degenerate into a contempt and despising of others and an over-valuing of thine owne perfections thine owne puritie and imaginarie righteousnesse Let the sixt day on which both man and beast were made of earth but yet a living soule breathed into man remember thee â—hat this earth which treads upâ—n thee must returne to the earth which thou treadest upon this body which loads thâ—e must returne to the grave and thy spirit returne to him that gave it And let the Sabbath remember thee too that since God hath given thee a temporall Sabbath placed thee in a Church of peace thou must perfect all in a Sabbath in a consciâ—nce of peace by remembring now thy Creator in all in some in one of these dayes of the New weeke either as God hath created a first day in thee by giving thee the light of the Gospell or a second day by giging thee a Firmament of knowledge of the things that concerne thy salvation or a third day accesse to that place where those doctrines and waters of life are gathered together the Church or a fourth day wherein thou hast a Sun and a Moone Thankfulnesse in prosperitie and Comfort in adversitie or a fifth day in which thou hast Reptilem humilitatem volatilem fiduciam an humble dejecting of thy selfe before God and yet a sure confidence in God or as in thy sixt day thou considerest thy composition that thou hast a body that must dye though thou wouldst have it live and thou hast a soule that must live though thou wouldest have it die Now all these dayes are contracted into a lesse roome in this text into two for here the originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is either In diebus juventuâ—is in the dayes of thy youth or In diebus electionum tuarum in the dayes of thy choices or whilst thou art able to make thy choice First therefore if thou wouldst be heard in Davids prayer Delicta juventutis c. Oh Lord remember not the sinnes of my youth remember to come to this prayer In diebus juventutis in the dayes of thy youth Iob remembers with sorrow how hee was in the dayes of his youth when Gods providence was upon his Tabernacle and it is a sad but a late consideration with what tendernesse of conscience what scruple what remorses wee entered into the beginning of sinnes in our youth and how indifferent those sins are growne to us now and how obdurate wee are growne in them It was Iobs sorrow to consider his youth and it was Tobits comfort When I was young saies hee all my tribe fell away but I alone went often to Ierusalem For It is good for a man to beare his yoak in his youth saith Ieremie and even then when God had delivered over his people to be afflicted purposely â—et he complaines on their bâ—halfe that the persecutor laid thâ— heaviest yoak upon the ancientest men Age is unfit for burdens and to râ—sâ—rve the weight and burden of our conscience conversion and repentance till our age is an irregular incongiuous and a disproportioned thing Labore fracta instrumenta ad Deum ducis quorum nullus est usus Wilt thou pretend to work in Gods building and bring no toolâ—s but such as are blunted and broken in the sâ—rvice of the world No man would present a lame horse a disordered clock a torne booke to the King Caro est jumentum thy body is thy beast thy flesh is thy horse wilt thou present that to God when it is lame and tired with excesâ—e of wantonnesse when thy clâ—ck the whole course of thy life is disordeâ—ed with passions and perturbations when thy booke the historie of thy life is torne and a thousand sins of thine owne torne out of thy memorie wilt thou then presâ—nt this Clock this Booke so defaced and mangled to thy God Thou pretendâ—st to present that indeed which thou doest not present Temperantia non est temperantia in senectute sed impotentia intemperantiae Thou pretendest to present temperance and continence to God and in age temperance is not temperance but onely a disabilitie of being intemperate It is often and well said Senex bis puer An old man returnes to the ignorance and frowardnesse of a child againe but it is not Senex bis juvenis an old man returnes to the dayes of youth againe to present fruits acceptable to God so late in his yeares Doe this then In diebus juventutis in thy best strength and when thy naturall faculties are best able to concurre with the grace of God Doe it too in diebus electionum tuarum Whilst thou maist chuse For if thou hast worne out this word in one sense that it be too late to Remember him in the dayes of thy youth that 's sinfully and negligently spent already yet as long as thou art able to make a new choice to chuse a new sinne that when the heats of youth are not overcome but burnt-out then thy middle agâ— chuseth ambition thine old age covetousnesse as long as thou art able to make this choice art thou not able to make a better than this God testifies the power that hee hath given thee I call heaven and earth to record this day that I have set before you Life and Death c. therefore chuse life if this choice like you not saies Iosuah to the people If it seeme evill in your eyes to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve Here 's the Election day bring that which you would have into the ballance with that which God presents you and tell mee what you would chuse to preferre before God As for honour and favour and health and riches perchance you cannot have them though you chuse them but if you have can you have more of them than they have had to whom these very things have beene occasions of ruine It is true the market is open till the last bell ring and ring out the Church is open and grace offered in the Sacraments of the Church but trust not then to that Rule That men buy cheapest at the end of the Market that heaven may bee had for a breath at the last when they that stand by the bed and heare that breath cannot tell whether it be a sigh or a gaspe whether a religious breathing and anhelation after the next life or a naturall breathing and exhalation of this But finde thou a spirituall good husbandry in that other rule That the best of the market is to be had at first at the beginning For howsoever in thine age there may be by Gods working Dies juventutis God may make thee a new creature and so give thee a new youth for as God himselfe is Antiquissimus dierum so with God no man is superannuated yet when age hath made a man impotent for sinne these are not properly Dies electionis when hee forbeares sin out of an impotencie towards that sinne And therefore
Apostles to worke humility and true repentance in their Auditors suppose a possibilitie of humiliation and repentance a possibility likewise of acknowledging and considering our owne impotency and misery a possibility likewise of conceiving some desire not meerely bruitish of our redemption or deliverance Our Saviour yee know required not onely a desire of health of sight of speech in all those whom he healed restored to sight or made to speake but withall a kind of naturall beleefe or conceit that he was able to effect what they desired Hence saith the Euangelist Marke 6. 5. Mat. 13. verse last Hee could not doe many miracles among them because of their unbeleefe Yet CHRIST alone wrought the miracles the parties cured were meere patients no way agents And such as sollicited their cause in case of absence at the best were but by-standers Now no man I thinke will deny that Christ by the power of his God head could have given sight speech and health to the most obstinate and perverse yet by the rule of his divine goodnesse he could not cast his pearles before swine Most true it is that wee are altogether dead to life spirituall unable to speake or think much lesse to desire it as wee should Yet beleefe and reason morall and naturall survive and may with Martha and Marie beseech Christ to raise up their dead brother who cannot speake for himselfe The third Objection will rather be preferred in Table-talke discourse than seriously urged in solemne dispute If God so dearly desire and will the life and safety of such as perish his will should not alwaies be done Why Dare any man living say or thinke that hee alwaies doth whatsoever God would have him doe So doubtlesse he should never sin or offend his God For never was there woman so wilfull or man so mad as to bee offended with ought that went not against their present will Nor was there ever or possibly can be any breach unlesâ—e the will of the Law-giver be broken thwarted or contradicted For he that leaves the letter and followes the true meaning of the Lawgivers will doth not transgresse his law but observe it And unlesse Gods will had beene set upon the salvation of such as perish they had not offended but rather pleased him in running headlong the wayes of death Yet in a good sense it is alwayes most true that Gods will is alwayes fulfilled We are therefore to considâ—r that God may will some things absolutely others disjunctively or that some things should fall out necessarily others not at all or contingently The particulars which God absolutely wils should fall out necessarily must of necessity come to passe otherwise his will could in no case be truly said to be fulfillâ—d As unlesse the Leper to whom it was said by our Saviour I will be thou cleane had beene cleansed Gods will manifested in these words had beene utterly broken But if every particular which hee wils disjunctively or which he wils should be contingent did of nâ—câ—ssity come to passe his whole will should utterly be defeated For his will as wee suppose in this case is that neither this noâ— that particular should be necessarily but that either they should not be or be contingeâ—tly And if any particular comprised within the latitude of this contingency with its consequent come to passe his will is truly and perfectly fulâ—illed As for example God tels the Israelites that by observing his Commandements they should live and dye by transgressing them Whether therefore they live by the one meanes or dye by the other his will is necessarily fulfilled Because it was not that they should necessarily observe his Commandements or transgresse them but to their transgression though contingent death was the necessary doome so was life the necessary reward of their contingent observing them But the Lord hath sworne that he delighteth not in the death of him that dieth but in his repentance if then hee never repent Gods delight or good pleasure is not alwayes fulfilled because hee delights in the one of thâ—se not in the other How then shall it be true which is written God doth whatsoever pleaseth him in the Heaven and in the Earth if hee make not sinners repent in whose repentance hee is better pleased than in their death But unto this difficultie the formâ—r answer may bee rightly â—itted Gods delight or good pleasure may bee done two wayes either in us or upon us In the former place it is set upon our repentance or obsequiousnesse to his will For this is that service wheâ—eto by his goodnesse he ordained us But if we crosse his good will and pleasure as it respects this point that is if wee will not suffer our selves to be saved the same delight or pleasure is set upon our punishment and fulfilled upon us And if wee would enter into our owne hearts wee might see the Image of Gods will hitherto manifested by his word distinctly written in them and that the Rule which his justice observes in punishing the wicked and reprobate is to measure out their plagues and punishments according to the measure of their neglecting his will or contradicting his delight in their subjection That as the riches of his goodnesse leading them to repentance hath beene more plentifull so they by their impenitencie still treasure up greater store of wrath against the day of wrath To this purpose doth the Lord threaten the obstinate people before mentioned in Esay These are as a smoake in my nose and a sire that burneth all the day as hee hath spread out his hands to them all the day Behold it is written before mee I will not keepe silence but will recompence into their bosomes your iniquities and the iniquities of your Fathers together saith the Lord which have burnt incense upon the mountaines and blasphemed mee upon the Hils therefore will I reward their former workes into their bosome Both these parts of Gods delight are fully expressed by Salomon Wisdome cryeth without shee hath uttered her will in the streets shee cryeth in the chiefe places of the concourse in the opening of the Gates in the Citie shee uttereth her words saying How long yee simple ones will yee love simplicitie and the scorners delight in their scorning and fooles hate knowledge Turne you at my reproofe behold I will powre out my spirit upon you I will make knowne my words unto you These passages infallibly argue an unfained delight in their repentance and such a desire of their salvation as the wisdome of God hath expressed in my text But what followes Because I have called and yee refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but yee have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my reproofe I also will laugh at your calamitie I will mock when your feare commeth This his delight remaines the same but is set upon another object To the same purpose Esay 65.12 Therefore I will
number you to the sword and you shall all bow downe to the slaughter because when I called yee did not answer when I spake yee did not heare but did evill before mine eyes and did chuse that wherein I delighted not So then whâ—ther by the destruction of the wicked or salvation of the chosen Gods name is still glorified His justice â—xpâ—cts what should have beene done but was not paid unto mercâ— Hee can be no loser by mans unthankfulnesse or ungratefulnesse The case is all one as if one should take that from a theefe with the left hand which hee hath picked out of our right hand Thus much of the two points proposed I doe desire no more than that the tree may be judged by the fruit and questionlesse the use of these â—esolutions for convincing our selves of sinne or quelling despaire or for encouraging the carelesse and impenitent unto repentance by giving them the right hold of the meanes of life is much greatâ—r than can bee conceived without the admittance of their truth First seeing the end of our preaching is not so much to instruct the elect as to call sinners to repentance not so much to confirme their faith that are already certaine of salvation as to give hope to the unregenerate that they may bee saved how shall wee accomplish either intendment by magnifying Gods love towards the elect who these are God and themselves know How shall he that lives yet in sinne pâ—rswade himselfe there is probability that he may bee saved because God hath infallibly decreed to save some few Rather seeing by the contrary doctrine the most part of mankinde must necessarily perish hee hath more reason to feare leâ—t he be one of those many than one of the few The bare possibility of his salvation cannot be inferred but from indefinite premisses from which no certaine conclusion can possibly follow and without certaine apprehension or conceit of possibility there can bee no certaine ground of hope But if wee admit the former extent of Gods unspeakable love to all and his desire of their eternall safety which desperately perish every man may nay must undoubtedly thus conclude Therefore Gods love extends to mee It is his good will and pleasure to have mee saved amongst the rest as well as any other and whatsoever he unfainedly wils his power is able effectually to bring to passe The danger of sinne and terrour of that dreadfull day being first made knowne to our Auditory the pressing of these points as effectually as they might bee were this doctrine held for current would kindle the love of God in our hearts and inflame them with desires answerable to Gods ardent will of our salvation and these once kindled would breed sure hope and in a manner inforce us to embrace the infallible meanes thereunto ordained Without admission of the former doctrine it is impossible for any man rightly to measure the hainousnesse of his owne or others sinnes Such as gather the infinity of â—innes demerit from the infinite Majestie against which it is committed give us the surface of sinne infinite in length and breadth but not in solidity The will or pleasure of a Prince in matters meanly affected by him or in respect of which hee is little more than indifâ—erent may bee neglected without greater offence than meaner persons may justly take for foule indignities or grievous wrongs But if a Princes soveraigne command in a matter which he desired so much as his owne life should be contemned a loyall subject conscious of such contempt though hapning through riot or perswasions of ill company would in his sober fits be ready to take revenge of himselfe specially if hee knew his Soveraignes love or liking of him to be more than ordinary Consider then that as the Majesty and goodnesse of our God so his love and mercy towards us is truly infinite that he desires our repentance as earnestly as wee can desire meat and drinke in the extremity of thirst or hunger as wee can doe life it selfe whiles wee are beset with death This our God manifested in our flesh did not desire his owne life so much as our redemption We muâ—t therefore measure the hainousnesse of our sinne by the abundance of Gods love by the height and depth of our Saviours humiliation Thus they will appeare infinite not only because committed against an infinite Majesty but because with this dimension they further include a wilfull neglect of infinite mercies and incomprehensible desires of our salvation Wee are by nature the seed of rebels which had lift up their hands against the infinite goodnesse of their Creator in taking of the forbidden fruit whereby they sought to be like him in Majesty Conscious of the transgression the first actors immediately hid themselves from his presence and as if this their terrour had imprinted a perpetuall antipathy in their posteritie the least glimpse of his glory for many generations after made them crie out Alas wee shall die because we have seene the Lord. We still continue like the off-spring of tame creatures grown wilde alwayes eschewing his presâ—nee that seekes to recover us as the bird doth the fowlers or the beasts of the forest the sight of fire And yet unlâ—sse hee shelter us under the shadow of his wings wee are as a prey exposed to the destroyer already condemned for fuell to the flames of hell or nutriment to the breed of serpents To redeeme us from this everlasting thraldome our God camâ— downe into the world in the similitude of our flesh made as a stale to allure us with wiles into his net that hee might draw us with the cords of love The depth of Christs humiliation was as great as the difference betweene God and the meanest man therefore truly inâ—inite Hâ—c that was equâ—ll with God was conversant here on earth with us in the forme and condition of a servant But of servants by birth or civill constitution many live in health and ease with sufficient supplies of all things necessary for this life So did not the Son of God His humanity was charged with all the miseries whereof mortality is capable subject to hunger thirst temptations revilings and scornings even of his servants an indignitie which cannot befall slaves or vassals either borne or made such by men or to use the Prophets words Hee bare mans infirmities not spiritually onely but bodily For whâ— was weake and hee not weake who was sick and hee whole No malady of any disease cured by him but was made his by his exact and perfect sympathie Lastly Hee bare our sinnes upon the â—rosse and submitted himselfe to greater torments than any man in this life can suffer And though these were as displeasant to his humane nature as to ours yet were our sinnes to him more displeasant As he was loving to us in his death so was hee wise towards himselfe and in submitting himselfe unto his cruell and ignominious death did of two evils chuse the lesse rather
to suffer the punishment due to our â—innes than to suffer sinne still to raigne in us whom he loved more dearely than his owne life If then we shall continue in sinne after the manifestation of his love the hainousnesse of our offence is truly infinite in so much as wee doe that continually which is more distastfull to our gracious God than any torments can be to us So doing we build up the workes of Satan which hee came purposely to destroy For of this I would noâ— have you ignorant that albeit the end of his death was to redeeme sinners yet the onely meanes prâ—destinated by him for our redemption is destruction of the workes of Satan and renovation of his Fathers Image in our Soules For us then to reedifie the workes of Satan or abett his faction is still more offensive to this our God then was his Agonie or bloudy sweat For taking a fuller measure of our sinnes let us hereunto adde his patient expectation of his enemies conversion after the resurrection If the sonne of Zaleucus before mentioned should have pardoned any as deeply guilty as himselfe had beene of that offence for which hee lost one of his eyes and his father another the world would have taxed him either of unjust follie or too much facilitie rather than commended him for true justice or clemencie But that we may know how farre Gods mercy doth over-beare his Majestie he proceeds not straightway to execute vengeance upon those Jewes which wrecked their malice upon his deare and onely Sonne which had committed nothing worthy of blame much lesse of death Here was matter of wrath and indignation so just as would have moved the most mercifull man on Earth to have taken speedy revenge upon these spillers of innocent blood especially the law of God permitting thus much But Gods mercy is above his law above his justice These did exact the very abolition of these sinners in the very first act of sinne committed against God made man for their redemption yet hee patiently expects their repentance which with unrelenting fury had plotted his destruction Forty yeares long had hee beene grieved with this generation after the first Passeover celebrated in signe of their deliverance from AEgyptian bondage and for their stubbornnesse Hee swore they should not enter into his rest And now their posterity after a more glorious deliverance from the powers of darknesse have forty yeares allotted them for repentance before they bee rooted out of the land of Rest or Promise Yet hath not the Lord given them hearts to perceive eyes to see or eares to heare unto this day because seeing they would not see nor hearing would not heare but hardened their hearts against the Spirit of grace Lord give us what thou didst not give them hearts of flesh that may melt at thy threats eares to heare the admonirions of our peace and eyes to foresee the day of our visitation that so when thy wrath shall be revealed against sinne and sinners wee may bee sheltered from flames of fire and brimstone under the shadow of thy wings so long stretched out in mercie for us Often Oh Lord wouldst thou have gathered us and wee would not but let there be we beseech thee an end of our stubbornnesse and ingratitude towards thee no end of thy mercies and loving kindnesses towards us Amen GODS IVST HARDNING OF PHARAOH When he had filled up the measure of his iniquitie OR AN EXPOSITION OF ROM 9. 18 19. Therefore he hath mercie on whom he will have mercie and whom he will he hardneth Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth be yet find fault For who hath resisted his will LONDON Printed by JOHN HAVILAND for ROBERT MILBOURNE 1638. Gods just hardning of Pharaoh when he had filled up the measure of his iniquitie Or An Exposition of ROM 9. 18 19. Therefore hath he mercie on whom he will have mercie and whom hee will hee hardneth Thou wilt say then unto me Why doth he yet finde fault For who hath resisted his will THe former part of this proposition here inferred by way of conclusion was avouched before by our Apostle as an undoubted Maxime ratified by Gods owne voyce to Moses For he said to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compasion on whom I will have compassion Exod. 33. 19. The true sense and meaning of which place I have before declared in unfolding the 16. verse of this chapter so that the later part of this eighteenth verse Whom he will hee hardneth must be the principall subject of my present discourse The Antecedent inferring this part of this conclusion is Gods speech to Pharaoh Exod. 9. 18. Even for this purpose have I raised thee up that I may shew my power in thee and that my name may be declared throughout all the Earth The inference is plaine seeing Gods powre was to be manifested in hardening Pharaoh The points of inquiry whose full discussion will open an easie passage to the difficulties concerning Rebrobation and Election and bring all the contentious controversies concerning the meaning of this chapter to a breefe prospicuous issue are especially foure 1. The Manner how God doth harden 2. The pertinencie of the Objection why doth hee yet finde fault for who hath resisted his will and the validitie of the Apostles answer 3. The Logicall determination of this proposition Whom hee will hee hardeneth what is the proper object of Gods will in hardening 4. What manner of division this is Hee will have compassion on whom hee will have compassion and whom hee will hee hardeneth For the right opening of all these foure difficulties the explication of the single termâ—s with their divers acceptions sâ—rves as a key The termes briefly to be explicated are three 1. Gods will 2. Induration or Hardening 3. Irresistible The principall difficultie or transcendent question is in what sense Gods will or Induration may be said to be irresistible whom hee will hee hardeneth Not to trouble you with any curious distinctions concerning Gods will this is a string which in mâ—st meditations we were inforced to touch Albeit Gods will be most truly and indivisibly one and in indivisible unitie most truly infinite and immutable yet is it immutably free omnipotent able to produce pluralitie as well as unitie mutabilitie as well as immutabilitie weaknesse as well as strength in his creatures By this one infinite immutable will hee ordaines that some things shall be necessarie or that this shall be at this time and no other And such particulars hee is said by an extrinsecall denomination from the object to will by his irresistible will The meaning is the production of the object so willed cannot be resisted because it is Gods will that it shall come to passe notwithstanding any resistance that is or can bee made against it If any particular so willed should not come to passe his will might be resisted being set only on this By
againe how safe soever it seemes to be setled Offer at thy Easter whensoever thou hast any resurrection any sense of raising thy â—oule from the shadow of death offer thy confession to God that it is the sun-shine of his grace and not of thy moralitie Offer at thy Pentecost whensoever the holâ— Ghost descends upon thee in a fierie â—ongue that thou feelest thy selfe melted by the powerfull preaching of the word ofâ—er thy confession then that this is the proceeding of his grace and not the disposition or concurrence or tendernesse of thy nature For if thou deferre thine offering till September till thy Fall till thy winter till thy death howsoever those may be thy first-fruits because they be the first that ever thou gavest yet they are not such as are acceptable to God God hath no portion in them if they come so late Offer thy selfe now nay doe but offer to thy selfe now that is but an easie request and yet there is no more asked Viximus mundo vivamus reliquum nobis ipsis Thus long we have served the world let us serve our selves the rest of our time but this is the best part of our selves our soules Expectes ut febris te vocet ad poenitentiam Hadst thou rather a sicknesse should bring thee to God than a Sermon Hadst thou rather be beholding to a Physician for thy salvation than to a Preacher Thy businesse is to Remember stay not for thy last sicknesse which may be a Lethargie in which thou maist forget thine owne name and his that gave thee thy best name the name of a Christian Christ Iesus himselfe Thy businesse is to Remember and thy time is Now stay not till that Angell come that shall say and sweare that Time shall be no more Remember then and Remember Now Nunc in die Now whilst it is day The Lord will heare thee in die qua invocaveru sayes David in the day that thou callest upon him and in quacunque die velociter exaudiet in any day hee will heare thee quickly but still it is Opuâ— diei a worke of the day to call upon God For in the Night our last Night these thoughts that fall upon us are rather Dreames than Remembrings upon our death-bed wee rather dreame that wee repent than repent indeed To him that travels by Night a bush seemes a horse and a horse seemes a man and a man seemes a spirit nothing hath its proper shape to him that repents by Night on his death-bed neither his owne time nor the mercies of God have their tâ—ue proportion This night they shall fetch â—way thy soule saith Châ—ist to the secure man but hee neither tels him who they be that shall fetch it away nor whither they shall carry it Hee hath no light but lightning a sudden flâ—sh of horrour and so is translated iâ—â—o the fire which hath no light Nunquid Deus paravit nobis ignem iâ—â—um Non nobis sed Diabolo Angelis eâ—us And yet we who arâ— vessels so broken that there is not asheard left to fetch water at the pit as the Prophet expresseth an irreparable ruine no meanes in our selves to derive one drop of the blood of Christ Iesus upon us no meanes to wring out one teare of true contrition from us have plunged our selves into this dark this everlasting fire which was not prepared for us A wretched covetousnesse to be intruders upon the devill a wofull ambition to be usurpers upon damnation God did not make that fire for us much lesse did hee make us for that fire make us to damne us God forbid but yet though it were not made for us at first now it belongs to us the judgement takes hold of us Whosoever beleeveth not is already condemned there the fire belongeth to our infidâ—lâ—tie and the judgement takes hold of us Ite maledicti you have not fed mee nor cloathed mee nor harboured mee therefore goe yee cursed then that fire takes hold of our omission of necessarie duties and good workes What 's our remedy now why still this is the way of Gods justice and his proceeding ut sentâ—ntia lata â—it invalida That if hee publish his judgement his judgement is not executed The judgements of the Medes and Persians were irrevocable but the judgements of God if they be given and published are not executed The Ninivites had perished if the sentence of their destruction had not beene given and the sentence preserved themâ— by bringing them to repentance So in this cloud of â—te maledicti wee may see Day-breake and discerne beames of Sunning light in this judgement of Eternall darknesse If the contemplation of Gods judgements bring us to Remember him it is but a darke and stormie Day but yet spirituall affliction and the apprehension of Gods anger is one Day wherein wee may Remember God And this is Copiosa redemptio the overflowing mercy of God that hee affords us many dayes to remember him in for it is not in die but in diebus This Remembring which we intend is an inchoation yea it is a great step into our Conversion and Regenâ—ration whereby wee are New Creatures and therefore wee may well consider as mâ—ny dayes in this New creation as were in the â—irst Creation of the world In the â—irst day was the making of Light and our â—irst day is the knowledge of him who sayes of himselfe Ego sum Lux mundi I am the light of the world and of whom Saint Iohn testifies Erat Lux vera Hee was the true Light which lighteth every man that commeth into the world This is then our first day The Light the knowledge the profesâ—ion of the Gospell of Christ Iesus Now God made Light first ut operaretur in Luce saith Saint Augustine that hee might worke in the light in producing other creatures not that God needed Light to worke by but for our example God hath shed the beames of the light of his Gospell first upon us in our Baptisme that wee might have that Light to worke by and to produce our other Creatures and thaâ— in every enterprise wee might examine our selves our consciences whether we could not be better content that that Light went out or were Eclipsed than the light of our owne glory whether wee had not rather that the Gospell of Christ Iesus suffered a little than our owne ends and preferments God made Lightâ—irst â—irst that hee might make his other creatures by the light saith Saint Augustine and hee made that first too ut cernerentur quae fecerat saith Saint Ambrose that these creatures might see one another for frustrà essent si non viderentur saith that Father It had been to no purpose for God to have made creatures if hee had not made Light that they might see one another and so glorifie him God hath given us this Light of the Gospell too that the woâ—ld might see our actions by this Light For the noblest Creatures of Princes and the noblest actions of
right and left eare in one of us Wee heare with both eares at once and hee heares in both places at once Remember mee not my abilities For when I consider my Apostleship to you that I was sent to you I am â—n Saint Pauls Quorum Quorum ego minimus I am the least of them that have beene sent unto you and when I consider mine infirmities I know I may justly lay a heavier name upon them I know I am in his other Quorum Quorum ego maximus sent to save sinners of whom I am the chiefest But yet remember my labours my endevours at least my desires to doe that great service of making sure your salvation and I shall remember your religious cheerefulnesse in hearing the Word and youâ— Christian-like respect to those who bring this Word unto you and of me in particular so farre above my merit And so as your eyes that stay here and mine that must bee far off for all that distance shall meet every morning in looking upon the same Sunne and meet every night in looking upon the same Moone so our hearts may meet morning and evening in that God who sees and heares alike at all distances That you may come up to him in your prayers on my behalfe that I if I may bee of any use for his glorie and your edification in this place may be restored to you againe in this place and I may come up to him in my prayers on your behalfe that what Paul soever shall plant here and what Apollo soever shall water here be himselfe will bee pleased to give the increase And that if I never meet you till by severall wayes wee have met in the gates of death that within the gates of heaven I may meet you all and there say to my Saviour and your Saviour that which he said to his Father and our Father Of those whom thou gavest me I have not lost one Remember me thus you that stay in this kingdome of peace where no sword is drawne but the sword of justice as I shall remember you in those kingdomes where Ambition on the one side and a necessarie defence of religion against imminent persecution on the other side hath drawne many swords And Christ Iesus remember us all in his kingdome to which though wee must saile through a sea yet it is the sea of his bloud in which never soule suffered shipwrack Though we must bee blowne with strong windes with vehement sighes and groans for our sinnes yet it is the Spirit of God that blowes all that winde in us and shall blow away all contrarie windes of diffidence in his mercy It is that kingdome where we shall all be souldiers but of one armie the Lord of hosts and all children of one Quire the God of harmonie and consent where all clients shall retaine but one Advocate the Advocate of us all Christ Iesus and yet every client receive a sentence on his side not onely a verdict of not-guiltie a non-imputation of sinne but a Venite Benedicti a reall participation of an immortall crowne of glorie where there shall bee no dâ—fference in affection nor in voice but wee shall all agree as fully and perfectly in our Hallelu-jah and our Gloria in excelsis as God the Father God the Sonne and God the holy Ghost agreed in their Fâ—ciamus Hominem wee shall praise the whole Trinitie as unanimly as the Trinitie concurr'd in making us To end it is the kingdome where we shall end and yet begin but then where we shall have continuall rest and yet never grow lazie where wee shall have more strength and no enemie where weâ— shall live and never die where we shall meet and never part but here we must FINIS Deut. 5.29 Two poinâ—s 1 Point That God earnestly desires the conversion of such as perish 1 Tim. 2.1 2. 1 Tim. 1. 1 2. Iam. 2.6 Vers. 7. 1 Tim. 2.3 Vers. 4. Vers. 5. Vers. 5. Esay â—6 4 â— Luk. 11. 49. Iohn 12. 49.50 Esay 49. 14 15. c. Esay 65. 2 3 4 5. 2 Point How it is possible then that all men are not saved Jude 10. Isa. 27. 11. 1. Object Answer 2 on Answer Object 3. Answer Object Answer Esâ— 65.5 Prov. 1. 20 21 c. In what sense or in respect of what objectâ— Gods wiâ—â— is said to be irresistible What it is to harden The first generall part That God doth not harden all men at all times after this same manner God sometimes hardenâ— privatively only God usually hardens positively but not by his irresistible will Pharaoh was hardned by Gods irresistible will Whether Pharaoh were an absolute reprobate oâ— created to be hardned The second generall part That the objection proposed hath reference only to Pharaoh or to some few in his case not to all that perish or are reprobated The true occasion of the former objection The Apostleâ— first answer to the former objection explicated In what sense Gods will is said to be the absolute and infallible rule of equitie or justice The Apostleâ— second answer to the former objection So the Septuagâ—nt expresse the sense of the Hebrew phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The third generall Part. A discovery of the fallacie wherewith Beza and others have in this argument been deceived That the object of divine approbation or reprobation is not the individuall abstract nature The old man and new suppose not two distinct persons and yet the rewards of joy and paines everlasting are allotted to them That albeit Pharaoh was alwayes one and the same man yet he was not alwayes one and the same object of the divine deciâ—e That Pharaoh in the Syllogisme proâ—osed is no singular but indefinite terme That the contention concerning Pharaohs induration hath no contradiction for his ground The conclusion of the Syllogisme proposed indefinitely taken is most true but universally taken is altogether false In what sense the conclusion proposed may be said to be universall universalitate subjecti Whether granting that Pharaoh was a reprobate from eternitie wee must grant wiâ—hall that Pharaoh was a reprobate in his middle age youth or infancie That Pharaoh in his youth or infancie was not excluded by Gods irresistible decree from possibilitie of repentance The â—ourâ—h generall part This division iâ— not formall nor so exact as is required in arts and sciences That many men are not comprehended under either member of this division That one and the same man according to the diversitie of time or qualification may be the true and proper subject of both parts of this division That this doctrine delivered is no way prejudiciall to the certainty of salvation but rather diâ—ects us how to make our election sure Gen. 8. 1. Isay 49 15 Bernard Psal 111 4 Iam. 1.18 Job 29 4. Tobit 1.4 Lam. 3. 27. Isay 47. 6. Basil. August Deut. 30. 19. Josuah 24. â—5 Iohn 7.39 1 Pet. 4. 19.