Oh how doth this magnifie religion the professors therof vnto the which they are more indebted then to their own liues let vs offer this sacrifice for the Lord will take any thing at our hand in good part ifit be little because we haue but little he maketh much therof if it be much because we haue much he maketh more thereof then say we all If God doc thus accept then will we giue it Let vs not reason with him as the woman of Samaria did Iohn 4. when hee asked for water but let vs speedily giue him his request as Rebecca did to Abrahams seruant who asking but a little yet she gaue him more Another vse let vs serue the Lord before our liues for else we make our selues gluttons and feede our bellies and the Apostle saith of this kinde 1. Cor. 6. 15. Meate for the belly and the belly for meate but God shall destroy both it and them Wilt thou spende all on thy belly and nothing on the Lorde thinkest thou that thou possessest all for thy selfe and nothing for the Lorde doest thou so liue to thy meate and with thy meate as if thou were onely borne for it and that were onely made for thee then surely take thou heede for God shall destroy both it and thee Giue therefore to him and to his vses in his church if thou faile thy store shall faile and if thou repent not thy life shall perish Who was euer famished for meate that gaue it to the Lord or begged for his bread which spent it at the altar or was empouerished by maintaining religiō surely none but with them was the saying of Salomon performed There is that giue and haue nothing the lesse Eate not I beseech you your destruction in your meat and drinke not your damnation in your abundance if you will saue your life you shal lose it but if in this case for the Lords cause you wil lay downe your life you shall finde it If when wee haue but little we giue from our selues to the Lorde we do as poore Iacob did which sent his store into Egypt with his sonnes where was more store but through his little hee gained both his sonnes he saued his owne life and sustained all his familie so let not vs doubt or feare to bestow on the Lord for looke what wee loose we sowe for more encrease what we giue we shall gaine and what in peasure we dispende in paine we shall lament The xxiiij Sermon Vers 15. 16. Blowe the trumpet in Sion sanctifie a fast call a solemne assemblie gather the people sanctifie the congregation gather the elders assemble the children and those that sucke the brests let the bridegroome go foorth of his chamber and the bride out of hir bride chamber OF the blowing of the trumpet wee haue spoken in the beginning of this chapter so also we haue handled the proclaiming of a fast the calling of an assemblie both of the people and of their elders al which to stande vpon againe were but needlesse Therefore wee will to the next wordes The yoong children and them that sucke the breasts That is euery one among you from the least to the most Some will saie vnto me what good can the sucking children do in the Lordes seruice I grant in sight they cannot but seeing Dauid saith that the brute beastes do seeke their meate at God which they doe not by praying or speaking so may Ioel assigne the yoong sucking babes to want their meat that with their mothers they might poure foorth most lamentable teares and terrible cries into the eares of the Lord and for this cause to increase mourning doth the prophet inuite them to the fast From hence we may obserue that the wrath of God must bee appeased with a generall repentance Olde men and babes yoong men and maidens rich and poore prince and people must all bee humbled at the Lordes anger as we may reade Ion. 3. 8. Yea the very cattle of the Niniuites were couered with a mourning weede wherein wee may see that it is no maruaile if the Lorde were so long angrie with vs bicause we were not generally humbled If parents haue repented yet children haue not sorrowed if children mourne parents haue beene dissolute if the old men were humbled the yoong men rebelled Therefore our misery remaineth bicause some remaine obstinate The reasons First bicause the Lord hath a quarrel against al sexes ages degrees and conditions of men Ierem. 12. 12. the which ought to be a sufficient cause to haue euery one to be humbled and let not one escape I muse much that many christian parents haue so little regarde to their children that they care not with what vanities and toies they delight and allure them thinking they are not bounde to any exercise on Sabbaoth daies nor that any oath or foolish talke doth annoy them But heere wee see not onelie those which can speake must practise religion but also if they bee able to crie let them feele the Lordes commandement Some will thinke that these little children are innocent and therefore neede no repentance for it is a common saying if it goe not well with children howe shall it goe with olde men meaning that children are without sinne Vnto which I answere that they are sinfull by nature euen the heires of wrath Eph. 2. 2. and if they were not yet bicause God requireth it who dare refuse it and the rather bicause the brute beastes are inuited thereto which neither can nor euer shall sinne Another reason bicause whosoeuer doth not thus humble himselfe shall be iudged of God 1. Cor. 11. 31. We know it an vsuall thing in the worde of God to spare neither man woman nor childe and to take the sucking babes and to dash their braines against the wall If they be subiect to punishment why not to religion if to death why not to the Lordes seruice Therefore let all bee humbled children because they are borne in sinne olde men bicause they are weary of sin yoong men bicause they liue in sin and striplings bicause they grow in sin or else shall euerie one die in condemnation Let vs not therefore prouoke the Lord 1. Cor. 10. 22. but consider how fearefull it is to stirre a lion from his den or to meete a Beare robbed of hir whelpes or to prouoke a prince to displeasure of which it is saide That the anger of a king is the messenger of death but I saie if the Lorde more fierce then a lyon more raging then a Beare and more powerfull then a prince bee stirred vp to strike vs wee can hardely hurt him hee can easilie destroie vs wee can hardlie mooue him but more hardly pacifie him See you not that the newe borne babes shall repent it yea sometime they feele it before they bee borne Oh thinke vpon it the blood of olde men the strength of yoong men the beautie of women and the loue of children
defend them against the force of men Christ to fight for them against the rage of Sathan Let vs therefore learne to giue all diligence that wee may bee sure of the fauour of God Psa 23. 6. And for this cause Peter biddeth vs giue all diligence to make our election sure meaning that this is the greatest worke of the world that men should be certaine of the promises of God When we haue the promises and cannot certainly yeeld vnto them then are we like sicke men which haue good phisicke but cannot be perswaded to take it because they thinke it will doe them no good so wee thinke these promises vncertaine and some they haue holpe but some they failed But we must know that the promises neuer failed if the men were not vnfaithfull for as men will not plant corrupt impes and graftes so God will not make vnstedfast promises but as the ground doth many times alter a good plant that it groweth not so men doe choke the promises that they helpe not Therefore if God bid thee not feare then cast away feare if he bid thee not weepe then cease from teares as when hee biddeth thee not kill thou refrainest from murder The assurance of the Lordes fauour must growe by a continual practise of repentance as the Apostle teacheth when he saith Patience worketh experience Rom. 5. and therefore this benefite wee may reape by our often sorrowes that we may come with confidence to the throne of grace Another vse seeing the promises of God must be so auailable in vs that they must expell all feare of euill then let vs especially bee armed with them against the feare of death that euery one of vs may say with Iob. 13. 15. that although God slay vs yet will we trust in him What doth more trouble all the worlde then doth the departure out of the world for it maketh good men pray with Dauid I will not die but liue and it maketh euill men at their wits end to thinke on the paines of death therefore blessed is the remedie of the sweete promises of God which enable vs against death Daniel being once preserued among the lions aliue would neuer be afraide to be cast among them againe so we which once were not and now are once were dead and now aliue once were vnder the diuell but now vnder Christ let vs not I say feare the gates of death or the sorrowes of the graue To whome doe I speake but to them that shall passe vnder the hande of death therefore learne attentiuely what is deliuered when thou beginnest to drawe towarde the sunne setting of thy life I meane thy death then looke vpon al the promises of God which euer thou heardest at Sermons or didst read in the Scriptures laie them to thy soule bidding it not to feare death for the Lorde hath commanded thee not to feare it But peraduenture it will replie vnto thee say the paine of death is intollerable how can I but feare it then tell it againe that it is not so for death hath lost hir sting as the apostle saith O death where is thy sting what is an adder a viper or a serpent when they haue lost their sting Surely euerie yoong childe may play with them and handle them And as the paines of a trauailing woman do bring foorth a man child so thy paine shall worke pleasure thy life shall bring death thy sorrowes shall gaine ioyes thy friendes shall bee turned into saints thy parents into angels and thy gouernours into God himselfe If thou bee a woman hee will be thy husband if thou bee a man hee will be thy wife and if thou be a seruant hee will bee thy Lorde Oh feare not death but learne the promises of God to comfort thee against it and thinke what shall bee thy blessednesse to forsake the worlde to goe to heauen to forsake thy pouertie to goe to riches to forsake thy sicknes to go to health to forsake thy friendes to goe to God and to forsake a liuing of house and lande for a whole kingdome Oh trust in God in life that thou maiest trust in God in death beleeue in Christ in health that thou maiest beleeue in him in sicknesse praie vnto him in thy ioyes that thou maiest praie vnto him in thy sorrowes And be not afraide while thou art liuing of the power of man that thou maiest not be afraide when thou art dying of the power of death and condemnation For God shall Nowe hee giueth them the reason of this exhortation why they shoulde not feare bicause the Lord would do mightie things for them whereby wee may note that the vnspeakeable power of God shoulde make men to reioice Esay 14. 27. For what can better assure vs of his promises then this that hee is able to performe them and therefore as the godly comfort themselues with this saying The Lorde is king bee the earth neuer so vnpatient so let vs lift vp our selues in comfort in the kingdome glorie maiestie power and mercie of God that hee can doe what hee will and will doe what we praie for The first reason bicause for the godlies sake hee worketh myracles Exod. 15. 12. and therefore wee ought to reioice in his power We may reade Marke 2. that for one myracle all the people gaue praise vnto God Wee haue many myracles and woonders done for vs and who is able to tell what God hath done for his soule therefore yet let thy heart reioice when thy toong is not able to expresse the power of God Another reason bicause nothing can stande against the saluation of his elect Psal 107. 14. For the sea shall be emptied the earth shall be remooued the rockes shall be broken and the heauens shall bow themselues that the power of God may be manifested and his saints be saued Let vs learne by consideration of his power to serue him more earnestly as Dauid doth Psal 118. 27. when he had tolde howe mightilie God destroied his enimies as a fire of thornes then hee presently addeth Binde the sacrifice with coardes vnto the hornes of the altar As God is powerfull to saue so is hee powerfull to destroy and therefore bee afraide least as hee is able to blesse thee if thou doe well so hee curse thee if thou doe euill Pilate woulde haue had Christ haue answered bicause he saide hee had power to loose him or to deliuer him but hee was rebuked for his labour let vs much more answere the Lorde for hee hath absolute power to doe with vs whatsoeuer he will Againe let vs learne by consideration of the power of God to beleeue in him more confidently as Abraham did Rom. 4. 21. although hee sawe no reason howe the promise of God shoulde be fulfilled if Isaac were sacrificed yet this did animate him that God was able to raise him from death to life and so let vs bee obedient to the Lordes commandements when they are
couered with darknesse so now when the enemies shall bee brought to iudgement the like terrors and feare and darknesse and wonders shall be wrought to their astonishment so that the prophet to the ende of this chapter handeleth these two things first the fearefull tokens of the enemies destruction in these verses and secondly he concludeth with sweete comforts to the godly Concerning the darkening of the sunne and moone and starres wee haue already spoken in the former chapter where we told you first that the darkening of these lights did teach vs that no creatures are able to keepe their places when the Lord is angrie Isa 13. 9 10. because they themselues haue a naturall feare of corruption Iob. 15. 15. Secondly wee shewed you how they waite vpon God to shine when he smileth and to frowne when he chideth teaching vs to doe the like Againe by vttering of his voice we shewed you that he meant thunder and therefore when he saith that he will vtter his voice out of Zion and roare out of Ierusalem at the ouerthrowe of his enemies he thereby teacheth vs that all that liue in the church of GOD must make account to heare and see many fearefull signes and wonders Psal 48. 5 6 7. for in the church God manifesteth his wrath against others and against it he sheweth that he is terrible and will be feared therefore we heare the thunders when other feele the blowes wee see the miracles when other smart for their operation wee are taught by others harmes and wee are terrified by other mens destructions Therefore none can liue in the church proudly but the heauens will dismay him or prophanely but signes and wonders will admonish him or wickedly but the word of God will reprooue him or ignorantly but the shaking and quaking and troubling and darkening of the world instruct him Therefore the church is well called the kingdome of feare for there is feare of God and feare of trouble and feare of damnation feare of God wrought by worde and woonders feare of trouble least violence should ouerthrowe all religion and feare of damnation least the diuels kingdome should be enlarged and surely we were better feare in this place then bee secure in another as the godly Iewes which had rather fight vpon the wals of Ierusalem then suffer all quietnesse in Babylon But I haue followed all this more effectually in another place But the Lord will be the hope When hee had tolde them that hee would roare out these destructions in Ierusalem least they should feare that a new calamitie was comming vpon them He telleth them that he will bee their hope that is they shall hope in him and he will be their strength to deliuer them from al his wrath and vengeance Whereby wee may see that by the fearefull signes and woonders which he worketh in his church he teacheth vs to hope in him more assuredly Ierem. 30. 5. 11. So that nowe I might thus reason with al my brethren We haue had many fearfull and extraordinarie thunders manie terrible flashes of lightening which haue killed men and burned houses manie woonderfull apparitions in the ayre as fire and bloode and light and darkenesse and the visions of armed men many comets or blazing starres beside many other yet hath the Church stoode the Gospell beene preached our lande quieted our prince preserued yea God is still our God and wee are still his people Therefore let vs hope in him more assuredly Paul hauing beene once stoned raised vp againe feared the violence of that death neuer afterwarde and so seeing we haue often suffered these things and neuer yet perished in them let God be our hope for euermore Consider howe he saued some in the fire some in the dens of lions some in shipwracke on the sea and some being taken vp aboue the cloudes yet returned without all hurt Euen so will he doe vnto vs no quaking of the earth or breaking of the cloudes or darkning of the day or changing of the ayre shall change our mindes from trusting in our God When Sinai shooke and burned like a worlde on fire not one of the people were hurt by it but they were prepared to a more reuerend receiuing of the law and so let these wonders and fires prepare vs to the like that our proude natures may bee humbled by them our secure liues may bee wakened our little feare of sinne may be encreased and our daily expectation of iudgement may be renued that when the Lord shall come he may finde vs preaching or praying or mourning or fasting or watching or hearing or reading or repenting and readie for his kingdome Oh blessed are they that are in such a case and blessed are they whose hope is in the Lorde The first reason bicause all the endes of the worlde may see the saluation of our God Esay 52. 10. For the godly which are scattered heere and there thorough all the worlde will spread abroad the same that euerie one might learne it Another reason because in the middest of all terrors yet is God in the church Psal 50. 2. and his beautie is then greatest when he shineth in darknes and dwelleth in fire and ruleth in woonders is feared in his signes Let vs learne by these thinges to encrease our faith and confidence in the Lorde that we may saie with Dauid Though the earth bee remooued yet we will not feare There is a base kind of trust or confidence which men retaine and content themselues withall when as they growe not forwarde into a most Christian resolution not caring for riches which are but vanitie or for health which is but weakenesse or for life which is but temporall or for death which shall bring immortality This confidence maketh a man like to Christ who cared not for the crosse bicause God was his father and in like sort shall not we care for the miseries of the worlde if as we say we care not for the world Let vs not care for that which wee cannot keepe I meane our life much lesse let vs sinne to keepe it by vnlawful means for then we do but hire a lion to watch our lambes which in the ende will destroy them all Wee can saie in our health that wee can comfort the sicke but being in sicknesse wee can receiue none our selues so there be many that make great shewe of faith and confidence in these times of health and peace and quietnesse as if they were readie to die for God but alas if the Lorde frowne vpon them but a little their faith fadeth like mowen grasse and they are at their wits ende Therefore come into the closet and storehouse of thy soule and see that thy faith be as good as thy face and that it will as well abide the burning furnace as the warme sunne and trie whether it will abide the torments of death and not be killed thy faith if it be true must be as immortall as thy
vnfulled which openeth it selfe to euery winde and storme Christ the Sauiour is our enimie and we persecute him and crucifie him the Saints of God we regarde not the promises of God we know not our hope is vanitie and our God is iniquitie Call to your remembrance the houres the daies the weekes the monethes and the yeeres of your life thinke euermore on that mercie and that power that in the ruffe of all this iniquitie forbeareth forewarneth and forgiueth you Thinke thus with your selues I was a helhounde I was a heathen the tyger is better then my parentage and the serpent then my education I was naked without grace and not able to buy it the Lord that solde it was my enimie and I durst not aske vpon credite Howe many enormities haue I runne into against my God which the Lord foreseeing hath forgiuen the curse of my nature he hath remooued the euill of my conuersation he hath remitted the emptines of my soule he hath replenished and the sentence of my condemnation hath he recalled Thus hath the Lorde dealt with my life when I was sinfull he was mercifull when I blasphemed he blessed when I made warre against him hee made peace with me hee tooke my blowes on both cheekes he gaue me his coate and his cloake and to conclude when I walked through the valley of the shadowe of death his rodde and his staffe was my comfort therefore now will I giue my life for his my body for his garment my bloud for his blowes my soule for his sake and my whole person wealth honour dignitie labour and leasure for his saluation Secondlie another vse we may make of recording time past and the seueral works of God with his particular iudgments is the same which the prophet Dauid maketh Psalm 8. which is this after the rehearsall of the glorious workes of God he compareth man with them and saith Lord what is man that thou art mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou visitest him Euen so when we see and heare of the great workes of God vpon others lay them to your selues by particular application to your soules and reckon them vp in order for your furtherance Little Canaan tolde his father of his grandfathers drunkennes and nakednes and he was accursed and all his posteritie But I haue in my youth done many thousand greater sins yet the Lord doth stil blesse me was the Lord too rigorous against him or too partiall with me that he all his life long wore such a badge as also disgraceth all his progenie but he laieth not to my charge the follies of my youth Moses and Aaron bicause they once distrusted the hande of God they were neuer suffered to enter into Canaan but I not once onely but many hundred times haue distrusted his promise denied his worde and forsaken his truth why do I liue so long in the lande of promise when more righteous then my selfe coulde not set their foote therein Ananias and Saphira kept backe but a part of their owne to serue them in aduersitie and denying the same were sodainly slaine by the Lord but I haue kept backe not mine but the Lordes from the Lorde and haue lied not once to the holy Ghost but many times and yet I liue my credite not impeached my profession is not blamed my life is not shortened and my daies are not ended Oh beholde the seueritie of God towards these that fell but the mercy of God towardes me that standeth And thus may we say of nations and whole people why was Egypt destroyed and Israell saued why were the Canaanites cast out and the Israelites planted in why was Edom made tributarie to Iacob Babylon to Persia Persia to Graecia Ireland to England Surely surely we might haue beene the slaues and they the Lordes we the bondmen and they the freemen Euil wars might haue beene in our daies as it was in our fathers and that which was greatest poperie or heresie or hethenisme might haue beene professed in these our times as it was long agoe Thinke therefore my beloued how many bonds of obedience the Lorde hath bounde vs in and consider what had beene our hap if we had beene those children that were ripped out of their mothers bellies if we had beene those yoong men that perished in battell if we had beene those women that eate their babes to saue their liues and finally how much more are we bound vnto God that we were not Infidels Pagans Papists haeretikes Atheistes or any other kinde of cursed men Let vs also say with the prophet Psal 147. vlt. With euery nation hath he not dealt thus Let therefore euermore the worde of God bee in our mouthes the praises of God be in our hearts the Gospell in our liues and by howe much more we haue tasted of the Lords goodnes aboue other so much more let him taste of our thankefulnes aboue other The fourth Sermon And tell you your children of it and let your children shewe to their children and their children to another generation NOw the prophet hauing bidde them to enquire of their forefathers also willeth them to tell this wonder to them that shall come after namely to their children with this commandement also that they in time to come being made parents shoulde likewise declare this vnto their posteritie Where first of all the prophet giueth vs this doctrine that it is the dutie of fathers that if anie notable and woorthie worke of God happen in their daies to shew the same vnto their children for the wordes are tell your children c. Euen this doth the Lorde warne the Israelites Exod. 13. 14. to shew the wonders in Egypt vnto their posteritie and peculiarly at the eating of the passeouer For in truth this care and conscience of godlie parents is the verie conduit pipe or kings highway whereby all religion all feare of God and the vniforme profession of the truth is preserued By this meanes came Moses to be a fit and able writer of the Scriptures although hee handle matters done two thousand yeeres before he sawe the worlde he had no recordes nor writings to helpe him but that truth which descended as it were by propagation from father to sonne vnto his daies which began to be corrupt the holy Ghost approoued and Moses recorded Therefore the learned haue obserued that in seauen generations it came to Moses Adam say they taught the Historie of the creation and fall of man with other thinges to Methusaleth Methusaleth told them to Sem Sem shewed them to Iacob Iacob to Kohath Kohath to Amram and Amram to Moses And in this sort was this noble story of Genesis with visions places and persons deliuered from hande to hande from father to sonne and from one generation to another that the wordes and workes of God might be euerlastingly remembred This sheweth how by the carefulnes of parents the pure knowledge of God was maintained and the true worship of
lamentable is our case when we shall not feare God as a father but dread him as a Iudge wee cannot pray vnto him as a Sauiour but behaue our selues like bondslaues in his presence When it shall be said you haue had no pleasure in his workes therefore I will haue no delight in your soules The vses which arisefrom this doctrine are these first the same which Moses once did after he had brought Israell out of Aegypt and afterward the whole company of Martirs are said to make Apoc. 15. 3 Great are thy works say they O Lord almighty iust right are thy waies O king of Saints That is with the consideration of God his mighty power ioine also the confession of his euer blessed iustice You O fathers of our times teach vs this doctrine by your seueral obseruatiōs during al the life of your pilgrimage that you may say the Lord is iust in all his waies holy in al his works Euen this fruit reape take of this florishng tree that you also may be able to tell vs in this we foūd the Lord to be merciful in that work we receiued a due triall of his iustice And freely my beloued in this point of doctrine I might profitably spēd many words to shew teach you with what maner recital of his doings the Lord is pleased it is no more auaileable for vs to confesse that hughe armies of souldiers were discomfited by the Lord except we also know and acknowledge the ende wherefore the Lord did the same then in old time it was for Pharaoh to sigh vnder the burden of God his workes being therewith oppressed and not considering the due ende of the same his hand doth not warne vs nor his power amend vs when either we see or heare it without holy consideration of the end of the iudgement And this selfe same vse must we make when we heare or read of the woonders of auncient time that we can say behold the punishment of sinne the reward of godlines the power of the almightie and the iustice of the euerliuing God In the scriptures the holy Ghost in euery historie sheweth this vse although not in plaine words yet in easie manner to be obserued That Caine was cursed being the heire apparant of all the world and notwithstanding his large birthright he should be a vagabond on the earth was not this a great woonder But why came this to passe First because he was loose in the seruice of God and afterward murdered his innocent brother marke you then the fals of many princes such as be recorded in scripture and out of scripture and you shall see for their vnsufferable wickednes and intollerable tyranny they were destroyed That Sampson killed himselfe and so many thousand Philistines was not this a wonderfull work of God But why was this effected I graunt that by this he was a figúre of Christ which by his owne death ouercame his enimies but the Philistines might learne hereby that the Lord wil be reuenged for the wrongs done to his saints In like manner read and runne ouer the volumes of T. Liuius the writings of Tacitus the bookes of Arrianus the histories of Italy Fraunce Germany England and al Chronicles wherein any worthie or memorable thing may be noted yea the very fables of Poets and you shall therein obserue the variable punishment of sin for the seuerall transgressions of princes and people And if we may come neerer to our owne times consider how much blood hath beene spilt in Fraunce and the lowe-Countries we cannot onely say it was the Lords doings it is maruellous in our eies but we may say this came to passe for the crueltie of the one if not for the drunkennes of the other But why should I trauell ouer the seas for strange things when our owne countrey yeeldeth more worthie workes of God then all christendome besides What is more woonderfull that so great a people so noble personages so large dominions and so many forraine nations should be gouerned preserued defended by one woman Prince Let me now aske you O Elders was there euer the like in your daies or in the daies of your fathers before you Was there euer such peace in this land since it was a land till we flocked to the preaching of the Gospell at the call of one glorious and godly Prince aske your fathers of this and tell vs if euer there were the like Was there euer so hughe a nauie so easily dispersed as the Spanish fleete was comming with purpose to inuade vs and yet neuer could set foote on our land till they were brought prisoners and yet with smaller forces they haue made France to bleed and Flanders to ake Was there euer so many wicked attempts confounded so many treasons reuealed so many wicked persons executed and so many good men preserued as hath beene in her maiesties happie raigne Aske your fathers if euer they knew the like and we will tell our children and they shall tell their children and their children shall shew another generation that our times were happie our liues were blessed our professions were godly and our countrey was glorious witnessed and prooued by thus many workes of God Our Prince raigneth our people obeyeth our forces are increased our enimies are confounded our afflictions are ended our peace is continued our religion is magnified our land is fruitfull our lawes are equall our quarrell is lawfull and therefore hearken al ages what the Lord hath done for England Secondly another vse we must obserue in the narration of the Lords iudgements is this which Dauid maketh Psal 119. 46. I will declare thy iudgements before kings and will not bee ashamed That is the deedes and wordes of the almightie must worke so powerfully in the preachers thereof that no rebukes no scornes no mockes nor any shame be taken for the vtterance of them We liue in a contrarie time to Dauids affection for many are so modest in any good actions that all godly companions and holy exercises doe shame their estates and abase their callings but in euill enterprises they are as immodest as brute beastes thinking it no scorne nor disparagement to them to brag of their blasphemies to tell of their whooredoms to sport themselues with their drunkennesse and to play with the diuell himselfe And this is too too common in our times wherein gentlemen and rich men are ashamed to haue so much as a bible in their houses or at any time to shew a good and friendly face to a preacher of the worde or to minister any occasion to talke of religion least say they we be accounted fooles yea they make fooles of them in the world that follow not euery fashion of apparell vse not euery inuention of idlenesse and conforme not themselues to the maners of the most although they be most wicked This rauening and greedy appetite to sinne must also kindle the fire of our zeale that the wicked be not
these drunkards when they were awaked what they should do not go to their feastes againe or to the vomits againe or to the tauerns or to the ale-houses or to their mirth but he biddeth them go to the house of mourning Weepe saith the prophet and howle that is as if he had said lay away your pleasures and banish all euill companions drinke vp your teares as wine and eate your sorrowes as bread for a sudden calamitie is come vpon you the meate that is in your hand shall not come into your belly and your mouths shall be weaned from sucking and swilling in of strong drinke From hence when the prophet biddeth them to weepe I might note vnto you the nature or rather an inseparable companion of true repentance which is a mournfull heart and a weeping countenance which doth not onely sorrow for the fault but as it were wash away the sinnes of the soule for the teares which we weepe in this life do shew our vncleannes which if they were able they would cleanse away Teares are said to be the blood of the soule because they proceede of a wounded and sorrowfull spirit and therefore let not desperate ruffians and carnall persons thinke that the sighes and groanes and wishes of their hard hearts can goe for payment in the Lords presence or that the bare misliking and leauing of their old sinnes is true repentance for as the wound cannot be healed but the partie shall be payned so the life cannot be amended except teares or true sorrow be expressed But I will come nearer to my purpose for I cannot stande on euery worde and therefore I will onely note that which is fittest and of greatest necessitie The seuenth Sermon IN the next place he biddeth them to howle which is an action properly belonging to wolues and is metaphorically applied vnto these drunkards for they are both deuourers the one of lambes the other of corne both are beastes the one in nature the other in likenes and seeing they haue reioised like beasts now also he biddeth them to lament like beasts And therefore seeing I seldome find this word Howle but it is applied vnto beasts or wicked men I therefore note hereby that the vngodly comming into aduersitie are like to the brutish and vnreasonable creatures They sorrow without hope they weepe without comfort they howle without praier and they haue their wits and their ease taken away at once if they be merry it is for their wealth if they be heauy it is for their want So that then we may say iustly of them as Paule said of some Ephesians they are beasts in the likenes of men the prophet Dauid telleth vs Psal 49. 20. That man being in honour continueth not but becommeth like beastes that perish The wicked being in honour are inconstantly seated that serueth for their glorie but they are like the beasts that perish that sheweth their miserie in prosperitie they are vncertaine in their aduersitie they are vnhappie when they are lifted vp they will be more then men but when they are thrust downe they are founde equall to beasts The prophet Isay cap. 16. ver 7. prophesying the destruction of Moab because of their pride arrogancie indignation and lyes telleth them as this Ioell doth that Moab shall howle vnto Moab and euery one shall howle for the foundation of Kirhareseth shall yee morne and yet they shall be striken Will a man spare a woulfe although he cry bitterly No no for he knoweth he will rauen againe so God will not spare the wicked although they howle mournfully for he knoweth they will sinne againe Looke vpon this you desperate wicked persons and wretched bondslaues of Sathan heere may you see what you will do when the Lords hand is vpon you will you then turne vnto him when hee is turned from you or will you then remember him when your owne memorie is remooued thinke you then to haue power to praie or any hearts to hope in Christ when your reason and heart is taken from you thinke vpon it I beseech you before hande for else you vndoe your owne soules insomuch as when the water floudes of trouble come vpon you as the iust vengeance for your liues then you be filled with easelesse yelling beastly howling vnmercifull suffering intollerable complaining and no manner of relieuing then shall you finde that they which refuse knowledge instruction and correction in mercy shall feele the same in iudgement and you shall wish that you had endured any torment to be released of your present desperation The reasons heere of are plaine first because they cannot vnderstande iudgement Prou. 28. 5. If they bee crossed in their affaires and cast downe in their liues they know not that then they are arraigned before the iudgement seate of God which maketh them as farre without all naturall reason as they were before without all spirituall religion Dauid saide of them that the Lordes iudgements are farre aboue the sight of the wicked and therefore saith hee doe they defie all their enimies alas seelie soules they thinke that other mens harmes doe not warne them and that the Lord will neuer call them to account for their follies They imagine if they please themselues they displease not God and thinke if the hardest fall vpon them that euer can come yet their estate is better then other mens But my beloued saue your soules I beseech you out of Sathans clawes he draweth you on with deceitfull perswasions telling you that in aduersitie you shall be like other men in the meane season your eies are blinded that you cannot see howe heauie the iudgements of God lie vpon you purposing to take you at aduantage in extremitie that in sicknes he will make you raging in famine he will bring you to blasphemie in warres he will make your desperation that which is worst of al in death hee will bring you to endlesse condemnation Therefore thinke I beseech you with your selues and reioice not like beastes and then shal you mourne like beastes learne the course and causes of the Lordes iudgements that you may neuer feele the want of a peaceable and bolde conscience Another reason is this bicause this is onely the prerogatiue of the Lordes children in aduersitie to keepe their soules by patience Luk. 21. 19. Rom. 5. 3. and therefore the Lord will not giue his childrens meate vnto dogges nor yet cast such a pearle before such swine Where there is a dissimilitude of ioy there is also a dissimilitude of sorrow but betwixt the good and bad there is no likenes of their mirth and therefore there shall be no likenes of their woe they are proud when we are poore they are many when we are fewe they are merrie when we are sorrie they are glorious when we seeme comfortlesse and therefore when we are relecued they are distressed God is our comfort but it is their comfort if there were no God the diuell is our enimie but their
as he doth the Pismires and conies Prou. 30. 25. 26. Then he sheweth for the terrour of the people howe they are armed to destroy euen as lyons with their greedie iawes and sharpe teeth which teare in sunder whomsoeuer they meete neither shall they onely execute this malice vpon men but they shall take vengeance on the vines and figge trees stripping off the barke breaking downe the branches and deuour the fruit and the body togither From hence we may first of all note seeing he maketh these beastes infinite in number mightie in power and a nation for pollicie and vnitie that it is in vaine to resist the iudgements of God seeme they neuer so small What coulde bee more base then to threaten the Iewes which had so many cities so many castles so many corne fieldes so many store-houses and so many inhabitants to be destroied by a few grashoppers and caterpillers which a man may treade on the ground or phisicke or naturall meanes may driue away yet wee see in this place the spirite of God so dealeth and armeth them with sufficient power to dismay and deuoure all things Shall we nowe saie that anie iudgement of God is small and of no reckoning when hee can make the vnarmed wormes to wearie the harnished souldiours No verily for he hath set his iudgements some in the heauens some in the earth some in the aire and some in the waters that euery where we might be driuen from rebellion and drawne from disobedience We may see in the heauens sometimes darknesse who can remedie it we may feele in the earth barrennesse who can redresse it we may smel in the aire loathsomnes who can purge it and a little billowe of the waters can ouerwhelme vs who then can saue vs For this cause Salomon Prou. 27. 12. called him a foole that running against iudgement destroyed himselfe Oh saith he in sicknesse why should I repent I hope the physician can remedie this and so delaieth till it be too late If he be poore then saith he I will take of other mens goodes and they shall maintaine me and considereth not that the gallowes are at hand Nay that which is woorse they see the iudgements of God against idle teachers vnfruitfull hearers vncleane liuers and intolerable blasphemers and yet they cannot hide themselues from it Oh my deere brethren we haue many iudgements in our lande and how doe men resist them the husbandman by plowing the gentlemen by fining the rich men by gayning and almost euery one by vngodly flattering therefore I beseech you let vs no longer be hardened for we doe striue against the streame and bid warre against the almightie if there be any meanes to escape them it is by yeelding or else assuredly we shall neuer bee eased Let vs then set our harts at rest and neuer wage battell against the Euerlasting for he as we may reade Iob. 34. 20. and 29. 37. can easily without all might destroy the strongest catch the wisest ouerturne the swiftest and confound the noblest why doe we then take a contrarie course as Balaam did which the Lorde hath not hitherto blessed It is not in our labour to releeue vs or in the earth to redresse vs it is not in our repentance or submission but principally in the mercie of God to deliuer vs. Then I beseech and entreate by your morning and euening praier that our harts may be plowed and then shall our barnes and garners be filled Againe why should we delay to worke our owne reconciliation who is able to abide the angrie countenance of the Lord for the Psalmist saith If his wrath bee kindled but a little then blessed are they that trust in him Oh how infinite is his mercie towards vs which haue so long felt his iudgements and yet hath not his wrath beene kindled I may feare and all that haue any soules may feare that all this time the coles of our transgressions are in gathering together and shortly will the Lords wrath set them on fire and then who shall not bee burned This is euident that wee resist the iudgements of God because we seeke not a truce with him And therefore looke shortly to be serued as the Iewes were to haue our flies turned into lions our wormes into beastes our friendes into foes and these small euils which already we haue shall be growen vnsufferable The vses which arise from hence is first the same that Elihu Iobs friend maketh Iob. 37. 24. when he had reckoned vp the wonderfull iudgements and works of God he thus concludeth Let men therefore feare before him for he regardeth none that are wise in their owne conceites Wherein he teacheth vs that although the Lord worketh strangely in the world and yet forbeareth to destroy vs it is because that thereby we should learne to feare him for in the feare of God is all religion and assurance of saluation Dauid saith it is the beginning of wisedome Peter telleth vs it is the continuance of our adoption and Paul saith it is the ende of our profession when he biddeth vs to finish vp our saluation with feare and trembling Then my beloued let vs feare God for so the word of God exhorteth and the Lord commandeth and the worlde and course of nature teacheth Feare him not as a iudge for then thou shalt bee condemned feare him not as a seruant for then thou shalt be punished but feare him as a father and then thou shalt be deliuered But some waxe desperate through feeling of the Lords iudgements and others are hardened because they haue seene others taken and themselues escaped and in our times although we haue so many causes to feare him oh fearefull times wherein is so little feare we may feare this one thing least as it falleth out with a sicke man a little before his ende he hath a lightening of his paines so that he feeleth himselfe voide of pangs and then presently dieth so now hauing so little feare after so long feare we be suddenly destroied But some will say if wee knew that the Lorde had sent it and not appointed any meanes to redresse then we would rest contented and in the meane time we cannot choose but labour to be eased by some way or other I graunt if the Lord should sounde from heauen vnto you or send an angell to reprooue your rebellion then it is like you would giue ouer but why are you not contented to knowe this by his word that it is the punishing of your sinnes and till you doe away your sinnes he will not doe away his iudgements Well saide Elihu Iob. 33. 13 14. Why dost thou striue against God for he doth not giue account of all his matters for God speaketh once or twice and man seeth it not then he openeth the eares of men by their corrections which he had sealed that hee might turne them from their euill hide their pride and keepe their soule from the pit So long therefore as
welth nor forsake your life but cast away vaine mirth idle talke wicked hope wretched behauiour leaue your sins to the diuel frō whence they came giue thy soule to the Lord frō whence it came Elisha did but require of Naaman to go into the riuer seuen times he shuld be clean which his seruants tolde him was but a small thing so we require you but to wash your souls with the water of your eies and you shal be as free from death as Naaman was from the leprosie But why should I need to instruct you are you not minded like Ieremie that of himselfe desired riuers of teares to weep for his people so be you not backward but of your own accord so that you may plese the lord desire that you were al teares to lamēt throughly the miseries of the world Oh lament with speed tarrie not or else it wil be too late whē you shal see before your eies the litle infants quartred the aged persons mangled the cruell heathens aduanced the poore christians dying the aire thundering the earth quaking vnder you and the cloudes rayning downe fire and vengeance Another vse is this that we be so minded at the hearing of the Lordes iudgements as if they were presently to be executed It was a great fault in the Israelites that whensoeuer the prophet spake any thing to them they presently thought and saide this shall not bee yet it will be a good while before it come to passe and we neede not care for wee may bee dead and gone out of the way ere this bee fulfilled Ezech. 12. 27. 28. but the Lorde rebuketh that follie and biddeth the prophet tell them that it shall bee shortly performed And so the like rage possesseth the heades and braines of many in our daies which although they knowe that it is true that is tolde them of a destruction yet euery one thinketh it shall not be this yeere nor in our Queenes daies nor so long as the Gospell remaineth and therefore they will possesse al their vanity rather then be humbled But this ought not to beso yea rather hasten out of this securitie as Lot out of Sodom and the Israelites out of Egypt that thou maiest escape it whensoeuer it commeth It is better with the wise virgines to be readie an houre or two or three too soone then with the foolish to tarrie a quarter of an howre too late Therefore admit the danger bee not as yet yet bicause wee are nowe warned let vs now be prepared shall we not make as great account of the Lords louing mercie as of our owne health yes yes my beloued and therefore let vs arise to lamentation bicause the Lord calleth for it although there were no danger following after But wee are like the disciples which coulde not watch but sleepe euen then when Christ was in most danger although our Sauiour did manie times awake them till at length the enimie came vpon them and they were all driuen to forsake Christ so I praie God our like securitie bee not with the like danger awakened for I feare if the mercifull voice of a Sauiour will not mooue vs the terrible crie and swordes of enimies will amaze vs. As a destruction In these wordes is the general cause of the lamentation described bicause the Lords wrath is kindled to make a destruction Wherein there is to bee noted that nothing doth so much feare and terrifie good men as the anger of God Deuter. 9. 17 18. When Moses perceiued that God was angrie hee fell downe flat on his face and besought God neither eating nor drinking for fortie daies and nights togither was not their feare great that made this good man to aduenture his life by so long fasting and his soule by desiring to bee razed out of the booke of life yes verily for the anger of the Lord mooued him more then if he had seene all the worlde on fire about his eares But carnall Gospellers and carelesse Atheists as they thinke it a farre more lesse matter to please God then to please man so they deeme it a lesse matter to haue God angry with them then the prince or some great rich men that may hinder their worldly estimation Alas alas if Saule were fearefull to a thousande Dauid was to tenne thousande and if worldly men may a little terrifie the flesh the God of the worlde may infinitelie plague the spirite Therefore put on this affection that we may knowe what to thinke of the wrath of God if the anger of a prince be the messenger of death much more is the wrath of God the herauld of condemnation When Assuerus was angrie presently Hamans face was couered and he carried to execution woulde not Haman giue all his possessions to haue retained the fauour of the king so likewise aduenture any thing rather then to stirre vp the coales of the Lordes wrath by which thou thy selfe and all thy neighbours shall be burned without mercy Oh therefore studie to knowe howe to auoide his displeasure and to retaine his louing countenance and let not the loue of any sinne so bewitch thee that thou procure his vengeance in working thy desire The reasons of this doctrine are these First bicause none can bee an intercessour or a friende to God being angrie 1. Sam. 2. 25. that is there is not anie mortall man that can doe any such a pleasure as to staie the Lords wrath from falling on him or that may bee able to stande in the gap of the Lordes wrath The which consideration might most effectually admonish all our presumptuous companions which thinke that the Lord is pinned to their sleeues imagining him to be such a childe as might bee lost with an apple and wonne with a trifle againe but they shall finde it a farre more heauie matter when no offers of gold no intreaties offriends no teares of greefe no nor yet the fruit or blood of their bodies shal pacifie or recompence him for their sins This ought to make vs account highly of the mediation intercessiō of Christ and not to tread vnder our feete his glorious blood shedding after we be once reconciled Another reason is because it is a most fearefull thing to fall into the handes of the liuing God Heb. 10. 31. such a fearefull thing as passeth all vnderstanding and therefore who but mad men will run too farre into this danger Although Dauid chose rather to fall into the hands of God then men because he was well assured the iudgement was but a fatherly correction and not a reuenging punishment yet we must know that he knew that it would bee but a corporall or bodily death but we are not assured of halfe so much yea happie were we if the wrath of God did but reach to our bodies and that he would be satisfied for our sinnes if we lost our children and wealth and friendes and health and life or that if we could endure all
the world and dost breake foorth into wordes for the same Then turne thy complaint into praier or else it is but a murmuring against God as we may see in Moses and Aaron for it is by praier we make our sorrowfull hearts knowen to God and can enter into the Lords priuie chamber This duety also we may see neglected in our time for men were neuer more apt to complaine of the hardnes of the time of the wickednes of the world of the want of corne of the feare of warre of the power of the rich and of the prosperitie of the proude but they are but words for they turne not themselues to praier to shew God of the matter as they ought to do Know therefore my deere brethren that God hath left vs in this world as he left Iobs seruants for still one of them came to tell his master what had happened so we must often vse to pray and to complaine on our selues and on other men for if we confesse our sins God is faithfull that hee will pardon them but if wee iudge not our selues wee shall bee iudged of GOD. The reasons of this doctrine are these first because God forgetteth not the complaintes of the poore Psal 9. 11. 12. meaning of them that pray vnto him otherwise hee remembreth no more the poore mans enuie then the rich mans quarrell therefore let this stirre vs vp to make our complaint in praier as we reade Ezechiah did Isa 37. when Rabsakeh had blasphemed on the name of God Oh that men were as ready to pray as they bee to complaine for they can easily multiply many words to accuse other men and they might as easily finde wordes and matter to complaine vnto God for as an inferiour subiect must alway sue to his prince by petition so must wee alway make knowen all our desires vnto God by supplication Againe when men doe onely complaine of this or that want without praier they tempt God as wee may see Num. 11. 4. Therefore if we will obtaine any thing at the Lords hande to our good let vs aske by praier for although we murmur for raine and drouth and peace and wealth and such like and God giue it to vs as he gaue the Israelites quailes yet we were better want it for it shall in the end turne to our discomfort as theirs did Let vs from hence learne to aske of God without murmuring or grudging at our owne estate or the Lords hand Hos 7. 14 15. for the Lorde will complaine as fast on vs as we complaine to him Hast thou any suite to the Lord that thou wouldest obtaine of him say not oh that I had such a thing or thus thou O God maist giue me such a benefite or thus surely if God doe not heare me I would I had neuer beene borne or thus if God bee able let him doe this for mee for all this is but tempting and mocking of the Lordes power and mercie But goe to the Lorde with all humilitie cast downe thy knees and hart tell him of thy vnwoorthinesse and accuse thy selfe throughly remember him of his promises in the gospell for that must bee the foundation of praier then open thy wants and desire such a remedie as God himselfe shall like of and lastly praise him for all thy former benefites and then if thou want thy will it shall be most good for thee if thou obtaine thy wil thanke him hartily againe and vse it for the Lordes glorie Another vse is this that if complainers without praying be odious in the Lords sight although the cause bee indifferent then much more are those that neuer pray but for vnlawfull and filthie things that they might bestowe them on their lustes as the Apostle saith Iam. 4. 2 3. They desire health of body to wallowe in vanitie they craue many children to hoorde vp euill gotten goodes and to rob the poore they pray for riches that they may raigne ouer other men at their pleasure and liue in sinne without controllment they aske for marriages to abuse them in lust and finally they pollute all things that come in their hands or harts in their outwarde profession they doe but serue the time and therefore their inward constitution cannot bee very holy I am perswaded that a great sort would be ashamed to let men heare those things that they continually and immodestly desire in the presence of God Aske therefore but with wisedome enioy thine owne with thankesgiuing praise God for all things and thinke thy selfe happie whether thou liue or die Againe I might also note out of this verse how afflictions and sorrowes doe teach men to pray most seruently as we may see in Abimelech Gen. 21. 17. and in Dauid Psal 119. 67. and the reason is first because then men beginne to feele their sinnes 1. Sam. 7. 6. for in truth our consciences are all so guiltie that if we haue but our finger ake we presently conceiue it was for some notable sinne or other And for the truth of this we may finde it in many wicked rebels iustified which will then most lamentably bewaile their sinnes when indeede they feele the heauie hande of God vpon them and be either in trouble of life or in danger of death but this is with them but momentanie and like a sommer deaw but with the godly it is perpetuall for they being once spurred will trauell the better all the day following Againe as our afflictions are increased so are our sorrowes for the hart seemeth to bee pearsed with them Lam. 1. 22. let vs therefore in our afflictions not onely pray for our selues in our owne persons but also entreate of other to pray for vs as we see the Israelites did 1. Sam. 7. 8. for if we be once perswaded of the benefite of praier we will neuer cease to stirre vp our selues and others thereunto we shall be minded as Paul was that would haue the whole church of Thessalonica to pray for him 2. Thes 5. 2. for praier will make men more greedie then golde will Againe let vs thinke that afflictions shall not onely make the humble and gentle minded man to yeelde but also the most stubborne and strongest in the world Boast not your selues against the least affliction that can be for as the soft raine will lay along the rankest corne so slender troubles will bring to the earth the most obstinate sinners O Lord to thee will I crie When the prophet saith that he will crie vnto God he noteth vnto vs that in praier we must vse the most earnest and ardent affection that may be for crying is the voice of children or yoong creatures whereby all men are mooued to pitie them Therefore when we come into the Lords presence we are to stirre and mooue affections to the vttermost not with childe-like behauiour but with childe-like sinceritie and feeling as we may see in the godly Lam. 1. 20. where they desire God to behold them
are dark at his chiding and they shine at his bidding so let vs liue to praise him while he giueth life and die to honour him when he sendeth death And the Lord shall vtter his voice before his hoste for his hoste is very great for he is strong that doth his word for the day of the Lord is great and verie terrible and who can abide it Hauing spoken of the darkning of the lights the shaking of the earth now it followeth that we proceed to the vttering of the Lords voice which signifieth thunder Psal 29. 3. and most plainely Psalm 18. 14. The Lorde thundred out of heauen and the highest gaue his voice By the consideration of which phrase wee are giuen to vnderstande the infinite and vnspeakable power of God which hath so wonderfull and powerful a voice the which when the Israelites heard Exod. 19. 20. they were not able to abide and so desired that Moses shoulde speake vnto them euen so are we vnable to endure the same if the Lorde shoulde so speake vnto vs as we shoulde haue had no benefite by Christ except hee had taken vpon him the nature of man so wee coulde not endure the powerfull worde of God if it were not offered by the toong of man As the waies of God are not like the waies of men so the voice of God is not like the voice of men that is stronge but this is weak that is high but this is lowe that is fearefull this is simple that is terrible this is easie The people that coulde not abide Salomons gouernment had a worse then was Salomons for they lost their kinges and their God euen so when wee can no longer abide the voice of man then let vs looke for the fearefull thunderclaps of heauen wherefore heare the wordes of God in the mouthes of men or else you shall feare and tremble and melt at it in the stroke of the ayre Againe the prophet Dauid Psalm 29. 11. maketh another vse of thunder telling vs that for the power thereof euery one in his temple doe speake his praise It is a wicked and damnable opinion of the multitude that the diuel can raise thunder whereas we are to account it onely in the Lordes power Iob 38. 25. although the diuell can doe much yet is hee but weake and his power restrained therefore wee need no more feare his power in the time of thunder then in the cleerest sun shine day but rather let vs praise the Lorde for his power who is so woonderfull in all his works Againe if thunder be the voice of God why do the papists in the time of thunder ring their bels to staie it as if it were an vnholie thing surely it well be commeth them for seeing they will not heare God in the Scriptures they wil not heare him in the cloudes if wee oppose Scripture to them they say wee speake as heretikes if the Lorde sende thunder then they say there is a diuell abroade Oh blasphemous mouthes and hearts that are so simple and yet so great great in blasphemous heresie and simple in true diuinitie Againe when the prophet saith that he will vtter his voice before his hoste for his hoste is very great hee meaneth the noisome beastes that hee shoulde sende like an hoste of men as hath beene alreadie shewed Whereby we are taught that euery creature since sinne entred into the worlde is become an enimie one to another like to the enimies in warre Psal 105. 34. The great birdes are enimies to the small the great fishes to the little the great beastes to the inferiour and so are the great men to the little ones the oxe cannot abide the lyon the sheepe cannot endure the woolfe the foxe will not tarrie with the goate the horse will not dwell with the Beare the Hart will not attende the hounde and many moe liue in hatred one with another but most of them al are enimies to man The reasons are these First as man destroyed his owne nature so God destroieth or rather altereth the nature of all other things Secondly God will surely be knowne that hee giueth power to the spoile Amos 5. 9. What can an enimie doe in warre or a theefe by the high way side or a beast that deuoureth man surely nothing but by the working hand of God for the diuels themselues are vnder his correction One lion destroied a prophet 1. Kinges 13. yet we know that Daniel was cast among a denne of lions and had no hurt at all surely it was the Lorde that opened the mouth of the one and muzled the iawes of the other Let vs therefore knowe that whensoeuer either man or beast shall annoy vs that it commeth of God Iob. 1. 4. When Shemei cursed Dauid Dauid woulde not haue him punished bicause saide hee The Lorde hath bid him curse and so if wee be bitten by any beastes or stung by any serpent or haunted by any foules or oppressed by any enimies let vs then thinke with our selues this hath the Lord done to vs and praie for the remission of sins This doctrine wil take away al reuenge against man for any iniurie when we shal bee perswaded that God by them doth fatherlie correct vs. Againe let vs thinke with our selues how many waies the Lorde hath to correct vs for our sinnes the angels are about vs when God biddeth them they strike the beastes are among vs when hee commandeth they discomfort vs the flies and wormes ouercome vs wee are enimies one to another and one wound and kill another as Cain did Abel yea we cannot trust our owne hands for feare they destroy vs as we see in Saul Achitophel and Iudas and when all this is done there are ready all the diuels in hell to torment vs. Now who would loue his life nay who would loue his sinnes that bring with them vpon him such an euerlasting and intolerable hatred Againe when he saith that he is strong that doth his word he meaneth him that doth his commandement whereby we are taught that euery creature hath power giuen him to doe that which God assigneth him 1. King 17. 4. The rauens at the commandement of God fed Elijah morning and euening with bread and meate and so euery one when he biddeth them goe they goe when hee biddeth them come they come The reason is first because they waite vpon God Psal 145. 15. secondly they worship their creator Reu. 5. 14. and so we may learne that God neuer aduaunceth any but he giueth them giftes to performe their callings When he saith that the day of God is great and who can abide it he thereby teacheth vs that the wrath of God is intolerable Deut. 9. 18. 19. The reasons are because there is no way to flie frō his presence Amos 5. 18 19. Secondly there can be no mediator in wrath Ier. 15. 1 2. By which we are taught how inestimable is the benefit of redemptiō by Iesus
contrarie to al reason and nature For God which seeth more then we see can doe more then we can doe Therefore feare not thy worldly ioy which is as deere to thee as euer was Isaac to Abraham for God can raise it out of the pits of deepest sorrowe into the throne of euerlasting pleasure The xxviij Sermon Vers 22 Be not afraid yee beasts of the field for the pastures of the wildernes are greene for the tree beareth her fruit the fig-tree and the vine doe giue their force HAuing finished the generall exhortation now followeth the speciall whereof this first is directed to the beasts of the field bidding them not be afraide for now the fruits are budded out of the earth as they had already tasted of mans punishmēt which commeth by sin so now they should taste of mans blessing which commeth by repentance We must not so take this speech of the prophet as if the beasts did or could vnderstand but by a vsuall figure of the scripture whereby a person is fayned to do a thing that it cannot doe as in that of Ieremie Heare ô heauens hearken ô earth c. For as God calleth things that are not as if they were so he speaketh to things that vnderstand not as if they did From hence that the Prophet speaketh to bruit beasts we may note that it is the word of God that gladdeth both man and beast Gen. 1. 22. for when the word of comfort is withdrawen then they mourn as we heard in the former chapter but when it standeth then they reioice and when it waineth then they fal away The first reason because they doe reuerence thereunto now their reuerence proceedeth not of fear but of nature whereby the creature reioiceth in his creator Isa 45. 21. Againe their whole life doth depend thereon Psalm 36. 6. and therefore their whole care or rather their naturall incliation is to glorifie their creator Let vs also which are the creatures of God partakers of their natures as we haue a spirit with the angels sence and flesh with the beasts life and motion with trees and solide substance with the stones be glad and ioyfull with the earth in much fruit with the trees in a quicke and growing obedience with the beasts in a liuely sence of the Lords grace and with the angels in an euerlasting lauding of his maiestie or else he will take his word from vs and giue it to them which wil beare more fruit for although we be all destroyed yet is God able of the stones of the street to make liuing soules to sit with angels in his kingdome and let vs cast away all vncleannes Iam. 1. 21. that with them we may be cleere of sinne and readie for immortalitie I might also in this verse take occasion to shew you how all the creatures of God reioyce in his benefits the oxe for the grasse the foule for seeds the fishes for raine the Bee for the dew the horse for the pasture and the angels for the conuersion of men therefore let man bee conuerted that hee abuse not that which these honour and despise not that which saueth vs all Be glad then ye children of Zion and reioce in the Lord your God for he hath giuen you the raine of righteousnes and he will cause to come downe for you the first raine and the latter raine in the first moneth This verse containeth another speciall exhortation to the members of the church vnder the name of Zion as hath beene alreadie declared bidding them also to reioice for as there is a time to mourne so there is a time to reioise And the reasons of their ioy are rehearsed First because as raine so should righteousnes come downe vpon them 23. Secondly for fruitfulnes which should fill all their barnes 24. and fully recompence their former losses 25. and lastly that they should comfortably eate thereof vers 26. When he biddeth the children of Zion to be glad we may note that it is onely God that reioiceth our hearts Eccl. 2. 24. for as before he had bid them rend in sunder their hearts so now he biddeth them to sow them togither againe and he himselfe doth giue a plaister to make them whole for euermore Thus worketh repentance first by teares and then by ioyes as a woman that first groneth and afterward laugheth with her child in hir armes and like to old Iacob who went a long iourney into Egypt to see his sonne Ioseph and their first meeting was nothing but teares The reason because God onely taketh away sinne Prou. 29. 6. therefore our sinnes make vs sorrowfull when they are wantied to vs as a burthen to a horses backe and then they reioice vs when they are taken from vs but sinnes are not onely burthens on our backes but prickes in our sides and thornes in our eies which keepe vs from all rest and hinder vs from all sight of goodnes They play with vs for a season as the diuell seemeth to play with witches but alas in the end their mating faces are all turned into sorrowfull woes Another reason because God onely humbleth and raiseth vp and therefore he onely giueth sorrow and ioy Psal 51. 10. Let vs therefore knowe when we are heauie that God hath laid his hand vpon vs and feare his name Psal 86. 10. and not seeke extraordinarie meanes as Saul did by musicke to remooue from vs that dumpish greefe that presseth vs downe but rather take the exhortation of Iames when we be sorrowfull to lift vp our selues in praier for as those which were stoong with serpents must looke on the brazen serpent before they could bee whole so must wee which are stoong with sorrowe looke to the Lorde which wrought our sorrow before we can reioice Againe let vs seeke for those lawfull meanes in the creatures of God which may any way cause vs in the time of our sorrowes to lift vp our selues in praise to God Psal 70. 5. There is not any creature but it may put vs in minde of some benefite or other so that so often as we behold the same so often wee may reioice in the workmanship of our creator and truly as it is a great fault not to mourne when God calleth for lamentation so is it no lesse fault not to reioice when God biddeth to reioice Let vs therefore learne to be so affected that by the plentifull hand of God we may be stirred vp to praise but by withdrawing his benefites we may bee mooued to repentance Againe when hee speaketh to the church vnder the name of the children of Zion we are taught that the members of the church must be as children Matt. 18. 3. Children are euer growing so must we in grace children often hunger so ought we after the foode of our soules they take no care but their parents prouide for them no more ought we for God careth for vs their natures are pure so must ours be
keepeth life in vs who is able to shewe the cause heereof but the Lorde who knoweth all and if this one blessing shoulde faile vs although our possessions were as great as Salomons yet they woulde not serue vs. Againe let euery man in his place gather this meate and comfort for his life Esay 62. 3. that so we may perfourme the olde commandement of God to Adam that wee eate our meate in the sweate of our faces The Bees will not suffer one drone among them and so let not vs suffer them that are carelesse to prouide some thing whereby their dutie may be discharged to God and their liues preserued in the worlde Secondly he telleth them with what affection they should receiue their meat With praise and thankesgiuing to God Whereby wee may see one principall token of a temperate receiuer in that hee can giue thankes to God for his meate 1. Cor. 10. 25. but gluttons and belli-gods take their meate as Swine doe although with more manners yet with as little reuerence sitting downe to fill their bellies and rising vp to fulfill their pleasures and through immeasurable fulnes their teeth put their mouth to silence and sleepe falleth on them that their harts doe not onely forget their feeder but their maintainer also The first reason bicause it is a token they loue God Deut. 12. 11. and they that loue neuer offend for loue is the fulfilling of the lawe Againe meate is onely blessed vnto them that ioine thankesgiuing with it 1. Sam. 9. 13. So that whatsoeuer is not thankfully receiued must needes be accursed And surely if Paul saide he had rather neuer eate meate as long as hee liued then eate to the offence of his brother wee may more lawfully pine in famine starue in want and perish in distresse of meate rather then God shoulde bee offended Theeues which steale for meate coseners that deceiue for meate beggers that counterfaite for meate idle persons that worke not for meate and rich men that praie not for meate can neuer bee thankefull for that which they eate but all is accursed vnto them Let vs therefore for feare of the curse and especiallie for conscience of death liue soberly in praier in our eating and drinking working and resting sleeping and waking bicause wee knowe not whether wee eate our last morsell as the Israelites which died with meate in their mouthes or worke our last day-worke as the poore man that was stoned for gathering stickes on the Sabbaoth or sleepe our last sleepe neuer wake againe Surely as Iacob ended his life when he had blessed his children so shall we be happy if wee ende our liues when we haue praised God Againe let vs not tempt God for meate whatsoeuer distresse wee liue in but seeke it humblie in praier Psal 104. 27. that wee may eate more cheerefully and bee assured that God will continue his blessings for what shall it profite to feede our bodies to the full and let our soules goe starue and pine away to death That the Lord hath This clause is added vnto their praises at meate because then they ought to remember the Lordes benefits the which thing ought to driue away all vaine and foolish table-talke wherein men silence the mercie of God and praise the taste of their meate or the liberalitie of the feast-maker alway thanking him and neuer thinking on God whereas they are bound to do both We may note in these words that God doth not onely vse his ordinarie power in the deliuerie of his church but also his extraordinarie whereby he worketh maruels and woonders 1. Pet. 1. 5. for by the woonderfull power of God are we continued in our profession contained in the church and preserued to life eternall God told Dauid 2. Sam. 12. that if he had not done ynough for him yet he would haue done much more for him so that he hath not limited his power nor his mercie toward the faithfull The reasons first because we should knowe that we are saued through grace and the great power of God 1. Cor. 1. 18. as it is not a light matter to enioy a kingdome so is it not a small matter to climbe vp into heauen but the vnspeakable power of God must be vsed therein Againe the more power he vseth in his church the more must be his glorie Mark 7. 17. and this is the cause why all good men thinke they can neuer praise God ynough although euery day they renewe their thankesgiuing in heauen is the power of God most of all seene and therefore there the angels and saintes doe nothing but praise the power of God And therefore we may hereby learne that all miracles which God doth in the world doe call vs to bee partakers of his kingdome Matt. 12. 28. and if we refuse them and doe not come the same power shall be vsed in our condemnation that is promised in our saluation Neither let vs euer forget the works which God doth for vs Psal 106. 21 22. but remember them in our meate in our beds in our labour in our ease in our watching and in our reioicing that our God may still continue to doe them as we doe still perseuere to remember them Lastly in this verse hee promiseth that they should neuer be more ashamed of any reproches Whereby we may note that religion doth not commit any thing that either we may be ashamed of or repent 1. Cor. 15. 58. for our labour in religion is not in vaine If any thorough the feare or commaundement of God should slay their children as Abraham would or deceiue their maisters as Iacob did or beguile their husbands as Rebecca did or disobey their princes as Moses did or murther their enimies as Sampson did or loose their liues as Christ did yet shall they neuer neede to repent any of them Oh what a maruellous benefite hath a man by religion which he cannot haue by any other thing in the world There is nothing in all the life of man but wee may repent except it bee the feare of God We repent our words our works our expences our gettings our wanderings our negligence our diligence our sleepe meate and money and all We are ashamed of our thoughts our to yes trifles plaies childishnesse wantonnesse loue hatred lust pouertie nakednesse and the very parts of our body but of no part of religion Thou shalt neuer repent that thou forsookest the worlde beleeuedst in the Lord mournedst for thy sinnes studiedst in the scriptures heardest the preachers was obedient to the gospell praiedst many howers watched many nights fasted many daies endured many troubles and shalt die any death for the Lords sake seeing heauen is thy rest Nay rather we see many men in their death-beds wish with teares that they had hawked and hunted and plaied and laboured and loued and hated much lesse for now in their sicknesse their sinnes come on them as the Philistines came on Sampson when
hee may remember thee in thy death for as thou seruest thou shalt be serued againe The xxxj Sermon Vers 30. And I will shew woonders in the heauens and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoke 31. The sunne shall bee turned into darkenes and the moone into blood before the great and terrible daie of the Lorde come 32. But whosoeuer shall call on the name of the Lorde shall bee saued for in mount Sion and in Ierusalem shall be deliuerance as the Lord hath saide and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call NOw we are come to the last parte namely the manifestation of the power of God by great and fearfull signes in heauen and secondly by giuing saluation to the faithfull Concerning the great and feareful woonders much hath already beene spoken and nowe the lesse shall suffice For the interpretation take thus much That when Christ is come and ascended into heauen and the worlde conuerted from infidelitie vnto him then shall appeere manie extraordinarie tokens of the Lordes power both in the heauens and in the earth the lights shall bee most fearefully ecclipsed being in shew turned into darkenesse and blood the aire shall bee troubled and many terrible and strange things shall be seene So that heerein is described the constitution and euent of all thinges at the change of the worlde when God shall come to take vengeance on his enimies as it is in the chapter following I will briefely touch euery thing that I purpose to handle in this vers First in that hee telleth vs of these fearefull woonders presently to succeed or rather to accompanie the preaching of the Gospell the powring foorth of the spirite and conuersion of the worlde we may learne that God will giue vs temporall calamities with spirituall benefits Luk. 21. 9. So that there is no maruaile that in our times there haue been seene so many terrible things in heauen and earth seeing the Gospell hath beene preached vnto vs for calamities make vs to beleeue it more willingly Hos 5. 15. And if the Gospell bee not shadowed in this trouble and wee not ouerthrowne by them then haue wee a notable triall of the Lordes promise towarde vs Luk 21. 18. For as Gedeons fleece was drie when all the earth about it was wet so shall we be safe when many shal be cast down Let vs learne to commit our soules vnto him 1. Pet. 4. 19. that although the heauēs fall down the earth be remooued the sea be dried and the light be darkened yet we may possesse our soules and our soules may possesse our Sauiour for it is God that sendeth woonders ruleth all signes the same cloude did leade the Israelites to Canaan that brought other to destruction the same signes are for our saluation which are for other mens condemnation Secondly when hee saith hee will set woonders in heauen wee are taught that God will manifest his wrath before it commeth Rom. 10. 18. Heauen is in the sight of all and naturally we are inclined to looke vpward so that whatsoeuer we there see we know it commeth from God and therefore there are the signes manifested because euery one might see them The reasons first because wee may either confesse them or be confounded by them Isai 2. 18. Secondly that the greatest enimies of God may be stilled Psal 8. 2. Therefore learne so soone as you see the rod to feare him that ordained it Mich. 6. 9. Againe let vs make a good vse of the signes that wee haue alreadie seene and not trie the Lords patience any longer or tempt the power of God any more Amos 5. 18. The wicked Iewes would haue had Christ shewe them a miracle when he was on the crosse and then they woulde beleeue him but yet they were wicked and so you which desire more tokens of the Lords power that you may be amended are still wicked for if you cannot beleeue the liuing word you shall not beleeue the dead miracles Thirdly when he saith that all these shall come before the great and terrible day of the Lord we must note that all the woonders and signes in the aire must prepare vs to iudgement Isa 29. 6. Oh how can the Lorde change vs when he thus changeth the world and how doth hee prouide for our safetie and preach our repentance by all the woonders of heauen and earth Darknesse putteth vs in minde of hell fire putteth vs in minde of the latter day blood putteth vs in minde of destruction smoke doth admonish vs of the vanitie of our life the earth would moue vs to repentance by remoouing her selfe the light would couer our sinnes in darknesse by withdrawing it selfe and the cloudes would call vs to heauen Let vs learne to feare the power of God more earnestly in his creatures that if these strange things come vpon vs yet we may not forget our Sauiour who shall come in the cloudes But whosoeuer Least wee should thinke that these troubles shoulde ouerturne and ouercome all in the world when there shall be no light but darknesse no peace but thunders no comfort but fires nor any appeerance but wrath and iudgement the prophet in these words telleth them that then euen in those most desperate miseries God would remember to heare the praiers of his children for the godly cannot choose but feare mightily when they should see all the world in an vprore and heauen and earth roaring to their destruction Whereby I might note that good men must endure the feare of those euils which shall come on the world Isa 33. 4. because they loue their life too much Psal 119. 108. and because their whole life must bee mortified and mangled with many sorrowes Rom. 8. 36. yet let vs not so feare that we despaire how neer soeuer we seeme to destruction Isa. 41. 14. but be obedient as Noah was Heb. 11. 7. though the waters and cries of all the world be as neere to vs as they were to him First when he saith that all that call on the name of the Lorde shall bee saued we may note that saluation must bee praied for before we can haue it Heb. 7. 25. Saluation commeth not as honour came on Dauid which made him a king before hee thought on it but it must come on vs as cleannesse and health came on Naaman which he trauelled for and praied for and washed for seuen times in Iorden before he could be cleansed And as the poore Canaanitish woman entreated Christ a good while before he would graunt so the Lord looketh that men should entreate for saluation many daies and nights and times with many teares and sighes and grones thorough many sorrowes and cares and troubles before they can be saued The reasons first because saluation is the Lords Psal 3. 8. and therefore it must be praied for secondly we must be saued by faith now faith is no faith that praieth not for grace Ephes
bodie eie for eie and life for life to him againe Shall bring againe the captiuitie The prophet vnder the name of captiuitie doth vnderstande all the miseries of the people of God for in captiuitie there is a concurrence or consent of all manner of euils For in truth if there be any estate lamentable in the world it is the estate of a captiue He shall liue a common slaue he shall euer be abridged of libertie he shall weare the coursest he shal eate the basest he shall lie the hardest he shall labour the sorest and he shall liue the vnhappiest His correction shall bee fitter for a beast then a man his pittie shall bee nothing if hee bee sicke hee shall haue no attendance and in this hee is woorse then any prisoner for hee must not begge for necessitie but either liue with little or else starue and the prisoner knoweth that the iudge onely hath authority to take away his life but a captiues life is in euery mans hande So that when wee reade of the captiuitie of Iudah and Ierusalem wee must vnderstande an intollerable mischiefe to be fallen vpon them For their countrie was all spoiled their goodly houses were razed to the earth their streetes ranne with blood of men their women wiues and virgins were most shamefully abused they were caried from their owne countrey kindred and acquaintance they were solde like beastes they were killed like sheepe they were kept like dogges and they liued to see their children solde away into other countries whose sweete faces they shoulde neuer see againe Oh that we in England could thinke with our selues what was the cause why God did so lamentablie giue ouer his people to bee racked and ruled by others which was the contempt of his worde and wee may greatly feare the like punishment for the same sinne among vs Oh my heart bleedeth to thinke what will be the estate of many if a captiuitie should come their goods which they woulde not giue to the poore shall bee taken by the enimie the fire shall consume their houses the sworde shall destroy their liues the lust of men shall defile their gallant proude dames and peraduenture their tender babes and gentle posteritie shall be solde to be some galli-slaues some kitchin-boies some to draw the plow instead of oxen with their backs bare for the scourge some to be slaine before their eies many to be committed to the beasts to the waters to the heathens to the infidels to be new nurtured in paganisme O Lorde keepe this day from England But he telleth them that the Lord would deliuer thē out of this captiuity before they were in it as God told Abraham of the deliuerie of his seede before hee had any seed By which we may obserue that God doth think vpon our deliuerance redemption before we be in miserie O vnspeakable mercie of God! which had so in his euerlasting decree appointed that his sonne should redeeme vs before the world was made yea before there was any to bee redeemed He doth not make thee sick but first he hath made thee a medicine he doth not take away thy children or thy goods but first he thinketh a way how to restore them againe he doth not stirre thee vp any enimie but he hath appointed thee another friend and as at the beginning he made euerie tree and plant and herbe and fruite before he made either man or beast which should eate them so he continually prouideth meat before hunger ease before danger light before darkenes and ioy before sorrow as Ioseph of Arimathea which made his toombe before he was dead The reasons hereof are these First because he wil not haue his church to be in desperation of deliuerance Isa 10. 30. for our afflictions are called our burdens now a burden is appointed to be taken off before it be layde on and so our miseries are appointed to be taken from vs before they be cast vpon vs for the rod of the wicked shal not alway rest vpon the backes of the righteous And therfore let none cast in our teeth the miserie of a christian which seemeth to be borne for miserie but rather christians are borne for immortalitie for our short enduring calamities are nothing woorthie the glorie which shall bee heaped vpon vs. Another reason is because that this is a token of the Lords iust iudgement 2. Thess 1. 6 7. The Lord which euerie way doth shew his mercie will also declare the same in the chastising of his children and therefore as in iustice he doth wound them for their sins so in iustice he first prouideth for their safetie whereby we may know a singular comfort for them which are troubled in conscience and let them not much trouble themselues to seeke for the meanes of their ease for as Abraham did binde Isaac to be sacrificed so he did vnbinde him againe and in like sort as God hath troubled thy soule so he will giue it ease againe The vses which wee may make of this doctrine are these First letvs neuer despaire for any miseries whatsoeuer but still hope Isa 40. 2. for the Lorde hath alreadie numbred the daies of thy life and of thy sorrow and of thy paine and of thy affliction therefore neuer care for it will one day be ended Oh but thou wilt say it will be ended but it will be long first therfore I feare I shall faint in suffering but how canst thou tell it will be long hath the Lord told thee so then abide his pleasure although it be to thy paine hath he not told thee so then make not thy affliction longer or greater God which made the okes subiect to the greatest windes hath giuen them the largest and deepest rootes to stay them vp withall And if God do tempt thee with long calamitie O happie man art thou for he tempteth none aboue their power and if God load thy daies with sickenes or pouertie or losses or paines or wounds or infamie or seruitude yet know thou shalt be able to abide it if God haue sent it Another vse is that vnder our afflictions wee reioyce in hope Rom. 12. 12. for what greater perswasion can wee haue to mooue vs hereunto then this that the Lord hath alreadie determined the continuance thereof Reioice therefore that thou art like vnto Christ though thou bee vnlike to thy selfe Know that there is no darkenes but it flieth from the sunne there is no poyson but it yeeldeth vnto medicine there is no winter but it is remooued by sommer and therefore there shall neuer come vnto thee any such miserie but it shall be taken from thee But some wil say we may endure our aduersitie but we cannot reioice in the companie thereof how shal we whet our hope and reioice vnder tribulation My deere brethren if you can beare it patiently you may easily reioice therein for there is not required laughter to this ioy but the inwarde peace of
death-bed and although a man haue made no conscience all the time of his health yet on his death-bed will he lie most deuout so let deuotion and religion raigne in them that follow the warres that euery mans death may be a sermon of repentance vnto them and let the trumpet admonish them of iudgement and their continuall danger awake them for the Lordes comming Oh that men of this life woulde so liue that they might fight in lesse danger ouercome with smaller losse liue with greater holinesse and die with greater honour die I saie to honour their countrey with their liues and their Sauiour with their soules Breake your plow shares into swordes and your sithes into speares let the weake say I am strong Hauing handled the pressing of the souldiers now it followeth that we goe to the preparation of weapons in this verse where he biddeth them to take their tooles wherewith they husbande the earth and turne them into the instruments of warre whereby we may obserue that the warre which the faithfull haue against their enimies is as needfull or more needfull then tillage of the earth Gen. 14. 14 15. Abraham to recouer againe Lot tooke all his houshold both shepherds and other and followed the kings which lead him away captiue and by a mayne battle ouerthrew them all And surely many times there is none but they may doe more good in the warre then at the plow and at the slaughter of men then at the mowing of corne If Abraham had not stirred presently all had beene lost and then woe had been Lot which should haue liued a prisoner and forgot the God of Abraham therefore better was it to leaue the sheepe to the danger of the woolfe and the earth to bee vntilled and ouergrowen with weeds then to let any soules of God be captiuate by man or bee taken away from the flocke and visible church of God The reasons First because it is waged for the Lord and for the church 2. Sam. 10. 12. now then it being sometime a part of the Lords seruice what worldly worke is there that must not yeelde vnto it Yea though it be as naturall as the tillage of the earth Againe then doth the Lord take vengeance of the sinnes of wicked men whereupon they were accursed by the prophet Ieremie that did the worke of the Lord negligently meaning those which did not execute the fulnesse of his wrath vpon the wicked that he had giuen into their hands Therefore learne the necessitie of warre and when thou art called then refraine not to come Ios 1. 14. to helpe thy brethren for they are accursed that follow not willingly the warre of God Iudg. 5. 23. Deborah cursed Meroz because it did not helpe Barac against Sisera and so are those faint harted and white-liuered souldiers who are afraide to loose their life in the Lords quarrell Some that are great presse forwarde those that are vnder them other beeing lawfully called buie out their calling with money and so auoide the warre substituting some one or other in their place who peraduenture runneth away before the battle Yea if it be so necessarie let them learne that God is sometime as well serued by killing in the fielde as at an other time by praying in the church and it is better for them to leaue wife and children to goe and fight against the Lords enemies then to liue at home and follow their dayly labour Let vs also learne to entreate the Lord to go forth with our armies against our enimies Psal 44. 9. for there is no policie like his presence no captaine like his direction no power like his grace no sworde like his anger no foe like his displeasure no shot like his breath and no danger like his absence Oh therefore if Barac would not goe except Deborah went with him then goe not to the warre except the Lord goe with thee The Israelites neuer lost battle wherein Iosuah was and therefore neuer shall wee loose the field if the Lord be on our side Let his call command thee his cause prouoke thee his presence arme thee and then shall neuer foe hurt thee Let him be thy captaine to go before thy company to follow after thy prouision to feed thy campe let his lawes gouerne thy souldiers his presence shal preserue thee from danger Oh pray when thou goest that he may guide thee when thou trainest that he may see thee whē thou fightest that he may saue thee Secondly when he thus calleth vnto thē to turne their plowshares into swords and their siethes into speares we may note that it is a thing requisite that euery one doe prouide him weapons for the defence of his countrie and therefore doth the spirite of God 1. Sam. 13. 23. account it a detestable policie of the Philistines who tooke away all the smiths out of Israell because they woulde keepe the Israelites without weapon for therein they were neuer able to trie their cause and to auenge themselues of their tyrannie The reason first because no man by the law of God is forbidden to defend himselfe although in his owne defence he kill his aduersarie yet coulde he not be blamed because the Lord had deliuered him into his hand And in truth I thinke it a rare policie of the diuell in the mouthes of Anabaptists denying Christians to weare weapons because thereby the Turks and Pagans might come vpon vs vnarmed men and so take away our liues and our profession together therefore I hold it as needefull for a man to weare weapon to defende himselfe from wounds as for a man to take physicke to preserue himselfe from sicknesse Let vs not spend more time herein then needeth but let vs learne that we prouide the weapons of the spirit Ephes 6. 11. Bee not armed against men and vnarmed against the diuell be as cunning to defend thy soule from hell as thou wouldest bee to defende thy life from death Seest thou not that a whole nation are ouercome without weapon and so shalt thou be ouercome without the sword of the spirite the shield of faith the helmet of saluation and the darts of faithfull praiers to wounde the infernall foes They are stronger therefore thou must learne more cunning they are wiser therfore thou must get more strength they are swifter therefore thou must strike more sure they are more dangerous therefore thou must bee more zealous Againe when he biddeth the weake to say that they are strong he thereby teacheth vs that we must not admit any excuse to keepe vs from the battell neither sicknesse nor lamenesse nor pouertie nor riches nor youth nor gentrie nor weakenesse must excuse men from fighting of the Lords battels but rather the zeale to doe him seruice must exceede and excell the want which oppresseth vs. Therefore learne from hence how thou oughtest to liue in all thy waies that God looketh for at thy hand no excuse can be
verie sorie to execute his wrath vpon the wicked for so our Sauiour expressed his griefe for Ierusalem Luk. 13. 34. when hee cried out O Ierusalem Ierusalem howe often woulde I haue gathered thee c. The which thing putteth vs in minde of the infinite loue of God whereby hee woulde pittie our losse reuoke his sentence silence his wrath and saue vs from heauie destruction But such is our nature as is the nature of children in their birth which thinke not vpon the paines of their mothers in trauaile although they die in extremitie yet they forget them when they bee olde and so doe we both the anger and the loue of God we regarde not his mercies nor his iudgements nor his gospell nor his teares nor the bloud of our Sauiour The reasons of this doctrine First in regard of vs because we knowe not the things that belong to our peace Luke 17. 42. So wretched is the estate of men that they are not able to discerne when God blesseth them or curseth them when hee wisheth them well and when he wouldeth them euill This is cleerer then the sunne for Christ and his Gospell being offered to the worlde and preached to euery degree of men you shall see nothing more vilely esteemed or basely regarded insomuch as wee may say that the men of our time doe not knowe the thinges that belong to their peace For if the Lorde threaten them then they spurne if he blesse them then they are wanton if he punish them then they murmure if hee honour them then they are proude and euerie one thinketh that the Gospell serueth but for a time and they shall doe as well without it as with it They knowe not that nowe is their visitation or that nowe they worke their death or life or that nowe they are married to God or the diuell Surely if men beleeue not the Gospell and walke not thereafter they are sathans bond-slaues although their wealth be as great as Salomons and their authoritie as great Hamans but if they ioyfullie embrace it in the ministerie of the worde then are they the wife of the lambe and the elected heires of grace Another reason secondly in regard of God because hee rather willeth repentance then vengeance of this wee haue often spoken Let vs make this vse First when we see the froward and wicked disposition of the world that will not bee reclaimed by any warning or any mercy of God let vs doe as Christ doth for the Pharisies Marke 3. 5. Mourne for the hardnesse of their heartes It is the custome of some vaine professours for so I may terme them to raile odiously at them that will not bee ruled by their wordes and so it is of some cholericke and vnwise preachers who will take libertie in their pulpits rather to reuile men then to reclaime them except at the first they come and lay their hands vnder their feete in the one it is foolish zeale in the other vaine folly Learne therefore by our Sauiour how to be affected when thy people or thy children or thy seruants or thy friends or thy neighbours will not bee gouerned by thy instruction namely to mourne for their hardnes of hart and no maruell for thou seest God to mourne for them when thy words can no longer preuaile then let teares and if they will not be mooued by warning let them be by mourning Hardnes of hart is a sickenes sent by God and it lyeth not in the power of man to cure the same therefore cast not away a man when he is sicke not a soule when it is hard but let sorrow and prayer speake for it to God when there is no helpe in mans phisicke Another vse seeing God is vnwilling and therefore mourneth for our destruction and so do all good men also oh let vs not despise and neglect all their sorrowes and cares and teares which they powre foorth for vs it is vngodlines not to regard the Gospell but it is vnnatural not to regard the sorrowful In heauen is nothing but ioy oh wretches that wee should make the Lord sorrowful for vs in the church there is al sorrow oh vnkinde and pitilesse men that we should encrease their sorrow and mourning and teares and adde to their affliction but that which is worst of all wee are hardened and will not care for their cries Be mooued to repentance and conuersion and holines and religion for God and men do mourne for thy rebellion let their teares make thee weep in this life or else they will make thee roare in another life Secondly we may obserue in this verse when hee calleth vpon the multitude to come to destruction that God careth no more for a multitude then for one man and will as easily cast many into hell as one soule as we may see in the drowning of the old world Gen. 7. 21. The reason because all are but flesh Gen. 6. 3. that is but vile made of earth but weake wanting strength and abhominable corrupted with sinne Now what should the Lord striue and stand with earth or weaknes or sinne he hath not an angell but it is stronger then a world and therefore a multitude are as easily giuen to damnation as one or two Let vs learne not to doe euill after the example of a multitude Exod. 23. 2. Although many be blasphemers or Atheists or heathens or papists or whooremongers or neglecters of the Gospell despisers of preachers and such like yet bee not thou so for it is no ease to haue company to hell Againe when he calleth them to come into the valley of threshing meaning the place of wrath vsing no other meanes to draw them thither but his call we may note that the onely word of God shal bring men to iudgement Psalm 50. 1 2 3. and the reason is because he is strong that giueth the word Ierem. 30 7. Oh therefore that the same word might stirre vs vp to saluation which shall prepare vs to condemnation and iudgement 2. Thess 3. 1. For verily if it be so powerfull as to bring all the world in one companie togither and to raise the dead out of their graues and make liuing men out of the dust of the earth in whom I beseech you is the fault that it gathereth not vs to heare it when the Lord speaketh in the congregation and rayseth vs not vp to the life of righteousnes surely as the Lordes hand is not shortened so his word is not weakened The xlj Sermon Vers 15. The sunne and the moone shall be darkened and the starres shall withdraw their light 16 The Lord also shall roare out of Zion and vtter his voice from Ierusalem and the heauens and earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel AS in the former chapter when the destruction and calamities of the Lords owne people the Iewes were threatened the heauens were said to be
soule that it may stande in all stormes swimme in all seas abide in all dangers liue in all deathes and raigne in all glorie So you shall know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion my holy mountaine then shall Ierusalem be holy and no strangers shall goe through her any more Now the Prophet drawing to a conclusion of his Sermons shutteth them vp with many sweete promises of the Lords fauour as first of all his presence then his bountie his presence in this verse which shall sanctifie them and keepe them from enimies Concerning the former part of this verse where the Prophet saith they shall know him to be their God dwelling in Zion sufficient hath beene alreadie spoken and I will not stand any longer thereon but referre you to the former chapter This therefore his promise vnto Ierusalem that it should be holy teacheth vs the perfection or greatest honour of the church namely Holines Ephes 1. 4. when the Lord promiseth that his church should bee holy hee thereby teacheth vs that all gifts and goodnes and mercy and glorie and dignitie of the church proceedeth from this that she is holy neither can the Lord in this world bestow any greater benefit vpon his church then hir sanctication This Holines consisteth not in learning nor in studying nor in knowledge nor in prophesie nor in miracles nor in church-offices but in a good life and in all them so that a holy man is a perfect christian Now verily when the Lord promiseth Ierusalem to be Holy he giueth hir all things for he giueth hir grace to be righteous his fauour to be honorable and his benefits to be glorious Without holynes men are heathens but with it they are christians without it they cannot enioy the earth but with it they may enioy the heauens without it they are sathans slaues but with it they are the Lords sonnes and to conclude Holines is the will of God the ende of our redemption the fruit of the Spirit the cloathing of our soules the ioy of the godly and the perfection of the church By Holynes landes are established euil is banished kings thrones are maintained and it maketh a nation dwell without danger no enimie can touch them no famine can dismay them no misery can ouerthrow them because they be holy and so may euery mans soule by Holynes driue away the diuell continue in the church and obtaine the kingdome of heauen The first reason because in nothing do we resemble God more then in holines Exod. 22. 23. who is only holy Reuel 15. 4. Holines and righteousnes was the image wherein God created vs and therefore he caused to bee wrote vpon the breast of the high Priests roabes Holines to the Lord. Contrarie vnto this holines is prophanesse when men abuse whatsoeuer is appointed to be holy whereby I see that they are verie iustly termed prophane men who haue no maner of shew of holines God his fearefull name which is holy they blaspheme the sabbaoths which are holy they prophane religion which is holy they contemne the congregation which is holy they persecute praiers which are holy they seldome vse and to be briefe al the lawes of God which are holy they violate these are carnall men these are miserable men these are subiect to all abhominations So that as there is no blessing but it belongeth to the holy so there is no curse but it belongeth to the prophane Another reason is because holynes is freed from sin hell Isa 11. 8 9. now to be freed from sin is the greatest blessing in this world to be freed frō hel is the greatest blessing in the world to come indeed one followeth another for whosoeuer is freed from sin is also freed from hell But there are many that thinke it a great paine vnto them to be free from sin because they cannot endure to be free from the meanes of sinning yet let vs know that this is or ought to be our prayer that wee may once be freed from committing of sinne that whereas we haue a minde to idolatrie or Poperie it may be turned from it or if we be inclined to swearing we may fall to leaue it and hate it and if we be addicted to be enuious we may be charitable or to lusts we may be chaste or to falshood we may bee true or to couetousnes we may be liberall or ignorance of the scriptures we may be learned in them and finally if to any vaine or vnlawfull thing we may no more desire it then children do the rod oh happy were we if we were thus cleansed from sinne that we might be thus sanctified Let vs learne that exhortation of the Apostle 1. Pet. 1. 15 16. That seeing God which hath called vs is holie so let vs bee holie that wee may purge our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirite And surely this reason of the Apostle is very effectuall to mooue vs vnto holinesse when hee telleth vs that God which called vs is holie Therefore looke to thy selfe that hearest the Gospell preached and leadest a lewde and prophane life for I tell thee that this very call of God whereby thou art seuered from Iewes and Turks shall at the latter day tell thee of thy euill which wouldest not walke in holinesse although God which called thee were holie The first image of God created in thee is decaied and it can neuer be repaired but by holinesse wouldest thou be glorified thou must first be sanctified thy bodie must be holy abstaining from pleasure thy soule must be holy not yeelding to temptation thy affections must be holy not corrupted with vanitie and thy life must be holy not drowned in sinne Oh be holy as God is holy it is a part of his essence so let it be of thine it is neuer parted from him so let it be euer with thee it is alway found in him so let it be alway found in thee God is holy in the earth so be thou he is holy in the church so be thou he is holy in the day so be thou he is holy in the night be thou so also and he is holy in heauen oh that we may be so his iudgements are holy so let thine be his words are holy so ought thine to be and his works are holy so let thine be Oh that we could be holy as he is holy that we might be perfect as he is perfect holy without sinne holy without want holy without loue without sinne that they were pardoned without want that all graces might be supplied and without loue that life and health and world and pleasure and lands may giue place to holinesse for holy people are redeemed of the Lorde but the wicked and prophane are damned to hell Another vse is that now we are exhorted to holinesse let vs learne how to bee holy which Iohn teacheth vs 1. Ioh. 3. 2 5. which is first by expectation of Christs
away the peace from the church take away all glory from God and all comfort from men Let vs which liue in these blessed times looke to our selues aboue all other for as God hath made our earthly estate better then other mens so will he doe our condition in the other life woorse then all mens for the abusing heereof Let me lament my countrey as Esaie lamented Israel cap 43. 22 23 24. saying Thou hast not called vpon me ó Englande but thou hast wearied mee Thou hast not brought mee the sheepe of thy burnt offeringes neither hast thou honoured mee with thy sacrifices I haue not caused thee to serue with an offering nor wearied thee with incense Thou hast not bought mee sweete sauour with thy money neither hast thou made me drunk with the fat of your sacrifices but thou hast made mee to serue with thy sinnes and wearied me with thine iniquities O my brethren thus may the Lorde complaine of vs. We haue had peace who hath beene honoured for it we haue had money who hath beene worshipped for it we haue had cattle and corne to whom haue wee sacrificed surely wee haue honoured our policie for our peace wee haue worshipped our goods and landes with our money and wee haue sacrificed our corne and flesh to our bellies What coulde the Lorde giue more then he hath or beare more then he doth or tarrie longer then he must or we receiue more then hath beene cast vpon vs Oh that I could now powre foorth my selfe in words to lament the estate of our times We haue much preaching but little religion for the prophets scant beleeue themselues wee haue much peace but little knowledge of God is reaped thereby we haue great plentie but verie small thankfulnesse our peace hath bred pride our pride hath bred want our want hath caused mourning our mourning hath brought foorth plentie and our plentie hath hatched pride againe Let the harts of men cleaue in sunder to consider this point that now we fall as fast to our former vomites as any ruffian to his former follies We haue beene humbled and God hath heard vs God hath heard vs and we regard it not for the rich men eate their flock in plentie lauish out their money in wantonnesse spende God his fruites in riote and neuer thinke of thankefulnesse This saith hee my friendes left me or I gained by such a bargaine or I wonne at such a game or got by such an office or I saued in my shop and nowe I will bee merrie with it And the Lorde hath no sweete sauour by their money nor any sacrifice by their flockes But to come to the point they beginne alreadie to forget that there was a famine and as the staruen kine in winter become wanton and wilde in the spring so they which of late coulde speake pitifully and mourne bitterly for want now they begin to forget their want and their God and all Oh my deere brethren we are nowe in more danger to perish by plentie then wee were to fall by famine for ease slaieth the foolish and the prosperitie of the wicked shall destroy them When the children of Israell went euery day poore and rich to gather Manna and to eate thereof they liued well but when the quailes came and they eate thereof the plague tooke them while the meate was in their mouthes so not want of foode but want of grace and thankefulnesse destroieth men Therefore now let the magistrates looke to the lawes let the ministers discharge their places let the fathers admonish their children and let all men gouerne themselues least our plentie of fruits cost the death of our soules Nowe be as diligent to render praise as you were woont to bee vigilant in praier let the teares burst foorth for ioy for our peace reioiceth both men and angels We are come to our first heauen I meane the peace of our church if we now waxe proud and grow insolent as the diuels were cast out of heauen aboue so shall we be out of heauen beneath Remember sicknesse followeth health death followeth sicknesse iudgement followeth death and damnation followeth iudgement nowe are our soules sicke let vs recouer thē for else they die if they die they will be iudged if they bee iudged they will be damned Secondly he promiseth that a fountaine shall goe foorth of the house of the Lord to water the valley of Setim meaning that the Gospell should be preached to the Gentiles for it began at Ierusalem as at the spring head and so flowed thorough the whole world of the which the Prophet Ezechiel saw a vision Ezech. 47. 3 4 5 c. whereby wee are taught first that God caused saluation to flow from the Iewes vnto the Gentiles they had both spring and streame and yet wanted grace to drinke thereof whereupon shee speaketh Cant. 1. 5. that they made her the keeper of the vines but she kept not her owne vine Secondly in that the Gospell is compared to a running water we may note that it neuer standeth still but goeth as it were a flood thorough the world and there is no power to resist it And this is the cause why all the kings and counsellers of the world could neuer stop the course thereof onely the Bishop of Rome is that starre called Wormewood Reuel 8. 10. 11. that fell from heauen and corrupted these fountaines of water whereby they beeing made bitter caused the death of many that dranke thereof Thirdly the valley of Setim was a very dry place and these waters made it fruitful so were al the Gentiles wherof we are a part if these waters of the Gospel had not come vnto vs we had remayned vnfruitfull lande verie neere vnto cursing and burning Lastly we may see that no other doctrine or profession whatsoeuer is to be receiued but this which is deriued from Ierusalem We must not fetch our water frō Rome or from Mecha or from any other place but take of these which flowed from the temple And it is verily thought that God would not suffer Ierusalem or the temple to stand nor conuert it into a Bishops-seate least the antiquitie or dignitie of the place should challenge authoritie to send forth what waters and what Gospell they pleased into the world Egypt shall be wasted and Edom shal be a desolate wildernes for the iniuries of the children of Iudah because they haue shed innocent blood in their land Once againe he mentioneth the destruction of their enimies for in their ouerthrowe standeth the felicitie of good men when they shall not be able to molest the church by their power nor to corrupt it by their euil example Hereby we see first of all noted vnto vs that the blood of the Lords saints shal be certainly reuēged although it cost whole coūtries Isa 9. 12. The reasons First bicause they are the images of God Gen. 9. 6. the Lord saith that hee will haue his blood shed that sheddeth
any blood Secondly the nature of it is to crie for vengeance in the eares of God Gen. 4. 10. as the Lord saide to Cain and therefore I thinke verily there will come a day that our recusants which are the ofspring of many bloodie persecutours shall haue the blood of the Lords saints reuenged vpon them But if the blood of saints shall be so reuenged then much more shall the blood of Christ Heb. 10. 29. There are only two kinds of people vpon whom the Lord wil bring the blood of his son the Iewes whom we see scattered ouer all the world being accounted a verie miserable and forlorne people the other are the contemners of the Gospell which make no account to be saued thereby who are in a maner as guiltie of the death of Christ as were the soldiers Iewes that nayled him on the crosse Wherfore God will not forget how they tread vnder their feete his pretious blood Againe let vs take occasion to praise the Lord which letteth not the blood of his children be shed in vaine Deut. 32. 43. as he blesseth them that take reuenge vpon his enimies make them fall to the earth so he curseth thē that cause any of his seruants to com to their latter end Again by this verse we may note that the blood of the Lords saints is innocent 2. King 21. 16. whatsoeuer lawes of princes or decrees of men be laide to their charge yet this must stil comfort them that if they die for the Lords cause they are innocent and shall certainly receiue life eternall The reasons because thorough hatred and malice of the world are they deliuered Ioh. 17. 4 Secondly being the seruants of righteousnes they cannot bee iustly executed for the same Rom. 6. 18. Let vs bee heereby encouraged not to feare death 1. Pet. 2. 19. for if we die naturally we die happily and if we die violently we die innocently Againe let not any of vs that are Christians suffer for our euill doing 1. Pet. 4. 15. but rather let vs watch ouer our liues that no sinful danger of humane lawes doe euer ouertake vs. But Iudah shall dwell for euer and Ierusalem from generation to generation For I will clense their blood that I haue not clensed and the Lord shall dwell in Zion These verses containe the last promises of the Lord vnto his church grounded vpon the presence of God among them First for their perpetuitie Secondly for the declaration of their innocencie which hee noteth when he saith that he will clense their blood c. when as vpon the report of the iniuries receiued in the former verse he presently addeth that they shall dwell for euer we may note that the wrongs which good men in this life endure shall bee one meanes to forwarde their rest and glorification Psa 12. 5. For this is the fruit of our afflictions to perswade the Lord for our immortalitie for as when the Israelites cried in Egypt then the Lord brought them into Canaan so when wee crie for our wrongs we are readiest for heauen The reasons God euermore hath an eie to the afflicted Psal 9. 13. Secondly then are we most like to the sonne of God and when we are likest to him on earth wee are neerest to him in heauen Let vs so beare our afflictions and wrongs as if we were borne for them 1. Cor. 4 9. for we see they shall turne to our greater ioy But of this matter we haue spoke often I might also remember out of this verse when he saith that Iudah and Ierusalem shall dwell for euer hee meaneth not the citie Ierusalem for that is long agoe destroied but he meaneth that the Iewes shall neuer be vtterly destroied but many of them shal be saued in the world to come When he saith that he wil clense their blood that is hee will manifest to all the worlde that they were not iustly executed but vniustly murdered whereby we may see at length that the wicked whether they were wilfully blinded or ignorantly affected in persecuting good men yet they shall know and so shall other that they murdered them vniustly as the Iewes which shall see Christ whom they pearced Reuel 1. 7. Mat. 27. 3 4. for wilfull murders cannot be euerlastingly concealed and it is al one before God to steale by authoriti◠or without law to kill by law or without authority Lastly we may see when he saith he will dwell in Zion that the presence of God preserueth the church Reuel 1. 13. how can it euer perish when the Lord maintayneth it Surely sathan told Christ that he could not do amisse for the Angels watched about him and held him vp that at no time he should dash his foot against a stone If the helpe of Angels in the diuels conceit was so great to preserue Christ then much greater is the presence and hand of God to vphold his church Hee alone buildeth it that it fal not keepeth it that it fade not dresseth it that it may be holy preserueth it that it may be godly so that so long as the Lord endureth so long shall the church stand maugre the might of all the diuels in hell To the which God euerlasting immortall and onely wise the most glorious Trinitie the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost let vs render all praise ascribe all maiestie and giue our whole spirits soules and bodies that he may be glorified in vs and we be glorified in him Amen Amen FINIS Cassianus Ioseph de antiq lib. 12. Herod lib. 7. Sabel Enn. lib. 9. Enn. 5. Ioseph lib. 7. cap. 24. Stobaeus ser 96 Fulg. lib. 1. 2. Cypr. aduers Demetr Aug. de Ciuit. lib. 7. cap. 11. Sab. lib. 4. Ennead 6. Plutarch Boeth lib. 8. Eurip. Plut. de amore Duditius de cometis The time of this prophesie The scope of this labour The diuision of this prophesie Cap. 1. vers 1. The prophets sermons are the Lordes owne words Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. Vse 2. If God did not send his word none would aske for it Reas 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 Men preferred before angels in the preaching of the word Reas 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 The ministers must call on the people to heare Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 The greatest men should be the greatest professors Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. a Principes cum ad limen delubri veniunt proinde sunt atque priuati 2 None must liue in the Church vnlesse they outwardly bee subiect to the Gospell Reason 1. 2 Vser 2 God his works must be perpetually remembred Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 We must tell our children what God hath done in our daies Reason 1. 2 Vse 1 2 Be carefull what we commit to posteritie Reason 1. No impiety but it will find some followers 2 Vse 1. 2 A speciall iudgement to increase hurtfull beastes Reason 1. 2 Vse 1. 2 Euery little beast can ouercome the welfare of man * Ecce me inquit qui vobis Deus videor
all sorrowes to put away thy sins Another reason bicause vnto outward tokens of repentance the Lord is readie to giue remission Dan. 4. 23. when men satisfie their for iniuries distribute their goods weepe for their euils and pray for pardon then is the Lord most willing to seale a release in the blood of his sonne For in truth there must be a change in al the parts of a mans life possessions When a sicke man is recouered he weareth not the same clothes he vseth not his old diet or apparell and rest so when our soules are recouered by repentance then we cannot eate stolen bread nor weare gorgeous apparell nor yet rest in that wealth which wee vnlawfullie gayned but all must bee turned into charitie and pietie The first vse of this doctrine is this Isa 31. 6. seeing wee haue sunke deepe in rebellion let vs turne againe vnto the Lorde from whome wee are fallen as we were not ashamed to sinne so let vs not be ashamed to be conuerted As couetous men care not for their names so they may get wealth and vncleane persons little esteeme their infamie so they may fulfill their lusts and as theeues make but a pastime to rob and steale if they may escape the gallowes so let vs account it a farre lesse discredit to confesse our faults in goodnesse then they doe to commit them in wickednesse Turne therefore as we haue sinned we haue many sinnes let vs shed many teares we haue great sinnes let vs sigh many sorrowes we haue long dwelt in them let vs speedily forsake them we haue watched in sinne now let vs watch in praier we haue loued sinne let vs embrace correction we haue delighted in vanities let vs reioice in teares How can a man reioice in teares verily vnto a good soule teares are more welcome then ioyes and it reioiceth in tribulation finding it more safe to bee washed with weeping then to bee delighted in musicke There is not any man that hath felt the power of godlinesse that will denie this and if he doe let Dauid teach him when he protesteth that teares were his repast when the enemies of God reproched him Looke on thy soule weeping as thou wast woont to beholde thy pleasure reioicing and thinke that this is the Lordes great mercie towarde thee which hath yet knocked at thy hart for amendment loue the meanes which will make thee tender harted delight in those sorrowes which will procure thy endlesse ioyes shed thy teares here that hereafter thou maist be freed lament in sorrowes this life that in another thou maist reioyce in comforts Secondly let vs not alway lie in sorrowes and liue vnreformed but follow the counsell of the prophet Ier. 26. 13. to make our waies of euill good When men are repentant they enter into a new iourney for as before they were ioyfully sailing to hell so now they are painfully trauelling to heauen and seeing a good way is the wish of a traueller let vs amend our waies that we may hasten to our iourneyes ende When thou hast well drenched thy soule in sorrowes then proceede to reformation and remooue those blocks out of thy life which would haue hindered thy passage into heauen If thou hast beene a drunkard be now temperate hast thou been an Atheist now feare God if thou haue beene a swearer vse his name more reuerently and as Paul said of theeues Let him that stole steale no more so say I of all notorious sinners let them be so no more but rather labour to doe good vnto other By this we may see that repentance is not in shew but in hart not in hart but in works not in works but in affections not in affections but in conuersation Some thinke they haue well repented if they be a little sorrowful other thinke they are well reformed if they be a little reclaimed and wearie of theirvanities but these men must knowe that if good liues bee not ioyned with godly mindes and reformed waies with weeping harts neither the one nor the other shall profit them Therefore now my deere brethren let vs win the field from our sinnes and ouerthrowe the troupes of our pleasures let vs now conquere our desires and reforme all the abuses of our liues that wee may yeeld to the gospell liue in the church eate at the Lordes table and worke out our owne saluation with feare and trembling In the second place the Lord biddeth them to fast that is to abstaine from all delights and desire of meates that as they haue alreadie pined their soules with sinning so now they should punish their bodies with fasting And in this place the prophet speaketh of priuate fasting for as yet he is not come to the publike fasts which must be directed by the cleargie-men who onely had authoritie to proclaime them of the which we haue spoken in the first chapter In this place we may obserue that hainous offences and generall must haue greeuous and generall lamentation It is most requisite that when we haue any graund cause to craue at the Lords hand we vse most humble tokens of an instant and longing desire Iudg. 20. 26. The Israelites ouercome by the Beniamites fast and pray al the day till euening and the day following they get the victorie the which is a warrant for vs to doe the like that wee may so slay our sinnes as they did their enimies The which must instruct euerie man in his familie during these times of vengeance wherein we haue no more power to be deliuered then a woman in trauell to cast foorth her childe that they abstaine from glutting and deuouring the Lords benefites For the Lord will not redresse our want till wee haue generally lamented our miserie and we can no way better punish our bodies then by fasting that the Lorde may be mooued to pitie vs as he did Abraham being willing to sacrifice his sonne yet he restrained him The first reason is this bicause fasting maketh vs praie with more feeling affection which our Sauiour insinuated Matth. 17. 21. when he saide that fasting and praier woulde heale the falling euill and nothing else Indeede to shewe you howe men are affected in the time of their fasting I can hardlie doe it except youfelt it howe sweete are their sorrowes howe earnest are their praiers howe strong are their grones and howe acceptable are their hearts vnto the Lorde their teares are their drinke their cares are their meate their nakednes their brauerie ashes their beauty humilitie their health their eies are not drouzie their mindes are not wearie their handes are not filthie and their cries are not easie The Lorde accepteth their obedience in doing that they are not able and their faith in beleeuing that they haue not in them and their praiers in desiring that which is aboue them then can men affoorde to die for God that they may liue for euer for themselues Another reason is bicause fastes doe mightily mooue
the Lorde and blesse the mourners Ezra 8. 23. There was neuer any man that was thus humbled and was not comforted We our selues haue had the trial hereof not long ago that great matters haue bin by this meanes effected And surely if it were more orderly practised neither shoulde the Lordes cause bee so coldly professed nor our liues so fearefully plagued Oh this fulnes of bread hath wrought all manner of mischiefe among vs it maketh mens liues licentious their manners monstrous their mindes wicked and their names odious The tauernes are fuller then the churches the pantries better furnished then the chapples the markets more adorned then any place is with religion men forget not the shambles but their maker and a stewarde or purueior or cater is more thought vpon then the minister The first vse heereof is this that when the Lorde is about to punish vs wee can neuer bee humbled sufficiently no though wee laie open our sinnes setting our liues to shame our health to sicknes our friends to hatred our wealth to pouertie or our brute beasts to mourne with vs Ion. 3. 8. Howe wilt thou nowe humble thy selfe to shewe thy penitent heart when thou seest that all meanes to increase thy sorrowe are little inough Doe not thinke that this is sufficient humilitie to come into the Lordes house and there to vncouer thy head and so sit downe rather as a iudge of repentance then a dooer of repentance or falling downe on thy knee speaking a fewe colde praiers or rather with a lukewarme desire dost thou rest therewithall contented but God is not contented with it nay rather vncouer thy heart with thy head and let thy minde fall downe as lowe as thy knee Strange is it to see that men are not halfe so humble to God as they be to their superiours If I might teach thee to liue penitently I woulde tell thee that thy life must be filled with feare thy heart with sorrowe thy labours with griefe thy comforts with mourning and thy minde must euer be considering the Lordes presence Thou must suspect thy meate least thou delight too much in it thou must feare thy expences least thou offende charitie thou must doubt of thy actions least they prooue hurtfull thou must hinder thy naturall affection least it exceed measure and looke that thy marriage-loue be not too much least you bee both endangered thy labour must not bee continuall thy sleepe must not be too ordinarie thy talke must not be too merrie neither maiest thou thinke thy selfe holy Let the word be as a cocke to awak thee let praier be as darknes to hinder thee let the cogitation of thy sinnes bee as sorrowfull newes in thy eares to trouble thee and then let wisedome rule in thy worldly actions A second vse is this that if we account our selues of the Lords bride-chamber let vs fast when time occasion calleth vs thereunto Mat. 9. 15. for if we fast not either we are no children or no obedient children If Vrijah would not rest in his bed nor in his house till Ioab the Lords hostes were at rest then let vs my beloued except we be woorse then Hittites fast in want not rest in trouble in these dangerous times wherein there hath not bin a creature of God but it crieth nor a childe of God but hee weepeth I am afraide to say that the bridegrome is taken from vs although I am assured we haue deserued it good men suspect it We haue as yet more practise of ioy then of sorrow although we haue more cause to weepe then to reioice thus we are merrie in our woe sorrie in our ioy Alas alas hard hearted men if men or rather vnreasonable beasts which gather the woode and blow the fire to burne themselues withall All time is become too little for pleasure no time is little enough for holines all costes goe to the kitchin none to religion so much eating drinking and so little fasting and praying must needes drowne vp that little goodnes that men had gained by liuing amōg christians til men can leaue their meat to serue the Lord they can neuer leaue their sins to saue their soules Fast I beseech you great men in their pallaces rich men in their houses poore men in their cottages men with their seruantes women with their maides and parents with their children for this kinde of euill will not bee cast out but by prayer and fasting The thirde circumstance of their repentance is mourning whereby the Prophet teacheth vs that a sorrowfull spirite doth accompanie a penitent hart 2. Corint 9. 10. for this cause Paul telleth vs that godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be repented of and Salomon 1. King 8. 35. calleth repentance the tribulation of the spirit Men in our daies woonder at this tribulation because it is so seldome for in deede if it were common then it would cease to be a woonder but yet it is a greater woonder that wee haue repentance so much preached and so little practised But seeing repentance bringeth so much sorrowe with it it may notably comfort those which are distressed in minde liuing in torments of conscience for the burden of sinne surely happy is their estate which are corrected with this rod whereby they are freed from sinne deliuered from wrath and reconciled to God The medicine that worketh most forcibly causeth greatest paine and speediest remedie in like manner those sauing woundes of Christ doe then most sweetely wipe away our sinnes when our mindes are most roughly gawled with a pricking conscience And therefore they cannot be saide to haue repented which affect nothing but pleasure and neuer in their life wept one teare for their sinnes or praied secretly for the distemper of their minds This is a grounded and infallible rule Without repentance there is no saluation without sorrow there is no repentance without earnest praier there is no godly sorrow and without feeling of the Lords wrath there is no praier that pearseth the skie or mooueth the Lord. The first reason of this doctrine is this because there is no comming to our Sauiour till wee bee oppressed Matt. 11. 28. Christ calleth not merrie harts or those that loue pleasure and mirth for this suiteth not with contrition but then is our way open to our Sauiour when our harts are as heauie as lead and our affections like the voices of mourning women And thus the Lord tempereth our estate that when we are lost in ourselues he findeth vs when we are weake he strengtheneth vs and when we are castawaies hee receiueth vs. Oh how happy are our oppressions which driue vs to God as the shipwracke droue Paul and his companions into Melitum where by that meanes many soules were woon to God Harken my deere brother dost thou sorrowe that it is thy hap to endure greefe nay reioice in thy sorrow that bringeth thee to Christ Sorrow is a guide to leade