with Iosias 2 King 22.1 who in the morning of his life euen early began to seeke the Lord. We should in our life keepe such dyets as did Dauid in his prayers Psal 55.17 Morning noone-tide and at euen he sought the Lord. Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth Eccles 12.1 before the yeeres come wherein ye shall say I haue no pleasure Eccles 11.9 Be assured O young man yee shall come to iudgement Iob 20.11 yea thy old bones shall inherit the sinnes of thy youth To what sins youth is most inclined The sinnes of youth whereto they are most inclined are first pride and a contempt of their elders the vile doe contemne the honourable and youth despise age Such was the pride of Absolom 2 Sam. 18.9 whose punishment should terrifie all youths Next lust is naturall to them as the Prodigall child spent his time in riot and luxury Luke 15.14 Thirdly hypocrisie they can very well dissemble their doings and when with the Whore in the Prouerbes they are intending sinne then they pretend they were offering their peace offerings and with Absolom pretending their vowes in Hebron 2 Sam. 15.7 but intending to stirre vp rebellion And finally all youths are subiect to inconstancy they are compared to dreggy wine not setled Simil. so that experience hath taught vs to say It is lost which is done to them If thou hast escaped from iudgement in thy youth and hast passed the dangers thereof thou maist greatly praise God I read of a man Simil. who being drunke in the night passed a very narrow bridge which considering in the morning died incontinently so wee should admire when we remember what dangers we haue escaped If sins of his youth and ignorance be grieuous how much more those of knowledge Then if the sinnes of youth now trouble him in his age what doe ye thinke of the sins which ye doe against knowledge and conscience in your old age Should ye not confesse them and bee ashamed of them If a child blush it is thought good verecundia but if an old man blush it is thought euill because hee is bound to doe nothing whereof hee should be ashamed But many are like to the false Elders that lusted after Susanna and to them appertaineth shame and confusion for their example in courageth youngmen to doe wickedly Yea they are very rare who haue escaped the perils of youth either by one notable sinne or other Now Dauid of these his own sins doth make a speciall confession doth not infold himselfe vnder the mantle of generality A simple confession needfull albeit many are taught naturaly to dissemble their sins to excuse them to extenuate them or else to inuolue them vnder a common necessity of sinning but this will not please God vnlesse wee freely say with Dauid I haue sinned Simil. for as a Patient must needs discouer his sore and wound to the Physitian so must a sinner vncouer his sinne to God vvhich is an euident token of a penitent Moreouer hee desires not onely that God would forgiue his sinnes but more Doctr. When God forgiues sinne he forgets it that hee would forget them wherein God differeth from men men may forgiue but they will remember for malice and anger takes such impression in our hearts that it is hard to rase out the memory of our receiued iniuries although wee pardon them with our heart But God as hee remits so hee forgets Num. 23 2â— hee sees no iniquity in Iacob and because the children of God are imperfect and in this can neuer bee like to God so long as they carry about with them this sinning sinne as may be seene in Dauid 1 Kin. 2.8 who in his Testament remembred the iniury done to him by Simei to bee punished by Solomon although in his time hee did dissimulate it yet let this bee some comfort to vs that if the wicked motions of iniuries done to vs come in our minds let vs resist and controule them which shall bee sufficient before God Nor my rebellions Sinne and rebellion are conioyned 1 Sam. 15.23 Simil. Sinnes and rebellions are ioyned together the mother and her daughter sinne if it grow and increase it turneth into rebellion and disobedience which is like to the sinne of witchcraft and Idolatry and as a Serpent by eating a Serpent becommeth a Dragon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so sinne feeding vpon sinne becommeth at last rebellion There are degrees of sinne Nemo repente factus est turpissimus Dauid prayeth to God to forgiue him his secret sinnes and hee desires that God would keepe him from presumptuous sinnes slay sinne in the cradle if yee let it come to maturity it may turne into rebellion The word also imports ignorances which agreeth very well with this youth to declare that the sinnes of youth commonly springs forth from ignorance Youth is ignorant albeit it thâ—â—â—â—th it â—â—â—â—e wise for they are blind through lack of knowledge for they haue no naturall iudgement they lacke instruction they want experience and such like by nature wee are all borne fooles nature hath taught the beasts to know things profitable hurtfull to them The Swallow knoweth her time the Oxe his crib Isa 1.3 but man knoweth not his owner neither the time when hee shall turne to the Lord. And this ignorance makes youth to be rebellious to their parents whereof the Lord complaines by his Prophet Isa 1.2 I haue brought vp children saith the Lord and nourished them and they haue rebelled against me A profitable Lesson for Parents to train vp their children in vertue This shold teach Parents to remedy the ignorance of their youth by instruction that their minds being inlightned by the knowledge of God and learning they may feare God in the morning of their youth and haue the eyes of their vnderstanding opened to know the true God and feare him that it may bee fulfilled that is spoken by the Prophet Ioel 2.28 And in the last dayes I will poure out of my Spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie and your young men shall see visions We may complaine most iustly with that holy Father S. Augustine of the neglect of education of our youth where hee saith Gods iuft recompence to Parents O flores vere non frondium sed veprarum O truely they are flourishes not of branches but of briers and so the Lord doth recompence the Parents in their age that as they were negligent in training them vp in the knowledge of God so they become crosses to their Parents in their age Plutarch Among the Lacedemonians there was a Law that children were not obliged to maintaine their Parents in their age who were carelesse of their education in vertue when they were young Moreouer Doct. Sinnes of ignorance wil not excuse vs. let vs assure our selue that the sinnes of Ignorance will
saluation onely belongs to the Lord let vs runne to him and seeke it at his hands who is onely able to performe and bring it to vs. Seeke it not at Saints but at the King of Saints In thee doe I trust There is described the powerfull instrument apprehending Gods mercies euen faith adorned with his chiefe quality Constancy crowneth all our vertuâ—â— constancy for all the day signifieth as much as continually for there is no vertue in man which can be responsable to God if it be not ioyned with constancie Ye must wait patiently beleeue confidently seeke knocke aske hold vp your hands without fainting strengthen your weake hands and feeble knees Gen. 32 2â— He abode with Iacob the heat of the day and the cold of the morning and shrinked not till the Lord came at last and we must abide to the end of the day of our life Many begin in the morning of their youth to seeke God who forsake him in the euening of their age The day hath a morning a noone and an euening-tide so hath our age a youth a middle age and a declining time blessed is he that perseuers to the end and till his later breath constantly depends on God and leaues him not for certainly that man shall haue the crowne of eternall glory VERSE 6. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies and thy louing kindnesse for they haue beene for euer IN the preceding words Dauid first prayed that God would deliuer him from shame and contempt next that hee woud teach him his wayes Doct. No assurance of the remission of sin till God put his law in our hearts and now he desires that God would haue mercy vpon him and pardon him his sinnes Marke by this his order in prayer how first hee desires that God would teach him his law and then that he would put away his sinne for we can neuer get assurance of the remission of our sinnes till God put his law in our heart After these dayes saith the Lord by Ieremy I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall teath no more euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying Know ye the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them sayes the Lord. For I will forgiue them their iniquity and remember their sinnes no more Which the Apostle to the Hebrewes reciteth word by word Doctr. Knowledge of sinne comes before remission of sinne For God first by his word and Spirit workes in the mind of a sinner a light and sight of his sinnes and in his heart a sorrow for it and then he putteth it away and forgiues it Therefore let vs try what sight and sense of sin the word of God hath wrought in vs that we haue a certificate to our conscience of the remission thereof Ps 107.20 He sendeth his word and healeth them He sent Nathan to Dauid and then pardoned him In these two verses he thrice repeateth the word remember not that there is any memory or forgetfulnesse in God as in man for time makes man to forget but God changeth no time absence makes vs forget but all things are present to him memory hath a seat in mans braine which being perturbed it fayles God is all memory But he is said to remember or forget How God is said to remember Gen. 8.1 and 19.29 Gen. 30.22 1 Sam. 1.19 when by visible tokens of doing he sheweth his fauour or displeasure to man As he remembred Noah when the flood diminished Abraham when he saued Lot and brought him out from Sodome Rachel when he made her conceiue and Anna when he granted vnto her her petition Thy tender mercies and louing kindnesse First he craues at God that he would remembe his mercies which is the first thing wee should seeke at God for if we get it as said Iacob wee get all things Gen. 33.11 Mercy against merit And hereby it is clearly seene that hee disclaimes all merits for albeit he fought the Lords battells gouerned his people by the word and sword in executing iustice prayed and praised God continually fasted and bestowed almes on the Saints Psal 16.2 Vse Of confutation of the Papists merits yet he confesseth they cannot extend to God which refureth and damneth the foolish Papists who pretend merits but commit murthers and adulteries and yet with open mouth they cry merits merits Hee amplifieth Gods mercies by three names mercies benignities goodnesse benignity twice repeated see how highly hee doth esteeme of Gods goodnesse when hee cannot finde termes sufficiently to expresse them A liuely representation of the Trinity But these three liuely represent vnto vs the Trinity the Father the fountaine of goodnesse yea goodnesse it selfe the Sonne mercie supplying our misery the holy Spirit benignity and bountifulnesse gratiously working and bestowing these things which the Father and Sonne giue The goodnesse of God is the fountaine begetting mercy and mercy bringeth forth benignity Let vs learne by this that whateuer commeth to vs must either come out of the fountaine of Gods mercy or else it is a curse not a benignity but a malignity Many say Who will shew vs any good thing Psal 4.6 but Dauid sayes Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance on me We should imitate the three properties of the Trinity These three properries of the Trinity all Christians should imitate the goodnesse of the Father the mercy of the Sonne and the bountifulnesse of the Spirit that in so doing they may haue society with the Father Son and Spirit I know thee to be a good man because thou art not cruell but mercifull I know thee to be mercifull in that thy hand is bountifull thou giues and distributes to the poore Psal 112.9 thy righteousnesse endureth for euer The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rachamim signifieth bowels which are the seats and places of the fatherly and motherly loue and therefore the children are called parentum viscera the bowels of the parents which phrase the Apostle writing to Philemon both in the 12. and 20. verse expoundeth spiritually Thou therefore receiue him that is mine owne bowels and in the 20. verse Comfort my bowels in the Lord. Esay 49.19 Can a mother forget her child c. yet the Lord cannot forget Israel Ps 103.13 And as the Father pitties his children so the Lord hath pitty on those that feare him So we see hereby how deare and neere we are to Gods very heart that we haue a place in his innermost affections Infinit miseries haue need of infinit mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 Gods mercies are eternall But when hee speakes of mercies and benignities he speakes in the plurall number because as our sinnes and miseries are infinit so we haue need of infinit comforts and pardons he is called the father of mercies For they
haue beene for euer A faire commendation of Gods mercies from the eternity thereof His mercies had no beginning as himselfe had none and shall haue no end From euerlasting to euerlasting thou art our God For as the Ocean and maine Sea Psal 100. Simil. can neuer be exhausted but it would furnish water to all the world if euery one should bring vessels to draw water there-from So if wee had faith and prayer to seeke grace from God he is all-sufficient in himselfe to furnish vs all which makes Dauid to cry in one Psalm tweÌ„ty and sixe times Psal 126. thy mercy endureth for euer Therefore we may build our faith on it as on a strong Rocke Mat. 1.6.18 that the gates of hell cannot preuaile against vs for euery thing earthly on which we repose is subiect to mutation and change All things change God onely immutable But herein is our comfort that he is an immutable God on whom wee depend and in whom we trust then as long as God stands our saluation cannot faile Woe to them who put their trust in any other following lying vanities Ionah 2.8 Psal 119. and forsaking mercies I haue seene an end of all perfection sayes Dauid but thy word is very large VERSE 7. Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my rebellions but according to thy kindnesse remember thou me euen for thy goodnesse sake O Lord. Doct. WheÌ„ God â—â—â—embers â—ercies he â—â—â—gets sin HE conioynes these two memorie of mercies and forgetfulnesse of sinnes the one destroyes the other when God remembers mercy hee forgets sinne when he remembers sinne he forgets mercy when God will plague the Whoore of Babel it is said He will remember her sinnes and in Hosea Hos 8.13 Now will hee remember their iniquity and visit their sinnes they shall returne to Aegypt Doctr. If sin had not beene Gods mercies had not beene knowne Rom. 8.28 He craued mercy before at God now hee let 's vs see the obiect of Gods mercy euen sin and here appeares the great wisedome of God who can turne all things to the best to those that loue him so that hee doth make their sinne which they did commit to manifest his glory and work their owne saluation All the properties of God his iustice and mercy excepted might haue beene knowne to the world by the creation his wisedome in framing the world so artificially his power in maintaining it his goodnesse in making man so excellent a creature but if sinne had not beene neither Gods mercy would haue beene manifested in pardoning it neither his iustice in punishing it Rom. 5.20 For where sinne abounded there mercy super abounds Remember not the sinnes of my youth Hee makes mention of his sinnes for when hee speakes to God who is most iust and righteous that he should remember his owne vnrighteousnesse as the brethren of Ioseph when they sought fauour of him they remembred the wrong they did to him as if one seeking the helpe of his friend he would confesse the faults he did against him Luk. 15.21 as the forlorne son did to his father So seeing sinne is the principall wall which diuides vs from God so that he doth not heare our prayers Dauid here taketh away this impediment Doct. We must confesse our sinne if we would be heard Therefore if wee would haue our prayers acceptable to God let vs begin at an humble begging of pardon and remission at which all our praiers should begin that hauing assurance of Gods fauour we may boldly sute what we please But if wee begin not our prayers at crauing pardon Simil. we become like foolish Physitians who neglect the causes of the disease and onely study to mitigate the present dolour and apply outward somentations for the curing thereof But how is it that Dauid specially nominates the transgressions of his youth Obiect did hee not commit other sinnes and are the sinnes of his age of no moment I answer Answ He doth not extenuate his present sinne by remembring the sinnes of his youth but rather aggrauates and aggredges the same while he repeats from his childhood how many wayes hee had kindled Gods wrath against him Confessing that he had heaped sinne vpon sinne and so by processe of time was loadned and ouercharged with it Next if God should deale with him by extreame rigour hee should not onely call to mind the faults which he did yesterday but whatsoeuer sinnes hee did from his youth The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 includes all the faults either of commission or omission which hee did Therefore so oft as the Lord terrifies vs with his iudgements Note let vs not onely remember our last offence but let our former transgressions make vs bee ashamed and bring new sobs and sighes in our heart Let old men call to minds their former offences which they did commit in their youth Saint Augustine in his confessions reckoneth out all the follies which he committed in his childhood infancy youth and age calling them to minde euen from the beginning Psal 51.5 for we are conceiued in sinne and a child of one day is not cleane before God As we grow in yeares ye grow in sinne as a Lyons whelpe is borne with a sauage nature and as it growes in age so the cruelty thereof increaseth so does man Solomon in the Prouerbs saith Pro. 30.19 It is hard to know the way of a young man with a maid So young men haue need of sure custody that their parents masters and Preachers should take heed diligently to them Saint Ambrose in a Sermon at the Funerall of the Emperour Valentinian the younger bringeth in that place of the Lamentations Blessed is the man who beares his yoake in his youth Lam. 3.27 God is mercifull to that youth whom he corrects Dauid he deplores the sinnes of his youth which were secret from the world and perchance to himselfe yet hee craues pardon for them Now the smallest sinnes trouble him which before were but sports to him and so it will befall to vs those offences now which we accompt no offences after we will esteem them great sinnes Prou. 6.3 now they are honey in the mouth but after in the belly they will be bitter as gall No time of mans life free of sin Ier. 2. Exod. 22.29 Simil. Note Ex. 23.10 There is no time of mans age which is free from sinne but the youth is not onely first but most subiect thereunto for a youth is like an vntamed Calfe like a wilde Asse which will be taken in her moneth The first borne should bee sacrificed to God the first fruits should be offered to him yea the beast if it had not beene redeemed the necke of it behoued to haue beene broken Thinke yee not that God hath more respect of the first fruits of our life then he hath of the first fruits of Bullocks Thou shalt consecrate thy beginnings to God
Whether may not men lawfully reioyce in the blessings that God hath given them as a man in the Wife of his youth Parents in their children and in their temporall blessings I answere yea verily providing alway that God be the ground and end of their reioycing Ans that they reioyce in them as pledges of Gods mercie and loue them because they see them readie to serue God and that they regard more grace then nature in their wiues and children otherwise their preposterous affection turneth into sorrow and griefe 1 Sam. 4.17 18. as did the loue of Eli to his children who in the end smarted for it The Lord moderate our ioyes that they may be all in him and sanctifie our persons that they may be righteous and vpright that the loyes we receiue here may be entrances to the euerlasting ioyes we shall receiue in the kingdome of Heaven through Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS A GODLY AND FRVITFVL EXPOSITION ON THE xxxviij PSALME THis Psalme hath three parts to be considered First The diuision of the Psalme the title and superscription A Psalme for remembrance Secondly Dauids humble confession of his sinnes which brought forth such miseries on his body and mind which he regrateth throughout all the Psalme vntill the two last verses Thirdly a prayer to God for support and reliefe out of those troubles contained in the two last verses The title A Psalme for remembrance THe meaning of this title is that he would keepe it to be a memoriall and a memento of his miseries which because of his sinne he did sustaine at the making hereof For man by nature is forgetfull of his miseries Man remembreth his trouble no longer then whilst he is vnder it so that they passe as waters that are gone yea albeit they vrge him very vehemently while they are lying on him yet he presently forgetteth them when he getteth the smallest reliefe as men do the stormie blasts of Winter so soone as some few faire Sommer dayes do appeare Simil. This forgetfulnesse springeth out of that roote of ingratitude which is a capitall sin Forgetfulnes springeth of ingratitude Psal 103.2 Doctrine God who deliuereth vs must put vs in mind of our deliuerie Gen. 28.20 and therefore Dauid prayeth vnto the Lord that his benefits slip neuer out of his mind So that God who deliuereth vs out of our troubles must also furnish vs with memorie both to remember the deliuerie as also the troubles out of which he hath deliuered vs. Iacob made a vow at Bethel that if God went with him and would keepe him in the iourney which he went and would giue him bread to eate and clothes to put on c. then he should be his God But when he returned God put him in mind of his vow saying Arise go vp to Bethel and dwel there and make there an altar vnto God that appeared vnto thee when thou fleddest from Esau thy brother Gen. 35.1 And as it is naturall in vs to forget Gods benefits so is it as naturall in vs to remember euill Man remâ—bers euill too well If any hath offended vs in the smallest word that we keepe fresh in memorie Nam ira tardissimè senescit wrath slowly groweth old As the sieue retaineth and beareth aboue the clats and bran Simil. the grosse excrements of the corne and suffereth the good grain easily to passe thorows so doe wee easily retaine euill and forget good This superscription is not to be found in all the Psalmes except in this and in the seuentie Alwaies let vs pray vnto the Lord to furnish vs with a faithfull remembrance both of our sinnes prouoking him to wrath against vs and of his manifold mercies pardoning our manifold sinnes as also that we may forget the particular iniuries wrongs done vnto vs. The substance and vse of this Psalme In this 38 Psalme Dauid deploreth vnto God the violence of his sicknesse the malice of his aduersaries who seeming to pitie him mocked him by their craftie visitation exulcerating his wounds by their deceitfull dealing while he in the meane time in patience possessed his soule not making answer to their iniuries in the first twenty verses in the two last imploring Gods helpe for his deliuerance from them The vse of this Psalme This Psalme will be very pertinent for euery one who is outwardly or inwardly grieued for they haue this godly Prince and Prophet set down before them in that same case as Christ also whose type he was was acquainted with the like miseries and an high Priest who hauing tafted of all our dolours may more heartily compassionate vs in our afflictions The Papists think that this Psalme should be sung for those that are in Purgatorie Against the Papists songs for those in Purgatory which they themselues grant was not before Christs dayes but if they marked it rightly they would be ashamed of that assertion for it destroyeth all the grounds of their purgatoriall fire which some of themselues confesse from whom albeit Lorinuâ— the Iesuite and Bellarmine do not disassent yet they think it not meet to condemne the opinion of others who affirme the same lest thereby they should giue vs whom they call Heretikes cause of reioycing Whereby we may plainly perceiue how those two arch-heretikes detaine the truth of God in vnrighteousnesse 〈◊〉 1.18 commending and approuing the false wresting of the Scriptures yet not daring to condemne that as hereticall doctrine which they cannot proue to be canonicall and agreeable to the truth VERSE 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chastise me in thy wrath THere are 22 verses of this Psalme answering to the order of the Hebrew Alphabet This first verse is agreeable to the first verse of the sixt Psalme of which I haue written at length except only in the two Hebrew words Beappecha and Bekitspecha which are Synonyma and of one signification which two Psalmes Saint Basil conferring together findeth them to agree in many things as the diligent Reader by comparing them together may perceiue He also compareth a sinner to a sicke man Basil lib. 1. de staâ—u animae qui leuia ac mitia pharmaca desideret ferrim incisiones ignem deprecetur who desireth light and easie plaisters and again would be free of cuttings fire and extreme remedies To the foresaid place of the sixt Psalme lest I should seeme tedious in repetition I referre the Reader VERSE 2. For thine arrowes haue light vpon me and thine hand lyeth vpon me SAint Ierom translateth the Hebrew word Nichathu piercing me The arrowes of God are the calamities vexations whereby he was vnquieted in minde and bodie compared to arrowes frequently in the Scriptures as Deut. 32.23 I will bestow mine â—rrowes vpon them And in the 42 verse I wiâ— make mine arrowes drunke with blood And Iob 6.4 The arrowes of the Almightie are in me For God is compared to an archer whose hand is strong
not Blessed is that King who leaues behind him as great testimony of his conuersion to God as he hath giuen proofe of his defection from him And therefore let Kings learne of a King and Pastors of a Prophet that when they sin and become stumbling blocks to others they may repent and blot out the note of ignominie which through their sin they haue receiued by a true conuersion and open confession as the King of Niniueh Ionah 3.6 Ester 4.16.17 2 Chro. 33.12 Simil. Queene Hester Mordecay Manasses and here Dauid for their sinnes are more offensiue and greaâ—er than others for they make many to fall with them as the fall of a Cedar is the ruine of many inferiour trees If our sinnes be secret we are not bound to any auricular Confession Prou. 25.2 for Gods honour is to conceale a sin in doing otherwise we doe double wrong one by our sin to offend God another by our reuealing to dishonour our selues and offend the Church But if our sin be publike as was Dauids to deny colour 2 Sam. 11.4 or extenuate it wee sinne grieuously against God and our owne soules defrauding God of his glory and our soules of saluation But marke the truth of that sentence all things worke for the best to those that loue the Lord Rom. 8.28 for Dauids sin turnes to the glorie of God the comfort of the Church and his owne saluation Simil. so that as the dung and excrements of nature are profitable to fâ—tten the ground so is his sinne to better and make him more fruitfull to God Herein also is the mercy of God greatly to be admired that where sin did abound now grace doth superabound Rom. 5.20 for albeit Dauid did fall through the corruption of his nature in those hainous sinnes yet God magnifieth his compassions in his conuersion and in his vnfained repentance But hereby let not licentious libertines be prouoked by Dauids example to sin as commonly they abuse the falls of Gods children to be warrants to themselues and arguments by which they corroborate and strengthen themselues in their wickednes as Drunkards cast vp Noah Gen. 9.21 Gen. 19.33.35 2 Sam. 11.4 â—7 Act. 9 1 2. Mat. 26.74 Incestuous men Lot Adulterers Murtherers Dauid Persecutors Paul Apostates Peter c. But oh wretched men that ye are doe ye make the fals of the Saints allurements provoking you to sin where by the contrary they should bee as so many Beacons warning you that yee take heed Simil. lest yee fall vpon such rockes vpon which they were in hazard to haue beene drowned yea rather by their example yee ought to eschew such dangerous gulfes whereinto they were plunged and learne by their repentance to repent for sin for their sins are not so much to be obserued as their repentance Comparison But alas these desperate men take the instrument which should launce their wound to kill themselues therewith Dauid hath left behind him seuen Psalmes of Repentance according to the number of the seuen daies of the weeke that as each day we sinne and fall so we may haue one of these Psalmes as a sheepe-crooke to pull vs out of the ditch of sin Simil. Numb 35.13 These are as seuen Cities of refuge whereinto a sinner may flie for safegard when he findeth himselfe pursued by the auenger of blood for his sins Simil. or as seuen ports whereinto a Christian tossed with the waues of temptations may get safe harbour They are not to be misliked because they beare the number of seuen as though any magicall superstition were inclosed in that number for all the holy Fathers haue obserued that in all the 150. Psalmes of Dauid whereof some are instructions to a godly life others deprecations against his aduersaries many of them praises of Gods mercies others praiers for the Church these Seuen are left as witnesses of his vnfained repentance therefore they beare the name of penitentials Why called Penitentials à poenam tenendo because they beare in them the paine and griefe of his heart which he sustained for his sins Wee haue all sinned with Dauid let vs learne to repent with Dauid for the bloud of Christ wiâ—l not be effectuall to any but to a penitent sinner Now is the time when repentance may helpe thee for though as Augustine saith after this life it be perpetuall Augustine Gen. 27.38 it is in vaine euen as Esau mourned bitterly while there was no place left for the blessing so shalt thou doe if thou neglect the opportunity of repentance But that ye may learne to discerne Foure markes of Repentance 1 Mark The grouÌ„d of repentance Exod. 9.27 2 Sam. 12.13 whether ye haue obtained the gift of true repentance as Dauid did obserue these foure markes First what was the ground and first motiue which made you to repent your sinne if the plagues and scourges of God as they made Pharo to say I haue sinned Or the sweet voice of Gods word which moued Dauid to say I haue sinned If some paine shame or sicknesse hath made thee to repent it being remoued thou maist change but if the Word hath won thee thou art won indeed The Spouse in the Cantiâ—les was raised from the bed of sinne by the voice of her Beloued Cant. 5.5 Luk 22.61.62 Act. 2.41 Christ looked on Peter and he wept bitterly The word of God by Iohn conuerted the Souldiers by Peter three thousand Iewes and Paul by the voice of Christ why persecutest thou mee Act. 9 4. 2 Mark Sinceritie Simil. Next trie the sinceritie of thy Repentance whether thy heart hath greater griefe for sin than thy tongue vtters The Comoedians who play the siege of Troy can represent the dolefull habite teares and sorrow of Priamus and Hecube King and Queene of Troy but they are not in heart touched with their grief neither are they sensible of their sorrow 2 Sam. 14.2 The woman of Tecoah counterfeited her dole to Dauid for Absolon but felt none Such and no better is the repentance of Hypocrites they may weepe with Saul counterfeitly 1 Sam. 24.17 their heart not being truly touched which hypocrisie of theirs and fained repentance the Lord detests more then any sinne that a man can commit for a man sinning professeth himselfe to be the Deuils seruant but fainedly repenting hee professeth himselfe to be Gods seruant in the meane time keeping his heart to the Deuill and with Ananias and Saphira Act. â— 2 stealing back sacrilegiously that which he offred to God yea euen the best part his heart Thirdly 3 Mark Vniuersalitie 1. Sam. 15.9 trie the vniuersality of thy repentance for it must not be of one but of all sins ye must not spare Agag and the fat cattel with Saul and your principall most profitable and pleasant sins but if ye deny one deny all if ye refuse one refuse all if ye reiect one reiect all for as one rope was able
to binde Sampson Iudg. 16.21 when hee was spoiled of the marke of Gods presence in his head so one sin not repented for is able to carry any person headlong to destruction Finally 4 Mark Constancy Hosea 13.3 let thy repentance be constant not as the dew of the morning or the morning cloud but the longer thou liuest thou must euer haue the greater remorse for thy sin The ships are in greatest hazard when they ride in shallow waters Simil. and are most sure in deepest places Psal 130.1 according to that of Dauid Out of the deepe places I cried vnto thee And as quicke springs send forth continuall waters both Winter Summer Simil. whereas the filthy dubs are dried vp wanting a quicke spring So is true repentance euer mourning and boyling our teares when the counterfeit dries vp sodainly by the heat of their affections The Argument of the PSALME Diuision generall THe Sixt Psalme is first in order of the Seuen containing a Preface and the Psalme it selfe The Preface containes the Author Dauid and the musicall Instruments and persons to whom it is concredit to be sung Dauid was a chiefe sinner who not onely sinned in his person but by his example made Gods name to be euill spoken of now he becomes a chiefe mourner for his offences committed The Title Musicke lawfull HE commits this Psalme to the Master of Basses and Tenors to bee sung by these tunes which are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vndermost and middle Ye see by this that Musicke hath euer beene lawfull and esteemed among the Saints of great vertue to stir vp the affections of men 1 Sam. 16.23 2 Reg. 3.15 The Harpe of Dauid banished the euill spirit from Saul Elisha craued a Minstrill to remoue his anger yea it is alledged that by the sound of Musicke the Delphine is moued it is very commendable if it be rightly vsed for it is not onely meet to stir vp the affectiōs to ioy but also to prouoke them to mourning for so heauie is our nature that it craueth helps and suppliments which may further vs to the seruice of God where by the contrary is force enough in nature to prouoke it to euill for this cause hee commits it to the Base and Tenor. Musicke praised To conclude this point let no man contemne Musicke seeing it is magnified in heauen amongst the Angels the aire is replenished with infinite varietie of tunes and notes the earth should imitate Angels and not bee inferiour to birds but be stirred vp to praise God yea and in hell there shall be sung that blacke Basse the shouts of wicked men who shall be forced to crie Psal 145.17 The Lord is iust in all his iudgements The Diuision Diuision particular THE Psalme hath two parts a Praier and a Triumph after Praier The praier hath two parts a deprecation of euill in the first three verses and a desire of deliuery in the next foure The Triumph and perswasion of obtaining his suit in the three last The Vse The vse of this psalme THIS Psalme serues for all persons who are either troubled in mind or diseased in their bodies or are persecuted by the wicked If they peruse this Psalme they shall find medicine to remedie and cure all VERSE 1. Verse 1 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chastise mee in thy wrath Doctr. 1 O LORD Dauid being heauily vexed hath his refuge to God In our afflictions we must looke to God and not to secondary causes whose hands hee felt vpon him whereby hee would learne vs not to set our eye vpon the instrument which afflicteth vs or the mid causes which deale with vs but let vs looke higher than those to that Primum mobile the eternall God the first mouer of them all without whose speciall aduice and determination the Deuill himselfe is not able to cause the least haire of our head fall to the ground * For al are numbred Mat. 10.30 2 Sam. 16.11 12.23 Iob 1.21 which Dauid considered wel when Shemei railed at him in saying The Lord hath sent him the like he thought at the death of his child This Iob acknowledged when in his great distresse he looked to God and said Wee haue receiued good things at his hand why not euill also the Lord hath giuen the Lord hath taken blessed bee the name of the Lord. Whereby wee are taught Vse that when wee are wounded To goe to God for helpe in our distresses Doctr. 2 Praier is our wings to flie to God in our affliction Cant. 2.14 Simil. we may goe to one who shall cure vs euen him who hath heaued vs vp and cast vs downe againe Next Dauid being in distresse runnes to Prayer for Prayer is the wings wherewith we must flie to the mountaine of God in our tribulations to hide our selues in his Rocke as a Doue from the violence of the Hauke which pursueth vs yea oftentimes God sendeth vs afflictions to the end we may be prouoked to prayer Rebuke me not God hath two meanes by which hee reduceth his children to obedience 2. meanes by which Gods brings vs to obedience 1. His word 2. His Rod. Mark 2.17 Psal 141.5 If we refuse to bee ruled by gods word then God will not faile to correct vs with his Rod. Mat. 26.46 his word by which he rebukes them and his rod by which he chastiseth them The word precedes admonishing them by his seruants whom he hath sent in all ages to call sinners to repentance of the which Dauid himselfe saith Let the righteous rebuke me and as a Father doth first rebuke his disordered child so doth God speake to them But when men neglect the warnings of his word then God as a good Father takes vp the rod and beats them Our Sauiour wakened the three disciples in the garden three times but seeing they could not waken he told them that Iudas and his band was comming to awaken them whom his own voice could not waken Many contemne the Word and Sacraments and such gracious warnings 1 Cor. 11.30 For which cause as saith the Apostle many are sicke among you many die also And indeed many warnings haue we receiued but all in vaine and therefore the Lord hath been forced to apply some harder remedies Simil. yea euen to fire the filthy farsie of our sinne But yet happy is that man that can be touched with any of them where by the contrary it is a desperate euill where nothing can moue either with the Word Note Yeeld to the means which God vseth 2 Sam. 12.13 Luk. 15.18 as Dauid was when he said I haue sinned or the rod as the Prodigall being pinched with famine resolued to returne to his father and confesse his owne vnworthinesse But alas the Lord hath too great cause to complaine of this age as he did of the Israelites by his Prophet while he saies I haue
the name of Mercy includeth all things Who gets meâ—cy gets all things Gen. 33.11 according to that of Iacob to his brother Esau I haue gotten mercy and therefore I haue gotten all things Desirest thou any thing at Gods hands cry for mercy out of which fountaine all good things will spring to thee The blind men seeking their light cried Haue mercy vpon vs thou sonne of Dauid The Cananite Mat. 20.30 who had her daughter possessed cried Haue mercy vpon me If ye haue purchased the Kings pardon Mat. 15.22 Simil. then ye may enioy the priuiledges of his Kingdome if yee haue mercy yee haue all that God can giue you yee haue title to Christ to the heauens to all the creatures yea and are freed and deliuered from the prison of hell ArgumeÌ„ts to oâ—taine mercy For I am weake The arguments which he vseth that he may obtaine mercy are taken from his owne vnworthinesse and miserable estate For saith he I am weake This is the generall word vnder which bee comprehendeth all his paines Two sorts of paines and this hee explicates by the diuision of them in his bodily paines in these words My bones are sore troubled and his spirituall temptations in the beginning of the third verse My soule also is sore vexed The order of Gods curing is first to cure the spirituall diseases next the boddy paines But before I handle the argument marke the coherence of this second part of his sute with the former In the first hee craued mercie in this he craueth a cure and remedie for his corporall paines First hee desires to bee freed of the bonds of his sinnes then of his trouble This is the order of Gods curing that first he cures the spirituall diseases next the bodily paines Hezekiah first weeped for his sin turning him to the wall 2. King 20.2 c. and God for gaue it and then commanded Isaias to take a lumpe of drie figges and cure him Mark 2.5 c. And Christ said to the sicke man Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee A double mercy wheÌ„ God cures both spirituall and temporall discases a double iudgement to bee loosed from the bonds of sicknes and bound with the bonds of sinne and then arise and walke It is a double mercy when God hath first loosed the bonds of thy sin and then the bonds of thy disease and a double iudgement when hee hath loosed thee from the bonds of thy sicknesse and left thy soule bound with the chaines of sinne for then thou are reserued for a further iudgement That deliuery is onely profitable to thee when God hath freed thee from thy sinne and from such plagues as follow it Yee see out of these words that it is very lawfull to craue corporall health it being a benefit of God And at this time it is certaine Dauid was vnder some heauie sicknesse in body Doct. 4 as well as he was pressed down vnder the weight of Gods wrath for his sinne It is very lawfull to seek corporall health Dauid was here sick in body contrary to Bellarmin contrary to the iudgement of Bellarmine writing vpon the Title and Argument of this Psalme thinking it onely to bee the opinion of the Rabbines and their followers Albeit Loranus the Iesuit bee contrary to him writing vpon the third verse of this Psalme and produceth Lyranus Innocentius tertius Theodorus Antiochenus and Caietane who in this are all of one iudgement and opinion with vs. And why may they not agree together that a man being distressed in body and troubled in conscience may repent and mourne for them both The beginning of the two thirtieth Psalme sets downe his bodily paines which hee sustained in his flesh Strong men weakned by the power of sinne 1 Sam. 17.49 August Quem non vicit ferrum vicit libido Iudg. 15.15 and 16.21 Euils of Adulterie Whereupon ye may perceiue that albeit Dauid was a strong man yet sinne is able to cast him on his backe Hee ouercame Goliah yet sin ouercommeth him Lust vanquished him whom the sword could not ouercome Sinne debilitateth man and taketh all strength from him and so it befell to Sampson who smote a thousand Philistims and yet one Whore delâ—uered him bound to them Euery sinne weakneth man but especially the sinne of Adultery which doth enfeeble mans nature and abate his strength that it maketh him effeminate and womanly hearted Alexander the Great being bewitched with the pleasures of Drunkennesse and Whoredome sodainely made an end both of his life and conquest yea how many other heroicall spirits haue been wasted therewith Therfore learne all to abstaine there-from otherwise it wil bring you low waste your body conscience substance name and posterity Doctr. Weaknessâ— in man a meanes to preuaile with God But behold what Rethoricke hee vseth to moue God to cure him I am weake an argument taken from his weaknesse which indeed were a weake argument to moue any man to shew his fauour but is a strong argument to preuaile with God Simil. If a diseased person would come to a Physitian and onely lament the heauinesse of his sicknesse he would say God helpe thee Simil. or an oppressed person come to a Lawyer and shew him the estate of his action and aske his aduice he would answer that is a golden question Simil. or to a Merchant to craue rayment hee will elther haue present money or a suerty Simil. or to a Courtier for fauour you must haue your reward ready in your hand But comming before God the most forcible argument that yee can vse is your necessity pouerty teares misery vnworthinesse and confessing them to him it shall be an open doore to furnish all things that he hath to you for which cause the Spirit saith Prou. 9.4 All yee that are destitute of vnder standing come to me and euery one that thirsteth come to the waters Esay 55.1 c. and yee that haue no siluer come buy and eate come I say buy wine and milke without silver and without money And our Sauiour himselfe cried Mar. 11.28 Come vnto mee all yee that are weary and loaden with sinne and I will ease you Martha said to Christ Behold he whom thou louedst is sicke Iohn 11.3 that the mention of his sicknesse might haue moued him to reuiue her brother The teares of our miserie are forcible arrowes to pierce the heart of our heauenly Father Reas 1 to deliuer vs and pitie our hard case The beggers lay open their sores to the view of the world Simil. that the more they may moue men to pitie them So let vs deplore our miseries to God Luk. 10.33 that he with the pitifull Samaritan at the sight of our wounds may helpe vs in due time What thing he seeks wherefore O Lord heale me Dauid in the first verse of the Psalme desired that the Lord would not punish him in his heauy
displeasure and wrath and in the former part of this verse he asketh of God that he would haue mercy vpon him and forgiue him those sinnes that had prouoked his wrath and indignation against him and now in the latter part he desires that the Lord would heale him Euery one of these things were so necessarie to Dauid that lacking any one of them hee thought himselfe vnfortunate hee felt the wrath of God and therefore desired the same to be remoued he had offended and therefore desires mercy he was fallen into a most dangerous sicknesse and therefore desires corporall health Yee see here that the best of Gods children are subiect to diseases as well as others Doctr. The best of Gods children subiect to diseases GrauissimuÌ„ omnium tentationum non tentari The fruit of sinne Psal 41.1 Vse for seeing the root of sinne is in them and the fountaine of that sinning sin what other bud can it produce or what spring can flow therefrom but miserable destruction of our nature Therefore when we see good men heauily afflicted with diseases let vs remember that saying Blessed are those that iudge wisely of the poore and also bee carefull lest through our sins wee prouoke the Lord to powre the like vpon vs which if he doe as we iustly deserue then by prayer to runne vnto the Lord with Dauid and crie Lord heale me For my bones are sore vexed He sheweth how hee is made weake in both his parts his body in these words his soule in the next verse Doctr. Sin vndoes the whole man So sinne vndoes the whole man and euery part of him so that as the soule lusts and the body executes and practises the foule desires of the soule so both are punished hee who sinneth in both is punished in both Greatest paine in â—he bones Setting downe his bodily diseases he comprehendeth them vnder the trouble of his bones for as the greatest strength of man is in his bones so his greatest paine is the paine of the bones which exceedeth the paine of the flesh as experience in the tooth-ache or breaking any other bone teacheth for albeit the bones of themselues are senselesse yet not so the membrans and tunicles that compasse them Alwaies the Scriptures of God doe expresse both the greatest strength and ioy in Gods worship and the greatest paines and afflictions to the bones Psal 35.10 Psal 51.8 as all my bones shall say O Lord who is like thee and the bones which thou hast broken shall reioyce that is the whole strength of my body shall bee bent vpon thy seruice And againe Esay 38.13 Lam. 3.4 Psal 38.3 Psal 34.20 Psal 42.10 Lam. 1 13. Iob 20.21 Doct. Great mischief commeth of the euils of misgouerned health Iob 20.11 Esay 51.8 Simil. He hath bruised all my bones as a Lyon and all my bones are out of ioynt and there is no peace in my bones And God keepeth all their bones and while my bones are broken and send a fire in my bones and thy bones shall be filled with the sins of thy youth Obserue first out of this place what a misgouerned health bringeth to man it destroyeth our nature our pleasure becommeth our displeasure Our old bones inherit the sinnes of our youth which haue wasted and consumed vs as the moth doth the garment The poyson and venome of the Aspe is receiued with great sweetnesse but it ouercommeth the body by destroying man So is sinne Can there bee a rush growe without water or sicknesse where there is no sinne Iob. 8.11 Search downe to the bottome of thine heart and thou shalt finde the fountaine of the euill to be within thee that thou maist purge it by vnfained repentance Next consider Doctr. The bestremedie againd diseases is to goe vnto the Lord. 2 Kin. 20.2 Vse How God cures sin Simil. that as this his ficknesse comes from God so he turnes to him for remedie Diseases are Gods arrowes shot by his owne hand why should we not then with Ezekiah turne to the wall and mourne to him that he may helpe vs For so skilfully deales the Lord with vs that hee cures our sinnes by our diseases and visitations albeit they spring out of sinne as Physitians doe curing the sting of the Serpent by the ashes of the dead Serpent so by the bud and fruit of sinne he cures sinne and God is so infinitely wise that he applies that kinde of disease to his patient which is fittest for such a sinne And indeed as there be monstrous sins fallen forth in this ourage Monstrous sinnes produce vnwonted sicknesses which the former ages knew not so likewise hath the Lord punished them with vnwonted sicknesses vpon mens bodies whose nature Galen Hippocrates or the best Physitians haue neuer yet discouered And therfore the Lord remoue from vs these sinnes Cause of diseases 1. The contempt of the Gospel 2 Apostasie from Gods truth that he may take from vs these iudgements but namely the contempt of the Gospell Word and Sacraments for which many are tyed to the bed of sicknesse and this abominable Apostasie from Gods truth to Idolatrie which God is like to punish fearefully by desertion The word meaneth not onely a troubling but also a trembling Marke finally that the word according to the Originall signifieth not only a troubling or obstupifying but also a shaking or trembling of which the Poet saith Gelidusque per ima cuâ—urrit Ossatremor That is The cold trembling ran thorow the deepest bones This teacheth vs Vse The force of sin will shake our strongest parts that sinne can shake the strongest part we haue for if our bones were stones and mountaines yet if sinne sease on them it would shake them asunder VERSE 3. Vers 3 My soule also is sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thon delay Doctr. 1 NOw he expounds the other part of his sorrow which is a Spirituall disease the troubles of Conscience Spirituall trouble greater than temporall Reason farre greater yea and more importable than the other for as the soule is a more subtill and Spirituall substance beginner of all life and motion in man it must feele the selfe more when it is troubled and wounded I will therefore by the help of God intreat here about the trouble of Conscience and deduce it in all particulars that if it please God at any time to waken your conscience ye may haue remedie in time to pacifie it Doctr. Yokefellowes in sin yoke-fellowes in punishmeÌ„t My soule Yokefellowes in sinne are yokefellowes in paine the soule is punished for informing the body for performing and as both the informer and performer the cause and the instrument so shall the stirrer vp of sinne and executer be punished That man hath a soule But here appeares first that as a man hath a body so likewise hath he a soule and as the one is pained so likewise is the other And yet alas there are
is not in worse case with God but he maketh it to be like the poole of Bethesda Iohn 5.1 which being troubled by the Angell was a present remedie vnto such as were cast thereinto euen so the poole of the conscience being troubled God oftentimes cureth the man who is cast into that trouble and therefore no man ought to thinke the worse of any Christian who is thus handled The true trouble of Conscience is made by Gods goodnesse to his children Trouble of conscience a medicine to purge the soule from sin a singular medicine to purge their soule which is disquieted for euen as in the naturall constitution of mans body when the corrupt humours striue to extinguish the naturall power of his life and doe trouble his stomacke maruellously the Physitian to help nature for expelling of those humours giueth the Patient medicine which with great a doe molestation of the person in the end bringeth health So when sin and grace are combating in the conscience Simil. God out of that trouble maruellously bringeth and vnexpected health This trouble of conscience is not a mark of a reprobate Neither must men thinke trouble of Conscience to be a marke of a reprobate but rather of one whose conscience is so tender and thin-skinned and strait that it can abide nothing which separateth God from it like as a most louing wife who is so far addicted to please her husband that she can abide nothing no not in her very looke to offend him and that the change of his countenance is very death vnto her his absence hell so it is the greatest trouble that euer a man can feele in this world to be put vpon the racke of Gods anger yea and most represents the paine of hell which made Solomon say Pro. 18.14 But a troubled spirit who can beare There be many things which trouble the soule which is not the trouble of conscience Trouble of soule is not alwayes trouble of conscience for then properly the soule must be troubled with some spirituall cause for oftentimes because of its coniunction with the bodie it is affected with the miseries thereof and namely with these foure First the soule is pined pitifully with the care of these worldly things 4. Things which trouble the soule with their remedies which turmoyle her night and day that shee can get no rest for which cause our Sauiour calleth them thornie cares because they pricke men through the heart and so oft forewarneth men 1. Worldly cares Luk. 21.34 that they be not vexed therewith if these men who had this excessiue care were troubled in conscience I thinke the world would be full of them Indeed I thinke ouer-great care which is Auarice as it is the root of all euill so when thy conscience shall be once stirred it will become thy greatest torment so that thou shalt loath those riches which before thou louedst Remedie Marke of repentance Luk. 10.42 Therefore let all your care be drawne to seeke that onething how ye may serue and seeke God and eschew sinne which is one of the marks of true repentance The second thing which troubleth the Soule is Anger 2. Trouble Anger which is like a fire burning it vp which if it continue will consume it This is a most dangerous euill of which Iob saith Anger killeth the foole and Enuie the idiot Iob 5.2 For remedie against it it is best to embrace Dauids and Pauls exhortation Remedie Psal 4.5 Ephes 4.25 Be angry and sinne not and this yee may doe if all your anger be conuerted against sinne The third is Sorrow 3. Trouble Sorrow which is a passion wearying the Soule and pressing it downe contracted of some worldy losses of goods and children and yet this is not the trouble of which I speake Remedie But to remedie this it is good that all our sorrowes may be for sin and the offence done to God And lastly 4. Trouble Feare feare shakes the soule as an earth quake when it is afraid for any corporall danger Psal 53.5 Prou. 28.1 of whom it is said The wicked are smitten with feare and flee when none are pursuing them The remedie But to amend this it is requisite that our feares be reduced to this principall feare that we feare to offend God and this feare will free vs from all our feares The trouble of conscience then commeth only for sin How the trouble of conscience commeth and for the absence of God from the soule for when he is present it can see no sin his presence is as the Sun-beames chasing away the clouds of our sins but when he obscures himselfe then the soule sees her sinnes and perceiues and feeles him absent out of which two ariseth that which wee call the trouble of conscience which is a felt desertion of God What the trouble of conscience is wherein the creature by a spirituall eclipse seeth not the Creator in the mirror of the Gospell neither thinks that his promises appertaine to them neither findes God hearing their prayers neither feeles comfort in the Word and Sacraments neither findes God blessing him in his actions but as a man left to himselfe and a prey to the Deuill except God support him He sees the heauen as a fire aboue him and hell as an open gulfe beneath him men and Angels his enemies and the deuds his burials Behold in what a case this man is in Simil. euen as a childe left in the wildernesse by his parents to be a prey to wilde beasts so is a soule deserted of God But because I haue spoken at great length of the trouble of Conscience it selfe of her causes and ends of her diseases and remedies in my booke of Meditations on the seuen dayes I referre the Reader thereto not willing to vse any repetition But Lord how long Now yee haue heard both the corporall diseases of Dauid and spirituall that as his body and soule mutually sinned so both were mutually pained and both againe cured albeit not so soone as Dauid desired and therefore longing for the Lords presence he subioynes But Lord how long wilt thou delay A troubled heart hath abrupt speeches to God Which is an abrupt interrogation when through the vehemencie of his perturbation he curreth his speech which the Orators by a figure call Aposiopesis when men cannot vtter clearely and fully their minde through the greatnesse of their griefe The like whereof we haue in the 13 Psalme How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for euer and Psal 79.5 89.46 Lord how long wilt thou be angry for euer and Lord how long wilt thou hide thy selfe for euer Habak 1.2 O Lord how long shall I cry and thou wilt not heare And the soules that were vnder the Altar slaine for the testimonie of the truth cry Reuel 6.10 How long Lord holy and true c. Out of this we haue
these three things to obserue Doctr. An appointed time set by God for the end of our crosses First that there is an appointed time which God hath measured for the crosses of all his children before which time they shall not be deliuered and for which they must patiently attend not thinking to prescribe times to God for their deliuerie or limit the holy One of Israel Exo. 12.40 The Israelites remained in Aegypt till the complete number of 400 yeares were accomplished Ps 115.18 Ioseph was three yeares and more in the prison till the appointed time of his deliuerie came The Iewes remained 70. yeares in Babylon Dan. 9.2 Simil. So that euen as a Physitian appointeth certaine times to the Patient both wherein he must fast and be dieted and wherein he must take recreation So God knoweth the conuenient times both of our humiliation and exaltation The impatience â—f our nature vnder the crosse Next ye see the impatience of our nature in our miseries our flesh still rebelling against the Spirit which oftentimes forgetteth iâ— selfe so farre that it will enter in reasoning with God and quarrelling with him as we may reade of Iob Ionas c. and here also of David Thirdly albeit the Lord delay his comming to releene his Saints yet hath he great cause if wee could ponder it for when wee were in the heat of our sinnes many times he cryed by the mouth of his Prophets and Seruants Our iust recompeÌ„ce from God O fooles how long will you continue in your folly and we would not heare and therefore when we are in the heat of our pains thinking long yea euery day a year till we be deliuered let vs consider with our selues the just dealing of God with vs that as he cried and we would not heare so now we cry he will not heare VERSE 4. Returne ô Lord deliuer my soule saue me for thy mercies sake DAVID before hath vsed some arguments to moue the Lord to deliuer him from his present troubles the first whereof was taken from his infirmitie the next from Gods mercies hauing an obiect before them his miseries Now he goes forward in a repetition of his request desiring God to returne to him Returne ô Lord. These words presuppose that in his tentation God was alienated from him Simil. and went his way as when a Physitian goeth from his patient And againe that he had felt Gods presence sensibly before this his absence not that God indeed at any time vseth to absent himselfe from his elect but to their conception and iudgement he seemeth to do so when they feele not the tokens of his presence at some time for their humiliation as the Sunne goeth not out of the firmament Simil. suppose he be obscured by the clouds ouercasting or some other impediments naturall So albeit the clouds of our sinnes and miseries hide the faire shining face of God from vs yet he wil pierce thorow dissipate these clouds and shine clearly vpon vs in his owne appointed time How God is said to returne God is said to returne to vs not by change of place for he is in all places but by the dispensation of his gratious prouidence and a declaration of his new mercies and benefits toward vs. Such a returning God promised to Abraham Gen. 18.10 I will certainly come againe vnto thee according to the time of life and lo Sarah thy wife shall haue a sonne So he promised to returne to the Israelites to doe them good Ier. 32.40 and he will turne againe and haue compassion vpon vs and Ier. 12.15 returne vnto me Zach. 1.3 and I will returne vnto you And Iames the brother of our Lord Acts 15.16 bringeth further a sentence out of the 9 of Amos After these things I shall returne restore the Taberuacle of Dauid Therefore as Dauid hath lamented the absence of God in the former verse in this he desireth a signe of his presence to be giuen to him Herein stands our happinesse if God looke fauorably vpon vs for then all things prosper well in our hand But because I haue spoken largely of the presence and absence of God from the soule in my Booke on the seauen words which our Lord spake on the Crosse and namely vpon the fift word My God my God why hast thou forsaken me whither I referre the Reader who is desirous to vnderstand any more of this subiect Desperate dangers get comfortable remedies Deliuer my soule This clearly declareth that Dauid hath beene in some extreame dangers both of his spirituall and corporall enemies from which he could not be deliuered but by the mighty hand of God who behoued to doe violence to his enemies euen as Dauid himselfe deliuered his fathers sheepe from the clawes of the Lion 1 Sam. 17.34 and pawes of the Beare and smote them both So it is miraculous to consider in how desperate perils and dangers good men will be cast wherein no doubt they would perish if they were not supported by the mighty hand of God Doctr. Saluation onely belongeth to God Obserue farther that it lyeth not in the power of any man to deliuer himselfe for saluation onely belongeth to the Lord yea whether hee worke our deliuery mediately or immediatly alwaies he is to be praised The reason why Iehouah so often named I finde that the name of Iehouah is fiue times mentioned in this prayer which is emphatically done being a great testimony of the certainty of his knowledge that hee knew assuredly vpon whom he called not vpon an vnknowne God but vpon him who manifested himselfe to Moses vnder the name of Iehouah Exod. 6. whereby his faith was greatly strengthened hauing assurance of deliuery by him who onely is and giues being to others makes his promises to be extant and the sweet name of Iehouah is so comfortable to a Christian that in the middest of dangers yea at deaths doore Pauls defire Dauids conceâ—ing lice death reconciled it will not onely temper the bitternesse of afflâ—ctions but also quite take them away Saue me This ingemination of his praier to be deliuered from death would presuppose that Dauid was ouer-much afraid of death when as the faithfull should not loue this life ouermuch neither feare death aboue measure but ought to say with the Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 I desire to be dissolued and be with Christ And again My life is not deare to me that I may finish my race with gladnesse as also when Agabus prophecied of his bonds the faithfull of Caesarea requesting him not to goe to Ierusalem answered Acts 21.13 What doe ye weeping and breaking my heart for I am not onely ready to be bound but also to dye at Ierusalem I answer Dauid desired the continuation of his life to settle the kingdome in Solomons person that the promises of God might be confirmed and that himselfe might haue longer space
what the worse is a Captaine for a scarre in his face whose valorous armes haue beene so well tried Next his afflictions and persecutions cannot bee shamefull but honourable for the Apostles themselues thought it great honour to be beaten Acts 3.41 yea to bee scourged for Christs sake They now are crowned with martyrdome who to the worlds opinion haue suffered as euill doers Let not mine enemies reioyce ouer me The deuils reioyce at euill Luke 15.10 The wicked doe imitate the nature of the deuill for he is neuer glad but at the destruction of sinners as the Angels reioyce at their conuersion whereby ye may trie if yee be a true Christian The triall of a Christian by coÌ„passion 2 Cor. 11.29 Doct. Gods children haue many enemies Reu. 12.17 if ye lament with those that lament and haue compassion on them and say with the Apostle Saint Paul Quis affligitur ego non vror Who is afflicted and I doe not burne Gods children haue many enemies hee is not one of Gods lambes if he haue not a Lyon or a dogge to pursue him some are secret some are open but who are they none but the Deuill and his children the Dragon pursues the seed of the woman Next obserue their malitious nature they reioyce at the euill of Gods children Simil. and doe leape for gladnesse The Flies and Eagles liue on the sores of beasts so doe the wicked reioyce at the euill of Gods people Doct. The wicked alwaies reioyce in euill Reioyce not ouer mee my enemy I haue fallen I will rise againe Thirdly hee would not feed their eyes with his losses The ioy of the wicked is euer in euill either in their owne or other mens sinnes they sleepe not till they sinne they eate not but in sinne with gluttony they sleepe in vvhoredome they go to murther oppression or strealing VERSE 3. So all that hope in thee shall not bee ashamed but let them bee confounded that transgresse without cause Doct. The benefits of Christiâ—ns are common SO all that hope in thee He so drawes his deliuery that the benefit thereof may redound to the rest of the members of Christ for their euils and their goods are common neither should vvee seeke any thing to our selues but so farre as it may redound to the good of the Church and her comfort For as a ring on the finger adornes the vvhole body Simil. and as the hurt of the finger anoyeth iâ— all Doct. Shame sent to the wicked aâ— to the right owner 1. They transgresse so doth the good of one member reioyce all and the hurt of one offend all But let them bee confounded that transgresse without cause Now shame is sent to the right owner the vvicked vvho are described by two marks first they are perfidious and forsworne no bond can bind them they are a false generation trust them not vvhen they are vvith Iudaâ— kissing thee Luk. 22.47 2 Sam. 3.27 then are they betraying thee Ioab said to Abner in peaceable manner how doe you my Brother in the meane time had a dagger priuately wherewith to kill him 2. Without cause The next marke is vvithout cause they are not able to qualifie any iniury that euer they haue done Psal 11.3 What hath the righteous done saith Dauid They liue vpon suspitions apprehensions and iudge others after their owne false nature Doct. Ianocencie a great comfort in time of trouble Note a great comfort to establish thy conscience in thy sufferings thine innocencie vvhich maketh thy afflictions light and thy burthens easie VERSE 4. Shew mee thy wayes O Lord and teach me thy pathes Doct. Wee are naturally ignorant SHew mee This letteth vs see how that naturally vve are ignorant of the vvaies of God and therefore Dauid vvould bee taught of God Hee craued in the first three verses to bee freed of shame and now hee craues the meanes by vvhich he may bee deliuered euen Gods vvord which is the onely preseruatiue from shame And herefore it often commeth to passe that vvhen men are brought to be open spectacles of shame Doct. The contempt of Gods word the cause of shame Vse Against contemners of the word of God Simil. they doe confesse it was not the present accident wherein they are taken but the contempt of Gods word And this should teach vs to loue that word and follow it to the end vve may be kept from shame which maketh greatly against the Atheists and Papists of our Land who contemne the blessed word of God they are as Owles flying the light of the day Qui male facit â—ait lucem hee that doth euill hateth the light In this verse are contained 1. the person whom he implores Iehouah whom he describeth leading him teaching him Ioh. 3.20 The Parts receiuing him in fauour and nourishing him in the 4.5.6 7. verses 2. What hee seekes Gods wayes 3. By what meanes Teach me and lead mee 4. the reason Because thou art my God and I trust in thee Dauid a King and a Prophet craues to bee directed by God to the effect and end hee may direct the course of his life well and of all his Subiects which was Solomons choyce 1 Kin. 3. â— Lord giue me wisedome to go in and out wisely before thy people So should Pastors doe Who would bee a good Master Doct. All should desire to be taught by God in his wayes Two contrary waies let him be a good Apprentice this same should all priuate Christians desire that God would teach them that way which will please him best euen his owne wayes Thy wayes This presupposeth that there is another way which is the way of sinne as there are two places and ends heauen and hell so are there two persons sheepe and Goates two wayes the broad and narrow two words Ios 24.15 come and depart I with Iosua set before you life or death the right or wrong way chuse or refuse All men are going but there is onely one Gods way the Kings hie streete many by-wayes All thinke they are going to Heauen Iewes Turkes Papists Atheists but try if thou be going thereto by that vvay which God hath set downe to thee trye which is the ancient way the true and liuing way Brigands and false guids may deceiue you 2 Kin. 6.19 The wrong way as the Prophet led the Aramites Ioh. 14.6 Ps 119 35. and leade you to Samaria but the way of God is set downe by Christ I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the Father but by me euen through the vale of his flesh thus he steps through Christ Dauid prayes vnto the Lord that hee would direct him in the path of his commandements for therein was his delight and Isaias saith God will teach vs his wayes Isai 2.3 and we will walke in his pathes Faith and Loue two feet whervpon wee must walk There bee two feete
euer man or can hee be but he shall finde comfort and good in this booke of Psalmes For the Psalmes are an Epitome of the old Testament Simil. a mirrour or looking glasse of the grace of God a perfect Anatomie of the whole man Wherein are expressed all sort of documents both of the gracious promises of God to his owne children and his iustice against his aduersaries also of our faith in the promises of God of our infirmities our patience our constancie our deliuerie from our troubles and our thankesgiuing for the same finally of our duetifull obedience to God and care of his Church Dauid by his doctrine teacheth these to repent whom by his example he had taught to sinne A generall lesson for al persons This is a Didascalique Psalme wherein David teacheth sinners to repent by this doctrine Who teached them to sinne by his example This science is vniuersal and pertaineth to all men and which necessarily wee must all learne Princes Priests and people men and women children tradsemen and whatsoeuer they be mâ—st be put to this Schoole without which lesson all others are vnprofitable A marke of a true penitent sinâ—er But to the poynt This is a marke of a true peâ—itent when hee hath beene a stumbling blocke to others hee may be as carefull to raise them vp by his repentance as hee was hurtfull to them by his sinne and I neuer thinke that man truly penitent who is ashamed to teach sinners repentance by his owne particular proofe The Samaritan woman when shee was conuerted Ioh 4.29 left her bucket at the Well entred the City and sayd come forth yonder is a man who hath told mee all that I haue done Luk 22.32 and our Sauiour sayth to S. Peter when thou art conuerted strengthen thy brethren 1 Tim 1.14 S. Paul also after his conuersion is not ashamed to call himselfe chiefest of all sinners and to teach others to repent their sinnes happie and thrise happie is the man who can build as much as hee hath cast downe Let Princes be ashamed to sinne but not to repent Next hee is a King and yet not a shamed to be an example of repentance by which all kings and noblemen should learne to be ashamed of their sinne but neuer be ashamed to repent Theodosius the Emperour after the slaughter that his Souldiers made at Thessalonica came to S. Ambrose The example of Theodosius the Emperour and humbly fell downe on his face amongst the penitents saying that part of the Psalme Agglutinata est terrae anima mea Ps 44.25 my soule is glewed vnto the earth David an experimented teacher Thirdly David is an experimented doctor as I haue said in the former two Psalmes who hauing felt himselfe teacheth others The Pilot who hath Sailed the Sea can best teach others the art of Nauâ—gation Simil. a Captiane can direct an armie best who hath had proofe of the enemie himselfe So experience in Spirituall combates is of great worth and hee can best teach others to avoide sinne who hath ouercommed sinne in his owne person Learne to get remission of sinne The doctrine most necessarie for a Christian to learne is the remission of sinnes For although yee had learned all other sciences what could they auaile you without this For as one of the worthiest fathers sayes all sciences without this are vnprofitable What if thou thou were neuer so prudent in the lawes if thine owne conscience accuse thee and expert in Physicke if thine owne soule be sickly and know the power of the stars if thy sinne throw thee downe to the lowest hels yea albeit yee learned all the heads of Theologie and taught them vnto others yet they are nothing worth to thy selfe if thou hast not learned to repent thy sinnes and to haue perswasion of mercy for them Iam. 2.19 Mar. 5.12 The Deuils beleeue and they tremble the legion of Deuils which came from the possessed could pray to Christ that hee might licence them to enter into the heard of Swine they they could confesse and professe that Christ was the Son of God 2 Cor 7.14 the Deuill can change himselfe into an Angell of light Balaam can Prophecie and many shall say Numb 23. we haue done miracles in thy name Iudas can preach and many can speake eloquently thinking to adde to Pauls bands but one thing can they neuer doe euen assure themselues that their sinnes are forgiuen them This lesson none can learne but those who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught by God And this is the lesson that David teacheth al Christians who come to his Schoole which if they learne it is sufficient this is that one thing which is needfull I wish to God from mine heart Note that Pastors of Gods word would leane ostentation words of humane eloquenâ—e and the shew of learning and labour more to worke most vpon the hearts of the people a remorse for sinne and an assurance of mercie Et vt plactum populo non sibi plausum moâ—eant that they may moue a weeping among the people more then an applause to themselues VERSE I. Blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiuen and whose sinnes is couered BEfore I come to the particular parts of this excellent Psalme I must obserue wherein David doth place happinesse and felicitie He more then twentie times in the Psalmes d scribing who are happie accounteth thesee onely happie who are godly Sometimes in the cause Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord Psal 33.12 Psal 41.1 Psal 128.1 Psal 32.1 Blessednesse sometimes imputed to the causes sometimes to the effect sometimes to the meane sometimes in the effect Blessed is the man who iudgeth wisely of the poore sometimes in the meanes as blessed are those that feare God whose sinnes are forgiuen for as gold is alwaies gold whither it be in the mine where it grew or put forth to exchange or in the kings treasurie so godlinesse must be esteemed all one whither yee iudge it by the cause from which it had its beginning or from the effects thereof or from the meanes whereby it is intertained albeit euery one of those haue their owne place the one as the fountaine the other as the spring flowing therefro There is no man although neuer so vnhappie who doth not aspire and desire to be happie Wherein many put happines 2 Sam. 13.4.29 but they perceiue not wherein happinesse consisteth some put it in the pleasure of their flesh with Ammon but his sudden repentance in thrusting away his sister and his infortunate end shew that there is no happinesse in those filthie pleasures some place happinesse in riches with Crassus but finding the incertaintie thereof they wil be forced to cry Plutarchus O Solon Solon other place happinesse on honours as Absolom and Haman who were both exalted on trees 2 Sam. 18.9 Ester 7.10 But David albeit hauing riches honours and pleasures
Lyon but most of all the sorrow which cannot be relaxed through intermission of time Difference betwixt the godly and wickeds griefe There is great difference betweene the dolour of the godly and of the wicked for the passions of the godly proceed from a good ground that is from the sense of Gods anger the other onely from the sense of their paine Then the godly albeit with Iob and Dauid they will sometime ouershoote themselues yet they will take vp themselues againe lest they ouerpasse their bounds VERSE 4. For thine hand is heauie vpon me day and night and my moisture is turned into the drought of summer Selah YEe heard the amplificatioÌ„ of his sorrow which pierced his bones next made him cast out such cryes roarings 3. which coÌ„tinued so long Now he declareth the cause of all euen the heauie hand of God vpoÌ„ him For thine hand is heauie vpon me The hand of God is either a comfortable hand in feeding his Church Thou openest thy hands and they are filled with good things or defending her Psal 104. Psa 136.28 or chastising her As the hand of a father both feedeth and chastiseth his childe the one in him being as necessary as the other Obserue first that all afflictions are Gods hand Doctr. All afflictions are Gods hand Amos 3.6 1 Thes 3.3 Shall there be euill in the citie and the Lord hath not done it his hand ordaines them Hence Saint Paul sayth That no man should be moued with these afflictions for yee your selues know that we are appointed therevnto Secondly His hand who executes them caused Iob to say The Lord hath giuen the Lord hath taken Iob. 1.21 and this made David to say 1 Sam. 16.11 Suffer Shimei to curse for the Lord hath bidden him Thirdly His hand orders and disposes vpon them and turnes them to such ends as are fittest Next Doctr. We should looke to God when we are smiâ—ten See how David lifteth vp his eyes to God in the midds of his troubles and acknowledgeth the hand of God smiting him wherein many men faile who albeit they acknowledge all things that befall them to come by Gods prouidence yet when they are touched with some trouble they looke not to God who chastiseth them but to the Secondarie means and instruments that God vseth for that effect Isai 1.5 Why should yee be smitten any more for yee fall away more and more thou hast smitten them sayth â—erâ—mie and they haue not lamented Ier 5 3. And Isai The people haue not turned to him who smot them Isa 9.13 Euen as a man being wounded sometime would accuse his owne ignorance and slouth who would not eschew the stroake sometime would bite the instrument Simil. dart or sword that hurt him when rather hee should seeke remedies to cure his wounds So rather let vs looke to God who chastiseth vs then to second causes and instruments Let vs returne vnto the Lord who hath wounded vs and must heale vs againe Hos 6.1 Nazianz. Nazianzenus sayth a te percussus ad te respicio so doth the Prophet saying I am smiten by thee to thee I looke who hast pierced me Exod. 8.18 Let vs not be like the Egyptians that acknowledge the finger of God but they repented not therefore See that we despise not the iudgements of God by a beastly stupiditie and senselesnesse or the sharpnesse of trouble extort words of impatiencie It is enough that it is the hand of God who smites to whom we looke and from whom we beg mercy A sure ground of patience Here is a notable ground of patience in affliction that it is Gods hand vnder which we should humble our selues that is with meeknesse bow vnder it Ioh. 18.11 for it is the hand of our father Shall I not drinke of the cup that my father hath giuen me to â—rinke Note If it be a little bitter at the top the bottome will haue a pleasant farewell Moreouer the hand that smiteth the Church Doctr. The troubles of the Godly turne to their good Isa 59.1 Cant. 2.6 Psal 39 9. Isa 38.15 1 Sam. 3.18 2 Sam. 15. is no further stretched then to her benefit the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot saue The same hand is vnder her head This made the Saints patient I was dumbe and haue not opened my mouth because thou didest it It made Hezekias to say what should I say for hee hath said it to me and hath done it And Eli it is the Lord let him doe as seemeth to him good And Dauid if he say I haue no delight in thee Loe here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes Then if afflictions be the hand of God 2 Chron. 16.12 as they are indeed what neede we run to Physitians with Asa or with Achaziah Pharaoh Nebuchadnezâ—â— Saul c. to Beelzebub Astrologians Witches Deuils c. to seeke our deliuerie since we haue the hand which made vs al-sufficient to cure vs. Note Let vs goe gripe and kisse that hand which formed vs reformed vs fed vs defended vs drew vs from Idolatrie and hell it selfe Day and night The Circumstances of the time and the continuance of the same should remember vs that wee ceased not night and day to offend him and why should not we be patient both day and in the night to sustaine the markes of his displeasure and â—ust retributions of our sinnes therefore wee should not at least haue no cause to be impatient when our trouble lasts longer in regard we haue spent longer time in sinne without thinking long Doctr. much time spent in sin requires a greâ—t time of troubles Yea iustly he might haue requited vs with euerlasting plagues in hel whom he suffereth not but a little with momentaneal chastisements to be afflicted So Dauid giueth vs a singular example of fortitude and patience who could indure those of long time when wee will scarce abide eight dayes tryall with out grudging Iob suffered his paines night and day for he sayth Iob 7.13 Christians indure â—ong trouble When I say my bed shall comfort me then thou affraiest me with visions c. This threatening was giuen forth When it is euening wee will say would to God it were morning and in the morning would God it were euening Deut. 28. Luk 8.43 A daughter of Israel was bowed by the Deuill 18. yeares The woman with the bloudy issue 12. Yeares Aeneas was sicke of the Palsie 8. yeares Act 9.23 Ioh 55. Doctr. The time of the Churches deliuerie knowne to God Exod. 12.40 Leu. 26.19 the man cured at the Poole of Bethesda 38. yeares So we must not impose houres and dyets to God for he knoweth the appointed time of our deliuerie and hee will saue vs when he pleaseth The Israelites were in Aegypt 400. yeares and in Babilon 70. yeares The ten general persecutions last 300. yeares
euen till Constantines dayes For if wee walke stubbornely against him hee will bring seuen times more Plagues vpon vs according to our sinnes And againe God by the continuance of his hand will hold vs in continuall exercise of grace Doctr. Continuance of troubles exerciseth our grace as of humilitie faith patience praier and repentance for as one hauing a precious Iewell in his hand so long as hee watcheth he is carefull to keepe it but being a sleepe it may ready fall out of his hand So God holds vs waking by continuall exercise Simil. that we may keepe the grace which we haue gotten The fire is kept in by often blowing which dieth out by discontinuance My moysture is turned into the drought of Summer Doctr. Body and soule iointly punished being yoke-fellowes in sinne The dolour of Dauid was not onely internall but also externall by sicknesse for as the body was an instrument of sinne it worthily and duely is punished and as they were yoake fellowes in sinning it is iust with God that they should be companions in sorrow It is no small matter when the body is diseased although the mind were well established but when both are vnquieted it is harder Pro 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie of the body but who can beare a troubled Spirit So that the Philosophers supposed that man to be happie who had mentem sanam in corpore sano a sounde minde in an whole body Then if we be whole let vs giue thakes to God and dedicate our liues to his seruice if we be sicke craue him pardon and mercie seeking reliefe at his hand repent our sinfull life Therefore I thinke that many in their best health are sicke because they abuse their health Many being whole are most diseased and many sicke are whole who turne to God and from their greatest sicknesse seeke medicine against their sinne Selah It is here added Bueherus first to show what a torment it is rightly to feele the burthen of sinne so that hee leaueth this pause or groane as we will doe at things wherewith we are greatly affected Next it declareth what weight this doctrine hath and of what consideration to rebuke vs who thinke so little of sin as we haue in all our dayes neuer mourned for it VERSE 5. Then I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee neither hid I mine iniquity for I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Selah DAvid hath hi herto propounded the the doctrine of the remission of sins and brought in his owne example for confirmation of the same We haue spoken already of his sorrow for his sinne now followeth the confession of the same before God which is a necessary part of repentance Doctr. Confession necessary part of repentance Then I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee Yee haue heard the estate of Dauid before his confession when the heauie hand of God was vpon him The Second part of his experience is set downe in this verse comprehending the feeling of Gods mercie the occasion whereof was the confession of his sinnes and the end the remission of the same The division of this verse The former hath these parts first the time then secondly the ground I thought or said will confesse thirdly the matter my sinne iniquitie and wickednesse fourthly the manner first in respect of God to thee secondly in respect of himselfe against my selfe The latter part And thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Selah Dauid ouer came hypocrisie This diligence in describing his confession so oft First That hee acknowledged his sin Secondly That hee would not hide his iniquitie but confesse his Apostasie to the Lord declareth hee hath gotten victorie ouer all Hypocrisie and obtained the holde of sinceritie and simplicitie God chooseth the most fit times to workegrace in vs. Simil. Then This circumstance argueth that first hee behoued to feele his sinne and the bitter panges inflicted vpon him because of it For when men are cast downe then is a most sit occasion for God to worke grace vpon them as when men are greatly extenuate by sicknesse it is a conuenient time for a Physitian to giue medicine And surely afflictions are necessarie preparations to grace For our nature is like fallow ground which if it be not broken vp by tentation Simil. it is in vaine to sowe seed vpon it To which purpose The vse of the conscience in man God placed the conscience in mans Soule to shew vnto him his wrongs to follow him apprehend him yea set vp a gibbet in his soule to which it adiudgeth him to the end it may bring him to himselfe to seeke pardon and mercie Simil. So yee see as God brought light out of darkenesse in the beginning of the world Gen 1.3 so he bringeth the ioy of his elect out of sorrow Simil And as by Christs death hee brought life to the world so hee killeth vs to make vs a liue Simil that we may take heart to vs and say after darknesse I shall see light And I know that this hand that is so heauie vpon me is vnder mine head to bring mee light out of this darknesse life out of that which for the present seemeth more bitter then death it selfe Hos 6.2 We see also here an infallible example of the frowardnesse of our owne nature Doctr. Force must reclaime the frowardnes of our nature which cannot be restrained without extreme dealing for Dauid is layd vpon the racke and almost stretched asunder and disioynted be fore hee can be brought to a sincere confession which should teach vs that wee should enter to an heartie mislike of our selues and to be displeased with our intractablenesse which hath moued God to heaue vs vp and cast vs downe againe For if wee would iudge our selues we would not prouoke him to such extreme dealing for he would not cōdemne vs but be a comforter in our agonies Yea Dauid in this teacheth vs to iudge wisely of the poore and those who are troubled in their Conscience for when men are so afflicted they are called mad Melancholike desperate assuring our selues that Gods dearest children are often rent in peeces all their tackles may be burst asunder their bruised barke left to the mercie of the winde and waues and yet come to a comfortable harbour and safelie arriue at shoare Moreouer these wicked sort of people are to be damned who with a Sardinian laughter reioyce in their sinne and sport themselues therewith yea boast of their mad humors when God in the meane time is bending his bowe at them I acknowledged my sinne neither hid I mine iniquitie Hee vseth three phrases to shew his confession I made it knowne I hid it not and I confessed it he in like manner to expresse his filthinesse vseth three termes wickednesse sinne and iniquitie as he did in the
pray to God and is it not verie conuenient that the Godlie in their trouble should run to God from whō as they haue their name Conditions necessary to be in him to whom wee pray so they haue all good things if we would seeke helpe at any we must see that hee doth know our danger that hee will heare vs that he fauoureth vs that hee will helpe vs that hee will deliuer vs that hee will continue constant to helpe vs and if any of these lacke our sute is in vaine and to no purpose There is no creature in heauen or earth to whom all these can be attributed but onely to God For Images and Idols haue no more sense then Baal had when his Priests called O Baal heare vs of whom to deride them Eliah 1 Kings 18 26. God sees our miserie with pitifull eyes Luk. 10.33 said he is in a iorney or sleeping But our God sees all our tribulations and foresees them and sees them with regrate as a parent would behold the miserie of his childe not with common eyes as an on looker of a commedit but with mournfull eyes as the Samaritan beheld the wounded Iew for hee that made the eye can hee not see and qui totus est visus he who is altogether sight can he not perceiue This is a great comfort to the patient that hee hath God looking on him with the eye of his compassion And as hee seeth so hee heareth our groaning with both his cares Isa 63.26 God heares our groanings Psal 27.10 Though Abraham bee ignorant of vs and Israel know vs not yet thou O Lord art our father and our redeemer Though my father and my mother would forget me yet the Lord will gather me vp And if Abraham did not see the miseries of the Israelites who sprang out of his loynes shall we suppose that the Saints departed see our particular Crosses or sorrows The Saints departed heare not or tentations who when they were aliue could not see them but so farre as they would exprest them How much lesse now can they see our crosses except as the Papists folishly say in the Glasse of the Trinitie which were asmuch as to make the Trinitie a myrrour to their soules The Saints occupied in praysing God to occupie them in the earthly sorrows of his Saints who are so well occupied in the celestiall praises of his Maiestic and albeit they be lying vnder the altar desiring the accomplishment of the body of Christ yet they are put to no businesse to that which the Trinitie fullie can doe themselues to whom belongeth the worke of our saluation Many both see heare and pitle our miseries albeit they are not able to succour God able to help vs. or supplie vs. Here then is our comfort that wee haue an omnipotent God to whom we come who quiequid voluit fecit hath is able to doe what so euer hee will and if wee haue his heart to loue vs we neede nor to doubt of his hand to helpe vs as a subiect on whom a Potent king casteth his affection and whom hee loueth intirely needes not to doubt of his liberalitie and protection And finally albeit that any mortall man both saw and knew Gods fauouris constant and fauoured vs and had power to accomplish our suites yet what suretie haue we of the continuance of of his fauour or yet of his life Therefore saith Dauid Trust not in wordly Princes whose breath is in their nostriles Psal 146.3 But our God is constant eternall immutable and as hee abideth for euer so doth his loue continue without any shaddow of change Here I might very pertinently conuince that Doctrine of the Papists Against the Popish intercession of Saints who seeke to God by other intercessors then Christ But seeing that worthy English man Mr. Taylor hath handled that subiect very well and I vse not to fall forth in my Sermons in any Etenchticke place against the enemies except shortlie to poynt at them as the text affoordeth occasion or yet Didactick common places seeing onely I purpose to interpret the text of the Psalme as it lyeth therefore I referre you who desire to heare this controuersie to the said reuerend fathers commentarie on this Psalme who hath reasoned the mater very well and to all your contentments will satisfie you as also my brother Master Patricke Simsons treatise of the Invocatiō of Saints written in his Centuries In a time when thou maiest be found This is the fourth The time o prayer and last poynt of the godlie mans phrase the time when he shall pray This phrase implieth three things First That prayer is a seeking of God Secondly That there is a time wherein God will not be found and Lastly that there is a time wherein the godly shall finde him Seeke the Lord while hee may be found call vpon him while hee is neere Doctr. That praier is a seeking of God Psal 34.4 2 Chron 20 3. Math 7.7 Luk. 2.27 Can 6.1 Where God is to be found in his Temple Isa 55.6 I sought the Lord sayth Dauid and Iehosaphat sought the Lord by Prayer So it is necessary wee should seeke God by Prayer that wee may finde him Seeke and yee shall finde That yee may finde him First seeke him in his owne house there Simeon found him The Church found him amongst the tents of the shepheards in his Garden amongst the beds of the Spices that is in the assemblie of the Saints where graces grow vp as sweete Spices Next Seeke him in his word and by Praier His word Eph. 6 18. By prayer Ier. 29 13. for there hee is to be found Thirdly in sinceritie of Spirit praying in the Spirit Yee shall seeke me and finde me because yee sought me withall your heart Seeke him also in season timously Early in the morning sayth Dauid will I seeke thee Psal 63.2 that is euery morning the beginning of my worke shall bee to praise thee Fourthly seeke him for himselfe not as the Iewes God is to be sought for himselfe who sought him for their bellie Then wee seeke him for himselfe when wee seeke his glorie in euery thing although to our owne shame and discommoditie Then seeing the Lord may be found it were good for vs to seeke him as I said before and specially in his Temple where hee may be found and not in time of his seruice to frequent Alehouses or any pastimes vpon the Sabboth day or Merchandise pretending they can serue God on horsebacke as well as in the Church I will not be ashamed to borrow some fearefull examples from that learned and godly Pastor Master Taylor Marke the example of abusing the Sabboth A certaine man for hunting on the Sabboth day had a child borne with the head of a Dogge that seeing hee preferred his Dogges before the seruice of God hee might haue one of his owne geting to make much of
prayse God and our necessities but when we praise we haue our chiefe respect to God and his honour and the Lord he doth both for he worketh deliuerie of vs and thankfullnesse in vs Ab eo incipient ab eo desinent operatur velle et perficere They beginne of him they shall end of him he worketh to will and to perfit Iacob was deliuered by God Gen. 35. and hee said to him Goe vp to the God of Bethel Often christians are grieued at themselues that they know not how to performe a dutie to God for his blessings for which cause Dauid sayth What shal I render to the Lord c. Psal 116.12 I will take the cup of Saluation c. Compassest mee about This word importeth Doctr. As we are beseiged with troubles so are we compassed with deliueries that as wee are beseiged on euery side with troubles so wee are compassed with as many comforts and deliueries as our crosses grow daily so our consolations are augmented day by day Wee are on euerie side offended and on euerie side defended therefore wee ought on euery side sound Gods praises as Dauid sayth Psal 103.1 My soule praise the Lord and all that is within me With Songs of deliuerance This noteth the the greatnesse of his praises and what delight hee had in them that hee would not onely speake them but sing them This was verie familiar to the Iewes namely to Dauid to sing songs on Harps Viols Tabrets and all instruments of Musicke All my springs shall bee in thee Awake Viol c. The tears of Gods children end in ioy But first let vs obserue that the teares of Gods children end in ioy they sowe a precious seed with sorrow but they bring home sheaues of corne dancing In that hee will not be content onely with thankes but also will haue them conioyned with songs hee letteth vs see how high all the strings of his heart are bended that hee cannot containe himselfe for the mercies of God to his Church and for his manifold deliuerances for the same Many sing prayses to God with an halfe open mouth Many haue an halfe open mouth in singing prayses to God who are too ready to sing filthy Ballads to the dishonour of God and albeit they can sing alowde any filthy ballad in their house they make the meane I warrand you in the Church that scarce they can heare the sound of their owne voyce I thinke they be ashamed to proclaime and shew forth Gods prayses or they feare to deafen God by their lowde singing But David bended all his forces within and without to praise his God Neither doe wee approue those foolish songs of the Papists Against Popish singing who doe not only wearie the hearers but the Idoles themselues with their rowting and crying and that in an vnknowen Language Saint Basil sayth eos demum cantus recipiendos qui nos possunt efficere meliores Those Songs are to be receiued which may make vs better in old they sung as though they had beene speaking that men might rather vnderstaÌ„d their meaning then delight their eare by the instrument VERSE 8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt goe and I will guide thee with mine eye VERSE 9. Be not like an Horse or like a Mule which vnderstandeth not whose mouthes thou doest binde with bit and bridle lest they come neere thee VERSE 10. Many sorrowes shall come to the wicked but hee that trusteth in the Lord mercie shall compasse him NOw David after he hath gotten assurance of there mission of his sinnes described the vertues which flow from the same in these three verses The substance of these three verses giueth forth a worthy and Doctorall admonition to all sinners to take heed vnto themselues in the eight verse propounding himselfe to to be their Doctor in the ninth sharpely admonishing them that they become not brutish beasts in not giuing voluntar obedience till they be coacted and lastly in the 10. verse hee threateneth those that will not obey many sorrowes shall come to them Concerning the first part I spake in the Inscription of the Psalme yet somewhat I will adde Seeing it pleaseth Gods Spirit to repeate I am not grieued once or twise for your edification to repeate the same matter albeit not after the same maner for this is true Philosophie to teach repentance A King becommeth a Philosopher in the teaching of repentance and these are the fruiâ—s of true repentance He who hath ouercome sinne in himselfe will striue to ouercome it in others when wee will communicate our feelings to others for he who hath ouercome sinne in himselfe will studdie to banish it from others for repentance cannot be without charitie Some translate this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will make it knowne So I will make it euident to you if yee be ignorant Since I haue showne you the way yee your selues are blame worthie if yee will not follow it This is the zeale of the Lords glorie which is in the hearts of Gods children that it bursts forth as a vessel of new Wine as Elihu sayd Simil. Iob. 41. Luk. 13.21 as fire as oyle that giueth smell to all who are in the house as Leauen which leaueneth the whole batch as a light which inlighteneth the whole house Pro. 27.17 as yron sharpeneth yron so doth a Christian a Christian Andrew found Simon and brought him to Christ Philip found Nathaneel they brought others to Christ Ioh. 4. The Samaritan woman being called did also call the Samaritans to Christ Paul conuerted studied to conuert others Act. 9. Luk. 22.32 and Peter conuerted by our Sauiour was commanded to strengthen his brethren And if wee would consider how busied wicked men are to intise others to their sin Pro. 1.14 Goe wee shall haue a common purse cast in thy lot among vs and againe how wicked Proseâ—its goe by Sea and Land Note to make others of their profession Wee both Pastors others would be ashamed that we take no paines vpon â—ur selues to strengthen weake Christians and â—raw those who are without and confirme those who are within in the truth of God whereof our owne consciences are sufficiently perswaded Our coldnesse in this poynt hath neede to be kindled and let vs indeauour to amend it and bee more relaxe in our owne affaires and more bent in the cause of God The Lord waken vs also for Vt ingulent homines surgunt de nocte Latrones Theeues rise in the night to kill men tu vt te ipsum serues non expergisceris thou that thou maiest saue thy selfe doest not awake Math. 26.40.47 Iudas arose in the night to betray Christ while the Apostles were in a heauie sleepe and would not watch for him and themselues Such is the securitie of our nature that wee are not prouident for good things and the pronesse of the
wicked to all euill actions Therefore Dauid is as the righteous man in the Prouerbs Pro. 10.21 Pro. 31.26 Isa 2.3 Psal 122.1.2 whose lippes feede many Yea as that gracious woman who openeth her lippes with wisedome Many shall goe vp to the mountaine of God and say hee will teach vs his waies I reioyced sayth Dauid when they sayd Let vs goe vp to the house of the Lord. Moreouer Learne that wee must not cast all teaching ouer on Pastors who should I confesse be greatest teachers to whom that office of publicke priuate admonitioÌ„ doth appertaine but that euery Christian ought by his speech Euery one ought to instructothers instruction example admonish his familie and familiars as he hath occasion to speake with them Did not Saint Steúen teach Act. 7.2 as well as Saint Paul or Peter for albeit they teach not as Preachers yet as Christians the master his seruants the father his children c. So that it is requisite as one sayth well that euery man should be a Bishop in his owne house The Papists thinke it arrogancie that any man except those of the clergie should dippe in matters of religion and doctrine I will Surely onely the faithfull are wise and others howsoever they pretend wisedome Onlie the faithfull are wise are fooles And true wisedome is onely to be sought out of the Scriptures and the cause of the errors of the Romane Church is this The cause of Popish errors That they will not be Disciples to the Scriptures but Masters to throw it whether they list as a nose of waxe and with their vaine glosses to adulterate the simplicity and puritie of the same Against ignorance And further these miscreants affirme in their open doctrine that ignorance is the mother of devotion and that it is sufficient for the people to beleeue as the Church beleeueth But David sayth plainely that he will instruct them For where the Papist alledgeth the obscuritie of the Scripture David calleth it a light to our eyes and a lanterne to our feete Ps 119.105 So that the word is not hid but to those that perish And as wee should be diligent in opening vp and vnloosing the seale of that booke so should yee be readie and attentiue to vnderstand it Moreouer it is to be considered that al men are naturally ignorant til they be instructed for no man vnderstandeth the things of God except by the preaching of the Gospel 1 Cor. 2 14 Act. 8.31 1 Sam. 3.7 for who can beleeue except he heare Therfore wee should desire that the Lord may thrust out faithfull labourers into his haruest Math. 6.38 who may bring both light and life vnto his people And teach thee the way Hee becommeth not onely a general Doctor but a speciall and particular I will teach thee for the thing that is spoken to all is spoken to none For if Nathan had spoken against adulterie in generall Dauid would not haue repented it and sayd I haue sinned neither yet if Elias had generally reproued oppression in his Sermon to King Achab hee would not haue taken it to himselfe But when hee sayd 1 King 21.19 Occidisti possedisti thou hast killed and also taken possession then hee tooke it to bee spoken of him This libertie Iohn Baptist vsed to Herod Math. 14.4 Luk. 13.32 It is not lawfull for thee to haue thy brothers wife And our Sauiour called Herod a Foxe Why then should not particular remedies be applied to particular diseases Particular remedies should be applied to particular diseases What auaileth it though a Physitian would discourse of medicine and of vlcers Apostoms and what euer euill could befall to the bodie of a man if in the meane time hee applied not cure to the person diseased His Theoricks are nothing worth vnlesse his practise follow after So I conclude this lesson where Dauid sayth erudiam te I will instruct thee that it is necessary for a Pastor particularly to apply his doctrine either to comfort reproue admonish or instruct as the Apostle sayth 2 Tim. 3.16 For the Ministrie is by application of the generall doctrine to the diseased for the word vndrawne hath no edge but being drawne is sharper then a two edged sword diuiding betweene the marrow bones Heb 4.12 piercing betweene the Soule and Spirit Against such as will not take with particular reproofes Let people say as they please and ministers do as they should This condemneth such as cannot abide particularly to be rebuked but say what neâ—de these braâ—nsicke men to make pulpit matters of euery thing I cannot indure to be chid for euery idle word he beareth mee enuie But let them say what they please let Ministers doe as they should The patient will be angrie when his wounds are pierced what of that it is sufficient that the Physitian is dâ—ing a good cure Let him rage as hee pleaseth when he commeth to himselfe he will finde what profit hee hath gotten by him In the way that thou shalt goe Here is the matter wherein he shall be instructed in the way hee should goe It is called a way because it is the necessary meane by which man must attaine to the end of his iourney for none can attaine to the ende but by the way which carrieth thereto This way neuer man knew but by reuelation from God in his holy Scriptures which beginneth continueth and endeth in him Doctr. Godlines is a going in Gods way Psal 119.32 Deut. 4.6 Then godlinesse is a going in Gods way and following his directions guides appointed by him I haue considered thy waies and kept thy commandements Keepe his ordinances for that is your wisedome I will doe wiselie in the perfit way Psal 101.2 sayth Dauid where hee tyeth wisedome to the perfect way The wayes of God are safest being the Kings high way wherein if a man walke hee will finde himselfe surest Psal 91.11 For he shall giue his Angels charge ouer thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes Gods wayes are the clearest wayes his wayes are vncorrupt His wayes are the rightest wayes 2 Sam. 22.31 This way shall be called holy These are the auncient wayes The wayes of the Lord are righteous and the iust shall walke in them Isa 35.8 For the which the Apostle reproueth Simon Magus wilt thou not cease to peruert the straight wayes of the Lord. Hos 14.9 All other wayes are crooked Act. 13.10 they haue made them crooked paths who so euer goeth therein shall not know peace Isa 55.8 I will guide thâ—e with mine eye This threefold repetition I will instruct thee I wil teach thee I will guide thee Three prâ—perties requisit in a Preacher teach vs three properties of a good teacher First that they make the people vnderstand the way to saluation Secondly to goe before them Thirdly to watch ouer them and their wayes First First that
what Gods arrows are and wauereth not who hath a sharp eye foreseeing on what part his arrowes will light His arrowes are his afflictions his marke is the soules and bodies either of the elect or reprbate In this that God is the archer who shooteth at vs wee haue singular comfort that it is his hand who made vs Doctrine God who Woundeth 〈◊〉 must also steale vs â—gâ—ine 〈…〉 that also woundeth vs neither can any euill come from his hand for albeit he wound vs yet he wil cure vâ— againe Come let vs returne to the Lord saith the Prophet for he hath wounded vs and he will heale vs againe His sword cutteth with the one side and healeth with the other as the Poet speaketh of Achilles Ouid. lib. 1. de Trislib qui mihi vulnera fecit Solus Achilleo tollere more potest Gods arrowes are like Ionathans which he shot to Dauid in the fields 1. Sa. 20.36 in token of his loue God saith Saint Augustine Aug. conf 9. cap. 2. amat quos sagittat loueth those at whom he shooteth And Chrysostome calleth them Chrysâ—hom 3. in Ioh. lib. 10. cap. 6. Sagittae salutis Domini the arrowes of the Lords saluation Those arrowes commonly are either wicked men or diuels The diuers soâ—ts oâ— Gods arrowes whom God sendeth forth to afflict his owne children sharp as arrows light and swift as arrows and ready to do harme to Gods Saints or else sicknesse pouertie infamie and such other afflictions whereby our most gracious Father thinketh most fit to subdue our vile corruption all which albeit in their owne nature they are euill Nota. yet God can conuert turne them to the vtilitie and profit of his owne children Simil. As a Physitian can vse the most poisonable and venemous herbes to cure the most desperate diseases yea the flesh of the dead serpent to cure the wound gotten by the liuing serpent so God can conuert and turne the mischieuous machinations of our enemies to our saluation The marke and But at which the Lord shooteth here is Dauid And vseth the Lord to make his pastime to shoote at his owne Saints Obiect I answer Solut. How God is said to shoot at the godly and how at the wicked he shooteth both at the godly and wicked but vpon diuers intentions at the godly to waken them out of their sleepe and he will cure the wound which he maketh at the wicked for their vtter destruction he shooteth at their heart to kill them Are fixed in me By this he declareth that it is impossible to any creature visible or inuisible to pull forth that arrow which God shooteth The hand which shooteth it must also pull it forth Albeit the diuell the Caldeans and Sabeans plagued Iob and were arrowes shot by God as he confesseth Chap. 13. verse 14. and Chap. 19. verse 21. yet the Lords hand onely relieued him And thine hand lyâ—th on me This second comparison taken from the hand of a man signifieth that whatsoeuer trouble came to him he tooke it from Gods hand The sorts of Gods â—ands in â—â—e Scripâ—â—â—â—s His hand sometime is called the hand of creation as Psal 8.3 When I behold thâ—ne heaueâ—â— eueâ— the workes of thy fingers Sometime of deliuerie as when he deliuered his people ouâ— of Egypt by a strong hand Sometime of reuenge as Heb. 10.31 It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the lâ—uing God It hath also many other significations in the Scripture And so Dauid in his sicknesse setteth before his eyes the hand of God enarmed for the punishment of his sinne And whosoeuer he be that subsisteth and stayeth in the sense of his calamities he differeth nothing from a beast but this is wisdome and prudencie in a Christian to looke vp vnto him who smiteth him whereof Isay complaineth for the people turne not to him who sâ—itâ— them Lorinus the Iesuite maketh a ridiculous accommodation of this chastising hand of God in these words Isa â—3 A ridicules application made by Lorinus Per acâ—ommodationâ—m pratereâ— posset illud admitti vt confirmatio manus sit veluti impressio illa collophi quae sit ab Episcopo ei qui sacramcutum Confirmationis confert memoriae causa nam titulus Psalmi est in rememorationem that is Moreouer this might be admitted by applicatioÌ„ that the confirmation of the hand may be like to that impression of the blow which is made by the Bishops hand to whom he giueth the sacrament of Confirmation for memories cause for the title of the Psalme is in remembrance Indeed such a ridiculous exposition of the Scriptures and abuse thereof deserueth to be laughed at by children For if Dauid had not felt heauier blowes from the hand of God then the children doe from the Bishops I thinke he had no cause to complaine VERSE 3. There is nothing sound in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinne HE proceedeth in this third verse to exaggerate and amplifie the greatnesse of his griefe from the vniuersalitie thereof that his sicknesse was not layed on any one part of his bodie but vpon his whole flesh and vpon all his bones His flesh is his exteriour part his bones his interiour Albeit the vlcers and wounds of his flesh were very sensible to him and more horrible in the eyes of men who beheld them as those of Iob and Lazarus which he might haue apprehended deeply when as by them he was made contemptible in the eyes of mens yet his inward paine which was more felt then seene maketh him thus so pitifully to crie Wherein we haue these things to consider First that as all his membâ—rs agreed very well to the performance of his filthy lust Doctr. All his meÌ„bers sinned all are punished so euery one of them receiueth a condigne punishment And it is good for man that he should be thus chastised in this world for a little time rather then he should be reserued for euerlasting darknesse where euery member shall receiue eternall paine for their sinne For as sinne pleaseth nature so it destroyeth and consumeth nature Gods wrath cannot abâ—de sinne Secondly he marketh the cause of those punishments euen Gods wrath because of his sin For when those two meet together they are as fire and flax Gods wrath as fire Simil. will soone deuoure the stubble of our sins Thirdly obserue that Dauid maketh not Gods wrath the onely cause of his miseries and heauie sicknesse for that were to charge God of vnâ—ighteousnesse but he iustifieth God Siâ—ne 〈◊〉 God â—he â—â—le of 〈…〉 when he acknowledgeth that his own sin was the cause of all his euils And surely we can neuer giue sufficient honour to God except we free him of all 〈◊〉 of vniust dealing and acknowledge oâ—â— selues to be the caâ—â—es of ouâ— owne â—â—â—â—â—ies Finally I obserue out of this verse that the word in the
iniquities are multiplied before vs. And yet we must take heed of the diuels craft who obscureth from many their sin so that they can neuer repent for that which they neuer see or feele And yet on the other hand he letteth some see the mountains of their sins and hugenesse of them that they see nothing else in God but his iustice thereby to leade them to despaire as he did with Iudas But we must not looke with such fixed eyes vpon our sins that we lift not vp our eyes to Gods mercie which is ready to pardon and to apply to-our heart all the sweete promises which we reade in the Scriptures so that as feare beareth vs downe faith may vphold vs that we fall not They must euer be before vs in this world and be purged by vnfained repentance not that our repentance can expiate them or pacifie Gods wrath or as the foolish Papists thinke that we can do penance for them For what satisfaction can thy humiliation do which is imperfect to satisfie the wrath of an infinite God Vnlesse his Son had intervened by his satisfaction Gods wrath could not haue bin appeased The more we repent for sin the more we are eased The more we remember our sin and lament for the same the more ease get we to our afflicted minds and consciences and the more sensibly shall we feele the mercie of God pardoning our offences Therefore we cannot be better exercised then in an humble confession of our sin and by bitter teares with Peter weepe for our offences which I pray God the Lord may worke in our hearts that we may find that blessing vpon vs which Christ pronounced Math. 5. Blessed are they who now mourne for they shall be comforted Verse 4. Against thee against thee only haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight that thou maist be iust when thou speakest and pure when thou iudgest THe ancients haue so far differed in expounding this verse some running forth on Allegories others on far sought interpretations that Lorinus the Iesuite numbreth twelue diuers interpretations hereof of which The diuers interpretations of this verse two are most agreeable to the words and meaning of the text The first expounds it this way Howsoeuer say they Dauid did wrong to Vriah yet it was hid from all men and onely knowne to God and these sins are onely done against God whereof none is witnesse but he only And surely albeit we would couer our sins from the sight of the world there is one witnesse whose sight we cannot flee Plato affirmeth that we should do nothing in secret whereof we would be ashamed in publik And Cicero Ne siquidem deos omnes celare possumus albeit we could keepe it secret from all the gods The other whereto I rather incline is thus Albeit say they Dauid had offended man yet it touched him more nigh at the heart the sin he did against God in breaking of his law For so Nathan said vnto him Why didst thou contemn the word of the Lord that thou shouldst do euill in his sight 2. Sa. 12.14 As though Dauid would say Though all the world would absolue me this is more then enough to me that I feele thee my iudge my conscience citeth me before thy tribunall Let vs haue our eyes and our senses fixed on God and not be deceiued with the vaine allurements of men who either extenuate or conniue and winke at our sins For God Nâ—tâ— as he is witnesse to our sins so is he sole and onely Iudge Admire the loue of God who can punish both soule and bodie in hell fire of whose wrath we should be more afraid then of all the kings or tyrants of the world As also we should be sorie that we haue offended so gracious a God who when he might haue damned vs yet hath pleased to pardon vs and taketh no other satisfaction at our hand but repentance for our sin and faith in his Son Iesus Christ Who will not giue vs to our enemies hand to be destroyed but will set vs free from prison out of his free loue Therefore O sinner in time be reconciled with thy Iudge and take no rest till thou haue suretie of his fauour Say with Dauid Peccaui I haue sinned 2. Sa. 12.13 and God shall say with Nathan Peccatatua remissa sunt thy sins are forgiuen Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight The ingemination of the word against thee signifieth the deepnesse of his feeling and griefe who is the more wounded the more he findeth the greatnesse of that maiestie and goodnes whom he hath offended So it were happie for vs that we could be deeply moued with a conscience of our sin that out of the deep places of a contrite heart we might redouble our sighs which would pierce that fatherly heart if we could shoot vp such arrowes to heauen but we laugh ouer the matter not remembring that our laughter shall be turned to mourning This also serueth to conuince such miscreant Atheists who can generally say God forgiue vs we are all sinners as it were excusing their sins when as they are neuer touched at the heart with a sorrow for them They feed their foolish humours with a cloake of the multitude that sinneth quasi patrocinium erroris sit multitudo peccantium as though the multitude of sinners should be a patrocinie and defence of errors saith Augustine Hell is spacious large enough hauing all the dimensions which will containe all the diuels and their children if they were more in number then they are That thou maist be iust when thou speakest and pure when thou iudgest By this it is cleare that the iustice of God shineth most in mens soules and his truth in their lies As though he would say Because I haue sinned so grieuously and haue committed such wickednesse that thou canst not be blamed of vnrighteousnesse though thou shouldst punish me most rigorously for I haue deserued worse then I haue suffered But because the Apostle Paul Rom. 3.4 would seeme to turne this text to another sense we shall reconcile them easily A reconcâ—liation betwixt this place and that of Rom. 3 4. For the Apostle seeing the Iewes to bring the testament and couenant of God in stander as though he had bin the cause of their ruine by casting that vpon themselues he freeth God of their fall But Dauid here vindicateth Gods iustice laying all the cause on himselfe Whereof we gather that if any euill come to man the cause of it is to be found in himselfe we need not cast it on God But out of this that Dauid confesseth God to be iust when he iudgeth we learne first that God as Abraham said is the iust Iudge of the world Gen. 18.25 and albeit he hath reserued a generall iudgement after this life God hath a particular iudgement in this world as Augustine saith yet he
the rockes of a stonie heart and maketh an heart of flesh And as out of rags being brused is brought forth fine paper so is a troubled heart brused with sorrow for sin turned into a gratious subiect whereinto God may worke and write his law And as the poole of Bethsaida being troubled Ioh. 5.4 brought health to mens bodies so doth the conscience afflicted by God bring certaine health and saluation to soule and body Saint Ambrose sayeth that repentance is so difficult and hard a matter that he hath oftner found mo who liued innocently then who did truely repent It is written of Augustine that he caused the psalmes of repentance to be put on the wall ouer against him before he died and reaped aboundantly reading them ten daies at which time none came to him but either the phisitians or his refreshment Seeing therefore God liketh this sacrifice of a contrite heart without which none other thing will please him let vs take the bests of our affections seperate them from their olde pleasures to God bind them by the coards of the word lay them downe at his feete and slay them and that sacrifice shall please him offer thy selfe a liuing sacrifice and be assured God will accept of thee and neuer reiect thee not thine offering other sacrifices die being offered Nota. but we by offering our selues to God yet liue Verse 18. Be fauourable vnto Zion for thy good pleasure build the walles of Ierusalem HE hath prayed for mercie to himselfe now he praieth for the Church which he hath offended by his sinne and vpon which he had brought such euills that it would please God to be mercifull to her build vp her walles and repaire her ruines No man can truely pray for himselfe vnles he pray for the church No man can truely pray for himselfe vnlesse he pray for the Church also as Dauid doth in many Psalmes If a man be a sensible member of the body it is not possible but the euills which befall to any one member let be all touch not him to the heart as it were done to himselfe In this verse are three things contained first for whom he prayeth for Sion and Ierusalem secondly what he suiteth Gods fauour thirdly out of what ground for thy good pleasure But before we enter to any of these particulars we haue some generalls necessarely to be marked The chiefe care of princes should be for the Church First that the chiefe care of Princes should be the weale of the Church The Church is as the heart in the body which being troubled of necessitie the body must be in danger if ye loue your head keepe your hear The Church is as the heart The Church nurisheth the heart bloud of Christ in her bosome the resâ— of the members haue also their owne of fices but she hath the chiefest office being the most noble part and who should maintaine her more then the head whâ— hath all the sences infixed therein anâ— from which all the members sinewes anâ— veines take their life And what greater honour can they haue then to be nursinâ— fathers of the Church If a king concrediâ—â— his child and his first borne to be nourisheâ— by any of his subiects may not that subieâ—â— thinke he hath gotten great honour Simil. anâ— may expect for his trauell great commodâ—tie and when a king hath receiued Gods first borne for Israel is his first borne in his custodie may he not thinke he hath gotten great glorie and if he neglect his first borne shall he not receiue great infamie Those who are greatest officers in a kingdome as Chancelour Chamberlane President Secretarie and men of estate are in greatest estimation and credite and shall not great men thinke they are greatlie obliged to God who hath made them administrators of his kingdome whose standing is the weale of the Church the principall estate of their Common-weale if it stand then they stand if it fall they fall for their subiects obey them more for conscience then for any terrour or feare of their lawes Then it is best for them to be religious and to propagate holie religion for their owne standing The Romans wrought more by religion then the sword The auncient Romans Lacedemonians Athenians were most carefull of religion because they affirmed that they wrought more by deuotion then they were able to doe by the sword This was their good poâ—icie as Plutarch amplie reciteth in his Historie Then when Princes innade religion and draw the people to atheisme see if they be not gratest enemies to themselues to their estate and posteritie The Turke and other polititions may giue Christian princes sufficient proofes of this my assertion as also if examples of Dauid Solomon Iosias Ezechia Constantine Let princes follow Dauids example Theodosius may moue them whose posteritie hath brought eternall renowne vnto them and if not let Iulian affray them and wicked princes like vnto him The care of religion a princes chiefest safeguard The care of religion and to be a religious prince is the greatest safeguard to a prince For religion hath Gods maintainnance and God hath shewen his mightie hand for Ezechia against Senacherib and for Dauid against all his enemies for Queen Elizabeth who died in peace notwithstanding all the maginations of her enemies and for our dread Soueraigne Lord King Iames against all the horrible and monstrous designes of his enemies Princes religious bring wealth to their subiects 1. King 10.21 Princes maintaining religion bring great wealth to themselues and to their subiects as Solomon did when gold was as dust and siluer as the stones Next the Church being vnder continual danger should be helped by princes The Church being troubled should be helped by princes Since the Church is the princes depositum which God gaue to their custodie they ought to haue a chiefe regard of her The fatherlesse widow and orphans are concredited to them much more they should defend the Church because the deuill and his instruments and her fight against her and who should maintaine her but princes who are set in authoritie onely for her cause to debate and take her part against all the world Her enemies are more then notorious she was neuer at rest her enemies are assaulting her continually hell hath broken loose against her in these latter daies princes haue put their diadems on the hornes of the beast people are rageing And seeing that eternall spouse of God is so hated of the world should not princes with Dauid procure her welfare euen to their vttermost Princes must by prayer and power support the Church Princes who would fight well must pray well Exo. 17.11 Gen. 31.28 Prayer hath more power then armour Therefore princes who would fight well must pray well Moses did more with his hands lifted vp to God then Iosua did with his sword Israel wrestled with God gat his name by prayer for otherwaies he could not
of God therefore God fortifieth his citie with al necessary defences which may hold out the enemie The Church hath walls inuisible visible The walles are too fold inuisible the protection of God which the world seeth not for the Lord is a wall of brasse about his Church to repell her enemies and a wall of fire to burne them also he hath his Angels who pitch their tents about his holy and chosen ones 2. Kin. 6.7 there was horses of fire compassing Elizeus The outward and visible walles are made of a number of liuely stones compacted together by the morter of loue strongly resisting all the enemies of the Church for that vnitie of the Saints strengthen them by the power of their God Boni enim ciues mania cinitatis good citizens are the walles of the citie And vpon these walles compassing them on all sides be bulwarks whereupon are set the canons of the word of God mighty in operation destroying the enemies the censures of the Church namely excomunication which being lawfully led is of greater power to subdue the enemie and resist him then all the power of ciuil authoritie The sinnes of princes and people make great gaps in the walles at which the deuil and enemies of the Church and wolfes enter and destroy the Lords vines They with Tobias and Sanballat stay the building of these walles Neh. 4.2 and are striuing to build the walles of Iericho which were forbidden by Iosuah to be redefied vnder a great curse 1. Ki. 16.34 which lighted on Hiel the Bethelite in the daies of Achab pitie is it to see the princes of this world so much enfeebling Ierusalem to strengthen Iericho Dauid crieth to God that he would build them whose power is greater then all the worlds who as he hath inuisible walles of his protection so he hath outward defences to maintaine his Church he is master of it yea master builder and sendeth forth seruants whom he strengtheneth for the building of his worke I see many pulling downe the walles yea with Edom in the destroying of Ierusalem crying sacke sacke Psal 137. â— raze raze vp the foundation Few with Nehemiah mourning for the ruines of Gods house in all parts and helping to restore them Let vs therefore goe to the God of Dauid who albeit he was king of the towne and began to build the citie and walles and laid materials to the Temple yet he knew that the labourers wrought in vaine vnlesse the Lord of heauen builded the citie Lord repaire the decaies of thy Church for thy Christs take For thy good pleasure He findeth the ground of all that perfection to be in God himselfe and his good fauour and not in men or their merits for as the whole building of the Church is the onely worke of God so is the reparation of her ruines onely belonging to himselfe Men might haue builded with stone and bricke the exterior walles It belongeth to God to build the Church but it is proper to God to build his spirituall Church And this is a token that God hath pleasure in his Church when he is building it sending good builders materialls of spirituall graces fortifiers as Cyrus and Darius good Princes Nehemiah good gouernours Esdra and good Priests And our obedient and carefull people who do take the sword in one hand and the instrument of building in the other that the Lords Ierusalem may be edified But when his fauour is departed then in his wrath he giueth Princes Gouernours Nobles Preachers and people who striue either to hinder the building or to pull downe the building to build vp Iericho and cast downe Ierusalem Dauid he craueth that God may be fauorable according to his good pleasure for the building of the Church dependeth vpon Gods good will and pleasure who when he liketh his Church can aduance her and when he is displeased with her cast her downe It appeareth euidently now that God is angrie with his Church in all parts of Christendome when he is pulling downe and not raising vp his Church we haue prouoked his wrath against vs and his soule abhorreth our hipocriticall profession and our wicked conuersation Verse 19. Then shalt thou accept the sacrifices of righteousnesse euen the burnt offering and oblation then shall they offer calues vpon thine altar THis is the promise of thankefulnesse to God wherein is set downe a correspondence or restipulation betwixt the people who shall offer sacrifices and God who will accept them And Gods seruice then goeth well when we offer willingly and God accepteth gladly If our sinnes be forgiuen vs God will heare our pâ—â—erâ— Gen. 4.5 Then Marke the time when God hath beene fauorable to his Church in forgiuing her sinnes then he will accept the offerings For pray what ye please and distribute to the poore if God doe not like of it all is in vaine Caine offered sacrifices but the Lord accepted them not because he hated his cruell heart Abel offered in faith and was accepted But how shall ye know if your offerings be acceptable to God seeing there is no fire to fall downe from heauen as that which burnt vp Elias sacrifice 1. Ki 18.34 Yee shall know that albeit an elementarie or materiall fire falleth not downe Nota. yet the fire of the Spirit falleth on our hearts the fire burning vp the drosse of our corruptions by vnfained repentance warmeing our hearts with the loue of God kindling our hearts with a zeale of Gods glorie This is the fire which will fall downe from heauen vpon our soules which sensiblie we feele if the Lord heare our prayers The sacrifices of righteousnesseâ— Some expound these offerings to be such as agree to his will I reuerence their iudgement but I see not how that exposition can agree with the text But it may be expounded of that righteousnesse which we ought to doe to our neighbours as we offer a sacrifice of a contrite heart the calues of our lippes by praises and these are the sacrifices of righteousnesse by our hands so that heart tongue hand should be all offered to God for God liketh well of righteous dealingâ— that our hand be not defiled with thirst couetousnesse oppression which if we sacrifice to Sathan by sinne let vs not lift to God by prayer but lift vp pure hands wash our hands in innocencie and then compasse Gods altar It would seem to be some differenc wher God said Obiect he would haue none of their sacrifices and now they promise sacrifices Indeed if the sacrifices be onely externall Solut. what accounteth God of them if they want mercie and righteousnesse for he will haue mercie and not sacrifice Therefore let externall and internall worship be conioyned and then God will like best of it but being seperated from spirituall offerings it is abominable and a burden to the Lord. Which be the sacrifices of righteousnes The alter Iesus Christâ— by whom we must offer our prayers
by sharpe meanes to be wakened Ionah 1.6.17 that God is forced to vse sharpe remedies to awaken vs. Ionas lay sleeping in the shippe when the tempest of Gods wrath was persâ—eing him God therefore threw him into the bellie of the whale and bottome of the deepe that from these deepe places he might cry to his God When therefore we are troubled either by heauie sicknesse Vse or pouertie or oppressed by the tirannie of men let vs make profit and vse thereof considering that God hath casten his best children in such dangers for their profite and that it is better to be in deepe dangers praying then on the high mountaines of vanity playing Nota. By the deepe places may be vnderstood also an heart deepely wounded with the consideration of sinne and Gods iustice for God will not accept such superficiall and scrufe praiers which come onely from the lippes and not from a contrite and broken heart 1. Sa. 1.16 Anna the mother of Samuel out of the bitternesse of her heart powred out her soule before the Lord. Exo. 14.15 Moses albeit he spoke not at all yet the Lord said vnto him Why criest thou for out of the deepe places of his heart he called on God Will not God cast backe the dung of those foolish prayers in their faces who thinke to be heard by their much babling and idle repetition of an vncouth language which they vnderstand not or numbering their beedes as though God could be pleased with such foolish and childish toies which come not from faith because they lacke knowledge nor yet from repentance or a sorrow for sinne Let not men thinke to find mines of gold or siluer in the streets Simil. no they must digge into the bowells of the earth for them So let vs not deceiue our selues thinking Gods fauour may be gotten euerie where for in the deepe places it is to be found I called vpon the Lord. The person vpon whom he calleth was the Lord Iehouah one who onely both might as omnipotent and would as most loujug heare him Psal 73.25 Whom haue I in heauen but thee and in earth none beside thee God is all sufficient therefore pray to him If Christ were not onely sufficient to whom and by whom we should pray we might seeke for others but seeing he is sufficient and none other what follie is it to pray to any but to him God differeth from kings kings are not able to doe all the duties of their office to their subiects Exo. 18.18 as Moses although indued with extraordinarie graces for his ease had seuentie ioyned to him to be iudges of the people and therefore we must addresse our selues to the kings officers to end our businesse But our God is infinite and willeth all men to come to him Mat. 11.28 Come to me all ye that are wearie and laden To adde to a thing perfect is to diminish it as to light a candle to the Sunne Simil. or poure a drop of water in the Ocean addition to things imperfect makes them the greater as the more waters the greater riuer the more men the greater armie more gold the greater treasure Then to adde to an infinite God To adde to a thing perfect is to make it imperfect a perfect Christ is nothing else but to dishonour him Search all the Scriptures if they yeeld one example or commanding of either Patriarkes Prophet or Apostle doing or commanding any to be prayed vnto but God onely Their apocrypha and vnwritten verities and their Legenda aurea must be all their warrand Let vs therefore with Dauid in all our prayers call vpon God 1. Kin. 18 29.37 and with Elias when Baal could not heare his priests pray to our God and with our Sauiour Christ say Our Father which art in heauen Mat. 6.9 I called He setteth downe the forme of his praier vnder the name of calling which sheweth his feruent intention not onely in calling vpon God but crying And this maner of feruent prayer is most necessarie albeit God doth as well heare vs when with Ezechias we mourne as a doue Pray vnto the Lord feruentlie Esa 38.14 and chatter as a swallow both to stirre vp our selues and others to call on God For we are more moued when we call and cry then when we speake with a lower voice Verse 2. Lord heare my voice and let thine cares be bowed to the voice of my prayer IN this verse he craueth attention that God would lay his care to his suite before he propouÌ„d it Simil. For as a subiect wheÌ„ he finds the kings eare prepared to heare him he thinketh that then he will be the more ready and willing to grant his suite So Dauid heere out of the aboundance of his heart vseth this repetition heare me not that he doubted but God heard for himselfe faith Psal 94.9 He that planted the eare dâ—â—h not he heare But by hearing he desireth the grant of his suite As the king is then said to haue heard a supplication when he hath granted it Let vs with Dauid cry from a penitent heart and in faith Vse 1 and then we may be assured the care of the Lord is ready to hearken all requests Those are to be blamed who thinke that the Lord doth not heare them if immediatly he doth not grant their desire Vse 2 for his delay is for our best and it is our duty patiently to attend his pleasure and time This petition is often repeated in the Psalmes as Psal 16.2 5.4.17.7 c. Prepare your hearts to pray and his eare is euer open to heare you Read 2. Chron. 6. concerning Solomons dedi ation of the Temple there he prayeth that God would bow downe his eare so often as they called for grace Verse 3. If thou O Lord straightly markest iniquity O Lord who shall stand Verse 4. But mercy is with thee that thou maiest be feared These two verses are the summe of all the Scriptures THese two verses containe the summe of all the Scriptures In the third is the forme of repentance and in the fourth the mercies of the Lord. These are the two mountaines Gorazin and Ebal mentioned in Deut. 27.12.13 These are the two pillars in Salomons Temple 1. King 7.21 called Iachin and Boaz we must with Paul perswade our selues that we are come from mount Sinai to mount Sion where mercie is although some sowre grapes must be eaten by the way Ier. 24.1.2 Ieremie tasted in his vision first a bitter figge out of one basket then a sweet figge out of the other In the daies of Moses Exo 15.25 the waters were first bitter then sweetned by the sweet woode And Elizeus cast in salt in the pottage of the sonnes of the Prophets 2. Kin. 4.41 then they became wholsome If thou O Lord. Marke here that in this third verse he two times nameth God by the Lord as in all the other 8 verses he
aboue Reu. 22.25 which all Christians should earnestly attend and feruently pray with the spouse Come Lord Iesus The watchman looketh about to see the Sun spread out his beames he knoweth that light doth not come from below We should turne our eies from the world because here is no comfort Nots and looke vnto Christ Iesus sitting at the right hand of the Father with Saint Steuen from whom onely we may expect a comfortable deliuery out of all our miseries Act. 7.56 4. The light commeth in the morning Before breake of day is greatest darkenesse and then the Sunne ariseth and by his beames expelleth the same the light commeth not till the euening The Apostles rowed all night Mat. 14.24 till they were become weary and out of all hope and then Christ came in the fourth watch and relieued them being then in a most desperat case God will come So the Lord although he tarieth to let vs feele our owne weakenesse yet no doubt he will come he dealt this way with Iacob he wrestled all night with him till the breake of day Ge. 32.28 and then blessed him Dauid after he was long pursued and persecuted by Saul 2. Sam. 1. yet at last gat rest and ease Iudg 2.16 The Iewes were neerely destroied by their enemies but God raised vp Sauiours to defend them Dispare not then and disquiet not your selues be not discouraged howsoeuer yee see the Church which is as the Disciples boate tossed to and fro by the waues of persecuting tyrants Mat. 14.23 looke to heauen for the day of her deliuerie is at hand yea that euerlasting deliuerie when the Sunne of righteousnesse shall arise and shine on her for euer she may haue a night for a time but her morning will be most gratious she may be in paines as a woman in trauell for a time but her deliuery will be most comfortable God albeit he seemeth to come serò late yet he commeth seriò in earnest as he did in preseruing the Church in Queene Esters daies Ester 8. By the contrary the wicked may haue a short morning in this world but they cannot escape an euerlasting night in that bottomlesse pit of darknesse Nota. out of which is no deliuerie Verse 7. Let Israel waite on the Lord for with the Lord is mercy and with him is great redemptions After the Prophet hath spoken of himselfe that he awaited vpon the Lord he now exhorteth all the Church to do the same He euer desireth the Church to be a partner with him in any benefite which he obtained from the Lord as in the 51 psalme after he hath prayed for mercy to himselfe he in the 18 verse prayeth vnto the Lord for the Church that he would be fauorable to Sion The like did Moses Daniel Ieremie they all prayed for her weale All should pray for the peace of the Church Dâ—uid exhorteth others to pray Pray for the peace of Ierusalem Such sort of preachers are to be highly respected who night and day powre out their prayers for the peace and welfare of Sion who depend on God and stirre vp others to put their trust and hope in God This did Iosua and Caleb after they had viewed the land Numb 13.31.33.34 giue heart and courage to the people of Israel to goe forward to Canaan whereas the other ten spies discouraged them saying their walls reached to heauen and the people were as the sonnes of Anak When Dauid desireth the whole Church to put her hope in God he recalleth her from alâ— other vaine hopes or putting her trust in any other This should make those who professe themselues to be Christians to blush and be ashamed to put their trust in any other but God I looked saith Dauid vnto the mountaines from whence mine helpe shall come Psal 12â— â— 2 mine helpe commeth from the Lord who made the heauen and the earth When Israel looked to haue helpe fortification and refuge of man then she was disapointed and left comfortlesse in her greatest extremeties Ier. 17.5 Cursed be he who maketh the armo of flesh and blood his confidence For with the Lord is mercie That which he so patiently attended vpon was mercie and that which he desireth the Church to waite for is mercie He repeeteth to the Church the goodnesse of that which he had tasted himselfe that which was needfull to him was needefull to the whole body of the Churchâ— and therefore as he wished mercie to himselfe he wished mercie to the whole Church militant Euery Christian should loue the Church more then himselfe which teacheth euery Christian to loue the Church as well as himselfe yea more and as he would haue health and welfare to himselfe so to procure the same for the Church And with him is great redemption He pointeth out this mercie First By the wonderfull effect thereof redemption Secondly By the qualitie thereof great redemption Redemption is the freeing of that which is in thraldome by giuing of a price What redemption is as the redemption of land presupposeth that it was ingaged for summes of money giuen to the owner and thus folde vpon reuersion or warriours that are taken in battell and ransoned at a price Oh that we would consider the thraldome we are in and how we stand in Gods debt the freedome which we get and the meanes whereby we obtaine the same God gaue vs his golden law and we haue nothing whereby to pay him but the drosse of our merits wherewith we will neuer be able to pay him that summe wherein we are oblished and thus we lie in thraldome Man may be redeemed But heerein is our comfort that we are not solde out at the ground but God hath alwaies reserued to vs a reuersion that we may be redeemed But what is the meanes whereby we are redeemed either it must be by strong hand as Abraham freed Lot or by the gratious fauour of those Ge. 14.16 whose captiues we are as a Master through loue which he beareth to his seruant may set him free or by paying of a ransome The parties were God and the Deuill Gods iustice must be satisfied Sathan must be vanquished or no redemption for vs. This Christ Iesus the sonne of God seeing that blessed seed of the woman and pâ—tying vs became a redeemer for vs by his valour and strength he vanquished that old serpent the Diuil and made vs free from him and by his death he satisfied the wrath of God and paied a ransome for vs euen his pretious blood Mans redemption is by the blood of Christ This redemption then is neither by gold nor siluer but by Christs blood All the world was not able to haue redeemed his blood only was a perfect satisfaction to the Father Lands impignorated become free at the Iubilie and when we are made free from our sinne we may account that the most ioyfull Iubilie that we euer saw Great
little world and yet he calleth himselfe Gods seruant not as the Pope who stileth himselfe seruus seruorum Dei seruant of the seruants of God when he is a Lord ouer Lordes both Ecclesiasticall and ciuill But he indeede in the humilitie of his heart confesseth God to be his onely liege Lord Princes as much bound to serue God as their subiects to obey them vpon whom he depended of whom he holdeth his crowne So princes may thinke that their subiects are no more bound to them then they are to God and that they are as inferiour and more to God then their subiects are to them Vse which should moue princes to humble them vnder the mightie hand of God Inferiour subiects may at certaine termes put their seruants from them and take others in their place for seruice is no heritage and if they much more princes who may put their seruants away whether ob culpam or placitum none ought to inquire So God the supreame Maiestie hath an absolute and vnlimited libertie ouer all as well rich as poore he can displace kings and giue their kingdomes and crownes to others if they displease him He can rent the kingdome from Suul and giue it to Dauid 1. Sa. 15.28 1. Ki. 12.24 from Rehoboam and giue it to Iereboam if they breake his commandemenents Psal 2.10 Be wise therefore O kings serue the Lord in feare For no liuing shal be iustified in thy sight The like he hath in the 130 Psalme Who can stand before thee so that not onely he refuseth any clame of mercy by himselfe but includeth all liuing vnder sinne so that none is exempted for all are sinners All are sinners that all may at God beg the remission of sin and are destitute of grace that God may shew mercy to all and all his creatures may beg from himselfe alone that which is not in any of them Away away with merits away with our worthinesse seeke it where it is to be found euen in Christ Where he saith they cannot be iustified there he cleerelie auoucheth the Doctrine of Saint Paul that iustification commeth by faith and not by workes Rom 3.24 directlie against the Papisticall heresie Against iustificatiō by workes which teacheth men to seeke a part of it at least in others and themselues whereas here all men are excluded from righteousnesse but that which they must finde in God Verse 3. For the enemie hath persecuted my soule he hath smitten my life downe to the earth he hath laid me in the darkenesse as they that haue bin dead long agoe THis is the complaint of his enemies extreme malice against him by a threefold exaggeration thereof their persecuting of his soule their throwing downe of his life to the earth and their laying him into darknesse as a dead man Their malice was so vehement against him that nothing could content them till they vtterly ruine him both in body and soule and name This representeth cleerely vnto vs the malice of the enemies of the Church Note the malice of the Church her enemies especially of the Iudasits orders Pro. 17.10 which is so extreame that nothing can satisfie them vnlesse they bath themselues in the blood of the poore members A Lyon is more mercifull to his prey then a tyrant is to a Christian there is not the smallest fauour to be looked for at his handes The mercies of the wicked are cruell a cleere example hereof we haue in the Papists but specially in those blood thirstie wolues the Iesuites who will bragge of a singularitie in puritie and yet will stirre vp princes and all other fauourers of their sect to roote out Christians who professe the name of Iesus according to his word those they go about dayly to massacre without respect of any as witnesseth the bloodie massacrie of Paris Anno 1572. August 24. at which time they murthered a great many thousands in France for professing Christ As also that diuelish and hellish pouderplot what a bloudie execution was intended against our gratious Soueraigne and hopefull children These bloudie Iesuites and mastiue dogs are not fierce against the Turkes Panims but against the Israel of God Yea as Lyons Wolues and Foxes take most pleasure in the bloud of the lambes then in any other beast which they will spare and passe by except they be in great hunger so these must desire Christian bloud and thinke they doe God good seruice in killing v◠And this should be a matter of great comfort to the Church of God seeing persecution is a marke of the true Church and Christ accounteth men blessed when they are persecuted and euill spoken of for his sake Mat. 5.10.12 For so saith he did their Fathers to the Prophets that were before you Let vs therefore be patient and suffer calamities through hope of eternall glorie which we shall inherit when these short tribulations shall expire The more the Church be troden vnder foot the greater is Gods honour in her deliuerie Moreouer yee may see how farre the Lord permitteth the wicked to preuaile aboue his children that he will suffer them to tread vpon their bellies as though they were dead and no hope of life left to them that his honour may be the more magnified who out of their dead ashes could make a resurrection as he did to Dauid who was as a dead man and forgotten yet God raised him vp and erected his throne aboue his enemies O Lord deliuer thy Church from her troubles and persecution Verse 4. And my spirit is in perplexitie in me and mine heart within me was amased HE spake before of his externall calamities now he confesseth the infirmetie of his minde that he was wonderfully cast downe in heart and troubled in his soule so that his strength was almost gone not like the strength of a whale fish or of a rocke but being ready to drowne with sorrow he was sustained by faith and Gods Spirit he swimmed vnder these euils Our Sauiour himselfe confessed of himselfe my soule is troubled to the death Mat 26.38 God knoweth our moulde we are not stockes without passions or perturbations Gods children haue their owne passions we are not like lepers whose flesh is senslesse but we are sensible of euills that we may run to God for helpe and comfort Iob. 42.7 Had not Iob his owne perturbations and griefes which made him vtter hard speeches for which God rebuked him and he afterward repented Simil. yea God affirmed that he spake better of him then all his friends did Can a shippe saile a long with such a constant and direct course in stormie weather as it were calme and before the winde it is enough that it directeth the course euer toward the port albeit it be forced to cast boord twentie times So God careth not albeit we be troubled in our course to heauen Let vs euer aime at the port of eternall glory howsoeuer we be disquieted with contrarie
winds and tempests God will passe by all these our frailties and imperfections and will at last deliuer vs from them all if in the midst of these our extremeties our heart set it selfe toward heauen This Prophet in the 77. Psalme findeth himselfe so farre cast downe that his soule refused comfort and in this verse he thinketh himselfe so astonied that his senses were become scupified and benumed through the great paines which he sustained Verse 5. Yet doe I remember the time past I meditate on all thy workes yea I doe meditate in the workes of thine hands Verse 6. I stretch forth mine hands vnto thee my soule desireth after thee as the thirstie land Selah IN the two former verses were expressed his double tentations bodilie and spirituall in these two are double comforts so As the Churches troubles encrease so doe her comforts 1. Cor. 10.13 as the crosses of Gods childreÌ„ do increase so doe their consolations day by day for God is faithfull who will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that we haue abilitie to beare but with the tentation will giue vs a comfort to his glorie One of the greatest comforts which Christians can haue in their extreame miseries Experience of former mercies a great comfort in time of extremitie 1. Sa. 17.34 is the ancient mercies of God bestowed either on themselues in particular or on the Church in generall This moued Dauid to enterprise the nomachie against Goliah The Lord saith he who deliuered me from the pawe of the Lyon and from the pawe of the Beare will deliuer me also from this vncircumcised Philistim Remember mercies past if thou would be deliuered in time to come Wee should recount the ancient mercies of God that they may encourage vs to seek him in time to come a Christian mans memorie should be a faithfull chronicle of antiquitie we should remember what our fathers haue told vs and shew that to our children but especially the works we haue found done by God to our selues God would hide nothing from Abraham Gen. 18.17 because he would shew it to his children The foole and idiot doe not ponder the workes of God but the righteous doe lay them vp in their hearts and shew them to those who come after them So let vs make a register and book of remembrance of the auntientie of Gods goodnesse to his Church which will comfort our soules in the present day of sorrow Our memories may easily shew to our children the antient mercies of God in the first beginning of our Church threescore yeares agoe and how he deliuered her in her infancie from the furie of the Frenchmen and againe in the 1588. yeare from the great armado of Spaine and diuerse others bloudie interprises of wicked men Let vs therefore haue a fresh memorie of Gods benefits which may furnish vs with comfort in our present necessities let our owne particular benefits encourage vs against our owne particular euills and generall blessings and deliueries which the Church hath had strengthen vs against those euills which befall to her in our time Let vs recollect our Spirits and take vigour in this our present distresse that we faint not If Gods mercies be rooted in our hearts our tongues will vtter the same From his remembrance there floweth a meditation twise remembred in this verse for a sanctified memorie of Gods goodnes stirreth vp an holy meditation and reuolution in our mind of the same from whence floweth our gratitude and thankefulnes to God and if we looke lightly to the mercies of God we speake as lightly but when they are rooted in our hearts then we begin to speake magnificallie and worthilie The workes of thine hands Here he letreth vs see that these works could haue bin done by no humane power but by the immediate power of God Exod. 8. â—â— As the Aegiptian sorcerâ—rs spake of the lice so may we say concerning the deliuerances of the Church God reserueth to himselfe the deliueries of his Church surely this is the finger of God He will otherwaies honour his owne children but he keepeth the honour in deliuering the Church to himselfe He will haue it said in the ages to come the Lord hath done this As he by the workes of his hand made the Church so by these same sauing hands he hath redeemed it from hell and damnation and it is the worke of his owne hands that shall deliuer her from temporall dangers Therefore let God arise and deliuer his Church for she is now in great hazard Psal 6â— â— but the Lords arme is strong enough and in his appointed time can deliuer her I stretch forth mine hands vnto thee His â—econd comfort 〈◊〉 prayer which springeth â—rom his earnest meditation Here the fruit of holy meditation it stirreth vp our hearts tâ—o an earnest prayer Such meditations of Gods goodnes and power are the best helpers and confirmations of our faith Earnest prayer from a serious meditation consideration of Gods workes to lighten vs of our sorrowes and griefes Hence it followeth where there is no meditation and earnest consideration of Gods workes there will be no earnest prayer but perfunctorious dealing with God which we will not regard but repudiat and forsake The instruments of his prayer is the stretching forth of his hands The stretching forth of the hands noteth the lifting vp of the heart Exo. 17.11 which noteth the lifting vp of the heart As Moses hands were lifted vp when Israel fighted against Amalek and when they fell Israel had the worse and therefore Aaron and Hur held them vp and so Israel preualed Thus we should compose the gestures of our body in spirituall exercises as they may be most helpefull vnto vs to our inward and secret worshipping of God My soule desireth after thee as the thirstie land He declareth his vehement affection to God by a verie prettie similitude taken from the ground which is thirstie by the long drought of summer wherein the earth rent in peeces as it were and with open mouth through long thirst seeketh drinke from heauen By which he sheweth that he came to God as distitute of naturall substance and therefore seeketh from aboue that which he lacked So in all his extremities he looketh euer vpward from aboue he seeketh helpe and comfort Doctr. Art thou athirst ther is water in heauen to refresh thee Albeit we be in extremitie and as it were rent in sunder yet here is comfort there is water in heauen which will refresh vs if we gape after them Here is a blessing those that thirst shal be satisfied If we thirst for mercie for deliuerie and spirituall and temporall comfort thou shalt be satiffied therewith for if God heard the prayer of Hagar and Ismael being athirst in the wildernesse Ge. 21.17 and opened vnto them a fountaine will he forsake Isack the childe of promise If he heard Samson in the bitternesse of his heart when
2.17 moreouer that none can truly reioyce but these who haue gotten remissioÌ„ of their sins The righteous doth sing reioyce The stranger shal not medle with his ioy Let them that seeke reioyce and be glad in thee My seruants shall reioyce sayth the Lord. For they get the white stone giuen them And a name written therein which no man knoweth sauing hee that receiueth it And this is Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Indeede the wicked haue their owne earthly and fleshly ioyes but if yee would examine them strictly they are rather torments then ioyes which Chrysostome obserueth wel Chrys hâ—m 18. ad pop Atiochenum affirming that ioy is only proper to the godly neuer to be attributed to the wicked For the couetous man whose pleasure is in riches the more they grow the more his thirst increaseth which desire tormenteth them as also the feare of the losse of them excrutiats his minde night and day when riches grow feare groweth And the Prophet Isaias sayth Isa 57.20 The wicked are like the raging Sea Es 57.21 that cannot rest whose waters cast vp myre and dirt there is no peace sayth my God to the wicked The godly and wickeds ioy differ But there is a great difference beweene the ioy of the godly and the ioy of the wicked if yee will compare them for the one reioyceth onely in God the other in earthly things The scule of the godly is indued with true and solid ioy the flesh of the wicked only enioyes perishing pleasures the godly they reioyce in the midst of their troubles the wicked are grieued in the midst of their ioyes The ioyes of the godly are eternall the ioyes of the godly are euermore augmented till at last they attaine to eternal felicitie but the hope of the wicked turneth in dispaire their life in death eternal Finally the ioyes of the godlie spring out of teares They sow a precious seed in teares and reape in ioy for the spirituall haruest is farre different from the temporall haruest The Spirituall and earthly haruest differ for the husbandmen holdes by their experience that the haruest will be answerable to the seede time but in the Christian haruest wee fow with watrie teares and reapes on dry weather by the contrarie the wicked haue a dry and seasonable seede-time but they reape with waterie teares with confusion Reasons of the peoples ioy The reasons wherefore First because none else haue warrand to reioyce For the wicked man nothing troubles him not sinne 1 The godlie haue a warrand to reioyce for it is his pleasure not tentations these he swalloweth vp not his conscience it is a sleepe not the Deuill he is alreadie made his vassall and Seruant not the world it is his treasure no outward afflictions hee will not indure them Iam. 5 1. Luk 6.25 Yea S. Iames bids them not reioyce but houle Houle yee rich men And S. Luke saith to them woe be to you that reioyce now for yee shall mourne 2. They are commanded to reioyce Secondly as the godly onely are commanded to reioyce so they haue onely cruse to reioyce because they onely enioy the presence of God by reason of the couenant they haue entresse to all things in heauen and in earth as a woman hath to the goods of her husband which is a great cause of ioy Next they know that their names are written in the booke of life as our Sauiour saith Luk. 10.20 Reioyce not in this that yee may cast out deuils but that your names are written in the booke of life 3. They haue the spirit of God the author of ioy Thirdly onely they haue the spirit of God the author of true ioy which is therefore called the ioy of the holy Ghost Onely they are annoynted with the oyle of gladnesse Fourthly onely they haue escaped from condemnation 1 Thes 1.6 Psal 45.7 as the Israelites escaped the hand of Pharoah and reioyced 4. They escape condemnation Exod 15.1 Fiftly onely these sucke and draw their ioy out of the Wells of sound consolation that is out of the Scriptures which are written that their ioy may be full 5. They draw ioy out of the Scriptures Isa 12.3 1 Ioh. 1.4 Sixtly onely these enioy a good conscience which is a continuall feast and the cause of the Apostles ioy in the midst of their persecutions Finally onely they haue the hope of eternall glory We reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God 6. They haue a good conscience Pro. 15.15 sayth the Apostle Ye righteous and vpright in heart They are called righteous in two respects 1. Because they haue received the bloud of Iesus Christ which hath made them righteous before God 7. Hope of eternall glory Why called righteous by his pâ—ssiue obedience in that hee hath suffered for their sinnes as likewise by his actiue obedience whereby he hath fulfilled the law which are both imputed to them as though they had suffered and done both themselues As also they are righteous having received the Spirit of sanctification which teacheth them to render to every one that which is his owne To Caesar Mat. 22.21 that which is Caesars To the Superiours that which is his To his equall that which appertaines to him to his Inferiour that which he ought to doe The rule of righteousnesse The rule of righteousnesse is set downe in the 15. Psalme that neither in name bodie nor goods we should iniure any man The righteous man must be sincere and vpright The righteous man must also be vpright in heart that is sincere for faith and hypocrisie can never stand together for of all vertues God liketh best of sinceritie and singlenesse of heart that in our Religion we meane sincerelie and we may say to the Lord Thou tryest my reines in the night season and foundest nothing in my mouth which was not in my heart And with our neighbours we should deale so vprightly that we may not haue Butter and Oyle in our mouth and a sword in our heart but as we professe kindnesse to them who speake kindly so our heart may meane the same Psal 12. Righteousnes cannot be without sinceritie and haue not an heart and an heart To conclude this point righteousnesse and sinceritie are so ioyned together that the one can never be without the other and they are reciprocall that a righteous man must be sincere and a sincere man must be righteous The godly reioyce in the Lord. The limitation of this ioy is set downe in the last part In Iehovah which distinguisheth the Christian ioy from all ioyes earthly Some reioyce in one thing some in another but the Christian reioyceth in the Lord. Let not the rich man reioyce in his riches nor the strong man in his strength nor the wise man in his wisedome but reioyce in the Lord. Onely one question remaineth to be dissolved Ob