the ease and release of the affliction of our brethren that we may reioyce Here then we haue another reason to persuade vs to pray for those that are and haue beene a long time visited with the pestilence and the grieuous hand of God Wee should pray that the plague might cease from our brethren that we might reioyce for which they are in great heauinesse and feare night and day entreating the Lord that when it hath wrought his good worke in the hearts of all for which it is sent to commaund it to cease and to take it cleane away not onely that their sorrowfull hearts might be cheered vp and comforted after this long sorrow and so some light might arise vnto them after this darknesse but that all we our selues and the rest of our brethren in all parts of this land might reioyce in their saluation That so we might take into our mouths the words of the Psalme which were vttered after a great deliuerance Others said of them Psal 126.2 The Lord hath done great things for them but they said The Lord hath done great things for vs whereof we reioyce So we should not count our selues strangers from our brethren and from their good and speake of them as it were aloofe off when we should heare how the plague is stayed in such and such a place The Lord hath done great things for them but as though it were our owne case say The Lord hath done great things for vs whereof we reioyce and so we to reioyce in their saluation we accounting the good that is done to them as done to our selues And truly if all men did thus it were to be hoped that God would soon heare vs. This affection was in Paule when he wrote vnto Philemon and entreated him for his seruant Onesimus who had stollen something from him and was come away and cast into prison for it and Paule had conuerted him and then desireth him to pardon him and to receiue him againe not onely that his poore seruant might bee comforted who was now greatly troubled for his sinne but that Paule himselfe might reioyce in this great blessing bestowed vpon him when he sayth thus yea brother let me obtaine this pleasure of thee in the Lord Phile. 20. comfort my bowels in the Lord where he entreateth him that in pardoning and receiuing his seruant againe he would bestow that great benefit vpon himselfe comfort him in the Lord for so he would account of it and thus he preuailed for it and so might we with God much more for our brethren VVhether then we looke to this visitation of the pestilence or to any other calamitie that our neighbors shall be in we in their preseruation or deliuerance must thinke our selues greatly comforted in the Lord and therefore in all things pray for their good that wee might reioyce so God may heare vs if not for their sakes yet for our owne And this is that which we haue to obserue out of the fifth verse it followeth in the next The interpretation of the sixt verse Vers 6. Now know I that the Lord will helpe his annointed and will heare him from his sanctuarie by the mightie power of his right hand In this verse Dauid professeth beforehand that he did beleeue that God would heare him and would defend him from his enemies according to his prayers for hee was the authour and penner of this Psalme And in teaching the people thus to pray for him he would haue them also beleeue that God would heare them concerning these requests which they made in his behalfe that so they likewise might pray in the same faith And this faith of them all is expressed and declared not onely when they say that they did know that God would heare and send helpe but especially and most significantly in changing the number For whereas in the former verse they spake as a multitude euen the whole Church together saying That wee may reioyce in thy saluation and set vp our banners in the name of our God where three times they speake in the person of many Here as though there were but one that prayed they say I know and this they doe according to the nature of true faith which is to applie Gods promises and his merciful deliuerances particularly to euery man and woman and so say as it is in our Creed I beleeue in God and not we beleeue that is I am persuaded that hee is the God not onely of others but of me And so here though many did vse this praier together yet euery one was to haue this faith in themselues that they did know that God would heare them And what doe they or should they beleeue That God will helpe his annointed that is their king Dauid so called because he was by the commaundement of God annointed by Samuel the Prophet vnto that office 1. Sam. 16.13 and that he would heare his prayers and graunt his requests from his sanctuarie that is from heauen And thus they beleeue that God would doe by or with his right hand that is by his great power that he hath in himselfe whereby hee is able to doe all things and by the mightie helpe thereof that is that great helpe which he shall and will giue which none is able to resist And thus for the further strengthening of their faith they set before their eyes the great power of God whereby hee is able to defend all those that put their trust in him in all dangers whatsoeuer as also in the verse following they doe by comparison of the confidence of their enemies more fully expresse it saying Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God that is whereas others did trust in outward meanes as chariots and such like they did trust onely in the power and grace of Almightie God This teacheth vs to come so prepared vnto prayer that wee beleeue beforehand that God will heare our prayers We must pray in faith beleeuing that God will heare vs. and that we shall not pray in vaine but he will giue vs the thing that we aske And this faith is so requisit and necessarie that without it neither are our prayers acceptable vnto God neither can wee looke to receiue any thing at his hand Heb. 11.6 For without faith it is impossible to please God as in no other duties that we doe so not in prayer And faith is requisit in all those that aske any thing of God euen as all they that came vnto Christ in the dayes of his flesh to receiue any thing of him hee required of thē this first That they should beleeue For as it is said of them of his owne countrey when he was among them Matth. 13.58 Marc. 6.5 He could not doe many great workes there for their vnbeleefe sake he could haue done ynough his diuine power was sufficient but they had not faith to
are found in Shushan and fast yee for me and eate not nor drinke in three dayes day nor night I also and my maids will fast likewise And so they did and God heard their prayer and did not forsake her in this thing whereunto he had called her Thus in a matter of great moment which was full also of great difficultie and wherein she did hazard her life being persuaded that God had called her vnto it she prayeth for her selfe and others also for her that God would helpe her and heare her in heauen and he did so Thus did Iaakob cōfort himselfe in a dangerous voyage whereunto God had called him VVhich is written for our instruction and comfort to shew vs what wee should doe and in doing what we may looke for from God in the like case And from hence also did Iaakob comfort himselfe in the like danger and this was the ground of his prayer who in his retunrne from Laban did heare that his brother Esau came against him with foure hundred men then he remembring his former threats was greatly afraid and sore troubled and after other things that he did for the defence and safegard of his companie he prayeth vnto God after this manner O God of my father Abraham Gen 32.9 and God of my father Izaack Lord which saydest vnto me returne vnto thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good I pray thee deliuer me from the hand of my brother c. VVhere we see that as it appeareth in the former part of this story as he did not vndertake this iourney to Laban at the first of his owne head neither did voluntarily forsake his fathers house without cause like some roiotous children who cannot tell when they are well and as the prodigall sonne did but went away with his fathers liking and leaue and with his blessing for Izaack blessed Iaakob and sayd Get thee to Padan Aram to the house of Bethuel Gen. 28.1 thy mothers father and thence take thee a wife of the daughters of Laban thy mothers brother c. So hee returned from thence Chap. 31.3 not of his owne priuat motion but by the commaundement of God who said vnto him Turne againe into the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred and I will bee with thee And therefore when this great danger did befall him in the way hee remembreth that hee had a calling from God to this voyage and so prayeth to God that hee that had called him would defend him and as he had commaunded him to goe and hee did it at his commaundement so he would not forsake him in it or suffer him to perish in the mid way by the crueltie of his brother Esau saying Lord which saidest vnto me Returne into thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good I pray thee deliuer me from the hand of my brother c. And so the Lord did not onely heare his prayer and defend him but assure him of it beforehand by a vision of an Angell that wrestled with him all night Chap. 32.24 and could not preuaile against him and by the change of his name from Iaakob to Israel to teach him that which was then said vnto him For God hath promised to defend vs in all our lawfull wayes Psal 91.10 Because thou hast had power with God thou shalt also preuaile with men And this is that which is generally promised to all those that in their callings follow the wayes of God namely that he will defend them in all dangers that may befall them in the same when as it is said There shall none euill come vnto thee neither shall any plague come neere thy tabernacle for he shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes they shall beare thee in their hands that thou hurt not thy foot against a stone thou shalt walke vpon the Lion and Aspe the yong lyon and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder feet that is Gods Angels shall keepe vs in all those wayes that are most dangerous when we keepe our selues within the compasse of our callings And thus much for these words It followeth in the text By the mightie helpe of his right hand As in the former words hee did strengthen his owne faith and the faith of the people by the consideration of his calling that he was the annointed of the Lord The mightie helpe of Gods right hand so in these words he doth the same by the meditation of the omnipotent power of God who was able to giue great helpe aboue all power of man For in a figuratiue speech by the right hand of God is meant the strength and power of God because that as man commonly hath most strength in his right hand so to our capacitie and vnderstanding though the Lord be a spirit and hath no bodie and so consequently no hand yet the Scripture attributeth vnto him an arme an hand and a right hand as when it is said in the Psalme Psal 44.3 They inherited not the land by their owne sword neither did their owne arme saue them but thy right hand and thine arme and the light of thy countenance because thou fauouredst them And thus Moses with the rest of the people in their song of thankesgiuing for the destruction of Pharoah and his hoast in the red sea doe speake of the power of God Exod. 15.6 Thy right hand O Lord is glorious in power thy right hand O Lord hath brused the enemie that is as men by the strength of their right hand doe bruse a thing in pieces so the Lord by his great power had vtterly destroyed and brought to nought Pharoah and his great hoast which like enemies pursued them euen into the sea They confirm their faith by the consideration of Gods omnipotent power Now this great power of his they set before their eyes to this end that though their enemies were manie and mightie yet the Lord was greater than all and stronger than they and had power aboue them and so as they had prayed to him for his defence so they beleeue that he would heare them and helpe them according to the same power of his As Elisha said vnto his seruant who when he saw the chariots and horses and great hoast which the king of Aram had sent to Dotham to take them cried out for feare 2. King 6.15 Alas master how shall we doe Feare not sayd he they that be with vs are moe than they that be with them hee meaneth that God was with them whose power to defend them was greater than all the power of their aduersaries to hurt them And that the power of God in all things is so infinit that he is alwayes able to defend his seruants against all the power of their enemies be it neuer so great is most euident both in the Scripture and by daily experence so that there need not any great
proofe of it The great power of God in bringing hard things to passe For he is euery where called God Almighty and All sufficient and Lord of hoasts and Lord of lords King of kings maker of all things and preseruer of them in whom we and all things else liue mooue and haue our being c. And in a matter that seemed impossible to Sarah as that she should haue a child when she was so old and all naturall strength fayled her for it ceased to be with her after the manner of women the Lord sayd to Abraham Gen. 18.14 Shall any thing be hard to the Lord as if he had sayd Nothing at all is hard to him but he by his power is able to ouercome all difficulties be they neuer so many and so great And to Moses also in the lik case when he doubted how the Israelites should haue flesh ynough in the wildernesse according to their owne desire Num. 11.23 and as the Lord hath promised he sayd Is the Lords hand shortened Iob. 9.19 that is is his power so weake that he is not able to bring that to passe No. Therefore we may say of him and of his power as Iob doth if we speake of strength Behold he is strong and not onely confesse as the angell did to the virgin Marie when she inquired how she being a virgin should bring forth a child and know no man With God shall nothing be impossible Luke 1.37 Chap. 18.27 but with our Saujour Christ in the same Gospell The things that are impossible with men are possible with God And indeed the great power of God against his aduersaries and for the defence of his seruants might be shewed by infinit examples in the Scriptures as how Pharaoh and his great host was drowned in the red sea when his owne people had a passage through it on drie foot which we spake of euen now Ioshu 6.20 how he caused the walles of Iericho when the Israelites layd siege to it to fall flat downe without any batterie onely at the sound of trumpets how he ouerthrew in the hoast of proud Saneherib one hundred fourescore and fiue thousand in one night and by many such like things But this is or should be well knowne vnto vs for this is the first article of our faith That wee beleeue in God the father almightie maker of heauen and earth that is who by his mightie power hath made all things in heauen and in earth of nothing and therefore he can bring them all to nought againe and without him they can doe nothing How by the consideration of it we ought to strengthen our faith as hee without them and against them can doe all things Onely we had need to be put in mind to make that good vse of it in the time of our trouble that Dauid doth here namely that thereby we labour to strengthen our faith in the defence of God and that we beleeue that as he doth heare vs so he can and will helpe vs. And the more that any thing is against vs to weaken our faith the more must we by the meditation of the mightie power of God indeuour to strengthen the same knowing that his power shall be made perfect and more cleerely be seene in our weakenesse 2. Cor. 12.9 And thus did Abraham the father of all the faithfull when the Lord had promised vnto him that his wife Sarah should haue a sonne when they were both old and stricken in yeares and was past hope of any by the course of nature For the spirit of God beareth witnesse of him That aboue hope he beleeued vnder hope Rom. 4.18 that he should be the father of many nations as it was said vnto him And hee did not by vnbeleefe reason against this by considering the deadnesse of his owne bodie being almost an hundred yeare old nor the deadnesse of Saraes wombe but gaue glorie to God That he that had promised As the seruāts of God haue done was able to performe it Thus hee considered of the mightie helpe of Gods right hand and stayed his faith vpon that and so must we doe in all things that God hath promised Matth. 9 29. and then wee shall find That as Christ sayth in the Gospell it shall be vnto vs according to our faith But more fitly for this purpose may wee consider what great vse that good king Hezekiah made of the knowledge that hee had of Gods omnipotent power euen that it did maruellously strengthen his faith in prayer against the mightie power of the great hoast of Saneherib which was come vp against him and against all the desperat and blasphemous threats which he gaue out against him Jsai 37.16 as it is set downe by the Prophet Isaiah where hee thus prayeth O Lord of hostes thou are very God alone ouer all the kingdomes of the earth thou hast made the heauen and the earth Incline thine eare O Lord and heare open thine eyes O Lord and see and heare all the words of Saneherib who hath sent to blaspheme the liuing God Truth it is O Lord that the kings of Asshur haue destroyed all lands and their countrey and haue cast the gods in the fire for they were no gods but the worke of mens hands euen wood and stone therefore they destroyed them Now therefore O Lord our God saue thou vs out of his hand that all the kingdomes of the earth may know that thou onely art the Lord. Thus the serious consideration of Gods great power did make him not onely not to be daunted by the power of his aduersarie but caused him with great hope of preuailing to pray earnestly vnto God against it And vnto this may bee ioyned the example of that worthie king Asa one of his predecessours who in like case to vphold his faith against the feare of his mightie and many enemies did meditate vpon the omnipotent power of Gods right hand 2. Chron. 14 9. For when the king of Aethyopia came out against him with ten hundred thousand men besides chariots and horses he went out also against him and did meet with him and did set the battell in array and then cried vnto the Lord his God Considering Gods power not so much in himselfe as for their owne defence that is prayed earnestly and in faith saying Lord it is nothing with thee to helpe with many or with no power helpe vs O Lord our God for we rest in thee and in thy name are we come against this great multitude O Lord thou art our God let not man preuaile against thee VVhere we see how he doth not consider of the power of God as shut vp in himselfe but as that which was readie to be shewed in their defence against their enemies as Dauid doth here And indeed therein cōsisteth true faith in the power of God That we beleeue that he is almightie to helpe vs and therefore that we
therefore we must commend the care of al vnto God who saith Except the Lord build the house they labour in vaine that build it And Psal 127.1 It is in vaine for a man to rise early and to lie downe late and to eate the bread of sorrow but he will giue rest to his beloued Therefore wee must say and doe as Dauid did And 16.5.8 Thou wilt maintaine my lot And againe I haue set the Lord alwaies before me for he is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide Wherefore my heart is glad and my tongue reioyceth my flesh also doth rest in hope Where wee see how he commended the care of himselfe and of all that he had vnto the Lords protection whereupon it came to passe that he not only was defended but had a quiet minde and bodie as he saith also in another place I will lay me down And 4.8 and also sleepe in peace for thou Lord onely makest me dwell in safetie And so wee must ascribe all our defence for the time past to him The defence of our King is only of God and trust only to him for the time to come And now for the present state of our time we must beleeue that all the defence of our King from all daungers is and must come onely from God for though he be wise himselfe and hath a wise honourable Councel and there are many that watch and care for him besides yet if God did not defend him the diuel by his subtiltie might make his enemie wiser than all of them Therefore as Dauid saith of himselfe Psal 140.7 It was God that did couer his head in the day of battell that is though hee had an helmet and such like defence yet if God had not couered his head all that had been nothing so we must say it is God that hath couered not onely his head but his whole bodie from the strokes of his enemies yea wee must say as Paul saith of himselfe 2 Cor. 1.10 God hath deliuered him from so great a death and doth deliuer him daily in whom wee trust that yet hereafter he will deliuer him Therefore when wee heare of any daunger towards his person or towards the State we must not make small account of it and say Tush I but there are these and these meanes to defend vs the King and his Counsell are wise enough to preuent all but wee must say That good God and merciful father who of his infinit mercie hath defended him and vs hitherto will do so still and pray to him thereafter that it may bee so as this people doth here The name of the God of Iacob defend thee So is it in all sicknesse and namely in this great mortalitie of our time He onely can defend vs from the pestilence 1. Cor. 11.30 wherein many are sicke and many are weake and many fall asleepe none can defend vs in it but onely God and he is able to doe it In the Law God hath threatned great and incurable diseases to the disobedient for it is said The Lord will smite thee in the knees and in the thighes Deut. 28.35 with a sore botch that thou canst not bee hâ—â—led euen â—rom the sole of thy foote vnto the top of thine head And a little after in the same place The Lord will make thy plagues wonderfull Vers 59. and the plagues of thy seed euen great plagues and of long continuance and sore diseases and of long durance I will bring vpon thee all the diseases of Egypt whereof thou wast afraide and they shall cleaue vnto thee and euery sicknes and euery plague which is not written in the booke of this law will the Lord heape vpon thee vntill thou be destroyed And from them that walke in his waies he hath promised to keepe these diseases farre away If thou wilt diligently hearken O Israel vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God Exod. 15.26 and wilt doe that which is right in his sight and wilt giue eare vnto his commaundements and keepe all his ordinances then will I put none of these diseases vpon thee which I brought vpon the Egyptians for I am the Lord that healeth thee These threatnings and promises he only is able to verifie and doth who hath said to that end He will deliuer thee from the snare of the hunter and from the noysome pestilence Psal 91.3 he will couer thee vnder his wings and thou shalt be sure vnder his fethers his truth shall be thy shield and buckler thou shalt not be afraide of the feare of the night nor of the arrow that flieth by day nor of the pestilence that walketh in darknesse nor of the plague that destroyeth at noone day a thousand shall fall at thy side and tenne thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come neere thee There shall none euill come vnto thee neither shall any plague come neere thy tabernacle for he shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy waies they shall beare thee in their hands that thou hurt not thy foote against a stone Thus it is the Lord only that keepeth vs from plagues and diseases by the inuisible ministerie of his holie Angels which he vseth for the defence of his seruants and the punishment of the wicked For as when the Lord did send his Angell into the hoste of proud blasphemous Sanecherib he smote in one night an hundreth fourescore and fiue thousand 2. King 19.35 so that when they rose early in the morning behold they were all dead corpses And as in the time of Dauid 2. Sam. 24.15 the Lord by an Angel did destroy with the pestilence seuentie thousand men in three daies So in the middest of all pestilent diseases if the Lord bid his Angell cease punishing as hee did then when hee stretched out his hand vpon Ierusalem to destroy it hee said Vers 16. It is sufficient hold now thine hand or if he will them to keepe vs in the middest of it it shall bee so and then shall that be verified vpon vs Psalm 91.13 which is written Thou shalt walke vpon the lion and aspe the yong lion and the dragon shalt thou tread vnder feete that is his Angels shall preserue vs in the middest of great dangers harmelesse He onely defendeth in these cases therefore let vs trust in him and in him alone As he did recouer Hezekiah froÌ„ death He healed King Hezekiah when he was sicke of a most deadly disease euen when he lay sicke of a pestilent feuer and had a Carbunckle or Plague sore broken out in his body and before that had receiued the sentence of death in himselfe Isai 38.1 For the Prophet had said vnto him Thus saith the Lord put thine house in order for thou shalt dye and not liue that is this sicknesse of thine is deadly in it owne nature Then he turned his face vnto the wal
and in earth to heale vs by his word of most incurable diseases when wee can get nothing to helpe vs. Matth. 28.18 And he that said to the Centurion Goe thy way Matth. 8.13 thy seruant liueth and it was so yea he that said not one word and yet healed the woman of her bloudie issue Mar. 5.29 whereof she had been sick twelue yeeres and had spent al that she had vpon the Physitions and found no helpe and he that said to the man that lay sick of the palsie eight and thirtie yeere Arise take vp thy bed and walke Ioh. 5.5 and presently he was able to doe it and he that spake to Lazarus when hee had been dead foure daies and was laid in his graue so that in the opinion of diuers his carkasse was rotten and began to stinke and said vnto him with a lowd and effectuall voyce Lazarus come foorth and he did so in the sight of all the beholders Joh. 11.43 is able also much more to send his word and heale vs also as the Psalmist speaketh that is Psal 107.20 heale vs without all meanes Or when wee are brought so low that we lie vpon our beds as Elihu speaketh in the booke of Iob and the griefe of our bones is sore Job 33.19 so that our life causeth vs to abhorre bread and our soule daintie meate so that our flesh faileth that it cannot bee seene and the bones which were not seene doe clatter so that our soules drawe to the graue and our life to the buriers Though our estate be neuer so desperate if then there come a messenger of God vnto vs an interpreter of his holy word who in that case is to be esteemed as one of a thousand and declare vnto vs that righteousnes of God whereby we may be saued and pray vnto God for vs then will he haue mercie vpon vs and will say Deliuer him that hee goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation And if he doe but thus say then shall our flesh bee as fresh as a childes and shall returne as in the daies of our youth and he will deliuer vs from going into the pit and our liues shal see the light And thus is he able to doe twice or thrice with a man Vers 29. as he speaketh in the same place as all experience sheweth to be true So that when wee haue receiued the sentence of death in our selues as the Apostle Paul had 2 Cor. 1.9 that we might not trust in our selues but in God who raiseth the dead he is able to deliuer vs from so great a death 2. Tim. 4.17 and to take vs as it were out of the lions mouth as he did him Seeing then that God alone bringeth al euill vpon me and he onely keepeth it away commanding the destroyer not so much as to enter into our houses and if he doe giuing his Angels a charge ouer vs to keepe vs in all his waies though we walk vpon the lion and aspe yea and tread vnder our feete the yong lion and the dragon that is though we be in the extreamest danger let vs beleeue that he only can defend vs as they doe professe here when they say The name of the God of Iacob defend thee And truly there is great comfort in this that we beleeue that in the greatest trouble that may befall vs God is able to defend vs Faith in Gods defence giueth great comfort in trouble and without him nothing can doe it For whereas others that haue not this faith are very vnquiet vntill they haue the meanes of their deliuerance according to their own desire and then also vse them with great perplexitie and great doubtings and feares This will make vs quiet whether we haue the meanes or wee haue them not for if we haue them we vse thē with cheerefulnes but trust not to them if we haue them not we are still comfortable knowing that Gods power is not tied to them and so he is able to helpe vs without them And so if any thing fall out beyond our expectation wee burst not out into impatient outcries and say Oh I wanted such a thing to haue done me good if I had had this or that it might haue done mee great good what ill hap was it that I should now want it in my greatest need Or oh that I had had it a little sooner now it came too late when it could doe me no good or oh that I had had so good lucke as to haue vsed it after a better manner and a thousand things els which the diuell and our own vnbeleef will put into out minds But let vs by faith know assuredly that it is Gods will that it should bee so at this time with vs as it is if it had pleased him hee could still haue defended mee as in times past but now I see it is his blessed will to trie me I will take it patiently and put my trust in him and say with Iob Job 2.10 Shall we receiue good at the hand of God and not receiue euil He that is faithfull hath promised that he will lay no more vpon me than I shall be able to beare and that though this depart not away from me yet his grace shall be sufficient for me 2. Cor. 12.8.9 and his power shall be made perfect in my weakenes for his holy spirit shall helpe me in al mine infirmities yea he hath promised that all things shall fall out for the best to me Rom. 8.28 so long as I feare him though not in the beginning yet in the end and so I will say againe with Iob that if he kill me Iob. 13.15 yet I will put my trust in him for nothing shall be able to separate me from the loue of God in Christ Iesus my Lord and Sauiour neither angels nor principalities nor powers Rom. 8.38 nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature nor life nor death Rom. 14.9 For Christ therefore died and rose againe that hee might be Lord of the quick and dead so that whether I liue or die I am not mine owne but his who gaue himselfe for me to that end And therefore I beleeue that I being Christs 1. Cor. 3.22 all things are mine to bring me to him not only Paul and Apollos and Cephas the rest of his ministers but the world euen life death as the Apostle most confidently and comfortably speaketh yea things present and things to come all are mine and I am Christs and Christ is Gods And therefore if I die I beleeue that blessed are the dead that die in the Lord Apoc. 14.13 and therefore if it be his good will to take me away I am not only readie to say with old Simeon Luc. 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace and with our Sauiour
hath bin the cause that many euen for feare haue been ouercome much more when the thing hath bin vpon them haue they fallen into great impatiency and many lamentable outcries Euery one of vs is well acquainted with our owne weaknes this way and do find by experience how smal things we can beare and how the least thing doth ouercome vs yea the very feare of it many times therefore we had need to labour for strength And by that weakenes that is in our selues we may easily iudge what is in others and so see how requisit it is for them also that God should strengthen them Further it is to be considered God onely strengtheneth and weakneth the heart of man that as we haue seene how requisite it is for vs to haue strength according to the measure of our crosses temptations so of whom we shal haue it namely of God for they pray to him for it and say The Lord strengthen thee out of Sion he hath the hearts of all in his hands to order at his pleasure and if he giue strength then shall we be strong and if he withdraw his hand from vs and cast feare vpon vs if we were as stout as Lions before we shall be as weake as water And this truly as it is a great punishment to bee too feareful so God hath threatned to cast it vpoÌ„ them that breake his law and contrary to be of a good courage as it is a singular fruit of a good conscience so God hath promised to giue it to those that keepe his law Leuit. 26.7 For it is thus written If yee walke in mine ordinances and keepe my commandements to doe them fiue of you shall chase an hundreth Vers 36. and an hundreth of you shall put ten thousand to flight But if they will not obey me nor do all these commandements I will send a faintnes into their hearts in the land of their enemies and the sound of a leafe shaken shall chase them and they shall flee as fleeing from a sword and they shall fall no man pursuing them they shall also fall one vpon another as before a sword though none pursue them and ye shal not be able to stand before your enemies Deut. 28.66 And thy life shal hang before thee thou shalt feare both night and day and shalt haue none assurance of thy life in the morning thou shalt say would God it were euening and in the euening thou shalt say would God it were morning for the feare of thine hart which thou shalt feare for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see Thus strength courage in all troubles is the gift of God as fearefulnes is a punishment sent of God Iâ—sh 2.11 for it is said that the Lord cast a feare vpon the Cananites so that they durst not stirre Thus we see who is the giuer of al strength in al trials and temptations and that we haue it not of our selues Therefore no man must thus presumptuously think of himself that if trouble come he hopes he shal beare it out wel enough for he hath sufficient strength and courage for if he were of as great courage and valour as Dauid who slew a Lyon and a Beare yea Goliah himselfe yet when he commeth to a new trial he shal find himselfe altogether insufficient but as the Lord shall make a new supply of strength The Apostle S. Peter thought himself to be a stouter man a great deale then he was and that he would not shrinke for a little when he said if all men forsake thee yet will not I Matth. 26.33 but at the length God leauing him to himself for his triall he had no strength to stand but did both deny forsweare his Maister three times Thus wee must ascribe all our former strength vnto God he only it is that must strengthen vs still In troubles we must pray to God to strengthen vs. Iam. 1.5 Seeing it is so we must pray to him for it as Dauid doth here prayer is the meanes to obtaine all things from God therefore not only if we lack wisedome as the Apostle saith let vs aske it of God but if we lack any thing els as if we be faint-harted if we be weake in faith if wee lack patience if wee feare that wee shall not be able to beare things Therefore as in trouble wee must pray for other things according to our estate as for deliuerance or mitigation so especially for strength to beare whatsoeuer shall be laid vpon vs and wee may doe it in the greater faith because God hath promised it 1. Cor. 10.13 euen that hee will lay no more vpon vs than we shall be able to beare So then in all affliction let this be one part of our prayer for if God strengthen vs we shall be able to beare any thing And whereas they pray thus for Dauid it is our bound duty so to pray one for another as if we heare of any to be vnder any crosse pray vnto God for them that God would strengthen them And so strengthen those that are vnder the plague So did the Martyrs in persecution one for another and so must we do now for those that are or shal be visited with this pestilence that God would strengthen them with faith in his good prouidence with patience to beare all things with perseuerance vnto the end And as he looked for good by their prayers so God that hath commanded vs to pray one for another will not suffer vs to pray for them in vaine And thus though we cannot come one to an other by reason of the infection to minister any other comfort yet wee may pray vnto God to strengthen them and though wee cannot ease them of their paine yet God may strengthen them by our prayers to beare it patiently Out of Sion As before he had taught them to aske strength for him so here he doth shew from whence he did looke for it Out of Sion the place of Gods worship and from whence hee would haue them pray that it might come namely from Sion which was the place of Gods worship vnto which hee had respect in naming the place which there and there onely was to bee had without which that place did not differ from any other Whereas then these are the things that doe strengthen vs in trouble that we haue saith in the forgiuenes of our sinnes and in Gods prouidence hope that God will be with vs and defend vs and lay no more vpon vs than we shall be able to beare and patience that we may be quiet All these are wrought and increased in vs by the word Sacraments and prayer which 〈…〉 Sionâ— that is in the place appointed for Gods worship 〈…〉 willeth them to pray for him that God would so blesse these meanes that he had vsed there before and which now were and should be vsed for him that by them hee
haue been thus strengthened by the meanes of Gods worship in Sion As appeareth in Iob. We may see both these in the example of Iob who is a patterne both of great weaknes of great strength in the weaknes of his faith and before that he was sufficiently strengthened by the word he fell into great impatiencie and cursed the time that euer he was borne saying Let the day perish wherein I was borne Job 3.2 and the night wherein it was said there is a manchilde borne and so goeth on and saith much to that effect See whether a mans weaknes will carrie him if he haue no strength frō the word yea though hee be a very good man as Iob was But when hee was sufficiently strengthened by the word of God and had the feeling of it in his heart hee was able to beare all things as not only when he said The Lord hath giuen Chap. 2.21 and the Lord hath taken it blessed be the name of the Lord but when in greater affliction hee said If the Lord kill me Chapt. 13.25 Chapt. 19.25 yet I will put my trus in him And also I am sure that my redeemer liueth and I shall see him and mine eyes behold him and none other for me See againe what we shall be able to beare when wee haue gotten sufficient strength of faith and patience from the word though wee were neuer so weake before Seeing it is so wee may well know in this visitation of the plague if it should come among vs from whence wee must haue strength to beare it yea and any other triall also that now or hereafter God shall lay vpon vs euen from his word and from that faith and hope that wee haue gotten from thence and so much strength assuredly shall we haue as we haue true faith and without that wee can haue none the weaknes of our faith is the cause of little strength This should make all of vs diligent to come to the Church Therefore in this time of the plague all should labour to get strēgth from the word and to see that we haue cause to doe as wee now doe not onely to come and pray that God would turne away his heauie hand but to heare his word carefully that by it wee might grow in faith and hope and so receiue strength to beare whatsoeuer God shall lay vpon vs. In so much that if a man had no care before now he had neede to begin and hee that was diligent before must be more diligent now for he hath need of greater strength and to prouoke all his family to come that they also might be strengthened with him against the day of trouble els if affliction doe come among them their weaknes and impatiencie may trouble him whereas if he haue gottē any strength of faith he shall haue it not for himselfe alone but his strength shall doe them much good and all of them being strong in faith one shall comfort and vphold another For in all companies the more strength that euery one of them hath the better shall it be for them all And let not men deferre vntil Gods hand be vpon them and thinke that they will get strength then And doe not deferre it vntil Gods hand be vpon them Ephes 6.12 for when they haue done all that they can they shall finde that they haue strength little enough to wrastle with the paines of their bodie and temptations of their minde euen with the prince of the darknes of the world with spiritual wickednesses and that in the matter of our saluation so that when wee haue the whole and complet armour of Christians vpon vs euen our loynes girt about with the girdle of truth and the breastplate of righteousnes and our feete shod with the preparation of the Gospell of peace and the shield of faith and the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit yet we shall haue much adoe to resist in the euill day and hauing finished all things to stand fast Besides it is not wisedom for a man to defer to seek for any thing then when he should need it in worldly matters we would be glad to haue them before-hand let vs bee as carefull for our soules and so I pray you for the loue of Christ and of your owne soules not only to come still but to profit by your comming as much as you can to get strength against trouble from Sion euen from this place of Gods seruice where it is to bee had Otherwise it will come to passe that besides many great weaknesses that you must needes fall into this shall be a grieuous accusation to your consciences to think to complaine somewhat too late Oh how might I haue strengthened my self against these euill daies if I had made more account of the word if I had come to it more diligently profited by it more effectually but alas now what great weaknes of faith is in me how full of distrust and of impatiencie am I how am I out of all hope because I haue neglected the meanes of my strength Let euery one therefore examine his owne strength and according to the great weaknes that he findeth in himself so let him make more account of comming to the word and let them now whilest they haue time giue themselues plentifully to the reading and meditating of the sweet and comfortable promises of the same at home in their houses that they and theirs may get as much strength therby as they may against the time of neede And as this is our strength so it must be the strength of all our brethren and therfore as Dauid willeth them here to pray for him In this respect what we shuld pray for those that are vnder the plague both for the preachers and for the hearers that God would strengthen him out of Sion that is by the word which he had heard there that now God would call it into his remembrance and confirme his faith by it So wee must pray for them that with this visitaion of the plague they may still haue his word among them and that it may be diligently preached and to that end that the Lord would watch ouer and preserue his faithfull Ministers the preachers of his word as the chiefe captaines that should incourage strengthen the rest and that the people may reuerently esteeme of the word and of them for the words sake so be careful of thē and of their liues And that all would willingly come to the word that may and they that are sicke or shut vp and cannot that God would forgive them their negligent hearing of his word in time past whereby they might haue gotten more strength and that hee would blesse that that they heard heretofore that by it they may be strengthened and by it be assured of the forgiuenes of their sinnes and may haue hope of eternal life and so patiently abide whatsoeuer God
haue it they begin to bethinke themselues how and which way to accomplish it and then taking counsell with themselues or others they deuise and determine to doe so and so as Dauid might doe in this case This counsell of his and purpose whatsoeuer it was he willeth them to pray to God for him that he would fulfill that so he might haue his desire and Gods prouidence might be serued thereby This word Purpose the most and the best doe translate Counsell And so the meaning of it is that whatsoeuer he should aduise himselfe to doe by good counsell for the effecting of his desire and whatsoeuer things he should put in practise vpon mature deliberation to that end that that counsell and those meanes God would blesse and giue a good successe vnto and so bring the thing to passe So that we see with what humilitie and distrustfulnesse of himselfe he speaketh acknowledging his owne insufficiencie to be so great that hee was so vnable of himselfe to bring to passe his owne desires though they were good and in a lawfull cause that when he had taken the best counsell for it yet that should be in vaine and altogether frustrate and doe him no good at all vnlesse God blesse it Therefore here he prayeth vnto God for his blessing vpon his consultations and good purposes and desireth them to help him with their prayers therin both that God would direct him to those meanes that might best serue his prouidence and that he would giue good successe vnto the same and that he might not fall into any vaine courses or as it were crooked wayes They aske of God good counsell and the successe of the same which the Lord did not purpose to worke by This then must pull down the high minds of those proud conceited men who thinke so highly of themselues and of their owne wit that they presume that for euery thing they are all sufficient of themselues for in all matters that shall befall them they can tell presently what to doe they can tell how to aduise themselues sufficiently they haue counsell ynough at home and so can bring all their matters to passe For though I graunt it to be true that it is a great blessing of God vpon any that in time of need they know what is to be done for many times for want of good counsell men are in doubfull matters greatly perplexed and almost at their wits end yet they must thus thinke that when they haue the best aduise that can be from thēselues or others yet the successe of it depends only vpon the blessing of God and so they must seeke vnto God for it as Dauid doth here though he was very wise of himselfe For it is sayd of him when he was but young 1. Sam. 18.30 That when the princes of the Philistims went foorth at their going forth to warre he behaued himselfe more wisely than all the seruants of Saul so that his name was much set by And for the repressing of this foolish presumption of our owne wisedome to be able to bring all matters to passe the Prophet Ieremie giueth a good lesson saying Thus saith the Lord Jere. 9.23 let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man glory in his strength neither the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he vnderstandeth and knoweth me For though a man haue wisedome to deuise God onely establisheth and ouerthroweth mens counsels strength and riches to bring to passe and where these three concurre there is likelihood of great matters yet euen then God onely bringeth the purpose to passe For either we shall not resolue vpon the best or take good counsell when it is giuen vs or if we doe God can destroy it This we see to be true in the counsell of Achitophell who was one of the wisest men of his time in so much that that which he counselled was like as one had asked counsell at the oracle of God 2. Sam. 16.23 when in the conspiracie of Absalom he gaue counsell one way and Hushay the Archite gaue counsell another way though the first counsell was best at that time yet it was not followed Chap. 17.14 but all of them sayd The counsell of Hushai is better than the counsell of Achitophell For the Lord had determined to destroy the good counsell of Achitophell that he might bring euill vpon Absalom Thus we may here learne that it is in God onely to ouerthrow or to establish the counsels of men euen of the wisest according as he is purposed to doe good vnto or bring euill vpon them So was it also in the dayes of King Rehoboam the sonne and heire of Solomon when in the beginning of his raigne the people came vnto him with this petition 2. Chron. 10.4 That he would make the grieuous yoake which his father had put vpon them lighter and they would serue him and he bad them depart for three dayes and then come againe for an answere and in the meane time he asked counsell of the wise auncient experienced men which had serued his father and they gaue him good counsell that he should yeeld to them in this request and he after conferred with the young men who had bene his pages and brought vp with him and they gaue him ill counsell as appeared by the sequell That he should take it vpon him like a king and speake roughly vnto them and so he did refusing the good counsell of the auncient men And thus though their counsel was good God did not fulfill it and though it was offered vnto him he did not take it because the Lord would bring that vpon Solomon which he had threatned by Ahiiah the Prophet That for their idolatrie 1. King 11.31 ten tribes should be rent away from his kingdome in the dayes of his sonne as also came to passe for when they heard the answere of the king ten tribes fell away to Ieroboam and could neuer be recouered So that whensoeuer we determine to doe any thing as we ought to take counsell and doe nothing rashly and vnaduisedly as many doe for then we shall thriue thereafter so we must also beleeue that God must bring all things to passe and so pray to him for it continually So that all men when they haue the best counsell in the world if it were as good as Achitophels they must seeke to God by prayer for his blessing vpon it if they will haue things to thriue prosper with them When we haue taken the best counsell we pray to God for the successe of it And this is true in all things as if we haue to deale with men that seeke to oppresse vs any wayes we must take the best counsell that we can to defend our selues and then pray to God that hee would bring things to passe otherwise our owne counsell and purpose shall doe vs no good against their
there was great sorrow among the Iewes and fasting and weeping and mourning and many lay in sackcloth and ashes but they all prayed vnto God and he deliuered them and saued them from their enemies Chap. 9.17 and turned the dayes of famine into the daies of feasting and ioy So let vs giue our selues vnto continuall prayer that the Lord may be entreated of vs at the last and so in his appointed time it may come to passe that whereas many of the chiefe cities and townes amongst vs haue beene a long time in great perplexitie by reason of this grieuous pestilence and contagious mortalititie and in all places of this realme besides whither tidings of their estate hath and doth weekely come they haue been in sorrow and great heauinesse and in weeping and mourning and fasting now there may be cause of reioysing and praysing God and these dayes of sorrow and fasting may bee turned into the dayes of great ioy and feasting That so we may as this people wish for themselues here reioyce when he shall fulfill all our petitions VVhich the Lord of his infinit mercie graunt for Iesus Christs sake Amen The sixteenth Sermon vpon the fifth verse That we may reioyce in thy saluation c. AS they bring this for a reason in their prayer to mooue the Lord to bestow vpon them this benefit so here they professe that if hee will vouchsafe so to doe they would reioyce indeed and bee glad and as they should haue cause From whence wee may learne how we ought to be affected with the common benefits of our time We ought to reioyce in the common benefits of our time as here they speake of publicke blessing namely victorie ouer their enemies and so of common peace and tranquilitie that should follow namely that we should take them from God as matter of great ioy And as when there is any common affliction and plague in the land of what kind soeuer wee should be affected with it and be sorrowfull for it and not haue that stoninesse and hardnesse of heart that is in too many whereby it should come to passe that wee should make light of such things and not be mooued with them as we ought So we should be touched with the consideration of the common benefits to reioice in them because we haue our part in them and the greater that those benefits be the more should we reioyce in them and the more should be our ioy for them or else we cannot be so thankefull vnto God for them as we ought VVee should not then be so carelesse that we should not marke the common benefits of our time nor so blockish and hard hearted that in marking of them we should not reioyce in them For we see that the seruants of God in their seuerall ages and times haue not onely greatly reioyced in the common benefits of the Church and Commonwealth wherein they haue had their part with the rest of their brethren but they haue openly professed it to the glorie of God and the good example of others As when they returned from the captiuitie of Babylon where they had beene long not onely in a strange countrey but vnder idolaters now when they come home and haue the freedome of their conscience in Gods seruice and that in their own countrey they were not onely filled with ioy but they speak of it among themselues to their mutuall comfort and as when they went out they wept and were touched with the common miserie of that time and put away all tokens of ioy from them Psal 137.2 For by the waters of Babylon they hanged their harpes vpon the willowes and said that they would not sing the Lords song in a strange land so in their returne they speake otherwise of themselues for as the benefit was so great and so vnlooked for of many Psal 126.1 That when the Lord brought againe the captiuitie of Sion they were like them that dreame so their ioy was so great that they say Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with ioy and they say The Lord hath done great things for vs whereof we reioyce The Lord hath vouchsafed vs and our forefathers the like mercie in deliuering vs long ago from the tyrannie of the Pope As that we are deliuered frō poperie and of his idolatrie and giuen vs this freedome of the gospell in our owne countrey we must so consider of it That as those holy men that wanted it so prayed for it that they might reioyce as this people doth here for another benefit so now we that haue it might reioyce in it indeed and not to be so sencelesse and void of feeling as many are not at all or very little to be mooued with so great cause of ioy The like may be said of all other common benefits whatsoeuer as when Salomon was appointed to be king in his father Dauids roome and this was done with the common consent of all the nobles and chiefe men of the realme it is said they gaue thankes vnto God and were exceedingly glad 1. Chron. 29.20 For Dauid said vnto them Now blesse the Lord your God and all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers and bowed down their heads and worshipped the Lord and the king And they did eat and drinke before the Lord the same day with great ioy and they made Salomon the sonne of Dauid king the second time So this great benefit to haue one good prince to succeed another peaceably And then wee haue one good prince to succeed another was vnto them matters of great ioy In which respect we haue no lesse cause to reioyce than they that after the death of our late Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth of blessed memorie by whom we did enioy many great benefits who did restore religion and tooke order for the seruice seruants of the Lord as Dauid did we haue one in Gods great mercie to succeed that maintaineth the Gospell and that he is peaceably come to the Crowne as Salomon was then so that neither we are fallen into the hands of our enemies nor giuen vp vnto Popish idolatrie as both of them were greatly feared But as this benefit was greatly desired of many before and they thought that then they would reioice and otherwise they could not so we that enioy it must reioyce in it and so consider of the greatnesse of it that our hearts may be made glad with it and that wee may eat and drinke before the Lord and vse other of his benefits as in his presence with great ioy So is it said afterwards in the dayes of this Salomon when he had builded and made an end of the temple of the Lord and had with solemne prayers and sacrifices dedicated it vnto his seruice all the people of the land that came vp to Ierusalem to the dedication of that house when all things were finished The king sent away into their tents
receiue them and as himselfe said to his disciples That they could not cast the deuill out of the child that was brought vnto them Matth. 17.20 because of their vnbeleefe So there vpon that occasion he sheweth what great things by faith might be obtained Without faith we can receiue nothing of God in these words Verely I say vnto you if yee haue faith as much as a graine of mustard seed ye shall say vnto this mountaine Remooue hence to yonder place and it shall remooue And then he giueth this generall doctrine That nothing shall be impossible to them that beleeue And S. Marke the Euangelist reporteth that storie thus That when the father of the child laying out the pitifull estate of it as how the deuill did oftentimes cast the child into the water and into the fire to destroy it at the last burst out into these passionat words Marc. 9.22 But if thou canst doe any thing helpe vs and haue compassion on vs. Christ made him this answere If thou canst beleeue it all things are possible to him that beleeueth shewing that he was able and willing if there wanted not faith in him for faith is as it were an hand whereby we doe receiue all things from God Therefore as without the hand of our bodie and vnlesse we hold it out we can receiue nothing from men though it be offered vnto vs so though God of his infinit goodnesse bee rcadie to giue we for our part cannot without faith receiue that is not so plentifully as otherwise we might and by that we may receiue all things that we need and therefore that they might obtaine something for him Dauid teacheth them to pray in faith when they say I know that God will helpe c. But the time will not suffer me to finish this doctrine at this present wee shall heare more of it the next day by the grace of God The eighteenth Sermon vpon the sixt verse Now know I that the Lord will helpe his annointed c. THe last day By faith onely we enioy all Gods promises besides the generall meaning of the whole verse this first point of doctrine was deliuered out of it That by the example of this people wee must learne alwayes to pray in faith if we will receiue any thing at the hands of God and now for the further confirmation and vse of the same we must consider that all the promises of God are made vnto vs vpon this condition only and not otherwise namely That we beleeue them and then God will verifie them As when he promised to Abraham that in his seed all nations in the world should be blessed by faith he obtained this promise though his wife was barren and both of them so old that by the course of nature they were past children For the Apostle sayth of him Rom. 4.18 That aboue hope he beleeued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations according to that that was spoken to him So shall thy seed be and so likewise whereas it was promised vnto Sarah That shee should haue a sonne Gene. 18.10 Heb. 11.11 shee by faith did enioy that aboue the course of nature as it is written of her also That through faith Sara receiued strength to conceiue seed and was deliuered of a child when she was past age because shee iudged him faithfull which had promised And thus haue all holy men and women enioyed the promises as is shewed at large in the eleuenth chapter to the Hebrewes And therfore Christ himselfe Matth. 1.21 Christ required faith of all that came vnto him as he was promised to be a sauiour and so come into the world according to his name Iesus to saue his people from their sins so all they that came to him for health of soule or bodie so many did receiue it as did beleeue and in that measure that they beleeued And therefore it was said to the Centurion that came and sued for his seruant that lay sicke of the palsie and was grieuously pained Goe thy way Matth. 8.5 and as thou beleeuest be it vnto thee and the seruant was healed the same houre Hee had beforehand professed his faith sufficiently when he said That Christ needed not to come but might speake the word and doe it neither was he worthie that Christ should come vnder the roofe of his house Thus he asking in faith receiued not onely for himselfe but for another And so in the next chapter following it is said That two blind men followed Iesus Matth. 9.29 crying in the way O sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon vs when he came into the house hee said vnto them Beleeue ye that I am able to doe this and they said yea Lord then touched he their eyes saying according to your faith be it vnto you and their eyes were opened Thus praying in faith these men obtained also And in the same chapter he said to the woman that was healed of the bloody issue by touching the hemme of his garment Verse 20. Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole for she had said in her selfe before If I may but touch his garment I shall be whole Thus we see that as all that had faith comming to him they did receiue so on their part faith was the only cause that they did receiue and therefore the health of their soule and bodie is imputed vnto their faith Thy faith hath made thee whole Now all these things as the rest of the Scripture Rom. 15.4 and whatsoeuer things are written aforetime are written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might haue hope I meane hope that if we pray thus in faith as these did we shall obtaine whatsoeuer wee aske according to Gods will We cā receiue nothing vnlesse we aske it in faith though the matter be neuer so great As we see also that this people did here for in the next Psalme they giue thankes for that which here in their praiers they assure themselues that they should receiue And so all men shall find that to be true in praying vnto God which the Apostle speaketh of asking wisedome That if they lacke any thing let them aske it of God who giueth liberally and reprocheth no man and it shall be giuen him Jam. 1.5 but then he addeth this caueat saying But let him aske it in faith and wauer not for he that wauereth is like a waue of the sea tost of the wind and carried about neither let that man thinke that he shall receiue any thing of the Lord. VVhere he sheweth what is the right manner of praying namely that as we cannot pray at all for any thing vnlesse wee haue Gods word and promise for it so before we doe pray we must beleeue it Therefore as by prayer wee doe shew that we beleeue and hope for the grace promised so he that hath not this
faith in Gods promises prayeth hypocritically that is more with his tongue than with his heart Seeing then that Gods promise is sure and certaine he would not haue vs so to pray as that we should doubt and call into question whether wee should bee heard or no. And this he sheweth by an excellent and very fit comparison for as the waues of the sea are tossed and carried away so they that beleeue not both are vnquiet alwaies in their minds yea though they haue prayed and are altogether vnworthie to receiue any thing Therefore when wee come to God in our prayers let vs beforehand beleeue that hee will heare vs and so pray in faith and say as this people doth here I know that God will heare and helpe so shall our prayers be acceptable vnto God so shall we receiue that that we aske of him and so shall our minds bee pacified and quiet Few pray in any assurance that God doth heare them Let vs then examine our selues and see whether alwaies when we haue come to prayer we haue had this faith and assurance that God would heare vs and helpe vs and then we shall find that some haue beene so farre from it that they haue neuer once thought of it but they haue come to prayer neither knowing any such thing nor regarding it And thus haue they done not only in the dayes of ignorance superstition whē they held it an error for a mā to think that he might be assured of any thing from God though he prayed for it neuer so earnestly and when they prayed in an vnknowne tongue and so knew not themselues what they said and therefore could not by prayer haue any assurance that they were heard but also in this cleare light of the gospell many haue and do still both in their priuat prayers and in these publicke come so coldly to God and as it were for fashion that they neither know nor desire to know nor thinke it possible to know that God will hear them And so these wauering minded men being vncertaine in their minds and tossed too and fro like the waues of the sea may be assured That they shall obtaine nothing of God Iam. 1.7 And so obtain nothing of God as the Apostle saith But let vs endeuour to put that in practise which the people did here that euery one of vs may say I know that God will heare so shall we obtaine such things as we aske Matth 17.17 For if the disciples of our Sauiour Christ could doe nothing for the fathers child possessed with a deuill when there was most need because of their vnbeleefe then shall wee also for the same vnbeleefe of ours obtaine nothing neither for our selues nor for others when there is most need And as on the other side hee said againe vnto them That all things were possible to him that beleeueth so shall we find it to bee true in our selues then when wee pray in faith it shall be possible for vs to obtaine all things according to Gods will euen those that vnto the vnbeleeuers shall seeme impossible Now though this place of Scripture doth not so properly require to shew how wee shall come to this faith and assurance in prayer that God will heare it but rather onely that wee ought to haue it and not to pray without it yet that I might not leaue this doctrine vnperfect it is necessarie to say somewhat of it First therefore as euery good and perfect gift is of the spirit of God Iam. 1.17 and commeth from aboue euen from the father of lights so doth this most of all Act. 16.14 And as the Lord by his spirit opened the heart of Lydia that she beleeued that which Paule preached so Christ Iesus is he vpon whose shoulders as the Prophet speaketh is laid the key of the house of Dauid that is Isai 22.22 of the whole Church of God so that he onely openeth and no man can shut and he shutteth and no man can open that is he onely by his holy spirit openeth our hearts that we may beleeue and giueth vs assurance in all things of the fauour of God How this assurance of being heard is wrought in vs. therefore we must pray to him that hee would giue vs that assurance and so open our hearts that we may beleeue that he doth heare our prayers But because this is wrought in vs by meanes and our faith is grounded specially and onely vpon the promises of God and all assurance of being heard ariseth from thence we must know and beleeue and meditate vpon them before we pray that so by them we may be assured that he will heare vs according to the vndoubted truth of the same And the more that wee can doe thus the greater assurance of being heard shall we haue when we pray vnto God And besides this we must know that the same assurance is confirmed and encreased by our former experience dayly so that when we haue marked how God hath at other times and in other things heard vs we may assure our selues from thence that he will doe so now also For as among men when we haue oftentimes made triall of a friend in the time of our need wee goe to them afterwards as any necessitie shall be vpon vs with great confidence and doubt not before wee come to them but we shall speed if they haue it so vpon our former experience with the Lord we ought much more boldly to come vnto him in times of need who hath not onely promised and so is willing but being almightie is also able and being true and iust in his promises will helpe vs. And according to experience of former times some doe read this text that we haue in hand although I approoue of the other rather which I haue followed after this manner Now know I that the Lord hath saued his annointed and will heare him from his Sanctuarie and so they confirme their hope by the time past in that they haue marked the goodnesse of God towards their king in sauing him before in other dangers as he was in many and so doubt not but that hee will heare them for him now and still saue him But to returne to that that we spake of before namely How we shal come to this assurance of being heard First of all we are to consider of the promises of God First by meditating vpon Gods promises vpon which our faith must be grounded and which must giue vs assured knowledge of being heard we may see how to this end the holy Patriarch Iacob did meditate vpon them to strengthen his faith and in his prayer did as it were put God in mind of them and comfort himselfe in hope of them when he prayed thus O God of my father Abraham Gen. 32 9. and God of my father Izaack Lord which saidest vnto me Returne vnto thy countrey and to thy kindred and I will doe thee good I
for dispight and sunke in because of all mine enemies Here we see that in these seuen first verses he complaineth most grieuously of his owne estate prayeth most feruently vnto God for deliuerance and no man can say more either to expresse the griefe of his mind or his feruent desire to haue releefe and comfort See then I pray you in the words following what a great alteration there is made in him of the sudden and what a wonderfull great change he findeth in himselfe when he sayth thus Away from me all ye workers of iniquitie Vers 8. for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping The Lord hath heard my petition the Lord will receiue my prayers All mine enemies shall be confounded and sore vexed they shall be turned backe and put to shame suddenly VVhere he sheweth what gteat comfort the Lord gaue him at the last in this trouble of his euen that he should be deliuered out of it when his enemies looked that he should perish and be swallowed vp in it and he attaineth vnto so great assurance of this that he is not able to containe himselfe but againe and againe professeth that the Lord had heard his prayers and the voyce of his weeping And not onely that is to be marked but especially this that he commeth vnto this assurance not vntill the end of many long and feruent prayers and that in the beginning either he had it not at al or nothing in that measure that there he professeth it for then no doubt he would haue done it sooner and not so long haue fed himselfe with such grieuous complaints and lamentable outcries as there hee doth And so may we do for God giueth it by ordinarie meanes So is it possible for vs in what trouble soeuer we shall be in if we pray vnto God in all humilitie and sorrow for our sinnes as he did euen with great aboundance of teares for he saith That he watered his couch and made his bed to swim with them by which hyperbolicall kind of speech he meaneth That he wept very much not only in the day but euen in the night also and if we did pray with that feruencie that he did not fainting nor giuing ouer but stretching out our affections and desires according to our present need it is possible I say for vs to attaine by degrees vnto that measure of persuasion of Gods goodnesse towards vs that may suffice vs. And though wee come not to that great measure that was in this holy man because we pray not in that feruencie and zeale and tendernesse of heart that hee did yet in some acceptable measure and more than we had in the beginning For I am not of that opinion that this was inspired into him as he was a Prophet who had many things extraordinarie neither that any man can come to haue any assurance or full persuasion either of their saluation or that God heareth their prayers or of any other fauour from him without some reuelation and so it should be thought presumption in a man to say he is assured of such things but that God giueth this assurance and increaseth it by ordinarie meanes and namely and especially by prayer For seeing prayer is very fitly compared vnto wrastling or striuing as we haue seene heretofore by which we labour with all the power of our soules and bodies A comparison to shew the truth of it to obtaine some thing of the Lord as by bodily striuing men seeke to obtaine some masterie among men and thus the Apostle speaketh of it to the Romanes Rom. 15.30 Desiring them to striue with him by prayers to God for him as in striuing a mans strength is not alwayes greatest at the first neither can himselfe or others perceiue so well whether he shall ouercome but sometimes yea most vsually when after some paines taken his bodie is well heat he increaseth in strength of bodie and agilitie of lims whereby it commeth to passe that he findeth that in himselfe which giueth him greater hope of preuailing against his aduersarie than he had before So is it when we pray to God and as it were striue with him that though wee put all our strength vnto it at the first that is pray with all the desire of our hearts yet when by continuance in praier the spirit of God in vs is well heat as I may say and the heat of it increased we shall find that both our desires are greatly increased also our assurance from thence of being heard is inlarged So that in the middest or ending of our prayers we shall perceiue our minds more pacified and quiet and our selues more readie to submit our wils to the will of God and to rest in the hope of his defence and deliuerance than before VVhereof if we were asked though we could giue no great reason from outward things for all things are still with vs as they were before yet we find it to be true by experience and must account it a fruit of our prayer in that the Lord hath giuen vs greater assurance than wee had before and so we are contented to wait vpon him The like may bee shewed in many other Psalmes Another example of this in the person of Dauid as indeed that one booke as it is full of godly prayers so of notable examples of this kind of the working of the spirit of God in his children and seruants but for breuitie sake I will content my selfe with one or two now In the seuenteeth Psalme he prayeth vnto God to be preserued from his enemies either Saul or some other for indeed he had many and saith thus Heare the right Psal 17.1 O Lord that is my righteous cause consider my crie hearken vnto my prayer of lips vnfained Let my sentence come forth from thy presence and let thine eyes behold equitie Thou hast proued and visited mine heart in the night thou hast tried me and foundest nothing for I was purposed that my mouth should not offend Concerning the workes of men by the words of thy lips I kept me from the paths of the cruell man Stay my steps in thy path that my foot doe not slide Then he breaketh out into these wordes of comfort Vers 6. I haue called vpon thee surely thou wilt heare me O God incline thine eare to me and hearken vnto my wordes VVhere after many prayers and reasons to mooue the Lord to heare him as the goodnesse of his cause the vprightnesse of his mind the feruencie of his prayer and such like he saith that he did then assure himselfe that God would heare him and so doth continue his prayer vnto him in that assurance of faith But it is to be noted for this purpose that we haue in hand for which this is alledged that though in the beginning he prayed and then againe returneth to his prayer vnto the Lord that hee would heare him yet he putteth this in
betweene saying Surely thou wilt heare mee O God because God gaue him then to beleeue it more fully VVhich full persuasion if he had had before in that measure that he had then we may be assured that he would sooner haue professed it to the glory of God and his owne comfort A fourth example of it in Dauid I will conclude this point with that which is in the eight and thirtie Psalme which Psalme was made when he was in some great distresse of sickenesse as some think or some other at the least And the whole Psalme is full of grieuous complaints as may appeare to them that will but read it when he beginneth thus O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Psal 38.1 neither chastise me in thy wrath for thine arrowes haue light vpon me and thine hand lieth vpon me there is nothing found in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinne and so forth for the whole Psalme is too long to be set down yet it is necessarie for thē to read it ouer who desire to see the truth of this that we speak to be in the Prophet He first complaineth of the heauie wrath of God that was vpon him and of his sinnes which he acknowledgeth to be the cause of his punishment of the infirmitie and great weakenesse that he found in himselfe both of soule and bodie and of this also that he was forsaken of his friends and left desolat of the mallice of his wicked enemies all which made him as hee saith to poure out his whole desire before the Lord so that his sighing was not hid from him Vers 9. And then at the last he commeth to haue some good assurance that the Lord would heare him and doth openly professe it in these words On thee O Lord doe I wait Vers 15. thou wilt heare me O Lord my God and so from this assurance hee endeth the Psalme somewhat more comfortably than he began it saying Hast thee to helpe me O my Lord Vers 22. my saluation Thus we see how by continuing in feruent prayer and striuing against all things within him and without him that might discourage him the spirit of God did so encrease in him that hee gat some small assurance at the least and more than he had before that the Lord would heare him and so endeth with a more peaceable and quiet mind than he began And though I am not ignorant that some of the learned doe read that fifteenth verse somewhat otherwise yet they agree with me in this point for which it is brought That in the same he professeth his faith that the Lord would heare him All these examples doe not onely shew vs the truth of this doctrine namely that the seruants of God praying vnto him in their seuerall troubles as this people did here haue by little and little growne in a further assurance to their owne comfort and the glorie of God By this experience in another we see what assurāce God may worke in vs if we vse the same meanes that he will heare them but they shew vs the same by great experience which is the best tracts and able to instruct the most simple for wee haue heard how Dauid oftentimes professeth it of himselfe which sheweth vs what we may looke for that the Lord should worke in vs also for there is no respect of persons with him if we pray in that feeling of our wants and that humilitie vnder the crosse and that feruencie vnder hope and that continuance by patience that he did Therefore let vs labour after it euen that we may find the spirit of God so working in our hearts by prayer that it may certainly and comfortably witnesse to our spirits that the Lord doth heare vs and that the same testimonie of the spirit may encrease in vs aswe encrease in praying And it may come to passe that as in the morning we see the Sunne arise higher and higher whereby we haue a greater feeling of the heat of it as the day encreaseth so we might see the sonne of righteousnesse so arising in our hearts Malach. 4.2 dispersing all the mysts of ignorance and vnbeleefe that we may haue the comfortable feeling of the fauour of God in our hearts encreasing more and more to cheere them vp with the light and heat of it as it were as we shall continue longer in prayer Let vs labor after it I say because that few doe know what it doth meane because they doe not so much as once seeke and inquire after it Obiect The best seruants of God complaine that they haue no assurance that God heareth their prayer Now if any doe seeke this and cannot find it and so they still complaine as many of the best seruants of God haue done that he heareth not their prayers neither haue they any assurance of it for when as in their troubles they pray vnto God this grieueth them much that they haue no persuasion that God heareth and will helpe them for if they had this they could bee contented to wait vpon him and to tarry his leisure but they pray and pray and can haue no assurance that hee doth heare them Ans And a reason of the same To satisfie all those and to strengthen them in this weaknesse of theirs we must consider That they that haue had the greatest assurance at any time that the Lord did heare them haue had it but in time and in measure and not alwaies alike but sometimes more sometimes lesse and sometimes not at all as the spirit of faith or their owne vnbeleefe hath preuailed in them For in these forenamed places we see that in some of the Psalmes hee professeth greater assurance than in other and so is it with all men Euen as with the eyes of our bodie we sometimes see a thing more clearely than at other times and our eyesight is not alwayes alike no more is our faith whereby wee behold Christ and in him the fauour of God it is not alwaies in the same brightnesse Besides as the ayre is not alwaies alike for our sight but sometimes more troublesome and souring yea darke which hindereth vs from the sight of that that we looke vnto when our eyes are at the best so we haue sometimes in our mind greater and more violent temptations than at other as it were thick mystes or rather darke clouds in the aire to hinder our faith from beholding the cheerefull countenance of the Lord as it were the light of the Sunne which shineth alwayes alike though we by reason of these cannot alwaies see it alike So the Lords loue is alwaies one and the same but we are not alwaies alike disposed in our selues to behold it in that brightnesse that it shineth in it owne nature Therefore we must not be dismaied if we haue not alwaies this assurance in our prayer after the same manner but see what
by vertue of their office so farre as may make for his glorie and the good of his Church And in that respect all people that haue such set ouer them to raigne may with great freedome and comfort pray for them That the Lord would defend them in all dangers euen as hee hath set them ouer them at the first Therfore seeing the Lord hath vouchsafed vs this mercie to giue vs such a worthie king to raigne ouer vs who is his annointed that is one that commeth to the crowne not by vsurpation by murthering the right heires as some haue done not by tyrannicall inuasion and conquest but by inheritance lineally descending from his auntient progenitors the noble kings of this realme therefore I say we may with great assurance pray to God for him In this respect we may with great hope pray for the life of our king Prouerb 28.2 that as hee hath hetherto ouerthrowne the plots of traytors in his owne countrey of Scotland and in this kingdom also of England both of them his iust inheritance so it would please him to doe still and so he will doe if our sinnes doe not deserue the contrarie For many times because of the sinnes of the people a land often changeth her princes as the VViseman saith and as we see in the kingdome of Israel falling vnto idolatrie 1. King 16.8 that in the space of one yeare they had three or foure kings successiuely to raigne ouer them Therefore seeing it is our bounden dutie to pray for him 1. Tim. 2.1 according to the doctrine of the Apostle who willeth That supplications and prayers intercessions and giuing of thankes be made for all men and namely for kings and all that are in authoritie let vs be willing to doe it the rather because he is the Lords annointed that is come to the crowne by all lawfull and peaceable meanes approoued in the law of God that so wee may say from thence I know that the Lord will helpe his annointed So that though we could haue no comfort from our selues that we should be found worthie of such a prince yet seeing it hath pleased the Lord in the riches of his mercie to set him ouer vs for the good of this land wee may hope that he will haue respect vnto his annointed and not to suffer men to put downe him whom he himselfe hath set vp Euen as we had great experience of this in the dayes of our late Soueraigne the Queene how the Lord did miraculously preserue her out of the hands of the Papists her enemies when she was cast into prison and as she then said of her selfe Tanquam eius as a sheepe euery houre readie to be carried to the slaughter and at the last brought her to the kingdome so in the same he did as wonderfully preserue her in many dangers and conspiracies because shee was his annointed Dauid in many troubles prayeth in hope of Gods defence because he was his annointed And thus Dauid doth often comfort himselfe in his prayers when hee was in great trouble and in feare of the losse sometimes both of his kingdome and life and that both before he came to the crowne and after he comforteth himselfe with this That he was the Lords annointed that is that Samuel did annoint him to bee king by the commaundement of God and that that was not done vnto him in vaine but that the Lord who had called him vnto it would both bring him to it in time and defend him in it to the end As when hee was kept from the publicke assemblies by Saule and his great crueltie who neuer left seeking after his life but hunted after him continually 1. Sam. 26.20 as a man would after a Partridge as he sayth of himselfe whereupon he was driuen sometimes to hide himselfe and sometimes to flie out of the land and very seldome durst be seene openly he prayeth thus O Lord God of hostes heare my prayer Psal 84.8 hearken O God of Iaakob behold O God our shield and looke vpon the face of thine annointed that is not onely and principally vpon thy sonne Iesus Christ the Messiah who is appointed to be king and sauiour of the Church and for his sake doe it but looke vpon me whom thou hast appointed to be king and as thou knowest I haue not thrust in my selfe for then I might well thinke that all this were iustly come vpon mee And thus may all lawfull kings comfort themselues in all their lawfull proceedings against all the malitious attempts of their desperat enemies That God will defend them because of their calling and place that they be in and people that he hath set them ouer and say Looke vpon the face of thine annointed that is consider good Lord the place that I am in And so doth Dauid againe in the second Psalme where he doth with great admiration complaine of the multitude and maliciousnesse of his enemies saying Psal 2.1 Why doe the Heathen rage and the people murmure in vaine the kings of the earth band themselues and the princes are assembled together against the Lord against his Christ or annointed saying Let vs breake their bands and cast their cords from vs. VVhere because he was a figure of Christ therefore he speaketh of himselfe vnder that name calling himselfe the Lords Christ or the Lords annointed as wee see how afterwards it was verified in the person of Christ himselfe Act. 4.27 as the Apostles expound it in their prayer and say Doubtlesse against thine holy sonne Iesus whom thou haddest annointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered themselues together But afterwards Dauid comforteth himselfe in the same Psalme with hope of Gods defence Psal 2.5 because of his calling and bringeth in the Lord speaking thus of him Then he shall speake vnto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure saying Euen I haue set my king vpon Sion mine holy mountaine as if hee had said he is my king and I haue set him vp therefore I will defend him VVhereas if he had set vp himselfe he could not haue had this comfort But I see that I cannot finish this doctrine at this present but must leaue it vnperfect vntill the next day The one and twentieth Sermon vpon the sixt verse The Lord will helpe his annointed and will heare him from his Sanctuarie by the mightie helpe of his right hand Euery man may comfort himselfe in the lawfulnesse of his calling COncerning the doctrine of faith in Gods prouidence and defence that we ought to haue from the lawfulnesse of our callings which out of these words we began to entreat of the last day it is further to be obserued that it is true not onely of kings and princes of whom it is here directly spoken but of all inferiour callings in the Church and commonwealth That whosoeuer is in any such place which is