those tippling-places in your Camps the verie sincks and nurseries of all impuritie It followeth in the 17 verse There shall be no whore of the Daughters of Israell nor a Sodomite of the sonnes of Israel meaning none permitted Num. 5 2 3. Command the Children of Israel that they put out of the Campe everie Leaper everie one that hath an issue whosoever is defiled by the dead both male and female shall ye put out without the Campe shall ye put them that they defile not their Camps in the mids of whom I dwell Must Leapers be put out and shall they be suffred in the Camp who haue a worse Leaprosie of all wickednes cleaving unto them to infect all they come neare So then the word of God which is holy his holy and blessed trueth must be diligently taught by holy men whose liues may cast forth holynes to others And the ordinances of Discipline Civill and Ecclesiasticall subordinate to the word The one is to plant the other to preserue holynes in us Thirdly to make choise as neare as we can of the best men What hopes of a holy Camp when the subject matter is not pickt whereof the Romans were not a little carefull as may be seene in their wars By making choyce of the best men I meane not the best timbred men but the best conditioned not onely he that hath not a tattred outside but whose minde is not ragged Make option of the most stayed civill and best disposed and not such as Iepthah and Ieroboam entertained vaine men Iudg. 11.3 2 Chron. 13.7 The skumme of men fitter to fill prisons and Iayles then places of better note to become dennes of theeues then an armie of Saints Such as one sayth who if the Diuell should offer a stipend unto would not refuse him service and be more faythfull to him though it were to beare armes against God himself How happie were it if our Camps were rid of such And I haue often thought that if as we find Deut. 20. Iudg. 7. they that had built houses and had not dedicated them planted vineyards and had not eaten of the fruite of them betrothed wiues and had not taken them I say if they must be casheired and be gone from Israels Campe what should a world of our debauched men professed drunkards robbers swearers fornicators and such like cattell I wonder what they should haue done there I know we haue not all such God forbid but some not more noble in blood then in vertue stayed sober religious men fearing God and eschewing evill in great measure but the number of such is rare and of the other multiplying What is the reason we haue so many of the one sort and so few of the other Is it because the good are fewer and we cannot get them which also is true but is it not rather because we stand not a great number of us upon the grace and goodnes of the men we take on whether there be any blush or appearance of any in them chusing our men as Samuel and the rest would haue chosen a King 1 Sam. 16 6 7. Sed quotusquisque est non iniqua cuiusdā quaerela qui non malit strenuū militēquā pium imo ne locus quident amplius in exercitu horrendum fane piis relinquitur looking on his countenance or the height of his stature things I confesse to be regarded but that is not all there is somewhat els to be looked after that we may possibly make an holy camp But if we cannot doe withall but we must take such as we can a miserable necessitie as the Romans sometime were constreyned to use sclaues for the defense of their common weale yet when they are under us let us cause them to be outwardly at least conformable to holynes and labour that they may be instructed to the end that holynes which grew not in them before may now come up Plant amongst you a godly and painfull ministrie and subject your selues and your men unto it And these be the principall meanes to make a holy Campe we can doe no more then propound them and pray the Lord to giue you hearts to improue them And the rather to stirre you up hearken to a motiue two or three for the conclusion of this point Motiues toward a holy Campe and holynes in our persons The first is Holynes will call more unto us and make men more in loue with our profession from which many are and may be justly daunted because holynes is so great a stranger to us The Complaint hath been old but as true as ancient Rara fides pietasque viris qui castra sequuntur Wherefore manie are out of loue with the profession and forsweare the Campe which with unsavourie sinne of all sortes doeth stinke in the nosthrils of the world or the civiller sort of it Oh how many would Sanctitie and true reformation in our Camps invite unto us and what a glorie holynes would adde to our profession honourable in it selfe but would be double honourable by the acquisition of this further grace Secondly The continuall dangers we are in and subject unto calleth upon us to labour to be holy For then let what come can come we are ready for death if that be readie for us Then mayest thou say with Conrades in the hystorie Generall hyst of the Turks pag 33. Let the Persian Archer strike me I will dye in an assured hope and with that arrow as with a Chariot come unto that rest which shall be dearer to me then if I should with a base ordinarie kinde of death in my sinnes ende my dayes in my bedde Thirdly then shall you be sure of Gods gracious presence among you for good and against all evil plainly intimated here If they would labour for a holy Camp they should haue the holy Lord among them whose presence should be all in all to them but if otherwise let us not expect God among us unlesse it be to confound our armies It suites not with a King to walke in dung-hills or to be seene in noysome places and will God walke among our Camps if we haue no care to sweepe his paths The second branch of this Conclusion followeth That he see no uncleannes in thee Which is the negatiue part of the order touching their Camp Holynes there must be uncleannes there should not be uncleannes Ervah signifieth nakednes and denoteth that uncomely part whereon man bestoweth more abundant honour Genes 9. C ham discovered the nakednes of his Father So called in Hebrew because it should alwaies be covered Sinne being denominated nakednes in the sacred tongue argues the manner of sinns attaching us by propagation Psal 51. In sinne did my Mother warme me Observation 4. Sinne is a nakednes the Greeke saith Observat 4 a shame Genes 3. Our first parents were naked sinne had made them so Consect 1. Oh then labour to be ashamed of it Rom. 6. What fruit had ye in those
MILES CHRISTIANVS OR THE CAMPE ROYAL Set forth in briefe Meditations on the words of the Prophet Moses Deut. 23 9 14. here under following preached in the armie at Dungen-Leager profitable for all sorts of men to reade and published for the generall good of all that will read By SAMVEL BACHILER Preacher to the English at Gorinchem Deut. 23 9. When the host goeth forth against thine enimies then keepe thee from everie wicked thing vers 14. For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of the Campe to deliver thee and to giue up thine enimies before thee therefore shall thy Campe be holy that he see no uncleane thing in thee and turne away from thee AMSTERDAM Printed by R. P. in the yeare M.DC.XXV To all my deare and loving Countrimen in service to the States of the Vnited-Provinces the honourable Officers and all honest Souldiers of the English nation residing in the Netherlands and specially as service bindeth me to those of Gorcom in Holland S. B. wisheth all happie successe and further accesse of true noblenes and worth And after an end of a wearisome warfare in this life present eternall welfare in the life to come BEloved Countriemen The cause we haue to maintaine Vi armis is the same in substance with that which the Israelites had they the defense and propagation of Religion in spite of the Canaanites we the mysticall warre of these Provinces for the same ends against the Papacie And the cause remaining the effect continueth justly What simple Sectarie might not see if perverse opinion had not cast a mist before his eyes the urgent cause of warrs the worlds insurrection against the trueth necessarie and so conclude the effect in armes borne by us to withstand hellish malice of no lesse consequence till that be wholly verified Ies 2 4. Mich. 4 3. They shall beate their swords into plowshares and their speares into pruning hookes Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation neyther shall they learne warre any more I will put enmitie between thee and the woman and betweene thy seed and her seede it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise is heele Gen. 3.15 is an old quarrell a grudge inveterate which will never out The Church of God ever was maligned ever will be And Christ came not to send peace but a sword that is in a word to rouse up the world by accident against himself and his everlasting Gospell which when the world will not receiue the world will persequute and prosequute to the extirping of it if it were possible Yet God defendeth his little flock but by meanes externall ordinarily though not the most potent strong and likely in outward shew the which notwithstanding he is pleased to blesse for the preservation of his And is it not apparant as though written with the beames of the Sunne that God shall put into the hearts of the tenne Hornes the Kings of the earth to fulfill his will in the judgment of the Whore by warre against her Rev. 17 16 17.18 9. And so by outward force overthrow her outward usurped power and state politique at length as by the breath of his mouth he hath in great measure alreadie and so doeth dayly and will do more and more and shall utterly abolish that Spirituall jurisdiction pretended by her Clyents to be giuen her So then your Cause Beloved wherein with others you are interessed is good and sure onely looke to it that misdemeanour in your warres doe not disadvantage you Now what was spoken to the Warriers of God heretofore to doe no evill and to be holy may well be spoken to us now and applied as needfully peradventure more for as the world is older it groweth wickeder and men of all conditions are more dissolute in this last and worst age whereupon the ends of the world are fallen And if there were one Achan then lurking in the Campe Num. 25 6. there will be tenne now more notorious and for an impudent paire of Zimri and Cozbie then that will come in the sight of all while Moses and the rest are weeping before the dore of the Tabernacle many skores I feare me now durst doe as much and for one Korah and his Complices of Mutiners then what legions of rebels may we looke for now Wherefor if ever it is needfull to presse divine law upon us Object But will some say to be so strict is a thing so difficult I answer Answ First therefore it requireth your greater heedfulnes and to be so much the more circumspect Secondly were it not hard to doe it were lesse praise-worthie to doe but being difficult it will argue the more spirit in thee Thirdly it sufficeth that it is possible in some measure to doe Euangelically if we be carefull so that the difficultie is not so absolute to excuse us Fourthly some practise proofe of holy resolution will make it more tollerable onely get a desire from God to approue thy self unto him But he that refreineth himself from evill maketh himselfe a prey True a prey to evill men to whose disgrace and obloquie he cannot but expose and prostrate himselfe for by and by he is a Puritan or Precisian * Bottondise of true happinesse honourable nicknames of Christianitie and grace that will not giue freedome and libertie to himselfe though it be to damne his owne soule but while they giue themselues the raines to all evill they make themselues a prey to the Divell Having by occasion thought upon the subject of my ensuing discourse to explaine and apply those words of Moses and then considering how behoofefull it might be for these times I haue thought to giue it further vent especially upon the judgment and approbation of some godly-learned deeming it might be usefull hoping that as the least haire hath it shadow so the least endeavour of good might doe some good Thus much would I craue of you to whom I appropriate this what ever it is First to accept of an honest purpose and intent in him who wisheth he could be more serviceable to you and profitable to Gods Church And sure I am the good and honest will not reject it because they will see and I trust say he meant well and had a minde to further us in pietie As for the Prophane while he scoffeth me I will pittie and pray for him Secondly Vouchsafe to put it up in your pockets and at your Vacancie read this litle manuall This my minde doeth giue me you will say doeth please you He is not prolixe by extravagant digressions from the purpose of the words or observations therein taken up if any thing els doth savour with you I hope it will the more profit you The Ship that putteth out to sea hath his helme and Pilot to govern her Iames 3. The horse that is taken up for a journey his bridle to rule him for their mouths must be kept in with bit and bridle Psal 32 9. And when
which are directly against Gods nature which we may in no wise doe upon any termes whatsoever The other respectiue as not to kill work on the Sabboth plunder burne and fire houses and corne which things God himself doth sometime and is lawfull to be done against an enimie The evill we are here forbidden is of the former nature in manners and behaviour from all which we are to absteine When Adam was in paradise Gen 2 16 17. God gaue him the libertie of all trees in the garden except the tree in the midst of the same which he enjoyned him not to touch Allowing him all trees exempting him of one But in this case God allowes no tree of sin to be approached unto he hath exempted us from everie one Lev. 18 24. Defile not your selues in any of these things and 2 Cor. 13 7. I pray God sayth the Apostle that ye do no evill not that ye should appeare approved but that ye should do that which is honest c. The reason is Gods hatred minde doth go against evill universally all as well as any who therefore hath forbidden all evill in the morall Law And in the 14 v. here following God must not se any uncleānes in them Secondly Conscience where it is of evill as it is evil forbeareth one as well as another everie one as well as any one for conscience is universall in good or evill Consect Hence then you see that we would not haue you more precise and scrupulous in your cariage and conversation among men then Gods word would haue you wherein you see no dispensation for any wicked thing The Word whereby you must be judged at the last day We dare giue you no more libertie then that doth and wish that you would take no more But let us enquire what evils specially of all evils we are to forbeare And some species and particulars conteyned under this generall First thou must keepe thee from those evils in particular which Gods word doth mention to be evils and wicked things more specially in his sight as namely Violence to those we ought to offer no violence unto See these places Deut. 2 4. a strict command And command thou the people saying ye are to passe through the coast of your brethren c. take good heed unto your selues meddle not with them Deut. 20.19 God would not suffer them to doe violence to the trees Luke 3.14 Doe violence to no man c. Psal 62 10. Davids speech to his Souldiers Trust not in oppression become not vaine in robberie This is one of that all which we are forbidden and yet too rife among us and too commonly practised by us Another is fornication or adulterie See 1 Sam. 21.4 Davids young men must keep them selues from women Which as it seemeth respected not so much the holy bread in that place spoken of as their iourney with David in the warrs although their own women and 2 Sam. 11 11. Vriah also speaks against lying with his own wife at that time much lesse would he haue his whoore by him at any time Another wicked thing is abuse of the creatures in drunkennesse and ryot which excesse in a campe is contrarie to that required in those that goe a warfare See 1 Cor. 9 25. Everie man that striveth for the masterie is temperate in all things Another wicked thing is murmuring and mutining in the Campe. See this taken notice of in those rebels Num. 16 1 2 3 11. which was to be punished with death Iosh 1 18. In a word evill speaking is wicked And that is under this Hebrew word forbidden in the text which signifieth word as well as thing keepe thee from everie evill word as well as keepe thee from everie wicked thing See Lev. 24 11 14. he that blaspheamed or as the word signifieth that pierced through the Lord his name all the Congregation stoned him And these be specially the evils when the host goeth forth we are to keep our selues from And whatsoever els is wicked and thinke no evill to be too little to be eyed Consider him Num. 15 32. that having gathered sticks upon the Sabaoth day he must be stoned without the Camp Secondly thou must keep thy self as from everie evill wicked thing so from thy particular evill which is the evil of sinn thou art most by nature prone unto David calleth it his iniquitie Psal 18 24. I will keepe my selfe from mine iniquitie As everie wise and carefull man will looke most to that humour which is most naturally predominant in him and correct it Psal 39 1. I sayd I will take heed to my wayes and because he might soonest do amisse with his tongue he would so take heed to his wayes that he would not offend with his tongue which he most feared it semes I will keepe my mouth with a bridle Consect 2. Therefore againe in case we haue fayled against this caveat haue done any evill our hearts should smite us for as much as we haue sinned against the expresse charge of Gods word And this is a signe of true grace and of Gods good spirit and of a tender conscience in a man to feele the evill he hath done A man of a tender stomack or who hath this or that grief about him if he venter to eat or drinke of a thing that is hurtfull he shall presently hear of it in that part yll affected so whosoever hath a true conscience of all evill having unhappily done any drawn away of his own lust and entised will soone complaine thereof David when he had stretched out his hand against Saul the Lords anointed the fact did not a little perplex him And thus much of this Caveat giuen the people to forbeare evill and everie wicked thing when the host especially is gone forth against the enimie Now it followeth that we consider the words of the 14 verse For the Lord thy God walketh in the mids of thy Campe to deliver thee and to giue up thine enimies before thee therefore shall thy Campe be holy that he see no uncleannes in thee and turne away from thee Which words follow as a reason of the former why they must doe no wicked thing in the host The argument hath two things in it to be generally noted First a proposition concerning Gods presence among them For the Lord thy God walketh in the mids of the Camp Secondly the consequence or conclusion Therefore shall thy Campe be holy c. The first is amplified from the finall cause of Gods presence among them which is to deliver them and to giue up their enimies before them The Lord thy God The Chalde applieth it to the Divine Majestie or presence so called from dwelling and fitly applyed to Christ who dwelt among us Ioh. 1. And doubtlesse the auncient Hebrewes meant it of the Messias Walketh mithallech the forme of the word noteth the frequencie of the action walking up and down and as it were to and
fro here and there continually like a diligent inspectour or overseer In the midst that is among or within the Campe as the parallell phrase elsewhere betokens not precisely respecting the midst the heart but the Campe generally See Gen. 2.9.3 3. and 23 6. Gen. 24 3. for the meaning of this phrase The first observation is Observ 2 that God hath his walke among us where we are encamped against his and our enimies In the 20 chapter he is said to be with them and to accompanie them in their wars Levit. 26 11 12. I will set my tabernacle among you and my soule shall not abhorre you And I will walke among you Chald. My Word shall walke among you Compare it with Ioh. 1 1. and will be your God and you shall be my people Gods walke is everie where He hath his paths in the sea and strideth over the land But he is specially said to be in some places As Ioshua lodged among his people Ios 8 9. so God encamps among his and lodgeth in the midst of them as a King in his armie Iob 29 25. Iob compares himselfe in the dayes of old speaking how it was wont to be with him in elder times the years of his prosperitie when the light of God shined upon his tabernacle sayth he sate chiefe in the gates as a King in the armie God walketh in the mids of his Camps as a King in the armie as the mightie Lord Generall and Lord of hosts and armies like a man of warre Exod. 15 3. Consect 1. Doth the Lord God walke in the mids of our Camps then should we take him in Doth he walke abroad as it were and shall we let him alone and not seeke to enjoy him oh let him haue a roome in your hearts in your tents and Cabins he knocks and would enter in to you if you will open unto him Yet I must tell you God will not goe in to all He will abhor to goe into Achans tent for there lyeth the accursed thing In the 16 of Num. 26 ver they are bid to depart the tents of the wicked and will God himselfe goe in to them He will not goe into these filthie places that are nests and cages of uncleane birds and where no goodnes no holynes dwelleth no prayer nor praysing of him no reading of his word nor feare of his majestie resideth nothing but lewdnes wantonnes oaths and all manner of impietie Nay God will turne away from such as followeth here in the words If thy tent be a tent of wickednes and sinne God is a consuming fire and will scatter fire and burne up the tents of wickednes and the wicked in them Purge out therefore the old leaven that the Lord may delight to come into us But as there was no roome for Christ in the Inne so I doubt me there is litle roome for God in the tents and tabernacles of many of us He walketh in the midst of us to see who will giue him the best corner of his heart the best entertainment in his tent If some great man of worth and presence should make his walke continually among us if we thought he would vouchsafe to come in unto us we would make him the best welcome we could but there is not the meanest of us if by prayer we invite God unto us though our tents be never so poore to whom he will not easily vouchsafe to come But we unkindely neglect him being naturally strangers unto him Ephes 4. Yet as the Spouse in the Canticles tooke hold of Christ and pulled him in so take thou hold on God and draw him in to thee But there is no man that calleth upon thy name and that stirreth up himselfe to take hould of thee as the Prophet complains Ies 64. speaking of God Acquaint now thy self with him and be at peace thereby good shall come unto thee put away iniquitie far from thy tabernacle Iob 22.21 Secondly Is God walking among us therefore we haue and see the more reason to keepe our selues from everie wicked thing as before we heard A most effectual argument must this needs be to consider him who is invisible and hath his walke in the midst of our Campe for everie man to binde himself to the good behaviour As a King hath many times his secret unknown pacings invisible walkings among his subjects and heareth all that they say beholds all that they doe and sometimes heares them speake of things farre unmeete for them to interesse themselues in possibly speaking treason against his crown and dignitie reviling his person disgracing him or some of his depraving his government his actions or doings And all this with a silent eare passing it by or els takes hold of them in the manner Euen so doth God walke in the mids of us we see him not a cloud covering him a Canopy overshadowing him and his brightnesse least we be consumed by him who seeth and heareth though we thinke not And as in the third of Genesis he was walking in the mids of the garden when Adam and Eue had hid themselues and called unto them so can he call unto us whatsoever we are about whensoever we speake or do amisse as he called sodeinly to them three for speaking evill of Moses Num. 12 1 2 4. And can he chuse but heare us blaspheaming his name and tossing his glorious attributes up and down in our unsanctified mouths Shall not he who walketh in the midst of us heare our disgracing his messengers reviling his ordinances Can he chuse but see our mis-carriage and misbehaviour toward him and one toward another Cannot he see one reeling in his filthines of ryot and excesse in his drinke and vomit another smiting with the fist of wickednes another idle negligent in his service or sinfully employed Thou givest thy mouth to evill and thy tongue frameth deceit Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother and slandrest thine owne mothers sonne These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reproue thee and set them in order before thee Psal 50 19. For the wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings Prov. 5.21 Mine eyes are upon all their wayes they are not hid from my face nor is their iniquitie hidde from mine eyes Ier. 16.17 The greatest incentuie to all good comportment and carriage is this to remember God is walking before us And he which made the eyes shall not he see he that made the eare shall not he heare Psal 94. If thy Prince or Generall were walking in the midst of us wouldst thou dare to doe what thou doest for evill when thou dreamest he is not neare thee Offer this sayth Malachie unto thy Prince So doe that which thou shouldst not do before thy Prince and see how he will take it at thy hands And shall the glorious God of pure eyes walke up and down among us
and we boldly and presumptuously sinne against him just before him oh set God before you But sayth David of the wicked God is not in all their thoughts Let his respect rule and sway in the hearts of us all Stand in awe therefore and sinne not Psalm 4 4. He shall not neede to come downe as according to men is sayd of him now and see whether we haue done altogether after the crye of our sinnes and if not that he may know Wherefore doth the Lord walk in the midst of our waies of our walkes of our Camps what should we be carefull to doe then but to take heede to our wayes and walkes that they be not to evill but to walke before him and be upright as he spake to Abraham Gen. 17.1 and walke humbly with our God Mich. 7. What doeth the Lord thy God require of thee but to shew mercie c. and to walke humbly with thy God Let us neither doe nor speake any more then what we durst doe or speak before the Lord who walketh in the midst of our Camps Consect 3. Then here may we performe service to him euen in our Camps where he is where he treadeth Tyed we are not to any remote place to goe and worship the Lord or if we would enquire at God His arke in the mids of them 1 Sam. 4.5.6 was a Symbolicall signe of his presence among them And that he who walketh in the midst of the seuen golden Candlesticks walded also Revel 1. in the mids of their armies Here may we here ought we to erect and set up his worship For this cause we finde the Levites were dispersed among their Camps and quarters as we may read in Numbers and Ioshuah And when Saul was in the field the Lords Priest was with him 1 Sam. 14.3 And if indeed the Lord walk in the mids of our Camps let him haue his Sabaoths sanctified and those dueties performed which he expecteth from us Let him haue his morning and euening sacrifices among us Oh let his walks smell savour with the reake of all good things done to him And that he may delight to be among us let us oh let us perfume his waies with the odoriferous incense of prayer and praise and strew his walks with the sweete spices of fayth and repentance as with roses and lillies This first part is illustrated from the end of his walking in the midst of our Camps Namely to deliver thee from thine enimies Vnde Apollinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod ambiguis ambagibus responsa consulentibus daret and to giue up thine enimies before thee Gods oracles are plaine and labour with no ambiguities like those of Pyrrhus and Craesus whereof no certaine meaning could be gathered whereupon to go boldly forth to giue up thine enimies before thee to deliver before here and 2 Chron. 6.36 is to deliver unto Conferre Deut 7 2. with 23. as if he should haue said In thy Campe doth the Lord thy God abide there doth he walke purposely to deliver thee from thine enimies and to deliver thine enimies unto thee Observat Observ 2 2. Gods walke and presence amids our Camps is with a purpose to doe us all good to keepe us from our enimies and to giue us power over them Not onely to deliver us from them that they put us not to the worse but to giue them into our hands See Deut. 20.4 The Lord your God is he that goeth with you to fight for you against your enimies to saue you The reason is first because his people haue the right the cause See 1 Kings 8 45. And the Lord is bound after a sort to mainteine their judgment their right or cause Secondly the warre is his 2 Chron. 20 15. the battail is not yours but Gods And the cause is the Lords own Psa 74.22 And the Lord is their Capteine 2 Chron. 13 12. And he hath taken them on who are therefore his armies and troopes 1 Sam. 17.26.45 So that his honour lyeth upon it and is interessed in it in regard of the enimie who otherwise will blaspheame if he saue not his people they will insult Deut. 32 27. Psal 79 4. Againe in regard of his people they cannot glorifie him as were meet they should Psal 50 15. Thirdly God will make his people revenge the quarrell of his Covenant upon them This sets before us an argument of Gods loue providence and care for his in being thus propitious to them in their wars as to be among them for so gracious an end Here some may object how is it then Object they are so often delivered not from but to their enimies in stead of having their enimies their enimies haue them which Israel oftentimes had experience of between Egipt and Canaan and afterward See Iosh 7. They smote Israell euen unto Shebarim a place so called from the mightie breach which was made at that time So in the 20 of Iudges the Beniamites smote the Israelites once and againe and many times the people of God are put to the worse To which I answer two waies First that so it may be for a time Answ but at the last God will make this good Marke then the end see what he hath done at the second third or fourth bout his people shall carrie it away at length and haue the day Secondly that at any time it falleth out otherwise then this seemes to promise them is by accident for his peoples sins And so we must understand this with limitation and qualified with this condition if that we be not in fault God is ever readie to help us and stand by us ever prone and forward for our deliverance and victorie When it is not according to this the fault is in our selues Oh that my people had hearkened unto me and would haue walked in my wayes I should soone haue subdued their enimies and turned my hand against their adversaries The haters of the Lord should soone haue submitted themselves unto him but their time should haue endured for ever Psal 81 13. Would we approue our waies unto God among us he would walke to deliver us from our enimies and them to us but if we will not but breake out to everie wicked thing against his expresse word among us he will be but in judgment to deliver us to our adversaries and to the will of those that hate us If they sinne against thee and thou be angrie with them sayth Salomon 1 King 8.46 and deliver them to the Enimie c. Where we see it is sinne that makes Gods presence fruitlesse and bootelesse to us for good It is not because the Lord who is armipotent could not alwaies deliver us from our enimies and giue them to us but because the Lord will trie us and for that we proue him with our sinnes Or Either we use not the meanes God would haue us use and then God will not deliver us who ordinarily will not saue
things whereof you are now ashamed Blush for shame and be confounded in thy selfe O Sinner We can be ashamed of bodily nakednes of spirituall nakednes we are not A worse nakednes is this then any other for it is a nakednes joyned with filthie deformitie and misshapenes men are not ashamed alwaies to be seene naked but when they are deformed mismade and ugly this nakednes of sinne is the greatest deformitie that can be imagined The ugly Ephes 4. monstrous Old man is without al forme or beautie But as with some people the purest black is the purest bewtie so is it with some men the fowlest black and soote of sinne is bewtie in their eyes Secondly labour oh labour to haue sinne which is thy nakednes covered not by excusing and hiding it but rather by uncovering it to God Blessed is the man whose iniquitie is forgiuen and whose sinne is covered Men will not suffer their filthie nakednes to be seene and therefore they will clap and keepe their garments about them and rather weare ragged then none at all Yet all covering externall will never hide this spirituall nakednes Bodily nakednes requires bodily covering and that is enough Spirituall nakednes requires spirituall covering Put ye on therefore the Lord Iesus Christ Rom. 13. That he see no uncleannes in thee The Hebrew phrase may be read two wayes first the nakednes of a thing an uncleane busines or matter that he see not an unseemely thing in thee Or secondly any nakednes or uncleannes any at all so dhabhar is taken to signifie any Observation 5. Observ 5 God must see no uncleannes or impuritie of sinne among us The reason is because he cannot abide it Ies 1 13. his rejecting their oblations and hating their sacrifices was the rejecting and hating their sinns Bring no more vaine oblations incense is abhomination the new Moones and Sabaoths and calling of assemblies I cannot away with a speech of extream indignation and what is the reason what cannot he away with his owne ordinances it is iniquitie sayth he Iniquitie God cannot endure verse 14. Your new Moones and your appointed feasts my soule hateth they are a trouble to me I am wearie Sinne is a trouble to the Lord. Wash you wash you sayth he what doe you with this uncleannes upon you which I cannot away with Consect 1. Why then happie are Gods Children for he seeth no iniquitie in Iacob nor transgression in Israell Num. 23. Not because he cannot but because he will not and he casts a covering of his sonne upon them Should God see uncleannes in us he should breake out upon us Lord if thou beholdest iniquitie who can stand Psal 130 3. Secondly we must therefore beware of defiling our selues with sinne the rather When Children are uncleane by rude behaviour all bemired and dirtie they are afraid of their Fathers sight so should we be afraid that God should see the uncleannes of any sinne in us from whom we cannot hide it In the 24 chapt of Deut. verse 1. it was permitted that if a man had perceived Ervath dabhar anie uncleannes in her whom he had taken to wife unto him he might put her away and will God joyne himselfe to us if we cherish the uncleannes of sinne in us The second generall thing is the reason of the order for holynes and against uncleannes in them followeth in these last words saying And turne away from thee or from after thee Hebr. The Chalde sayth here least his WORD turne away from doing good unto thee See this of turning away from them to doe them good Ier. 32 40. Observation 6. Sinne forceth God to leaue Observ 6 and turne away from a people and that in great displeasure Is 59.2 Your iniquities haue separated betweene you and your God Sinne sayth one is a Schismatique And this is the Schisme and rent which it makes betweene God and us Hosea 5 15. I will goe and returne unto my place till they acknowledge their offence Meaning as here he speakes he would turne away from them So the Lord turned away from Sampson Iudg. the 16. and 20 verse The reason is first that which was partly giuen in the former point he cannot endure sinne Hab. 1.13 He is a God of pure eyes and cannot looke upon sinn a most impure object Secondly Sinne is that which turnes away from his law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the righteousnes of his nature and is most contrarie to him Thirdly Sinne turnes us away from God therefore the Lord turnes away from sinne and us because of sinne Consect 1. Why then it is no small matter for God to turne away from his people And this appears also by the bitter complaint hereof in the church of God among his people when God had turned from them and the woefull effects thereof threatned Deutr. 31 17. I will forsake them and hide my face from them and many evils and troubles shall befall them Lord it is no marvell though many evils doe befall us when thou the fountaine of all good doest leaue us Hosea 9 12. Yea woe unto them when I departe from them As when the Sunne goeth away from our Horizon he turnes away all his light and comfort from us and leaues us to grope in darkenes so when God turnes away from us we are bereaved of all good He turnes not away alone The Sunne when he comes to us comes with a great deale of comfort with much refreshing through his bright shyning rayes and sweete influence of his beames And truly the light is sweete and a pleasant thing is it to behould the Sunne Eccles 11.7 God is a Sunne of blessed influence where he commeth I will be a Sunne and a shielde Psalm 84. and Christ is sayd to arise like the Sunne The Sunne of righteousnes shall arise with healing in his wings and ye shall grow up as Calues and goe forth Mal. 4.2 So when God comes to a people he comes with a great deale of peace and happines and when he leaues any and turnes himselfe away he turnes and takes away all his mercies Your iniquities haue turned away these things that is all those good things before spoken of and your sinnes haue withholden good things from you Ierem. 5.25 I haue taken away my peace from this people euen loving kindnes and mercies Ier. 16 5. First God takes himselfe away or we by our sinnes and foule transgressions turne God away and loose all blessing with him As when the King goes away his court followes him his attendants and all goe away with him and nothing remaines but a naked place so when God turneth away his Court of attendance and all those good things as Concomitants doe wheele about with him Which aboue all things in the world should make us carefull as we tender the residence of God among us yea as we tender our liues the life of our liues that by Sinne we turne not God away from us For the Ioye of the Lord is our strength Nehem. 8 10. Secondly this should teach us that we should no sooner see uncleannes and sinne but like God away we should turne our selues from it with loathing indignation As when we behould an object lesse savorie and pleasing to our sent and sight we turne away and goe aside hide our eyes and stop our noses so there should no evill boldly present it selfe to us but we should divert our selues And so it should appeare that there is somewhat of that true hatred of sinne in us which is most infinitely in God which if we did God would the lesse nay not at all turne away from us Thirdly and lastly Behold here the loathsomenes of sinne the vilenesse and the filthinesse thereof most intollerable in that it makes the Lord turne away from us yea from his beloved people Nothing my Brethren can be so odious to us to make us turne away in disdaine to make us forsake and withdraw our selues from it as sinne and uncleannesse is to GOD. It is that which forceth him to abandon his people with a temporarie dereliction untill they returne and the wicked with an eternall desertion It must be a great matter must make us turne away from those who are deare unto us Gods people are his children it must be a strange thing must make a Father turne away from his children They are his Spowse and therefore Sinne is some greate abhomination that constreineth the Lord to leaue them When we turne away from any thing we turne away from a Serpent from a Basiliske from a Toade from a stincking Carkasse which is most noysome or wee turne away from our enimies whom we hate and of whom we are hated Some displeasing obiect or other it alwaies is which we turne away from We never turne away from that which is amiable louely and faire but what is accursed and miserable and worthilie of it selfe to be detested oh what an abhominable and beastly thing is sinne a most uncleane uncleannesse and impure impuritie which makes God to turne away from us because of that FINIS