Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	daughter_n	father_n	son_n	10,765	5	4.8829	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73373	Christs kingdome Described in seuen fruitfull sermons vpon the second Psalme. By Richard Web preacher of Gods word. The contents whereof follows after the epistles.	Webb, Richard, preacher of God's word.	1611 (1611)	STC 25150A; ESTC S123316	169,960	226

for many chapters together So did Dauid when Michall his wife did mocke him for dauncing in a linnen Ephod before the Arke of the Lord. It was saith he in 2. Sam. 6.21 before the Lord which chose me rather then thy father for she was Sauls daughter and all his house and commanded me to be ruler ouer the people of the Lord euen ouer Israel and therefore will I play before the Lord. So did Amos when Amasiah the Priest of Bethell went about to perswade him to flie away out of the land of Israel vnto the land of Iudah and there to eate his bread and to prophesie but not to prophesie any more at Bethell where was the kings chappell and the kings court Then answered Amos and sayd to Amasia I was no Prophet neither was I a Prophets sonne but I was a heardman and a gatherer of wild figges and the Lord tooke me as I followed the flocke and the Lord said vnto me God prophesie vnto my people Israel c. Wherein you see he doth stand stoutly vpon his calling and doth presse it well to stop such a caytifes mouth as that Amaziah was This is in the 7. chapter of Amos his Prophesie and the 12. verse thereof with some others following So in a word did all the Prophets from time to time as is apparant in their prophesies This was a common phrase or stile with them The burden of the Lord or Thus saith the Lord of hoasts or The word of the Lord came to me As Ieremy saith The words of the Lord that came to Ieremy the Prophet in Ieremy 47.1 As Hosea saith The word of the Lord that came vnto Hosea the sonne of Beeri Hos 1.1 As Ioel saith The word of the Lord that came to Ioel the sonne of Pethuel Io. 1.1 As Ionah saith The word of the Lord came also to Ionah the sonne of Amittai Ionah 1.1 And as Micha saith to omit the rest The word of the Lord that came to Micha the Morashite But in the new Testament Paul is very frequent in this matter he doth presse his calling oftentimes and standeth very stoutly vpon the same to the defiance of all his enimies to the coÌ„fort of all such as did cleaue fast vnto Iesus Christ such doctrine as he did deliuer vnto them in his name But amongst all other places I commend vnto you at this time onely three the first is in the 26 Chap. of the Acts of the Apostles where he did answere for himselfe before Agrippa the King The second is in his second Epistle to the Corinthians and eleauenth Chapter wherein he doth make a comparison betwixt himselfe and other Apostles and doth preferre himselfe before them all The third is in his Epistle to the Galathians and the beginning thereof where he proues that his doctrine which he had taught the Galathians was not humane but diuine he being taught the same by the reuelation of Iesus Christ who called him immediately from heauen to be an Apostle and so had his office not from man but from God as also his Gospell or the doctrine which he taught them Thus you see good men from time to time haue stood vpon their places and callings And the reasons also wherefore men should do it are these Reasons First that none through ignorance might contemne them or set light by their callings but haue them in good veneration according to their worth and excellency A man may passe by a king without any reuerence done vnto him if he know him not the country peasant we know doth trample many an wholesome herbe vnder his feet which the skilfull Apothecary doth gather vp and make good reckoning of because he knowes not the vertues and medicinable vses thereof as the Apothecary doth And so may men be despised and their callings be passed ouer without due reuerence and obedience yeelded vnto them by others vnlesse they know what they be and wherehence they haue their authority therefore it is good that the same should be made knowne vnto them Secondly that all persons may be left without excuse and haue their mouths stopped if they shall rebell and disobey for then they cannot pleade ignorance and say We knew not that they came from God or had lawfull authority committed vnto their charge to doe those things which they tooke vpon them for to do As God doth make himselfe knowne by the visible creatures of the world to leaue all mankind without all excuse which will not feare and worship him so the same God will haue men to goe in his name vnto others and to make knowne their authority and callings that if they will not obey they may be left tongue-tide as we say and without any answere for themselues as we may see in Ezechiel Chapter 2. verses 4.5.6 Say vnto them Thus saith the Lord God but surely they will not heare neither indeed will they ceasse for they are a rebellious house yet shall they know that there hath bene a Prophet among them Thirdly that they might approue and iustifie themselues in their waies and stoppe the malignant tongues of their aduersasaries who are ready wrongfully to accuse them as if they vsurped their places and did things without lawfull authority from aboue For as Zidikijah smote the Prophet Michaiah on the cheeke and said When went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speake vnto thee as it is in 1. Kings 22.24 so from time to time doe many arise vp to impeach the credit of those whom God hath raised vp and to make the world beleeue that the Lord did neuer bestow those places of dignity vpon theÌ„ which they do challenge vnto themselues For as Paul and the rest of the Apostles together with the Prophets and others found this oftentimes too true as we say in regard of themselues so Iude doth shew in his Epistle and eighth verse thereof that there are many wicked dreamers that doe despise gouernment and speake euill of them that are in authoritie Lastly that they might put courage into their owne hearts and with due care and conscience goe about the workes of their callings not fearing what man can do against them but looking alwaies vpon God who placed them in their roomes and who will neuer faile them vnlesse they be wanting vnto themselues therein For as the Spirit of God came down vpon Cornelius his friends whiles Peter was speaking vnto them as it is in Acts 10.44 so whiles they doe meditate vpon their places and are pressing the same vnto others in a zeale towards God and in a care to do them good a certaine heauenly courage and boldnesse from aboue comes down into their soules whereby they are made more stout and valiant then euer they were before and doe become in this respect like vnto the fire when it is blowne with the bellowes that doth burne more and more So that here are foure reasons to mooue men to respect their callings and to stand

that our Ministers are the true Ministers of God Christ is God as well as man the reasons why which are foure and the vses thereof which are three There is a fourefold difference betweene the manner of Christs generation and that which is carnall with man All the miracles that Christ did and chiefly his resurrection from the dead do shew that he was the Sonne of God How we may know whether God hath begotten vs and whom we are to take for Gods children Christs Kingdome is catholike and vniuersall ouer all the world with the vse thereof Men must pray to God for benefites and by prayer they shall receiue them the reasons why and the vses thereof which are three God doth giue to vs more oftentimes then we do aske Christ doth bruise his enimies and the manner how Malefactors must be punished the reasons why which are 4. the vses thereof which are 3. with an answere to such obiections as are made against the same The Contents of the sixth Sermon GReat persons and men of authority should be formost in repentance and in the whole worship of God the reasons why which are three and the vses thereof Perils and dangers must moue men to repentance and amendment of life the reasons why and the vses thereof which are three Men must defer no time but repent out of hand the reasons why which are foure and the vses thereof which are three with an answere to such obiections as are made against it It is proued that all wicked persons are fooles and vnlearned in God sight with the vse thereof Euery one must labour to get wisedome and to vnderstand the will of God the reasons why which are 3. and the vses thereof which are also 3 with an answere to such obiections as are made against it The course that men must take to attaine vnto it standeth in sixe things The euils that do hinder men from it are many but chiefly three The Contents of the seuenth Sermon MEn must worship God the Father the reasons why and the vses thereof In euery worke of Gods worship we must looke as well to the manner of it as to the matter with the reason and vse thereof Men must feare God the reasons why which are 6. and the vses thereof which are 2. with a distinction of feare and an answere to such obiections as are contrary vnto it together with the meanes to attaine vnto it which standeth chiefly in three things Men must reioyce in God and his seruice the reasons why which are 2. and the vses thereof which are three with the profits which come by it which are foure and the meanes how to get it which are two Men must tremble before the Lord and be lowly and humble before him the reasons why which are two and the vses thereof with the meanes to attaine vnto it which are foure Men must honour and worship the Son as well as the Father the reasons why which are two and the vses therof which are also two The great and manifold inconueniences or euils that happen vnto men who obey not Christ with the vse thereof Those are blessed that trust in Christ the reasons why and the vses therof which are 3. together with a declaration of those 6. things which are in Christ that are sufficient to moue our hearts to trust in him SEVEN SERMONS VPON the second Psalme Prolegomena or the Generall view of it THERE is a time saith Salomon for all things vnder the Sunne in Eccle. 3.1 And againe he saith in Prou. 25.11 that a word spoken in his place is like apples of gold with pictures of siluer In consideration whereof I haue elected this portion of sacred Writ to handle here amongst you on these holy daies as most fitting the time and person for whose sake they are obserued and so I hope will be most acceptable vnto you For the time you know is a time that is celebrated for the honour of Christ our Sauiour who was borne as vpon this day And as for this portion of holy Scripture it is a Psalme that doth intreate of Christ and of his heauenly kingdome who though he hath many enimies to withstand him yet he shall remaine King and Lord for euer The Author principall of this Psalme was God as he is of all the rest of the Scripture according to Paules testimony in 2. Tim. 3.16 But the Author ministeriall or instrumentall penman thereof was the sweete singer of Israel blessed Dauid the king as we may see by the prayer of the faithfull in Acts 4.25 For there in plaine termes Dauid is named when they say vnto God Which by the mouth of thy seruant Dauid hast said Why did the Gentles rage and the people imagine vaine things c. The chiefe matter herein handled is the gracious king dome of our best beloued bridegroome the sweete Sauiour of the world In letter and type it speakes of Dauid and his kingdome but in spirit and truth of Christ and his kingdome For that which was figuratiue in Dauid who represented the person of Christ was all of it most liuely accomplished in Christ who was represented by him And therefore you shall finde that those things which are here deliuered by the Prophet Dauid are applied by the Spirit of God the best interpreter of all vnto Christ in particular and that in three places of the new Testament The first is in that 4. chapter of the Acts which was quoted before The second is in the thirteenth chapter of the same Booke and the thirtieth three verse And the third and last is in Heb. 1.5 So that by the warrant of these places of diuine Oracle this Psalme and the things therein contained are truely and properly to be referred vnto Christ our King Wherefore in the handling of it we wil stand chiefly vpon him and his kingdome and speake but a little of Dauid and his kingdome onely shewing the verity of it in him pressing it as it were by the way of an allusion and in the matter of amplification The parts of this Psalme are two Doctrine which some haply would call a Narratiue proposition and Exhortation which they would peraduenture stile an Admonitorie Conclusion Of these two Doctrine goes foremost and Exhortation comes afterward according to all good Methodicall instruction For as in the architecture of an house the foundation must first be well laid and then afterward the whole building must be framed vpon it and fastened to it with strong bands and ioints So in euery orderly and sound Instruction the Doctrine must be first like the foundation plainely setting downe the truth of matters touching faith or manners and the Exhortation must follow vpon it like the frame of the house fitting euery thing to the best edification of the hearer and pressing it closely vpon his soule with pitthy perswasions to worke vpon it that so it may be framed according to the image of his creator in that respect The

And so I shut vp this point in a few words and make an end THE THIRD SERMON vpon the second Psalme PSAL. 2. VER 2. 3. The Kings of the earth band themselues and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord and against his Christ Let vs breake their bands and cast their cords from vs. HAuing spoken in the first verse of the Commons and the meaner people of the world he comes now in these two verses to speake of the Nobles and the great States of the world Though the former did rebell against Christ and his kingdome yet haply these as a man might thinke will not For these are wise and religious and see what is good for themselues But out alas they do it as well as the former they haue the like treacherous and rebellious hearts within them For they band themselues together with all their power and strength But yet there is some difference betwixt them For these go as it were warily to worke and are very circumspect in their wayes they take deliberation and time they haue their meetings and consultations they lay their heads together and take aduice what is best to be done But in the end they conclude vpon this That they will be subiect no longer to Christ and his kingdome nor suffer themselues to be bridled any more by his lawes which they accounted to be an intollerable burthen and such bands and cords as were not in any case to be endured but to be broken asunder and to be cast behind their backes like dung and filthinesse which they could not abide to looke on And whereas good subiects should prouoke one the other vnto all dutifull obedience and loyall subiection vnto their dread Soueraigne they as apert and open enimies do encourage one the other vnto plaine and manifest treason and rebellion saying Come let vs breake their bands and cast their cords behind vs. In summe then you haue nothing else to remember Summe here in these two verses but the rebellion or conspiracie which the great men of the world do make against Christ Iesus our Lord King Wherein note first what they do then secondly what they say Their deedes are set out in the second verse and that two wayes first by the thing it selfe which they-do then by the persons against whom they do the same Their words in the third verse containing an exhortation in them and the matter whereunto they do exhort Of these we will speake in order and say somewhat of each of them by Gods good grace Touching the first of them which doth concerne their deeds we will obserue this methode in handling the same that first we will see the meaning of the words then the truth of the storie and lastly the vse and benefit that we may make thereof The meaning of the words standeth thus By Kings are vnderstood such as were in highest place and authoritie amongst men and by Princes such as were next them for rule and gouernment ouer the people but by them both are vnderstood all persons whatsoeuer of chiefe place and state for this world by the figure called Synecdoche when some sorts or kinds are put for all Howsoeuer these are here sayd to band themselues and to be assembled together but in Acts chap. 4. vers 26. they are sayd to assemble and to come together the reading is somewhat diuerse but yet it is all one in sence For the meaning is nothing else but this that they ioyned hand and head together in power and counsell against the Lord and his Christ Where by the name of the Lord you must vnderstand the Almightie euen the first person in the Trinitie God the Father and by the name of his Christ first Dauid whom God did annoint king of Israel Then secondly Iesus the sonne of the Virgin Mary whom the same God did annoint king ouer his Church For against both of them was this conspiracie made The word in the Hebrew tongue called Meshihho coming of Mashahh to annoint and the word in the Greeke tongue called tou Christou autou coming of chriÃ´ to annoint do signifie his Annointed And seeing that both Dauid and Iesus were annointed by God the Father either of them may be noted out by this word and be called His Annointed or his Christ which is all one For annointed or Christ is all one in sence though not in sound of words in our English tongue Thus you see in few words the meaning of the place how that the great states or chiefe men of the world bid band themselues wholy against Dauid whom the Lord had chosen to be the King of Israel and against our Sauiour Iesus Christ whom he had chosen to be the gouernour of his Church and the only ruler thereof But yet before we come to see the veritie of this matter which is to be touched in the next place a question here may be moued and a man may aske how these men did ioyne hand and head together against the Lord himselfe For can any like the Giants make warre against the Almightie Yes Many haue done it and do daily still do it For all those are sayd to warre against the Lord himselfe who do oppose themselues against his will and pleasure and withstand such matters as do tend to his glorie and the good of his Saints but chiefly those that do resist the higher powers and rebell against such as the Almightie hath set ouer them to be their rulers and gouernors either in the Church or Common-wealth As we may se by the words of the Lord to Samuel when Israel would haue a king in 1. Sam. 8.7 where the Lord doth say vnto him Heare the voyce of the people in all that they shall say vnto thee for they haue not cast thee away but they haue cast me away that I should not reigne ouer them As we may see by the words of our Sauiour to his Apostles in Luke 10.16 when he saith vnto them He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that hath sent me As lastly we may see by Pauls words to the Romanes in Rom. 13.2 when he saith Whosoeuer therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues iudgement Wherefore in that they did resist Dauid and Christ whom the Lord had set vp it is apparant that they did resist the Lord himselfe Oh that all traytors and rebels did well consider of this point and lay it neare vnto their soules For our owne parts let vs looke vnto it alwayes remembring what the Lord doth say Touch not mine annointed and do my Prophets no harme But to passe this matter and to come to the truth of the story that we may see how true euery thing is which is here reported and not to stand vpon Dauid the figure whose storie you may reade at large in the first booke of Samuel where you

art my Sonne For by the name Lord here God the Father the first Person in the Trinity is vnderstood he said vnto Christ Thou art my Sonne He said it also vnto Dauid as vnto the type and figure for he was also Gods Sonne by creation as also more chiefly by adoption But yet this was chiefly spoken by God the Father vnto Christ as vnto the body truth it selfe But how is Christ his Son may you say The answer is not by creation as all are nor by adoption as many are but by nature as none is whereupon he is called his onely begotten Son oftentimes in the word namely in Ioh. 3.16 where our Sauiour doth tell vs that God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Son that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life So that theÌ„ out of this place we may learne this doctrine Doct. that Iesus Christ our Sauiour and redeemer is not a bare meere man as we are but he is also God as being the true and naturall Sonne of the Almighty This the Lord himselfe did confesse of him oftentimes saying This is my wel-beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased as it is in Math. 3.17 and Math. 17.5 And Paul speaking of him doth say That he is a God ouer all to be blessed for euer in Rom. 9.5 Iohn also writing his story doth ascribe as much vnto him in the entrance thereof saying In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God The Scripture is full of many testimonies in this behalfe but I wil passe them all ouer as knowing that this is an article of your faith and a matter nothing doubted of amongst you For I do perswade my selfe that all of vs doe hold and beleeue that Christ is God and the naturall and onely begotten Sonne of the Almighty But yet peraduenture you see not clearely the reasons why he is such an one therfore I will shortly touch them and lay them downe before your view and consideration In number they are these First Reasons that he might be able to vndergoe the wrath of the eternall God who was offended with man for his sin to beare that intollerable burtheÌ„ which he should lay vpoÌ„ him for mans transgression which would crush all the creatures in the world to peeces it being infinite like vnto him from whom it did proceede who was infinitely offended with vs for our offences For there must be alwaies a proportion betweene the sinne of man and the punishment of his sinne else iustice hath not her full stroake and working Secondly that he might be able in mans nature and name to fulfill the whole law of God and euery iot and point thereof and not to faile in any that so we thereby might liue and haue a free passage into heauen to reigne with God there in happinesse for euer according to the tenor of the law Do this and thou shalt liue For no mortall man is able to doe this Surely saith Salomon in Eccles 7.22 there is no iust man in the earth that doeth good and sinneth not And as Iohn doth say If we say that we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. 1. Ioh. 1.8 So Iames doth say that in many things we sinne all Iam. 3.2 including himselfe and all the faithfull whatsoeuer within the compasse of this his speech Thirdly that he might be able to bestow vertue worthinesse enough vpon his short sufferings and obedience that they might be auaileable for the saluation of all the elect and be as much in the acceptation of God as if the elect themselues had suffered in their owne persons eternally and had bene obedient vnto the Almighty in all points of his law for euermore Lastly that he might be able to ouermatch the diuell and all other aduersaries that are against vs to deliuer vs out of their hands being deliuered to preserue vs from them while we are here in this world and being preserued to bestow vpon vs eternall life in the world to come when we shall reigne with him in happinesse for euermore For no creature can doe these things but God himselfe alone And therfore it was necessary that the Sauiour of the world should be God as well as man The consideration whereof may teach vs Vse first and foremost to condemne all such heretiques as doe deny his God-head and say that he is not the eternall Sonne of the Lord whether they be Samosatenians affirming him to be a bare man alone or Arrians and Seruetians gainesaying his coessentiall and coeternall deity or Lucians Porphyrians Atheists or whatsoeuer else that doe withstand his diuine nature and will not haue him in any case to be a God Secondly out of it we may learne to haue Christ in great regard and veneration adoring and worshipping him as well as the Father and the holy Spirit considering that he is God as well as they Though we must not worship him in regard of his humane nature yet we must do it in regard of his godhead or diuine nature For in that respect all reuerence and honour must be yeelded vnto him and euery knee must bow vnto him in heauen and in earth The very Angels themselues are not to be exempted from this seruice but they must performe it vnto him as well as others according to that which is quoted by the Author to the Hebrewes in Chap. 1. ver 6. when he saith Let all the Angels of God worship him Children of Noblemen and Princes heires here in this world are had in great account and reputation with all men they are the very speech and wonder of the world and euery man must bow and becke to them But yet alas Christ Iesus our Sauiour who is the Sonne of God and the heire of all the world yea God himselfe is little regarded by most for there are few that do talke of him and fewer that do bow and becke to him as they ought to do The Lord be mercifull vnto vs in this respect and make vs better that so hereafter we may honour him as it doth become vs and serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our liues Lastly out of it we may obserue that seeing he is God he is able to reuenge his quarrell vpon all those that do resist him and not onely to defend those that do depend vpon him but also to reward them with liberall gifts for their seruice and to do them good for euermore so that they need not to feare any thing for this world or the world to come A thing alwayes to be remembred by vs lest either we lift vp our selues against him or taking his part should faint through the manifold afflictions that do happen vnto vs for his sake As thus we haue heard whose sonne Christ is namely Gods so now we must marke how it is proued that he is Gods sonne

shall preserue thee Wisdome is the beginning get wisdome therfore and aboue all thy possessioÌ„s get vnderstanding He is very frequent with the like exhortations in many places also of the same booke Reade them I pray at your leasure and marke them well Paul in like manner writing vnto the Ephesians doth stir them vp to the same duty saying Wherefor be yee not vnwise but vnderstand what the will of the Lord is Eph. 5.17 Dauid also inioined the same duty vpon his son Salomon towards the end of his dayes saying vnto him as followeth My sonne know thou the God of thy fathers and serue him with an vpright heart and willing minde as it is in 1. Cron. 28.9 Finally the Lord himselfe doth oftentimes make his moane and complaint for the want of this wisdome and knowledge in his people which is here required of vs all teaching vs thereby how necessary it is for euery one and how well pleasing to himselfe But at this time two places alone to shew the same shall content vs. The one is in Esay 1.3 when he saith The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his maisters cribbe but Israel hath not knowne my people haue not vnderstood The other is in Ieremy 4.22 where you haue these words For my people is foolish they haue not knowne me they are foolish children and haue no vnderstanding they are wise to do euill but to doe well they haue no knowledge By all which places we may clearely see what doth belong to vs euen a sauing knowledge of Gods will and an holy vnderstanding of his waies Wee must not be like to the horse or mule that haue no vnderstanding as Dauid saith in Psa 32.9 but we must be changed by the renewing of our minds that we may know what is the good perfect and acceptable will of God as Paul doth teach vs in Rom. 12.2 And the reasons hereof are many Reasons First because euery man by his owne knowledge is a very beast before the Lord as Ieremy doth witnesse of vs in Ieremy 10.14 and as Dauid doth confesse of himselfe in Psalme 73.22 saying So foolish was I and ignorant I was a beast before thee Secondly because we shall neuer obey the Lord aright vntill we know him and vnderstand his will nor yeeld any faithfull seruice vnto him as it doth become vs. For the ground-worke of all religion the foundation of all true pietie is the knowledge of the Lord and his wayes As on the contrary side the cause and fountaine of all disobedience against God is the ignorance of his will and the vnlearnednesse of the same as we haue heard in this Psalme already and as we may see by Hosea his complaint in the beginning of the fourth chapter of his Prophesie where hee doth make his moane that men did lie and steale and commit adultery and that bloud did touch bloud and assigneth this reason of it euen because there was no knowledge of God in the land And surely where men know not God what can bee looked for else but all impietie against God and all vnrighteous dealing against men Lastly because all such as are ignorant of the Lords will doe not onely erre while they are here committing grieuous sinnes against him but shall be damned also hereafter for euer My people saith the Lord in Hosea 4.6 are destroyed for lacke of knowledge And Paul doth shew in 2. Thess 1.8 that when Christ shal come to iudgement and shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels in flaming fire he shall render vengeance vnto them that doe not know God which shall bee punished with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power So that if we ponder of all these reasons well we shal easily grant that there is cause sufficient why euery man should labour and striue to plant some heauenly knowledge within his soule and to become wise and learned in the statutes of the Almightie In regard whereof we see first in what great fault the world is in For there is ignorance in euery place Alas alas most men know not aright either that God who hath made them or themselues who are made by him And as for the grounds of true religion and the rules of the Lords worship they are as a sealed and clasped booke vnto them We dwell in a nation and country wherin the word of God hath bene freely read preached many yeares together yet it is pittifull to heare vnderstand what ignorance is still amongst men and how vnwise vnlearned they be in the statutes of the Lord. God amend vs. But here some may say that there was neuer more knowledge in this land then now is at this present To this I answer first that our knowledge is nothing to our long and continued teaching For in regard thereof we ought to be teachers our selues who yet are taught of others and haue need also to be instructed in the very first principles of the word of God and are become many of vs at the least such as haue neede of milke and not of strong meate as the Author to the Hebrews doth speake in the latter end of his fifth chapter Secondly that our knowledge for the most part is not a sauing or sanctifying knowledge but talkatiue and discoursing It hangs vpon our tongue and swimmes about in the circumference of our braine but it sinkes not downe into the bottome of the heart as it ought to do to bring forth a reformed life For we haue many talkers but few true walkers and sundry there are who can discourse at large in matters of religion but few there are who feele the power and force thereof being deaded by the meanes thereof vnto their sinnes and quickened vp vnto all fruitfull workes of righteousnesse whereby God may be honoured and man edified Secondly by this we may see that that doctrine which is most currant at Rome those places where Popery doth beare sway to wit that Ignorance is the mother of Deuotion is most false and erroneous and to be abandoned by vs that are true and holy Christians As Christ doth say to the Sadduces Ye erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God in Mat. 22.29 making there ignorance the cause of error which is cleane coÌ„trary to their doctrine so he saith to the Iewes Search the Scriptures for in them yee thinke to haue eternall life and they are they which testifie of me in Iohn 5.39 imposing there this dutie vpoÌ„ all that do intend to be saued at the last to be conuersant in the Scriptures which is dissonant altogether to their practize and teaching If I would stand vpon such a common place as this is I could alledge both places and reasons enough to ouerthrow them in this respect who are herein most like vnto those cursed and hypocriticall Scribes and Pharisies who did shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men neither going in theÌ„selues nor suffering

ConfirmatioÌ„ hereof is Ahab Cain Herod Iudas and such like spoken of in the Scriptures and too many in our daies who hauing long vsed swearing lying vncleanenesse and some other vices are growne so blind in them that they neither will leaue them neither be perswaded that they tend so to their destruction as they do The third and last is greedinesse after the world and the commodities thereof For as outward darkenesse groweth now and then by ouermuch heate as we know the hote dung falling into our eyes will hurt them as it is said it did Tobies so ouer-hote desire of gaine hurteth the inward light as is apparent both by that which hath bene said already touching the world and by that also which Paul saith that They that will be rich fall into temptations and into many foolish and noisome lusts which drowne men in perdition and destruction 1. Tim. 6.9 For this is a kind of pestilent heat within which as powerfully thrusteth out the inward eye and light of the minde as euer any outward heate did the eye of the body Now of all these must we take heede and voide them Thus thou hast shortly the things which thou must performe for the getting of knowledge To conclude therefore looke well vnto them and with care and conscience do thou vse them and no doubt but thou shalt become wise and learned and do that which is here required at thine hands The end of the sixth Sermon THE SEVENTH SERMON vpon the second Psalme PSAL. 2. VER 11. 12. Serue the Lord in feare and reioyce in trembling Kisse the Sonne lest he be angry and ye perish in the way when his wrath shall suddenly burne Blessed are all that trust in him THE Prophet hauing spoken in the former verse of the first part of repentance he comes now in these verses to speake of the latter part thereof As he would haue the Kings and Iudges in the first place to get vnto themselues wisedome and learning so he would haue them in the second place to become subiect and obedient and so to carry themselues in the whole course of their liues as they ought to do First towards God the Father in the eleuenth verse then towards God the Sonne in the twelth verse For seeing they had before rebelled against them both he would haue them now returne in all submission vnto them both To the Father they must performe these duties They must serue and worship him and whereas without feare they cannot but faile in many points which do belong vnto him they must feare and reuerence him in their hearts being most willing at all times to do his commandements most vnwilling to offend him in any thing whatsoeuer Moreouer considering he is a God most louing and bountifull to all such as are vnder him and do truly belong vnto him they must reioyce and be glad in him and triumph as it were againe in his praise and honour Yet forasmuch as he is one withall full of Maiestie and hath iudgements enough in store to powre downe vpon them that are proud and arrogant they must be humble and lowly and euen tremble quake before him Now to the Son this is that which they must do They must in like manner adore and worship him and in token of their true loue and loyall subiection vnto him they must go vnto him and kisse him And lest they should be slacke or backeward herein the Prophet moues them vp to this their duty by strong and forcible reasons For first he sets down before their eyes the great inconueniences which otherwise will fall out vnto them vpon the neglect or contempt thereof For thereby it will come to passe that the Sonne will not onely be angry and much offended with them for it but also in his anger and great displeasure will bring great iudgements vpon them which shall consume them and that in the way before they can bring their purposes to passe yea though he burne but a little and therefore much more will he ã€ˆâ—Šã€‰ when he shall throughly take on against them Then second he shewes them what benefite they shall haue if they will performe it and do as he would haue them do for then they shall be blessed and haue ioyes and happenesse for euermore though others perish and are destroyed For Blessed saith he are all that trust in him And so with this Epiphoneme or graue sentence he shuts vp the whole Psalme and ends it In summe Summe you haue nothing else to remember in these two verses but the subiection or obedience which we owe vnto the Lord our God Wherein consider first Part. what we must do towards God the Father set downe in the eleuenth verse then what we must do towards God the Sonne set downe in the twelfth verse In regard of God the Father two things are required of vs. The first is that we serue him in feare the second is that we reioyce before him in trembling for thus we may deuide it if we will according to that diuision which seemes to be made in the text it selfe for there you know it lyeth thus Serue the Lord in feare and reioyce in trembling as though there were but two brances included in it But yet if you would go more plainly to worke there are foure things exacted of vs. The first is that we serue the Lord the second is that we feare the Lord the third is that we reioyce in the Lord and the fourth is that we tremble before the Lord. The former of these seemes to import the worship and honour it selfe which is due vnto him and the three latter the manner how it must be yeelded vnto him And that is first in feare as the fountaine from whence it must proceed then secondly in ioy and trembling as the hands by which it must be presented vnto him Of all these by Gods grace I will speake somewhat and that in order as they lie in our text Serue the Lord saith the Prophet that is giue vnto God the Father his due honour and worship which hitherto you haue kept from him disobey him no longer but submit your selues vnto him in all obedience to his will and fulfill his commandements For by the name of the Lord here is vnderstood God the Father as it was in the fourth and seuenth verses of this Psalme before going and vnder the word seruice is comprised all that honour and worship which doth belong vnto him in the whole course of our liues and which doth chiefly stand in the obeying of his voyce and in the keeping of his commandements In this Doct. that the Prophet doth exact this duty of them we are taught this doctrine that men must serue and worship the Lord and be carefull euermore to obey his will and to do whatsoeuer he shall command them Our Sauiour in Mathew doth instruct vs as much in the fourth chapter thereof and tenth verse when repelling the temptation of the diuell who

large be shewed if it were needfull But let the Example of Abraham suffise who thinking that the feare of God was not in Gerar vtterly despaired of any other vertue and therefore moued his wife to say that she was his sister Gen. 20.11 In this respect the feare of God is both by Dauid in Psal 111.10 and also by Salomon in Pro. 1.7 called the beginning of wisedome that is the roote and fountaine of all goodnesse and therefore of the whole worship and seruice of God spoken of here in this place So that there is good cause why the Prophet should require of vs to serue the Lord with feare Where-hence let vs collect this doctrine Doct. that as we must serue the Lord so we must feare the Lord and stand in great awe and reuerence of him Thou shalt feare saith Moses to Israel in Deut. 6.13 the Lord thy God and serue him and shalt sweare by his name Esay doth require the same duty of his people in chapter 8.13 when he saith vnto them Sanctifie the Lord of hoasts and let him be your feare and let him be your dread But to passe other places marke what Salomon doth say of this in Eccles 12.13 Let vs heare saith he the end of all feare God and keepe his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man There are diuerse reasons to moue vs hereunto Reasons As first the greatnesse of his power and might aboue vs. Secondly his authority and iurisdiction which he hath ouer vs. Thirdly his goodnesse and mercy which he doth shew vnto vs. Fourthly his Maiestie and glory which doth shine and glister round about vs. Fifthly his puritie and holinesse that is in his eyes beholding vs. And lastly the great blessings which the feare it selfe being had will bring vnto vs. For all these things may iustly worke a feare in men Meane men we find by experience do feare great men those that are too mighty for them and they dare not in any case displease them Children feare their parents and such as haue a ruling tuition ouer them Workemen feare their maisters by whom they liue and are maintained and looke who are most bountifull and prodigall vnto them to them againe do they become most obseruant and obsequious as being afraid to offend them in any thing Simple persons feare great states such as excel in glory maiestie aboue theÌ„felues though other wise they owe no homage or subiection vnto them Loose liuers and wantons feare graue religious persons and such as are zealous for Gods glory earnest for the saluation of mans soule as being ashamed to powre out their euil words or to coÌ„mit their wicked facts before them in their presence Lastly euery one by nature is forward to apply himselfe to those things which he doth know will bring great profit and benefit vnto himselfe as being desirous to be out of misery and to liue in happinesse and prosperity all the dayes of his life Now to apply this to God to our selues first he is of power and might we are no body vnto him in that respect he is able to pay vs home if we do displease him This reason our Sauiour doth vrge in Math. 10.28 when he wils his Apostles not to feare men who can kil but the body but to feare the Lord who is able to destroy both body and soule in hell Secondly he hath authority iurisdiction ouer vs we are his he hath made vs and he may do with vs what he will as the potter doth with his vessell or as the master doth with his seruant This reason the Lord himselfe doth presse in Malach. 1.6 saying A son honoreth his father and aseruant his maister If then I be a father where is mine honor if I be a master where is my feare saith the Lord of hosts vnto you Ã´ Priests that despise my name Thirdly he is good and kind to vs his benefites which we do enioy from him are infinite we haue all that we haue from him euen our liues and all the rest This reason Dauid doth touch in Psal 130.4 when he saith vnto the Lord But mercy is with thee that thou mayest be feared Fourthly he is a God of infinite Maiesty and we are but poore simple creatures made of the dust and clay of the ground the heauen of heauens cannot containe him neither can the Angels themselues stand before him for his brightnesse vnlesse they couer their faces with two of their wings This reason doth Moses glance at in Exodus 20.20 when he shewes the end wherefore the Lord did publish his law in that glorious and maiesticall maner as he did in thunders lightnings and the like saying For God is come to proue you and that his feare may be before you that ye sinne not Fifthly he is holy and righteous his eyes are pure eyes and cannot abide to behold sinne and iniquity This reason is laid downe before the eyes of the Israelites oftentimes in the old Testament by the Spirit of God when he would draw them to the true feare and seruice of the Almighty from all such manners as were found among the Gentiles For then still his holinesse and puritie was enforced vpon them Finally the coÌ„modities which the feare of the Lord being once had wil bring vnto vs are exceeding large and great For first it will make vs holy and frameable vnto Gods will in auoiding those things which he hath condemned and in performing those things which he hath commanded The feare of the Lord saith Salomon in Prou. 8.13 is to hate euill as pride and arrogancie and the euill way Where he sheweth that in what measure any one feareth God in the same measure he doth loath and detest all euill yea not onely the open abhominable sinnes which the world doth condemne but the most secret and hidden For he saith not to hate euill as murther and adultery but pride arrogancy which lie in the heart and do not shew themselues to the world yet he that feareth God will hate them Secondly it wil make vs blessed and happy in all our wayes Blessed saith Dauid in Psal 128.1 is euery one that feareth the Lord and walketh in his wayes This reason the sweet Singer of Israel hath alleaged in Psal 34.9 when he saith Feare the Lord ye his Saints for nothing wanteth in them that feare him nothing he meanes which is good and wholesome for them as he speakes elsewhere saying The Lord will giue grace and glorie and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walke vprightly Psal 84.17 So that the feare of the Lord brings with it alwayes a plentie of all good things comes laden with the blessings of God whersoeuer it comes For all these causes now rehearsed should we feare the Lord and in reuerence endeuor to please him The vse that we must make of this Vse is first to condemne those that haue not the true feare of the Lord

CHRISTS Kingdome ã€ˆâ€¦ã€‰ Sermons ã€ˆâ€¦ã€‰ RICHARD WEB Preacher of Gods word The Contents whereof follows after the Epistles MATH 6.33 Seeke first the Kingdome of God and his Righteousnesse and all these things shall be ministred vnto you LONDON Printed by Nicholas Okes for Henry Rockit and are to be sold at his shop in the Poultry vnder S. Mildreds Diall 1611. TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL AND HIS VERY GOOD FRIENDS MAISTER DOCTOR SINGLETON PRINCIPALL of Brasen-nose Colledge in Oxford together with all the worthy and learned Fellowes of that House Mr. WILLIAM DVTTON and Mr. RICHARD DASTON Iustices of Peaces Mr. Doctor SEMAN Chancelor of Glocester and Mr. HENRY AISGILL Preacher of Gods Word R. W. wisheth all happinesse in this world and eternall glory in the world to come THERE are three sorts of Kingdoms right Worshipfull much spoken of in the sacred volumes of the Almighty The first is the kingdome of God as it is ruled by Christ the Mediator of the new Testament whom the Father hath constituted the head of his Church The second is the Kingdome of Man as he is set vp in authority aboue others by the ordinance of the most High to command his people at his will and according to his lawes of whom he hath receiued his place of Regency The third is the Kingdome of Sathan as he is the Prince of darkenesse and the ã€ˆâ€¦ã€‰ world ruling in the children of darkenesse and raging against the children of light Of these three Kingdomes the first and the last are opposite like the fire and the water so contrary one vnto the other that there can neuer be any good agreemeÌ„t betwixt them but deadly hatred and enmity for euer For this is the immutable voyce of the Almighty I will saith the Lord to the diuell put enmity betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seed and her seed He shall breake thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele But as for the midst of them it is subordinate vnto them both and of such a flexible nature that it is content to participate with either side For it is neither wholly for Christ nor wholly for Satan but it selfe comprehending vnder it the whole race of mankinde whereof some are good and others bad doth yeeld foorth subiects both for Christ and for Satan the children of light being the subiects of Christ the children of darkenesse the subiects of Satan Thus do Christ and Satan hold their Kingdoms in the Kingdome of man So that though there be three distinct Kingdoms yet there are not three distinct places for the administration of these Kingdomes but the place is but one and the selfe same for them all In regard whereof euery person must carefully looke to himselfe whether liuing in the kingdome of Man he doth belong to Christ or to the diuell For of necessity he must be a subiect to the one of them or to the other considering that no man can serue two maisters If we belong to Christ we are happy shall haue this comfortable saying deliuered vnto vs at the last Come ye blessed children of my Father receiue the Kingdome of God which is prepared for you from the beginning of the world But if we appertaine to the diuell we are in a pittifull case and shall haue this dolefull sentence pronounced against vs at the day of iudgement Depart ye cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuell and his Angels Now how men do cary themselues in regard of these Kingdomes what they should also do in respect thereof Dauid who was himselfe a King and a singular Prophet of the most High hath notably described vnto vs in his second Psalme which spendeth it selfe wholly vpon that subiect The which Psalme of his I haue handled preached ouer amongst my people but the Lord that is the searcher of the heart doth know that whosoeuer I be now content to let my Sermons vpon the same go in common for the common good of all and to commit them to the ballance of Gods Sanctuary for the profit of his Saints yet when I preached them at the first it was neuer once intended by me that they should come to the presse And therefore the whole discourse was so framed both for matter and manner as might best fit the necessity and capacity of the present Auditory whose benefite I did chiefly respect and vnto whom I did accommodate my selfe as in other matters and as at other times I was wont for to do Howsoeuer being thus penned out in simplicity of spirit plainenesse of phrase without all eloquence of speech and gloriousnesse of style and being now ready to come to the view of the world I make bold to present them vnto you right Worshipfull to whom if they be worthy of any respect they do belong in many respects For as your loue to Christ wherein you passe many others of your ranke and order your office vnder Christ by which you are as it were Kings in his Kingdome reigning ouer other Kings your hatred to them which are out of Christ whereby you are carried with some indignation against the Man of sin and those which are in a confederacy with the arch-enimy of our soules and lastly as your kind affection to them which are in Christ and for Christ which hath moued your tongues to commend them and your hands to helpe them do seeme to challenge this worke which doth intreate of Christ and his kingdom and to claime it for their owne not much vnlike to that of Titus Pomponius Atticus who had that Treatise which Tully made of old age committed to him because he was a man well stricken in age or that of Theophilus to whom Luke the Euangelist did consecrate the History of Christ for that he was a friend of Christ and one that loued him well So your vndeserued fauours towards me in particular do of right vendicate the same considering that these are the first fruites of all my labours which I haue taken in this sort and after this manner since my comming to that place where now I am and which I receiued by your meanes some of you being Commissioners appointing that annuall stipend for the continuall maintenance of a Preacher amongst vs which our recouered lands will affoord and others being Patrones presenting me to the same In lieu whereof as they are in that regard most due vnto you so I do here present them vnto you as a testimony of my minde which is well affected towards you and as a token of my thankefull heart which would recompence you better if I could If you iudge them worthy vouchsafe them I pray you your patronage if not your pardon at least your gracious and fauourable acceptance according to the kindnes of your nature wonted courtesie in other matters The which thing if I shall vnderstand you do it shall not onely greatly reioyce mine heart but make me much indebted vnto you for the same The Lord for his Sonnes sake

that God is a patient God not willing the death of a sinner but rather that he should conuert and liue So much doth Paul teach vs of him in Rom. 2.4 saying Despisest thou the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long suffering not knowing that the bountifulnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance So much doth Peter teach vs of him in 2. Pet. 3.9 saying The Lord is not slacke concerning his promise as some men count slacknesse but is patient towards vs and would haue no man to perish but would all men to come to repentance So much doth Ioel teach vs of him in Ioel. 2.13 saying And rent your hearts and not your garments and turne vnto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the euill So much finally doth God himselfe teach vs of himselfe in Ezech. 33.11 saying As I liue saith the Lord God I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and liue But what is the reason of this Reason Is not God a iust God and are not his eies pure eies not abiding to behold sin and iniquity Yes Why then doth he not strike Because his mercies are ouer all his workes and his compassions faile not according to Dauids words in Psalme 145.9 and the Prophet Ieremies in Lament 3.2 For as the one of them doth extoll the mercies of God aboue all things so the other of them doth declare that they are the cause why hee doth not consume vs accordingly as our sins do deserue Wherefore learne out of this Vse first to put a difference betwixt God and man for they are very much vnlike For my thoughts saith God are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord For as the heauens are higher then the earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts aboue your thoughts Esay 55.8.9 If treason and insurrection bee once made against the chiefe gouernour of any land the parties offending therein are apprehended and according to law they are executed as traytors and rebels and all this is but well and according to iustice and equity without which no common-wealth can stand or flourish But yet with God it is not so though that we do dayly make insurrection against him and commit high treason against his person by blaspheming his holy name and by trampling his diuine statutes and ordinances vnder our feet yet he doth spare vs and not consume vs according to our wicked deserts and as one most desirous to haue vs saued to become blessed he doth cry vnto vs for a turning and amendment of life Oh who can extoll this goodnesse of the Lord sufficiently shall we rebell against him prouoke him to his face and yet will he come and intreate vs to be reconciled vnto him Doubtlesse if one doth but offeÌ„d vs some two or three times in some matters that do concerne our credite and profite so that we grow infamous or poore thereby we can neuer soundly and throughly endure that partie againe as we ought to do and though he should come vnto vs himselfe to aske vs forgiuenesse yet we should hardly euer receiue him to loue and fauour againe within our hearts so close would his wrong iniury cleaue vnto vs. We see that when the Samaritans refused to receiue Christ into one of their citties for a nights lodging Iames and Iohn two of his disciples were by and by inflamed with great choler wrath and they would needs haue their maister be reuenged vpon theÌ„ for it saying vnto him after this sort Lord wilt thou that we command that fire come down from heauen consume theÌ„ euen as Eliah did Luke 9.54 But as for our God we see here how patient he is in putting vp great rebellions and treasons and in calling vpon the rebels and traytors themselues for amendment of life that so they may be saued Learne we therefore in the next place that though we doe sin and offend yet there is mercy in the Lord to forgiue vs. For where sinne doth abound there grace doth more then abound saith the Apostle in Rom. 5.20 Dauid doth speake most excellently of this matter in Psalme 103. c. saying The Lord is full of compassion and mercy slow to anger and of great kindnesse He hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities for as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercy towards them that feare him As farre as the East is from the West so farre hath he remoued our sinnes from vs as a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him And lest that any should doubt of the pardon of his sinnes marke what God himselfe doth say in Isay 1.18 Come now saith he and let vs reason together saith the Lord though your sinnes were as crimson they shall be made as white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shall be as wooll And surely if God doth here call vpon these traitours and rebels to forsake their sinnes with an intent and purpose to saue them if they will so doe then may you not doubt but that he will receiue euery repenting sinner that doth come vnto him and forgiue him all his transgressions be they neuer so many when he doth aske pardon for them and heartily forsake them Wherefore though you haue sinned greatly against the Lord and haue trespassed euen against heauen and his Maiesty with the prodigall sonne yet despaire not but with the prodigall sonne returne vnto him and know that you shall finde mercy at his hands as he did and as Dauid did and as Salomon did and as Peter did and as Paul did and as many more besides them did whose sins were great and hainous For God hath said it who cannot lye Yea he hath sworne it and bound it with an oath that he doth not desire the death of the wicked but that he should turne and liue as you heard before out of Ezech. 33.11 Lastly from hence obserue this vse Vse that if any doe perish through his sinnes and transgressions he must not impute the fault thereof vnto God but vnto himselfe For God here doth call men from their euill waies that so they may not perish but be saued In all our plagues and iudgements and in all our woes and calamities whether in this world or in the world to come the Lord may alwaies say vnto vs as it is in Hosea 13.8 O Israel one hath destroyed thee but in me is thy helpe For the Lord doth take as it were great paines to make vs good What could I haue done more saith the Lord to my Vineyard that I haue not done vnto it Isay 5.4 Wherefore accuse God I beseech you at no time if any destruction doth happen vnto you but lay the whole blame thereof vpon

shall finde both Kings and Princes as well domesticall as forreine banding and assembling themselues against him it is apparant by the record of all the Euangelists that as the whole body and Commons of Israel were set against our Sauiour Iesus Christ so were the States of the land and the chiefe men of place therein most deadly foes and enimies vnto him As they banded themselues together to make their faction and side strong against him so they had their often assemblies and meetings for counsell and aduice which way to bring him vnto his death Herod and Pontius Pilate two kings as it were amongst them though they did iarre and disagree betwixt themselues yet now they could ioyne together against Christ and become friends as we may see in Luk. 23.12 in these words And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together for before they were enimies one vnto the other Here is the banding of the Kings of the earth together when these two agree in one like good friends who were before at ods and do assemble together at Ierusalem against our sweet Sauiour the Lords Annointed For now at this time both of them were at Ierusalem and so as well together in place as in heart as it is in the 7 verse of the same chapter of Luke But for their consulting together and the meeting of their Princes in assemblies for counsell and aduice against him there are many places in the Euangelists declaring the same but I will touch onely two at this time The one of them is in Iohn the 11 chapter and 47 verse with some others following For there we find that after Christ had raised vp Lazarus from the dead the high Priests and Pharisees who were the chiefe rulers of the people and as Princes among them gathered a Councell and assembled as it were in a Parliament against him plodding and deuising what were best to do vnto him and as it is in verse 53 of the same chapter from that day forth consulting together to put him to death The other of them is in Math. 26.30 where we reade that the chiefe Priests and the Scribes and the Elders of the people assembled together into the hall of the high Priest called Caiaphas and consulted how they might take him by subtiltie and kill him In regard of all which things now shortly touched you see that this is most true which is here recorded namely that the Kings of the earth banded themselues and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord and his Annointed The which thing the faithfull that liued after Christ was ascended into heauen and were eye-witnesses of those things which were done vnto him do in their prayer to God acknowledge and confesse saying For doubtlesse against thine holy Sonne Iesus whom thou hast annointed both Herod Pontius Pilate with the Gentles and the people of Israel gathered themselues together to do whatsoeuer thine hand and thy counsell had determined before to be done Acts 4.27.28 Hauing thus shewed the meaning of the text and confirmed the truth thereof let vs now come to the vse and benefit which we may make of the same Out of it we may gather two principall doctrines One from the persons rebelling the other from the manner of their rebellion Out of the persons rebelling we collect this doctrine Doctr. That great States mighty men of this world are oftentimes enimies vnto the truth and deadly foes vnto holy and vpright courses This the Prophet Esay doth shew when he doth call the Princes of Iudah and of Ierusalem the Princes of Sodome Esay 1.10 for Sodome was a city so wicked and the Princes thereof so leude and filthie that God could not spare them but for their abhominations he brought downe fire and brimstone from heauen and consumed them all as we find in the 19 chapter of Genesis This Ieremie doth shew when he saith I will get me to the great men and will speake vnto them for they haue knowne the way of the Lord and the iudgement of their God but these haue altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds Ier. 5.5 This Hosea doth shew when he saith They are all hot as an ouen and haue deuoured their Iudges all their kings are fallen there is none among them that calleth vnto me saith the Lord. Hos 7.7 This Amaziah though a wicked man doth shew when he said to Amos the Lords Prophet O thou Seer go flye thou away into the land of Iudah and there eate thy bread and prophesie there but prophesie no more at Bethel for it is the kings Chappell and it is the kings Court Amos 7.11.12 This the story of the Acts of the Apostles doth shew when they were apprehended cast into prison beaten and put to death by Herod by the high Priests and other officers and states men for gouernment as we may see in the 4.5.12 and other chapters of the same booke This the complaint of the Church doth shew when she doth say The watchmen that went about the citie found me they smote me and wounded me the watchmen of the wals tooke away my veile from me Cant. 5.7 for by watchmen here are meant the chiefe rulers of the Church who should watch ouer her for her good and not thus persecute her and wound her as they did This the storie of the ten persecutions doth shew when Nero Domitian Traian Antonie Seuerus Maximinus Decius Valerian Aurelian and Dioclesian most bloudy Emperours of Rome did make hauocke of the Church of God and persecute to the death such as did call vpon his holy name This lastly the example of all ages doth shew and daily experience with men of our time when we with our owne eyes do see and with our owne eares do heare what bloudy things are decreed in the Church of Rome in Spaine and in other places against true Protestants and the sincere seruants of the Lord euen by them that are in the highest roomes and do beare the chiefest sway amongst men in those dominions But how may this come to passe Reason may some man say that the highest persons and the chiefest for wealth and authoritie do thus oppose themselues against the Lord and his most holy and blessed wayes For of all men in the word they are most beholding vnto God and haue greater causes as one should iudge to loue him and to worship him then the meaner and poorer people haue For first they are daintily educated and with great charges brought vp in all good literature and learning Secondly they haue abundance of riches and worldly wealth to supply their wants at all times Thirdly they haue great honor and reputation amongst the sonnes of men in all places for gouernment and the matters of this world Lastly they excell all others for the most part in their persons both for wit and other naturall qualities of the mind and also for pulchritude and other goodly properties of the body Surely for all these causes

miseries vexing our soules whiles we are here and tormenting both body and soule when we are gone from hence And therefore I beseech you brethren in the name of the Lord Iesus Christ who hath loued vs and giuen his life for our sakes let there be none amongst vs which do wish euill vnto Zion but let vs loue all those which do feare the Lord if no other thing can moue vs to it yet let Gods iudgements which otherwise will fall vpon vs bring vs vnto it O remember it is no sporting matter to make a iest and sport of Gods child neither is it a small matter to offer wrongs and iniuries vnto him but thus to do is an hainous offence a very daÌ„gerous matter to al those that do it If Meroz must be cursed all the inhabitants thereof because they came not foorth to helpe Gods people against their enimies as indeed they must be cursed according to the words of the Angell in Iudges Chap. 5. vers 23 And if they must depart froÌ„ Christ be cast into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuell and his Angels who do not feed the hungry cloath the naked visit the sicke do good to those that are his Disciples and do beleeue in him as they must indeed depart from him and goe to that fearefull place as we may see by Mathew Chapter 25. verse 41 c. How much more shall they be cursed that do resist the people of God and how much more shall they depart from Christ and be cast into euerlasting fire prepared for the deuill and his Angels who do rob the faithfull Disciples of Christ and offer violence and wrong vnto them Oh thinke on this ye that forget God lest he come and teare you in peeces before you be aware and there be none to helpe you But to proceede on here in the second place we may learne to be quiet and patient when we are molested and troubled by the wicked wee need not then to fret and chafe as many are wont to do but to be mild as Christ was and to commit all vnto God as he did according to Peters words in his first Epistle the 2 chapter and 23. verse thereof with some others following where he doth labour to draw men to the imitation of our Sauiour in his suffering that as he when hee was reuiled reuiled not againe and when hee suffered hee threatned not but committed all to him that iudgeth righteously so should they do bearing euery thing patiently and referring it vnto him that iudgeth iustly without any acceptation of persons For seeing that God will reuenge our quarrels and plague our enemies to the vttermost we our selues may be silent and dumbe and neither mooue hand or tongue against them Wherefore let vs do as Paul doth aduise vs for to do in Rom. 12.19 Dearely beloued saith he auenge not your selues but giue place vnto wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. If any do abuse vs deride vs or offer any wrong iniurie vnto vs let vs not storme and fret therat but let vs possesse our soules with patience remembring with our selues alwaies that we haue a sweet and gratious God in heauen who doth behold what is done vnto vs and who will also in due time be auenged vpon our aduersaries for it when they shall mourne and lameÌ„t we on the coÌ„trary side shall laugh reioyce That is a most comfortable saying which is in the 7 Chapter of the Prophecie of Micha in the eigth ninth and tenth verses when he saith Reioyce not against me Ã´ mine enimy though I fall I shall arise c. I pray read the place at your leasure and peruse it well And so I come vnto the last vse which we are to make of this place and that is a dutie which is to be performed of vs. For it doth become vs vpon this to reioyce and to breake out into praises to extoll the Lord who doth so fight our battels and discomfite the enimie before vs in such a fearefull manner that he is wholly ouerthrowne and can haue no rest but lies in continuall griefe and vexation of minde O Iudah saith the Prophet Nahum Chapter 1.15 keepe thy solemne feastes performe thy vowes for the wicked shall no more passe through thee he is vtterly cut off And Zephany saith Reioyce Ã´ daughter Zion be ye ioyfull Ã´ Israel be glad reioyce with all thy heart Ã´ daughter Ierusalem The Lord hath taken away thy iudgements he hath cast out thine enimie the King of Israel euen the Lord is in the midst of thee thou shalt see no more euill Both which places you see do declare that we must reioyce and triumph in our songs of praise vnto the Lord when he doth ouercome our enimies and beate them downe before vs And hereof we haue many worthy examples in the holy Scriptures I will touch onely a few of them Moses and those which came out of Aegypt with him did the same when the Lord had destroyed their enimies the Aegyptians had drowned theÌ„ all in the red sea as we may see at large in Exod. 15.1 c. Deborah and those which were with her on her side did the same wheÌ„ the Lord had ouerthrowne their aduersaries the Canaanites had destroyed Sisera their chiefe captaine and all his chariots and all his hoast with the edge of the sword as it is in Iudges 5.1 c. The good and holy women who liued in the daies of Saul and Dauid did the same when the Lord had confounded the Philistines their foes and had brought an horrible slaughter vpon them and vpon their chiefe champion that great blasphemous Goliah that defied the hoast of Israel and railed vpon the God thereof as it is euident in 1. Sam. 18.6.7 Finally Hester Mordecay with their people such of the Iewes as liued in their times did the same when the Lord had strengthened them against their opposites and had brought an vtter ruine vnto their chiefe aduersarie Haman the cursed Amalekite as appeareth in Ester 9.17 c. So euen so beloued let vs deale from time to time whensoeuer the Lord doth giue vs a victory ouer our aduersaries and bring iust and deserued plagues vpon them let vs blesse his holy name for the same and reioyce greatly before him in that behalfe And so farre of Gods workes Now let vs come to his words I haue set my King vpon Zion mine holy mountaine These are not the words of the Prophet but of God himselfe sitting in iudgement and taking reuenge vpon his aduersaries that rebel against him his anoynted Not that God shall wheÌ„ he doth strike them vtter these words in plaine termes and sound of voyce vnto theÌ„ as we do vtter words when we beate such as haue offended vs but the meaning is that they shal by their plagues sore iudgements executed vpon them feele and perceiue this to

be so as plainly as euidently as if they heard the Lord speaking from heauen vnto theÌ„ by word of mouth His destroying confouÌ„ding of them shal cry like a shril voice in their eares that it was he himselfe no created wight euen he himselfe that is the God of Gods the Lord of hoasts that did set vp Dauid to be King of Israel Christ his Son to be King of his Church whom they had so rebelliously resisted laboured to haue displaced out of their thrones Here is a great Emphasis it is as much as if he had said What shal I set vp a King will you Ã´ ye rebels go about to put him downe How dare you do this What shall I place one ouer my people make him to be their Lord and chiefe gouernor will you ye traytors refuse to yeeld obedience vnto him ioine hand and head together to ouerthrow him and to remoue him out of his kingdome O impietie neuer heard of O wickednesse most intollerable Know you know you that for this cause I cannot beare with you but I must needes speake to you in my wrath and vexe you in my sore displeasure as now I do By Zion here his holy mountaine the kingdome of Israel is vnderstood if we referre it vnto Dauid but if we referre it vnto Christ the Church is meant thereby Zion was the citie of Dauid and the place where his Court was vsually held and kept as it is in 2. Sam. 7.7 But here it is put figuratiuely for the whole kingdome of Israel whereof that was a chiefe and principall part And it is tearmed withall the holy mountaine of God because it stood on high vpon a mountaine or hill where the Lord did manifest his holinesse vnto his people as by the presence of his arke which was there so also by the exercises of pure religion which were held in the Tabernacle and Temple that were built in that place and feared vpon that mountaine or hill Thus literally this place is to be referred vnto Dauid and it is true of him that God did set him vp as King ouer this kingdome of Israel as we may see in 1. Sam. 16.12 13. But sacramentally and after a spirituall maner these thing are to be referred vnto Christ and his Church For Zion also was a type thereof as we may see in Esay 2.3 and in Heb. 12.22 And Christ we know was chosen of his Father to bee the head and King thereof as anone by Gods grace shall more fully appeare And as the earthly Zion was tearmed the mountaine of Gods holinesse so may this heauenly Zion well beare that appellation or name For I. it is most like vnto a mountaine then 2. the Lord doth manifest his holinesse more there then in any other place It is most like a mountaine in 3. respects First for the exaltation and supereminencie of it for as a mountaine is an high place aboue other places so the Church of God is exalted aboue other congregations and that for Gods delight in it and most excellent blessings vpon it which are either present or to come Secondly for the manifestation and aptnesse of it for as a mountaine is in open sight view of all men so the Church of God stands in the eie-sight of all persoÌ„s euery mans eye is bent to mark diligently what they do as his eare is open to listen to that which they speake Thirdly for the strength and stablenesse of it for as a mountaine is a strong thing and vnmoueable so the Church of God is so strong and inuincible that all the powers of the world and of hell below cannot ouerthrow it but it shall remaine firme and stable notwithstanding the same for euermore I beseech you by the way make vse of all these things By the first looke vpon your honour and great aduancements wherunto you are exalted aboue all others As Salomon saith in the Prouerbs 31 29 Many daughters haue done vertuously but thou surmountest them all so you may say Many congregations in the world are exalted on high but we the true Church are lifted vp aboue them all By the second be moued to haue an holy care of your liues that you may walk circuÌ„spectly at all times in the waies of godlines that your light may so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your Father which is in heauen And by the third and last be secretly comforted and grow to a full resolution that nothing shall be able to separate you from the loue of your God but that you shall remaine firme and stable in his fauour for euermore Now for the other poynt as the Church is like to a mountaine so it is holy as the mountaine Zion was First for the Lords being in it who is holinesse it selfe for though he be in all the world yet hee is more especially in his Church then in any other place besides according to that in Psal 68.16 and 48.1.2 Secondly for the holy exercises of religion and the goodly works of Gods worship which are found therein for there is prayer singing of Psalmes reading and preaching of the word receiuing of the Sacraments and the like all which are workes of holinesse and purity Lastly for the sanctification of men and women which are therein for they are not prophane and licentious as in other places but they are sanctified made holy by the bloud of Christ the working of the Spirit Our of these things also gather some short notes as we go along Let the first of theÌ„ make you reioice be glad that you haue so good a God that though he be full of maiesty glory yet he is content to come home to your houses and to dwell in the chambers of your soules and there to quiet himselfe in your loue and to reioyce ouer you with ioy as Zephany doth speake in Zeph. 3.17 As Elizabeth said when the virgin Mary came to her Whence commeth this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me Luke 1.43 so may we say at the Lords comming to vs What a fauour and dignitie is this that the Lord of heauen and earth should thus come to vs Let the second of them stirre you vp to frequeÌ„t holy exercises and to throng to the house of praier and to such places where the Lord is rightly worshipped As the nations say in Mich. 4.2 Come and let vs go vp to the mouÌ„tain of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob so let vs say Come let vs go to the Church congregatioÌ„ of God to praier to the preaching of the word to other holy exercises of pure holy religion Let the third and last of them admonish you of that purity holinesse which ought to be in you that so you may neuer giue rest vnto your eies vntil you see your selues washed froÌ„ your sins by the bloud

impouerish his subiects by exacting of them grieuous subsidies and taxes but he doth greatly enrich them by bestowing large giftes and benefites vpon them Ephe. 4.7.8 c. The last is loue or mercy for he doth beare that kind affection towards his people that all their miseries doe touch him Heb. 4.15 and for to do theÌ„ good he was content to die for them Ephe. 5.2.25 Where all these things do concurre meet together there is a party well qualified for gouernement A man may be couragious yet not fearing God if fearing God yet not dealing truely if dealing truely yet not hating couetousnesse if hating couetousnesse yet not wise if wise yet not diligent if diligent yet not bountifull if bountifull yet not louing if louing yet not couragious But where shall all these be found together Surely in none but in Christ Iesus for in him they are in the highest degree of perfection and therefore did the Lord make choice of him before all others to goe in and out before his people and to be the Head or gouernour of his Church Here we must take heed of some abuses Vse we must not collect from hence either that Christ is inferiour to his Father or that he was made King as he was God for he is equall with his Father in glory Maiesty touching his diuine nature or God-head as the Apostle doth shew in the beginning of his 2. chap. to the Philippians True it is that he is inferiour to his Father in respect of his humane nature and as he is man but not otherwise as he is God of the same substance or being which he hath together with the Father froÌ„ all eternity Againe whereas he is made King this is done in respect of both his natures together as he is God-man and Man-God and not simply in respect of one of them alone for so to affirme of either of them were absurd if not blasphemous But leauing the abuses the true vses are these First hereby we may learne to reuerence Christ the more because he is established in his throne by his Father For if Dauid were pricked in heart onely for cutting of Sauls garment who was a wicked man and his deadly enimy too because he was the Lords annoynted with what reuerence and care should we carry our selues towards Christ Iesus our Sauiour who is holinesse and righteousnesse it selfe and one that loues vs well seeing the Lord hath annoynted him and made him to be our King But alas our carriage is such towards him as if he had vsurped this place vnto himselfe by tyranny or were set vp in his throne by some created authority but let vs looke to ourselues and amend this our fault In the second place here we may learne that seeing God hath set vp his Sonne in his kingdome he will still defend him and aide him in the same as also bring fearefull iudgments vpon all such as shal go about to resist him And this is the chiefest end wherefore this sentence is here alleadged and therefore let all men take heed what they do and let all those know also who are in lawfull authority that so long as they carry themselues worthy of their places the Lord will alwaies stand about them for their defence and protection as here he did about his Sonne Christ and blessed Dauid the King Lastly here we may learne by the example of Christ that it is not good to run into a calling but to stay vntill the Lord doth place vs in the same A great complaint is made in Ieremy by the Lord against men in this respect that they did run before that he did send them as we may see at large in the 23. chapter of Ieremy But beware we that we doe not the like For shall Christ that had the Spirit of God without all measure stay and waite his Fathers leasure and shall we mortall and sinnefull creatures who haue not the Spirit almost in any measure yet runne and goe before our commission is drawne out and sealed by the Almighty More things might be spoken vpon these matters but let these short obseruations minister an occasion vnto you to contemplate more at large vpon these points The end of the fourth Sermon THE FIFTH SERMON vpon the second Psalme PSAL. 2. VER 7.8 9. I will declare the decree that is the Lord hath said vnto me Thou art my Sonne this day haue I begotten thee Aske of me and I shall giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the ends of the earth for thy possession Thou shalt crush them with a scepter of yron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell IN the former verses mention was made of God the Father whose maiestie and power was excellently set out for the confounding of such wicked aduersaries as did rise vp against him But now these verses do intreate of God the Sonne who is also most liuely described in the same by a certaine inuincible power and maiestie as being one sufficient to ouerthrow all such resistance as is made against him And that his enimies might be daunted the more as his friends receiue the greater ioy and consolation he comes in himselfe speaking and vttering his voyce vnto them declaring plainely amongst them all what is the very decree and ordinance of God his Father concerning him and his kingdome the summe and substance whereof he tels them is this The Lord the great God of heauen who hath created all things and who doth continually preserue the same he euen he sayd to me Thou art my sonne yea my naturall and onely sonne most deare and precious vnto me Thy workes which thou doest continually in working strange and admirable miracles do shew that I haue begotten thee but chiefly that day is an argument thereof vnto all the world wherein thou didst arise from the graue and returne againe from death vnto life And because thou art so neare vnto me and one on whom I haue set my whole delight and pleasure aske of me what thou wilt and thou shalt haue it I will not say to the halfe of my kingdome but to all my kingdome if thou shalt aske the whole I will bestow it vpon thee yea I will giue thee all power both in heauen and in earth and thou shalt reigne not in a small compasse alone but in a most spacious and large circuite euen throughout all the world from the one end thereof vnto the other And whereas there are many rebels and traytors that do daily rise vp against thee thou shalt not take pity and compassion vpon them to forgiue them but thou shalt punish them throughly according to their deserts with thy scepter or mace of iron wherewith thou art armed thou shalt destroy them And herein deale thou with them as the potter doth with his vessell as he doth dash that all to peeces when it is once broken and seruiceable for no vse so do thou so confound them that they may

shall receiue them and such large ones too as none can be larger For as God is greater then all so are his gifes larger then all Thinke on these things for your good and so let vs passe from this first point whereby Christs kingdome is set out and come to the second which is the inuincible power thereof For as his kingdome is large reaching ouer all the world so it is powerfull being able to beate downe all opposition that is made against it This is set downe in the 9. verse in these words Thou shalt crush them with a scepter of iron and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell The speech is allegoricall being drawne part of it from kings as mention is made here of a king who are armed with authoritie and power to punish those that do offend or rise vp in rebellion against them in regard whereof some scepter noting out the same is wont to be carried before them and here this scepter is sayd to be of iron rather then of gold siluer brasse wood or the like because iron is the strongest and fittest to beate downe all things before it And part of it also from potters who do many times so breake their earthen vessels into peeces which they do dislike withall that they can neuer be soudred fast together againe By this then is meant that the enimies must be destroyed and that in such a fearefull manner as that they may neuer be able to recouer their former estate againe or haue any the least hope left vnto them for the same And marke you here how God doth enioyne this duty vpon Christ his sonne and command him for to do it There are other vses of the power of Christ For this inuincible power is granted vnto him as well for the defence and good of his subiects who are loyall and faithfull vnto him as for the destruction and ouerthrow of his aduersaries But yet this latter is onely touched here because mention was made before onely of his aduersaries and nothing was spoken of his friends So that when the Lord doth command him to crush and breake them in peeces he doth not vnderstand by the word or name of them all the heathen whatsoeuer which he gaue vnto him for his inheritance nor all the ends of the earth which he bestowed vpon him for his possession but he meanes onely such rebels as did rise vp against him which were touched in the three first verses those he must destroy and bring to nothing but the rest he was to fauour and to do good vnto Looke then how Dauid gaue his sonne Salomon a charge when he lay as we say vpon his death-bed and was ready to depart out of this world touching Ioab that slue Abner and Amasa and touching Shimei that cursed him and threw stones at him when he fled from Absolom his sonne conspiring against him that he should not suffer their hoare heads to come to the graue in peace as it is in the beginning of the second chapter of the first booke of the Kings So doth the Lord here giue his sonne Christ Iesus a charge touching those as did rebell against him that he should not suffer them to liue but vtterly to destroy them for euermore accordingly as they had deserued But here two questions may be moued the one is whether Christ did it the other is the manner how he did it For the first it is answered in a word that He did it as was shewed before and therefore not now againe to be stood vpon And as for the second the manner was manifold For some of his enimies he doth destroy with some sudden and extraordinary death Others he doth torment with griefes and wounds of soule which are almost intollerable and by the meanes whereof they haue no peace within themselues but do lie in continuall despaire of their owne saluation Not a few of them are tortured in their bodies by horrible diseases and made also desolate and poore for wealth hauing no maintenance to relieue them Thousands and ten thousands he giues ouer to hardnesse of heart that they commit sinne with all greedinesse and make themselues fat against the day of slaughter But to passe all other wayes whether of infamie or the like which happen vnto them here in this world that is the wofullest way of all when he throwes them downe into hell and there doth keepe them in flames of fire that cannot be quenched boyling and rosting for euermore And this all of them shall be sure of as we may see in Math. 25.41 when he saith vnto them Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Diuell and his angels For as his kingdome is not of this world so commonly are not his punishments in this world but in the world to come in that hideous and euer-tormenting place As we stood not vpon the vniuersality and largenesse of Christs kingdome in the former verse so will not we stand now vpon the inuincible power and might of his kingdome in this verse neither yet presse any further the destroying of his enimies spoken of therein First because mention was made of them before and secondly because occasion will be offered to speake somewhat of them againe hereafter in the end of this Psalme Here at this time Doct. in that God the Father doth commaund his Sonne to destroy his enimies we may obserue this doctrine that malefactors and euill persons that do offend must not be spared but must be punished according to their deserts and wretched wayes Betimes saith Dauid will I destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of the Lord as it is in Psal 101.8 so that he would spare none that were wicked and licentious and did rebell with an high hand against the Lord. Phineas the sonne of Eleazar the sonne of Aaron was greatly commended for his zeale towards the Lord when he executed death vpon the adulterer Zimri the Israelite and the adulteresse Cozbi the Midianite and did runne them both through with a speare euen through their belly as they were in the tent committing the act of their filthinesse together as it is in Numb 25.7 c. The law of the Lord was amongst the Israelites and in the policy of their gouernment the equity whereof doth belong to all common wealth and states of gouernement whatsoeuer though the bodie of that people be dissolued and their policie came to an end that idolaters blasphemers disobedient children to their parents murtherers adulterers witches and other notorious sinners should be put to death and be cut off from amongst men as we may see at large in the booke of Moses Exodus Leuiticus Numbers and Deuteronomie and as for other faults there were other punishments appointed according to the qualitie of the offence and the trespasse therein committed By all which we may see that God had a speciall care from time

of speech after the manner of a story but now commeth an exhortation to hand wherein all the former rebels standing in most woefull case and dreadfull perill of their liues are graciously called vpon to returne and to submit themselues vnto the Lord and his Annoynted against whom they made their former rebellion and insurrection Great was the sin which they had committed yet the Lord whose mercy hath neither bottome nor measure not willing the death of any sinner much lesse of so many thousands together but rather that by repentance pardon may be procured in this place fauourably vseth the meanes that their hearts may smite them with true feeling of their faults and so they turne be spared He cals vpon them all for true repentance and amendment of life shewing vnto them both wherein it doth stand and also when it must be yeelded vnto him It standeth in two things the one is an heauenly wisedome and an holy knowledge of the Lords waies The other is a loyall subiection and a faithfull obedience vnto his commandements Both these he doth require of them First that they be wise and learned in his word or statutes then secondly that they be subiect and obedient vnto him and his Sonne in performing such duties as do belong vnto them And as for the time when these things are to be done it is straight and out of hand they must not deferre them no not so much as one day but presently they must goe about them whithout any delay or procrastination whatsoeuer This is the summe of this verse with the two next following But to leaue them at this time and to stand onely vpon this marke the paraphrase thereof it runneth after this manner Now therefore saith the Prophet while there is time before the iudgement before spoken of do ouertake you and consume you to nothing labour you to get true wisdome and vnderding plant you the word of the Lord in your soules and be well seene and learned in his statutes that you may know your selues and vnderstand aright what the Lord your God doth require at your hands for all matters which do respect his worship and your owne peace And here I speake not alone to the small ones and the baser sort of the people but I speake to you all and chiefly to you that are the great ones and the states of the land euen to you that are Princes and haue the chiefe stroke in matters of gouernment and to you that are Iudges and haue authority to sit vpon life and death and to censure all matters and persons that are brought before you to you I say do I chiefly speake and therefore looke to your selues deferre not your repentance any longer but presently while you haue time be wise and learned So that the summe of this verse is nothing else Summe but an exhortation vnto the first part of repentance which standeth in the true knowledge of the Lord and his wayes wherein remember two points Part. First the persons to whom the exhortatioÌ„ is directed then secondly the matter to the which they are exhorted containing first the time when the duty is to be done which he doth require of them then the thing it selfe wherein it doth stand or consist The persons to whom the exhortation is directed are the kings and iudges of the land The Spirit of the Lord doth single them out by name from all the rest not meaning thereby that they alone were to do the things that here and after he doth require of them but his meaning is by them to vnderstand all of what degree soeuer they were by the figure Synecdoche when some are put for all For he would haue all to repent and to submit themselues vnto the Lord who before did rebell against him But yet he nameth them onely who were thus the Kings and Iudges of the land for sundry causes As first because they were deepest in rebellion and had trespassed most therein as being the ringleaders of all the rest Secondly because they bad more things to stay theÌ„ backe then others had and a greater meanes to pull them from the performance of the exacted duties And lastly because they being conuerted would easily draw all others after them and cause them to do as they had done For the multitude commonly doth depend vpon the higher powers and looke what they do the same doth content them well according to that in 2. Sam. 3.36 And all the people knew it speaking of Dauids mourning and fasting for Abner and it pleased them as whatsoeuer the king did pleaseth all the people For these causes and the like the holy Ghost might well direct his speech by name vnto the Kings and Iudges and not speake in generall vnto all though he did meane all and his purpose were to haue euery one to do the things here exacted of them and not that the Kings and Iudges should doe them alone Here by the way we may obserue a notable good instruction which is this namely that Magistrates and men in chiefe authority should first of all turne vnto the Lord and be as the captaines of all the rest in performing loyall and faithfull obedience vnto him in all dutifull manner as it doth become them For first and foremost they are more bound as we say vnto God then others are as hauing larger benefites and greater giftes bestowed vpon them then any besides them haue for the more bountifull that any is to vs the more dutifull should we be to him a gaine Secondly because they for the most part go beyond all others in sins and trespasses for number and greatnesse for the more and greater our sinnes and trespasses be the more speed and hast should we make to leaue them and to turne vnto the Lord from them lest they bring destruction vpon vs before we are aware Finally because all others do hang vpon them as the dore doth on the hinges and turne as they doe turne for whom also they must answere at the dreadfull day of iudgement when all secrets of mens hearts shall be disclosed and euery one shall receiue according to his waies For the more that we may bring to God and the heauier charge we haue to answere the more forward should we be to do those holy duties which do belong to vs that we might saue many and not be damned our selues Oh that gouernours would lay this neare vnto their hearts and make a good vse thereof vnto themselues Blessed yea twise blessed then should both they and we be Abraham Iosuah Samuel Dauid Asa Iehosaphat Hezechia Iosiah and others that were men of great place and authority haue done this long before our daies The Lord grant for his mercies sake that our rulers and chiefe men for gouernment may do it alwaies do it in our daies in the daies of our posterity after vs. But if they should faile herein which God forbid yet let vs who haue some authority ouer others looke

to our selues in this case and performe that duty which the Lord doth require of vs. We must not alone bring our children and seruants to the knowledge of their sins and cause them to walke in the waies of the Lord but we our selues must go before them in these duties and by our examples leade them on to a carefull performance thereof First we our selues must turne to the Lord and become most dutifull and loyall vnto him and walke continually in his coÌ„mandements Then when this is done we must be most earnest with theÌ„ see that they do the like that so all of vs may ioyne together in turning vnto him from whom we went astray and redeeme as it were the time that is past by an eager persuing after all those things as do belong to vs according to our roomes callings I pray thinke on these matters and I beseech God to giue a blessing vnto them that they may do you good But to to come to the chiefe point which is here to be stood vpon marke diligently vpon what consideration the Kings and Iudges and so all others in them are called vpon to repentance and amendment of life It is vpon the consideration of the great perill and danger wherein they stood For the exhortation which is here made is deduced out of the former words and the manner how it is drawne standeth thus All those that are in a most dangerous estate and are likely to be ouerthrowne with a shameful and perpetuall destruction they had neede to be wise and learned and turne to the Lord as it doth become them But such is your case o Kings and Iudges your are in a most dangerous estate and you are likely euery one of you to be ouerthrowne with a shamefull and perpetuall destruction Therefore it stands you vpon to be wise and learned and to turne to the Lord as it doth become you From hence we gather this doctrine Doct. that where there is any perill or danger hanging ouer mens heads for their sinnes and trespasses there they must repent and amend their liues and turne to the Lord whom they haue offended So did vncircumcised Nineueh For when the Prophet Ionah had cryed in their citty and said Yet fourty daies and Nineueh shall be ouerthrowne they fasted and prayed and did put on sackecloth from the greatest of them euen to the least of them and did turne from their euill waies and from the wickednesse that was in their hands as we may see at large in the third chapter of the Prophecy of Ionah So did wicked Ahab for when the Prophet Elijah had told him of his sinne and of Gods iudgements that did belong vnto him for the same and had shewed him how the Lord would bring euill vpon him and his posterity and make his house like the house of Iereboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the sonne of Ahijah for the prouocation wherewith he had prouoked and made Israel to sinne euen then when he heard those words He rent his cloathes and put sackecloth vpon him and fasted and lay in sackecloth and went softly as it is in 1. Kings 21.27 So did stifnecked Israel For when troubles did come vpon them and miseries were likely to weare them out and to consume them to nothing they cryed from time to time vnto the Lord and bewailed their sinnes and transgressions before him as may be seene at large in the bookes of Moses the Iudges the Kings and the hundreth and seuen Psalme So lastly did the prodigall sonne for when he saw all was spent and he was like to die for hunger as hauing nothing to eate no not so much as the huskes which the swinne did feed vpon he came to himselfe and resolued to returne home vnto his father and to confesse his fault vnto him and to craue fauour at his hands as it is in Luke 15.16 c. that so he might be made as one of his hired seruants if not to be accepted of him as a deare sonne and child againe Thus you see how perils and dangers should moue vs to repentance and amendment of life The reason is this Reason because by repentance and amendment of life all perils and dangers are preuented and wholly remoued away from vs as all the former recited examples do notably declare vnto vs. But to adde a testimony or two thereunto consider what the Lord himselfe doth say in Ieremy chapter 18. verse 8. touching this matter in these word But if this nation saith he against whom I haue pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring vpon them And do you neuer forget what he also said to Iosiah the king in 2. Chron. 34.27.28 Because saith he thine heart did melt and thou didst humble thy selfe before God when thou heardest his word against this place and against the inhabitants thereof and humbledst thy selfe before me and tarest thy clothes and weptest before me I haue also heard it saith the Lord. Behold I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not se all the euill which I will bring vpon this place and vpon the inhabitants of the same Most acceptable therfore you see vnto the Lord is an humble casting downe of our selues before him and shall bring vnto our soules mercy and comfort when proud rebellion and stiffe standing out with Pharaoh and others shall procure plague vpon plague till we be destroyed out of the world Seeing then that repentance doth stay the iudgements of God from falling downe vpon vs and remoue them cleane away from vs that they may do vs no hurt there is cause sufficient why we should repent and amend when his iudgements do hang ouer our heads and are likely euery houre to fall downe vpon vs to our destruction and vtter vndoing By this then we are taught first Vse that they deale very foolishly and fondly who being in perill and danger do yet still perseuere on in their sinnes and transgressions Alas it is like as if a man should remaine in an house when the house is all one a fire ouer his head and likely euery minute of an houre to consume him either by burning or falling Or else it is like as if a man should be in the midst of a riuer where he is ready continually to be drowned and doth see no way to escape yet will not stretch out his hand to lay hold of that which may saue his life and minister vnto him a present succour and aide Secondly hereby we may learne what we our selues ought to do in all manner of distresses and calamities whatsoeuer Is the hand of the Lord already vpon vs or do we feare some iudgements to come Humble we our selues then before the Lord be we sory for our sinnes leaue we all our wicked wayes and turne we soundly vnto the Almightie and all shall be well

with vs both his hand that is vpon vs shall be remoued away and those iudgements that do hang ouer vs shall be staied and neuer fall downe vpon vs. Neuer forget we that comfortable saying which is in 2. Chro. 7.14 and is vttered by God himselfe in these words If my people saith he among whom my name is called vpon do humble themselues and pray and seeke my presence and turne from their wicked wayes then will I heare in heauen and be mercifull to their sinne and will heale their land Downe then at night and downe in the morning before your God send vp vnto him the true sighes of an humble heart and of a broken soule for all your transgressions and assure your selues as you liue and breathe he will respect them with a sauing grace For he hath a most melting heart towards his poore people that when the rod is euen vp and he ready to smite then euen then he stayeth his hand oftentimes of himselfe and is loath to strike yea he breaketh out into compassionate words such as are in Hosea 11.8 when he saith How shall I giue thee vp O Ephraim how shall I deliuer thee O Israel How shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim My hart is turned within me my repentings are rolled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of my wrath c. as it is there in that place Could euer any father speake more compassionately ouer his child when he were about to beate him Surely no tongue can expresse the Lords goodnesse and pitty towards vs. And therefore settle with your selues this comfort that if you returne from your sinnes and once leaue your transgressions he will not punish you nor execute those iudgements vpon you which you haue deserued Obiect But we are in no danger may you say Obiect and so need not to repent for that cause For we liue in the dayes of peace and no peril doth hang ouer our heads Ans Ans Let no man deceiue himselfe For we all haue sinned and trespassed against the Lord and his Annointed as well as these Kings and Iudges had done who are here called vpon to repentance and amendment of life and looke what danger they stood in through their sinnes and trespasses the same do we now stand in through our sinnes and trespasses and therefore we haue as great need to repent as they had Will you that I speake all in one word Then thus it is Euery person of vs haue deserued to be cast into hell forasmuch as we do daily breake the commandements of God and all the iudgements that are there do of right belong vnto vs and we are liable vnto them euery houre yea euery minute of an houre and therefore I say we haue great need to repent to auoide them Questionlesse the more we stand out the worse it will be for vs. We our selues dislike haughtie pride in others towards vs but especially in such as owe vs duty and obedience and humble and meeke spirits we take pleasure in He that yeeldeth when we chide and stoopeth to vs when we are angry we quickly obserue and readily receiue to fauour againe How much more thinke you are these things due to God from dust and ashes Follow then what to him you know is pleasing and to your selues euer profitable An army of souldiers shall not sooner repell our enimies from vs then true repentance shall the Lords wrath that hangeth ouer vs. That is the onely thing that can make vp the hedge and stand in the gap before the Lord for vs that he should not destroy vs. For the Lord cannot strike vs when we hold vp our hands for mercy and looke vpon him with watery eyes humbled in the dust before him and for Christ begging pardon at his hands And therefore euer make vp this wall of defence by true prayer and hearty repentance against him and stand your selues in the gap thus crying vnto him in his Sonne against your sinnes and be assured you shall preuaile But alas men do faile much in the performance of this dutie It may grieue a good heart and soule to thinke how wretchlesse and carelesse they are therein Though iudgements lie heauy vpon some of them already yet they repent not nor returne to the Lord. The sicknesse that is vpon them the vexation of spirit that is within them the vntowardnesse of their children and seruants that are neare vnto them and the losse of their goods which do decay each day more and more round about them cannot rouze them vp from their sinnes nor conuert them soundly vnto the Lood but they continue still in their transgressions and grow rather worse then better therein adding drunkennesse vnto thirst and one sinne vnto another God amend them if it be his pleasure and giue vnto them better hearts Others there are amongst them who yet are spared ouer whom notwithstanding the iudgements of the Lord do hang in a most fearefull and cuident manner For they are likely euery houre to haue some plague fall vpon them and to be carried away body and soule to hell their sinnes and abhominations are so vile and filthy before the Lord. But yet alas they perseuere on still in their euill wayes and take not this holy course of repentance to stop the Lords iudgements from falling downe vpon them and to saue themselues from that sulphurian and euer-tormenting place It is noted of the wise man in the Prouerbes chapter 23.3 that he seeth the plague and hideth himselfe but the foolish on the the contrary side goe on still and are punished Deale we as this wise man and not as the foole Looke we vpon our dangers and labour we by a sound conuersion vnto the Lord to preuent them otherwise the Lord himselfe will say of vs as he did of Ephraim when he sayd The sorrowes of a trauelling woman shall come vpon him he is an vnwise sonne else would he not stand still at the time euen at the breaking forth of the children Hosea 12.13 Great stirre doth euery man almost make when his aduersarie commeth to take the possession of his house and liuing ouer his head and that by force and violence or when the Shrieffes men do approach neare to take him and to carry him to the gaole where he knowes he shall lie in wofull miserie some time and in the end leese his life by a shamefull death Oh what ado then is there what shiftings then do enter into mans heart No stone then as we say is left vnmoued but euery course that may be thought vpon is taken to preuent that perill and danger And yet shall men lie still and do nothing to preueÌ„t the danger of hel which is 10000. times worse theÌ„ any prison or death in this world brings with it more troubles by millions then euer the losse of any house or liuing can do here Awake we awake we and if euer men will bestirre their stumpes as it

Gods name and the doing of his will before the food that we liue by much more before the sins and pleasures which we perish by And so soone lastly as he receiueth any talent or gift from aboue he is commanded to vse them to shew that we must go about the Lords businesse and not our owne be occupied alone in such matters as may bring glory and honour vnto his name So that nothing is to be preferred before the Lord but the Lord before all things and therefore repentance not to be deferred any time but the workes thereof to be done out of hand that so God may haue his due and right in being serued and honored before all things as he ought to be Finally because all seruice whatsoeuer is onely due vnto the Lord who may iustly challenge vnto himselfe as his owne due and right our selues and all that we haue Ye are bought for a price saith Paul in 1. Cor. 6.20 therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit for they are Gods We must loue the Lord our God you know with all our hearts with all our soules and with all our strength Deut. 6.5 And we are deliuered from our enimies you know also to this end that we should serue the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Luke 1.75 So that God must haue all we may not take so much as an houre no not so much as a minute of an houre and bestow the same vpon the seruice of the world the flesh or the diuell but he that hath made vs must haue euery part and portion thereof And therfore in all these respects you see we must immediatly without any further delay apply our hearts to wisedome and seeke only those things which do concerne the Lord and his worship and take no more care for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof The vse hereof standeth chiefly in three things Vse The first sheweth the great folly and wickednesse that is in the world whose propertie is euermore to deferre their repentance till the last If we should see a man wounded to death as we speake that is sorely hurt and mangled in his body and yet would seeke for no remedy to cure himselfe which might be had presently but would post it off from day to day a long time together we should thinke that he were desperate or foolish Or if we should heare of a man that hauing offended the kings Maiestie and for the same were likely to be put to death who yet would not seeke to pacifie his wrath and to stay the execution against himselfe though he did know how to do it but would deferre it from time to time and say that he would consult thereof hereafter braine sicke and mad would we take him to be So euen so doth the world deale For though they know how to asswage Gods anger that is kindled against them for their sinnes yet they will not take that course in hand but they will post it off till the last and so hazard their eternall saluation vpon an vncertaintie Herein the diuell doth most bewitch them and lull them fast asleepe in the bed of their securitie Looke how racking vsurers are wont to giue day to yong heires from time to time vntill at last they winde their inheritance from them So doth he deale with them he doth harden them on still from day to day in their sinnes vntill he hath gotten them for his owne inheritance and firme possession in hell for euer But to leaue the world let vs come to our selues out of this in the second place we may learne that it is our part and dutie not to runne on still in our transgressions as the most do but presently and out of hand to leaue them and to turne vnto the Lord our God As Abraham rose vp betimes in the morning and deferred no time to go to sacrifice his sonne Isaac according to Gods commandement as it is in Gen. 22.3 So we must make hast and post off no day to go to sacrifice our sinnes and transgressions that do offend the Lord and displease him All of vs do confesse that our sinnes must be left and that God must be serued but we cannot accord of the time when to begin One saith he will begin when he is rich another saith he will begin when he is free an other saith he will begin when he is settled an other saith he will begin when he is out of debt an other saith he will begin when he is old and so forward We are like the Iewes in the first of Haggay who said The time was not yet come when they should build the Temple But beloued the time is present we must change our minds out of hand and turne to the Lord. Did euer any whom we reade of in the Scriptures feeling the piercing power of Gods Spirit smitting vpon the rocks of their hidden hearts within take time with the Lord and say They would yeeld after two moneths foure moneths or the like No no they did not couenaÌ„t with the Lord for any time but preseÌ„tly they were conuerted they staied not an houre houering hammering looking backe to Sodom with Lots wife or to Aegypt with the Iewes but ioyfully embraced the truth without delay To day to day is the voice of God as you haue heard and to morrow to morrow is the voyce of Satan Christ you know would not suffer one of his Disciples to go home as it were to bury his father but he must leaue that businesse to others and come and follow him as it is in Math. 8.22 So that no delay in the world must be made but immeadiatly we must leaue our sinnes and go about the Lords businesse Many reasons there are as you haue heard before to moue vs vp thereunto I pray remember them well and let them stirre you vp to the discharge of your dutie that this day wherein I do now speake vnto you may be the day of your sound coÌ„uersioÌ„ vnto the Lord for the which hereafter you may reioyce for euermore Say not with your selues that you will repent hereafter For first you are not sure that you shall liue till hereafter As the Israelites died while the meate was in their mouthes Numb 11.33 And as Iobs children were killed as they were banquetting in their eldest brothers house Iob 1.18 So may you die or be killed on the suddaine before you are aware Goe to now saith Iames in Chap. 4.13.14 ye that say To day or to morrow we will goe into such a citty and continue there a yeare and buie and sell and get gaine and yet yee cannot tell what shall be to morrow For what is your life It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a little time and afterward vanisheth away Secondly if you had a charter of your liues as no man hath and so were sure to liue till hereafter yet you are not certaine that then you

fast in the defense thereof whereof two of them do concerne others and the other two themselues By this we are taught Vse first to examine our selues what giftes and callings we haue of God that so we may be able to stand vpon them when any iust occasion is offered vnto vs thereunto for all men haue not their callings from God The Lord speaking of the Ministers of the word doth complaine in the 23. chapter of the Prophecy of Ieremy that many did runne whom he did neuer send and making mention of Kings in some other place he doth say that they did reigne but not by him And surely daily experience doth teach vs that many of them do vsurpe that authority to themselues as Athalia the Queene did of whom you may reade in 2. Chron. 22. and 23. chapters thereof whom the Lord did neuer establish in their throne by his kind louing approbation But here it may be demanded how a man may know whether his office or calling be from God or no that so he may stand stoutly vpon the same and labour with all care conscience to discharge it in the feare of the Lord The answere is that ye may know it by foure things The first is by his minde with the which he did enter into it The second is by his ability whereby he is enabled to discharge it The third is by the liking of the people by whom he is approued for it And the fourth and last is by his successe whereby he doth prosper and do good in it For if he shall finde these foure things in himselfe first that he entred into his calling not with a corrupt minde as for honour praise gaine or the like but with a single heart desire to glorifie God and to doe good to his people Secondly that he hath graces and giftes sufficient for to discharge those duties which are required at his hands Thirdly that he be approued of the Church or common wealth wherein he doth liue they outwardly bestowing this calling vpon him And lastly be assisted from time to time by the gracious hand of the Almighty to haue good successe in his calling and to prosper therein doubtlesse then he hath his calling office from God himselfe and not from man alone Secondly by this we are taught to iudge charitably of all such as do speake largely now and then of their owne gifts and those places wherein the Lord hath set them For here we may see a man may doe it with a good soule and discharge but an honest godly dutie in so doing it True it is as Salomon doth say in Prou. 27.2 Let another man praise thee and not thine owne mouth a stranger and not thine owne lippes For is not seemely for a man to praise himselfe but yet a man may stand vpon his calling and publish abroad such gifts as the Lord hath bestowed vpon him For this is not to praise himselfe but rather to praise the Lord and to bring honour vnto his name Yea the case may so stand as we may see by Pauls words in the 11. Chap. of his 2 Epistle to the Corinthians as in other places also that a man may praise himselfe with his owne mouth and set out his giftes and graces to the vttermost and yet be no transgressor of Salomons precept therein For Salamon there doth meane such a praising of our selues wherein we aime chiefly at our owne glory but there is another praising of our selues wherein we haue not so much an eye to our selues as vnto the Lord and his honour and the good of all such as do belong vnto him Now if any shall praise himselfe after this sort we are to thinke reuerently of him and not to censure him as a proud and vaine glorious person for it no more then we do humble and blessed Paul who did the like Lastly by this we are taught what we our selues should do in these wicked and vnbridled daies of ours wherein many vngodly persons do take vpon them to condemne vs much and to lay slanderous things to our charge whereof we are cleare and innocent The Brownists or Separatists as they call themselues to make instance in one point alone do accuse vs as if we were no true Church of God here in England and as if our Ministers were no Ministers of God but rather the Ministers of Antichrist the arch and chiefe enimy of God But we must not let them goe on thus still with their vile and slandering speeches against vs but display vnto them their abhominations who do so vnchristianly beyond all the bounds of holy charity condemne vs proue that we are the Lords owne inheritance and the people whom he hath chosen vnto himselfe to haue his holy name called vpon amongst vs and that our Ministers are his true and faithfull seruants and such whom he hath sent forth and doth take his delight pleasure in Easily might these matters be confirmed if we were to enter into any congresse with them about the same but now at this time we haue other matters in hand yet I will presse one argument and so leaue them It standeth thus Wheresoeuer the word of God is so preached and the Sacraments so celebrated that by their meanes a true and sound conuersion is wrought in the hearts of men towards the Lord Almighty that they do beleeue in him aright and walke with carefull soules in the paths of his commandements to bring honour vnto his name to attaine blessednesse for themselues there there I say is the true Church of God and there also are his faithfull and trusty Ministers But here in England with vs the word of God is so preached and the Sacraments so celebrated that by their meanes a true and sound conuersion is wrought in the hearts of men towards the Lord Almighty that they do beleeue in him aright and walke with carefull soules in the paths of his commandements to bring honour vnto his name and to attaine blessednesse for themselues Therefore here in England is the true Church of God and here also are his faithfull and his trusty Ministers When they shall answer this argument I will frame some more for them to worke vpon but I thinke that will neuer be for they cannot answere it is so strong inuincible and a knot so hard twisted that they cannot by any meanes vnloose it Thus farre the publishing of Gods decree hath stretched it selfe Now let vs come to the parts whereof it doth consist and they are in number two the one doth respect the person of Christ the other his office or kingly power His person in the seuenth verse and his office or kingly power in the eighth and ninth For his person remember two things the first is whose Son he is the second how it is proued that he is his Sonne He is the Sonne of God this is set downe in these words That is the Lord hath said vnto me Thou

to time that sinne should not go vncontrolled but be iustly punished according to the nature of it either more or lesse as it did deserue In consideration whereof you perceiue malefactors must not be spared but be duly punished for their faults and offences And the reasons hereof are foure First Reasons that the malefactors themselues who do offend may be brought to the sight of their sinnes and to the leauing of them if it be possble for as Salomon doth say in Prou. 20.30 The blewnesse of the woundserueth to purge the euill and the stripes within the bowels of the belly or else if they will not amend that they may be taken away by death to sinne to more against their owne soules or to pollute the land any longer wherein they dwell And this was the cause wherefore God would haue idolaters to be stoned to death as we may gather from his words in Deut. 17.7 when he saith So thou shalt take the wicked away from among you Secondly that others may learne by their examples to take heed of the like offences lest they be made partakers of the same punishments with them For punishments executed vpon some are oftentimes great terrors vnto others and do bridle them from their licentious wayes as daily experience and all Chronicles of the world do shew But at this time remember one example alone and that is of the third Captaine with his fiftie men spoken of in the first Chapter of the second booke of the Kings for he so profited by the iudgements that came vpon the two former Captaines with their fiftie men apeece when fire came downe from heauen and consumed them all that he submitted himselfe to the Prophet Elijah and fell to intreate him for the safetie of his life as it is in the 14. verse of the same Chapter And this was the cause wherefore God would haue the Iudge to do vnto euery man as euery man thought to do vnto his brother as we may see by his words in Deut. 19.20 when he saith And the rest shall heare this and feare and shall henceforth commit no more any such wickednesse among you Thirdly that the good and innocent may not be corrupted by their company and bad example For as euill words do corrupt good manners so much more do euill deeds and bad conuersation The life and example of one incestuous man was sufficient to corrupt all Corinth And this was the cause wherefore Paul would haue the Corinthians to excommunicate that incestuous person out of their holy fellowship as we may well collect out of his words in 1. Corinth 5.9 when he saith Purge out therefore the old leauen that ye may be a new lumpe as ye are vnleauened For Christ our passeouer is sacrificed for vs. Lastly that the Lords anger who is offended with their sinnes and transgressions may be appeased and not breake out against all for the same For as the sinne of man doth pollute the whole land as the story of the Cananites do shew Leui. 18.24 c. and set all things out of order as we may see by the sinne of Ahab that troubled Israel 1. Kings 18.18 and by the sinne of false apostles that troubled the Galathians Gal. 5.10 as also by the sinne of the prodigall sonne which put him besides himselfe for he repenting of his sinne is sayd to haue come to himselfe Luke 15.17 So it doth driue the Lord away from him and from others for his sake vntill he be duly punished for his sinne as he ought to be as we may see most excellently in the seuenth chapter of Iosuah For there we find that God did leaue Israel for a time for Achans sinne but after he was put to death for the same he did helpe them againe and gaue them a notable victory ouer their enimies And this is the cause wherefore the Lord would haue Moses to put the adulterers to death as we may perceiue by his words in Numb 25.4 when he sayd vnto him Take all the heads of the people and hang them vp before the Lord against the Sunne that the indignation of the Lords wrath may be turned from Israel Out of these things thus layd downe Vse we may obserue many profitable things for our instruction For first thereby we may see that seeing malefactors must be punished that we must not storme nor chafe if the Magistrate and superiour powers inflict vpon vs punishment after that we haue sinned against the lawes of the Lord our God and haue transgressed the good and lawfull statutes of the land Then then I say we must take all things patiently and acknowledge that we haue but our due and that our gouernours therein do but discharge an holy duty which the Almightie doth require at their hands Let children and seruants amongst others marke this well that so when they are corrected and chastised by their parents and maisters for their faults they may possesse their soules with patience and learne thereby to amend and not to fall to murmurings and discontentments as many vngracious children and seruants are wont to do What praise saith Peter to seruants in 1. Pet. 2.20 is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults ye take it patiently but and if when ye do well ye suffer wrong and take it patiently this is acceptable to God Whereby he shewes vs that this is a necessary duty belonging to all that haue offended quietly and with patient soules to beare such punishments as are layd vpon them for their offences Secondly by it we may see what Magistrates and men of authority ought to do who beare the sword not in vaine as Paul doth speake in Rom. 13.4 but to take vengeance on him that doth euill They must not see offences committed in the land but they must draw out their swords for the punishment thereof A wise king saith Salomon in Prou 20.26 scattereth the wicked and causeth the wheele to turne ouer them His meaning is that good Princes and godly Magistrates cannot away in any hand with wicked persons but they must needs roote them out For vnder the word wheele he alludeth to the manner of threshing vsed among the Iewes in those times The saying is old and true Non minor est virtus quÃ m quaerere parta tueri It is as great a vertue to keepe what is gotten as first to get it And euen so it is as good a duty in a Magistrate to see lawes executed and kept as at the first to make them And since they will not be kept of all without punishments therefore punishments are most necessary Ill then and wickedly deale they that haue authority in their hands to cut downe sinne and yet will let it grow and flourish still and neuer punish the offenders thereof The grieuousnesse of which sinne you may see notably in the examples of Ely the Prophet and Saul the King For the Lord had brought most terrible iudgmeÌ„ts vpon theÌ„ both and vpon their posterity

after them for the saine sinne and offence of theirs Vpon the one of them because he spared his sonnes and did not punish them according to their deserts as the beginning of the first booke of Samuel doth shew And vpon the other of them because he spared Agag the Amalekite and did not kill him according to Gods commandement as it is in the 15. chapter of the same booke Here here beloued it may go neare vnto our hearts and cause vs to sigh and sob within our selues when we consider how blasphemy the contempt of the Word the breach of the Sabboth disobedience to gouernors adulterie drunkennesse and other grieuous offences which make the Sun as it were blush againe to behold them do go vncontrolled and vncorrected in our times and haue no seuere punishments inflicted vpon them for the restraint thereof as they do deserue We haue as good lawes as any nation in the world but they want execution which is the life of them and those that should looke most vnto them do neglect them commonly most and not onely breake them themselues but countenance others also that do it But let superiors remember what the Lord doth say by Ieremy the Prophet in chapter 48.10 Cursed be he that doth the worke of the Lordnegligently and cursed be he that keepeth backe his sword from bloud So that there must be no sparing of men vnder a curse and damnation when God will haue them killed And let them alwayes beare in their minds what God did say to Ahab the king in 1. Kings 20.42 saying Because thou hast let go out of thy hands a man whom I appointed to die thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people So that to spare a malefactor from death is to bring death vnto themselues and to such as do belong vnto them Obiect Obiect But this is cruelty may some say to kill and to destroy Ans Answ No it is not cruelty but iustice and the fulfilling of Gods commandement He is not cruell said an ancient Father that killeth them which are cruell although he seeme so to them that suffer but who so striketh the euill for that they be euill meaning by lawfull authority he is the Minister of God Others say it is pitty that such a man should be put to death pointing at some proper and comely malefactor Indeed the diuell for to hinder iustice and to make his owne kingdome strong though he were a murderer himselfe froÌ„ the beginning yet will come in amongst vs sometimes like a meeke lambe to perswade vs to foolish pitty and compassion but know you this that we must not pitty where God himselfe doth not pitty nor spare through compassion those whom he doth condemne for that is to condemne him and to exalt our selues aboue him in mercy and goodnesse which is an horrible vile thing in his eyes who is all mercy goodnes it selfe Moses you know was the meekest man vpon the earth and he had a most pittifull heart being contented to be razed out of the booke of life for the good of others yet he caused to be slaine at one time three thousand persons for the golden calse which they had erected vp in his absence as it is in Exod. 32.27.28 And albeit Dauid and Salomon were very milde men and mercifull yet Ioab and Shemei must be slaine put to death by them as may be seene in the second chapter of the first booke of the Kings And as one doth well obserue of them either of them did sanctifie their hands by this seuerity in executing iustice belonging to them which otherwise they should haue defiled by vnlawfull lenity and sparing You know it is no fault in a Chirurgion to cut off a corrupt member for the sauing of the whole boby So in a Magistrate it is no cruelty but vertue to preferre the safety of many before a few Let not then a superstitious affectation of clemency or pitty make a more cruell gentlenesse with the perill and hurt of many For vnder the gouerment of the Emperour Nerua it was rightly said It is ill dwelling vnder a king or Magistrate where nothing is lawfull but it is far worse dwelling vnder one where all things are lawfull Lastly here we may be put in mind what we our selues ought to do and that is this we must neither spare sinnes in our selues nor in others but we must labour to bring all to repentance and amendment of life by inflicting deserued punishments vpon both First we must deale with our selues and after we haue sorrowed to repentance wee must take an holy reuenge vpon our selues as the Corinthians did 2. Cor. 7.2 in pinching our owne soules and bodies in those things wherein we passed our bounds before and in restraining our selues from some things which are most lawfull in themselues Then for others as we must not countenance any in their euil waies nor become aduocates vnto others for them so if power and authority do rest in our owne hands we must strike them and see them iustly punished for their offences Herein let gouernours of families looke to themselues as well as Constables other officers Beloued you must know that when enormities grieuous sins are committed in your Parishes or in your houses you are not to winke at the same but according to your places you are to see the same iustly punished O remeÌ„ber the reasons that were alleadged before to awaken you vp to this duty and let them sinke deepely into your hearts to bring forth a notable effect with them within you Haue a care I beseech you of the offenders that they may be reclaimed haue a care of others that they may not be corrupted haue a care of the whole land that that may not be plagued and haue a care lastly of your owne persons that they may not be destroyed Let none of these euils fall out through your defaults for want of punishing such as doe offend And herein you must spare none Thine eye saith the Lord in Deut. 19.21 shall haue no compassion but life for life c. And in the 13. chapter of the same booke the sixth verse and so forward he doth declare that though they be most deare and neare vnto vs as our owne children brothers wiues and friends that are to vs as our owne soules that do offend and go about to draw our heartes away from the true God yet they must not be spared but be stoned to death and that our owne hands must be first vnto it and therefore deale vnpartially with all fauour none before others as the world doth but deale with all according to their waies The end of the fifth Sermon THE SIXTH SERMON vpon the second Psalme PSAL. 2. VER 10. Be wise now therefore ye Kings be learned yee Iudges of the earth HItherto from the beginning of the Psalme to this place all things haue passed along by way of doctrine in a certaine continued narration

Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Text snippets containing the quad