you know a reason Abel was a righteous person y Heb. 11.4 Noah his favourite z Gen. 6.8 Abraham his friend Iob his servant a Iob 1.8 David his corculum b 1 Sam. 13 14 or darling Paul his elect vessell c Act. 9.15 Hence their high acceptance in the court of heaven and hence that singular delight and complacency that God took in their services For though the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord yet the prayer of the upright is his delight d Prov. 15.8 Psal 4.3 The blood of a swine is as well coloured and as fair to see to as the blood of a sheep but the former was an abhomination to the Almighty and present death to the party that brought it when the later might with good leave and liking be powred about his Altar and the sacrificer depart with the publican justified and accepted And that 's the second thing we were speaking to respecting the services of Gods people in all which there is something of Gods and something of their own This later God graciously overlooks taking notice only of his own part in that we do and hence our acceptance If this be not plain enough take it thus The Lord leadeth his people by his spirit into good works by governing the habits of grace infused and producing therehence acts of grace which though mixed with corruption as from us for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean e Iob 14.4 Denominatio fit à potiori saith Iob Yet are they good before God who winks at the imperfections and have a true goodnesse in them being therefore denominated and called from the better part good works f 2 Tim. 2.21 good fruites g Mat. 12.33 fruits of the Spirit h Gal. 5.22 who exerciseth our faith hope love zeal fear of God humility and other graces in producing them Whence it is that passing by infirmities in the manner God looks upon all our religious performances as fruits of the vine i Esay 5.4 whereupon he is pleased to feed heartily the Church her self as knowing like another Rebeccah such savoury meat as he best loved inviting him thereunto Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits k Cant. 4. ult which accordingly he did as followeth in the next chapter l Cant. 5.1 SECT IIII. Vse 1. It s otherwise with the wicked Their persons are hated their performances rejected and why FOr Use of this point God gives diligent heed to Use 1 and takes great pleasure in the religious performances of his faithfull people this as it must needs be marvelous comfortable to the saints so it cannot but be exceeding terrible to the wicked and unregenerate with whom alass it is farr otherwise if they mark it For they are all Cursed with a curse even with Cains curse the Lord had no respect to his sacrifice m Gen. 4.5 with Sauls curse whom the Lord would not answer neither by dreames nor by Urim nor by prophets n 1 Sam. 28.6 with Moabs curse he shall come to his Sanctuary to pray saith the Prophet but shall not prevail o Isa 16.12 with the curse of Davids enemies who cryed out but there was none to save them Yea to the Lord but he answered them not p Psal 18.41 Or if he do hear them as he did sometime that Non-such Ahab q 1 Kin. 21.29 nay the devill himself r Matt. 8 32 yet it is for no other end then that he may come upon them the more justly and consume them after he hath done them good Å¿ Iosh 24.20 their preservation is no better then a reservation to some further mischief But usually the Lord frownes upon such and turnes the deaf ear unto them and worthily for these three causes among many First they cannot present him with any service truly good and acceptable so long as they are out of Christ t Heb. 11.6 All their actions naturall civill recreative religious are abhomination Not the plowing u Prov. 21 4 onely but the prayer of the wicked is sinne x Prov. 15 8 saith Solomon Pray they cannot indeed to speak properly because they want the spirit of prayer that spirit of grace and of deprecation y Zach. 22.10 Say they may with those many in the Psalm Who will shew us any good but pray they cannot as there Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us z Psal 4.5 Wish they may with Balaam the Soothsayer O let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end bee like unto his a Num. 23.10 But 't is a David onely that can pray in
like case Lord take not away my soul with sinners nor my life with bloody men b Psal 2â— 9 The same we may say concerning Christian conference or any other holy duty whatsoever How can ye which are evil speak good things saith our Saviour to the Pharisees c Matt. 12 34 Speak they may no doubt and speak they do many times more then their part comes to or then they have any thank for Yea good things they may speak materially good I mean and to the great good of the hearers as those that prophecied in Christs Name and yet were shut out of heaven d Mat 7.22.23 But for no good to themselves at all because they fail still in the good they do either quoad fontem or quoad finem Either they bring not sorth those good things out of the good treasure of their hearts e Mat. 12 35. they want a good principle of grace within or else they have not right aims and intentions in the good they do They bring forth fruit to themselves with Ephraim f Hos 10.1 when the Church o' tother side keeps her fruit for her beloved g Cant. 5.1 Spira cried â—â—â—nestly for grace for a drop because he could not bee saved without it He said he saw no excellency in iâ— he desired â— not for it self and therefore thought his prayers should not be heard They seek more the applause of men then Gods approof in their religious oiscourses and the relief of their necessities more then the setting forth or Gods glory in their prayers and other services which they performe to God more out of carnall self love then any true delight in the duty Will he delight himself saith Job of the hypocrite in the Almighty will he alwayes call upon God h Job 27.10 And that 's a second reason why God rejects their services which as they are not right and reall so neither are they constant and continuall In an extremity haply or when they have not whither else to turne themselves then God shall hear of them then they runne with Joab to the horns of Gods Altar which in prosperity they seldom or never compassed i Psal 26.6 Then they catch at Gods goodnesse as a drowning man at a little twig which while â—afe upon the shore he never lookt after then they cry and roar for mercy which till then they despised as a prisoner at the barre or as a pig that 's to be stickt But all to no purpose the justice of God so ordering of it and not without their own desert procuring it For to seek God in extremity onely is no proof of a mans piety no triall of his true affection but savours strongly of self love and hypocrisie Letâ—s dog he riel up short and when he is hungerbit he will howl and be heard all the house over And verily such service done at such times and by such persons God no more regards then a man would do the howling of a dog They â—owâ— upon 〈◊〉 beds for corn and wine saith Hosea k Hos 7.14 they roar as bulls that are baâ—ted l Esay 51.20 saith Esay and God must ome quickly to their help or else he comes too late for they will try another course And that 's the third defect God findes in the pretended services of unsanctified persons they are impatient of delayes with Saul m 1 Sam. 13.8 they cannot stay they cannot wait they will not be deferr'd If God come not the sooner they betake themselves to their own shifts and seek to help themselves another way like the Chinois that whip their Gods when they answer them not or that resolute Russus that painted God upon the one side of his shield and the devil on the other with this inscription If thou wilt not have me here 's one will be glad of me * Si tu me nolis isle rogitat or that desperate King of Israel Behold saith he this evil is from the Lord and what should I wait for the Lord any longer n 2 King 6.33 Lo this is the guise and disposition of a godlesse person He seemeth to serve God sometimes but indeed it is to serve himself upon God who if he will not be at his beck and come at his whistle away to the Witch of Endor with Saul o 1 Sam. 28.7 to the god of Ekron with Ahaziah p 2 King 1.2 to Baalim and Ashtaroth with the revolted Israelites q Judg. 10.6 And therefore the Lord either answers them not at all makes no reckoning of their devotions or shapes them an answer according to the Idols of their hearts r Ezek. 14.3 as hee did those ancient Idolaters Ye have forsaken me saith the Lord and set up other Gods wherefore take it for an answer I will deliver you no more Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation Å¿ Judg. 10.13 As for me I will go and return to my place t Hos 5.15 and wo be unto you when I depart from you u Hos 9.12 Oh when it is come to that once that Gods soul shall take no pleasure in a man that x Heb. 10.38 Gods soul shall depart or be disâ—oynted from him y Jer. 6.8 that not his senses onely shall be offended z Isai 1.11 12 14 but his very soul shall hate his new moones and appointed feasts when he shall go to seek the Lord with his sacrifices and shall not finde him a Hos 5.6 I know not whether there can befal a man a more hard and horrid condition upon earth Oh therefore the madnesse and misery both of these wicked and wretched men and women that are out of Christ would God their eyes were once opened that they might see their rueful plight and estate and at length discern that direful dilemma that sin and the Devil hath driven them to Do good duties they must or be damned for their neglect and yet they are damned also for doing them because they do them no better that I say not double-damned and that for this very offence if they had done no more sith displeasing service is a double dishonour to God because we displease him in that wherein he specially looketh to be pleased How then may we run by this first use with terrours into the eyes and ears of unregenerate persons but all to no purpose no though we could cast handfuls of hell-fire into their faces except God please to break up their hearts and pierce their inwards Rebeccah may cook the venison but 't is Isaac must give the blessing we may cry out upon them with all our might and forewarn them to flee from the wrath to come b Math. 3. â— but unlesse God speak withall to their consciences and thrusting his holy hand into their bosomes pluck off the forskin of their hard and brawny