thereof and profane men who make no scruple of ill-doing live in prosperitie and l Psal 10.3 boast of their hearts desire But Many are the Evils of the Righteous XII What is the Church of God but the Congregation of righteous men Wicked men are in the Church but they are not of the Church as Lice Fleas Wormes are in the body and are ingendred of the corruption thereof but are no part of the body therefore the Church is called m Deu. 33.5 IESURUN that is the Righteous or the Vpright when it is said of Moses that he was a king in Iesurun i. amongst the upright n Ier. 8.22 Is there no balme in Gilead is there no Physician there If there be none there where shall ye seek them If there be no righteous men in the Church where shall ye finde them It is true that it may be often excepted against the Church considered by great and in the multitude that o Deut. 32.15 IESURUN the upright waxed fat and kicked that when he was growne big fat and thicke he forsooke God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rocke of his salvation p Matt. 20.15 for many be called but few be chosen And these which are chosen have their owne moles and blemishes they are q Isa 48.8 all transgressours from the wombe But if they be compared with other men they are terrestriall Angels and celestiall men as Chrysostome called Paul And we may say in that respect with the Prophet Habakkuk that r Habak 1.13 the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than hee Notwithstanding that the congregation of righteous men the Church of God the deare spouse of our Lord Iesus Christ is so vexed and turmoiled with evils that her God husband nameth her by them as if they were her christned name calling upon her and saying Å¿ Esa 54.11 Oh thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted So that not only this or that righteous man but the whole companie of the righteous if they were to make choice of a Liverie might take for their device the Gules or red colour or as wee use here in England the red Crosse which is the right badge whereby Christ will have his followers to be known saying unto them and of them t Matt. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse and follow me And if they were to seeke a word to their device amongst thousands which may be found they shall finde none fitter or at least truer than this Many are the afflictions of the Righteous XIII What then were it not better to send a bill of divorce to righteousnesse and bid it farewell that wee may be eased of these many evils for to the righteous the Lord hath said v Ioh. 16.20 Ye shall weepe and lament but of the wicked he saith The world shall reioyce Is not rejoycing better than weeping Is it not better to feast with Herod and to dance with Herodias daughter than to fast to lye in prison and to lose the head for righteousnesse sake with Iohn Baptist The world doth so because the world judgeth so But yee welbeloved know both by your fathers and your owne experience that x Psal 58.11 verily there is fruit for the righteous he hath his reward within himselfe a ful pleasure and delight in the peace of an upright conscience y Pro. 15.15 which is a continuall feast hee liveth in this present World a Tit. 2.12 godly towards God who is the most excellent object that his minde can chuse and most worthie to be loved praised and served in heart words and deeds Righteously towards his neighbour who is his owne flesh and to the purchasing of whose good he is bound by the bands of nature and inward suggestion of his owne conscience Soberly in his owne person to whom he oweth a decent and respectuous care that he never do anie thing misbecoming a man unbeseeming a Christian and unworthy of the ranke wherein God hath placed him For whom shall he not neglect if hee neglect his owne honestie and whom shall he respect if he respect not his owne honour Living so he hath b 1. Tim. 6.6 godlinesse with contentment which is great gaine for c Esa 32.17 the worke of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever But d Esa 57.21 there is no peace to the wicked saith my God And in the end of the world when the Lord Iesus shall come e Mat. 3.12 with his Fanne in his hand and throughly purge his floore then he will gather his Wheat into the Garner but will burne up the chaffe with unquenchable fire f Matt. 25.32 c. Then in his most righteous judgement he will sunder the good from the lewd the upright from the froward the righteous from the wicked Then he shall set the righteous on his right hand and the wicked on the left Then then by the power of the unchangeable sentence of his most righteous mouth all the wicked shall depart from him into everlasting fire and all the righteous shall goe into eternall life The wicked to burne eternally with the Divell the righteous to reigne for ever and ever with their Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Therefore g Hos 10.12 sow to your selves in righteousnesse and ye shall reape in mercy contentment peace joy eternall life through the merites of our Lord Iesus Christ to whom with the Father the holy Ghost be all power honour and glory world without end Amen SERMON II Of the many evils of the Righteous man PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. THe Righteous man hath the evils of sinne and of punishment 2 The evill of sin is worse than the evill of punishment 3 The righteous man hath fewer sinnes and lesse sinfull than the wicked man yet hee hath mo Evils of punishment 4 He is slandered of heresie and blasphemy against God whereof there are many examples in the ancient Church 5 And in ours 6 Hee is also slandered of rebellion against the high powers and of all the evills that are in the world So it was 7 So it is 8 Hence all kind of Evills come upon him 9 Whereof Iob is a very cleere example 10 Vnder the Old Testament the faithful were tried by losse of goods 11 By many afflictions in their bodies 12 And by shamefull reproaches 13 The Christians also have beene tryed after the same maner with losse of goods 14 And of their lives 15 Namely under ten heavie persecutions 16 Great cruelties practised against the Reformed Churches of Germany and of France 17 Exhortation to pray for the peace of the Church 1. THe Righteous mans Evills are of two kinds The evills which he doth the evils which he suffereth In the Schools we call them l Malum culpae malum
the promise which God made to David saying a Psal 89.30 31 32 33 34. If his children forsake my Law and walke not in my iudgements If they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements Then will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquitie with stripes Neverthelessâ— my louing kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnes to fail my covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Thence it was that Davids children were often chastened ever delivered that good Kings succeeded bad that many afflâ—â—tions were followed with notable deliveries that seventy yeares of captivitie ended in a most glorious and wonderfull libertie that the foure hundred yeares following had sadnesse seasoned with joy teares mingled with laughter speares changed into sithes swords beaten into mattockes prayers in the time of persecution ending in thankesgiving for peace untill the land being destitute and void of righteous men vomited out for ever and ever all her inhabitants for wheresoever are righteous men there Many are the evills of the Righteous But the Lord delivereth him out of them all III. The Christian Church hath succeeded both to the evills and deliveries of the Church of Israel and of Iuda as the Lord himselfe hath experimented in his own person and hath forewarned us b 1. Pet. 3.18 He was put to death in the flesh Many are the evills of the Righteous He was quickned by the Spirit The Lord delivereth him out of them all He saith to us c Ioh. 16.10 Verely verely I say unto you that yee shall weep and lament but the world shall reioice And yee shall bee sorrowfull but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy Ye shall bee sorrowfull because many are the evills of the Righteous your sorrow shall be turned into joy because the Lord delivereth him out of them all I have declared to you how many evils the Christian Church suffred at divers times by ten bloody persecutions by false brethren by the wicked heresie of Arrius But by divers means the Lord delivered her out of them all At last the Antichrist is come according to the Scriptures and the prophecie of the revelation concerning d Rev. 11.7 c. the two witnesses of God hath been fulfilled where it is said that the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit shall make warre against them and shall overcome them and kill them that their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great Citie three daies and a half that the people and nations shall see them and shall not suffer them to be put in graves that they that dwell upon the earth shall reioice over them and make merry and shal send gifts one to another because these two Prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth That after three dayes and an halfe the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and great feare fell upon them which saw them and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them Alas what evils hath not the beast practised against these two witnesses against the little handfull of those which professed the Gospel of Christ How often hath she fought vanquished killed them How often also hath God raised them from the dead in their successors what was this last peace of France but a most wonderfull resurrection The world for the first draught filleth a cup of good wine but after that it giveth nothing to drinke but poison of dragons and the cruell venome of aspes Contrariwise the e Ioh 2.10 Lord Iesus giveth the best wine last Hee f Iob 5.18 maketh sore to bind up he woundeth to make whole g 1. Sam. 2.6 He killeth to make alive Hee bringeth men downe to the grave that hee may bring them up againe Weeping h Psal 30.5 may endure for a night but singing cometh in the morning i Psal 126.6 They that sow in teares shall reap in ioy He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtlesse come againe with reioycing bringing his sheaves with him As in Musicke contrary voices give a pleasant sound by a discordant concord make a most delectable harmonie So these alterations and interchanges of evill good in our lives make the pleasures more acceptable when God sendeth them when after that the righteous man hath beene shaken and tossed with afflictions The Lord delivereth him out of them all IIII. He which doeth this worke is the LORD his worke is deliverance he whom hee delivereth is the righteous man The Evils out of which he delivereth him are all the evils which befall him Adde to these the maner how and the time when he delivereth the righteous man out of all his evils ye shall have six principall heads of doctrine to be handled in the exposition of the second part of this text V. The deliverer of the Church is the LORD The Hebrew word is IEHOVAH which is Gods Name The use of names is to put distinction betweene things that are of one kind and therefore when Iacob asked of God what was his Name he rebuked him saying Wherefore l Gen. 32.29 is it that thou doest aske after my Name The Iews say that he would not tell him his Name because the tongue of a mortall man neither should nor can expresse it For that same cause say they when Manoah Samsons father desired to know his Name he repressed his curiositie with this answer m Iudg. 13.17 18. Why askest thou after my Name seeing it is wonderfull But to speak properly he hath no Name because hee is alone and there are no other gods with him His Name is his owne selfe and therefore wonderfull above all wondering And so he would have Iacob and Manoah who tooke him for one of the Angels to think of him But when Moses asked by what name hee should call him when he should speak of him unto the children of Israel he commanded him to say unto them EHEIE n Exo d. 3 14. hath sent me unto you which word in our Bibles is translated IAM In the greeke of the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that is which Plato learned in Syria called him o Iustin Cohortat ad Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which is It is the first person of the future tense and may be translated He that shall be God spake further unto Moses p Exod. 3.15 Thus shalt thou say un-the Children of Israel IEHOVAH the God of your fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob hath sent me unto you This is my Name for ever and this is my Memoriall unto all ages So God called himselfe and so q Exod. 4.30 Moses named him to the people and to r Exod. 5.1 2. Pharao who hearing the Name which he never heard before answered Who is IEHOVAH I
thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with the Angels of his power We must apply this comfort to us for we shall never be without enemies But we have our warranter and protector in heaven who fore warnes us not only of their enterprises but also of their overthrow c Esa 54.15 16 17. Behold saith he they shall surely gather together but not by me whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake Behold I have created the Smith that bloweth the coales in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his worke And I have created the destroyer to destroy No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in iudgement shou shalt condemne This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousnesse of me saith the Lord. IX The Church is an Anvile which hath broken in peeces many hammers Or as Zechariah saith d Zach. 12.3 it is a burdensome stone for all people all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it Where are now the foure Monarchies which persecuted the Church Hath not e Dan. 2.34 35 44 45. the stone cut out of the mountaine without hands hath not the Church of Christ the Church which is come downe from Gods holy mountaine even from heaven the Church which is not the work of any man but of God the Church which is but like a little stone in the eyes of the world hath not this little stone broken them all to peeces and consumed them like chaffe which the wind carryeth away But it is become a great mountaine which filleth the whole earth It is a spirituall kingdome which the Lord of heaven hath set up and therefore shall never bee destroyed God said to mount Seir to the people of Edom the children of Esau Because thou hast had a perpetuall hatred and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity in the time that their iniquity had an end Therefore as I live saith the Lord God Ezech. 35.5 I will prepare thee unto blood and blood shall pursue thee sith thou hast not hated blood blood shall pursue thee Have any of the Massacrers of our fathers prospered How many wonderfull judgements of God upon them and their children might I relate unto you if time could permit The gaggers have beene gagged and strangled with wormes bursting out of their stinking throates those which imbrued their hands with innocent blood have swumme in their owne blood the children of persecuters were seene begging at the doores of your fathers whom their fathers had spoiled Many pursued by the divell did runne up and downe like mad men crying that they were damned because they had persecuted the Church and shed innocent blood Then the Church sang to God g Psal 92.5 6 7 8 9 10 11. O LORD how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deepe A brutish man knoweth not neither doth a foole understand this when the wicked springs as the grasse and when all the workers of iniquity doe flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever but thou O LORD art most high for evermore for loe thine enemies O LORD for loe thine enemies shall perish All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered but my horne shalt thou exalt like the horne of the Vnicorne c. X. The author of the booke of Wisedome saith that h Sap. 6.5 sharpe iudgement shall be to them that be in high places And experience teacheth that the iudgements of God on them have beene most sharpe conspicuous and wonderfull i 1. King 21.19 22.38 In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth which Achab shed there they licked Achabs blood Proud k 2. King 9.35 36. Iezabel after she had slain the Prophets of the Lord was eaten by dogs Neither was there left in the family of Achab so much as a dogge that pissed against the wall In the beginning of the twenty seaventh chapter following our text the Prophet saith that l Esa 29.1 in that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent even Leviathan that crooked serpent and hee shall slay the dragon that is in the sea He calleth so the Kings of Assyria and of Babylon which were the most cruell subtile and venemous persecuters of his Church Consider and see how he punished them m 2. King 19. Senacharib was slaine by his owne sonnes in the house of Nisroch his God And n Herodot Euterp◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after his death the Egyptians whom he had oppressed erected unto him an image of stone with this inscription Whosoever looketh upon me let him feare God His third son Esar Haddon was slaine by Merodach Baladan who transported the Empire from Nimveh in Assyria to Babylon in Chaldea o Dan 5.1 Belshazzar the first and last of Merodaches race was killed among the goblets and dishes and in the midst of his Courtiers and Concubines whilest he was blaspheming the name of God the Monarchie was by Cyrus and Darius translated to the Medes and Persians p 2. Macc. 9.9 Antiochus Epiphanes famous for his most unnaturall and barbarous cruelty against the Church of the Iewes was smitten with the incurable and remedilesse sicknesse of wormes and lice which rising up out of his bowells and all the parts of his body consumed his flesh with many and strange torments and such a stinking smell that he himselfe could not abide it Thus dying a most miserable death hee left his Realme to his children amongst whom God sent the Spirit of division and discord which left them never in peace till they were consumed one by another XI Herodées q Ioseph Antiquit. Iudaic. lib. 17. cap. 8. Idem de bello Iudaico lib. 1. ca. 21. murtherer of the children of Bethelem through the righteous judgement of God became parricide of his owne children and at last after he had been long tortured with a cholike passion and unspeakeable torments in his entrails and all disfigured with the dropsie and scurfe wherwith his whole body was spread over was gnawen by swarmes of lice and worms which bursting forth out of those parts of his body which naturall shame commanded him to hide and dolefull necessitie constrained him to discover made him a most filthy and stinking spectacle to his Courtiers and a most loathsome guest to himselfe r Ioseph Autiq. lib. 18. cap. 9. Herodés Antypas who beheaded Iohn Baptist was relegated to Lion with his incestuous wife Herodias and ended there his wicked life by a wretched and miserable death Å¿ Euseb hâ—st
but the evill which I would not that I doe Whereof the Apostle rendreth this reason writing to the Galathians b Gal. 5.17 for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that yee cannot doe the things that yee would teaching most cleerely that the sinnes of the spirituall man come from his weakenesse and not from his will otherwise they should be sinnes of malice and not of infirmitie I conclude then that if mans righteousnesse be strictly examined in the balance of the Law there never was and c Eccles 7.20 there is not a iust man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not saving our Lord Iesus Christ who through the prerogative of his immaculate conception by the wonderfull operation of the holy Spirit was d Rom. 8.3 in the likenesse of sinfull flesh e Heb. 7.26 holy harmelesse undefiled separate from sinners and for that cause is called f Act. 3.14 the Righteous that title belonging only to him in that respect 1. Ioh. 2.1 VI. But what godly men cannot claime to themselves in the rigorous strictnesse of the Law that they finde in Gods mercifull acceptation and in the modification of his blessed Gospel wherein he entitleth his beloved children with this honourable name of Righteous men judging of them not by the imperfect perfection of their righteousnesses g Esa 64.6 which are as filthy ragges but by their affection and earnest endevour to be such as they should and which they strive with might and maine to be h Phil. 3.7 13 14. forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth to those things which are before and so pressing toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus For God who sheweth himselfe in the Law clothed with the majestuous and inexorable severitie of a Iudge representeth himselfe in the Gospel as a Father arrayed with meekenesse and mercy regarding the willingnesse of his children rather than anie perfection which may besought but shall not be found in their obedidience so long as they are in the way to their home For in the faithfull and true Christian there are two men i Ephes 4.22 24. The old man which we carry with us from our mothers womb when we are first borne and the new man which is given to us when wee are borne againe That man is Satans worke and the bitter fruit of the rebellion of the first Adam This man is the worke of Gods Spirit and the sweet fruit of the obedience of the second Adam That man is corrupt by deceitfull lusts and therefore is ever busied in drawing us away from goodnesse and entising us to evill This man is created after God in righteousnesse and true holinesse and is ever thrusting us forward from evill to good That man is strong and mightie This man is feeble and withstandeth with great difficultie That man though very powerfull hard to be overcome waxeth old and decayeth from day to day untill he be altogether destroyed This man increaseth every day in might and vigour and like the people of Israel when they were upon their journey ascending to appeare before God in Sion goeth k Psal 84.7 from strength to strength till he come l Ephes 4.13 unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. So that man is at the last subdued overthrowne and killed by this man as the monstrous Gyant Goliah was by little David That man where he reigneth bringeth forth for fruit m Rom. 6.21 22. shame and his end is death This man hath his fruit in holinesse and his end is everlasting life From hence it is that God when he is to speake and make us know what account he maketh of his servants considereth them not according unto those relickes of the old man whose strength is weakened and whose life decayeth and dyeth every day to call them Sinners and wicked ones but for his n Phil. 1.6 owne good workes sake which he hath begun in them and will performe untill the day of Iesus Christ calleth them Saints Righteous Perfect For the Divels worke in us is not so considerable to defame us publikely with the disgracefull name of Sinners and wicked men as Gods worke is to grace us with the honourable title of Saints and Righteous men namely seeing the Lord maintaineth setteth forward performeth his own good work at length destroyeth Satans work in us as I have said What wonder then if he qualifieth us with titles of honour according as we are already shall be hereafter for ever and ever through his power and grace and not according as Satan hath made us and as wee shall not be alwayes for evermore For this cause it is written that o Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Iacob neyther hath he seene perversenesse in Israel Not that there is none but because p Mich. 7.18 he pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant if his heritage covering it with the precious robe of the righteousnesse of his deare Son q Col. 1.22 in whom he hath made us holy unblameable unreproveable and r Coloss 2.10 complete in his own fight And therefore righteous and perfect in Christ of unrighteous and uncomplete in our selves VII The man whom God calleth righteous in this sense is pourtrayed by the holy Spirit as well negatively as affirmatively David saith of him negatively that Å¿ Psal 1.1 he walketh not in the counsaile of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seate of the scornefull and t Psal 119 3. doth no iniquitie S. Iohn saith that v 1. Ioh. 3.6 9. bee sinneth not or as he explaineth himselfe doth not commit sinne that is to say he sinneth not with pleasure and content Whereof the holy Apostle rendreth two reasons for the first he saith that he that committeth sinne is of the Divell he is Satans bond slave for the Divell sinneth from the beginning he hath ever beene is and shall be busied in ill doing Therefore whosoever sinneth as he doth is his and not Gods But the righteous man is delivered out of his clawes through our Lord Iesus Christ the Sonne of God x Vers 8. who for this purpose was manifested that he might destroy the workes of the Divell His second reason is this y Vers 9. Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne for his seed the seed of his predestination and of his Spirit remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because he is borne of God a Bern. de natuâ—â digai tat amoâ— c. 6. Piccatum patitur potius quà m facit quiex Deo natur est Bernard saith That he rather suffereth sinne than committeth it According to that saying of the Apostle b Rom. 7.20 If I doe that I
over it the vaile of silence and make here a pause ending this action with hearty prayers to God for the peace and prosperitie of Ierusalem O Lord our God thou hast fed us with ashes for bread thou hast given us teares to drinke in great measure Thou hast beene angry against our prayers we have cryed unto thee and thou hast not listened unto our supplications But now O Lord but now turne thine eare unto us and turne our hearts unto thee Cause thy face to shine upon us and we shall be saved through the merits of our onely Saviour Iesus Christ to whom with thee and the holy Ghost bee all honour and glory both now and for ever Amen SERMON III. Of the righteous mans Evills PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. HOw Christ was upbraided and dishonoured in his death 2 As likewise the holy Apostles and the first Christians 3 How our brethren are abused in Spaine and elsowhere 4 The righteous mans evills tread one another on the heeles 5 He hath many enemies which are the cause of the great number of his evills 6 His greatest enemies are his neerest kinsmen 7 All kind of persons were enemies to Christ 8 And to his Apostles and their disciples 9 All kind of men are enemies to the Church of our time 10 Hence come the inward evills which disquiet the righteous man 11 The righteous is persecuted unrighteously 12 Howsoever his persecuters iudge or speake otherwayes 13 The vanitie of many accusations set on foot against him 14 The iniquity of the Iudges proceeding against him 15 How these which live in peace as we in England may be said to have many evills 16 Exhortation to thankfulnesse and godlinesse of life I. THat which is most grievous to the righteous man in all the evills whereof I have spoken is the upbraiding disgrace and shame wherewith hee is exercised For whereas all criminalls finde pitty and commiseration in those that behold them who either accompany their death with teares or behold it with silence The faithfull and the righteous man can neither live nor die but he shall be followed with opprobrious hues and cryes o Gen. 21. v. 9. Ismael mocked Isaac that is according to Pauls exposition p Gal 4. v. 29. persecuted him When the Apostle faith that q Heb. 11. v. 26. Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt he giveth us to understand that the Church hath beene from the beginning subject to contempt defamations taunts and dishonour for Christs sake It was of Christ that Isaiah prophesied r Isa 8. v. 18 Heb. 2. v. 13 Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signes and for wonders in Israel of him first and then of his children He was upbraided in his life time with the nicke-names of a seducer a drunkard a glutton a sorcerer and of Beelzebub the Prince of the divells but he was most outragously mocked in his death In Å¿ Luk. 22. v. 64. Caiphas house they blindfolded him they strooke him on the face they asked him saying Prophecye Who is it that smote thee In t Luk. 23. v. 11. Herods Court he was set at naught mocked and arrayed in a white gorgeous robe as a foole In v 28 29 30. Pilats common hall the souldiers stripped him u Mat. 27. to put on him a skarlet robe and when they had platted a crowne of thornes they put it upon his head with a reede in his right hand then they bowed the knee before him and mocked him crying Haile King of the Iewes then they spat upon him and took the reed and smote him on the head In Golgotha where hee was crucified betweene two theeves as if he had beene a malefactor they that passed by reviled him and wagged their heads saying x v. 39.40 41 42 43 44 46 47. Thou that destroyest the Temple and buildest it in three dayes save thy selfe If thou be the Sonne of God come downe from the crosse likewise the chiefe Priests the Scribes and Elders mocking him said y He saved others himselfe he cannot save If he be the King of Israel let him now come downe from the crosse and we will beleeve him He trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him The theeves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth Last of all some of them perverted his words saying that he called for Elias when he prayed Eli Eli My God my God c. Then was fulfilled that which he spake by David saying y Psal 21. v. 6 7 8. I am a worme and no man a reproach of men and despised of the people All they that see me laugh me to scorn they shoote out the lip they shake the head saying He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him II. His children his holy Apostles received no better entertainement of the men of the world for what were they but a 1 Cor. 4. v. 9 13. a spectacle unto the world to Angels and to men Complaine they not that they were made as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things walking b 2. Cor. 6. v. 8 9. by honour and dishonour by evill report and good report as deceivers and yet true as unknowne and yet well knowne The Apostles disciples fared they better No no. The Apostle writeth of the Hebrews that c Heb. 10. v. 33. they were made a gazing stocke by reproaches and afflictions which I take literally for we know that the custome was to draw Christians to the threatres and publike play-houses to carry them ridiculously disguised from scaffold to scaffold for a shew to set them on pillories to disgrace them and then to cast them naked to the Lyons to be dismembred and devoured in the eyes of the people which delighting insuch spectacles were accustomed to cry d Tertul. Apologet. cap. 40. Christianos ad Leonem The Christians to the Lyon Tantos ad unum So many to one saith Tertullian e Ioid. cap. ultima Ad LenoneÌ„ damnando Christianam potius quam ad Leonem c. Ambe tom 3. serm 90. Euseb hiâ—t Ecâ—l lib. 8. cap. 11. And because the Governours and Magistrates perceived that to Christian women the defiling of their chastitie was more horrible and grievous than all kinds of torments and most exquisite deaths they condemned them rather to serve bawdes in stewes than to be torne by Lyons which many of them prevented by killing of themselves f Ibid. c. 9. Others they stript Aug. de civ Dei l. 1. c. 26. and tying them by one foot hoised them up in the ayre their heads downeward and letting them hang so while they died made of their naked bodies a most filthie and cruell spectacle to all those that passed by g Ibid. c. 12. Of some
betwixt man and beastes as betwixt the serpent and man the like disagreement and farre greater is betwixt the righteous and the wicked man for p Pro. 29.27 an uniust man is an abomination to the iust and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked These contrary inclinations had their beginning with the world and shall not have an end untill the worlds end God is justice and righteousnesse it selfe and the divell professed enmity against him from the beginning What wonder then if he bee an enemy to the righteous man who is but Gods creature As soone as man was created he seduced and supplanted him Then God proclaimed unreconcileable warre betweene them saying to the divell who was shrowded under the shape of a serpent q Gen 3.15 I will put enmity betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seede and her seed It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele The serpents seed is the brood of wicked men which have beene from the beginning namely those which persecute the Gospell The seede of the woman is our Lord Iesus Christ with the whole band of righteous men Iohn saw a battel in heaven r Rev. 12.17 Michael and his Angels fought against the dragon and the dragon fought and his Angells Iesus Christ who onely is this Michael because he onely is like unto God and his Angels and Saints fought against the divell and all the hellish rabble of wicked men and of divells like unto himselfe There is no manifest cause knowne of the Antipathies and contrarietie of dispositions which are in nature but the causes of disagreement betweene the righteous and unrighteous man are knowne They flow from contrary springs and therefore their affections their actions their effects their ends are contrary Are not God and the divell enemies The wicked man Å¿ 1. Ioh. 3.8 is of the divell the righteous man t Ver 9. is borne of God Hence it is that the children beare out their fathers quarrell the wicked is hud-winked with ignorance v Ioh. 16.3 He knoweth no the Father nor the Sonne neither will hee know them x Psal 36.3 he will not learne to be wise that he may doe good y Ioh. 17.8 The righteous man knoweth surely that Christ is come out from the Father and beleeveth that the Father hath sent him a Rom 8 5 The wicked is after the flesh and therefore he minds the things of the flesh The righteous being after the spirit minds the things of the spirit The wicked mans workes are b Gal. 5.19 20 21. the workes of the flesh which are these Adultery fornication uncleannesse lasciviousnesse idolatry witcheraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murthers drunkennesse reuilings and such like The righteous mans works are c Ve. 22 23 the fruits of the spirit that is to wit Love ioy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance Where there is so great a contrarietie and repugnancie of affections of actions of workes what wonder if there be great enmitie The righteous man is light in the Lord and d Ioh. 3.20 every man that doth evill hateth the light neither commeth to the light lest his deedes should bee discovered for that cause hee hateth the righteous man as the Pharisees hated Iesus Christ because hee reprooved them of their vices The righteous man likewise hateth the wicked e Psal 139.21 22. Doe I not hate them O Lord saith David that hate thee and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with perfect hatred I count them mine enemies When heat and cold moisture and drought hardnesse and softnesse light and darknesse shall leaue off to bee at variance then then shall the righteous and wicked man ioyne hands and enter into confederacy one with another f 2. Cor. 6.14 15 16. for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse and what concord hath Christ with Beliall and what part hath he that beleeveth with an Infidell and what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idolls In this discord there is this notable difference that the righteous man hateth rather the vice than the person of the wicked and seeketh by prayers to God by exhortations admonitions good examples to convert him whereas the wicked hateth both the vertues and the person of the righteous and seeketh to destroy him III. From thence it is that assoone as a man begins to apply his mind and heart unto righteousnesse Satan and the wicked world conspire to undoe him for like as g Dan. 3.16 17 18. Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury and the forme of his visage was changed against Shadrac Meshac and Habednego when to his face they refused to fall downe and worship the image which he had made and commanded that the furnace wherein they were to bee cast should bee kindled seuen times more than it was wont to be heat even so assoon as a man begins to draw his neck out of Satans coller to shunne the company of wicked men to draw neere unto God by repentance and newnesse of life and to register his name in the Church booke that he may be saved in the communion of the Saints Satan sets all his malice on a flame to devoure him and the wicked rush upon him with bill and claw to teare him in peeces For as theeves breake not into an house where there is nothing but straw hay stubble but onely into such places where there is gold silver precious stones and rich furniture so the divell and his limbes heede not rascals and scurvie fellowes but if any man bee a worshipper of God and doth his will they lye in waite secretly as a Lyon in his denne they hide the snare in his way they crouch they stoope to catch him into their net As soone as Christ was borne h Mat. 2.16 Herod became out of his wits seeking to slay him to teach us that as soon as we become Christians by a spirituall birth wee shall not have want of Herods to seeke our lives As soone as the i Rev. 12.3 c. red dragon saw rhe woman with child travelling in her birth and ready to be delivered hee stood before her that he might devoure her childe as soon as it was borne but her child being caught up unto God and she taking her selfe to her wings to save her life by flying into the wildernes he cast out of his mouth a floud of water to drowne her What was this vision but a type of the Church against whom the divell stirreth up a world of wicked men as so many waves of an overflowing river to swallow her up when after a long barrennesse she conceiveth againe and brings foorth children to God Then ye heare nothing amongst those blood thirstie butchers but crying k Ier. 11 19 Let us destroy the tree with the
thy chastening was upon them Look what the biting collyre is to the pinne in the eyes the scorching cauter to the headache and catharres the sharpe pricking of the Surgeons launcet bitter physick to a continual fever the Creuset and the fire to gold and silver the same are afflictions to the righteous mans sinnes which are a suffusion and web upon the eie of the mind a theume choaking Gods Spirit suffocating the heart the Pleurisie pestilent fever of the soule the dross tin of all godly affections So a Num. 12 1 2 10. Miriam was healed of her pride by leprosie So b 2. Sam. 12.11 David learned to be chaste by the incests of his owne sons so Ionas learned obedience in the Whales bellie So c Luk. 1.20 Zacharias by the losse of his speech was cured of his incredulity taught not to open his mouth in time to come but to praise and blesse the Lord his God So the whole Church of Iuda d Lev. 26.4 was humbled under the mightie hand of God and accepting of the punishment of her iniquitie learned to say with heart and mouth e Micah 7.9 I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him So the Churches of France by these last troubles were brought low and taught to walke in Gods presence with feare and trembling for howsoever they were innocent of the crime of rebellion laid to their charge their vanitie their ambition their pride their filthie covetousnesse their loathing of the Gospel their securitie was become so exceeding great that God could not beare with them any longer They trusted in their little paltrie holds and forts which they had raised as high as the clouds and said not onely in their hearts as Edom did but with their mouths also f Obad. 3. Who shall bring us downe to the ground The Lord heard the words of their pride in the turning of an hand turned them topsie turvie leaving onely some ruines as traces of his indignation whereby their Children may know that there dwelt their Fathers Then wee acknowledged then we said g Pro. 18.10 The Name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe For this cause S. Peter calleth Persecutions h 1. Pet. 4.17 Gods iudgements Christ calleth them i Rev. 3.19 his chastisements and S. Paul giveth the one and the other name to all kind of afflictions saying that k 1. Cor. 11.31 32. If wee would iudge our selves wee should not bee iudged But when we are iudged wee are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world I say then that the first cause of the righteous mans Evils is his owne sinnes and their first end is his correction and amendment IX Now he is not onely guiltie of sinnes past for which he is chastised but also hee is prone to fall in sin againe as bearing in his breast the seede of all iniquitie Alas Alas l Iob 15.16 how abominable and filthie is man which drinketh iniquitie like water Therefore God like an expert Physician mingleth unto him a cup of afflictions not onely to cure him of former diseases but also to preserve him from diseases to come For tribulations are not onely medicines but also antidotes preservatives against the poison of sinne They are bitter potions in taste but they either restore or preserve health m Iob 33.14 15 16 17 18. Elihu saith in the booke of Iob that God speaketh once yea twice yet man perceiveth it not He instructeth men by his word he sendeth to them his servants once twice thrice to advise them of their duetie and they yeeld not attention unto his admonitions Then hee openeth the eares of men and sealeth his chastisement upon them that he may withdraw man from his purpose and drive away pride from man So he keepeth backe his soule from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword seasoning him with the salt of afflictions that he rot not I will not enroll n Gen. 12.17 Pharao king of Egypt nor o Gen. 20.6 7. Abimelech king of Gerar among righteous men yet when they would have sinned against God by abusing Sara Abrahams wife God plagued them with so great plagues that they were affraide to touch her Surely David was a righteous man and ye may perceive how in Absolems rebellion against him God gave him with one stone two blowes he chastised him for the murther and adultery which hee had committed and restrained him from sinne for the time to come The one and the other for his good as he confessed saying p Psal 119.73 It is good for me that I have beene afflicted that I might learne thy statutes Who was more righteous then Paul yet confessing his owne infirmitie and acknowledging how he was by nature inclined to pride hee saith that q 2. Cor. 12.7 there was given to him a thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure This Angell of Satan was not the divell himselfe but as r Chrysost ibi Homil. 1. ad popul Antiochen Chrysostome esteemeth wicked men inspired of the divell such as was Alexander the Copper-smith which did him much evill such as were also the Iewes the Gentiles the Tyrants and all Infidells which persecuted him beyond all measure This then is as if he had said The Lord might stay all persecutions and hand-fetter all those which vexe me but because I was caught up into Paradise and heard there unspeakeable words and might have waxed proude thorow the excellency of revelations be hath permitted these Angels of Satan to buffet me by divers persecutions and tribulations Because then that Peter and Paul and their mates howsoever they be wonderfull among men in holines in righteousnesse and in most rare gifts still are men and easie to be overtaken with sinne they have neede to be held in with the curbe of a sharpe and rigorous discipline lest they suffer themselves to be carried away by the boisterous wind of their owne vanitie and pride for as serpents are bred in man of that which is most inward to him even of the marrow of his bones so arrogancie and loftinesse of mind is ingendred in holy men of the knowledge which they have of their owne excellency and righteousnesse then they begin to looke too much at themselves and too little to themselves then they begin to rely upon their owne excellencie and to forget their maker as Adam and Eve did and as it befell the good king Å¿ 2. Chro. 32.31 Isa 38.2 Hezekiah when he shewed his treasures to the King of Babylons Ambassadors This is the high and broad way to hell and therefore God with bit and bridle draweth his chosen ones backe from it and manageth them with rods and spurres not for any sinne which they have done but for that
of that same town any word but this Blandina I am a Christian and we do no evill When Decius persecuted the Church Babylas Bishop of Antioch Babylas led to the place of execution with his three sonnes desired that they should be first put to death to the end that he might exhort and confirme them which when hee had done his wife comforted him and after she had seen her husband and three children suffer death for Christs sake buried them together Much otherwise the Father and the Sonne with whom I was familiar The Father beseeched that he should die first that his Sonne who was a godly and learned Preacher might comfort him Then it was a wonderfull spectacle to Papists to see the Sonne at the foote of the gallowes preaching to his Father the merits of the death of Christ the vertue of his resurrection the vanitie of the world the unspeakable joyes of Paradise to heare him crying alowd Father ye cannot so soone knocke at the gate of heaven but Christ will open ye cannot so soone enter but I shall follow to hear and behold the old and venerable Father answering with a cheerefull countenance Sonne I see the heavens open and Iesus Christ at the right hand of God Then they were amazed to marke againe the young Minister forgetting himselfe and with a constant face preaching to other two which were also in the executioners hands the forgivenesse of sins the resurrection of the flesh and life everlasting To consider how constantly the foure died with what fervencie of celestial prayers they commended their spirits into Gods hands Then the chiefe of the Capuchin Monkes said to his companions Si coelum Huguenotis datur istis debetur If heaven bee given to Huguenots it is due to these men Then some Gentlemen cryed O happie religion which breeds in men a contempt of death which we dread most and a most sure hope of salvation who would not who should not fight manfully for the defence and suffer constantly for the confession of such a religion This day onely have we begun to know Christ Condemned men have been our Preachers We shall never hate Huguenotes any more XVIII Learne of all this discourse what difference there is betwixt the upright man and the hypocrite Iohn the Baptist calleth afflictions f Mat. 3.12 Gods fanne wherewith when he hath throughly purged his floore the chaffe flyeth away into the ayre and finally is burnt up with unquenchable fire but the wheate is gathered into the garner Hypocrites are chaffe lying in time of peace intermixt with the faithfull which are Gods wheat but g Psal 1.4 5. the wind of persecution driveth them away neyther can they stand in the congregation of the righteous for then there is nothing to be seene but Apostasies defections abjuring of the truth renouncing of the Gospell forsaking of all Communion with the Church Iesus Christ compareth tribulation and persecution h Mat 13.5 6 8 20 21 23. to the burning Sunne scorching the seede which hath no deepnesse of earth so that it withereth away but warming the seede which falls into good ground and making it to bring foorth fruite some an hundred fold some sixtie fold some thirtie fold The Hypocrite receiveth the word with joy but because hee hath not in himselfe the roote of an upright conscience when persecution ariseth because of word he is offended and starteth backe The righteous man is the good ground the sunne of persecution may blacken him but it cannot burne him In the most hot dayes of tribulation he is most plentious in good workes therefore the whole Church cryeth in the Canticles i Cant. 1.5 6. O ye daughters of Ierusalem I am blacke but comely k Bernar. in Cant. ser 25. Blacke in your judgement Comely in the judgement of God and Angels Blacke without l Vestro maleficio by your mischiefe for the Sunne of persecution hath looked upon me my mothers children were angry with me these good Catholikes have persecuted me Comely within m Dei beneficio through Gods benefit for n Psal 45.13 the Kings daughter is all glorious within As the tents of of Kedar as the curtaines of Salomon which are all blacke and dustie without but within are decked with most precious implements To conclude cast gold in water it keepeth its owne yellow shining cast it in the fire and melt it it becommeth brighter Cast earth in water it is by and by changed into mud cast hay in water it will suddenly rot cast earth in the fire it is instantly turned into dust and made a sport to the wind cast hay into the fire with a blaze it is made smoake and ashes So befalls it to the righteous man the hypocrite The hypocrit when he thriveth most and full-gorgeth himself with pleasures is like hay and a lumpe of earth in the water he is nothing but rottennesse and putrefaction when Gods hand is upon him he howles he despites God hee curseth him to his face and in the stirring of an eye is consumed he perisheth he vanisheth like earth and straw in the fire But the righteous man in his greatest prosperitie shineth in all godlinesse before men as gold in water and when hee is cast in the fierie furnace of tribulation he is like gold in the fire his workes then yeeld a more radiant lustre than before XIX The Lord in his mercy sanctifie us and make us throughly righteous that when the day of our tryall shall come we may be found to be fine metall and abiding the hammer the scissers and the fire may through faith and patience inherite the promises of grace peace and eternall life through the merits of our Lord Iesus Christ who o 1. Ioh. 5.20 is the true God and eternall life to whom is due and to whom let us render now and for evermore all praise honour and glory Amen SERMON V. Of the causes of the righteous mans Evills PSALM XXXIV XIX Many are the Evills of the Righteous 1. THe righteous man when hee suffereth for righteousnesse sake is honoured 2. It is a great glory to suffer for a good cause 3. Namely for God as many have done 4. To suffer for the Gospell is most glorious of all 5. Of those which suffer for the Gospell some are Confessors some Martyrs 6. What it is to be a Martyr 7. Three conditions required in a Martyr 8. The great glory of Martyrdome in that it makes the Martyrs resemble the Prophets Apostles and other Saints 9. Yea and Iesus Christ himselfe yet with foure differences 10. God afflicteth righteous men for other mens sake 1. That they may be converted 11.2 That they may bee instructed not to worship righteous men 12.3 That they may bee spurred to imitate their Christian vertues 13.4 That they may consider Gods wrath against sinne and feare 14. Finally God afflicteth the righteous man for his owne glory whereof there are many
laylour No No. They praied they sang praises unto God so loud that the prisoners heard them Then O marvellous power of God! i Ver. 26. suddenly there was a great earthquake the foundations of the prison were shaken all the doores were opened and every mans bands were loosed If they had beene unbound if they had walked with full libertie up and down in the prison if they had taken hold of the pillars thereof as Samson did and shaken them the miracle had not bin so conspicuous but when they are throwne downe into the lowest prison when they are loaden with cloggs when they are bound so fast that they cannot budge when through their onely prayer the earth trembleth the foundations of the darke dungeon skip like a yong Vnicorne when all the prisoners bands burst and are broken asunder as a threed of Tow is broken when it toucheth the fire when all those which were tyed were loosed and the laylor who had bound them was himselfe tyed with terrour and despaire and finally delivered from the bondage of sinne and honoured with the glorious libertie of the children of God by the preaching of these two most contemptible prisoners Gods power shined more bright than the Sunne in the fairest Summers day and shewed it selfe alwayes most wonderfull Can yee but wonder when yee see k Act. 24.25 Felix sitting to judge Paul and yet trembling at the words which Paul spake as if Paul had judged him when Festus is amazed l Act. 26.24 28. and Agrippa is almost perswaded by this prisoner arraigned before them to be a Christian The Doctor is tyed his speech is on wings and flyeth abroad the Preacher is shut up in prison his doctrine runneth swiftly everie where Can yee binde the beames of the Sunne and imprison them when that shall be done Tyrants shall shackle the Gospel and unfeather it that it flye not Ye may behold the same marvell of Gods power mercie wisedome in the rest of the Apostles in the whole Christian Church m 1. Cor. 1.27 28. Learning hath beene instructed by ignorance Wisedome hath beene confounded by foolishnesse By weakenesse the might of the world hath bin destroyed n 2 Cor. 10.5 everie thought is brought into captivitie to the obedience of Christ and in us unto this day is fulfilled that which the Lord said to Paul o 2. Cor. 12.9 My strength is made perfect in weakenesse That both in the conversion of the world and protection of the Church p 2. Cor. 4.7 the excellencie of this power may bee of God and not of us XVI Where then are they which judge of a mans blisse and happinesse by his prosperitie esteem those who with Paul and the rest of the Apostles q 1. Cor. 4.11 hunger and thirst are naked are buffeted have no certaine dwelling place c. to be miserable unhappie and as odious to God as they are haynous to men Will they say that to be corrected of God is a token of his wrath But r Pro. 3.11 12. the wise man and Å¿ Heb. 12.5 6. the holy Apostle say farre otherwayes My sonne despise not thou the chastening of the Lord and faint not when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth scourgeth everie son whom he receiveth Are ye not the sonnes of God Looke to all Gods children who have been before you Have they not all groned under Gods chastising hand some in one manner some in another Therefore t Ver 7 8. if ye endure chastening God dealeth you as with sonnes for what sonne is he whom the father chasteneth not Then when ye aske if God doth well to use you hardly if yee be children your question is answered But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonnes Will they deny that to bee kept from sinne is a very good thing Let them consider that v Ver. 9 10. we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence Shall vvee not much rather be in subiection unto the Father of Spirits and live for they verily for a few dayes chastened us after their owne pleasure but hee for our profit that wee might bee partakers of his holinesse that not onely wee may bee corrected of sinnes past but also preserved and witholden from sinning in time to come and so lead a godly life before God and men Now x Ver. 11. no chastening for the present seemeth to be ioyous but grievous Neverthelesse afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby Their faith their hope their charitie their constancie their patience their humilitie their devotion are both tryed and exercised Hath not experience taught you that the vine when it is bared at the root purged weeded husbanded carefully becometh more fruitfull and at the vintage filleth the Fat 's with sweet wine Even so saith Christ y Ioh. 15.2 my Father purgeth every branch that beareth fruit that it may bring foorth more fruit Cast gold into the fire and a Goldsmith shall make a ring of it If yee will build a house for good service for comliness for pleasure and honour the stones must be hewen smooth the timber must be squared carved with the hammer chisel Even so God melteth and purifieth us in the fire of affliction to make us precious jewels for his cabinet he polisheth smootheth us with the hammer chisel of tribulations to make us living stones in his heavenly Ierusalem which groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord. XVII If yee had seene the Churches of France in their affliction ye should have marked in them a wonderfull change and would have said that these evills had befallen them for their greater good Their dammages were great as ye have heard but their advantages were greater They became more honest and meek more heedfull to the word more zealous to Gods service more prone and bent to all the dueties of charitie All foolish and filthie talking was banished from their mouthes their tongues infected no more the aire with lascivious and wanton songs Sighing sobbing groning to God was their delight prayers singing of Psalms mutuall exhortations to amendment of life was their ordinary speech Those whose habitation before that time was night and day in the Tavernes departed not from the holy assemblies crying to God for grace mercie and peace with fasting and prayers night day Drunkennesse gave place to sobriety pride to humilitie dissolution to modestie crueltie to humanitie Our enmities and dissentions were turned into kisses of charitie into brotherly imbracements into all indevours and good offices of true friendship in the communion of Saints Our doores were shut to all riot dissolutenesse insolencie Our hearts were open to God Our houses were become Churches where God was religiously and with true zeale worshipped by parents and children by maisters and
servants by old and young The Papists saw it and wondred that the fire of persecution had not consumed but kindled and inflamed our zeale and some of them were converted So wee were corrected our devotion was increased Papists were amazed God was glorified XVIII Wherefore a Heb. 12.12 lift up the hands which hang downe and the feeble knees Though wee live here in peace yet we have no lease of peace yea in this publike peace everie one should looke for a great fight of afflictions flagging hands are not fit for the battel trembling knees cannot stand fast and upright at a meeting incounter of our enemies Let us then imitate wise prudent souldiers which in time of peace enure themselves by the exercises of war to sustaine the brunt coping of armed enemies in the day of battel When b Ps 91.7 a thousand shall fall at our side and tenne thousand at our right hand when c Rev. 12.4 the Dragon shall with his taile sweep the heavens and cast to the earth the third part of the starres when everie where yee shall see nothing but apostasies and defections of great men of wise men of Church men which are starres in the heaven of the Church stand not stil gazing upon them as d 2. Sam. 2.23 Ioabs souldiers did upon Hasael whom Abner had slaine and lost the fruit of the victorie But as e 2. Sam. 20.11 12 13. Ioabs servant removed Amaza whom Ioab had slaine out of the high way into the field cast a cloth upon him when he saw that everie one that came by him stood still and as he cryed Hee that favoureth Ioab and hee that is for David let him goe after Ioab whereupon all the people went on after Ioab to pursue after the traitor Sheba So let us remove all scandals from before our eyes and casting upon them the cloake of forgetfulnesse let us follow our Generall our Lord Iesus Christ the Prince and Captaine of the Lords Host who goeth before us fighting for the Lord our God against the Divell sinne and the world Whosoever favoureth Christ whosoever is for God let him follow Christ Let f 1. Tim. 1.18 19. us all warre a good warfare holding for shield faith and forsword the word of God not pausing on these Hymenees and Alexanders which loosing the rudder of a good conscience what wonder if they have made shipwrack of their faith yea let us tread upon their stinking carkases and trampling on the gastly examples of their lamentable revolts let us g Psal 3.14 presse toward the marke for the prince of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus That being through Gods powerfull and mercifull assistance each of us enabled to say truely with Paul h 2. Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good sight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith wee may thereupon inferre this sweete and blessed conclusion with Paul Henceforth there is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give mee at that day and not to mee onely but unto them also that love his appearing XIX O almightie and most gracious Father bestow this saving grace upon this thy people which is here present before thee through the all-sufficient merits of thy only and deare Sonne and our only and most powerfull Saviour Iesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be all power all honour and all glorie for ever and ever Amen SERMON VI. Of the Lords Deliverances PSALM XXXIV XIX But the Lord delivereth him out of them all 1. THe Church compared to the Moone by reason of the vicissitude of her evils the Lords deliverances 2. Whereof there be many examples in the old Tastament 3. And in the new 4. Six principall points to be considered in the Lords deliverances 5. The deliverer of the Church is the LORD called IEHOVAH in the Heb. tongue 6. The word IEHOVAH leadeth us to the knowledge of the eternitie of Gods being and of that eternall vertue whereby he giveth being to all things and namely to his promises 7. All the qualities required in a deliverer are in the LORD 8. Thence the righteous man receiveth a most sensible and unspeakable comfort 9. God alone is the deliverer of the Church and needeth not the helpe of any 10. What is the nature of his deliverances 11. Exhortatiō not to feare men 12. Exhortation to feare God alone 13. Exhortation not to trust in men neither living 14. Nor dead though they be in heaven 15. Exhortation to trust in the Lord alone 16. Those whō the Lord delivereth are the Righteous only 17. Their righteousnesse is no cause meritorious of their deliverances 18. Notwithstanding it is a righteous thing with God to deliver them and that for three causes 19. The Lord giveth many blessings and deliverances to wicked men for righteous mens sake 20. Exhortation to righteousnesse 1. EXcellent and many are the titles wherewith the Church is adorned in holy Scripture Amongst all that wherewith shee is graced when the wise K. Salomon intitles her a Cant 6.10 faire as the Moon is the fittest to expresle her condition in this world She is faire indeed verie pleasant to behold as the Moone is Shee shineth among the people that walke in the darkenesse of ignorance as the Moone shineth in the night Her shining light is intermixed with darke staines of sinne as the bright shining light of the Moone is intermingled with blacke spots She hath her spots of her selfe as the Moone hath but b Ambr. Hexam lib 4 cap. 8. shee borroweth the light of immortalitie and of grace from the ay-during light of her brother the Lord Iesus Christ as the light of the Moone commeth from the Sunne O c Hos 139 Israel thou hast destroyed by thy selfe but in mee is thy helpe saith GOD to his Church Sinne is of ourselves destruction and death is from our sinne But d Psal 121.2 our helpe is from the Lord which made heaven and earth even from the Lord Iesus who is e Mal. 1.2 the Sun of righteousnesse f Luk. 1.78 the day spring from on high in whose wings is health g Psal 36.9 in whose light wee see light and through whose light h l. 2.15 we shine as lights in the world so that we say i Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in mee The Moone hath her rising and setting and in each of them her increasing her fulnesse her decreasing her disappearing for a few daies when she is in her conjunction with the Sun So the Church of Christ rising in one place goeth downe in another and wheresoever shee riseth is subject to manie variations to growing bigger and bigger to waning to disappearing Then through the violence of persecutions she is constrained to obey Gods commandement k Esa 26.20 Come my people enter thou into thy
chambers and shut thy doores about thee hide thy felfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be overpast Then wings are given her l Rev. 12.14 that she may flie into the wildernesse into her place from the face of the serpent and be nourished there for a time and times and halfe a time even for the time of Gods good pleasure Then having her backe turned to the world her face to God then being in her conjunction with Iesus Christ her Sun she possesseth in him a secret but a most cleer perfect light Then is fulfilled in her that which is written in the Psalmes m Psal 45.13 The kings daughter is all glorious within She remaineth not alwayes thus but after the few dayes of her vanishing out of the sight of the world like a bride coming out of her chamber shee rejoyceth to begin her race againe and to quicken with her light them that dwell in the valley of the shadow of death having nothing firme nothing constant in this world but the inconstancie of her unsteadfast estate As there is a vicissitude and interchangeable course of light and darkenesse of the day the night of Summer and Winter As n Eccles 1.6 9. the thing that hath bin is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall bee done and there is no new thing under the Sunne all things having in their inequalitie this equalitie that they goe and come like the wind which whirleth about continually from the South to the North and returneth againe according to his circutes So the Church of God so righteous men which are in the Church have their alterations changings from good to evill from evill to good and againe from good to evill from prosperity to adversity from adversity to prosperity by a perpetuall and most constant revolution till the great and long looked-for day of refreshing come and put an end to all our evills ingulfing them in the eternall joyes of heavenly goods And therefore David telleth us in our text by forme of history through his owne experience and fortelleth us by forme of prophecie that Many are the Evills of the Righteous But the Lord delivereth him out of them all II. Peruse all the ancient histories and yee shall finde that it hath ever been so The first man was scarcely come out of Gods hands and created after the likenesse of his maker when Satan tempted seduced overthrew and plunged him into an Ocean of evills and woes Then he might have wept because Many are the evills of the Righteous Look how soon he is cast down to the ground by Satans malice he is as soone lifted up by the mighty power of Gods hand and the mercifull promise of the seed of the woman Then he might have sung for joy because the Lord delivereth him out of them all The promise was a prediction of the vicissitude of evills and of goods shared to the Church o Gen. 3 15. I will saith God to the serpent put enmitie betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seede and her seede It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele The seede of the woman is Iesus Christ the righteous and the Church of righteous men with him and under him The serpent shall bruise the Churches heel Many are the Evills of the Righteous The seed of the woman shall bruise his head But the Lord delivereth him out of them all p Gen. 4.8.25 Cain killing Abel his righteous brother caused a heart-breaking sorrow to his righteous parents Adam Eue Many are the Evills of the Righteous God gave them another seede in stead of Abel whom Cain slew and they called him Seth But the Lord delivereth him out of them all When the world was drowned in a deluge of waters Noah was constrained to see all his kindred and all the children of God overwhelmed by the flood and to lie prisoner in the Arke with his familie q Gen. 8.13 the space of a yeare among all kind of beasts to save his life Many are the Evills of the Righteous At the yeares end God remembred him drying up the waters brought him out of that captivitie and r Gen. 9.9 established a new covenant with him But the Lord delivereth him out of them all Å¿ Gen. 12 1 4. Heb. 11.8 9 Abraham obeying Gods calling left his country his kindred and fathers house and went out not knowing whither hee went hee sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange countrey dwelling in tabernacles which hee removed from one nation to another from one kingdome to another people His wife was twice ravished the countrey people abused him his nephew Lot rewarded his good deeds with unthankfulnes with all this his wife was barren and hee had no children Many are the Evills of the Righteous In the middest of his afflictions as it were in the fit of an ague t Gen. 24 35. God gave him flocks and heards and silver and gold and camels and asses and men-servants and maid-servants in so great a number that v Gen. 14.14 he armed of his servants borne in his owne house three hundred and eighteene for the rescuing of Lot x Psal 105 14 15. God suffered no man to doe him wrong he rebuked Kings for his sake saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme Hee constrained them to render him his wife undefiled he gave him a sonne in his old age to make him laugh But the Lord delivereth him out of them all God prophecied to Abraham that y Gen. 15.13 14. his seed should be a stranger in a land that was not theirs and should serve them and be afflicted by them foure hundred yeares So it was And so was averred this saying of David Many are the evills of the Righteous Heare also the prophecie of the Catastrophe And also that nation whom they shall serve will I iudge and afterward shall they come out with great substance So was it also But the Lord delivereth him out of them all When the people had taken possession of the Land of promise flowing with milke and hony how many times were they beaten vanquished subdued oppressed by the Philistines Amorites Moabites and other neighbors Many are the evills of the Righteous They cryed to God and he heard their requests he sent them men clothed with his Spirit which delivered them he gave them as many dayes of peace as they had of warre But the Lord delivereth him out of all Ye have heard in what troubles in what dangers in what disquiet and perplexities David lived a great while after he was anointed King of Israel and what afflictions he had in his owne familie ye know also what was the event of them all and that he spake by his owne experience when he said Many are the evils of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Ye have read
our enemies our evils b Psal 138.6 Though the LORD be high yet hath he respect unto the Lowly but the proud he knoweth afarre off Almighty without a peere in heaven among the Angels in earth among the most dreadfull creatures as the Church singeth c Psal 89. 6 8 9 11 13 For who in heaven can bee compared unto the LORD Who among the sonnes of the mighty can bee likened unto the LORD OLORD God of Hosts who is a strong LORD like unto thee or to thy faithfulnesse round about thee Thou rulest the raging of the sea when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them The heavens are thine the earth also is thine As for the world and the fulnesse thereof thou hast founded them Thou hast a mighty arme strong is thy hand and high is thy right hand When wee complaine and make our moane to God d Psal 93.3 4. The flouds have lifted up O LORD the flouds have lifted up their voice the flouds lift up their waves we are taught to comfort our selves and to say The LORD who is on high is mightier than many waters yea than the mighty waves of the sea All-righteous for e Psal 103.16 the LORD executeth righteousnesse and iudgement for all that are oppressed All-good and most willing to deliver us for he is the LORD our God f Psal 50.1.7 The mighty God even the LORD hath spoken saying I am God even thy God hee is appeased to wards us he is reconciled with us through the blood of the crosse of his deare Sonne Our cause is his cause We are persecuted for righteousnesse sake Righteousnesse is the daughter of God We are persecuted for the Gospel The Gospel is his word We are persecuted for Christs sake Christ is his Sonne his deare Soone his onely Sonne I say then that he is All-wise and can All-mighty and may All-good and will deliver us Whatsoever he is hee is it to us and for us because hee is the LORD our God Hee hath delivered all our fathers predecessors g Psal 22.4 Our fathers saith David trusted in thee they trusted in thee and thou didst deliver them He will also deliver us And therefore every righteous man prayeth h Psal 106.4 Remember mee OLORD with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit mee with thy salvation that I may see the good of thy chosen that I may reioice in the gladnesse of thy nation that I may glory with thine inheritance IIX Here is the comfort here is the consolation of the Church and of every righteous man in her that God heareth their prayers and delivereth them even then and namely then when they are forsaken of all men Iacob was alone when he fled from his fathers house because his brother Esau had vowed to kill him Then the Lord appeared unto him in a dreame and said unto him i Gen. 28.15 Behold I am with thee and will keepe thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee againe into the land for I will not leave thee untill I have done that which I have spoken to thee of David complaineth that k Psal 25.16 hee was desolate and afflicted yet hee seeketh comfort in the assurance of Gods assistance and saith l Psal 27.10 When my father and my mother forsake me then the LORD will take me up What extremitie was the Church brought into under the persecution of the cruell Tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes m Dan. 11 32 45. who corrupted by flatteries such as did wickedly against the covenant and afflicted those which were upright so cruelly and so puissantly that there was none to help them Then the Church prayed n Psal 74.1 O God why hast thou cast us off for ever why doth thine anger smoake against the sheepe of thy pasture Then Sion said againe o Esa 49. 14 15. The LORD bath forsaken me and my LORD hath forgotten me Then the Lord answered againe Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the sonne of her wombe yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee For then was fulfilled that Prophecy of Daniel p Dan. 12.1 At that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the booke Who is this Michael who like unto God who but our Lord Iesus Christ the great Prince which standeth and fighteth for his people when they can neither stand nor fight for themselves Was it not hee which cryed from heaven to Saul q Act. 9.4 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me When an hoste came from the King of Syria and compassed the Citie of Dothan where Elisha was to take him his servant was affrighted and said r 2. Kin. 6.15 16. Alas my master how shall we doe But hee answered Feare not for they that be with us are moe than they that be with them After the same manner when the king Hezekiah was brought by Senacheribs army to such a pinch that he was constrained to inclose himselfe within the walls of Ierusalem for the safetie of his life all his kingdome being taken from him and having no power to resist fortified himselfe in the Lord his God and heartned his people saying f 2. Chron. 32.7 8. Be strong and courageous bee not afraid nor dismaid for the King of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him for there be moe with us then with him With him is the arme of flesh but with us is the LORD our God to helpe us and to fight our battells Yee see a good and godly king see also a good and godly people And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Iuda i.e. notwithstanding their weakenesse and fewnesse they leaned upon God and were delivered S. Raul with good reason did complaine of all his followers that at his first answer before Nero t 2. Tim. 4.16 No man stood with him but all men forsooke him Was he for that destitute and left alone Notwithstanding saith he the Lord stood with me and strengthened me And therefore when he saw all the powers of hell and all the malice of the earth uncoupled after poore Christians hee defied them saying v Rom. 8.30 If God be for us who can be against us Even as David said x Psal 27.1 3. The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare The LORD is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid though an hoste should encampe against me my heart shall not feare though warre should rise against me in this will I be confident and as Iesus Christ said to his Disciples y Ioh. 16.32 Ye shall leave
my soule for I have sinned against thee and he i Psal 107.20 will send his word and heal thee and deliver thee from the tombe Seest thou the evill dayes of warre be not discouraged but say confidently upon that which thou hast seen in France of that which thou shalt see in the Palatinat k Psal 46.7 8 9 10 11. The LORD of hosts is with us the God of Iacob is our refuge Selah Come behold the works of the LORD what desolations he hath made in the earth He maketh warres to cease unto the end of the earth He breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sunder he burneth the chariot in the fire Bee still saith he and know that I am God I will be exalted among the Heathen I will bee exalted in the earth The LORD of hosts is with us The God of Iacob is our refuge Is there any thing impossible to the LORD l Psal 76.12 Heshall cut off the spirit of Princes Hee is terrible to the Kings of the earth After so many deliveries we sing to the glory of his power m Psal 74.13 14. Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength thou breakest the heads of the Whales in the waters Thou breakest the heads of Leviathan in peeces and givest him to bee meat to the people inhabiting the wildernesse If there rise n Zech. 1.19 20 21. foure hornes to scatter Iudah Israel and Ierusalem there shall also arise foure smiths to fray and break them how often have we seene such things Wee shall see them againe and againe for the Lord of hosts is with us Can there any affliction so great befall us as to be deprived of Gods Word your father 's felt the pricke and smart of it in Philip the second Charles the ninth and Queene Maries dayes Now is fulfilled in France and in the Palatinat the prophecie of Esaiah o Esa 30.20 21. Though the Lord give you the bread of adversitie and the water of affliction yet shall not thy Teachers bee removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers and thine eares shall heare a voice behind thee saying This is the way walke ye in it when ye turne to the right hand and when yee turne to the left Blessed bee God who in this countrey giveth us with the bread of his Word the bread of prosperitie p Psal 110 2. He ruleth there in the midst of his enemies Here hee is like a father in the midst of his children The greatest of all our evills is sinne And we sing unto him morning and evening with heart and mouth q Psal 103.1 2 3. O my soule blesse the LORD and all that is within mee bless his holy Name Blesse the LORD ô my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth ALL thine iniquities who healeth ALL thy diseases c. Hast thou any other evill which neither is in my knowledge nor in my memorie r Exod. 14.21 Exod. 15.4 6. Hee who made the sea dry land and whose right hand dashed in peeces Pharao and his hoste ſ Iosh 3.15 16. He that made the waters of Iordan rise up upon an heape and stand still even then when they overflowed all the bankes t Dan. 3.25 Hee who gave refreshing to the three Confessors in the midst of the burning furnace v Dan 6.22 He who delivered Daniel from the jawes of the Lions x Ion. 2.2 11. He who kept Ionah alive in the Whales belly and turned into a custodie that hell where he looked for present death y Ezec. 37.7 8 9 10. Hee who putteth breath into drie bones who tyeth them together with sinewes who covereth them with flesh and skin who by a marvellous resurrection setteth them upon their feete and maketh them an exceeding great armie is not like unto Isaac unto whom Esau said a Gen. 27.38 Hast thou but one blessing my father bless me even me also O my father As hee hath judgements b Deu. 32.34 laid up in store and sealed up among his treasures so hath he c Deu. 28.32 a good treasure of deliveries which cannot bee dryed up d Psal 106 2. Who can utter the mighty actes of the LORD who can shew foorth all his praise e Psal 139.17 18. How precious ô God are my thoughts of them how great is the sum of them If I should count them they are mo in number than the sand when I awake I am still with thee my spirit cannot conceive the number of thy deliveries III. I say then to you all as David said of old to his people f Psal 130.7 8. Let Israel hope in the LORD for with the LORD there is mercy much good-will to deliver your brethren which are now afflicted and to deliver you when hee shall also sit as a refiner to try and purifie you And with him is plentious redemption With him is force strength to redeeme he may doe it he can doe it he will doe it Hee shall redeem Israel from ALL his iniquities g 1. Cor. 10 13. He will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but wil with the tentation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it Yea h Psal 121 7 8. the LORD shall preserve thee from ALL evill hee shall preserve thy soule The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy comming in from this time foorth and even for evermore IV. But how shall wee keepe reckoning of the LORDS deliveries seeing the maner of them goeth beyond all our wit and understanding for they are not all of one sort and the least and smallest of them is wonderfull Sometimes he worketh by meanes that we neglect them not Now and then hee giveth most miraculous deliveries besides and contrarie to all meanes that wee put not our hope and confidence in them Often hee delivereth the righteous man without all meanes to teach us to trust in him onely V. His meanes are divers and in their diversitie so many that it is almost impossible to reduce them into certaine heads In some ye see nothing but weaknesse In others might and strength In some wisedome in others follie In each of them such a varietie that neither am I able to expresse nor ye to conceive them Hee saved Moses David Elijah Iesus Christ Paul at divers times many zealous men among the Iewes under the bloody persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes many Confessors and faithfull brethren among the Christians in the primitive Church in our Fathers dayes and in ours by flight a most weake tedious and troublesome meane but yet a meane lawfull and approved of him as we shall see in the next Sermon VI. i Psal 33.16 17. There is no King saved by the multitude of any host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength An horse is a vaine thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by
be ascribed but to the most wonderfull power of God I put in this ranke the confusion and disorder which God sendeth amongst his enemies when he will deliver his people The Midianites come to fight against Israel but h Ver. 22. the LORD set every mans sword against his fellow even throughout all the host When i 2. Chron. 20.2 22 23 25. the Moabites Ammonites and Idumeans with one consent sought to destroy Iehoshaphat and his people the Lord troubled them with the spirit of division after such a manner that the Moabites and Ammonites slew and destroyed the Idumeans and after that every one helped to destroy another so that Iehoshaphat and his people had no more to doe but to goe and take away the spoyle and give thankes unto the Lord. How often by such divisions God hath saved the reformed Churches in forrein nations and namely in France we all know IX When God delivereth against the nature of meanes he will teach us that he standeth not in any need of meanes when his pleasure is to deliver And therefore now and then he delivereth without meanes k Pro. 16.7 When a mans wayes please the LORD he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him He delivered l Gen. 33.4 Iacob from Esau changing his heart and appeasing his wrath which was suddenly turned into imbracements kissing and weeping He delivered David from Saul by many meanes but when the messengers which were sent by Saul to take him prophecyed and thought no more on him what helpe of man what visible meanes were there When he preferred Ioseph in the Court of Pharao Daniel and his fellowes in the Court of Nebuchadnezzar and of Darius Nehemiah and Mordecai in the Court of Artaxerxes by what means did he it The Psalmist saith that m Psal 106 46. he made them to bee pittyed of all those that carryed them captives Hee converted Saul and of a persecuter made him a Christian of a Captaine an Apostle of a Ring-leader of most cruell and bloody Wolves a most vigilant and faithfull shepheard of Christs flocke David speaking through his owne experience saith to the man which is persecuted wrongfully n Psal 37.5 6. Commit thy way unto the LORD trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe and he shall bring foorth thy righteousnesse as the light and thy iudgements as the noone day Wee may wonder that he doth it but how he doth it who can tell How Saul knew Davids innocency we can tell o 1. Sam. 24.18 1. Sam. 26.21 because when he might he killed him not but it is wonderfull to consider by what unknowne wayes of Gods secret providence Saul fell twice into his hands Henry the third King of France spake of us at Tours as Saul spake of David and said that we were more righteous than hee because we had rewarded him good whereas he had rewarded us evill It was the wonderfull and immediate worke of GOD that hee could not bee saved but by them whose fathers hee had killed and was resolved to bee the protector of those whom he had persecuted if the Monks impoisoned knife had not cut too too soone for us the brittle thread of his mortall life God be praysed that amongst us there are no Clements no Barrauts no Chatels no Ravaillacs for p 2. Sam. 26.9 who can stretch forth his hand against the LORDS anointed and bee guiltlesse X. How often hath the Church beene afflicted stormed forsaken of all creatures destitute of all helpe of all counsell of all comfort and he he alone hath come on a sudden and both comforted and delivered her He prophecied by Daniel that under the persecution of Antiochus his people should be brought to such extremity that q Dan. 11.45 none should helpe them What then shall they perish for want of helpe It followeth in the next chapter r Dan. 12.1 And at that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall bee delivered every one that shall be written in the book Who is this Michael who but our Lord Iesus Christ called elsewhere Å¿ Iosh 5.14 15. the Prince of the host of the LORD If all the Angels of heaven if all the men of the world should stand still with their armes crossed if all the creatures should with hold their helpe from us our Michael saith unto us t Mat. 28.18 20. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth and loe I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Though he be v Phil. 2.9 10. highly exalted though he have a Name which is above every name though he x Psal 47.7 be king of all the earth and that at his Name every knee must bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth yet he is our high Priest and beareth us into the most high and inmost heavens yea weareth us as an ornament upon his shoulders and upon his breast and as the Apostle saith y Heb. 2.11 is not ashamed to call us his brethren When all things seeme to be desperate and past hope of recoverie when the faithfull are nothing but a skeliton but a carcasse a Ezech. 37.2 c. of dry bones as the people of Iuda was in the captivitie of Babylon if it please him to speak the word onely they shall come together againe bone to bone they shall live rise again and be a great Army Hee hath by his word done things greater and more wonderfull By his word he hath made heaven earth by his word he heaped plagues upon plagues while they had destroyed Pharao and his people they that are sicke cry unto him b Psal 107 7. he sendeth his word healeth them c Mat. 9.6 20 22. By his word onely he cured one sicke of the palsie and the woman diseased with an issue of blood By his word onely he quieted the winds calmed the roaring seas rendred sight and light to the blind raised the dead By his word onely he restored his people to the land of Canaan By his word he saveth the Church By his word by his onely power and good will without any visible and knowne meanes he hath given peace to the Churches of France for when we were betrayed and sold by sundry of our brethren forsaken of many pursued by a great armie he was for us and delivered us Then wee sung with thanksgiving the hundreth twenty and fourth Psalme XI There is yet another kind of deliverie which commeth immediately of God and is most wonderfull of all How he delivereth us by the ruine of our enemies how by death he giveeh us life wee shall heare in the next Sermon but that hee delivereth us when
the wife incouraged the husband saying Sweet heart heave a good heart for this day our marriage with our Lord Iesus shall bee accomplished The religious Gentlewoman Graveron called the day of her martyrdome the day of her marriage with Christ and seeing her companions refuse to give their tongues because there was no such thing mentioned in their sentence she being but a woman resolved them saying It is reasonable and sit that the tongue which hath the priviledge to praise God should also have the prerogative to leape first upon the Altar of burnt offering So Claude Tierry called the halter which was put about her necke the Carkanet and the rope wherewith she was bound to the post the girdle of her marriage with Iesus Christ and therupon made a most excellent discourse of the spirituall marriage of the Lord Iesus with his Church which begins here in the valley of death and is consummated in the mountaines of spices Minut Felix Quam â—ulchrum spectacadum Deo cum Châ—â—â—ia 〈…〉 Congreaâ—us c. Vâ—it enim qut quod conâ—enâ—it obtinuâ— O how pleasant a sight is it in the eyes of God when a Christian buckles with griefe and p ine when he sets himselfe in aray against threats punishments torments when he scoffingly ieasts at the dreadfull name of death at the lowring countenance of the pitilesse hangman when he holds up his libertie against Kings and Princes and yeelds to none but to God to whom he belongs when like a most glorious Triumpher and Conqueror hee insults and triumphes over his Iudge who hath condemned him For he which hath obtained that wherefore he fought hath vainquished XIIX There is nothing difficile where faith in God is nothing dreadfull where the love of God is nothing dolorous where true zeale to the glory of God is As the light of the sunne dimmeth all other lights and as the heat of the sunne cooleth all other heats so the light of faith dimmeth that which worldly men call the light of reason Reason saith as the Proconsull said to Cyprian Take time and advise Faith answereth as Cyprian did a In rebus Dei non est delibecandum In Gods affaires no man must advise Reason saith it is a sweet thing to live Faith saith it is better to dye for Christ than to live without Christ So also the heat of love and true zeale extinguisheth the heat of most burning fires When naturall sense saith it is burning Love answereth it is not so much as hot These are the victories of the faithfull in their most sensible torments they are so ravished and transported by faith with the love of their Saviour that as it were it benummeth them so that they heede not their paines as if they were senselesse for b 1. Ioh. 5.4 whatsoever is borne of God overcommeth the world and this is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith XIX The Lord in his great mercy increase our faith whereby in this surceasing of outward enemies we may fight valiantly against our inward and spirituall foes which are more dangerous closing our hearts to all the suggestions of Satan to covetousnesse to pride to choler to all the ticklings of filthy lust shutting our eyes to vanity stopping our eares to calumnies flatterers all evill counsells keeping our spirits our soules our bodies blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ That fighting so we may overcome overcomming triumph triumphing receive the crowne of glory and of immortalitie which God hath prepared for us before the beginning of the world through the precious merites of our LORD IESVS CHRIST to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost bee all prayse all glory all honour both now and for evermore Amen SERM. VIII Of the manner and time of the righteous mans Deliverances ESAIAH XXVI 20. Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doores about thee hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation bee overpast 21. For behold the Lord commeth out of his place to visite the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquitie the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slaine 1. THe Church like unto the Phoenix findeth life in death 2. Because God according to his promise in this text reviveth her 3. He saveth her often by flight which sometimes is not lawfull 4. At other times is lawfull and necessarie and is commanded by God in this text according to the literall sense 5. Is also confirmed by the examples of godly men in the time of the old Testament 6. In the new Testament Christ himselfe hath commanded to flye in time of persecution 7. And hath confirmed his commandement by his own example the examples of his Apostles and many other most constant and courageous Christians 8. Flying prooved lawfull by three reasons 9. Fleeing is not a forsaking and denying but a confessing of Christ 10. This text in a figurative and allegoricall sense is an exhortation to patience 11. The first argument mooving us to patience is the will of God 12. The second is his wisedome whereby hee converteth all evills to the good of his Church 13. The third is the truth of his promises 14. In the second part of this text he promiseth that the persecution shall last but a moment 15. He reckoneth the yeers the moneths the dayes the moments of the affliction of his Church 16. How affliction which to us seemeth so long is said to continue but for a moment 17. Till that moment expire we must relye upon the truth of Gods promise I. AS of the ashes of the Phoenix when it seemeth to be nothing but dust groweth up another So when the Church to mans iudgement is gone lost and past all hope of recoverie when the persecuters say of her that which the Traytor Absalom a Psal 22.8 Mat. 27.43 and the treacherous Rebells that followed him said of David and the chiefe Priests Scribes and Elders of Christ Hee trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him Then then God by a most excellent and wonderfull deliverance reviveth her and maketh her to spring up againe more beautifull and glorious than she was before The third day of the Massacre of Paris Thuan. lib. 53. which was the Sunday in the moneth of August a bramble flourished in St. Innocents Church-yard The Papists ran to gaze upon it but could not tell wherefore and how a dry thorne blossomed in harvest out of due time and feason except that some tooke it as a token that God approoved their most unnaturall and savage crueltie but the wisest and best sort remembring that b Numb 17.8 Aarans rod which was but a dry peece of wood budded and blossomed and yeelded almonds when the Lord confirmed the Priesthood in the house of Levi and that the condition of the Church was represented unto c Exod. 3.2 Moses by
g Iuvenal Sat. 2. Esse aliquos manes subterranea regna Nec pueri credunt that whatsoever was spoken of old amongst the Gentiles is written in the Scriptures is beleeved in the Church of divels of hell of everlasting torments is but a bug-beare or scare-crow to feare superstitious folkes and hold them in awe But they strive unprofitably against the streame of their owne consciences which with a roaring voice doth summon them day and night to appeare before the judgement seat of the inexorable and Almighty Iudge Of all men those feare hell most who say there is no hell The sound of a shaking leafe maketh their hearts to shake for feare when there is none to pursue them And even then when they preach to men that hell is a fable they finde a most direfull hell within themselves burning up the most secret bowells of their wretched soules Why did Iudas hang himselfe when there was none upon earth to doe him any harme if there be no hell Death was more tolerable unto him than the feare of the unestimable torments which now hee suffereth there What were r Suet in Nerone c. 46 the monstrous dreames of Nero What Å¿ Xiphilinus Epitome Dionis the hideous and most ugly ghosts of those whom he had slaine which he saw a little before his death bounding out of the earth and leaping to his throat but a warning to appeare the next day in judgement to give an account of so much Christian and innocent blood which he had most wickedly shed If there bee no judgement after this life from whence came it that t Pro copius de bello Gothico lib. 1. Theodoricke king of the Gothes Protector of the wicked heresie of the Arrians after hee had put to death the 2. worthy Senators of Rome Symmachus Boetius because they maintained the true faith could not looke upon the head of a great fish that was set upon his table crying that it was the head of Symmachus which with most horrible yawning and fierie eyes sought to devoure him That was a citing indeed for suddenly he was taken to his bed and from thence to the grave v Thuanus lib. 57. Aubig 2. tom lib. 1. The Authors of the Massacres of France could not be at quiet many dayes after that bloody Tragedy for the horrible sight of great multitudes of ugly Ravens hovering about the Louure and voyces which cryed incessantly in their eares Murther murther murther suing them to come personally before him who sitteth on the throne and before the Lambe whom they had slaine in his members 'T is a truth not onely x Audreas Liba de cruentatione Cadaverum Levinus Lemnius de occultis natura miraculis lib. 2. cap. 7. ascertained by bookes but also averred by dayly experience in all nations That if a murtherer come in sight of the person whom hee hath slain the Coarse though almost rotten and stinking will bleed and disclose him What is that bleeding but a testimony that if men will not y Psal 58.11 There is a God that iudgeth in the earth and in his owne time will be avenged of all murtherers namely of them who lay violent hands upon his deare ones Therefore when the soules under the Altar cryed for vengeance against the persecuters who had stained their hands with their innocent blood a Rev. 6.11 it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled For as God spared the b Gen. 15.16 Amorites till their iniquity was full and as the Lord said to the Scribes and Pharisees c Mat. 23.32 Fillye up the measure of your fathers because then all the righteous blood which their fathers had shed was to come upon them So the Lord hath a time appointed for the full deliverance of his Church and everlasting destruction of his enemies even the last and great day of this decaying world d 2. Thes 1.7 8 9 10 When the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with the Angels of his power in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall bee punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to bee admired in all that beleeve in that day XV. Day which is a day of wrath e Zephan 1.15 a day of trouble and distresse a day of vastnesse and desolation a day of darknes and gloominesse a day of clouds and thicke darkenesse A night rather than a day yea both a day and a night A day wherein Gods judgements against all ungodly men shall shine cleerer than the noone day A night because of the place of the extreamity of the universalitie of the eternity of the effects of the paine whereunto they shall bee condemned by this thundering voice and unrecallable sentence of their righteous ludge f Mat. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the divell and his Angels To hell must they goe even to the darke and ugly g 1. Pet. 3.19 prison which shall be the last habitation of all ungodly sinners How pleasant how faire soever a prison be we say that there were never faire prisons And therefore what will not a man suffer rather than to goe to prison he will flee he will give all that he hath hee will runne to his friends and cry for succour h Aug. de verbis Aposto li. serm 18 Contremiscis c onturbaris pallescis c. S. Augustine saith that in his time they would flee to the Church runne to the Bishop fall downe lye wallowing at his feete cry with a pale countenance with a trembling voice My Lord I am troubled my Lord I am to be cast in prison take pitty of me relieve me So hard so unsufferable a paine doth it seeme to all men to bee in prison though it there were no other paine to be suffered but to be closed up Yea our owne houses would be hatefull unto us if our liberty of going abroad were restrained O then how huge how intolerable shall bee the torments of those bloody butchers who have shed the blood of Gods Saints like water when they shall bee cast headlong into the hellish prison which may bee most properly called i Iob 10.21 22. the land of darknesse and of the shadow of death Where there is no order and where light it selfe is darknesse O how shall they tremble how shall they cry and teare their soules when they shall bee violently throwne downe into the k Luk. 18.31 deepe and bottomlesse pit which m Aug. in 50. Homilius hom 16 â—uÌ„ sine poenitentiae remedio infoelices peccatores exceperit c. when it hath received impenitent sinners
a burning bush because it is no more esteemed in the world than a bush of briars which the shepheards set on fire said farre otherwayes that the blood of those Innocents which was then shed should bee to the Church as the dew of heaven or as the raine of the first and last season and make it to budde to blossome and bring foorth fruit yet againe more wonderfully and gloriously than before as it came to passe against all hope II. For even then God spake to many of his Saints as he did to the Iewes in their tribulation and commanded them to hide themselves in their cabinets untill the time of indignation were overpast because thē the Lord would come certainely and punish all their persecuters for their iniquity and namely the authors of such blood-shedding and so joyne with their overthrow the deliverie of his Church The remnant of the Church hid themselves the moment of the Lords wrath past Gods enemies were destroyed the Church was delivered and still flourisheth and yeeldeth most excellent fruit to the glory of the Lord our deliverer and to the eternall shame and confusion of our persecuters Here is then a new matter to be handled concerning the manner and the time of the Lords deliveries which is set downe by the Prophet in three severall points The first is a commandement which God giveth to his people saying Come my people enter thou into thy chamber and shut thy doores about thee The second is how long they must lye hid after this manner not for ever not for a long time but for a little moment untill the indignation bee overpast The third is the reason why they must lurke till then because then God will bee avenged of their enemies For behold the Lord commeth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity c. III. God speaketh to his people by his Prophet and giveth them a most excellent counsell to enter into their cabinets and to shut their doores about them which if ye take litterally is a counsell of holy prudence if ye take it allegorically it is a counsell of godly patience Christian and holy prudence is the rule of the righteous mans actions teaching him how to carry himselfe in all occurrences of times places and persons and how to frame and fit unto them all his actions privy and publike domesticall civill and religious As in time of persecution it will teach him neither to be too timorous to forsake his vocation whereunto God hath called him nor yet too rash and foole-hardy to tempt God by casting himselfe into unnecessarie dangers whereof the word of God which David called d Psal 119 105. a lampe unto his feete and a light unto his path giveth both precepts and examples When we are assured that God calleth us to confesse his holy Name and to glorifie his Majestie eyther by professing openly his word and preaching of it or by suffering for it then we must not aske and farre lesse take counsell of flesh and blood but remember the commandement e Math. 10.28 Feare not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soule but rather feare him which is able to destroy both soule and body in hell Worldly prudence will say These men to whom God sendeth thee are mighty and cruell and will kill thee therefore take heed to thy selfe and flye Sanctified prudence will answer God which hath sent me is stronger and therefore will I not flye f Psal 11.1 In the LORD put I my trust how say ye to my soule Flee as a bird to your mountaine When God sent Samuel to anoint David worldly wisedome answered in him g 1. Sam. 16.2 How can I goe If Saul heare it he will kill me God spake unto him againe and confirmed him then hee gave place to the commandement and went It seemeth that Amazia gave a wise counsell to Amos saying h Amos 7.12 13 14 15 16. O thou Seer goe flee thou away into the land of Iudah and there eate bread and prophesie there but prophesie not againe any more at Bethel for it is the Kings Chappell and it is the Kings Court Yet Amos ruled by another Spirit reiected it and said The LORD said unto me Goe prophesie unto my people Israel that is to say I will obey the Lord and not thee And therfore i Ion. 1.2 3. Ionah yeeldeth too much to his own discourse and too little to Gods commandement when being sent to Niniveh hee tooke shipping to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord which would have beene a foule fault in any private man instructed in the wayes of the Lord how much more was it heinous in a Prophet for who is so negligently and slightly imbrued with the knowledge of God but hee will subscribe to that saying of David k Psal 139.7 8 9 10 11 12. Whither shall I goe from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up into heaven thou art there If I make my bed in hell behold thou art there If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts even there shall thy hand leade me and thy right hand shall hold me If I say surely the darknesse shall cover me even the night shall be light about me yea the darkenesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darkenesse and the light are both alike to thee Ionah learned by an experimentall knowledge this to be true when the ship wherein he thought to flee from the presence of the Lord was unto him as a paire of stockes to hold him fast Therefore Christ a more compleat patterne to imitate and a more excellent president to follow than Ionah l Mat. 16.21 22 23. when his time was come to bee killed at Ierusalem reprooved Peter and called him Satan for disswading him from it Likewise m Act. 21.11 12 13 14. Paul would not by any meanes be disswaded from going to Ierusalem though Agabus had prophesied unto him that the Iewes should binde him and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles whereof the reason was that hee went thither n Act. 20.22 bound in the Spirit that is to say by particular revelation of the Spirit of the eternall and most wise God When we have such a revelation or by any other meanes are certified that God will have us to remaine and confesse then this precept of Esaiah of hiding our selves in our closets is no wayes directed unto us but rather this of Christ o Mar. 10.27 What I tell you in darkenesse that speake ye in light and what ye heare in the eare that preach ye upon the house tops Then we must not onely goe but run with great cheerefulnesse and alacritie thorow flouds fires swords to obey Gods commandements and say as David said p Psal 139.32 I will run the way of thy