an Enthusiasme or immediate Revelation but such motives and inducements as were before recited which amounted onely to strong and high probabilities yet sufficient enough in an humble modest heart to produce Faith a certainty of adhaerence though not of evidence and this sufficient to produce acts and operations of Faith to provoke to the obedience of Faith A bruised Reed God will not break nor quench a smoaking Flax Mat. 12.20 if we have but Faith so much as a graine for a little Faith if sound is true Faith of mustard seed let the motives be what they will if this encline and promote obedience the least degree thereof is well pleasing to God he will accept without being furnished with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 full Armour of infallibilities and demonstration Nathaniels Faith had neither Enthusiasme nor demonstration but a Topick or Argument a paribus backed by an humane testimony or report John 1.48 and Christ approved this his Faith and rewarded it with an higher concession of grace ver 30.51 and so Christ accepted Thomas his Faith though enduced by senfible experiments John 20 28. whatsoever the instrument or beginning or motive of beleife be if that work by love and work in us a care and desire to find the truth humility in following and constancy in professing it this shall be our reasonable service of God The third Part the Prayer O Eternall Lord God in whom to beleeve is Eternall life give to us thy grace which may suppresse every motion of infidelity that there be not in us an evill heart of unbeleife and however we be not able to manage the shield of Faith yet perfect thou thy strength in our weaknesse making it mighty through thy power working in us to pull down strong holds cast downe imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the Knowlege of God O holy Jesus the Eternall Word of the Father we beleeve thou hast the Words of Eternall Life Lord help thou our unbeleife and increase our Faith bring into captivity every thought to thine obedience that thy servants and followers may submit to thee our Lord and Master resigning our Vnderstandings to the Truth our Wills to the Goodnesse our Affections to the holinesse of thy Precepts and by Hope depending for satisfaction on thy precious promises O Immortall and all-glorious Spirit sanctifie unto us all those means and methods which are the preparatives and Introductions of Faith that they may be Instrumentall to Principle us in wholesome Doctrine to beget in us a love of the truth and obedience to thy Laws unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead and advance us to further degrees of Knowledge and spirituall Wisedom to the spirit of obsignation the confidence of hope and the assurance of thine eternall love and favour O holy blessed and glorious Trinity to whom belongeth the Kingdom the Power and the Glory throughout all Ages World without end Amen MOSES his Choice Heb. 11.24.25.26 By Faith Moses when he was come to Years refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter c. MOses in his Infancy and Minority being saved and preserved by a miraculous mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in his Minority and riper Years preferred educated and advanced in Pharaohs Court when he had arrived at full maturity and strength of dayes he bethinks himself how to exercise his Princely perfections and accomplishments supposing God had been so good and gracious to him for some great and honourable ends and purposes of mercy and beleeving no better way to imploy those powers then in the service of God the interest and concerments of his Church and People and further conceiving God therefore had delivered him that he might be the Cheif and Principall Instrument of his glory in the Preservation of his Fathers House and the redemption of his Brethren according to the Flesh For By Faith c. The first Part. Q. But why should Moses desert and relinquish Pharaohs Court in which he was so Honourably Educated and Entertained Or why should he deny for so the Vulgar renders it the appellation and title of the Sonne of Pharaohs Daughter who by her tender care and liberall bounty had obliged him Was it not both grosse ingratitude and great incivility thus to sleight her and her high respect Could he not at once be called the Sonne of Pharaohs Daughter and be indeed the Child and Servant of God a Courtier and a Christian Did not Joseph the holy Patriarch before him live both magnificently and religiously in the same Egypt and enjoyed the dignities and wealth thereof And long after this was not Devout Esther Queen to Ahasuerus Daniel and his Associates Nobles to Nebuchadnezzar A. Doubtlesse had not Pharaoh and his Court been implacable and mercilesse Tyrants violent Persecutors of and incorrigible irreconcilable Enemies to the people of God Moses might still have resided in that Court and without any violence to his Religion possessed whatsoever Egypt afforded but in this juncture of time the case was otherwise to be stated then it was when Joseph Esther and Daniel had charge and command under Infidell Princes for these had liberty and opportunities to exercise their Religion to improve and manage their Royall Priviledges and immunities to the behoofe and advantage of their civill and sacred relations whereas Moses must either in a base and unworthy complyance joyn with the Egyptians to vex them whom God had wounded or in a dull sleepy security and Epicurean softnesse neglect the remembrance and afflictions of Joseph and stifle and choke that publike Spirit which God had endowed and enobled him withall for eminent and illustrious atcheivements for besides what is above mentioned Moses had sufficient Authority and Commission to enterprize and undertake the Deliverance of his Hebrew Brethren from the Egyptian Bondage a Command Call and Order from God the Lord of Lords the onely Supreme and so as Pharaohs cruelty did lessen Moses his Obligation of gratitude for he being a Publique Spirit and no pure self-lover every indignity and injury to his Brethren was so to him so Gods command did quite supersede all Obligations to Pharaoh his Daughter or Court both because they were but the Instruments of Gods providence who of Enemies made them Friends and Benefactors and so the highest Obligation was to the principall efficient God and also because a command from God to whom proud Pharaoh was but a mean Subject the Supreme of all doth null and voyd all Orders and Obedience to the Inferiour for though Religion doth not take away or disanull the tyes of Nature and Civility but rather enforce and perfect them yet where their Ruler and Offices are counter-checked by an expresse command or prohibition from God there it is Religion and Duty to wave them and observe the expresse The result then is this That if it come to this passe and point that our temporall preferments and possessions our naturall or civill
and condition wherein Christ his Lord was interested and concerned yet Moses had not onely this motive of Faith to perswade him to this choice but he had another also and that a powerfull one For he had respect also to the recompence of the Reward that is beleeved the Deliverance of his People was approching and they should receive the promised Inheritance the Land of Canaan a Type and Figure of Heaven Q. But what doth Faith Eye temporall Objects or are temporalties as well as spiritualties taken into the cognizance of Faith or is that true Faith which moves for either of these respects could Moses fight the Lords Battells and look for Pay or Recompence Is not this to be a mercinary Souldier no Voluntiere or rather thus to act Is it not to love our selves and the reward not the Lord and his Service Is it not to serve him for Hire not for Duty A. Indeed it is most true That the Glory of God should be both the prime mover and ultimate end of all actions which are truely Religious because all Religion is to be terminated in God yet our immortall soules whose chiefe felicity and complement is the Union and fruition of God may deservedly challenge our secondary and subordinate thoughts and respects both because that in these respects we ayme at God who is our perfection and reward and also because our respects are regular when we take in the intermediate end with order and respect to the last and chiefest For in this case we overlook our selves by Eying an higher and more glorious Object And for this we have warranty both from those Precepts which enstruct us to seek the Kingdom of God to lay up a sure Foundation of good works For the hope of the Eternall Reward to strive with all care to secure our Election Luke 16.9 1 Cor. 9.24 Tit. 2.12.13 Colos 3.23 and also from those great presidents who have practised before us Moses here in this place Saint Paul Phil. 3.11.12 If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the dead Not as though I had already attained either was already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Iesus Our Saviour Christ that grand Exemplar Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Iesus the author and finisher of our Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God And also from good Reason for Qui uult finem nult media and è contra now God commands the means faith and the end of that is salvation 1 Pet. 1.9 Receiving the end of your Faith even the salvation of your soules He commands holinesse of life and the end of that is Eternall life Rom. 6.22 an happy end is a great provocation and encouragement to action and for this end God proposeth to us that most blessed and comfortable end The result is this That to act meerly propter mercedem for an hire is slavish and self-ish but to doe ex intuitu mercedis to look upon the Reward as an incitement and comfort is a most usefull help and so morally necessary to piety and devotion 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Col. 3.24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ 2 Tim. 4.8 Henceforth there is layd up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto them also that love his appearing The Second Part. 1. By Faith For Flesh and Blood would have perswaded Moses to a contrary choice to continuance and residence in Pharaohs Court and if he had consulted with worldly men concerning his Designe if they disliked his Person he would be censured and derided as weak and unpolitick if they had a kindnesse for him they would rebuke him as Peter did our Saviour upon a somwhat like account Be it far from thee Lord This shall not be unto thee Mat. 16.22 But Faith adviseth not with Flesh and Blood neither resolves with the men of this world No it adviseth with the Word of God and resolves with the Church of God and therefore that which the World so much admires and fancies the gallantry and splendor of a Princes Court the Title and Dignity of his Sonne and Favourite the Treasures of his Exchequer he did with great resignation and freedom relinquish and forsake And which is yet more that the World most dislikes and abhorrs poverty persecution ignominy slavery he did with much cheerfulnesse embrace for then he left the powerfull prevailing party and sided with an afflicted and despised people vexed and oppressed with arbitrary impositions and inhumane servitudes See what Faith can doe it can overcome the World it can count all things but losse to be found in Christ It is Faith and nothing but Faith that sets a just estimate and value of things not because currant but because worthy that distinguished betwixt truth and appearances substantiall and fantastick happinesses and so makes a Christiam esteem and adjudge the persecutions of an holy Church an higher preferment then the promotions of a tyrannicall Court that more then Heathenish Law of self-preservation is superseded by Christ Mat. 10.33 Whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven And ver 37.38.39 He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son or Daughter more then me is not worthy of me And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth after me is not worthy of me He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it and so abolished by that Law of Faith which he prescribed 2. By Faith because done in obedience to that Law and Rule of Faith which the Captain and High Priest of our profession had enacted and ordered The main difference betwixt that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 1.3 the Work of Faith which is the fincere observation of Christ precepts and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.15 the work of the Law written in our hearts which is the dictates of a naturall conscience and the common notions of humanity betwixt an act of Grace and that of Nature that the oue is done onely rationally the other obedientially the one is a faculty the other a duty that we performe as man a rationall creature made by God and so his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other as a Christian a devout sworn servant of Jesus Christ who hath brought into captivity every thought even the most rationall most excellent thought or suggestion of Nature to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor.
be burnt neither shall the flames kindle upon thee Isay 43.2 Againe know assuredly That if by Mortification and true Repentance thou quench the fiery burning flames of sinfull lusts and concupiscences thou shalt escape the scorching flames of Hell fire the portion of the wicked Psal 11.6 and the everlasting burnings thereof These are the great deliverances the lesser they follow but very considerable ones too For it follows They escaped the edge of the Sword the Destroying Bloody Sword passing through a Land This may be exemplified in severall instances David senced off the stroke of Sauls Sword 1 Sam. 26. Elijah the Sword of Ahab 1 Kings 19. Elisha the whole strength of the King of Syriahs Army 2 Kings 6. But when they could not escape thus then they proved Valiant and Victorious for so well were they exercised and experienced that as it is expressed soon after They waxed valiant in fight and turned to flight the Armies of Aliens Neque comitatu legionibus sucoincti communem cum multis Victoriam sed nuda virtute animi singularem de perfidis retulerunt triumphum Ambrose lib. 1. Off. cap. 35. Not by multitudes and numbers but by cleare resolution and gallantry Both which are evidenced in Ioshua Gideon and the succeeding Iudges In David Asa Ichosaphat Kings of Iudah 1 Sam. 14. 2 Chron. 14.12.13 30.24 If God arise the most terrible preparations deepest policies and best furnished strength proves invalid Psal 68.1 Isay 8.9.10 But here is one Deliverance more which though we have over-leapt yet we must not passe by it for its the ground of all the fore-going And that is this Out of weaknesse were made strong Some indeed Expound it Of bodily frailties and infirmities they have recovered from dangerous and tormenting diseases whereof Hezekiah is a strong proofe Isay 38. Convaluit de infirmitate A deadly distemper had seized on him and nothing but Faith and the Prayer of Faith prevailed for his recovery this saves the sick Iames 5.15 Maet 8.13 But I conceive it may justly be understood of all kind of desperate straites dissiculties and hazards when they were at a losse not knowing which way to turne Faith findes them a way directed and established them So Iunius enclines and therefore because so the word is used Rom. 4.20 reads thus the words In rebus infirmissimis divinitus fuerunt confirmati When all was thought to be gone and the businesse done Faith fayled them not but supplyed them with hope resolution and courage And so Saint Chrysostome refers this to the reduction of the Iewes out of the Babilonish Captivity which was when their ease was desperate if we look onely at their then condition their state and juncture of affaires which the Church also Celebrated accordingly and acknowledged Psal 126.1 When the Lord turned againe the Captivity of Zion we were like them that Dreame And so Theophilect in loc applying hereunto Ezekiels Vision of the Dead Bones Ezek. 37.1.2 c. But Lastly The last Enemy Death is yet to be destroyed And this also Faith hath done and that not by the Faith of the stronger party but of the weaker Vessell For it thus lyes Women received their dead raysed to life againe weak women strong in Faith obtained great favours witnesse the widow of Sarephath or Sarepta 1 Kings 17.22 Luke 4.26 for although this high favour might seem to be the immediate effect of Elijahs Prayer and this vertue to proceed from his Devotion yet the widows Faith acted her part and concurred in the production of this effect And herein her Faith was evident that it obliged her with her small stock and pittance to supply the Prophets present necessity being assured that God even in that Famine would releive her and recompence her Charity So that her Faith was the Causa protataretica the externall moving and primitively provoking Cause that which both moved Elijah to entercede and enclined God to be more favourable to his Petition even because she through her Faith working by love was subjectum capax a proper subject to receive such a mercy And this also is seconded and confirmed by the Shunamites Son twice received Once when life was given him 2 Kings 4.17 And then again when restored to her in the 36.37 Versos after Death her Charitable Devotion issuing from Faith obtained this double Concession This the Psalmist declareth Psal 116.8 For thou hast delivered my Soule from Death mine Eyes from teares and my Feet from falling And Saint Paul experimented 2 Cor. 1.9.10 But we bad the sentence of Death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which rayseth the Dead Who delivered us from so great a Death and doth deliver In whom we trust that he will yet deliver us But good Works have usually the fate to be mis-interpreted good men to be flandered and a good cause to be persecuted and hated Because I follow that which good is saith David therefore evill men pursue me with deadly hatred And the Apostle fully satisfies us herein in that positive definition or Aphorisme They that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution that is from absurd and unreasonable men The world hated Christ and hated all his it persecuted them and still persecutes them In the World ye shall have tribulation was our Saviours prediction to his Disciples not as they are single Persons but as Disciples And hereupon it follows That eminent Professors are eminent Sufferers famous as well for their Passive as Active Obedience and Recorded as well as made glorious by their patience and perseverance in their most shamefull and painfull executions Q. But who were these others Were they distinct Persons from the former mentioned Worthics or the same A. Indeed many conceive those others to relate to the severall Prophets succeeding Samuel who was before nominated and particularly instance in Micaiah 1 Kings 22.25.26.27 who was smitten by the false Prophet Zedekiah and after imprisoned by Ahabs order unto Amen the Governour of the City And in Ieremiah who for the same imaginary Malignancy suffered the like punishment for the latter part of it Ier. 38.6 And in Zachariah 2 Chron. 24 2â— And in Isaiah whom the Jows report to have been sawne asunder or in pieces by expresse order from Manasses And those who are said here to have wardred c. are upon this way supposed to be David who is said to be hunted by Saul as a Partridge in the Mountaines 1 Sam. 26.20 And Elijah who upon Jezebels threatning fled to Beer-sheba 1 Kings 19.3 And of those Prophets which Obediah concealed 1 Kings 18.3 Yet with some other Interpreters I rather beleeve That the Apostle was more methodicall in his Induction then thus to goe back and forth off and on And these Reasons seems thus to perswade me 1. The Apostle had formerly spoken of David Samuel and the Prophets and after the mention of them this Relative Particle others follows so that this others seems