more than the glorie of God because he did not more seuerely and more zealously rebuke his sons and in that there wanted in him that feruencie of spirit whreby he should haue cut off his sonnes from their office wherefore the hand of God did cut off his life and depriued all his posteritie of the Priesthood Although this good man was offended and grieued with the euils of his sonnes yet his coldnes in zeale brought â—pon him this plague Elias whose zeale as much pleased the Lord as the coldnes of Elie displeased him was of a feruent spirit for when the Lord asked him where he had been he answered I haue beene zealous for the Lord God of Hosts sake and when he complained that he could finde none which had not bowed vnto Baal the Lord vouchsafeth to comfort him and telleth him there be 7000. which neuer bowed their knees to him Well because he continued zealous in beating downe Idolatrie the Lord came downe visibly with a firie Chariot and fetched Eliah from earth to heauen We need not here speake of the great zeale of Moses Phinees and other of the seruants of God We see and know the cause of this loue in the man of God was the purenesse of the word We heard in the first verse that the iudgements of the Lord were righteous we haue heard in the second verse that the testimonies of the Lord contained a speciall righteousnesse wee shall heare in the sixt verse that the righteousnesse of the Lord is an euerlasting righteousnesse wee may see in the seuenth verse that it made him delight in trouble and in the eight verse that the righteousnesse of the Lord is euerlasting Wherefore doth hee this as we haue alreadie said to strengthen his Faith for after hee had said that the riuers of teares through zeale and griefe burst out of his eyes hee addeth and rehearseth these things What shall we say they are vaine repititions Nay we know the holy Ghost reproueth them Math. 6. We see then that in so oft commending the word of God the Prophet sheweth to vs our vnbeliefe which he felt so much in himselfe When do idle repetitions so much displease the Lord Surely when our tongues walke idlie and in our prayers wee speake we know not what But when a mans heart is full of sorrow and fraught with griefe of his sinnes or earnestly longeth after a thing then let vs crie Lord haue mercie vpon mee then let vs powre out our spirits say Sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me Lord I belieue helpe my vnbeliefe Thus when the heart is loth to bee ouercome of vnbeliefe and when it desireth to shewe forth his sorrow or when Gods children would exercise their Faith or feele in themselues any rare ioy which they would gladly expresse then they vse manie repetitions as wee may see both in the booke of Chronicles and the Psalmes Praise yee the Lorde because hee is good for his mercie endureth for euer where wee shall see in 26. verses this still repeated for his mercie endureth for euer What shall wee say now that here is any needlesse repetition No well we see here then that wee must not speake simplie against repetitions but in great wisedome of the Spirit because the heart of the godly cannot satisfie it selfe with Faith and feeling of Gods promises vnlesse it breaketh foorth as a fire into many speeches Hereby we know now that the man of God here expresseth his faith we are to learne that without some liuely feeling of faith of ioy or of griefe we are not to vse oft repetitions vnlesse happily they be vsed to stirre vs vp the more to these or such like So cried the woman of Canaan O Sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me and being rebuked she still cried O Sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me We would thinke it somewhat strange and as a great matter to see a poore body shoote out so many prayers at once when they speake out of the abundance of their heart which is stuffed with so many griefes and troubles Thy word saith the Prophet is proued true it hath no changeable goodnesse but hath in it an euerlasting righteousnes seruing for all ages for all persons and for all times Mens opinions faile the wisedome strength and authoritie of man in time hath an end but this Word is exceeding large and neuer hath end Thy word is proued pure Many would thinke this to be but a small commendation for the word of God but come to a man when his minde is much troubled and tell him of the word and what purenesse what comfort will he finde in it Surely he will be as one that hath no taste in it and as one that feeleth no more sweetnesse than a sicke man doth taste in a chip And notwithstanding all that the word shall doe to him he will still follow his owne waies and goe on forward in the deuices of his owne head Doe men then feele such infinite comfort in the word so much is their comfort as is their faith and so little is their faith as little is their comfort Looke into Gods children how greatly they lament their vnbeleefe looke into Dauid looke on Iob looke on the late and blessed Martyr of God Bradford who almost in all his bookes and in euery meditation complaineth of his vnbeleefe notwithstanding that he was a man so rich in the graces of God so throughly mortified to the world so stayed in faith and yet the neerer he came daily to Christ the more he stil crieth against vnbeleefe Wherefore Paul seeing this to be a common disease among all men saith This is a faithfull thing and worthie of all men to be remembred That Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners this is a faithfull saying with such like speeches which the Apostle vseth as preparatiues to stirre vp our faith The purenesse of the word is mentioned of the Prophet when after he had lamented the miserable ellate of the godly and the great decay of godlinesse he crieth out to the Lord speedily to assist his children saying Helpe Lord Psal. 12. 4 for there is not a godly man leâ—â— c. and by and by he addeth verse 6. The wordes of the Lord are pure words as the siluer tried in a furnace of earth fined seuen fold If we should imagine the purest siluer that is often tried and serueth in the court for Princes euen so pure must we beleeue the word of God to be which not seuen times alone but seuentie times seuen times hath beene tried in the fire of aduersitie and still hath remained most pure and neuer could any corruption bâ— found in it Wee haue seene good men as it were confounded and yet comforted and being tried are found to be pure The meaning of the man of God in that place is trie the word as you doe trie the purest mettals with persecution with torment with contempt or howsoeuer I
stay their talke and to lay their hands on their mouths And yet here we must beware of their hastie zeale who will not sticke to charge the children of God to be without zeale if presently and abruptly they rush not into an open reprehension of men that are mightie in authority as though no regard of place time and persons were to be had which opinion many by weaknes of iudgement defending finde neither fruit in others nor comfort in their owne consciences when they do admonish in that presumptuous manner for that hunting after feruentnes without the spirit of meeknes and casting off all consideration of a godly oportunitie they rather exasperate than humble the parties admonished and they themselues rather depart with confusion and shame for such posting on without warrant of wisedome and not according to knowledge than with comfort of heart for any dutie done Neither am I here ignorant how great daunger of trouble of minde commeth to many in that they being so curious obseruers and waiters of oportunitie doe for some ease of the flesh vnder the cloake of this wisedome altogether leaue off that godly dutie Wherefore as we affirme that wisedome and loue mixed together doe deepely enter into the most prefract and prodigious spirits so we mislike their fearefull delay of dutie who hauing a meane occasion offered them from the Lord doe not earnestly puâ—â—ue the quarrell of the Lord and earnestly rebuke sinne though in some higher personaâ—â—es Out of this may issue another fruit of right zeale namely when we are zealous in their behalfe who can neuer recompence vs againe for flesh and blood will easily admit to rebuke the iniuries and reuenge the oppressions vsed to men of credit and abilitie because it is a warie wisedome to patronage them in lesser things who can be our patrons againe in greater things Thus Iob deliuered the poore that cried the fatherlesse him that had none to helpe him he was the eyes to the blinde the foote to the lame at whose hands no hope of reward was to be looked for But to draw to the last and most glorious propertie this thing in zeale is most commendable when we are humbled in our owne soules for those sinnes which we espie and censure in others euen as though we our selues for want of instruction or prayer were in some sort guiltie of their sinnes If this rule were receiued in iudgement and â—uerenced in practise of Ministers Magistrates and masters when they are to admonish their inferiours of sinne it is sure it would breede in them great conscience and religion Alas wee see many who can mangle and martyr a man for some offence who neuer learned for consâ—nce sake to mourne for those infirmities which so bitterly he would iâ—ueigh against in others Let vs consider this in ministers how the Apostle saith to the Corinthians I feare leâ—â—t when I come mâ— God aâ—â—ase me among you and I shall beâ—aile many of them which haue â—â—â—ned alreadie c. Which no doubt he did as thinking that he did not duty enough but that there was euen some cause of griefe in himselfe Did the Apostle who had so little or no cause so to doe thus lament and suspect himselfe as though hee had not vsed all good meanes or with the meanes good affections and should the ministers of our time whose gifts and paines are fâ—rre inferiour nothing bee moued for the sinnes of them for whom they ought to care and mourne Well I hope that euen at this day there are some that feare they haue not in preaching publikely opened al the mysteries of God to them they thinke they haue failed in priuate admonition they suspect themselues of want of praying for them they are readie to accuse themselues that they haue not walked so wisely and warily in vsing their libertie before them or that their life hath not yeelded that example of godlinesse to them as they ought to haue done And so in the whole discourse almost of the sinnes of the seuerall Churches the holy Ghost runneth on in this tenour that whatsoeuer is spoken of the Church is spoken to the Angels that is to the ministers of the Church who are said to haue this or that sinne which indeede was in the people In the Primitiue Church when the credit of the Apostles was called into question they might seeme to haue been much troubled about the matter but they were much humbled by it they examined them selues they accused themselues and afterward they instituted a new ministerie But doth not this dutie as deepely charge Ministers and Masters to mourne for the sinnes of their people Yes doubtles and for good reason For if they will confesse that they must reioyce in the good things that befall their children and families they must also lament the euils which betide them so long as they are vnder their tuition and gouernment FINIS OF A GOOD NAME THE FOVRTH SERMON Prouerbs 22. verse 1. A good name is to be desired aboue great riches and louing fauour aboue siluer and gold ALl that is to be desired of a man is this that hee bee vertuous godly and truly religious This because it is in it selfe most excellent and most contrarie to our nature therefore the Scripture vseth many arguments and reasons to perswade vs thereunto as in this place where the Wise man would stirre vs vp to the loue of vertue by setting before our eyes two principall effects and fruits which we may receiue by it The first of these is a good name the second is louing fauour both which as they doe proceede from vertue and godlines so they doe maintaine and increase one another For as a man findeth much fauour with those that doe speake and report well of him so those that will shew a man louing fauour will or at least ought to shewe it in this that they may willingly affoord him a good report Now both these are preferred before great riches both these are accounted better than gold and much siluer and surely whosoeuer is truly wise will make this account of them whosoeuer doth rightly knowe to discerne what is good he will first and especially labour for them for a good name doth commend vs to God and to his holy Angels in whose eyes those vertues whereof a good name doth arise are most acceptable But riches are not able to doe this no the abundance of siluer and golde is often an occasion of sinne whereby we are most out of the fauour of God Againe whereas riches especially if they be euill gotten do cause men many times to hate vs this good name and louing fauour doth win the hearts of many yea it doth sometimes cause our enemies to be at peace with vs. And this euer hath been and euer will be most certaine and true whether we looke to prosperitie or aduersitie whether we looke to the common callings of this ciuill
theÌ„ the other And such be wee and our times long rid from that superstitious generation but readie now as it is saide Deut. 29. 19. to adde drunkennesse to thirst which commeth to passe for want of circumspectnes in deliuering the doctrine of libertie And so wee fall to make Paul Galat. 5. and Peter a cloake of our licentious life Wee turne the grace of God into wantonnesse as Iude speaketh This then being as it were the common disease of these last and perillous dayes the ministers of the Gospell must stand vp as in a gap and euery one is to be watchfull ouer himselfe that he sinke not away in these pleasures which seeme to cheere bring good to the heart but such a good as maketh the graces of God in some to come to nothing and withdraweth many away from Paradise a place of pleasure to hell a place of torments You know who it was that seeing so many young Gentlemen follow Epicurus at his first setting vp saide the cause was it was young mens philosophie that was professed in that schoole For this cause Sathan laboureth especially to poyson this age because he knoweth if this be barren of good that which followeth is like to be thereafter Satan and his ministers haue for euery age estate and condition a sundrie baite laying for Youth the baite of pleasure for Age the bayte of couetonsnes c. Euery man is eateÌ„ vp with one zeale or other there is a zeale of old age middle age of youth Euery man may trie his zeale by the ninth of Esa. ver 7. The zeale of the Lord of hosts will performe this It was the zeale of God that he gaue his sonne for vs his most dearely beloued sonne it is then one argument of our zeale to any thing when wee will forgoe a pretious thing for the thing we professe to loue indeed Esau was zealous for his meate when hee would lose his blessing for it and such is our zeale of pleasure that wee will forgoe learning time the fauour of the godly health of bodie yea sometimes our owne soules for it 6. It hath bin alwaies the note of false prophets to preach pleasant things and for outward matters as the Priests of Iezabel And Micah chap. 2 speaketh of false Prophets that prophesied of meate and strong drinke Peter saith they praise liberty and Paul They can reason for the bellie All thingâ— say they are lawfull but on the other side Gods children haue bene alwaies in the way of restraining 1. King 19. Eliah ate and gaue ouer and fell asleepe so that the Angell was sent to bid him eate more It is not the fâ—ult of many For we haue neede of an Angell to keepe vs from eating Timothie abstained from wine and Paul biddeth him to vse it for the weakenesse of his stomacke Salomon reclaimeth yong men Eccle. 11. When Iobs children meane to banquet in course he feareth least they curse God The austeritie of the Fathers was very great concerning meates as of Basil Hierome that it gaue occasion to the superstitious abstinence which followed But now the latter times are gone and the last daies are come Superstition is past but men glut themselues with all Epicurisme and pleasures of this life 7 Christians are neither Stoicks nor Epicures Paul disputeth against both Act. 17. The Stoicke condemnes all pleasure the Epicure commends all pleasures Pleasure is not good according to our election but in respect of the obiect if the obiect or matter wherein our pleasure consisteth be simply good then the pleasure is simply good if the obiect be simply euill our pleasure is simply euill But pleasures by nature being good and bad by circumstance they are not left as things indifferent to our election CHAP. XVIII Godly meditations concerning Christs power against Sathan loue to the faithfull and how he is our wisedome righteousnesse holinesse and of our communion with him CHrist careth for vs we must not feare a stroÌ„g enemie because we haue a stronger Captaine The Diuell indeed is a Lion but so is Christ a Lion and that of the tribe of Iudah There is a Lion for a Lion courage for courage The diuell is a Serpent so Christ calleth himselfe the brasen Serpent there is a Serpent for a Serpent wisedome for wisedome yea a Serpent of brasse to sting all the fierie Serpents of the wildernesse But thou saist that Christ is called a Lambe and a worme Bâ— not discouraged that is in respect of his Father who found him as meeke as a Lambe who might haue troden on him as on a worme but the diuell neuer found him a Lambe but a Lion The meeknes of Christ is stronger than all the power of hell Ioh. 18. When the diuell seemed to be in his ruffe he sends a great crew to take a sillie man when he told them it was he whom he sought this little word cast them downe What shall he doe then in glorie when he commeth with thousands of Angels This then is the conclusion the diuell is strong but Christ is stronger and chaineth him at his pleasure The diuell is wise but Christ is wiser and preuenteth him in all his practises 2 They that will haue a true faith in Christ must beleeue in the ends and in the mercies of our saluation The ends are that Christ is made of God vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse sanctification redemption Art thou afraide that thou shalt goe out of thy wits because thou fearest sinne Are thy cogitations confounded Seest thou no knowledge no not so much as a litterall knowledge of thy saluation but all is doubtfulnes all is dulnesse all is deadnes within thee as though thou neuer knewest heardest or learnedst any thing Now know now is the time to beleeue that whatsoeuer knowledge experience power of vnderstanding was in Christ Iesu the same is made thine he is the annointing that will teach thee he is the Fathers counsellor he is wonderful he hath the knowledge of all mysteries he is the spirituall interpreter of the law vnto whom as the Fathers did approach more neerely so they did see the power of the law more cleerely He is our wisedome both the teacher and the thing taught Hast thou some good measure of knowledge and yet thy life in no part being agreeable nor proportionable to thy knowledge thou art sore troubled for not walking in the waies of righteousnesse thou feelest no goodnesse thou thinkest thy selfe as a Sere tree without all fruite Now remember that Christ Iesus who had no holinesse by the flesh by being borne of his mother who saued great sinners and made of persecutors preachers would not haue thee to seeke for great things in the flesh seeing himselfe got so little thereby but would haue thee seeke thy righteousnesse out of thy selfe in him who being no sinner indeed was an accounted sinner and punished as a sinner for
vnto the Lord not binding his fauour vnto them 9 The cause of all rebellion and murmuring is that wee know not the great power of the Lord or else we at that time doe forget it when by faith we should make to our selues most comfortable vse of it as wee may see in the Israelites who had beheld the great power of God with his goodnesse towards them but not in faith and therefore when the tentation was sore vpon them they cleane forgat it The Lord therefore being zealous of his owne glorie sheweth himselfe to bee most louing and beneficiall towards vs which ought to leade vs to acknowledge his great goodnesse but if wee doe not then his iustice will surely teach vs. 10 The Lord oftentimes with holdeth or taketh away that thing the hauing whereof might be hurtfull vnto vs which if we would rightly consider of it would be an especiall helpe against murmuring in the want of Gods blessings For if wee would consider this that the Lord doth therefore keepe it from vs because hee seeth it would bee hurtfull for vs and that when wee shall be fit for it hee will then giue it vnto vs wee should better bee contented with that we haue and more patiently beare the want of that wee would haue as for example if a man wanting health riches estimation and such like and bee grieued for it so that he is almost readie to murmure for the want of them if he then can consider that the Lord knoweth they be not good for him but if he had them they would turne to his hurt this would bring marueilous great quietnes to his heart and would stop his murmuring nature and would rather stirre him vp to acknowledge the goodnesse of God towards him 11 When the Lord proueth his people he thereby laboureth to bring them to prayer yet on the contrarie they flâ—e from him and murmure against him the reason is for that they thinke it a small comfort to pray vnto him in their trouble but rather thinke it very harsh to acknowledge their sinnes and so to obtaine the forgiuenes of them which being obtained nothing can bee more comfortable they must haue that they want or else nothing will please them As the Israelites did murmure against the Lord when they wanted water nothing else would please them so is it with many when they cannot obtaine some corporall or externall blessing which they doe much long for But who art thou oh thou vile man that thus dealest with the Lord and neuer hast had thy heart washed by the blood of Iesus Christ for if thou haddest thou wouldest neuer murmure so much for wanting that thou wouldest haue but rather make him at all times the chiefest comfort and in all thy necessities patiently and meekely call vpon him in feruent and faithful prayer 12 Men doe not onely faile in prayer vnto the Lord but also they murmure many times against such as he hath set ouer them to bee their guides for the latter sinne ariseth of the former The Israelites quarrelled with Moses yet what had Moses done against them they thought no doubt that he of malice and contrarie to the will of the Lord had brought them into the wildernesse for they thought God had a neerer way and a better to bring them into the promised land and because they could not consider the worke of the Lord therefore they must needes quarrell against some bodie and wreake their griefe vpon him laying the fault vpon Moses Thus did Rachel whom when the Lord punished for that she was Proud because her husband loued her best and made her barren when he gaue children to Leah she not considering that the Lord punished her pride with barrennes began to quarrell with her husband asking him why he gaue no children to her To whom he answered Am I in stead of God vnto thee to giue thee children And this is the manner of the people in all ages that when they cannot see the Lord punishing them for their sinnes they straightway lay the fault vpon some or other by whom they thinke it commeth As now if the Lord doe send tumults and stormes into the common-wealth so that the people be brought to some trouble doe we not straight wayes lay the fault vpon the Magistrates and say is not this the doing of the Magistrates They consider not that the Lord doth by this meanes punish them for their sinne for it is certaine that the Lord loueth a multitude better than one or few and therefore hee will not punish a whole realme or nation if the sinnes of a multitude did not prouoke him thereunto But it oftentimes commeth to passe that for the sinnes of the people he doth harden the hearts of the Magistrates that they cannot loue their subiects so well nor that they can bee so profitable and doe them so much good as otherwise they might as is reported by Iehoshaphat 2. Chron. 20. This if the people could or would consider they would not be so ready to lay the faults on their Magistrates when trouble or triall commeth vpon them in like case doe they also deale with their Ministers If trouble come doe they not straightwaies say see what our Preachers haue done and is not this the fruite of their preaching so they will alwaies haue one or other to lay the fault vpon But what was Moses comfort in this case and that which staied him from murmuring against them Euen that no doubt which other of Gods Ministers haue had in the like case Ieremiah in the seueÌ„teenth chapter against the raging of the people made this his sure defence that he had not thrust in himselfe into that office to be their Pastor but the Lord appointed and called him therevnto Secondly that of affection he had spoken nothing but onely that which the Lord commanded did he declare vnto them and from hence may all the true Ministers of God haue comfort for if the Lord send them he will no doubt defend them so long as they doe this message faithfully therefore the people must take heede how they either receiue or reiect any that speake to them in the name of the Lord. For as they may not receiue any that bringeth not the word of truth nor be feared by them for as much as the causelesse curse shall passe without hurt so likewise and as surely shall the word of God spoken truly by his Minister certainely haue his effect and shall not returne in vaine And this is common to all kinds of calling that men may be confirmed therein Contrariwise when we being in affliction can pray vnto the Lord for his helpe and acknowledge his prouidence in that which is vpon vs it manifesteth our faith it preserueth vs from murmuring and keepeth vs from quarrelling with men for if we consider that it is the Lords worke we shall neuer set our selues against him for it but if we passe ouer his prouidence then
their whole possessions to giue to the preachers as it was done in the primitiue Church 5 The nature of true zeale is set downe Heb. 10. where the Apostle heauily threatneth them that willingly giue ouer thēselues to sinne there is named in the proper tongue the zeale of fire For as fire is not without heate so zeale is hot cannot long be holden in It is set downe by the contrary Reu. 3. when after the Church of Laodicea for her lukewarmnes is threatned to be spued out of the Lord his mouth it is added be zealous and amend where we see zeale to be opposed to lukewarmnes which is too temperate an heate for the profession of the Gospell Againe I. Cor. 14. 1. that which in our common translation we reade Follow after loue couet spirituall gifts c. the naturall text hath Be zealous after the more excellent gifts And Rom. 12. Be feruent in spirit i. let God his spirite kindle in you a fire which may flame out of you Now there are diuers kinds of zeale as the zeale of the world of the flesh of false religion according to the world And euery man is eaten spent consumed with some kind of zeale which must shame vs if we haue not the true zeale for that this zeale leaueth in vs some aduantage and recompēce which the world and carnall men haue not For when they haue spent set on tilt all the strength of their bodies powers of their minds they haue no gaine but torment of consciēce wheras the godly being spent in a good cause haue that repaired in the inner mā which is cōsumed in the outward Now to know what that true zeale is as neere as by properties we may describe it wee must first vnderstand that it is grounded on knowledge For if our zeale be not according to knowledge much like to the zeale of them spoken of Rom. 11. wee may come to persecute the Trueth and thinke we do very welll Our zeale must begin where the word begins end where the word ends that in all things it be proportionable to the word Our Sauior Christ rebuketh the Pharisies for straining out a gnat swallowing vp a Camel for tithing cummin seed and mint and for pretermitting the weightier matters of the Law wherein they bewrayed a rotten zeale in that they were carefull in the lesse and carelesse in the greater points So now a dayes many rather desiring to be counted zealous then to be zealous for a ceremonie wil be as hot as may be and yet in more principall poynts of religion they are as cold as can be in greater causes let this be our canon to vse greater zeale in lesse matters let this be our pedagogie to vse lesse zeale so that we remember to count nothing small in the word and that we can increase decrease in affection as the thing loued doth increase or decrease in goodnes If I say we can zealously pursue the most principall things and for the peace of the Church can tolerate lesse things for if any man in matters of lesse importance list to be contentious we haue no such custome neither the Church of God wee shall obserue this 1. rule still remembring this caution that we count nothing small commanded or forbidden in the Word The second rule is that wee haue an eye as well to things inward as outward our Sauiour CHRIST reprehendeth the Pharisies for that they made cleane the out side of the platter and left the inner-side foule whose liues though outwardly they were without reproofe yet inwardly they were full of pride disdaine self-loue such like Wel our zeale must begin within and in time appeare without we must no lesse feare to doe euill being by our selues alone then if we were eyed of the whole world least that we become as painted sepulchres and as such dishes as are cleane without and foule within A branch of this Rule is to haue a narrow and iealous eye of our owne corruptions lurking in the bottomles pit of nature and gaged onely by the word and spirit When we loue to be hypocrites in dissembling this naturall corruption and yet are busie in pretending some outward sanctimonie the iustice of GOD in time will vncase vs then the sinne which we would hide shall appeare in the face outwardly and the good which in Truth wee neuer loued shall be seene neuer to haue bene in vs. Herein then we may go to schoole with the couetous man who had rather be rich than be counted rich that we may rather be godly indeed than be counted to be godly least that seeing wee be not such indeed as we would bee we become notoriously to be such as we would not be 3 The third rule is that we keepe a tenor of zeale in both estates as well in aduersitie as in prosperitie Manie in peace are professors who in time of troubles are persecutors who louing the peace of the Gospell not the Gospell it selfe doe more bewray that they were neuer truely zealous Others whilest they be vnder the Crosse are very demure and deuout who if once they come aloft forget the simplicity of the Gospell and fall to the securitie of the world Hereof comes that fearefull complaint that men hote in preaching and professing while they are vnder are choked in their zeale when they come to preferment Such men are glad not of the gospell but of the prosperity of the gospell such men will be sad not for the want of the Gospell but for the aduersitie which followeth the persecutors of the Gospell Our triall herein may bee thus if our priuate estate be prosperous wee lament with Dauid the estate of the Church being ruinous or if our priuate estate being perilous wee can reioyce with Paul in the estate of the Church being prosperous our zeale is according to truth Dauid neere the Crowne for his happines fasted for the estate of the Church lying in abhominable filthines Paul a prisoner in bonds thought himselfe at libertie so long as the Gospell was free 4 The fourth Rule is that in pure zeale wee be patient in our owne causes and deuoure manie priuate iniuries that the Lord his cause may the better be prouided for haue the better successe Many can be as hot as fire in taking vp their owne cause who are as cold as yee in defending the Lord his cause This Rule obserued would sow vp the lips of the aduersarie who though for a time he thinke vs to be cholerike mad-men madly reuēging our priuate affections yet one day should confesse that we sought not our own cōmoditie but God his most precious glorie And to stretch this examination of our harts one degree further let vs beware of that corruption which springing from self-loue will giue vs leaue to reioyce at good things so long as they be in our selues but repineth at the sight of
his worship The morall law and the naturall law differ for alâ—eit the morall law be the explaining of the naturalâ— lâ—w yet it doth not follow that thâ—t which is in the morall law is no more than that which is in the law of nature 10. Hauing shewed the morall vse of the Sabbath to concerne the Gentiles as well as Iewes and answered all obiections to the contrarie In the next place he teacheth the obseruation of iâ— how it is to be kept and how it is broken what are the publike exercises of the Sabbath with what care and conscience we should prepare our selues to meete the Lord on the Sabbath how we must attend vpon him for the time present in the congregation and lastly what our priuate exercises must be after our departure from the publike assemblie 11 In the second part or negatiue â—e sheweth vs in this law what workes are forbidden and them all he referreth to these two heads First all workes of our ordinarie calling Secondly all lawfull recreations Concerning the first kind be they more vsuall or lesse vsuall â—â— question would be made if men were as wise to serue God in diâ—iâ—ing the times and seasons for the â—asements of their bodies and refreshing their soules on the Sabbath as they bâ— politike for the increase of their worldly substance And as concerning lawfull recreation on the Sabbath day If labour be forâ—iâ—den in seede time and haruest much more pleasuâ—â— all the yeere long iâ— things more needfull for the preseruation of lifâ— to the glorie of God be disallowed then assuredly these lesse needfull cannot be allowed Againe saith he the zeale of worldlings may shame vs in our securitie for so long as any profit drops on them they giue no place to pleasure Behold the policie and painfulnes of the world may teach vs what we ought to doe for our seules And thus farre of the compendious summe of the treatise of the Sabbath Of this argument I found three very good copies after due examination and conference had I haue here published the best in my iudgement both for matter and forme in the best manner that I can This worke hath beene in many hands for many yeeres and hath giuen light to some and I trust shall giue further occasion to others to trauaile yet more herein for the good of posteritie And whereas so many in all Churches in these daies passe by this argument of the Sabbath and that other of Titâ—e is meere shadowes and ceremonies it were to be wished that as this reuerend man of God and Maister D. B. haue painfully trauailed in the one so the learned and faithfull seruants of Christ would communicate their knowledge and iudgement of the other vnto the Church and people of God The seuenth portion is short but containeth very good notes of saluation and of an vpright heart The eighth and last part oâ— treatise teacheth vs very profitable and necessarie rules for the reading and vnderstanding of the holy Scripture which be these 1. That Gods people which will profit by prâ—â—â—â—ing must 〈…〉 the reading of the holy Scriptures for that none saith he â—ar so wâ—ll profit by preaching as they that hâ—â—e beene iâ—â—iâ—â—d vp in reading the Scriptures or hearing thâ—m râ—â—d 2 Next to profit by reading of the Scripture â—e requireth â—â—â—â—â— speciall things to be obserued 1. Diligence 2. Wisedome 3. Preparation 4. Meditation 5. Conference 6. Faith 7. Practise 8. Prayer 1. Diligence maketh a rough way plaine and easie here keepe an euen course and perseuere without wearines or starting from it 2. With diligence desire to ioyne wisedome for choise of matter what of order how of time when to reade For matter search things reuealed and hunt not after things not reuealed In things reuealed seeke after things most necessarie and then things lesse necessarie For order first desire to lay the foundation of Christian religion then build vpon it as God giues thee increase of faith and knowledge For time we must not reade alwaies but keepe our appointed times The Sabbath day we may spâ—â—d a great part of it in reading the nâ—â—â—â— daies in the morning at noone and euening when we may redeem the day from the workes of our calling 3. Againe a due preparation is required whereunto appertaine first the feare of Gods maiâ—sâ—â—â— wâ—ich serues well to correct the pride of reason and to subdue our â—ffâ—ctions â—nd so to fit vs for the châ—le of Christ Secondly faith in Christ for that he alone opâ—â—â—th â—ur vnderstanding that we may vnderstand the Scriptures Thirdly great desire in the heart 〈◊〉 vpon the good word of God 4. The fourth propertie is meditation which is the life of all good learning and makes that we haue heard to be our owne and this is two-fold first of the minde or vnderstanding discoursing of things read or heard Secondly of the affection when liking any thing in iudgement we labour that it may worke also vpon our affections Here this rule is to be noted that meditation without reading â—â— câ—râ—neous and reading without meditation barren 5. The fifth helpe here is conference For if in naturall things and in all things appertaining to this life man standeth in neede of the helpe of other men much more in spirituall things 6. The sixt propertie after reading meditation and conference is faith which he requires as an increase of that aforegoing preparation We must beleeue in Iesus Christ by a generall faith going before but we must vse saith he all the meanes before named to increase our knowledge and faith in all particulars after 7. The seuenth is practise for this is a good way to increase our store to put to good vse that mediocritie of knowledge and gifts we haue receiued And assuredly according to Christs words we see by daily experience their gifts decay which put them not in practise 8. The eight rule or propertie is prayer and thankesgiuing With this he wilâ— vs to begin to continue and to end this whole worke Like as we haue no title to meate and drinke without our prayer so saith he they be impudent that doe touch Gods booke without prayer And here he requires also a spirituall thank sgiuing for saith he if this be needfull for corporall foode how much more for spirituall be thankefull for any light and for euery good motion which proceedeth from Gods spirit And thus farre the compendious summe of all these treatises Now Right Worshipfull this holy worke I recommend to your protection first because I knew not any in heart more affected towards that reuerend man Maister R. Greenham who was the author of them all Againe this worke in part appertaines to one of your Worships by a former dedication And therefore I am the more bold to recommend it thus amplified and inlarged vnto you both And the rather for that Gods good spirit hauing so knit your hearts together in the holy faith of Christ I may not doubt
the Gentiles but as they may see their estate in the Iewes in which respect it may be profitablie applied to the Gentiles but euident it is that here properly it was spoken to the Iewes For in this place the Prophet sharply reprehendeth them because they kept not their fastings and holy daies aright Howbeit they did not sticke to complaine among themselues that they had fasted that they humbled themselues and vsed all the meanes which their fathers before them had done but all in vaine in that they felt not the like effects which their fathers did Wherefore the Lord by his Prophet answereth them in this sort True it is that yee fast indeed but therewithall yee lie and liue still in your sinnes yee fast but without repentance and so farre are yee from true forsaking of your sinnes that on your fasting daies howsoeuer like hypocrites ye vse the outward action ye exercise crueltie oppression debate and strife and doe ye looke that this holy hypocrisie should be acceptable vnto me No If ye will please me with your fasting repent ye of your sinnes shew foorth your sorrow by the fruits of loue in exercising the works of mercie and compassion which things when I shall behold in you with an vpright heart then I will accept your offering and be pleased with your fasting Againe doe not thinke that I will looke vpon your holidaies so long as ye vse them but vpon custome in hypocrisie making them vnprofitable for my worship and your saluation and repentance vntill such time as ye endeuour a better and more holie vse of them both concerning the pure honouring of my name and the furthering of your owne saluation Behold here say they the Sabbath is abrogated than which they can affirme nothing more contrarie out of this place For here is no abrogating of the Sabbath but an establishing of the true celebrating of the Sabbath with a sharpe reprehending of their corrupt and present estate And as he speaketh against their corrupt Sabbath so he taxeth them for their hypocritical fasting so that if they will haue the Sabbath to be abrogated much more must they driue fasting out of the doores of the Church against which he is most earnest and telling them that their fasts are not in truth the Lord sheweth them with what fasting he is pleased Againe say they see here it is manifest that to cease from sinne in our Sabbath which we must keepe I answere it is the fruite of the Sabbath which we must keepe and therefore because where the meanes are vsed without any effect or fruite there the meanes are nothing the Lord rather vrgeth them to the effects and keeping of the Sabbath with fruite then disanulleth the Sabbath And it is vsuall in the word of God to vse the effect for the cause and the fruite for the meanes as we may see Iam. 1. 27. Pure religion and vndefiled before God euen the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widowes in their aduersitie and to keepe himselfe vnspotted of the world Which briefely is as if the Apostle should say this is the effect of true religion when faith doth purely shew it selfe in the workes of loue Againe Ioh 6. 47. 48. He that beleeueth in me hath euerlasting life I am the bread of life Where our Sauiour Christ sheweth that the effect of faith is the eating of Christ his flesh and drinking of his blood So that to vse the meanes without the effect is hypocrisie as also to looke for the effect without vsing of the meanes is foolish presumption Wherfore we affirme that from the mouth of the Lord by his holy Prophet that to rest in fasting and in the Sabbath an outward meane is of no value being separated from good workes the issue and the effect of the same that if we would God should be mercifull to vs we should also shew our selues mercifull to others So then the Lord taketh not here away the one but sheweth the one to be fruitlesse without the other and is so farre from taking away the Sabbath that rather he goeth about to informe them in the true vse of the Sabbath The meaning therefore of the Prophet his word is this If thou wilt not rest in the bare ceremonie of thy holie daies but wilt do thy holy seruice to me and duties of loue to thy brethren then shalt thou shew thy selfe to take true pleasure in God and his worship Where we must learne so to delight our selues with the meanes of our saluation that seeing we can but iâ—part giue our selues vnto them in the weeke daies we should greatly reioyce when the Sabbath day commeth contrary to the practise of the people â—â— Amos his time who would say Amos 8. 5. When will the new moneth be gone that we may â—â—â—â— corne and the Sabbath that we may let forth wheate and make the Ephah small and the shekâ—â— great and falsifie the weights by dâ—â—â—it Wherefore we conclude that here is not the abrogating but the pure celebrating of the Sabbath which appeareth by effect when it draweth vs neerer to God and causeth vs to take greater pleasure in his waies There remaineth that which is Esai 66. 23. And from moneth to moneth and from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord Where it is said from Sabbath to Sabbath behold say they here is set downe a continuall Sabbath to be obserued euery day in the kingdome of Christ and therefore there ought not to be one prescript day onely in the whole weeke But the reason is most weake and containeth a manifest absurditie For if euery day should be a Sabbath and we in the Sabbath are commaunded to doe no manner of worke when should we trauell in our ordinarie callings whereunto the Lord himselfe hath permitted vs sixe daies Thus we see the sixe daies of our ordinarie callings should be pulled away If they say that a man may follow his calling and yet worship God sufficiently and as becommeth the holy Sabbath then they must graunt that we may doe our ordinary workes on the Sabbath as also they suspect the Lord of want of wisedome But if we should looke narrowly into these mens liues we should finde that whilest they crie out to keepe euery day a Sabbath they in trueth in the meane time obserue no Sabbath at all Besides in that there needeth one particular day wholy to be giuen to the Lord it is certaine that the dearest children of God who vpon the other daies redeeme time to Gods worship earnestly desire this Now concerning the place it selfe which they seeme much to misconstrue we must vnderstand two things First it is not simply to be taken but in the way of comparison secondly it is meant of the kingdome of glorie and of the second comming of Christ. In the way of comparison it is vnderstood thus that the people of God should not content themselues to
being come to put away figures all that maintained such daies moneths and times which the Iewes obserued as they were Iewes should obscure Christ. The Iewes had their solemne assemblies and conuocations Leuit. 23. 2. certaine times in the yeere the first and last dayes whereof they kept as Sabbaths to the Lord of which Paul here speaketh and therfore he saith ye obserue Sabbaths he saith not a Sabbath for which assuredly he is not here grieued with them For Paul had planted this day among them as appeareth 1. Corin. 16. 1. Concerning the gathering for the Saints as I haue ordained in the Churches of Galatia so doe ye also Where we may see that ancient custome of the Primitiue Church which was that after the word read for the space of an houre after the â—â—â—mon ended and the Sacraments administred many did vse to giue not of constraint but of good will to the poore Now seeing he had appointed the Lords day in Galatia it is not like that hee would so sharply haue reprehended them for his owne ordinance as to say vnto them that he feared their backsliding from the trueth by it but rather of those Iewish holie daies which being peculiar vnto the Iewes had their beginning and their ending with them And if wee say that that day should not be kept for a ceremonie but some other that were not to abrogate but to change the ceremonie as he that stripping himselfe of one sort of clothing and for pride inuesteth himselfe with a new sute putteth not away but chaungeth his pride or as hee that of a filthie lecher is become a couetous miser riddeth not himselfe from sinne but changeth from one sute of sinne whereof he is weary to some other The Papists therefore though they haue not the same daies yet hauing newe daies in their stead haue not abrogated but altered Iudaisme Iustinus Martyr affirmeth that they had no holy day but one in the Primitiue Church He speaketh then flatly against the ceremonies which by the eternitie and perfection of Christ his sacrifice are abolished Heb. 9 and 10 Our first father Abraham when hee beleeued receiued circumcision as the seale of his faith to which Baptisme is subrogated vnto Christians The particular signe that appertained to the posteritie of Abraham is gone but the water in Baptisme doth appertaine to all in a generall equitie Likewise as the Sabbath did put them in minde of their deliuerance it is gone but as by it we remember Christ his resurrection wee retaine it To conclude the Apostle meaneth not in this place that Sabbath but those holy daies of the Iewes which being the beginning and ending the first day and last day of their feasts were Sabbaths The third reason Coloss. 2. 16. Let no man condemne you in meate and drinke or in respect of an holy day or of the new moone or of the Sabbath daiâ—s 17. Which are but a shadow of things to come but the bodie is in Christ. This is also vnderstoode of the Iewish distinguishing of meates and daies For the Colossians were troubled with false Apostles as were the Galathians And what is the reason that they were so encombred with Iewish obseruations Forsooth the religion of Christians which rather consisteth of pure simplicitie than pompous solemnitie hath but the word barely preached the Sacraments without vaine shewes administred prayers in humilitie offered and therefore it seemeth not so polished so glorious and so garnished as the Iewish religion which did drawe the greater part of men after it Thus our fathers seeing the Iewish religion so vernished and the Gentiles religion so pompous and Christian religion ful of simplicitie drew the Gentiles from the simplicitie of Christianisme and brought in this heape of ceremonies Wherefore here Paul telleth them that these things were but instructions for a time and pedagogical and therefore did not so appertaine vnto them as they should neede to trouble their consciences about them though they obserued them not Let no man condemne you saith the Apostle in such Iewish ceremonies as for the not obseruing of them they should count you no Christians Heere is the same drift of the matter which was of the former here the Apostle descendeth from generals to particulars there he ascendeth from particulars to generals Let no man condemne you in respect of an holy day which was an octonarie for eight dayes long did the feasts of the Iewes last or of the Sabbath daies hee saith not of the Sabbath for hee meaneth those Sabbaths which were appertenances of the former holy daies not that holy Sabbath which was common to the â—ewes with all other the people of God And whereas in the former part of the verse it is said Let no man condemne you in meate and drinke hee sheweth that the Iewes had certaine beasts and birds vncleane and drink-offerings which were forbidden them howbeit vnto Christians all things are pure But some will say what neede wee now to fast who will censure vs I answere the Lord himselfe For albeit wee that are Christians are not to bee charged as the Iewes were with one speciall day yet as the Iewes with all God his people did humble themselues before the Lord either for the remouing of some iudgement which presently did lie vpon them or for the preuenting of some perils which were towards them or for the obtaining of some grace which they wanted and yet without all obseruations of daies so wee must ioyne with them And therefore whosoeuer refuseth the exercise of humbling either priuately or publikely the same is to bee controlled by the word If any bee commaunded publikely by the Magistrate whether the cause be iust or not iust wee are to obey if the cause bee iust it is not the commaundement of the Magistrate but of God and who so breaketh this is surely to be condemned The similitude here annexed of the Apostle is very fit for as the skilfull painter first portraiteth and then painteth with fresh and liuely colours that which before more rudely and obscurely hee did frame and fashion with a blacke coale so these rudiments more darkely did represent that which now is liuely described vnto vs the truth of all things in Christ. The bodie is Christ as if hee should say yee haue receiued Christ and the things which he hath prescribed and though yee haue not the Sabbaths and holy daies of the Iewes yet haue yee the true Sabbath pure holy day which Christ hath left vnto you Here then the Apostle is so farre from abrogating of the Sabbath that hee maketh no mention nor includeth any meaning thereof in these words And thus much for the reasons which they thinke they haue gotten out of the epistles of Saint Paul Now let vs consider of that place which is in the epistle to the Hebrues chap 4 verse 3. For wee which haue beleeued doe enter into rest as he saide to the other As I haue sworne in my wrath If they
conuey themselues vnto warmer climates vntill the spring time and man alone either vnsensibly doth not foresee or vnaduisedly will not auoide the perillous times to come To conclude Matth. 16. 2. 3. our Sauiour Christ reprehendeth the follie of Pharisies saying When it is euening ye say Faire weather for the skie is red 3. And in the morning ye say To day shall be a tempest for the skie is red and lowring O hypocrites yee can discerne the face of the skie and can ye not discerne the signes of the times True it is that this spirituall vse and holy meditation of the creatures of God should be our whole life howbeit because our distractions in our lawfull and ordinarie callings will not permit this so fully in respect of our finite nature we must remember on the Sabbath day to vse a recouery and by Christian diligence to make recompence for our former negligence herein And in so heauenly a varietie which both by precept and practise we haue receiued of our forefathers for this purpose we shall much profit and set forward this exercise if in wisedome of the spirit we endeuour to frame our meditations especially about those things whereof by reason of our callings in respect of our countries in consideration of the season of the yeere we haue most speciall occasion offered Now if by reason of some dulnes or deadnes by the corruption of nature and secret punishment often incident to the dearest children of God we cannot so reuerently cheerefully and comfortably doe these duties required by our selues alone we may humbly vse the remedie which by the communion of Saints the Lord in this case hath prouided that so frequenting the holy companie of the godly learned and zealous vnto whom the Lord hath giuen greater libertie both of graces and of spirit we may be humbled in regard of our owne wants and take the supplie by them in them that if we cannot either for ignorance or blockishnes reade the things heard compare the places by publike ministerie receiued pray for the fruite of them if we be not able to refresh our selues with considering the workes of God then we must attend vpon the reading conferring and praying thanksgiuing singing and meditations of others that so at the least we may either haue our iudgements cleered or our affections better stirred vp Neither must we blush or be abashed to acknowledge our wants vnto our brethren but with all humilitie earnestly deale with them and enquire of them how they can compare and reconcile the places deliuered how they can amplifie it by meditation how they feele their affections renued how they can frame a prayer of it how they can gather of the creatures and workes of God some fruitfull matter of thanksgiuing that by their godly participation we may haue either our ignorance helped or our infirmities relieued For vndoubtedly this is the cause why so many doe rather in ignorance and deadnes beare the Sabbath as a burthen euen in that they are ashamed by asking the helpe of others to bewray their ignorance or display that corruption of nature which indeed they see and seele in themselues Against which worldly and carnall shame we must fight if euer we will triumph ouer that endlesse shame of the wicked and prouoke our selues by that wholesome and mutuall societie which becommeth the children of God either for the increase of spirituall gifts or for a charitable supporting of the infirmities one of another And these briefly be the exercises of faith and repentance whereby we may either stirre vp our selues or be stirred of others Now it remaineth to intreate of the duties of loue because the Lord his Sabbath is not a day of knowledge alone but of loue not onely of hearing the word by preaching but also of doing the word by practising and these duties either respect the persons of our brethren or they concerne such things as are about our brethren The things concerning their persōs are either in regard of their soules or of their bodies the exercises respecting the things that are about them are either appertaining to their goods or to their credite The duties vnto the soules of our brethren are to teach the ignorant to bring sinners to repentance to bind vp the wounds of them that are afflicted in spirit to comfort the weak to strengthen the hands that fall downe and the knees that are readie to faint to stirre vp them which be dul to admonish the vnruly to confirme the faith of them that beleeue to encourage them in weldoing which haue begun well and to rebuke the wilfull offenders And though these should be the exercises of euery day yet especially they belong to the Sabbath wherein we make a supplie of the wants which we haue on the weeke daies The duties of loue required to the bodies of our brethren are the visiting of the sicke the relieuing of the imprisoned the helping of the poore and miserable the feeding of the hungrie the cloathing of the naked the comforting of the distressed the bestowing of our goods on them that are needie In the primitiue Church as they did euery Sabbath receiue the Sacrament so they laide something downe to the vse of the poore which they did both to giue some thankefull testimonie how the Lord the weeke before had blessed them as also to shew some godly token of their pittie to their afflicted brethen Concerning the exercises of loue towards the credit of our brethren if we shall heare of any secret reports tending to the discredite of others wee must not onely carefully suppresse it but wisely endeuour to recouer their former credite This requireth heauenly wisedome both to admonish the author of euill reports as also to signifie vnto the man euill spoken of what hazard and shipwrake of his good name is pretended yet still concealing the person and vrging the report that if the partie be guiltie he may the sooner step out of his sinne the Lord hauing discharged such a warning peece against him or being guiltlesse that he rather seeke to proue by the rumor than to pursue the author But alas the sinne of our age hath not onely brought in the ignorance and banished the practise of this Christian dutie but also which more is in stead of healing we would the credite of others and it is hard to discerne whether there are more willing to report euill or not vnwilling to heare euill reports of others Who seeth not the common profession of our Sabbath to be a table talking and vaine babling of the infirmities of others tossing to and fro the credit of our brethren as a tennis ball and this not onely vsed among brainsicke and vnstable women whose tongues labour of some greater infirmitie but also of men who vndiscreetly either set abroch or draw out to the full measure and past measure the discredit of their neighbours so that they are so farre from saluing such sores
doe affirme that on that day it perisheth if it be vngathered on which day it commeth foorth then I do think that by the law of necessitie this thing happening it may be gathered on the Sabbath yet with these conditions that as many gather as can conueniently be gotten that no publike exercise of the worship of God be omitted that their mindes be holy and spiritually occupied that gather it Now if some will obiect that there is somewhat in the order of nature which fighteth with the ordinance of this law I answere for as much as this thing commeth on the Lords day but seldome times that therefore it is not a thing ordinarie but as a work of necessitie Now to fold vp this question we required in gathering that we should be spiritually minded which they may shewe in giuing it a marke of separation that is that they bestow it on the poorer if the be of they more wealthie sort if they be of meaner condition yet they may impart something to their more needie brethren as testifying thereby that they seeke not their gaine but the glorie of God It remaineth briefly and in a word to speake of trauailing which if it bee ordinarie and vsuall is in no case lawfull but if it be extraordinarie and necessarie as often it happeneth to Lawyers or Physitions the according to the necessitie it is more or lesse permitted We see that many Papists wil not stirre out on their Saints daies whereby is detected the want of our spirituall loue which make no conscience to cease on the Lords day And so the religion deuised by man findeth better entertainment a further practise than that which was ordained by God If any man obiect the losse of his liuing if he should not labour on this day I oppose against that the losse of God his glorie and that with his interrogatory whether the miserable pelfe of man should not giue roome to the immortal glorie of God And experience confirmeth the trueth of Gods word that in vaine men rise early and so late take their rest in vaine they build and take so great paines when the Lord denieth the blessing And what were it to bee rich by policie and poore by God his displeasure What though the bagge be heauie and their consciences troubled What if they be rich with men and poore with God Againe who is it that so disposed of his iournies and his affaires so as some making conscience of their Sabbath are in their iournies in one day better prospered in their affaires in one houre more furthered than many others contemning the ordinance of God are in many houres and in many dayes Who directeth men to bee prouident in their sales and bargainings Who besotteth and infatuateth others Who sendeth a man that not for a simple desire of gaine but for a single care to walke in his calling vseth the trade of buying and selling moe chapmen in one houre than another man hath in an whole day whose heart is inflamed whose eyes are inkindled with louing gaine and looking for profit howsoeuer it come by hooke or by crooke Men ascribe this to chance and so they oft by the iust iudgement of God receiue a blanke that is trusting to the blind world they receiue not so much gaine as will acquite their charges Can men trauaile day and night by sea and by land and that for a thing transitorie and will they reach out no houres for the defence of God his worship Doe they feare theeues if they inlarge their iourney for the keeping of a good conscience are they not afraid of theeues when for their worldly affections they can trauaile early and late Because herein the terror of their owne consciences will preach more forcibly to them than I can speake I will leaue them to that practise of the man of God which is vsed Nehem. 12 And thus hauing spoken of the workes of our callings now wee are to speake of the workes of our pleasures Concerning the lawfull recreations of this life which Christianity doth permit and not forbid for of vnlawfull pleasures being alwaies out of season and especially on the Sabbath we haue nothing to say whether they may haue place and time on the Lords day or no here is the question In this part of the treatise I say wee doe not speake of prophane idle pleasures but of them which bring some further vse after they be vsed which are permitted by the word of God so measure in them may be vsed and they be sanctified vnto vs by the word and by prayer And yet euen for these we dare not giue the time consecrated to God vnto playing and pleasures Neither are we curiously to frame any exquisite diuision in this matter but first we will consider of the feasts and bankets accustomed on this day and afterward of other recreations and exercises at that time frequented and vsed which though in their time place and persons they are not vnlawfull yet at this time on the Lords day we denie them to be lawfull As for feasts we may part them into Loue feasts Church feasts sumptuous feasts which carie with them some further expences and larger liberalitie as are those which are vsed at mariages at the admitting of men into their ciuill offices or else are taken vp for some speciall benefits receiued or some extraordinarie iudgements remoued or some other causes like vnto these as when men carying some port and countenance in the common wealth according to their degrees and callings at some times doe ordaine Touching these solemne and sumptuous feasts thus much we affirme briefly Such as on the Lords day institute such solemnities and stuffe euery office and bumbast euery corner of the house with men and women are to be admonished duly to consider of that which is reported of Dauid both in the historie of the Kings and in the booke of the Chronicles who hauing a vaine desire and superfluous appetite would not deferre but longed to taste of the water of the well of Bethlehem a well fenced citie and from whence water could not be conueied by hand without some ieopardie to them that fetcht it Wherfore three of his most worthie men haue this busines assigned them to the compassing whereof their liues were hazarded At their returne grace making his after fruites better than the former after better deliberation vsed he powred forth the water on the ground saying God forbid that I should drink the blood or the liues of these three men shewing thereby both his offence in sending them the free mercie of God in sauing them Wherefore for as much as these pompous preparations cannot cōueniently be vsed on the Sabbath without the hazard of mens soules though the Lord in mercie may saue their soules as in that diuers offices in great families require diuers persons to performe diuers duties and so that which is a day of rest is made a
make conscience of sinne being knowne the Lord visiteth vs with priuate and publike meanes that as the wicked shall be without all hope ease or end tormented in hell so these in mercie and measure should haue their hearts broken which because they would not doe by the louing inuocating and inuiting of them by the Lord therfore it is done by some crosses Secondly it respecteth the regenerate either to continue them in their good estate or to keepe them from some grosse sins For God his children doe sometime fall and alwaies may fall if God keep them not Because Dauid and Manasses had sinned God sent them the crosse that they might not forget him Now because the same may be in vs if the Lord will powre out his wrath vpon the wicked surely he will not suffer his owne children to be vncontrolled We must not then as some are wont to doe say Did not Dauid sinne make ye so much at me was not Dauid a great sinner and yet saued It were well indeed if we would binde Dauids sinne with Dauid his repentance or if we consider how the Sunne was turned into darkenes the Moone into blood in his kingdome if we shall see the pillars of Gods iudgements and vapours of God his wrath against him among his owne how his sonnes rebelled they that would be Counsellers became traitors and how the wicked caitifes insulted ouer him we would surely know that it did little helpe vs to reckon vp Dauid his sinning This doth God to sow the lips of the wicked that they should not say that God doth spare and punisheth not sinne in his and that they should not dreame of escape when his owne seruants are so punished And although God his children presently fall not but are readie to fall he wrappeth them often in the crosses of the wicked not so much to punish any sinne present but to preuent in them some sinne to come that thereby taking away the occasion of sinning he might humble them before they fall Againe albeit they be not subiect to grosse sins yet because they are oft puft vp with priuie pride dead vnmercifull dull forsaking their first loue sometime neither hot nor cold luke warme without zeale briefly in that they are not as God his children should be or as they themselues sometimes and before haue been the Lord in wisedome correcteth these wants and infirmities that from infirmities they should not burst out into enormities from sinning of ignorance they should not sin against conscience and from secret sinnes that they commit not presumptuous sinnes For this cause Reuel 3. the Lord sent plagues on the Church of Laodicea not so much for grosse and notorious sinnes but because they were not humbled and zealous enough but such as might more easily haue fallen into deeper enormities hereafter If men vse to trie gold seuē times in the furnace not for any masse of drosse in it but to proue it how much more had the Lord neede to trie our faith although we be not giuen to any great and notable crime For as there may be two vses in the trying of gold the one to purge it from drosse the other to fine it the more so there are two vses of corrections the one to punish sinne the other to trie their faith And although the Lord more principally doth not punish sinne but rather secondarily chiefly trying the patience of his children yet when men cannot accuse vs neither we can accuse our selues yet the Lord will purge vs from some secret corruption which may breede a sinne in time to come And hereupon it commeth that priuie pride secret selfe-loue close couetousnes hidden hypocrisie and such like are counted sinnes of God his children though of worldlings they be thought good vertues But some will say Is this the truth ye sticke to Is this the Gospell which ye professe See what hurliburlies see how many opinions there are what a companie of religions are start vp see what denying of the faith what grosse sinnes are sprung vp see what deaths plagues and warres are accompanied with it Surely it seemeth that this is not the Gospel Before all things were in better case no such disturbance in religion no such noise of notorious sinnes no such turmoilings on euery side all things were at good quiet but now we haue more troubles than euer in former times were heard of The wicked do not onely breake their neckes at this blocke but God his owne children haue daungerously stumbled at it For when Iob Dauid Ieremiah without God his spirit beheld the prosperitie of the wicked and the aduersitie of the godly they confessed their feete had almost slipped sauing that they durst not condemne the generation of God his children To remedy this the holy Ghost saith that when the graces of God doe most appeare then will the Lord send greatest iudgements for the contempt of his Gospell in the wicked and for the neglect of it in the godly Now this is foretold that we might not be offended when it commeth this vse doth Christ teach vs to make of it These things haue I told you before that when they come to passe c. For to God his children being but babes in Christ this is a great temptation And to come to our daies Doth it not trouble men much that there be so many vnlearned Ministers of learned Ministers that there be so many vngodly men that they see such oppressing Magistrates such rebellious people such carelesse gouernours that there is such an height of subtiltie in couering and cloaking sin where is most knowledge such running to sinne where is most preaching and where the Gospell is receiued that there should be such sects and heresies when they shall see the Papists readie to outface the Gospell what may a man do now or how may he stay himselfe if the Lord should leaue him Surely God hath foretold it Euen as the Sunne then shining bright the Moone giuing light the cleere aire are tokens of God his loue so much more the word and as these being darkened obscured shew God his wrath so the word obscured doth testifie his wrath much more Yea if dearths plagues famine or such like come we must be forewarned of them And our Sauiour Christ when men asked him signes he told them of many and Mat. 24. that there should be such wonders in the heauens in the earth and in the seas that euen the very elect should be confounded almost Now if Christ had not forewarned these things in the equitie of his iudgement we might indeed haue had some occasion of offence And for this cause our Sauiour Christ saith Matth. 11. Blessed are they that are not offended in me because such confusions shall be that men will be readie to lay the cause of these things on the Gospell and on the word and therefore blessed are they that are forewarned of these things and know why they come If the Iewes would not
or in others we shall be so gouerned that wee shall not onely auoide euill but coldnesse in well doing and looke what is detracted through the iniuries of times it shall be added in inward graces and recompenced in the kingdome of heauen When we shall then in extremitie of offences say Good Lord what shall we doe whither shall wee goe to heare a good Preacher what may wee doe to goe to some good man and zealous professor Remember then if thou wilt stay on the Lord and fall to Prayer thogh thou art troubled with Papists or Heretikes or monstrous liuers then leane to God trust in his word and vse prayer When thou shalt see no good neither in Church nor in Common wealth then haue recourse to prayers and thou shalt not onely bee preserued from daungers but also thou shalt enioy God his spirit with his graces Thus wee shall see in the volume of God his booke not onely what deliuerances the godly haue had by prayer but also by what meanes they were deliuered Noah calling on the name of GOD was saued in the Arke from perishing in the waters Lot was deliuered out of Sodome the Israelites obtained meate from heauen water out of the rocke passage through the Seas and many other righteous persons were not onely deliuered but greatlie ioyed But if we should passe them and looke to the daies of persecution vnder Queene Mary when the Sun seemed to be changed into darknes the Moone to lose her light then Christians were not onely many deliuered but also in the prisons in cabbins in bushes in flame and in fire they euer had sweete dreames heauenly visions and wonderfull consolation so as they were not onely comforted but at the stake they would prophecie of the restoring of the Gospell and they presently would reioyce as foreseeing the truth should come vnto their posteritie And it shall come to passe This importeth the time of the Gospell and here is shewed a difference betweene the time of the Law and of the Gospell If our fathers were heard vnder the Law if they receiued not the repulse in the dawning of the day what may we hope for vnder the Gospell what boldnes may wee receiue now when the sunne shineth out at the fulnes Looke what proofe they had we may haue more see what experience they had we may haue it in greater measure because what they had confirmed we haue confirmed The Lord requireth of vs now to trust in him the more we must remeÌ„ber that saying of our Sauiour Christ Ioh. 16. 24. Hitherto haue yee asked nothing in my Name aske and yee shall receiue that your ioy may be full If our fathers prayed feruently why doe not wee haue not wee mo deedes of God his fauour haue not we mo promises haue not wee mo examples all which accuse vs of want of zeale in prayer In the old Testament they named not Christ we are bold to looke vpon God in Christ his Sonne Woe then be to vs if these things do not moue vs seeing Christ standeth on the right hand of God the Father who is not now in the loynes of Abraham or in the wombe of the Virgin or in the bowels of the earth buâ—â—o as â—â—â—â—â—â—euen we may see him sitting in heauen on the right hand of GOD. The circumstance remaining is in this word whosoeuer which sheweth that whether it bee man or woman master or seruant young or old Iew or Gentil no age no sexe no estate no coÌ„dition is excluded True it is that there be priuiledges of the man aboue the woman of the master aboue his seruant of the elders aboue the yongeâ— but this is in some things not in all For in the worship of God in the matter of God his glory and our saluation there is no respect of persons with God but whosâ—euer calleth vpon the name of the Lord he shall be saued In respect whereof we are to be exhorted that if we will reioyce in this priuiledge we must vse the means due to them that are within the precincts of it we must not excuse our selues and say I am a woman and the weaker vessell I am a young man and rechlesse I am an old man forgetfull I am a seruant and am not at mine owne libertie For if wee looke for the grace offered wee must vse the meanes proposed But yet here is a further thing than this that not only the righteous shal be saued but also the poore sinner if now he will repent and hauing a pure purpose to please God call on the name of the Lord. Behold ô repenting sinner the Theese on the Crosse the Sunne was darkened the vale of the Temple rent earthquakes and troubles confusion was an ong men terrors were in himselfe and yet hee calling on the name of the Lord and saying Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome receiued this comfortable answere This day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise Peter seeing Christ was pardoned If we behold Dauids miserie in the troublesome estate both of Church and Common-wealth when he had not one of his owne children to comfort him but to the increase of his griefe one brother murthered another one of his sonnes being a traytor was through God his iudgement hanged by the haire of the head his chiefe friends rebelled against him hee was not onely in all this mightily preserued of God but also receiued plentifull graces of the Spirit When Manasses had caused Ierusalem to swimme with blood when the Citie was neere destruction and hee himselfe in chaines what hope was there either of the Kingdome or Prophecie to continue and yet calling on God his name hee was heard and helped If such great things were for poore sinners before Christ what comfort is there for them since Christ is come If the wretched man was so helped of CHRIST euen when he was on the crosse what comfort may afflicted consciences hope for in him being aduanced to the Throne Kingdome Nay I will adde more euen very hypocrites by Prayer haue escaped outward perils as Aâ—ab and such like Yea and marke them that are in warres or in some great distresse how praying to the LORD they are helped The same we shall obserue sometimes either in worldlings or in God his children vnregenerate All which will graunt that after they haue prayed but in their manner the Lord hath strangely deliuered them If wicked men haue had this benefite how much more shall the godly haue it If God his children haue found such grace before they knewe God what grace shall they haue when they know him beleeue in him and call vpon him Here then is all doubting to be taken away and we must cease to say Oh I am a sinner I cannot be helped mine vnworthines makes me ashamed Consider the tenour of this runneth in an vniuersall point to all thou caâ—st not be excluded if thou exclude not thy selfe And why It is said that all shall be
receiued the spirit not of the world but of God 1. Cor. 2. 14. Besides the spirit of God is eternall and endureth for euer but all the doings and deuices of men they perish and in time they haue an end Therefore though a man haue wisedome with great knowledge though in wit and skill he passe and excell the common sort of men yet if from aboue he hath not been inlightened if from heaueÌ„ his wisedome hath not been sanctified his knowledge shall decay his wisedome shall wither like grasse he hath not as yet tasted of the spirit of God that endureth for euer And therefore saith Saint Paul We teach the mysteries of God which none no not the Princes and the men of this world which are aboue others most excellent are able to vnderstand Secondly consider whether there bee in thee any alteratioÌ„ or change For the wise men which were expert in nature could say that in euery generation there is a corruption And we see that the seede sowen is much chaunged before it grow vp and beare fruit Then needfull it is that in regeneration there be a corruption of sinne so that as seede in the ground so sinne in our mortall bodies may decay that the new man may be raised vp the spirit of God taking possessioÌ„ of our soules Therfore the Euangelist Iohn doth make this the first worke of the spirit that it shall rebuke the world of sinne and this is so needfull that without it there is not the spirit of God neither yet can Christ come and enter into that man Here of it was that Christ compared the Iewes to children in the market place who would not dance though they were piped vnto and the reason was because they had not first learned with Iohn to mourne for they that by the preaching of Iohn learned to lament their sinnes and for their sinnes were pensiue in their owne soules they receiued Christ they danced and did reioyce to heare the ioyfull tidings of the Gospell Therefore Christ saith That whores and harlots entred into the kingdome of heauen seeing they lamented their sinnes before the proud Pharisies which were touched with no remorse for their sinnes And for the same cause it is that Christ calleth vnto him them onely that labour and aâ—e heauie ladâ—â— teaching that if they finde not sin to be a heauie loade and burthen to them they haue not the spirit of God neither are they fit to receiue Christ. Then to be rebuked of sin is the first worke of the spirit which the spirit worketh in vs by these degrees First it raiseth vp in vs a great and generall astonishment by reason of all those great and enormous sinnes that we haue committed and this doth strike vs downe it doth terrifie vs and hold vs amazed wonderfully then it dealeth with vs more particularly it bringeth vs vnto a speciall griefe for speciall sinnes it doth bereaue vs of our chiefe desires and bringeth vs out of conceit and liking with the best things that are in vs for then it doth display before vs the vanitie and darknes of our vnderstanding how vnfit and vnmeete wee are to vnderstand and conceiue those things that do aboue al others especially concerne vs then doth it let vs see the peruerse corruption of our iudgement and that before God and in things belonging to God we be as bruit beasts not able to discerne things that differ nor to put a sound difference betweene good and euill then doth it let vs see that our reason is vnreasonable nay that it is hurtfull vnto vs a great enemie to faith and a great patrone of infidelitie and vnbeleefe When it commeth to our affections it turneth them vpside downe it turneth our mirth into mourning our pleasure into painfulnes and our greatest delight into most bitter griefe If it doe proceede further and come once to the heart and to the stomacke and courage that is in vs then it cutteth vs to the quicke then doth it at once cast vs downe in humilitie vnder the hand of God for while we had to deale with men we were as stoute as any and would not start for the best We had reason to say for our selues and courage to defend our selues against all them that did deale with vs but now the spirit draweth vs into the presence of God it letteth vs see that we haue to doe with God that our strength is weaknes in respect of him Then doth our heart begin to faile vs then doe we lay our hands on our mouthes and dare not answere nay then doe we quickly take vp our crosse because the Lord himselfe hath done it Behold here how the spirit worketh behold how sinne is corrected and who so can behold here this in himselfe may assuredly say that the spirit of God is in him that it is not in vaine within him nay that it is mightie and liuely in operation in his heart The third note and effect is the bringing on forward of this worke vnto iustification for when the spirit hath brought vs thus farre then doth it begin to open vnto vs a doore vnto the grace and fauour of God it doth put into our mindes that there is mercie with God and therefore stirreth vs vp to seeke mercie at his hands afterward it doth let vs see how Christ suffered to take away the sinnes of the world that in the righteousnes of Christ we may looke to be iustified before God And this it doth not let vs see onely but doth effectually worke a sure perswasion of it in our hearts and confirmeth the same by two notable effects The first is a ioy most vnspeakable and glorious wherewith our hearts must needes be wholy taken vp and rauished when we see our selues by the righteousnes of Christ of the free mercie and grace of God redeemed from death deliuered from hell freed from the fearfull condemnation of the wicked The second is the peace of conscience which indeed passeth all vnderstanding While sinne and the guilt of sinne remained there was no peace nor rest nor quietnes to be found but feare within terrors without and troubles on euery side but when sinne is once nailed to the crosse of Christ when the guilt of sinne is taken out of our consciences and the punishment thereof farre remoued then must needes ensue great peace for our accusers dare not proceed against vs our sinnes are forgiuen vs and God is at one with vs and for this we haue the warrant and testimony of the spirit Can flesh blood perswade vs of this can any creature assure vs how God is affected towards vâ— no doubtlesse And therfore where this ioy and peace is there must needes be the holy Ghost the author worker of the saine For as no man knoweth what is in man but the spirit of man which is in him so none knoweth the will of God but the spirit of God and
or great light in darke places or great heate in bodies that were nummed before euen so truly we may say and so certainly we may perswade our selues that the spirit of God is in vs when we see our corruption consumed our soules purged from the drosse of sinne our hearts inlightened and made hot in walking and working according to that light The second question to be cōsidered is whether that man which once throughly tasted of the spirit may lose it and haue it quenched in him To this it may be said that because the spirit of God commeth to and worketh in diuers men diuersly in diuers measures therefore we must consider of the diuers working of the spirit then frame our answere accordingly First then there is a lighter lesser worke of the spirit which may be quenched in them that haue it and that this inferiour or lesser kinde of working may be taken away appeareth plainly by the parable of the seede which our Sauiour Christ propoundeth for that besides them that receiue the word into good ground and bring foorth fruites some an hundreth some thirtie some sixtie folde he doth also make mention of some others that receiued the word and yet continued not And what had not these the spirit of God in them Yes doubtlesse for they receiued the word yea they receiued it gladly and that which is more they beleeued that which they had receiued Behold then three fruites of Gods spirit in these men and yet they continued not for they beleeued indeed but their faith was temporarie it lasted but for a time and after a time it vanished away and the spirit departed from them for either the pleasures and profits of this life did driue out the graces of God and drie them vp or else the fierie heate of persecution did quite consume them More plaine and notable for this purpose is that in the sixt to the Hebrues for there the Apostle saith That some may taste of the holy Ghost and thereby be made to taste of the good word of God to be inlightened to receiue heauenly gifts yea and to taste of the power of the life to come And what then surely the Apostle saith That if such fall it is impossible they should be renewed giuing vs to vnderstand that euen they which haue receiued the holy Ghost that haue been inlightened that haue receiued heauenly gifts and haue tasted of the power of the life to come euen such may fall away and the spirit may be quenched in such There is a second kinde of working of the spirit which is a more thorough effectuall working which can neuer be taken away frō them that haue receiued it This the Apostle Peter describeth when he saith That the chosen of God are begotten againe of the immortall seede of the word This is not a bare receiuing or a light tasting of the word but it is a deepe taste of the same whereby we are begotten and borne againe The Apostle S. Iohn setteth downe another note of it saying That they that are thus borne againe cannot sin that is they cannot make an occupation of sinne they cannot fall flat away by sinne and why Euen because the seede of God abideth in them euen that seede wherewith they were begotten to a liuely hope of life euen that seede doth abide and will abide vnto the end Who so is begotten againe by this seede and hath this seede abiding in him the spirit hath wrought that in him which shall not be taken from him and therefore our Sauiour Christ saith The word that I speake is spirit and life And in another place he saith That none shall take his sheepe from him for the father is mightier than all and therefore in another place he saith That it is impossible that the elect should be seduced Thus then we see the question answered namely that there is an inferiour working which may be lost and a more effectuall working of the spirit which can neuer be taken away from them that haue it And this must not seeme strange to vs neither must we be offended that the Lord should take some and leaue others or that he should begin in some and not bring his worke to perfection for so he dealeth with other things in the world Some corne is sowen and neuer riseth some springeth and yet shortly withereth some groweth vp to an eare yet then is stricken or blasted and othersome at his good pleasure doth come to a timely ripenes In like manner some trees are planted and neuer take roote some take roote but yet not blossome some blossome yet neuer bring forth fruite and othersome through his goodnesse doe bring forth fruit in good season If the Lord deale so with the plant and hearbe of the field why may he not deale so with vs the sonnes of men If we cannot conceiue the reason of this we must holde our peace for all the workes of God are done in righteousnesse and all our knowledge is vnperfect therefore we must herein rather accuse our selues of ignorance than the Lord of vnrighousnesse nay we our selues doe deale in like sort with those things which be vnder our hand In Colledges Fellowes are first chosen to be Probationers and if they be then approoued they be made full fellowes otherwise they are not If a man being childles doe take some friends childe to make him heire of all his goods he will keepe him vpon liking if his manners be honest he shall be preferred yea it may be set ouer all his house and yet afterwards for some fault committed quite cast off Some other man taketh another childe to the same end and maketh him heire indeed so then wee must thinke it righteous in the Lord to deale thus with vs seeing we are in his hand and we must not be offended though he call some and do not inlighten them and although he inlighten some and doe not continue them and doe of his great mercie continue some euen vnto the end let vs rather see what vse we must make of this doctrine First we must take heede that we neuer quench any grace or gift that God bestoweth vpon vs. Secondly we must still labour to haue greater measure of gifts for the wicked may come to haue some small gifts such as may be quite taken away from them Lastly it doth put a plaine difference betweene the godly and the godlesse betweene them that beare a shew of holinesse and them that are indeed the holy ones of the Lord for the one endureth but for a time and the other lasteth for euer Now if we require a further triall whereby we may know whether we haue receiued that spirit which lasteth but for a time or that which will abide for euer with vs then let vs marke these rules which put a plaine difference betweene them First we must marke that inlightning and insight we
To him will I looke that is of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my words Those that are afflicted are either such as are instructed before both whence their affliction cometh and to what ende they are sent or else they are such as are ignorant and know nothing hereof They that are ignorant when they see themselues so punished they are driuen into great streights they looke onely vpon the curse of God they neuer consider the appertinances thereof and that the cause thereof is the transgression of Gods law and that it is sinne for which God is angry and that which hee punisheth in them vpon which their blindnes they attribute the cause of their paine either to Witches or to naturall causes or fortune or some such thing and hereupon to be released of their griefe they goe and runne and ride to wise men as they call them to Witches yea oftentimes to the Diuell himselfe and vse all vnlawfull meanes that they can deuise But for these what remedie is there surely euen first to consider that their afflictions are sent from God Secondly to enquire at his word the cause that moued the Lord to lay them vpon them The Lord no doubt will answere them out of his word that it was sinne Thirdly the end which the Lord hath set downe which is to humble vs. Now if wee consider that the Lord hath sent it that sinne was the cause thereof and wee bee truly humbled because of our sinnes then may wee bee bold to seeke to the waters of comfort and drinke freely of the water of life which our Sauiour hath promised to all that come vnto him to be refreshed They which are instructed both whence affliction commeth and wherefore and to what end they commonly are very sory and do earnestly repent them and although they are something troubled because before they were neuer sufficiently humbled yet are they not dismaid they haue the stay in themselues they hold it as most certaine that their God as he is all wisedome and therefore knoweth all things that are best so hee is infinite in mercie and putteth vpon him the affection of a father to those that feare him and giueth nothing to his children but those things which may be best for them and therefore they know he scourgeth as a father or beateth as a schoolemaster and no tender father or wise schoolemaster will correct the child with beating when words may serue so that they knowe the Lord was euen to take his rod in hand before hee could renew them and hereby hee meaneth to fine them that they may come out of afflictions as fined gold whom the Lord will make vessels to eternall glorie That which is set downe here of the afflictions of Iosephs brethren wee may tearme more rightly by the name of scaring than of punishment and affliction for they were but put in feare onely and though they were put in ward it was but for a very small time and wee reade of no correction that was laid vpon them no it appeareth by Iosephs affection to them who could not abstaine but was faine often to burst forth into teares when he had gone from them that he so tendred them as his brethren when by the wisedome of the spirit of God hee made a shewe as though hee would deale very hardly with them yet this fearing and searing of them it humbled them and draue them to confesse and to say one to another we haue vtterly sinned against our brother in that wee saw the anguish of his soule when hee besought vs and wee would not heare him therefore is this trouble come vpon vs. And here we see how they confessed their fault when they were scared before they â—eit any punishment vpon them which may be an argument that it was a true humbling from the heart with a griefe not of the punishment for there was yet none laid vpon them but of their sinnes which then they brought into their remembrance and it lay as a burthen vpon their conscience that they euen saw Gods iudgements readie to giue sentence of condemnation against them except they preuented him by speedie repentance Whereas if it had been done and had been in time of affliction that they had been so humbled it had been hard to say whether it had been done truely or dissemblingly with a feeling of their sinnes or the greatnes of their griefe which they sustained as is said before Thus we may learne that the Lord God doth not onely to humble vs before his Maiestie set forth the law vnto vs and preach vnto vs the threatnings thereof and then if they take no place amongst vs he laieth his rods and scourges vpon our backs but commonly of his infinite wisedome and mercie before hee afflicteth betweene the preaching of the law and affliction he scareth vs he shaketh the rod of correction ouer vs and before he punisheth hee sheweth tokens of displeasure and that wee haue prouoked him to anger wherefore we haue experience of his great mercie in this land amongst vs at this day We haue had the law preached vnto vs loe these twentie yeeres but where is any humbling any confessing of sinnes before the Lord nay wee neglect the word and haue it in contempt amongst vs wee euen loath the bread of the Lord which is of power to worke saluation to all that by faith shall feede thereon we preferre our pleasures before the keeping of the Lordes Sabbaths wee esteeme of the Lord himselfe who hath made vs of nothing bought vs with a price euen his owne blood and who one day will call all before him to iudgement as nothing we come to pray to him with lesse reuerence than to miserable men our lips say some prayers vnto God but our hearts haue some other Gods namely our belly or our goods wherein we wholy delight and in whom wee onely trust And indeed it is lamentable that prayers are saide of a number to keepe a custome and a fashion euen mocking of God and deceiuing our own soules Will the Lord suffer this Is the sacrifice acceptable that commeth not from an humbled and prepared heart no hee will not accept it All these abominations are in the land and may not the Lord haue good cause to visit amongst vs nay to come euen in iudgement against vs And yet see the vnspeakable mercie and the long suffering and the exceeding loue of God towards vs who hath for borne his rods thus long and yet destroieth vs not but before his beesome of destruction shall come to sweepe vs away hee sheweth vs foretokens of his displeasure he now beginneth to scare vs to see if yet by this meanes he may humble vs and so preserue vs from those plagues and iudgements which hee is presently purposed to bring vpon all the vngodly of the earth But how doth the Lord scare vs and what whips be they wherewith he meaneth to scourge They are many and we cannot see them all
or other that he shall neuer taste of the ioyes laid vp for the children of God In the 20. of the Acts where S. Paul giuing charge of the Church and flock of Gods people vnto the ouerseers thereof giueth this charge first Take heed therefore vnto your selues and to all the flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers to feede the Church of God which hee hath purchased with that his owne bloud The Minister must watch ouer the soules of his flocke but first ouer his owne for hee that cannot keepe his owne soule can much lesse keepe the soules of others hee that cannot gouerne himselfe cannot rule another The Minister must watch ouer the soules of his flocke so carefully and warily feeding them with wholsome and necessarie doctrine and so hungring after the saluation of all that hee must not suffer one through his default to perish therefore aboue all it is requisite that hee keepe his owne very sure Then when hee preacheth damnation vnto the obstinate and such as remaine in their sinnes thundering out the iudgements of God against them because they will not repent by that meanes to beate them downe and bring them to a sight of their miserie hee must be assured that the same belongeth not to himselfe Againe when hee preacheth of election and remission of sinnes by the merits of Iesus Christ hee must haue an assured and vnfallible testimonie to his owne conscience that he is an elect vessell of the Lord that he is redeemed by the sacrifice of Iesus Christ and that he shall enioy all the promises of the Gospell as all other children of God if hee be not assured hereof his case is worse then all other mens for in preaching condemnation to others hee condemneth himselfe and in offering the kingdome of heauen to others he quite excludeth himselfe so that hee which helpeth other out of an hole falleth himselfe so deepe into the same that it is not possible for any man to helpe him out Last of all the Minister must not onely reade and studie the word of God preach the same purely by exhorting and all other meanes that may be profitable vsing them both openly and priuately continually in season and out of season praying also for his flocke that his Ministerie may be profitable vnto them and setting himselfe an ensample of all godlines vnto them carefully watching ouer their soules but hee must also loue them so dearely that his owne life must not be deare vnto him for their sake Which tender and louing affection was in that good childe of God Saint Paul as it is manifest in his Epistle to the Thessalonians where he writeth in this sort Neither sought wee praise of meâ— neither of you nor of others when wee might haue beene chargeable as the Apostles of Christ but we were gentle among you euen as a Nourse that cherisheth her children Thus being affectioned towards you our good will was to haue dealt vnto you not the Gospell of God onely but also your owne soules because yee were deare vnto vs. So singular loue had hee towards them that they were dearer vnto him then his life this affection did hee not beare to them onely but to all the elect children of God and suffered all things for the elects sake that they might also attaine the saluation which is in Christ Iesus with eternall glory The reason thereof is because wheresoeuer the Gospell is sincerely and purely taught there bee alwayes aduersaries seeking the ouerthrowe thereof by persecuting such as professe the same to the great dismaying of the children of God who so soone as they take vpon them the profession of Iesus Christ in truth with a good conscience are straightway resisted with great combats of affliction which were able to make them forsake the faith of Iesus Christ and the profession of the Gospell if the Lord should not hold them vpright in this distresse The Apostle therefore whom the holy Ghost hath filled with all wisdome knowing that the crosse was the greatest hinderance of the Gospell that could be and also that where the Gospell was truely professed there the crosse would not be absent because by it the Lord bringeth his children into glorie of a great desire that hee had to the edification of the Church of Iesus Christ willingly suffered all kinde of afflictions thereby to confirme and strengthen the faith of Gods children and did reioyce in that hee suffered for the Churches sake for their commoditie in that by his example the Lord did not onely worke in them a greater credence and beliefe in the Gospell but such an earnest zeale also that they were readie and willing to suffer all manner of afflictions for the same and that with great ioy Whereas if the Apostle who preached vnto them this glad tidings should haue shrunke from the testimonie of his doctrine when any afflictions were laide vpon him for the same the people which were guided by him the spirit of God so prouiding would haue fallen away from the truth and euen haue hardened their hearts against it But this childe of God was so ready to confirme the faith of Gods people by these meanes when it was tolde him of a Prophet called Agabus that he should be bound at Ierusalem and deliuered into the hands of Gentiles he being intreated of the brethren that he would not goe vp who euen with teares besought the same Then Paul answered and said what doe ye weeping and breaking mine heart for I am readie not to be bound onely but also to die at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus This affection must be in euery good Minister toward their flocke that for their soules sake he shall be readie to suffer all things yea euen to giue his life for the confirmation of his doctrine the strengthening of their faith and the glory of God Our Sauiour Christ also that good shepheard refused not to giue his life for his sheepe and truely in that place of Saint Iohn he doth notably declare the difference betweene the good shepheard and the hireling I am saith he that good shepheard the good shepheard giueth his life for his sheepe but an hireling and he which is not the shepheard neither his sheepe are his owne seeth the wolfe comming and he leaueth his sheepe and fleeth and the wolfe catcheth them and scattereth them So the hireling flieth because he is an hireling and careth not for the sheepe This place teacheth vs plainely that the Ministers of Gods word must not be hirelings such as haue no care of their flocke but respect their owne profit onely and in time of daunger they will forsake them howsoeuer before they haue fed their flocke but the true Ministers must not be such they must not measure their dutie and affection towards their flocke according to their profit but he must know that he is placed ouer them to watch ouer their soules to
seede but of the immortall seede of the word of God who liueth and endureth for euer And therefore it is necessarie that they be obedient vnto their spirituall father which hath begotten them with the word of God that hee may ioyfully extend a fatherly affection towards them which thing the Apostle S. Peter exhorteth them vnto As newe borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that you may growe thereby The Apostle here sheweth a familiar reason why they should be obedient they be as new borne babes We see that little children are not able to guide themselues no not to feede themselues at the first but must be guided and nourished by the helpe of their parents vntill they be able to shift for themselues So must the children of God bee guided and nourished by the word of God that they may grow from strength to strength from faith to faith till they come to a perfect age in Christ. Therefore it is necessarie that the people be obedient vnto the Minister to whome the Lord hath giuen his word to distribute vnto his children and to increase and strengthen their faith in Iesus Christ. But some will say is this giuen to the Ministers onely what if they teach their owne deuises and not the pure word of God and make vs beleeue wee are in an happie case when wee are in most misery and yet desire to be directed in the true pathway vnto saluation I answere that you must therfore trie the doctrine which he bringeth by the touchstone of Gods word and see that it accord therwith for in that the Lord giueth the vnderstanding and interpreting of the scriptures vnto the ministers it is not without great cause that hee doth it when as hee appointeth them by the power of his word as the meanes without which they can doe nothing to bring together his children yea by the sharpe sword of the word to pearce their soules and consciences to the vtter slaying of sinne and with the excellent vertue of the same word to heale them againe which thing if the Ministers for their part shall not faithfully execute in such order as before I intreated of speaking of the duty of Ministers euen that gift the Lorde will so straightly call to account that hee shall beare the danger of euery soule that hath perished through his default Yet shall not the people be hereby discharged for they must try his doctrine as I said before and take heede that they be not seduced for if they be they shall dye in their owne sinnes If any will say that hee is ignorant truly I say he is in a dangerous case but if God hath shewed him such mercie as to make him desirous to bee instructed in the right way to saluation let him craue knowledge at the Lords hand neuer cease but be importunate vpon the Lorde in crauing his holy spirite to worke in him all spirituall grace to worke in him true Faith and to assure him of his saluation all other worldly respects set aside and let him vse great diligence in harkening to the word of God and be obedient vnto the same Moreouer let him withdraw himselfe from all euill company and frequent the companie of the godly and no doubt but the Lord will strengthen him to worke his will whereby he shall know of the doctrine whether it bee of God or not according to the rule which our Sauiour Christ giueth vs to knowe it by Hee that speaketh of himselfe seeketh his owne glorie but hee that seeketh the glorie of him that sent him the same is true and such must wee obey in the Lord. Now we see as it is our duty to obey the true Minister and such as carefully watch ouer our soules with the most wholsome word of God so must wee beware that we suffer not our selues to be seduced by false teachers and therefore wee must proue their doctrine by the word of God But last of all if any shall preach Iesus Christ sincerely and purely hauing some infirmitie we must not therfore reiect him but obey him for the truth sake and consider that we are all subiect to infirmities and that to some one more than another and therefore it is our dutie christian like to admonish him thereof and no doubt if he be the seruant of God he will giue him more strength against the same Besides this obedience the dutie of the people toward their Minister must extend further and they must also reuerence him and giue him honor else it is most certaine that obedience cannot take place which we may see by the example of the woman of Samaria who notwithstanding the great curtesie of our Sauiour Christ in telling her what he was and what he could do for her yet would she not obey him at the first but tell to taunting and ouerthwarting of him too vnreuerētly but when he had touched her conscience and laid open her wickednes so that she saw plainely he was another manner of man than she tooke him for then she began to reuerence him and said O sir I see that thou art a Prophet and then she obeyed him and desired to learne of him so before she obeyed she conceiued a reuerence of him and accounted of him as a Prophet It is also manifest in the 2. of the Acts when as the wonderfull miracle could not bring the people to obey the Apostles yet afterward when Peter with his sharpe sermon had touched their hearts in such sort that they felt the power that God had giuen them they began to reuerence them and where as before they were not ashamed to say that they were drunken with new wine now they cryed out Men and brethren what shall we doe which words doe plainely declare what a reuerent opinion they haue conceiued of them and after that they became obedient vnto them Common experience sheweth vs the same for which of you will commit your matter to any Lawyer except you haue a reuerent opinion of him that he can pleasure you and a sure trust that he will doe the best he can for the furtherance of your cause Likewise in Physick there is no man that will cōmit his life into the Physitians hand vnlesse he be first perswaded that he can by the help of God ease his griefe and that he is willing also to do what lieth in him except I say a man be thus perswaded of the Physition he will not commit himselfe into his hands nor yet obey those orders that he shall prescribe so is it in this the people must be obedient to the Minister therefore they must reuerence him or else it is not possible that they should obey him The Apostle S Paul doth notably amplifie the honor due to the true and faithfull Ministers The Elders that rule well saith he let them be had in double honour specially they which labour in the word and doctrine as if he should say let
Ministers be placed ouer the people as the wicked liuers false teachers or domb dogs it is most certaine that the Lord hath set them euen to plague the people for their sinnes Last of all the people must pray cōtinually both for themselues and for their Minister that the Lord may bestow vpon him the perfect gifts of prophecying and vpon vs obedient hearts to the word that the Lord may bee glorified in our life and conuersation which thing S. Paul desireth in his Epistles as in the 4. Chapter to the Colossians Continue saith he i◠prayer and watch in the same with thankesgiuing Pray also for vs that God may open vnto vs the doore of vtterance to speake the mysterie of Christ that I may vtter it as becommeth me to speake The like thing doth he require in the 6. to the Ephesians In both which places the Apostle noteth how needefull a thing it is for the people to pray not onely for themselues but for their Minister also for that the Lord God giueth his gifts to none but them which faithfully call vpon him and continually craue the same at his hand It behoueth the people therefore to pray for their Minister that the Lord will powre vpon him the aboundance of his spirit which may open vnto him the mysteries of his most holy word that he may be able to teach them all the counsell of the Lord. In the second Epistle to the Thessalonians and 3. Chapter he vseth these words Furthermore brethren pray for vs that the word of the Lord may haue free passage and bee glorified euen as it is with you and that we may be deliuered from vnreasonable and euill men for all men haue not faith Here doth the Apostle giue charge also that the congregation do pray for the florishing of the Gospell and the faithful Ministers thereof that the word might so much be preached and the Church of Christ thereby increased he willeth them to pray for the quiet estate of the Ministers that the Lord would deliuer them out of the hands of their aduersaries which seek not so much the destruction of the Ministers but the ouerthrow of the Gospell because they haue not faith to become partakers of the promises thereof which is only the gift of God vnto his children which shall be saued for if that all men should be saued all should haue faith but because all cannot be saued all cannot haue faith Then wee see a notable meane to attaine those things which are profitable for vs euen by prayer If therefore you desire such a Pastor as shall loue you and you him againe pray vnto the Lord for such a one If you would haue him able to teach you and your selues made obedient to his doctrine pray hartily If you would haue him long pray vnto the Lord to continue him among you and to giue him fauour in the eyes of the Magistrates to defend him from all wicked aduersaries that yee may liue peaceably together and bee builded vp into a strong faith by the word of God without any perturbation Now as it is the dutie of the whole congregation generally to pray together with one consent both for themselues their Minister Prince Magistrates and all other people so it is euerie mans dutie particularly at home at his own house to pray for them and that not once or twise now and then very seldome but daily yea continually Thus shall both the Minister and the people doe their dutie to their wonderfull comfort and glorie The third part concerning the fruites that come of the well doing of these duties both to the Minister and the people THese duties thus performed bring wonderfull commoditie And first of all if the Minister doe his dutie in preaching exhorting liuing praying and watching ouer his flocke with that care of the glorie of God and that desire of the saluation of his people that he ought this profit shall he haue The Lord will blesse his labour and he shall make an acceptable and ioyfull account and this which farre passeth all the rest he shall saue his owne soule and because he hath been a faithfull seruant ouer a little the Lord will make him his gouernour ouer a great deale euen in his kingdome of blessednes If the people do their duty vnto the Minister in obeying reuerencing him fearing him louing and prouiding all things for him and last of all in praying faithfully for him they shall make him a glad man and sturre him vp with great ioy to do for them all that be can and euen in great afflictions the remembrance of their dutifulnes and constant faith shall minister abundāce of consolatiō that he shal be forced to say with the Apostle Paul What thankes can we recompence to God againe for you for all the ioy wherewith wee reioyce before the Lord for your sake Thus shall they fill him with ioy and so winne his heart that hee had a thousand liues he would gladly giue them for their sakes to doe them good and moreouer the Lord wil blesse him in great measure for their sake with knowledge that he may be the more profitable vnto them and in the ende their soules shall be saued which is an vnspeakable treasure farre passing all other things Moreouer though the people do not their duty but become obstinate and storme and rage against the faithfull Minister which hath a care ouer them so that they doe grieue his heart through their disobedience yet if he doe his dutie in reading preaching and other points which I haue alreadie declared he shall notwitstanding saue his owne soule and also if the will of God be so he shall by his diligence winne them if not hee must be contented to submit himselfe and his doing to the will of the Lord and knowe the word of God shall haue his effect euen to make them inexcusable at the dreadfull day whereby the Lord shall be as greatly glorified as if they were saued Againe if the people do their dutie faithfully in the Lord towards their Minister being either a wicked liuer or not so zealous and true a teacher as hee ought to bee either the Lord will remoue him and place ouer them a faithfull shepheard or conuert him and bring him to do his dutie more carefully or else stirre vp other helpes for them So their soules shall be saued and he shall perish The fourth part of the danger for not doing these duties faithfully NOw wee haue seene the great fruites that come of well doing these duties both to the Minister and the people we may thereby see what danger insueth of the contrarie that is not of doing them For whereas if the Ministers doe their dutie faithfully the Lord will blesse their labours so that their account may be acceptable and their soules saued so on the cōtrarie if they do not their dutie truly as they ought and seeke the glory of God
Ministers to be preached sincerely and purely vnto his people And heere we learne by the way that the people must beware that they bee not seduced with false doctrine and mans inuention therefore they must proue the doctrine to accord with the word of God and then be obedient vnto it Secondly besides obedience wee haue learned that they must also reuerence him because they cannot obey his doctrine except they haue a reuerent opinion of him as we see by the woman of Samaria and the people that S. Peter conuerted Thirdly it is requisite that they feare him for where feare is not there honor and reuerence must needes bee absent And thus haue we heard that they ought to feare him not in respect of his person but for his office sake not as he is a man but in that he is the messenger and Minister of God Fourthly they must loue him and that vnfainedly with all their heart being ready to help him in all distresses Fiftly they must prouide for him that he may haue to maintaine himselfe and his familie to entertaine strangers and buy him bookes that he may not with any worldly care bee drawne from doing of his dutie Sixtly they must pray for him continually and for themselues also that hee may be able to teach and they to receiue the word profitably 3 These duties being wel performed bringeth this commoditie The Ministers labour shall be profitable his account acceptable and his soule saued The people shall make their minister ioyfull and louing vnto them willing to labour for their profit and in the end they shall raigne together in the kingdome of heauen Also if the Minister doth his dutie faithfully though the people doe not their yet hee shall saue his soule Likewise if the people doe their dutie and not the Minister the Lord will so prouide that they shall enioy eternall felicitie 4 Last of all if these duties be not performed we haue learned how great dangers they are in that neglect the same if the Minister his labour shall be cursed he shall be called to a streight account and shall answere for euerie soule that hath perished and so become a diuell in hel for euer If the people doe not their dutie they shall grieue their Pastor make him vnprofitable and in the end be tormented in vtter darknes for euer The Lord of all power deale mercifully with vs for his deare Sonne Iesus Christs sake and graunt such grace both vnto the Ministers of his word that they may carefully doe their duties with that feare of his name that reuerēce of his Maiestie that zeale of his glorie and that desire of the saluation of his people that they ought and that the people may so obediently and willingly receiue thy word and Ministers thereof as shall bee most for thy glorie and the profit of their soules that after this life ended wee may dwell together in thy kingdome of glorie with thy Sonne our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ to whom with thee and the holy Ghost three persons and one true and most wise God be al honour and glorie for euer Amen OF THE CONFESSION OF SINNES THE FIFTEENTH SERMON Prouerbs 28. vers 13. He that hideth his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall haue mercie THere are two parts of this verse Hiding of sinnes with punishments and Confessing with mercie It is not my manner to restraine a precept generall but according to circumstances to speake of generall things generally Here both the sinne of hiding sinnes is taught to bee auoided and the vertue of confessing sinnes to be practised A matter not obserued for error hath been much spoken against but truth not so throughly taught which is the cause of the small proceeding of the Gospell Example in Consubstantiation and Transubstantiation in the Sacrament where the true manner of Christs presence is not knowne because it hath not been taught as it should Example in superstitious holidaies the breaknecke of the Lords Sabbaths mē now not sparing to worke on the Lords day also because they haue not been taught to sanctifie it Example of Lent fast wherein the abuse of fasting hauing been checked and the manner of right fasting so little opened it is come to passe that men knowe not how truly to fast Example of the butcherly discipline once entred the truth of discipline not being spoken of it maketh men thinke that now to speake of it is to make euery one a Pope in his owne parish So likewise of Eare confession the grosse abuses whereof hauing been reprooued but the right vse of confession passed ouer vntaught men care not to confesse either to God or men and if they doe either it is rather vpon the commandements of men than vpon the consideration of iudgement and mercies Whereby also all conference and examination is taken from the Minister to whom examinatiō is not to be denied though al things be not to be disclosed And againe acknowledging of sinnes and priuate and publike reconciliation haue vtterly ceased My brethren teach the truth teach the truth for by want hereof it is come to passe that first the peace of mens consciences is not prouided for secondly our winnings are not so great as our losings thirdly God is not glorified The peace of conscience is not looked vnto for when thou knowest what thou shouldest not doe thy conscience straight accuseth thee for doing the euill thou shouldest not but because thou art not taught the good thou shouldest doe thou canst not pursue after it with comfort Our losses haue been greater thā our winnings because the good of men hath not been prouided for by building thē vp For though they heare sinnes spoken against yet seeing godlines and religion to decay the Lords day not being celebrated with reuerence men not prepared for the receiuing of the holy Sacrament neuer fasting neuer confessing c. yet the weake are not staied or drawne on but fal away the aduersaries mouth is not stopped but set wide open because truth is not enough spoken of and practised God is not glorified for they who are wonne are not so truly wonne but become hypocrites and many are not wonne at all because the truth is not fully deliuered for hearing some things spoken against they are led to contrarie heresies by reason they were not grounded in the truth which teacheth it selfe and errors also as good sheweth euil and it selfe also We must then teach loue and practise good things as we must reprooue hate and not doe that which is euill Which manner of teaching because it hath not been in vse we cannot now get credit to peoples mindes being inured with other kinde of teaching Confession is either priuate or publike Priuate first vnto the Lord secondly vnto men first for our owne sinnes secondly for the sinnes of others Publike first vnto God with men and before men secondly vnto God and vnto men That which cannot be done
thou forsaken me this was the complaint of Gedeon Did not the Lord bring vs out of Egipt but now the Lord hath forsakeÌ„ vs deliuered vs into the hands of the Midianites Iudg. 6. 13. M. Robert Glouer martyr at Couentrie after hee was condeÌ„ned by the Bishop was now at point to be deliuered out of the world it so happened that two or three dayes before his death his heart beeing lumpish and desolate of all spirituall consolation felt in himselfe no aptnesse nor willingnesse but rather a heauinesse and dulnesse of spirit full of much discomfort to beare the bitter crosse of Martyrdome readie now to bee laide vpon him wherevpon hee fearing in himselfe least the Lord had withdrawn his wonted fauour from him made his moane to one Austine his deere friend signifying vnto him how earnestly he had prayed day and night vnto the LORD GOD and yet could receiue no motion nor sense of any comfort from him vnto whome they saide Austine answered againe willing him patiently to waite the Lords pleasure howsoeuer his present feeling was yet seeing his cause was iust and true he exhorted him constaÌ„ntly to sticke to the same to play the maÌ„ nothing doubting but the Lord in his good time would visite him and satisfie his desire with plentie of consolation c. The next day when the time came of the Martyrdome as he was going to the place and was now come to the sight of the stake although all the night before praying for strength and courage he could feele none suddainly he was so replenished with the holy Ghost that he cryed out clapping with his hands to Austine and saying with these words Austine he is come he is come c. and that with such ioy and alacritie as one seeming rather to be risen from some deadly danger to liberty of life then as one passing out of the world by any paines of death Desertion in sinne is when God withdrawing the assistance of his spirit a man is left to fall into some actuall and grieuous sinne And for all this no man is to thinke that God is the authour of sinne but onely man that falleth and Sathan A resemblance of this truth we may see in a staffe which if a man shall take and set vpright vpon the ground so long as he holds it with his hand it stands vpright but so soone as he withdrawes his hand though he neuer push it downe it fals of it selfe In this desertion was the good King Hezekiah of whom the holy Ghost speaketh thus Hezekiah prospered in all his waies therefore dealing with the Ambassadours of the Princes of Babel which sent to him to inquire of the wonder which was done in the Land God left him namely to the pride of his heart to exalt himselfe in tempting him that he might trie out all that was in his heart To this place appertaine Noahs drunkennesse Dauids adulterie Peters deniall of Christ. The reason of such desertions may be this If a patient shall be grieuously sicke the Physition will vse all manner of meanes that can be deuised to recouer him and if he once come to a desperate case the physition rather then he will not restore him will imploy all his skill he will take poyson and so temper it and against the nature thereof he will make a soueraigne remedie to recouer health The elect children of God are diseased with an inward hidden and spirituall pride whereby they affect themselues and desire to be something in themselueâ— foâ—â—h of Christ and this sinne is very dangerous first because when other sinnes die in a man this secret pride gets strength for Gods grace is the matter of pride in such wise that a man will be proud because he is not proude for example if any shall be tempted of the diuell to some proud behauiour and by Gods grace get the victorie then the heart thus thinketh Oh thou hast done well thou hast foiled the enemie neither pride nor any other sinne can preuaile against thee such and such could neuer haue done so and a very good man shall hardly be free from such kind of motions in this life Secondly there is no greater enemie to faith then pride is for it poysoneth the heart and maketh it vncapable of that grace so long as it beareth any sway for he that will beleeue in Christ must be annihilated that is he must be brused and battered to a flat nothing in regard of any liking or affection to himselfe that he may in spirit mount vp to heauen where Christ sits at the right hand of the Father and as it were with both the hands of faith graspe him with all his blessed merits that he may be wisedome righteousnesse sanctification redemption life good workes and whatsoeuer good thing he is neither in nor by nor for himselfe but euery way forth of himselfe in Christ. Now this blessed condition of a beleeuing heart by naturall selfe-loue selfe-liking is greatly hindered God therefore in great mercy to remedie this dangerous corruption lets his elect seruants fal into trouble of minde conscience if they happily be of greater hardnesse of heart into some actuall sin so declaring his wonderfull mercy in sauing them he is faine against his mercy to bring them to his mercy and by sin to saue them from sin By this means the Lord who can bring light out of darknesse makes a remedy of sin to slay pride that inuisible moÌ„ster of many heads which would slay the soule Though this be so yet none must hereupon venter to coÌ„mit any sin against Gods commandemeÌ„ts least in so doing they cast away their soules For the godly man though he fal into sin yet it is against his purpose and it makes his hart to bleed the course of his life shall be alwaies vpright and pleasing vnto God because he is led by the spirit of God The ends for which God vseth desertions are three the first is the chastisement of sins past in the former part of mans life that he may search them out coÌ„sider them he hearâ—ily sorrowfull for them for this end was Iobs triall Thou writest saith he bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the sinnes of my youth The second end is that God may make triall of the present estate of his seruants not that he is ignorant what is in man but because he would haue all men know themselues To this effect saith Moses And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God lead thee in the wildernesse for to humble thee and to prooue thee to know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldest keepe his commandements or no. This also was the end why the Lord left Ezechias to prooue and trie what was in his heart The triall by desertion serueth for two purposes for other whiles the Lord vseth it for the manifestation of some hidden sinne that the godly may
would not make a shewe of godlinesse and denye the power of it in their liues but earnestly desire that the good worke begunne by the Lord it might in due time bee accomplished by them Quicken me in thy righteousnes He said before quicken me in thy word here in thy righteousnes all is one for the word of God is the righteousnes of God in which is set down the rule of righteousnes In this the Prophet desires to be quickened that is to be confirmed that in cheerefulnes and gladnes of spirit hee might relye vpon the word of God If any by righteousnes vnderstand that iustice of God by which hee defendeth such as commit themselues to him I gainesay it not VAV THE 6. PORTION ¶ Vers. 41. And let thy louing kindnes come vnto me O Lord and thy saluation according to thy promise HE goeth on yet in his prayer and here beggeth of God two things First mercie secondly saluation and both because God had promised them No maruell if hee desire Gods louing kindnesse For thy louing kindnesse saith hee is better then life it were better to be in hel with Gods fauour then in heaueÌ„ without it Mans sauour is mutable Gods immutable mans temporary Gods eternall mans of desert Gods free mans respecteth somewhat in man Gods beholdeth man in Christ. This wee must desire aboue all earthly things And thy saluation First mercie and then saluation the one is the cause the other the effect By saluation he meaneth ayde deliuerance victorie and eternall life this he calleth Gods saluation because it commeth onely from him According to thy promise This is â—â— which hee â—uer chargeth God with all it is an easie matter to trust God on his word in presperitie 〈◊〉 that can doe so in aduersitie hee is the man indeede But what benefit shalt thou haue Dauid if God bee a mercifull Sauiour vnto thee c. ¶ Vers. 42. So shall I make answere to my blasphemers for I trust in thy word MAny aduersaries had this holy Prophet they came about him like bees they layde to his charge things which hee neuer did and especially because hee made his boast of God and trusted to his word they oftentimes reproached him for it and when he was driuen to any extremitie they beganue to say where is now his God Thus became hee the shame of men and thâ— contempt of the people All they that sawe him had him inderision they made mowes and nodâ—ea their heads saying Hee trusted in God let him deliuer him let him saue him seeing hee loueth him Psal. 22. 6. 7. 8. In this hee was a type of our blessed Sauiour who was taunted in the like sort vpon the câ—osse Matth. 27. 39. 40. 41 42. 43. What now doth this man of God labour for to confute and put to silence these his blasphemers Surely the performance of Gods louing kindnesse and saluation the which it pleased him to make promise of This if wee pray for in all our troubles as the propher here doth in his this if wee staye our selues vpon as Dauid euer did though our enemies hee neuer so many neuer so mightie neuer so malitious wee shall in the ende haue such assured victorie that wee shall not onely answere our aduersaries but they with shame shall answere themselues and say wee fooles thought his confidence sollie but now wee see that hee is the Lords beloued and blessed are they that trust in him Obserue 1 That it is no new thing for the aduersaries of religioÌ„ to scorne such as trust onely in God and relie vpon his promises of saluation made vnto theÌ„ These wicked ones knewe no arme but flesh no security but in the things of this life as for such as thinke the name of the Lord to bee the strongest tower them they haue daily in derision 2. Not that if we trust in the word of God we shall be able to answere all our aduersaries for Christ will giue vs a mouth and wisedome whereagainst all our enemies shall not bee able to speake or resist Luk. 21. 15. Hugo Cardinalis obserueth that there are three sorts of blasphemers of the godly the deuils heretikes and slanderers The deuill must be answered by the internall word of humilitie heretiques by the externall word of wisedome slanderers by the actiue word of good life Vers. 43. And take not thy word of trueth vtterly out of my mouth for I waite for thy iudgements HE might for a while not finde the word of trueth to answere yet he prayeth that the word be not vtterly taken from him so hee saide â—â—â—sake me not ouer long This then sheweth that our case doth alter and change ebbe flow as it pleaseth God which reproueth them that are alwayes in the same case for the children of God haue a other course and wee must looke to be so our selues And this is a comfort when wee feele our selues weake yet Gods children haue been so also it may humble vs considering that God doth for some sinne lay this vpon vs let let vs pray that we may not be so for euer For I haue wâ—â—ted c. This sheweth that we may be so for a while yet we must wait til it please him to helpe vs. For thy iudgements that thou wilt execute iudgement on the wicked that thy children may obtaine the promises for then doth the Lord execute iudgements when he punisheth the wicked as he hath threatned and when he fulfilleth his promises to his children giuing them a tong to answere his blasphemers Vers. 44. So shall I alway keepe thy Law for euer and euer IF thou wilt deale thus then shall I keepe thy worde where hee teacheth that if God doe daily assist vs we shall stand but if he do not we shall fal flat This must teach vs to pray and that earnestly and this sheweth perseuerance contrary to the Papists which teâ—â—â— to doubt of saluation for the perswasion of Gods goodnes doth assure vs that we shall continue to the ende and if wee feele our faith weake and pray with assurance of his goodnesse that he will helpe vs we may be assured to stand Vers. 45. And I will walke at libertie for I seeke thy precepts HE will walke in the commandements that he may be at libertie for that is the plaine way all other are biâ—-paths which hee shall be free from if he sticke to the commandements For this is the cause that we are troubled and intangled because we aske not counsell at Gods word and wholy sticke vnto that and therefore we fall into some sinne and be ouercome with some temptation For the word is a lanterne to direct our steps without this we shall wander but if we tend to this light wee shall be at libertie This setteth out the benefit that those haue which enioy the word and their miserie that want it This then requireth that we be thankfull for Gods word and reproueth them that hauing the word yet wander astray and
loue darkenes more than the light and falshood heresies and lyes more than the trueth This is a sin to be punished when we haue the word and yet walke not at libertie and if wee cannot be at libertie when we haue the word it is sure that we cherish some secret sinne and doe not search into God word For that is so full of wisdome that it will rid vs our of all Yet the children of God haue their infirmities out of which they haue good issues But the ignorance of Gods word is the cause of many troubles for though a man were in as great a streight as Abraham was when hee should offer his sonne yet should he be directed Then this layeth a straight charge on vs to studie the word of God Vers. 46. I will speake also of thy testimonies before Kings and will not be ashamed IF God will thus assist mee I will speake euen before the wisest and stand in the sight of the Kings though it be fearefull This then will assure vs that we shall neuer fall if we study heare reade c. on Gods holy word and take heede to our wayes according thereto Then if we desire to stand for euer let vs meditate on Gods word for God hath giuen this not onely to the learned but also to idiotes Here wee see that wee neuer rightly profit till we be not afraide before whomsoeuer wee come for if wee bee assured that our cause bee good then may wee be assured that it shall be giuen vs what to answere and this maketh men afraide when they doubt of their cause Wee are not afraide to speake to a Gentleman if a Lorde bee with vs then shall wee not neede to feare a King when the King of Kings is with vs as Moses Hebr 11. None then haue this gift of bouldnes but they to whome God giueth it not the wise not the mightie of the world The Word giueth vs what to answere then if we faile it is a signe that wee faile in the Word But let vs deale earnestly with the Word and keepe a good conscience and it shall be giuen vs. This doth againe commend the word of God vnto vs. If wee be not ashamed of him before Kings we shall be Kings in his Kingdome Vers. 47. And my delight shall be in thy commandements which I haue loued THat he may come to this grace he will loue the Word because he delighteth in it for delight is the signe of loue Doe wee not then delight in the Word wee haue not a loue to it so of prayer and hearing the Word if we delight in it we will prepare our selues to heare it and meditate in it afterward for hee sheweth his loue when he saith I will meditate then if we will not finde terror of conscience and fall into many euils let vs make conscience to call it to minde For if wee doe take the Name of GOD in vaine by hearing the Word without meditation then the Word being a true witnes shall be a witnesse against vs in that day for this meditation is commended Part. 13. There are set times for hearing praying c but meditation must euer be with thee that thou mayest knowe whether the thing thou doest bee agreeable to his will and whether thou mayest looke for his blessing in it ¶ Vers. 48. Mine hands also will I lift vp vnto thy commandements which I haue loued and I will meditate in thy statutes IT was not sufficient as he thought to acquaint GOD with the delight of his heart vnles he also made manifest vnto him that his outward gesture was answerable to his hart You shall obserue it euen in little children that if they desire to haue any thing that they see they will stretch out their hands that they may get holde and hauing once gotten it you shall hardly get it from them againe And certainly if the inward man be sound you shall obserue it by the outward gesture of the bodie The people were desirous to heare Christs Sermon their eyes were bent and fixed vpon him Luk 4. 6. Dauid would expresse his loue to Gods Arke he daâ—nced before the Arke of Gods Couenant If wee loue Gods Worde and loue it in truth our hands will be as ready to turne ouer the leaues of that blessed booke as our hearts are desirous of the vnderstanding of it that in this longing desire taking it into our hands we may in the ende haue such fast holde of it that wee will not forgoe it for all the worlde We cannot employ our hands in a better worke especially when we haue freedome from our callings then to take vp the booke of God and peruse it ouer Augustine tooke it vp and was conuerted by that one sentence Rom 13. 14. The night is past the day is at hand c. Vrsine tooke it vp and was comforted by this one sentence None can take them out of my Fathers hands Iohn 10 29. Chrysostome tooke it vp and was assured that in his zeale hee should not want because Dauid had saide The earth is the Lords and all that therein is Bilâ—ey tooke it vp as it is in the booke of Martyrs and was much quieted by that saying of Saint Paul This is a true saying and by all meanes worthie to be receiued that IESVS CHRIST came into the worlde to saue sinners of whome I am chiefe And such was the loue of one Gregorie Crowe of whom wee may read in the said booke that suffering shipwracke hee cast away his money and kept his Testament in his bosome and after many dayes floting on the Sea vpon a maste being taken vp by a certaine passinger his first care was for that booke of his fearing least it should haue bene wet with the Sea If he had looked for a Crucifixe as hee looked for Gods booke surely the whole world should haue bene acquainted with it Doth Dauid thus shew his inward loue by his outward gesture let vs doe it whensoeuer wee come either to heare God speaking to vs or will our selues speake vnto God Let our eyes bee fastened our eares attentiue our hearts intent our persons reuerent before our God that whatsoeuer wee doe may argue our pietie to God and bee answerable to the inward affection of the soule And I will meditate And why should not wee The Iewes are reported to be so skilful in that Bible that many of theÌ„ were able to tell how many times euery letter of the Alphabet was in the Hebrue Bible The Scriptures are a light shining in a darke place 2 Pâ—â— 1. 19. we must attend vnto them while we are wandring in the darke places of this world can wee attend without meditation the word of God is the sword of the spirit Ephes. 6. without meditatioÌ„ it is a sword in the hand of a child or a mad â—â—aÌ„ How many take delight in reading of bâ—llads and idle discourses who neuer meditate to the word of God The sicke stomacke
the Prophet here made any new or strange couenant but rather he iterated that couenant which before he had made in circumcision although we make no such couenant now yet we must know that we haue made them before For this was a renewing of his oth which he made when he was circumcised and entred into Gods familie And because I am not here to enter into the discourse of many particular vowes wee shall speake of our generall vow which wee make in Baptisme which though we doe not renue yet wee are much to be ashamed of it Wee finde that vowes are either generall or particular And here by the way wee must note that that which wee call a compact betweene man and man the same is a vow betweene God and man For as in ciuill affaires a compact is a streight thing and bindeth vs more before men than a baâ—e promise and promises simply made seeme to haue greater libertie than a compact so also promises made to the Lord must keepe vs in obedience but especially vowes as a double bond are farre more neerely and carefully to be performed Concerning generall vowes we know that in the ordaining of Kings vowes were made from them to the Lord as also some passed from their Princes to the people as 2. Chro 23. where Iehoiadâ— tooke the Captaines of hundreths in couenant with him And all the Congregation made a couenant with the King Ioâ—sh in the house of God And as 2 Chron. 34. 31. Iosiah when hee had destroyed the Idols and reformed the Temple after the finding of the booke of the Lawe stood by the pillar and made a couenant before the Lord to walke after the Lord and to keepe his commandements and his testimonies and his statutes c. Also Nehâ— 10. we shall finde a generall couenant confirmed by an oath Concerning particular couenants they are either simply according to Gods word or else taken vp for some speciall end either as meanes to come to some good or else as bridles to auoide some euill as 2. Chron. 15. 12. When the people made a couenant to seeke the Lord c. 14. They did sweare vnto the Lord with a lowd voyce Also Nehem. 10 the people take a new oth and seale it Ezra 9 where wee may see that when Ezra had wept and fasted for the sinnes of the people in that they had taken strange wiues of the people of the Lands 3. Made them to make a couenant with the Lord and to put away their strange wiues as also Nehem. 5. On this sort Ieremie preswadeth his people chap. 34 to make a couenant concerning the liberties of their seruants and denounceth the fierce wrath of God vpon them for breaking their promise Of these two kindes of couenants â—he selfe same rules are to be prescribed If we feele in our selues any speciall dulnes we must bewaile it and when we see that we haue the more streights of minde we must stirre vp our selues and not neglect the meanes Wee speake not here of free vowes but of such as the word of God commandeth and that for feare of relapse and falling from the Lord we may vse these means more surely to tie vs vnto him A contract is betweene man and man which when it is betweene God and man it is called a vow In contracts men leaue some libertie to themselues so that for some circumstances they neede not keepe it but it is meete that euery vow be performed to God These vowes and couenants are either generall such as the King maketh with his subiects as Ioas and Iosias and Nehemiah maketh a generall couenant or particular as Asa made a particular couenant which couenant is either commanded or taken vp for some cause of and in respect of our selues as meanes to auoide euill or to lay hold of goodnes Ezra 9. The particular couenant or vow which is commanded is euer contained vnder the generall and hath respect vnto some speciall part thereof And therefore many godly Kings tooke othes of their subiects to leaue some speciall sinne or to doe some speciall good deedes So men c. So Nehemiah made a particular couenant with the rich men that they should not oppresse the poore Nehem. 5. So Ieremy caused the people to make a particular couenaÌ„t 44. There is the same reason of the generall couenant and the particular that is commaunded for we are bound to doe them therefore if we be slacke in either of them we must be sorie for it if wee haue receiued grace wee must stirre it vp and for the stirring vp of our selues we must not neglect this remedie Now where some take this to be a place from whence they might either draw an argument of free will or proue by it that we are able to keepe the lawe of God they deceiue themselues for first note the word here vsed he saith not that he hath sworne to keepe the law of God but the iudgements of God which he often before after in the second verse from this vseth for the righteous performance of Gods promises or executing of his iust vengeance neither doth hee meane here a simple keeping of them but rather an inward and carefull receiuing of them in his heart and notan outward performance Thus the word keeping is often taken in the holy Scriptures euen for a laying vp of the truth in our minde from whence wee may draw out the vse of it as occasion shall serue as where it is said Blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it that is faithfully lay it vp in their hearts with a full intent to practise when God shall giue iust occasion thereof So that the meaning of this word is nothing else but a solemne laying vp of the iudgements of God in his minde mentioned also before portion 3. 6 Remoue from me shame and contempt for I haue kept thy testimonies So that he sheweth how hee did marke diligently how God fulfilled his promises to his children and executed vengeance vpon the wicked And because the fulfilling of Gods promises is to giue strength to his to keepe the word hee sheweth how he would take a view how God performed this grace in his seruants both in forgiuing the sinnes of the repentant and giuing his grace to them that craue it Now there are two things especially which hinder vs from this practise First the subtletie of Sathan thus reasoning in vs I would gladly vow but when I haue vowed such a good thing I am further from performing my vow than euer I was before We answere that this indeede is so and commeth as a iudgement of God for vowing so high a thing vnaduisedly and rashly with a secret presuming of our selues and not of God with want of a prayer to the Lord for grace to performe the same as the Prophet did For so soone as the Prophet had vowed thus to the Lord he immediatly maketh his prayer feruently asking of
shield and I trust in thy word BEcause the Prophet could not perswade himselfe of any other safetie than of the safeâ—â—â—â— which he had vnder the Lord he sheweth that so long as he put his trust in Gods 〈…〉 s he feared nothing And surely this ought to be the principal thing among Christians to looke for none other defence than that which is to be looked for out of the promises of God For what is the cause why when wee are in daunger in pouertie in any distresse wee haue so many by-paths and can inuent vnlawfull meanes and shifts so for our deliuerance but onely because the Lord and his word is not our refuge and our shield For if we were once perswaded that God were our tower to defend vs and our shield to couer vs wee should be staied If wee then call on God in our neede we must know that Psal. 33. vers 18. The eye of the Lord is vpon them that feare him and vpon them that trust in his mercies And that Psal. 145. 18. Hee will fulfill the desire of them that feare him hee also will heare their crie and will saue them And our cause being good we neede not to doubt of him for he hath promised to be our shield and buckler So our Sauiour Christ being tempted of Sathan to turne the stones into bread was moued by him to distrust Gods prouidence What saith he doest thou thinke that if thou wert the Sonne of God thou shouldest bee left in such wants make some shift therefore for thy selfe But Christ knowing God to bee the author of his neede was assured that he would secretly nourish him vntill hee had receiued ordinarie meanes againe and so strengthened himselfe in Gods promises Likewise when we are in need or in perill Sathan will cause vs to vse one shift or other but we must answere him The Lord is my shield and tower I am sure enough and therfore I hate all ill inuentions I put my trust in the Lord. We acknowledge this with our tongue yet it is a hard thing to bee practised to put our trust in Gods word For howsoeuer wee will grant indeede that wee must put our trust in God yet we hardly yeeld vnto this that we must trust in his word but we must here correct this vnbeliefe and learne that if we seeke for helpe at God wee must trust in his word Doth Gods word threaten his iustice and can wee finde in our liues that if wee vse euill meanes we shall be punished Doth Gods word assure vs that God is mercifull and doe we beleeue that Iesus Christ came to saue sinners although we were the greatest and that he came to call sinners and not the righteous to repentance and that Iesus Christ came to saue that which was lost and to refresh all that are wearie and heauie laden Thus the man of God saith portioÌ„ 8. 1. O Lord thou art my portioÌ„ I haue determined to keepe thy law And portion 14. 6. Thy testimonies haue I taken as an heritage for euer for they are the very ioy of my heart Thus he sheweth that we must seeke for that in Gods word which wee seeke for of him For his word is a conduit or waterpipe whereby the Lord conueying his mercies vnto vs will haue them runne through vnto vs. Doe wee beleeue then the promises that God will prouide for vs then let vs beware of al wicked shifts and trust onely in his word For if we beleeue God to be our tower we must looke to Gods word The Heathen men and the prophane worldlings will speake gloriously of the goodnesse of the strength and of the mercy of God but when they come to see it in the word they will erre altogether out of the way whereby they shew how they vtter more in their tongues than they performe in truth For the Lord hath layde that helpe on his word which he would haue vs to seeke for at his hand so Christ by the word put the diuell to flight with these words in effect Thou wouldest haue me Sathan to mistrust my Fathers prouidence and to giue my selfe to be taught of thee but I know he will keepe me in all my necessities and why because he hath said Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God the Lord hath prouided ordinarie meanes to nourish me and hath not commaunded that stones should be made bread and why then should I vse vnlawfull meanes Wherefore I will stay my selfe vpon my Fathers prouidence We see he might haue said that God is almightie and strong or that by his mightie power he might haue put off Sathan but he reciteth the words of Moses which he vsed when the Lord so wonderfully had preserued his people the Israelites in the wildernesse without ordinarie meanes We must in like manner when Sathan shall set vpon vs in time of neede say it is written The Lord is iust and true in all his promises It is written The eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous and his eares are open to their crie nothing wanteth to them that feare him The Lyons doe lacke and suffer hunger but they which seeke the Lord shall want nothing which is good It is written Rom. 8. verse 35. Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword When we are tempted then with doubting in our selues that we shall not escape we must know that it is written Rom. 8. 31. If God be on our side who can be against vs 32. Who spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him for vs all to death how shall he not with him giue vs all things also If we be tempted to steale we must say as it is written Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God knowing that God is able to preserue vs without ordinarie meanes Vers. 115. Away from me ye wicked for I will keepe the commandements of my God THe cause why the man of God could not so stay himselfe on the Lord was because what way soeuer he turned himselfe he could see no man that would helpe him He had no helpe of the world euery man prouided for himself some shifted this way another that way he could see no good example of any which either beleeued Gods promises to be true or were readie to obey his commaundements Wherefore it is manifest that they were impediments rather than furtherances vnto him For else why should he say Away from me ye wicked c Were there so many impediments in his daies and shall we thinke there are not so many in ours or was that age wherein he liued more wicked than the age wherein we liue First we are nothing like him in good things he had greater graces of God than we haue he had gone further in holinesse than we we liue
of Gods children are not so sirme as that it is neuer shaken they are not alwaies in the tenour and as the Lord giueth them of his grace in measure so hee giueth them at sometimes more at sometimes lesse he often humbleth them with incredulitie to exercise them in prayer and to confirme them the more by his Spirit whereof they haue had a pledge in his word Wee haue learned that the Prophet thought himselfe to haue no life but as he had the feeling of the life of the Sonne of God to be conueyed to him by the spirit of God through the working of the word of God and that as we breathe eate playe and labour wee haue nothing differing from bruite beasts as we haue fiue wits to discourse of things we haue nothing more than the heathen than the Turkes than the vngodly infidels The Scriptures shew that all that liue in ignorance and sinne are dead for they that liue in ignorance sit in darkenes and in the shadow of death as it is in the song of Zacharie and if we liue in sinne the Apostle witnesseth we are but dead Ephes 2.1 The death of sinne is the life of a man and the life of sinne is the death of a man sinne then I meane to liue in vs when wee giue ouer our selues to sin with pleasure and lye in our sinne with delight And yet here is a further thing for the man of God speaketh of the experience of Gods children who when they feele delight in prayer and their inward man delighted with the word of God they thinke they are aliue and that so long they walke in the land of the liuing but when they fal into some sinne and become vnthankfull or pensiue there comes a dulnes and deadnes of heart they are not able to see any difference betweene themselues and the reprobates and finding in themselues such an heape of ill inclinations they think themselues to be dead It followeth in the verse And disappoint me not of mine hope As if he should say O Lord euen as I trust in thy word so my hope is that thy word shall be accomplished As faith is the mother of hope so hope is the daughter and nurse of faith for faith breedeth hope and hope nourisheth faith faith assureth vs of the trueth of Gods word hope waiteth for the accomplishment of it His meaning then is Lord as I trust in thy word so strengthen my faith and disappoint mee not of my hope for howsoeuer the wicked continue for a while I beleeue that I shall haue a glorious end I beleeue it is not lost labour to serue the Lord O Lord I hope to see them troden downe that breake thy statutes Thus we see how Gods children feare their vnbeliefe and nourish their faith with prayer so the true Minister of God cannot but be zealous to stirre vp his people to feruent and frequent prayer We see the one halfe of this Psalme to bee prayer and that in euery portion two or three or foure verses be prayers And the man of God being willing to bring his knowledge to feeling hath still this prayer Stay mâ—e in thy word teach mee thy statutes disappoint me not of my hope establish thy promises to thy seruant For as reading hearing and conferring doe more increase knowledge than feeling so meditating praying and singing doe more nourish feeling than knowledge Had he that had such a faith in Gods word such ioy such delight such life in the spirit neede so often and feruently to pray then I beseech you let vs pray pray pray Vers. 117. Stay thou me and I shall be safe and I will delight continually in thy statutes THis agreeth with that in the verse going before stablish mee according to thy promise Hadst thou need Dauid to be staied didst thou wauer oh how need we to be stayed and to pray against our wauering he meaneth here thus much although I am well minded and delight in thy law yet I am so brittle and so slipperie that if thou stay mee not I shall sall I am gone Oh man of God feeling his owne wants and infirmities I shall be safe that is If I be not stayed by thine hand I shall be at the last cast Psal. 30. 6 he said hee should neuer be remoued here is another spirit where he saith he should be safe But here wofull experience taught him that he durst not be stayed on himselfe whereby he declareth that as without Gods word he could not be safe so come what come would befall what danger could befall in the Lords word he was staied sufficiently Then we are to learne that the promises of God must engender in vs a care and feare of our selues for if we begin once to be quiet with our selues when wee begin to be secure and presumptuous let vs assure our selues that we are not farre from sinne But if we feare that wee are staggering and reeling persons and that we are very slipperie is there not cause of humbling that this humblenes should breed carefulnesse carefulnesse should cause watchfulnesse watchfulnesse should vse the meanes and the meanes should be sanctified by prayer Then come hell come the diuell come the world come the flesh if the Lord stay vs we shall liue and not die we shall surely not miscarie And I will delight continually in thy statutes Wee see here that there is no free will for he prayeth likewise Port. 5. 1. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes Neither did he promise of himselfe before but did hope in the Lord. Such brittlenes is in the world such sleights in the flesh such slinesse in SathaÌ„ such corrupt examples in the world that vnlesse the Lord stay vs we are so farre off from delight in good that we are ready to fall into great sinnes Euery man therefore is to search his owne heart and by the cause we may come to the effects and by the tree may coniecture of the fruite so by the effects we may iudge of the cause and by the fruite we may iudge of the tree Where is now this delight when we heare the word we heare it with such coldnesse therefore it is a manifest proofe we are not staâ—ed in the Lord. For whosoeuer doth not delight in the word he may deceiue his owne soule but surely as yet he is not staied on God If we are not delighted then are we stâ—ied on our own selues but if the Lord work in vs then shal we feele delight This is a griefe of my soule that I see no delight in the Lords day all things are done for fashion but the power of godlinesse is not among vs. The cause is the want of priuate exercises the want of priuate reading and praying and this bringeth a secret curse of publike exercises and therefore I cannot but so often vâ—ge priuate prayer and meditation Vers. 118. Thou hast troden downe all them that depart from
Wherefore Iob said chap. 31. 13. that if hee did contemne the iudgement of his seruant or of his maide when they did thinke them selues euill entreated by him What shall I doe when God standeth vp and when he shall visite me what shall I answere He that made me in the wombe hath he not made him hath he not alone fashioned vs in the wombe Vers. 122. Answere for thy seruant in that which is good and let not the proude oppresse mee ANswere that is be suretie for me So though his cause was good yet he thought himselfe not so wise as to answere his enemies nor so strong as to preuaile against them in that which is good hee knewe that God would not take his part in any euill cause which must make vs if wee looke for God to be our helpe to prouide that our cause bee good His minde then is if my cause Lord were euill I durst not craue thy helpe but it is good therefore speake for me We therefore if our cause be ill are rather to craue of God to haue our sinne pardoned because the righteous God is not a defender of an vnrighteous cause Againe though our cause be good wee must not therefore thinke that wee our selues can answere it because the man of God saith portion 20. 2. Pleade my cause and deliuer me that is Lord put an answere into my mouth take my cause into thine owne hand mine enemies are too wise and strong for me Thus the Saints of God hauing good causes would not trust in them What is then the cause why oftentimes in good causes wee preuaile no more euen because wee would shoulder them out with our own strength say not Lord put wisedome into my mouth Lord put a weapon into my hand Then our good causes must neuer be seuered from our God for otherwise wee shall neuer haue good issue of them So we must beware that wee make not God a reuenger of our affections but pray that wee may bee harnessed with a righteous cause and with a right handling of it from God True it is then that in trouble we may pray not to be ouercome yet wee see the man of God confessed how hee behaued himselfe well in affliction and as by the fire the gold is both tried good and purged from the drosse so the Lord prooued in him the gold of his graces and scoured him from corrupt affections he scoured him from the loue of this world to stirre vp in him the loue of the world to come he scoured him from the workes of the flesh and quickened in him the workes of the Spirit he stirred vp his gifts to serue Gods glorie and scoured him from the loue of himselfe So by his fatherly chastisements the Lord quickeneth vs in good things and deliuereth vs from euil So we haue heard also how in our defence we must pray for Gods graces because for want of wisedome and patience we cannot answere our owne cause For as in our suites at law we get pleaders and Proctors to speake for vs so we must know that in the court of heauen we cannot pleade for our selues but must open our suites to Christ which must pleade it for vs. Now in that he saith Let not the proud oppresse me he noteth that they were such as did flatter themselues for graces receiued as though they should bee controllers vnto him No maruell then though we reproch men when we reproch Gods mercie maiestie We may learne here that wee can neuer deale mercifully with men which will not deale mercifully with our selues For our sinnes must humble vs before God before wee will be humbled with man otherwise we shall grow so proude that we shall not be farre from oppression Vers. 123. Mine eyes haue failed in waiting for thy saluation and for thy iust promise HEre is a further thing that the man of God requireth not looking to be helped at the first brunt but neuer to leaue off his suite vnto the very failing of his eyes according to that of the Apostle 1. Pet. 3. 10. If any man long after life c. 11. Let him eschew euill and do good let him seeke peace and follow after it So this man of God had long endured trouble which many will be content happilie to sustaine for a while but if it be any thing long they fall from iudgement and iustice Wee must not thinke then to deale ill with them that deale ill with vs neither must we deale well but for a time because wee must perseuere For when we slip too much we neuer shewe that we did truly execute iudgement and iustice If the man of God here so resisted the diuell and wicked men which are as the instruments of Sathan breathing for our destruction we must also fight against them after his example although his soule fainted his eyes failed his flesh parched his naturall powers melted This we may also see how the Saints of God mourned in their prayer Away then with this common saying which proceedes from inconstancie I haue borne iniuries long I haue taken much at his hand and put vp many wrongs should I suffer him still to abuse mee and let my selfe be vndone Surely euen to the failing of our eyes the Prophet sheweth vs wee must maintaine a good cause and seeing the Lord hath the issues of all things in his hand and helpeth desperate cases he will vndoubtedly helpe vs if we leaue not our case Then we see though he had deuoured many euils yet he executed iudgement and iustice so we must swallow vp many iniuries and yet neither depart from the Lord nor cease from our cause And though we would crie in our prayers to be heard to the clowdes and send foorth lowde shrikes though wee would roare as a cannon gunne yet what is it that seasoneth our prayers euen the mourning of our hearts the failing of our eyes and when we pray with vnspeakeable sighes which cannot be expressed For they be not lowde eloquent and well set prayers which are acceptable to the Lord but our staying our selues on the Lord and our continuing in well doing and our maintaining of a good cause to the vtmost so that a man might sooner pull the eyes out of our heads and the heart out of our bodies and bereaue vs of our liues than make vs leaue righteousnes and though troubles shall come we will still follow our cause to the failing of our eyes fainting of our hearts and melting of our powers Herein then appeared the true vertue of the faith of this man of God because whilest no wickednesse is offered many will doe well but after often triall with iniuries they execute neither iudgement nor iustice so that where this faith wanteth there is no true loue of iudgement and iustice besides heere we are to marke that that is a true prayer which commeth from the true feeling and deepe sense of his heart and without this well set
is too much no paine seemeth too great for the thing which wee loue we set a great price on things which are loued So then if we make our loue of the word and make our price on it we shall thinke no paines sufficient no trauell enough to attaine vnto it and on the contrary if our loue be little and small to the word we shall finde it to be the cause why we set so little a price on it For if our loue be in any measure it will draw on our affections but when we haue lost our loue no maruel though we haue so barren feelings If then we will haue any true triall of our loue let vs see if with the man of God we can open our mouth and pant Now if we thinke that in others it is reproueable that they haue lost their former heate and broken their first loue and we see the holy Ghost reprehendeth the Nicolaitans and that they be fault worthie who neither be hotte nor colde whom the Lord protesteth to spue out of his mouth as hee threatneth the Laodiceans and shall we thinke the selfe same things not too reproueable or blame worthie in our selues Wherfore when we feele such coldnes in affection such luke-warmenes in loue we must earnestly striue labour in praier against them For where there is no feruencie there is no loue in truth and if we doe any thing drowsily it is an argument our loue is cooled and we are to suspect the deadnes dulnes of our affections So that this may be the briefe sense of the man of God Because I desired to haue my loue satisfied I panted If we looke into that heauenly and spirituall Song of Salomon wherin is set downe both the pure loue of Christ to his Church and the ardent affection of the Church to Christ her spouse we shall be ashamed of the want of our affections the want whereof doth breed the want of loue Vers. 132. Looke vpon me and be mercifull vnto me as thou vsest to do vnto those that loue thy name HEre the man of God continueth to shew his loue in that nothing can satisfie him in making his petitions saying O Lord regard me looke vpon me thy seruant not according to thy iustice but in dealing mercifully with thy seruant We are peraduenture accustomed to this prayer and we sometime happily haue this affection yet we do it not with the Prophet to the panting of our hearts or opening of our mouthes We desire the Lord to be good and mercifull to vs because we are in some miserie and distresse not that we haue any desire to see the glorie of God aduanced in the accomplishment of his promises Let vs see then whether we haue this affection of the Prophet in vs or no. Why doe we pray for fauour and mercy at the hand of God because of his promise This is something but we ought to doe it because we loue the word If our prayers as we haue said before could pierce the skies with their shrilnesse if they were so eloquent as all men were delighted with them yet they finde no grace nor fauour before the throne of God vnlesse they being grounded on the promises of God grow from a loue of his word Thus we see how first he proued his loue to the word in that he opened his mouth and panted and after he desireth that his loue might be satisfied We must first see this in iudgement and after be ashamed of our selues Wee maruell why we go on in loue and affection so little why we pray so much and obtaine so little we thinke we perswade our selues to haue asked much of the Lord yea but not aright For we must so craue of the Lord to looke vpon vs that if he should looke from vs we should hold our selues to be most miserable The yoong Rauens craue of the Lord wheÌ„ they are hungrie the Lyons yell and roare for foode and both the croking of the Rauens and yelling of the Lyons is satisfied with meate If the Lord so dealeth with these which are more inferiour creatures than man much more wilâ— he do it to vs if we with like affection shall craue it If the Lord then looke not on vs and be mercifull vnto vs we are gone and then we are to shew our longing to his mercie and to ease our hearts with prayer according to the example prescribed vnto vs of the Prophet When then we haue griefes we languish away with them and martyr our selues we bite vpon the hard bridle but here we must haue our remedie euen by laying our selues open in God his bosome we are not to pine and consume away with them but to laie them downe in the lap of the Lord. Why doe so fewe good motions come vnto vs or when they come why fleet they so soone away euen because we cherish them not nor giue them good entertainment because we chaunge not our motions into prayer but put them to silence and smother them by other rouing cogitations And be mercifull vnto me We see the man of God still desireth mercy This is all that he esteemeth of this is the thing which we must alwaies couet and coueting this we may leaue all other things according to Gods pleasure As to them that loue thy name c. It might seeme that hee had merited and by desert might haue challenged the graunt of his prayer but he still cried for mercie and craues nothing of merites We see then the papists are carnall hauing proud spirits for although the Prophet had executed iudgement iustice he sueth for mercy He desireth the Lord to renew his graces in him that he might also renew his mercy towards him This doctrine is manifest in the second commandement where the Lord saith I wil haue mercie vpon thousands of them that loue mâ— and keepe my commandements Marke he saith not that he wil reward them that are truly zealous in the worshipping of him but he saith that he will shâ—w mercy vâ—to them For it is both the mercie of God that we haue grace to doe the will of God in our first beginnings it is the mercie of God that we haue grace to continue in doing his will in our after proceedings This is a comfortable doctrine when we remember that the rarest and dearest seruants of God did renue the mercies of the Lord towards theÌ„ by crauing that his graces might be renued in them Mercie it is that moueth God to begin any grace in vs it is mercie to continue vs in grace it is mercie that he crowneth his gifts in vs. When the Lord then will bestow any mercifull thing vpon vs hee preuenteth vs by bestowing also some grace vpon vs. For if we respect our selues we are so far from any right challenging of any new grace or mercie to be giuen vs that we are most worthie to be depriued of the old graces alreadie receiued As thou
How can this be by what meanes possible should this be so and therefore the Lord suffereth them to miscarrie in iudgement and punisheth them in their affections Thus we see how the man of God doth strengthen him and vs by faith in beleeuing that God is righteous and his iudgements to be righteous and that euery part of them is most righteous iust and true wherefore our Sauiour Christ in his holy Gospell vseth so often Doest thou beleeue beleeue and thou shalt be made whole according to thy faith be it done vnto thee which he doth to shew vs our incredulitie Wherefore we must pray Lord I beleeue helpe my vnbeleefe Lord increase my faith that beleeuing thy iudgements I may feare thee beleeuing thy mercies promises I may be comforted beleeuing the things thou commandest I may do them beleeuing the things which thou forbiddest I may auoide them Verse 139. My zeale hath euen consumed me because mine enemies haue forgotten thy word LEt vs here trie our faith which perswade our selues to haue such faith behold here is a triall True it is that to all is not giuen the like measure of faith vnto some are giuen tenne talents vnto some fiue vnto some two neither haue all grounds like measure of seede nor render againe like measure of increase for some ground according as it hath receiued bringeth fourth one an hundreth fold some sixtie some thirtie fold according to the good wil and wisedome of our God Neither must we thinke that it is required of vs that we cannot otherwise be faithfull and zealous vnlesse we euen consume away or our eyes gush out with riuers of waters for we must not thinke that it was so in the Prophet himselfe as though riuers of teares were in his head or that he was vtterly pined away but rather they are figuratiue speeches to shew some rare zeale and notable kinde of sorrowing in him Now whatsoeuer exhortation is to be drawne from hence it will little auaile vs vnlesse we beleeue that there is no one thing here in this Psalme but in some measure it is to be performed of euery Christian. For politike men caÌ„not profit by such things because they doe not thinke that it containeth any generall doctrine but rather that it is a particular doctrine But seeing this Psalme is the type and image of a regenerate man and no one treatise so fully and wholie though peraduenture some whole booke may doe it expresseth the same and yet so that neither the man of God as with a trumpet doth blow forth his owne praise nor womanishly painteth fourth his owne miseries by moanes and complaints but aduanceth Gods glorie and putteth vs in minde what graces of God should be in vs and humbleth himselfe and sheweth vs what infirmities raigne in vs. What then will some say meane these speeches My soule fainteth mine eyes failed mine heart breaketh my soule cleaueth to the ground my soule melteth mine eyes gush out with riuers of water What say they appertaineth it to vs that he saith Seuen times a day doe I praise thee I preuented the morning light and cried mine eyes preuented the night watches I opened my mouth and panted how sweete are thy promises to my mouth yea more than honey vnto my mouth I am like a bottle in the smoke I haue remembred thy name in the night the law of thy 〈…〉 better vnto me than thousands of gold and siluer I haue had as great delight in thy â—estimâ—â—iâ—s as in all manner of riches I loue thy commundements aboue gold yea aboue most fine gold â— râ—â—oyce at thy word as one that findeth a great spoyle These were extraordinarie things and we haue not to deale with them To answere these we may see the same doctrine in other persons and in other places of the booke of God Iob. 33. Elihu there declareth that the Lord speaketh diuers times vnto men but they see it not if they profit not by the word he sendeth them afflictions if they profit not thereby he will send one among a thousand to shew his mercies vnto them Psal. 14. God speaketh once or twice and one seeth it not c. 23. If there be a messenger with him or an interpreter one of a thousand to declare vnto mâ—n his righteousnes then will he haue mercie vpon him and will say Deliuer him that he goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation then shall his flesh be as fresh as a childs and shall returne as in the daies of his youth And though the Lord punished not grosse sinnes in Iob yet he punished incredulitie impatience selfe-loue vaine glorie in him for though Iob were a good man yet he stood in some neede of greater mortification The Apostle Paul sheweth that the wrath of God should fall on the Corinthians if they presumed without due examination of themselues to eate the body and blood of Christ that from thence came sudden deaths and vnnaturall deaths languishing and pining diseases 1. Cor. 11. For this cause saith the Apostle many are weake and sicke among you and many sleepe for if we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged So he speaketh this of the Corinthians which were learned men who had great knowledge and excelled in many good gifts as he himselfe reporteth of them and yet he sheweth them this truth Neither do these things especially and onely come for sinne but more particularly for the trying of faith prouing and perfecting of patience although afterward it may be for punishing of sins by degrees for euen in the triall of faith and prouing of patience is also a secret punishing of sin Wherefore we must not suffer for a while but euen to the shedding of our blood and spending of our liues as witnesseth the author to the Heb. chap. 12. where the Apostle hauing set down in the chapter going before a register of the fathers in the old Church and of their workes whereof some may also seeme to be extraordinarie although indeed they be alleaged but as fruites of their faith inferreth in the 12. chapter this exhortation Heb. 12 1. Wherefore let vs also seeing that we are compassed with so great a cloude of witnesses cast away euery thing that presseth downe let vs runne with patience the race that is set before vs 2. looking vnto Iesus the author and finisher of our faith Who for the ioy that was set before him endured the crosse and despised the shame c. 4. Ye haue not yet resisted vnto blood striuing against sinne and ye haue forgotten the consolation which speaketh vnto you as vnto children c. Here the Lord sheweth the faith and gifts of his Saints declaring that he would bestow on vs the like graces according to that proportion which he thinketh good In that they are called witnesses it was because they gaue witnesse to the truth of Gods promises and to shew how the Lord would enable sinfull flesh thus
haue declared an ex 〈…〉 much vsed of the learned to expresse some matter of importance and â—he 〈…〉 in a false or light matter may bee an vntollerable lie As then is meant by 〈…〉 of 〈◊〉 guâ—â—ing out of his eyes a â—â—edding of many teares and his coâ—sâ—ming â—â—â—â— with 〈…〉 his earnest affâ—ction so wee must labour to finde these exercâ—ses in â—â— according to that measure and proportion which the Lord for his glorie shall vouch 〈…〉 vs. We reade also Psal. 69. â— The zeale of thine house hath euen me aâ—◠〈…〉 rebuked thâ—e are fallen vpon â—â— The Prophet here sheweth how he was â—â— much tormented for these things whereby Gods glorie was eâ—pâ—yreâ— as if he had been â—aâ—en with infamâ—â— himselfe This we see maketh as welâ— for our imitation as for our instruction The selfe same thing is repeated Rom. 15. The rebuke of them that rebuked thâ—e c. where the Apostle inferreth this exhortation Let the same mind be in you which â—as iâ— Câ—râ—â— c. as if he should â—â—â— you must knowe that the selfesame affection though not in the selfe-same measure â—râ—uâ—â—â—e in you which was in Christ or in Daâ—iâ— for as Christ had â—â—â—â—â—â—fiâ—â—te measure and Dauid in great abundance that must you also haue in â—oâ—e measure This â—as â—â—dâ—eâ—â—eredâ—â—arie to Iesus Christ and to Dauidâ—eneâ—iciarie â—eneâ—iciarie and that which Dauid speaketh of actiuely as well done of himselfe or of Christ that the Apostle speaketh of passiuely as â—e requireth â—t to be done of others For as Dauid did suffer tâ—â—â—â—iâ—â—ies reproches and â—gâ—oâ—inâ—es which came to Gods name as his owne so Paul speaketh passiuely wisheth that wee should suffer these things with Christ euen as though wee our selues had done the iniuries â—eâ—ciueâ— the reproches or were guiltie of the ignoâ—iâ—es But wee must alwaies shew our selues guâ—â—tâ—eâ—â— in vsing all meanes to set foorth Gods glorie and in be 〈…〉 of the people with tâ—ares and with prayer Notable is that place Ezech. 9. 4 where the Lord speaketh to the man clothed with linnen â—â—â—en had the writers inâ—khorne saying Goe through the â—â—â—â— of the 〈…〉 en through the most of Ierusalem and â—â—â—â— marke vpon the fâ—â—eâ— eâ—aâ—s oâ— thâ—â— that 〈◊〉 and are sorrowfull for all the abominations that are done in the mâ—ast thereof But the other was commanded to follow after and to destroy euery mothers sonne of them which mourned not This then is no stâ—â—â—ge thing when Gods glorie and image is defaced to be grieued as much as if it were for ourselues 1. Cor. 5 the Apostle rebuketh the Coâ—â—ntâ—ians because they rested and reioyced at the sinne committed amongst them contrarie to the rule of loue which willeth vs not â—oâ—â—iâ— yâ—e iâ— inuâ—â—â—â—â— and telleth them that they had not mourned and sheweth how they had â—aâ—â—hed at him when they should rather haue mourned Where hee declareth in his owne example who was so grieued that where he had preached the Gospel one should fall into so great a sinne how all faithfull Ministers godly Magistrates and Christian householders may and ought to mourne when some of the chaâ—ge coÌ„â—iteâ— to them fall into some â—â—torious sinne And though for a while he was sorrowful that he had made them so heauie yet afterward 2. Cor 7. he telleth them that he was not sorie For faith he though I mad you sorrowfull I repent not for behold this thing thâ—t yâ—â—aue beene godly sorrowfull what great tâ—are it hath wrought in you yea what â—lâ—aâ—ing of our selues yea what indignation yea what feare yea what great desire yea what a zeale yea wâ—aâ— pâ—â—ishmâ—nt In all thing you haue shewed yourselues that yee are pure in this matter As if heâ— shâ—uld say Before ye reioiced and then were ye guilty of his blood but now that ye haue â—ourneâ— and prayed for him it shall not be laid to your charge Thus we see the Church was not cleere vntill they had mourned for this one mans sinne no more was the whole arâ—ie of the Israelites vntill they had humbled themselues in prayer and fasting for the sinne of A â—â—â— Wherefore euery man must labour in some measure to finde the same affection in himselfe which was in Christ that we may differ from the hypocrites who esteeme their owne credit more than the credit of the word So that wee alwaies remember this to bee a propertie of true zeale that as we are zealous against the sinne so we must haue a commâ—tation of the person as knowing that wee our selues may fall into the like offence Well to goe forward we see how this verse is inferred after them that goe before For hauing shewed that the Lord was righteous and that his iudgements were righteous and that euery part of his testimonies contained speciall Truths this was the thing that made him so to loue the word and louing it to haue so feruent a zeale vnto it His meaning then is thus much Seeing the word of God hath in it such exquisite goodnes such wonderfull truth such rare perfection such Eternitie such efficacie that in the time of trouble when all other comforts forsake a man this will bee a speciall comfort to him and giueth euen life to a man halfe dead and without it I see a man is but as a beast I cannot but loue and beare an heartie zeale vnto it and when I enter into the consideration hereof I am euen pined away and griefe euen eateth me vp when I see it is not esteemed and that the worde of God can haue no more honour And seeing the word of God was so exquisite so vnchangeable so glorious and so comfortable what a griefe was it to the man of God that men should be so carried away some to the pleasures of the flesh some to the profit of the world some to vaine superstitions and in the meane time the Word little regarded This was it that pricked him at the heart this touched him at the quicke He teacheth vs then thus much If the glorie of God be deare to vs the contempt of it will surely grieue vs if the saluation of our brethren bee precious to vs wee will be grieued for the contrarie Now let vs see what true zeale is I finde here the Tractate of Zeale 2. part was last to bee inlarged and therefore good Reader I would not depriue thee of this benefit Hebr. 10. 27 The nature of it is set downe where the Apostle heauily threatneth them that willingly giue ouer themselues to sinne and there is named in the proper tongue the zeale of fire For as fire is not without it heate but oft bursteth forth into a flame so zeale is hote and cannot long be held in It is described also by contraries Reuel 3. where the holie Ghost reproueth the church of Laodicea because they were neither hot nor cold but lukewarme such as the Lord would spue out of his mouth and afterward is added bee zealous amend Where we see how
are to beware of this and so much the rather because the Lord hath plagued them that in outward shewe haue borne a great countenance of religion whose liues priuily were filthie whose cases and vizards when the Lord hath taken from them and hath reuealed their corruptions they haue appeared hypocrites The second obseruation is that we looke to the priuie corruptions of nature lurking in our hearts which containe such a bottomlesse pit of corruption that it is the special grace of Gods spirit to gage them to the depth Wee must therefore learne to search our hearts for it is the fearefull iudgement of God when we make no conscience of sinne secretly to haue our sin breake forth publikely As when we haue no care to pilfer secretly we shall be brought to steale openly by the secret wrath of God whereby also secret lusts malice hatred nourished in the heart and affections are permitted to breake out in time euen into our outward actions This is a plague to them who rather would seeme to be than in truth desire to be godly Couetous men haue this propertie that they rather would be rich than be accounted rich such ought our affections to be that we should indeede rather be godly than desire to bee so accounted of Let vs labour to doe well secretly howsoeuer for a while it be hidden from the world that God which seeth our doing in secret will reward it openly and in his good time will giue vs grace to doe well publikely But peraduenture the wicked will say what ground what intent what cause haue you to labour so much about the disclosing of the secret corruptions of our heart But yet alas they are ignorant of this that because they know not the secret corruptions they fall the more violently to grosse sinnes and euery man shall trie this to be true in himselfe that he that maketh conscience of his thoughts will vndoubtedly make conscience of his words and deedes and he that maketh no conscience of his thoughts he may come to make no conscience of his words and deedes Besides he that beginneth to reforme his heart hath this promise in the word that he shall not be confounded as Psal. 119. 6. Then shall I not bee confounded when I haue respect to all thy commandements And Port. 10. 8. Let my heart be vpright in thy statutes that I be not ashamed Wherefore if wee will bee truly zealous wee may adde another rule that we haue none other end of our zeale than how wee may glorifie our God whether it be in prosperitie or aduersitie This then is the third rule that we keep a right course tenour of zeale in both estates We must especially look to that wherunto we are most ready that is whether we be more zealous in prosperitie and fall away in aduersitie or whether we are more feruent in affliction and ouerwhelmed in abundance whether by the one wee are not puft vp with securitie and secret pride or whether with the other we be not too farre humbled and abased For many in time of peace are religious who seeing persecution to followe the Gospell slide backe and flie from it Iobs wife whiles her husband was in prosperitie could worship God and shew her selfe in outward things as zealous as Iob himselfe but when affliction came she was readie to curse God We know in prosperous times many were very forward in religion who in time of trouble shrinked from the truth some so long as they may haue credit by giuing countenance to the Gospell goe farre but when discredit comes they will leaue all But the Prophet saith I am small and despised yet doe I not forget thy word O ther'on the contrarie part so long as God exerciseth them with any crosse are zealous professors who being set aloft and comming once aboue begin to be secure We see many in time â—f their misery to be much humbled and whilest they want liuings and preferments we see both preachers and people very godly who when they haue gotten them some liuing obtained that which they sought for haue their zeale choked Do not many pray for the continuance of the peace of the Gospell that they themselues might continue in peace and prosperitie Doe not many mourne in the aduersitie of the Gospell because they mourne for their owne aduersitie Oh great corruption of our hearts Oh bottomles pit of hypocrisie If wee were ashamed that wee are no more grounded on the word and that we can be no more holy and vpright in our hearts surely the Lord would so gouerne vs that hee would not suffer either prosperitie to quench and carrie away our zeale to bee buried in the graue of securitie or aduersitie too much to dismay and discourage vs. This is then our triall herein if when we are in greatest prosperitie we can mourne with them that mourne in the Lord and when wee are in greatest aduersitie if wee can reioyce with them that reioyce in Christ. This is a sure token wee loue not the Gospell nor fauour the word because wee haue a loue to prosperitie neither are zealous to see the word conremned because we haue an hatred of aduersitie Daniel concerning outward things was an happie man as being neere to the Crowne and yet when he saw the God of Israel his glorie to bee defaced and an abominable Idoll to be erected hee could content himselfe with nothing so much as with weeping fasting and prayer And Paul being in bonds for the testimonie of Iesus Christ and concerning his outward man in a miserable case reioyced greatly and as it were reuiued when hee heard that the Gospell prospered and howsoeuer hee was in bands hee neuer felt them grieuous vnto him for the ioy which he had that the Gospell was at libertie If this zeale were in vs that the word of God were so exact pure and holy in our eyes that when wee are most aloft wee could be sorrowfull if the word of God hath a fall and when wee were in our greatest downefull yet we could bee glad that the word of God were set aloft then surely we would labour to sanctifie the creatures of God which we vse with the word and by prayer and at the least giue the tenth part of the day to the worship of the Lord. But if wee cannot bestow on him the tithe it is a token that wee labour more for the bodie than for the soule And if our soules bee farre more pretious than our bodies and it is an harder thing to prouide well for the soule than for the body we must deuide our times the better that daily wee may bestow some part of our time in the word and prayer if wee would truly espie our thriuings and proceedings in our seuerall callings and take a diligent view of our selues in our vocations we should vndoubtedly see the plentifull blessing of God when in truth wee vse the word and prayer and his
them with that affection wherewith we of them in the like case would be admonished and yet as we also remember to be admonished of them as though we were admonished of God Doest thou loue Gods glorie then wilt thou surely admonish thy brother of sinne Doest thou loue thy brother then wilt thou admonish him with compassion See here is that which teacheth all wisedome I must be grieued for sinne because it is that that casts all mankinde from the Lord because it is such a thing as thrust Adam out of Paradise it is so grieuous a thing that it ouerwhelmed the old world with waters it consumed Sodome and Gomorrah with fiâ—e it crucified Iesus Christ the Sonne of God it is such a thing as is an enemie to God the Father an enemie to God the Sonne and an enemie to God the holy Ghost and therefore I must needes be an enemie vnto it yet I must be grieued as putting my selfe in the like case that the offender is Wherefore many faithfull Ministers of God when they are most hot they haue most heauines in their soules least the curse which they must needs threaten doe turne to the confusion of the persons whom they threaten Thus we see this zeale will teach vs neither to rebuke sinne too coldly nor yet too hotly For we shall not so loue God as we shall abuse man the image of God neither shall we so loue man as we shall hinder or impaire the glorie of God for if we be sorrowfull that God is offended and that man hath offended we shall be sure to make an holy medlie Vers. 140. Thy word is proued must pure and thy seruant loueth it HEre the Prophet shewing his loue to be the cause of his zeale repeateth in effect that which he said before It may seeme strange why the man of God should make mention of this so oft that the word of God is true But we must know that he did it to strengthen his faith in the time of trouble and that then he might not faint We thinke not that there is such need of faith because we feele not the like temptations For they that haue no sight of their corruptions know not their vnbeliefe and they that feele not their vnbeliefe feele not the necessitie of this strengthning of their faith And as they that know not their vnbeliefe know nothing so they that beleeue and see their vnbeliefe know this to be necessarie They then that haue a true triall of their vnbeliefe know this faith to be a rare gift of God So that the Prophet commendeth the word of God here of experience for he saith Thy word is proued most pure His meaning is this This is the cause why I am so zealous euen because I loue thy word and therefore O'Lord I loue thy word because I finde it by proofe to be so pure That we then may make this our rule for examination why are we so cold in zeale euen because we are cold in the loue of the word For as our loue encreaseth so encrease also our delight and griefe our delight to see the thing loued to haue happie proceedings our griefe to see the thing which we loue to be despised This we see to be in euery kinde of loue For a man that truly loueth his wifâ— cannot abide to see his wife contemned and discredited nor the woman that truly loueth her husband can abide to see him reiected and despised When we loue our friend we are grieued to see any contempt offered vnto him This then we see in the nature of true loue to reioyce to see the person loued aduanced or the thing which we loue esteemed and grieued to see either the person or thing so loued to be cast downe and contemned It was a griefe euen to the Heathenish Philosophers to see their doctrine not regarded were they so moued for the small regard of that earthly doctrine which had no exact truth in it but was mingled with infinite errors and vntruths and shall not we much more be moued to see the word of God which hath so exact a truth and no vntruth contemned and little set by wherefore when we haue not this godly griefe in vs it is a manifest argument that our loue is very cold For as our loue is the greater so vndoubtedly our griefe will be the greater and so as our loue is the lesse so will our griefe to see the thing defaced be also the lesse When we haue much delight in any thing we are much grieued and who are more grieued to see the word of God troden downe than the godly because of all other their delight is most in it Not without cause then is this loue commended vnto vs to be a token of our zeale and therefore we see Psalme 67. the Church praiseth and prouoketh all the world to praise God when the word had free successe such is the loue of it to the word of God O let thy people praise thee O God yea let all the people praise thee Oh lâ—t the nations reioyce and be glad c. As then the children of God thinke themselues in ioy and prosperity when the word of God is in prosperitie so it being in any trouble death is not troublesome to them so that by their death and suffering they may any thing confirme the truth and giue countenance to it The Prophet of God sheweth his loue to the word saying All my springs O Lord are in it meaning that all his ioy his delight and affections were wholy set on the word of God Wherefore if there be such ioy in hauing it there must needes be great griefe in wanting it We are herein greatly to condemne our selues that we are no more thankfull for our vnthankfulnes bringeth this secret curse that we are no more zealous because many can hardly iudge betweene fleshly anger and spirituall zeale such is the rare feeling of this true zeale they are readie to imagine that if one be godly zealous they are straightway carnally angrie How necessary a thing therfore it is to know godly zeale all men may see for as we haue said that the Lord threatneth Reuel 3. that vnlesse the Laodiceans would be more zealous and amend he would spue them out that is he would haue no delight in them 〈◊〉 the Lord would as leeue haue vs of another religion as to be so luke-warme in his true religion For as a stomacke is easily brought to prouoke a vomite by receiuing somewhat that is lukewarme so the Lord spueth as it were out of his stomack luke warme professors as them whom by no meanes he can brooke which is a most feareful thing We know that the good father Elie 1. Sam. 3. although otherwise no doubt he was the deare seruant of God was grieued for the sinnes of his sonnes and mourned when the Arke of God was taken was reproued by the holy Ghost that he should loue the glorie of his sons
for want of this feare we see how impudent sinners are in those things which ciuill Lawes doe not restraine fearing euen punishment more then Gods iudgement He that feareth God is no theefe why because mans lawe saith that he that stealeth shall be hanged no but because Gods Law saith Thou shalt not steale Though the place be neuer so secret where he may sinne although iâ— bee no manifest vnrighteousnesse and grosse iniurie yet if it were but to denie the last thing which were right and due the childe of God both feareth punishment of God if hee had done it or if he haue not done it he trembleth to doe it And Saint Iames hee reasoneth thus that hee that hath commanded one thing hath also commaunded another and hee that forbiddeth one thing hath forbidden another And surely howsoeuer mans law punisheth one and dispenseth with another sinne yet the word of God rewardeth all obedience and punisheth all disobedience So that he that hath saide as well Thou shalt not commit adulterie as Thou shalt not doe murder hath as well pronounced the shutting of the kingdome of heauen against adulterers as against murderers 1. Cor. 6. which thing Gods childreÌ„ knowing make as great a conscience of swearing banning cursing breaking of the Sabbath drunkennesse adulterie and lying which in mans law escape scotfree as of theft which by Ciuill law is adiudged worthie of death because that God that saith Thou shalt not steale hee also saith Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vaine thou shalt keepe holy the Sabbath c. Suppose they that those things are not forbidden by the law of God which are not prohibited by the law of man Then no maruaile though there bee so fewe theeues and so many Sabbath breakers why there bee so fewe murtherers and so many swearers because men abstaine from theft and murther for feare of temporal punishment and men haue no care to eschue swearing prophaning of God his Sabbath because they feare no externall punishment See here is mens conscience here is their religion this is their deuotion Well haddest thou neuer suâ—n gifts outwardly without this reuerent feare of God thou shalt neuer enter into God his kingdome But peraduenture when thou shalt come to answere before the tribunall of God thou wilt say O Lord I knewe not by mans lawe that breach of thy Sabbath or swearing were such great sinnes heare what the Lord will answere I gaue thee my law whereby thou shouldest bee gouerned neither did I giue any commandement in more ample and flat words than the lawe of my Sabbath wherefore seeing thou hast manifestly cast my law behinde thee and made lesse account of my commandements and iudgements than of mans law and threatnings I adiudge thee to eternall damnation Great indeede is the benefit of mans lawes to restraine sin and to bring to repentance yea often the punishment of man and shame thereof preuenteth the iudgement of God and shame of hell fire because wee see many haue been more ashamed of sinne at the gallowes than others that haue died vpon their beds Howbeit where this law is not executed and sinne seuerely punished or where there be any sinnes which come not within the precincts of mans iurisdiction it is most certaine they shall not escape the punishment of God Wherefore we must otherwise stand in awe of Gods law than mans law doth punish if we will with the man of God from our heart stand in feare of his word This feare maketh seruants as faithfull in their maisters absence as in their presence because it keepeth vnder the most secret sinnes For hypocrites flie sinne before men but sinne greedily behind their backs and they sinne not because mans law will punish them not because Gods law doth forbid them But God his children abhorre sinne as wel priuie as manifest and that because sinne is sinne and not in that it is punishable by mans law For they considering that Adam Hâ—siah Ezechiah and others were punished for small things dare account no sin to be small in the eyes of God It is the whip the rod and the scourge that causeth the hypocrite as an asse a foole and a slaue to leaue sinne but it is loue conscience and obedience that moueth Gods children willingly to abhorre it Vers. 162. I reioyce at thy word as one that findeth great spoyles AS he hath spoken of his feare so now he speaketh of his ioy Great is the ioy of them that finde spoyles for spoyles bring victorie and victorie makes the triumph so that spoyle brings profit and the victorie pleasure both then must needes cause great ioy His meaning then is that what battaile soeuer he did fight what towne soeuer he spoiled his ioy was nothing so great as it was in taking pleasure in God his word Heere then is a true note to discerne vs from hypocrites when we take comfort in nothing so much as in the word of God But some will say that this extraordinarie ioy appertaineth to the Prophet rather than to vs wherfore let vs heare what the holy Ghost speaketh hereof in the Gospel as Rom. 5. We haue peace towards God and reioyce vnder the hope of the glorie of God And Philip 4 he calleth it The peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding and the Apostle 1. Pet. 1. shewing how in the mercie of God wee are begotten againe vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance immortall and vndefiled reserued in heauen for vs biddeth vs to reioyce with ioy vnspeakable and glorious And Paul 1. Cor. 2. 9. sheweth what cause we haue to reioyce because the things which eye hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither came into mans heart are which God hath prepared for them that loue him These things we see are such as are common to all why then doe Gods children so much reioyce in the word First in consideration of their owne vile and miserable estates then in consideration of God his loue and Christ his merits for them For they considering with themselues that by nature they are nothing but vassal of sinne the bondslaues of the diuel the enemies of God and fire-brands of hell and that by Christ they are freed from their sins set at libertie from Sathan ransomed from hell and reconciled vnto God and that he will bring vnto them the fruite of his death and benefit of his resurrection by killing sin in them and quickning them vnto righteousnes remembring Colos. 2. 14. that Christ hath taken away the hand-writing and fastened it vnto his crosse and that euery member through him hath spoiled the principalities and powers and led captiue the world the flesh and the diuel and hath made a shew of them openly and hath triumphed ouer them in the same crosse feele such a ioy as neuer any earthly conquerors felt the like For looke how farre greater the victory of sinne and Sathan is aboue
be thankfulnes in man aboue that which is in beasts vnlesse man will be iudged euen by the bruit beasts to bee more guiltie of his condemnation For as there is no more praying in vs than there is beleeuing so there is no beleeuing without knowing God and there is no thankesgiuing without both knowing and also beleeing in God If in any measure therefore we will praise God wee must in some measure know God if we will praise God more than the common sort of men wee must labour to know more than the common sort of men But what meaneth the Prophet to desire to bee taught was hee not well seene in the word had he not learned much as becommeth a Prophet what teaching doth hee here meane knowledge puffeth vp and is voide of humilitie confessing our wants This is the teaching of the spirit For it is no doubt but he had eyes to see as well as others he had cares to heare hee had an heare to conceiue hee was a man of God Howbeit wee are to know that though our eyes be vpon our booke and the word be sounded in our eares yet it is the spirit of God that maketh vs teacheable in iudgement and frameable in our affections What haue we which we haue nor receiued it is the gift of God and to you it is giuen saith our Sauiour Christ to his Disciples to vnderstand the mysteries of God This then being giuen of God by his spirit must cause vs to bee thankefull Why doe so many excell in knowledge and why doe so few giue thankes surely because they are taught by the letter and not by the spirit For a man may attaine to the knowledge of the word as others attaine to the knowledge of humaine arts but to his iuster condemnation Wherefore in a word we may conclude if the man of God might haue atchieued such knowledge without such meanes he was either too much busied in that wherein he needed not haue troubled himselfe or else an hypocrite But if we reade that the blinde which were restored to their sight the deafe whose eares were opened the dumbe who by the finger of Christ his power did speake againe acknowledged this to be the only worke of God and were thankefull although indeed of the ten leapers which were cleansed one onely was thankful and nine held their peace how much are wee bound to praise and magnifie the name of our good God who hath deliuered vs from blindnes and ignorance wherein we were plunged to see the bright beames of the glorious Gospell who hath opened our heauie and dull eares to heare the sweet voyce of the sonne of God who hath vntied our tongues and vnclosed our lips which were sewed vp from sounding the praise of our saluation yea and which more is hath vntied restored our feete to walke in the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God and hast cast out of vs the diuell and his power and spoiled from henceforth his kingdome in vs that we might serue the Lord in newnes of conuersation We see now that whosoeuer is taught aright to the kingdome of God he shall praise the Lord. But what is the cause why this effect is so little found in vs of praising God euen because we are voyd of the cause that is of teaching of the spirit For either surely we haue none vnderstanding or else we haue not the vnderstanding of the spirit O blessed work of Gods spirit thankesgiuing This made the Propher say Psal 16. 2. My weldoing extendeth not to thee O Lord. And 116. 12. What shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the cup of saluation and call vpon the name of the Lord. That is I will acknowledge his olde graces receiued and hope that I shall haue his mercies continued But herein is another thing worthy to be obserued that according to the proportioÌ„ of his praiers is the proportion of thankesgiuing For as the two former verses containe two prayers so the two latter verses containe two thankesgiuings And marke how according to the vehemeney of his praier there is a vehemencie of thankesgiuing For as he had said let my complaint come before theâ— so he addeth my lips shal powr eforth thy praise continually A word drawn from spoutes or spring-heads which aboundantly yeeld water out from them So to complaints answereth the word of powring out In the second he saith Let my supplication come before 〈◊〉 Whereunto answereth my tongue shall intreat of thy word Where he promiseth to be no â—â—sse shrill in thankesgiuing than loude in praying to the Lord. Oh â—â—â—s throweth downe the hearts of Gods children that they can in no measure nor proportion be thankefull for Gods benefits This vnthankefulnesse must needes be grieuous vnto the Lord which is so odious in the sight of man wee see bestowe a benefit on a begger their suites and complaints doe in many degrees exceede their thankesgiuing and certainely as this vnthankefulnesse is from man to man so also it is from man to God For let vs be in paine in sickenesse in pouertie or any other affliction and what prayers make we what protestations vowe we how often crie we Lord helpe me Lord haue mercie upon me rid me now Lord and I will giue thankes to thee But when the rod is off how many among ten returne to giue thankes for our deliuerance peraduenture one Thus wee see how liberall we are in praying because it is easie to see our wants and how sparing wee are in thankesgiuing because we doe not so easily see our benefits We see how often wee are in praying how seldome in thankesgiuing we see how feruent wee are in crauing how cold we are in acknowledging the supplie of our wants If we attaine not to this measure and proportion of thanksgiuing with the man of God at the least let vs complaine and mone our vnthankfulnesse and dulnesse For we must be assured that if we offer not in some degree the calues of our lippes the Lord hath lost his mercies and spent them as it were in vaine and we depriue our selues of the fruit of them to be continued vnto vs hereafter Vers. 172. My tongue shall intreate of thy word for all thy commandements are righteous ANd though the man of God saith here My tongue shall intreate of thy praises Wee must not therein denye but that our liues must expresse the fruites of the same as wee may see port 5. vers 1. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keepe it vnto the end And port 1. vers 8. wheÌ„ the man of God hath promised to praise the Lord with an vpright heart he addeth in the verse following I will keepe thy statutes c. As also port 19. 1. Heare me O Lord and I will keepe thy statutes So that not onely in word but in our liues must we endeuour to praise God It followeth in the same verse For all
depriueth himselfe of this meditation weakeneth his faith For it is to our comfort and humbling To our comfort that albeit we be in danger and no man with vs yet God and his Angels be with vs. To humble vs that in euill doing they both see vs and can hurt vs as also the euill angels which still houer ouer vs. And therefore we must knowe that as the good Angels haue appeared to good men for speciall defence so the foule spirits doe appeare also to some men for speciall sinnes And when euill spirits so appeare we may not with the Papists and the Iewes beleeue they be soules departed but the euill spirits in the ayre about vs Epes 6. 11. 12. 13. CHAP. VIII Of Baptisme BAptisme is a pledge of our washing in Christs blood Act. 2. 30. of our iustification Gal. 3. 27. of our ingrafting into Christs body Ephe. 4. 16. of our dying to sinne Rom. 6. 3. of our resurrection 1. Cor. 15. 26. of our vnitie of spirit with our brethren Ephe. 44. of not seeking our owne 1. Cor. 10. 1. 2. 24. 2 Of Baptisme in Papistry this we may say for as much as they euer kept the foundation the substance of the institution of Christ that Sacrament was effectuall for more preuaileth the institution of Christ vnto good than the corruption of man vnto euill 3 The example of Zipphorah cannot be followed amongst vs that women should baptize though Papists abuse that example to proue it for the ministration of the Sacrament is ioyned to the ministerie of the word which office none can take except he be called as Aaron was and it is a most waightie and most honourable office to haue the word and seales of our reconciliation committed vnto vs. 4 It is obiected that it is a dangerous matter to want Baptisme it causeth death I answere The child saith the story was not punished but Moses through whom that contempt came for when as it is said Gen. 17. that the man not circumcised shall be cut off the reason is this because he despiseth the couenant of the Lord. Now a child caÌ„not so do therefore the negligent father is punished and if the child come to yeeres continue in his fathers steps he is in the same state of rebellion contempt against God and so it is in our Baptisme Againe this popish opinion of the necessitie of Baptisme is confuted by the Lords institution of Circumcision the eight day for if this necessitie had been in Circumcision which they affirme to be in Baptisme all that dyed before the eight day were condemned The Lords meaning was in appointing this conuenient time to prouide that the child might haue more strength to beare the wound and this regard of time is fit to be obserued also with vs that this holy worke might be done on the Sabbath day in the congregation because it is a publike action by diuine institution 5 Concerning promises in Baptisme and the office of the witnesses which be called Godfathers and Godmothers looke in what things the Scripture giueth general rules the Church may vse the particulars so all be done decently and to edification the law giueth this generall instruction to a man in authoritie to defend the good and to offend the euill he may to this end take some godly man to him for an assistant The law commanding generally to distribute to the poore a man is not able to helpe all particularly therefore he endeuoureth the relieuing of some speciall persons The law commanding generally to helpe one another with godly instructions and no greater need to any than to a father in helping him for the education of children surely this dutie of loue to be an assistant in Baptisme may not be denied Againe to professe ourselues enemies to Arrianisme we vse Glorie be to the Father and to the Son c. all one with that so often in the Psalmes Praise yee the Lord So may we in like manner to auoid Anabaptisme haue witnesses to testifie to the Church that we are Christianly baptized And as we are to renounce all friuolous ceremonies so to keepe the peace of the Church we may not refuse such orders as tend to edification to loue and comelinesse in the Church 6 It is good to teach children while they be young that whereas they haue been baptized and blessed in the name of the Trinitie they should be taught forthwith some questions concerning their creation redemption and sanctification CHAP. IX Of Couetousnesse and the desire of Riches THere are manie which can be content to make Iacobs vowe that is if they haue meate drinke and cloathing they will serue God but they goe vpwards still in their worldlike accounts and downwards in heauenly things they rise from tens to scores from scores to hundreths they will not goe downeward with Abraham they will haue thousands of sheep els they be but poore they will haue Nabâ—oths vineyard with Ahab and dwell alone els they be sicke Thou hast set vp the heauens high saith the Prophet else surely rich men would haue all the vse of them leese them too So nothing can satisfie mans desire which is infinit but God who infinite And if he haue all the riches in the world he will desire more A very vnnaturall desire is this as the dropsie in desiring drinke when the desire proceeds from fulnes for a man should desire that which he wanteth The minde of a man is not filled with corporall things no more then a chest can be filled with wisdom or spirituall things But presuppose that riches could fill a man if wee had all wealth all riches all apparell wee put not our wealth in our mindes our clothes do vs no good but wheÌ„ they are vpon vs. The possessing of riches doth not so fully possesse the heart but that it can desire a thousand things more 2 Riches are in question whether they be good or no When the Scripture speaks of riches they ioyne alwayes somewhat to them to take away our hearts from them as the deceitfulnes of riches the vncertainty of riches the riches of this world and therfore like the world now here now gone they either haue their own end or our end They make no man good but they are euen like a penie purse which is worth as much as the money that is in it but the money taken out it is nothing worth euen so is the man that hath his good in his riches When they are takeÌ„ from him he is worth nothing he hath no good in him God hath them not and yet he wanteth no good thing It is the common complaint that the worst men doe most abound with them Dauid was faine to goe to Nabal for them Esau had foure hundred men when Iacob lay downe at his feet with a few Sometimes indeed they doe good but that is not sufficient to ground a Maxime they
to them There was a voyce put vp for making a golden Calfe and there was not one against it There was a voyce what should be done with Iesus and all cried crucifie him Another was whether God should be God or Bâ—al should be God and none held with God but Eliah Also whether Christ or Barrabas should be loosed and all chose Barrabas And in a good matter whether Ioseph should goe into the pit or no and all but Ruben consented he should In religion we can grant that vniuersality is no note of the truth and if any obiect vnto vs what so many Princes so many Nobles and yet haue they not the true religion we can answere out of Paul not many noble not many mighty hath the Lord chosen but in our life we caÌ„not be drawne to confesse the same Wherefore let vs beware of following the multitude 5 Particular examples may be made generall instructions when the cause of them is generall When an example is grounded vpon a generall equitie then may it be followed but when it hath some particular respect and contrarie to the generall equitie it may not be followed though it were well done Yet that was not well done of Zipporah because it was the office of a man to doe that she did as appeareth Gen. 17. for in that the Lord departed it was rather for the faith of Moses than that the thing was right So was it in the example of Simeon and Leui who sinned yet had the Lord more respect of their fathers faith to crowne it than of their sinne to punish it yet was it still sinne Therefore when we cannot doe well as we thinke because of others as wife friend husband c let vs know that the fault is in our selues for if we were faithfull they should be so farre from hindering vs that euen by vs perhaps they might be saued 1. Cor. 7. 6 It were a good thing to make other men our looking glasse and in their falles and infirmities either to behold ours present or to suspect them to come 7 It is not good to binde any to our examples 8 It is euermore a safer thing to insist in the generall rules than in the particular examples 9 We may not follow euery good example in Scripture and when we follow any we must looke we haue the same spirit and the like affection 10 Many call euill good by speaking for it by not speaking against it by defending it in themselues defending it in others who are worse than Saul 1. Sam. 15. for after a while he bethought himselfe he coÌ„fessed but these men after they haue once taken vpon them to defend a sinne will defend it still they will dwell in it liue in it die in it goe to hell in it Proctors they are of ill causes parasites I would they were only in comedies such as sowe pillowes Ezech. 13. and Psal. 10. such as they Act. 12. the voyce of a God such as Absalom 2. Sam. 15. that said that all matters that came before him were good These perswade others to sinne either by shew of reason Gen. 3. or by shew of religion as Absalom did or by shew of stature Ioh. 19 we haue a law by faire promises as the diuell to Christ all this I will giue thee or by saying ye shall finde more ease Ieroboams reason for the Calfe with a Pilate voyce or if you will not say as Nâ—buchadnezzar saith you shall into the furnace But some of these doe say 1. I neuer spake word in commendation of this or that euil matter But haue ye not heard the common saying * the thing it selfe speaketh The heauens declare the glory of God Psal. 19 and yet speake neuer a word Their actions speake lowder and plainer than their tongues These in iudgement absolue Barrabas and condemne Christ and so bestow on the euil such things as belong to the good They bestow preferments on them that least deserue as Ieroboam did the Priests office on the basest sort of the people and so it is in our times for many haue places both in Church coÌ„monwealth which can serue for nothing but to be coÌ„sonaÌ„ts alwaies following the sound of their vowels hauing none of their owne 2. Some speake not against sinne when Hely had let his sonnes faults passe God said he hououred them more than him God counteth vs honoured of sinne when we see and say nothing Psalm 50. When thou sawest a theefe c. Though we doe but stand by and looke on as Paul did we are made allowers of the fact So Peter makes the Iewes Act. 4. You haue killed the Lord of life We say the gardiner is the cause that weeds doe growe because he letteth them grow And so it may be said in Church and common-wealth of them which will not rebuke sinne when they may because they will not be medlers 3. But some haue a little more care but yet thinke it sufficient to be of Gamaliels minde Let it alone if it be not of God it will come to nought loth to speake against euill and so they see it and say nothing 4. Or as those which say something but yet as good as nothing as Ely did ye doe not well my sonnes they speake as a seruant to his master softly because he would not wake him they hit peraduenture the skirt when they should smite the head and sometimes misse altogether or hit those they should not 5. Or seeme to speake somewhat roundly but be so short witted or so short winded that they cannot speake much a little they doe and soone leaue off as King Ioash 2. King 13. 14. 10. 11. 6. Some speake out of time when they first let an ill matter passe then they speake against it 7. But some are worse than all these which giue men some morsell to stop their mouth as Aeneas is said to giue Cerberus a soppe that he might not barke or muzzle theÌ„ that they cannot speake taking away their tongues and liuings or prescribe what they shall say as Micah 2. 11. Prophesie of wine or as Amazias said to Amos Prophesie not against Israel Amos 7. 11. 12. 11 Wee must learne a Logick of the holy Ghost Exod. â—3 2. to answere the topicks of the world which defend their doings by Others doe so and learnedner and wiser than you haue dâ—â—â— it And indeed we must not onely forsake a multitude but we must also adde this to dissent from the traditioÌ„s of the elders It commeth all to one end for it differeth not whether we say many or one great one as many for if one thing be equiualent to a multitude we may say as the Hebrue and the Greeke doe that they are al one ten shillings and an angell are all one There be that thinke it is of more force many smite like haile stones but great men like great
more principall thing vnto vs but it is the thing steeped in the wine that worketh so although we haue things ministred vnto vs by the best meanes vnlesse the Lord put in his staffe all is vaine For as we may see some fed with cordiall and nutritiue meates notwithstanding labour of a consumption so wee shall see others sed with water-grewell and yet to bee very well nourished On this manner God worketh with the meanes and thus hee can worke without the meanes because the Lord would shew that he reserueth a power beyond meanes Although he established all things in a mutuall course yet he brought forth euery thing without meanes so the light was created the first day the Sunne the fourth day Men seeing their corne not to grow crie for raine but hearbes and fruits grew before raine True it is that we looke for things ordinarily now by meanes but they began without meanes as God making man at the first without seede now will increase them by seede his blessing being with his ordinance and not else But behold a further thing God worketh not onely by meanes and without meanes but also contrary to all meanes Christ when hee would restore sight to the blind man doth it with that meanes which we thinke would put out a mans eyes and blind the sight of him that can see whereby hee sheweth that euen contrary things obey him Eliah 1. King 4. to make salt water sweete putteth salt into them Such is the power of our God who bringeth light out of darknes which is the destruction of the light 5 As naturall men vse Gods creatures to stirre vp a naturall comfort so spirituall men must vse spirituall meanes for spiritual comfort For all things which haue a singular good vse may haue a singular abuse wherefore wee must vse sanctified things with sanctified hearts least abusing holy things we be giuen ouer to a vaine minde 6 When the Lord will haue a thing come to passe hee will also graunt the meanes so when the Lord will make his people gracious hee will giue them good Ministers and wise Magistrates and so make them to be feared of their enemies Againe when the Lord will make a people odious hee will powre contempt vpon Princes and take wisedome away from the Ministers Where we see what neede wee haue to pray for our Ministers and Magistrates Againe wee see that if wee would be gracious and in fauour with any wee must looke that we haue such things in vs as may procure their fauour as when that Timothy was exhorted to be without blame his vertues were rehearsed For the graces of God must onely make vs gracious but if we haue not receiued them no cause why we should be gracious 7 What promise soeuer we haue of God wee must wholy rest on that without distrust and yet must we vse the lawfull meanes which he hath appointed least we tempt him 8 We must learne not to tempt God for it is not of faith to omit any meanes that may helpe vs out of daunger yet must we apply our meanes to God and not put our trust in them but in God which wee may trie by this if our hearts bee as carefull to feele the forgiuenes of sinnes to heare the word to vse prayer Sacraments and admonition as wee bâ— to be deliuered from our troubles then haue we a testimonie of a sound heart but if we be carelesse of these and yet in trouble will leaue no meanes vnattempted then we may well iudge that our heart is more set on earthly than heauenly things and wee bee as yet more carnall than spirituall 9 If wee haue lawfull meanes to get our liuing wee must vse them if we doe and yet want we must still depend on God Likewise in sicknesse when we may vse the Physition it is well but if he cannot be had or if wee cannot recouer health by his meanes then must we not despaire but depend vpon the Lord. So when the Lord giueth vs his word we may not looke for reuelations but vse it while we haue it but if the word bee taken away then may we be wel assured that he wil vse some meanes to instruct vs. So not despayring when we haue not the meanes and ascribing all honour to God when wee haue them as Moses taught the Israelites wee shall bee more readie to glorifie him in our suffering being well assured that thus he deales with vs that he may more speedily and richly crown our sufferings And thus doth our Sauiour Christ reason with Peter when he drew his sword to defend Christ being but a priuate man saying Cannot my father send legions of Angels for my defence as if hee said vse no vnlawfull meanes to defend me for if my father would that I should be deliuered from these he would also send lawfull meanes to bring the same to passe but seeing hee depriueth mee of all meanes and doth not worke extraordinarily for my defence it is his pleasure that I by suffering should worke your deliuerance wherefore I am contented so to doe In like manner did the three children answere the King The Lord can aeliuer vs yet if he will not we will suffer according to his pleasure If we could exercise our selues well in this and like good meditations wee might be kept by Gods grace from murmuring and laarne to rest patiently on the good will and pleasure of the Lord. 10 This is the way wee must vse in trouble first to seeke counsell of God in his word then to giue our selues to feruent prayer and after to vse the meanes which God hath appointed not trusting in them This did Iacob when he was to pacifie his brother Esau at his returne and thus did the Israelites at the red sea they prayed and then they assayed to goe through the sea and preuailed to the confusion of all their enemies 11 We must vse the meanes yet such as are most safe and neerest hand which if they will not preuaile then may we goe yet further but when we vse the meanes then also we goe to the Lord otherwise the Lord will infatuate vs in the meanes or make them vnprofitable as in Asa because he being sick sought first to the Physitions and not to the Lord he dyed thereon So we see in Iosiah who though he were a good man yet because he went to warre without the counsell of the Lord was slaine in the same battell So is it Iudg. 20. they which had a good cause were twice ouercome in warre because they sought not to the Lord but when they sought to him by prayer then they ouercame Contrarily wee see in Ezekiah and other Kings that because they prayed to the Lord and then sought other meanes the Lord gaue them notable victories Otherwise hee may depriue vs of the knowledge of the meanes or if we haue them yet he will make them without fruite First then we must preuaile
acknowledge it not hauing his word regard it not enioying his mercies inful measure wilfully resist them all If we so lie vnder sinne and fancie to our selues the Gospell and promises and mercie we deceiue our selues for as those that haue the fruites of the spirite haue no lawe written against them so they that haue not such fruites haue no Gospell written for them It is not the vniust man that shall liue by faith for hee lyeth vnder the law but the iust Gala. 3. Rom. 1. 17. Heb. 10. 38. Might not a man thinke you pen a Psalme of as many verses wherin the foote might run in this tenour For his Iustice endureth for euer as Dauid had done of his Mercie Psalme 136. The Lord will not part from any drop of his mercy to them which first haue not bin swallowed vp of his iudgements which haue not laboured and been heauie laden which haue not beene locked vp in hell for a season and felt for a time the fire thereof in their bones which haue not been baptized with the baptisme of their owne teares He that feeles not these things in some measure here elsewhere shall he feele them It is the iudgement of Abraham The diuels policie in youth in health in prosperitie is to sing vs songs of God his mercy but in age in sicknes in tribulation vpon thy death-bed he will make such reasons for his iustice as we shall neuer be able to answere Wherefore the Lord hath to make it more terrible in our eyes put vpon it the name of his most wrathfull indignation fierce and heauie displeasure It is not for vs as we do to put the remembrance of this farre from vs or to shift it lightly by turning ouer to a Psalme of mercy but to terrifie our owne soules with it and to cast our selues downe with the trembling consideration of his iudgements Of one example without a precept nothing is to be concluded and therefore in great wisedome that men at the last gaspe should not vtterly despaire the Lord hath left vs but one example of exceeding extraordinary mercy by sauing the theefe on the crosse by faith onely yet the peruersnes of all our nature may be seene by this in that this one serueth vs to loosnes of life in hope of the like whereas we might better reason that is but one and that extraordinary and that besides this one there is not one moe in all the Bible and that for this one that sped a thousand thousands haue missed what folly is it to put our selues in a way where so many haue miscarried To put our selues in the hand of that Physition that hath murthered so many going cleane against our owne sense and reason whereas in other cases we alwaies leane to that which is most ordinary and conclude not the spring of one swallow It is as if a man should spur his asse till he speake because Balaams asse did once speake so grossely hath the diuell bewitched vs. And yet if we mark in that example which the diuell so oft tempteth vs with we shall see euen in that little time he liued sundry good works as many as in that time case would be required first prayer secondly confession thirdly glorifying of Christ fourthly humilitie remeÌ„ber me fifthly reprouing of his fellow sixtly acknowledging of his own deserts seuenthly patience And it is to be thought by these few that if he had liued he would not haue been behind any of the Saints The root being holy the braÌ„ches must needs be like vnto it My senteÌ„ce is that a man lying now at the point of death hauing the snares of death vpoÌ„ him in that streight of feare and paine may haue a sorrow for his life past but because the weaknes of flesh and the bitternes of death doth most commonly procure it we ought to suspect our selues if we neuer sorrow till then And therfore let vs store our selues with good things against the euill day come vpon vs for our life past for as that man which in his health and good successe hath been diligent to feare God and to do good feeles in his sicknes an vnspeakable comfort which he would not misse for all the world and a mighty boldnes to speake vnto God towards whom he knoweth he hath not beene vnkind doth not feare at all so that man which whiles the world prospered with him neuer thought of God nor regarded his word nor the preaching thereof when the visitation of the Lord is vpon him when God shall take his soule from him his case is most miserable feeling no comfort nor daring to speake to God whom he hath neglected And sorrow such a one neuer so much yet he doubteth and must needs doubt for that he knoweth not whether his remorse be of the loath somnes of sin or for the feare of death whether he be humbled before the Lord or before sicknes It is good policie to print his iudgements first in our bowels and to diet our selues more sparingly with his mercies least making vp our sins in the remembrance of his mercies they breake forth flame to our confusion in body soule euerlastingly Eccles. 12. Psal. 73. Heb. 12. Rom. 11. Thy iudgements are as the great deeps Then to feare God when he sheweth mercy and to loue him when he executeth iudgements are two hard things yet necessarie Howsoeuer God doth now forbeare he will not doe so alwaies but he will set him downe in his iudgement seate and throne of iustice and our chiefe care must be how we may appeare without feare and trembling before him This is it that we must thinke of at midnight what we shall answere that dreadfull Iudge when he shall aske for our account Let vs set him before our eyes not as our fond braine is wont to imagine of him but as the Scriptures describe him When he will arise to commaund the Angell to blow his trumpe such a God as the Seraphins hide their faces at his glorie at whose presence the mountaines smoke and melt away whose wrath shall shake the foundations of the earth who ouertaketh the wise in their policie who wil not account the guiltie innocent at whose purenesse all our innocencie is as a stained cloth whose iustice the Angels themselues dare not call for whose iudgement when it is once kâ—â—dled burneth to the bottome of hell Let this God take his place let him trie our hearts and examine our thoughts let him call for the account and take his reckoning let vs thinke how we shall stand before him quietly with peace of conscience who is it that can doe it Esa. 33. 4. let him of vs come forth Alas none shall dare to doe it If the Lord in his owne person should appeare vnto vs without Christ a redeemer we should flie from him with horrour and feare and neuer be able to stand in his sight 2 He that searcheth
Camels haire we as though we would correct the Lord for some insufficiency in his worke deuise strange attire Of one beast we haue the skin of the other we haue the furre of one bird we haue one feather of another another feather We carrie a pearle to shine on our finger and a burthen of silke to glister on our backes yea wee were the very excrements of some beasts and then we thinke all this is of our selues And that which is more we giue not rest to the dead but we borrow of them to set on liuing bodies as though the Lord had not perfected his worke in it vnlesse we our selues make the worke more beautifull And yet more monstrous is that which maketh me maruell what our proude dames meane to set vp signes in their forheads Tauerners indeed haue signes to call in all that goe by freely to come in and there to haue entertainment and what can be thought of our signes on womens heads but that they meane to make tauernes of their bodies to entertaine whosoeuer will come to them Well if neither the Prophets can preuaile nor Preachers can profit to the taking away of this pride I will say that as the Lord will not let his spirit alwaies to striue with man so will he not let his word alwaies striue with man but they shall die in their sinnes in which now they lie in peace and without all reclaime they shall goe to the Hels with which they haue made a couenant 13 Man seemeth to be great he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee is naturae miraculum mensurarerum omnium but better things about man than these Augustine reduceth to foure letters of his name the 4. parts of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby hee would signifie that it was either a Compendium of the whole world or that he had dominion of euery part of the earth Besides Adam is said to be the sonne of God euen by adoption I confesse it to be a great dignitie but then we must know that it is rather in the great goodnesse of God than in the worthinesse of man and all these titles which he giueth to man as that he calleth Magistrates Gods and Ministers Angels and the Apostle saith Ye are a kingly Priesthood these doe not so much declare the excellencie of man in himselfe as the great goodnesse of God that he should vouchsafe to communicate some part of his excellencie with man yet man must not so suffer himselfe to be flattered of Sathan that he thinke better of himselfe than he should or lesse reuerently of God than he ought The diuel feeling the fruite of his former pride when he would needs trie how well Gods seate would become him hee would faine haue brought man also to the same presumption that hee whose felicitie hee now did enuie being found in the same fault might haue tasted of the like punishmeÌ„t with him And without doubt al men should haue done had not God of his great goodnesse otherwise prouided for man But what is man that God should so wonderfully prouide for him leauing his owne Angels vnprouided for I meane those that were his Angels before they fell Surely if we consider man not as he is in Christ but in his owne nature we shall see what he is not a God as hee would haue bin nor as an Angell as he shall be but such a thing as may â—eare any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or extenuation that can be deuised yet our corrupt nature is readie to dispute with God and wee will not feare to say vnto God as Iob said vnaduisedly chapt 13. Who is hee that will pleade with mee then speake thou and I will answere thee or let me speake answere thou me Thus Iob challenging God to disputation was readie either to answere him or to replie vpon him But what art thou O man that disputest with GOD And indeede when God being prouoked to disputation had disputed with Iob a while had vrged him very sore Iob could answere him nothing but this Behold I am vile what shall I answere thee I will lay my hand vpon my mouth Once haue I spoken but I will answere no more Alas then what is man either in wisedome or in worth In wisedome though as Zophar said Man would be wise though he be but a young Asses colte what is hee to GOD In strength nothing for though the Lord had neede as hee hath not what could man helpe him Man is not great in viewe nor a rocke in his flesh a little paine doth trouble him a small disease doth cast him down a little affection carrieth him hither and thither and though he ouercome all these yet he is weake to resist death and if we could doe the Lord good I thinke he would not vse vs because we are by natare readie to take part and to ioyne hands with the enemie against God himselfe Againe mans time cannot be great being but a spanne long and yet a little Emot will be long in creeping the space of a spanne this time is the time of a post bird arrow or thought a post hath but a small time a bird in her flight hath lesser and an arrow lesse than that but a thought hath almost no time at all And in my iudgement besides all this there is great reason why God should not make any account of man if it please him to vse lege talionis because that man doth not make any account of God and seeing we esteeme not God I see no reason why he should esteeme vs and that we doe not esteeme him this shewes that we preferre before him our profit our pleasure and all Our parents left him for an apple Ahab had rather haue Naboths vineyard than haue him we all like our pleasures better than him generally we will not sticke to sell bodies and soules for a little thing and indeed for lesse than Esau sold his birthright But of all places to shew the mercy of God in chusing vs and our vilenesse being chosen the Apostle â— Cor. 1. 27. bringeth in fiue notable tokens of them whom God hath chosen whereof foure are very base and the fift is lesse than nothing 1. The foolish things of the world 2. the weake things of the world 3. the vile things of the world 4. things that are despised 5 things that are noâ— CHAP. XXXVIII Of hypocrisie and hardnes of heart HYpocrites turne the inward side outward the godly turne the outward side inward the hypocrite beginneth where the godlie man endeth and the godly man begins where the hypocrite endeth the hypocrite gallopeth into great shewes at the first godlinesse proceedeth in holines by de grees as being troubled with a great house of sinne which they are faine to draw after them 2 We must not professe all outwardly
God which is his arme to draw vs to saluation when it hath beene a little while among vs it is a thing smally esteemed wheras cōtrariwise in those places where it is newly recouered they flocke together farre and neare and will make it their talke and songes and whole delights The like reason is of the Sacraments other blessings of God which while men doe vse of fashion and custome or else doe rest in the outward thing not looking into them nor beholding the spirituall grace offered by them it cannot be but that they must needs fall into a superstitious abuse of them or else despise and loath them 7 Our Sauiour Christ giueth two notable titles and commendations to the exercises of the Church Matthew chapter 7. verse 6. he calleth them holy and precious First for holines we know there is no sound holines but in the Lord or of the Lord and therefore it was said holines to the Lord it was the inscription of Aarons miter And it is said in the Gospell that none is good but God that is none is essentially good but God the word the Angels so forth are holy but in respect rather of some thing receiued than of their own nature and so the word is holy after a double manner either for that it commeth from God who is perfitly holy and it is of the nature of him or else for that by it we receiue holines and are made holy For the first it is sure that the law-giuer doth alwaies impart to the lawe something of his owne nature and therefore among the heathen looke what kind of men set downe the lawes the law had a smacke of their disposition Solon a very moderate man his lawes were very moderate and tasted much that way Draco his lawes were seuere like to himselfe and therefore they were said to be written with blood So are the Lord his ordinances they comming from the holiest of all carie frō him in them a sensible rellish of holines and are vnited to the nature of God And as the law commeth from one holy and so teacheth holy things likewise cōmeth holines into our hearts by applying them therevnto our hearts of themselues not being holy and so the law hauing a qualitie of God himselfe it hath it not for it selfe alone but for vs. In this respect as the law is liuely so it is a quickning law making aliue as the word is wise so it maketh wise as it is holy so it is a sanctifying law making vs wise For preciousnes the Scriptures sticke not and cease not to set a price of the word as Psalme 19. and 119. Dauid compares it to spoiles a thing full of precious things wherein are things of great price And yet for that in spoiles are things of all value some more some lesse precious after he compares it to gold then to fined gold afterward to much fined gold yea to thousands of gold and siluer and not contenting himselfe he ioyneth to gold precious stones and least yet he might say too little he compares it to all manner of riches The reason hereof is this that for as much as the soule of a man euen of him that perisheth is precious and the soule of euery good man more precious then the soule of the holiest Christ Iesus is most precious Now for as much as the Gospell hath it foundation in opening of the signe of the blood of Christ therefore the Gospell in a singular degree of excellencie must needs be most precious 7 When some penitent sinners are executed for theft we see they are more grieued fo◠whoredome than for theft because it brought them to theft but most of all they sorrow for neglect of the word which hath made them most loose in al their life Seeing then this is warranted by the experience of our times let vs take heed we neglect it not but see the want and neglect of these meanes to be the cause of other sinnes but if we will not doe this the Lord will punish sinne by sinne which is most feareful for this is the only meanes to keepe vs from sinne to heare the word pray giue thankes heare admonitions receiue the sacraments with reuerence and in truth As these meanes doe keepe vs from sinnes so do they recouer vs from them when we are fallen thereinto as when great trouble is vpon vs pouertie disquietnes against these the word of God doth giue a remedie teaching vs that as it came by Gods prouidence so he must take it away contrarie to the familie of loue who denying the prouidēce of God attribute it to outward causes Example of a man which sayd his sicknes came by Gods visitation they replyed vnto him did you not take cold he answered that is but a meanes to serue his prouidence so the familie left him For we take cold often and yet are not sicke because the Lord hath all things in his hand to dispose at his pleasure and then shall we rest in this when we are certainely perswaded of this doctrine Psalme 32. The Prophet saith that before he acknowledged his sinne moysture was turned into drought but when he confessed his punishment was taken away so Iob. 33. when men wil not profite by his word then the Lord wil seale this former doctrine by a correction which if we profite not by it will lie so long on a man that his bones shall sticke out being in this case if the Lord reueale him this he shal be restored to his former state It is plaine that the cause of these corrections is the neglect of the instruction of God in his word which if we would throughly giue ouer our selues vnto we might be sure that no presumptuous sinne should preuaile against vs. But if we esteeme not the word of God or receiue it so as that we profit not by it then let vs not maruaile though the Lord doe visite vs and that in great mercy too if we can be brought so highly to esteeme of the word and of prayer as of nothing more CHAP. XLVI Of Magistracie or Gouernment AFter that Iethro Exod. 18. 21. had tolde Moses a better course in the gouernment of the people hee describeth what manner of men they should bee and to the properties which are there set downe there may be added three in the first of Deuteron vers 13. First then Magistrates must bee wise that is skilfull in all those causes which shall come before them otherwise if they be not men of knowledge they be not fitte for that place Yea though they bee well minded and willing to doe good yet if they haue not knowledge of those things which they must deale in it is not sufficient For as in handicraft matters a good man is not straightway a good Artificer So and much more is it in this waightie calling 2 Secondly it is required that they bee endued with prudence or experience for Sapientia and
qualitie of a sinner Sinnes are made so much the higher greater the more that a man is bound vnto equitie for the more and greater benefits he hath receiued of God so much the more is he bound to doe his will Thirdly it is waighed and noted in the qualitie of the matter whereabout the sinne is committed for a sinne against mans person or name is greater than against his substance or goods but those sinnes are most grieuous which are directly done against God which doe impeach and touch his Maiestie so neerely piercing him as it were to the quicke as distrust despaire blasphemie idolatrie c. Fourthly sinnes measured by meanes of the end which the sinner bendeth to for the worse that the intent or purpose of the sinner is the more grieuous is his sin Fiftly circumstances are to be respected of time and place Sixtly of the very deformitie of sin it selfe according to it selfe the which is alwaies so much the greater and more loathsome as the vertue is more excellent and worthie which is contrarie to it whereupon as the loue of God is the highest vertue so on the contrarie part the hatred of God is the greatest vice S. Gregorie saith A vile and stinking carrion is more tolerable to mans sent than a sinfull soule vnto God So then if we feare and be vnwilling to appeare vile filthie and detestable before the holy and most worthie Maiestie of God and if we abhorre that the countenance of our Creator should be turned from vs let vs then auoide sinne with all carefulnes and pure affection within and without for no deformitie can so disfigure vs in mans eye as the reasonable soule by sinne is deformed and made vile and hatefull in the eyes of God and before his sight for by sinne the soule of man is made like the diuell himselfe 16 Euill doers shunne the light what they cannot auoide they endeuour to conceale they do things they shame to heare of they walke disorderly and thinke to shroud themselues in the cloudes That which the feare of God cannot cause thē wholy to auoid that the shame of men enforceth them to conuey frō the eyes of the world So sin is ashamed of it selfe and sheweth that God had naturally implanted in all a sentence and condemnation against sin which though we commit yet committing it we condemne it and because we condemne it in our selues we conceale it from others Yet many haue so depriued themselues of this naturall remorse they open the face of sinne to the view of all men let a man shut his eyes neuer so close How earnest was Athanasius with the Emperour sharply to correct the Pastors in his time going from their flock If for the reuerence of their persone saith that good man thou wilt not constraine them to dwell with their flockes suffer me to auoide them out of thy gouernment and if God aske me a reason why I do so I will shew it him And yet these sins being written in the open foreheads of many in this land how many doe pull downe their hearts one whit the more for it Thus to walke in sinne without shame at all is it marueile if the godly bewaile to see it If there were but one vniust man iniquitie for this one mans sinne were lamentable much more when whole families when whole streetes nay when whole townes and cities are such the case is to be lamented And be it that generally the common sort of men be so ill inclined yet so long as the Ministers be vnpolluted with blood there is hope the rest may be recouered but if they be as a theefe that laies waite for his pray And liuing not onely of but from the altar work euill in the eyes of the people what then can be hoped for Yet hope of better is not only cut off if those that be in authoritie correct both the one and the other and censure both people and Pastors But if a state be so ruinous that they do the greatest wrongs which sit in the highest roomes when iniquitie authoritie kisse each other when the workers of iniquitie will not be controlled and cannot be corrected then it is a time of mourning and lamentation If the Prophets in their daies did bewaile such things what should we doe whom God hath cast into such daies wherein we see the bookes had and read wherein iniquitie is prescribed As for swearing and prophanenesse these are the sins of poore men they that will beare a top in the world must now think oppression and adulterie be things indifferent so far are the precepts of iniquitie spread euen in our highest places This thou feest O Lord and canst thou suffer it that what thou condemnest for a crime we should account it vertue When such things are among vs and suffered and practised in stead of harmonious songs the musicke of Ierusalem should be to lament Otherwise it will bring those times when it will be our greatest mishap that euer we haue been happie so much our present sorrowes shall be augmented by our by past ioyes Then it will be time to burne our Crowne to ashes when for these abominations we that seemed as Gods shall be trampled vnder foote as dung when the Nobles that are as the purest gold become to be as earthen vessels when our Ministers that were honorable shall become contemptible when the Babylonians shall drink in our holy and honourable vessels of Gods worship Oh that this could teach vs wisedome to make the bowels of the poore the coffers of our treasures Yet herein is not all our sinnes deserue a greater scourge Our children for whom we would not promise an heauenly inheritance shall wallow in their owne blood before our faces when that comes to passe though thy childe be deare yet remember that he should not haue been so deare to thee as he that shed his blood both for him and thee And yet beyond all this our ground shall be burnt to the ground our vines shall drie our trees shall be eaten vp with fire our pastures scorched as an heath our sumptuous buildings shall be ruinous houses our fields shall be like vnto the paued allies and our cities shall be as a plowed field the enemie shall finde a Paradise and shall leaue vs a wildernesse But you will say what is all this to vs as yet I answere if the least of the Saints which be precious stones in the Lords Sanctuarie be better than all buildings in the world who can think of our spiritual vastation and not to haue his countenance sad with the remembrance therof Hath not the Lord euen in our daies and in our eyes puld off the bark from euery pleasant tree how hath he made it bare is there one branch which the enemy hath not made white How do the heards pine away how do the flocks perish That which the Paliner-worme hath left
though they were corrupted for the lord left not his people to worship as they list because Obedience was euer better than Sacrifice The Lord making Lawes respecteth not what any one man needeth but what most stand in neede of therefore seeing there is mention of Priestes Sacrifices Altars Holy-dayes and that the Gentiles which had these borrowed them of the Iewes it is manifest that the Lord neuer left his people to their owne gouernment in his worship 13 The Lord gaue the ten Commandements and spake them himselfe Exo. 20 Deu. 5. Yea Moses added many things hence we may gather that whatsoeues the Lord spake himselfe it belongeth to all that which Moses added was for the Iewes and so is ceremoniall 14 The Lord sanctifieth this day when hee commandeth it to holy vses the people sanctifie it when they so vse it 15 The Iewes were punished not for breaking the ceremonie but for contempt of Gods Commandement and for doing it with an high hand as appeareth there where he that gathered stickes is adiudged to die For first there is a description of the sin and then followeth that in practise which was in word or in precept This is also seene in the lawe of the Fast wherein no man must worke for who so wrought hee should die not for that he wrought but for that he contemned the meanes to be humbled so the like reason generally is for working on the Sabbath and the fasting daies that they were not punished for the ceremonie but for contempt of the ordinance of God so necessary The equirie is in that the Lord giueth sixe dayes to worke and but one to serue him if the first being a permission doth endure for euer then doth the other also remaine for euer And that this permission to worke on the sixe daies cannot be restrained for any religious vse it appeareth as in that Adam had the vse of the creatures the Apostle doth leaue all things free and therefore these dayes came not for any religious vses 16 But some may except the Lord made holy daies and fasting daies therfore we may doe so now Answere first exceptions do not take away a generall rule Secondly the Lord maketh Lawes for men and not for himselfe therefore they may not followe him vnlesse they haue the like reason as in the day of humbling for any singular benefit as in the Coronation of the Prince yet these daies are not taken vp of men but the Lord bloweth the Trumpet and in neglecting them it is sinne for God must haue this prerogatiue onely to make Lawes Seeing the equitie of the Commandement is to vs as well as to them therefore the Sabbath belongeth to vs as well as to them The Lord created all things and gaue them to all and all may haue vse of them therefore this is a sure proofe that the reason is common to vs with them and so this Commandement 17 The exposition of this Commandement sheweth the same for the worship of God is neuer commanded but this also is commanded and the corruption thereof neuer corrected but this also aboue all the rest as may appeare in all places of the Scriptures where mention is made of the Sabbath especially Numb 15. And is all this because of the pretermitting of a Ceremonie Would hee not be euer worshipped in spirit Neuer to delight in the Ceremonie Therefore this was because the meanes of Gods worship were contemned 18 That it should be changed once it was meet but neuer to be changed againe for as then the day of rest for the creation was most fit so now the day of our redemption is most fit seeing now the world is as if it were made new and therefore cannot be changed 19 Then they could not kindle fire which we doe therefore it was ceremoniall First some thinke that commandement was but for time of the wildernes Secondly the Iewes in euery commandement had something ceremoniall which wee haue not now being in CHRIST As in the second commandement we are to reade and teach the word of God it belongeth to vs as well as to them but to haue frontlets we are not bound So of singing we are bound to haue singing as well as the Iewes but yet not with Organes and such like So of burying the dead we are as staightly charged to do it as the Iewes yet not with ointments and such cost as they were at So in euery commaundement they had some thing pedagogicall which is taken away but the commandement it selfe is more streightly required of vs then of them because it is more cleerly set forth to vs then to them 20 Not onely they that spend the Lordes day on their pleasures are to be reproued as breakers of the Lords seruice but they also which worke vpon the same Amongst them those that are the children of God whose hearts God hath touched by his spirit shall see that the Lord will not let them prosper in the same sinne but what they take in hand shall goe slowly forward their bargaines shall bring but small gaine they shall haue but little vse of that which they buy on that day Nay sometimes they shall see that when they have broken the Lords Sabbath some iudgement or other doth light vpon them and their labours so that they will confesse that their Sabbath dayes labors stand them in small stead 21 Manie will obserue streightly their Easter day but wee must haue euerie weeke an Easter day to consider of the benefit of Christs Resurrection not that we must onely that day thinke thereupon For as our Father Adam euery day when hee dressed the Garden should thinke vpon the Creation yet on the Sabbath day he should wholly giue himselfe to obserue the same So must wee euery day consider of Christs Resurrection yet on that day we must doe it wholly that we may recompence the want of the former dayes 22 He that keepeth the Sabbath in truth and in conscience will continually walke vprightly in his calling all the weeke after and on the contrarie hee that is a carelesse prophaner of the Sabbath if his life be examined he shall be found to be a loose liuer if he lie not in some notorious sinne Therefore if any man desire to walke in the commandements of God let him labour in conscience to be a sanctifier of the holy Sabbath 23 Manie will be superstitious obseruers of their popish-holy-daies and streight keepers of their Easter-day and then shall all businesse be done quickly that all may goe to Church but the Lords day is of small account with them Yet must we make euery Sabbath day an Easter-day that is a day wherein we are to record the Resurrection of Christ and all other mercies which God through him hath shewed on vs on those dayes must we labour diligently to feele the fruite of them all 24 Playing should not be on the Lordes day because mans finite nature being
shall euer stand but when there shall come a change there will be a triall so when God sheweth vs tokens of his loue wee may thinke we trust in him but when hee denieth these tokens vnto vs there is the triall When the children of Israel were either in a moderate estate or in some new deliuerance they liued very godly and are commended but if abundance of things did once make them wanton they fell to Idolatrie and when they were in miserie they murmured where wee see that it is easie to come to generall obedience but in particular to embrace it in euery place and time this is harder Againe that is onely true faith which in trouble and want holdeth out constantly and faileth not for any temptation 7 The Lord doth trie his people many waies yet but with one thing at once as some times with want of bread or with want of meate or with want of water he doth not powre all his punishments at once to let them see the corruption of their harts because they are ready to distrust for euery thing and againe to let them see that for many things they cannot be thankfull This is the ordinarie dealing of the Lord with vs he doth vs good many waies he trieth vs sometime one way somtime another way doth not lay all his punishments on men at once vnlesse their sins be come to the full and they deserue it or els if he be minded to take some singular triall of men as he dealt with Iob thus he dealeth with vs to beare with our weakenes and to try vs whether the hauing of many blessings would moue vs rather to follow the Lord than the want of some one thing would cause vs to forsake him This may be seene in particular trials as when he giueth a man many things and letteth him want his health If we consider this we shall see that we are as ready to murmur as euer they were for if the Lord giue a man two yeeres health yet one yeeres sicknes doth more make him to murmur than many yeers of health doth make him thankful For the want of this will make men deny God and the Gospell and to be ready to goe to witches for their health and will not looke for helpe at the Lords hands The infidelitie of the Isralites was greatly herein bewrayed for did God make the waters of Egypt blood dried vp the red sea made bitter waters sweete would not that God also make waters to come out of the rockes in the wildernesse their murmuring is here therefore very manifest and our murmuring is now as great as theirs was For though men thinke that this people did euill to murmur think that now there are greater occasions theÌ„ they had let vs coÌ„sider their temptation and we shall see it will excuse them and greatly accuse vs. For what temptation was it to haue many children and cattell and not to know where to haue water for them We vpon lesse occasions will murmur for though we confesse that we are in better case theÌ„ our fathers were yet because some haue lesse than others haue therfore they are ready to murmur though they haue otherwise sufficient Much more therefore would men murmur if they had nothing and then would they bid God and his word and all farewell And hath not God dealt with vs as mercifully as with them Yea surely if we haue harts to consider Gods prouidence for who cannot see that the Lord hath deliuered him often from dangers Whom hath not the Lord dealt his mercy most liberally to Therefore are we as much without excuse as euer they were 8 Moses finding the Israelites to murmur for water calleth the murmuring a tempting of God because it did not proceed of infirmitie seeing they had tasted of and felt the wonderfull mercies of God for them farre greater than this was to giue them drinke for by the former miracles they knew that God was able and also willing to helpe them and therefore seeing they still murmured Moses calleth this a tempting of God whereas before when they murmured diuers times yet he did beare with them as such as did offend of infirmitie Where we see that God dealing with vs as with them hath borne with the time of our ignorance and we may al confesse that the Lord doth not deale with vs according to the workes of our owne hands but if we will be ignorant still and despise instruction or after we haue had experience of his goodnesse if then we will presume to tempt God it is fearefull when we know the great goodnesse of the Lord and haue experience of the same in our selues Psal. 93. 2. When we know it is a sinne which we commit and yet we will tempt God whether he will punish or no as Peter rebuked Ananias Act. 5. and Paul rebuked those who in vaine excuses would eate in Idols temples saying doe you prouoke the Lord 1. Cor. 10. And this was the temptation with which the diuell tempted our Sauiour saying cast thy selfe downe But Christ answered and said if I should so doe without Gods commandement I should denie his prouidence which only watcheth ouer men in their waies And thus he putteth away the diuell this then is to tempt God and this Moses meaneth when he rebuked the people saying why tempt yee the Lord that is to say You know your sinne well enough the dealing of the Lord with you is manifest and mine also now adde not rebellion vnto sin but if you sinne then do you tempt the Lord The Lord in Psalm 95. passeth ouer other sinnes and maketh thâ—â— orâ—â— of temptation 〈◊〉 be sware c. Now let vs consider when wee fall into some sinne which we know noâ— the Lord is mercifull but if we then when we know it is a sinne by the law of God and when we haue felt euery way the hand of God vpon vs and the spirit of God checking vs for it and that the Lord hath vsed meanes to bring vs out of it if then I say we sinne this is a plaine tempting of God And this wee must apply to our seuerall transgressions as if a man haue bin an adulterer or an angry person or câ—uetous before his knowledge the lord will beare with it but after the Lord hath dealt with vs in these seuerall sinnes as before is set down then if men doe sinne this is the tempting of the Lord and this is the beginning of the wrath of God And such men stand in a very fickle estate and are in great daunger to fall into the hands of the Lord. This is then a comfortable doctrine to heare that the Lord will heare with the offences of our ignorance and will not lay them to our charge if then we will goe cheerefully forward when hee giueth vs knowledge and other meanes to draw vs vnto him but if we refuse instruction and will not be drawne from our
none there it is good to make many doubts and hence commeth conference all these meanes are to be vsed for God sometime blesseth one and not another we must vse all least we should tempt God some heare and not reade some reade and not meditate some keepe their studie and neuer conferre Faith is a knowledge it is called a demonstration it hath alwaies relation vnto the word as the schollers learning is the Maisters doctrine Wicked men know the Scriptures as it is a knowledge but they cannot applie it and haue the true vse men of God speake as if they were moued therfore the interpretation of the scripture must be of the same spirit no man knoweth the minde of God but Gods spirit CHAP. XII Daemonis appellationes or the diuers names giuen to the Diuell in scripture THE Diuell is called Daimôn of his great knowledge and great experience Diábolos of his slaundering and false accusing peir ázan of sifting boring and broching the faithfull to see what is in them skoloposarkòs of making vs subiect to the rebellion of the flesh the Diuell of doing euill or à diuellendo or else as in the old english monuments the diuels fetched from the Greeke Diábolos for his authoritie the Prince of this world that is of the corrupt estate of the world for his forme and vgly shape the Prince of darkenes for his vntruth a lying spirit for his filthines an vncleane spirit for his hurting a serpent for his experience in hurting an old serpent for his strength a Lion for his greedines a ramping or roaring Lion for his poyson a Dragon for his alluring a tempter for his constraining an armed man hauing store of darts sometimes he ramps and roares in one sharpe with hornes and clawes full of terrour in a Lions skinne which is especially in the euill day at the houre of death Sometimes he transformes himselfe into an Angels shape in bright apparell full of compassion in the mantle of Samuel in a religious habit full of scripture euery other word is scriptum est setting an ambush of Diuels to inuade vs holding the crosse and this is his craft If he be able to change himselfe into an Angell of light much more is he into a shadow of the night for he setteth his nets and diggeth his pits in euery thing to take vs in our flesh by ease or pleasure or pride of the eyes suis mimis by death and the feare of it In our soule he hath his forge and bellowes euill motions lusts suggestions to kindle the fire of concupiscence in our affections bending our feare and our loue and such like to that which they should not be imployed vnto in our reason by casting doubts and planting the roote of bitternes in vs which is infidelitie in the creatures by abusing of them or by vnthankfull receiuing of them in the world by hauing his nets in riches preferments euill examples customes and euill companie in melancholie humors perswading despaire to be true sorrow in cholericke bodies perswading wrath to be good zeale in ciuill wisedome by mingling policie with Christianitie in our best motions by mingling with repentance distrust in Gods mercies with faith securitie in making vs measure Gods loue or hatred by blessings or afflictions of this life in preuenting vs of good by breeding in our hearts a loathsomnes of the word and wearines in the meaner in stripping Christ of his high Priests garments and true office of mediatorship vrging sometime these sayings Except ye also repent ye shall all likewise perish which kinde of sentences are not so properly his as belonging to his office which is a Mediator and true Sauiour 2 Sathan is inuisible changeth himselfe into an Angell of light that he cannot be discerned by the eye no nor by reason he windeth himselfe into our reason Peter thought Christ should not dye what reason was it that the sonne of man should dye CHAP. XIII Of the contempt of the Ministerie 1 IEhu being threatned called the Prophet a madbraine for so they iudged of them that digressed any whit from the set composition of words and orderly precepts of their arte which no doubt therefore hath and will come to passe because men can no longer either lend eye or eare than either they can see by reason or discerne by arte or whiles the speaker keepeth himselfe within this ordinarie course of stile or carieth himselfe euen in an orderly and oratorious period so long as wittie inuention comely compassing of matter proportionable measure of words are afforded but if a man come to cut vp the conscience and in some vehemencie of spirit dealeth more roughly and lesse orderly with their speciall sinnes then he is brainesicke and runneth as they say besides the text Neither are these complainers sillie soules but learned Parthians and wise Arabians men elaborate in arte skilfull in precepts and proud Babylonians who cannot discerne betweene a godly vehemencie of spirit for the Lord of hosts sake and a rayling austeritie of speech for malice or vaine glorie sake If then Paul be misconstrued wrongfully he must recompence such sinnes with meekenes patiently whereby often the Lord hath brought to passe that the proudest heart of most obstinate gainesayers haue beene more broken seeing the mild sufferance of the Ministers of Christ than if they had beene pursued with most hote reuengement which then especially experience hath proued true when the Lord with some crosse and humilation sealing the truth of his faithfull and zealous seruants hath caused many to thinke themselues to haue resisted the graces of God and persecuted the gifts of God in them whom they thought before to be curious precise and seekers of singularitie 2 Grieuous enough it is when our corne our cattell our goods and treasure shall come to the tables of our enemies but what though we be yet freed from such Chaldaeans yet is there a great famine in the land which they little thinke of that are the Church-robbers whom we falsely call Patrons of the Church Little thinke they of it who in stead of feeding to saluation starue many thousands to destruction in whom if there were any loue of God from their hearts I dare say and say it boldly that for all the promotions vnder heauen they would not offer that iniurie to one soule that now they offer to many hundred soules But Lord how do they thinke to giue vp their reckning to thee who in most strict account wilt take the answere of euery soule committed vnto them one by one Or with what eares doe they often heare that vehement speech of our Sauiour Christ feede feede feede With what eyes doe they so often reade that pearcing speech of the Apostles feede the flocke whereof you are ouerseers looke vnto the flock committed vnto you But if none of this will mooue them then the Lord open their eares to heare the grieuous grones of many soules lying vnder the grislie altars of destruction
our present trouble and torment of minde seeketh to driue vs vnto despayre we are to vse against him his owne weapons for among many testimonies of our estate in grace fauour with God there is none more euident and sensible than is that conflict which we find and feele in our selues of the spirit against the flesh of faith against vnbeliefe of a sanctified minde against that part that is vnregenerated and finally of the new creature against the old man and of Christ himselfe in vs against the power of Sathan If he replie that this is not so but the contrarie we may answere that albeit there haue been many times wherein we had a more present and mightie hand of the Lord vpon vs yet euen now Satan himselfe cannot denie but we hate sinne and loue righteousnes that we loue God and to our power obey his will and flye the baites and occasions of euill whereof if there were for the present no manifest and apparant effects as yet by the grace of God there are notwithstanding the onely affection and desire of the heart thirsting and longing after Gods kingdome and his righteousnes are sufficient arguments of the worke of grace begun in vs which shall so long bee continued by the good hand of our heauenly father vntill it be consummated and perfected in the life to come For if it be God as the Apostle saith that giueth both the will and the deed he that hath giuen vs to desire to obey his will will also enable vs vnto the doing of the same And seeing the worke of sanctification beginneth in the heart and thence floweth into our whole life wee nothing doubt but God who hath giuen vs ioy in the holy Ghost and therby a loue vnto him vnto his law wil further confirme strengthen vs that we may be vessels of honour vnto his name and glorifie the Gospel of our profession with fruites agreeable and according thereunto Yea the thoughts meditations and desires of the heart are deeds before God and principall parts of that obedience which he requireth at our hands And therefore if the faithfull man should bee taken away by death before he hath done any of the outward works of the law yet should not his faith be without fruites in that being sanctified in the inward man hee doth now in soule spirit serue the Lord and desireth abilitie and oportunitie in act to doe his will and to honour his name as appeared in that penitent malefactor that died with our Sauiour Christ. Another thing I am to admonish you of that you bee not as the couetous men of the world who so gape vpon that they further desire as they consider not but rather forget that which they alreadie haue and hauing much indeede in their opinion haue nothing and to all purposes and vses do as well want that which they haue as that which they haue not So it oftentimes happeneth to the deare children of God that whilest they looke and breath after that which they haue not yet attained vnto they forget and neglect that which they haue receiued and vse it not to their comfort and reioycing as otherwise they should This ouerreaching importunitie of theirs Sathan abuseth against them from the opinion of hauing nothing to blind their eyes not to see the present grace and goodnes of God towards them It is true that the Apostle saith that in the course of godlines and religion we may not thinke we haue attained the goale or are come vnto the ende of our race but forgetting that which is behind vs and endeuouring vnto that which is before must contend as to a marke vnto the reward of the most high calling of God in Christ Iesus But he speaketh it not to this end that wee should not in thankfulnes acknowledge the former mercies of God bestowed vpon vs or not vse them vnto our comfort as testimonies of his loue fauour towards vs but that we may not stay in our present profiting but adde daily a new and fresh increase that as from a larger and greater heape oâ— benefits we may more and more assure our selues that we are beloued of God and shall enioy the inheritance of his kingdome When the Apostle saith Worke your saluation c. and labour to make your calling and election sure though the meaning be not that we should put confidence of saluation in workes yet it telleth vs that the works fruits of our faith are testifications of Gods spirit dwelling in our hearts more euident and pregnant than that Satan himselfe can or dare deny them We may not suffer our selues to be so ouerborne of the enemie vnder the colour of zeale and desire to doe well as not to remember wherein the Lord hath already giuen vs some part of wel-doing not so to striue vnto that we haue not as to forget that which by his grace we already haue but rather with all thankfulnesse acknowledging the goodnes of God from thence assure our selues of the continuance finishing of the worke begun In the courses of the world as slownesse getteth nothing so preposterous haste looseth all It is the subtiltie and malice of the enemie when he cannot hold vs with himselfe to hasten and push vs on so fast and so headlong as by rashnesse we may fall into that which by forwardnesse we had escaped Good things to come therefore we must hold them in hope and pursue them in peace but the good we haue alreadie attained vnto we must so farre reioyce and comfort our selues in as from thence we may be able to sustaine and support our cause against the enemie and from that we haue to let him vnderstand that we doubt not of that which remaineth that the Lord will both continue and confirme the worke of his owne hands and not forsake the same vntil it be accomplished in his kingdome of glory Thus I haue in great hast and confusedly set down so much as presently came vnto minde of those things which often heretofore I haue written vnto you humbly beseeching the Father of all mercy and God of all consolation who hath annointed you with the oyle of his grace sealed you with the spirit of adoption and giuen you a sure earnest and pledge of euerlasting saluation to encrease vpon you and in your heart the measure of faith and multiply your fruits in all manner of well doing make you strong against the face of your enemie crowne you with victorie in the day of battaile that you may praise his name in the day of your deliuerance glorifie him in the whole course of your life and finally enioy with the rest of his Saints that eternall kingdome of glory prepared for all those that loue and feare him Amen FINIS MAISTER GREENEHAMS PRAYER O God most mightie glorious and righteous O father most louing gracious and merciful which keepest couenant and mercy in Iesus Christ
zeale is opposed to luke-warmnes which is too temperate a warmenes for the profession of the Gospell Wee must not then onely renounce coldnes farre from vs and put away lukewarmnes but wee must be very hote and feruent in the profession of the truth Againe 1. Cor. 14. 1. that which our common translation hath Follow after loue couet gifts but especially prophecie the naturall Text hath bee zealous after the more excellent gifts And Rom. 12. Be feruent to the spirit that is let Gods spirit inkindle in you a fire which may cause you to flame with a zeale of Gods glorie and with a loue of mankinde Now there are diuers kinds of zeale there is a zeale of the world there is a zeale of the flesh there is a zeale of false religion there is a zeale of heresie and there is a zeale of the true word of God First wee see the zeale of the world maketh men to labour day and night to get a transitorie thing The zeale of the flesh tormenteth mens minds early and late for a momentarie pleasure The zeale of heresie maketh men trauaile and compasse Sea and Land for the maintaining and increasing of theis opinion Thus wee see euery man is eaten with some kinde of zeale The drunkard is consumed with drunkennes the whoremonger is spent with his whoredome the Heretike is eaten with heresies oh how ought this to make vs ashamed who are so little eaten spent consumed with the zeale of the word And so much the rather because godlie zeale leaueth in vs an aduantage and a recompence which the worldlie and carnallie zealous men haue not For when they haue spent all the strength of their bodies and powers of their minde they haue no gaine nor comfort left but torment of conscience and when they are outwardly spent they are inwardly neuer the better whereas the godly being consumed for a good thing and eaten vp with the zeale of Gods glorie haue this notable priuiledge and profite that howsoeuer their outward man perisheth and decayeth yet their inward man is still refreshed and nourished to euerlasting life Oh what a benefit it is to bee eaten with the loue and zeale of a good thing Leauing now the carnall and worldly zeale wee know how zealous Idolaters were that they would euen offer their children in the fire We know the zeale of the Iewes Math. 13. who would compasse Sea and Land to make a man a Proselyte Heretikes as we see spare no labour and let not for aâ—â—e cost to maintaine their Heresies but these are not good The true zeale is that whereof the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 11. I am iealous ouer you with an holie jealousie Rom 10. the Apostle â—aith the Iewes had the zeale of God but not according to knowledge Wherefore to shewe some properties of true zeale whereby we may trye our selues let vs first know that our zeale must be grounded on knowledge for otherwise it will carrie vs further to destruction as it did them who oppreâ—â—ed the truth and persecuted the deare seruants of God and yet thought that they did well Wherefore in true zeale it is requisite to haue knowledge going before Wee see the zeale of the Prophet did arise here of the contempt of the law of God For seeing it to be â—o exquisite perfit euerlasting powerfull comfortable it is a manifest argument that he was well grounded on the word This zeale then that we may the lesse be deceiued with the contrary hath these few rules first as we haue already said it must be agreeable wholy with the word of God to begin where it beginneth to end where it endeth Therefore we may thus trie our true zeale If first and especially wee make conscience of the principall matters of the word as of prayer of the Sacraments of discipline of charitie and then of the lesse things that are commaunded if wee will doe them if anie be forbidden wee also auoide them yet euer tollerating through loue little things as they that would not trouble the Church of God Wherefore the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 11. 1. 10. If anie man lust to be contentious we haue no such custome neither the Churches of God as if he should say If any man will striue about matters of lesse importance wee according to the order of the Church will not striue with them but rather will beare many things in loue and yet so as still we vse this caueat That we account nothing small or little which is Gods word This doctrine may be manifested by familiar examples If a man shall steale things of great weight or some great summe of money which deserueth hanging and the cutting off of life we will abhorre him but when it coÌ„meth out that they may â—eale lesse things as wood and corne and that not of necessitie but euen of greedinesse of minde thinking it not to be subiect to so high a punishment they will make no conscience of it But if Adam was cast out of Paradise for the biting of an apple wee must not thinke any thing that the word commaundeth or forbiddeth to be little or that the doing or not doing is but a trifling sinne least that through the iust iudgements of God we falling by little and little by degrees fall into great monstrous sinnes And as this is in life so is it much more in the worship of God It is a great fault that wee will make a scruple in matters of small importance and will not sticke to be dissolute in things of greater weight Indeed it must needs be confessed that our grand zeale must be in great things and yet wee must not lightly esteeme of any thing in the glorious word of God The second rule of true zeale is that wee must looke to the things which are within as well as to the things which are without This also our Sauiour Christ teacheth vs by reprehending the Pharisies in telling them that they made cleane the outside of the platters but left the inside foule shewing that their liues outwardly was without reproofe but inwardly they were full of secret pride disdaine selfe-loue and hatred Our zeale must beginne within and in time appeare outwardly and as we will not sinne outwardly so we must be as loth to sinne inwardly Wherefore here also are two things to be obserued the first is that we feare no more to do ill before men then we do by our selues For wee be giuen to be loth to be accounted ill and yet make no such conscience to be ill we see theeues whores and ill-doâ—rs are loth to bee so accounted and yet in the meane season if they can doe this secretly they make no care of it We outwardly are carefull to maintaine our credit and to trauaile with our selues yet secretly wee can commit sinne greedily What is this but to be painted sepulchers and dishes cleane without but foule within Wherefore wee