drinke but to cease from sinne as the Prophet speaketh August super Iohan. Esay 58.6 Chrysost suâ— per Math. Hee that sinneth and yet withall fasteth saith Chrisostome doth not fast to the glory of God but spareth his owne substance onely This is handled at large in these Treatises wherein is noted what the true exercise of fasting is what are the outward and inward parts thereof the one answering to the other together with the severall abuses of the counterfeit fastings True it is the Church of Rome complaine against us and accuse us as enemies to fasting even as the Pharisees sometimes condemned the Disciples of Christ Math. 9.14 whom he excuseth and defendeth but were we worthy of this reproch and reproofe yet are they the unfittest to upbraid us with it who beside the bare name and naked title of fasting have nothing remaining of the true nature and right practise thereof but the end they ayme at is to set up their owne merits and to puffe up them selves with pride as it was with the blind Pharisees their predecessors whom in this and in sundry other points they follow These things thus laid open J presume to offer to your Worship whose good affection to our Tribe so much scorned and scoffed at in the world and carefull frequenting the exercises of religion many wayes appeareth and as a token and testimony of my thankfull remembrance of your love to me in that you disdaine not but upon every occasion of passing by to come under the roofe of my poore cottage remembring the words of our blessed Saviour Mar. 6.4 A Prophet is not without honour save in his owne Countrey and among his owne kinne and in his owne house The God of heaven and earth encrease your zeale to the truth and finish that good worke which he hath begunne in you unto the day of Jesus Christ Your Worships at command William Attersoll THE DOCTRINE AND PRACTISE OF FASTING and PRAYER of FAITH and REPENTANCE IONAH 3.4 And Ionah beganne to enter into the City a dayes iourney and he cryed and said Yet forty dayes and Nineveh shall be overthrowne THis Prophecie is wholly Historicall as the other prophecies are dogmaticall It containeth the History of Ionah relating what happened to himselfe when he was sent of God to the great Cittie Nineveh Gen. 10.12 to denounce unto the Ninevites their utter overthrow Who this Prophet was and when he prophecied may be gathered sufficiently out of the Scripture where we reade that Ieroboam the second restored the coast of Israel from the entring of Hamath unto the Sea of the Wildernesse according to the word of the Lord 2 King 14.25 which he spake by his servant Ionah the sonne of Amittai the Prophet which was in Gath Hepher And it seemeth that he was the first of all the Prophets whose writings are extant and remaine in the Church for the instruction thereof in faith and obedience For he lived before the battell of Ioash King of Israel with the Syrians about the end of the dayes of Elisha 2 King 13.14 and 14.25 Neither let any object the Prophecy of Micah as though he were before in time the same that prophecied in the daies of Ahab 1 King 22. Because these two were not both one but different neither doe their names accord in the Originall as may appeare to every one that readeth True it is this prophet hath this end and yssue of his writing with the rest to set forth the judgements and mercies of God toward mankind but this he hath proper and peculiar that he is not here sent unto the Church and people of Israel but onely unto prophane unbeleevers and uncircumcised persons that we should understand thereby that God hath rule over all nations and is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Iewes Rom. 3.29 and an avenger of sinne in whomsoever he findeth it Rom. 2.12 according to the saying of the Apostle As many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law Rom. 2.12 For then the Prophets were sent to the Syrians 1 King 17.9 19.15 2 King 8.7 and to them of Damascus and to the Tyrians howbeit extraordinarily at the will and pleasure of God And doubtlesse by his sending of his Prophets to strangers out of the promised land God would reprove and condemne the desperate stubbornnesse of the people of Israel who would not be moved and perswaded by so many of his holy Prophets that were sent and dwelt among them and by so many threatnings as were brought upon them where as these poore infidels and unbeleevers did by and by beleeve and obey the voyce of one Prophet Math. 12.41 Luk. 11.32 that the Lord might say of them as he doth in an other case Matth. 8.10 I have not found so great faith no not in Israel I will not stand to discourse at large the vaine conceit and idle speculation of Epiphanius Epiphan of the life of the Prophets touching this Ionah For he telleth us that Elias gat himsalfe into the Wildernesse by reason of a great famine which hee had called upon the land where being nourished by Ravens he quenched his thirst with the water of the brooke and when the brooke was dryed up hee was an hungred and removed into Sarepta a Citie of Sidonia 1 King 17.9 Luk. 4.26 unto a poore woman a Widdow the mother of Ionah and entred into her house now the woman left nothing undone of that which he commanded her and he did eate and blessed her for he could have no abode with the uncircumcised And when as Ionah the sonne of the woman was deceased God raised him up by Elias and restored him alive unto his mother because of the entertainement which she gave unto him and that when Ionah was come to full age he was sent unto Nineveh to the Assyrians Where we have some truth mingled with much falsehood and therefore he deserveth to be credited no farther then he hath the warrant of Gods word being deceived with the tales of the Iewes that are masters of such lyes I know the common sort are most of all delighted with such new tangled devises that have no substance in them howbeit we should not please such itching eares nor feed them with empty winde in stead of wholesome food but avoid prophane bablings and oppositions of science falsly so called which some professing have erred concerning the faith 1 Tim. 6.20.21 In this prophecy observe a twofold calling or sending of Ionah the first in the two former chapters which he rejected the second in the two latter which he executed In this third chapter is set forth the execution of his calling together with the fruit and profit thereof in the Ninevites whereby we may see his errour and oversight in flying from his function and supposing that he was sent in vaine when
other men that they are not all for the present but have their eyes in their fore head to foresee and so to prevent evils to come as Eccl. 2. The wise mans eyes are in his head Eccl. 2.14 but the foole walketh in darknesse The naturall man seeth with one eye to witt the carnall eye of naturall reason that can pierce no farther then the light of nature reacheth but Christian men have together with it the spirituall eye of faith also to foresee evils to come such as sense and reason are not able to apprehend Bernard in Psal Quihabitat Serm. 1. There are foure sortes of men in this case to be considered of us some hope but feare not others feare but hope not some neither hope nor feare others both hope and feare The first sort is of those that hope but feare not these runne through thicke and thinne and stand at nothing they feare not when there is cause but they presume without cause These hope for his mercy but they feare not his wrath they have their eyes fastned upon his mercy but they shut them upon his wrath least they should looke upon it and thereby take liberty to sinne without any remorse of conscience or of repentance from dead workes We have infinite examples both written and unwritten of such persons and therefore the Prophet David prayeth to God to keepe his servant from presumptuous sinnes least they have dominion over him Psal 19.13 This faith is no faith but a fancy or rather a frenzy These set up an idoll instead of God made all of mercy that is an other kind of God then he hath described himselfe to be in his word Exod. 20 and 34 he will by no meanes cleare the wicked Exod. 34.7 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the childrens children unto the third and to the fourth generation Wherefore all mercy and no feare is all fansie and no faith An other sort is of such as feare but hope not at all These are contrary to the former They feare his judgments too much but they hope in his mercies too little as Caine Saul Achitaphel Iudas and such like who had no more hope then the Devils have and so come to be swallowed up in the deepe gulfe of desperation The third sort neither hope nor feare neither hope in his mercy neither fear his justice It is al one with such which end goforward whether God be offended or not whether he be pleased or displeased These are like the Laodiceans neither hote nor cold but luke warme whom God wil spew out of his mouth Revel 3.16 Rev. 3. These are seiled in their lees or dregs of their sins that say in their hearts the Lord will do neither good nor evill Zeph. 1.12 These are Epicures or Atheists that make God sit idle in heaven and do nothing The Fourth and last sort are such as both hope and feare also In the first sort raigneth presumption in the second desperation in the third prophanation in the last religion These so hope in his mercy that they stand in feare of his wrath as Noah David Iosiah and sundry others Such must we be to regard both of his mercy and judgment We must not be any of the former sinners neither presumptuous nor desperate nor prophane but fearefull of his wrath and yet confident in his mercy 10 And God saw their workes that they turned from their evill way and God repented of the evill that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not Hitherto we have heard what the Ninevites did Knowledge is of Apprehension Heb. 4 13 Approbation Psal 1.6 Math. 7.23 here we are to consider what the Lord did he saw their works and repented of the evill which he had denounced Let us first marke the meaning of the words and consider them in order as they lie He saw First he not onely beheld what they did but he approved their workes Chap. 1.2 and conceiveth a liking of the service they performed as Gen. 1.31 4.4 Lam. 3.6 But doth not the Lord see the wicked and their workes Ob. did he not see before this their wickednesse Yes doubtlesse Answ or else how could it come up before him For answer unto this we must understand that he is said to have a two fold eye the eye of knowledge and the eye of alowance He seeth all persons and all things good and evill with the eye of his knowledge that nothing can be hid from him for he that formed the eye shall not he see the night Psal 94.9 139.11 and the light are both a like with him but he seeth not all things in this maner with the eye of his alowance liking loving and approving In this sence he did not looke upon Caine and upon his offering but upon Abel and his offering to whom he had respect Their workes First their faith their conversion from their evill wayes their fasting and prayer how they cryed mightily unto him God repented of the evill First God is after a sort transformed and transfigured into our nature as we sometimes read of his eyes eares hands heart feet nostrils and other bodily members not that he is so indeed not that he hath these parts but the Scripture speaketh after our capacity and understanding as they do that speake to children we are not ignorant what use office and property these severall parts have in our selues and we conceive not how a man should see without eyes or heare without eares or walke without feet or worke without hands and to teach us therefore that God seeth heareth worketh and understandeth all things those parts are ascribed unto him by which we see heare worke walke and understand But properly repentance is not in God as we have noted before but the effect is Repentance not properly in god which is nothing else but the undoing of a worke which he had formerly done So then the Ninevites turned and God turned they turned from their evill and God from his evill Howbeit these evils differ the one from the other for theirs is criminall his penall Doct. they turned from the evill of their sinne he from the evill of his punishment God knoweth whatsoever we do and approoveth of that which is good From hence we may obserue two points which because they have affinity one with an other we will consider together namely that God seeth knoweth and heareth whatsoever we do speake or thinke yea he acknowledgeth aloweth Whatsoever we do and approoveth of that which is good Psal 139.2.3.4 33.13.14 praiseth and commendeth good things in whomsoever they are Touching the first branch the Prophet saith Psal 139. Thou vnderstandest my fitting my rising my thoughts afarre off there is not a word in my tongue but thou knowest it wholly thou possessest my reines my bones are not hid from thee and 33.13.14 The Lord looketh from
mell with Christians as it was in the Apostles times for we are all Christians we have beene all baptized we meet in the House of prayer Answ we come freely to the Lords Table and wee looke for salvation in Christ Iesus True it is wee are all Christians by outward profession but wee doe not all shew it as we ought to doe by an holy conversation For doe we not practise the quite contrary What profit is it to beare the name of Christ in words and to deny him in our workes Tit. 1.16 to be washed with water and not to bee clensed from our wickednesse to come to the Lords Supper and yet to cleave to our sinnes to looke for salvation from Christ and never labour for true sanctification of the Spirit For if he be made to us justification he must also be made to us sanctification and if he be our righteousnesse it cannot bee but he worketh also righteousnesse in us The Iewes were a separate people from the Nations yet if there were not a further separation among them even Iew from Iew the holy from the prophane the cleane from the uncleane and one of Abrahams seed from another they could not be the people of God Rom. 9.6 7. They were not all the Israel of God that were of Israel according to the flesh because even among the Iewes themselves were many found that did iustifie the Gentiles Ezek. 16.51 52. and lived more prophanely and abominably then they So must it in like manner be with us the Word if once it bee sincerely embraced and received will fanne away the chaffe from the wheat and sever Christian from Christian yea neighbour from neighbour acquaintance from acquaintance Gen. 21.10 Gal. 4.30 and friend from friend so that the Bond-woman and her sonne shall be thrust out of the house of Abraham and finde no more place in it Thus much touching our duty respecting God Our duty tovvard our selves learned out of this Title the next concerning our selves For hence also we must learne to beware of excessive cares for earthly things and to have our conversation without covetousnesse which is the maine scope of Christ our Sauiour in all these words that we should not feare want because God is our Father And doubtlesse if we had hearts to beleeve and could haue this comfortable assurance that he is indeed our Father and we his children we need no more we could not but rest in his care and providence over us and provision for us We cannot be ignorant that in the family the father provideth for all If then we be of his family we shall be assured to have him our Father and to spread the wings of his protection over us Will the father suffer his children to starve when he hath store in his owne hand and can give the staffe of bread Matth. 6.25 When Christ our Sauiour sheweth that our heauenly Father feedeth the Ravens and clotheth the Lillies of the field which is the doctrine here deliuered he draweth this exhortation from thence Be not carefull for your life what ye shall eate or drinke or put on Math. 6. O the folly therefore of such as haue their hearts oppressed and ouer-charged with the cares of this life and so forget the Kingdome here promised by our heauenly Father The danger of covetous persons may be considered in these particular points First it is a sinne alive when other seeme mortified as appeareth in the example of Judas and by lamentable experience of many Professours wholly addicted to the world For when other sinnes have left them this sticketh fast unto them as a disease bred in the bones Secondly it is a sinne seldome repented of because it is so close and secret that it is hardly discerned and therefore Christ himselfe saith Matth. 19.23 A rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdome of heauen Many there are that follow after it but few confesse it For where shall you have a rich man though covetous in the highest degree that will acknowledge himselfe to be covetous The rich man that had many possessions came to Christ and seemed no doubt to himselfe and to others very religious and a diligent obseruer of the Commandements yet when he detected him of his couetousnesse he went away sorrowfull and repented of nothing but happely that he had gone so farre We haue particular examples of many grieuous sinners that haue turned to God and not beene ashamed to lay open their sinne to their owne shame * Gen. 19.33 with 2 Pet. 2.8 2 Sam. 12.13 2 Cor. 2.7 Acts 3.15 Gen 9.21 2 Chron. 33.6 12. Numb 12.1 Matth. 26.75 1 Tim. 1.13 Luke 23.40 Matth. 21.29 Philem. 18. some adulterers and incestuous Gen. 19. 2 Sam. 12. 2 Cor. 2. some murtherers 2 Sam. 12.9 Act. 3.13.19 some drunkards Gen 9.21 Some Idolaters sorcerers enchanters witches and wizards 2 Chron. 33.6 12. Some envious and murmurers Numb 12.1 Some cursers swearers and denyers of Christ Math. 26.75 Some persecuters blasphemers and oppressours 1 Tim. 1.13 Some stubborne and disobedient to Parents Matth. 21.29 Some theeves and injurious persons that robbe other men of their goods Luke 23.40 Philem. 14. but among all these very few that are covetous enter into the Kingdome of God who blesse themselves when God abhorreth them Some examples indeed we may finde of Gods mercy vpon them that none should despaire but they are very few that none should presume For when or where almost shall you haue a covetous person repent and confesse with his owne mouth I haue beene covetous And how can they repent of their sinne who doe acknowledge themselves to be sinners we may therefore say of such as Christ speaketh of the High-priests and the Elders Matth. 21.31 Verily I say unto you that the Harlots goe before you into the Kingdome of heauen Math. 21.31 They heare the Scriptures againe and againe threatning and thundring against this sinne to beware and take heed of covetousnesse and the Ministers laying it open but they have neither eares to heare nor hearts to beleeve and therefore they regard them as the Pharises did Christ himselfe who being couetous heard all these things Luke 16.14 and they derided him Thirdly these men so much as lyeth in them doe cancell the whole Law and abrogate it and therefore it worthily may be called the roote of all evill Let us briefely runne ouer the Commandements Covetousnesse the breach of the whole Law They breake the first Commandement because they make their Mammon to be their Master they love their money above God and put their trust in their treasure and so make to themselues a strange God and commit Idolatry unto it worshipping it as an Image Marke 10.24 Ephes 5.5 Psal 62.10 Marke 10.24 Ephes 5.5 Touching the second it keepeth the heart so inthralled to the World that they have no leisure to intend the worship of God What a deformity were it in
as afterward he beheld with his owne eyes so worthy and glorious an effect of his preaching 1 Thess 2.19.20 as might rejoyce his heart and be his crowne and glory before the Lord and in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ aâ— his comming who as a fisher of men cast his net into the sea and inclosed a great multitude of fish of all sorts But yet for all this it did not sufficiently content the Prophet through a carnall misdeeming and misjudging of the successe of his labours as if by Gods shewing of mercy his ministery were contemned his credit empaired and his person scorned and exposed to contempt because the Citie was spared and not destroyed as appeareth in the next Chapter In the 4. Verse and the rest that follow to the end of the Chapter we are to consider two things First the preaching of Ionah Verse 4. A Sermon consisting of judgement he singeth a mournfull song foretelling them of their full and final destruction Secondly the effect of his preaching in the residue of the Chap. The preaching of Ionah is a fearfull threatning of a fearful overthrow to come upon them for their wickednesse Circumstances in the threatning which was come up before the Lord did cry for vengeance to heaven Chap. 1 2. In this denunciation we may observe sundry circumstances to passe over the beginning of the verse first the circumstance of the time to come forty dayes are limited for their repentance as the dayes of Gods patience which once expired they must looke for suddaine destruction Secondly the circumstance of time already past implied in the word Yet putting them in remembrance that he had already spared them a long time not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance As if the Lord should have said by his Prophet I have spared you long enough already that I might justly poure upon you all my wrath yet neverthelesse I will spare you a little longer Thirdly the subject of the judgement Nineveh a great a mightie a populous and proud Citie whereby also are understood the inhabitants thereof from the greatest to the least and lowest of them Lastly the measure or quantitie of the judgement an utter overthrow not of one person or one family but of the whole Citty now whether it were by sword or famine or pestilence or by fire from heaven as God overthrew Sâ—dome and Gâ—morrha and the Cities of the plaine or otherwise is not expressed Now let us come to the words And Ionah began to enter c. Albeit the Lord might forthwith have destroyed the Ninevites yet he giveth them some time of repentance and sendeth his holy Prophet unto them which declareth the infinite and endlesse patience of God even toward these Infidels that knew him not neither called upon his name Rom. 2.4 First let us observe the generall doctrine out of the whole threatning and afterward come to the particulars Before the Lord would utterly destroy the City he raised up Ionah the Prophet to foretell their destruction Doct. 1 This teacheth Before the Lord destroyeth he warneth by his ministers that the Lord for the most part never bringeth any judgement upon any people or person but hee first foretelleth of it and maketh it knowne unto them hee warneth them and threatneth it by his Ministers This truth is to be seene every where in the Scripture Amos 3.6.7 Luk. 13.7 We reade that the world was once destroyed by water and it shall bee destroyed againe by fire Of the first destruction we finde that be foretold it unto Noah and by Noah to the world before ever the flood came And touching the second destruction which shall bee by fire 2 Pet. 3.10 when the Elements shall melt with fervent heate the earth also and the workes that are therein shall bee burnt up God hath not left us ignorant but in diverse places hath plainely set it downe unto us The reasons of this course and order of Gods dealing who warneth before he smiteth are eyther in respect of God or in respect of the godly or in respect of the ungodly In respect of God to justifie his proceedings and judgements with men even before the sonnes of men to stop the mouth of iniquitie that it might have nothing to object or plead against him 2 Chro. 36.15 Ier. 25.3 and 35.15 Secondly in respect of the godly because hee would not take his people at unwares who is friendly unto them and loveth them as his owne children Now it were the part of an enemy and not of a friend to come upon them surprise them at unwares as they doe that come to assault a Citty and therefore God to shew his favour and friendship to them that are his doth foretell and give them warning before hand that so they might happily prevent it by their repentance 2 Pet. 3.9 and thereby have judgements kept from them Thirdly in respect of the ungodly themselves because God would have those that are none of his to be left without excuse that they might not be able to accuse God of any unjust dealing or murmure against him for as much as they had warning but would not bee warned they heard of his judgements but they would not judge themselves neither labour to prevent them Matth. 24.14 therefore the damnation of such is just Vse 1. Vse 1 Behold from hence the wonderfull mercy goodnesse and patience of our good God whose manner is alwaies to give warning before hee proceede in judgement He seeketh not to take any at advantage neither desireth hee the death of a sinner And therefore the Prophet saith Lam. 3.33.36 He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth to subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not Lam. 3.33.36 He would have none to perish that are his but all to repent and to be saved He instructeth that he may not threaten he threatneth that he may not smite he smiteth that he may not destroy 1 Cor. 11.32 yea and sometime he destroyeth temporally that he may not destroy eternally This is the course which he neede not observe because upon our owne perill the perill of our soules wee are bound to take heed of judgements to come that wee should prevent them before they come He would have us to send out our Embassadours which are our prayers to treate of conditions of peace betweene God and us Such as intend revenge and the execution of their wrath are not wont to give warning but to watch their opportunity as we see in Absolom 2 Sam. 13.22 who spake neither good nor evill to his brother Amnon because he hated him and then suddenly when his heart was merry with wine commanded him to be smitten If God had a purpose to destroy us as his enemies and to come upon us at unwares hee would never threaten us and give us
of man what is that proverbe that yee have in the Land of Israel saying The dayes are prolonged and every vision faileth Tell them therefore thus saith the Lord God I will make this proverbe to cease they shall use it no more but say to them The daies are at hand the word that I speake shall not be prolonged for in your dayes O rebellious house will I say the word and in your daies I will performe it saith the Lord God Let us therefore stirre up our selves to repentance and amendment of life to prevent his wrath least we rushing on in sinne doe rush into our destruction Thirdly if God threaten and there follow no repentance be well assured that which he hath threatned shall come to passe Gen. 15.16 Gen. 15.16 the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full but when they had filled up the measure then his judgements were to fall upon them O how many examples have we to terrify us and to verify this to our hearts and consciences as the old world Sodome and Gomorrah the falling of the Israelites into the hands of the Cananites the Ammonites and the Amalekites mentioned almost in every place of the booke of Iudges the carrying away of the ten Tribes never restored the captivity of the rest the seven Churches of Asia the destruction of the Iewes by the Romans called the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place Dan. 9.27 Matth. 24.15 and sundry others all which assure us of the truth of this point Let us apply this to our selves and reason as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 11.20.21 If God spared not the naturall branches take heed least he also spare not thee and if the branches were broken off through unbeleefe let not us be high-minded but feare We heare the threatnings of God denounced and his fearefull judgements published and pronounced by his faithfull servants but what repentance what amendment followeth May we not say with the Prophet I hearkned and heard but they spake not aright Ier. 8.6.7 no man repented him of his wickednesse saying what have I done every one turne to his course as the horse rusheth into the battell c. And is it not so in our times nay rather is it not worse We are so farre from repentance and turning to God that the Lord seemeth in his just judgement to have given us over and forsaken us and to have blinded our eyes to have stopped our eares and to have hardned our hearts least we should see with our eyes and heare with our eares and understand with our hearts and should returne and bee saved Sometimes he doth take away his word utterly and hee threatneth it as a grievous judgement unto the Iewes Matth. 21.43 The kingdome of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof and we are assured of the accomplishing thereof Rom. 11.12 because the fall of them was the rising of the world and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles Sometimes he will have it to remaine and continue among a people for the farther hardning of their hearts and the increasing of their just judgement and condemnation This is a secret judgement and therefore more sharpe and greevous than the former as Esa 6. Make the heart of this people fat Esay 6.10 as they had fatted and fleshed themselves in sinne and even glutted themselves in iniquity make their eares heavy as they had stopped and stuffed them with vanity that the word could not enter and shut their eyes as they had drowsie and sleepy eyes and had closed the eyes of their bodies so God threatneth to shut the eyes of their minds as men benummed and past feeling least they should see with their eyes and convert and be healed Lastly as it is with the threatnings of God so on the other side it is with his promises We have many worthy and precious promises mentioned in the word some of this life some of the life to come some temporall and some eternall but all sorts are conditionall and all sorts are to us as if they were never made except wee leave our sinfull waies and so turne to the Lord with all our hearts Psal 130.4 Exod. 20.5 Deut. 28.3 4 5. c. Matth. 6.33 We have the promise of mercy and forgivenesse reserved for us under hope but to whom is it made to them that feare him and love him Wee have the promise of earthly blessings to be ministred unto us Deut. 28.3.4 c. but to whom To such as first seeke the kingdome of God and to none others We are ready to lay hold on the promise but we forget the condition like hirelings that regard the wages more than the worke There is a promise to heare our prayers and to save us but to whome is it made Not to the prophane and to unbeleevers Ioh. 9.31 Psal 66.18 for God heareth not sinners and if we regard wickednesse in our hearts the Lord will not heare us as wee shall shew afterward This admonisheth us of two things One that wee despaire not nor distrust the mercies of God toward us in earthly things or in spirituall transitory or eternall in things of this life or the life to come we have comfort and strong consolation when wee are truly and unfainedly turned to God Psal 37.25 Heb. 13.5.6 The other that we blesse not our selves in our wickednesse adding drunkennesse unto thirst as the manner is promising unto our selves peace when wee are at warre and open defiance with God It may bee said to such as Iehu answered unto Iehoram 2 King 9.22 Esa 57.20.21 what hast thou to doe with peace What peace so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Iezabel and her witchcrafts are so many and Esa 57. The wicked are like the troubled sea when it can not rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt Iussus fuit pradicare aliquid amplius quà m hìc dicitur collego ex cap. 4 2. Io. Drusij Lection in cap. 1. Ioâ—ae there is no peace saith my God to the wicked Nineveh shall be overthrowne That is the City and the Citizens young and old rich and poore one and other This is the summe and effect of Ionahs Sermon We may not imagine that hee cryed nothing else or spake no more than is here expressed Iussus fuit pradicare aliquid amplius quam hic dicitur colligo ex cap. 1.4.2 Io. Drusiij Lection in cap. 1. Iona. Strabo lib. 5. Geograph Dio. Siculus lib. 3. cap. 1. Herod in Euterpe For no doubt the Prophet lifted up his voyce as a Trumpet and shewed them their sinnes and transgressions as the Lord had before shewed unto him that their wickednesse was come before his face Chap. 1.2 This was a great and wealthy citty seated by the river Tygris famous for the compasse of it and the tops and towers where with it florished as sundry histories doe
Ninevites did and what God himselfe did The actions of the Ninevites concerning The people King of Nineveh The actions of the people are Their faith Fruits of faith The actions of the King are set downe His example Verse 6. His proclamation 7.8 His proclamation is published confirmed The publishing and proclaiming thereof instructeth What they must not doe What they must doe The actions of God what he did He saw their workes that they turned Verse 10. He repented of the evill threatned Verse 10. The beginning of their conversion stood in this that they beleeved the word of God And this helped and furthered to stirre up faith in them that they considered they had to doe with God himselfe and not with the Prophet onely Wherein consider 2 King 14.6 that albeit hee was sent to them with heavy tydings as the Prophet said to the wife of Ieroboam Act. 7.27 yet they did not thrust him away from them as the Israelite did Moses Act. 7.27 they did not stretch forth their hand saying lay hold on him as Ieroboam did to the man of God 1 King 13.4 they did not mocke him and misuse him as the lewes did the Prophets 2 Chro. 36.16 they did not account him a mad fellow for his strange message Act. 26.24 as the Captaines did one of the Children of the Prophets 2 King 9.11 they did not waxe wroth and put him in a prison house as men in a rage as Asa dealt with Hanani the Seer 2 Chro 16.10 then bid them feed him with the bread of affliction with the water of affliction as Ahab gave charge to the Governor of the City concerning Micaiah 1 King 22.27 They did not put him to death and stone him with stones as they dealt with Zechariah at the commandement of the King 2 Chro. 24.31 they did not suggest to the King Ionah hath conspired against thee in the middest of the Citie the land is not able to beare all his words or say unto him O thou Seer goe fly thee away into the Land of Iudah and there eate bread and prophecie there but prophecie not any more at Nineveh for it is the house of the kingdom as Amaziah said to Amos Amo. 7.10.12 Neither did they put him in the stockes and smite him on the mouth with the fist as Pashur did Ieremy and the standers by did Paul Ier. 20.2 Act. 23.2 Neither did they apprehend him and throw him into a dungeon or accuse him saying This man is worthy to die for he hath prophecied against this Citie all the words that ye have heard as the Priests and false Prophets pleaded against Ieremy at an other time Ier. 26.11 neither did they drive him out of their coastes and thrust him out of their Citie as the people of Nazareth dealt with Christ Luk. 4.29 and the Gadarens when they had lost their Swine Math. 8.34 Neither did they stop their eares and gnash on him with their teeth and runne upon him with one accord as they served Stephen Act. 7.54.57 Neither did they beat him or charge command him that he should speak no more in the name of the Lord his God and then let him goe as they dealt with Peter and the other Apostles Act. 5.40 but they heard him attentively patiently and readily they accounted him not as a troubler of the state as the filth of the world 1 Cor. 4.13 and as the off-scouring of all things but they received his words as the oracles of God they perswaded themselues that he was sent unto them of God and constantly beleeved that those things would undoubtedly come to passe which he had spoken Of this faith what it was see more afterward vers 9. This threatning for the certainty of it is utttered in the time present for in the originall it is word for word is overthrowne and therefore the destruction being so neere and so certaine it was high time for them to looke about them We learne from hence that the word preached is the ordinary meanes ordained of God to worke in us faith Doct. 4 The word preached is the instrument of faith as Rom. 1.16 1 Cor. 15.1.2 Iam. 1.18 Examples hereof are plentifull to be found in the Acts of the Apostles after the hearing of the word they were pricked in their hearts and said What shall we do Act. 2.37 they received his word gladly and were baptized vers 41. many of them which heard the word beleeved Chap. 4.4 Cornelius is directed to Peter who should tell him words whereby he and all his house should be saved Act. 11.14 The Gentiles were glad when they heard the word and as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved chap. 13.48 the Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul chap. 16.14 some beleeved and clave unto him chap. 17.4.12.34 and 18 9.10 The Souldiers the Publicanes and the people that came out to heare the preaching of Iohn were converted and said Master what shall we doe Luk. 3.10.12.14 The reasons Reason 1 First because this is the high ordinance of God which he hath appointed to beginne and worke in us faith and so the conversion of a sinner 1 Cor. 1.21 If he had ordained other means other means should have bin effectuall Secondly faith cannot be without knowledge knowledge cannot be without instruction Mat. 2.7 instruction cannot be without such as instruct us in the faith and therefore we must necessarily heare their voyce and seeke the law at their mouthes Mal. 2.7 Thirdly to this end and purpose God gave gifts to men and called them to beare his word to his people Eph. 4.11.12 so the Prophet teacheth that the Priestslips must preserue knowledge Mal. 2. Lastly our first parents were turned from God and drawne to unbeleefe by hearing the voyce of the old Serpent the devill it is therefore convenient that the elect by hearing the voyce of God should be converted to the faith and returne to him that calleth Obj. 1. If this be so Obiect 1 then it must needes goe hard with deafe men that cannot heare For if faith presuppose knowledge knowledge instruction and instruction hearing which is the sense of learning what shall we thinke of them that are borne deafe How shall they beleeve and be saved Answ Blind men may heare but deafe men cannot I answere albeit God doth ordinarily worke faith by hearing yet he can and doth extraordinarily worke faith without it and of stones raise up children to Abraham as he gave faith to Rahab the harlot by hearing of his workes not of his word Ios 2. For the holy Ghost that teacheth by inspiration supplieth the want of outward meanes by an inward motion in their hearts So that albeit they cannot have knowledge nor salvation by the hearing of faith yet they may have them by an inward worke supplying the defect of the outward senses Secondly Object 2 how shall infants and children
a fast and threatneth that whosoever shall doe any worke at all therein even on that day Levit. 16.31 23.30.31 shall be cut off from among his people Levit. 16. Because it shall be a Sabbath of rest and we ought to resort at such solemne times to the house of God no lesse than we ought to doe on the Sabbath if not rather more in regard of the urging and pressing occasion Iudge 20. Hereby then falleth to the ground the opinion of such as hold it neither needfull nor expedient that the word should be preached at such times as the Church assembleth for fasting and praying These are not ashamed to affirme that they have often heard and read of the exercise of fasting and praying but never of fasting and preaching as if forsooth the time were spent unprofitably that is spent that way These men would gladly say somewhat to maintaine and countenance their owne idlenesse And because the diligence of others maketh their negligence to appeare the greater they open their mouthes against them and their practise who preach the word in season and out of season according to the Commandement of God and man and speake all manner of evill of them The wise Salomon teacheth Pro. 26.16 Pro. 26. That the sluggard is wiser in his owne conceit than seven men that can render a reason We ought to use all meanes whatsoever and all little enough and too little to stirre up our selues to faith and repentance from dead workes but the preaching of the word is the principall and speciall meanes to worke these in vs and what is what is all our fasting without true repentance doubtlesse there is no life in it and therefore at such times the word should be taught to make the rest of the workes more lively Besides we have shewed that it hath the nature of a Sabbath day Whatsoever therefore they were forbidden on the Sabbath was likewise forbidden on the day of fasting and whatsoeven they were then Commanded to do ought likewise to be done and practised on this day But the Apostle teacheth Act. 15.21 that Moses hath in every City them that preach him being read in the Synagogue every Sabbath day So then besides that every day of fasting was a Sabbath day we see that after Moses was read he was also preached but he was read in their assemblies on the daies of their fasting Neh 9.13 there he sheweth how they spent that day one fourth part they reade in the booke of the Lord their God an other fourth part they spent in prayer and confessing their sinnes to God and by all likelihood the other two parts were spent in preaching after they had read the Lecture of the Law which is not expressed because he had so lately and largely spoken thereof in the former chapter And seeing they spent not the residne of the day idly but in some holy exercise together and neither in reading nor in praying how should it be spent but in preaching hearing the word of the Lord Thus Anna serued the Lord in the Temple with prayer fasting where without all question was the preaching of the word as well as praying and reading It is a desperate cause that hath nothing to pretend It is objected that the preaching of the word at such times is never expressed neither urged by Commandement nor Commended by example But we must consider the usuall manner of the Scripture by one part of the worship of God to understand the whole For sometimes there is mention of fasting but not at all of prayer Ester 4. and often elsewhere What then shall we collect and conclude from hence that they praied not to God nor once lifted up their hearts to him The brute beastes may keepe such a fast and therefore more must be understood then is named Esay 56.7 Math. 21.13 So the Temple was called the house of praier we never reade it called the house of preaching and yet it serueth no lesse for the one then for the other But these men conceive and imagine there is some time wherin the preaching of the word is unseasonable Lastly if the preaching of the word were used in times of holy feasting solemne thanksgiving to be rendred unto God for some extraordinary blessings or deliverances receiued as in the Passeover the like why should not the same exercise be much rather takē up when the times of holy fasting are sanctified that as at the one we might be stirred up to praise God for his mercies so at the other we might be moved to fear his judgments ready to fal upōus The second point is the kindes and sorts of fasting This we must learne The severall sorts of fasts to the end we may know of what fast the Prophet speaketh For all fastes are not of one nature neither undertaken for one and the same cause There is a fast prescribed by the Physition to restore health or to procure appetite abstaining from sustenance to consume raw and superfluous humours The cause of this is repletion Hence ariseth this rule of theirs Whatsoever diseases fasting or emptinesse cannot take away cure them by medicine An other is to performe somewhat with haste and expedition when the minde is so set upon some earnest businesse that a man either forgetteth himselfe or else can intend no time to take his sustenance and the refreshing which nature otherwise would require 1 Sam. 14.24 Such was the fast commanded by Saul who had no religious respect therein but aymed at this to spare no time from pursuing his enemies Such was Pauls fast and of the rest that were in the ship with him Act. 27.33 Act. 27. they had no leasure to take meate in time of the storme and tempest every houre fearing shipwracke and standing in jeopardy of their lives There is a fast of Christian sobriety which is nothing else but an using frugality in meates and drinkes or the vertue of temperance and is to be practised of us all the daies of our lives according to the warning of our Saviour Luk. 21.34 Take heed to your selues least at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfetting and drunkennesse Rom. 13.13 and of the Apostle Let us walke honestly as in the day not in riotting and drunkennesse not in chambering and wantonnesse c. There is an other fast of necessity which is a forced and constrained fast which God often sendeth as a chasticement when he breaketh the staffe of bread Leuit. 26.26 Deut. 28.23 when he maketh the heavens as brasse and the earth as yron when he destroyeth the labours of the husbandmen when the field is wasted the corne blasted the grasse withered the vines dryed and the land mourueth Ioel 2. Because we will not take up a voluntary fast that he would he forceth us to take up a fast which we would not because the earth forbeareth her fruites we must forbeare our food
abolished these fundamentall points of religion and not have broched lyes in hypocrisie all men would soone have espied the treachery The like I might say of fasting What the Popish fast is What the Popish fast is I will describe out of their owne writers It is an abstinence from flesh onely and the things that come from it according to the order of the Church upon set and certaine times appointed to make satisfaction for our sinnes to merit the grace of Christ and to obtaine everlasting life Can light and darknesse be more contrary one to the other then these things are to the truth But this I have handled else where Comment upon Esther albeit the bare allegation be a sufficient confutation of this vanity Lastly it behoveth us to meet the Lord by prayer and fasting as the Church in all ages hath usually done in times of dāger It is the Counsell of the Prophet when the Lord commeth out as an armed man against his people to seek reconciliation and attonement with him Amos. 4.12 This will I doe to thee O Israel and because I will doe this unto thee prepare to meete thy God O Israel We are not stronger than he Psal 24.8 who is the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battel Exod. 15.3 as a man of Warre and therefore we are not able to encounter him Remember the words of our Saviour Luk. 14. Luk. 14.31.32 What king going to make warre against another king sitteth not downe first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that commeth against him with twenty thousand or else while the other is yet a great way off hee sendeth an Ambassage and desireth conditions of peace The Lord is come out already against us and hath his twenty thousand in battel aray and hath smitten downe many thousands of us We cannot now say he is yet a great way off there is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begunne among the people Numb 16.46 and yet who almost layeth it to his heart Act. 12.20 O that there were that wisedome in us which was in the men of Tyre and Sidon when they knew that Herod was displeased with them they came with one accord and desired peace because their countrey was nourished by the kings country We know we feele the Lord is highly displeased with us and that we have provoked him to anger why do we then delay the time and send not out to him an embassage of prayer and repentance and offer conditions of peace This we must doe many wayes first accuse and endite our selues as guilty before him like poore prisoners standing at the the barre and holding up our hands Secondly Confesse our sinnes that have procured his heavy displeasure Thirdly Let us vow to forsake them this must evermore be joyned with confession Pro. 28. Fourthly Give no rest to our own soules till we be reconciled to God and restored to his favour againe and he have called in his judgments against us Lastly Eph. 4.22.23 let us leade a new life cast off the old man and be renewed in the spirit of our minde without this all our meetings and assemblies are nothing worth yea our prayers and fastings are turned into sinne Neither circumcision avayleth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are made new 6. For word came unto the king of Nineveh and he arose from his throne and he layd his robe from him and covered him with sackcloth and sate in ashes Hitherto of the solemne repentance of the Ninevites from the highest to the lowest now consider the actions of the King both in his owne person and in his proclamation Behold a wicked city turned from her wickednesse in the turning of an hand Ionah no sooner proclaimed destruction but the King sent out his Proclamation he no sooner heard of wrath denounced from the throne of God but he presently arose from his owne throne when he heard how they had all covered the whole land with their sinnes he covered himselfe with sackcloth he laid aside his royall robes and clad himselfe with repentance as with a robe See then the outward meanes of their repentance the word of the Prophet Ionah preached judgment through the City this could not long be hidden from the King and hence arose their turning to God Doct. This teacheth Repentance is wrought by the preaching of the word in the hearts of men that God worketh repentance and the conversion of a sinner by the Preaching of the Word The author and giver is God or else we never have it but the meanes and instrument by which he worketh it is the ministery of the Word The Apostle Paul exhorteth the servant of the Lord to instruct those that oppose themselues 2 Tim. 2.25 if God peraduenture will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth Iam. 1.18 An other Apostle confirmeth the same Of his owne will he begate us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruites of his creatures And we have a third witnesse of another Apostle We are borne anew not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible 1. Pet. 1.23 by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever Reasons First the word is quicke and livelie Reason 1 powerfull and piercing sharper than any two edged sword Heb. 4.12 and entreth even to the dividing asunder of soule and spirit and of the joynts and marow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts Heb. 4. Howbeit not from any inherent power in it selfe nor from the mouth of him that Preacheth it for he can give it no force Gal. 2.8 nor set any edge upon it but from the power of God as Gal. 2. He that wrought effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the Circumcision the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles Secondly faith is the fountaine and beginning of repentance but whence have we faith but by the word as we have declared already that Ionah preached and the Ninevites beleeved This also the Apostle teacheth Rom. 10.17 Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God So then these three stand thus in order the word faith and repentance How shall they heare saith the same Apostle and in the same place without a Preacher The Ninevites heard Ionah before they beleeved and they beleeved his preaching before they repented if they had not heard the Prophet they had never beleeved and if they had never beleeved they had not to turned the Lord. NO man therefore can be converted except he have beleeved Thirdly the conversion of a sinner is as I may say the onely miracle of the Gospell It is usuall with the Lord to shadow his miracles by outward meanes Pro. 25.2 that he might conceale his owne workes as Pro. 25. The glory of God is to
conceale a thing secret Nay in this many miracles on an heape concurre together Is it not a miracle in the body to open the eyes of the blind Math. 10.8 11.5 Act. 26.18 2 Cor. 7.1 Eph. 2.1.5 to restore hearing to the deafe to raise the dead to clense the Lepers The penitent person hath received all these in his soule his eyes are opened his eares are boared he is clensed from his filthinesse and restored to life for being naturally borne dead in sinnes and trespasses he is quickned O how great a change and alteration is this But here a question may be asked Object whether this be a worke and effect of the Law are the threatnings thereof able to do it Answ or is it a fruit of the Gospell I answer the Law helpeth it forward it cannot worke it or bring it forth It prepareth to repentance but produceth it not so that the law is not excluded or quite shut out Rom. 3.20 Gal. 3.24 It serueth to bring us to the knowledge of our sinnes and miseries and thereby fitteth us to receive grace and mercy like eating salues that make way for curing medicines or like the sharpe needle that maketh way for the threed But it is the Gospell that hath the promise of pardon and forgivenesse and worketh repentance from dead workes and therefore it is a fruit of the Gospel The Law knoweth no remission of sins but is a letter that condemneth it promiseth no mercy but threatneth the curse against the transgressors Gal. 3.13 Vse Vse 1 1. This condemneth such as forsake and forget the ordinary way that God hath left to bring us to saluation and gape after miracles or revelations This is all one as if when the Lord heareth the Heauens and they heare the earth Hos 2.21.22 and the earth heareth the corne and the corne the people they will not feed thereof as base food but looke for Manna and bread from heaven are not such worthy to perish Hence it is that Abraham is brought in Luk. 16.31 answering the rich man that would have the dead sent to his brethren to reclaime them and bring them to repentance If they heare not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead How vainely then and idlely doe they prattle who to disgrace the Ministery of the word and the high ordinance of God to teach man by man alledge that they know not whether men speake the truth because all men are lyars and they are not able to try their doctrine but if they should heare the Lord himselfe speake or an Angel from heaven they would beleeve Iudg. 6 2â— 13.22 Gen. 16.2 Esay 6.3 These men neither know their owne weakenesse nor the power of God Not their owne weakenesse that are not able to endure the glory of him that speaketh from heaven nay this was the common voyce of such as heard an Angel We shall surely dy alas because I have seene an Angel of the Lord face to face not the power of God because he is infinite the Angels cover their faces before him the heavens are not cleane in his sight the earth trembleth when he sheweth his glory When the Israelites saw the lightnings and heard the noise of the thunder and sound of the Trumpet waxing lowder and lowder in the mount Exod. 20.18.19 so that Moses himselfe said I exceedingly feare and quake they sayd unto Moses Speake thou unto us and we will heare Heb. 12.21 but let not God speake unto us lest we die Deut. 5.25.26.28.29 If we heare the voyce of the Lord our God any more then we shall die for who is thereof all flesh that hath heard the voyce of the living God and lived This they spake and the Lord said They have well spoken all that they have spoken O that there were such an heart in them that they would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes that it might goe wel with them and with their Children for ever If this were wisedome in them to call for Moses to speake to them and not God what a foolish choise doe they make that call for God to speake to them and not Moses But of this also else where Secondly their case is fearefull and dangerous that are without the word there is no vision and therefore the people must needes perish Pro. 29.18 There the sheepe are without a sheepheard See examples Exod. 32.1 2 King 12.2 and none to have compassion upon them Math. 9.36 Neither is their state any better who albeit they are not without it yet regard it not but despise it in their hearts These are both alike saving that the latter is worser and more fearefull then the former The one are without the ordinary meanes the other without the use of the meanes and therefore without hope to come to repentance It was a fearefull judgement when our Saviour commanded the twelue saying Go not into the way of the Gentiles Math. 10.5 and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not And when the Apostles went through the Cities to preach the Gospel Act. 16.6.7 they were forbidden by the holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia and afterward when they assaied to goe into Bithynia the Spirit suffered them not Was not this in effect as much as if the Lord had sayd give them no bread let them be famished I will not have these converted and consequently saved He that taketh away the meanes of life it is plaine he would not have that man live Woe then to all such retchlesse and carelesse persons as set light by this high ordinance of God that neither have it nor desire it but doubly wretched are they that despise it and wish in their hearts to be without it Can these perswade themselues they have attained to repentance What without the meanes but such is the necessity of repentance that without it we must perish for ever I may therefore say to such as the Apostle doth to the Iewes Well spake the holy Ghost unto our fathers Esay 6.9 Act. 28.26 Go unto this people and say hearing ye shall heare and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and not perceive for the heart of this people is waxed grosse and their eares are dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eares and understand with their hearts and should be converted and I should heale them Thirdly behold the happy condition of such if they knew their owne happinesse to whomsoever God hath vouchsafed the preaching of the Gospell It is a manifest proofe he hath a people there whom he would have converted For as he shewed the Disciples to whom they should not goe Math. 10.6 Act. 18.9.10 so he sent them to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Thus also he spake to Paul Act. 18. Be not afraid but speake and
hold not thy peace for I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee for I have much people in this City shewing thereby that he continued his word among them a long time because he had much people there whom he meant to save So likewise wheresoever God sendeth his word and giveth gifts to his Ministers in some measure for who is sufficient for these things 2 Cor. 2.16 and a conscience to Preach the word truly diligently and faithfully it is a signe he favoureth and loveth them and will blesse them that he would have them converted and saved Not that every one that heareth beleeveth The word is sometimes senâ— for other ends then repentance or that commeth to the word repenteth of his sinnes for the word is sometimes sent for other end first to make them inexcusable that have the light yet shut their eyes that heare the sound yet stop their eares Ioh. 15.22 Therefore our Saviour sayd to his hearers Ioh. 15. If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sinne but now they have no cloke for their sinne Secondly to harden them and so to increase their judgement and just condemnation For it shall goe worse with them than with the Turkes and infidels nay than with Sodome and Gomorrha that were overthrowne with fire and brimstone from heaven Ezek. 3.6 Hence it is that the Lord saith to the Prophet Thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech of an hard language surely if I had sent thee to them they would have hearkned unto thee And when our Saviour upbraided the Cities wherein most of his mighty workes were done he sheweth that if such had beene in Tyre and Sidon Math. 11.21 they would have repented long agoe in sackcloth and ashes Thirdly to justifie the Lord and to shew that he is just and holy in all his wayes Ezek. 2.5 and that it might appeare he desireth not the destruction of a sinner as Ezek. 2. whether they will heare or whether they will for beare for they are a rebellious house they shal know that there hath bin a Prophet among them But God openeth the hearts eares of such as he wil convert and call effectually We must acknowledge this mercy of God that hath sent his Gospell among us walke worthy of this benefit for diverse causes that we may have comfort in our owne hearts and assurance of our calling thereby by the holy and sanctified use of the meanes that we may thereby be provoked to thankfulnesse to Almighty God who as he raineth upon one field and not upon another and the place whereupon it rained not withered away so he causeth the Gospell to be preached upon one place and not upon another and where it was not preached they perished that we may leave it as a Iewel to our posterity which doubtlesse will be the best portion and possession we can conveigh to them and that it be not removed and taken away from us and given to a nation that will bring forth the fruits thereof better fruits than we have done Lastly let us submit our selues to the word and regard it as Gods word otherwise it will never worke in us true conversion Iam. 1.19 The Apostle S. Iames brancheth out this point into three duties Chap. 1. My beloved brethren let every man be swift to heare slow to speake slow to wrath Swift to heare that is take all occasions and opportunities that we may entertaine and embrace the truth Slow to speake against the truth delivered and preached unto us slow to crosse and contradict it to resist it and reason against it Slow to wrath that is not to be ready to be offended nor easily provoked when our sinnes are reprooved But for the most part it goeth quite contrary with us we are slow to heare dull to hearken swift to speake against the truth and soone mooved to wrath against such as are the teachers Touching the first It is our duty to be swift to heare we must learne to take all occasions to heare the word and to attend unto it in season and out of season This is required of the Minister to take all occasions 2 Tim. 4.2 Eccl. 11.6 in season and out of season to be instant in preaching the Gospell as Eccl. 11. In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening let not thine hand rest for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be a like good We must be faithful in our places as we love the great Sheepheard so we should feed his sheepe we know not what time it may please the Lord to give them repentance to come out of the snare of Satan of whom they are taken captive Let us then sow morning and evening and let the people have the earely and the latter raine Be it we have here no good successe we shall find a reward else where Only let us doe our duty and watch all occasions to doe good leaving the successe to God So must it be with the hearers they must take all occasions to heare the word to learne it to understand it to receive it and to practise it and wherefore Ioh. 15.1 because we know not at what time the husbandman will make the seed of the word to grow and fructifie in our hearts Wherefore they are to be reproved that accuse the Lord of hard dealing like the evill servant in the Gospell when the fault was in himselfe and lay all the blame upon him that they are not converted saying Quest How can I beleeve except the Lord give me faith or how can I attaine to repentance except he give me to repent doe you not teach it is God must worke in us both the will and the deed at his good pleasure why then am I blamed for not beleeving and for not repenting and why am I stirred up to beleeve the Gospell and to turn to the Lord seeing they are not in my power and seeing he giveth me neither the one nor the other I may as well be stirred up and moved to stirre and remove a mountaine Answ I answer out of Ecclesiastes before rehearsed the sower must sow his seed in the morning and in the evening so they that are hearers must heare in the morning and hearken in the evening and the rather because they know not whether this or that shall prosper and bring forth fruit unto repentance and salvation Will we not cease or give over to plow our land but till it in the morning and afternoone and shall we not thinke the furrowes of our hearts have as much need to be striken Hath the earth need of the earely and latter raine and are not we as barren and dry wanting the morning and evening shewres to make our soules fruitfull It may well be when we pursued and sought after with greedinesse our worldly businesse
or our carnall pleasures if we had followed the calling of God and waited at the postes of his house if we had beene as carefull and eager to heare as we are foolish and madde to follow our vanities we might have obtained and receiued faith and repentance long agoe Shall we then be so Prophane as to bring the Lord to dance our attendance and to give us his grace when we our selues list and to bestow it upon us at our leysure and pleasure In all worldly businesse we know we must take opportunity while it is offered we can say that tide and time tarryeth no man and that happily we may never have the same occasion offered us againe why then are we not as wise for spirituall and heavenly things as we are for earthly and for the life to come as for this present life Remember this if we remember nothing else that Iacob obtained the blessing while Esau was in hunting Gen. 27. So might we happily obtaine faith and repentance while we are hunting after our pleasures or profits and while we sit idle or lye sleeping in our houses or worse occupied than thus and will not vouchsafe to come and hearken unto his word Never therefore wickedly accuse the Lord for not giving to thee the graces of faith and repentance but come home and enter into thy selfe and learne to accuse thine owne wicked and prophane heart who doest not so much as thou hast in thine owne power to wit to come to the house of God and to heare and attend Let us doe these things diligently and we may looke for his blessing Math. 13.12 for whosoever hath to him shall be given and he shall have more abundance Besides God is bound to no man the winde bloweth freely where it list and may he not doe with his owne as pleaseth him or who can complaine against him True it is God is able to convert us and to give us to beleeve without the meanes of his word because he is not tyed thereunto but he hath tyed us and left us no other way Luk. 16.29.31 1 Cor. 1.21 Rom. 10.14 He will by the preaching of the word save them that beleeve 1 Cor. 1.21 and how shall they heare without a Preacher Rom. 10. The Lord fed Israel his people with quailes in the wildernesse and gave them bread from heaven but when he had brought them into Canaan a land flowing with milke and honey where they had corne and haruest in due season the Manna ceased Iosh 5.12 he fed them no longer from heaven So then this is the first point we must marke and practise we must be swft to heare with reverence with Conscience and with diligence use all the meanes we can to attaine to regeneration Touching the second point It is our duty to be slow to speake as we must be swift to heare so we must be slow to speake not slow or backward to speake of the word to conferre one with another and to sit and reason of the wayes of the Lord but slow to speak against it to quarrell with it to gainesay it resist it as the manner of many is who have dul eares but nimble tongues they are slow to heare but quicke to speake and reject what they have heard quite contrary to the Apostles commandement These men will question oftentimes with their companions as carnall as themselues but seldome or never will once conferre with the Minister who is most able to resolve them and most willing to instruct them which argueth they are possessed with a spirit of contradiction have no desire to be instructed The third point is slow to wrath It is our duty to be slow to wrath and to be offended when we heare our speciall sinnes touched and our corruptions ripped up to the quicke These are like the hearers of Stephen Act. 7.54.57.58 Act. 7. when they heard somewhat that pleased them not their hearts brast with anger and they guashed upon him with their teeth they cryed out with a loud voyce stopped their eares and ranne upon him with one accord Our hearers happly will not use these gestures but they will practise worse they will laugh at us and that not closely in their sleeves as we say but openly in our faces an evident argument of the contempt not of our persons so much as of the word of God it selfe Gal. 4.16 But what are we therefore become your enemies because we tell you the truth These never came to any degree of repentance or regenetation Iam. 1.20 for the wrath of man cannot accomplish the righteousnes of God Iā 1. He that will reprove others with fruit must ree his minde from fury and hastinesse so must hearers likewise if they will heare with profit For as surgeons Chrysost advers Gentes that goe about to cut off rotten members do not fill themselues with anger or choler when they goe about their cure but then specially endeavour to quiet their mindes from such unruly passions least happly such distemper might hinder their art so should reproovers be free from wrath least it should hinder them from doing that good which otherwise they might doe In like manner such as are hearers and reprooved that it may be as a precious oyle that shall not breake their head Psal 141.5 when they come into the house of God to heare his word which is able to save their soules must lay aside all filthinesse superfluity of naughtinesse and put on the spirit of meekenesse to receive the word ingrafted in us neiter must be offended at the word it selfe when it speaks not as they would have it Word came to the King he rose from his throne c. All these gestures of the King he rose he layd aside he covered he sate downe in ashes doe declare his forwardnesse and all of them are amplified by the circumstance of time so soone as the word of God preached by Ionah came unto him This teacheth us that repentance must be present speedy Doct. without delay or prolonging of the time from one day to an other Repentance must be speedy For if the King and the rest of the Ninevites had done so they had beene utterly overthrowne for not repenting The Prophet exhorteth to heare the voyce of the Lord while it is called to day Psal Psal 95.7 Heb. 3.13 and 4.7 Esay 55.6 95. and the Apostle exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Heb. 3. Hereunto tendeth the precept Seeke the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is neere Esay 55. And no marveill For first Reason 1 the deferring and delaying of repentance is an argument of great folly heaping up the greater measure of sinne and drawing a farther degree of judgment Math. 23.32.34.35 Rom. 2.5.6 making our selues two-fold more the children of hell as
afterward when the passion is past they are haile fellow well met with them This kind of reproofe seeldome or neuer doth any good it is so sharpe and biting So then to conclude this point reproofe must not be too cold neither to hote and hasty As Physicke that is ministred if it be too cold it never worketh but if too hote that it be ready to skald the mouth the patient will never suffet it to descend into the stomacke but both of them instead of doing Good doe hurt so it is in the matter of reproofe which is the Physicke of the soule to cure the diseases thereof when it is seasoned with wisedome and discretion and the golden meane observed between too much and too little but if it be given too cold Aurea mediocritas Horat. lib. â— Ode 10. 1 Sam. 2.24 we can looke for no benefit to come thereof as we see in the practise of Eli toward his sonnes 1 Sam. 2. on the other side if it be applied too hote as the Disciples would have dealt with the Samaritans Luk. 9.54 to call downe fire from heaven to consume them at once no man will suffer it to go downe into the bowels of the belly but distasteth the reproofe and the reprover Thirdly they that would be meanes to bring others to repentance or to godlinesse must first be such themselues for asmuch as otherwise we shall seeme to draw them in jest to speake one thing and to meane another not indeed and in truth to desire that which we make shew off For what man I pray you will be disswaded from drunkennesse by the perswasion of a drunkard or who will regard the words of a blasphemer when he findeth fault with swearing The person reprooved never regardeth or esteemeth any such reproofe he never layeth it to his heart but heareth it as words of course and scoffeth at such folly as one ready to cast the reproover in the teeth with the common proverbe Luk. 4.23 Physition heale thy selfe If we would doe any good with our reprooving and seeke the amendment of such as goe astray we must first cast the beame out of our owne eye Math. 7.5 and then we shall see cleerly to cast out the mote out of our brothers eyes Hence it is that the Apostle saith Rom. 2.21 Thou that teachest an other teachest thou not thy selfe c. Such therefore as goe about to perswade others to a love of the truth and of the house of God where the truth is published must give an example to others and be a patterne and president thereof themselves and so lead them the way Thus the Prophet fortelleth the people should do under the Gospel Zach. 8.21 Let us goe speedily to pray before the Lord and to seeke the Lord of hostes I will goe also as if they should say Come friends come neighbours let us goe to the house of God to pray to heare his word to sanctifie his Sabbaths to learne his wayes and I will goe with you I will beare you company Thus also doth the Prophet David Psal 111. as appeareth in the title compared with the beginning of the Psalme Praise ye the Lord I will praise the Lord with my whole heart otherwise we shall be like the Statues in the high way which point the way to others but never remove out of their place themselves or like our common ringers who helpe to bring others into the Church and then depart themselves Lastly as we must call upon others so we must be content to be called upon by others especially such whose calling is most familiarly to converse together as children servants and such like They must not as the manner is thinke amisse to be often admonished by their Parents Masters or Superiors or esteeme it any disgrant or reproch to be pricked forward by the goad of exhortation much lesse say with the obstinate and refractory Let us breake their bandes Psal 2.3 and cast their cordes from us but stoop downe our neckes to the yoake of God and submit our selves to discipline even from our youth The Apostle Saint Peter saith 2 Pet. 1.12 I will not be negligent to put you in minde of these things though ye have knowledge and be established in the truth already This answereth the Objection of some men that boast they are able to admonish themselves and they know those things already sufficiently for albeit they to whom Peter wrote were well grounded and established in the present truth yet he would not cease diligently to admonish them And the Apostle Paul though he were perswaded of the Romans that they were full of goodnesse Rom. 15.14 filled with knowledge and able to admonish one another yet was he bold by writing to put them in mind of these things Phil 3.1 and it did not greeue him to write the same things to the Philippians because he knew that for them it was a sure and safe thing So that such as are best furnished and well stored with good knowledge with grace and goodnesse oftentimes find they have need to be whet up and put forward and if such as are most forward and furnished need the spurres to be clapped to their sides much more others that are children in knowledge backward in good things rude and raw in the doctrine which is according to godlinesse 8. Let man and beâ—st be covered with sackcloth and cry c. Here we have the summe and effect of the Kings Proclamation that as the danger was common to all which hung over their heads so the meanes must be common to turne away the judgment Doct. they must joyntly together put on sackcloth and call upon God This teacheth Prayer and fasting â—ust go together us that fasting and prayer must be joyned and goe hand in hand together The truth of this appeareth by sundry examples in the old and new Testament as Iudg. 20 23. 2 Chro. 20.3.6 Math. 17.21 Luk. 2.37 1 Cor. 7.5 Ioel. 2.15.17 The reasons are evident for first Math. 19.6 Whatsoever God hath coupled together no man must put asunder This is a generall rule belonging to all Gods ordinances which he hath united Secondly fasting considered in it selfe is an outward ceremony and cannot touch the conscience neither doth the kingdome of God consist therein Rom. 14.17 1 Tim. 4.8 but it is a bodily exercise that severed from the spiritual profiteth little 1 Tim. 4.8 Rom. 14.17 Thirdly the Conjunction of these is the right and ready meaâ—es to turne away the wrath of God from us as Ezr. 8. I Proclaimed a fast that we might humble our selves before our God Ezr. 8.21.23 and seeke of him a right way for us and for our children and for all our substance Fourthly to make our prayers more available and effectuall and that the Lord might be intreated of us Ezra 8.23 The use hereof is first Vse 1 to overthrow the Popish fastings which consist in
nothing but in outward abstinence from flesh onely as for humiliation of our selues before our God and afflicting of our spirits as for solemne prayer and amendment of life they are dead and buried as if they were the carcasse of fasting there is deepe silence of them as of things impertinent and utterly from the purpose Thus albeit they retaine the name of fasting yet they have altered the nature of it and albeit they make it meritorious yet was it but a notorious mocking of God a dishonouring of him and a deluding of his people Secondly we receive from hence encouragement in performance of these duties yea comfort and assurance that God will spare us and save us returne to us if we returne to him and turne away his wrath from us Ezr. 8.23 as he did from these Ninevites This we see how the Lord performed Ezr. 8. We fasted and besought our God for this and he was intreated of us Where we see fasting and praying ioyned together and this benefit they found thereby this was the successe they obtained a blessing the Lord was intreated of them If we practise these as we are commanded we have his promise of mercy If he be not intreated it is because we seeke him not aright neither are sufficiently humbled before him but provoke him more by our fasting then we did before and so adde sin unto us O how great are our provocations of the Almighty when his ordinances sanctified to withdraw his wrath shall be meanes to draw it farther upon us and how farre doe our evill workes kindle his indignation against us and encrease his plagues cause him to double his strokes upon us when our best actions performed amisse serve for no other end but to turne us farther out of his favour and to keepe his mercies from us so that we deserue justly a new plague for our fasting if God were not gracious unto us For what are our meetings in many places for the most part but a mocke-fast as if we meant to despite God to his face or as if we met together according to every mans fansie and not warranted by publike authority nor urged by our owne necessity Some are feasting while others are fasting Some keepe it indeed as they doe keepe the Sabbath neither resting from their labours not attending the worship of God and so they make conscience of neither Some come sweating and blowing into the house of God from their owne workes without any preparation of themselves or consideration of the worke of God where about they goe Some are only fore-noone men some againe onely after-noone way Some beginne when others have halfe ended others end when some have halfe begunne Others come to Church betimes but they bring the Devill at their elbowes that lulleth them fast asleepe so as they learne nothing and serue as Cyphers onely to fill up a place for being present they were as good be absent nay better be absent because they should lesse dishonour God shew lesse contempt of the word and give lesse scandal to their brethren Call you this a fasting to the Lord Call you this an afflicting of our selves or of our soules Call you this a solemne repentance Nay where is he almost that once mindeth amendment of life or calleth his sinnes to remembrance or who saith to the eternall God the Lord of heaven and earth the King of Kings as that servant sayd to his Lord and Master an earthly King Gen. 41.9 I call to mind my faultes this day See then the causes why we are not heard We use the meanes but God regardeth us not as Iam. 4. Iam. 4.3 Yee aske and receive not because ye aske amisse and we doe not performe them aright Behold then the true cause why Gods judgments often continue and his hand is stretched out still we remaine still in our sinnes We fast from food but we fast not from our offences We abstaine from the pleasures of the things of this life Heb. 11.25 but we abstaine not from the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season What should it profit to put on sackcloth upon the body and not to put off the pride of heart to abridge out selves of naturall sleepe and to be spiritually asleepe in sinne to put off our best apparell and not to cast off the old man which is corrupt through the deceivable lustes Object It will be objected it hath beene usuall with Moses and the Prophets and the people of God when his hand was heavy upon them by famine or pestilence or the sword they fasted and prayed and the plague ceased why is it not so with us we have fasted but our plague continueth is God changed or is there any alteration in the Almighty Answ I answer there is some difference betweene the old Testament and the new between his administration under the law and under the Gospel For in the time of the law he crowned the obedience thereof more and oftner with temporall blessings as he recompensed the disobedience with temporall judgements whiles the joyes of heaven and the torments of hell were more darkly shadowed whereas now in the sunne-shine of the Gospel we behold Christ Iesus with open face the Kingdome of heaven is set open to all beleevers and the judgment of the great day of the Lord to which the vngodly are reserved is made manifest and therefore his wrath is not now so fully and plentifully revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men neither doth he reward with earthly blessings so commonly such as serve him But to passe this over as not so proper for this place let us enter into our selves let us search and try our own wayes and we shall find the true cause in our owne hearts For how should we thinke or perswade our selves that God should cease his hand presently when we encrease our sins dayly Is it not just with him to multiply his judgments upon us when we multiply sin upon sin or should we looke to have him repent of the evill when we will not repent of our evill We should doubtlesse see an other manner of successe and blessing of God upon our praying and fasting and humiliation if we did as the people of God were wont to doe we should speed as they were wont to do the Lord would deale with us as he dealt with them but forasmuch as we be not like to them in the one no marvaill if we be not like them in the other Lastly seeing the people of God were wont in solemne times of humilâ—ation and professing of their repentance to joyne together prayer and fasting the one giving the right hand of fellowship to the other let us stirre up our selves to call upon his name but how Not as ordinarily we doe but as our fasting is extraordinary so ought our prayers to be also in regard of continuance in regard of zeale in regard of confession of the sinnes of all
neglect the body catch after the shadow they straine at a gnat and swallow a Camell Math. 23 24. Fourthly it behoveth us to looke first of all to the heart and to clense the inside Ier 4.14 Iam. 4.8 that so the outside may be cleane also Math. 23.26 or else it is no zeale but hypocrity Fiftly Math 23.4 We must be more strict and precise to our selues then to others and give more liberty to them then we will take to our selues Let not us be as the Pharises who bound heauy burdens and greeuous to be borne and laid them upon other mens shoulders but themselues will not move them with one of their fingers Math. 23.4 Let us rather follow the example of Abraham Gen. 14.23.24 and of the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 4.12 1 Thess 2.9 with 1 Cor. 9.6.14 1 Tim. 5.18 Sixtly true zeale condemneth and reproveth sinne without respect of persons in their acquaintance as well as in strangers in their friends as well as in foes in the higher as well as in the lower sort Math. 16.23 Gal. 3. â— Iob. 29.8.9 But many offend and are partiall against this rule and are afraid of the face of the mighty Seventhly we are to be most fervent in Gods causes This was the commendation of Moses though he were as meeke as a lain be in his own cause the meekest upon the face of the earth Numb 12.3 but in case of Idolatry and worshipping the golden calfe his wrath waxed hote he cast the Tables out of his hands he brake them in pieces he burnt the Calfe in the fire he ground it to powder and being strewed upon the water he made the Israelites drinke of it Exod. 32.19.20 This is otherwise in the greatest number who practise the quite contrary They are as hote as fire in their owne private matters but as cold as ice in things pertaining to the honour and glory of God Let a seruant offend his Master in the least trifle and neglect his businesse any way how is he moved and his rage kindled but if he transgresse the Commandement of God and neglect his worship he is never touched or troubled at it Maâ—h 15.6 â— he never reproveth him for it what is this but to make the commandement of God of none effect by their tradition Lastly albeit zeale be requisit and necessiry for all Christians yet it must be alayed and tempered with mercy and compassion considering our selues least we also be tempted Gal. 6.1.2 being humbled in our selues for those sinnes which we espy and censure in others It is noted of Christ our Saviour when the Pharisees murmured because he would heale on the Sabbath day Mark 3.5 that he looked angerly about him and yet he sorrowed for the hardnesse of their hearts Here anger and sorrow meet together and so they ought to doe in us Cry unto God Hitherto of the second point the manner of their prayer they cried mightily now we come to the third point the object of prayer to God that is the true God Ion. 1.5 The Mariners mentioned in the first Chapter cryed every man to his God but none of them to the true God Doct. and therefore they laboured but all in vaine This teacheth us Prayer must be made to God onely that prayer must be directed unto the true God only Gen. 4.26 Psal 50.15 107.6 Math. 6.9 Dan. 9.4 2 Chro. 20.6 Act. 8.22 The reasons are apparently drawne from the nature of God For first he onely is able to heare and to helpe Reason 1 He is infinite in power and nothing is to hard for him nothing unpossible to him Secondly In regard of his knowledge he searcheth the heart who made the heart and understandeth our thoughts and imaginations a farre off Thirdly He only is present in all places Ier. 23.24 Esay 66.1 that none can hide himself in secret places that he shall not see him he filleth heaven and earth the heaven being his throne and the earth his foot stoole Esay 66.1 Fourthly Faith and prayer go together and therefore it is called the prayer of faith Iam. 5.15 We beleeve only in God therefore we must pray onely to him The Apostle therefore having shewed that whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved Rom. 10.13.14 he addeth but how shall they call upon him in whom they have not beleeved First of all Vse 1 this reproveth the sacriledge of the Church of Rome that robbe God of the honour due to his name and give that to the Saints departed and to Angels which is proper unto him To him all the faithfull Patriarkes Prophets and righteous men have prayed been heard and we have ten thousand places by which we are warranted and willed to doe the like Our Saviour cammandeth us to go to our Father which is in heaven Math. 6. The contrary practise hath neither Precept nor example nor promise nor threatning against any that refuse it nor punishment upon any that hath neglected the performance thereof Thus the Prophet speaketh Thou Esay 63.16 O Lord art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us David freely confesseth Psal 63.25 that he had none in heaven but God and none upon earth that he desired beside him The Church of Rome hath gotten more knowledge then ever this Prophet had and they are not ashamed to professe that they have â—no in heaven then God other mediators in whom they put their trust besides him Such lye under an heavy curse Ier. 17.5 â— 17. for cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and whose heart departeth from the Lord. What do these but forsake God the fountaine of living waters and hew out to themselues broken cisternes that can hold no water Into both these mischeifes the Romish Synagogue falleth by praying to Saints and Angels If the blessed virgin the Apostles and Saints in heaven did know what these Idolaters and Saint-worshippers doe to them on earth doubtlesse they would abhorre this detestable derogation from the glory of God as much as Paul and Barnabas did the peoples offering to doe sacrifice to them Act. 14.14 nay much more as their knowledge being glorified was greater and their zeale of Gods glory more fervent then before in the dayes of their flesh Secondly it reproveth such as neglect wholly or for the most part this duty as not belonging unto them or as not necessary or as if God had never required it or spoken word of it or as if his faithfull servants had never practised it Whereas the Lord presseth no duty more earnestly the Scripture expresseth no duty more commonly and the Godly have performed no duty more constantly But from whence commeth this retchlessenesse in so plaine a matter and the disregarding of so holy an exercise so often commanded and so profitable to our selves Surely it proceedeth either from ignorance to make the best of it which yet excuseth not or
ever he intend to attaine the end of his journey This unproper speech is very proper to expresse the nature of repentance because we are all traveylers toward heaven we are all gone farre out of the way like sheepe going a stray from the fold therefore we must turne backe againe and as we were going to hell so we must turne our feet toward heaven and as we have turned our backes to God so we must set our faces toward him This is repentance And touching the manner of turning we must obserue there are foure sortes of substance of quantity of place of quality Change of substance is when one substance is changed into an other as Lots wife was turned into a Piller of salt Gen. 19. Gen. 19.26 Exod. 4.3 Ioh. 2.9 The rod into a Serpent and the Serpent into a rodde Exod. 4.3.4 And water into wine at the feast in Canna of Galilee Ioh. 2. But repentance is not such a change because before and after repentance our substance is the same we have the same bodies and the same soules Change of quantity is either by encreasing or diminishing as when Christ fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes Math. 14.15 and 15.32 and foure thousand with seven loaves and a few little fishes but repentance is not such a change by encreasing from few sinnes to moe or from lesser to greater neither contrary wise a diminishing from moe to few or from greater to lesser but rather this is a turning from one sinne to another whereas true repentance is a turning from all sinne to God in our whole life Change of place or local mutation when we passe out of one place into another as Peter out of prison into a place of liberty Act. 12. But repentance is not such a change because a sinner may change his soile and not his soule he may go from place to place yea from Countrey to Countrey and change ayre yet not let go one of his sinnes as a sicke man doth he may change his chaire and his Chamber and be carried from bed to bed but this cannot free him from his sicknesse and restore him to his former health so it is with sinne Change in quality is when things change from once condition to another as when the leper was clensed or the dead raised Such a change is repentance when new qualities or properties or put into the soul and body when they are altered from unrighteousnesse to righteousnesse from all sinne to the living God In this the nature of true repentance consisteth as Hos 6.1 14.2 Ezek. 18.30.32 36.26 Ier. 4.1 Luk. 1. Act. 26.20 in which places repentance is expounded to be a turning to God a doing of workes meete for amendment of life In this turning obserue these particulars first it is a turning of the whole man both of soule and body both of the outward man and the inward Iam. 4. Secondly it must be constant and continued not flitting or starting backe like a deceitfull bow or vanishing like the morning dew Hos 6.4 Thirdly It must be a turning from all sin to God for one knowne sinne wherein we live without resistance separateth from God as well as many Devâ— 30.2 Ier. 4.4 This appeareth first because the word here used importeth that we are gone out of our way Reas 1 we would travail toward heaven and we take the right course that leadeth to hell we would seeme desirous of Salvation but we go in the broad way that bringeth to destruction Math. 7.13 we make as though we would go to God and we follow after the Devill Math. 7. Secondly we were made according to the image of God in holinesse and true righteousnesse Eph. 4. and had fellowship with God man delighting in his Creator the Creator in his creature but sin hath turned all upside down man had no sooner fallen transgressed Gen. 3.8.10 but he fled from the presence of God as an evill servant from his Master or a malefactor from the judge for feare of punishment and was afraid of his comming into the Garden Thus we became the children of wrath Eph. Eph. 2.3 4.18 2.3 But when once we have grace to repent then we begin to repaire and recover the image of God and to be reconciled to him againe Repentance therefore is as a miracle of the Gospel the quickning of a dead man and the raising of him up from death to life or as the reedifying and repayring of a royall Pallace that was fairely builded but foully battered and decayed The image of God is as a faire Pallace the transgression of man is as the ruine thereof repentance is nothing else but a raising again of that image which is to be done all the dayes of our life This is in a manner a miraculous worke in regard of the greatnesse of our fall that in regard of our spirituall estate which we recover we may say as Math. 11.5 Math. 11.5 The blind receive their sight the lame walke the leaprs are clensed the deafe heare and the dead are raised up to life Happy are we if this spirituall miracle be wrought upon us Let us apply these things to our selues First Vse 1 hereby it appeareth The first reproofe that many men are greatly deceived both in the doctrine and practise of repentance in the doctrine because they thinke that to be which is not repentance and in the practise because they perswade themselues that they have it when indeed they want it Some are so silly and sotish that they presume they need it not and that it belongeth not at all to them no more then physicke to a whole or sonnd man or a plaister to him that hath neither wound nor hurt like the young man in the Gospel Math. 19.20 All this have I done from my youth up what lacke I yet or like such as suppose Christ came not to call them but other notorious sinners Others slight and slubber over this matter with a little sorrow and sighing with Esau Ahab and Iudas and if they live and have leisure to say Lord have mercy upon us like those that in the end of the world shall say Lord Lord open unto us they thinke they shall undoubtedly be saved never remembring the words of our Saviour Not every one that sayth unto me Lord Math. 7.21 Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven Secondly The second reproofe it condemneth all wretched and prophane persons that lie wallowing and weltering in their sinnes like Swine in the mire or dogges in their vomit who as they were once so they are still They were horrible swearers and common blasphemers so they are still They were scoffers and scorners mockers and deriders of all good things and all good men so they are still they are no changelings They were contemners of Gods word and prophaners of his
them the lesse sorry they were for themselues These are like drunken men that dread nothing because all their wit is gone to discerne of danger or like little children that feare not the fire till they be burned Pro. 20.11 nor the candle till they be singed with it As Pro. 20.11 even a child is knowne by his doings whether his worke be pure and whether it be right Lastly it behoveth us to examine our owne hearts The trials of a true faith whether we have true faith or not But how shall we try and prove our selues let these be the trials First if our faith be not fruitlesse and barren but worke in us love and hatred joy and greefe hope and feare If this faith be in us it will make us that we shall not be idle or unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ It will make to a â—ound in us both the love of God and our brethren and of good things and the hatred of evill both joy to see Religion florish and greeve to see God dishonoured both hope of everlasting life and feare to offend the everliving God That faith which swimmeth in the braine descendeth not to the bottome of the heart is no found faith but in shew and shadow onely a dead and counterfeite fâ—ith Secondly it is sound if it make us stand in feare of his judgments executed upon others like children that shake and quiver when the father correcteth any of their brethren nay of the seruants of the house so it is with the children of God they feare and lay it to heart when he chasteneth his Church or any of his own people nay the ungodly and prophane persons of the world they by and by looke upon themselues and examine their own wayes to see whether they be not guilty of the same sinnes 2 Sam. 6.6.7.9 This appeareth in David when the Lord in his anger smote Vzzah for his errour that he died by the Arke of God because he put forth his hand and tooke hold of it when the Oxen shooke it be feared God exceedingly that day What did he nor feare the Lord before Yes doubtlesse but exceedingly at that time when he saw a visible example of his wrath before his eyes and this also made him say Psal 19.120 my flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy judgment This the Evangelist sheweth Act. 5. when Ananias and Sapphâ—ra were suddainly smittendown with suddaine death Act. 5.11 feare came upon the whole Church and upon all thâ—se that heard of it If it be the property of the child of God to tremble at his word Esay 66.2 Esay 66. as the heart of Iosiâ—h melted for feare at the hearing of the Iaâ—v 2 King 22. Because a reproofe entreth more into a wise man then an hundred stripes into a Foole Pro. 17. Pro. 17.10 how much more at his rods at his scourges and at the drawing and shaking of his glittering sword when his hand layeth hold on judgment like the child at the sight of his fathers rod So the Prophet Hab. 3.2 16. when he heard of the judgments of the Lord was afraid his belly trembled his lippes quivered at the voice rottennesse entred into his bones and he trembled in himselfe This feare of Gods anger is a worke of grace in the heart Thirdly if the feare of his judgments be an effectuall meanes preventing in us the feeling of them They that feare most now shall have least cause to feare hereafter and contrary wise such as feare least now when they are called to feare shall be suddainly overtaken with feare hereafter when they can neither prevent it nor avoid it Fourthly we may try the truth and efficacy of our faith if we can beleeve God on his bare word although we see not the performance thereof neither any appearance or likelihood thereof This we must consider in two respectes both of his promises and of his threatnings Touching his promises when we dare trust him on his bare word for the performance of them We say of some men we will trust them no farther then we see them or have some earnest pledge or pawne from them howbeit we must not deale so with God this is as much as not to trust him at all but our owne eyes and to trust our owne pawne not him But for us to trust him 2 Cor. 5.7 when he seemeth to go from his owne word or against his word even deny himselfe this is assuredly a true faith Thus it was with Abrahram when the Lord bad him kill his sonne his onely sonne even Isaac the sonne of promise by whom he looked to have issue in number as the Starres of heaven and as the sand by the Sea-shore he accounted that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure So it was with Iob H. b. 1.29 we must beleeve that God will save us even when he seemeth to goe about to destroy us Iob. 13.15 Thus we are taught to beleeve that he loveth us when he chasteneth us and frowneth upon us and maketh little shew of love toward us we must beleeve that he remembreth us when he seemeth to forget us Esay 49.4.15.16 And touching his threatnings we must beleeve them before they come The threatnings of God are manifold and evident The soule that sinneth Ezek. 18.5 Psal 68.21 shall dy the death Ezek. 18.5 and Psal 68. The Lord will wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalpe of every one that goeth on obstinately in his sinnes But because we see it not presently instantly and immediatly performed the ungodly put farre from them the evill day and they live merrily and pleasantly thereby seeming to escape the scourge here Eccl. 8.11 as Eccl. 8. Because sentence against an evil worke is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe evill These thinke God will be better then his word and that these threatnings are spoken onely to fray and affright men as scare-crowes do birdes to keepe them in awe not to bring them to ruine and destruction What are these but infidels who cannot beleeve that God will doe that which they see him not to do presently Here then is the worke of faith to beleeve that which may seeme to carry no likelihood of comming to passe remembring what Salomon saith Though the wicked live an hundred yeares and passe them all ouer in pleasure yet I know it shal not go wel with the wicked Eccl. 8.13 neither shall he prolong his dayes which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God The heathen do account it a point of mans misery above all other creatures that he alone is vexed with care and feare for the future but I account it a point of mans excellency and eminency above other creatures and of true Christians above
heaven he beholdeth all the sonnes of men from the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth And touching the second branch to wit the approoving of of that which is good Moses declareth when Israel offered their submission to the ordinary ministery being ready to heare from his mouth all the words of the Lord he gave this testimony and commendation of them Devt 5.28.29 I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken they have will said O that there were such an heart in them Math. 8.10 15.28 26.13 that they would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes c. Thus Christ our Saviour commendeth the faith of the Centurion Math. 8. of the Cananitish woman Chap. 15. and of the woman that anoynted his feet with precious oyntment I say unto you wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world there shall this which she hath done be told for a memoriall of her chap. 26. Let us see both these branches confirmed unto us Reasons of the first branch Touching the first it is great brutishnesse and folly not to know that God knoweth all things This is as much as to deny his nature and to make God to be no God He may be said to be all an eye all an eare all an heart but to deny this principle what is it in effect but to turne the true God into an Idoll which hath eyes and feeth not eares and hearth not Psal 115.5.6 94.89.10 and an heart and vnderstandeth not Hereunto came the words of the Prophet Vnderstand ye brutish among the people and ye fooles when will ye be wise he that planted the eare shall he not heare he that formed the eye shall he not see he that teacheth man knowledge shall not he know All things have sight hearing knowledge and understanding from him therefore he must heare perceive and see forasmuch as that which causeth a man to be so is it selfe much more so Secondly nothing can hinder his sight nor want of light nor distance of place nor dimnesse of the eye which are causes of want of seeing in us Therefore the Prophet saith Psal 139.7.8.9 c. Whither shall I go from thy spirit or whither shall I fly from thy presence If I ascend up into heaven or make my bed in the grave or take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea thou art there c. Touching the second Reasons of the second branch he approoveth every good worke for who is it that hath wrought it in us or from whence doth it proceed is it of our selves no doubtlesse every good and perfect gift is from above and commeth downe from the Father of lights And as he must worke it before we can have it Iam. 1.17 so he must strengthen that which he hath wrought in us Secondly to encourage and provoke us to perseverance and continuance in wel-doing It is no lesse vertue to hold fast that which we have gotten then at the first to get it And we have as much need to be exhorted to go on as to beginne seeing we may perish as well by going backe as by not stirring at all or not walking in the wayes of God Heb. 10.35 as also it serueth to draw on others by our example as we also ought by the examples of others The uses follow and first of the first branch And first Vse 1 this directeth us in all our workes to propound to our selues alwayes the presence of God a speciall foundation of Christian religion When thou hast any tentation to sinne or inclination of thy heart thereunto if thou couet to be kept in the feare of God perswade thy selfe of the truth of this principle that whatsoever thou thinkest or speakest or doest Heb. 4.13 all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whrm we have to doe Gen. 39.9 because he searcheth all hearts and say with Ioseph How can I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Enoch walked before God and pleased him that he had his power and presence evermore before his eyes Gen. 5.24 in Heb. 11. and Gen. 17.1 On the other side this is a maine cause of all wicked nesse prophanenesse and ungodlinesse among men to be perswaded that God seeeth us not Psal 94. They prate speake heard things Psal 94.4.5.6.7 they smite thy people and spoyle thy heritage flay the widow and murther the fatherlesse what is the cause where is the reason they say the Lord shall not see neither will the God of Iacob regard it It is neere to Atheisme to have such a blasphemous thought as to jmagine that we can hide our counsels deuises from the Lord Esay 29.15 as Esay 29 Woe unto them that seeke deepe to hid our counsel from the Lord their workes are in the dark and they say who seeth us and whoknoweth us True it is men will not speak thus prophanly with the tongue for then all men would condemne them cry shame of them as unworthy to live upon the earth but what should we looke to their words when we may looke upon their deedes or what shall it avail them to hide their counsels when they lay open their conuersations to keepe their mouthes silent when their lives proclaime they thinke there is no God Happy are we if we have the Lord ever before us and have our eyes upon him as we know that his eyes are upon us as the eye of the Master upon the servant to give to every man according to his workes Secondly this offereth much comfort to the afflicted and putteth such as afflict them in mind of their wretched condition wherein they stand 2 Thess 1.6.7 seing it is a righteous thing wâ—th God torecompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest when the Lord Iesas shall be revealed from heaven The Lord seeth the afflictions of his seruants will regard revenge them get glory to his great name in the confusion of their enemies When the children of Israel were oppressed by the Egyptians and afflicted with sore burdens the Lord comforteth them with this I have seene I have seene the affliction of my people Exod. 3.7.9 which is in Egypt and I have heard their groning Act. 7.34 and am come downe to deliver them He considereth the cruelty and injury of the enimy as 2 Chro. 16. 1 Chro. 16.9 the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect toward him It is strange to see the folly of men abusing the essentiall properties of God as were easie to shew in our several state and condition of life sometimes abridging them and cutting them too short and sometimes enlarging them and stretching them too farre See
this in the consideration of the power of God how we erre two waies In time of adversity we contract it and make it to little as if he could not do so much as he had promised and we cannot beleeve more then we see Numb 11.4.13.21.22.23 Psal 78.19 neither can looke beyond the ordinary meanes as Numb 11. with Psal 78. they spake against God saying Can God furnish a table in the wildernesse Yea Moses himselfe spake unadvisedly with his lippes Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people whereunto the Lord answereth by way of reproofe Is the Lords hand waxed short thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to passe unto thee or not So in the seige of Samaria a noble person on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God who had prophesied of great plenty If the Lord would make windowe in heaven 2 King 7.2 might this thing be but when men live in peace and plenty how many do extend his power too farre and encourage themselues in the excesse of all ungodlinesse and propha esse of life because he is able to pardon their sinnes though they be never so great and there upon harden their hearts and gather that they need not make conscience of any thing Thus upon a firme foundation they build a false conclusion The like we may say of the presence of God When we have all that heart can desire that we prosper in the world and encrease in riches we dreame we must needs be highly in Gods favour and that he is present with us with his grace but when we are plagued and chastened every morning how do we presently conceive that he is departed farr from us that he hath forgotten to here us and will remember us no more Eâ—ccl 9. but no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them and if sinne do not seperate betweene us and our God Esay 59.1.2 his hand is not shortned that he cannot save neither his eare heavy that he cannot heare Lastly touching the second branch hence ariseth a reproofe of such wicked and envious men that will never remember any good thing or any grace of God that appeareth in his faithful servants unlesse it be to lessen them discredit them mock and scoffe at them and to deride them as Ismael did at Isaac Gen. 21.9 as Michal did at David 2 Sam. 6.20 Nay there be some so fowle-mouthed and corrupt hearted if they can find nothing whereby to defame them they will inuent and devise matter out of their owne braine See the partialily of these brainsicke men and the difference betweene God and them for first though they see never so much grace the way to glory shine in the servants of God they passe it over and will take no notice thereof Secondly what blemish defect or infirmity so ever be in them they bruit it and blaze it abroad no time no place no company is free but they ring of them they proclaime and publish them in every place before every person at every meeting and they will be sure to adde something of their own beyond the truth And what marveil is it if being evill theÌ„selues they speake evill of others Thirdly they can readily passe over the foule spottes and prophanesse not onely in themselues Malèdeme loquuntur sed malâ— Sen. but in their owne crue and companions because therein they have oftentimes themselues a great and principall hand and therefore they see the discrediting of them tendeth to their owne reproch Fourthly if there be the least civill vertue breake out of the ungodly that they after a sort stumble upon them accidentally rather then purposely and that but once or if it be onely a shadow of vertue appeare in any of their fellowes O how they praise and applaud them they light up a candle to see them and they blow a trumpet for men to heare of them In all which they shew themselues contrary to God for he passeth over the frailties and infirmities of such as feare him and have given their hearts unto him though sometimes they stumble and fall as we see in Iob. Iob. 42. Iam. 5.11 1 King 15.5 Math. 13.31.8 25.23 12.20 42.8 Iam. 5.11 and in David 1 King 15.5 and wheresoever he seeth any grace to grow though it be as little as agraine of mustardsecd if he encrease but two talentes or bring forth only thirty fold if they be but as the smoking flaxe or as the bruised reed he accepteth it maketh much of it highly commendeth it On the other side he hateth and abhorreth wickednesse as he loveth righteousnesse and albeit the ungodly have the glory and applause of the world because the world will love his owne yet will he bring upon them shame and perpetuall contempt And God repented of the evill that he had said Albeit the threatning against this citie expressed no condition Doct. God is merciful to all pâ—nitent sinners as we have already declared yet we see in this place by the issue and event that it included it As the threatning denounced was very fearefull so the fruit of their repentance was as joyfull This teacheth that God is mercifull and gratious to all penitent sinners he turneth their mourning into mirth and all their heavinesse into laughter All such as truely repent them of their sinnes shall find pardon forgivenesse at his hands as Ezek. 18. Ezek. 18.21 If the wicked will turne from all his sinnes that he hath committed and keepe all my statutes and do that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live and shall not die Thus in sundry places we are cummanded to turne to God and then he promiseth to turnt to us to save us Ioel. 2 12.13 Ier. 31.18 Lam. 5.21 Hereunto come sundry examples of Manasses 2 Chro. 33. of Paul Act. 9. of the Iewes that crucified the Lord of life Act. 2. The like I might say of sundry others The reasons Reas 1 First No penitent person ever perished from the foundation of the world to this present neither shall from this present to the end of the world God which cannot lie hath promised grace to the humble and and contrite heart Repentance is as a table on which we take hold after shipwracke to bring us safe and sound to land Nosinne is unpardonable if the sinner could repent no not the sinne against the holy Ghost Secondly Gods mercy is above all his workes he knoweth whereof we are made he remembreth that we are but dust he is slow to anger and of great kindnesse Psal 103. Thirdly he hath shewed some mercy in a temporall deliverance for a temporall repentance 2 King 21.27 as we see in Ahab who obtained the respite of punishent when he had but an outward humiliation 2 King 21. if wicked Ahab who did sell himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight to the Lord repenting with fasting
no fruit then thou maiest cut it downe This is the summe of this Parable the application whereof is So God hath placed you of Iudea in a fertile place hath bestowed many blessings upon you and hath looked for good fruit from you but behold ye bring forth none I tell you therefore except ye repent that speedily ye shall all likewise perish Now for our better proceeding in the orderly handling of these words Observe herein 2. things An exhortation to repentance or a threatning of destruction to the impenitent vers 3. 5. An amplification or enlargement thereof in the residue The amplification or illustration is By examples By a parable The examples are of the Galileans Eighteene upon whom the tower fell and slew them The second amplification which is by parable we will relerue to the proper place handle the same particularly For all these things belong vnto us as well as unto those to whom they were spoken by our Saviour and may be applied to us as well as unto them The doctrine of repentance was never more needfull to be preached and the threatning also as fully concerneth us Except we repent we shall likewise perish as Marke 13. least we passe by the exhortation uttered to the Disciples by our Saviour as impertinent to us he addeth What I say unto you Mark 13.37 I say unto all Waâ—ch So it is in this place as if he had said what I say unto these I say unto all Repent Wherefore Doct. the generall point that Christ laboureth to presse and perswade is to worke in them and in all others repentance The way to prevent Gods judgments is to amend our lives This teacheth that the onely way to prevent and escape the judgments of God is to amend our lives and turne unto him with all our hearts and to repent from dead workes We live in the dayes of many judgments some lying heavy upon us others hanging over our heads so that we may say with the Prophet Psal 1â—0 1 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee O Lord and 42.7 deepe calleth unto deepe at the noyse of thy water spoutes all thy waves and thy billowes are gone over me The meanes ordained of God to revoke his heavy hand gone out against us is to turne from our evill wayes See this Deut. 4. Deut. 4.29 30 31. after that God punisheth his people for their sinnes he saith When thou art in tribulation and all these things are come upon thee even in the latter dayes if thou turne to the Lord thy God and shall be obedient unto his voyce hee will not forsake thee nor destroy thee 2 Chro. 17.13.14 if thou seeke him with all thine heart and with all thy soule Thus the Lord said to Salomon 2 Chro. 7. If I shut up heaven that there be no raine or if I command the Locustes to devoure the land or if I send postilence among my people if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselues and pray and seeke my face and turne from their wicked wayes then will I heare from heaven and will forgive their sinne Ier. 3 22. and will heale their land And the Prophet Ieremy bringeth in the Lord speaking Math. 3.7.8.10 Returne ye back-sliding children I will heale your backsliding So doth Iohn the Baptist reprove the Pharisees O generation of vipers who hath warned you to sly from the wrath to come bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance and now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewne downe and cast into the fire So then the onely way to stay Gods hand and to stop his judgments now that his arrowes fly through the land is to returne from all our evill wayes and to cause others to returne The reasons follow Reas 1 First because untill we repent all judgements hang over our heads and shall overtake us as they did the old world as they did Sodome and Gomorrha as they did Pharaoh and infinite others We may be destroyed by fiery Serpents burned in the fire drowned in the waters swallowed up in the earth as Dathan and Abiram and may looke every day for some plague or other to find us out and seaze upon us Secondly when we truly repent forgivenesse of sinnes and other blessings do follow For repentance and remission go together We see this in the Ninevites Ionah 3.10 God saw their workes that they turned from their evill wayes and he repented of the evill he had said he would do unto them and he did it not If then we would prevent Gods judgments Vse 1 first we must beware of all false counterfeite turnings and by-pathes of our owne invention and walke in the Kings high way Some make confession of our selues to have sinned and to say I am a sinner to be true repentance but thus every civill man should repent Some make all kind of sorrow and greefe and sheding of teares to be turning to God but so should Esau repent Some content themselues with a little humbling and an outware casting downe of themselues to hang downe their heads for a day like a Bulrush but so should Ahab repent Some thinke every good word Lord Lord to be repentance and if they can but say Lord have mercy upon me they have truly repented but so should every sicke man repent Others turne not from sinne untill sinne turne from them and they leave it not till they can follow it no longer but thus every old man repenteth Others turne from one sinne to an other as many from one disease into another and from evill to worse as it were from a fever into a frenzy Lastly others turne from some sinne but not from all they will keepe some beloved sinne still but thus Herod and Iudas repented but this must be the Covenant that we make with God to keepe us from all sinne remembring that he which faileth in one point is guilty of all Iam. 2.10 All these blind wayes wherein the greatest sort doe walke must be avoyded of us True it is wicked men may walke in all these pathes they may confesse their sinnes and desire others to pray for them but this is an enforced repentance this is compulsion not conversion and thus Pharaoh repented whereas true repentance must be voluntary and as a free-will offering They may confesse some heinous and capitall sinne knowne to others as well as to themselues whereby they have brought shame and confusion upon themselues howbeit they will not confesse all but thus Iudus repented saying I have sinned Math. 27.4 in that I have betrayed innocent blood but he acknowledged not his covetousnesse that he was a theefe and kept the bagge They have often some remorse and touch of conscience but it is a great deale more for the punishment threatned or inflicted then for the sinne committed if they might any way escape
are sinners So then this rule teacheth that all men are under the guilt and punishment of sinne which is a matter of such danger as it were better to have the whole weight of the world upon us then to lye under the burden and bondage of one sinne because the wrath of God which is the heaviest thing under heaven doth hang upon sinne and sinners for ever We are all of us condemned men there is not any one which is not in himselfe damned and forlorne Their is nothing in our whole nature but corruption we are loathsome and abhominable in his sight the heires of death and destruction the enemies of God the bondslaves of Satan held under his dominion even from our mothers wombe This doth admonish us of the miserable condition of all mankinde through sin no creature more wretched we have no cause to aduance or magnifie our selues It stirreth up our mindes to seeke after a Saviour Luk. 15.32 to find us being lost and to quicken us being dead It teacheth us to thinke seriously upon the riches of Gods mercy Eph. 2.4 to praise his name for his great love wherewith he hath loved us It putteth us in mind by our owne estate of corruption to reprove others with compassion Gal. 6.1 considering our selues that are no lesse sinners and stand in the same case and condemnation as well as they The fift rule is The fift rule that the naturall man can doe nothing at all that can please God For untill we have faith and repentance all that we do or can doe is sinfull and abhominable in his sight Euery thought of the heart of man is evill and onely evill Gen. 6.5 8 21. and continually evill Gen. 6. 8. It is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it The wised me of the flesh Ier. 17.9 and therefore the best thing in a carnall man even whatsoever he understandeth or perceiveth is enmity against God Rom 8.8 7 18. 3. for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be The Apostle saith of himselfe I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing and generally of mankind he pronounceth Tit. 1.15 There is none righteous no not one they are all gone out of the way and againe Vnto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbeleeuing is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled The doctrine of Pelagius The opinion of Pelagus that a man that is an infidell and unregenerate hath in himselfe and of himselfe a sufficient power to beleeve and to fulfill the law Ezek. 36.26 is as contrary to the whole doctrine of the Scriptures as light to darknesse as sweet to sower For the Prophets and Apostles teach that the heart of man is stony and therefore in it owne nature unfit and uncapable to receive the impression of the law of God unlesse God write on that stone with his singer that the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.14 2 Cor. 3.5 Phil. 2.13 Eph 2.1.5 Col. 2.13 for they are foolishnes unto him neither can he know them that the Ephesians before their calling yea and all of us are dead in sinnes and trespasses Hence it is that the Scripture calleth the change of man by regeneration sometimes an other birth Ioh. 3. Sometimes the creation of the new man Eph 4. Sometimes an other resurrection from the dead Luk. 15.32 Ioh. 5.25 For as a dead carkasse can by no meanes dispose nor prepare it selfe to the refurrection as Lazarus lay in his grave stinking untill by the powerfull voyce of Christ he was raised up to life or as a thing that is not created cannot further it selfe any thing to the creation of it selfe so man in the state of nature and before his regeneration hath nothing whereby he may dispose himselfe or further his new birth or spirituall life This rule teacheth that many there are who albeit they blesse themselues as men in a good case yet are found the children of wrath the enemies of righteousnesse haters and hated of God Such are they that rest in outward or ciuil honesty that boast and bragge that they are no adulters no theeues no murtherers that they live peaceably and quietly among their neighbours and pay every man his owne and are not all these good Yes doubtlesse they are good but they are not good enough these must we doe Math. 23.23 but other things may not be left â—â—done For if they could looke throughly and unpartially into their soules they should finde there a filthy sinke and puddle of all manner of sinne and nothing else It teacheth that we have no freedome left in any faculty of the soule to spirituall goodnesse and therefore beateth down the doctrine of the Church of Rome that setteth up and aduanceth mans free will as if it were not lost but onely weakned It teacheth that before the naturall man be washed and purged every thing is uncleane unto him yea he tainteth and defileth every thing that he toucheth which way so ever he turneth himselfe all his actions spirituall civill or naturall are polluted because they proceed from uncleane hearts and consciences His spirituall actions which may seeme best of all his hearing the word reading the Scriptures praying to God receiving of the Sacraments all being the sacrifices of the wicked Pro. 15.8 28.9 are abhomination unto the Lord the person must please him before our workes can please him These divine ordinances how pure and precious soever in their owne nature as instituted of him are turned into sinne His civill actions and honest dealings in the world his buying selling giving lending his labours in all the workes of his calling are in him and to him no better then sinnes Lastly his naturall actions as eating drinking sleeping and the like all are vncleane unto him and in his use To conclude it teacheth us the necessity of regeneration in every part especially it should move us to beware that we approach not neere the Courts of God neither compasse his altar without washing our hands in innocency Psal 26.6 and to pray unto him to sanctifie us throughout and to wash the whole man both soule and body The last Rule is The sixt rule that the posting over the denying and diminishing of our sinnes is one of the greatest hindrances of repentance Some post them over and thinke to save themselues by appealing and appeaching of others as Adam his wife Gen. 3. Some deny their sinnes and so thinke to hide them as Ananias and Sapphira Act. 5. Some extenuate and excuse them as Saul 1 Sam. 15. Thus we stop the passage to repentance and harden our hearts that we cannot turne unto God Whereas we should feare our sinnes more then his plagues How many are there that stand in feare of
his judgments who never once consider the causes thereof not hate their sinnes though heinous and horrible which bring them upon us We deale commonly with our sinnes as the vniust Steward did with his Masters debters and debt for an hundred he sets downe fifty Luk. 15.6 See herein how partiall we are when we censure others we are ready for fifty to set downe an hundred and of every mole-hill to make a mountaine but when we cast up our owne accountes we say to our owne soules Take thy bill and sit downe quickly and write fourscore or fifty or happily foure or five so unequall and unjust are our wayes Againe others acknowledge themselues to be sinners in grosse or in generall as Pharaoh Saul and sundry others but come to the particulars of the law which is the glasse to shew us our sinnes for by the Law commeth the knowledge of sin examine these by it from point topoint Rom. 3.20 who never examined themselues they are not ashamed to pronounce themselues innocent For bring them to their triall as it were to hold up their hand at the barre whether they ever brake the first Commandement Exod. 20 3.4.7.8.13 Thou shall have no other Gods before me they answer readily God forbid I should set up strange gods Or the second To make graven images or the rest To kill To steale To beare false witnesse Math. 19.20 and such like they sticke not to plead not guilty and to say with the young man All these things have I kept from my youth up what lacke I yet These are like to a man that saith he is sicke and being asked where and led a long from the crowne of the head to the Sole of the foot should then say he is well in every particular part Thus they shew they understand not the Law which is spirituall Rom. 7.14 and searcheth into the heart Lastly it is our duty to use all meanes to move us and bring us unto repentance The first may be our present necessity Motives to stirre us up to repentance If there were no other but the distresse and calamity that lyeth upon our Churches it were enough to rouse us up out of the dead sleep of sinne into which we are fallen It is not our fasting and prayer that can call in Gods judgements nay they provoke him the more against us except we repent O let us consider the wofull mortality and the pittifull estate of thousands of our brethren and sisters Psal 80.5 79.8.9 that the Lord feedeth them with the bread of teares and giveth them teares to drinke in great measure and thereby be stirred up our selues and stirre up others to unfained repentance then let us say with the Prophet O remember not against us former iniquities let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low helpe us O God of our Salvation for the glory of thy name and deliver us and purge away our sinnes for thy names sake and he will heare us in the end and send us a gracious deliverance Secondly a man that liveth in this world without amendment of life is farre more uile then the basest creatures that creepe upon the ground it had beene better we had never beene borne or beene brought forth as dogs and swine as wormes of the earth nay as Serpents or a generation of Vipers We are worse then all these lying in the state of impenitency for there is an end of them when this life endeth but our misery shall never have end Thirdly such as ate not truly conuerted are in danger of all the judgments of God which as a suddaine and violent flood may breake in upon them or as a mighty host of men may quickly ouerthrow them and destroy them Happy are they that feare them a farre off and can beware by other mens harmes Let us not tarry till they come upon us Exod. 12.30 as the Egyptians did till one in every house was dead God was neuer more prouoked then at this day Hitherto he hath prevailed little or nothing with us Math. 3.10 now the axe is laid to the root of the trees therefore every one which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewne downe and cast into the fire Fourthly God hath used all meanes to worke in us repentance the greater is our sin if we use them not We are fast a sleep he hath sounded his trumpets to awakeÌ„ us He hath the trumpet of his word and commandeth his Ministers to cry aloud and spare not Esay 58.1 to lift up their voyces like a Trumpet to shew the people their transgressions their sins He hath also the trumpet of his judgements to pierce into our hearts when the word findeth no place in us He hath often sounded the alarme and blowne the trumpet of his Word by the Ministery of his seruants that have spoken unto us early and late in the name of the Lord and warned us of his wrath to come and of our wickednesse present and we would not heare them He is therfore constrained to take in hand an other trumpet and to strike us with the pestilence and mortality Ames 3.6 shall this Trumpet be blowne in the City and the people not be afraid Or shâ—ll there be evill in a City and the Lord hath not done it For as when a trumpet giveth a signe or token out of a watch-tower the people hearkneth and is troubled and prepare themselves this way or that way as the trumpet giveth the token so the Lord cryeth unto us by his judgments as it were by the voyce of a shrill trumpet ought we not then to be attentive and be moved at the sound thereof and according to the warning prepare our selves to repentance and heare his voice while it is called to day Psal 95.8 Heb. 3.7 4.7 lest our hearts be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne It were better for us a thousand times to hearken to the sound of the first trumpet then tarry till be sound the second to heare his word then waite till he take up his sword O how much better had it beene for us to have taken his word which he sends among us and to Obey it then to cause and even constraine him to send his destroying Angel to make havocke of us Lastly he that converteth not is in danger of eternall damnation to be separated from Gods presence at whose right hand is fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 Dan 12.2 to have fellowship with the Devill and his angels to have shame and everlasting contempt powred upon them and to have horrour and anguish of conscience cast upon them arising from a feeling of Gods wrath Then shall the last trumpet blow and waxe lowder that the dead shall heare the sound thereof 1 Cor. 15.52 1 Thes 4.16 when the Lord himselfe shall descend from heaven with a great shout and with thousands
of his Angels Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish We have heard before that the scope of Christ in these words to which the examples one going before the other following after are referred is to perswade men to repentance This we must lay as the foundation of our weekly meeting together to make profession before God before men and Angels of our repentance to renew our Couenant with God and to seale to it with our hearts and to cry unto him to remove his judgements that lye heavy upon us Consider in this threatning farther an other doctrine to wit what danger it is to omit and reject repentance such persons are subject to death and destruction thâ—â— repent not Doct. This teacheth Such as continue in sinne without repentance shall certainly perâ—â— that howsoever God for a time spare and forbeare the Church and do not alway strike upon every occasion as he might do yet it is a sure and certaine thing concluded with him that such as continue to walke and wallow in evill without repentance their end is confusion their reward and wages is to perish See the truth of this in the Prophet remembred in a parable answearable to that which followeth of the Vineyard he had pruned trimmed and hedged about it he had digged and dunged done all that he could Esay 5.4 he looked for grapes but it brought forth wild grapes the conclusion is this I will take away the hedge and it shall be troden downe I will command the clouds and they shall raine upon it I will lay it waste and there shall come up briers and thrones This will farther appeare by sundry examples and by the wofull experience of many desolations made in all ages of the Church through default of repentance When the Lord had heaped his mercies upon the old world Gen. 6.3 and given them 120. yeares the dayes of his patience as the time of their repentance he sent the Patriarkes that called upon them and appointed Noah a Preacher of righteousnesse 2 Pet. 2.5 who confirmed his doctrine by building the Arke which was a figure of the destruction of the world of the ungodly yet they continued their evil wayes Luc. 17.27 eating and drinking c they never though of the day of the Lord they never considered the day of their visitation the flood come and destroyed them all a small remnant reserued and a few soules saved The like we might say of the Sodomites Gen. 13.13 19.25 Gen. 19. They were exceeding sinners before the Lord and were overturned with fire from heaven because they repented not And was it any otherwise with the Israelites themselues 2 Chro. 36. he sent to them by his messengers rising up betimes because he had compassion on his people and desireth not the death of a sinner 2 Chro. 36.16 Math. 23.37.38 but that they should turne vnto him but after all this they mocked his messengers and despised his word and misused his Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord in the end arose against his people till there was no remedy So then howsoever God sometimes spareth the sonnes of men yet such as continue in sinne and wholly delight in the workes of the flesh the end of them is fearefull they repent not and therefore they must perish Reason 1. Reason 1 He hath pure eyes and cannot like or allow that which is evill For can two walke together Amos. 3.3 except they be agreed but the Lord hath no agreement with evill neither have the evill any agreement with him He is holy in all his wayes but impenitency is contrary to his wayes and hath all sinnes following after it and attending upon it and consequently also all plagues Ier. 5. Secondly he taketh away his mercy and louing kindnesse from such What is it then that turneth away his heavy wrath and displeasure from us Is it any worthinessein our selues we are alas an uncleane thing Doth any deserve life or can he plead with his maker we are all corrupt and abominable The world the Church the Common-wealth our selues our owne Consciences know it and witnesse against us Lam. 3.22 It is his mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not His mercy is not reserved for the impenitent that proceed and goe forward in their sinnes this were to confound heaven earth nay heaven and hell God and the devill Therefore the Prophet Ieremy declareth that God had taken away his mercies from them Ier. 5. If then he will not shew mercy to such as walke in the stubbornnesse of their euill hearts conclude with me this point for a certaine truth that howsoever God forbeare the children yet wearying him by vrging and provoking him by our sinnes destruction is reserued for such impenitent persons Seeing such as have hearts that cannot repent Vse 1 doe heape up wrath as a treasure against the day of wrath and iust declaration of the righteous judgement of God Rom. 2.5 let us put farre from us the wayes of the impenitent let them not clea◠〈◊〉 as pitch unto our soules lest if we follow their workes we be partakers of their Plagues Let us be grieved for our former evils and returne to the Lord that be which hath sâ—ricken us may heale us againe But alas while we goe forward in our wicked wayes doe we hold this point that the impenitent are reserved to wrath So many of us as hold and beleeve this truth let us depart from our old courses and labour to heape up mercy upon mercy Iob. 21.30 being assured that the wicked is reserved to the day of wrath and destruction O how many things have we neede to repent of the dayes of our ignorance the sinnes of our youth our presumptuous sinnes If the Lord call us to an account who shall be able to abide Secondly let no man mocke at his judgements or set light by them let no man thinke himselfe safe and secure and no danger to be neere him because he seeth not his judgements at hand or upon him or evermore to fall out O how deepe are his judgements how neere oftentimes when we suppose them to be farthest off how unsearchable are his Counsels and his wayes past finding out Esâ—y 28.15 2 Pâ—t 3 3. Carnal men promise peace and have made a covenant with death and with hell and make a mocke of all judgements They see the wicked prosper and the ungodly florish but they cannot mealure him that is not to be measured there is no measure of that which is infinite God hath more workes to worke then one he will not speake peace for ever Esai 28.24 The husbandman doth not plough al the yeare long neither reap or gather into his barne all the yeare and God hath given to man this wisedome and understanding to observe the times and seasons and shall we not thinke that the Lord also hath his times of his judgements and of
his mercies Hee hath preached unto us by his mercies a long time and the dayes of his patience have long continued among us How neere hath Gods hand bin unto many of us in the great plague When it hath beene in the same house one hath bin taken away and another hath bin spared Nay in the same bed one hath bin smitten another hath had his life granted him for a pray Consider this yee that have forgotten this mercy of God and labour to appease his wrath before his judgement falleth upon us He commeth with a leaden foote but he striketh with a rod of iron and dasheth his enemies in pieces as a potters vessel The Lord complaineth in the Prophet Ier. 8.7 that the storke in the Heaven knoweth her appointed times and the turtle and the crane and the Swallow obserue the time of their comming but my people know not the judgement of the Lord they have rejected the word of the Lord c. Every man even by the light of nature obserueth his times for his several workeâ— Skilfull Physitians have their times of the yeare and of the Moone for their purges and potions The Mariner stayeth not when the tide is come the Husbandman soweth while it is winter the Smith striketh while the iron is hote the Merchant buyeth while the market lasteth thus doe these take their time while the time tarrieth onely men in the matters of God and their owne Saluation know not or will not know the time of their returning Eph. 5.14 They will not awake from their deepe sleepe in sinne they will not stand up from the dead that Christ may give them light and life They will not heare his voyce while it is called to day but suffer themselves to be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne The Lord speaketh in the time present behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation but we will take a further day with God as desperate debters doe with men they can abide no present reckonings Thus doth Satan beguile carelesse sinners he promiseth them time enough hereafter like to biting Vsurers as one saith who are wont to give day to young heires from yeare to yeare untill at last they wind and wring their inheritance from them So the Prince of darknesse August Confâ—s lib. 8. cap. 5 the God of this world suggesteth to the children of disobedience that they may let repentance alone a little and it will be soone enough to come anone to repent heereafter Remember that Esau losing the opportunity of the blessing sought it afterward with teares Heb. 12.17 and yet found no place for repentance Remember that the rich man cryed for mercy but it was too late Lne 16.24 Remember the foolish Virgins that cryed Lord Lord open unto us Math. 25.11.12 7.22.23 but the doore of mercy was shut and they received their answer verily I say vnto you I know you not Remember that many shall say in that day Lord have we not Prophecied in thy name and in thy name have cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderfull workes but it shall be said to them Depart from me yee that worke iniquity Let us therefore beginne betimes to turne to God while the day of grace endureth let us cease to doe evill learne to doe well eschew evill and doe good Lastly let no man flatter himselfe with the enioying of earthly blessings health wealth peace plenty and prosperity nor with the bare continuance of the Gospel among us as though it must therefore goe well with us and that we must needes be highly in Gods fauour This was the folly of Micah Iudg. 17.13 Now I know that the Lord will doe me good seing I have a Levite to my priest This was the vaine flattery of the Iewes who because they had Abraham to their father together with the law and the Oracles the Arke and the Covenant thought themselves in a good case and that they must needes be Gods people they cryed the Temple of the Lord this is the Temple of the Lord. But Iohn the Baptist putteth them from this foolish confidence in the flesh Math. 3. Math. 3.9 thinke not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our father for I say vnto you that God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham And the Prophet Ieremy chap. 7. Ier. 7.8.9 Behold ye trust in lying words that shall not profit will ye steale murther and commit adultery c. and then come and stand in this house before me which is called by my name and say we are delivered to doe all these abominations behold I see it sayth the Lord. O let it not be so with us to prophane the house house of God to continue in our sinnes farre be it from us to bring them to the place of Gods worship for this will cause him to curse all our meetings and assemblies that they shall be for the worse not for the better to encrease our plagues not decrease them and to double his judgements not diminish them Let us therefore leave them behind us and cast them from us never to returne to them againe 2 Pet. 2.22 lest we be like the Dog that returneth to his vomit and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Otherwise let us not boast of the Gospel and flatter our selves because we have the Gospel as the Iewes did glory in the Temple but seeke to bring forth the fruit of the Gospel For our sinnes are the causes of all plagues and judgements neither can we looke that he should stay his hand or say to the destroying Angel 2 Sam. 24.16 It is enough stay now thy hand as he did in the dayes of David And doubtlesse then we have begun to profit vnder the correcting hand of God when we seeke the cause of his judgments within us and acknowledge out sinnes to be the cause of all For what is the true cause of this plague and pestilence Our sinnes And what is the cause of the continuance of his heavy judgement Rom. 1.18 doubtlesse the continuance in our sinnes We must confesse that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all vngodlinesse and vnrighteousnesse of men When Israel had received an overthorw and turned and their backes to their enimes Iosh 7.10.11 When we are chastened we must looke to our sinnes 1 Cor. 11.30 Esay 64.5.7 Lam. 3.39.40 Levit. 26. the Lord said unto Ioshua Get thee up wherefore lyest thou thus upon thy face Israel hath sinned and they have also trespassed my Covenant which I coÌ„manded them for they have even taken of the accursed thing and have also stollen and dissembled also Nay as we encrease our sinnes in number and measure he will not onely continue his judgements but encrease them also and if we will not for all this hearken vnto him but walke contrary unto him he will walke
soone be changed the difference wil soon be espied They are now as a Lyon within a grate or a Wolfe kept in a chaine Let the Lyon loose set the Wolfe at liberty ye shall soone see him as fierce and cruell as ever he was Remember what they were when they bare sway such as they were then such they are now in heart affection such as the fathers were such are their children a cruell a barbarous a bloody generation ever delighted with shedding blood Blessed be God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath not given us as a pray unto their teeth and let them fulfill the measure of their sinnes that upon them may come all the righteous blood which they have shed upon the face of the earth Above all the Galileans c. or those eighteene c. The examples of others and the miserable event upon them are propounded to teach the Disciples and all others to turne o God these men judging these punishments to be the wages of unrighteousnesse Doct. Examplesf Gods judgments upon some are profitable to others This teacheth that the example of Gods judgements which he useth and executeth upon nations kingdomes cities families houses and particular persons are profitable meanes to stay from that euil which God hath chastised in others In the glasse of others wee may looke upon our owne faces We see this Deut. 24. Remember Miriam Deut. 24.9 what the Lord thy God did upon her by the way 2 Sam. 11.20 21. after ye were come forth out of Egypt the Like is noted 2 Sam. 11. Wherefore approched ye so nigh the City when ye did fight knew ye not that they would shoote from the wall who smote Abimelech the sonnes of Ierubesheth 2 King 9.31 did not a woman cast a piece of a Mil-stone upon him from the wall that he died c. Math. 24.37 The words of Iezabel are grounded upon this foundation Luc. 17.27.32 Had Zimri peace that slew his master Christ our Saviour chargeth all to beware of excesse propounding the examples of Noah and Lot to tye up their hearts to looke after the appearance of Christ in glory and to draw them from the love of the world and afterward he addeth to the same end Remember Lots wife So that we see Dan. 5.20.22 the examples of Gods judgment in former times are profitable to them that come after to hold them in the wayes of righteousnesse and to keepe them from the pathes of death This is proved plainely from the unchangable nature of God Reason 1 he is one and the same now as he was in former times his words are not yea and nay but yea and amen he is not variable and unconstant Mat. 3.6 Iam. 1.17 like a reed shaken with the winde hither and thither but remaineth ever the same Psal 102.27 With him is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning he is the Lord he changeth not and his hatred against sinne is no way diminished 1 Cor. 10.11 6. Secondly from the end of Gods chasticements which is to respect others as well as those that are chasticed for they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come Rom. 15.4 and these things are our examples to the intent we should not lust after evill things as they also lusted Now let us apply these things Behold here the great kindnesse of God who teacheth and instructeth us many wayes Vse 1 not onely by his word by his mercies by his present judgments by his promises by his threatnings but even by examples of things recorded that have fallen out all of them were written for our good The moe wayes we have the moe meanes God hath used the more inexcusable we are We are giuen to looke upon examples and to behold what is done by others and to follow them even in evill but as we see the examples so let us beleeve the punishments that befell them also Woe unto them and wretched is their estate that are not moved by examples of Gods judgements What will move and peirce our stony hearts if these things will not move us to turne unto him neither the hammer of his word nor the iron rod of his judgements Nay while we lye under a grievous visitation are we any whit softned or do our hearts relent What teares have we shed or what hath our behaviour beene or what sinnes have we forsaken O what can be said of us but that we are brasse and iron a stubborne and stiffe necked generation a people that are secure and senselesse and have our consciences as it were seared with an hote iron God hath executed sundry judgments upon us he hath given us cleannesse of teeth and want of bread in all our places Amos. 4.6.9 yet we have not returned unto him he hath smitten our great Gardens and the fruits of the earth with blasting and mildew yet we have not returned unto him he hath sent among us the pestilence after the maner of Egypt and now threatneth us with the sword of the enemie yet we have not returned unto him what marveill then when we profit by none of them and nothing will doe us good if he make us fearefull examples to others This we read Deut. 29. When God hath brought all the curses of the law upon the land the generation to come of their children that shall rise up after them when they see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it made like the overthrow of Sodome and Gomorah shall say Deut. 29.24.25 Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land what meaneth the heat of this great anger then men shall say because they have forsake the Covenant of the Lord God of their fathers c. The Lord God setteth former examples before our eyes to teach us and he will teach our posterity by the examples of his judgments before our eyes to teach us and he will teach our posterity by the examples of his judgements fallen upon us When the generation to come shall read and heare of his great judgments upon us that he hath smitten downe many thousands of us in his great wrath and heavy displeasure so that the former plagues will be forgotten in comparison of this if yet we will not returne and repent he will double and trebble his strokes and encrease his plagues yet seven times more and cause this to be forgotten in comparison of those to come and when any shall aske wherefore hath the Lord done this unto his people shall not men say as the truth is because they were warned and they would not be warned Is it not for the raigning sinnes in it that cry to heaven He hath spoken unto us and besought us by innumerable his mercies but they will not enter now he is constrained to send his destroying Angel and to scourge us with furious mortality and yet our dul
patience of God is offered to the children of men that thereby they may be brought to amendment of life Gods patirequireth fruit The end of his patience must lead us to repentance VVhile Noah a preacher of righteousnesse was building an Arke God spared the world an hundred and twenty yeares Gen. 6.3 VVhen Ionah preached to Niniveh sorty dayes were granted to turne every one from his evill wayes Ion. 3.8 and from the violence that was in his hands The purpose therefore of God was to draw them to repentance which when each one of the City practised he turned from his wrath and spared them Neh. 9.30 Dan. 9.6 Esay 5.4 VVe may see this at large Neh. 9.30 Dan. 9.6 So the Prophet Esay chap. 5. What could I have done more for my vineyard then that I have done in it So then Gods forbearance and longsuffâ—rance hath this drift and purpose to try whether we will turne to him and repent or not And no marveil First Reason 1 that men may be conuinced of the righteous judgements of God and say and confesse that nothing on Gods part hath beene omitted which he hath not done and that on our part they have beene justly deserved Hence it is that in the Prophet he maketh the Church it sâ—lfe judge between him and his vineyard Esay 5.3 Esay 5. Iudge I pray you betweene me and my vineyard Secondly God respecteth the clearing and justifying of himselfe in all his actions that he is not as it is in the parable an hard man that reapeth where he hath not sowen and gathereth where he hath not strowed Psal 51.4 for he desireth to receive the fruit of his owne labour as Psal 51. That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and cleare when thou judgest He cannot be charged to be severe or unjust or to have dealt too streightly who cryeth out againe and againe Ezek. 18.31.32 Turne ye turne ye why will ye dye and not live O house of Israel therefore let God be true and every man a lyar Rom. 3. So then he taketh this course for these two endes the one to convince us of his righteous judgments the other to give glory to his owne name that he hath not beene of unequall wayes but hath ever tendred our good and benefit Seing patience looketh for amendment of life Vse 1 and that this is the end thereof on Gods part these are certaine conclusions that he desireth not the death of a sinner he is not pleased with their destruction but in the conversion of a sinner we gâ—ieve the spirit of God by our sinnes it is noted of the Angels Luc. 1.5.7.10 that joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth how much more may we say of God as he is described in the faâ—her of the prodigall son when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion on him he ranne and fell on his necke and kissed him even when he had done nothing the Lord only knew his purpose and willingnesse to humble himselfe and to say father I have sinnâ—d against heaven and before thee c. he tarried not untill he came unto him and fell downe before him but prevented him and met him in the way If he were delighted in the destruction of us and to make desolations in the earth and to trample us under his feet how could we escape seeing every soule calleth for justice and judgement and he is provoked every day As the day is renewed so are our sinnes renewed as Ezek. 18. and 33. have I any pleasure at all Ezek. 18.23 33.11 that the wicked should dye sayth the Lord God and not that he should returne from his wayes and live turne ye from your evill wayes for why will ye dye O house of Israel Let us waigh and consider the wonderfull kindnesse of the Lord and the difference that is betweene him and us Alas we upon every occasion and every moment how ready are we to worke revenge to take vengeance to the full Alas how soone are we provoked and our anger once kinded is not quickly turned away This is our comfort it is not so with God If he were not of another nature and affection then we are who should be able to beare it and abide it He spake the word in the beginning and we were he can speake the word againe and our breath is soone stopped and our dayes are ended Secondly observe that the Lord is not slacke of his comming as some men count slacknesse Many repine at Gods goodnesse toward others but never I warrant you toward themselves Their eye is evill because his is good They envy others the grace of God They are willing nothing should passe by themselves We see this in Ionah toward the Ninivites when he saw that God repented of the evill that he had threatned Ion. 4.3.9 he was angry even unto death and besought the Lord to take his life from him Thus did the labourers repine and murmure who boasted that they had borne the burden and heate of the day all those that were hired about the eleventh houre Math. 20.11.12 and wrought but one houre that they should be made equall unto them Thus the brother of the prodigall son was angry when his father had received him into his favour againe Luc. 15. Luc. 15.27.28 2 Pet. 3.9 This use the Apostle Peter concludeth God is not slacke of his promise as some men count slacknesse but is patient and long-suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Lastly seing this is the end of his patience take heed we doe not despise contemne and abuse it which provoketh the greater judgment and condemnation Shall a father see his lenity and gentlenesâ—e abused and not rise up with greater indignation This use the Apostle maketh of the doctrine Rom. 2. Rom. 2.4.5 Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance but thou after thy hardnesse c. O that we would diligently enter into the meditation of this use and lay it up in our hearts He hath spoken unto us earely and late but we have provoked him to wrath early and late and have heaped up one evill upon another yet hath the Lord spared us a long time yea and yet spareth us He might justly have begun with us have made us examples to them and who could have said unto him why doest thou thus but we hitherto remaine untouched and he maketh others examples to us and yet where is our repentance have we not cause to feare that his hand will make an end with us Then said he to the dresser of his vineyard Behold these three yeares I come c. Hitherto of the generall scope of the parable Bezae Annotat in hunc locum now we come to the
particular parts thereof in order as they lye And first there is propounded in the parable the greatnesse of Gods patience waiting long for fruit the first the second and the third yeere Some read the words by warrant of an ancient coppy after this manner Behold there are three yeeres since the time I come c. and thus also the vulgar Edition readeth the place Whereby it may appeare that this communication was had in the beginning of the fourth yeare after the baptisme of Christ And albeit he speake in the time present I come Doct. yet he meaneth he came in the time past or I am wont and accustomed to come God is very patient as Math. 26.23 From hence we learne that the favour of God to his Church his patience is great infinite he is not easily moved nor quickly provoked He is of much patience even toward them that obey not much more toward his deare children he is of a forbearing nature and will not poure out all his wrath neither execute his justice upon offenders so soone as they deserve it He expecteth many dayes moneths and yeares for the conuersion of sinners Esay 65.2.3 48.9 he spreadeth out his hand all the day long unto a rebellious people which walketh in a way that is not good c. Ier. 35.15 Math. 22. a people that procureth me to anger continually to my face and chap. 4.8 for my names sake will I deferre mine anger and for my praise will I refraine for thee that I cut thee not off His patience is so great that it exceedâ—th the height of heaven Psal 103.11.13 and goeth beyond the love of women We see it in the old world nay we need not seeke farâ—e to prove it nor goe out of our selves we have all good experience thereof The reasons are plaine Reasons 1 Sometimes to the inten this enemies should not thereby take occasion to blaspheme his name which is holy throughout all generations as Deut. 32. I said I would scatter them into corners Deut. 32.26.27 I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemie lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely and should say Our hand is high and the Lord hath not done all this Hence it is also that Moses groundeth his prayer upon such a point as this Exod. 32. Exod. 32.11 Why doth thy wrath waxe hote against thy people which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand Numb 14.13.14 wherefore should the Egyptians speake and say for mischiefe did he bring them out to slay them from the mountaines and to consume them from the face of the earth and againe in an another place Then the Egyptians shal heare it and they will tel it to the inhabitants of this land c. Secondly are not we the workmanship of God he knoweth our weaknesse that we are nothing but dust and ashes neither able to answer him one of a thousand he considereth whereof we are made he remembereth that we are but flesh Psal 103.14 yea as a wind that suddenly passeth away as Psal 103. So the Prophet Esay speaketh chap. 57. I will not contend for ever Esay 57.16 neither will I be alwayes wroth for the spirit would faile before me and the soules which I have made Thus God rejoyceth not to be alwayes smiting in regard of our enemies lest they should insult over the Church and in regard of our owne frame and frailty lest we should be consumed and come to nothing First Vse 1 therefore take notice how the Lord exerciseth his patience toward his servants which he doth divers wayes first he powreth not out all his wrath he proceedeth by steppes and degrees Hab. 3.2 and when his people pray unto him in judgement he remembreth mercy Or else wee should immediatly be consumed Heb. 12.29 for why our God is a consuming fire Math. 17.5 Secondly he sent a Saviour and redeemer as a remedy of our sinnes in whom he is well pleased and he hath appeased the wrath of his father 1 Ioh. 2.1 1.7 Ioh. 3.16 for we have an advocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous his blood clenseth us from all sinne Is it then any marvell if God be patient toward his people and do not keepe his anger for ever Esay 65.1 Thirdly he sendeth to his enemies an Ambassage of peace before they seeke to him and is found of them that never asked for him he setteth up his ordinances among them Psal 147.19.20 as meanes to reclaime them for he sheweth his word unto Iacob his statutes and judgements unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgments they have not knowne them Hence it is that he hath committed the word of reconciliation to his Ministers who as the ambassadours of Christ beseech us to be reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Fourthly he is infinitly patient in that he putteth off the day of judgment to so long a day 2 Pet. 3.9 as 2 Peter 3. the Lord is not slacke of his comming but is long-suffering to us ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Secondly is his kindnesse great then blessed are they that belong to him who have the God of Iacob for their refuge because his mercy is endlesse and his compassion infinite Such shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty happy are they that put their trust in him as Iam. Iam. 5.11 5. Behold we count them happy that endure we have seene the end of the Lord for he is very pitifull and mercifull Lastly it putteth us in minde of sundry good duties both toward God and toward one another First to seeke the Lord with a steadfast faith because we deale not with one that stoppeth his eares against us but heareth the cryes of his servants helpeth them This the Prophet presseth Amos. 5. Seeke the Lord and ye shall live Amos. 5.6.14.15 seeke good and not evill c it may be that the Lord God of hostes will be gratious unto the remnant of Ioseph The ungodly haue no promise of his patience who hate the good and love the evill Secondly it behoveth us to repent us of our sinnes withall our hearts and that betimes For albeit he be patient yet he is also just and therefore we may not dreame of such a patience as shall destroy his justice Mockers at Gods judgments This reproveth such as make a mocke of his threatnings and feare them no longer then they are upon them The Lord threatned the Egyptians to raine downe a very grievous haile upon man and beast Exod. 9. and willed them not to abide abroad in the field but what followed Gen. 19.15 he that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh
made his servants and cattell fly into he houses Exod. 9.20.21 but he that regarded not the word of the Lord left them in the field and there they all both man and beast perished Is it any better with the most sort no doubtlesse for why hath God executed his judgements and doth daily cast them abroad as the firebrands of his wrath is it not because we regard neither his promises nor his threatnings doubtlesse if we had taken his word he had never drawne his sword and had we beleeved his threatnings we had not felt his punishments if we had hearkened to his mouth to heare his voyce he had not stretched out his hand to smite with his rod. So it was with the Iewes when the Prophet denounced the 70. Ier. 25.12 29.10 yeares captivity they would not beleeve it till the Babylonians came indeed and carried them away It is a great mercy of God to open our eares and to give us beleeving hearts before his plagues fall upon us whereas others runne on and are pâ—nished Thirdly seing our God is thus patient and gentle even towards us that provoke him every day what ought we to be one toward an other As he is not soone provoked so we should be kind toward those that provoke us and disturbe our peace and patience forgiving one another as God hath forgiven us and as he is called the God of patience sowe should approove our selves to be the children of patience It is our duty therefore to learne meeknesse and mercy toward our brethren As we are exhorted to be perfect Math. 5.48 because our heavenly father is perfect and to be mercifull because he is mercifull so we should be patient because he is the God of patience This is the exhortation of the Apostle Luc. 6.36 put on the bowels of mercies kindnesse humblenesse of minde meekenesse long-suffering Rom. 15.5 forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any Col. 3.12.13 even as Christ forgave you so also doe ye Eph. 4.31.32 But on the other side if we be given to hatred and revenge and doe not put away all bitternesse wrath and anger and evill speaking let us take heed we doe not make a law against our selves and so finde the same measure at the hands of God which we shew toward our brother Cut it downe c. Hitherto of the patience of God now followeth his Commandement directed to the dresser of the Vineyard to cut it downe When once the dayes of his patience are expired at the last he executeth judgement Dcto and chargeth him to cut downe the Fig-tree And wherefore Patience abnsed causeth destruction he had waited for fruit three yeares and yet findeth none now the time approched that it must be hewen downe For where the acceptable time of grace is neglected there judgement is most worthily called for This reacheth that patience neglected bringeth forth destruction If we make not his patience to worke in us repentance he will cause his patience to worke out his judgements He doth desire our amendment that we should not deserve revengement As then Gods patience tendeth to this end to bring forth repentance so his patience and kindnesse abused and despised bringeth forth utter confusion Thus the Prophet speaketh Esay 5. Esay 5.5 I will tell you whâ—â— I will doe to my Vineyard that bringeth forth no fruit I will take away the hedge thereof it shall be eaten up troden downe and laid waste This doth Nathan preach to David in the name of God 2 Sam. 12. 2 Sam. 12.9.10 I have given to thee the house of Iudah and Israel c. if that had beene too little I would have given unto thee such and such things Wherefore then hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord to doe evill in his sight thou hast killed Vriah with the sword c. now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house c. We have examples hereof in the old world in Sodome and Gomorah in Pharaoh and the Egyptians yea in the Israelites themselves Rom. 2.5 of them all we may say with the Apostle Thou after thine hardnesse and heart that cannot repent heapest up wrath against the day of wrath c. behold here a sharpe and severe threatning of most heavy vengeance to come at the last upon such as abuse the great lenity and long-sufferance of God and are not bettered but hardned thereby and not made wiser but worser by them And wherefore shall this abuse cause destruction Reason 1 First because God will take vengeance and execute judgement upon every man according to his workes It is justice to give to every one that which is his owne and of right belonging unto him but destruction is as due to such as neglect his patience as wages is to the labourer Gen. 18.25 Thus doe such deserve to be proceeded against for shall not the judge of all the earth doe right This is the reason rendred by the Apostle where the doctrine hath his confirmation Rom. 2.6 He will render to every man according to his deedes Rom. 2. Secondly there is no respect of persons with him it skilleth not whether we be rich or poore Iew or Gentile bond or free all that neglect his patience ly with all under his punishment as it is concluded vers 11. of the same Chapter Thridly sinne is thereby encreased for the longer he waiteth by his patience the more heavily will he pursue us by his vengeance Luc. 12.48 as our Saviour teacheth To whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required and to whom men have committed much of him they will aske the more This reproveth the fond perswasion of such as imagine Vse 1 that albeit all other mens sinnes should be punished yet they alone may escape Gods judgements as if they had made a covenant with death and were at an agreement with hell We promise to our selves impunity even in those sinnes for which his wrath hath lighted upon other the children of disobedience Marveilous have beene the mercies of God toward us in this kingdome we have had peace within our walles and plenteousnesse within our dwellings he hath made us hitherto the head and our enemies the taile defeating their policies and turning their mischeivous plots devises upon their own heads and what could he have done that he hath left undone But what hath all this bountifulnesse of God wrought among us and what effect have his blessings taken in us but a blessing of our selves in our wickednesse and an adding of one sinne to another as it were drunkennesse unto thirst and running up and downe from one extreme to another Have we not nay doe we not for the most part heape up our sinnes without measure or conscience of turning to God If we would behold with a single eye the state of Church and common-wealth as now it
that worketh deceit shall not dwell in mine house hee that telleth lyes shall not tarry in my fight him that privily flandreth his neighbour will I cut off him that hath high lookes will I not suffer mine eyes shall be upon the faithfull of the land that they may dwell with me be that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me This is profitable to be considered of fathers and masters yea of all house-holders and governors whatsoever that are in any place of superiority and are set over others as a City upon an hill would we have our people obedient our children dutifull our servants trusty our families faithfull and in good order we must lead them the way and goe before them in all uprightnesse we must first of all be faithfull our selves and behave our selves wisely in a perfect way we must be obedient to him and his word and walke within our house in a perfect way For it is most certaine that none are greater enemies to their children and posterities pulling their houses downe even with their owne hands and bringing them to utter ruine and desolation then such superiours or overseers as are ungodly and disobedient unto God Let us seeke never so much to make our names great upon the earth and to leave our issue rich and wealthy in the world yet so long as we live in prophanenesse we pull an heavy curse not onely upon our owne heads but upon our posterities and make our names to stinke and rot as we see in Ieroboam that made Israel to sinne 1 King 14.10 21.21.25 the Lord threatned to bring evil upon his house and to take away the remnant thereof as a man taketh away dung till it be all gone The like we see in Ahab who sold himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord who more likely to make himselfe great upon the earth and to have left a plentifull issue behind him yet were all swept away suddenly as a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside downe Pro. 14.1 Wherefore that which Salomon teacheth touching the wise and foolish woman Every wise woman buildeth her house but the foolish plucketh it downe with her hands we may extend and apply to the faithfull man and the ungodly the one doth by godlinesse lay a sure foundation in time to come as Psal 112. Psal 112.1.2.3 c. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord and delighteth greatly in his Commandements his seed shall be mighty upon earth the generation of the upright shall be blessed c. the other sort by their infidelity impiety and iniquity pull their houses quite downe that they are never raised up againe whose children may curse such perverse and prophane parents Vers 8. And he answering said unto him Lord let it alone this yeare also Hitherto of the first part of the communication concerning the Owner of the Vineyard now followeth the second touching the dresser thereof wherein consider first of all his prayer directed to the Owner Lord Gualt in Lucā hom 237. let it alone this yeare Here we see the dresser of this Vineyard intreateth the Lord of it for the fig-tree and maketh intercession to have it spared Heb. 13.20 I will not precisely or peremptorily decide and determine what part of the Church Hab. 2.1 whether Christ the head and great sheepheard of the sheepe Esay 62.6.7 or the Ministers that stand in their watch-tower or other the faithfull as the Lords remembrancers which give him no rest this Dresser of the Vineyard in the parable representeth onely I will observe that the prayer of him continueth yet one yeare longer the standing and abode of it in the Vineyard Doct. This teacheth that it is the duty of Gods children to make request for others Gods children must pray for others God heareth them and their requests are powerfull and available not onely for the faithfull but oftentimes for others to remove judgments and God heareth them when they pray We see this touching Abimelech who had taken away Abrahams wife Gen. 20.7 17.20 God sendeth him unto him and said He shall pray for thee and thou shalt live and God saith to Abraham concerning Ishmael I have heard thee And our Saviour Christ and his faithfull witnesse Stephen doe commend their strongest enemies and persecuters into the hands of God Luc. 23.34 Act. 7.60 Father forgive them for they know not what they doe lay not this sinne to their charge To these infinite other testimonies might be ioyned The reasons are Reason 1 first because it is an expresse commandement to pray one for another he transgresseth the law and sinneth against God that faileth in it and performeth it not It is a commandement of God to honour parents and this is the first commandement with promise of a particular blessing but it is a commandement in the first Table to honour God by praying unto him which we are no lesse but rather more commanded to practise then we are forbidden to kill or to steale If then we make conscience of these 1 Sam. 12.19.23 we ought in like manner to make conscience of the other This appeareth in the words of Samuel when the people desired him pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we die not he said as for me God forbid that I should sinne against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you Secondly such have a promise annexed vnto their prayer that we should not say with the wicked what profit should we have if we pray unto him Iob 21.15 nor with those shamelesse blasphemers It is in vaine to serve God Mal. 3.14 Our Saviour because we are weake in faith assureth that Whosoever asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth Math. 7.8 and to him that knocketh it shall be opened And the Apostle Iames accordeth hereunto Iam. 5.16 The Prayer of a righteous man availeth much if it be fervent Would we have a surer ground and foundation to build upon then the faithfull word and promise of God that cannot lye or deceive Seing it is the duty of the Church to pray one for another and that is profitable and available hence ariseth comfort and cheerefulnesse in all heavy and sorrowfull times such as the present times are when afflictions lye sore upon sundry our bretheren and sisters in other places and presse them downe to the ground nay to the grave remember the rest of the Church of God pray for us I say Gods people our fellow-members commend us and and our causes day and night with fasting and praying weeping whom he hath promised to heare they thinke upon us in their best meditations and are earnest remembrancers for us to him as if it were their owne case and have a fellow-feeling of all our miseries Heb. 13.3 as if themselves were afflicted This in the middes of all our heavinesse and greatest weaknesse is not our least comfort that we have many
strong servants of God strong in faith that send up many strong cries to the throne of grace nay the strong God that hath commanded this duty to pray one for another hath also promised to heare them This no doubt was a comfort even to Peter himselfe put in prison that he knew Act. 12.5 Heb. 12.5.12.13 Prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him and for his deliverance Let us not therefore faint under the Crosse when we are rebuked of him neither despise the chastening of the Lord who aymeth at our profit that we might be partakers of his holinesse but rather lift up the hands which hang downe and the feeble knees and not cast away our confidence which hath great recompence of reward And let this be our comfort in these rerillous times that God heareth us for our brethren and our brethren for us and our elder-brother Christ Iesus our mediatour for us all who for his mercies sake for his truthes sake for his promise sake for his sonnes sake will in his good time send an happy deliverance that albeit for a season we be kept in affliction 2 Cor. 1.5.12 yet as our sufferings have abounded in us so our consolation should abound through our restoring when we had in a manner the sentence of death in us that thankes also may be given by many on our behalfe Secondly seeing Gods children for our comfort and consolation make request and intercession for us and are heard O how much more ought we to remember the sweet mediation of Christ Iesus our Lord and Saviour and comfort our selves and one another therewithall True it is we may and ought not a little to comfort our selves with the prayers and intercessions of other weake men our fellow servants like to our selves and subject to the same passions we are especially seing we know our whole Church at the same time assemble together to pray for us and to turne away his wrath from us and to call backe his destroying Angel that he may at length say It is enough 2 Sam. 24.16 stay now thy hand and so repent him of the evill upon our repentance and humiliation if I say we have much matter of comfort offered unto us by the publike prayers of the Church often as it were with one mind and with one mouth made and renewed on our behalfe how much more doth peace and consolation arise unto us by the mediation and intercession of Christ our Saviour the head of the Church the beloved sonne of God Heb. 1.2.3 Math. 17.5 the sonne of his love the heire of all things the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse image of his person in whom the father is well pleased Herein consisteth our cheefe comfort that we rest and repose our selves in him as our Advocate and rely upon the merit of his passion Ioh. 11.42 whom the father alwaies heareth Indeed he commandeth that supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thankes be made for all men 1 Tim. 2.1 and that we pray one for another that we may be healed Iam. 5.16 But if God at any time vouchsafe to heare any of his children it is for his sonnes sake not for any worthinesse or merits in them but for the Lords sake that is for Christs sake Dan. 9.1.7 for he is the Angel of the Covenant Revel 8.3 to whom was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the throne Therefore also the Apostle saith Heb. 5.16 In the dayes of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares was heard in that he feared because he prayed to him that was able to save him from death Lastly it is our duty to performe this duty our selves toward others and to require this duty to be performed for us by others Thus did Daniel a man greatly beloved of God who had many deepe mysteries by vision declared unto him he spake to his Companions Dan. 2.18 that they should desire the mercies of the God of heaven to reveale his secret to him that they might not perish So the Apostle prayed the Church of the Thessalonians 2 Thess 3.1 to pray for him and the rest of his fâ—llow-labourers that the word of the Lord much hindred by the opposition of potent adversaries might have a free passage As then he prayed before for the Thessalonians so here he prayeth the Thessalonians to pray for him that he might be comforted together with them by the mutuall prayers both of them and of him The use of mutual praier To this duty we should be stirred up in regard of the mutuall profit that proceedeth from the practise and performance thereof For first it serveth as the ordinary meanes ordained and sanctified of God to prevent judgments threatned and to remove judgments already inflicted Remember the devout and zealous prayer of Salomon 2 King 8.33.35.37.44 when the people of Israel be smitten downe before their enemies because they have sinned against thee when heaven is shut up and there is no raine c. if there be in the land famine if there be pestilence blasting mildew locust or caterpiller c. whatsoever plague whatsoever sicknesse there be heare thou in heaven thy dwelling place and forgive the sinne of thy servants c. Secondly it is a cordiall to preserve and strengthen us in all spirituall graces as we see that by Christs prayer Peters faith was kept from failing Luc. 22.32 Luc. 22. and thus he prayed not onely for the rest of the Apostles but for all them that should beleeve on him through their word Ioh. Iob. 17.20.24 17. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me c. Prayer therefore is a notable preseruative to keepe the precious treasures and iewels of grace in the Closets of our hearts and serveth to strengthen and encrease good things in us For as it obtaineth blessings at Gods hands so it procureth the encrease of them and it is no lesse vertue to keepe and continue to enlarge and encrease what we have obtained then at the first to obtaine it Thirdly to bring remission of sinnes to subdue in us the power of sinne Iam. 5.15 Psal 19.13 Iam. 5.15 The prayer of faith shall save the sicke and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sinnes they shall be forgiven him For the cause of sicknesse and all diseases is sinne and therefore our Saviour healing the man sicke of the Palsie said unto him Math. 9.2 Sonne be of good cheere thy sinnes be forgiven thee dealing like a good Physitian who removeth the cause that he may remove the effect So then faithfull prayer and a purpose or resolution to continue in sinne cannot poffibly stand together Lastly it
speake aright and repent him of his wickednesse saying what have I done This reproveth the boldnesse and rashnesse of such as dare take upon them to enter into the secrets of God Vse 1 without any warrant or commission from him 2 Sam. 6.19 as they that adventured to pry into the Arke were punished 1 Sam. 6. so such as presume to read what is written in the booke of life and presume to open the booke that is clasped and sealed with many seales may happily never finde their owne names registred therein For the farther reproofe of such as dare pronounce the sentence of damnation upon any and judge others reprobates and the directing of our selves herein let us observe these few rules for the cleering of the point and the keeping of us in the meane betweene two extremes Deut. 29.29 First it is a good rule which Moses giveth The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever that we may doe all the words of this law But the sentence of reprobation is one of the secrets of God or rather the secret of secrets the most hidden secret of all the rest Secondly it is noted of charity it thinketh no evill 1 Cro. 13.5.7 it beleeveth all things it hopeth all things it endureth all things Such then as despaire of the conversion of others doe plainely declare they are destitute of love which covereth a multitude of sinnes Thirdly we must notwithstanding learne the great folly of many men in the world that build awry or amisse upon a good foundation For seing we must not be as men without hope of Salvation of others much lesse of our selves we see how diverse are deceived that give an easie passage entrance to commit sinne till they be so caught and intangled yea so enwrapped and fettered with it as a fowle in a snare or as a prisoner in chaines that they cannot easily breake it off againe neither ridde themselves of it as the wise Salomon speaketh of the strange woman Pro. 2. Pro. 2.19 None that goe unto her returne againe neither take they hold of the pathes of life True it is this is an excessive and hyperbolicall speech often used in Scripture as Esay 59 4. 64.7 Ier. 8.6 and sundry examples teach the same 2 Sam. 12.13 1 Cor. 6.11 Heb. 11.31.32 Iam. 2.25 But the meaning is few come to repentance to reforme themselves or take a better course of life that they might be saved And this is another folly of the sinner who being rebuked and threatned for sinne doe by and by answer Tush we can leave sinne when we list we will repent at leysure and helpe all But Salomon will teach these fooles that few or none compassed with the continuall practise of sinne amend their wayes Pro. 6.22.27 but goe as the Oxe to the slaughter or as a foole to the correction of the stockes because they have set themselves in the way to hell Ier. 13.23 going downe to the Chambers of death For custome is as strong as nature or rather much stronger It is as the Ethiopians skin and the Leopards spotts which cannot be changed It is hard for a man to forget his naturall language and his mother tongue but it is harder for the sinner to forsake his sinfull course For a man by nature or birth is indifferent to any language and inclined to no one more then to another because he hath it by hearing and imitation of others as appeareth in such as are borne deafe but we doe not only sucke in sinne with the mothers milke but as the Prophet confesseth Psal 51.5 We were shapen in iniquitie and in sinne did our mothers conceive us which is a great deale more then can be spoken of the language which we learne in our youth Besides it is a great pollicy of Satan to cover his purpose at the first as the fisher doth the hooke to deceive us the sooner he beginneth with lesser sinnes until he have wrapped us in the greater and our consciences be hardned and as it were seared with an hote iron Fourthly A tvvo fold favour of God to the sinner this sheweth the wonderfull love and favour of God which he vouchsafeth to any both when he preventeth sinne that we doe not fall into it and when he breaketh off the course of it when we are overtaken with it This is a twofold grace We are by nature prone to sin and ready to yeeld to every tentation as we see in Peter that denied his Master at the word of a seely damsell when therefore the Lord putteth his hand under us and stayeth us up that we doe not stumble and fall is not this a wonderfull grace to keepe us from sinning against him and wounding our owne soules As this is a great blessing so the other is yet greater to pull us out of the snare when we have one foot in hell as it is a greater worke to stay a man that is running downe a steepe hill then to perswade him not to runne at all The truth of both these we see in David a man after Gods owne heart for when he was purposed to shed blood 1 Sam. 25.22.33 and to destroy all that pertained to Nabal by the morning light he blessed God that had kept him from comming to shed blood and from avenging himselfe with his owne hand Loe here the preventing grace of God to stay him that was running and making haste to commit sinne Againe when he had given himselfe over to commit one sinne after another Luc. 11.22 as it were to adde drunkennesse unto thirst the strong man bagan to possesse the house but a stronger then he came and overcame him and tooke from him all his armour wherein he trusted and so recovered him out of the snare of the Devil which he laid to entrap him He had as much as lay in him cast himselfe into the mouth of the roaring Lyon that gapeth after his prey it was therefore the speciall mercy of God to reclaime and recover him out of the snare of the devill who after a sort was taken captive by him at his will Lastly we must labour that sinne may not raigne in our mortall bodies For albeit we cannot be without sinne because we carry about the flesh yet we must take heed it exercise not a kingdome in us it hath an easie entrance an easie continuance but it is hard to get out and to ridde our selves from the tyranny thereof as we may see in Esau Gen. 26. in Saul 1 Sam. 14 15. and in Iudas who passed from one degree to another till at last they filled up the measure of their sinne It is an easie matter to pull up the bankes and throw downe the walles whereby as by fenses or bulwarkes the sea is kept out from overflowing the land and so to let in the water but it
Master it is joyned with open contempt of him no marveil therefore if disobedience to God be also a contempt against God as the Prophet saith If I be a Master where is my feare saith the Lord of hostes This teacheth that doubtlesse many stand guilty of a multitude of sinnes which they never thought of Vse 1 neither once dreamed upon Many men happly will grant there is some conscience to be made of committing evill who never thinke it a sinne to omit a good duty Such will confesse it a sin to worship a false god but never consider they are commanded to vnite their affections to the true God to trust in him to beleeve him to love him to feare him and to depend upon him that it is an heinous Crime to pray to a strange God or to Saints and Angels or to bow downe to an image who regard not to worship God in truth and sincerity and to call upon him in the day of trouble Many will refraine from working on the Sabbath day and prophaning it by riding about their businesse or running after their sports and pastimes they would be loth to doe these but in the meane season how doe they sanctifie and keepe it holy when they care not to heare the word or to performe publike and private duties of religion upon it We must all give account at the great day of the Lord as well what good we have done as what evill we have done That good governour of the people Nehemiah desired the Lord to remember him concerning the good deedes which he had done for the house of his God Neh. 13.14 It had beene small comfort to him if he had onely done them no hurt and gone no farther for so much might be said of an image or of the bruit beast but his comfort was he had endeavoured and employed himselfe to doe them good And how did Obadiah shew his religious heart in the dayes of persecution toward the Lords Prophets what did he rest in this that he had done them no hurt No 1 King 18.13 he did an hundred of them by fifty in a cave and fedde them with bread and water Or how did Rahab the harlot testifie her faith toward the spies that were sent to search the land did she content her selfe to offer them no injury and to bewray them or deliver them into the hands of their enemie No doubtlesse she was justified by her workes Iam. 225. Heb. 11.31 when she had received the messengers with peace and had sent them out another way But the religion of most men in our dayes is a negative religion they have little positive you may sooner obserue what they doe not Gal. 6.10 then understand what they doe We must obserue the rule of the Apostle As we have opportunity let us doe good unto all men especially unto them who are of the houshold of faith Secondly it reproveth such as content themselves with idle shewes and appearances of obedience and sincerity It will not serve our turne to be Christians onely in outward profession if we be fruitlesse and faulty in conversation It is not enough to make us sound Christians to come to Church to be at prayers to heare the word and receive the Sacraments when we yeeld no fruit of obedience as if it were sufficient that the fig-tree were planted in the Vineyard albeit it bare nothing but leaves Psal 1.3 but we must be as trees of righteousnesse planted by the rivers side which bring forth fruite in their season True it is the Church hath alwayes had such painted Sepulchers or gilded tombes outwardly as the Iewes that had the Temple of the Lord alwayes in their mouthes who yet remained wicked and prophane persons in their lives The sound Christian is not discerned by the leaves of outward appearance but by the precious fruits of the spirit not by his profession but by his practise and they are the true Israelites which are so within whose praise is of God and not of men The fig-tree had leaves good flore which were seene a farre off Mar. 11.13 and seemed to promise great store of fruit but when Christ drew neere and looked for fruit found none he said Never more fruit grow upon thee Let us take heed in time of such a wofull sentence For may not Christ Iesus trow you finde store of such fruitlesse fig-trees in this Vineyard of his nay when he commeth to looke upon his Vineyard will it not be a rare thing and an hard matter to see a fig-tree with any fruit upon it Nay are we not for the most part come to this passe that we have scarce any leave at all to be seene that a man may take a Candle and search for leaves and yet find none upon them This is the state and condition of sundry among us how neere are such to the curse and to be burned up which have neither fruit nor leaves neither substance nor shew neither body nor shadow neither truth nor appearance but openly and evidently make plaine Demonstration of wild and wicked fruit Deut. 32.32.33 their grapes are grapes of gall their clusters are bitter their wine is the poison of Dragons and the cruell venime of Aspes Such shall never be suffered to remaine within the Vineyard the axe is laid to the root of the tree to cut them downe Thirdly this checketh and controlleth the slanderous mouthes and pennes of the Romish Church opened wide and enlarged against our doctrine which they knew not or will not know who beare the world and their ignorant Disciples the multitude in hand that our religion destroyeth good works Math. 5.16 whereas we call upon the people to bring forth the fruits of the Gospel and to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our father which is heaven Nay we teach a necessity of good workes as well as they to be in all true beleevers that they which have beleeved in God might be carefull to maintaine good workes these things are good and profitable unto men Wherein then lyeth the difference between us they teach them to be the causes of our justification we that they be lively fruits and effects of faith they doe not goe before him that is to be justified but they follow him that is already justified they are not necessary in the act or office of justification but they are necessarily required to be in every justified person Lastly let us all be provoked to the diligent practise of good workes No man must thinke himselfe exempted or priviledged from good workes albeit he be never so poore or simple The most sort post over this duty from one to another and thinke when we call for good workes it is a doctrine that toucheth onely rich men and such as have the wealth of this world at will and none other as if there were no good workes of charity that did deserue the
haue filled up the measure of their sinne being disobedient and to every good worke reprobate Math. 23.32 it is now come to the top and his judgments lye even at the doore ready to fal heavy upon them then will God fill up the vials of his wrath and powre them downe upon their heads To apply these things to our selves it ought to move us to turne to the Lord betimes Vse 1 while there may be an healing and binding up of the wounds least the heart be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne which of all judgments is the most grievous If it be once said of us as it was of the Iewes That the Lord sent to us his servants rising up continually and carefully because 2 Chro. 36.15.16 he hath compassion on his people but we on the other side mocke his messengers ministers despise his words what remaineth but that the wrath of the Lord arise against us either by the plague pestilence as he hath upon our brethren or by the sword of the enemy which wil have no coÌ„passion upon the yong the maiden or him that stooped for age He hath other man or secret judgements which the world taketh no knowledge of neither judgeth them to be any judgements at all these as they are more secret so they are more sharpe as when he taketh away his word from us or if he continue it yet maketh it unprofitable through our abuse and contempt of it Secondly wofull is their estate which goe forward in their evill wayes are not these nigh destruction Doubtlesse there is but a step betweene death and them nay they have as it were one foot in hell already being readier to draw the other after a thousand times then to withdraw the other from thence Hence it is that the Prophet saith Ier. 30.12 Thus saith the Lord thy bruise is incurable and thy wound is grievous there is none to plead thy cause that thou maist be bound up thou bast no healing â—â—dicine there is no Balme in Gilead to heale them whom the Lord seeth thus without remedy and thus past recovery They are like a man desperately sicke whom all the Physitians have forsaken The husbandman taketh his weeding instruments and laboureth to grubbe up the thornes and thistles and weedes out of his ground that the good corne might the better prosper and flourish but when once he seeth there is no end of his worke nor fruit of his labour but the more he toyleth and moyleth the more they grow and encrease he is without hope to overcome them and so withdraweth himselfe and letteth all alone For why or to what end should he busie and bestirre himselfe in vaine Thus it is with the Lord he sendeth his messengers and chargeth them to warne his people in season to admonish and exhort them but when they stop their eares and pull away their shoulders and refuse to hearken what can we thinke but that the Lord is determined to lay waste his Vineyard that it shal not be pruned or digged or dunged any longer but there shall come upbries and thornes Esay 5.5 and to command the cloudes that they raine downe no more raine upon it yea to take away the hedge thereof that it may be eaten up and to breake downe the wall thereof that it may be troden downe as he threatned to the Vineyard of the house of Isâ—ael when he looked for judgement but behold oppression and for righteousnesse but behold a cry Thirdly let not the Ministers neverthelesse be discouraged though they see oftentimes they must be driven to plough the waste and barren wildernesse and then sow among thornes and thistles The sower goeth out to sow his seede and it falleth not all or alwayes in good ground but some by the high-way side some in stony ground and other falleth upon thornes without any fault either of the sower or of the seed We may not not be ouâ—own chusers to chuse our ground where we will sow neither lay our plot-forme where we will build much lesse can we make the earth fruitfull or the building healthfull The Prophet complaineth Esay 53.1 49.4 that no man beleeved his report and prophesying of the labours of Christ Iesus to plant the Gospel who was the best labourer in the field and the best shepheard of the sheepe he bringeth him in complayning that he had laboured in vaine and spent all his strength in vaine neverthelesse he was not discouraged but comforted himselfe in this that the reward of his worke was laid up in heaven Salomon giving directious for workes of charity Eccl. 11.1.6 chargeth them that have this worlds good to cast their bread upon the waters because they should find it after many dayes and afterward he addeth to the same purpose In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening withdraw not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be alike good much rather should it be thus with us we should cast the bread of life upon the waters even when we have small hope to find it againe as if a man should sow his seed in the sea and use all diligence and take all occasions to doe good leaving the issue of our labours to the cheife husband man And the rather we ought to doe it because we are unto God the sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved 2 Cor. 2.15 and in them that perish that is in all persons because all men whatsoever either are such as shall be saved or such as shall be condemned and the reward shall be according to the faithfulnesse of the Ministers teaching not according to the fruitfulnesse of the peoples hearing Lastly it behoveth us in time to take heed how we heare not onely what we heare touching the matter Mark 4.24 Mar. 4 24. Luk. 8.18 but also how we heare touching the manner Luk. 8.18 and regard how it be performed as well as that it be performed The more the word of God soundeth in our eares and we respect it but as a sound the more our hearts are hardned like the anvill that is beaten and hardned by the continuall strokes of the hammer Gods word is in regard of the effectes resembled compared to fire to an hammer as Ier. 23. Is not my word like as a fire saith the Lord Ier. 23.29 and like an hammer that breaketh the rooke in pieces There is more hope of men that never heard the word and never lived under the ordinary ministry and preaching of it then of such as have had their eares beaten with it yet it cannot enter into their hearts as our Saviour speaketh to the chiefe Priests and Elders of the people Math. 21.31 Verily I say unto you that the publicanes and the harlots goe into the kingdome of God before you If the word do not convert us it doth condemne us and if
that promiseth and provideth the greater can he faile us and not performe the lesse He that maketh us Kings unto his Father and hath promised a Crowne August de verb. Domini Qui dabit regnum non dabit viaticum will he deny us a bit of bread and a cup of drinke These points are more particularly discussed and opened in the ensuing Treatise which I have presumed to dedicate to your Lady-ship and not without good and waighty reasons You heard the publike preaching of them with speciall attention though many yeeres since and therefore I must needs acknowledge you among my best hearers and friends and withall consecrate vnto you some part of my labours which I have bestowed in writing Besides considering your earnest desire to know that God whose goodnesse you have alwaies tried your zeale to glorifie him on whom you have alwaies called your care to walke in his waies whom you have alwaies served and the fruits of a lively faith that have plentifully flowed from you whereof there are so many eye-witnesses among us the hearts of many distressed Ministers and the loynes of many poore people being ready to blesse you and God for you I cannot but beseech your Lady-ship to accept of this small testimony of my unfained observance of your many praises in the Gospell and as a pledge of my thankefulnesse which I leave behind me to the world being now ready to goe out of it The God of eternall glory the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ make you abound yet more and more in all the riches of his saving graces in this life and fill you with the inward comforts of the blessed hope of the appearance of Jesus Christ Your Lady-ships in all Christian duties to command WILLIAM ATTERSOLL PHISICKE AGAINST FAMINE LVKE 12.32 Feare not little Flocke for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give unto you the Kingdome THe occasion of these words is to bee taken from the 15. The occasion of the words verse of this Chapter wherein our Saviour exhorteth to take heed beware of covetousnesse for as much as no mans life standeth in the abundance of those things he possesseth True it is this lesson is short and set downe in few words howbeit it is not so soone learned and easily practised as it is spoken and delivered Wherefore he propoundeth a parable and telleth what hapned to a certaine rich man who in the plentifull encrease of his goods and fruits of his ground blessed himselfe the possessor but not the Lord the giver of all for he said to his soule Luke 12.19 20. Soule thou hast much goods laid up for many yeeres take thine ease eate drinke and be merry But what said the Oracle of God unto him Thou foole this night thy soule shall bee required of thee then whose shall these things be which thou hast provided This example hee applieth to all Verse 21 so is he a starke foole that layeth up treasure for himselfe but is not rich toward God Then he goeth forward to lay before us the care that God hath over his Children both toward their lives and their bodies Verse 24 who feedeth the Ravens that cry unto him and clotheth the Lillies of the Field that cannot cry unto him Verse 27 so that Salomon in all his royalty was not arayed like one of them But what is all this if we make not use thereof if we doe not apply it unto our selves doubtlesse it is no better then the covetous mans hidden treasure which he heapeth and hoardeth together but doth neither to himselfe nor to other any good Wee have therefore the direction of Christ himselfe who draweth and deducteth sundry conclusions from hence Verse 31 One use is taught in the verse 31. First of all seeke the Kingdome of God and then all these things shall be added unto you Another use is in these words of the text feare not for you have a Kingdome prepared and provided for you Thus we are come to the words that are to be handled The interpretation of the vvords being the use that the best Teacher and Master maketh of his doctrine he had delivered Now let us see the meaning and interpretation thereof Feare not This is to be restrained according to the circumstances aforegoing the generall being put for the speciall We are sometimes commanded to feare Psal 34.9 O feare the Lord yee his Saints and Rom. Psal 34.9 Rom. 11.20 Matth. 10.26 28. 1 Pet. 3.20 Psal 2.11 Luke 1.74 11 Be not high-minded but feare And againe sometimes not to feare Matth. 10.26 28. 1 Pet. 3.20 Sometimes wee are charged to serve the Lord in feare and to rejoyce in trembling Psal 2. Likewise sometimes to serve him without feare Luke 1.74 These phrases may seeme the one contrary to the other But they are easily reconciled if the words going before and following after be diligently marked In this place hee meaneth the feare of want of earthly things as if there were none in Heaven above to provide nor promise made in the Word to strengthen nor example of the godly to direct or as if every one were left to shift and scamble for himselfe So then hee meaneth a corrupt and carnall feare whereby a man feareth lest he lacke such things as are needfull for the maintenance of this life and thereby is so distracted in the service of God that he employeth all his time in the businesse and affaires of this present world Flocke That is my people whom I have undertaken to maintaine nourish keepe preserve and feed as a good Shepheard doth his Flocke for these are as it were the sheepe of his pasture Little Gods heritage is called little in three respects first in regard they are few in number because the multitude of the wicked world is the gnats and replenisheth all palces of the earth Secondly in regard of the small account and estimation wherein they are there is little reckoning made of them Matth. 10.42 1 Cor. 4.13 for in the judgement of the ungodly they are as the filth of the world and the off-scowring of all things unto this day Hence it is that Christ saith Matth. 18.14 Matth. 18.14 It is the will of your heavenly Father that none of these little ones should perish Thirdly they are little in their owne eyes and thinke more lowly of themselves then any other or then of any other 2 Sam. 6.22 1 Chron. 29.14 Fathers That is God the Father of his Church whom he tendreth as the apple of his eye and loveth as a Father doth his Children and therefore cannot see nor suffer them to want any thing that is good Kingdome That is the Kingdome of Heaven the Kingdome of glory for Christs Kingdome is not of this world Iohn 18.36 Touching the good pleasure of God see more afterward In these words observe two points The division of the vvords first the counsell or commandement of Christ which is delivered Secondly
naturall Fathers and Mothers sustaine their Children and supply all their wants can Parents see them perish or miscarry and never bee moved at it Our Saviour telleth us What man is there if his sonne aske him bread Matth. 7 9 10 11. will he give him a stone or if he aske a fish will hee give him a serpent If ye then being evill know how to give good gifts unto your Children how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that aske him And the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet Esay 49.15 16. Can a woman forget her sucking Childe that she should not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Esay 49.15 The love of God therefore toward his is greater then the love of men is or can be to their Children he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye and shall not escape his hand his revenging hand Secondly God will worke above and beyond all ordinary meanes rather then such as are his shall perish and after the course of nature to doe them good and to preserve them from evill who hath all creatures in his owne hand A memorable example hereof we have in the Israelites while they were in the wildernesse hee fed them with Manna for the space of 40. Exod 16.15 Numb 20.8 yeeres and opened the hard Rocke to give them water whereof they and their Cattell dranke Exod. 16. Numb 20. Consider this further in the example of Eliah 1 King 19. when he was constrained to flye for his life from the persecution of Jezabel and desired to dye the Angell of the Lord came unto him and said 1 King 19. â— 17.6 Arise and eat and he went in the strength of that meat 40. dayes and 40. hights unto Horeb the mountaine of God The like we read before that is The Word of the Lord came unto him Hide thy selfe in the brooke Charith and thou shalt drinke of the brooke and I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee So hee did according to the Word of the Lord for he dwelt by the brooke and the Ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening and he dranke of the brooke But be hold how the Lord tryed him for hee had not tarryed there long but the brooke dryed up because no raine fell in the Land What then did the Prophet of the Lord did he murmure against God No hee waited with patience his leisure and he sent him other meanes for his maintenance he directed him to the widdow of Sarepta where he was fed in that famine She had indeed but an handfull of meale in a barrell and a little oyle in a cruse and he saith unto her Verse 14 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel The barrell of meale shall not waste neither shall the cruse of oyle faile untill the day that the Lord sendeth raine upon the earth Thus he commandeth to lay aside feare and to submit her selfe to the will and pleasure of Almighty God Thus also the Lord dealt with her that had beene the wife of one of the children of the Prophets after his decease 2 King 2 King 4.1 43 44. Ioh. 6.5 6 10 11. 4. he dying indebted the mercilesse Creditor came to take unto him her two sonnes to be his bondmen but the mercy of God was such in her extremity that having in her house a pot of oyle onely it was so increased and multiplied that she received more then shee desired through his abundant blessing that giveth more then is asked so that she not onely paied the debt but her selfe and children lived of the residue Thirdly God will sanctifie a little and that of the worst and coursest sort to serve and suffice those that are his that albeit they have but short Commons and a poore Pittance yet a little that the righteous hath shall be better unto them then all the store and abundance of the ungodly This Moses teacheth Deut. 8. Man liveth not by bread onely but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live Wee have a lively example hereof in Daniel and his fellowes that did eate nothing but pulse a graine that beareth his fruit in poddes yet were they fairer and fresher fuller and fatter at the end of ten dayes Dan. 1.15 then all the children which did eate the portion of the Kings meate Dan. 1.15 This also we may see by experience in rich mens and poore mens children and in themselves also as well as in their children For whereas the poorer sort have scarce one good meales meat in a moneth but keep a perpetuall Lent not eating a bit of flesh in their owne houses once in a yeere and feed hardly and homely with browne bread and yet have not enough of that neither Eccles 5.12 yet is their labour pleasant and their sleepe sweet whereas the richer sort that fare deliciously every day are many times oppressed with raw humours and are neither so strong and healthy as the other Fourthly nothing shall bee able to hurt Gods servants For as all things tend to the hurt of the wicked and nothing shall doe them good so contrariwise nothing can hinder the salvation of the Church Rom. 8.28 Rom. 8. But all things shall fall out for the best to them that love him For what shall separate us from the love of God shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perils no doubtlesse forasmuch as we are more then conquerours through him that loved us Psal 90.5 6 7. So likewise Psal 90. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terrour by night nor for the arrow that flyeth by day neither for the pestilence that walketh in darknesse nor for the destruction that wasteth at noone day a thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand but it shal not come nigh thee there shall no evill befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling Obiect But it may bee objected Doe not these befall the righteous as well as the unrighteous nay doe not the godly often fall by them while the ungodly escape out of them or never enter into them Answ I answer Divers wayes First albeit all these may befall and doe befall the Faithfull yet doe they not come upon them as evils They may dye of the plague but to them the plague is no plague True it is of themselves or in the nature of them they are evill and the punishments of evill but to Gods children they are onely chastisements and correction of a good and gentle Father and that for their further good to prevent sinnes to come Contrariwise to the wicked they are the heavy strokes of a just Iudge or of a revenging enemy Secondly God pulleth out the sting of them that they cannot hurt them True it is
1 Cor. 15.55 all things fall out alike to the godly and ungodly to him that sweareth and to him that feareth an oath so that no man knoweth love or hatred by these outward things yet the venome and poyson is pulled out from these Scorpions so that albeit they may hisse at us yet they shall never hurt us Gen. 2.17 Rom. 6.23 Death is of it selfe the wages of sinne Gen. 2. Rom. 6. It came into the world by sinne and is the last enemy that shall bee subdued howbeit it hath already received his deaths-wound and the nature of it is quite changed to the godly Indeed death remaineth as a cup that all must taste off but behold the difference to the ungodly it is the reward of sinne the suburbs of hell the separation of the soule from God and the guide that conducteth them into everlasting torments To the godly it is no punishment of sinne but the abolishing of sinne the path and passage to a better life the haven of our rest the end of all our labours and the way by which we must come into the presence of Christ He is become the death of death so that they are bold in him to looke death in the face because they looke beyond death For he that will not feare it must cast his eye further then it as they feared not the fiery Serpents that lifted up their eyes to the brazen Serpent Thirdly if any meanes to uphold their life be wanting the Lord doth strengthen arme those that are his with patience contentednesse and inward comfort and consolation that he maketh them able to beare them he layeth heavy burdens upon them yet he supporteth theÌ„ with his hand that they sinke not under the waight thereof Albeit famine doe pinch and presse hard upon their bodies hee feedeth their soules with the precious food of his Word to eternall life and they are ready to answer with their Lord and Master Ioh. 4.32 I have meant to eate Iohn 4 32. that yee know not of Albeit they be vexed with warre yet he giveth them peace of conscience that passeth all understanding even peace with himselfe which the world cannot take away from them Albeit they fall into times of perils and dangers yet are they made to dwell in the secret place of the most high Psal 91.1 and to abide under the shadow of the Almighty Psal 91.1 The name of the Lord is a most strong tower and place of refuge the righteous flie unto it and are preserved Albeit they be sometimes enforced to endure nakednesse yet even then hee clotheth them with the precious robes of Christs righteousnesse Psal 45.8 all whose graces smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia whereby they are more adorned then with all the silver and gold in the world Lastly if he take away this temporall life he recompenseth the losse thereof with eternall life and happinesse We learne from hence first of all Vse 1 what need we have all of us of faith to lay hold on the promises of God made in Christ Iesus to such as are in him and have him dwelling in them For what is there can drive us out of this feare 1 Tim. 4.8 6.6 but faith Indeed godlinesse is profitable to all things and hath the promises of this life as well as of the life to come Of this life with condition so far as it shall be good for us of the life to come without any condition This godlinesse is great gaine nay the greatest of all other But what of all this if wee have not the hand of faith to receive them Offer meat never so much to the hungry soule yet if the hand be closed and the mouth stopped hee can receive nothing Powre water upon a Vessell all the day long it remaineth empty if the entrance thereof bee shut up so let us heare of the promises of God to sustaine us in times of famine want losse and necâ—ssity yet it is all one as if you spake to a dead man except wee have faith to quicken us and to put life into the soule For as the Apostle concludeth from the suffring of the Saints Hebr. 10.34 who endured with ioy the spoyling of their goods knowing they had a better inheritance reserved for them in the Heavens that we have all need of patience that after we have done the will of God wee may receive the promise Hebr. 10. So from this consideration that wee are ready every foot to faint and to feare want and beggery or else this dehortation were vaine and needlesse we are to gather that we may not cast away our confidence in God which hath great recompence of reward The just shall live by faith Hebr. 11.1 which is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene Take heed therefore and beware of infidelity For as covetousnesse is the root of all evill 1 Tim. 6. 1 Tim. 6.10 so is infidelity the root of covetousnesse What is the cause that we feare the lacking of earthly things which the greatest sort doe more feare then the lacke or losse or lessening of the feeding of the love and favour of God Doubtlesse this is nothing but the want of faith Let them lose but a trifle or the least pinne and profit that commeth to the purse what crying and complaining have wee how much adoe have wee to perswade them to bee contented to bee resolved to submit themselves to the pleasure of Almighty God and to beleeve that hee is able to give them more then that All the armor and furniture that wee can bring out of the Store-house of the Scripture is too little to settle their unbeleeving hearts upon the promises of God But these men can bee content without any scruple or touch of conscience to absent themselves from the house of God to lose many Sermons and much wholesome doctrine which is according to godlinesse many exhortations many instructions many comforts nay they may apparently feele their decaying and declining in knowledge in faith and in obedience yet it troubleth them no more then it did that prophane Esau Gen. 25.34 who when hee had sold his birth-right contemned and despised it The true cause of our carnall and corrupt feare is this want of a true lively faith when we dare not believe him that hath promised who yet is able to performe and is not as man that he should lie or as the sonne of man that hee should deceive Hence proceedeth feare of the losse of life and living that we are afraid to commit our state and standing to the safe garding of God as manifestly appeareth by the contrary Psal 27.1 2. Psal 27. The Lord is my light and salvation whom shall I feare The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid Though an host shall encampe against me my heart shall not feare though warre should rise against mee in this will I
bee confident What made the Prophet bold to overstride all dangers that he could not be dismaied by them but because his heart was fixed in God to depend upon him and to looke for salvation from him On the other side what doth discomfort and dis-harten many men what maketh them to doubt to murmure and many times to blaspheme but because they imagine the Lords hand is shortned Numb 11.23 and is not able to supply their wants It is an easie matter when we have store and abundance when the Lord blesseth us on every side and our substance is encreased when he washeth our steps with butter Iob 29.6 and the rocke powreth out rivers of oyle upon us to flatter our selves that we have a strong faith and a full perswasion and assurance of his love that we put our whole trust and affiance in him and will never be brought to rapine against him But be not deceived these are not the dayes of triall of our faith these are not the times of the patience of the Saints Before triall Peter was most confident but in the brunt of the battel he was a coward and gave over in the plaine field So doe we triumph before the victory but when wee see persecution famine perill and sword we give over fighting and feare possesseth our hearts When Elisha the man of God was sent with a comfortable message at the siege of Samaria that two measures of barly should bee sold for a shekell and a measure of fine flowre for a shekell to morrow about that time one of the Princes beleeved not the Word of the Lord Behold 2 King 7.1 2. if the Lord would make windowes in Heaven would this thing be the Prophet answered Because thou saist so thou shalt see it with thine eyes but shalt not eate thereof and according to his Word so it came to passe The Disciples being in danger to be drowned when a storme arose they came to Christ their Master for helpe and he saith Why are ye fearefull Maâ—th 8.26 O yee of little faith He accuseth them not to be faithlesse men or to have no faith at all for beleeving and doubting faith and feare may stand together in one subject as they met together in these but he layeth to their charge to have little faith The like wee read touching Peter when he saw the windes blow and the waves arise he was sore afraid and beginning to sinke he cryed out O Master save me Matth. 14.30 31 6.30 Then Christ stretched out his hand caught him and said O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt And in a like case wherein we deale he saith If God so clothe the grasse of the field which to day flourisheth and to morrow is cast into the Oven will he not much more cloathe you O yee of little faith Thus doth Christ evermore upbraid such as are fearefull doubtfull and distrustfull with want or with weaknesse of faith to rest upon him For as the Apostle speaketh of perfect love 1 Ioh. 4.18 so may I say of perfect faith that it casteth out feare Where such feare is there is little faith These testimonies teach us where to seeke and finde the true cause of all our wavering and doubting it springeth from an evill heart and unfaithfull Hebr. 3.12 1 Ioh. 5.4 5. to depart away from the living God this is the ground of all Therefore this shifting for our selves and pensivenesse for worldly things is a strong argument of a weake faith for whatsoever is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith and who is he that overcommeth the world but hee that beleeveth that Jesus is the Sonne of God 1 Iohn 5.4 5. Secondly it is our duty to rely upon Gods providence for earthly things as Children doe upon their Fathers love and care for them in like manner as Abraham speaketh to his Sonne When Isaac said My Father where is the sacrifice he answered with words of faith Gen. 22.8 My Sonne God will provide Doe wee not see how little Children albeit they have nothing and know not to day what they shall have to morrow never disquiet themselves what they shall eate or what they shall drinke or wherewith they shall be clothed And the reason is because they know their Parents provide for them and will not see them want Shall wee rely lesse upon our heavenly Father then these doe upon their earthly or shall we thinke that God hath lesse care of his Children then the sonnes of men have of theirs Nay as great as the difference is betweene that which is infinite and that which is finite so much greater is his love then the love of men Psal 103.11 â—3 and consequently so much greater ought our dependance to bee upon him His love is infinite as himselfe is for the love of God is God and every way as great as himselfe nay it is himselfe it is no quality in him as it is in us To worke this resting upon God as upon a rocke we have sundry exhortations in holy Scripture all of them tending to the same purpose Commit thy way to the Lord Psal 37.5 1 Cor. 10.13 and trust in him and he shall bring it to passe to wit when we can see no end or issue out of our dangers yet hee can we see but before our eyes he seeth the most hidden things of the world And againe Psal 35.22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustaine thee Let us not therefore content our selves to depend upon him in light and slight troubles but even then when we have the greatest tentations and afflictions upon us and let us not cry out in anguish of spirit O what an heavy burden doe I beare no man is so troubled as I am No man knoweth what sorrow I sustaine what misery I feele But be it never so tedious and toilsome as waighty and wearisome as a mountaine to carry cast thy care and crosse upon the Lords shoulders he is able to beare it albeit we be not and he hath promised to helpe us to beare it who never faileth of his promise in time of need Thus Salomon speaketh Prov. 16.3 Prov. 16.3 Commit thy waies unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established And 1 Pet. 5.7 Cast all your care on him 1 Pet. 5.7 for he careth for you If a Prince should utter any such gracious words of comfort to any of his poore people and give such a precept accompanied with such a promise O how would they accept of it and rejoyce in it as we see an example in Barzillai 2 Sam. 19. David promising to shew kindnesse to his Sonne I will doe to him whatsoever thou shalt require of me 2 Sam. 19.38 and whatsoever shall seeme good to thee how did his heart rest in the Kings word and how willing was he to trust the King
whereby to know his Sheepe This is Gods marke whereby he knoweth his to heare him and to obey him As the Sheepe are Gods so the Goats are the Devils and belong to him to whom they shall be sent at the last day he knoweth his vassals by the contrary they will not heare the Word of God nor follow after it they will heare his voice and obey him as their lord and master but Gods voice they cannot abide neither will they heare it and he rejoyceth in it Secondly they are profitable to many they doe every way what good they can as Gal. 6.10 As wee have opportunity Gal. 6.10 let us doe good to all men especially unto them who are of the Houshold of Faith They consider they are borne to doe good to others much more that they are borne againe to that end This is the nature and property of love 1 Cor. 13.3 It seeketh not her owne It is a corrupt love so to live as if we were borne for our selves alone which the very Heathen abhorred Thirdly we must be patient in bearing wrongs we must not be desirous of revenge This was in the Shepheard of the Sheepe himselfe 1 Pet. 2.23 When he was reviled he reviled not againe 1 Pet. 2.23 when hee suffered he threatned not but committed himselfe to him that iudgeth righteously These are notes of the nature of the true Sheepe the contrary are evident signes and markes of stinking and unsavory Goats And if wee will try and prove our selves and examine others by these badges of Christian profession we shall finde many jetting up and downe like Sheepe who challenge to themselves the name but are not indeed the Sheepe of Christ because we cannot finde the former properties in them For few heare his voice with diligence and yeeld obedience with conscience Few labour to doe service to the Saints while they have time but are idle and unfruitfull Now it is day we know not how long it will last The night commeth wherein no man can work Ioh. 9.4 Alas when the Lord shall demand an account of his Stewards what good they have done what will they answer shall they not be taken speechlesse Few can put up the least injury and disgrace every one of us is ready to breathe out threatnings or to dissemble our malice untill we may revenge as we see in Esau Gen. Gen. 27.41 27.41 and in Absalom 1 Sam. We are taught another lesson of our Lord and Master to be meeke and gentle Matth. 11.29 Esay 11.9 10. 65.25 and lowly in heart that we may finde rest to our soules I never knew or have observed any meeke and mild in spirit ready as a Lambe to endure wrongs and unmindfull of injuries for Christs sake but hee bare a deepe impression of grace and a lively character of Gods Spirit in his heart This wee may see in all the Saints as in a glasse the Scripture having set before us a cloud of witnesses that in them we should behold our faces Consider Abraham Isaac and Jacob how they behaved themselves patiently when their enemies oppressed them and filled up the wells which they with great labour and industry had found and digged Gen. 26. Gen. 26.18 How often did the unthankfull Israelites murmure against Moses and sought sometimes to stone him to death Numb 12.3 yet was hee the meekest man upon the face of the earth Hee never desired fire to come downe upon the heads of his enemies to destroy them but oftentimes prayed for them Gen. 50.19 1 Sam. 24.12 26.10 11. 2 Sam. 16.10 Psal 7.4 Acts 7.60 Heb. 12.2 Luk. 23.34 What should I say more for the time would faile me to tell of Joseph pardoning the treachery of his brethren of David passing over the injuries of Saul and the curses of Shemei of Stephen praying for them that stoned him to death of Christ himselfe an example farre above all these the Author and finisher of our faith enduring mockes buffetting and crucifying and yet he prayed to his Father to forgive them The contrary to all these are evident markes and signes of Goats And if we search into the waies of men by these former notes wee shall finde few Sheepe indeed but store and plenty of Goats every where Gedeon seemed to have many stout Souldiers in his Army Iudg. 7.3 but after they were once tried there remained few with him so many are disguised in Sheepes clothing but when they come to bee proved they appeare to be rather ravening Wolues or filthy Goats wild Beasts of the forrest or cruell Boares out of the wood then any true Sheepe How rare are they that heare the voice of Christ with diligence attention and obedience The Word is no more regarded of the most then if it were a tale or a toy as appeareth by their palpable ignorance ordinary absence and notable disobedience Every light pleasure every slight profit every foolish occasion every frivolous businesse is sufficient to lead them from the house of God and yet they would be accounted such Sheepe of Christ as heare his voice How rare are they that labour to doe what good they can to the Church of God albeit God have inabled them with plentifull meanes to doe much Where are they that can say with godly Nehemiah Thinke upon me my God for good Nehem. 5.19 according to all that I have done for this people or if they should what doe they but pray fearefully against themselves When the Lord Iesus shall come to judgement and all flesh shall appeare before him will he enquire of them what goods they have gotten or how much ground they have purchased or what lands they have left to their posterity and how richly they have provided for their heires No no we must give up unto Christ Iesus other accounts and that of other things to wit what good we have done with our goods what members of his we have fed clothed harboured or visited O what an heavy reckoning then have thousands to make when they must give up an account of their Stewardship and yet they would be accounted the Sheep of Christ O that they could think of these things betimes before it be too late How rare also are they almost as blacke Swannes that will forbeare forgive and forget the wrongs that are offered Ephes 4.32 Col. 3.12 13. as Christ forgiveth them that offend him but if any of us have a quarrell against another we are ready to pursue it with all greedinesse and watch all occasions of advantage many yeeres sometimes as wee see in the example of Absalom 2 Sam. 2 Saâ— 13.22 23. 13.22 23. and yet they would be accounted the Sheepe of Christ There cannot be a more fearefull marke and cognizance of a Goat then this is beware of it Thirdly conclude the safe estate and condition of the Sheepe of Christ Iohn 10.28 for who shall be able to take them out of his
more favour with God then the true Church by reason of their multitudes by reason of their pomp and glory by reason of their flourishing estate and freedome from inward and outward terrours neverthelesse though there be such an innumerable sort of Queenes and Concubines as these yet the true Church is onely one and indeed the onely one dearely beloved and tenderly regarded of the true God as that which walketh in the truth and professeth the Word truely As for all other societies they are no better then as routes of Rebels and conspiracies of wicked men gathered together and risen up against the Lord and against his Anoynted breaking the bonds Psal 2.3 9. and casting away the cords of doctrine and discipline who in the end shall be broken to shivers with a rod of Iron and dashed in pieces like a Potters vessell Such are all the assemblies of the Turkes Sarazens Savages Iewes Persians Pagans and the like who are no Churches Such are the congregations of the Papists the meetings of the Arrians Anabaptists Libertines Familists Antinomies Tritheits Samosatenians Swinkfieldians all which are false Churches some like the Israelites or ten tribes after they were fallen from the house of David and others worse all of them no true Churches of God but multitudes of horrible Infidels detestable Idolaters and abominable Heretickes departed out of the true Church with whom wee must hold no communion with whom wee must have nothing to doe but rather shun them and separate from them nay abhorre and abjure them as men that walke in the path-way that leadeth to death and destruction A man will not willingly goe into an infectious house but these assemblies are a rout and receptacle of pestilent and prophane persons who have made shipwracke of faith and of a good conscience Hence it is that the Church speaketh in respect of such Cant. 1.7 Cant. 1.7 Why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flockes of thy companions she meaneth swarmes of Idolaters heapes of false Worshippers and societies of Schismatickes and Heretikes 2 Tim. 2.17 whose doctrine fretteth as a canker sowreth as a leaven and spreadeth as a leprosie over the whole body Therefore hee calleth these evill companies flockes because they are many in number and not that one flocke which hath Christ Iesus to be the onely Master the onely Shepheard the onely Teacher of the true service of God There alwaies have bene and now are Revel 3.9 such as are no other nor no better then the synagogue of Satan who say they are virgins but are harlots who say they are Jewes that is the true Church and people of God and are not but doe lye Secondly the Church being but one this point and principle is to be holden that there is no salvation out of the Church as there is no condemnation to them that are of the Church and consequently every one that looketh to bee saved by Christ must necessarily range himselfe in that number that so he may become a member and Citizen of this one Catholike Church For as out of the Sheepfold are Goats Dogs Swine Wolves and such like Revel 21.15 so out of the Church are Sorcerers and Whore mongers and Murtherers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh lies Revel 22. Such albeit they may be in the Church for a season yet are not of the Church for they remaine not in it They that were not in the Arke of Noah perished in the waters so out of the Church and out of this flocke and sheepfold all are condemned Hence it is that Luke teacheth Acts 2.47 Cant. 4.12 The Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should be saved So Salomon Cant. 4. A garden inclosed is my Sister my Spouse a Spring shut up a Fountaine sealed This is plaine in these foure respects First Why there is no salvation out of the Church because Christ Iesus is the onely head of the Church by whom all parts as by certaine joynts and sinewes are knit and coupled together but out of the militant Church there is no Christ Revel 1.13 for he alwaies walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlestickes out of the Church there is no faith in Christ no obedience to Christ no justification through Christ This reason may bee thus concluded Where no Saviour is there can be no salvation But out of the Church there is no Saviour Therefore Out of the Church there can be no salvation So then where no head is to quicken or make alive there can be no body or members that are alive but out of the Church there is no head to quicken or make alive therefore there is no body or members quickned or made alive but dead members which are so onely in name Secondly out of the Church who ruleth as King 2 Cor. 4.4 Ephes 2.2 but the prince of the aire and god of this world that ruleth in the hearts of the children of disobedience and therefore such as are justly cast out of the Church by the censure of excommunication and cut off by that spirituall sword of discipline 1 Cor. 5.5 1 Tim. 1.20 are said to be delivered to Satan that they might learne not to blaspheme 1 Cor. 5.5 1 Tim. 1.20 This reason may be thus framed Where Satan ruleth nothing beareth sway but destruction But out of the Church Satan ruleth Therefore Out of the Church nothing beareth sway but destruction and consequently there can be no salvation Thirdly out of the Church there are no ordinary meanes to come to salvation Now what are the meanes to attaine salvation They are these Hearing Faith Prayer the Sacraments and such like But out of the bosome of the Church there is no sound preaching of the Word no true beleeving in Christ no devout calling upon God no right partaking of the Sacraments no sincere holinesse of life no brotherly communion of Saints no pure worshipping of God according to his Word These are the priviledges of the Church and the markes whereby it is knowne Acts 2.42 Act. 2. They continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers Where these are not there can be no Church nor salvation Fourthly the Church and the world are quite contrary the one to the other Iohn 17.9 14. Ephes 5.27 1 Pet. 2.9 Christ prayeth not for the world as hee doth for the Church and for all the parts and members of it John 17.9 14. the whole world lyeth in wickednesse onely the Church is an holy company which followeth the waies and practiseth the workes of godlinesse Lastly labour to be of this Church and joyne thy selfe to it as a part and member thereof If any aske By what signes we may discerne whether we be members of the Church or not I answer It is not hard much lesse unpossible to establish our hearts in this truth For first such are separated from the world
joyned with it in all that are saved Some upon the Minister as if it were in him to convert the heart he soweth the seed as the spirituall Husbandman but he cannot make it grow as also he washeth the body Matth. 3.11 13 19 20. but cannot baptize with the holy Ghost clense the soule But the Parable of the Sower serveth to rectifie and reforme our judgement and understanding that the fault is not in the Seedman nor in the seed nor in the sowing but in the ground of mens hearts so that wee may say with the Prophet Hos 13.9 The fift reproofe Thy destruction O Israel is of thy selfe Fiftly such as will stay till all men be agreed For if the number of the sheepe be few we may looke long enough before all will meet in the unity of the Spirit Woe then to such as waite for the comming in of all to joyne together and will resolve upon nothing so long as any remaine unresolved as if they strove to be the last that should be added to the Sheepfold When all men thinke one thing then will they joyne and jumpe with them in practice and opinion but in the meane season they will hang and hover in the aire in suspence and expect a generall agreement And that they may doe untill their eyes fall out of their heads and be never the wiser but rather the worser and the wickeder For this is to looke for Heaven upon earth Thus indeed it shall bee when wee come to know even as we are knowne then wee shall have and heare a perfect harmony of all voices singing with one minde and with one mouth Hallelu-iah Revel 19.1 3. but here our musicke hath many jarres and we meet with sundry rubbes in our way for wee know onely in part 1 Cor. 13.9 10. and we prophecy in part but when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall bee done away Howbeit it availeth little to speake to such of spirituall things being wholly carnall themselves and therefore set us deale with them in their owne language that is speake to earthly-minded men of earthly things and so keepe our selves within their owne element If these would never buy or sell untill all men be agreed of the due price and just value they should never have any doings or dealings in the world that now overburden themselves with the world If they would never purchase foot of land neither husband their ground or plough or mow or sow untill all men were consenting about the matter or manner or time when to begin and where to make an end or other like circumstances their fields would bee all growne over with thornes and thistles and nettles would cover the face thereof How then are these so sencelesse and sottish as not to consider that there never was nor never will be a generall concord in any thing under the Sunne If then there will never be a full agreement no not in temporall things wherein notwithstanding the sences of carnall and worldly men are expert and wholly exercised how much lesse is it to be looked for in heavenly things which are supernaturall and cannot bee conceived of meere naturall men I may therefore say unto such according as our Saviour reasoneth Iohn 3.12 Ioh. 3. If I have told you earthly things and yee beleeve not how shall ye beleeve if I tell you of heavenly things If these had lived in the dayes of Christ when some spake one thing of him and some another according to their severall fancy and folly Iohn 7.12 40 41 43. some said he was a good man some of a truth hee is a Prophet some this is the Christ but others nay for he deceiveth the people so that there was a murmuring and a division among them because of him doubtlesse they would have denied and refused him at least till they had seene the Scribes and Pharisees and other learned Lawyers among the Iewes wholly to receive him But how many among them thinke you were damned for this device albeit they had fully as much to plead for themselves as these men have And if Noah had never set upon the Arke to build it untill the whole world of the ungodly had consented unto him and counselled him he had perished with them in the waters The sixt reproofe What good thing ever was there that all men allowed and approved Lastly another sort the worst of all the rest are here reprooved who make a scoffe and derision at these Words of Christ as Pilate did when Christ Iesus shewed that he came for this cause into the world that he might beare witnesse unto the truth he said What is truth Iohn 19 20. So doe prophane persons upbraid the faithfull servants of God with this title as with a taunt O you are of the godly ones O you are one of these holy folke you have the Spirit of God and are one of the little flocke thereby scorning and deriding such as honour the Word and frequent the hearing of it nay mocking at the preaching of Christ and bringing the Word it selfe into contempt and as it were flouting God to his face But he that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh at them Psal 2.4 the Lord shall have them in derision nay in detestation For this differeth not from open blasphemy nor these from wretched blasphemers who make scoffes and jests at Gods Word whereby they shall be judged nay condemned at the last day except they repent It is ill jesting with a sharp two-edgedsword that cutteth as a razor Heb. 4.12 which in the end shall cut them in pieces These raise a nick-name upon the Word Psal 138.2 which He hath magnified above all his other Names and are come to the height and top of sinne and take the name of God in vaine in the highest degree not onely walking in the counsell of the ungodly Psal 1.1 and standing in the way of sinners but even sitting downe in the seat of the scornefull whereby they fill up the measure of their sinne that God may fill to them the full viall of his fierce wrath and indignation These doe notoriously belch out their owne shame and manifestly renounce their owne salvation and prove with their owne mouthes that they looke for no other but the portion of reprobates together with the Devill and his angels For I would gladly be informed and receive answer from them whether they beleeve in their hearts that themselves have any true holinesse in them and are in the number of this little flocke or not If they doe then their owne words convince them and by their owne mouthes as the evill servant they shall be condemned If they doe not then they must bee foule and filthy goats that shall stand at the left hand as damned creatures and receive an horrible curse denounced and executed against them and all this by their owne verdict and
confession For as Christ Iesus at the last Day shall say to the reprobate Inasmuch as they shewed no mercy to his brethren they did it not to him so may I say to these scoffers In as much as they doe it against the Word they doe it against the Lord himselfe whose Word it is To conclude I will speak to them in the words of the Prophet Esay 57.3 4. Draw neere hither ye sonnes of the Sorceresse the seed of the Adulterer and the Whore against whom doe yee sport your selves against whom make yee a wide mouth and draw out the tongue are ye not children of transgression a seed of falsehood Secondly here is peace and comfort against all discouragements that arise in the world from prophane persons and a soveraigne preservative to all those that truely feare God though they see themselves alone like a Pellican in the Wildernesse like an Owle in the Desart and like a Sparrow upon the house top If wee be as a signe and wonder in Israel Esay 8.28 yea as a monster among men yet let us not be discouraged but remember that the Lords portion hath beene but as the tenth that is in comparison of the multitude in all ages the least part as it were an handfull If then we have heretofore run into all excesse of riot with the world of the ungodly and made conscience of nothing that is good or pleasing to God and now have learned better things by the direction of the Word to refraine from every evill way to have respect to all the Commandements of God and to make conscience of all even the least sins albeit we finde our selves left alone as Eliah the Prophet did when they had killed the Prophets of the Lord and digged downe his Altars and walke in a rugged and untrodden path like Jonathan and his Armour-bearer having few to follow us 1 Sam. 14 13. or to accompany us many to disswade and discourage us and some ready to hinder us and to pull us backe yet let us say with Peter Though all men should forsake thee Matth. 26.32 Iohn 6.68 yet will I never leave thee and elsewhere Whither shall wee goe thou hast the Words of eternall life when Iesus said unto the Twelve Will yee also goe away And let this bee our comfort and give us rest that thus it hath gone evermore with the faithfull this hath beene the state of Religion and few in comparison of the rest have found the true path-way that leadeth to life and salvation to their endlesse comfort Thirdly learne that the number of the wicked and reprobate is exceeding great and the way to Hell hath many people and passengers that thrust and throng by heapes that way The way is broad and the gate wide that leadeth to destruction Matth. 7.14 and many there be that enter in thereat Matth. 7. We are ready to follow a multitude to evill but Christ Iesus giveth us counsell to shun that way as a dangerous rocke which the multitude treadeth Hence it is that the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 1. Not many wise after the flesh not many mighty 1 Cor. 1.26 27. not many noble are called but the foolish things weake and base and despised and things which are not hath God chosen to confound and bring to nought the glory of the world The worst courses have commonly the most followers and the worst number is for the most part the greatest number forasmuch as the greatest part are left out of the Booke of Life and the Catalogue of Gods election And as in the old world when the flood came 2 Pet. 2.5 Gen. 6.22 Luke 18.8 all flesh had corrupted his wayes upon the earth so at the comming of the Sonne of man shall he finde faith upon the earth The greatest part shall bee given to carnall security and worldly profits without any respect to heavenly things Such as came out of Egypt were for the most part of them murmurers and therefore perished There were foure hundred and fifty false prophets standing to plead Baals cause 1 King 18.19 when one onely Elias stood for the honour and glory of the true God of Israel 1 King 22.6 There were also foure hundred flattering prophets against one plaine Preacher Michaiah that spake the truth from his heart yea even for the good of the King himselfe if he had knowne the things that belonged to his owne peace but they were hidden from him Hereby then we learne the vanity of all such as goe about to excuse themselves because they have many fellowes that are followers of their folly and multitudes of companions in throngs and heapes partakers of their evil courses They say We are not alone We have a world of people in the same case If this be all they can alleadge for themselves and their sinnes and their consorts woe unto them for as they have many joyne with them in evill so they shall have multitudes partake with them in punishment God will judge all the ungodly he regardeth neither might nor multitude What store of carcasses perished in the waters and what heapes went to Hell among them and at the last Day the Lord will give iudgement against all men Iude 15. and rebuke all the ungodly among them of all their wicked deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their cruell speaking which wicked sinners have spoken against him Every man shall receive the things which are done in his body 2 Cor. 5.10 according to that he hath done whether it be good or evill 2 Cor. 5.10 Hee hath evermore plagued multitudes as well as a few persons with whom it is easie to doe execution inasmuch as he commeth with thousands of his Saints and Angels Jude 14. The worst waies have evermore found the greatest applause consent and countenance of the world When it was agreed to compasse Lots house they assembled together both young and old Gen 19.4 all the people from every quarter Gen. 19. When the golden calfe was to be made Exod. 32.3 all the people brake off the golden earings which were in their eares Exod. 32. When Pilate demanded what should be done with Christ Matth. 27.22 they all cryed out Let him bee crucified Matth. 27. So in maintenance of Idolatry the zeale was so great Acts 19.34 that all with one voyce cryed out Great is Diana of the Ephesians Every place is full of evill the greatest part ready to backe and bolster it to uphold and countenance it Esay 59.15 and such as never so little oppose against it make themselves a prey Who seeth not what plenty is every where of Atheists unbeleevers ignorant persons disobedient swearers blasphemers prophane breakers of the Sabbath contemners of the Gospell and what not It is not their multitudes that can protect and patronize them but shall rather encrease their sorrow and punishment Lastly it is our duty to seeke nay to strive to enter
taken sometimes personally and sometimes essentially Personally when it is restrained to one of the Persons as to the first Person in the holy and blessed Trinity Matth. 28.19 Ephes 2.3 2 Cor. 13.13 to wit God the Father begetting the Sonne and sending forth the holy Ghost whensoever mention is made of any of the other Persons also Thus likewise it is taken when it is limited to the second Person in Trinity to wit God the Sonne begotten of the Father before all worlds â—say 9.6 as Esay 9.6 Vnto us a Childe is borne unto us a Sonne is given his Name shall be called Wonderfull Counseller the mighty God the everlasting Father And in this sence the holy Ghost the third Person proceeding from the Father and the Sonne may also be called Father because he together with the Father and the Sonne giveth being to all things Sometimes the Word is taken essentially without consideration of any personall relation and then it is referred simply to God and is extended to all the three Persons Deut. 32.6 as Deut. 32.6 Doe yee so reward the Lord Mal. 2.10 Iam. 1.27 O yee foolish people is not he thy Father that hath bought thee and Mal. 2.10 Have yee not all one Father and thus it is taken in this place for the whole God-head the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost who have a Soveraigne Father-hood over the Church loving it defending it delighting in it caring for it bestowing all blessings upon it and withholding nothing that is good from it Doct. 7 This title teacheth us that God is the Father of his Church and Children As a Father loveth his Children to whom hee hath given breath and being as he feedeth and clotheth them nourisheth and layeth up for them so God loveth his Children to whom he hath given their first life their second life and to whom he will give a third life The first life is in the flesh the second in grace the third in glory The first is a naturall life the second a spirituall life the third an eternall life The first is their generation the second their regeneration the third shall be their glorification and therefore he loveth them with a love infinitely above the love of all Parents toward their Children whose love must needs be as finite as themselves when it is at the highest What the love of Parents is toward their Children the Scripture setteth downe by sundry examples 1 King 3.26 2 Sam. 18.23 1 King 3.26 Esay 66.13 Zach. 12.10 2 Sam. 19.37 Gen. 17.18 49.1 1 King 14.2 Esay 49.15 Psal 103.13 17. 68.5 Esay 63.16 69.8 2 Thes 2.6 2 Sam. 18 23. they rejoice at their good Prov. 101. they moutne for their trouble and evill that befalleth them Zach. 12.10 they comfort them in sorrow and anguish Esay 66.13 they procure them what good and preferment they can 2 Sam. 19.37 Gen. 17.18 they provide for the time present and to come Gen. 49.1 they tender them in sicknesse and in health 1 King 14.2 they prevent dangers that doe hang over their heads and may befall them Gen. 27.43 28.2 they regard them in prosperity and adversity in wealth and in poverty so that they cannot leave them nor forget them nor forsake them Esay 49.15 All these being onely in part and unperfectly in men are fully infinitely and perfectly in God as his nature and essence and therefore he commendeth his love to us above all this Esay 49. Matth. 7. of which places before The Prophets and Apostles are full of such testimonies as Psal 103. As a Father pittieth his Children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him and as the Heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that feare him And 68.5 A Father of the Fatherlesse and a Judge of the Widdowes is God in his holy habitation So Esay 63.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father our Redeemer thy Name is from everlasting And 64.8 Thou O Lord art our Father we are the clay and thou our Potter and wee all are the worke of thine hand Thus the Apostle 2 Thes 2.6 The Lord Iesus and God even the Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation comfort your hearts This title is indeed proper to God alone Reas 1 that albeit there be that are called Fathers as indeed there be many upon the earth Magistrates Ministers Masters naturall Parents Exod. 20.12 and all Superiours Exod. 20.12 Yet to us as there is but one God and one Lord so there is but one Father as we heard before out of the Prophet to whom this name is properly and peculiarly belonging Matth. 23.9 This Christ himselfe teacheth Matth. 23.9 Call no man Father upon the earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven neither be yee called Masters for one is your Master Obiect even Christ But is it unlawfull to call any Father the Apostle calleth himselfe the Father of the Corinthians 1 Cor. 9.15 1 Cor. 9. Though yee have ten thousand Instructours yet have ye not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospell Answ I answer He doth not simply forbid the appellation but restraine them from ambition neither condemneth he properly the title but absolutely the affecting of the title We may not therefore imagine that Christ would utterly abolish from among Christians the name of Father or Master or Teacher as if it were unlawfull for Children to call those their Fathers of whom they received their beeing or for Servants to call any their Masters to whom they owe their service forasmuch as the Scripture willeth Children to honour their Fathers and Servants to be obedient to their bodily Masters but his purpose is to forbid these names in such sort as the Pharises were called by them who loved or desired to be called Rabbies Fathers and Masters and challenged the names as proper and peculiar to themselves It is not therefore the bare title but their vaine glory that is condemned Againe so to be called Rabbi Father or Master that the people of the Lord should wholly and absolutely depend upon their mouthes 1 Cor. 7.23 to become servants of men and rest slavishly in their opinions and traditions as the onely true Teachers and Fathers of the Church as the Iesuits would be accounted in these dayes may not be admitted in any case or that their doctrines were not subject to triall and examination by the Scripture is wholly to be rejected forasmuch as the spirits of the Prophets are subiect to the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.32 Thus to be called Father or Master agreeth to no mortall man but God is the onely true Father and Christ Iesus the onely true Master as the onely Law-giver that is able to save and to destroy Jam. 4. whose Precepts we must receive and are bound to obey though all the world should teach otherwise God then must be held to be supreme others are
wee resolve to hold our peace yet it will breake out This we see in the Prophet when the Word of the Lord became a reproach unto him and a derision daily hee said within himselfe Ier. 20.9 I will not make mention of him nor speake any more in his Name howbeit his Word was in his heart as a burning flame in his bones and he was weary with forbearing so that he could not stay Ier. 20.9 It is not enough for us to mourne in secret for the abominations committed openly but it is our duty to reprove those that dishonour him and such as sinne openly should be reprooved openly as the Apostle teacheth both by precept 1 Tim. 5.20 Gal. 2.14 1 Tim. 5.20 and by example Gal. 2.14 Can a good Childe that loveth his Father heare him in his presence reviled traduced and evill spoken of and yet hold his peace as if he were a deafe man and heard nothing doth he not thereby after a sort give consent to such reproaches and make himselfe partaker of those evils as it were a party and joyne himselfe to his Fathers enemy Or will a good Servant heare his Master disgraced before him and yet say nothing at all How then shall we heare the Lord blasphemed who is both our Father and Master and his Name taken in vaine and yet keepe silence and not answer a word How shall we dare once to call him Father and not blush at the naming of him if there be any shame in us when we have no care to maintaine his honour but suffer it to lye in the dust and trodden under foot as a polluted thing How shall God open his eares at our prayers to powre on us his graces when our mouthes are quite shut up and stopped at his disgraces or how shall we looke to have him confesse us before his Father Matth. 10.32 and the elect Angels in Heaven when we are ashamed to confesse him before the sonnes of men upon earth Alas how jealous are wee of our owne names and upon what nice and tender points of saving credit and reputation doe we stand to maintaine them And ought not the Name of God to be much more deare and precious unto us Either let us cease once to take the name of a Father in our mouthes or else let us shew a more Sonne-like affection toward him in our hearts Either let us forbeare to professe our selves his Children or else let us beare our selves as Children and carry in us a readinesse every way to honour him The sixth signe Sixtly we are bound to love God againe and to answer love for love And so much the rather because he commendeth his love toward us that when we were his enemies hee sent his Sonne into the world to die for us O how great was his love toward us O how little is our love toward him were not he a very unnaturall childe that tasting abundantly of his Fathers kindnesse recompenceth it with unkindnesse stubbornenesse unthankfulnesse and disobedience againe Thus doe we foolish people deale with the Lord and reward him hatred for his love and enmity for his friendship How to knovv vvhether vve love God But how shall we know whether we love him or not Is every mans claime and entituling himselfe unto it a certaine and sufficient rule to know this No doubtlesse this is a marke too generall and may soone deceive us if we leane upon it as a broken staffe or a reed of Egypt If we love him indeed and in truth we will love him even when hee chasteneth and afflicteth us It is an easie matter for us to say we love God greatly when he blesseth and prospereth us and when he mercifully supplieth all things unto us that we desire Such love the hypocrites may pretend and make greater shew thereof then the true Children of God This may all such doe as live in peace and prosperity and yet notwithstanding deceive themselves and others also This corruption doth Satan discover to be in us naturally Iob 1.9 10. Iob 1.9 10. Doth Iob feare God for naught hast thou not made an hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side thou hast blessed the worke of his hands and his substance is increased in the Land but put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face But we must testifie our love toward him that we can love him when he chasteneth us and beare the crosse patiently whatsoever hee shall lay upon us and looke for deliverance from him alone And so much the rather because he chasteneth in love toward us and if we endure chastisement Heb. 12.7 God offereth himselfe to us as unto children Heb. 12.7 especially considering hee doth it evermore for our good And if his chastisements proceed from love why should they not worke the same in them that are chastened we have had the fathers of our bodies which corrected us oftentimes for their pleasure and yet we gave them reverence shall wee not then much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live who chasteneth us for our profit that we might be partakers of his holinesse Lastly The seventh signe wee must come out from the society and company of evill men and have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse If wee delight as much in the company of the ungodly as of the godly of the children of the Devill as of Gods we are become one body with them we cannot be assured that we are Gods Children but he that is their Father is become our Father and he that ruleth in them ruleth in us also This note not onely giveth light to our selves but holdeth out the candle to others to know whose wee are and to whom we belong Psal 16.3 15.4 If our greatest delight bee in the Saints we are also ourselves in the number of the Saints and if we honour them that feare the Lord it is an evident token our selves feare him and that a vile person is contemned of us But if wee bee never more merry then with them whose conversation would make us sorry and sigh if the zeale of Gods glory were before our eyes how can we assure our hearts that God is our Father seeing his enemies are our greatest friends and best welcome unto us This doth the Apostle teach at large 2 Cor. 6. who upon the promise that God will be a Father unto us and we shall bee his Sonnes and Daughters concludeth 2 Cor. 6.17 18. Be not therefore unequally yoaked with Infidels what fellowship is there betweene righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse betweene Christ and Belial wherefore come out from among them and separate from them and touch no uncleane thing and I will receive you But it may be said Obiect What needeth this separation to be urged so hotly unto us that live not among any Infidels mingled pell
is of his meere liberality as touching our owne merits for wee deserve by no worke of our owne to bee justified Now what I pray you ye Romanists doe wee teach more then hee teacheth in those words And yet farther touching workes he sheweth as I have shewed elsewhere Bellarm. De Iustific lib. 5. cap. 7 propos 3. that for the uncertainty of our righteousnesse and the danger of vaine glory it is a most safe thing to put our whole trust in the mercy and bountifulnesse of God onely And immediatly after Nemoabsque revelatione certò scire potest habere vera merita aut in eis ad finem usque perseveraturum that is No man can without a revelation know certainely that he hath any true merits or whether he shall continue in them unto the end I wonder therefore how they can warrant the workes of suprerogation in any of the Saints and how they dare take upon them to dispense the over-plus of their merits when they avouch that no man knoweth himselfe whether hee have any true merits doe they know the merits of other better then of themselves or can they dispense that whereof the Saints themselves are ignorant and what doe they then meane to boast so much and babble so often of their merits when this great master at Rome and a Cardinall of that purple Whore affirmeth that no man and therefore not himselfe certainely knoweth whether he hath any merits at all or not and that it is therefore the safest course for all men to rely upon the mercy of God onely Thus they say and unsay they affirme and deny they binde and loose they blow hot and cold at their owne pleasure Secondly acknowledge from hence that as salvation it selfe is freely bestowed so also are all the meanes that serve to bring us to salvation as it were from our setting out to our journies end Christ Iesus was sent into the world freely and the preaching of the Gospell is convaied and made knowne unto us freely Faith is given freely regeneration is given freely of them all wee may say with Christ our Saviour Ioh. 3.8 Ioh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth and whither it goeth so is every one that is borne of the Spirit This truth the Apostle teacheth pointing out the steps whereby we attaine to salvation as it were to the top of a mountaine he taketh the beginning of all at God who sendeth out Pastors for the worke of the ministery Rom. 10.15 Ephes 4.12 and the edification of the body of Christ And that the worke might every way appeare to be free he causeth it to raine upon one City Amos 4.7 and causeth it not to raine upon another one piece was rained upon and the piece whereupon it rained not withered away And as it is his gift that we have the Word so it is a gift no lesse then the former to cleere the eyes of our understanding that the Word vanish not away as the corne that is blasted otherwise we may heare it and yet have no profit by it The Iewes were as sheepe without a Shepheard scattered abroad what was the cause that they were gathered together Matth. 9.36 Acts 16.9 10 6 7. Christ Iesus had compassion upon them Matth. 9. The Apostle had a vision A man of Macedonia stood by him and prayed him to come among them whereby he gathered that the Lord had called them to preach the Gospell unto them Againe they were forbidden to preach the Word in Asia and the Spirit suffered them not to goe into Bithynia This putteth us in minde of sundry other duties as branches thereof Heb. 5.11 First wee are by nature dull of hearing wee have eares but we cannot heare untill the Lord open them Acts 16.14 as he did Lydias that she attended to the words that were spoken we have hearts indeed but we cannot understand untill God open them as he did the hearts of the two Disciples that were going to Emaus who said Did not our hearts burne within us Luke 24.32 while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the Scriptures And likewise of those that heard Peter who were pricked in their hearts Acts 2.37 and said to the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe Wee have eyes indeed but wee are starke blinde untill hee open them who came into the world Ioh. 9.39 that they which see not might see Ioh. 9. and he sent the Apostle to open the eyes of the Gentiles and to turne them from darkenesse to light Acts 26.18 Secondly we know not the mysteries of Gods Kingdome for albeit they be the wisedome of God yet to us that are by nature foolish they are foolishnesse Marke 4.11 therefore it must be given to us to know them whereas to them that are without all things are done in parables Thirdly we must begge of God to take away the scales from our eyes and the stone out of our hearts and to give us hearts of flesh Thus the Prophet prayeth oftentimes to God Psal 119.18 27 34. to give him understanding Fourthly it is our dutie to come into the house of God the Schoole of all spirituall wisedome This is the House of prayer and preaching the place where his honour dwelleth This is Mount Sion wherein he pleaseth to reside and hath promised to dwell God is present with such and in the middest of them that heare his Word But how can we looke to have his graces bestowed upon us if we resort not to his gate where they are distributed Fiftly hearken and attend to the things taught and delivered with all diligence Heb. 2.1 lest they slip from us as wholsome liquor out of a rent or riven and broken vessell Heb. 2. Lastly the greater that the meanes are which are offered the greater is his mercy toward us and the greater his mercy is the greater obedience he requireth at our hands Hee dealeth not so with every people but if these be rejected of us the greater is our sinne the greater our sinne the greater is his wrath and the greater his wrath the greater shall be our punishment as Luke 12. Luke 12.48 Vnto whomsoever much is given of him shall bee much required and to whom men have committed much of him they will aske the more Thirdly from hence commeth much comfort to weake and troubled consciences as it were light arising out of darkenesse and life springing out of death that finde no worthinesse in themselves that know they owe as desperate debters and poore bankrouts a great summe even ten thousand talents Matth. 18. Matth. 18.24 and yet have not one penny or mite to make paiment and to discharge the debt considering that God offereth his gifts frankly and freely unto us and standeth not as a mercilesse creditor upon our owne satisfaction This putteth us in minde first
of sinne then the former This is the sinne of our time the common sinne of every place yea almost of every person The light is come among us but we love darknesse more then the light and are luke-warme Revel 3.16 as retchlesse men that care not which end goeth forward God will spew out such out of his mouth as evill humours out of the stomacke Salomon teacheth us in the Proverbes that he which is sloathfull in his worke Prov. 18.9 is brother to him that is a great waster so is it with such as are sloathfull in the Lords worke and in their owne duty they are companions and brethren with such as are open and obstinate contemners of the Word and make haste a pace after them they follow them close at the heeles and in short time will overtake them There is such carelesnesse and security every-where in the matters of God among us as if every man were left to doe what he list as if the soule were the least matter of a thousand as if Religion were last of all to be regarded or as if there were no day of account to come hereafter Among those that come to the place of Gods worship many indeed are kept in awe and in order but how and wherefore Is it by any conscience of their duty or by love to the Word Nay nay but for sinister ends some by force of the Law because they feare to be presented some by awe of their Superiours because they would not be thought stubborne some come for custome and fashion sake because it is Sunday some for company of others because they would doe as their honest neighbours doe and love not to be singular some for that they would not be accounted Papists because the State fauoureth them not some lest they should bee esteemed Atheists and so be pointed at with the finger some to please their Parents because they should leave them a better portion some to content their Masters lest they should be thrusted out of their dores or because they hope to gaine by them some to passe away the time because they have nothing else to doe some to meet with their friends and acquaintance because they are loth to spare another day some to meete with their debters because they would demand their money but the fewest number to meet the Lord in his owne Ordinances because they love the habitation of his house and the place where his honour dwelleth Psal 26.8 who hath promised to be in the middest of them that are gathered together in his Name Matth. 18.20 Happy are we if we be in the number of these few If such retchlesse men were left to themselves without any bridle of Law or feare of Superiour and authority of whom we spake before and suffered to doe what they pleased without any checke or controlment we should have our thinne Assemblies a great deale thinner and our streets and fields and houses and Ale-houses fuller-stuffed and thronged then our Churches And this may appeare hereby that notwithstanding we have Lawes and Magistrates and Officers and good examples of the chiefest and principall among us yet they are few a very few in comparison of the rest that are constant and conscionable in their hearing some if their presence and absence were ballanced together the waightier scole would be given to their absence and would waigh downe their presence as being found too light Others albeit they dwell neere enough are starting away at every turne and when they make shew of going to the Churche turne aside another way Others are more carefull to fill the body then to feed the soule who take every even the least occasion to feast with their friends forgetting the feast that God hath prepared in his house and not regarding it though they even starve their owne soules Others are gadding yea madding in a manner after every vanity and doe delight much more in the pleasure of the body then in the profit that commeth to the Spirit Others are weary of the Word as the Israelites that loathed Manna Numb 11.6 Others have hired ground and they must needs goe see it others have bought five yoke of Oxen Luk. 14.18 19. Matth. 22.5 and they must goe to prove them others must visit their Farmes or attend their Marchandise and yet every one must be holden excused though all set light by the Word and runne after their owne wayes like the guests in the Gospell that were bidden to the wedding and to the great Supper God sendeth out his Servants to invite them Come for all things are ready I have prepared my Dinner my Oxen and my fatlings are killed but they neglect the Lords sending to them and his calling of them But what followeth The Lord pronounceth Luke 14.24 I say unto you that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my Supper These are they that are araigned as guilty of the neglect of heavenly things who will sometimes seeme to beare some affection to the house of God but partly their profits and partly their pleasures carry them another way of all which the Prophet speaketh Ier. 48.10 Cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently or deceitfully All these stand under this heauy curse of the Lord and therefore I counsell them to looke to it betimes to seeke the Lord while he may be found and to meet him by unfained repentance while he is here Lastly Contempt of the Word another hinderance to the Kingdome touching the contempt of the Word who seeth not how common it is which notwithstanding is the top of impiety and that many have filled the measure of their sinnes till it be full that the cry of them is come up to heaven If any aske the cause I answer Our great negligence and generall coldnesse have brought this evill upon us and God doth hereby in his deepe and yet just Iudgement revenge our carelesnesse in his Service by giving us over into all prophanenesse The Word of the Lord by which wee shall all be judged at the last Day is so farre from holding men in awe and from having their lives and hearts in subjection that they reject it from them as a needlesse thing and regard it no longer The Minister may teach what he will and threaten as long as he list but these Gallants like Gallio in the Actes of the Apostles Acts 18.17 care for none of those things The time hath beene when the Word hath beene reverenced even by such as were not converted by it nor transformed into the obedience of it yet it hath held them in some awe but now in these our dayes loosenesse and licenciousnesse have generally prevailed in every place and sinne is growne to such an head and height as if the Word were but a Scare-crow and all Religion but a fable We are come to this passe to mocke at zeale and Religion and to contemne the