things for their preseruation and saluation so that thou maiest most safely commend them to his mercie And let him remember what the Prophet hath said of God pertaining particularly to this griefe as if it were intended for his ease in this case He is a Father of the fatherlesse and Iudge of the widdowes euen God in his holy habitation So that thou shalt not leaue thy wife without a husband thy children without ◅ father thy seruants without a maister and thy poore friends without a helper when thou commendest them to God He will be all in all vnto all and euery one of them And therefore in this griefe remembring Gods prouidence thou castest thy burthen vppon GOD and easest thine owne heart when thou commendest them vnto him And if it be not thine owne sicknesse death or calamitie that grieueth thee but the sicknesse death or calamitie of some other neere vnto thee as of thy husband or wife thy parents or children thy maister or seruant or some neighbour or friend that was neere and deare vnto thee with commendation of thy compassion that ought indeede to stretch it selfe to all these and further also for the seruants of God must not be without naturall affections This is in the case of their sicknesse and calamitie to cast thy burden vpon the Lord first to minister what help and comfort thou art able vnto them both with good words and also with reall seruices that they recouering the sooner out of their sicknesse and calamitie thy heart may the sooner bee freed of that griefe that thou sustainest for them And in this ministring of comfort and help vnto them thou seruest the Lord and becommest the meanes and instrument of his mercie to the afflicted Therefore it is saide of the woman of Shumem Elishaes good hostesse that her sicke sonne sate on her knees till noone that is shee was grieued for his sicknesse and with a most willing heart gaue him the best help and comfort that shee could Hence grow all those workes of mercy that the Lord Iesus saith hee will remember and reward when hee commeth in his glory Hence commeth the feeding of the hungry the refreshing of the thirstie the clothing of the naked the intertaining of the stranger the visiting of the sicke and releeuing men in bonds Hence grow all these works of mercy namely that men and women of tender hearts which haue bowels of compassion in their bodies are grieued to behold the want the miseries and calamities of others and doe ease their owne hearts by vsing all meanes to ease the others calamity so casting in a most sweete maner the burden of their owne griefe vppon God who will certainely comfort them that labor to comfort his afflicted ones Vnto this rule pertaine all the precepts of ministring to the necessities of the Saints But because while thou art thus casting the burdē of thy griefe vpon God by vsing all good means to relieue them for whom thou art grieued Because I say they are not presently freed from their calamitie nor thou from all thy sorrow conceiued for their sakes therfore vnto this diligence of helping and succouring the miserable if thou wilt soundly and fully cast thy burden vpon God patience must be added and praier patience to beare quietly their sicknesse and calamities whom thou louest for the Lords sake that hath appoynted it so glorifying him in all his workes and prayer to intreat the God of mercie to remember in his mercy those thy miserable friends and to raise them vp whom he cast downe Heere remember Dauid praying for his sicke childe Daniel praying for the returne of the captiuity the Centurion praying for his sicke seruant and the Church praying for Peter imprisoned I will insteed of all examples adde the precept of the Apostle Paul making patience and prayer the chiefe rules of obtaining ease of all burdens saying Let your patient minde bee knowne to all men the Lord is at hand be nothing carefull but in all things let your requests be shewed vnto God in prayer and supplication and giuing of thankes Thine owne diligence in shewing mercy and helping thy patient attendance vppon God with thy faithfull prayer for the asflicted are the mean◅ of casting thy burden vppon God when thou art grieued for the sickenesse and calamities of others But if it bee the death of some deare friend that thou art grieued for wherein perhappes thou thinkest thy griefe remedilesse because thy dead can not liue agayne euen for this verie cause oughtest thou to beare the death of thy friend quietly because thy dead cannot liue againe And herein wee haue Dauid an example of godly fortitude vnto vs who hauing a childe sicke did while it yet liued afflict his soule For it is written Dauid be sought GOD for the childe and fasted and went in and lay all night vpon the earth Then the Elders of his house arose to come vnto him and to cause him to rise from the ground but hee would not neither did hee eate meate with them Thus while there was hope of remedy he gaue way to the sorrow of his heart But it followeth On the seuenth day the child died and the seruants of Dauid feared to tell him that the childe was dead for they said behold while the child was yet aliue we spake vnto him and hee would not bearken vnto our voyce how shall wee say vnto him the childe is dead to vex him more But when Dauid saw his seruants whispered Dauid perceiued that the childe was dead Therefore Dauid said vnto his seruants Is the childe dead And they said hee is dead then Dauid arose from the earth and washed and annoynted himselfe and changed his apparell and came into the house of the Lord and worshipped and after came to his owne house and bade that they should set bread before him and hee did eat His sorrowing ended when hee once sawe that there was no hope of enioying any longer the company of his childe Now this course seemed to his seruants a new and strange kind of philosophie that he should mourne in the danger of death and yet reioyce or at least comfort himselfe with any content in death and therefore his seruants saide vnto him What thing is this that thou hast done thou diddest fast and weepe for the childe while it was aliue but when the child was dead thou didst rise and eate meat And what reason had hee for this strange and vnwonted behauiour Hee said while the childe was yet aliue I fasted and wept for I said who can tell whether God will haue mercy on me that the child may liue but now being dead wherefore shall I now fast can I bring him againe any more I shall goe to him but he shall not returne to me Behold the same thing that maketh thee to mourne namely that thy dead shall not returne to thee the same consideration Dauid made the ground
not out of any hatred that they did beare against such vile sinnes but onely for feare of the peoples speech and rather for want of meanes and opportunity to accomplish them then for want of any good will if time place and other things had been answerable And if thou finde that thine is such a generall and confused tentation as namely that thou diddest neuer rightly know nor loue nor feare God and that thine heart was alwaies or now is an euill an hypocritical heart thine estate is so much the more easie that in the dayes of thy security while thou diddest walke according to the course of this world and after the prince that ruleth in the ayre euen the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience God suffered not the Diuell to thrust thee into presumptuous sinnes after the manner of others and into grosse and desperate sinnes against all rules of honesty wherewith hee might now in this time of temptation torment thy conscience This affordeth much aduantage vnto thee that the diuell can finde no grosse particular sinne to vrge and presse thee withall Here let the afflicted man first consider that hitherto his case is no whit worse then the case of euery man that commeth into the world For Dauid doth tell vs that the best man euen he that prooueth afterwards a man after Gods owne heart yet out of his mothers wombe yea out of his fathers loines proceedeth a sinnefull creature with an euill heart empty of the loue of God and continueth so till God bestow some particular grace vpon him for the conuersion of him And he maketh himselfe an instance heereof speaking thus Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me He was from the wombe and loines a sinner taken in generall termes for a man in whom there was an euill heart not knowing not louing not fearing God And Saint Paul doth tell vs that the holiest man euen he that was from the beginning a chosen vessell to beare witnesse to the name of Iesus Christ before kings and nations yet in his originall estate and first yeares hee is the childe of wrath and dead in trespasses and sinnes as all other men till God in mercy looke vpon him and renew him And hee maketh himselfe among others an instance thereof while hee thus speaketh You hath be quickened that were dead in trespasses and sinnes wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world and after the Prince that ruleth in the ayre euen the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom wee also had our conuersation in times past in the lusts of our flesh in fulfilling the will of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Paul was a bad as the Ephesians and the Ephesians as bad as all other men til God in mercy conuerted both him them And the Prophet Ieremy telleth vs that there is both generally and particularly in all men and in euery man a heart both wicked and hypocritical wicked to do that which is euill deceitfull and hypocriticall to dissemble in the doing of it and to make shews pretences and excuses that it might be thought not to doe euill And this wickednesse and hypocrisie ro be so deepe and cunning that it deceiueth not onely other men but euen the wicked man himselfe that flattereth and pleaseth himself with his owne pretences and perswadeth his owne soule that all is well and onely God is able to finde out his hypocrisie for thus hee saith The heart of man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who can know it I the Lord search the heart c. Other men cannot know it and search it out For the apostle saith What man knoweth the things of a man saue the spirit of a man which is in him A manâ—… owne heart may bee acquainted with his owne thoughts but another man cannot discerne them a man himselfe oft times is not able to discerne his owne wickednesse a vaine and false opinion misleading his blinded iudgement but God searcheth it out because as the Apostle saith There is not any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open to his cies with whom we haue to doe Such is the depth of the wickednesse of mans heart such is his deceitfull hypocrisie that no eye but the all-seeing eye of God no iudgement but his that neuer erreth can see the same And Salomon telleth vs that there is no man iust vpon the earth that doth good and sinneth not And knowing this to be generaly true he challengeth euery man that thinkes that he can say any thing to cleere eyther himselfe or any other saying Who can say I haue made my heart cleane I am cleane from my sinne So that this is the condition of all men till God in his mercy mould them anew by his grace till then they are altogether such as thou in thy troubled heart art charged to be men of an euill heart full of wickednesse and hypocrisie that neither know God nor loue God nor feare God Therefore when thou art charged with such a generall and confused tentation yeeld it to be true that thou art charged withall and stand not to make thy selfe better then thou art withall say vnto thy soule for that I haue no more cause to dispaire of Gods mercy then Dauid had that was such a one in his birth then Paul had that was such a one vntill the day of his conuersion then any other and all other of Gods elect and best beloued children that were euery way such conceiued in sinne borne in iniquitie children of wrath full of vnsearchable wickednesse and hypocrisie neither knowing nor liuing nor fearing God till he was pleased to looke vpon them in his fauour and to conuert them by creating a new heart and renewing a right spirit in them And now that mine eyes are opened by this affrighting of my soule to see my bad condition which I saw not before I will make hast vnto the Lord and will craue that grace at his hands that I now want neither can I nor will I vnderstand this worke of his in letting me see by this fearefull temptation my sinfull estate which in the daies of my peace I did not see to be any other then the fruit of his loue by making me to see my misery to stir vp my soule long drowned in former securitie to seeke with all earnestnes of â—…eale for his help When a sicke man feeleth paine in his flesh he doeth not faintly yeeld to death because he is sicke but from the feeling of his weakenes he taketh occasion to seeke out some learned Phisition craueth his help the more sicke he is the more he desireth and the more earnestly he sueth for his helpe spares no cost and putteth himselfe into
thee then as thou desirest an end of the trouble that they put thee to so desire that God will giue them a better and wiser heart This rule is included within that more generall rule of our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell I say vnto you loue your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt you and persecute you If we ought to pray vnto God for all that hurt vs then also for them of our owne house habitation and kindred that hurt vs and so much the rather for those at home and so neere vnto vs because they haue more opportunity to hurt vs then they that are farther of And what are we to begin praier for them Two things one that God would forgiue their fault which we also must forgiue Another that he will giue them a heart to see and to amend their fault God in his holy iustice doth therefore many times stir vp domesticall troubles to men because they are negligent in domesticall praier neuer commēding vnto God either husband or wife child seruant kinsman friend or neighbour neuer making any request for grace and wisedome to bee giuen vnto them When Dauid had brought the Arke of the Lord into the place that he had prepared for it vpon the hill of Sion and had offered burnt offerings and peace offerings it is said that he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hoasts that is he praied the Lord of hoasts to powre downe his blessings vpon them and hauing distributed flesh and bread and wine among them and they therewith being departed home it is said that then Dauid returned to blesse his house that is to pray vnto God for them of his house that they might prosper and that he might liue a comfortable life among them Also Isaack praied vnto the Lord for his wife And Iacob blessed all his sonnes euery one of them blessed he with a seuerall blessing And Booz the Bethlemite comming into the field among his seruants and reapers saluteth them with a praier vnto God for them saying the Lord be with you And Daniels custome was three times a day in his house to pray vnto God who praying in his family could not in his praiers be vnmindful of his family From so holy and worthy examples learne thou to pray for thine while thou enioyest peace with them pray that they may not proue a trouble vnto thee and when thy troble growes from thē pray that God will giue them a mind more agreeable to peace So fit for the ease of thy burden is praier for them by whom thou art troubled Sometime thou art not vnkindly vsed by them yet thy trouble groweth from them while thou art grieued for some calamity hapned vnto them and takest care for ◅he helping of them In this case there is speciall neede of praier to be made for them And it is a speciall point of casting thy burden vpon God God speaking to the Israelites saith of himselfe I am the Lord that healeth thee that is all the health and helpe both of thee and thine must come only from my hand And in another place I kil and giue life I wound and I make whole That is I send sicknesse danger and hurt to make men seeke vnto me and againe I restore health safety and peace when men doe seeke vnto mee And these things being the workes of Gods owne hand they should faile very much of casting their burden vpon God that being burdened with griefe for the sicknesse and calamities of their neighbours friends kinsfolke and family should forget and neglect to pray to God for them Dauid praied for his child in a most humble and earnest manner when it was sicke For Dauid besought God for the child and fasted and went in and lay all night vpon the earth The Centureon whose faith is commended in the Gospell praied vnto the Lord Iesus for his sicke seruant saying vnto him master my seruant lieth sick at home of the palsie and when Herod had cast Peter into prison with purpose after the feast to bring him forth to the people to be slaine earnest praier was made of the Church vnto God for him The saints of God haue alwaies obserued this as a most safe and sure rule of casting their burdens vpon God when they were troubled and grieued for the sicknesse and calamitie of others to pray vnto God for them to restore their health their peace their liberty and their comfort that in the recouered comfort of them that were afflicted they might recouer comfort that were afflicted for them There is therefore in these domestical troubles imploiment for thy praiers to be offered to God for them either by whose meanes thou art troubled or for whose sakes thou art grieued Thirdly thou hast need to offer vp praier vnto God for the rest of thy familie of thy kindred of thy friends and of thy neighbors whether thou be wronged by the vniust and vnkind dealing or else grieued for the calamity and sicknesse of some that neither the sinne of them that wrong thee nor the calamity of them for whom thou art grieued may spread any further to the corruption and damage of the rest If Esau grieue his father Isaack and his mother Rebecca by taking a wife of the daughters of Canaan haue not Isaack and Rebecca cause to pray to God for Iaacob their other sonne that he may not doe as his brother had done when certaine of the followers of the Lord Iesus Christ had left him taking offence at some words of his concerning the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood which they vnderstood not Iesus said to the twelue will ye also goe away he was carefull that an euill example might not spread like a contagious sicknesse to corrupt the whole company of his disciples And more agreeable to the cause that wee haue in hand when Iudas one of his family the diuell entring into his hart had couenanted with the Priests and pharisies to betray his master into their hands the Lord Iesus heauily charged with a burden of trouble growing from his treason taketh occasion from his wickednesse to pray vnto his father for the rest saying Those thou gauest me haue I kept and none of them is lost but the child of perditiō that the scripture might be fulfilled And now come I to thee and these things speak I in the world that they might haue my ioy fulfilled in themselues c. The child of perdition Iudas the traitor being lost the Lord hath care of the rest and praieth for them that they might euer reioice in him Euen so euery louing man that can take pleasure in the health and honest cariage of his friends neighbours and family when one is ill at ease and when one doth giue offence he will heartily pray to God to preserue the rest that they may
with ioy saying Lord euen the deuils are subiect to vs through thy name And he said vnto them I saw Satan like lightning fall downe from heauen The preaching of the Gospel is a ministerie of power it is the strong arme of God to destroy the kingdome of Satan Where it is preached truely and diligently the walles of Satans kingdome are vndermined and when the people hearken vnto it the deuill is cast out of them and he falleth with violence from his soueraignty ouer them euen sodainly as the lightning which breaking forth in the East is sodainely seene in the Weast Therefore if Satan had that full power ouer thee that thou fearest thy diligent attendance to the Gospel preached will surely worke thy freedome Let Iesus Christ therefore find thee a diligent hearer in the Temple and thou shalt find him a mercifull Sauiour in thy heart and thou shalt bee freed from all power of that aduersary And though he trouble thee with many wicked thoughts yet thou shalt be as a prey plucked out of his pawes And it pertaineth to the casting of this burthen vpon God that thou do attend to the preaching of his word And thereto ioyne thy humble and heartie prayer vnto God and in due time hee will giue rest to thy soule from these euill thoughts CHAP. XXIIII YEt hath not our troubled sinner any constāt peace◅ but hauing his eies fixed vpon the Law of God and hauing no power to looke vp to the Gospel of peace out of his feare he makes a new obiection crying saying Doth not the Law of God accurse euery transgressor that abideth not in all that is written in that Booke to do it And haue not I broken all the commandements of the law Yes I haue broken them in thought word deed and not onely out of ignorance weakenesse or vnaduisednesse but I haue broken them boldely prowdly contemptuously therefore sure I am that Gods curse lyeth vpon me I feele the weight and furie of it and I am no heire of blessednesse Indeede here appeares the great malice and subtilty of Satan which it behooueth all men to looke vnto with great care and to take heede of it in the dayes of our peace and securitie he suffereth vs not to looke into the Law of God lest from thence we might take any direction for the well ordering of our liues but then hee driueth vs forward after the line of our owne lusts And then if we haue any remembrance of God he onely suffereth vs to thinke vpon his mercy and goodnes and beareth vs in hand that we cannot do that euill which hee will not forgiue and therefore wee neede not greatly care what we doe we shall repent in time and all shall be passed ouer in mercie so maketh vs to abuse by contempt the riches of the bountie and patience and long-suffering of God And if wee haue any occasion to thinke vpon the word of God he turnes vs away from the Law and presently thrusteth into our mouths the promises of the gospel and driues vs vpon that rocke of destruction that the Apostle Paul speaketh of in these words What shal we say then shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound The Gospel preacheth the mercy of God in Christ to teach that where sinne did abound deseruing damnation there the grace of God in Iesus Christ aboundeth more by the forgiuenesse of that sinne vnto saluation Heereuppon manie that abuse the grace of God vnto wantonnesse doe resolue to commit sinne more abundantly that so grace in the forgiuenesse of their sinne might more abound This wicked resolution of contemptuous sinners hee reciteth with words of detestation saying God forbid how shall wee that are dead to sinne liue yet therein The true condition of a Christian man that shall find grace to the forgiuenesse of his sinnes is to bee dead to sinne and no more to hearken to and to obey the commandement of sinne then a dead seruant can hearken vnto and obey the commandement of his master but to bee aliue vnto God that is readily to hearken vnto and diligently to obey Gods cōmandements as a liuing seruant hearkneth vnto and obeyeth the voyce of his master And if this be the condition of Christians then how shall they that by their profession are dead to sinne liue in sinne presuming that super abounding grace shal deliuer him from all danger But vpon this rocke in the time of our peace and securitie doth the diuell seeke to throw vs keeping vs from all view and consideration of the Law when wee haue most need to be brideled by it and making vs with the wrong hand to take holde of the Gospel when we haue no need of it nor skill how to make anie right and holy vse of it and by this meanes he doth in those dayes of securitie intangle vs in many sinnes And after when he hath vs fast in his bands hauing made vs guiltie of infinit transgressions then hee seeketh leaue to set our sinnes in order against vs and to raise vp stormes of feare and terrour in our soules And this leaue obtained and these stormes raised then hee withdraweth the Gospell from before our eies and suffereth vs onely to gaze in the glasse of the Law that by sight of our owne deformities hee might altogether confound vs and then he suffereth vs to haue no other remembrance of God but of his iustice and seueritie Then hee presents him vnto vs such a one as Moses describes him saying The Lord thy God is a consuming fire and aiealous God And such a one as the hypocrites in Sion in the day of their feare conceiue him to be when they say Who among vs shall dwell with the deuouring fire who among vs shall dwell with euerlasting burnings And then he suffereth vs not to think vpon any word of God but the condemning Law the accu◅sing Law the killing letter then he remoueth from vs all remembrance of the gracious Gospel of the free liberall faithfull promises and of the mercifull mediator and sweet Sauior Iesus Christ. Then he telles vs we haue no right to any of those things they belong to the Saints to the righteous to penitent sinners not to such bold contemners as wee are And then he maketh vs obiect against our owne soules as the troubled sinner heere doth that the Law without fauour accurseth transgressors that wee without measure haue transgressed the Law and that therefore without remedy we are accursed creatures But let vs see how wee may relieue the affrighted soule of this sinner and against this obiection teach him with comfort to cast his burden vpon the Lord. Thine eie is vpon the Law I mislike it not The Law shall make thee a full amends for al this feare that it puts thee into Paul writing to the Galathians speaketh thus of the Law The Law was ◅r Schoolemaister to bring vs to Christ that we might
from being lost in the first sence and meaning of that word And there is o◅e that will saue from destruction those that are ready to perish and thee among others that will deliuer from damnation those that are already iudged and thee as well as others and that wil pluck out of the iawes of death out of the snares of Satan and out from the gates of hell those that were ready to be swallowed vp and deuoured as a pray and thee assoone as others so to recouer thee from being lost in the sense and meaning of the word And this seeker is of that diligence wisdome that he cannot be disappointed of finding this sauiour is of that goodnes power that he will not and cannot be letted from sauing whom hee intendeth to deliuer of whom the Apostle to the Hebrewes saith He is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing hee euer liueth to make intercession for them And who is this diligent seeker that can and will so certainely finde who is this mightie Sauiour that can and will so certainely preserue it is the Lord Iesus Christ the sonne of God the sauiour of mankind of whom the Euangelist yea himselfe the Euangelist onely reporting his words saith The sonne of man is come to seeke and saue that which was lost So that if any man be gone astray if any man bee out of the knowledge and care of God his keeper Iesus came to seeke him And if any were worthy to perish and already by sentence giuen adiudged to perish such is the condition of all men Iesu◅ is come to saue him And it is worthy obseruation that he saith The sonne of man came to seeke the sonne of man came to saue as making this seeking and sauing of them that were lost to be the onely end as indeed it was of his comming into the world For this cause was he conceiued by the Holy Ghost for this purpose was he borne of the Virgin Mary to this end and for the effecting of this saluation was the sonne of God made the sonne of man yea for this and for this onely did he fulfill all righteousnes and yeelded obedience euen to the death of the crosse that he might seeke and find them that were gone astray and that he might recouer and saue them that were lost so that hee that shall deny these things to be truely intended and fully performed by Iesus Christ doeth make idle and fruitlesse the incarnation and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ and denieth the vertue of the death and bloudsheding of the sonne of God Let our afflicted sinner consider these things and set his heart on worke to meditate vpon them and it will come to passe that whereas before the remembrance of his lost estate was cause of heauines vnto him the same very condition shall giue him comfort and hope and saue him as an argument to proue him to be one of those for whom Iesus Christ died to saue them For if it be true that the lord Iesus came to seeke and to saue them that were lost and be also true that ◅e is lost then it must also be true that Iesus Chist came to seeke to saue him The Lord Iesus said to the woman of C◅naan I am not sent but vnto the lost ◅eepe of the house of Israel Vnto those lost sheepe hee was sent and to none other So that if our afflicted sinner see himselfe to be a lost sheepe there is hope that the Lord Iesus was ◅ent for yea it is most sure that he was sent for him sent to seeke him sent to saue him whereas if he had a proud opinion of himselfe as had the Pharises that he were not as other men for so gloried hee saying O God thanke thee that I am not as other men or if he nourished a careles opinion of himselfe as doe the contemners of the world that he were in no danger for so doe they flatter themselues saving Wee are deliuered though we haue done all these abominations Then Iesus indeed should not profit him for hee came for none such He saith of himselfe I am not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance In this very name therefore that he is a lost sinner a sinner worthy to perish he may comfort himselfe in Iesus Christ and hope to be saued by him that came to seeke and saue that which was lost Let me in a few words briefely and plainely open to this sinner his estate what it is in himselfe and what it is in Iesus Christ that as in himselfe hee seeth cause of griefe and feare so in Iesus Christ he may see cause of hope and reioicing if hee looke into himselfe and consider what he is by birth what he is by kind and what he hath manifested and declared himselfe to bee by his life and conuersation surely hee is and shall find himselfe to be a lost creature and a child of wrath for he shall find nothing in himselfe but sinne deseruing eternall dest◅uction he shall find that hee was conceiued in sinne that he was borne in iniquitie and that he liued in sinne not onely in the daies of his first ignorance whi◅e sinne reigned without resistance in his mortall body but also in the daies of knowledge sinne yet remaining and misleading him into many errors and it ◅ thus not onely in him but euen in all ◅en and among all others euen in the elect of God in Gods owne peculiar people euen they at home and in themselues are lost creatures dead in sinnes and by sinnes deseruing eternall death The Angell appearing to Ioseph said vnto him of the child conceiued in the wombe of the Virgin Mary Shee shall ◅ing forth a sonne and thou shalt call his ◅me Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Those whom his father gaue vnto him therefore called his people them he saueth he saueth them from their sinnes By which speech it is plainly intimated that euen they considered in themselues are lost by their sins And so is our afflicted sinner considered in himselfe with respect to his kind to his birth and to his life hee is lost hee is a child of perdition and therein hee hath cause to be humbled and to feare the iustice of God But let not the sinner gaze so long vpon this his naturall estate that his dazled eies should after be vnable to look any higher such a view of this our naturall condition as may serue to beate downe the pride of flesh and bloud and to bring vs vnto true humilitie and to the deniall of our selues before God is sufficient Let him therefore after consider him selfe in another and view his conditiō estate in Iesus Christ by vertue of his holy calling of his second birth namely his regeneration and hee shall find himselfe another man He shall find that God hath
of the Philistims a mighty man named Goliah of the town of Gath and defied Israel from whom al the people fled then Dauid accepted the Philistims challenge and slew him and put away the shame from Israel for which honorable fact the women praised him in their Song sayâ—…ng Saul hath slaine his thousand and Dauid his tenne thousand Fourthly Saul made him a captaine ouer a thousand men and whithersoeuer Dauid led them forth he behaued himselfe wisely and valiantly for the Lord was with him and made him to prosper and all Israel loued him Lastly Saul gaue him one of his daughters to wife and hee became the Kings sonne in lawe and hee did eate meate at Sauls Table and Ionathan Sauls sonne made a true league of amitie with him and all the gallants of the Court regarded him Such had beene the standing of Dauid in a loftâ—… height of honour And now from this height of honour he was fallen low into contempâ—… before his enemies For from his house his wife his deare 〈◊〉 Ionathan from the Court the Cittie and the Tabernacle from his honourable office companie and estate hee was glad to she and to slie into the wildernesse into woods and caues and holes to hide his head where the company that he had resembled the place in basenesse For besides those of his fathers house there gathered vnto him men that were in trouble for their euill deeds that brought them within danger of law men that were in debt and owed more then they were worth and durst not shew their heads men that were troubled in mind oppressed with sorrow affrighted with feares this was his companie as it were the skumme of the people a rout of lawlesse ones He was in the Kings displeasure and the Kings eares were euer open to all malicious and slanderous reports made against Dauid and vpon euery discouerie of Dauids abiding in any place Saul was euer running forth with his armie against him Thus was he fallen from that height of honour in which sometimes hee stoode And the promise of Gods helpe and of ease from God that hee giueth to them that cast their burden vpon GOD hee deliuereth and putteth downe in such words as are fitly answerable to his owne present condition fallen into such disgrace hee will not suffer the righteous to fall for â—…uer that while he giueth to other men a rule how to recouer comfort in their afflicted estate hee might withall confirme his owne conceiued comfort more strongly CHAP. XXXIII BVT forasmuch as he deliuereth this promise for the incouragement of others let vs so handle it as that others may see their interest in it And hee shall nourish thee he will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer This promise falleth of it selfe into two parts the first is in these words And he shall nourish thee the seis in these words He will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer The first part of this promise meeteth with the burden of pouertie and want in this present world and therefore may be called the poore mans promise who doeth not looke high about the point of nourishment and doeth not complaine except he feele some want thereof In the poore mans house are not heard the complaint that great men make as that the King frowneth vpon him and hee is forbidden to come into his presence that his child is stollen from him and meanely maried against his liking that hee hath lost a great estate by the wracke of such a ship by the breaking of such a tradesman and by the falsehood of such a seruant These â—…nd such like are the complaints of great men and neuer heard in poore mens houses but their complaints are commonly these I am not able to pay my debt I am not ready to pay my rent and I feare to be cast into prison for the one and to be throwen out of my house for the other I haue no prouision against the colde winter nor money in my house to make prouision the raine beates in at euery corner of my house and I am not able to repaire it my wife my selfe and children want both meate and clothes and winter comes on vpon vs and these hard times affoord much expence and little getting charitie is become cold and her benummed hands now giue no almes Iustice also is growen very sleepie and scarce holdes vp her head to reckon with the labourer and to giue him his hire and how wee shal be fed clothed and nourished I can not tell These are the poore mans complaints and this promise meeteth with these complaints and assureth nourishment and therefore it may very well be called the poore mans promise For the truth of this promise that God will nourish them that cast their burden of want vpon him that is attend reuerently in well doing vpon his hand for maintenance it appeareth plainely by the Lords bountie hee gaue vnto Adam and vnto his posteritie all the fruites of the earth and all the hearbes of the field hee gaue vnto Noah and to his sonnes all liuing things that breede and liue either in the aire or vpon the land or in the sea this large grant is registred by Moses saying The feare of you the dread of you shall be vpon euery beast of the earth and vpon euery foule of the heauen on al that moueth on the earth and vpon all the sishes of the sea into your hands are they deliuered euery thing that moueth and liueth shall be meate for you as the greene hearbe haue I giuen you all things Heere is prouision inough feare not want the great depths of the sea the spread plaines of the earth and the vast compasse of the aire are Gods store houses filled with foode and prouision of all kindes for thee so that there must be no fish in the sea no fowles flying through the aire neither hearbe fruit nor beast vpon the face of the earth if there be no foode for thee Yea all liuing creatures must want foode before man can want foode because euen all those other creatures are appointed and giuen to man to be his foode But thy present pouertie maketh thee to say thou fearest not but God will alwaies send inough for all but thou seest that craft couetousnes and oppression gather such superfluous aboundance into some mens hands that thou art afraid lest that out of that sufficient store that God doeth send for all thou shalt not be able to get a sufficient portion for thee and thine Thou confessest that God in this world as a great Lord in his familie maketh prouision and allowance fully and plentifully but men as vnfaithfull stewards make vnequall diuisions and some haue to much to serue euen their intemperate and immoderate lusts and others haue too little to serue euen their necessarie vses and therefore though thou fearest not but God will send yeâ—… thou fearest how thou shalt get sufficiencâ—… To