Corah Dathan and Abiran at the prayer of Moses And in the waters at his prayer not onely the makâ—ng of bitter waters sweet but deuiding of the sea in two And in the aire at the prayer of Eliah the middle region shut vp from raine for â—hree yeeres and sixe moneths and at his prayer the fire descending to consume the Captaines and their fifties but also in the Heauens the Sunne to stand still at the prayer of Ioshuah and the strongest diuels to bee cast out by this and fasting Yea seeing this duty doth worke vpon God himself to withhold him from pouring downe his iâ—dgements All those doe not onely excuse the Disciples but commend them in comming to their Master to awake him and call vpon him for helpe and doe teach all good Christians by their example neuer to forget or neglect the performance of this dutie But we consider further here the manner of the Disciples comming vnto Christ by the extremitie of danger whereby they were driuen not onely presently and suddenly to call vpon him but with exclamation and outcrie to crie and roare to him thereby to reâ—eiue present helpe lest it come too late for in the great dangers of fier and water which two elements are said to haue no mercy there must be neither dallying nor delaying but without present helpe there is no hope As therefore if a man shall see his house on fire hee comes not coldly and faintly to entreat his neighbors help to yeeld them reasons but breakes out into exclamations Fier fier water water ladders ladders helpe helpe we are all vndone c. So in this place in this extreme perill of water it may wel be presumed that the Disciples being in great feare skreeked and made a pitifull noise to awake their Master And howsoeuer the prayers of the godly are neuer vnseasonable and are therefore to be vsed at all times and vpon all occasions as was said before yet certainely they are neuer so earnest so feruent so hearty and consequently so effectuall as in extremity of trouble This therefore is a principall reason why God doth suffer afflictions in this life to seaze vpon and euen to be ready to ouerthrow his owne dearest children For though many other reasons hereof are giuen by the Fathers as first To shew his iustice against sinne of which no man is free in this life Secondly to terrifie the wicked for If iustice begin at the house of God what shall c. Thirdly to exercise their patience of which they haue neede no patience but in afflictions Fourthly to make conformable to the image of his sonne for as Christ saith of himselfe Ought not Christ to suffer these things and so to enter into glory So Saint Paul of his children All that will liue godly in Christ must suffer persecution Fifthly to weane them from the world as the nurse annoints the teate with bitter things Sixthly to make them know that their disease is not incurable As the Physitian to a desperate patient wil giue leaue to eate what he list but to him whom he hath hope to recouer he denies many things hee must keepe diet Seuenthly to assure them that they are sons not bastards being partakers of correction Eightly to stop Satans mouth that is ready to say Doth Iob serue God for naught Ninthly to purge vs from the drosse and corruption of our natures for that which the flayle is to the Corne to bring it from the straw that which the file is to the yron to take off the rust that which the fier is to the gold to purge it from drosse that is tribulation and affliction to Gods children to do them good Tenthly but aboue all other reasons the last remaineth that they may call and crie vnto the Lord renouncing themselues and resting and relying vpon his protection This is the reason that the Prophet Dauid desireth of God that his prayer may ascend as the incense For as incense can send vp no smoke or sweete perfume till it come into the fier So the prayers of the Saints do neuer ascend so forcibly as in their fiery trials Oratio sine malis est sicut auis sine alis Prayer vntill affliction stings is like a bird without wings it cannot raise it selfe to mount and flie vp to heauen for if we examine our owne harts we shall find that euen the best men that pray vnto God ordinarily euery day either publikely with others or priuately by themselues which duty is too much neglected by too too many doe while they are free from troubles call vpon God but weakely and coldly and faintly rather for fashion and custome then with any sound and sensible feeling of their owne miseries they offer the calues of their lippes And draw neere vnto God with their mouthes but their hearts are farre from him and are therefore attended and accompanied with so many wandring imaginations and vaine and idle thoughts euen in the middest of this holy and religious duty that when they haue done praying they had neede begin to pray againe for forgiuenesse of their negligent and carelesse carriage therein But in affliction when the iudgements of God are vpon vs and wee are thereby brought either to the true sense and feeling of our sinne and of the waight burden of it pressing vs downe to hel or to be deiected by any extremitie of sickenesse or any other danger that may threaten death this cannot but worke feare and terror and howsoeuer many of the wicked that neuer had care to serue God in the daies of their peace are thereby brought either to murmur and to repine against God as the Israelites in the wildernesse or to reuile the meanes and seeke reuenge as dogs that bite at the stone that is throwne at them or fall to open blasphemy against God as Iulian the Apostata crying at his death Vicisti Galilâ—e O Galilean meaning Christ Thou hast ouercome Or lastly fall into despaire and make away themselues as Achitophel and Iudas yet if they be not past all grace and hope the iudgements of God wil work remorse in them Wee reade of hard-hearted Pharaoh that at the first would not acknowledge God and therefore said to Mâ—ses and Aaron Quis est Iehoua Who is the Lord that I should heare his voice Yet afterward though he could not for the hardnesse of his heart pray himselfe yet when the plagues of God were vpon him he entreated Moses and Aaron to pray for him And againe Goe not farre away but pray for me It is admirable to consider how the feare of Gods iudgements wrought vpon the Niniuites at Ionahs preaching for the text saith of them that though they were a Heathen people that knew not God and a great people for their Citie was of three daies iourney and there was in it
not onely in their ships but in their harts without whom they can make no good voyage for if they think to leaue him behind them or to fly from him shall not God finde them out as he did Ionah If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the vttermost parts of the sea euen thither shall thine hand leade me and thy right hand hold me And thus much of the first point Christ entred into a ship The second followeth to wit his company in this voyage His Disciples followed him For the Scripture is wont to describe his Disciples by that terme of being his Followers as of Simon Peter and Andrew his brother that he said vnto them Follow me and I will make you fishers of men And they straight way leauing their nets followed him And of Iames and Iohn the sonnes of Zebedee that were mending their nets that he called them And they without tarying leauing the ship and their father followed him So of Matthew siâ—ting at the custome hee said vnto him follow me And he arose and followed him It is Christs owne rule to his Disciples If any man will follow me let him forsake himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow me And it is Peters profession of himselfe and his fellowes Behold wee haue fâ—rsaken all and followed thee And it is our Sauiours censure Whosoeuer beareth not his crosse and commeth after me cannot bee my Disciple So that it is no maruâ—ll if hee entring into a ship his Disciples followed him For whom should the souldiour follow but his Captaine whom should the seruant follow but his master whom should the disciple follow but his teacher This example of the Disciples here and their obedience in following their Lord doth teach vs that God is the God of order and hath made degrees and differences amongst men some to rule and gouerne some to serue and obey as well in the Church as in the Common-wealth as well in warre as in peace as well at sea as at the land as wel in priuat houses as in al publike states yea euen in euery particular body If all should bee head or any one member it must needs become a monster It was therefore a rebellious conceit and speech of Corah Dathan and Abiram against Moses and Aaron Ye take too much vpon you seeing all the congregation is holy euery one of them and the Lord is among them Wherefore then lift ye your selues aboue the congregation of the Lord And we see the fearfull iudgement of God against them That the ground claue asuâ—der that was vnder them And the earth opened her mouth and swallowâ—d them vp with their families and all the men that were with Corah and all their goods So they and all that they had went downe aliue into the pit and the earth couered them so they perished from among the congregation It was the first tentation whereby the arch-enemie of mankind the diuell set vpon our great grand-mother Eue and by it brought sin into the world to draw her from her subiection to her creator by insinuating vnto her that God had no good meaning toward her and her husband in abridging them of their free liberty to eate of all the trees of the garden telling her that by eating she should be like to God So doth he still suggest vnto inferiours the hard dealing of their superiours that by procuring them to take some course for further liberty he may bring them to disobedience which breeds disorder and is the high way to vtter confusion For as the fowlers lay not meate in the shrapes for birds nor fishers so carefully bait their hooks to feed those fowles or fishes fatter but to catch and make prey of them so the diuell vnder these pretenses and faire shewes doth aime to bring men to disobedience and destruction Here therefore in this example of Christs Disciples following their Master into the ship all inferiours are taught a lesson of obedience vnto their superiours that as the Centurion in this Chapter before saith of himselfe that he had souldiers vnder him And he saith to one goe and he goeth and to another come and he commeth and to his seruant doe this and he doth it So all that are vnder authority should acknowledge subiection and bee directed by their superiours But specially it is a fit meditation for Sea-men for whose sake principally I haue written this discourse who in their ships and Fleets are a body and a kind of Common-wealth seuered from other men consisting of diuers orders and degrees of which some are to command and gouerne and others according to their seuerall places to obey and take direction Amongst whom there cannot come a greater plague then mutinie and rebellion in the inferiour sort which hath been the ouerthrow of many voyages and discoueries and cannot bee otherwise without carefull and speedy preuention As it is fit therefore that the Commanders in long voyages should haue large Commissions to represse disorders in this kind so it is necessary for the common sort of sailors to be conscionably instructed in their duties of obedience which they see practised and performed by the Apostles and Disciples of our Sauiour Christ in this place toward their Lord and Master But yet secondly the Apostles rule of obedience being this Follow me as I follow Chrisâ— And the bounds of obedience as they are obserued by Diuines out of the fifth Commandement Honour thy father and thy mother being comprised in these two 1. First that though the superiour bee neuer so wicked yet his lawfull commands are to be obeyed 2. Secondly that though he seeme neuer so good yet if he command others to doe that which is wicked hee is not to bee obeyed In this respect let vs learne with the Apostles in all things to follow Christ as our chiefe Lord and Commander and so farre as any of our superiours shall command nothing contrary vnto Christ wee are bound to obey them but if they command any wicked or vnlawfull thing our answere is with the Apostles Whether it be right in the sight of God â—o obey you rather then God iudge ye For our obedience to all manner ordinance of man is for the Lords sake And as children are bound to obey their parents but in the Lord So our obedience to principalities and powers consists in this to bee ready to euery good woâ—ke And yet it is expedient that we be not our owne iudges and censurers of our superiours commands carping at euery light and slight thing but rather obey if it bee in our power though the thing bee doubtfull as Ioab though hee saw no reason to number the people yet obeyed Dauid commanding For sometimes to an vniust commandement there may bee iust obedience As it was more then Caesar could require of Christ being free to pay tribute
death it selfe whose sting is now taken awâ—y by Christ but as the fishes are fresh in the salt waters so are wee free from hurt in the greatest perils and as the Apostle saith bee more then conquerors And thus much of Christs reproofe of his Disciples Now followeth the miracle it selfe wherein I obserue these particulars first the time Then secondly the manner He arose Thirdly the meanes He rebuked the winds and thâ— sea Lastly the worke There was a great calme And first for the time we see that howsoeuer our Sauiour Christ hath hitherto carried himselfe like a meere man and lay still as if he neglected the danger wherein both hee and his Disciples were yet now hee will abide no longer it is time and high time that he shew himselfe to be God and giue them deliuerance To teach all men in extremity of danger as to fly to God by praâ—er and depend vpon his helpe so not to set or prescribe him a time but to wait and expect his leisure knowing that as he best vnderstands the most seasonable times so he will not ouerslip one minute when he sees it may most make for his glory and his childrens good Diuines doe impute it for a great fault vnto Ozias and the Bethulians that would limit their expectation of deliuerance at Gods hand to fiue dayes and if they had not helpe by that time then to waite on God no longer but to deliuer their City into the hand of the enemie But certainly Christians as in all their necessities they referre themselues to Gods mercies so likewise they referre the time to him when hee sees best and therfore Christ in the working of his miracles would not be aduised by his mother for when she told him at the marriage in Cana of Galile They haue no wine his answere is Woman what haue I to doe with thee Mine houre is not yet come As if he should haue said Mother I know that thou desirest that I should miraculously supply the want of wine whereof thou speakest and my purpose and meaning is so to doe but I know my time best when to doe it and I wil performe it in his due time and so it may be said of this miracle that till now his houre or or time wherein to doe it was not come but now all things being fitted and brought to an head as we see in diseases many times Vbi desinit medicus incipit Deus that is When the Physitions giue ouer their patients for desperate God will shew his power to cure them So when the Disciples were brought past all hope of life except by way of miracle Then and not till then the text saith He arose which is the second part in the miracle containing the manner Now for this arising of Christ the Prophet Dauid in the person of God may seeme to describe it Now for the oppression of the needy saith hee and for the sighes of the poore I will vp saith the Lord and set at liberty him whom the wicked hath snared And as the Psalmist saith in another place If God arise his enemies shall be scattered they also that hate him shall fly before him As the smoke vanisheth so shalt thou driue them away and as the wax melteth before the fire so shall the wicked perish at the presence of God which Psalme Athanasius called flagellum diaboli the scourge of the diuell as if the recitall of it were able to make the diuels in hell quake The Prophet Dauid doth therefore in his greatest crosses and distresses repose his chiâ—fest hope in Gods arising and to that end serue all those short eiaculations as the Fathers call them or piercing prayers O Lord arise helpe me my God and againe Arise O Lord in thy wrath and lift vp thy selfe against the rage of mine enemies and awake for me c. And in another place Vp Lord let no man preuaile And againe Vp Lord disappoint him cast him downe In all which places and the like which are very ordinary in the booke of Psalmes the Prophet doth call vpon God as if he were asleepe and had need to awake and arise Indeed Eliah doth by an holy Ironie mâ—cke the Prophets of Baal with their God It may bee saith he that he sleepeth and must bee awaked But our Prophet tels vs of our God That he that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleepe hee doth not so much as slumber much lesse sleepe but he doth seeme to be many times as carelesse of his Church suffering it to runne into extreame danger as if he were asleepe and to bee awaked and called vp by the supplication of his distressed children But here our Sauiour as wee haue shewed before was truly asleepe as hee was man though hee could not sleepe as he was God and being awakened though hee could haue wrought the miracle and laine still yet to shew his readinesse to doe his Disciples good and his authority ouer the windes and seas He arose Therby both giuing exceeding comfort to the deiected spirits of his Disciples when they see him so yare and ready to bestirre himselfe for their sakes and in shewing himselfe to the windes and the sea not onely as the commander but the creator of them daring as it were the one to blow or the other rage and swell against him any longer and thus he doth shew his power and authority ouer them which will be more fully expressed in the words following containing the meanes of the miracle by his word onely He rebuked the wind and the sea which was the third particular obserued in the miracle In which words wee obserue that Christ doth not in this miracle as in the raising of Lazarus betake himselfe to prayer to his Father nor vse any other meanes whereby to effect it but onely by his bare word commanding these insensible creatures to be quiet and Saint Marke sets downe his words Peace and be still So that herein he shewes and proues himselfe to be God according to that of the Prophet Dauid Whatsoeuer pleased the Lord that did he in heauen and in earth in the sea and in all the depths And againe Thou rulest the raging of the sea when the waues thereof arise thou stillest them And in another place The waues of the sea are marâ—ellous through the noyse of many waters yet the Lord on high is more mighty From which places and other such like I gather that the sea especially being troubled by winds and stormes is an vnruly creature not to be controlled or kept vnder but by God onely It is true that Moses by stretching out his hand on the red sea diuidâ—d the waters but the text telleth vs in the same place that Moses did it not by his owne power For the Lord caused the sea to run backe by a strong East wind all the night and made the sea dry land