as it hath served to comfort us so now it serves to confute and confound that uncomfortable Antichristian principle bred in Popery strongly affirmed confirmed cannonized and ratified by the counsell of Trent prop and pillar of that cursed Idolatrie of the Beast agreed upon by those Italianated Machiavels viz. that A man must doubt of his Salvation so long as he lives as much as if one should say wee must doubt of what God hath promised in his mercy or ratified in his truth confirmed by oath and sealed unto us in the blood of his Son by the witnesse of the Spirit Rom 8. 16. 1 Iohn 5 10. Eph. 4. 30. making them all of none effect what is this but to beleive the father of lyes before the three witnesses in Heaven and the three in earth 1 Iohn 5. 7. What is this but to teach the sinne of Infidelity which above the rest is like the fourth beast Dan. 7. 7. dreadfull terrible excedding strong and had great Iron teeth this even pushed against the truth of God with the hornes of blaspemie What is this but to set a mans conscience upon the racke and to give into the hands of a desperate man swords Pistols halters the engines of his owne destruction and even to cause the hands in this distraction of minde in this deepe poynt of Salvation to imbrue themselves in their owne blood as never being sure of Gods mercy and truth towards him in the pardoning and forgiving his sinnes when he can never by the doctrine of his Religion say with David I put my trust in the Lords mercy nor with Thomas my Lord and my God nor with the faithfull Isa 25. 9. Loe this is our God wee have waited for him but his soule perplexedly hangeth tottering betwixt hope and dispaire Consider with Augustine that the name of IESVS is a name under which wee must not dispaire hee spreads his armes on the Crosse to imbrace both Iewe and Gentile Deus tibi de hoc mundo recedenti promisit immortalitem tu dubitas hoc est Deum omnino non nosse Christum credentium Magistrum peccato incredulitatis offendere God hath promised thee immortality when thou goest out of the world and doest thou doubt What is this but not to know God and to offend CHRIST the Master of the faithfull with the sinne of Infidelity the mercifull God hath shed abroad his love in our hearts that hee might beget and bring forth our love to him againe from the reflection of his owne non credit in deum qui non in eo solo collocat totius suae foelicitatis fiduciam he beleeves not in God who puts not the trust of his whole felicity for this life and a better onely in him What a comfortlesse doctrine is this which strives to blinde the eyes of faith CHRIST came to preach no such hee was preached by the Angels to be a Gospell and glad tydings of great Ioy to all people Luke 2. 10. and Zach. 6. 12 Reioyce O daughter Sion for thy King commeth unto thee c. wee must reioyce in him as men doe in harvest Isa 7. which wee cannot doe so long as the doctrine of our religion teacheth us to doubt of Gods mercy and truth cheare up thy selfe then performing thine obedience not from the spirit of meere bondage but with David Psal 119 chearefully runne the wayes of Gods commandements make thine election peace and reconciliation sure in CHRIST and being iustified thou hast peace with God by faith Rom. 5. 1. The fourth and last thing considerable in the reason is the conclusion of the Psalme the first last string of this well tuned Harpe beginning and ending in the same cadence of an holy and heavenly duety Praise yee the Lord. Which are considered two wayes 1 As they are repeated 2 As a duty enjoyned First wee see here not an idle Crambe bis cocta but a necessary repetition warranted by the Spirit which indited it and David that writ it where obserue that repetitions are used in the Scriptures in divers respects Sometime in prayer for the better stirring up of our zeale and fervency thus used by CHRIST himselfe Math 26 39. 42. and chap. 27. 46. My God my God and Psal 143. 1. Sometime in matters of Prophec◠and that most usually in the Coetaneall and Prophets of the same time as in Amos Isa and Hosea the same vices the same false Prophets and the same Idolatry is taxed Mich 1. 3. the same vices in the same words with Isa 26. 21. and the same concerning the mountaine of the Lord Isa 2. 2. hath Mich 4. 1. And not onely among them of the same time but also of many ages and generations distant as Iacobs Prophecy Gen. 49. 10. repeated many hundred yeares after Hag. 2. 8. Zach. 2. 8. borrowes that from Psal 17. 8. and the like Zach 9. 9 from Isa 62 11. so Zach 9. 10. from Psal 72. 8 and Zach. 11. 9. from Ierem. 15. 2. The promise concerning the powring out of the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. from Ioel. 2. 28 the destruction of the Idols which is threatned Zach. 13. 2. from Ezech 30. 13. All these to settle our faith in the certainty of the Scriptures in this united concordance and harmony of the writers thereof all agreeing in the Analogy of faith like Pharaohs dreame repeated Gen 41 32. to make him know it was established with God and hee will surely bring it to passe Sometime they are used in simple narrations to assure the beleever of the certainty of them as 1 Iohn 〈…〉 that which wee have heard from the beginning which wee have seene and handled c. To this end the God of nature hath given unto man two hands two eares two eyes that if the one faile in the object the other should not or to put us in minde with an earnest desire to performe our duties which brings us to the doctrine viz. Repititions are not alway vaine Battalogies and superfluous Tantologies but often times lawfull and warrantable for the better stirring men up to their duties The Prophet Isa desires for the teaching of knowledge to them that are wayned from the milke and drawne from the breasts Chap. 28. 10. Precept upon precept precept upon precept line upon line line upon line here a little and there a little Phil 3. 1. It greiveth not the Apostle to write the same things unto them and Iude 5. I will put you in remembrance though you once knewe this c. There is no newe thing under the Sunne saith the Preacher nothing spoken which hath not formerly bin upon the Stage what are the Prophets but Expositors of Moses the great Prophet the new Testament of the olde and our Sermons Comments upon both Men under the Gospell must be like the cleane beasts under the law of Ceremonies to chew the cud in in an holy
to see their charmers because one of them laughed not to see another in their antique and apish Idolatries which are more fit to please babes than any way to satisfie the conscience of man all in the shadowe nothing in the substance If these then or any such have forestalled the market of our affections and have taken a lodging in our hearts let us deale with them as Iacob did with his false Gods or as Ephraim with his Idols cast them out And let the current of our affections run in the right streame and be fixed on the right obiect Praise ye the Lord. Whence and from what hath bin spoken and the naturall genuine sence of the words themselves let us erect for our supportance in this duty the doctrine following viz. It is a chiefe duty necessarily enioyned to all creatures and especially to man to become instruments of the glorious praise of their omnipotent Creator This was the gracious practise of old Zacharie Luke 1. 68. for receiving his gracefull sonne Iohn supposed to be the Messiah Ioh. 1. 21. a blessing from God no sooner given but a blessing from man returned Blessed be the Lord God of Israel c. rightly called in the language of Canaan a blessing ingratitude being the devils text wicked men the Glossers and Expositors both which must end in a cursed destruction Blessed Marie in her song cals it a magnifying Luke 1. 46. My soule doth magnifie the Lord. To magnifie is to make great Now God is the best the greatest and cannot in himselfe be made lesser or greater by us all that we can doe either in the magnifying or vilifying of him is in regard of others when we sweare falsely protest rashly blaspheame like an Atheist or Turke we do to our power lessen his greatnes when we unthankefully returne not his due praise for his mercies we vilipend debase as much as we can his gracious goodnes and when we magnifie him wee make him great wee proclaime him good To make this more plaine and to drive this dutie deeper into our soules it is in regard of vs the end of our election foreseene in the mercy and love of God before the foundation of the World as over-looking our estate in Adam as changeably good to that in Christ immutably glorious Ephes 1. 6 To the praise of his glorious Grace It is the end of our creation even enjoyned to insensible animals the visible and legible booke of our instruction and lessoning in this duty the sunne moone day night Psal 19. 1. and every thing that hath breath are summoned by Davids Trumpet to become the well uned Cymball of their Creators praise But Man the rare Epitome of all these hath an instrument of speech to tune it to a higher key Rev. 4. 11. Thou art worthy O Lord to receive honour and praise for thou hast created all things for thy wils sake and for thy pleasures sake were they created It is the end of our redemption Rev. 5. 9. Thou art worthy to take the booke and open the seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud And thus I must instance in the rest even to the lowest particular deliverance from the hellish and the highest to the least and lowest danger as Exod. 15. Iudg. 5. c. no sooner a deliverance but a song of thanks giving to the deliverer And it is the summe of what thy God for this requires of thee Psal 50. 15. Call upon me in the time of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise mee Reas 1. Because as all rivers come from the sea and returne thither againe returning as it were a thankefull tribute to their Lord Even so all things come from the Father of lights Iam. 1 17. which are for our good as from the fountaine of goodnesse and must or at least ought in thankefulnesse to returne to him againe All the gifts of fortune falsely so called as riches and possessions the gracefull endowments of the body as agility beauty strength all the goods of the minde as wit learning No silver in Benjamins sacke till Ioseph put it in and no good in man except God bestowe it Even that noble skill in physicke standing upon two legs Reason and Experience is an excellent meanes to preserve our health and yet for all this it is the great Doctor which hath Heaven for his chaire that keepeth us alive for so soone as he is angry wee are gone wee bring our yeares to an end as a tale that is told Psal 90. 9. If the keepers of our house doe not tremble and the grinders cease not and the golden ewer be not broken and our eyes the windowes of our bodies be not darke it is from the Father of lights Hence renowned Salomon and all the learned Clearkes have their wisedome and the same it was which tooke away that great knowledge from the learned Trapezuntius who was not onely infatuated in his learning but forgot his owne name Hence are all students counselled by Sarisburiensis in Policratico to knocke at heaven gate to God for their good speede that the key of knowledge may open a doore of utterance So there are diversities of gifts diversities of administrations and diversities of operations but all from the same Spirit from the same Lord who worketh all in all 1 Cor. 12. Among the Apostles Paul was good at planting Apollos at watering Among the Fathers some construed the Scriptures all egorically as Origen who excelled others either in effect or defect Augustine dogmatically Hierome more literally Gregory the great Morrally and Chrysostome pathetically And also among our moderne writers Erasmus was full of matter and words Luther had store of matter without many words Carolostadius neither c. as Luther himselfe wrote upon the wals of his Chamber So also among our ordinary Preachers some have good utterance but a bad conceite some an excellent utterance but a meane wit some both some neither As for the gifts appertaining to the will 2 Cor. 3. 5. All our sufficiencie is of God For faith which as some thinke belongeth both to the will and understanding it is also the gift of God 10. 6. 29. This is the gift of God that ye beleeve on him whom he hath sent God worketh in man the first desire to beleeve ipsumvelle credere saith Augustine The staying of the bloudy fluxe of thy corruption comes from some vertue in Christ Mar. 5. 30 The purging of thy lippes from lying swearing blaspheaming c. is by a coale from the Altar Esay 6. 6. The gift of Prayer powerfully solliciting the throne of mercy and filling heaven and earth with Abba father proceedes from none but the Spirit which makes intercession for us with groanes which cannot be expressed Rom. 8. 26. The tongue of the learned it is from the Lord Esay 50. 4. If thou hadst
Swearers c. the Sunne would cloud and obnubilate his glorious face the Moone her light the Cressets of heaven their twinckling lustre from the rebellious idolatrous disobedient sinner that hath so long viewed and enioyed their excellent comfort continually cast from those chrystall eyes of heaven and is not lessoned by them to praise his God the Vestall-earth mourns under the burthen of a rebellious Nation every furrow thereof cries against the depopulating Incloser Iob 31. 38. The stones and timber where the wicked man dwelleth Hab. 2. 11. All he possesseth is his enemie because he is an enemie to God witnesse these tenne Plagues powred uppon Egypt both from heaven and earth all the creatures are Gods armie to fight against them that fight against him So then if thou be a blasphemer Persecuter c. wert thou in a City whose walls were as strong turretted and inexpugnable as the wall that Phocas built about his Pallace yet shall it be really performed on thee as it was voyced to him in the night Did they teach the heavens they may be scaled the sinne in the soule spoyles all A cities overthrow is sooner wrought by wicked lives than weake wals saith Augustine they worst enemies are thy finnes saith Ambrose so the hoast of creatures are thine enemies while thou hast no peace with God peace and wickednesse cannot dwell together The heathen gods indeed could not revenge their owne quarrels as the Poet speakes of Mars but our God hath heaven earth and hell to fight his battels a thousand wayes to revenge mille nocendi artes Wicked man why dost thou continue in thy sinnes and say with stupid pharaâ— Who is the Lord When thou canst not breathe moove or live without him Learne then like the Bee to gather honie from every flower to give praise from every creature all objects to a meditating Salomon are wings to mount his thoughts to heaven as the old Romanes seeing the blewe stones were put in minde of Olympus so from every creature to elevate our thoughts to Sion and so we may honour God in honouring him in his creatures Whether yee eate or drink Do all to the glory of God in all things giue thankes 1 Thes 5. 18. Every creature is good and ought not to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving 1 Tim. 4. 4. Be not then an unthankfull Esau to sit downe eate drinke enjoy the creatures and irreverently rise up and goe thy way Gratitude opens ingratitude pens up and closes the wine cellars the heavens the buckets and cisternes of the skie are ready to showre vpon the thankfull Praise the Lord makes the heavens as Nilus Egypt fertile Lastly to drive this Hallelu-jah deeper into thy Soule consider that thou not only hast the creature from God but also he must give it power to comfort nourish and sustaine thee There is indeed bread that nourisheth not Esay 55. 2. Why doe yee spend mony for that which is not bread and labour for that which satisfieth not it seemes but is not bread and if it bee it satisfies not Such is that bread of secrecies and waters of stealth Prov. 9. 17. The delicates and cates that sinne sets before us deadly cuppes and Acheronticke potions Zâ—uxes painted grapes to feede the devils black birdes to meager leannesse But God gives the creature power and strength It is not thy meate drinke sleepe cloathes that of themselves doe nourish and warme thee more than the hard and cold stone but Gods blessing upon them Math. 4 4. Man lives not by bread onely but by the word and blessing of God Else might thou starve in the midst of thy plenty The poore man with Daniel may be as well liking with pulse and pure water as they that eate of the portion of the Kings meate may goe as warme in his ragges as they in Kings houses that are cloathed in soft raiment if God blesse his bread and water Exod. 23 25. Thus when God threatens a famine and dearth he takes not away the bread it selfe but the staffe viz. the strength nutritive power of it Levit. 26. 26. When I shall breake the staffe of your bread Ezech. 4. 16. 5. 16 I will breake the staffe of bread called Esay 3. 1. the stay of bread and the stay of water It is but a poore elementall creature to which Gods blessing hath not added strength if God did not heare the heavens for vertue the heavens the earth for influence and the corne the wine for vegetative power Hos 2. 21. All simples were but simple things and all componds idle when they want the best ingredient Gods blessing Goutish Asa wants this powerfull ingredient in his physicke when 2 Chron. 16. 12. He sought not the Lord in his disease but to Physitians He was not so lame in his feete as in his faith Wee must not sticke so fast in the secrets of Philosophy but also looke upon the mysteries of Divinity God is the chiefe Physitian let Plato hold the candle to Moses and Physitians learne from the sonnes of the Prophets In all thy labours and endeavours Psal 127. 2 it is in vaine for thee to rise up earely to sit up late to eate the bread of sorrowes For except the Lord give a blessing to our workes it is but to plowe the sand and to lodge at the Labour in vaine 1 Cor. 3. 6. Paul plants Apollos waters but God gives the increase So the vintage of workes depends upon the showres of Gods blessing The workes of the world may have likely and proud entrances but yet halt in the conclusion if not attended from a superior influence But God from a slender beginning brings a plentifull issue as in that Balme immortall incorruptible seed of the Word which in it selfe is dead by Gods Spirit assisting concurres to the begetting of a new man powerfully mortifying the rotten flesh and quickning the spirit That little mustard-seede which spreads up into branches able to give the fowles of heaven harbour able thus armed to binde the strong man disarme him and cast him out of his usurped possession of thy soule 2 Cor. 10. 5. Casting downe the highest things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and captivating every thought to the obedience of Christ Ier. 23. 29. A hammer to breake the stone not in the reynes but in the heart As a tree hath manifest to the eye leaves flowers and fruite but the root lyes hid And as in man the body is seene but the better and purer part is vailed under the curtaine of his flesh And as in all things we see the Accidents not the forme and substance So the Word we heare but the life of it is the power of God So then if thou seest a blessing upon thy labours wicked men called and that come to passe prophecyed by Esay 11. 6. Ravenous Wolves Cruell
Leopards c. swearers lyers drunkards forsaking their wicked loathed slavish drudgery to the world flesh and divell and submit their sinewy neckes uncircumcised hearts and prophane lives in obedience to the scepter of Christ and out of a syncere profession and unfaigned confession cry with the Souldiers under Iovinian We are Christians and will be true to the colours of the Crosse according to our Sacramentall Oath under the banner of our Michaël we will wage warre with the red Dragon and all the spirituall enemies of our salvation God by his Word hath perswaded us called and called us out of our inchanted fooles Paradise wherein we lay in the prison and dungeon of spirituall darkensse into his marvailous light hath opened our eyes freed our feete and as a bird we are escaped out of the cordes and manacles of our hellish sinnes And whereas we lived to our owne corruptions emancipated to our lusts even the devill the Prince of the ayre Eph. 2. 3. tutoring our disobedience now wee live to God the life of God the life of Grace our scorching lusts and rebellious natures which heavenly influence should have wasted the scalding cup of Gods wrath are washed cleansed in the bloud of the immaculate lambe made ours in our justification and sealed to us in the laver of our new baptizing renovation He that is the ministerial instrument of this wondrous work which causeth admiration and ioy in men and Angels Luke 15. 7. Though his tongue were the pen of a ready writer Psal 45. 2. and spake as the Oracle of God had the mouth of golden Chrysostome the gravity of Tertullian the spirit of heavenly Augustine could make Felix tremble with Paul conjure the cursed workes of darkenesse Yet if he sacrificed to his owne nets and yarne he robbes God of his praise and glorie It is not thy word nor thy eloquence or learning but Gods power that brings these mighty things to passe and so all other things If the mercy of God be not in our sustenance we may dye with meate in our mouthes as did the Israelites if his providentiall goodnesse restraine her influence and withold her vertue were our garments as rich as Aarons Ephod there were no heate or benefit in them Nature declines her ordinary working when Gods revocation hath chidden it Though thou labourest and sweatest with diligence till the taper of thy life were burnt out if the Lord prosper not thy handy worke thou makest but roapes of sand to bind Sampson Then sing with the Psalmist Not unto vs O Lord not unto us but unto thy name give the glorie The principall end of Gods actions must be the end of ours and his is his praise Prove 16. 4. The Lord made all things for himselfe viz for his owne praise even the wicked for the day of evill Even out of the unhallowed heape of sinne will he mould the silver trumpet of his owne praise To teach us That God is praised magnified and made great by us when his Image is repaired in us Gen. 1. 26. Let vs make Man after our owne Image Now this image which is his righteousnesse and holinesse the new man Ephes 4. 24. newly comming out of the mint of Regeneration as furnace-smoaked Israel out of Egypt is a glorifying of God and this as a curious worke graces the artificer magnifies the maker Man the little Epitome or Compendium of the world hath bin admired for his wonderfull structure and frame called by that almost miracle of Antiquity a great Miracle Nothing more admirable than Man Man a certaine divine thing Memento quòd homo sit quoddam Omne what shines not in him Our Saviour CHRIST honours him with a large tytle Mark 16. 15. Goe Preach the Gospell to every creature and who but Man must have the benefit of this Gospell But if wee looke upon him as the image of God repaired a new creature nay a new creation 2. Cor. 5. 17 As Ioseph comming from Prison as Mordecai whom the King of honour will honour as Queene Hester perfumed with the aromaticall graces of the Spirit having the royall robe of Christs righteousnesse Cant. 4. 7. Thou art all faire my Love and there is no spot in thee comely as the Curtaines and pompe of Salomon having cast off the blacke scorchings of Kedar Cant. 1. 5. and the Gibeonitish ragges of sinne now remember old things no more Esay 7. he is now a glorious creature and here is God magnified the greater measure of grace affords a greater measure of praise Strive then beloved to have thy unhallowed soule sanctified thy life reformed thy crooked pathes of vanity straighted every thought brought into subiection that God may be made greater in thee and thou the trumpet of his praise And the further to stirre us up to holinesse consider that the magnifying of God is the magnifying of our selves Luke 1. 46. Mary sings My soule doth magnifie the Lord and verse 49. He that is mighty hath magnified me He that blesseth the Lord is encreased he that blaspheameth decreased Our exultation is the first staire of our exaltation Wouldest thou be exalted made great and honoured of God of men and Angels then season thy soule with grace honor God For they that Honour him he will honour and they that despise him shall be dispised 1 Sam 2. 30. He that goes to the Court of Honour must passe by the temple of vertue from the Pallace of Grace to the Place of Glory Learne then to have the praise of God in thy mouth Let Hallelu-jah be the Cadence in all our Musicke and our Musicke in all our actions that being our practice on earth we may one day be Angelicall Choristers in Heaven Praise the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name for Omne bonum nostrum velipse vel ab ipso All our good is either God or from God Parties Gentile Iewe enjoyned to this duty 1. The Gentile the stocke of Iapheth one of the sonnes of Noah Gen. 9. 18. the eldest by birth but reckoned by way of Anticipation in the last place And though a long time they stoode as it were excommunicate and cut off from the Covenant of grace yet in Gods appoynted time this rejected seede is perswaded to dwell in the tents of their brother Sem the Iewe as Noah prophecyed And the neuer erring Spirit makes this place a propheticall prediction of Gods never failing purpose of their calling Rom. 15. 11. with many other scriptures pregnant to prove it the word Nations in the old testament in Hebers tongue being rendred by Paul Gentiles a most fit prophecy for this purpose sayth Marlorat and others upon the place Thus though a great while the forlorne Prodigall sate in darkenesse and in the shadowe of death and God vouchsafed his loves and favours to the Iewes
thy finger much lesse give ease to a sinne-loaden sin-sicke soule All they can doe is to attend thy loathsome corps like a ricke of hay to thy cursed buriall But the Godly with David place their felicity in the remission of sinnes Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne In Gods favourable countenance Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and this exceedes all things else as farre as the Sunne excelleth the least light-borrowing starre as the purest gold the foulest drosse the poorest officer in this fraternity is preferred before a scepter-swaying Monarch Psal 84. 10. I had rather be a doore keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickednesse Here is keyes before crownes caitiffes before Kings Lazarus before Lords What then will it profit a man to winne the whole world and to lose his owne soule Mat. 16. 26. Remove thy selfe then from all societies and joyne thy selfe unto this as Moses left the idolatrous prophane court of Pharao and refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter and joyned himselfe to Gods people Heb. 11. 24. So doe thou shun the tents of wickednes when all the wicked societies in the world shall be deplumed and cast into hell thou shalt be received into everlasting habitations Reioyce in the Lord and againe I say reioyce Phil. 4. 4. Next is the Caveat and this like a watchman standing upon a turret of the Temple gives warning to take heed to the calling whereunto God hath called us and to walke worthy of it As it was with the Egyptians and Israel wheresoever the one was there was darknesse but the other had light So must Gods people be discerned from others by the light of theyr conversation shining as a candle upon a candlesticke in the sight of all as a citty or beacon upon a hill Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles that they seeing your good workes may glorifie God in the day of their visitation A Christian must take heede how he walkes hence the Apostles Caveat for thy feete Ephes 5. Walke circumspectly For thy tongue let no filthy communication proceed out of thy mouth it must not be like Shallecheth but the beautifull gate of the Temple Full of grace are thy lips Psal 45. For thy loynes they must not be loose and lascivious but girt For thy eyes Iob. 31. 1. I have made a covenant with mint eyes and so for the rest all must be like the strings of a Davidicall Harpe in tune All thy wayes are marked and by thy weakenesse and upon thine infirmities the prophane wretch layes the lawfulnesse of his impieties If the Abbot pipes the Monkes daunce As Popish pictures and images are lay-mens bookes so examples are the bests patternes and most followed One vivall is better than ten vocall instruments A Christian is the salt of the earth if he loose his savour wherewith must he be seasoned Take heede then of stayning thy profession whether generall or particular In thee every mote is a mountaine every cicatrice a Cocatrice and every fall is a full sea of iniquity As it is unseemely for Achilles to have the base behaviour and be a drudge to the servile offices of Thersites So is it for a Christian nobly sprung of the bloud royall of heaven to bowe himselfe to the base druggery of the most base of creatures Satan Agnosce O Christiane dignitatem tuam divine consors factus naturae noli in veterem vilitatem degeneri conversatione redire memento cujus capitis cuius corporis sis membrum reminiscere quòd erutus de potestate tenebraruÌ„ translatus es in Dei lumen regnum Acknowledge O Christian thy dignity and that thou art made partaker by the divine nature returne not into thy old vilenesse of thy degenerate conversation remember of whose head and of whose body thou art a member remember that thou art taken out of the power of darkenesse and translated into the light and kingdome of God Vse then thy graces to Gods glory If thou hast bin a dogge a Gentile returne not to thy vomit If thou hast bin at the custome house returne not with Demas but keepe thy profession unstained with Mathew How greivous is it unto almighty God to give give graces to dishonour himselfe withall As Câ—râ—â—â— shreatned to the river Gindes that had drowned one of his white horses to cut it into so many chanels till it should loose both depth name and glory So will God deale with our vertues and graces plucke them from us if wee abuse them and leave us to a multitude of enormous impieties suffer the divell to re-enter us with seaven worse than himselfe fill us so full of the tares of iniquity that not the glory nay scarce the name of Christian shall be left written upon us as may be seene in Saul 1 Sam. 10. 24. See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen that there is none like unto him among the people endued with excellent gifts of governement and fought many excellent battels of the Lord but when he began to rebell and goe against the commandement of God as in the matter of Agag Chap. 15. then Chap. 16. 14. The spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him deprived and deplumed of all those graces of excellent government The like we see in Iulian who being borne of Christian parents from the line of religious Constantine so carefully lettered and educated in Christianity and that under Christian teachers that he was forbidden to heare Libanius the Syrian because he was a Pagan Yet afterwards hearkning to the Pagans he was deprived of the profession of the Crosse and became a fearefull Apostats both an Ismael with his tongue and pen and an Esau with his sword persecuting his former profession blasphemously continuing therein to his last gaspe which was breathed out full of blasphemiâ— when the fatall dart had given him his deadly wound whether by the ministry of men or Angell he filled his hand with his bloud and cast it into the ayre saying thus reprochfully of CHRIST Thou hast overcoâ—e O thou Galelian The like of Nero whose first five yeares were peaceable and gracious that we might say of him as Suetonius of Tâ—tus He was the love and delight of mankind But after falling to stâ—ddy Magicke and sold himselfe to a Lernâ— and â—â—ltitude of vices that he made his minde as filthy as his body he lost all vertue and became the vilest Monster that ever the earth bred or bore hee delighted as much in villanies and strange murthers as ever he did in his Musicke the first persecuter of the Church among the Romane Emperors in the Martyrdome of Paul and Peter a Saul-like bloud sucker in fratricide marricide and what not a monster of men notable
in nothing but cruelty and villany a strange Lycanthropicisme inward outward all wolvish that it is truely verifyed of him which was proved upon Pope Alexander the 6 his parallell in most things That he was a spounge of bloud And the like may we see in the Church of Rome degenerate from her primitive purity to that height of abhominations Therefore let us as it is counselled to the Church of Thyatira Râ—â— 2. 25 Hold fast let no man take away the crowne of our profession let us be knowne by our workes Let thy light shine when the cloudy children of darknesse grope at noone day as the blinded Sodomites Be thou that one among a thousand of whom the Heathen Vix repperit vnum Millibm è multis hominem consultus Apollo The Orâ—cleâ— Apollo being askt Scarce of a thousand findes a man but maskt Let then thy love to God to his word be without dissimulation thy profession without hypocrisie thy calling and conversation without staine that thou mayest be found blamelesse in the great day of the Lord. Last from these considerations ariseth an Elegiacall or dolefull Madrigall which like Ezekiâ—ls booke is written within and without the contents whereof is nothing but lamentations and mourning and woe Or Zacharies flying booke of judgements which shall light upon the head of every hypocriticall and impenitent person though he stand within the Circle of the visible Church even wrapped up with cursed Cham in the compasse of the Arke of safety standing in the way while CHRIST passeth by and not so much as touching the hemme of his garment abiding in the garden while it is watered and planted and yet remaining withered and rootelesse lying by the all-curing poole of Bethesâ—â— while the Angell moveth the waters Iob. 5. and not moving a foote to be washed having the prophet directing thee to Iordan and never bathing for thy leprosie 2 Kings â—5 living in the fruitfull Gilead and never tasting the sweetenesse of the balme Ier. 8. last verse Heare this all ye that stand as yet strangers from grace that have not yet broken the strong cordes of your sinnes have made no divorce and separation betwixt you and your iniquities what greife of heart should this be to consider how many have beene cloathed in white roabes and you still remaine in your Gibeonitish ragges to see the grace of God in abundance as the holy Ghost at Pentecost Acts 2. lighting on every side of you in the countrey towne family and society wherein we live and you remaine the barren figge tree troubling the ground To see the raine as in Ahabi time watering and fructifying every soyle but your owne To see the showre wetting euery stone in the streete and you still abiding under the pent-house to see euery one receiving a penny and you remayne idle in the market place to see lampes full of oyle and yours empty Should not this cause thee to breathe out thy dolefull Madrigall Wretched man that I am Rom. 7. how miserable and lamentable is thy estate Pray then beloved for the dew of grace supplicate with the spouse Awake O north wind come thou south blow upon my garden that the spices therof may flowe out that the spirit of Grace may season thee that the Lord would open unto thee the fountaine promised to the house of David and the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and uncleannesse Zach. 13. â— Till then thou standest a stranger from God from Christ and hast no paâ—t or portion in salvation Suffer not thine eyes to sleepe nor thine eye lids to slumber untill thou finde out a place for the Lord even thy soule to be an habitation for the mighty God of Iacob Psal 132. 4. Let the want of Christ â—ent thy heart and distill as in a limbecke thy pumice eyes and flinty heart into teares and let the heads of the dragons thy sinnes Be broken in these waters In the meane time I dare not send thee to despaire I have no such commission so long as God vouchsafeth in the out ward calling to let thee stand in the way of grace wayting for thy yeare of Iubilee and deliverance but if it still passe by thee thou had better never have bin borne or strangled in the birth To teach us never to despaire of any mans salvation but to judge charitably of all men The first may be last and the last may be first and they that are not now under mercy may goe to heaven before us We must not be rash in this as those that have affirmed Salomons damnation No man must presume to understand above that which is meete to understand but he must understand according to sobriety and what it is to understand according to sobriety he expresseth 1 Cor. 4. 6. No man must presume to understand above that which is written Reuelation or Euthusiasmes we have none as the familists others haue thought and without word or Revelation wee cannot know Who knoweth the mindâ— of the Lord 1 Cor. â— 16. He onely knowes who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. He imparteth not this mystery unto us except upon the matter of malicious Apostacie and â—inne against the Holy Ghost as in Iuliaâ— Lâ—riaâ— â—â—â—phyry Heliodorus c. 1 Iohn 5. 16. A sinne unto death which God will not forgive either in this world or in the world to come a finall revolting and backsliding from God a totall separation of the soule from the life of grace without returne and so we must understand that â—eb 6. 4. It is impossible that they which were once lightned and have tasted of the good word of God and of the power of the world to come if they fall away viz. finally totally maliciously should be renewed by repentance c. Orelse we fall into that Heresie That a man fallen into sinne cannot be reâ—â—ored by repentance and so we understand that place Heb. 10. 26. If we â—inne willingly after we have received the knowledge of the trueth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for of iudgement c. of a generall revolt from CHRIST mallice against his as in Arius and Iulian waging warre against God not in Abraham twice dissembling David adulterizing Ioseph swearing by the life of Pharaoh though they fell fearefully insomuch as David Psal 73. 22. confesseth himselfe to be a beast in Gods sight yet he fell not finally but still as a man in danger of drowning he started not from the anchor of Gods mercy Therefore let the rule of charity leade us to a charitable iudging of men which perhaps are not yet under mercy and say of them as David of the child 2 Sam. 12. 22. Who can tell whether God will be gracious or no Never things more unlikely to be performed than the promise concerning the calling of the Gentiles CHRIST may be found even upon the Crosse to the condemned theefe Luke 23. 40. all his
dead whilst they live 1. Tim. 5. 6. Was the Word able to raise the Gentiles suffer it then to conquer thy lusts to mollifie thy hard heart to wash thee to supple thee in the fountaine of Israel the Spring of living waters to be a lanthorne unto thy feet and a light unto thy pathes Psal 119. It is worthy the consideration of the most considerate that CHRIST is come unto thee Ioh. 1. 14. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us And if thou continue a wicked Cham a cursed Canaan a prophane Esau a flowting Ismael and comest not unto him by prayer and obedience and he into thee by his Spirit Iohn 14. 17. be sure he will come to thee and against thee in his judgements to thy most fearefull ruine and destruction as he came to Herod Iulian Antiochus like a Lionesse bereft of her whelpes and to the rest of his enemies Luke 19. 27. Those mine enemies That would not that I should reigne over them bring hither and stay them before me Kisse the Sonne least he be angry and yee perish in the way Psal 2. Inflame my heart O Lord with zeale to desire thee desiring thee to seeke thee and give me grace by seeking to finde thee in the word Sacraments c. To teach us that untill a mans eyes be opened his heart touched and his soule enlightned and hee by the Gospell endued with the power of grace from above he seeth no glory nor excellency in religion and Christianity like those Gentiles so long as they wallowed in their sinnes and superstitious vanities the pretious word of reconciliation was to them but as pearles cast before Swine Math. 7. 6. Or the childrens bread unto doggs Math. 15. 26. But when the unsearchable riches of CHRIST was preached unto them a mysterie which from the beginning of the world was hid in God and not opened to the sonnes of men nor to very Angels principalities and powers Eph. 3. 5. 8. 9. the accomplishment of which riches is the glory and joy of heaven 1 Pet. 1. 12. the Angels desire and delight to looke into it we see how inwardly they are affected with it and they see no glory in any thing else as the wife of Phineas 1 Sam 4. 21. calling the arke the glory of Israel As Saul before an Herod a Iulian persecuting CHRIST with as much fury as any tyrant breathing out nothing but fire and faggot yet when he was smitten downe to the ground by the powerfull voyce of CHRIST he became a most zealous Preacher of the trueth in which formerly hee saw no glory and a pillar of that Church which even now he would have pulled downe and desires to know nothing but CHRIST and him crucified Gal. 6. 14. he joyes in nothing else Those also Acts 2. 13. that were mocking the gifts of the Spirit in the Apostles affirming the heate of too much wine to cause that volubility of straÌ„ge languages among them Yet when Peter had taught them that it was the accomplishment of Gods faithfull promise prophecyed by Ioel chap. 2. 28. of the powring out the bottomlesse Ocean of Gods Spirit in the gifts and graces thereof upon all flesh and had applied a corrasive of redargution and reproofe unto them for crucifying CHRIST they are changed and pricked in their hearts longing after the way of salvetion vers 37. Men and brethren what shall we doe The like wee see Acts 16 in the laylor when hee heard Paul and Silas praying and singing Psalmes in the Prison he is presently like King Saul 1 Sam 10. 9. when the Spirit of God came upon him changed into another man So in him was a strange alteration being cast downe by the miraculous earthquake and the cohibition of Paul verse 29. his backwardnesse into forwardnesse he called for a light and sprang in his pride into humility he came trembling and fell downe his cruelty in his former insulting over them into compassionate mercy he brought them forth his desire which was formerly to persecute them to be saved by them What shall I doe to be saved So the sinne-sunke citizen woman that had a long time almost rotted in the Dead Sea and sulphureous Asphaltites of loathsome lust hearing of a IESVS a Saviour though in a proud Pharisies house Luke 7. 37. stickes neither for costly oyntment to annoynt him nor sâ—aâ—e to stand behind him nor plenty of teares to wash his feete who was watering her soule with the dewe of Grace nor her haire which sometime like Nauplius his lights to bring the Grecian fleet to destruction in revenge of his sonne Palamedes was as a baite to ensnare the hurtlesse passenger to wipe his feete which was to wipe her soule with the immaculate sacrifice of his owne bloud Iohn 1. 29. Thus we see Publicans and sinners when once they are touched in remorse for finne how deepely they are affected and inwardly touched Rom. 7. 24. Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death even with Ezekiah Esay 38. 14. To chatter like a Crane or a swallow and mourne like a dove with David Iob and the children of God with prayers teares watchings mournings to fill heaven and earth for the pardon of theyr sinnes their reconciliation with God the peace of conscience the comfort of the Spirit of comfort and the Salvation of their soules When the civill honest man is scarcely moved with any sence or feeling of the need of his conversion he feeles no sweetnesse in the word which is sweeter than honie or the honie combe Psal 19. 10. He feeles no need of it and yet Iob esteemes it above his ordinary food we have our spirituall life by it 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being borne anew not of mortall but of immortall seede by the word of God which liveth and endureth for ever We have Gods benefits for his words sake 2 Sam. 7. 21. For thy words sake and according to thy promise hast thou done all these great things The preaching there of makes Saâ—an fall downe as lightning Luke 10. 18. Witnesse those new found Indiâ—â— lamaica Iappo Virginia which have formerly had a strange familiar commerce with Satan and have sacrificed unto him though not for love yet for feare of heart as the Pigusians every morning runne with baskets full of rice to pacifiâ— him in the shape of a blacke dogge with many more brutish benevolences to him So soone as Christopher Columbus and others had discovered them and planted the Gospell in some parts of them how deepely have these poore Pagans bin affected the kingdome of Satan demolished that now seldome or never he appeares among them He sees no power in it he accounts of the threatnings denounced out of the Word but as Morbasan the Turke did of the Excommunication of Pius 2. when he sent him word to call in his Epigrams Thus doe wicked men and civil honest men
with liking makes a remembrance of her graces I know thy workes and thy labour and patience and how thou canst not forbeare them that are evill c. yet vers 4. I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love thy pristine originall purity thy zeale hath lost his ardor and become chilly and cold as Caucasus and for this relapse he threatens the confiscation of her Candlesticke the removing of his favours as they have sufficiently proved in experience remaining under the most inhumane tyrant in the world the Turke in the most irreligious religion the licentious inventions of the Arabian Mahomet Thus will the Lord deale with us for sinne Amos 4. 12. and this is the bitter fruite that springs and sproutes from the cursed roote of this blacke and poysonous Hellebore It cast the Angells from heaven Adam out of Paradise destroyed the old world burned Sodome and Gomorrha and turned them to a sulphureous lake of stinking brimstone cursed the earth defileth the land making Lebanon a Forrest Sharon a wildernesse Carmel a desert For sinne mirabile dictu God disclaimes and disavowes his owne creature the worke of his owne hands the frame of his owne wisedome the care of his owne providence whom he visites every morning Math. 25 12. Verily I say unto you I know you not Miserably wretched then is every wicked man that hath by sinne so distamped the Image of God and moulded himselfe into the similitude of Satan that God will never take notice of such a metamorphosed changeling And for sinne the creature groanes desiring to be delivered and renued which shall shortly come to passe in the conflagration of this goodly and glorious architecture of the vaulted heavens the spangled skies and this strong pillared earth And if we demaund a reason why God so hateth sinne it is Reason 1. because of his owne purity he is of pure eyes and if he looke upon sinne it is but as the pure eyed Sunne shines upon the nasty dunghill and yet remaines pure if he takes notice of it he puts upon himselfe the person of a revengeing Iudge Heb. 13. last verse a consuming-fire cloathes himselfe with majesty and honour puts off his roabes of Mercy and puts on the bloudy garments of fury and anger and glorifies himselfe in his Iustice So odious is sinne that God will not spare it in his most deerely beloved The devill from a bright Angell of light is thrust downe to hell not for any defect in the creature for that is good but for sinne The priviledge of being mother to the worlds Saviour would not have pleaded salvation for the blessed Virgin if she had bin found in the power of sinne without faith and repentance Nay if it had bin found in the spotlesse humanity of our Saviour CHRIST himselfe though the very Sonne and substance of his love it had beene sufficient in the purity of his Iustice to have bound him for ever under the chaines of perpetuall darkenesse The venemous poyson of the aspe viper basiliske Amphisbena having two heads as if she were not hurtfull enough to cast her poyson at one mouth onelie yet they are never hurtfull to themselves But sinne as the Ivie embracing the Oake till it have sucked up his sap leaving him marrowlesse and dead and which is an enemy to all plants as Plinie saith destroyeth the subject in which it is nourished and viper-like devoureth the wombe wherein it was conceived Iam. 1. 13. When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death the wages and guerdon thereof Rom. 6. last verse Reason 2. because it is most repugnant opposite contrary and contradictory to the essence of God and seekes to its utmost power not onely to hurt but even to destroy God extolling and exalting it selfe against him 2 Cor. 10. 5. of which Iob 15. 26. speaking of the wicked man warring with God he runneth uppon him even on his necke upon the thicke bosses of his bucklers as it were to push him with the hornes of his pride and prophanenesse like the Iron hornes of Zedekiah 1 King 22. 11. and to pull him downe from the throne of his eternall happinesse this is Giant-like to wage battle with heaven And yet with Nimrod Gen. 11. thou buildest but the Babell of thine owne confusion for who hath ever beene proud against God and prospered It is Elihu's Axiome in divinity Iob. 35. 6. If thou sinnest what dost thou against him What canst thou do to the impassible God but even as Caligula thunder against the true Iehovah as he against the fained Iove till thou be destroyed with the loude and cloud-rending clappes of true Thunder Ier. 14. 26. I will powre their wickednesse upon them So we see how hatefull sinne is to God and that for it he will plucke off even the branches whom he loves so dearely Though we stood in his favour as Zorobabell the signet upon his finger as Iedidia his beloved yet if we sinne he will chasten us and if we continue in it he will damne us he will deprive us of his word his worship and then bring on the maine Ocean of his anger as he did to the Iewes when the Christians were remooved from them to Pella and make us feele and know that he is not bound to any people or place but sinne breaks the leagues were it as â—rong as the three fold cord of Salomon as unlooseable as the Gordian knot And so much for the Doctrine the Vses follow Seeing then that when the Iewes fell away from God he had the Centiles in store to graffe in their stead and the arme of the Lord is not shortened When any one people will not bring forth the fruite of the Gospell but abuse it he will take it away and bestowe it elsewhere it serves to caveat First the Minister Secondly the whole body of the people Thirdly every particular person First then to thee that ministrest at the Altar and waitest upon the holy things of God 1 Cor. 9. 5. that art set in the place of that good and faithfull steward which should distribute to every one his portion in due season that messenger interpreter one of a thousand that must declare unto man his righteousnesse and deliver him that he goe not downe into the pit Iob. 33. 23. If thou decay in love to God to his word to thy brethren if thou lie in any knowne sinne and grosse impiety it is a meanes to deprive thee either of thy gifts or of thy calling as was done to Iudas when he was found a traytor in his Apostleship he was remooved and the price of bloud required at his hands and Matthias appoynted in his place Acts 1. 26. When Ieremie failed in delivering the Lords message to the people either for feare or impetience the Lord himselfe becomes a Prophet unto him If
engraven us upon the palmes of his hands verse 16. sometime in the tendernesse of hennes to their Chickens Mat. 23. 37. which how tender it is we see in the continuall care that she hath in hatching feeding and to her power in defending her young and yet all these are but shadowes in regard of substantiall and everlasting love which CHRIST IESVS the heavenly Henne hath over his beloved ones his love is as himselfe infinite for whatsoever is in God is God his mercy his justice c. and all those backe-parts of the mighty IEHOVAH Exod. 34. 6. When he is called mercifull what is he but mercy it selfe in the abstract saith Savanorola if they were al gathered together that are in heaven and earth and it be demaunded of them how they have been saved they all stand as a cloud of witnesses to testifie Gods free mercies and to say with the Church Psal 115. 1. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the praise Now consider further that the mercifull kindnesse of God is 1. Generall 2. Speciall The generall is his providentiall care over all his creatures in creating preserving sustaining and maintaining of them Psal 36. 6. Thou O Lord wilt save both man and beast Mat. 5. 45. He maketh the Sunne to rise on the evill and the good and sendeth raine upon the just and unjust Iohn 5. 17. My Father yet worketh and I worke with him meaning in his generall care in the supporting of the creature this is called Psalme 51. 1. Loving kindnesse or benignity extending it selfe to the very Ravens Psal 147. 9. Luke 12. 24. The speciall mercy is that by which hee loves his owne in CHRIST redeemes sanctifies and saves them by his free grace 1 Tim. 4. 10. He is the Saviour of all men especially of those that beleeve this he exerciseth toward us both in giving and forgiving both which Moses describes at large Exod. 34. 6. Mercifull in which he doth as it were clothe himselfe in the affections of man Ier. 31. 10. His bowels are troubled for Ephraim Matth. 9. 36. His bowels even earned in compassion to see the multitude wandring as sheepe without a shepheard how pathetically he perswades the reformation of his Church Cant. 6. 7. Returne returne O Shuâ—â—mite returne how passionately he deplores Ierusalem Luke 19. 42. If thou haddest knowne even thou in this thy day the things which belong to thy peace in a word he rejoyceth in his owne mercie but sorrowes for our miserie Gracious which intimates a forwardnesse to doe us good he is never weary in doing it Iam. 1. 5. he gives liberally to all Slow to anger full of patience Gen. 6. 3. How long did he wait the repentance of the old world in his mercy stopping the course of his deserved vengeance Psal 95. 10. Fourty yeares long did he suffer the murmuring Idolators and Adulterers in the wildernesse Psal 106. 43. Many a time did they provoke him to anger by their Counsels yet Is 30. 18. he waits that he may have mercie Aboundant in goodnesse and truth noting his disposition by kindnesse to win men the immutable constancie of his promises which is the inexhaustible fountain of his mercies he reserves them for thousands his goodnes is not like the morning dew dispierced and exhaled by the Sunne nor like the Coffers of the greatest Potentate which may be drawen dry but a Lamp which is fed by the oyle of Immortalitie and which makes up the measure he forgives iniquity transgression and sinne no marvell than if David call them in his experience the multitude of his tender compassions in which he tenderly embowelleth his chosen as the womb enfoldeth nourisheth the new conceived Embryo where he shewes mercies he shewes them by multitudes if the royall heart of Alexander thought it not honourable to give small things how much more than shall the all-sufficient God give that exceeds him as much as the maine Ocean the least riveret he is ready to forgive Isa 55. 7. Father of mercies and God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. Very pittifull and full of mercy Iam. 5. 11. The heighth length bredth and depth thereof passeth all understanding Eph. 3. 18. All these compassions and mercifull kindnesses may be reduced to a sixe-fold ranke First preventing Mercies whereby hee did us good when we knew not keeping us from many sins which otherwise we had committed many and many have we coÌ„mitted against him but far more should we have done if his mercie had not prevented us acknowledg than Gods mercy toward thee even in those sins which thou hast not coÌ„mitted If thou seest one which is debtor to me for a sin and I forgave him know also that thou art a debtor to me because I prevented thee from the like because there is in every mans corrupted brest since the fall of Adam the Seminarie and seed-plot of all iniquitie springing from the bitter root of that originall Corruption the match and tinder the fuell and fountaine of every actuall transgreson so that there is no enormitie which the most debauched wretch hath committed but thou hadst acted the like if grace had not preuented boast not thy selfe then in this but with devoute Bernard extoll the mercie of the Almighty Secondly are his sparing mercies experienced in his longanimitie and patience in which thou mayest say I have sinned and thou heldest thy tongue I have transgressed and thou hast spared me when thou lookedst upon Zimri and Cosbi slaine in the act of uncleannesse Ananias and Saphira the old world Sodome and Gomorrha Iulian Herod with thousands more the dierfull spectacles of Gods powerfull Iustice hast thou not sufficient cause to glorifie that God that hath so long suffered thee to wallow in the puddles of thine iniquitie and hath not sunke thee downe to the pit of perdition but still waites that hee may have mercie Thirdly his pardoning mercies else what benefit were it to be long spared and at last paid home as it shall be with every impenitent though he enjoy the sun-shine of Gods patience yet in the end the wrath of God shall burne as an Oven as Tophet against him though now he see the hand of Gods justice behind his backe clouded and vailed in his daily continued mercies yet the conclusion will prove a tragicall Catastrophe though he passe with a slow pace yet he goes in order though with leaden feet yet with Iron hands but this feare is taken away by these pardoning mercies by which in the bloud of Christ he makes us as cleane as if he never had been poluted Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne Fourthly are his renuing mercies by which he gives not onely remission of sinnes but also the grace of renovation by which they become new creatures trees of righteousnesse bearing and abounding in the fruits
of faith and repentance sanctified in their soules bodies and spirits not like the blacke Apostata who after his cleansing is repossessed with seven spirits worse then the former or the Dog returning to his vomit or the Sowe to wallow in her myre and which is more fully made plaine in the fifth which are his corroborating mercies whereby hee continues in the state of grace not falling and backsliding with Adam in the state of mutabilitie but as mercy brought him to it so it continueth and keepeth him in it Sixtly and lastly are his crowning mercies whereby he shall perfect his worke begun in us and performe his Kingdome promised to us where there shall be no hurtfull thing but wee estated in the paradise of eternall happinesse shall have our Vnion and Communion with Christ and the heavenly Hierarchie of the high and holy Saints for ever such a measure of Beatitude Isa 64 4. As eye hath not seene nor eare heard neither hath entred into the heart of man 1 Cor. 2. 9. This unmeasurable extent of Gods mercies serves first to urge upon us the drift of the Prophet in this place viz. To praise God for his mercy the whole worke of our salvation goes under this Title 1 Pet. 2. 10. Which in time past were not the people of God but are now the people of God which had not obtained mercie but now have obtained mercie to what part soever we looke the whole frame of it is made of mercy if wee begin at Gods election the foundation and ground-worke of all and passe downe to the last period of all which is glorification and aske from what roote each part sprung this onely Mercie must answer all Mercie in chusing mercie in sending CHRIST in calling justifying sanctifying strengthening preventing preserving and the admitting of us to an Inheritance immortall and undefiled 1 Pet. 1. 4. all from mercy so that the burden of our song must still be with David Psal 132. 1. For his mercie endureth for ever In the parable of the profuse prodigals returne the whole streame of his Fathers carriage toward him is nothing but mercy when he was yet a farre off his father saw him had compassion on him ranne to meete him fell on his necke kissed him c. In the whole worke there is nothing but mercie Luke 15. 20. c. So that light and darkenesse God and the Devill hot and cold and not in a line of greater opposition then mercie and merit in the worke of mans salvation which Antichristian Doctrine is like a Centaure halfe man halfe horse or like that brood of Nilus halfe frog halfe earth or the minotaure halfe bull halfe man contraries in a remisse degree may admit intention and remission as heate and cold in tepide luke-warmenesse but in the highest degree they cannot So though we graunt with Saint Augustine good workes to bee necessary in regard of their presence not of their efficiency and with Bernard that they are the way to the Kingdome Yet in the case of Iustification Rom. 3. 28. Rom. 4. 6. and Rom. 6. 23. Considered in their highest degree even to the very sufferings of Martyrs Rom. 8. 18. they can no more stand with mercy then Dagon of the Philistines is able to confront the holy Arke of IEHOVA 1 Sam. 5. 3. By which wee see the Papist like an unskilfull Empiricke in Physicke make a Potion for a sicke soule as he that went into the field to gather herbes but found a wilde Gourd and put it into the pottage while the eaters cryed out Death in the pot 2 Kings 4. 39. So doe they temper the soules-salving herbe of grace with the poysoning Gourd of humane merrit dealing with the Church of God as unkindly as unnaturall Parents or Nurses giving their children a stone for bread and a Scopion for a fish as the Philistines with Isaacks wels stopping them with earth Gen. 26. 15. Choaking and damming up the fountaine of Grace which ought to be open to the house of Iacob Zach. 13. 1. Changing the reward of favour and promise Col. 3. 24. into their owne of debt Nay further it is the corrupt and dangerous conceite of many who would not bee accounted popish but seeme to magnifie the free mercies of God which yet will be saved by well-doing good meanings and good prayers like the children of the Iewes who marrying with the Ashà odites spake halfe in their language Neh. 13. 24. which is an impeachment to their sufferings which trode the wine-presse cleane Isa 63. which will not give to others nor communicate this his glory with others Isa 42. 8. It is onely mercy without merrit that must lift a man from the gates of despaire when the angry brow of the Almighty is bended against him for sinne as we see in David Psal 51. c. and our Saviour Christ standing in the gappe of Gods wrath being but our surety and pledge yet his soule was heavy unto death trickling down those thicke drops of blood in his miraculous sweat in the Garden thou mayest for a while with David cast the darke cloud of security over thy sins to hide them as the fish Sepia casts up a blacke liquor to hide her selfe but woe be to them that seeke in deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord their workes are in secret and they say who sees it Isa 29. 15. Eccles 23. 18. Hee that searcheth Ierusalem with a lanthorne will find thee out and rouze up thy slumbering Conscience and then so heavy is the sinne of conscience that without any more evidence it passeth Iudgement upon it selfe Pro. 18. 14. A wounded spirit who can beare even none but God In all other troubles miseries and molestations we wrastle with men or divels but here impar congressus weake man with his Maker brittle clay with it's Potter sinfull man with holy God which is of purer eyes then to looke upon evill Hab. 1. 13. and a consuming fire Heb. 12. 29. In other things man is a friend and favourite to himselfe as Peter perswades CHRIST to pittie himselfe but here he is his owne enemy and often in the rage of his conscience his owne executioner as in Iudas and Pilate Iere. 20. 4. Rehold I will make thee a terrour to thy selfe thy memorie reason every sense and faculty of thy soule is a Gorgonian-hell-â—urie to torment thee Now in this case when a mans bones is full of the sinnes of his youth Iob 20. 11. His heart broken with one breaking upon another Iob 16. 14. His conscience upon the racke his God writing bitter things against him Iob 23. 26. Then comes the mercy of God to comfort him all other comforts of workes merits satisfactions c. are miserable comforters Iob 16. 2. And will consume as a rotten thing and as a garment that is moth-eaten the soule of a Christian is like Noahs Dove which finds no safety
till returning to the Arke of Gods mercie Comfort thy selfe then in Gods mercie which will not suffer thee to bee over-yoaked with thy sinnes plead with him in the receiving of Adam Manasses and the whole troupe of reconciled sinners and though thine adversarie Sathan write a booke against thee answere cursed Cain disabling Gods mercy Gen. 4. 13. with Augustine Thou lyest Cain for greater is Gods mercie than mans iniquitie and say to thy disconsolate spirit Why art thou so sad my soule Psalm 11. And as we ought and in dutie are enjoyned to give thankes for all things so are we chiefely to sing our Haâ—â—elu-jahs unto God for the performance of the promised Messiah and that in the practise and phrase of the Priest Zacharie Lu. 1. 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for hee hath visited and redeemed his people c. And with old Simeon in his Cygnean dying Hymne Blessed be thou O Lord for our eyes have seene thy salvation Lâ—ke 2. 30. That fountaine of living waters Iere. 2. 12. In regard of whom all other things are but the broken Cysternes of vaine and disconsolate hope The refreshing waters of Gods free mercies the purchase whereof is without money or prize Esa 55. 2. least you thinke it too deare and because water if you thinke it not worth the labour it 's wine and milke whose worth and necessitie you well know that true Aqua vitae which whoso drinketh shall never thirst but it shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life Iohn 4. 14. He is our Bethlehem and house of bread the living bread that came downe from heaven Ioh. 6. 35. He is a ship of safety which beares us by the comfortable goale of his love and the gentle Zephirus of his mercie from the shelves and rocks of blacke dispaire so that though immodest Modest as Generall to the Emperour Valens the Arrian burne the ship wherein the Christian Legats were imbarked seeking to destroy the Confessors and professors of Christianity which though they perished in their wooden barke were sure enough in the heavenly Arke by CHRIST He is that unspeakeable gift of God for which we must give thankes 2 Cor. 9. vlt. And if thou knowest the gift of God Iohn 4. 10. Which is the gift of all gifts which is given to us Esa 9. 6. In comparison of whom all other are but as the drop of a Bucket to the whole Ocean in whom appeare the bowels of Gods love and the inscrutable depths of his mercy in him through him and by him while we were sinners and enemies to bring to passe that wonderfull worke of our Redemption Ioh. 3. 16. Rom. 5. 8. In him by this wee see the fulnesse of it 1 Iohn 4. 9. And as Bethlem to Iurie and Scicilia to Italie were accounted their granary for their fruitfulnesse the Poets faining Ceres to keepe residence there so may our Saviour CHRIST be accounted as the store-house and Cornu-copia of all good things to his Church Col. 2. 3. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily ver 9. In him we are compleate ver 10. Knowledge and wisedome are in men by revelation in Angels by vision but in him by union of whose fulnesse wee all receive Iohn 1. 16. Thy being well-being and eternall being have their dependance on him this consolation of Israel this expectation of the Gentiles this Noah to comfort thee Gen. 5. 29. This crucified Lord shewed to Constantine to comfort him in his expedition against the Tyrant Maxentius with a promise of victory is opposed against all thy feares and discontents if finne presse and oppresse thee he is thy righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1. 30. If the curse vexe thee he is thy blessing Gen. 12. 2. Galath 3. 8. If weakenesse pinch thee he is thy strenght Phil. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 12. 9. If the great debt of thy sinnes lay hold on thee charging to pay that thou owest he is thy paiment Matth. 17. 27. If damnation make thee afraid he is thy salvation Acts 4. 10. If death he is thy life Iohn 14. 6. If Sathan he hathover come him Heb. 2. 14. If hell shall open her mouth upon thee he hath victoriously Sampson-like borne away the gates quelled and quashed the power of it Hos 13. 14. So that in and through him onely thou art more then a Conquerour Be not like the Horse or Mule that have no understanding nor like the sonnes of the earth the cockered Darlings of unstable Fortune who gaping after the transitory things of the world can onely now and then in a carnall humour send forth a short ejaculatory Thanksgiving for their temporals which they possesse but seldome or never for CHRIST IESVS which they possesse not without whom they must be content to perish for ever This is that rich pearle bestowed upon the Merchant resolving above all things to seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse setting saile for the Cape De bona Speransa fraught and bound for the New Ierusaleâ— than let thy mouth from thy heart the fountaine of all true praise be as this silver Trumpet filled with Hallalu-jahs for this heavenly and unspeakable gift Thirdly this Doctrine just in the phrase of another Baptist preaching in the wildernesse of Iudea cryes unto us in a more then necessary exhortation especially in these last and worst dayes Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand Matth. 3. 2. The selfe-same holy use which the Spirit of holinesse drawes from the Doctrine Rom. 2. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance 2 Peter Chapter 3. verse 9. The Lord is not slacke concerning his promises as some men count slacknesse but he is long suffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Turne yee then unto the Lord your God for hee is gracious and mercifull slow to anger of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the evill Ioel 2. 13. and that you may rightly turne find ease and refreshing for your soules Consider that as in Iacobs ladder which reached from earth to heaven there were certaine steppes for ascending and descending so are there certaine degrees in descending to this all-curing Bethesda of repentance First is an inward perplexitie sitting like Hagar Gen. 21. 15. when her bottle was emptied or like the Prodigall Luke 15. which by his want is forced to a consideration of his estate retorting his thoughts into himselfe is deepely affected with the solid apprehension of his owne misery verse 17. and in this perplexed case concludes against himselfe that if he remaines as hee was his case was desperately hopelesse and hee must perish for ever upon which hee resolves with himselfe to goe home to his fathers house by repentance seeing the gate of Mercie opened to
all true penitents wicked men have but one spirituall eye by which they see the horrid pitfall of their misery as Cain Iudas c. but the penitent hath two with the one he sees his misery by sinne with the other his hopefull comfort by Gods mercie and thus his feare becomes filiall Psal 130. 4. Thou art mercifull and worthy to be feared drawing the Argument of his sonne-like obedience from that mercie which he feares to misse the wicked mans service if ever he have any springs from a terrour of judgement and wrath which is only servile the penitent beares not the image and superscription of a Pharisaicall Iusticiarie Luke 18. who begins with gloria patri instead of miserere mei his motto I thanke thee O God that I am not like other men but the portraiture of the poore Publican perplexed and knocking upon his breast Crying Lord be mercifull unto me a sinner The second degree is Sorrow which ariseth from the former apprehension of Gods anger and mans perplexed guilt standing before him arraigned and convicted in his owne Conscience for so many and so manifold rebellions and transgressions And here we must distinguish Sorrow which is two-fold first a worldly sorrow which is a dessembled hypocriticall repentance as in Ahab Iudas Esau c. Secondly the other is a godly sorrow for sinne proper onely to the godly man and the true badge of the penitent both which we see 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh salvation by repentance not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death the former arising from the mercy of God as being sorrowfull that he hath offended him as David Psal 51. 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight the gracious favours which were bestowed upon him as his exhaltation from a poore ruddy-faced Shepheard to sit upon a Princely throne his severall deliverances from the Beare the Lion the Champion of the Phlistines and the sundry treacheries practised against him by his Master Saul hunting him as a Partridge upon the mountaines establishing his kingdome c. with infinite more being called into Davids remembrance and made the matter of his retired meditations with his owne ungratefull ungracious rebellions doe cause his eyes to distill like a Lymbecke and his rocky-stony-pumise-dry heart to overflowwith the Teares of a truely-sorrowfullpenitent and now his heart being hot within him as at other times upon other considerations Psal 39. 3. He breakes silence and in the griefe of his soule complaines of the ill requitall with which he had recompenced the Lord of his mercifull kindnesse The like wee may see in that patterne of penitents the profuse Prodigall Luk. 15. The sinne-loden-citizen woman Luke 7. 47. Comming attended with shame and sorrow lavishly washing the feet of her Saviour with teares from her soules stillatory that must wash not onely her feet as was said to Peter Iohn 23. 9. but also her hands and her head this hath been is and must be the course of every saved sinner to retire and returne by weeping crosse thus breaking the heads of Dragons in the water washing away great sinnes by great sorrow What shall then be said of the preposterous course of the world doing all by contraries like that Nation who in a crosse emulation of their neighbours whose custome in curtese is to put off their Hats in saluting one another these because they will be contrary put off their shooes at their meetings so in this maine matter you shall see the wicked man play cart before horse and in stead of sorrow for his sinnes bragge and boast of them as if the Peacocks pride lay in his blacke feete or the Theeves glory in their halters to boast of strength to quarrell and drinke wine Hab. 2. 15. To boast of lying stealing cozening policie c. with the bloudy Poligamist Gen. 4. 23. I have slaine a man in my wounding and a young man in my hurt which Scripture although Catharinus thinke inexplicable and upon which Origen writ two whole bookes and with divers have diversly interpreted yet with Calvin it is most likely to be a bragge and an insolent boast of his bloody strength What is this else but even to be proud of that which should be and at length will be the matter of our shame and the confusion of our faces Phil. 3. 19. They glory in their shame The third degree in repentance after our humiliation is the earnest craving and begging of pardon grounded likewise upon Gods mercifull kindnesse a glympse of which the penitent sees though dimmely as the newly-cured blindeman saw men walke like trees or as Zebul Iudg. 9. 39. Tooke men to be but the shadowes of the mountaines yet truely Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him turne to the Lord the reason followes and he will have mercy upon him and will abundantly pardon the like Hos 6. 1. Come let us returne unto the Lord the reason moving for he hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up and this assurance of mercie and willingnesse to forgive armes the sinner with boldnesse to sollicite the throne of Grace so that hee which unfainedly repents beleeves and prayes for pardon Repentance and prayer being inseparable Companions Eccle. 3. 12. Examine thy selfe than with what boldnesse thou prayest filling heaven and earth with the Abba Father how thou commest to God as thy father in the name of CHRIST as they Redeemer by the power of the Spirit of Adoption as by Gods mercy in the assurance of thy faith interessed in all the promises being drawne hereto by the cords of love and the bands of mercie and this hath been the pathway in which all the high Saints and servants of God have traced and troden to their Celestiall home it being Gods owne precept Psal 30. 15. Call upon mee in the time of trouble c. The fourth degree ushered by the former is newnesse of life springing Likewise out of the brazen mountaines of Gods constant mercies as continent Ioseph makes his advancement the argument of his chastitie Gen. 39. 8. Hee answered his Mistresse behold my Master woteth not what is with me in the house and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand there is none greater in this house than I neither hath he kept any thing from mee but thee because thou art his wife how then can I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Three things stay Ioseph from committing this sinne first the feare of God secondly the love of his Master in regard of his liberality thirdty the dutie of the wife toward her husband as learned Mercerus hath well observed Or first the reverence of Gods Majesty seeing and beholding all things secondly the consideration of his mercie and benefits received thirdly the feare of judgement as Pererius he knew all
and counterpane thereof but for our better assurance wee have his oath Gen. 22. 16. I have sworne by my selfe as much as if he had said let me be no more God if these things be not performed thus Isa 45. 23. sometime for this purpose he sweareth by his Soule Ier. 51. 14. Amos 6. 8. by his Name Ier. 44. 26. by his Holines Amos 4. 2. by his right hand Isa 62. 8. so to sweare by himselfe his Name Holinesse c. are all one contrary to Philo the Iewe who would have God to sweare by himselfe and man by his attributes thus God for our assurance deales with us like a debter who for the certainty of payment pawns his Faith Truth Soule and sometime his God and this promise was so Sacred even in the light of Nature that Adesilaus King of the Lacedemonians thanked Tissiphernes for breaking his promised truce because by this breach he had incurred the anger of the Gods if thus inviolable in Man how much more in God who will not falsifie his truth nor alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth Psal 89. 33. and whose truth of promise is so confirmed in his CHRIST Rom. 15. 8. It was the worthy resolution of the Prophets long before the actuall incarnation of CHRIST and the reall performance of that great mysterie 1 Tim. 3. 16. that he would performe his truth to Iacob Mic. 7. 20 that he is the Lord Iehova and changeth not Mal. 3. 6. and that he is faithfull 2 Tim. 2. 13 so that his truth endureth for ever And that we may be the more assured of this turth for our third Reason let us looke a little into the all-sufficiency of his power and launch our selves into the mayne Ocean of his omnipotencie David tels us Psal 115. 3 hee hath done whatsoever pleased him he hath potentiall power by which he is able to doe more then he will As of stones to rayse up children to Abraham Math. 3. 9. to send 12 legions of Angels to rescue our Saviour CHRIST from the Crosse Math. 26. 53. to built a thousand worlds c. But his will is the limmit of his power In his actuall power by which he mightily works in the daily preservation and gubernation of his creatures he works not with wearinesse irkesomenesse or tediousnesse but without all impediment not as Man in the sweate of his face but in the whole Hexameron and worke of Creation he onely spake the Word and they were made successively in order by his word onely he causeth the thunder which is his glorious voyce the Hindes to calve and the whole course of nature to be continued in her severall species without controlment so that whether wee respect his principall promise in sending CHRIST the desire of all nations or his inferiour lesse principall all are surely sealed duely to be performed unto us and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever But it may be obiected against the faithfulnes of Gods truth Gen. 12. 7 hee promiseth to give Abraham the land of Canaan but he inherited it not as the protomartyr witnesseth Acts 7. 4. God brought him in but gave him no inheritance in it no not the breadth of one foote Resp Though Abraham did not personally possesse it yet he may be said to inherite it two wayes First mystically as it was not onely a fertile fruitfull and country in Asia as Scicilia to Italie but likewise it did Typically shadowe the Kingdome of Heaven the celestiall Canaan the Church Tryumphant and this did Abraham inherit in his owne person called his owne bosome Luke 16. 23. into which all the faithfull are gathered as into a sure haven out of the raging stormes of the glassie Sea the brickle world Rev. 4. 6. So that God in the performance of his promises though he give not the samething yet hee give something equibalent as to Iosia 2 Kings 22. 10. Though he gaue him not long life the promised portion to obedient children Exo. 20. 12. yet he gave him a more excellent thing taking him from the evill which presentlie upon his death fell heavily vpon his people and giving him a better life in Heaven Secondly he may be said to inherit it though not in his owne person or his immediate seede yet in his posterity 430 yeares after the promise was made as the Apostle proveth Gal. 3. 17. so though not to the same parties yet to their successors the truth of God is surely performed the godly mans patience is expected for Hab. 2. 3. the vision is for an appoynted time though it tarty waite for it which shall surely come and not stay thus Psal 97. 11. Light is sowne for the the righteous not in the harvest but in the seede time thy harvest is but in hope as the husbandman casteth his seede into the ground and is content to stay the time of the reaping so must wee waite for the promises And though yet hee hath not gathered the dispiered of Iacob his ancient people yet the time shall come when the Shulamites shall returne and the spirit of grace shall be powred upon the Inhabitants of Ierusalem Zach. 12. 10. CHRIST himselfe the coyne or corner stone and to joyne together those two great seeds the Iewes and Gentiles as by a corner two wals which otherwise were broken a sunder are joyned and made one and the building perfected Ephes 2 20. and thus of the truth of all his promises revealed to his Church from time to time sealed by the infallible witnesse of the Spirit of truth even to Peters vision Acts 10. 19 are and shall surely be performed so the Doctrine is confirmed against all Atheists that doubt of any of the particulers and say 2 Pet 3. 5. Where is the promise of his comming and against all those by whom the way of truth is blasphmed and evill spoken of let God be true and every Man a lyer Rom. 3. 4. To teach us to make the truth of God in his promises the ground worke of our comfort stedfastly setling our faith and full assurance thereon devote Barnard in the consideration of this truth was even ravished in an holy extasie saying O the wonderfull love of God in our adoption the trueth of his promises and his power in their performance we must beleeve with Abraham beleeving above hope though in mans reason they seemed to be frustrate as those millions of Nations to issue out of halfe sacrificed Isaac and with faithfull Paul who in his dangerous voyage to Rome a great tempest arising neither Sunne nor Starres appearing for many dayes and being hopelesse of all safety Acts 27. 20. saw by the vision of his faith and comforts the Marriners that there should be no losse of any mans life but onely of the Ship and with David Psal 77. 2 â—n the day of my trouble I sought the Lord c. when his Soule
Pena damni is an aggravation of the misery and materiall poynt of the torments of the damned Luke 13. 28. Yee shall see Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdome of God thou mayest justly heere say with David being the man whom the King will honour 1 Sam. 18. 18. in the acknowledgement of Gods free mercy and truth toward thee Who am I and what is my life or my fathers family in Israel that I should be not onely sonne in law but even lawfull heire to the King of Kings to enjoy the same glory with those famous Patriarks and Worthies what shall then become of all those that neglect so great Salvation who being invited to this heavenly banquet of mortall Ambrosicall junckets do still lie groveling in the myeric and nastie sinkes of Iniquity eating the filthy dust of the earth with the Serpent Gen. 3. 14. selling themselves with Ieroboaâ—â— to doe wickedly soules and bodies with Esau to hell for a messe of Pottage or with Demas for a few of the transitory temporals of the world but if wee expect the same happinesse with the Fathers wee must go the same way and tread in the same steps not expecting to enjoy the poysonous pleasures of sinne and the felicity of Gods chosen with Moses Heb. 11. 25. refusing to be called the sonne of Pharaoes daughter chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasure of sinne for a season esteeming the rebuke of CHRIST greater riches then the pleasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of reward knowing if he had the one he must misse the other thus our Saviour CHRIST endured the Crosse dispised the shame for the joy that was set before him Heb. 12. 2. Thus the Christian Hebrewes in the Primitive Church suffered with ioy the spoyling of their goods the reason is rendered they knew in themselves that they had in Heaven a better and more enduring substance Heb. 10. 37. or as David Psal 106 5. That I may see the good of thy chosen and reioyce with thine inheritance Heere is propounded vnto thee that double pathway of Hercules the one the straight foot-path of Vertue which ascending may seeme hard and difficult Non est a terris mollis ad astra via Faire vertues war hard and vneasie is that leades from Earth to endlesse happinesse The other is broad easie and even which is the inchanted way of sinfull pleasure Facilis discensus Averni The often-troden path of fi lt hy Vice is easie plaine and leades from Paradice Thus tracing the Patriarkes in the footing of holy Duties Religion and Pietie there is layd vp for thee a Crowne of immortality but traversing thy steps in the pleasing wayes of voluptuousnesse thou shalt be sure to finde nothing but horrid paines tumultuous horror fiery chaines scorching darknesse tormenting Divels and a full draught of the scalding Cup of the vnmeasurable wrath of an angry incensed and revenging God who is a consuming Fire Heb. 12. 29. Seeing the Fathers received the Promises assuredly having the mercies of God confirmed and performed vnto them by their Faith Heb. 11. 33. even to their severall deliverances even that from Babels Captivity which long expected inlargement was vnto them as a dreame Psal 126. 1. and preventing his servants beleeving on him as David with blessings abundantly Psal 21. 3. So will hee deale with vs if wee have Faith Ephes 3. 20. For hee is able to doe for vs exceeding abundantly above all that we aske or thinke promising to heare our Prayers even while we aske or speake as hee did with Cornelius Act. 10. 4. or Daniel chap. 9. 23. While they are yet speaking I will heare Isa 65. 24. So by Faith wee must receive the Promises Hence wee see the apparent reason and cause why so many after so long Preaching of the Word receiving the Sacraments and frequenting Gods holy ordinances which he hath made as the instruments to worke and nourish Faith in vs and the Conduit-pipes to convey his Graces unto us doe still receive so little profit remayning obdurate and hardened in prophanenesse Idolatry ignorance c. and are not healed of the sinne-wounds of their Soules nor obedient to the heavenly vocation that the Minister may justly take vp his complaint with the Prophet I have laboured in vaine and spent my strength in vaine Isa 49. 4. When men goe from the word of Exhortation as Caine from Gods owne admonition Gen. 4. 7. Worse then hee came or as Iudas from CHRIST fuller of Sathan than before Ioh. 13. 27. Our hearts are not opened Act. 16. 14. Our eares not boared our eyes not illuminated but like the deafe Adder or like the poore Begger wanting his hands that hee can receive no almes or like an empty vessell cast into the Sea which can receive no liquor because the orifice is shut Even so vnbeliefe frustrates the promises of God wee may aske pray and receive nothing because wee want Faith Iam. 1. 6. the Word is vnprofitable vnto vs For because of the vnbeliefe CHRIST did but few Miracles in Galilee the two Olive branches cannot emptie the Goldenoyle out of themselves through the two golden pipes because they are stopped Zach. 4. 12. And this is that which Sathan once strove to bring our Saviour CHRIST unto to distrust the providence of God Math. 4. 3. causing the stones to be made bread and this is that by which he works upon the weaknesse of man to distrust Gods care over him bringing him by this meanes to the shame of stealing and from this distrust even to the height of Apostacy for this God will destroy us Iudeth 5. Let us then 2 Cor. 7. 1. seeing we have such promises not loose the performance of them through unbeleife taking heede least at any time there be in any of us an evill heart of unbeliefe Heb. 3. 12. but learne to say with the man in the Gospell Marke 9 24. I beleeve Lord helpe my vnbeliefe and with the Disciples Luke 17. 5. Lord increase our Faith and if oppressed with deadnesse of heart stirre up our faith with David Psal 42. 11. Why art thou cast downe my soule and why art thou so disquieted within mee for he that beleeveth shall not make hast Isa 28. 16. saith maketh not ashamed Isa 26. The iust man shall live by his faith Hab. 2. 4. All things are possible to the beleever he may remoove mountaines he is an omnipotent creature as Barnard sayth Phil. 4. 13. I can doe all things by faith thou receivest the pro. mises thine eternall life and happinesse have their dependance thereon Iohn 3. 16. hee that beleeveth in the Sonne hath everlasting life but if yee will not beleeve ye shall not be established Isa 7. 9. Seeing this Mercy and truth of God is confirmed and upon our faith so assured toward us that it cannot be frustrate
temporall protection with the sending of CHRIST for our redemption where we see two things 1 The matter of the duty 2 The manner The matter to be performed is Thankesgiving commanded Psal 50. 15. 1 Thes 5. 18. Confirmed unto us in the practice of Gods children Exod. 15. 1. 2. Iudg. 5. 1. Luke 1. 68. And as it becommeth Saints to be obedient so to be thankefull Psal 33. 1. The Israelites are upbraided with the contrary 2 Chron. 32. 25. and Hezechia rendered not againe according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore the wrath of God was upon him upon Iuda and Ierusalem The unthankefull person is not worthy of the bread which he eates he is unworthy to be rewarded which returnes not thankes for the reward this causeth God to shut up heaven against us making it Brasse above us and the earth Iron under us whose hardnesse and unseasonable fructifying may sufficiently convince us of unthankefulnesse he stops up the channels of his love and the boundlesse streames of his favours because our hearts are dammed up with Ingratitude he would have open thankes for secret mercies as Rivers come from the Sea closely through the cranies and silent pâ—ssages of the earth but returne opeâ—ly giving manifest notice of their thankefulnesse to the God of the Sea all being his owne Hag. 2. 9. No benefit but should bee the mother of thankes Colos 3. 15. What can wee either thinke or speake or write which may be more acceptable to God then Thankesgiving sâ—â—th divine Augustine What can be spoken more briefly heard more chearefully understood more joyfully or done more fruitfully it is the Musicke which Saints and Angels make in heaven Rev 5. 9. and 19. 1. 3. and should be the burthen of all our mirth it is salt to season all our sacrifices the want whereof God will not dispence withall Ephes 5. 20. Giving thankes in all things at all times and by all meanes the contrary hath beene condemned as the poysoning of a vipor not only in the Schoole of Grace but even in the Academie of Nature an ingratefull person to be a short Epitomie of all odible and avoy dable things Rom. 1. 18. Collos 2. 7. 1 Tim. 5. 4. 2 Tim. 3. 2. as one unworthy to participate of any mans love Then praise the Lord O my Soule and be not unmindfull of any of his benefits c. Psal 102. To stirre up our hearts to a conscionable performance of this duety hee that Gulon-like devoures Gods blessings even to the eating of his daily food without giving thankes eates not to God Rom. 14. 6 lives not to God but to his belly is like Pharaohs butler to Ioseph Laban to Iacob Iudas to CHRIST the new Pharaoh to the Israelites and the Israelites to God how can we be thus unmindfull of him that howerly is so mindfull of us let our tongues cleave to the roofe of our mouthes and with the father of Iohn Baptist be dombe let us be beasts with Nabuchadnezar till we learne in a thankfull remembrance to acknowledge the most high let us perish with ingrateful Ierusalem Chorazin and Bethsaida Sodome and Gomorrha If it were so punished in the poore Gentiles having onely the purblind light of Nature to guide them onely reading their lessons in the darke volume of the Creatures to be given up to strange sinnes and strange Iudgements Rom. 1. 21. for their Ingratitude what shall then become of us which have not onely that but the day-light of the Scripture and of the Spirit Doe wee so requite the Lord O stubborne and unthankfull generation that we are CHRIST condemnes it with admiration in the ten Leapers Luke 17. 17. Are there not ten cleansed We do not wonder at ordinary things because every day obvious but we are amazed at a Centaure or Monster at any thing deficient or superfluous in Nature because extraordinary So wee doe not admire the ordinary sinnes of men because wee see them daily but wee gaze at an ingratefull person because hee is hatefull and almost unknowne to Nature it selfe It was a Custome among the Romaines That if a Servant made free became vnthankfull to bee adiuâ—ged to his pristine bondage GOD from time to time to moove us to this Dutie hath caused his Mercies to bee kept in remembrance as a pot of Manna in the Arke and also the fragments of his miraculous banquet Iobn 6. c. Bee not then like churlish Nabal like Horse or Mule that have no understanding but let thy tongue that so long hath beene mute and silent become the well-tuned Cymball of prayse and the silver trumpet of Thankesgiving this is thy Heauen upon earth and when the Word Prayer Faith and Hope shall cease it shall remaine Blessing and Honour might and Thankesgiving be unto our God for evermore Revel 7. 12. Having finished the matter which is both the prescript and postscript the Alpha and Omega the beginning and ending of this Psalme let us see in the last place the manner how this dutie must be performed and layd downe Collos 3. 16. Teaching and admonishing one another in Psalmes and Hymnes and Spirituall songs singing with Grace in your hearts to the Lord. Where note First that the service of God among Christians is not a sad dull melancholique and solitary kind of life but full of joy and myrth Secondly a Monasticall and Heremiticall life condemned Thirdly that there is an excellent use of singing Psalmes And lastly to what end with the uses First against which it hath beene long objected by the whole Colledge of the professors of prophainnesse that in Religion there is no mirth but only deepe lumpish melancholy to be found here we see the contrary and that euen under the law which might seeme the saddest time of Gods service yet was it performed in the Temple with Organes and Instruments of most ravishing mâ—sicke which as yet did but shadow to us and give a taste of that great joy which afterwards should follow under the Gospell Which is glad tidings of great ioy Luke 2. 11. first chaunted and tuned by those heavenly Choristers the Angels the like in every service Psal 2. 11. Serve the Lord with feare and reioyce with trembling Psal 95. 1. O come let us sing unto the Lord let us reioyce to the rocke of our Salvation chearefulnes and thanksgiving is required in all things Goe thy way then eate thy bread with joy and drinke thy wine with a merry heart for God accepteth thy cheerefulnesse in thy workes let thy garments be alway white and let thy head want no oyntment Eccles 9. 7. Wee see indeed the man that lookes through the spectacles of Nature soaring upon the laging wings of earth sees no further or higher then earths happinesse cannot rejoyce in Gods mercy in electing adopting c. or any other things spirituall which are and ought
admonish either our selves or others with profit Secondly wee must sing with grace in our hearts that is in exercising and stirring up the graces of God in our hearts as our loy Faith Love confidence and commemoration of Gods benefits either in giving or forgiving kindleing our dead zeale as a fire with bellowes 2 Tim 1. 6. Thirdly wee must sing with our hearts not onely tongues and voyces but with a zealous desire by our singing to glorifie God Psal 47. 7. Sing yee praises with understanding Psal 118. 27 Bind the Sacrifice with cordes to the hornes of the Altar hence wee are sayd to prepare our hearts 1 Cor. 14. 14 Thus David bids his Lute his Harpe his glory his tongue to awake Ps 57. 8. he would not have his heart sleeping while his tongue is walking and waking for Non vâ—x sed votum non musica chordula sed cor non cantans sed amans cantat in aure Dei T is not thy voyce but vowe not well tun'd harpâ— but heart Not sound but solid love mirths in Gods hearing part The fourth is to sing to Gods glory with an holy remembrance of his awfull and Majesticke presence and this is that which is observed by Cramerus that if our doxologies and thankesgivings be acceptable they must begin from God as the first mover and primus moter of his owne praise they must be of God as the matter and argument of all our songs they must be with him as the end and scope of all our Hosannaes of mercy and Hallelu-jahs of praise thus making him the efficient materiall formall and finall cause of all our service joyned together by the Prophet Ps 86. 4. Râ—ioyce the Soule of thy servant c. First in that he would his soule to be made joyfull hee desires God to move it to that duety 2. Where he calls God hee shewes the matter of his Psalmodicall melody 3. The listing up of his heart unto God hee intimates his end and marke And lastly to whom hee dedicates his Musicke To teach all Christians a conscionable diligence in this duety all creatures in theyr kinde blesse their Creaâ—or even they that want tongues as Sunne Moone Starres c. Psal 148. The unreasonable creatures giue with their tongues obedient testimonies thereof the Birds of the ayre sing beasts of the field make a noyse even the hissiâ—gs of Dragons in the deepe are Psalmes of prayse unto God Praise thou the Lord theâ— with the best member thou hast which is thy Torgue the Eye is to see for all the Eare to heare for all the Hand to worke for all the Nose to smell for all and the palate to taste for all but the Tongue in the highest office is to sing prâ—ises to God for all it s every mans duety as a I must pray unto God so all must prayse God and as CHRIST IESVS carryes up thy prayers being perfumed upon him the true Altar on which they are offered so will hee doe thy Psalmâ—s of praise being winged with holy devotion this is thy heavenly melody the mirth of thy family aromaticall perfume of thy châ—mber an holy homage to God the sacrificed calves of thy lips If thou hast then beene a Mute and tongue-tyed in this duety though thou be opposed therein by th prophane world and Sathanstand at thy right hand as he did against Sacrifizing Iehoshua Zach. 3. 2. be now as a speaking vowell or at least a consonant to Stentorize the prayses of thy God even with a lowd voyce Psal 34. Continually while thou livest Psal 104. 33. Before the morning watch Ps 119. 147. At midnight and seaven times a day ver 164. Thy mouth daily rehearsing his righteousnes and Satvation Psal 7. 15. Let his Statutes be thy Songs in the house of thy Pilgrimage Psal 119. 54. Learne to tune thy voyce here on earth that thou mayst have a place among the Psalmodicall quier of Heaven acquaint thy heart with spirituall mirth sing Davids Psâ—lmes that thou mayest have Davids spirit it thou wilt not sing unto God take heed least in his justice he deprive thee of thy blessing of peace mirth and liberty either taking away thy tongue which hee made for the same purpose and the service of which hee requires or cause thee to sing his songs in a strangâ— land as he dealt with the Iewes Psal 137. for their vnthankefulnesse Lastly this reproveth the usuall vanity of flesh and blood First in vaine layes which are sung to the world Secondly lascivious Bâ—llads which are tuned to the flesh Thirdly Satyricall libels to the Divell All which are to exâ—lt and strengthen the three Goliha's and great enemies of mans Salvation even to sing praises to the curâ—â—d Trinity of Hâ—ll these are the fuming and fomenting nourishment to Luxurie the Bellowes to blow the embers of lust the Palate-pleasing meate of the Serpent their originall from â—odome not Sâ—on from Bedlam not Beth'lem from Bethaven not Bethel from Iericho not Ierusalem from the Tap-house not the Temple the well-befiâ—ting accoutrements and vaine garbe of the children of vanity And yet we see the world admiring flesh and blood inventing the Divell brewing and bâ—oâ—ching the Sonnes of the earth exâ—lting defending these hell-bred Sonnets having the packet of their braines so full fraught with them that they have left no roome for the Lords Psalmes What is this buâ— to bâ—ilâ— up the Kingdome of darknes and to make ungodly Proselites for the greaâ— Cham and Prince thereof These be Sathans watchfull Vaites which though they be esteemed as Augustine spake of the Donatists who in his time lived as Theeves but were honoured as Martyrs yet here they are condemned as the spuâ—ious off-scowring of men not praysers of God but Organs and Organous provokers and movers to all uncleanenesse And this is a Loidoramastick to libellers whose malicious tongues and pennes writing in blood as Draco writ his lawes are set on fire by Hell whose mouthes are like the gate of the Temple called Shallecheth out of which they cast the filth of the Temple So they the foule aspersions of shame upon the persons of the Innocent But consider beloved and learne by insulting over these rightly and holily to prayse God let â—o filthy communication proceede out of your mouthes least the Mouth the Messenger of the heart bewray an ancleane fountaine Evill words corrupt good manners 1 Cor. 15. Ratio habenda est Sermonis cum non sit in eo parum momenti ad animuÌ„ afficiendum aliquo modo vel ad mores corrigendos vel corrumpendos Thy words worke not in vaine upon the affections of the hearers but either correct or corrupt their manâ—eâ—s It is onâ—ly the Word of God which is eternall life Iohn 6 68. which ministreth grace to the hearers Learne then to speake the language of Cannan Isa 19. 18. for a word fitly spoken is like Apples of gold in pictures of silver