is to provide for himself food apparel house room and such necessaries to sustain nature 2. Necessitas personae personal necessity which extends not onely to our selves but to those also of our houshold for which if a man provide not the Apostle saith he is worse then an Infidel 3. The third is necessitas status conditionis When besides the former we would have wherewithal to live according to our state and condition and this consists not in indivisibili in an indivisible point but admits a great latitude according to the several ranks callings and conditions of men Thus if a man have 300 l. he hath as much as will serve him in his condition and yet if another hath 3000 l. he hath no more then will serve him in another condition Now when a man hath what is necessary in the two 〈◊〉 respects then he must prefer the necessities of the poor before his own in the third respect for then that precept of Christ takes place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 give almes as much as yeu are able That is when the two first necessities are served for if there be necessity either of our nature or person we are not then bound to give but of the surplusage which we have over and above unlesse it be in case of extream necessity of our brother or of the publick necessities of the Church our own necessity not being present or extream as those Corinths commended by the Apostle who though they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in deep poverty yet they gave to their power yea and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beyond their ability Chrysostome gives this reason why we should part with cur money in works of mercy because else saith he we do not love it For though covetousnesse be the love of money 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they which are most covetous have the most close bowels and are most loth to part with it yet he proves that they do not love it aright for the true love of a thing is not amor concupiscentiae to desire a thing for our own use as a man loves meats and drinks but amor benevolentiae when we love a thing for it self desiring its good for the true act of love is Velle ejus bonum quod vel quem amamus to wish the good of that thing or person which we love and therefore if a man love his money he wishes well to it Vt bene sit ei Now the well-being of every thing is when it is so as God hath appointed for the bene esse the well being of every thing in the world is Ita esse ut Deus ordinavit Therefore if any man do wish an esse to his money in that order which God hath ordained then he wisheth the good of it and consequently loves it otherwise he wisheth the evil of it and consequently loves it not Now Gods ordinance is that every thing that is good should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sui diffusivum of a communicative nature diffusive of itself and the end of money in special is to be communicated and so if we communicate it in a right manner it attains the end for which it was ordained and so we 〈◊〉 that we love it 〈◊〉 a miserable case were we in if the Sun should not communicate his heat and light to us but should keep it to it self or if the Earth should keep in her fruits and not yeeld the same to us we should say this were contrary to their nature and to the end for which they were made and contrary to their well-being as well as ours and so it is contrary to the nature and end of money to keep it to our selves and not to communicate it to others Among many notes and signes of the Church it hath pleased God to make choice of this one as an infallible signe that we are true members of it If we communicate to the Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle communicating to the necessities of the Saints Here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellowship and communion Again this vertue is called liberality by the Apostle because that when we are Liberales liberal and 〈◊〉 we do liberare animam a vitiis free our selves from vices It is also called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a ministry because it is a service we owe to the Saints a debt or a rent we must pay to them Again he cals it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a free gift because it must be freely and readily given Now a dayes men give nothing freely rather do ut des or do ut facias is in use men give to those that shall give to them or they give to them that shall do something for them but this is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a free gift which the Apostle requires and 〈◊〉 he calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a blessing because by doing thus this fruit shall come the poor shall blesse us and God also shall blesse us Thus by all those several expressions of the Apostle it appears that the use of riches is to have them communicated and therefore if any do appropriate that to himself which God would have common he perverts the use of it Again this use of communicating to others appears in that good works are compared to seed and doing good to sowing He that sows to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting saith the Apostle And sow in righteousnesse and reap in mercy saith the prophet 〈◊〉 parce seminat parce metet qui seminat in multis benedictionibus metet in multis benedictionibus He that sows sparingly shall reap sparingly and he that sows bountifully shall reap bountifully A man may so love his seed that for pure love he lets it lye in his Barn till Worms breed in it and consume it and then he doth amando perdere by loving lose it Therefore he doth truly love his seed that doth projicere semen cast his seed into the ground which returns him fruit an hundred fold this is truly amare semen to love his seed Thus we see if the temporal blessings of God be seed as in truth they are there must be a casting of them away and a scattering of them that we may receive them again with increase And yet in this casting them we do not lose them nor our right and interest in them for when a man hath sowen an Acre of ground if one ask him whose is that seed he will not say it is the grounds but his that sowed it so if a man could be brought to this perswasion that semen est serentis non recipientis that what is sowen in works of mercy is his that sowes it and not the grounds on which he sowes it he would not sowe sparingly Thus we see the true state of riches they are seed which must be sowen Now as the Husbandman doth credere
lest at the quitting them from the outward they have neither the inward nor the outward but be like the sons of Belial that is be under no yoke nor government at all 9. The very Heathen could see an aptnesse and disposition in their children to vice and we may perceive their inclinations and propensity to prophane and scurrilous jeasts Therefore we are to take the advantage of their dispositions betimes and to imploy and exercise them in things that are good to which if they be well ordered they will be as apt as to bad For no doubt but if children can say of themselves Bald-head to Elisha they may be easily taught to say Hosanna to Christ. 10. That time is ever to be taken which fitteth any thing best but the time of youth is most fit to learn in respect of the docibility of it They are like to a new Mortar which savoureth most of that spice which is first beaten in it and to a new vessell that retaines the sent of the first Liquor which was put into it Quo semel est imbuta recens servabit 〈◊〉 Testa diu As also in respect that this age is free from those cares and passions which the world infuseth into men of elder age as ambition malice adultery covetousnesse and the like which have been great remoras and impediments in matters of religion to those of riper yeares So much for the time when now for the manner how children are to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will teach or catechize you saith David in this text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Although an argument from the name proveth little yet it explaineth well the English and the Latine follow well the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seemeth also to be proportioned from the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to iterate or to doe any thing the second time or of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth first acuere to whet or sharpen to make it the fitter to enter And 2. repetere to goe over and over the same thing as we use to doe with our knives upon a whetstone And in both these are contained the duties both of Catechist and Catichized Of the first by making his doctrine the easier to enter by giving it such an edg by a perspicuous method as that children may not onely understand but carry away also what he delivereth to them of the later by often going over that which he is taught as a knife doth a whetstone and to repeate and iterate it till he have made it his own So that we see that in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to resound is included an iteration from which word we have our Eccho in English 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indeed to sound the last syllable and such sounders happily there are enough but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to sound the whole after one againe And such is the repetition which is required of the right and true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 young catechised Christians and those places are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that give the whole verse or word againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catechism is the doctrine of Godlinesse or Religion first declared by the Catechiser to learners of which afterwards account is given by the learners to their instructer And it is thus distinguished from Preaching 1. Preaching is a dilating of one Member or point of Religion into a just Treatise Catechising is a contracting of the whole body of Religion into an 〈◊〉 or Summe 2. Preaching is applyed for the capacity of all sorts of people old and young Catechising is appointed onely for the younger sort and those which are ignorant 3. In Preaching there 's no repetition required from the Auditors In Catechising an accompt or repetition is to be exacted from the Catechised Now upon these differences 3 things are to be considered or 3. queres are to be made 1. By what warrant Abridgments or Summes are made 2. What we have to warrant teaching of children by way of Catechising 3. Upon what grounds answers are to be made by the Catechised 1. The warrant for the first we have from Christ himselfe who in his answer to the Lawyer reduced the whole Law under two heads The love of God and our neighbour 2. Againe our Saviour catechising Nicodemus made an Epitome or Abridgment of the Gospel under one head Sic Deus dilexit Mundum So God loved the world that he gave 〈◊〉 onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeved on him might not perish but have everlasting life 3. Solomon also in his booke of the Preacher reduceth the whole duty of man into two heads 1 feare God 2 and keep his commandments 4. Saint Paul in his speech to the Elders of Ephesus draweth the principles of Religion to these two 〈◊〉 and Repentance Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And in another place Repentance from dead works and faith towards God 5. The 〈◊〉 are of opinion that teaching by way of Summe is meant by Saint Paul when he speaketh of the forme of sound words and of That form of Doctrine and the proportion or analogy of faith 6. Lastly 〈◊〉 we know have their 〈◊〉 Lawyers their 〈◊〉 Philosophers Isagoges and therefore Divines may have their Epitomes If we demand a reason hereof our Saviour sheweth us one that we may be able 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have a dependance or be able to referre all our readings and hearings to certain principall head thereby to enclose or limit our study And the Rabbins say that the 2 heads to which Christ reduced the Law and the Prophets were 〈◊〉 legis an hedg of the Law containing the heads of the generall doctrine lest we should wander in infinito campo in too large a field and so waver Clemens calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 basis a foundation or groundplot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a first or rough draught of a Picture And as these abridgments are for our shorter so for our more easy attayning to the knowledg of that which may 〈◊〉 us to salvation And such were the sermons of the Apostles when they baptized so many hundreds in one day Concerning which it is well aid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thanks be to our blessed God who hath made necessary doctrines compendious and doctrines which are not compendious not so necessary But here we must take with us a double Proviso 1. That we remain before Gods judgement seat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inexcusable if we seek not his knowledge being made easy by a short compendium 2. We must grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ And we must not be ever hildren but men in understanding And after we have heard the word of truth so compe diously delivered we must trust and beleeve in it being the Gospel of our salvation We are not
a passage to the Corinthians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that I may catechize others We finde three eminent persons noted to us in Scripture that were catechumeni catechized The first was Theophilus of whom Saint Luke testifieth It seemed good to me saith he to write to thee in order that thou mightest know the certainty of those things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning which thou wert catechized or instructed The second was Apollos of whom also Saint Luke gives this commendation that he was mighty in the Scriptures and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this man was catechized or instructed in the way of the Lord. The third was Timothy of whom saint Paul testifies that he had known the the Scriptures from a childe And in one place mention is made both of the Catechist and Catechized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. After the Apostles times the first Catechist of any fame was the Evangelist Mark in Alexandria after him Pantenus then Clemens Origen Cyril of Jerusalem Gregory Nyssen Athanasius Fulgentius S. Augustine and others And that there were catechumeni in the Church in all ages may appear by the canons of diverse Councels Hegesippus converted from Judaism to Christianity in his Ecclesiasticall story reports that this work of catechizing wrought so great effect that there was no known commonwealth inhabited in that part of the world but within fourty years after our saviours passion 〈◊〉 superstition was shaken in it by Catechizing So that Julian the Apostata the greatest enemy that ever Christians had found no speedier way to root out Christian religion then by suppressing Christian schools and places of catechizing and if he had not been as a Cloud that soon passeth away it might have been feared that in a short time he had overshadowed true Religion 1 And when Catechizing was left off in the Church it soon became darkned and over-spread with ignorance The Papists therefore acknowledge that all the advantage which the protestants have gotten of them hath come by this exercise and it is to be feared that if ever thy get ground of us it will be by their more exact and frequent Catechizing then ours 3. Concerning the third quaere The reasons why this custome of catechizing by way of question and answer hath ever been continued seem to be these 1 Because of the account every one must give Our Saviour tells it us reddes rationem we must render an accompt And every man will will be most wary in that for which he must be accomptable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Because we are all young and old to give an accompt of our faith Be ready saith Saint Peter alwayes to give answer to every one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you a solid reason not a phanatique opinion And by this we shall be the better fitted to these four necessary duties 1 of examining the doctrine we heare 2 Of examining our selves before we heare the word and receive the sacrements 3 Of admonishing our brethren which we cannot doe unlesse we be fitted with knowledge 4 Of adhering to the truth Because being children we doe imbibere errcres ergo exuendi sunt et induendaveritas we drink in errours which must be shaken of and our loynes must be girt with truth The Heathen man adviseth us that in all our actions we propound to our selves Cui bono What good will arise by that we goe about In this certainly the fruit is great diverse wayes 1 It will be acceptable to God to spend our hours in his service 2 We shall learn hereby to know God and his son Jesus Christ. Whom to know is life eternal 3 It will procure length of happy dayes in this life 4 Lastly the fruit of it is holines and the end everlasting life Now 〈◊〉 the fruit is so great we are to take especial care that the hours we spend in this exercise be not lost and so we be deprived of the fruit For as in natural Philosophy it is held a great absurdity ut aliquid frustra fiat that any thing be done in vain or to no purpose and in morall ut sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there be a vain and fruitlesse desire so in divinity much more S. Paul useth it as an argument to the corinthians to prove the resurrection that if there should be none then both his preaching and their faith were in vain And in another place he did so forecast his manner of the conversion of the gentiles ne forte currat in vanum lest he might run in vain Therefore as the same Apostle desired the Corinthians not to receive the grace of God in vain so are we to be careful that we heare nothing in vain lest we be like those in Jeremy that let the bellows blow and the lead consume in the fire and the founder melt in vain upon which place saith the glosse that all pains and labour which is taken with such people is in vain and lost But the word of God cannot be in vain in three respects 1 In respect of it self 2 In respect of the Catechist 3 In respect of the Catechized 1 In respect of it self it cannot be in vain For God himself maintaineth the contrary As the rain cometh down saith he by the Prophet and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and budd that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater So shall the word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not return to me void but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it 2 Nor can it be in vain in respect of the Catechizer or him that delivereth it I have laboured in vain saith the Prophet I have spent my strength for nought and in 〈◊〉 yet surely mark that my judgement is with the Lord and my work with my God The paines which the Catechizer takes is not in vain because God seeing he hath done his part will accept of his endeavours though his 〈◊〉 reject and 〈◊〉 them And if the son of peace be there 〈◊〉 peace shall rest upon him if not redibit ad vos it shall returne to you again saith Christ to his disciples And the Apostle most plainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish Therefore we ought to be very carefull how we behave our selves in hearing 3 Lastly it cannot be in vain to the Catechized If we come to heare with a good intent the spirit of God takes order that the word shall be profitable and fruitful like good seed sowed in good ground And to this purpose it is that Saint Gregory saith Cum verbiboni auditores 〈◊〉 pro reficiendis eis majora
was an enigmatical speech of our Trinity But no Religion teacheth the purgation of the soul but ours And it teacheth that the word took the similitude of sinful flesh to purge away the sinne of Man Therefore our Religion is the true all other are meerly fabulous For their Exorcismes and sacrifices are meerly corporeal not spiritual and the Christians God is not like the Heathen Gods 2 God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a lover of man he delighteth not in cutting of throats or burning men to ashes like to the Devills to whom virgins babes old and young men were sacrificed And the sacrifices in the old Law were vsed in these 2 respects 1 To be Types of things in the Gospel 2 To admonish men that they have deserved to be slain and sacrificed But God is so far from the sacrificing of men to him that he himself came down from heaven and suffered for us offering himself a sacrifice for our sins and what greater love can there be then that a man should give his life for that he loveth there can be no greater 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then this 3 For the credit of the Gospel we have Evangelists and Apostles for witnesses And in witnesses two things are required Knowledge and Honesty 1. For skill and knowledge That which our witnesses have left us upon record is not taken upon trust but they related it as eye witnesses And none of theirs either Homer Plato or any of them can say as Saint John said That which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled For they had theirs from others and but upon bare report Besides neither any of their ancient or latter Historians though they hated the writers of the Scriptures durst at any time offer to set pen to paper against them 2. For the honesty of our witnesses there can be no better reason or proof given then that which Tacitus giveth to confirme the testimony of an honest witnesse which is Quibus nullum est mendacii 〈◊〉 that have no reward for telling an untruth And certainly the Evangelists and Apostles had nothing for their paines nay they were so far from that as that they sealed their testimonies with the blood of Martyrdome 3. For the credit of the Story itself We know that the Sybils oracles were in so great credit among the Heathen that they were generally beleeved Now if they be true which we have of them as ther 's no question but many of them are divers of which we refer to Christ being mentioned in their own writers Virgil Cicero and others it will follow that nothing can make more in their esteeme for the credit and truth of the Nativity life and death of Christ then their Oracles for we may see almost every circumstance in them And by reading their verses divers of their learned men were converted to Christianity as Marcellinus Secundanus and others 4. Tacitus and Suetonius say that about Christs time it was bruited through the world that the king that should rule over all the world should come out of Jury and for this cause it was that not onely Vespasian but Augustus and Tiberius who had heard the like had a purpose to have destroyed all the Jews even the whole nation of them because they would be sure to include that Tribe out of which this king should come 5 Coelius Rhodiginus and Volateranus upon their credits leave us this in their writings that among the Monuments of Egypt was found an Altar dedicated Virgini pariturae to a Virgin that should have a child like to the Temple of peace before mentioned that should stand Donec peperit virgo untill a virgin should bring forth a child And Postellus testifies from the Druides that they had an Altar with this inscription Ara primo-genito Dei an Altar to the first begotten of God 6. Suetonius saith that in such a yeare which was the year before Christs birth in a faire day at the time of a great concourse of people at 〈◊〉 there appeared a great Rain-bow as it were about the Sun of a golden colour almost of equal brightnesse with the Sun The Augur's being demanded the reason answered that God would shortly 〈◊〉 humanum genus visit mankinde And upon the day that our Saviour was born three Suns appeared in the firmament which afterward met and joyned into one The Augur's being likewise questioned about this apparition their answer was that he was then born whom Angustus the people and the whole world should worship whereupon as it is storied Augustus at the next meeting of the Senate gave over his title of dominus orbis terrarum Lord of the whole world and would be so stiled no more 7. But the most remarkable thing that hapned at Christs birth was the star mencioned in the Gospel and confessed by the Heathen themselves to be stella maxime salutaris the happiest star that ever appeared for mankinde Plinie calleth it Stella crinita sine crine A blazing or hairy star without haire Vpon the appearance and due consideration of which star many were converted to the truth as Charemon among the stoicks and Challadius among the Platonists who meditating upon the strangenesse of it went into Jury and became Proselytes 8. Now concerning the death of Christ we finde that the ancient Egyptians who vsed no letters but Characters or Hieroglyphiques when they would expresse vitam aeternam everlasting life they did it by the signe of the Crosse whereby they deciphered the badge of our salvation which concurred with the manner of Christs death 9. The next is the two wonders or strange accidents mentioned by the Holy Ghost at the death of our Saviour 1. The general Earthquake and 2. the universal Eclypse of the Sun so often cast in the teeth of the Heathen 1 For the first they are not ashamed to confesse it As 〈◊〉 himselfe and Trallianus and Phlegon say that it came not of any natural cause For in nature every thing that is moved must have an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 somewhat to stay upon but this Earthquake went thorow the whole world 2 For the Eclypse many were converted by reason of the strangenesse of it as Dionysius and others For all 〈◊〉 of the Sun are particular this general and vniversal This hapned at the feast of the Passeover which was 14 a Lunae the fourteenth day of the Moon when it was just at the full which is cleane opposite to the Rules of Astronomy and mans reason 10. It is reported that in the raigne of Tiberius presently upon this Eclypse there was a general defect of Oracles Of which argument Plutarch hath a whole Treatise in which he saith that a man in great credit with the Emperour sayling by the Cyclades heard a voice as it were coming out of those Islands saying that the great God Pan was dead The Emperour hearing this report sent for the Augurs
thing required in every law and so in this is the manner how it must be done which by learned men is much dilated We will reduce them all to three things We are to do it 1. Toti 2. Totum 3. Toto tempore or Semper 1. Toti as Jacob said to Rachel you know that with all my power I have served your father and no doubt but he would yeeld as much service to God as he did to Man 2. Totum with our whole souls and bodies we must endeavour to keep the whole Law not as Naaman did keep it by halfes but as Noah who did all that the Lord commanded him about the Ark. 3. Toto tempore not for a time onely but all the dayes of our life Noah was 〈◊〉 tempore justus righteous all his life and Abraham was juvenis senex idem the same man in his age that he was in his youth Now for the Reward or Punishment which are the two other things required in a law it stands thus That if a man break one part of the law the commanding part it is impossible that he should escape the other part the sanction which bindes over to punishment Therefore God hath taken order that though men can over-reach the law in one part that is in contemning it yet on the other part punishment shall over-reach them So saith S. Augustine Aut faciendum aut patiendum quod debemus we must either do what we should or suffer what is due And this was known before the giving of the law That God was righteous and the people wicked It was the confession of a wicked Egyptian King And both reward and punishment were set before Cain If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted And if thou doest not well sin lyeth at the door Like a savage Bear or Mastiffe-dog or a Blood-hound So long as thou keepest within doors that is as the Fathers expound it as long as thou livest thou mayest happily escape punishment for thy sin but whensoever thou goest out of the doors out of this life then vae tibi he will flye upon thee then this Blood-hound will never lose the sent till he have brought thee to perdition and destruction More directly for the Reward it s to them that doe well 1. For temporal benefits in this life Because Joseph feared God the Lord made all things prosper under his hand 2. And secondly for eternal benefits felicity after this life Enoch was 〈◊〉 to everlasting life because he walked with God For punishment t is to them that do evil First temporal punishment in this life as we see in the case of Adam Eve Cain and Josephs brethren but especially in Pharaoh which made him cry out as we heard before Justus est Dominus c. The Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked It was his sin drew those temporal plagues upon him 2. And secondly eternal punishment in the life to come So we read of the Spirits in prison for being disobedient in the dayes of Noah who preached repentance to them so that they were condemned for transgressing the law of God preached by Noah CHAP. XVI That the moral Law of God written by Moses was known to the Heathen 1. The act or work was known to them as it is proved in every precept of the 〈◊〉 yet their light more dimme in the 1. 2. 4. 10. S. Pauls three rules of Pie sobrie juste known to them 2. They knew the manner of performance Toti Totum Semper 3. They knew the rewards and punishments AND thus we see that Gods written Law which is Natures Law hath all those conditions that any Law should have For this Law which was before Moses was nothing else but Moses's Law in the hearts of men as if a man would get a thing by heart that is not written For what Laws then they had from GOD they kept in their hearts by tradition But now peradventure they will say that these Laws and the four Rules appear onely in the Scripture and were observed by the Jewes and those mentioned in the Scripture onely but other Heathen took no notice of them nor used them by the light of Nature and therefore think themselves not bound to them but are at liberty to use or not use them To this we say that by the writings of the Heathen themselves it appears that they had these rules written in their hearts and received many of them the son from the fathers ascending even to Noahs sons Sem Ham and Japhet though in some of the Commandements it may not seem so plain as in the rest for in every Commandement they introduced some corruptions of their own heads and declined diversly from Gods Law First for six of the Commandements it is manifest as the 3. 5. 6. 7. 8 9. the more obscure are the 1. 2. 4. 10. 3. For the third Commandement It was a law among the Egyptians Perjuri poena capitali plectentur let the perjured be punished with death as Diodorus Siculus reporteth And it was the law of Rome in the 12 Tables 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swear not rashly And Sophocles saith that when an oath is taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the soul will be more cautions to sin against God and to injure man 5. For the fifth Homer saith of one that had a misfortune that it came quia parentes non honoravit because he honoured not his parents 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he would not render the duty of a childe to his father therefore his dayes were not prolonged and another saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 live well and nourish thy parents in their age And Menander saith that he which honoured his parents shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 live long and happily And for superiours Charondas said in his laws 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the neglect of our aged parents is extremity of wrong 6. For the sixth there is no question every Nation held it as a Canon of their Law Homicida quod fecit expectet Let a murtherer expect losse of life as he deprived another of it and therefore they all punished murtherers with losse of life 7. For the seventh it was the saying of Licurgus Fuge nomen Moechi si mortem fugies Avoid adultery so shalt thou avoid untimely death and Stephanus out of Nicostratus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that will live in this city and not dye let him abhor adultery And Menander censureth adultery as a sin disgraceful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the price of it is death 8. For the eighth Demosthenes against Timocrates alledgeth plainly the Lacedemonian law in the very words of this Law Thou shalt not steal And He siods precent enjoyneth men not to possesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stolne goods but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given by Gods providence 9. For the ninth it was one
to the 1000 generation the threatning extends onely to the third and fourth The object of his mercy such as love him Our love must be manifested by keeping his Commandments How they must be kept The benefit they will keep and preserve us THe Commination or Punishment we see in the Psalm Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed which do erre from thy Commandements The Curse In this last part which is the Promise of Reward the Apostle tells us that exceeding great and precious promises are given to us whereby we are partakers of the divine nature Under this promise of mercy are contained all the benefits and blessings of God all other promises are included in this this is the fountain of all the rest if we partake of his mercy we shall want nothing that 's good for us The commination was like the smoking upon mount Sinai terrible and dreadfull this like the dew descending upon mount Sion brings blessing and everlasting life blessed and comfortable This promise is mercy for under this name he propoundeth the reward Now God hath a reward for evilas well as for good For the first Samuel tells Saul Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord therefore the Lord hath rejected thee There was his reward for evill And for the last a cup of cold water given out of a pious and charitable intent hath also its reward A reward of good And it is well worth the noting under what word and by what name this Reward is promised which is under the name of mercy for without it we were in an 〈◊〉 case even the best of us they that doe his work best We are unprofitable servants all we can do is not worth so much as thanks so that he promiseth meerly in mercy and though his visitation be in justice yet his reward is gratuita ex misericordia non merito free without any respect but his own mercy not our merit merces ex 〈◊〉 non ex merito and therefore not to be pleaded in any court of justice There 's nothing ascribed to our merit Sowe saith God by the Prophet to your selves in righteousnesse reap not in justice but in mercy So the Apostle Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me He 〈◊〉 it to be of Gods gift It is Gods mercy then and in this one thing are comprehended all rewards privative and positive His mercy is great towards us in delivering our soules from the nethermost hell And it is of his mercy that we are not consumed All rivers flow from this It is fundatrix nostra it layes our foundation of happines in blessings preventing as also in blessings following And it is Coronatrix nostra for he crowneth us with loving kindnes and tender mercies He could have said in this as in the Commination visitans visiting the Prophet David prayed for no more Behold and visit this vine And old Zachary took it for a great blessing that God had visited his people But God is so good to us that he thinks it not enough It is justice onely that is a visitation an act intermitted 1. His mercy is a continual work to shew that there 's no intermission in his work of mercy but he continues every day doing good to us which is the first degree of it 2. The second degree of it is that the stripes of his justice are but 3. or 4. which in it self is mercy his justice is restrained to the fourth generation but his mercy is a thousand fold it is extended to the thousandth generation so that the proportion of his mercy exceeds that of his justice 250. times to shew that his delight is more in exercising the works of mercy then of justice his mercy rejoyceth or triumpheth over judgement The one being Opus proprium his own work the other Opus alienum a worke that is strange to him He wil save Sodome if but ten righteous men may be found in it and Jerusalem for one Davids sake Nay he bids them run through that City and if they can finde but one just man in it he will save it But to whom is this mercy promised even to them that love God and to none other And this love must have some proportion with Gods love It must be regulated by his Now the manner of Gods love is set forth to us under the name of jealousy And he makes it no little part of punishment when he withdraws his jealousy from a people Therefore this mercy is promised to them that are jealous for him He is jealous for us we should be jealous for him We should say with Elias 〈◊〉 zelatus sum I have been very jealous for the Lord zelantes potius quam amantes Our zeal for him should even consume us with the kingly Prophet Now there is a fained and a true love and therefore the Apostle directs us to it which is the true and gives a mark of it Not in word but in deed and truth what the deed is to be we finde by our Saviours speech If ye love me keep my Commandments even the same which God speaks here The affection of this love is seen by the effects God lets us see his mercy by the effects of it which is faciens by performing it So must our love be discovered by keeping his Law Saint Ambrose saith est zelus ad vitam et est zelus ad mortem ad vitam zelus est divina praecepta servare et amore nominis ejus custodire mandata There is a zeal to life and a zeal to death that to life is when we observe Gods laws and for the loue of his name keep his Commandments A true keeper is he which preserveth things carefully which are committed to his charge God needs not our keeping as we do need his he is able to keep himselfe but our love must be shewed in keeping 1. mandata his Commandments 2. minimos istos his little ones what we doe to one of them he wil account it as done to himself Mat. 25. 45. And 3. we must esteem them worth the keeping as David did Psal. 119. 10. 72. The office of a keeper is to preserve what is committed to him that it be not lost or cast away or broken but kept sound till his coming that gave it in charge There 's a heavy sentence in the Gospel against the breakers of them They must not be contemned or cast behinde us nor may we lose or forget them we may see Gods judgement against Ahab for the losse of them Now we shall keep them the better if we make a true estimate of them And King David tells us they are worth the having They are more to be desired then gold saith he yea then much fine gold and in
be made where is that judgment we look for And if wholly upon the godly we should be apt to say 〈◊〉 non respicit nos God regards us not his providence failes And therefore to let us see that his providence continues he will give to his children some good things here and to let us know that he hath judgement in store he imparts some of them to the wicked Nor will he bestow all upon the ungodly because then they would be 〈◊〉 to conceive that they were not at Gods dispose but would sacrifice to their own net and attribute all to outward means nor all upon his children lest the devil and his instruments say as he did concerning Job doth Job serve God for nought But how then shall we acquit God of injustice and how is his promise of long life to them that honour their superiours performed 1. The distinction of bene and male will acquit him A promise must carry a benefit with it if not it were better to be without it then to have it Now long life without that blessing of going well with a man is a displeasure It is the comfort and delight which we enjoy in our life which is here promised as a blessing For Saint Augustine saith non est vera vita ubi non seliciter vivitur that cannot be called a true life which brings not content and happines with it Eliah being persecuted by Jexebel thought his life not a benefit and therefore quits God of his promise Now O Lord take away my life And indeed long life may be no benefit in two respects 1. In regard of the evil times 〈◊〉 was a good king but the times began to be evil Jerusalem was 〈◊〉 long to be destroyed Therefore Huldah the prophetesse sends him word that God would gather him to his fathers and that he should go to his grave in peace and his eyes should not see the evil that God would bring upon that city God shortned his dayes to free him from a further evil he being but 39 years old when he died 2. In regard of himself lest he should be corrupted The righteous is taken away from the evil to come It is said that 〈◊〉 was raptus a facie malitiae taken away from seeing wickednes lest either he should have been infected or grieved at it and so the pleasure of his long life here would have been a displeasure to him by the danger of eternal death 2. The second answer is to that which is secondly objected that though God takes them out of this life in these respects yet the compensation is more then equivalent he makes them amends and that fully For as when 〈◊〉 promised 〈◊〉 half his kingdom if he had given her all it had been no breach of promise in him so 〈◊〉 God give to those that honour their parents vitam perpetuam everlasting life instead of 〈◊〉 a long life he performes his promise to the full so he that promises ten pieces of silver and gives ten pieces of gold and he that promiseth an hogshed of beer and giveth as much wine breaks not his promise 3. But the 〈◊〉 and most sufficient answer is this There is no temporal thing that doth cadere in promissum Dei come within Gods promise further then it shall be conducing to the life to come for this life is but via ad vitam the way to the other and better life And therefore whatsoever God promiseth in the way it is but as it furthereth to the end 〈◊〉 pars perfectae 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 foelicitas earthly felicity is no happines unlesse it dispose us to eternal felicity because as it was said before all things must 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 work together for good 〈◊〉 it a disponatur de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the lesse blessings may be so disposed that they may agree with the chief good or at least ne periculum fiat de maximo the greatest good may not be hazarded by it And in this respect it is certain that as it is not prejudicial to the life to come God keepeth his promise Therefore as one saith our lives may be ventured pro Rege lege grege for the King the law the flock 1. Pro Rege for the king Thus when David was in danger of being stain by 〈◊〉 Benob one of the sons of the Giants 〈◊〉 hazarded his own life to save Davids and so rescued David and slew the Philistim 2. Pro lege for religion For thy sake saith the prophet we are killed all the day long Contend earnestly for the common faith saith Saint Jude 3. Pro grege As the prophets were examples so must we In these cases if a man should be desirous of life he may live but this life will prove derogatory to the life to come But if in the same cases we shall lose our lives God doth not onely reward us with 〈◊〉 the life of glory in the other world but with vita memoriae we shall have an everlasting memory and honour in this world The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance saith the father and the memory of the just is blessed saith the son and men shall say Praised be the Lord that ever such a man was born and say 〈◊〉 mortuus est iste how bravely died such a man Now 〈◊〉 are some reasons also why God prolongeth the lives of the ungodly and though they cannot expect it by vertue of his promise as the godly may for no promise is made to the wicked 1. To give them time to repent that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil as the Apostle speaks And this we see in Saint Paul by his conversion and the not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Solomon when he had forsaken God and followed strange women and false Gods was the cause sine qua non of his returning to God 2. Secondly God hath thereby a respect to the progenie of the wicked If God had cut of 〈◊〉 while he had been yong good Josiah had not been born and if Ahaz had not been suffered to live 〈◊〉 had been lost 3. Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wicked 〈◊〉 to live that they may be rods and scouges for the exercise and 〈◊〉 of his Church The prophet in the person of God calls Ashur the rod of his anger 4. The last reason may serve as an universal 〈◊〉 God 〈◊〉 such men to live long to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 long suffering by his patience and long suffering The Apostle 〈◊〉 the same when he saith what if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath But as the Prophet tells them God will not suffer them to escape for ever 1. The godly shall come out and look upon their carkasses and in the meane time they shall be but as condemned persons nay they shall condemn