Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A13878
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A learned and a very profitable exposition made vpon the CXI. psalme
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Travers, Robert, fl. 1561-1572.
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1579
(1579)
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STC 24180; ESTC S120253
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54,089
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124
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be vnpunished what is this but euen to giue a reede into thâ— hande of Iesus Christ and to mocke hâ—â— kingdom What crowning of him is it 〈◊〉 this vayne mirthe and wantonnesse bâ— with bryers and thornes to pricke his head Is this the ioye spoken of by the Angel that came to declare his birthe tolde 〈◊〉 tydinges of this gladnes Is this the benefite that thou hast purchased to vs by the wonderful misterie of thyne incarnation of Emmanuel oh I am ashamed that it should euer be hearde of amongest the Iewes anâ— Turks that the ChristiaÌ„s at that time of the yere wheÌ„ their Sauiour was borne giue theâ— selues for many daies froÌ„ their ordinary â—dest shamefaced behauiour from walkiâ—â— ordinarily in their vocatioÌ„ studies to vâ— modest shameful practises to watching 〈◊〉 waking al for vaine vnfruteful works 〈◊〉 darknes Wherin differeth our celebratioÌ„ 〈◊〉 the natiuity of Christ froÌ„ the popish Christmas that it ought to differ as farre as heaâ— euen the highest heauens from the nether most hel Howe doe we looke to call Papiâ—â— from their vaine conuersation when we aâ— not our selues a foote froÌ„ them Is this thâ— conuersation that shall strike men with aâ— admiration and loue of vertue If it be required of women so to behaue them selueâ— that other may be wonne thereby to God doth it not more appertaine to men who were first made to Gods glory but ought it not yet more to appeare in schollers those which are called schollers of the holy Trinity I thinke if but thus much were spoken amongst the Heathen against so great an abuse they would repeÌ„t in sackcloth ashes And yet I know that this people will not be brought from this vaine conuersation for they loue it delight in it wil hide it and keepe it as a iewel For without these things they complaine that it is but a dead Christmas These men will neuer confesse the truth of this doctrine till God haue sealed it with some plague or other Well thus we ought not to remember the benefit of that vnspeakeable misterye by the which we are ioyned to God and God to vs but in ioy of the spirit that vttereth forth Psalmes and Hymnes spiritual songs and such l ke We ought also to keepe in mind not this onely but all the other miracles which the Lorde wrought for the defeÌ„ce safgard benefit of his Church so that our harts should be like the arke of witnes wherin as ther was coÌ„tayned for a perpetuall remembrauÌ„ce a pot or cruse of manna Arons rod for an euerlastig witnes of the care of G d for the prouision of his Church miracles whereby 〈◊〉 testified his election of Arons posteritie 〈◊〉 to haue in our harts all those thinges which the Lord either worketh for all the church or particularly for any part thereof In the rest of the verse he rendreth a reason oâ— these so great mercies euen the Lords pâ—â— not desert but as he sayth to Moyses I wiâ— haue mercy on whoÌ„ I will haue mercy making his mercy the cause of mercy So here his pity is made the cause and he vseth twâ— wordes doubling it because his mercye 〈◊〉 manifold toward his Ezechiel in his 16. cap doth notably set out this pitie free gracâ— of the Lorde toward this people in comparing him selfe to a man that seeing a pooâ— helples child new borne without any helpâ— of midwife or other wallowing in her bloâ—â— of very pitie and compassion washeth as clenseth her doth all thinges needefull seâ— the succour of it in such a case he then aâ—ter bringeth her vp feeding and cherishinâ— her til the be mariageable he then clotheâ— her with all costly aray and setteth her oâ— with all precious iewells and casting hiâ— loue vppon her taketh her to be his wâ—â—â— as more at large is to be seen in that place It followeth He hath giuen a praye c In the verse going before we haue seeâ— the exceeding loue of God towardes his Church testified by so many and such notable seales as he declared in the land of Egypt Where for the deliueraunce of the Church he chaunged the whole course of nature as it were in the bringing forth of a more excellent precious thing then the whole world which was at a worde made furnished he did as it were many dayes in paynes trauels labour before the birth of the Church so great a thing was it to make vnto him a Church We haue also seene his onely pitie compassion to haue bene the cause thereof Nowe it followeth in the fift verse He gaue a pray c. For although in the scripture somtime this word signifieth a portion or a part as in the 31. of the Prouerbs yet properly it signifieth a spoile which a lion getteth for him self the circuÌ„stance of this place needes forceth this sense For he remeÌ„breth the notable benefit of the spoile of Egypt what time they weÌ„t out of the laÌ„d which although it may seeme at the first not to be so excelleÌ„t or notable not to be spokeÌ„ of particularly wheÌ„ the other are not seuerally reckened but together as it were in one word bouÌ„d vp yet we shal see this although not the only cause why the prophet namely remeÌ„breth it passing thother briefly yet a sufficieÌ„t iust cause True it is that 〈◊〉 miracle of turning the waters of Epypt 〈◊〉 blod was woÌ„derful a maruelous work Foâ— if we maruel at the turning of six great poâ— of water into wine in the 2. of Iohn what shâ—â— we say at the turning of whole riuers foâ—taines from their nature And if we see in a few quarts of water the finger of God shaâ—â— not the haÌ„d arme of the Lord appeare 〈◊〉 turning the great riuer that great riuer Nâ—lus all the waters besides of Egypt not 〈◊〉 fix earthen pots but in sixteene tymes 〈◊〉 thousaÌ„d pots of wood stone And if in the destructioÌ„ of one maÌ„ by lice or wormes the woÌ„derful power of God appeared what and how maruelous is the power that made sâ— many as were able to destroy a mighty kingdoÌ„ innumerable people for if the striking with botches sores of one man destrâ—ction of his catle astonisheth vs in the 1. 〈◊〉 Iob at the striking of all Egypt both man 〈◊〉 beast how shall we be affected or if in the blinding of one citye of Sodom the maruelous hand of God shewed it selfe what is 〈◊〉 be thought in the blindnes of al Egypt The rest of the miracles may also in like maner be set out by comparing other iudgementâ— of God with them But I let them passe CoÌ„sider only the destruction of the first borne both of man beast Could the Lord doe a more maruelous worke for the benefite of his Church that would so pearce the hart of them as
place he sayth that he made a people for himselfe So thâ—n it was and nowe is muche more euen so muche more as the grace of God is more aboundaunt then it was at that tâ—me For the grace of God hath appeared in these latter daies as th Apostle saith that bringeth saluation vnto all men it hath appeared instructing vs that denying vngodlines and worldly lustes we should liue soberly iustly and holily in this life wishing for the blessed hope and reuelation of the glory of the great God and our Sauiour Iesus Christ who gaue him selfe for vs that he might deliuer vs from all vnrighteousnes and purge vs vnto him selfe a peculier people seruently and earnestly following good works and in deed most iustly for he speaketh of those dayes whereof Ieremy prophesied that the Lord would strike a new couenaunt with his people not as he had done with then fathers from the which they started but he would not put his lawes in then harts to do them Then seeing the grace of God hath bene so maruelous so excellent and superabundant in these dayes aboue the other by proportion and reason there is greater thankfulnes required of vs to whome such grace and mercy hath bene shewed So that if they meete once for the praise of God we ought to meete seuen times if they had one preacher of it in one citie we in one citie should haue seuen if they had charge that they should put the commaundements and the words of God into their harts soules to bind them for a signe vpon their haÌ„ds to be a perpetuall warning in their eyes to teach them their children to talke of them walking in the way and sitting in the house and rising in the morning and lâ—ing downe in the night to write them vppon the dore postes and corner of the house we surely ought not to performe this alone but euen to dreame of them in the night Daye and night to meditate with our selues of them And if their loue to this mercifull God was as the loue of childreÌ„ towards their father or as the loue of wife towards her husband with whome she is one fleshe our loue my brethren ought to be as the loue of a friend who is with his friend one soule For without doubt vnspeakeable is the grace and mercy that is reueiled by the Gospell The eye of none can not see nor eare heare nor hart vnderstand it but such as haue the spirite of God who knoweth the secretes of god Now in that the Prophet Dauid say the he commaunded his couenant for euer he doth not onely prayse it for the perpetuitie and continuance of it in respect of God but also in a word exhorteth all men to faithfull and continuall obedience in performing the conditions of their couenaunt of their part also And of Gods behalfe it had bene great loue if with Abraham alone the father of the people he had striken this couenaunt or with his generation after him for some hundreth yeares but to make it to rest vpon the head of his seede so long after him euen from generation to generation for euer to graunt him this inheritance the riches and fountaine of his mercie appeareth For although that some now are fallen away and their body in a maner dead yet notwithstaÌ„ding the truth of the couenaunt remaineth at this day And if they had continued faithfull it had neuer bene broken for God remayned still sure of the one partie for the performaunce of the old couenaunt Then thinke a litle of this benefit or rather let it occupy al ouâ— whole minds in coÌ„sideration of it that perpetually with one people as in an arke that shoulde neuer be broken the Lord laid the precious treasure of his commaundements Although he departed from Siloth left also Sion at the last yet he neuer cleane cast away the roote branches of Israell but kept and kepeth thowsands to him selfe we looke for the rest to be called euen thowsands ten thowsandes in euery tribe This people thorow their much iniqu ty vaned and vanished as the moone oftentimes hath bâ—ne nowe is in a dauÌ„gerous fearefull eclipse But by the grace and mercy of God and his word appearing neare vnto them they haue gotten and doe get some light shal in th end be in the full when God grauÌ„t our vnthankfulnes that be of the Gentiles breede not great confusion to vs which haue had them our exaÌ„ple but would not learne He raised amongest them by his worde that remayned with them not one in one age but many in many ages as it were Angells euen out of their bodies I meane the wise Prophets noble Iudges and deliuerers holy Priestes and Leuits godly Kings and Angellike Nazarits Euen of your young men I raised Prophets vnto you saith the Lorde and of your children Doctors I powred my spirit vpon your seruaunts and vppon your daughters from time to time And last of al as I opened my coÌ„duits in the dayes of Noah for destruction so the conduits of grace were reueiled vnto you from heauen yea the windowes of heauen were opened at the ascention of Iesus Christ and wisedom vnderstanding rained vppon all flesh euen to thends of the world Thus we may remember the commendations of this couenaunt that Dauid comprehendeth in one word And seing there is also now come to vs like grace the same is also to be vnderstoode in our selues Now of the other parte in that he sayeth he commaunded his couenaunt for euer Beside this praise of the mercie of God I haue sayd that he exhorted theÌ„ vs to continual faithfulnes in keeping the Lordes couenaunt with vs Nowe if we agree with our selues one of vs with an other a man with his fellowe if we after breake our faith we can not but condemne our selues of great wickednes But if we breake with our betters as some Prince or King it is more both wickednes and shame but if the couenant that we made with God in the beginning by our fathers haue renewed it in our baptisme since be by our sinnes broken of what miserie and shame what sinne and death hangeth ouer vs It behoueth therefore in respect of the couenant it selfe first that we kepe faith truth to the commaundements and that not for an hower or the time while we heare the word or when we come to the communion or for a day we hang downe our heades some mortified consecrat to God in saith and holinesse not only to please our selues if we see a good motion in vs though it be sooner quenched then the lightning but to labour to followe it to nourish it to blowe it vp to make a fire of it that we be not as the vnfaithfull waters which in the sommer are dried vp or as the dead trees which perish in the winter but that we remayne whole and sound perfit as the liuing waters and