strength and therefore are not feared as 2 Sam. 16.13 great malice and hatred in Shimei yet it was nothing but an handfull of dust and because he wanted might it was faine to end in words onely Whereas if hee had beene mighty his anger would more have prevayled So the want of might is many times the hinderance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mighty so in Esay 31.3 and in other places of the Scriptures it pleaseth God when he opposeth himselfe to men Aegypt is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is such strength in God that mans weaknesse is not able to match it In Hebrew there be two words given to God that comprehend the whole nature of strength first * * * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnoz the second * * * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cayl The first is that we call Robur internall strength the other externall strength either of Weapons or Armes c. 1. For the first as when it pleaseth the H. G. to debase the strength of man 1 Cor. 1.25 that the weaknesse of God is stronger then the strength of men so Exod. 8.19 when he speaketh of Gods strength and the mighty wonders which he wrought in Aegypt he compareth it to the finger of God Which finger Psal 144.5 if it doe but touch the Mountaines it will make them smoake and not onely his finger but more the puffe the winde of a mans mouth is the least thing and weakest and yet he saith At the proceeding of it out of his nostrills the foundations of the Hills were discovered and the ground removed Psalm 18.15 This is positive and not onely this but also privative Psalm 104.29 If he doe but hold in his breath all things perish or he cast his eye aside the World comes to an end in a moment Secondly for fortitudo strength or munitions without him albeit this is sufficient to move us yet that Jer. 23.29 Is not my Word even like a fire saith the Lord and like an Hammer that breaketh the stone And Psal 7.13 Except a man returne he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready For the other his powers and Legions of Angels Psalm 68.17 twenty thousand but in Dan. 7.10 they are said to be more Thousand thousands and tenne thousand thousands of heavenly souldiers Luke 2.13 Legions of heavenly souldiers Besides in the 8 9 10. of Exodus Armies of the basest creatures Lice Frogs Caterpillers Grashoppers c. By which he brought mighty things to passe against the great princes as Psal 105. 2. Zelotes Jealousie that seemeth to import thus much It might be thought all one for God whether we did afford him this outward worship or not and that he careth not nor regardeth this outward manner and therefore conceiveth no anger against the breach of it therefore he to take away all such doubt setteth this downe that he is a regarder and a jealous regarder of this Psalm 10.13 he ascribeth to the wicked this speech Tush God he regardeth it not The other possibly will make us regard yet there are but few that make regard whether he can therefore he hath taken upon him that that implyeth the speciallest regard that can be and betokeneth such an affection as is in them that have a regard Jealousie is the excesse of love whereby every man regardeth a thing so as Numbers 5. that he cannot abide it to be common to any with him as he that is Impatiens consortis and cannot abide to have any one part common but he must have it whole himselfe 1. For the first Impatiens consortis when he will have no fellow 2 Cor. 11.2 the Apostle saith he was jealous over them with the zeale of the Lord that he might present them a pure Virgin to Christ onely 2. For the second that he must have the whole Psalm 69.9 The zeale of thine house hath even devoured me and Christ hath applyed it to himselfe It is an affection that it must devoure the whole man and eate him up cleane and separate him so that he have no fellowship with any other such regard then hath God to his outward worship This affection in it selfe is good else God Numb 5.14 would not have given that Commandement allowing the spirit of jealousie Yet by reason of hitting or missing in us it is joyned and mingled sometimes with other affections and when we misse of our purpose wholly then it is Zelus amarus ex laesa concupiscentia as James calleth it Quia extra non sentit quod jutus concupiscit and this griefe stirreth up another Vindicem laesae concupiscentiae Nahum 1.23 such anger as will have revenge and further then that Prov. 6.34 35. a raging and universall revenge Now then if this fall into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it proveth not to be like a sparke in a stack of Straw or falling into an heape of Chaffe which maketh a flame and vanisheth away but like a sparke of fire falling into a barrell of Gunne-powder bearing up all before it According to mans strength is his anger The Kings anger is death and the eternall Kings eternall death of body and soule Luke 12.5 For avoyding error touching this that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is affirmed of God what is to be thought of it and what profit we may have of this affirmation Whether there fall any affection of man into God It is certaine it doth not if a man speake properly if he speake not by a metaphor And to them which say Indignum est haec de Deo dici we must answer with Augustine Indignum certe est si quid quod de eo diceretur inveniretur dignum but we cannot for our great and glorious titles of Majesty magnificence glory are nothing to his glory Magis congrua accommoda sunt humanae imbecillitati quam divinae majestati so this is spoken for mans infirmity The applying of it to the Scriptures 1. Whereas it is said in many places God is not as man that he should repent him and in other places that it repented him that he made man c. For reconciling of such places his rule is Cum negantur istae affectiones de Deo significari immutabilitatem cum dicuntur de Deo efficaciam that he will worke effectually So that these affections here shew that God will doe as men doe which have the like affections not that he hath these affections but that he produceth these actions that they doe which have those affections Secondly also as Augustine saith that those things are affirmed of God and man eodem verbo sed non eodem modo For jealousie in man may be light and for no cause but in God with knowledge and wisedome mans jealousie knoweth no order it is disordered and raging in God it is tranquilla justitia Thirdly to these two we may add the end that it is convenient to the same nature these two being observed that
saith that then shall be blacknesse of darknesse and that because as it is in Joel 3.15 The Sunne and the Moone shall be darkned and the Starres shall loose their light For the third namely 3. Thunder-claps Thunderclaps 2. Pet. 3.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the day of the Lord will come as a Thiefe in the night in the which the Heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heate the earth also and the workes that are therein shall be burnt up The beames of the earth shall cracke in pieces And no doubt the noyse of the Heavens passing away of the elements melting of the earth burning must needs be greater then a thunderclap That spectacle both to the eye and eare must needs be much more fearefull then this The effect of this last day not temporall for the other 4. Fire they had a remedy but for this they had none at all 4. For fire It was then but on one simple mountaine Sinai but here it shall be on all the earth this fire was but as the fire in the bush the bush was not a whit consumed by it no more was Sinai by it But our God Heb. 12. v. last is himselfe a consuming fire and such Revel 19.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And her smoke rose up for ever and ever As it shall inflict on us paines for ever so the smoke of it shall ascend forever 5. Earthquake and the flame never be quenched 5. For the shaking of the earth this shall passe that there one mountaine quaked but here both Heaven Earth shall shake Heb. 12.26 27. Whose voice then shooke the earth but now he hath promised saying yet once more I shake not the earth onely but also heaven c. So as that there shall be a manifest moving of them Hag. 2.7 Yet a little while I will shake the Heavens and the Earth the Sea and dry Land Whereas this hill standeth stil as it did before 6. Sound of Trumpet in the wildernesse 6. For the sound of the Trumpet that pierced the eares of the living this shall raise up the dead also Here shall be the Trump of the Archangell That removed not the mount nor the wildernesse but here shall be such a sound that it shal raise the dead And as we compare the circumstances of both so may we compare the effects of both The giving made Moses to shake and tremble but at the requiring againe of it as it is 1 Pet. 4.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and the sinner appeare There shall be a like trembling of all For Justus vix servabitur the righteous scarce shall be saved And as for the unjust they shall smite their knees together and shall cry to the mountaines though in vaine for they cannot be heard to fall on them and to cover them from the face of the just judge Apoc. 6.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And they said to the mountaines and rockes fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe So that thus we see by way of comparison that the delivery did in some part answer the requiring of it but the terriblenesse of that day cannot be expressed Let us therefore say as the people to Moses Lord let us heare the ministerie of man Hebr. 12.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore we receiving a Kingdome which cannot be moved Let us have grace whereby we may serve God with reverence and godlinesse for Deut. 33.2 The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them and appeared clearely from mount Paran and he came with 10000. of Saints and at his right hand a fiery law for them No doubt when Christ commeth from Heaven he shall bring with him a fiery law executed with fire and brimstone And thus much for the preparation The use and end of the Law 4. Circumstance THere is yet one thing to be considered namely the use or end of the law which shall be explained out of the circumstances of a proposition of the giving of the law The proposition is Heb. 7.19 Heb. 7.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope by the which we draw nigh unto God The end of the law bringeth two uses 1. It bringeth us to know perfection it selfe 2. It leadeth us to a better thing it is our schoolemaster to Christ 1. For the first though it be a law that carrieth with it the marke of the Law-giver as Solons lawes a marke of their giver to wit mildnesse and Dracoes lawes cruelty and stubbornnesse And that it is Mandatum sanctum a holy commandement in respect of the duties to God Justum just in respect of the duties to other men bonum good in respect of our selves Rom. 7.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherefore the Law is holy and the Commandement holy and just and good yet by occasion of transgression and infection it bringeth no perfection with it as may be shewed out of the circumstances 1. Of the place a waste and barren Wildernesse that yeelded no fruit which signifieth that the law should be so barren that it should not yeeld so much as one soule to God Legem non perficere è circumstantiis legis cum traderetur 1. á loco That the law bringeth no perfection appeares from the circumstances of the law when it was delivered 1. From the place Secondly this Agar Galat. 4.25 standeth in Arabia therefore it holdeth of Ishmael the sonne of Agar the bond-woman And the effect and right of bond-men is to be cast out with their children and not to receive the inheritance due to Isaac so those that thinke to bring forth fruit of their owne righteousnesse they are as Ishmael which was borne by nature and not by promise not as Isaac whose birth was supernaturall not consisting in the likenesse of the parents but in the promise and the inheritance is by promise therefore the children of the law because they cannot be perfected by it are to be cast out with their mother Those that seeke to bring forth fruit by their owne nature must be cast forth for the inheritance is not by nature but by promise 3. Againe this mountaine namely Sinai none might ascend into none might touch it but the condition of the Gospell is contrary Sion the hill of grace must be gone up to and many have ascended it Esay 2.3 And many people shall goe and say come and let us goe up into the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach us his waies and we will walke in his paths For the law shall goe forth of Sion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem Salvation is from Sion the Law unperfect before it was perfectly delivered 2. A
Joshuah both the Sunne and Moone stood still For putting to flight of earthly powers Exod. 17.11 When Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed but when he let his hand downe Amaleck prevailed The examples be infinite but these seeme lesse because it hath power on spirituall powers on death and hell on death Esay 38.5 in Hezekiah I have heard thy prayer and seene thy teares behold I will adde to thy daies 15. yeares on hell Mat. 17.21 the Apostles being to deale with strong devils and being not able through their unbeliefe to cast them out Christ saith to them This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting But that that drowneth all is that in Exod. 32.10 where there was no violence done of Moses but he onely gave himselfe to prayer and yet we see a strange speech of God Dimitte me let mee alone as that violence had beene done him and he had beene mastered by Moses his prayer and if it be able so to worke on God much more will it prevaile in every thing else And this is for the necessity and use of Prayer The promises made unto prayer Now for the Commandement but first we will consider as it standeth on Gods behalfe both how willing he is and what promises he hath made to it True it is as it is in Gen. 18.27 as Abraham spake of himselfe so wee being nothing but a handfull of dust and ashes it were infinite presumption once to presume to speake to him being so excellent a God without his warrant and promise therefore Gen. 32. Jacobs prayer to God 1 King 8. Solomons prayer for a piece of earth to speake they fence themselves with a promise whereupon one saith non mea praesumptione sed tua promissione For the promise and for the Commandement we spake before Psal 50.15 Call upon mee in the time of trouble so will I heare thee and thou shalt praise mee He commandeth it with abjecting externall sacrifices so Joel 2.32 But whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved For in mount Sion and in Jerusalem shall be deliuerance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call alleaged also Act. 2.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved As on the other side Jer. 10.25 the curse of God is on all those that call not on him There is nothing can be more required then that Ps 91.15 God saith He shall call upon me I will heare him deliver him and save him But the joyning together of those two places Mat. 7.7 Petite dabitur vobis Aske and it shall be given unto you and Joh. 16.23 wherein the one place i. Mat. 7.8 is Omnis qui petit accipit Every one that asketh receiveth and in the other Quaecunque petieritis à patre meo in nomine meo dabuntur vobis Whatsoever you shall aske the Father in my name he shall give it you This is very much there can no more be required then these that omnis qui petit accipit and quaecunque petitis accipietis But we will expound it after And as he is ready to promise so he is ready to performe But that is the strangest Esay 65.24 Etiam antequam invocaveritis before ye pray I will heare you so ready is hee on his part And to testifie this indeed Exod. 30.6 in the Law hee erecteth a Mercy seat or if first Esay 56.7 he causeth a Temple and that he giveth this name as of the speciall exercise The house of Prayer and 1 King 8.41 it is for the stranger also Esdr 7.3 so defined by the King the house of the God of heaven and in this he sets a Mercie seat before which in the 7. v. are Priests and Levites and Singers and Nethimins and the 1. part of the service Incense often as Psal 141.2 interpreted Prayer and that in the time of the Law And so is it meant Luk. 1.10 that the people without were at their prayers while the Priest within was at the Altar at the typicall worship i. burning of incense And proportionable to this is that Heb. 4.16 that God as here he hath set a seat of mercie so in heaven he hath set up a Throne of grace from whence si ascendat oratio descendet gratia if prayer ascend gtace shall descend Now because we our selves have no accesse unto it therefore Rom. 5.2 order is taken that wee should have accesse per alium by another he Heb. 7.26 that was Heb. 5.7 in his flesh and offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares not onely for his Apostles but also for all that beleeve in him Joh. 17.20 and not onely then but now also Rom. 8.34 He maketh still intercession for us and his intercession is from himselfe not from another but Revel 8.3 he is figured by an Angell where the prayers of the godly are received by the Angell and there is incense put into them to season them withall that the smell of them may be acceptable to the Lord and then offereth them up to his Father so he not onely prayeth himselfe but maketh our prayers accepted of God and therefore Revel 1.6 every one shall be a Priest to God and every priest must offer sacrifice and there is no other sacrifice in the new Testament but praise and thansgiving so he hath promised Zach. 12.10 spiritum gratiae the spirit of grace and that is accomplished Gal. 4.6 because yee are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into your hearts which cryeth Abba Father And Rom. 8.26 We have not any power to call upon God neither do we know what to pray for or how to pray but the Spirit asketh for us with sighes and groanes that cannot be expressed therefore there can be nothing required but we shall have it Thus we see that all is performed on Gods behalfe Now to the duty The duty of Pâ—aâ—er commanded The duty commanded it is of two sorts but first in gererall Invocation containeth them both so Hilary and Austin 59. Epâ—st taketh Invocation We understand it by these two things the first is Psal 25.1 a lifting up of our soule i. a sixing of our minde on God who is the author and giver of all good secondly as Psal 6â— 8 a pouring out of our hearts i. a full declaration of our desire and that we require Psal 142.2 expounded to be our thoughts and meditation These two in generall concurre to the making of Invocation This Invocation as it is 1 Tim. 2.1 doth receive a fourfold division for it is divided into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deprecation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pâ—eâ—aâ—ion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Interaction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thanksgiving The first we may divide into Prayer Thanksgiving The other three are thus divided prayer is made either for Our selves Others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
visitation is for justice so here should have beene merces and not misericordia not Mercy but wages but our reward doth argue non mercedem but gratuitum amorem not wages but mercy Now that it is called a work operans misericordiam and the other i.e. his justice but a visitation i. e. a thing intermitted that is also a speciall thing to bee observed the nature of his justice is restrayned to the fourth generation and his mercy is extended to thousands so here is a proportion the one containing the other two hundred and fifty times not that the mercy of God is greater then his justice but because he is more delighted in the action of the one then of the other The reward is promised to them that love him the manner of love is according to the love of God because he is jealous for us that wee might bee jealous for him that wee may say as 1 King 19.20 Elias zelo zelatus sum I have beene very jealous for the Lord God of hosts sake zelantes potiùs quà m amantes The triall of this love consisteth in keeping the commandements i. e. that if it be not a commandement it is not from him and therefore whatsoever was without them was not from love Another it is very certaine that the righteousnesse of speech and the true signe of loving him had beene the keeping of him but he saith not so but the keeping of my commandements the reason is because he is able to keepe himselfe and needeth not our keeping therefore he hath set our love to bee tryed by two things First by mandata or praecepta mea his commandements Secondly minimos istos his little ones for the commandements it is said Wee keepe him in his parâ—â—â—â—â— and his love in mandata Hosea 4.10 that they kept them not 2. for the other Mat. 25.45 quandiu uni ex istis minimis non fecistis neque mihi c. in as much as yee did it not to one of the least of these yee did it not to mee And the third thing is this that our estimation of them must be such that wee thinke them worth the keeping as Psal 19.10 David accounteth of them as dearly as of much fine Gold of Ophir and Psal 119.72 Thy law is dearer to mee then thousands of gold and silver For keeping by this word Keeper wee must understand that God hath made us keepers of his commandement Now the property and charge of a Keeper is to preserve that thing that he keepeth as from himselfe so from others and to see and have regard that it be neither lost by negligence nor cast away nor broken nor hurt but kept sound till his comming that gave them to him in charge For the losse of Gods commandements 1. King 20.40 For the breaking of them Mat. 5.19 Whosoever shall breake the least of these commandements c. shall be called the least in the kingdome of God but a contemptuous threatning is Psal 50.17 Now that they may be safely kept and as it is Prov. 4.21 it is best to lay them up in that place that is surest even in the middest of our heart For the keeping in regard of others wee must not say as Cain of Abel sumne ego custos c. am I my brothers keeper for as Caine should have beene keeper of his Brother that others kill him not so wee should be keepers of Gods commandements that others breake them not Wee must have the commandements of God not only observanda but also consenvanda not only observe but conserve them And if wee performe this duty wee shall doe as they doe Prov. 16.17 he that keepeth them keepeth his owne soule by them So much of the 2d Commandement The III. Commandement Thou shalt not take the c. THe object of this commandement is the Name of god or his glory The thing commanded is a reverent taking of his Name comprehended in this word praise And the proper place of Gods glory is in this commandement by reason of the object which is his name by the which he is glorified And this his glory is such as for it Esa 43.7 he created all things For mine owne glory I created them and for this that which was before his Creation his predestination Ephes 1.6 unto which wee must joyne our praise Now if they must be made like to their creator if the worke must be according to the minde of the maker it is well therefore that end which moved him to make us must be our end and therefore all our actions and thoughts must come to this to be as it is 2. Thes 1.12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you In the second Commandement be these two respects First that the honour exhibited in outward behaviour is exhibited to one that is present Secondly that the honour exhibited is given to the party himselfe for to him alone it must be done Now the worship of the Tongue which wee call Praise goeth beyond these and is most excellent for it is of him that is absent and to others and not to himselfe Though God be present every where yet when wee in our actions and speeches speake of him to others there is praise and so it goeth to him And yet there commeth a further portion of glory So that it is not only true Luk. 14.8 that honour is given to the person but also to his Name Psal 29.2 Give to God the glory due unto his name which giving of glory is properly called praise for the worship of God is made an especiall glorification of God Psal 50. vers last he that offereth me praise glorifieth mee which sheweth that it is allone to give glory to God and to give him praise Now this praise hath his proper place in our mouth Psal 34.1 With my mouth will I praise thee the instrument chiefe in this office is the Tongue and by performance of this our tongues are made glorious Psal 37.30 The mouth of the righteous will be talking of wisdome and his tongue will speake of judgment The manner how this praysing is to be performed is set downe in Moses Deut. 32.3 I will publish with my mouth give yee glory to God i. e. one must report and they that heare must give glory to God Now as was said before in the word Glory accordingly as it is taken both in divinity and out of divinity there is more then either in honour praise or worship because all these are directed that the party on whom they are bestowed might be glorified And the matter of glory hath proportion to Claritas the brightnesse in glasse and in other such visible things that as they are seene a farre off so that party to whom such honour is given it is in such sort that he might have a name a farre off and knowne Therefore for this cause in Psal 66.2 the Prophet having exhorted men to praise he goeth further and