Balaams Wish OR The Reward of Righteousness in and after Death Considered and explicated by occasion of the Late Decease of M rs BARBARA WHITEFOOT Late of HAPTON in the County of NORFOLK Who Deceased April 9. and was Interred April 11 1667. By JOHN HORNE Preacher of the Gospel in former times in the Parish of Lin-Allhallows in the same County Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit for they rest from their labors and their works follow them Psal 31.19 Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for those that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men Prov. 12.26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor but the way of the wicked seduceth them Quid prodest cum magnis difficultatibus cultum Dei tenere quae est summa virtus nisi eum Divinum Praemium Beatitudinis subsequatur Lactan. Divin Institut lib. 7. De Divino Praemio cap. 1. LONDON Printed in the Year 1667. To Mr. Daniel Whitefoote and Mrs. Barbara Waller the onely Son and Daughter of the Deceased Mrs. Barbara Whitefoote late of Hapton Mercy Grace and Peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be extended and multiplyed Dear Friends I Have you may see though with some reluctancy as being conscious to my self of my own weakness in speaking to the great things of God and Christ accomplished your desires for publishing what was upon my thoughts and as to some Heads thereof was spoken to and in the Family of your Deceased Mother by occasion of her Death and Burial I pray God add his blessing with it that it may provoke some at least yea all that read it if it may be to consider their ways whether they be good and righteous and what the end toward which they tend so that they that believe and live amiss may be there-through awakened to repentance and to seek after righteousness even the righteousness which is of God by Faith not resting with Balaam in good Wishes and Desires or rather in Wishes and Desires of Good so as to miss as he did of the good they wish but that awakening from sin to righteousnesse and following after it in seeking the Lord they may both desire and attain what is truly good and that they that are in the way of righteousness may through the consideration of its good and glorious end and reward hold on their way to the end So should my labour herein be well bestowed And oh that both I and you may our selves do what we desire and have herein in some measure endeavoured for others that while we seek their good we also minding the good way may share with all that are good or get good hereby in the reward This briefly in General Besides which I would adde a word to either of you Severally And First to you Mr. Daniel let me say Remember the good and grave counsel and advice of your Dear deceased Mother especially her dying farewell and endeavour so to seek after the Lord read and mind his good word believe his love and grace toward mankind in his Son and yield up your self to obey and follow his heavenly Counsels preferring the Gospel as your good Mother advised you not onely above the pleasures of sin for a season and what vain Companions sports and pastimes can afford or vain persons entice you to but also above your worldly estate and so adhere to the good advice of such as be sober staid and godly friends that she may at least reap the fruit of all her serious wishes desires prayers and tears for your good and of all her tender affectionate love to you in her receiving you in the resurrection of the just at the comming of the Lord in the lot and state of the righteous and holy Saints and servants of God You are young and need help and direction I would have you think so and be sober minded not thinking your self so wise as that you may chuse for your self your ways and need none to guide and counsel you mind Solomons saying Prov. 27.10 And thine own friend and thy Mothers friend forsake thou not Not taking any for your friends that would flatter you into vain courses to follow your will and pleasures to your ruine in all things mind Gods word and call upon him for his grace and blessing in and through Christ Jesus and he will bless you and do you good Seriously peruse also this Treatise and let its contents be ever with you And the Lord bless it to you That 's all I shall say to you at present As for thee Dear Sister thou hast cause to bless God for the good he hath done to you and the mercy and grace he hath shewed you both in your self and in your Dear deceased Mother Oh let not his goodness ever be forgotten by you or slip out of your heart follow yet on after righteousness and seek the Lord the prize is before you and ascertained in Christ to you in following after it onely watch and take heed of what may divert or subvert you from it especially of knowing your self in what you know and in the gifts God hath bestowed on you and so of being puffed up with any spiritual pride Though not of that only but also of every way of the world or sinful temptation by which the adversary will not be wanting to endeavour your harm and whereof this Treatise also affords some notice and warning but that 's one main temptation he uses against such as are going on the right way to make them reflect so upon their own beauty put upon them by Christ as there-through to adulterate from Christ as in Ezek. 16.14 15 16 17 c. It was probably the way he fell himself the looking upon and falling in love with his own created excellencies and thence lifting up himself to desire that that was proper to the Creator and its the way he sets upon many persons knowing persons especially to corrupt them from the simplicity of Christ and an humble faithful dependance on him and walking in the fâ—â—â— of God through him in whom all their fulness and safety is But I hope he that hath called you by and into his grace will keep you through his grace from that and every other evil thing and so cleanse sanctifie and make you perfect in every good thing as that you shall without fail attain to the glory and glorious kingdom that he hath prepared for and promised to them that love him And in that hope and perswasion for you I commit you to him and to his blessing And so taking my leave of you both and desiring that this treatise may further both your happinesses I rest Your truly Loving Friend JOHN HORNE From my House in Lin Regis Jan. 6. 1667. ERRATA Courteous Reader thou art desired with thy Pen to correct these ensuing escapes of
is God himself the Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End and he is all good and perfectly perpetually endlesly and eternally Good and he is their Portion and their Exceeding Great reward Whence this happy state Psal 16.5 6. and 73.26 Gen. 17.1 The strength of their hearts here and their PORTION FOR EVER But Quest why or whence is it that the Death and End of the Righteous is such and so good as is said and above all that can be said Ans Negatively 1. Not from themselves nor from the desert of their righteousness they being in themselves earthly frail and sinful creatures could not possibly do or act any such goodness or righteousness much less of our selves as should deserve or render them worthy of such an end and recompence nor could a finite obedience of a finite creature be commensurate with an infinite reward in its worth and vertue and therefore neither shall they make themselves the burthen of their endless rejoycings and everlasting songs but rather shall say Not unto us Not unto us give we glory It is true that righteousness is better in it self than wickedness and God is just to difference them in his retributions but neither is their righteousness that he rewards of themselves or their owne righteousness but their righteousness is of the Lord Isa 54.17 Nor is that righteousness so perfectly embraced and walked in by them but that in many things they offend and sin so as should God enter into jugdment with them and be strict to observe what they do amiss they could not stand or be justified in his sight as themselves have acknowledged Psal 130.3 4. and 143.2 they could have no salvation or deliverance from wrath and the portion of the ungodly much less reward and much less yet such a reward for their works but through the forgiveness of their sins Luc. 1.77 and therefore also when God promises his people what he will do for them in the last days in their restauration the great substance of which is the glory to be injoyed in the Kingdom of Christ he puts in such a Caution against ascribing it to themselves Not for your sakes do I do these things Not for your sakes be it known to you oh house of Israel be ashamed and confounded saith the Lord Ezek. 36.22 32. even as Moses did before upon their first entring the Land of Canaan the type and figure of this promised inheritance Speak not in thime heart after that the Lord thy God hath cast out these nations saying for my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land not for thy righteousness nor for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go to possess this Land c. Deut. 9.5 6. and yet it is the reward of righteousness that God will give and that wherein he will testifie his great love to righteousness and to the righteous As it is said Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom for I was hungry and ye fed me naked and ye clothed me c. Math. 25.35 36. rendring that as the reason of their receiving that reward As also the Apostle saith God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love c. Heb. 6.10 11. It is true therefore that God doth and will reward the righteous and with respect to their righteousness and not the unrighteous otherwise it would be no motive or incouragement to righteousness But true it is also that neither is that righteousness of themselves nor deserves it those rewards as it is in and from them But positively 2. It is from God himself He is as the End Ans Affirmatively so also the beginning of their welfare as the Last end of their desires and injoyment so the First cause spring and original whence it all had its rise and issue He is the Alpha as well as the Omega of all their felicity Isa 41.4 and 44.6 and 48.12 and to him they must acknowledge it and will sing Hallelujahs or praise ye the Lord To thy Name be the glory Rev. 19.1 4 6. Psal 155.1 For 1. It springs from his good pleasure this love and good will to man whom as he created in his own image and likeness at first by and for his only begotten Son the express character of his own Majesty so he so loved him as both to prepare an infinite reward for him being righteous or for such or so many of them as should be found righteous before him for the manifestation of the riches of his grace and glorious bounty and goodness to him and also when he fell from his primitive and created righteousness in which he made him he made his Son the increated image of his person and of his essential righteousness to be in the image and likeness of the fallen man in the likeness of sinful flesh and under sin and curse and condemnation only without sin in him that he being clothed as it were with mans unrighteousness as imputed to him and swallowing up the sin and curse might himself become his perfect righteousness and conforming him to himself in holiness and righteousness might make him also the subject in and with himself of that infinite reward prepared for the righteous even that infinite glory and inconceivable happiness which he had before the world prepared for them as it is said Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from before the foundations of the world Math. 25.35 and Fear not little Flock it is my Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom Luc. 12.32 Thence the Praedestination to the adoption of children and to the obtaining of the inheritance is said to be according to the good pleasure of his will and according to his good purpose Ephes 1.5 11. 2. It springs from his love to righteousness even to the righteousness of faith or to his only blessed Son made in the vertues of his abasement obedience and sufferings righteousness to them as his love and pitty to man led him to give his Son to ransom him from his unrighteousness and to be his righteousness so his love to righteousness even to his Son made mans righteousness leads him so to love man as found therein as to think nothing too good or great for him even himself and all his fulness of grace and glory to be his portion in life and death but most fully and manifestly in the life to come Thence the care of the Apostle to be found in Christ in order to his apprehending that for which he was apprehended of Christ and to his obtaining the price of Gods high calling in him Philip. 3.8 9 12 14. God loving them that love Christ because they love Christ with this manner of loving of them whence he so rewards them Joh 16.27 28. whence also their election though before the foundation of the world is said to be in Christ and their praedestination to the adoption of children to be
and portion or coveting after the way and portion or injoyments of any other turn from the way of righteousness these do as those who being brought safely out of the dangers of the seas and of perishing there by some storm and being set safely on a rock on the shore should because the wind blows cold upon them or because they see some little fishes play or rather some perishing men float on the waves throw themselves headlong thereinto to their destruction but indeed far worse If I say to a righteous man saith God thou shalt surely live if that righteous man trusting in his righteousness commit iniquity he shall surely die Ezek. 33.13 If we turn from God we must needs go after vain things and things that profit not 1 Sam. 12.21 but that 's but an easie and soft expression in comparison of what the holy Ghost hath elsewhere as when he saith Thou wilt destroy all those that go a whoring from thee Psal 73.27 And they shall be destroyed with an everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power that obey not the Gospel 2 Thes 1.7 8. and they are said not to obey the truth that abide not in it Gal. 3.1 Vse 7 Instruction to moderation in mourning for deceased believers But lastly it may instruct us to moderation in our mourning for the death of such as are righteous and die in the Lord that we should not mourn for them as those that are without hope either of or for them or of our enjoyment again of them there is no cause of so mourning for them nay but as our Saviour said to his Non est lugendus qui ante cedit sed plane desiderandus profectio est quam putas mortem Ter. de patien 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Gâ—aec est mori Disciples mourning at their hearing of his leaving them If ye had loved me ye would have rejoiced because I said I go to my Father for my Father is greater then I Joh. 14.28 So in respect of such persons when taken away by death we have rather cause of joy and gladness than of lamentation and sadness for they are gone to a better place and state as to their spirits which is the main of them and their bodies too are more at ease than they were before they dying in the Lord as we have seen are blessed at the present and they shall come again in their personal and bodily capacities after a while with Christ to the enjoyment of his Kingdom yea so as the living Saints shall not prevent them as is said 1 Thess 4.13 14 15 16 17 which words we have to comfort one another with in this case left on record for our instruction indeed some cause of mourning and in some regard of great lamentation we may have sometime as Abraham is said to have sorrowed for Sarah Jacobs sons for him and the people of Israel for Moses and divers others but the Jews write the middle letter of the word used of Abrahams weeping very small to signifie they say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his moderation in respect of his belief of the resurrection but it s said Act. 8.2 That devout men carried Stephen to his burial and to have made great lamentation for him When persons are very useful among people and a great blow breach or loss comes to the Survivers by their removal then there is ground for great lamentation in respect thereof and especially upon those that it falls so heavy upon as for the loss of our society with them and their useful company or the loss others have of them but in regard of themselves there is cause of rejoycing singing and making merry for that theiâ— race is run their dangers past their cares and labours are at an end their goal obtained and their reward ascertained And it seems the Jews did apprehend the same truth as Balaam here that the death of the righteous was a desireable thing and matter of gladness for when they who accounted themselves the righteous nation died they had musick and melody upon their departing as appears by that passage of our Saviours finding Minstrils at the house of Jairus when his daughter was dead Math. 9.23 and sure by how much the more the grace of God is unfolded by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and his Spirit opening the grounds ends and vertues of it in and by the Gospel to us so much the more gladness when righteous persons die in their righteousness It 's that that good men have desired before they attained it as the Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 I desire to be dissolved and be with Christ which is â—etter And it 's that that bad men have wished they might have the happiness of obtaining as appears in the Text Let me die the death of the righteous and let my latter end c. Now when any attain that which is desireable on all hands and especially when they have lived to a good old age and have filled up the number of their days and served their generation by the will of God should we mourn for them without rejoycing or should we mourn so in respect of our own losses as not to qualifie and take up our selves with the consideration of their gain If a heathen man could comfort himself over the death of his deceased daughter Non a nissa sed praemissâ— Cic. with the consideration that she was not lost but only gone or sent away before how much more may we Christians when we may say it with this addition that they are gone before to heavenly and happy mansions to the bosome of Abraham nay to the presence and enjoyment of the Lord Jesus in their spirits and that they shall come again with him and though their bodies now lie covered up in earth and ashes or dust yet they also shall be raised up again in honour when Christ appears and then both body and soul shall appear in glory with him and enjoy so happy a portion as exceeds all expression And now I have finished what I had to say to my Text but yet not my discourse without a word of Application of it upon this last account to that which occasioned my thoughts of it which was the death and interment of a good and vertuous Gentlewoman Mrs. Barbara Whitefoote of Hapton in the County of Norfolke A woman well known in the Country not so much for her outward greatness as to estate in the world though God gave her a good sufficiency there too as for the good she did in the world and especially to the places and people near her Her profession and practice proclaimed her a Christian more then in name only a follower after righteousness and a seeker of the Lord one that we judge to have sought first Gods Kingdome and his righteousness and therefore we question not but she hath now obtained A woman of a good report
nations for their sins yet they ever dwell as it were by themselves as a distinct people or nation from all those among whom they dwell not reckoning themselves with them and their dispersions all over notwithstanding the (b) Bishop Usher reckons up in his Annals as slain of them in sundry places in the wars under Titus and Vespasian 254490 besides in the siege of Jerusalem 1100000 in all 1354490 and Nâ—cephorus tells of millions of them destroyed in Adrians time yea 53 wyriads in one dey besides what were slain in the tumults in Traâ—ans time numerous multitudes of them that have at sundry times been in divers places slaughtered testifie their number to be exceeding great and such as Balaam might well say of them here Who can count their dust In the words of the Text we may consider 1. Who he was that spake the words Not Israel but Balaam It s he that 's meant of in the word me or my soul 2. The matter spoken And that is considerable 1. In general A good Wish or Desire 2. In particular That he might die the death of the righteous c. 1. From the first of these The person wishing Balaam a bad man we may briefly note Note 1. That good words may sometimes be in bad mens mouâ—hs As the Greek Proverb is Oftimes (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fool may speak seasonable sayings God is the Lord of Hosts All creatures are his And as in the former Chapter he put a mans voice into an Asses mouth as if she had had a mans understanding in her bruitish heart and a mans wit in her dull head So in this and the following Chapter he put divine words words of truth into the mouth of a wicked man As Satan can transform himself into an Angel of light so his ministers may be sometimes transformed into ministers of righteousness not onely through evil design of their own but also sometime by Gods over-ruling power and providence So the Spirit of God came upon Saul and he prophesied even when he was in his persecutions of David 1 Sam. 19.20 23. and Caiaphas spake by the instinct of the Holy Ghost in saving It behoved one man to die for the Nation c. John 11.50 51. Yea as sometime Satan may insinuate his words into good mens mouths as when Peter bid Christ favor himself So also God sometimes puts good words into evil mens mouthes And that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen in Gels lib. 7. This is God bieng a lover of mankinde hath made known the truth and what is to be known of him not eâ—lâ—y to those that are addicted to him but also to such 〈◊〉 are without his sincere worship or godlinâ—ss towards him though sâ—me doing things nâ—w â—hy of that knowledge live ungodlily 1. Because God is good to all and Christ the true Light that lighteth every one coming into the world and his Spirit judging or striving in man that they might be turned in to God and be saved As it is said God would have all men saved and come to the knowledge of the truth for there is one God and one Mediator of God and man the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all a testimony in due time 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6. Whence it is said Doth not wisdom cry and understanding lift up her voice As if he would say Can that be denyed or doubted of Prov. 8.1 2 4 5 c. Thence it is said That the heathen with-held the truth in unrighteousness for what was to be known of God was manifest in them for God shewed it them Though when they knew God they glorified him not as God nor were thankful but became vain in their imaginations letting in something of Gods light though rejecting the life and power of it and obeyed it nor Thence we finde good speeches in the Heathen though they liked not to be made good by Gods light and goodness discovered We may instance one in Juvenal to this purpose Permittes ipsis expendere numinibus quid Conveniat nobis rebusque sit utile nostris Nam pro jâ—cundis aptissima quaeque dubunt Dii Charior est illis homo quam sibi c. Leave 't to the Powers above to judge what 's meet They 'l give what 's good in stead of what seems sweet They love man better than man himself loves But this was still more evident in the Jews as is to be seen in Rom. 2.17 18 19 20 21 c. They knew and could speak of many excellent things though they that so spake abode still wicked and so the Gospel is as a Draw-net that being cast into the sea catches fishes good and bad Whence many receiving its light may speak well though not receiving its life and power they live ill Math. 13.47 48. and fail of the grace that God afforded them receiving it in vain Heb. 12.15 2 Cor. 6.1 2. For a testimony to others that they might have means of understanding and help in the way of God And so as Balaams Ass spake with a mans voice for his Masters sake so might Balaam have those divine Raptures and speak the language of Gods true Prophets for Moabs sake That they knowing who was the true God and seeing his great goodness to and the good condition of his people and who they were might have opportunity of joyning themselves to them and enjoying their happiness with them And it is thought by many Vident Chaldaei in Coelis qued Balaam reliquit in Scripturis orietur Stella ex Jacob c. Bern. in Concep B. Mariae Ipsa veritas cogente naturaetiam ab invilis pecteribus erampâ—t Laâ— lib. 2. cap. 1. that the Prophecies of this man out of the mountaines of the East preserved amongst the children of those Eastern Countreys gave that understanding to the Wise-men out of the East that are said upon the Birth of Christ to have seen his star and to come and worship him Mat. 2.1 2. 3. For the greater testimony to God and his truth while they have such force and evidence as to gain a confession from those that love them not but are their enemies As its an evidence of the strength of a mans Cause when the adversary cannot but acknowledge it An evidence of the righteousness of Gods Cause when he appeals to mens Consciences to be Judges in it Isa 5.3 4 Their Rock is not as our Rock saith Moses of the Nations our Adversaries themselves being Judges Deut. 32.31 4. In extraordinary Cases such as this was it is for the good and advantage of Gods choice people And so it is affirmed in Deut. 23.4 5. The Lord would not hearken unto Balaam but turned the Curse into a Blessing Because the Lord their God loved his people And in Josh 24.10 I would not hearken unto Balaam but he altogether blessed you and I delivered you out of his hand Whence also the Prophet Micah bids Israel remember what Balaam
the son of Beor answered unto Balak That they might know the righteousness of the Lord. That is his faithfulness to his people Mich. 6.5 So Sauls prophecying was that David might escape him Vse And this commends the goodness of the Lord both as he is the Savior of all men and as especially of those that believe though it condemn the badness of men that abuse his goodness who could not abuse his goodness were he not so good to them and would not abuse it and rest short of his gracious good end in extending it if they were not so bad 2. It instructs us as not to receive every word that good men may say for sin and corruption in them and Satan getting advantage thereby may sometime mis-lead them to speak amiss as Peter to our Lord in Math. 16.23 〈…〉 Whence the Apostle next to his direction Not to despise prophecying adds Try all things and hold fast that that is good And thence also good men sometime un-say what they have foresaid and vary from it as Austin had his Book of Retractations So also not to reject all that may be said by evil men because evil men at least not to reject Gods savings and good counsels from them though no body would wisely go to seek the Lord or enquire after his minde by them when better means are afforded The Scribes and Pharisees saith our Saviour sit in Moses Chair all therefore whatsoever they bid you do namely as holding forth and setting forward Moses Law that observe and do Math. 23.2 3. And its observable that after our Savior had testified against Judas John 13.19 he immediately adds Verily verily I say unto you he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me As implying that what Judas had preached by his Mission of him was never the less to be regarded by others though he himself miscarryed Gods words are Gods words and in themselves have the same truth and holiness though in a wicked mans mouth nor doth he disown his Statutes though an evil man declare them but onely the evil man that declares them Psal 50.16 17. Even as Christ saith not he never knew his Name when evil men prophesied in it and thereby cast out devils but he knew not the men though doing such things therein that wrought iniquity and abode in evil Math. 7.22.23 St. Paul cites sometimes the sayings of Heathen Poets and hath made them Canonical Scripture by his citing them and it cost a good man his life that he neglected to hear counsel from God by a heathen 2 Chron. 35.22 Josuâ—h was slain in battel not hearing or hearkning to the words of Necho King of Egypt from the mouth of God Bern. de 206 Disâ— 3. Audivit Balaam sermones Dei visâ—â—â—s omnipotentis intuiâ—â— est sed cadebâ—t opertis coeulis sic multos videtis had estudentes Seâ—s â—atâ— c Again let no man lift up himself in having knowlegde and ability to preach and speak Gods word and give good language to or of Gods people seeing that 's a gift a bad man may have and be never the better but the worse for it Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall inherit the Kingdom but he that doth the will of God that hears the word of God and keeps it Better to be but a hearer and a doer than a Preacher and no doer of the word of God As many might help to build Noahs Ark that not entring it perisht in the Flood So it is here Mat. 7.21 22. 2. As to the matter of the words in general They are a wish a good wish or desire such a wish as a good man may wish Thence note 1. Gods dispensations to men may beget good things in them that yet are not made good by them So here what God said and shewed to Balaam produced in him an enlightned understanding an apprehension and perswasion that Israel was a righteous and a good people and that continuing so they should have a good Death and a desirable End and therefore he also commends and blesses them as a happy people and had good desires that his soul might dye their death and his latter end be like to his Yea this note is further confirmed if we view other expressions of what was begot in him as a resolution to obey God and an actual obedience too in many things when God said Thou shalt not go with them the Messengers of Balak thou shalt not curse the people for they are blessed though it made him not good yet he was so far obedient that he did not go with them nor do the evil God forbad him Numb 22.12 13. and when Balak sent more and more honourable Messengers with proffers of greater honours and rewards he had such an awe of God upon his spirit that he tells them Though Balak would give him his house full of Silver and Gold he could not go beyond the word of the Lord his God both calling God his God and protesting his adâ—aering to his word And when he see the Angel standing in the way against him because his way was perverse before God yet he so far submits himself as to say if it displeased him he would go back again and God permitting him to go on he told Balak the word that God put in his mouth that should he speak vers 38. and Chap. 23.12 Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put into my mouth and justifying himself against Balak angry with and faulting him for not curring but blessing Israel he saith Told I not thee that all that the Lord speaketh that I must do all that and nothing but that What obedience and constancy in his obedience is here and Chap. 24.12 13. Spake I not to thy Messengers which thou sent est to me saying if Balak would give me his house full of Silver and Gold I cannot go beyond the Commandement of the Lord to do good or evil of mine own mind but what the Lord saith that I will speak as resolving and holding fast his resolution to obey God whatever honour and preferment he thereby lost though a house full yea Balak's house full of Silver and Gold and Balak being a King his house sure was a great house a Palace I fear a few handfuls of such metal would tempt many now adays to revile the fearers of God and to turn Men-pleasers therein especially if such men as Balak was Yet Balaam stood so to his tackling that he will not be tempted by a house full of Gold and Silver Yea he makes Balak stamp and clap his hands at him and bad him flee to his place he thought to have promoted him to great honour but now the Lord had kept him back from honour Chap. 24 10 11. How far may a man go and yet be a bad man a false Prophet for all that Balaam seemed here to outstrip St. Peter at some