thereof and profane men who make no scruple of ill-doing live in prosperitie and l Psal 10.3 boast of their hearts desire But Many are the Evils of the Righteous XII What is the Church of God but the Congregation of righteous men Wicked men are in the Church but they are not of the Church as Lice Fleas Wormes are in the body and are ingendred of the corruption thereof but are no part of the body therefore the Church is called m Deu. 33.5 IESURUN that is the Righteous or the Vpright when it is said of Moses that he was a king in Iesurun i. amongst the upright n Ier. 8.22 Is there no balme in Gilead is there no Physician there If there be none there where shall ye seek them If there be no righteous men in the Church where shall ye finde them It is true that it may be often excepted against the Church considered by great and in the multitude that o Deut. 32.15 IESURUN the upright waxed fat and kicked that when he was growne big fat and thicke he forsooke God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rocke of his salvation p Matt. 20.15 for many be called but few be chosen And these which are chosen have their owne moles and blemishes they are q Isa 48.8 all transgressours from the wombe But if they be compared with other men they are terrestriall Angels and celestiall men as Chrysostome called Paul And we may say in that respect with the Prophet Habakkuk that r Habak 1.13 the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than hee Notwithstanding that the congregation of righteous men the Church of God the deare spouse of our Lord Iesus Christ is so vexed and turmoiled with evils that her God husband nameth her by them as if they were her christned name calling upon her and saying Å¿ Esa 54.11 Oh thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted So that not only this or that righteous man but the whole companie of the righteous if they were to make choice of a Liverie might take for their device the Gules or red colour or as wee use here in England the red Crosse which is the right badge whereby Christ will have his followers to be known saying unto them and of them t Matt. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse and follow me And if they were to seeke a word to their device amongst thousands which may be found they shall finde none fitter or at least truer than this Many are the afflictions of the Righteous XIII What then were it not better to send a bill of divorce to righteousnesse and bid it farewell that wee may be eased of these many evils for to the righteous the Lord hath said v Ioh. 16.20 Ye shall weepe and lament but of the wicked he saith The world shall reioyce Is not rejoycing better than weeping Is it not better to feast with Herod and to dance with Herodias daughter than to fast to lye in prison and to lose the head for righteousnesse sake with Iohn Baptist The world doth so because the world judgeth so But yee welbeloved know both by your fathers and your owne experience that x Psal 58.11 verily there is fruit for the righteous he hath his reward within himselfe a ful pleasure and delight in the peace of an upright conscience y Pro. 15.15 which is a continuall feast hee liveth in this present World a Tit. 2.12 godly towards God who is the most excellent object that his minde can chuse and most worthie to be loved praised and served in heart words and deeds Righteously towards his neighbour who is his owne flesh and to the purchasing of whose good he is bound by the bands of nature and inward suggestion of his owne conscience Soberly in his owne person to whom he oweth a decent and respectuous care that he never do anie thing misbecoming a man unbeseeming a Christian and unworthy of the ranke wherein God hath placed him For whom shall he not neglect if hee neglect his owne honestie and whom shall he respect if he respect not his owne honour Living so he hath b 1. Tim. 6.6 godlinesse with contentment which is great gaine for c Esa 32.17 the worke of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever But d Esa 57.21 there is no peace to the wicked saith my God And in the end of the world when the Lord Iesus shall come e Mat. 3.12 with his Fanne in his hand and throughly purge his floore then he will gather his Wheat into the Garner but will burne up the chaffe with unquenchable fire f Matt. 25.32 c. Then in his most righteous judgement he will sunder the good from the lewd the upright from the froward the righteous from the wicked Then he shall set the righteous on his right hand and the wicked on the left Then then by the power of the unchangeable sentence of his most righteous mouth all the wicked shall depart from him into everlasting fire and all the righteous shall goe into eternall life The wicked to burne eternally with the Divell the righteous to reigne for ever and ever with their Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Therefore g Hos 10.12 sow to your selves in righteousnesse and ye shall reape in mercy contentment peace joy eternall life through the merites of our Lord Iesus Christ to whom with the Father the holy Ghost be all power honour and glory world without end Amen SERMON II Of the many evils of the Righteous man PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. THe Righteous man hath the evils of sinne and of punishment 2 The evill of sin is worse than the evill of punishment 3 The righteous man hath fewer sinnes and lesse sinfull than the wicked man yet hee hath mo Evils of punishment 4 He is slandered of heresie and blasphemy against God whereof there are many examples in the ancient Church 5 And in ours 6 Hee is also slandered of rebellion against the high powers and of all the evills that are in the world So it was 7 So it is 8 Hence all kind of Evills come upon him 9 Whereof Iob is a very cleere example 10 Vnder the Old Testament the faithful were tried by losse of goods 11 By many afflictions in their bodies 12 And by shamefull reproaches 13 The Christians also have beene tryed after the same maner with losse of goods 14 And of their lives 15 Namely under ten heavie persecutions 16 Great cruelties practised against the Reformed Churches of Germany and of France 17 Exhortation to pray for the peace of the Church 1. THe Righteous mans Evills are of two kinds The evills which he doth the evils which he suffereth In the Schools we call them l Malum culpae malum
but the evill which I would not that I doe Whereof the Apostle rendreth this reason writing to the Galathians b Gal. 5.17 for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that yee cannot doe the things that yee would teaching most cleerely that the sinnes of the spirituall man come from his weakenesse and not from his will otherwise they should be sinnes of malice and not of infirmitie I conclude then that if mans righteousnesse be strictly examined in the balance of the Law there never was and c Eccles 7.20 there is not a iust man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not saving our Lord Iesus Christ who through the prerogative of his immaculate conception by the wonderfull operation of the holy Spirit was d Rom. 8.3 in the likenesse of sinfull flesh e Heb. 7.26 holy harmelesse undefiled separate from sinners and for that cause is called f Act. 3.14 the Righteous that title belonging only to him in that respect 1. Ioh. 2.1 VI. But what godly men cannot claime to themselves in the rigorous strictnesse of the Law that they finde in Gods mercifull acceptation and in the modification of his blessed Gospel wherein he entitleth his beloved children with this honourable name of Righteous men judging of them not by the imperfect perfection of their righteousnesses g Esa 64.6 which are as filthy ragges but by their affection and earnest endevour to be such as they should and which they strive with might and maine to be h Phil. 3.7 13 14. forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before and so pressing toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus For God who sheweth himselfe in the Law clothed with the majestuous and inexorable severitie of a Iudge representeth himselfe in the Gospel as a Father arrayed with meekenesse and mercy regarding the willingnesse of his children rather than anie perfection which may besought but shall not be found in their obedidience so long as they are in the way to their home For in the faithfull and true Christian there are two men i Ephes 4.22 24. The old man which we carry with us from our mothers womb when we are first borne and the new man which is given to us when wee are borne againe That man is Satans worke and the bitter fruit of the rebellion of the first Adam This man is the worke of Gods Spirit and the sweet fruit of the obedience of the second Adam That man is corrupt by deceitfull lusts and therefore is ever busied in drawing us away from goodnesse and entising us to evill This man is created after God in righteousnesse and true holinesse and is ever thrusting us forward from evill to good That man is strong and mightie This man is feeble and withstandeth with great difficultie That man though very powerfull hard to be overcome waxeth old and decayeth from day to day untill he be altogether destroyed This man increaseth every day in might and vigour and like the people of Israel when they were upon their journey ascending to appeare before God in Sion goeth k Psal 84.7 from strength to strength till he come l Ephes 4.13 unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. So that man is at the last subdued overthrowne and killed by this man as the monstrous Gyant Goliah was by little David That man where he reigneth bringeth forth for fruit m Rom. 6.21 22. shame and his end is death This man hath his fruit in holinesse and his end is everlasting life From hence it is that God when he is to speake and make us know what account he maketh of his servants considereth them not according unto those relickes of the old man whose strength is weakened and whose life decayeth and dyeth every day to call them Sinners and wicked ones but for his n Phil. 1.6 owne good workes sake which he hath begun in them and will performe untill the day of Iesus Christ calleth them Saints Righteous Perfect For the Divels worke in us is not so considerable to defame us publikely with the disgracefull name of Sinners and wicked men as Gods worke is to grace us with the honourable title of Saints and Righteous men namely seeing the Lord maintaineth setteth forward performeth his own good work at length destroyeth Satans work in us as I have said What wonder then if he qualifieth us with titles of honour according as we are already shall be hereafter for ever and ever through his power and grace and not according as Satan hath made us and as wee shall not be alwayes for evermore For this cause it is written that o Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Iacob neyther hath he seene perversenesse in Israel Not that there is none but because p Mich. 7.18 he pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant if his heritage covering it with the precious robe of the righteousnesse of his deare Son q Col. 1.22 in whom he hath made us holy unblameable unreproveable and r Coloss 2.10 complete in his own fight And therefore righteous and perfect in Christ of unrighteous and uncomplete in our selves VII The man whom God calleth righteous in this sense is pourtrayed by the holy Spirit as well negatively as affirmatively David saith of him negatively that Å¿ Psal 1.1 he walketh not in the counsaile of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seate of the scornefull and t Psal 119 3. doth no iniquitie S. Iohn saith that v 1. Ioh. 3.6 9. bee sinneth not or as he explaineth himselfe doth not commit sinne that is to say he sinneth not with pleasure and content Whereof the holy Apostle rendreth two reasons for the first he saith that he that committeth sinne is of the Divell he is Satans bond slave for the Divell sinneth from the beginning he hath ever beene is and shall be busied in ill doing Therefore whosoever sinneth as he doth is his and not Gods But the righteous man is delivered out of his clawes through our Lord Iesus Christ the Sonne of God x Vers 8. who for this purpose was manifested that he might destroy the workes of the Divell His second reason is this y Vers 9. Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne for his seed the seed of his predestination and of his Spirit remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because he is borne of God a Bern. de natuâ—â digai tat amoâ— c. 6. Piccatum patitur potius quà m facit quiex Deo natur est Bernard saith That he rather suffereth sinne than committeth it According to that saying of the Apostle b Rom. 7.20 If I doe that I
the brethren Who would not be glad to exchange his transitorie and fraile life for the salvation and everlasting life of Gods Elect And who would not chuse to die to x Iam 5.20 convert a sinner from the errour of his way to cover a multitude of sinnes and to save a soule from death Therein is both honor and profit Honour to the Confessors and Martyrs by whose bands and death so me are converted many are confirmed Profit to Gods Elect which by such means are saved There is not in this world any honour so profitable any profit so honourable and therefore the Apostle considering the honour which commeth of this profit and the profit which floweth from this honour writ to the Colossians that y Col. 1.24 hee reioyced in his sufferings for them i. e. for their conversion to the faith and confirmation in the faith as being Christs Minister in the one in the other Let I pray you let the same mind be in us which was in such holy men Let us all bee for this end Christs Martyrs in affection and thanke the Lord our God for this libertie of his Gospel in this Realme wherein there is no Tyrant no persecuter to make us Martyrs in action XI Secondly men readily conceive extravagant opinions of those whom God hath furnished with rarest gifts and as they are inclined to superstition canonize them and send up commandement to the heavens to receive them for their gods Thus the Gentiles erected Temples dedicated Altars instituted new honors and religious worship to some odde men among their Ancestors of whom they had received some speciall benefit Thus a Act. 3.12 the Iewes held their eyes fixed on Peter and Iohn who had restored a lame man to his feete as if by their power and holinesse that miracle had beene wrought Thus b Act. 10. â—â— 25 26 Cornelius though a devout man and one that feared God with all his house fell downe at Peters feet and worshipped him as if he had beene more than a man Thus c Act. 14.10 11 12 13 the Idolaters of Lystra called Barnabas Iupiter and Paul Mercurius and would have offered sacrifice unto them because they healed a cripple who never had walked Thus the Pope and his Cardinalls canonize and register with the Saints some speciall men of whose holinesse and miracles they say they have sufficient warrant and give expresse commandement to the people to worship them God foreseeing that the divell through his malice would doe his utmost endeavour to re-establish Idolatrie againe in these same holy mens persons by whom he had banished it out of the world even when they did greatest miracles turmoyled them with greatest afflictions that those which saw them in such a miserable state might judge and say that they were men like unto themselves and that they wrought such wonders by Gods finger and not by their own power For the same cause the evills which they suffered are registred in holy Scripture that as S. Panl after hee had begun to tell how he was taken up into Paradise brake off his discourse in the middest saying d 2. Cor. 12.6 I forbeare lest any man should thinke of me above that which he seeth me to be or that he heareth of me so we may say of them that which they acknowledged themselves to be that e Act. 14.15 they were also men of like passion with us for that which they were by grace should not make us forget that which they were by nature even mortall men like our selves XII Wherupon f Chrysost Homi. 1. rd popul Antiochen Chrysostom giveth us another advertisement for when wee exhort you to imitate David Elias Paul Peter such or such a Saint your custome is to answer I am not Peter I am not Paul as if Peter and Paul had beene of some other stuffe than ye are as if they had not beene mortall feeble and sinnefull men as ye are Therefore to take from you all excuse when ye cover your carelesnesse and sloath with such vaine excuses God hath exercised with most infirmities those on whom he hath bestowed greatest graces that seeing they have beene like unto us in weaknesse diseases afflictions and passions belonging to man we despaire not of attaining to the resemblance of the heavenly and saving graces wherewith they were garnished For this end S. Iames propoundeth unto us the example of Elias of whom he saith that f I am 5.17 18. he was subiect to like passions as we are that if wee pray with fervencie as he did wee be assured that we shall speed as he did XIII To these three reasons wee may adde the fourth taken from afflictions as they are corrections chastisements of Gods deerest servants that God will have us to consider them as testimonies of his wrath against sinne and to say to our selves Hath God dealt so roughly with so holy men when they offended him and shall he beare with us or as Christ said g Luk. 23.33 If these things be done in a greene tree what shall be done in the dry This reason is so cleer that S. Peter urgeth it as an infallible demonstration saying h 1. Pet. 4.17 18. The time is come that iudgement must begin at the house of God and if it first begin at us what shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God Wherefore let us lay this to our hearts and learne by such manifest tokens of Gods wrath against sinne to prevent his indignation by an unfained amendment of life Esay saith that i Esa 26.9 when Gods iudgements are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learne righteousnesse God grant that as we are of the number of these inhabitants of the world so we may be of the number of those Students which are schooled by their brethrens afflictions to learne righteousnesse to stand in awe of God and to serve him with an upright heart before his face all the dayes of our life XIV Finally God by the afflictions of his deare ones namely by those which they suffer for righteousnesse sake manifesteth the infallible truth of his promises and the excellencie of his mightie power in their deliverie from the evill day and from all the plots conspiracies secret practices malicious attempts violent invasions of theirs and his enemies which then are constrained to avouch that it is by the finger of God and not by the hand of man that the Church subsisteth upon earth and as it is said in the Psalmes that k Psal 10.2 Christ in the mids of his enemies He saith l Esa 43.2 3. When thou passest thorow the waters I will be with thee and thorow the rivers they shall not overflow thee When thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not be burnt neyther shall the flame kindle upon thee for I am the Lord thy God the holy One of Israel thy Saviour How he accomplisheth this
salvation and my high tower His deliveries are not palliative cures easing for a while and not healing altogether nor anodins taking away for some houres all sense of paine and not the paine it selfe They are salvations and as it were resurrections from among the dead b Dan. 6.27 He delivereth and resoueth and he worketh signes and wonders in heaven and in earth Such were the deliveries of Israel out of the land of Egypt of David from Saul of Hezekiah and Iosaphat from their enemies of Shadrac Meshac and Habed-nego out of the burning furnace of Daniel from the power of the Lions of his people out of the captiuitie of Babylon such have ever beene the deliveries of the Church such was this last deliverie of the Churches of France XI Having such a Deliverer such a Redeemer such a Saviour let us neither feare men nor trust in them yea let us not feare the divell himselfe For the divell was not so hardie as to doe violence to c Iob 1.12 Iob or d Mat. 8.29 to enter into the swine without Gods leave The divels e Eph. 6.12 are principalities and powers and spirituall wickednesse in high places and yet we should not feare all their spirituall and powerfull wickednes because God who is our deliverer is stronger Shall we then feare men which are borne which live which dye in weaknes What can the mightiest of them all doe without the Lord what can they all doe against the Lord If he be with us if he be against them who shall be against us who shall be for them What fearest thou their multitude and number If thou hast received grace to say with David f Psal 3.5 6. the Lord susteined me thou hast also received grace to say with him I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me What fearest thou Their strength and great might Could g Gen. 6.4 7. the Giants which were on the earth in the dayes of Noah keepe themselves from the flood of Gods wrath h Numb 13.32 33. Num. 14 19 The people of Israel feared the people of Canaan because these were men of great stature and among them were the Giants the sonnes of Anak and they were as grashoppers compared to them Then Iosua and Caleb said to them Feare not the people of the Land for they are bread for us their defence is departed from them and the LORD is with us feare them not Conformably whereunto i Ios 11.21 Ioshuah cut off the Anakims and destroyed them utterly with their cities and there was none of them left in the land of the children of Israel When k Deut. 3.1 2 11. Og king of Bashan came against the people of Israel with all his people the people had occasion to feare for Og was of the remnant of gyants his bed-sted was of yron the length thereof was nine cubits and the breadth foure cubits after the cubit of a man But God said to Moses Feare him not for I will deliver him and all his people and his land into thy hand What did then all his â—â—gnesse and tallnesse availe him Could it hinder the children of Israel from singing to God l Psal 136.18 19 20. He slew famous kings for his mercy endureth for ever Sihon king of the Amorites for his mercy endureth for ever and Og the king of Bashan for his mercy endureth for ever m 1. Sam. 17.4 7 11 32. When the Israelites saw the great and huge monster Goliah the staffe of whose speare was like a weavers beame and the head thereof weighed sixe hundred shekels of yron they were dismayed and greatly afraid But David led with another spirit said to Saul Let no mans heart faile because of him thy servant will goe and fight with this Philistine and he went with a sling in his hand and with a stone which he flung at him he slew him according as he had said n Ver. 47. The Lord saveth not with sword and speare for the battellis the LORDS What fearest thou their prudence their wisedome their slight and shifting devices Feare not o Psal 94.11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vanitie He bloweth upon them and they vanish away with their authors For p Pro. 21.30 31. there is no wisedome nor understanding nor counsell against the LORD q Iob 12.13 17 20 21. with him is wisedome and strength he hath cousell and understanding he leadeth counsellers away spoyled and maketh the Iudges fooles he remooveth away the speech of the trustie and taketh away the understanding of the aged hee powreth contempt upon Princes and weakeneth the strength of the mightie Finally r Psal 90.3 he turneth man to destruction and saith Returne ye children of men And therefore he saith to his children when they feare the power of his enemies Å¿ Esa 51.7 8. Hearken unto me ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is my law feare ye not the reproch of men neither be ye afraid of their revilings for the moth shall eate them up like a garment and the worme shall eate them like wooll but my righteousnes shall befor ever and my salvation from generation to generation Wicked and mighty men build their designes upon the hope of long life and learne not by so many examples of the mortality of the greatest among men that t Esa 40.23 24. the Lord bringeth the Princes to nothing and maketh the Iudges of the earth as vanity yea they shall not be planted yea they shall not be sowen yea their stocke shall not take roote in the earth and he shall also blow upon them and they shall wither and the whirle-wind shall take them away as stubble This was v 1. King 22.27 28. Achabs trust when he commanded to put Micaiah in prison and to feed him with bread and water of affliction untill he came backe in peace but Micaiah answered with great confidence If thou returne at all in peace the LORD hath not spoken at all by me The wicked and malicious Apostate Iulian threatned the Christians whom hee called Galileans in derision with many evills and mischiefes as soone as he should come backe from his expedition against the Persians trusting in the predictions of the Magicians and in the ambiguous oracles of his gods But the Christians feared him not knowing that he was a mortall man or as Athanasius called him Nubeculacitò transitura a cloud which is soone gone Henry II. King of France said that hee should see with his owne eyes Anne de Bourg burnt quicke That same day he received at the tilting a stroake with a speare in the eye whereof he died His sonne Francis II. erected the scaffold for the martyrizing of the Prince of Condé Prince of his owne blood That same night a paine in his eare killed him and the Prince escaped For these causes taken from Gods deliveries
valiant courage of Eleazar one of the principall Scribes in the dayes of the blood-thirstie Tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes i 2. Maccab. 6.21 c. He was besought by the Kings officers for the old acquaintance they had with him to bring flesh of his owne provision such as was lawfull for him to use and make as if he did eate of the flesh taken from the sacrifice commanded by the King that in so doing he might be delivered from death and for the old friendship with them finde favour A friendly counsell if yee consider the men which gave it but if ye consider the intention of the divell who suggested it a most violent assault and craftie tentation what so sweet as life what so desirable as to save it without any reall offence what so plausible or at least more excusable than to make a shew of an evill which indeed thou doest not to shun to be made a publike shew of the evill which otherwise thou must suffer with shame and great torments Flesh and blood will say to Eleazar that in this there was no sinne The Pope which giveth dispense to the Papists of this Realme to dissemble and deny their Religion will say that it was but a veniall sinne and of the number of those which are most pardonable Eleazar led with another Spirit even with k Esa 11.3 the Spirit of the Lord which is the spirit of knowledge of wisedome of counsell of might and of the feare of the Lord saith not so but considering the holy Law made and given by God It becommeth not our age said he in any wise to dissemble whereby many young persons might thinke that ELEAZAR being fourescore yeeres old and tenne was now gone to a strange religion and so they through mine hypocrisie and desire to live a little time and a moment longer should be deceived by me and I get astaine to mine old age and make it abominable for though for the present time I should bee delivered from the punishment of men yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty neyther alive nor dead wherefore now manfully changing this life I will shew my selfe such an one as mine age requireth and leave a notable example to such as be young to dye willingly and courageously for the honourable and holy lawes This seemed madnesse and despaire to his Iudges which changing the good will they bare him into hatred and their meeknesse into fury and rage let him straight wayes to the Tympan which was a most cruell kind of torture whereupon being ready to dye of the stripes which hee had received ceived he groaned and said It is manifest unto the Lord that hath the holy knowledge that whereas I might have beene delivered from death I now endure sore paines in body by being beaten but in soule am well content to suffer these things because I feare him XIV Reade also the storie of the cruell death and constancie l 2. Macc. 7 of the seven brethren and their mother at that same time the Tyrant himselfe marvelled at their courage for that neither the scourges and whips wherewith they were torne nor the cutting out of their tongues nor the mangling and maiming of all their members nor the pulling off of the skin of their heads with the haire nor the hot pannes and caldrons wherein they were fryed being yet alive could compell them against the law of God to eate swines flesh The eldest heire worthy of the prerogative of the first-borne answered to the Tyrants threats to the Hangmans whips and to all the tortures We are ready to dye rather than to transgresse the lawes of our fathers and exhorted his brethren as they exhorted him to dye manfully for the law of God And to make you know that this was not madnesse of mind but faith the second said to the King Thou like a fury takest us out of this present life but the King of the world shall raise us up which have dyed for his lawes unto everlasting life So spake the third so the fourth and the rest but the youngest was most wonderfull of all for neither could the promises of riches and honours tickle him nor the cruell torments which he had seene his brethren suffer shake his constancie but being encouraged by his most wonderfull mother he cryed to the executioners Whom wait ye for I will not obey the Kings commandement but I will obey the commandement of the law that was given unto our Fathers by Moses So they dyed so dyed last of all their marvellous mother after that she had beene to them in stead of a Levite or Priest and had exhorted and comforted them with a most excellent speech concerning the resurrection And therefore the Apostle ascribeth their victorious constancie to their faith saying Heb. 11.35 that by faith they were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection XV. The Christian Church aboundeth in such examples of most wonderfull victorie against the flesh the world and the divell In it this is to bee admired that men which may live in honor by denying Christ choose shame and dishonor preferre torments to ease sorrow to joy paine to pleasure death to life kissethe postes and other instruments of their punishments looke upon the torments with a cheerefull face runne to the fires as joyfully as worldings doe to a bridall feast and not onely rejoice but also m Rom. 53 glorie in tribulations which is the highest degree of pleasure and joy Steven stopping his eares to the murmuring of the people which like a swarme of Hornets and Waspes made a humming noise about him shutting his eyes to the stones wherewith they were armed to fell him and overcomming by faith the horrors of death n Act. 7.55 56 59 60. looked up stedfastly into heaven and seeing there the glory of God and Iesus standing on the right hand of God cryed with a triumphing voice Behold I see the Heavens opened and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Neither could their showting nor the stones which hayled upon him stay him to kneele downe and to call upon God both for himselfe and for them XVI If ye search the Ecclesiasticall histories of the Martyrs of the primitive Church and of ours the examples of such victories are infinite S. Ignace Bishop of Antiochia hearing the roaring of the hungry Lions and seeing them stretching foorth their clawes to teare him and opening their throats to devoure his flesh cryed with a loud voice o Iren adv heres sib 5. Because I am Christs wheat now shall I be ground with the teeth of beasts that I may bee found to bee the pure bread of God p Euseb hist Eâ—cl lib. 4. cap. 15. Policarpe Bishop of Smyrna answered to those which now intreated him with many promises now impotuned him with threats to call the Emperour My Lord and to deny Christ to bee his Lord I have served him
for thy word saying When wilt thou comfort me XVI The comfort to them all is this that their affliction which to them is too too long is but a moment not onely in respect of God y 2. Pet. 3.8 with whom one day is as a thousand yeares and a thousand yeeres as one day but also in regard of the eternity of unspeakeable glory wherewith it shall be swallowed up a Rom 8.18 For I reckon saith the Apostle that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to bee compared with the glory which shall bee revealed in us Glory which these sufferings worke in us b 2. Cor. 4.17 For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory even so farre as it subdueth our pride mortifieth our lusts and is the Lords high way unto our eternall blisse Whereunto if yee adde the promise of deliverance even in this life nothing shall be wanting to our full comfort XVII What then shall we doe till the Lord come and deliver us what but waite upon the Lords pleasure The lewes knew by revelation from God the time of their bondage in Egypt and captivitie in Babylon which being come to an end they said confidently to God c Psal 102.13 Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Sion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come We have no such revelation and therefore we must bee content to relye upon Gods generall promise and say with David d Psal 130.5 I waite for the LORD my soule doth waite and in his word doe I hope assured that howsoever it seeme that heaven and earth conspire against us and that wee are brought to the pinch he shall put a new song in our mouthes and give us a most plentifull subject to sing as David did e Psal 40.1 In waiting I waited for the LORD and he inclined unto me and heard my cry f Heb. 10.23 For hee is faithfull that promised And g Luk. 1.37 with him no word is impossible The Lord in his great mercies give us this patient hope and assurance for Christ Iesus his deare sons sake who with him and the holy Ghost liveth and raigneth God blessed for evermore Amen SERM. IX Of Gods Iudgements upon Persecuters and of the last deliverance of the Church ESAIAH XXVI 21. For behold the LORD commeth out of his place to visite the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slaine 1. THe last motive to patience is taken from the Iudgements of God 2. The Lord is said to come when he iudgeth 3. He is said to come out of his place when his iudgements and mercies are made conspicuous 4. He visiteth the inhabitants of the earth eyther in iudgement or in mercy 5. Wicked men are called the inhabitants of the earth for godly men are strangers here 6. God will visite the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity which they thinke to bee good service to God 7. God will be avenged of those which shed the blood of his deare ones 8. Because he is righteous and faithfull 9. Great iudgements on persecuters 10. Namely on great men under the law 11. And principally on those who have persecuted the Christian Church 12. Prosperity in this world is a token of Gods indignation rather than of his love 13. The torments of hell prepared for wicked men 14. Their conscience tells them there is a hell 15. Hell is a place penall in its owne selfe 16. There is there paine of dammage most unsufferable 17. As likewise unconceiveable paine of sense 18. Which is universall 19. And everlasting 20. Persecuters above all others shall be tortured there with most exquisite torments 21. Great shall be in that day the glory of Gods Saints and terrible to their Persecuters 22. Great difference betweene the life and the end of wicked and of godly men 23. The Church cannot be destroyed 24. Exhortation and consolation 1. AS the words of this text are from God the last so should they bee in your hearts a most powerfull motive to a patient tarrying for the blessed time which the wisedome of the Lord hath appointed for the glorious and finall reliefe of his Church from all misery Ye may call the text DAN i e. Iudgement for it threatneth with no small mischiefe all bloody and cruell persecuters and by their overthrow promiseth deliverance to them which are persecuted The time of the one and of the other is not a time of many yeares moneths weekes dayes The afflictions of the Church shall be gone in a moment as ye have heard In a moment also shall come the destruction of those that persecute her who in their greatest prosperity are a Minut. Felix ut victima ad supplicium saginantur ut hostia ad poenam corâ—nantur like beasts fatted b Zeph. 1.8 and crowned with garlands for the day of the Lords sacrifice wherein saith the Lord I will punish the Princes and the Kings children and all such as are clothed with strange apparell II. For behold the Lord commeth O open the eyes of your minde ô bid your faith rise from her sleepe to behold in the immutable truth of the Lords threats in the inevitable power of his iustice in the innumerable iudgements which he hath already dispatched against wicked oppressors in his more than motherly love to his deare ones his promptnesse and readinesse to deliver his Church by the overthrow of all her enemies Hee he himselfe he who is the Lord will destroy them Neither shall they be able to shield themselves against the Lord He will not tarry he will not delay his comming Behold be commeth he is already on his iourney III. From whence commeth he Out of his place O Lord Art thou so in one place that thou art not at the same time in all places O infinite Maiestie c August ad Volusian Epist 3. Novit ubique totus esse nullo contmeri loco Novit venire non recedendo ubi erat Novit abire non desereÌ„do quo venerat Miratur hoc mens humaena quia non capit fortasse non credit thou canst be every where at one time and yet thou art do where Thou fillest with thy presence every place and loe thou art not contained in any place Thou canst come and not goe from the place where thou wast Thou canst depart and not leave the place whereunto thou didst come Our soules wonder at this but because of their narrownesse they cannot comprehend it O Lord grant that we may beleeve it And tell us how thou who hast the heaven for d Esa 66.1 thy throne and the earth for thy footstoole thou who sayest of thy selfe Doe I not fill the heaven and the earth O most wonderfull God teach us how thou commest and goest Dost thou not speake so not of