quodammodo vacillare he shews himself somwhat wavering that cannot be defended for the motto of a just man is semper idem always the same and it is the ungodly man who is unstable in all his ways his heart is not established 3. But he smiteth home when he saith verum quidem est secundam partem versus affinem esse blasphemiae the second part of the verse to be near a kinne to blasphemy quia obmurmurat insimulat deum unimiae tarditatis because he murmured and accused God of too much slacknesse Yet Mr. Calvin healeth him again pardon him in this for he was in Angusto in a strait jealous of having the honour of God touched by the Prophet and yet tender of any touch of the charity that he did owe to the Prophet and therefore having delared his holy love to God he doth his best to excuse the Prophet saying of him fraenum sibi injicit occurrit mature Se temperat ut praeveniat nimium fervorem he tempers himself that he might allay this too great heat And in the end he confesseth quia non potest se expedire rebus tam confusis disceptat potius secum quà m cum deo because he could not get out of this maze that he reasoned with himself rather then God For my opinion I acquit the Prophet from any suspicion of inordinate affection in this his complaint so long as he doth do God the right to acknowledge him both eternall and equal I wonder not if he and all that consider him aright in his ways be swallowed up in the depth of admiration of them Let any man observe that which followeth in the Prophets complaint and he shall see great cause of wonder but whensoever such occasion is offered to us to behold the like let us do our God the right to confesse him holy and just and to resolve that which way soever things go there can be no fault in him therefore let us say with David Domine tu justus es justa sunt judicia tua thou art just and thy judgements are just It is a good saying of old Eli the Priest Ps 3.18 when Samuel told him of the judgments of God upon his house It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Yet is it not unlawful for the children of God reverently to consider the ways of God yea it is a work for the Sabbath to take the works of God into regard O Lord how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deep Ps 92.5 A bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this It argueth a great defect in judgement when we shall think a thought which may derogate any thing from the glory of our God for it is true fecit quicquid voluit he hath done whatever he would so it is true omnia bene fecit he hath done all things well and we say truly of him He hath done all things for the best for so he doth even then when his ways do crosse ours and when those things that he doth do seem to us and to our reason as most opposite To help which our weaknesse we are taught to pray fiat voluntas tua thy will be done Let us come then to a view of the particulars which the Prophet recounteth which God doth behold and not yet punish And herein we shall find the Prophet an Orator setting forth the iniquity of the times and the miseries of the Church then so as we may say his heart hath indited a good matter and his tongue is the Pen of a ready Writer Here be the Prophets grievances 1. The first is treason Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously Mr. Calvin renders it quare aspicis transgressores and so doth the Geneva translation render it Why lookest thou upon the transgressors But that is somewhat too large for that includeth all sorts of sinners Jun. Cur intuereris perfidos so the Chaldaeans of whom the Prophet complaineth here are set forth as you heard by the Prophet Isay Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requirat Isa 12.2 Treason is not wrought by a profest enemy in times of open warre and proclaimed defiance neither do we call the secret practices of enemies working underhand by the name of treason they are military stratagems but it is called treason when by corrupting some of the opposite side the enemie doth take advantage And this is commonly one of the mines which is carried under the states of great Kingdomes to destroy them and blow them up And the Author and Finisher of our salvation though he was assaulted by profest warre of the chief Priests Scribes and Pharisees yet he was put into their hand at last by treason one of his own twelve betrayed him And it is the chief use of the new order of Jesuits in forrein States to corrupt the affections of subjects ut prodant that they may betray This is a great grievance for treasons be commonly carried with great secresie yet the Prophet saith that God looketh on he beholden all the conveyances both of Projection and Execution and that is it which amazeth the Prophet that God who loveth not treason should look on and behold it in all the ingresse and progresse of it and not stop it Beloved we have a lesson from hence The Lord seeth treason Doct. Not only the great treasons wrought against States and Kingdomes but the particular falshoods in common friendship the private insidiations for the goods the chastity the good name the life of our neighbours It is not any negligence in Gods government of the world or any over-sight or any forgetfulnesse or any approbation of evil that doth keep God so quiet that he sitteth in heaven he keepeth Israel and he neither slumbreth nor sleepeth Yet he looketh on while thieves come in the night and break open a way into mens houses gather together and rifle and carry away their goods He seeth whilst the secret enemy watcheth his brother upon the way or goeth forth with him as Abel did with Cain God knew that Abel was to be killed that day When Joab and Amasa met God saw it a death he knew that embracing would prove a stab Sometimes God doth detect and defeat these treasons betimes sometimes he letteth them go on to the very moment of execution yet then he disappointeth them but sometimes he looketh on and seeth them performed and hindreth them not This is that which the Prophet would fain know why God that loveth no evil and hath power at hand to prevent it doth look on and see it done for amongst us quinon vetat peccare cum licet jubet he that when he may hindreth not a fault commands it and for man it is a true rule that all the evil which we might have hindred and did not shall be put upon our account This rule holds indeed with us but God is not so limited he maketh both evil creatures that is devils
have nothing but vanity and lyes to support their staggering and reeling estate of temporal felicity God is not in all their wayes nor the direction of God to manage them and therefore not the protection of God to defend them he leads them into temptation but he doth not deliver them from evill But God is a Rock for foundation and a Castle for defence to all such as put their trust in him 3. The patient expectation which he requireth in the Prophet for the peformance of this promise Though it tarry wait for it We must not not think long to tarry the Lords leasure Doctr. it is the Prophets rule He that beleeveth shall not make haste Isa 28.16 Ps 37.34 and it is Davids precept Wait on the Lord and keep his way And we have Jobs example All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait The promise of the Messiah was made in Paradise The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the Serpent This was the Gospel that God himself preached to the Serpent and all the sacrifices of the old law and all the Prophecies of former ages and all the Types in the Old Testament were Commentaries upon this text the Fathers in all ages of the Church before Christ rested on this the Apostle saith of them These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them a far off and were perswaded of them Heb. 11.13 and embraced them 1. Because this doth best fit the constant decree of God that we do rest in it Reas 1 for it were in vaine for us to serve a God whom we might not trust and upon whose word we could not build assurance It is the Apostles rest Scio cui credidi I know whom I have beleeved 2. Because this doth best declare our faith Reas 2 for faith being of things not seen in themselves the Apostle saith here we see in a glasse faith is a Christian mans Prospective through which he beholdeth all things far off as if they were near at hand 3. Because this is an exercise of our patience Reas 3 for ye have need of patience Heb. 10.36 that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise For yet a little while Vers 37. and he that shall come will come and will not tarry 4. This also doth exercise our hope Reas 4 for hope is nourished and fed with future objects as sense is with present and hope hath that wise forecast that as soon as the seed is cast into the ground hope is at work to gather in the harvest Rejoyce in hope Saint Bernard doth teach us to make use of this doctrine Vse of awaiting Gods leasure for first he layeth a good foundation Tua considero in quibus tota spes mea consistit 1. Charitatem adoptionis 2. Veritatem promissionis 3. Potestatem redditionis upon this he buildeth Dicit fides parata sunt magna inexcogitabilia bona à Deo fidelibus suis Dicit spes mihi illa servantur Dicit charitas curro ego ad illa We must be very tender how we do invade the royalties of God Christ saith that his Father hath kept the times and seasons in his own power he will have the alone managing of them They that cannot tarry the Lords leasure do commonly fall into one of these two evils 1. Either they murmure impatiently at God and quarrel his delay as Israel did when they came out of Egypt 2. Or else they seek unlawful means to accomplish their desires so the woman of Endor gets customers Against these Jam. 1.4 Let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing This work is thus perfected 1. Let us not be too busie to search into the wayes of God to know things to come It pleased God before the coming of Christ in the flesh to reveale much of his purpose concerning the time to come by the ministry of his Prophets and the Devill finding men taken with this desire of the knowledg of future events did erect his oracles whose giddy and dubious predictions did so infatuate the world that few did undertake any matter of moment without consulting the oracle the Devill grew rich by the offerings and presents that were given him for divination when the successe sorted and he lost nothing of reputation or belief when it failed because all his oracles were of ambiguous sense for to carry if need were contrary constructions And it is a thing admirable which the wisdome of observation hath recorded to the honour of Christ that at his coming into the world all oracles grew speechlesse to shew that he that should dissolve the works of the Devill was come The head of this Serpent being now by his coming bruised the way to establish our hearts is to rest in the Lord and not to be too busie with the Key of his Closet and to content our selves with so much knowledge of things to come as either 1. The wisdome of foresight may read in the volume of reasonable discourse 2. Or the faith of Gods holy ones may read in the written word of holy Scripture 3 Or the judgment of those Sholars of nature may finde by searching the great book of the creatures for these open things are for us and here qui potest capere capiat he that can let him receive it It hath been the fault of many that they have so anxiously discrutiated themselves with the solicitous inquisition of the future that they have too much neglected the present and desiring to know what God would do for them hereafter both themselves lose the sense and God the thanks of that good that he was then doing God hath his wayes and his paths where his footsteps are not seen 2. Let us take the word of God for his promise and threatnings whatsoever appearances do put in to counterswade In the case of my text The oppressed Church must tarry they have two promises One of their own deliverance and restauration Another of their enemies confusion and ruine God hath promised both yet against this promise the Church which hears of comfort feels smart and their threatned enemies rejoyce and divide their spoyle the assurance is God cannot lye and repentance is hid from his eyes Why should man desire better assurance then the word of God to fix and establish his heart seeing al things had their being from the word and no man now in being doth not live by bread only but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God 3. To perfect our patience that we may wait the Lords leisure we must beforehand consider that the Vision may tarry the promises of God which shall be fulfilled in their fulnesse of time may be foretold long before Christ was promised in Paradise some do think the first day of the world to man i. e. in the day of mans creation the eve of the first Sabbath but he was
the rod of the Spanish inquisition long subject to the sugillations of the Jesuits their mortall enemies But now the sword of massacre is drawn against them before there were some attempts made upon the persons of some few of the Religion or some encroachment made upon their goods They thought it gain to lose all for Christ so that they might win him and be found in him but now the poor distressed Church heareth the voyce of the daughter of Babel crying out against her Nudate Nudate First discerning them and then but who can tell what then the true Church lying at the mercy of Rome shall find her mercies cruel We cannot but take notice of it that the Church of Rome is both a strong and a bloody enemy she is not yet stupannated nor past teeming she aboundeth in continuall sucerescence of new seed Cardinal Bellarm. under the name of Tertus doth wonder why our King should fear the cruell dominion of the Pope under whom all his Tributaries do so well And the humble Supplicants to his Majesty for the liberty of conscience as they call it and for Toleration of the Romish Religion have urged the peaceable state of our neighbours in France where the Papist and Protestant do both exercise their Religion in Peace We now see they feele and smart for it that there can be no peace with Jezebel of Rome 2 Reg. 9.22 so long as her whoredomes and her witchcrafts are so many She lieth lurking in the secret places to murther the innocent her patience is limited with no other bounds but Donec adsint vires till they have strength Nuni proximus ardet Vcalegon They have declared themselves here what they would have done Our comfort is in this Vision and we must tarry and wait the Lords leasure Haman the Jesuit hath got a decree against the Reformed Church in France to root it out and the sword is now drawn against them the Protestants in Bohemia have felt the edge of the Romish sword she that cals her selfe mother of the Christians ostendit ubera verbera producit she pretendeth love Savus amor docuit natorum sanguine matrem commaculare manus And the Church makes pitiful moan saying Shall they therefore empty their not and not spare continually to stay the nations Hab. 1.17 But we know that God is good to Israel to such as be true of heart God hath a sword too and he is whetting of it he hath a quiver and it is full of arrows he is bending of his bowe and preparing his instruments of death and he hath a right hand and that shall find out all his enemies How shall we wear out the weary houres of time till God come and have mercy upon Sion we have many ways to deceive the time 1. The idle think the time long whilst we have therefore time let us do good we have work enough to work out our salvation with feare and trembling to make our Calling and Election sure ro seek the Lord whilst he may be found to wash us and make us clean to put away the evil of our works to cease to do evil to learn to do well to get and keep faith and a good conscience to walk with our God They that well consider what they have to do borrow time from their natural rest from their meats from their recreations to bestow it on the service of God There be that overcharge themselves with the businesses of the world with the care of gathering riches with ambitious thoughts of rising higher with wanton desires of the flesh with sensual surfeits in gluttony and drunkennesse and the day is not long enough for these children of this world to whom I say with the shepheard Quin tu aliquid saltem potius quorum indiget usus Virg Alexis Are these the things you look upon non relinquetur lapis super lapidem There shal not be left a stone upon a stone Walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evill Remember your Creation to good works that you should walk in them and whilst you have the light walk in the light Ambulate in luce Ambulate digni luce 2. To sweeten the delay of the vision and to shorten the time of our expectation let us heare our Saviour saying Search the Scriptures There 1. We shall find the promises of God made to his Church in all ages thereof beginning in Paradise at semen mulieris the seed of the woman and so continuing to the fall of the great strumpet the ruine of Babylon in the Revelation wherein we shall find God to be yesterday and to day and the same for ever 2. We shall read the examples of Gods mercy to his Church and judgement of the enemies there of all the Bible through It is a work for the Sabbath as appeareth in the proper Psalm for the day To praise God for this Psal 92. to sing unto the name of the most high The Church professeth itâ—â—◠〈…〉 Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work Vers 4. I will triumph in the works of thy hands The works of God are these When the wicked spring as grasse and when all the workers of wickednesse do flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever For lo thine enemies O Lord for do thine enemies shall perish all the workers of iniquity shall be scartered But my horne shall be exalted like the horne of an Vnicorn I shall be annointed with fresh oyl Mine eye shall see my desire upon mine enemies mine eares shall heare my desire of the wicked that rise up against me The righteous shall flourish like a palme-tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God They shall bring forth more fruit in their age they shall be fat and flourishing The use of all To shew that the Lord is upright he is my rock and there is no unrighteousuesse in him These be meditations of a Sabbath of rest and the word of God giveth full examples of this truth and daily experience in our own times offereth it 3. The Scripture doth put into our mouths Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs teaching us to sing and to make melody to God in our hearts Excellent to this purpose are the Psalms of the Bible and if we sing merrily to the God of our salvation this will passe away the time of our waiting for the promise of God cheerfully we shall not think it long For this did David desire to live Oh let me live and I wil praise thy name 4. The Scripture is full of heavenly consolations to establish the heart that it shall not sinke under the burthen of this expectation for in the Scriptures the Spirit of God speaketh Let him that hath ears to hear hear what the Spirit speaks to the Churches this Spirit Christ hath left in his Church
me out of his belly shall flow rivers of the water of life John 7.38 These be sure proofs of sincere faith which though it be weak yet it will gather strength and being able to fight will in the end be made able to overcome all our enemies 3. How faith may be preserved This seemeth a needlesse question because we have cleare evidence of Scripture that sincere faith cannot be lost True it cannot finally be lost it is assured to God but we must preserve it so as that in temptations and afflictions we may not be cast down with fear that it is lost Neither that we do bear our selves too bold upon it so farre as to presume Therefore we are bound to the use of all those means ordained by God to preserve faith If it be an hypocritical or a temporary Faith it may be lost if it be a true Faith this is one certain sign of it The same means that breede Faith in us the same means do nourish it therefore If thou standest by Faith be not high minded but fear It is a Tenet of the Church of Rome Rom. 11.20 and it is now revived of late by the Anabaptists in a book of the last yeer that a man may finally fall away from saving grace And many false shewes are made out of Scriptures not rightly understood to maintain this heresie I say no more but as the Apostle doth Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall He that is once assured of his standing 1 Cor. 10.11 cannot fall because the same Spirit which witnesseth to our spirits that we are the sonnes of God doth also teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance which Christ hath taught us The means are The Word the Sacraments Prayer 1. The Word for as we are born anew by the immortal seed of the Word so we must as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow thereby 2. The Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper for these also serve to strengthen Faith 1. By visible representations to the sense of the inward graces of Gods spirit that walking here by Faith and not by sight we may have something to fasten our eye upon which may be to us as the brazen serpent lifted up 2. By the vertue of consignation because these Sacraments are the Seals of Gods Covenant of grace obliging God the giver to continue his love to us and reciprocally binding us to return duty and love and obedience to him 3. By the efficacy of mediation because they be the means in the Ordinance of God whereby he doth convey his spiritual graces to us so that Baptism is called the cover of regeneration and by Baptism Christ is put on The Supper of Christ presenteth Christ to us our spiritual food and therein we do eat and drink his body and blood This admonisheth us to be swift to hear and to neglect no opportunity for the same To renew our Baptism by often repentance to frequent the Table of the Lord as the feast of our souls This advanceth our ministry of these by which this Serpent is lifted up on high and set on a pole for all that desire health to look upon it They that are carelesse and negligent in these things will soon make shipwrack of that temporary faith that they seem to have for they that live in the neglect of these things do forsake their own mercy and declare plainly that their Faith is not sound and sincere but their whole righteousnesse is like the morning dew soon dried up 3. Prayer 1. for that shewes of whom we hold not of our selves but of God 2. That bringeth us into Gods acquaintance and familiar conversation whereby we do more perceive Gods love to us and declare our love to God 4. How Faith must be used The handling of this point draweth in the third word of my text which is life The just shall live by Faith The right use of Faith is to live by it as I have shewed in the exposition of the words 1. There is use of it in the natural life 2. In the spiritual life 3. For the eternal life 1. In the natural life for 1. In prosperity 2. In adversity there is use of it 1. In prosperity 1. Faith is a shield to bear off all the flattering temptations of the flesh Heb. 11.24 the world the Devil so it is said of Moses By Faith Moses when he was come to yeers refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter And by Faith Joseph when he was tempted by his unchaste mistris whose offer tendered him all sensual delight refused her and would not sin against God 2. Faith is the contentment of the righteous in those things that they possesse they beleeve them to be the gifts of God and they are satisfied with his allowance so by Faith Daniel was content with his pulse and refused the Kings meat they that do beleeve that God knows better then they what is good and sufficient for them are content with what they have 3. Faith is the acknowledgment of all our good from God for thanksgiving is a work of Faith and giveth God his due 4. Faith dependeth upon God for the time to come Psal 16.5 as David saith thou maintainest my lot I have set the Lord alwayes before me Psal 16.8 he is at my right hand I shall not be moved Upon which ground the faithful do build things hoped for and commit their wayes to the Lord. They cast all their care upon God for he careth for them And surely it is for want of Faith that the filii saeculi hujus the men of this world do rise so early and go so late to bed and eate the bread of carefulnesse robbing God of his service and breaking the Sabbath and often doing wrong to their brother to build up themselves it is a signe that they dare not trust God A strange inference 1. For we beought nothing with us into the world 2. We cannot deny but that whatsoever we have or possesse in the world it is the gift of God for aperiente manum de implet omnia we have no interest in any thing being born in sin the right is in him the gift from him 3. We must confesse that very little will serve our necessities whilest we do live in the world 4. We shall carry nothing away with us and why should we discruciate our selves with cares for others seeing that is the care of God our children also are his inheritance I know and beleeve that our children are under the Covehant and Promise of grace Ero Deus tuus seminis tui Let us study to breed them to the love and service of God let us not waste unthriftly what we may spare from our own necessities and for the charge of their education Let us use all honest and lawfull means to provide for them Thus are we discharged
they mis-do all these are excluded from this salvation Jesus Christ died for none such and goeth not forth with his anointed amongst them These shall have no salvation hereafter they can have no true joy here and therefore when the evill day commeth they are shaken with the terrour of the Lord and they finde no balm in Gilead their sins do appear to them greater then the mercies of God Let those who have the comfortable assurance of their salvation rejoyce therein in the Lord Vse 2 and take heed of presumption of Gods mercy which is one of the worms of faith let them take heed of receiving the grace of God in vain of recidivation and relapse into their former sins of murmuring at the Lords chastisements of quenching the spirit of crucifying again the Lord for we see that it is possible Heb. 6.4 5 for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made pertakers of the holy Ghost have tasted the good Word of God and the power of the world to come to fall away which putteth Jesus Christ to open shame Therefore the joy of our salvation must not be rooted and grounded in our selves but in the Lord that the whole honour of it may redound to him as the whole benefit and profit of it doth redound to us Our salvation is onely of God Doct. 2 It is Jonahs faith Salvation is of the Lord. It is Davids faith Salvation belongeth onely unto the Lord. Jonah 2.9 Psal 3.8 Ps 43.11 God taketh it upon himself I even I am the Lord and beside me there is no Saviour He giveth it as a reason of his first Commandement Ose 13.4 Thou shalt know no God but me for there is no Saviour beside me I may call heaven and earth to record this day to avouch the truth of this for who is it that supporteth the great frame of the whole universe who is he that knoweth the numbers of the stars and calleth them all by their names that sendeth forth the Sun as a bridegroom out of his chamber and as a mighty gyant to run his race who is it that maketh and keepeth the covenant between day and night to take their turns for the use of man who is it that clotheth the lilies that feedeth the birds of the ayr that can neither labour nor spin that preserveth man and beast but the Lord Psal 36.6 All these look up unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season It is glory and happinesse enough for the Angels in glory to behold the face of God always Hail and snow stormy winds and vapours the dragons and all deeps mountains and all hils fruitfull trees and all cedars beasts and cattel creeping things and feathered fouls Kings of the earth and all people yong men maids old men and children all Queristers in this great temple of the world and this is the matter and argument of their song salus Jehovae salvation is of God for their being is derived from him their supportation is borrowed of him their operation is guided by him their whole addresse is directed to him The Angels that kept not their first estate of glory man that kept not his first estate of innocency could not lose could not forfeit their existence and being their happy being they might they did forfeit he preserveth the Devils and the reprobate and he maketh them immortall that he may be glorious in his just punishment of them But especially he is the salvation of his elect so St. Paul We trust in the living God 1 Tim. 4 10 who is the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe He is the saviour of all men by universall providence but of them that believe by singular and especiall grace And that is the salvation here meant our preservation in this life our sanctification for a better life our glorification in heaven is of the Lord. Because the Kingdome is his and none hath power to make us Kings but he Reas 1 whose Kingdome ruleth over all and salvation maketh us Kings Because salvation is a work of power and none can give it but he who is able to put all our enemies under our feet and none but God can do this Because salvation is a work of glory of glory to him that worketh it of glory to them upon whom it is wrought for he maketh his Saints glorious by deliverance and the saved do serve him and glorifie him in earth and in heaven These three we ascribe to him in our Lords prayer for thine is the Kingdome the power and glory Salvation is a work of mercy and David saith Apud te est misericordia with thee is mercy and God hath committed the dispensation of mercy to no creature it is one of the glories of his Crown and prerogatives of his supream Diadem onely his son who thought it no robbery to be equall with him hath the dispensation of his mercies This teacheth us where to seek and finde salvation Vse 2 God saith seek ye my face We are wise enough in our quest of temporall either protection or preferment to observe which is the way to the fountain of honour and to direct our observance that way let us not be wise for this life and fools for the life to come With men on earth there be some small brooks of a present life but apud te est fons vitae with thee is the well of life and the brooks and cisterns that we seek after do derive themselves from this fountain These brooks doe often change their channell for men have their breath in their nostrils they die and their thoughts perish but God is the same and his years do not fail And our Saviours method that he teacheth his Disciples is seek ye first the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof and then all these things shall be cast upon you This also serveth to stir us up to a godly life Vse 2 for that hath the promises of this life and of the life to come David putteth us in good comfort Psal 84.11 For the Lord God is a Son and shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that live uprightly and the Apostle saith For the eyes of the Lord are open to the righteous 1 Pet. 3.12 and his ears are open to their prayers but the face of the Lord is against them that do evill And who is he that wil harm you Verse 13. if you be followers of that which is good Let the wicked take root in the earth and spread his boughs never so far God hath not denyed him this yet his face is against him and though the Sun shineth on him for a time and the early and later rain do make him grow and flourish yet our Saviour will tell us that Every plant which his heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted out This
A Commentarie OR EXPOSITION Upon the Prophecie of Habakkuk Together with many usefull and very seasonable OBSERVATIONS Delivered in sundry Sermons preacht in the Church of St. James Garlick-hith LONDON many yeeres since By EDWARD MARBURY the then Rector of the said Church Psal 101. v. 1. I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee O Lord will I sing Isa 8. v. 17. I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him Isa 26. v. 9. When thy judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousnesse Verse 20. Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast London Printed by T. R. and E. M. for Octavian Pullen and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Rose in Pauls Church-yard 1650. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD Dr. Henry King L. BISHOP OF CHICHESTER TO THE MUCH HONOURED Sr. Rich Hubbard OF LANGLEY IN THE COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX KNIGHT JOHN DVTTON OF SHERBOURNE IN THE COUNTY OF GLOSTER Esq JOHN MILLINGTON of LANGLEY aforesaid Esq TOGETHER With their worthy Consorts three gracious Sisters and Branches of that Noble Family of Dr. KING late L. BISHOP of LONDON And to the Religious and Vertuous Gentlewoman M rs MARY KING the late Wife of Dr. JOHN KING EDWARD MARBVRY their poor Kinsman and Servant doth by many relations and engagements being thereunto obliged Together with his best wishes humbly Present Devote and Dedicate this his COMMENTARY Presuming upon their favourable acceptance and protection thereof An Alphabetical TABLE of the principal heads contained in this precedent Commentary The Contents thereof in the first and second Chapters A. ADam's sin did not violate God's glory so much as the womans page 298 Adrian the sixth his allegory 35. applied page 36 A good conscience declares a mans faith to himself 225. and a godly conversation to others page 226 All evill actions are justly judged by the intentions of their agents but good actions are not so page 75 All injuries we do to our brethren are done with God's privity 76. and so are all treasons and conspiracies page 120 All Churches wherein Christians meet to call upon God are Temples of Gods presence page 341 All excesse in drinking is drunkennesse page 306 Alexander excused by his flatterers for killing of Clitus page 324 Ambition is an inordinate desire of honour page 271 Ambition came in with sin and cannot be without sin page 273 Ambition puts us out of the way of life page 275 Ambition is painful page 286 Ancientnesse of writing page 151 As personal sins have personal chastisements so epidemical sins have popular punishments page 64 B. BAbylon taken by storme on a day of feasting page 249 Better apta then alta sapere page 157 Beholding without regarding is but a kinde of gazing page 53 Behold a word to move attention page 184 Benefits of the righteousnesse of Faith page 198 Blood-guiltinesse consists not in blood-shedding only page 278 Boldnesse in sinning page 24 C. CAlvin's judgment of Habakkuk page 117 Cautions to order and regulate our judgment and life concerning righteousnesse page 200 Charity is the bond of peace only to the children of peace page 129 Christ took the burthen of our sins upon him page 5 Christ took upon him our infirmities but not our sinful ones page 48 Christian charity coÌ„mon justice great props of a Common-wealth page 37 Committers of sin are of two sorts page 283 Complaint is a part of prayer 31. the reasons thereof page 32 Confession threefold page 193 Contempt of the Law brings in licentiousnesse custome of sinning page 28 Contempt is a provocation which moveth God to severe judgments page 72 Contempt is most grievous to mans generous nature Corruption of justice a dangerous signe of a drooping Common-wealth 45. Reasons for it page 43 Covetousnesse is an inordinate desire of the wealth of this world page 275 Covetousnesse is Ambitions hand-maid page 275 Covetousnesse a fruitful sin Vsury Rapine Fraud Bribes and Cimony are its daughters page 276 Crie of blood page 12 Crie of a Prophet is a loud cry page 13 Cruelty manifold page 278 Cruelty is a companion of Ambition and Covetousnesse page 278 D. DEsire is the whetstone of prayer page 178 Despisers punished with scorne and contempt page 78 Devill author of Idolatry temptor to it and promoter of it page 93 Distrust in God the mother sin of all evill wayes page 267 Diâ—ers wayes to spend the time well page 180 Doctrine of faith most necessary to salvation page 205 Drunkards the pictures of proud men page 242 Drunkennesse a horrible sin confessed by all men to be a sin page 305 Drunken men mentioned in Scripture page 305 Drunken men cannot pray as they ought page 310 Drunkennesse a disease of former ages but now grown epidemical page 313 Duties to be performed in the Church page 345 E. EAstern winds most unwholsome in Judea page 58 Every mans mind is himself 77 Eternity of God page 103 Every sin is a trespasse against God page 103 Expostulations and contestations with God in our prayers are lawfull 46. Objection against it and solution of the objection 47. Reasons for confirmation thereof page 51 F. FAith defined page 206 Faith's greatnesse and its effects page 20â— Faith how it may be gotten 208. How proved 225. How preserved 228. How used page 229 Faith usefull in the naturall life 230 In the spiritual life 234. And in the eternall life ibid. Faith useful both in prosperity and adversity page 233 Faith not rightly grounded is presumption page 109 Fear mingled with faith is no sin page 48 49 Few seeke the true use of riches page 261 G. GIving of almes doth not purifie ill gotten goods page 292 God's wrath and judgments are a burthen to him and so is his word threatning judgment page 8 God's wrath and judgments are a burthen to the Prophet that utters them in respest of his fidelity to him that sends him 9. And in respect of his zeale ibid. And in respect of his compassion page 10 God's wrath and judgments are a burthen to the people to whom they are sent both to the penitent 10. and to the impenitent page 11 God's servants fight against sin by prayer page 14 God s Ministers may by their prayers awake God's judgments against unrepenting sinners page 15 God sometimes suspends the successe of his servants prayers page 20 God doth himself take notice of the peoples sins and acquainteth his Prophets and Ministers therewith page 21 God doth hear the complaints of such as have just cause to complaine of violence to execute his judgments upon them that offend 59. Reasons thereof page 60 61 62 God's justice doth not spare his own people if they do provoke him page 63 God's promises made to Israel were all limited with condition of their
ruine of the Chaldeans for being puffed up and proud of their victories they shall not acknowledge the great God of heaven the God of their warre or esteem themselves his agents to chasten the Jews but shall give the glory of their conquest to their own Idol god Now in these words thus interpreted observe 1. The Totall 2. The Particulars 1. The Totall is the answer of God to the greivous complaint and expostulation of the Prophet 2. The Particulars are two 1. The Judgment threatned 2. The executioners of this Judgment very fully and Rhethorically described 1. The Totall God answereth the Prophets complaint Yeildeth this Doctrine that God doth hear the complaints of such as have just cause to complain of violence Doctr. to execute his judgments upon them that offend The story of holy Scripture is full of examples of this truth Cain for Abel vox sanguinis the voyce of bloud The whole old world was punished with a general inundation for the cruelty that was upon the earth their violence made the Lord repent that he made them You have heard out of Obadiah how the cruelty of Edom was intolerable and God heard the cry of the Church and delivered them and punished Edom with desolation And when Israel was in the land of Egypt in the house of bondage God sayeth I have seen Acts 7 34. I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt and I have heard their groaning and am come down to deliver them Even Israel his own people is not spared Sion his holy mountain Jerusalem his holy City is punished for oppression He doth this First Reas 1 In regard of his servants that do complain to him to let them see the power of their prayers that he may stirre them up in all greivances to commit their cause to him and not to seek private revenge Injuriam as Tertull. Si apud deum deposueris injuriam ipse ultor est si damnum restitutor est Therefore let not the oppressed wrong their own cause with vexing Vse and disquieting their own hearts at them that lie heavy upon them for St. James tels us that The wrath of man worketh not the righteousnesse of God Jam. 1.20 Let them not vent their spleen in bitter cursings and execrations which be the voyce and language of impatience and impiety and turne upon us and all to tear us But let them seriously complain to God and he will hear them and do them right Let them tarry the Lords good leasure and they shall see that he will take the matter into his own hand 1. Either he will take the oppressed out of the world and give them rest from their labours and lay them in the beds of ease and lock them in the chambers of peace till all stormes be over and then he will say Returne ye sons of Adam 2. Or he will change the heart of the oppressours and for stony hearts give them hearts of flesh and fill them with compassion and tendernesse 3. Or he will restrain the power of the wicked against his chosen and suffer no man to do them wrong but will reprove even Kings for their sakes the rage of man will he restrain 4. Or he will give the oppressed such a measure of patience and charity as he shall bear injuries without murmuring and blesse them that hate and persecute him 5. Or he will pour forth his wrath upon the oppressor and let him feel the weight of his hand either upon his body by inflicting diseases upon it or upon his minde by the troubles of an unquiet conscience Or upon his familie by cursing the fruit of his loyns that they shall be his sorrowes by taking ill wayes Or upon his estate by cursing all his gatherings that though all the streams of profite runne every way into his bagges nothing shall make him rich like the Caspian sea into which many rivers do pour in water continually yet is it never the fuller rather like the lean kine never the fatter Or upon his life by taking him out of the world and thereby giving occasion to the afflicted to rejoyce Therefore art thou afflicted pray and complain and expostulate with God for he will hear thee 2. God heareth the complaint of the just against the oppressours for his names sake Reas 2 for so David urgeth him Hear me O God for thy names sake For it toucheth God in honour when his faithfull servants do appeal from the school of unrighteousnesse where they are oppressed to the tribunal of his judgment where they should be releived and cannot be heard You remember when Christ was on the crosse and his enemies had their cruel hearts desire against him they contented not themselves to be cruell and scornfull to him but they blasphemed also the name of God saying He trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him Mat. 27 43 The very theives that were fastened then to the crosse on either hand of him cast that in his teeth When the wicked prevail against the just the next word is Where is now their God Let us then know the name of God is himself Vse he cannot deny himself he hath a name above all things and a speciall glory due to that name he cannot suffer that name to be blasphemed He will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine Therefore in all greivances let us say with David Our help is in the Name of the Lord who hath made Heaven and Earth It is our comfort in trouble that we do suffer together with the name of God and if we do lay fast hold on that we shall be delivered together with it we may well cast our trust upon that name for in hoc vinces in this thou shalt overcome is the Motto and word thereof it is a strong tower to all that trust in it 3. God will hear the complaints of the just Reas 3 for his truths sake for he hath promised the just I will not leave thee nor forsake thee And he hath said He shall call upon me and I will hear him I am with him in trouble I will deliver him and he shall glorifie me And David saith He will not suffer his truth to faile We have more then his promise we have his oath against the ungodly I have sworn in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest Ps 95.11 Vse Let us build then upon this promise for God is faithful that hath promised The violent and the oppressour hath part in the wrath of God as he saith And I will come near to you in judgement Mal. 3.5 and I will be a swift witnesse against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against false swearers and against them that oppresse the hireling in his wages and the fatherlesse and the widow and that turn aside the stranger from his right and that feare not me saith the Lord of hosts Here is Gods
them whom God doth use as his rods in this execution 1. By whom by the Chaldaeans These are described 1. By their own fitnesse for their designe 2. By their Praparation to accomplish it 3. By their intention in it 2. How far the punishment shall extend 1. To a full Conquest 2. To a proud triumph 3. What shall become of them 1. They shall change their mind 2. They shall offend in imputing their victories to their own idols 1. By whom God shall punish the Jews 1. Of their fitnesse for this execution they are described to us by these notations 1. They are bitter 2. They are hasty 3. They are dreadfull 4. They are wilful 1. Bitter in their harsh and cruel natures 2. Hasty in their participation and speed 3. Dreadful in their power and strength 4. Wilful in taking their own ways for their judgement and dignity proceedeth from themselves To be bitter and slow gives warning to resist and affordeth the benefits of time a great friend to defence To be bitter and hasty and weak is but a lightning a flash and away To be bitter and hasty are dreadful but to admit advice gives time of breathing but when the nature is inflamed with bitternesse and the action is accelerated with haste and fortified with strength and followed with wilfulnesse this makes up a full danger especially where God setteth such a work These be evil affections in this People prove their minds set upon mischief yet God maketh rods of these twigges and whips of these cords to punish the sins of his own People The point of doctrine here is That God can make good use of the vices of men Doctr. and can make wicked men serve him as the instruments of his will as Augustine Deus bonus utitur malis necessariis bene Civ dei 18 So Mr. Calvin judiciously observeth in the text Hec quidem non fuerunt laudanda in Chaldaeis amarulentia furor sed potest deus haec vitia convertere in optimum finem St. Augustine treating of the prosemination of the Gospel and the quick spreading thereof hath two chapâ—ers to our purpose cap. 50. In the 50. he sheweth Per passiones praedicantium illustrior facta est Praedicatio by the sufferings of Preachers preaching is made the more famous In the 51. Per dissentiones hareticorum fides Catholica roboratur by the dissentions of hereticks the Catholik faith is strengthned He is so full to this purpose to shew what good God works out of evil that I cannot suppresse his words Inimici ecclesiae quolibet errore caecentur si accipiunt potestatem Corporaliter affligendi exercent ejus patientiam Si tantummodo malè sentiendo adversantur exercent ejus sapientiam Vt diligantur exercent ejus benevolentiam But when the Church of God grows foule and when People of God forsake God and go in their own ways then God useth the wicked ad vindictam then as David saith the wicked are the sword of the Lord. Ps 17.13 And that is the reason why God doth suffer so many evils in the world because they be his rods to chasten evil Even in this example Ieremie the Prophet of the Lord doth threaten the same judgment The Chaldaeans shall fight against this city and take it and burn it with fire Jer. 37.8 Thus saith the Lord deceive not your selves saying the Chaldaeans shall depart from us for they shall not depart For though you had smitten the whole army of the Chaldaeans that fight against you and there remained but wounded men amongst them yet they should rise up every man in his tent and burn the city with fire Thus God doth Cap. 1. because he will declare his owne perfection of wisedome and goodnesse that he can work good out of evil and dispose the very vices of men to good And thus the examples of foule sinnes in our brethren do move us 1. To a loathing thereof as we read the Lacedemonians would make their slaves drunk and then shew them to their children to make them loath drunkennesse and all that have the feare of God when they see and heare the evil conversation and evil and profane words of the wicked they behold in them the ugly face of sinne and are touched at the heart with a detestation of the same 2. They move us to charity 1. Charitas incipiens at our selves to take warning by their example that we when we see a thief do not turn to him nor be Partakers with the adulterers To make us set a guard upon our whole life a zealous purpose to eschew evil To use the means for our preservation from evil which are hearing and meditation in the law of God and frequent and fervent Prayer 2. Charitas proficiens to pray God for our brethren that he would direct their paths forgive their sins and mend their lives and preserve others from being corrupted by their evill example 2. God bringeth forth the effects of his own good will Reas 2 out of the ministry of the vices of men to declare his true justice in punishing sinne by sinne that sinners may see that they serve for rods one to whip another of them whereas the just do not cannot hurt one another for all evil is noxious holinesse is humble God declareth himself King and supream Lord of the earth herein Reas 3 for as David saith fecit quicquid voluit he hath done what ever he will He will not let either the sinner that acteth or Satan that suggesteth evil to have the managing thereof for howsoever it seemeth that they serve their own turns therein he will dispose their evil to his own proper ends and they shall unwillingly work for him though both the bent of the suggestion of Satan and the promise of the intention of the sinner and the fewel of the affection and the whole force of the action be diverted against him So Josephs brethren full of envie to him sold him into Egypt What a charity did God work out of it so the Jews for envy pursued Christ to the Crosse all the godly fare the better for the good which was effected by it Israel is here punished by the Chaldaeans and God maketh use of these bryars and thorns to prick and goare his People he suffereth them to be carried into captivity All the force of Satan and his instruments prevail no farther against the Church then for correction and burning out the drosse God doth still do all things for the best The consideration where of serveth 1. To pacifie us against evils Vse and to lay that storme which either humane passion or inordinate zeal may stirre up against sinne and sinners though that all punishment in its nature be evil yet God may work good of it and the Son of God saith Resist not evill let it have its course and expect Gods end in at You see how much Habakkuk was troubled at the sins of the Iews how he did even
The rule therfore is that he that willeth the same thing which God willeth doth the same thing which God would have done sinneth except he willeth and doth the same thing in the same matter and for the same end which God projecteth Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus arme your selves with the same mind That mind is an armour against the wrath of God 1. Pet. 4.1 we know we cannot displease him so long as there is an harmonie of our mind with his that mind is an armour against the revenge of men for if we be abundant always in the work of the Lord we know that our labour is not Eph. 4.23 cannot be in vaine in the Lord for we must be renewed in the spirit of our mind we must not be like the axe and hammer in the hand of the artificer which knoweth not who useth it nor what he doth nor why we are living instruments and our minds must set our hands awork we must know what we do for whom and why or else our work is against our selves We do nothing but as God doth guide the hand so he frameth the heart and affections to it if he do not also enlighten our understandings and apply our minds to it we are carried as bruit beasts we are not led as men So then I leave those Chaldaeans though the armies of God at this time and doing the will of God ignorantly yet for the corruption of their intention culpable and in as ill case as they whom they persecute and overcome All the injuries that we do by word or deed to our brethren they are done with Gods privity Vse he knoweth thereof he disposeth them to their punishment who suffer by us or for the exercise of their patience or the tryal of their charity to them that hurt them or their constancie in obedience to him Let us not so much consider what good God doth work out of us to them as what evil breedeth in our heart and so no thank to Iosephs brethren that he is the second man in Aegypt All the fat of the land of Goshen and the sweet exchang of their pinching famine for a swelling plenty will not still the clamorous accusing voice of their guilty conscience for the sinne of their evil intention against their brother for as soon as their father died their fear revived they doubted that Joseph would revenge that fault The old word was animus cujusque is est quisque every mans mind is himself and so when David saith of the just man the floods of many waters shall not come near him it is expounded it shall not come so high as his mind to the disquieting thereof it shall not come so high as his faith to the weakning thereof Remember this when you pray fiat voluntas tua thy will be done that you desire of God not only a correspondence with his hand that you may do that which he would have done but correspondence of Will that you may do it for the same cause 2. How far the punishment shall extend 1. To a full Conquest 2. To a proud triumph Divis p. 78 The full Conquest is set forth vers 6. They shall march through the bredth of your land to possesse the dwelling places that are not theirs v 9. They shall come all for violence and shall gather together the captivity as the sand Wherin is described a full possession of the land of the Jews and a deportation of the people a losse even of the birth-right and the blessing The land of Canaan is called the land of promise for God promised it to Abraham and swore to him that his seed should inherit it but by way of Covenant which had reference to their obedience of the law of God for so Moses forewarned them If thou forget the Lord thy God c. I testifie unto you this day yee shall surely perish Deut. 8.19 as the nations which the Lord destroyeth before you so yee shall perish because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God And Moses saith unto them Behold I set before you this day Deut. 11.26 a blessing and a curse Blessing if you obey the Commandments of the Lord c. And the curse if you will not obey Now God is free of his promise and oath that he made to them for they have disobeyed him they have corrupted their ways they have contemned and slacked the Law of God therefore they have forfeited their estate in that good land and their persons stand obliged to the punishment of their disobedience The lesson is Doct. that all the promises of Gods favour to men are not absolute but conditional and are referred to the obedience or disobedience of men For man is mutable Reason God is unchangeably just he must not he cannot favour disobedience his love goes not in the blood but in the faith of Abraham Israel the posterity of Abraham is no more to him then the posterity of Canaan who had his fathers curse except that Israel do serve him better then they do He hath told them so by Moses for seeing there was no merit in them to deserve his love at first and no means for them to continue his love but their obedience that failing they are to him as heathens Christ teacheth us that if any be wilful and will not obey the Church he must be to us as an Heathen and a Publicane we can never excommunicate such ex communione charitatis out of the communion of charity for as much as in us lieth we must have peace with all men and we must never hide our selves from our own flesh and we must do good unto all men but we may we must exclude them ex Communione Ecclesia from the Communion of the Church we must not admit them to our Congregations nor esteem them members of the Church till they be reconciled Religion is the knot of true union that knitteth us to God that uniteth us to one another that once dissolved farewel fair weather we must turn all into chiding and reproof and as the Apostle saith come to them with the rod. We must complain of them to God and awake his Justice upon them So that if we would keep our land from invasion and depopulation our persons from captivity and deportation our goods from direption and deprecation let us serve the Lord in feare and obedience in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the days of our lives 2. The punishment shall extend to a proud triumph which is exprest v. 10. They shall scoffe at the Kings and the Princes shall be a scorne to them and they shall deride every strong hold This is another of Gods rods Doct. he punisheth the despisers with scorne and contempt as you heard out of Obadiah Behold I have made thee small Vers 2. thou art greatly despised Therefore Saint Paul repeating this prophecie doth by way of
bounds we are taught that they whom God employeth without their knowledge and Privity do only seek their own ends neither is God in all their ways 3. As this passing over signifieth the short joy of their victory so it teacheth that an ungodly man can never be an happy man nor a sinful man a wise man for in short time he will lose that what he hath unjustly gotten for though God intended the taking away of the Iews land from them he intended it but for a time he meant the Jews a sharp chastisement not an eradication I understand those words of a cessation from any further prosecution of this warre against the Jews for he shall carry away some captive into his own land and the meaner sort he shall leave behind to husband Judaea and so shall cease And this doth strengthen our former doctrine that those whom God useth as instruments of his Justice shall at length desist God will not suffer them beyond his decreed time 3. They shall offend Let no man mistake this place as if God did lay upon them a necessity of offence but he doth out of his Prescience foretell that they will offend God as with all their other sinnes so particularly with this their service done to him They are stirred up to this warre by God Doctr. and it is his just will to punish the Iews yet the Chaldaeans that execute this will do offend which was before proved by their evil intention and will after more appear in the close of this text wherein we have charged the action upon God and the evill of the action upon the Chaldaeans Doct. 2 2. God foreknoweth the sins of men He foreknew the fall of Adam and provided a remedy for it in his eternal counsel He foreknew the sins of the old world and provided a judgment to punish them He foreknew the sinnes of his Israel and therefore he made all his promises conditional and referred them to their obedience He foreknew the trespasse of Judas the cruelty of the Iews the injustice of the Romanes against his sonne and he made his death medicinal and cordial for his Church and a ruine to the enemies thereof the same stone which was the corner stone of the Church was a rock of offence to her enemies This is the ground of Gods Justice against the Chaldaeans in the next section of this chapter for fore-seeing how they would offend He did also fore-decree how he would punish them He is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a seer for all things are manifest in his sight the eye of the Lord is over all the world he seeth both the good and the bad God foreseeth offences before they be come into the hearts of men as Christ knew Judas would be a â—raitour before Judas knew it himself 2 Reg. 13.8 and God by his Prophet told Hazael how cruel he should be before Hazael was King and when Hazael though such wickednesse could not have bred in him Am I a dog that I should do this great thing And Christ told Peter that he would deny him when Peter protested against it very strongly 1. Because he knoweth the heart in which sinne breedeth and knows how apt it is to conceive sinne He knoweth whereof we be made 2. He foreseeth the temptations wherewith man shall be tempted 3. He knoweth what measure of strength and vertue is gone out from him to man to enable him against these temptations Vse 1. Let no man therfore flatter himself that he can commit any sinne so secretly that the eye of God shall escape it he knoweth our thoughts long before there can no darknesse hide us from this eye but the darknesse is as light as the day to him darknesse and light are both alike And if God foresee offences to come much more doth he remember sins past and observe sins present 2. Let this stirre us up to the feare of the Lord which is a continual putting of us into the presence of God and filleth us with fervent prayers to God to keep us from sinne either from the desire of it or from the committing of it or from the punishment of it by giving us strength to resist sinne tempting us or at least to hate the evil which we do against the law of our mind transported by the law of our members or to give us the grace of repentance that we may turn to him and break off our sins by righteousnesse and godly life This is that petition in our Lords Prayer Lead us not into temptation Which petition followeth that former forgive us our trespasses for whom God pardoneth them Satan tempteth most both because he despighteth God and because relapse into sins once pardoned is a double danger And he prayeth God not to lead him into the temptation because we must not only remember with grief the sins we have committed but we must consider with feare what sins our infirmities may fall into Into which God leadeth us by withdrawing his grace from us or from which he keepeth and preserveth us by his assisting grace The foresight of God is in respect of himself and his own perfect knowledge infallible and certain that will come to passe which he foreseeth and this is his wisedome though man have a free will to do evil yet he knoweth how far this his free will shall mislead him And for that cause he hath set such a guard of Angels about the just to keep them in all their ways that they fall not to take them up again when they fall and he hath given his word and lanthorn to their feet to guide and direct their paths Yet we may say that this foresight of God may be in respect of the means conditional and so God may foresee such an event upon some secret condition which yet by means may be prevented and not succeed A great example hereof in Davids story He heareth that the Philistims do rob Keilah David goeth against the Philistims 1 Sam. 23. and overcometh and saveth the men of Keilah Saul hearing of it armes his forces to surprize Keilah secretly David asketh of God Vers 12. Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul The Lord said They will deliver thee up Here God foresaw a sinne in the men of Keilah which was never committed but Saul had sent and God knew the corruption of the heart of those men and gave warning Here his foresight in respect of himself was certain which was that David should take this warning to escape But in respect of the successe it was conditional because it hath reference to the means of evasion So God foresaw the death of Ezechiah by his conditional will deferred but by his revealed will present and his revealed will doth not always make necessity of event but sometimes it is a warning to escape it Thus God foreseeth the spawning of sinne in mans life in the seed or root thereof which is
any man even as Christ forgave you so also do ye And above all things put on charity with the bond of perfectnesse As it is a welcome suit to God when out of a zeal to his glory you do call upon him for his judgments to chasten the overgrown sinnes of the time in which ye live so it is a pleasing intercession which solliciteth for mercy in Justice for the pure justice of God will endure an allay of mercy and we shall have the better interest in his favour by how much the more we desire more sharers in it There be good Authours of opinion that the Prayer of Stephen Father forgive them was no weak means of the Conversion of Saul who was one of his Persecutors The point is moderation that neither we should so favour high-grown sinners as not to complain to God of them nor yet so delight in their punishment as not to pray against the whole and full displeasure of God that neither the zeal of Gods glory do extinguish Christian compassion nor the tendernes of pity quench the zeal of Gods glory but that at once we do shew our obedience to the whole law that he that loveth God may love his neighbour also God himself directed Abimilech to Abraham to pray for him and the friends of Job to use Jobs intercession because he loves to be entreated to shew mercy And the rich man in hell would not have his brethren come to that place of torment Complain then that is holy passion but begge easie punishment that is charitable compassion the children of God have as many tears to shed for the punishment of their brethren as for their sinnes 2. The Parts are two 1. The Prophets resolution concerning the Church and Common-wealth of the Jews 2. The Prophets dispute with God The first containeth an argument 1. The Antecedent Thou art from everlasting O Lord my God my holy One 2. The Conclusion Therefore we shall not die O Lord thou hast ordained them for judgement O mighty God thou hast established them for correction The Proposition That God is eternal and holy needs no proof to such as know God both are clearly maintained through the whole body of Scripture 1. The Eternity of God And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba Gen. 21.33 Ps 90.2 and called there on the name of the Lord the everlasting God Moses Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting thou art our God Saint Paul Rom. 16.26 speaking of the mystery of the Gospel long kept secret but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of the Prophets according to the Commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations Hast thou not known Isa 40.28 hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the end of the earth fainteth not c. Plato defined God to be aeterna mens sibi ad omnem felicitatem sufficiens summe bona omnis boni efficient in natura Neither can we rest in the search of causes till we come to one supreme eternal cause of all things the Alpha and Omega of other things of himself without Alpha or Omega 2. The Conclusion from hence issuing is Therefore we shall not die saith Habakkuk For as God is eternal in himself so is he to his Church and from the eternity of God doth the eternity of Angels and men derive it self for eternity cannot flow from any thing that is not it selfe eternal and we know that the nature of Angels and men is eternal both of them being by the eternal God created to abide for ever the elect Angels and men in eternal glory the reprobate Angels and men in eternal shame and pain Yet is the judgement of the reprobate in Scripture called by the names of Death Destruction Perishing because these be titles of the greatest horrour and dismay that the heart of man can conceive Now we have two hopes built upon this foundation of Gods eternity non moriemur 1. Temporal that God will still reserve a remnant of the Jews to return again to the possession of their fathers and to build again the City and the temple and to renew the face of a Church and Common-wealth so non moriemur hoc est omnes we shall not die that is not all 2. Eternal That God will not utterly cast off his People from his favour but that although he scourge them with the rods of men even to a temporal losse of their land their liberty and their lives yet non moriemur we shall not lose our interest in his promise of a better life So that the Prophet doth teach us the right use of the doctrine of Gods eternity to assure us against all temporal and eternal evils And this doth Moses conclude for this Antecedent Before the mountains were brought forth Ps 90.2 or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting thou art our God Thou turnest man to destruction Vers 3. again thou sayst return ye sonnes of Adam From the power of Gods Eternity there is a return for the sons of Adam as David saith Thou renuest the face of the earth Non moriemur death our last enemy shall be destroyed and perish we shal be translated from death to life this is clear because God hath in eternal wisedom appointed an eternal redemption for some to an eternal inheritance of eternal glory This eternity of God is two fold 1. Eternitas essentiae Eternity of Essence in himself 1. Eternitas Providentiae Eternity of Providence in respect of his creatures From the first we conclude the second for if God be in his own nature eternal he hath also an eternal Providence by which he governeth all things his word by which he governeth is also eternal in the heavens Saint Augustine proveth this point of Gods eternity thus Quaest 83 l. c. 19. Quod incommutabile aeternum est That he proveth Quod semperest ejusdem modi est incommutabile Such is our God without variablenesse or shadow of change and therefore eternal And whereas from this eternity our Prophet doth conclude Non moriemur Saint Augustine doth therefore call our eternity immortalitatem rather then aeternitatem Anteced-Consequent 2. Another Argument is here inforced Thou art holy Therefore this punishment of the Jews by the Chaldaeans is for their correction only Of the Antecedent God is holy The Quiristers of heaven do attribute it to God three times in some Greek Copies we read it three times three nine times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holy The song of Moses is sung in heaven and that saith Who shall not feare thee O Lord and glorifie thy name Rev. 15.4 for thou only art holy The Seraphims say each one to another Isa 6.3 Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory It was his law
flesh them that they shall empty their nets and fish again amongst the nations and not cease to shed bloud Ezcchiah hath the name of a good King he prayed to God Let there be Peace or as the Kings Pible reads is it not not good that there be Peace and Truth in my days But careful Princes will look beyond their own days and fit their designes to the good of Posterity Present evils being in their growth threaten furture dangers and we say of them as our Saviour doth These are but the beginnings of sorrows and there is fear that there will be semper deterior posterior dies the latter times will be the worser The best remedy is to awake the tender love of God to his Church with an expostulation Shall they do this O Lord Thy will be done Shall they do it continually wilt thou suffer it when the time is come he will have mercy CHAP. II. Vers 1. I will stand upon the watch and set me upon the Tower and will watch to see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I an reproved IN this Chapter God answereth all the Prophets grievances and it containeth two parts 1. The Prophets attendance upon God for his answer vers 1. 2. The Lords answer in the rest of the chapter In the first The Prophet having disputed with God and as his name importeth having wrastled with him doth resolve I will stand upon the watch and set me upon the tower alluding to the military practice of souldiers who appoint some in some eminent place to observe the enemie and to give timely warning of their doings And seeing God hath declared himself an enemy to the Iews by all those evils which he hath threatned to bring upon them the Prophet watcheth him and attendeth to receive further advertisement from himself concerning his purpose toward them I will watch to see what he will say unto me for the secrets of the Lord are revealed unto them that fear him And God spake in the mouth of all the Prophets which have been since the world began Neither doth the Prophet attend God out of a curiosity scire ut sciat to know only as Bern. speaks but that he may know what to answer for God when he is reproved or as the Margent saith much better when he is argued with and others come to dispute with him upon those grievances as he hath done with God for you must understand that in all the former complaints this Prophet hath not argued as a particular man but as undertaking the cause of the Church and sustaining the Persons of all his afflicted brethren for whose sakes that he may satisfie them and for Gods sake whose Minister he is that he may know how to maintain to them the cause of Gods Wisedome and Iustice he doth now attend Gods answer By this standing upon the watch and upon the tower in this place is meant the Prophets attending upon a further Revelation of the Will of God concerning these grievances because in those times God did speak to his Prophets by visions and dreams and secret inspirations And holy men then had accesse to him immediatly whereby they knew the mind of God and yet did communicate to them his counsels Yet so as he put them to it to await his good leasure and to expect his answer So David in his own case I will heare what the Lord God will say unto me These words do wel expresse the whole duty of a faithful Prophet and Minister of the Word consisting of two parts 1. His information of himself implet cisternam he fils the Cistern 2. His instruction of others for then he will turn the Cock. In the first observe 1. His wisedome he will borrow all his light from the Sun What he will say unto me 2. His vigilancy I will stand upon the watch 3. His patient expectation I will set me upon the tower 4. His holy care to see what will be said to him 1. His Wisedome He will take his information from the mouth of God teaching us That the faithful Minister of God must speak only in the Lords message he must see before he say Doct. he must be first a Seer and then a Speaker and he must not go from the instructions which God shal give him to speak more or lesse This is our wisedome and understanding to take our light from the father of lights to gather our wisedome from him that is wisest Whose foolishnesse is wiser then man as the Apostle telleth us 1. Because of our nature which is corrupt Reas 2 so our reason and judgement subject to errours and mistakes as we see in Nathan who encouraged David in his purpose of building a Temple which in his humane reason seemed a good intention and David a fit person to undertake it But God directed him to repeal that Commission and to assigne that work to Salomon Davids sonne 2. Because we are Ambassadors from God Reas 2 and Ambassadours go not of themselves but are sent and they must remember whose Persons they beare and be careful to speak according to their instructions 1. This as it is a direction to us to limit our Ministry Vse that we may not do more or lesse then our erand 2. So it is a rule for you to whom we are sent to receive or refuse our Ministry accordingly as you shall justifie our Preachings by the Will of God revealed in the sacred Canon of Scripture searching the Scriptures as the men of Berea did whether those things which we teach be so or not And if any shall in the name of God broach or vent the doctrines of men you may say to him as Nehemiah did to Sanballat There are no such things as thou sayst but thou feinest them out of thine own heart Nehem. 6.8 But take heed you exceed not this example of Nehemiah for he did not charge Sanballat thus till he perceived that God had not sent him but that he pronounced this prophecy For many hearers are so seasoned with prejudice against their Teachers that if any thing sound not to the just tune of their own fancies they will suddenly quarrel it Yet as Gamaliel saith If the Counsel be of God it will stand whosoever oppose it 3. This reproveth those forward intruders into the Lords harvest who come unsent and bring not their Sickle with them they will work without tools and they will teach before they have learnt Like the foolish Virgins they would spend of the wise Virgins oyle they do sapere ex Commentario and take their Sermons upon trust hearkning what God hath said to others and not tarrying till God speak to them It is no wonder if these Merchants do break who set up without a stock they be but broken Cisterns though some water run through them they hold none The faithful Minister must not only observe quid dicit dominus what the Lord saith but quid dicit mihi what
Justice or directly unjust in suffering his own servants to be opprest with the injuries of men The Minister must diligently preach the hearer must reverently hear and faithfully believe the truth concerning the Providence of God or else all Religion will sink and want foundation Vers 2. And the Lord answered me and said Write the vision and make it plaine upon Tables that he may run that readeth it 3. For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry HEre begins the second part of the chapt which contains the Lords answer to the Prophets expostulation Containing 1. A Direction to the Prophet ver 2 3. 2. A Declaration of his holy will in the general administration of Justice 1. Concerning the Direction given to the Prophet And the Lord answered me and said For the manner how God maintained intelligence with his holy Prophets we are not very particularly informed we find inspiration and revelation and ision mentioned he that made the light that is in us and gave us our understanding can best make his ways known to his holy ones and as I do not think that Habakkuks contestation with God was verbal and vocal but rather a wrastling and striving of his spirit and inward man neither do I think this answer of God was audidle presented to the eare but by some secret divine illumination suggested And where he saith The Lord answered and said These phrases do expresse so plain an answer as is made in conference between man and man Write the vision That is set down in writing my answer It is our manner for the better preservation of such things as we would not forget to set them down in writing But because this request of the Prophets doth concerne others that he may inform them God addeth Make it plain upon Tables that he may run that readeth it That is write my answer in a Table in great Characters that though a man be in haste and run by yet he may read as he runneth shewing that he was desirous to satisfie all such as the Prophet spake of before who should argue against him As out manner is to fix publike Proclamations and Edicts on wals or on Posts in ways of common passage that any Passenger may take notice thereof seeing it concerneth every one to that the Lord alludeth in this place giving the Prophet great charge for the declaration of his holy will in this great matter so to expresse it that every one of his People may receive information thereof Vult aperta esse verba apertè scribi saith St. Hierom. For the vision is yet for an appointed time The time is not yet fulfilled for the execution of the Will of God but it is in the holy wisedome and purpose of God determined when it shall be fulfilled At the end it shall speak and not lie That is in the time prefixed by Almighty God it shall take effect and the counsel and decree of God shall be executed For God that hath promised cannot lie The answer of God is full as it after will appear and doth not only clear the Iustice of God in the present cause of the oppressed Iews against the Chaldaeans but it maketh a further and more general overture of Gods decree against all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of men so that this Prophecy shall not only comfort that Church and those times but it is directed to the perpetual use of the Church in all the ages thereof He therefore addeth Though it tarry wait for it do not think by any importunity to draw down the judgements of God upon the ungodly or to hasten the deliverance of the Church God doth all things tempore suo in his time and the servants of God must tarry his leasure Because it will surely come it will not tarry He giveth assurance of the complement of his Will in the proper and prestitute season thereof which nothing shall then hinder The parts of this text containing Gods direction given to his holy Prophet are three 1. The care that God takes for the publishing of his Wil to the Church vers 2. 2. The assurance that he gives of the performance thereof in the time by him appointed 3. The patient expectation which he commands for the performance thereof 1. The law that he takes for publishing it The Prophet must not only hear God speak the Seer must not only behold the vision but he must write the same litera scripta manet the written letter abideth I will not stand to search how ancient writing is wherein some have lost time and labour I know that many do make God the first immediate Author of it and do affirm that the first Scripture that ever was was Gods writing of the law in two Tables Exod. 32. But because I find in Exod. 24 that Moses wrote all the word of the Lord Vse 4 and Josephus doth report a tradition of the Hebrews for writing and graving before the flood I hold it probable that both Scripture and Sculpture are as ancient as the old world I will not question Josephus his Record of the two pillars erected before the flood engraven for the use of posterity with some memorable things to continue in succeeding ages whereof one remained in Syria in his own time It is frequent in Scripture to expresse a perpetuity of record by writing In the case of Amalek Write this for a memorial in a book Ex. 17.14 Iob. O that my words were now written that they were printed in a book Job 19 23 Graven with an iron pen Vers 24. in lead and in the ink for ever Isay the Prophet I heard a voice from heaven saying to me write all flesh is grasse Ioh. Audivi vocem dicentem Beati mortui I heard a voice from heaven saying Blessed are the dead Beloved thus have we the light that shineth upon the Church and guideth our feet in the ways of peace by writing for all Scripture is given by inspiration holy men wrote as they were inspired It was given to them by inspiration to know the will of God they impart it to the Church of God by writing and that boundeth and limiteth us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus hath God revealed himself to his Church 1. Cor 4.6 both sufficiently that we need no more knowledge for eternal life then what is contained in Scripture and so clearly that the word giveth understanding to the simple And as this word from the immediate mouth of God doth warrant this particular prophecy so doth the Apostle say of all the body of Canonical Scripture that all Scripture is given by inspiration and Gods care is double 1. That it be written to continue 2. That it be written plain to be read 1. It must be written that it may remain 1. Written For in the old world because of the
long life of the fathers the oracles of God were committed to them without any mention of writing because they were both wise and faithful in the custody and transmission of them For Adam himself living nine hundred and thirty years to teach his children had under his teaching Seth Enosh Kenan Mahalaleel Iarod Henoch Methusalah and Lamech the father of Noah And Noah lived with Abraham 57 years But after the flood when the Church in the posterity of Iacob encreased and no doubt had many corruptions by dwelling in Aegypt then was Moses appointed both to be the deliverer of the People of Israel from Aegypt and to be the Penman of God to write those things which God would have to remain in the Church for all succeeding times and after him successively holy men wrote as they were inspired And a better Argument we cannot give for the danger of unwritten traditions which the Church of Rome doth so much commend even above Scripture then this God saw that men had corrupted their ways and he found the imaginations of mens hearts only evil continually and that the Church was a very few therefore he stirred up Noah to be a Preacher of righteousnesse in whom the light of truth was preserved he destroyed the old sinful world and by Noah and Sem he began a new Church to the restored world Yet after Noahs death the worship of strange gods were brought in so that to heal this grief and to prevent the danger of traditions God caused the Word to be written by holy men for the perpetual use of his Church whose books were faithfully preserved in all ages thereof Then came the Sonne of God and he left his spirit in the Church to lead the Church into all truth by which spirit the New Testament was endited and written So that now all things necessary to salvation are so clearly revealed that traditions of men have no necessary use in the Church in the substance of true Religion for that which is written is sufficient The Church of Rome denieth the sufficiency of Scripture Many of their great learned men write both basely and blasphemously thereof But they are not agreed upon the point for Scotus Gerson Oecam Cameracensis Waldensis Vincentius Lerinensis do all confesse what we teach of the sufficiency of Scripture as the learned Deane of Glocester Dr. Field l. 3. de Eccoles c. 7. hath fairly cited them And Dr. White in his way of the Church addeth Tho. Aquinas Antoninus Arch-bishop of Florence Durandus Alliaco a Cardinal Conradus Clingius Peresius Divinity Reader at Barcilena in Spain and Cardinal Bellarmine Of whom Possevinus writeth that he is one of the two that have won the Garland De verbo Dei l. 1. c. 2. Sacra Scriptura regulae credendi certissima tutissima est Per corporales literas quas cerneremus legeremus erudire not voluit Deus Writing against Swenck field and the Libertines this is a legal witnesse Pro Orthodoxo heretici testimonium valeat I know to whom I speak and therefore I forbear the Polemical bands of arguments to and fro upon this question which in print and in English is so fully and learnedly debated Our lesson is seeing Gods care of his Church for the instruction thereof is here exprest in commanding his revealed will to be written that God would have his Church to be taught his ways in all the ages thereof Doct. 1. Because the ways of God Reas 1 and the saving health of God cannot be parted none can have the saving health of God without the knowledge of his ways no ignorant man can be saved it is said of Christ By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Isa 53.11 per scientiam qua scitur Therefore Davids Prayer is That thy way may be known upon earth thy saving health among all nations 2. Because the promise of God doth run in semine Reas 2 in the seed I will be thy God and the God of thy seed Our children are the Lords inheritance his care extendeth so farre That yee may live Deut. 5.33 and that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days But that is not all That it may be well with them and their children for ever Vers 29. 3. For his own sake Reas 3 that his Wisdome Power and Iustice may be known to men that they may be able to plead the cause of God against such as either ignorantly through unbelief or maliciously and blasphemously shall dispute and argue against God for therefore God doth condescend to this Apology of himself that he may instruct his Church how to plead the cause of his Iustice against all strife of tongues that the name of God be not evil-spoken of To make profit of this point Vse 2 1. Herein let us consider what the Lord hath done for our souls for he hath given us two means to communicate to us his holy will hearing and reading and he hath used to this purpose both the voice and the pen of holy men for he spake by the mouth of all the holy Prophets since the world began and holy men wrote as his spirit directed them Let him that hath ears to heare heare quid Spiritus Ps 34.16 Mat. 24.15 and seek yee out the book of the Lord and read but then adde this caution Who so readeth let him understand It was Philips question sed intelligis quod legis Seeing God hath written to us Vse 2 and the whole body of holy Scripture may well be called Gods Epistle or Letter to his Church let us bestow the reading of Gods letter St. Augnstiue saith Quae de illa Civitate unde peregrinamur venerunt nobis literae ipsae sunt Scripturae It was St. Gregories complaint of Theodorus In Ps 90.2 that he was so over-busied with secular cares Regist 4.84 Et quotidie legere negligit verba redemptoris sui quid est autem Scriptura sacra nisi quaedam epistola Omnipotentis dei ad venturam suam It is a question in our times whether printing hath done more hurt or good for Satan finding this a means to keep things alive in the world hath employed the Presse in all sorts of heresies in all sorts of idle and lascivious false and dicterious slanderous and biasphemous books The remedy is to refrain such readings and as Dr. Reynold tels Hart his adversary that he hath no book allowed him to read but the Bible It is likely then that he is perfect in that book and that Physitians do well when they find their Patient surfeited with too much variety of meat to confine him to some one wholesome dyet So shall we do well to limit our selves to the reading of Gods letter and know his mind for he is wisest and the wisedome that we shall gather from thence is wisedome from above it is able to make us wise unto salvation as the Apostle saith 3. Seeing God teacheth us by
read and they returned saying Never man spake like that man If they that run from the word may be taken thus with a glance upon it you may soone conceive what effect it may work in those that run to it that are swift to hear that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse If they that hear or read the word immediately aliud agentes may perceive the mind of the Lord by the plain opening thereof much more they that come of purpose and run to it that come with appetite and desire after it with delight in it with purpose to profit by it and with due Preparation of the heart by earnest Prayer for the holy blessing of God upon the Ministry and hearing of it therefore quid Scriptum est quomodo legis what is written how readest thou 2. The assurance that he gives of the performance of his purpose in due time The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lie Next verse It will surely come it will not tarry This is Rhetorically set down For 1. Here is veritas decreti the truth of the decree The Vision is yet for an appointed time 2. Here is veritas verbi the truth of the word it shall speak it shall not lye 3. Here is veritas facti the truth of the deed It will surely come it will not tarry 1. Decretum the Decree The Vision is here put for the thing seen as you have heard and that is the declaration of Gods just judgment in the cause of his Church against the Chaldaeans for he saith the time is appointed meaning in his own holy and fixt decree which is unchangeable 2. Verbum the Word God will speak his minde by this Vision and declare what he intendeth against the Chaldeans and therein he will deal truely and faithfully for he is truth he cannot lye For these be two Premises or Antecedents to one conclusion for we may conclude both wayes 1. The Decree of God is past Ergo veniet non tardabit he shall come he will not tarrie 2. The Word of God is past Ergo. From thence we are taught Doctr. That whatsoever God hath decreed or spoken shall certainly take effect in the appointed time The holy word of Scripture confirmeth this Indeed who should alter Gods decrees for he himself will not I may say truly he cannot change them for the Apostle saith he worketh all things after the councell of his will Eph. 1.11 And the Will of God is himself And he cannot deny him self 2 Tim. 2.13 Neither can he repent as Samuel told Saul The strength of Israel will not lye nor repent 1 Sam. 15.29 for he is not a man that he should repent And if God himself be without variablenesse and shadow of change his Will being established by his counsell and wisdom we may be sure that there is no power beneath him that can swerve him from his own ways for the wiseman saith There is no wisdom nor understanding Pro. 21.30 nor counsell against the LORD One reason may serve of this Doctrine God is equall infinite in his wisdom justice and mercie to conceive him infinite in power to do whatsoever he will and not infinite in wisdom to decree whatsoever he will do were to make him a Tyrant not a King but David saith The Lord is King and we do ascribe it to him Tuum est regnum potentia thine is the Kingdom and power for power without equall proportion of wisdom must needs degenerate into cruelty This wisdom foreseeth all things that shall be this wisdom decreeth all things that he will do which his power after in the times appointed doth performe and bring to act Against this Doctrine is Objected Object 1. Why then do so many texts of Scripture tell us that God repenteth Sometimes he repenteth of the good that he hath done for to make man upon the earth was a good work yet it is said And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth Gen. 6 6. and it greived him at his heart So to make Saul King over Israel was a good work for it was his own choise yet himself saith It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be King 1 Sam. 15.11 Sometime God is said to repent of the evil that he hath done malum poenae the evil of punishment is there to be understood So after the great plague when David had made a fault in numbring the people When the Angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it the Lord repented him of the evil 2 Sam. 24.16 and said to the Angel It is enough stay thy hand And concerning his Word we have frequent examples in Scripture of events contrary to the letter of his Word For example His word was to Hezekiah by Isaiah set thy house in order for thou shalt dye non vives Yet Hezekiah did live 15 years after that his word was to Nineveh by Jonah 40 days and Niniveh shall be destroyed yet yet it fel not out so and the story saith God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do to them Joh. 3.10 To all we answer Sol. 1. That the Will of God that is his counsell decreeing what he will do is constantly the same and unchangeable as we have taught 2. Where it is in Scripture charged upon God that he doth repent we say with Chrysost it is verbum parvitati nostrae accommodatum a word accommodated to our weaknesse Hom. 22. in Gen. For we are said to repent when we change our mindes now the God of wisdom and power never changeth his minde but sometimes he doth change his operations there is not mutatio mentis but mutatio dextrae Exclesi as St. Aug. Paenitudo dei est mutandorum immutabilis ratio by which he without changing of his own decree maketh alterations in the disposition of things mutable This for want of understanding in us to comprehend the ways of God is called repentance and greif in God but as Aug. saith Non est perturbatio sed judicium quo irrogatur poena as Saint Paul I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh 3. I approve that received distinction of the Will of God 1. Voluntas signi of the Signe 2. Voluntas beneplaciti of his good Pleasure 1. God doth reveal his ways to the sons of men and sheweth them what he would have them do and openeth to them the knowledge and tendereth to them the use of fit means to performe that which he would have them and so it is said he would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of his Truth According to this revealed Will of God he doth offer mercy to all and he doth withall threaten judgment to such as forsake their own mercy as Jonah saith And when he seeth cause to call in either his mercy from them
God and the Lord Jesus Christ 2 Tim. 4 1◠who shall judge the quick and dead at his appearing and his kingdome Preach the word be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrines God hath given and committed to us the Ministry of the Word of faith by which we must live and if we be not found faithful in the dispensation thereof our souls shall answer for the sins of the People which are committed by our negligence and for want of our giving warning 2. To you it is a provocation of you to be swift to hear to take heed how you heare to heare with meeknesse to hear willingly to hear attentively to meditate in the Word that you hear to search the Scriptures to believe the word spoken to be obedient to the forme of doctrine delivered not to despise him that speaketh in our ministry it is said of Lydia that she heard us This was the outward means of her saith This had never done good alone for he that planteth is nothing and he that watereth is nothing but God that giveth the increase He is nothing saith the Apostle that planteth that is the Minister of the Word is nothing There were two things much amisse amongst the Corinthians at that time 1. One was they did too much depend upon their Ministers and ascribe too much to them wherein he that sent them had wrong 2. They were partial in their estimation of their Ministers some affecting and preferring one some another that it came to a schisme To remove which double disease in the Church the Apostle telleth them that the Minister is not any thing his meaning is not to disgrace the Ordinance of God to defile his own nest to dishonour his own high-calling but to bring them to true judgment of it and to let them understand that the Ministry of men is outward that God hath no need of it he can convert and establish souls without it And further whatsoever the Minister doth it is by the suggestion and help and efficacy of the Holy Ghost The purpose of the Apostle is to withdraw us from dependance on outward means he doth not seek to discourage the use or to disparage the honour of them or to question their necessity but to shew that as planting and watering of a tree are to the bearing of fruit so is our preaching to your good life except God do give the encrease the means in it selfe is not any thing Therefore let us search deeper for the power of God in the increase of our faith and we shall find it a special work of the Holy Ghost 2 Cor. 4.31 and so Saint Paul speaking of the spirit of faith doth give us to understand that faith is wrought in us by that Spirit of God which bloweth where he listeth So it is said of Lydia that the Lord opened her heart The manner of the operation of this Spirit in the work of faith in thus 1. It worketh upon the supreme part of the soul that is the understanding 2. Vpon the inferior part that is the Will and affections 1. Upon the understanding and there it openeth to us three things 1. The Excellency of our Creation 2. The misery of our fall 3. The remedy thereof 1. The Excellency of our Creation For man was made in the image of the Trinity that is in holinesse and righteousnesse he had Free-will to have continued that happy estate and he had the tree of life whereof he might have eaten and have lived for ever in the state of his creation It is necessary that we be instructed in the story of mans creation that we may understand the power wisdome and goodness of God shewed in man who out of so base a matter composed so excellent a frame as this of mans body and inspired it with a reasonable soule endowing it with heavenly light and giving to man the lordship of the works of his hands leaving it in his own free-will to perpetuate the tenure of his happinesse This is called mans state of innocency wherein 1. His knowledge 2. His holinesse was full and perfect 1. His knowledge was full 1. Of God 2. Of himself 2. Of the creatures 1. Of God knowing him so farre forth as a fraile creature was capable of the knowledge of an infinite nature and therein man was no whit inferiour to the Angels of God Coloss 3.10 for God created men and Angels in his own image and this knowledge is the image of God so saith the Apostle Created in knowledge after the image of him which created him 2 Of himself for he was then sensible of all that God had done for him and I cannot doubt but that light which God set up in this excellent creature did shew him the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of himself so that he knew the secret of his own composition the admirable faculties of the intellectual animal part the Symmetrie the Anatomy the use of every part of the body the end use of his creation 3. Of the creatures for as all the creatures were brought before him to declare to him his dominion over them so for more expressure of his lordship he gave to every creature a name surely the light of his understanding penetrating so deep as to the secret nature of all things sublunary as also well read in the great volume of the celestial bodies and furnished with all science whereby either the content of the minde the honour of his high place being lord of all or the use of his life or the glory of his Maker might be maintained or procured Such was man in the state of innocency in respect of his knowledge and though his fall eclipsed that light very much and much of that particular knowledge which Adam had perished in him yet sure that which remained after the fall which was the stock wherewith he set up in the world did give the first rules and lay down the grounds of all arts and sciences which being perfected by observation study and experience in the long life of the fathers descended upon succeeding times like rivers which gather in some brooks to mend their streame as they hasten to the sea and so improve their strength in current and dilate their banks Much of this maketh much against man for in this exellencie of his knowledge extending it self so to the creature no doubt but he knew the Angels also and knew of their fall I cannot suppose that so excellent a creature as man bearing the image of God that made him and of the Angels that stood and kept their first estate could be ignorant or that God would conceale from him such an example of weaknesse in so excellent a creature of justice in him I cannot suppose but that he knew into what condition the fall of Angels had dejected them and how farre their sinne had corrupted them he could not but know them hating of and
shedding of blood to make their own portion fat and whereas they have studied honour and greatnesse all turns to shame abroad in the world and to the burthen of a guilty conscience within them Thou hast sinned against thy soul For the stone shall cry out of the wall Vers 11. the beame out of the timber shall answer it Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood Vers 12. and stablisheth a city by iniquity Here God bringeth in inanimate and senselesse things accusing and upbraiding them they cannot look upon either the stone-work of the wals or the timber-work on the floors and roofs of their buildings but they shall hear the voice of their upbraidings speaking to their consciences that these are ill gotten rapine and cruelty put them together and married them in that frame without a license The voyce of their clamour is woe to him that hath done so Behold Vers 13. is it not of the Lord of Hosts that the People shall labour in the very fire and the People shall weary themselves for very vanity I understand him thus it is Gods own hand against them that they shall endure hard and extreme labour as it were in the fire to compasse their own ends and when they have crowned themselves they shall reap a crop of vanity as David Man disquieteth himself in vain For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord Vers 14. as the Waters cover the sea That is God who by his long forbearance and remissenesse is forgotten in the world shall now declare himself in the execution of justice that he shall be known as David saith God is known by executing judgement ut aquae as the waters i. e. sine mensura that is without measure The Summe of this section is the denunciation of that judgment of God against the Chaldeans wherein we consider 1. Peccatum the Sinne. 2. Poenam the Punishment 3. Effectum the Effect 1. Peccatum here is a Chaine For. 1. Here is Infidelity he would be delivered from the power of evil but he will not trust God with protecting him from it 2. Here is Ambition desire of high place to build his nest on high for more security 3. Here is Covetousnesse to get the means of this high rising 4. Here is cruelty to break through all impediments that stand in the way 2. Poena 1. Shame to his house 2. Sin against his soul 3. Losse of labour 3. Effectus The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord c. 1. De peccato One observation I gather from this whole point concerning the sin of the Chaldeans it is St. Augustines Peccatum nunquam est solitarium sins grow in clusters it is a stream that runneth in the channel of nature and the further it runnes the more corruptions send in their currents into it and as rivers the further they runne the wider they grow so doth sin viresque acquirit eundo When lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and lust may say of that birth as Leah did when Zilpah also bare Jacob a son A troop cometh Gen. 30.11 and she called his name Gad. For sinne is sociable In the temptation which corrupted Evah 1. Satan suggested infidelity shaking her faith in the truth of Gods word 2. He gave a touch upon the Iustice of God that it was scarce equal that God should except any tree and not give Adam unlimited power 3. He suggested a titillation of pride making her believe that they might be like God 4. Wherewith is joyned a suggestion of discontent with their present state 5. There went with this a tang of gluttonous desire So in Gehezies sinne 2 Reg. 5.20 who was Elisha's servant 1. He grudged that Naaman the Syrian should go away with such a favour done him and carry away the whole present that he rendred to his Master 2. He had a covetous desire to have some of it 3. He went after and told Naaman a lye my Master hath sent me 4. Another lye followed There be two young men of the Sons of the Prophets 5. He was sent to demand a talent of silver and two changes of raiment for them 6. He dissembled He must be urged to take two talents 7. He made a cunning conveyance He bestowed them in the house and let the young men go secretly 8. He shut up all with another lie Thy servant went no Whether Davids sin had many sins in it 1. A sin against God in the disobedience of his law 2. Sin against his own body in defiling it 3. A sin against the body of his neighbours wife 4. A sin against the Religion which was so scandalized 5. A sin against his neighbours life 1. Inebriavit eum 2. Jussit occidi 6. Which followed all these a neglect of Gods service for ten moneths together in which he continued impenitent St. James saith Whosoever shall keep the whole law Jam. 2.10 and yet offend in one point is guilty of all How can a man keep the whole and yet break the whole Law of God Sol. He is called here a keeper of the whole Law Quest either 1. By supposition and so it is but a case put thus Put the case a man could keep the whole law save only in some one thing 2. Or by his own opinion of himself 3. Or by his indeavour to keep all Yet this man offending in one breaketh the whole law 1. Because there is such a concatenation of the Duties of Religion and Justice that he which offendeth in one breaketh the chaine 2. Because any one sinne unrepented violateth love and obedience which if it be not full it is no love no obedience at all For the breach of one Commandment doth distaste all the rest of our obedience as a little leaven sowreth the whole lump therefore though we cannot say that he which breaketh the Sabbath committeth adultery or that he that stealeth is a murtherer yet we may say that he that doth break the least Commandment of the law is guilty of the breach of the whole law in omission though not in Commission seeing the obedience that the law requireth failing in one duty corrupteth all that we do say or think Let us now behold the concurrence of sins in the Chaldaean and begin 1. At his incredulity for he would be delivered from evil but he trusteth not God with it but goeth his own way to it This is the mother sinne of all evil ways and means unlawfully used to accomplish mens ends here on earth distrust in God For when we use fraud and lying and dissembling and concealing of the truth and bind untruths with oaths to gain credit to what we say untruly when we make no conscience of injury which may be hidden with cunning or born out with violence all this proceeds from distrust in God And so we grow guilty of the two great evils of which God himself complaineth For
day and night and thou shalt have none assurance of thy life In the morning thou shalt say would God it were even and at even thou shalt say would God it were morning for the fear of thine heart which thou shalt fear and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see Here is unquietnesse even upon the bed of rest the reason is given Isa 28.20 For the bed is shorter then a man can stretch himself on it and the Covering narrower then he can wrap himself in it For there is no Peace to the wicked man It is one of Satans suggestions that the way of righteousnesse is painful and denieth a man the content of his heart And from hence arise these flattering temptations Shall I labour and travel all my days to sustain my life with mine own pains when a little violence will strip my neighbour out of all that he hath gotten together and make it mine own Shall I make conscience of an oath or a lye when it may get me more wealth in an houre then my labour shall earne in a year Shall I work my self when I may make prize of the labours of other men and drink down merrily the sweat of others brows Shall I sit low and be despised in the world when I may lay my neighbours on heaps under me and raise up my self upon their ruines Shall I undergo the charge of a family and the care of posterity when rich gifts and fair words may subdue change of beauties to my welcome desires and lusts of the flesh Shall I expect a slow and lingring advancement by the worth of vertue in the service of God when I see the servants of Mammon carry all honours and preferments before them Shall I be humble when I see the proud happy Mal. 3.15 shall I live a godly life when they that work wickednesse are built Let us here observe how these wicked ones do work to compasse their ends they labour in the very fire the fire of hell The Way of Peace they have not known 2. The next point casteth up the account of their gettings and it is anoughts a meer Cypher in Arithmetick Vanity very Vanity Is it riches then is it a thing corruptible it is a thing uncertain and little of it is for use and what profit hath the Possessor thereof in the surplusage but the beholding thereof with his eye When a man considers his wealth gotten by oppression and injury how can he but think it may be so lost as it was gotten Is it the favour of Princes and great men True they be gods upon earth but they die like men at last and they change their minds often before they die One day Haman rides about in Pompe he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Mordecay waiteth at the lane gate another day Mordecay is set upon the Kings beast and Haman leadeth the horse and proclaimeth him honourable and the next day Haman is hanged and Mordecai rules all under the King Is it honour that thou labourest for that also is vanity Honour is in honorante as Aristotle saith it is very unhappy for a man to have his honour without himself his pride within him and his happinesse without him Wise Salomon that had all temporal felicitie in the fullest measure and all of the gift of God yet called all those things Vanity of Vanities I will shut up this point in the words of David Doubtlesse man walketh in a shadow and disquieteth himself in vain Ps 39.6 3. Is it not of the Lord Many crosse betydings befall the ungodly and they never observe who opposeth them It is the Lord that bringeth all the labours of the ungodly to losse and vanity that when they come to thrash their crop of travel in the world they find nothing but strawe and chaffe To expresse his power to do this he is here called the God of Hosts for all things serve him and he resisteth the proud he and his Hosts He layeth their honours in the dust he disperseth their riches and giveth them to the poor he spoiled them of all their treasures he that exalted them made them low he that gave to them taketh away They had need be made to see this therefore he saith Nonne ecce à Domino hoc is it not of the Lord In the time of the Persecutions under the bloody Emperours if at any time they succeeded not in their wars they cried Christiani ad furcas ad leones Christians to the gallows to the lyons they saw not the hand of God against them this makes Balaam smite his Asse he seeth not Gods Angel In the processe of humane affairs they that go on in these sins which God himself threatneth with woe though they find these sins profitable and to afford them large revenews that they live plentifully upon the wages of unrighteousnesse yet have they many crosses in their ways many great losses they sustain these they impute to second causes and lay great blame upon those whom they do oppresse because they stand not to it whilst oppression grindeth them they observe not the hand of God against them yet saith God Is it not of the Lord of Hosts that they weary themselves for very vanity It is a great matter to know who it is that protecteth his servants that crosseth the designes of their enemies David prayeth for Gods saving help to them and That they may know that this is thy hand Ps 109 27 that thou Lord hast done it For let all offenders in this kind of oppression and indeed in all kinds of bold and presumptuous sins know that they sin with an high hand They are a People that provoke God to anger continually to his face Isa 65.3 if you observe the text well you will find two things in it and they are two great judgments and both of the Lord. 1. Is it not of the Lord of Hostes that the People shall labour in the very fire and shall weary themselves 2. Is it not of the Lord of Hosts that the People shall labour for very vanity For the hand of God is in both for their punishment both in putting them to extreme labour and in turning all their labour into vanity He asketh the question as if he should say Come now and let us reason together to what do you impute it that this People take such pains and prosper so ill do you not perceive that Gods hand is in it and that I the Lord do undo all that they do 1. It is of the Lord that they labour in the fire For God saith Ego creo malum labour and travel is the curse of man the wages of sin In labore vesceris in sudore vultus Here is fire that melteth and dissolveth us into water All the pains that is taken here on earth to do evil is of the Lord. 1. In respect of the strength and wit used therein for in him we live and move he planted
no divided hearts 3. Thou mistakest the cause of thy disease and thy Physitian for thou thinkest it to be some propension in thee to sin which needeth some preventing physick wheras it is a coroding plaister to eat out dead flesh yet flesh and blood hath many inventions we use to shoot another arrow after the first and like Balak try in anoth place and see if it will prosper there Vers 14. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea 3. The effect Vide sura pag. IT is plaine that Gods remissenesse in the execution of his just judgments upon the proud and cruel Babylonians and the miserable face of the Church disfigured with tears her voyce hoarse with roaring for help her throat dry her heart aking and no relief appearing all this had not only made the ungodly and profane confident that there was no such thing as Providence but it appeareth by this Prophet that the faith of Gods children was staggered hereby But when God shall declare his justice against these his enemies then he shall recover his glory then shall they both know that Christ is the Lord both the oppressour shall know it and the delivered shall know it and they that are no parties to the cause of any side shall all understand The words of God in this text are full of marrow and fatness for God is rich in mercy aper it manum implet so he dilateth his favours 1. In the latitude all the earth over 2. In the plenitude the earth shall be filled 3. In the magnitude the knowledge of Gods glory 4. In the profundity as the waters cover the sea We are taught from hence Doctr. 1 that the delivery of Gods Church from the power of the enemies and his vengeance upon them doth give honour to the name of God upon earth so David we are in great misery Help us O God of our salvation Bs 79 9 for the glory of thy name and deliver us 1. Because if the wicked overcome the Church Reas 1 they will triumph against God So Moses Wherefore shall the Egyptians speak and say Ex. 32.12 he hath brought them out maliciously to slay them Rabshakeh the General of Senacheribs forces proudly insulteth Who is he among all the gods of these lands Is 36 20. that hath delivered their Country out of my hands But God delivering his Church and punishing the enemies thereof is magnified thereby Isa 37.20 as Ezechias did pray Now therefore O Lord our God save thou us out of his hand that all the Kingdomes of the earth may know that thou only art the Lord. 2. Because as the Schoole saith Reas 2 gloria est clara notitia cum laude and what doth more make the name of God known with praise then his present help to his Church his quick vengeance upon the enemies thereof The Heathen shall say the Lord hath done for them great things 3. Because this declareth the justice of God Reas 3 for First He is just and faithful in performing the gracious promises that he hath made to his Church Secondly He is just in the punishment of oppression and iniquity which his soul abhorreth Vse The use of the point is to teach us that whensoever we see the Church or any part thereof delivered from the hands of their enemies and so the righteous God taking vengeance upon them that we ascribe glory to God for the same Moses song is a good example of this duty for when the Egytians that pursued Israel into the red sea were covered and destroyed by the returne of the waters of the sea upon them Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying I will sing unto the Lord Exod. 15.1 for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he throwne into the Sea This deliverance was a type of the final deliverance of the Church from all her enemies and therefore in Johns Vision it is said They sang the song of Moses the servant of God Rev. 15.3 and the song of the Lamb saying great and marvailous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy name for thou only art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before thee Verse 4. for thy judgments are made manifest We have great and gracious examples at home of this our blessed Queen of happy memory Queen Elizabeth Anno 1588 after defeat of the Spanish Armado came in person to the chief Church in her Kingdom where having upon her knees devoutly given the glory of that deliverance to God she heard the Sermon at Pauls crosse and taught her people by her godly example to know the glory of God for in those dayes Spaniards loved us not and we thought it a great favour of God to be delivered from them The like publike declaration did our Soveraign that now is make of the glory of God for the deliverance of his royal person Crown and posterity the Religion and peace of the Kingdom in the last session of that first Parliament delivered by the hand of God from the bloody designe of the Papists whose Religion was also in those times thought dangerous to this Common-wealth his speech and recognition of the protection of God is extant in print And as States and great Common-wealths have their dangers and deliverances wherein as every one that is a member thereof hath their share of benefit so from every one is growing a debt of duty Isa 38.19 to acknowledge the same so that as Ezechiah faith The father to the children shall make known the truth of God So in our particular estates we have many tastes of the sweetnesse of God in our deliverances from dangers at sea on shoare from sicknesse imprisonment infamy and many other evils which annoy our life in all which God revealeth to us the knowledge of his glory and we shall do him but right to give him as David faith the glory due to his name and to invite our brethren as David did I will tell you quid Deus fecil animae meae what God hath done to my soul Seeing God promiseth to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God Doctr 2 we are taught that God is glorious and so we ought to conceive of him our Saviour hath taught us so to acknowledge in the close of the Lords Prayer Tua est gloria thine is the glory St. Stephen saith The God of glory appeared to our fathers Act. 7.2 And of this God is so jealous that he saith My glory will I not give it another Hold this fast the Devill when he tempteth us to sin Isa 42 8. Reas 1. doth not finde an easier way to fetch us about then to blemish the glory of God and to dim that to our sights and
the Church and the Common-wealth Yet they that are thus overtaken do commonly excuse themselves that they have been amongst their friends but this pot-friendship which hath the power to divide a man from himselfe will scarce prove a glue strong enough to unite and knit him to another The kisses of such friends betray thee and thou maist say rather Thus was I wounded in the house of my friends It was Davids prayer let it be thine Let the righteous smite me for that is a benefit Ps 141.5 and let him reprove me and it shall be a precious oyle that shall not break my head but Incline not mine heart to evill that I should commit wicked works with men that commit iniquity and let me not eate of their delicates nor drink neither It is a good observation of Cardinal Bellarm. here ubique nocet conversatio malorum sed nusquam magis quam in conviviis compotationibus This is no new danger but a disease of former ages infectiously transmitted by imitation to our times and in them grown epidemical Saint Ambrose describeth a surfetting and drunken meale De Helia Jenin 6.13 primo minoribus poculis velut velitari pugnâ praeluditur verum haec non est sobrietatis spes sed bibendi disciplina ubi res calere caeperit poscunt majoribus poculis certant pocula cum ferculis Deinde procedente potulongius contentiones diversae magna certamina quis bibendo praecellat Nota gravis si quis se excuset All you that call God Father and do desire either the honour of his name or the coming of his Kingdom or the fulfilling of his will make conscience of this great sin call it no longer good-fellowship for St. Ambr. saith vocatis ut amicos emittitis inimicos Ibid. c. 14. Vocas ad jucunditatem cogis ad mortem invitas ad prandium efferre vis ad sepulturam vina praetendis venena suffundis Say to him that tempteth thee to drink drunk vade retro me Sathana get thee be hind me Satan the Kingdom of God is not meate nor drink God shall finde thee out thou hast his woe upon thee and thou shalt see anon how he will punish thee 1. Ad quid ut videant nuditatem It is the boast of brave drunkards how long they have sat at it how many pots and pottles they have swallowed how many they have made drunk this is thy nakednesse Litterally drunkennesse doth make men do things uncomly some use this lewd practise to make way for their lust some to take advantages otherwise Modesty cannot utter what unclean provocations do arise from drunkennesse what lewd and unchaste actions are done what profane and filthy words are spoken Noah himself full of wine doth lie uncovered in his tent and sheweth his nakednes St. Ambrose complaineth of women That full of wine did come immodestly into the street singing and dancing Ibid. c. 18. irritantes in se juvenum libidines Coelum impuro contaminatur aspectu terra turpi saltatione polluitur aer obscenis cantibus verberatur O the miserable state of man in whom sin reigneth he is not only tempted to do evil horrible and shameful evil to drink drunk but to be his neighbours devil to draw him into evill by making him drunk and also this propter malum even to discover the nakednesse of his brother Some shew themselves in their pots like lyons furious and quarrelsome others are dull and heavy only serving for whetstones to sharpen the wits of the company others drowsie and sleepy others talkative every man in his humour all in their nakednesse To do evil that good may come of it is an heinous sin for God needs not Satans help But to do evil our selves to draw others into evil for so evil an end this doth make sin out of measure sinful 1. Take nakednesse literally for the discovering of those parts which modesty doth hide out of sight so after the transgression the man and woman saw that they were naked and they were ashamed being but themselves alone in the garden and they sowed fig-leavs together to hide their nakednesse from each others sight so much remained in them that having left primas sapientiae they yet retained secundas modestiae and could not for shame behold each others nakednesse The Apostle saith These members of the body which we think to be lesse honourable 1 Cor. 12.23 upon these we bestow more abundant honour and our uncomely parts have more abundant comelinesse The honour here meant is the decent hiding of their nakednesse and the modest covering of our shame Where the Apostle doth declare the care that is in the natural body the comely parts which need no hiding from sight do cover the uncomely parts from sight Therefore they that uncover nakednesse do shew themselves to be no members of the body so that such drunkards as give strong drink to their neighhour to this end to discover their nakednesse declare themselves to be no parts of the body of the Church Surely much nakednesse is discovered in many drunken meetings and no marvel when men and women having laid aside reason and temperance religion and the fear of God if they then turn beasts and do those things that are uncomely 2. Take this nakednesse in a spiritual sense then St. Ambrose will tell you Lib. de Noe Arca c. 30. Omnis impius quoniam ipsedevius disciplinae est aliorum lapsus pro sui erroris solatio accipit quod consortes invenerit culpae Then is the season for the Cosener to invade the purse of his neighbour for the cunning insidiator to take advantage of words to find out the infirmitits of his brother that he may keep him in aw thereby I cannot dive so deep into this mystery of iniquity as to declare all and again I fear to go farre in it least I might teach the ignorant sinner more cunning then he had before This I dare say that it is not love that maintaineth drunken acquaintance for true love is a coverer of nakednesse if literal you may see it in Sem and Japhet if spiritual you may hear it from the Apostle love covereth a multitude of sins And out of that love David weeps fot them that keep not the law It becomes them best in my text who know not God but were abominable and to every good work rebrobate to make men drunk to make them sport but these things must not be so much as named amongst those that call God our father that come to Church that hear the word that offer themselves to be guests at the Lords boord Bur I remember the wise man saith Rods be for the backs of fools What greater folly then to sell our inheritance in heaven for strong drink a worse bargain then Esaus and an harder penny-worth The rods for this are 2. Poena peccati the punishment of sin 1. Thou art filled with shame for glory 2. It shall be thine own
if any escaped to re-inhabit might be taken away This justice of God in avenging the wrongs done to brute beasts by calling them to an account for their sinnes that did the wrong doth teach us 1. That the providence and care of God doth stoop so low as the regard of our catted Christ made good use of it Considerate volatilia caeli consider the souls of heaven God feedeth them quanto magis vos how much more you 2. It teacheth us to use our dominion of these creatures moderately lest the Asse of Balaam do reprove his owner 3. It sheweth how much God doth make of any thing that serves him the text saith that these beasts did make the Chaldeans afraid and for this they suffered predation for the service they did to God and his Church against their enemies in Christs argument how much more will he defend us if we fight his battels against his enemies 4. We learne here that when God cometh to execute vengeance he surveigheth the whole catalogue of offences and as he saith in David I will reprove thee and set them in order before thee the wrong to the Cities to the men to the beasts to persons to places all comes into an account and the offenders shall smart for all Vers 18. What profiteth the graven Image that the maker thereof hath graven it the molten Image and a teacher of lies that the maker of his work trusteth therein to make dumb Idols 19. Woe unto him that saith to the wood awake to the dumb stone arise it shall teach behold it is laid over with gold and silver and there is no breath at all in the midst of it 20. But the Lord is in his holy temple let all the earth keep silence before him HEre God denounceth his judgment against their Idolatry The words of this text have no obscurity in them Thus much then shall serve for the opening of this text that all this commination of woe and judgment of which you have heard is the voyce of the true God declaring his just proceeding against the sins formerly mentioned and to this purpose he doth here lay open the vanity of false gods What profit can there come saith he of a graven Image that the maker thereof hath graven he asketh men this question and appealeth to the light of naturall reason can that profit a man meaning in the power and goodnesse of a Divine nature which is the work of a mans hands be it either a graven image wrought upon by art of the workman or a molten Image cast in any metall can this profit a man He calleth the Image thus carved graven or molten a teacher of lies for it is a meer illusion that any man should so befoole himselfe as to beleeve that such an artificiall composition wrought by the hand of man should be esteemed a god This is amplified and the wonder encreased for though other men may be carried away with a superstitious over-weening of such an Idol yet that the maker of it should trust in it who when he was at work peradventure as the Poet saith Incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum maluit esse Deum It was at his curtesie whether it should be an Idol or some other thing Therefore vers 19. God saith Woe unto him that saith to the wood awake and to the dumb stone arise that is woe to him that trusteth to an Idol for defence against evill or deliverance out of danger for that is one of the uses that is made of Idols to succour in time of distresse as the Disciples did awake their Master in a storme You see that when the workman hath put his hand upon it and shewed his best skill here God doth call it wood and a dumb stone still He proveth it thus It shall teach although it be dumb yet the dumbnesse thereof shall declare it to be an inanimate impotent thing For howsoever the matter of the Idol be it wood or stone or metall be laid over with gold and silver as superstition is costly enough in adorning their gods yet there is no breath at all in the midst of them and having no life in them they have no power to give help to them that serve them Vers 20. But the Lord is in his holy temple for having shewed the vanity of Idols he cometh now to reveale himselfe to them This some understand that the Lord is in heaven the temple of his holinesse and though the heaven of heavens cannot containe him yet he hath said Heaven is my throne and Christ teacheth us to say qui es in caeli who art in heaven So the temple at Jerusalem where he said I will dwell is the temple of his holinesse and as the Babylonians and other heathen had their Idols and their Temples for them to which they did resort so he produceth in opposition to them the God of Israel in his holy Temple to whom the Jewes may resort for help against all their enemies Let all the earth keep silence before him In which words either he discourageth all power that should rise up against him or he requireth the voluntary submission of the earth to him as to the supreme Soveraigne of all the world for Keeping silence is a signe of reverence and submission as Job speaking of his former glory when God had abased him saith that when he came forth The Princes refrained talking Job 29.9 and laid their hand on their mouth De verbis hactenus The parts of the text are two 1. False-worship 2. True Religion In the first 1. Peccatum that is idolatry 2. Poenae Vae Woe In the first here is 1. A description of the idolatry of the heathen Babel 2. A derision of the idolaters 1. Idolatry is a trust in and an invocation of graven and molten images dumb idols First here is trust then followeth invocation and that is the Apostles method in all religious adoration How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Rom. 10.14 This doth open to us the occasion of this last imputation to them of idolatry for what hath made them so proud so cruel so covetous so voluptuous as the opinion that they have in the protection of their gods therefore now at last God overthroweth that also and doth shew them that in religion they are most of all wrong If you desire a general definition of idolatry which comprehendeth all kinds I think this is full of comprehension It is Cultus Religiosus exhibitus Creaturae A religious worship given to the creature Learn then that no nation of the world did ever deny a divine Power but acknowledged some God in whom they trusted and whom in their necessities they called upon and because this invisible Godhead was out of sight they devised idols which they erected for representation of their gods which they also worshipped with divine honours and this we call idolatry or the worshipping of idols They saw that there was much
wherein he prophecyeth the birth of Christ in Bethlehem In both these Prophecies we observe that the promise of God hath not only assured the spreading of true Religion but the assemblies of beleivers to certain places for instruction that they may bee taught vias Domini the ways of the Lord. Never was there Religion in the world without some places of publick-Worship for meeting of people together Even in Adams time there was a place where Adam and his children met to offer sacrifice and Cains flying from the presence of the Lord was his wilfull excommunication from that place And in truth they that would have no Churches may aswell cry down Religion and the publique ministry of the Word and pluck down the hedge which God hath planted about his Vine and lay all common Understand us rightly we do not affix holinesse to the place nor think any speciall sanctity inherent in it but seeing God is by a singular right become master of the house that is separate to his use as the Apostle saith judge I pray you is it comely that wee put not difference between Gods House and our owne houses It is observed that Christ when he purged the temple purged only that part of the temple which was set apart to prayer and hearing of the Word because that use of the Church was to continue in the time of the Gospel and after he had cast out the oxen and the doves which were provisions for sacrifice then he citeth that place and reneweth the sanction My house shall be called an house of prayer to all nations which is a sanctification of all Churches to the Worship of God That this was so understood Know that before they had any Churches built for the publick exercise of Religion they had some places of meeting which they called Aedes sacras holy houses of which the Apostle putting difference sayth have ye not houses to eat and drink in Cor 1 1◠22. despise ye the Church of God Here be our own houses for common and natural moral and civil use here is the Church of God the place of assembling of the Congregations to the Worship and service of God No sooner is a place consecrate to this use but it is a Temple of Gods So when Jacob had set up a stone for a pillar Gen. 28.19.22 in the place where he dreamed and had the vision of the ladder he called the name of it Bethel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods house And after At his returne he came to that place and having first put down all the strang gods Gen. 35.7 he built an altar to the Lord and called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good of Gods house It is palestra in which we do meet with God to wrestle with him in our fervent prayers and supplications He by his word wrastleth with us to overcome both our ignorance and impiety And therefore as Jacob Gen. 32.31 so may we call our Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the face of God for there God did look upon him And in the times of the Gospel these houses of prayer have had several tittles Aedes sacrae in respect of their succession to them and Templa in respect of their succession to that at Jerusalem Tectum amplum some derive it and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Propter dedicationem 2. Propter usum 3. Propter jus perpetuum 4. Propter sabbatum For there is Dominica in Dominico thence came the word Kirke Yet in use in Scotland And Ecclesiae in respect of the meetings there When David could not come to the sanctuary of God he worshipped toward it Hear the voyce of my supplications Psal 7. Ps 28.2 Dan. 6.10 when I cry unto thee when I lift up my hands towards thy holy temple Daniel being farre from the temple opened his window toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day The Temple is a type of Heaven where the Saints of God do meet to praise God which is the worship that is done to God in heaven And I heard a great voyce out of heaven saying Behold the tabernacle of God is with men Rev. 21.3 and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God This Mr. Brightman understandeth of the Church of the Gentiles where God is seen So doth James Brocard an Italian understand it of the Church delivered from Poperie and Mahometry and all haeresie But Master Bullinger better advised saith that as in the former part of this Revelation hell is described so in this chapter heaven is set forth And that as you see in the similitude of a tabernacle so doth Junius and Napier well interpret this place I conclude then that all the Churches wherein the Christians meet to call upon God are the temples of Gods presence wherein God is invisibly resident both to give his Spirit where he thinketh good and to direct our service of him and to receive our prayers and sacrifices of thanksgiving and to communicate to his servants the ordinances of his grace the means of their salvation 2. As God is in these temples made with hands and declareth his presence in his house in his Word and Sacraments and in the solemne meetings of his children so is he in heaven which is his highest temple whereof these are but types and figures We beleive in him as maker of heaven and we pray to him our father which art in heaven this place he himself calleth his habitation I dwell in the high and holy place 1. In heaven Yet as Solomon saith The heaven of heavens is not able to containe him Isa 57.15 2 Reg. 8.27 So he is there as in the most excellent part of his creation but not comprehended there for there he is most purely worshipped thence cometh our Sicut in Coelo The heathen gods are no where in heaven they are not that is the temple of the true God in earth they are not for they are no gods that have residence in earth and have no power at all in heaven As the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 8.4 We know that an Idol is nothing in the world Here by the name of Idol is not meant the material image representing their god for that is a bodily substance to be seen and felt and it is in the world but he speaketh it de numine the divinity is a non ens For he addeth that there is no God but one and whereas many be called gods in heaven and in earth as there be many gods and many Lords yet he saith there is but one God the rest are nomina not numina For there were that worshipped the Sun the Moon and the starres these as creatures and second causes do us good but they serve our God When our God is in his Temple all those help to make up the quire of them that praise him For the heavens declare the glory of
art about Confesse your sins together pray together give thanks together confesse your faith the common faith together hear the Word together both read distinctly and preached profitably Remember that God speaketh in the Ministry of his Word and say with David I will heare what the Lord God will say Gather Manna whilst you may for you and your houses Take heed that Satan coole not your zeale of Gods glory by suggesting irreverent opinions of the Prayers and forme of service of the Minister of the Ceremonies of the Church or uncharitable opinions of the Congregation For all these be whips of Satans twisting to whip thee out of Gods Temple and to make the ordinances of God ineffectual Bring with thee an humble and contrite heart and say within thy self as St. Paul did I am the worst of sinners I am the worst Person in all this Congregation for I know mine own wickednesse and my sinne is ever against me Bring faith with thee that will shew thee the glorious and gracious face of God by that eye thou shalt see the sonne of God making intercession for thee and thou shalt feele the spirit of God helping their infirmities mingle faith with thy hearing and the word shall profit thee Hide the word in thy heart be not like a leaking vessel to let it out as fast as it is poured in Take heed of the cares of this life and voluptuous living least they choak the good seed of the Word when it cometh up In thy whole carriage at Church consider that the service is publick hoc age do all thou dost at Church according to the occasion separate not thy self from the body of which thou art apart by reading praying or any other meditation which may divide thee from the Congregation Tarry it out to the end and depart not without Gods blessing pronounced by his Minister to whom he hath given power from above to blesse in his name 2. God is in his holy Temple Let all the earth be silent before him This serveth for the direction of our whole life for 1. This dwelling of God declareth his Omnipotency The Lord is in heaven he doth whatsoever he will The earth is but as the drop of a bucket compared to the unbounded unsounded ocean of his fulnes of power and strength 2. This dwelling declareth the graciousnesse of God for every good and perfect gift cometh from above and unlesse the heavens heare the earth the earth perisheth utterly 3. This dwelling declareth the Omniscience of God there God standeth in the Congregation of God as upon a watch-tower and from the heaven the Lord beholdeth the earth the eye of the Lord is over all the world 4. This declareth the eternity of God so he saith The high and lofty that inhabiteth eternity which makes his purpose established with stedfast decree Isa 57.15 without variablenes or shadow of change a God that repenteth not his gifts and calling are without repentance 5. This declareth the wisedome of God for the Master of that house is the wisest as the Prophet saith of him He that ruleth that house well where the Angels dwell that excel in strength Isa 31.2 The Lord of Hoasts is his name and they are his ministring spirits how can it be but his wisedome is incomprehensible and his ways past finding out 6. This declareth his justice for there is the throne of judgement heaven is his Throne and all the holy ones give him that glory Even so Lord God Almighty Rev. 16.7 true and righteous are thy judgements To conclude 1. Tremble O earth at the presence of God who hath such power tempt not provoke not this power against thee he can rain snares but if he be thy father fear not there are more with thee then against thee 2. Love the Lord who is so rich in goodnesse and mercy who dwelleth in the storehouse of blessings and who giveth liberally with an open hand and filleth c. 3. Be jealous of thy words works and thoughts before the eye of jealousie which seeth all things 4. Be strong and God shall establish thy heart for he is unchangable whom he once loveth he loveth to the end that is finis sine fine 5. Let his wisedome guide thee and seek that wisedom which is from above ask it of him for he giveth it liberally and never upbraideth thee He upbraideth many with his gifts never did he any with the gift of his wisedome for that cannot be abused his grace may 6. Remember that for all that thou hast done in this life God shall bring thee to judgment every man shall give an account unto God of himself Felix trembled to hear this Let all the earth keep silence before this God A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION UPON HABAKKUK HABAK. 3.1 A Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet upon Sigionoth THese wordes are the title of this Chapter shewing the contents thereof It is called a prayer and it is a Psalme or Hymne such as Davids Psalms the Heathen Poets call them Odes or Songs It is called the prayer or song of Habakkuk both as composed by him used by himself and addressed to the use of the people of God in their captivity in Babylon It is a song upon Sigionoth The Hebrews affirm this song to be one of the hardest places to interpret in all the old Testament because it is full of dark Parables such as could not be well understood till he came Who hath the key of David who openeth and no man shutteth Our former Translation readeth a Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet for the ignorances and it is expounded diversly Some understanding it a prayer to God for the pardon of all those sins which the people of God have committed ignorantly Others conceive thus that seeing the Prophet in the behalf of the Church in the first Chapter had taxed God of too much remisness toward his people in bearing with their sins and forbearing to punish them and then again fore-seeing how God in time would awake and punish them by the furious Chaldaeans hee doth as much tax the severity of God towards his Church Now that God in the second Chapter hath declared his justice in punishing his people and reveiled the decree of his vengeance against his and their enemies now the Prophet maketh this recantation and prayer for the ignorances because they not knowing the secret purposes of God have been so forward to judg his ways But we must admit this confirmation and the learned translators of the Kings Bible finding this to have been an errour in the former translations have followed the Originall more faithfully and call it The Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet upon Sigionoth Some say this Sigionoth was some speciall instrument of Musick upon which this song was sung in the Church of God and the last verse of this Chapter saith To the chief singer on my stringed instruments For as Titleman saith in this Psal the Prophet Canendo orat orando
kind of study since the Church cast out Musick 2 In respect of Gods service the more pompe and solemnity is used the more glorious is the house of God made and the more differing from our common house of habitation 3 In respect of our selves we have need to have the help of outward things to draw us on with delight to entertain our thoughts with cheerfulnesse to incite and move our affections to quicken our devotion and to blow the fire of our zeal and to relieve our naturall wearinesse in Gods service These reasons brought in the song and instruments into the Church and gloriously was it setled in Solomons time in the temple according as his Father David had left it in the tabernacle where he designed to that service men of cunning 288. 1 Chrom 25.7 Ob. But Christ and his Apostles and the primitive Church had no such musique in Churches Sol. They had no Churches but in their meetings they sung Psalmes so did Christ and his Apostles in the roome where he kept his last Passeover and in the Emperour Trajanes time Mat. 26.30 which was before the death of St. John Pliny writeth to the Emperour of the manner of the Christians this one amongst the rest that They did meet together early in the morning and sung Hymns to their Christ But after Religion had found favour with Princes and began to appear in peace then came in Churches and Church Ornaments then were Liturgies devised and used then were instruments of musique intermixed with the service and God glorified in all St. Aug. Confess 9. Cap. 6. Quantum flevi in Hymnis Canticis svave sonantis Ecclesiae tuae voces illae influebant auribus meis eliquabatur veritas tua in cor meum ex ea aestuebat inde affectus pietatis currebant lachrymae benè mihi erat cum eis In the next Chapter hee tels how the Arrians attempted the taking of Ambrose B. of Millain whom they accused of heresie and Justina the Empresse bearing them out in it they meant him a mischief he went to the chief Church and much people followed him ready to dispatch their holy Bishop St. Augustine and his Mother were amongst them and there Aug. saith Tunc institutum ut Hymni Psalmi canerentur more orientalium Ecclesiarum ne populus moeroris taedio contabesceret quod ad hodiernum diem retentum est c. The Hymns and Psalmes were ordained to be sung c. Ob. It is a means often to carry away our thoughts more with the tune then with the matter St. Augustine maketh it one of his Confessions that he was so transported Sol. And may not the same happen in our singing of Psalms let us not lay our faults to the charge of the Church what good shall we go about but we shall finde Satan busie to divert us from it Obj. It is costly to maintain Musique in our Churches and that mony were better bestowed on the poor and other better uses Sol. What better bestowed on the poor then upon God himself is the cheapest religion the best they had poor in the time of the Law and yet that hindered not the magnificence of the Temple and the Ornaments thereof and the maintainance of Gods worship alit pauperes 288. in Templo ut ante The earth hath not the like glory now to shew as that of Gods House And shal Aaron that vvas but for a time be thus glorious and shall Melchizedeck a Priest for ever vvant honour It is true that it hath been policy in these later times to keep the Church lean and to strip it out of all outward pomp and to transfer Gods inheritance into the hands of strangers But remember the great Commandement Thou must love God above all things and so doing he shall have the best of all that thou art the best of all that thou hast Our prayer is Sicut in coelo as in heaven and Christ promises is to the just that they shal be as the Angels of God in Heaven Reve. 15.3 there they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and David saith Blessed is the people that can rejoyce in thee Psa 89.15 we have more cause to use both voices and instruments in his praise because he hath redeemed us from Satan hath made us all Priests of the high God to offer to him the calves of our lips and with such sacrifices God is well pleased Ver. 2. O Lord I have heard thy speech and was afraid O Lord revive thy work in the middest of the years make known in wrath remember mercy THis vvhole Psalme as it is in the composition of a mixt kind of verse so in the matter of it mixt for it consisteth 1 Of supplication and petition ver 2. 2 Of celebration of the prayses of God 3 15. 3 Consternation before God ver 16 17. 4 Consolation in God 1 Of the supplication O Lord I have heard thy speech that is all that thou hast said in the former Chapter in defence of thy justice and in propheticall revelation of thy holy will both concerning thy Church how that shall be afflicted and concerning the enemies of thy Church how they shall be punished in the end And I was afraid fear came upon me when I heard thee recompt thy judgements O Lord revive thy work in the middest of the years here be three quaeries 1 What he meaneth by the vvork 2 What by the middest of the years 3 How this work should be revived 1 Thy work Lyranus saith Opus tuum in punitione Chaldaeorum qued fiet virtute tua magis quà m humana 2 Beza by the work of God here understandeth the Church of God the people of Israel So do Tremelius and Junius for they parellel this place vvith those vvords of God in the Prophet Isa Ask me of things to come concerning my sons Isa 45.11 and concerning the work of my hands command ye me Where he calleth his Church opus manum my work Thus doth Master Calvin here understand statum Ecclesiae the state of the Church vvhich is called The vvork of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as being the most excellentest part of his work wherein he is most glorified So David prayeth for the Church under that appellation Psa 138.8 Forsake not the works of thine own hands So doth Isaiah name them Thy people also shall be all righteous Isa 60.21 they shall inherit the Land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified Isa 61.3 So in the next Chapter Christ is anointed for the good of his Church Isa 61.3 that they may be called the trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord. 3 Novv there is such a correspondence betvven the head and the body betvveen Christ and his Church that sometimes that vvhich is literally spoken of the Church is mystically applyed to Christ Jeremie expressing the great
knovvn he re-inforceth his former petition novv desiring that God vvould reveale his gracious purpose of succouring his Church and triumphing over the enemies thereof In the mean time vvhile thy Church is groaning under the burthen of their exile make thy vvill knovvn to them This favour of God vvil svveeten the adversity of their banishment vuhen they shall knovv the loving purpose of God tovvard them In wrath remember mercy They confesse that they have given God cause of displeasure and have provoked him to vvrath they feel the smart thereof in a strange land and they have no plea but mercy they dare not make so bold vvith him as to entreat him to turn avvay all his vvrath from them because they are so guilty to themselves that they have provoked him and deserved his indignation Onely they desire that in the midst of his vvrath he vvould remember mercy By vvrath in this place is not meant any such affection in God vvhereof his unchangeable and constant nature is not capable for God is semper idem ever the same vvhom hee loveth he loveth vvith an everlasting love and he cannot at any time be angry vvith them But vvhom he loveth upon occasion he rebuketh and chasteneth every son vvhom he receiveth and this love sometimes bringing forth the effects of that vvhich in man is called vvrath vve speak after the manner of men and avouch it of God Thus then the text is literally to be understood O Lord I have heard vvhat thou hast spoken in the defence of thy upright justice I have heard vvhat thou purposest in the punishing and in the avenging of thy Church in the mean time preserve it and make it knovv thy love tovvards it and vvhilst thou art punishing of it remember mercy The parts of this are tvvo 1 The preparation to prayer 2 The prayer it self 1 In the preparation I observe Motum the motive Metum fear 2 In the prayer I observe 1 Subjectum the subject 2 Petitiones the petitions The petitions are three 1 O Lord revive thy Work in the middle of the years 2 O Lord in the middle of the years make knovvn 3 In wrath remember mercy First of the preparation 1 of the Motus O Lord I have heard thy Speech The Word of God is vvell bestovved on them that vvill hear it vvith reverence and receive it vvith humility here vvas a maze the Prophet and the Faithfull of the land had lost themselves they knevv not vvhat to think till they had put the matter to God himself Cap. 1. and God having made a ful ansvver novv the Prophet saith in his ovvn name and in the name for whom he consulted God I have heard thy speech All the Scripture is full of examples of the Children of God hearkening to his word of precepts and admonitions to us to hearken of promises to them that do hearken The reason is because it is a speciall note of Gods children to heare his Word even as our Saviour himself saith He that is of God heareth Gods Word ye therefore hear them not Joh. 8.47 because ye are not of God And now seeing God hath given over speaking by miracles extraordinarily to his Church St. John saith We are of God 1 Joh. 4. he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby we know the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of errour The Spirit of truth is left in the Church by our Saviour and he speaketh in such who by the Ordinance of Christ are the Priests of the new Testament of whom Christ saith Qui vos recipit me recipit qui recipit me recipit eum qui misit me he that receiveth you receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me we must hear him before he hear us for St. Paul telleth us true Rom. 8.26 We know not what we should pray for as we ought The art of prayer is not so quickly learned as some forward proofessours make themselves believe John besides his continuall preaching to his Disciples taught them also to pray And never had any Disciples a better Master then the Disciples of Jesus Christ yet they living in the eare of his Doctrine and in the eye of his holy example were glad to come to him to be taught to pray he taught them the Lords prayer privately which after he taught the whole multitude in a Sermon openly My observation is that his Word must minister matter to our prayers Doct. and all our petitions must be grounded thereupon The reason is because God heareth not sinners John 9.31 and David saith If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not hear me But the prayer of a righteous man prevaileth much Jam. 5.16 if it be fervent Against sin we have no such remedy as the word So David Thy word have I hid in my heart Psal 119.11 that I might not sin against thee Our Lessons from hence are 1 We must take it for a great favour of God to us that he giveth us his word for that is a lanthorne to our feet that is our counsalor as David calleth it This word is given us to profit withall and it is deposited 1 In the Books of the Canonical Scripture which we have not as the Church of Rome shut up in an unknown language but translated faithfully into our own tongue that all of us may be partakers of it 2 As in the time of the law the Priests lips did preserve knowledge and men were to require the law at their lips so in the time of the Gospel St. Paul saith of the Apostles and of all the Ministers that should succeed them in their office in the Church 1 Cor. 5.19 God hath committed to us the word of reconciliation he hath so committed it to his Son first as he gave him power to transmit it in the Priesthood of the New Testament to all ages of the Church till his second coming The spirit which Christ left to comfort and instruct his Church was not given at large to all men but in perticular ordinance to them whom he sent to teach all Nations as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3.6 Our sufficiency is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life So we are the Ministers of the word that giveth life and there is no life to be had but by our Ministry This gives us interest in your affections in your understandings in your goods in your prayers 2 Now we know where we may hear God we are taught also not to neglect him speaking to us for as the Author to the Hebrews saith Heb. 12.25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven
not come so neer our truth our truth will confute it and the God of Truth wil not suffer his truth to fail Yet if our unthankfulness to God for his light so long shining in our Church if our evil lives so unanswerable to our outward profession if our contentions so displeasing to the God of peace our want of zeal and devotion in prayer do turn away the face of God from us we may thank our selves and his justice may say Perditio tua ex te Thy destruction is of thy self 2 The Petitions these are three vide p. 29. 1 Revive thy work in the middest of the years that is as we have expounded it literally in the mean time preserve thy Church In which Petition we are taught That the Church of God is the work of God 1 Doct. ye have heard it so acknowledged by God himself Ask me concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands Isa 45.11 command ye me Wherein God confesseth his Church to be his own work and therefore so comprehended in his care that they may challenge his protection Again He calleth his Church thus The Branch of my planting the work of my hands Isa 60.21 that I may be glorified And David upon this prayeth Forsake not the works of thy own hands Psal 138.8 The reasons why the Church is thus called Because the Church is not an Assembly that doth gather themselves together as we say That Birds of a feather do fly together but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a congregation of such as the free election of grace hath called out of the world by the ministery of the Word of God and the Sacraments The first Church of God in whom God was glorified consisted of Angels intellectuall spirits whereof many kept not their first estate but were excōmunicated never to be redeemed The first Church of God on earth were our first Parents whom God created in his image The Creation miscarried by the fall of our Parents who might have stood if they would The election of grace remained unchangeable and continued a Church in Adam in Abel in Seth which separated from Cain and his issue in Noah and Sem and in Japhet perswaded to the tents of Shem in the calling of the Gentiles so that all that have the election of grace do come to be members of the Church by vertue of an effectuall calling election designeth them vocation declareth them to be the members of the Church and both these are the work of God Will you take it from Gods own mouth who saith Levit. 20.26 Ye shall be holy unto me for I the Lord am holy and have severed you from other people that you should be mine The Church is called the work of God in respect of his perpetuall presence with it and preservation of it both by his own speciall providence which is the priviledge of the Church also by the subordinate ministery of his holy Angels 1 For his own providence he hath declared it in a promise I will not sail thee Josh 1.5 nor forsake thee in which promise what interest the Church hath and every member thereof the Authour to the Hebrews shevveth Let your conversation be without covetousnesse and be content with such things as you have Heb. 13.5 for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper I will not fear what man shall do unto me For which gratious protection 1 Pet. 4.19 St. Peter willeth us to commit our souls to him in wel-doing as to a faithfull Creatour so called saith Lyranus quia secure conservat gloriose coronat non relinquit opus He not onely buildeth but standeth to reparations 2 For the ministry and subvention of Angels the Psalmist saith Psal 91.11 12. He hath given his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes They shall bear thee up in their hands Are they not all ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them Heb. 1.14 who shall be heirs of Salvation The Church of God is called the Work of God to honour God for God is not so glorious in any thing that he hath wrought as in his Church for therein mercy and truth met together righteousnesse and peace kissed each other our election adoption is to the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1.6 Is 60.21 You heard himself say of his Church The work of my hands that I may be glorified For God is more glorified in those things which he hath wrought by Jesus Christ in our flesh and in those things which he doth for his sake then in all the other works of his hands This will one day appear it is revealed already in part to us for whatsoever God did work sine verbo incarnato without the word incarnate it all shall fail and come to dissolution or to a worse condition that is an eternall being in wo. For example the heavens and the eath shall all perish and new shall be made in their place a nevv heaven and a nevv earth vvherein God vvill plant righteousnesse The Angels that fell and the reprobate shall suffer eternall flames What remains now but Angels and just men the elect Angels and the holy Church of God the one sort elected in Christ established in blisse by Christ the other redeemed by Christ these are reserved to glory the just shall be as the Angels of God in heaven In this Church then God is most glorified The Church is called the Work of God to give honour to it here on earth for God would have the World knovv that he owns his Church and that they are a peculiar people a chosen generation a royall Priesthood that he delighteth in in them And again the faithfull delight in nothing but what he hath vvrought in them and from them So Augustine bringeth in the Church saying Opus tuum in me Domine vide non meum nam meum si videris damnum tuum si videris Coronas Behold thy work in mee c. It is Davids glory I am thine All things else have the same maker that have any being but the Church hath the honour of curious and costly vvork all the rest of the vvorks of God are not vvorth the cost that he bestovved in the vvhite vvashing of this vvork To turn this point into profit 1 Seeing vve are the vvork of God in regard of election of grace of creation and protection this teacheth us to live godlily righteously and soberly in this present vvorld and to keep our selves unspotted of the vvorld 1 For election Ephes 1.4 He hath chosen us that we should be holy and without blame before him in love 2 For creation Ephe. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works that we should walk in them 3 For all his other favours as that we are a royall priesthood
an holy nation a purchased people it is that we should shew forth the praises of him 1 Pet. 2.9 who hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light Survey thy soul peruse thy vvhole conversation vvithout search thy heart vvithin suffer not the Work of the Lord in thee to be defaced and defouled vvith the uncleannesse of grosse and foul sins If Satan have been too strong for thee that he holdeth thee captive and bindeth thee and maketh thee go vvhere thou vvouldest not and do vvhat thou abhorrest yet declare it by thy resisting of him that he hath usurped thou hast not yielded him possession let not sin set up a stool of vvickednesse vvithin thee let it not reign in thy mortall body Do thy Maker so much right to preserve and keep his vvork as clean as thou canst from the defiling of the vvorld 2 Gather boldnesse from this consideration to solicite God in prayers for so it is used as an effectuall argument Vivifica opus tuum revive thy Work as David I am thine O save So Solomon enforceth his suit to God for Israel for thou didst seperate them from all the people of the earth to be thine inheritance Therefore 1 Reg. 8.52 53. he prayeth that the eyes of God would be open to their supplications and that he would hearken to them in all that they pray for 2 In the petition that God vvould revive and quicken his Church in the mean time that is during the affliction and vexation of it vve are taught That afflictions and the withdrawing of the light of Gods countenance from his Church for a time 2 Doct. is such a deading of it that except it be quickened with some beams of grace and light and have some lucida intervalla it is a burthen more then they can bear Satan is a cunning Serpent a roaring Lion when he can get leave to assault he putteth his whole strength to it as in the sifting of Peter and in the buffering of Paul and in the afflicting of Job If Peter had not he had Christs ego oravi pro te I have prayed for thee and Paul had not heard his sufficit tibi gratia mea thy grace is sufficient for me and Job had not had the preserver of men to friend how had it gone with them And great reason there is for this why the Church should faint under the crosse if it were not strongly supported by grace For there is no lesson so hard for a child of God to take out as to take up the crosse of Christ and to follow him to suffer the smart of affliction with patience and thanksgiving For in the very regenerate man the flesh is both strong and unruly and nothing so contrary to the flesh as affliction and tribulation is Therefore doth God measure to his Children their portion and draught of this cup because he knowes whereof we be made So the Psalmist saith Psal 125.3 The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous lest the righteous put forth their hand unto iniquity And for this St. Paul saith God is faithfull 1 Cor. 10.13 who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make away to escape that ye may be able to bear it Wherein note for comfort in tribulation 1 That though Satan have no stay of his fury and malice in our temptations yet God will not suffer us to be tempted further than he thinks fit For there is good use to be made of some temptations as St. James saith My brethren Jam. 1.2 count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations he meaneth temptations of tryall by which we do approve our faith and our patience St. Peter saith That the triall of your faith being much more precious than gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire might be found unto praise 1 Pet. 1.7 and honour and glory at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 We see that all the elect children of God have a measure of strength to bear temptation and he that gave them their measure and knoweth what it contains will not suffer them to be tempted further then they are able Herein many mistake themselves and think their ability to bear affliction lesse then it is for indeed till God put us to it we do not know how much we are able to suffer and many great examples in Church story we finde of those Christians young men and aged tender Virgines that have feared their own weaknesse much who have filled the catalogue of Gods confessours and martyrs with invincible constancy 3 We see that when God openeth a way out of tribulation that the faithfull see an issue though for the time the temptation be more then our strength yet the issue in-sight doth put mettle into us to bear it Howsoever the flesh will be more then a looker on in this conflict Heb. 12.11 because no chastning for the time seemeth to be joyous but grievous For many fears arise in the hearts of the afflicted and Satan is still suggesting that God hath forsaken him that is afflicted Especially such a great affliction as this that was now threatned to the Church the sword of the Chaldaeans depopulation of their Cities and Towns destruction of the temple deportation into the land of their enemies and seventy years captivity this shaketh their faith in the promise of God made to his Church and maketh them to doubt that God hath forgotten to be gratious and will shew no more mercy Let us learne of the Prophet what use we must make of afflictions in this kind even prayer O Lord revive thy work let us comfort our selves in all tribulations that we are the work of Gods hand and let us commend our selves to his fatherly love Prayer is fidelis nuncius a faithfull messenger we may dispatch away this messenger from Babylon from the Lions den from the belly of the whale from the fiery furnace of heaven and it will do our errand to God faithfully and effectually It is St. Augustines comfort In Psal 65. Cum videris non à te amotam deprecationem tuam securus esto quia non est amota misrecordia ejus 2 Petition In the midst of the years make known That is in the mean time whilst thy Church is in captivity reveal to thē thy gratious purpose of restoring avenging them The true comfort in afflictions groweth out of a right understanding of the will and purpose of God therein that is Doctr. that he beareth a constant love to his Church however he punish them 1 This maketh them able to bear affliction Reas 1 1 Cor. 10.13 when we see that God maketh a way to escape as you heard from St. Paul And this is very cleer in this people for God made known to them his purpose concerning their bondage in Aegypt his vvill vvas thus
God is armed vvith povver to punish evill doers 4 That in all this God vvas glorified First the consideration of former mercies doth strengthen faith in present troubles Therefore do they commemorate the manner of Gods glorious comming from Teman and of Paran vvherein he had glory in the heavens and prayse upon the earth David did make good use of this point often For vvhen my distresse came he found comfort in this remembrance Novv thou art farre of and goest not forth with our armies Thou makest us turn back from the adversary Psal 44.9.10 and they which hate us spoile for themselves c. To comfort this affliction he beginneth that Psalme We have heard with our ears O God and our fathers have told us what thou didst in their days and in the times of old How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and planted them c. So Psal 74 9. again complaining of great afflictions We see not our signes there is no more any Prophet this is his comfort God is my King of old working Salvation in the midst of the Earth Thou didst divide ehe Sea by thy power c. So again Psal 77.2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my soar ran and ceased not and in the night my soul refused comfort Then I considered the days of old Verse 5. Psal 4.1 and the years of ancient times Thou hast enlarged me when I was distrest The reason why this doth minister comfort to the Church 1 Reas is because we have learned that our God is constant in his love whom he once loved he ever loveth for he is without variablenesse and shadow of changing as the Apostle and the Psalmist saith But thou art the same thy years shall have no end Ps 102.27.28 The children of the servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee The goodness of God endureth continually Psal 52.1 Reas 2. Because the commemoration of former benefits is a work of thanksgiving and prayse and that is the highest service that we can perform to God in his worship this is Sicut in coelo it is heaven upon earth For it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing prayses to the Name of the most High Psal 92.1 Ps 50.23 It is good for God for He that offereth me praise glorifieth me and for that he made us It it good for us for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased there is our happiness for in his favor is light Reas 3 Again the thankfull commemoration of former mercies of God to us doth draw on new benefits for thanksgiving as it is Gods crop which he gathereth from us of the seed of his many favours so it is our seed which we cast into the ground of Gods kindness and it bringeth us an harvest of new blessings Every man thinks his seed well bestowed in good ground that yeeldeth an encrease and God hath said Them that honour me I will honour 1 Sam. 2.30 This point is of excellent use Vse to stir us up to a wise consideration of the constant love of God to such as fear serve him Benefits are soon forgotten therefore as David saith I called upon the Lord in my trouble so he stirreth up himself to thankfulness My soul praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits He found great comfort in this looking back When he undertook Goliah and Saul discouraged him as unable for it he looked back to the time past and remembred how God had delivered him from a Lion and a Bear and from that experience of Gods good help he resolved to attempt the uncircumcised Philistine And in his declining years when age grew upon him he comforted his drooping spirits thus Thou art my hope O Lord God Psa 71.5 even my trust from my youth Vpon thee have I been stayed from the womb thou art he that took me from my mothers bowels Cast me not off in the time of age forsake me not when my strength faileth There be three sorts of men that do even run themselves upon the edge and point of reprehension we cannot here forgive them a chiding 1 Those that tanquam prona pecora as groveling beasts do look onely upon the time incumbent mistaking St. Paul who saith I forget that which is behind Lyranus understandeth him legalia terrena Theophilact better Praeteritarum virtutum nihil reminiscor nec memoria repeto Phil. 3.13 sed ea omnia post tergum relinquo So we must forget all the good we have done as being short of perfection that we may mend our pace in the ways of Gods Commandements But the Apostle did look back to times past to see what Christ had done for us how he loved us when vve vvere his enemies how he washed us in his bloud how he forgave him his sins and how he obteined mercy of him because vvhat he did he did it ignorantly through unbelief 2 Those also are here reproved vvho look only to the time past and see therein nothing but Gods temporall favours but regard not the times present and consider not Gods spirituall graces Some that lived in the time of Popery do prayse those dais then vvas good house-keeping easie rents a constant fashion of apparrel that many Gentlemen had the lands of their grandfathers in possession and their cloaths on their backs then vvas no seeking of reversions or buying of offices no market of Church-livings Israel did so Remember the fish that we are in Aegypt for nought the Cucumbers and the Melons and the Leeks and the Onions num â—1 5 and the Garlick I deny not but when the people of this Land vvere fewer and the vanity of the pride of other Nations and many of their foul sins kept home and were not imported hither there were better times for the belly then these are But let us see the state of souls at that time they were then in the house of bondage under Pharaoh of Rome Beef and Mutton Wheat and Barly were cheap but the two Testaments the two breasts of the Church vvere like a Fountain sealed up and like a Garden enclosed But when Queen Elizabeth began to rest in this Hemisphere like the Sun to run her race she turned that night into day and maintained this light till she vvas taken up into heaven and she that vvas a shining star on earth and blest the Church of God here vvith benigne aspect and influence vvas made a glorious ever blessed Saint in heaven In the beginning of her raign God came from Teman The Holy one from mount Paran God revealed himself in the glorious Sun-shine of his Gospel of peace 3 They are also reproved vvho out of too much fore-casting fear of the times to come do quite forget both the former and the present mercies of God and astonish themselves vvith representations of hideous formes of ensuing
dangers The God that gave us his light of Truth and hath continued it so many happy years of peace amongst us hath begun he will also make an end by this light no doubt many faithful souls have found the way to the throne of grace whose continuall prayers to God for the happy estate of his Church are able to make this Sun stay his course and not withdraw his light from us their prayers and devotions know the way to heaven so well and plead the cause of the Church so effectually that we have cause to hope that the goodness of God which endureth yet daily will not fail us but that we shall fee it and tast of it in this land of the living Once let us remember under whose shadow vve live a learned gracious King who hath seen into the darkness of Popery and laid it open no Christian Prince so much no Christian more he hath put his hand to the Plough and he cannot forget Lets Wife Let us not make our selves certain afflictions out of uncertain fears and draw upon us the evils of to morrow For sufficient for the day is the evil thereof Queen Elizabeth brought into this Church and Land True Religion and Peace King James hath continued it let us be thankfull to God for it and let us be ever telling what the Lord hath done for our souls Let not our unquiet vvranglings amongst our selves provoke the God of Peace against us neither let our busie eves-dropping the counsels and intendments of State which are above us and belong not to us make us afraid our work is In all things to give thanks For what we have received already for what we do possesse and enjoy and pray continually for that we would have for all men especially for our King that under him we may lead a quiet and and peaceable life in all godliness and honestie 1 Tim. 2.2 and then Rejoyce evermore Rejoyce in the Lord and again I say rejoyce He that came from Teman and Paran to a people that sate in darkness and in the shadow of death and gave us light hath ever since so supplyed us with oile that we may say difficiunt vasa the want is on our part for truly God is good to Israel to all such that have faithfull and true hearts To this end let me stir you up to a remembrance of the times past beginning at the Initium regni November 17 in Anno 1558. for so long hath this Sun of righteousness shined clear upon our Church 2 Doctr. The Church hath a speciall interest in the power and protection of God gathered from hence he had hornes comming out his hands and there was the hiding of his power There is a power that God openly sheweth and that is extended to an universall protection of all the works of Gods hand but there is a power that he hideth and that is his speciall protection of his Church 1 He protecteth them David gives them a good instance in the former mercies of God to this people When they were yet but few and they strangers in the land 1 Châ—on 16.19 And when they went from nation to nation from one Kingdome is another people He suffered no man to do them any wrong but reproved even Kings for their sakes saying Touch not my anointed and do my Prophets no harme And the Psalmist can give no other reason of this speciall protection but on Gods part because he had a favour to them and on their part that they might keep his statutes and observe his lawes And these be motives that establish Gods protection upon his Church in all the ages thereof His mercy and our obedience which lesson if we take out vvell vve shall learne thankfulnesse to him for his favour and holinesse in our lives And this is that godlinesse vvhich hath the promises of this life and that vvhich is to come 2 He hideth the horne of our Salvation 1 From his Church in some measure to keep us from presumption so that vve do often rather believe then feel the loving kindnesse of the Lord and to stirre us up to prayer for the more vve are made sensible of our vvants the more are vve provoked to invocation of the name of the Lord. 2 From the vvorld that hateth his Church that they may fulfill their iniquity and declare their uttermost malice against the Church and when he had suffered PHAROAH and his hoast to follovv his people of Israel into the red Sea and there taketh of their Chariot wheels then they shall see it and say we will fly from the face of Israel Exod. 14.25 for the Lord fighteth for them against the Aegyptians Great is the profit of this point in the case of those spirituall desertions Vse vvhereby God for a time seemeth to forsake his own children Well are they described by Gods ovvn mouth For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee Isa 54.7 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Which sheweth that the hiding of Gods protecting power is not totall but partiall for it is in a little anger and it is not finall but temporary for a small moment 1 In outward things In the example in my text God hid his hand in his bosome the horn of his Salvation was almost all out of sight for the space of 70 years during the captivity of the Church So many of Gods dear Servants drink deep of the bitter cup of affliction suffering the contempt and injuries of the world in bonds imprisonments oppressions scourges such as the world is not worthy of yet do they not want a secret feeling of the power of Gods protection quickning their patience and reviving his own work in them in the midst of the years 2 In spirituall graces Sometime God taketh away from his children their feeling of his love and of the joy of the Holy Ghost and that they finde with much grief 1 In the oppression of the heart with sorrow wherein they feel no comfort as David My soar ran and ceased not my soul refused comfort Psal 77.2 3. I did think upon God and was troubled In the ineffectuating the means of salvation for a time For many holy zealous souls desirous to do God good service do complain that they hear the Word do not profit by it they receive the Sacraments and do not tast how sweet it is they pray but they feel not the Spirit helping their infirmities they give thanks and praise to God but they do not feel that inward dancing of the heart and jubilation of the soul and rejoycing in God that should attend his prayse yea rather they perceive in themselves a going backward from God as the Church complaineth O Lord Isa 63.17 why hast thou made us to erre from thy ways and
us at the doore vvhen vve are going forth to act it he may overtake us vvhen we are upon the vvay he may cut us off in the act of sin and bring us from the fact to judgement And how soever his mercy hath the name above his other works and his patience and long suffering be the fruits of his mercy yet he never had mercy enough to swallow or consume either his justice or his truth He hath diverted his plague often he hath sometimes called it in and long he keepeth it in for that he expecteth repentance but he hath never turned it out of his service but hath it always before him he hath also turned his fire another way that it might not come neer the Tabernacles of the righteous but he hath never quenched it it is always at his feet if he moveth that moveth with him the Rain-bow about his head is the joy of his Church the coals of terrour at his fire are the terrour of the wicked 2. We have also our lesson herein Vse 2 2 Cor. 5.11 for the Apostle saith Knowing therfore the terror of the Lord we perswade men but we are made manifest unto God and I trust are made manifest also in your consciences We find this danger in sin and this severity in judgement thereupon we perswade men to a conscionable course of life such as may keep them unspotted of the world If we do not acquaint you with the terrour of the Lord and shew you the pestilence that walketh before him and the burning coals at his feet God will right himself upon us for as he told his Prophet Ezekiel so he will deal with us Son of man I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel therefore hear the word from my mouth Ezc. 3.17 and give them warning from me When I say to the wicked thou shalt surely dye and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from his evill way to save his life the same wicked man shall dye in his iniquity but his bloud will I require at thy hand This excuseth us to you when we preach the rod of God even pestilence and coales of fire that this is not our furie and railing as some call it but it is the wrath of the Lord against sin and if we temper a bitter potion for you to drink it is not poison but medicine and it is ministred to you as God himself saith to save your lives that you may not dye in your sins it is the therapentique physick to heal your souls it is prophilactique to us to prevent disease that we perish not for your unreproved sins The arrows of vengeance are aimed at your sins that you may kill sin and save the sinner alive Cry therefore Spare us good Lord. 4. Doct. God is glorious in heaven and in earth for this Heaven is covered with his glory and the Earth is full of his praise This is the confession of David O Lord how excellent is thy name in all the Earth Psa 8.1 who hast set thy glory above the heavens What need we any more reason to think this his due Reas 1 then these two 1 His name onely is excellent his glory is above the Earth and Heaven Here we are sure we cannot over-doe in matter of praise and glory the Angels and Saints do him that service and cover the heaven with the praises of God Psa 148.13 for his love shineth to his Church and we pray Sicut in Coelo as in heaven He also exalteth the horne of his people Psa 14.3 the praise of all his Saints Let not us sit out vvhen all joyn to glorifie God Vse let not any of us like the fleece of Gideon be dry vvhen all the floore is watered vvith the joys and jubilations of the Church David is not content vvith a bare praising of the name of God as they that say alway The Lord be praised but he requireth both a song Ps 149.1 Canticum novum a nevv song and that in the congregation of the Saints He also requireth a dance Verse 3. he requireth also instruments of musique he gives reason He vvould have us delight in the service that we do to God therefore he addeth The Lord taketh pleasure in his people Verse 4. he will beautifie the meek with Salvation Let the Saints be joyfull in glory Verse 5. let them sing aloud upon their beds Let the high praises of God be in their mouth Verse 6. This is that vvhich this example requireth not to be shallovv and sleight in the promises of God but to strein our selves to the uttermost the inward man of the heart the voice the hand playing the feet dancing till vve cover the heaven and fill the earth vvith his glory Verse 6. He stood and measured the earth he beheld and drove in sunder the Nations and the everlasting Mountains were scattered the perpetuall hils did bow his ways are everlasting 2 HEre is a commemoration of the power and glory of God in giving to his Israel the Land of Canaan for their possession Diverse judgments have made diverse constructions of these words Mr. Calvine is of opinion that they declare God in his glorious Lordship over all the world for as David when he should come to be absolute Monarch of Judah and Israel said I will rejoyce therefore and divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth c. So God is here declared absolute Monarch in this phrase of measuring of the earth as David would cast his shooe over the Philistines would rejoyce So God is here declared Conquerour of all by dividing in sunder the nations c. St. Augustine turnes all into Allegory and applieth it to Christ You remember how before I found that the Church doth comfort their present miseries with remembrance of Gods former mercies therefore I choose to keep pace with the story of Gods former mercies to his Israel And as before he spake of the comming of God from Teman and Paran when he appeared glorious to them in giving the law so now he comes to another powerfull mercy that is when he gave them the promised Land for then he that went before them all the vvay of their journey in their removes now stood still as declaring that novv they vvere come to the land of their rest as he had promised it And there He measured the Earth it is ascribed here to God that he divided the land amongst the Tribes because it vvas done by lot vvherein not chance but God answered This hath reference to that story vvhich vve read Joshua 5. for when the people vvere entred into the land of Canaan and vvere come so far in to it as Gilgall that the Ark of God was setled in Gilgall Then God commanded the Sacrament of Circumcision to be revived vvhich in the vvhole journey between their comming out of Aegypt to this place had been omitted
of the Jews shall be resetled there before the end of the world as it was after the return from the captivity of Babylon so that though there have been interruption of possession for so many years there shall be no impeachment of title but their right doth run on till the time appointed for the restoring of them Concerning the calling of the Jews and the restoring of them to the Church St. Paul hath prophecyed so plainly Rom. 11. as there can be no doubt thereof But for the restoring of them to the land of promise we have no good ground in holy Scripture 1 Because they have forfeited their estate therein which they held with condition of obedience When thou shalt beget children Deut 4.25 and childrens children in the land and shalt have remained long in the land and shall corrupt your selves and make a graven image or the likenes of any thing and shall do evill in the sight of the Lord thy God to provoke him to anger I call Heaven and Earth to witnesse against you this day that ye shall soon utterly perish from of the Land whereunto you goe over Jordan to possesse it ye shall not prolong your dayes upon it but shall utterly be destroyed And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations This is not without hope for as by sin they lost their inheritance there so by repentance it was recoverable When thou art in tribulation Verse 3. and all these things are come upon thee even in the latter days if thou turn to the Lord thy God and be obedient to his voyce He will not forsake thee nor destroy thee nor forget the Covenant with thy Fathers This proves their tenure conditional and their restitution to this land after their return froÌ„ captivity was also upon the same condition of obedience as appeareth in the words of Christ How often would I have gathered thy children together Moâ—h 23.37 38 39. even as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Behold the house is left unto you desolate For I say unto you you shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. That place is plain that the habitation of Jerusalem that is Domus vestra and the temple of which our God said Domus mea now become by abuse Domus vestra shall be desolate till the second comming of Christ 2 The Prophesies do speak plain Thus saith the Lord of hoasts Jer. 19.11 even so will I break this people and this city as one breaketh a potters vessell that cannot be made whole again My conclusion therefore is that Though the argument drawn from the free gift of that land to the people measuring out the same to the tribes do serve to comfort their captivity in Babylon with hope of restitution yet now in these times and ever since the dispersion of the Jews for the cause of Christ this can minister no comfort at all to that nation to promise them their land again I come to matter of instruction 1 These words aime not at the generall scope of this Section in which is declared that The remembrance of Gods former mercies is a sweet consolation of present afflictions 2 Because he nameth the measuring out of the land of Canaan to the tribes the driving in sunder the nations the scattering of the mountains the bowing of the hils 1 Docemur We are taught The best form of thanksgiving is that which maketh perticular commemoration of the mercies of God to his Church or to any member of it 2 That the matter of thanksgiving is an acknowledgment of all benefits as received from the hand and free gift of God 3 From the phrase and manner of speech here used we are taught that figurative forms of speech are in use in holy Scripture In thanksgiving 1 Doct. let us be perticular in our commemoration we have Davids example for it Prayse the Lord Psal 103.2 O my soul and forget not all his benefits so he stirreth up himself to remember them to remember them all The two Psalmes 105.106 are full examples of this perticular thankfulnesse and they are good guides to such as would learn it This is necessary Reas 1 1 Because the more perticularly we recompt the favours of God to us the more we discerne Gods love to us as in the example of this people Deut. 4. Moses saith That God had done much for this people never so much for any read from Verse 32. ad finem 38. And all those favours grew out of one root Because he loved thy Fathers It is the Apostles note Ecce quantam charitatem behold how great love Sic Deus dilexit mundum God so loved the world 2 Seeing Gods temporall favours are not always bestowed in love but are made rods to whip the ungodly Reas 2 this is a certain rule that these favours of God are evermore tokens of his love to such as are thankfull for them and to none else 3 They that keep an inventorie of their receipts Reas 3 and are always reckoning and reporting the bounty of God to them shall finde that their receipts of favours have been more and greater then their issues of prayers For how many great blessings have we from God that we never prayed for so that God giveth us much more cause of thanksgiving and prayse of his name then of prayer and supplication 4 Thanksgiving is a work of justice as David Reas 4 it well becommeth the just to be thankfull and again give to the Lord the glory due to his name that is for every perticular benefit perticular prayse and thanks Thanksgiving doth put us in mind of our unablenesse to requite God Reas 5 we cannot make him amends for his favours done to us we shall finde that our wel-doing extendeth not to him we must therefore do good to all propter Dominum for the Lord. 6 Thanksgiving doth put us in mind of our unworthinesse Reas 6 as Mephibosheth to David What is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a de ad dog as I am Jacob Non sum dignus I am not worthy David himself What is man 2 Sam. 9.8 that thou art so mindfull of him 7 If we will forget God will remember us as to David Reas 7 I anointed thee King over Israel I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul I gave thee thy Masters house and thy Masters wives into his bosome Domus Israel Domus Judae Surely Vse we have not well taken out the lesson of thanksgiving to God for to shuffle it up with generall God be thanked for all comes if but coldly and is a poor rependam for all the benefits bestowed upon us St. Augustine upon those words of David And forget not all his benefits saith pro quibus bonis primo quia es cum non esses sedest lapis deinde quia vivis sed vivit pecus
sed fecit te ad similitudiuem suam suum exigit retribue ei similitudinem suam in te Look to the common blessings of the God in generall upon the Church in which thou livest pay God his debt for the good he hath done before thou finde fault with the defect in it recompt what he hath done for the Common-wealth in which thou livest Looke home to thine own family to thine own person recompt thy spirituall graces thy temporall blessings consider what God hath given thee what he hath forgiven thee the preventions the subventions of his love what spirituall what temporall evils thou hast either not felt by his keeping of thee or escaped by his delivering of thee and to all and to each of these say The Lord be thanked It is a small duty that is required of us to repeat what God hath done for us 2 Doct. Hee stood and measured the Earth he drove asunder the Nations hee scattered the everlasting mountains Here wee are taught to give the whole glory and prayse of all good to God We know that Joshua brought this people into the promised land that he caused the land to be measured that he led them against the Inhabitants of God and that the people of God did valiantly yet Not unto us not unto us but to thy name give the praise We need no other reason for this Doctrine then that of St. James Reason For every good and perfect gift cometh from him Thanks are given to creatures as the ministers and instruments of God by whom he worketh the good pleasure of his will but none hath a proper right to them but God onely The Lord giveth the Lord forgiveth in both he useth the ministeriall means for both he must be thanked 1 This serveth to inform our understanding in the truth of this Doctrine Vse 1 because the ignorance hereof is the mother of unthankfulness It is Gods complaint The Oxe hath known his own the Asse his masters Crib but my people do not know Isa 1.3 c. It was charged on them in Hosea She did not know that I gave her corn and wine and oile Hos 2.8 and multiplyed her silver and gold 2 This serveth to reprove all those that ascribe the benefits which they receive to themselves Jer. 2.8 like them in the first Chapter of this Prophecy that did sacrifice to their net Hab. 1.16 and burn incense to their dragge because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous 3 This reproveth them that murmur for seeing God is the Author and giver of all good we must seek all from him but we must not be our own carvers we must learn to abound if the Lord giveth and to want if the Lord taketh away 4 This chideth those that repine at common blessings when they do abate any thing of their own perticuler profits Of this God hath given us a fearfull example for the last year our portion was fat and our bread plenteous great was the unthankfulness of many to God for it Then the Landlord complained he could not have his rent the Tenant that he could not pay it plenty had undone him Such is the unconscionable rack of rents generally through the Common-wealth that plenty is a punishment to many even a sharpe and smarting rod. And doth not God begin to visit our land with sudden dearth how much of the hope of the earth doth now lye in steep in the drowned earth never likely to pay the seed that the earth borrowed It is time for the Lord to pull thy hand out of thy bosome and to whet thy sword when thy mercies become burthens to the sons of men 5 This reproveth all those that study men and tender all their addresses to them seeing their advancement and establishment here on earth by the purchased love and favour of men they seek not the Lord. Did ever age sow precedents so thick for posterity of drooping declining and falling greatness Truly God is the Lord and his name onely is excellent If God must have the glory all that is done for us whatsoever is done for us must be done by him else it must needs miscarry 6 This serves to establish the hearts of those who have obteined any competency for the support of this life with contentment for if God be the giver of my daily bread and if his hand do minister to my necessities he knows best what state of life is fittest for me I will not aspire higher he knows how much will serve me I will not covet more this resolution wil give thee much peace For it casteth all thy care upon God who will never leave thee nor forsake thee 7 This also stirreth us up to walk in the obedience of the Laws of God for if we consent and obey we shall eat the good things of the land let us seek the face of God and depend upon his providence for all things let us consider the fowls of the air and the lillies of the field and wherein we are better then they even in our reasonable service of God conclude that God will not let them want any thing that lead a godly life so will he furnish us with matter of praise that we may ever be telling of his goodness from day to day Unlawful and indirect means of bettring our estates by corrupting of our consciences do break our bags and spring leaks in our Ships that we and our good perish but the fear of the Lord maketh us rich and what wanteth in the peace of the world is supplied in the peace of a good conscience 3. Doct. Figurative speeches are in use in holy Scripture this Text is full of them so is this whole Psalm I will onely note these figures which in this verse do offer themselves to us for a tast 1 It is here said that God stood This is spoken after the maner of men for when hearing and seeing and smelling and touching and tasting which are our senses are attributed to God when our parts of body our eyes ears mouth hands feet armes are given to him our motions as setting standing rising going striking and such like are spoken of God know that these be figurative forms of speech wherein the holy Ghost doth retein our weak capacities and under those forms of words doth present to our understandings the unconceiveable operations of the most high God And let us take heed that we do not conceive God in our thoughts like to man in the structure and composition of the body as the Anthropomorphites did For it is here understood by the standing of God that when he brought the people to the promised land there the progresse ended he stood there where he brought them to rest 2 It is here said that he measured the earth that is also a figurative manner of speaking wherein that is charged upon him which was done by his direction and warrant 3 He beheld and drove in
but in the fields and amidst their military preparations when their tents were pitcht as it were in readinesse to give battail which is a Rhethoricall amplification of the greatnesse of their terrour My observation from this place in this The power of God shewed in the terror of the wicked doth prove that there is a God Doctr. and therefore no people on earth can be altogether ignorant of the God-head Why should the tents of Cushan be in affliction Why should the curtains of Midian tremble but that the fear of the Lord is upon them God daunteth and dismayeth them It was one of Gods promises to his people Ye are to pass through the coasts of your brethren the children of Esau which dwell in Sen and they shall be afraid of you Deu. 2.4 This deliverance of Israel from Egypt was a most memorable act of Gods power and made his name great in all the earth it followeth He i.e. Esau knoweth thy walkings through the great wilderness these forty years Vâ—r. 7. the Lord thy God hath been with thee thou hast lacked nothing Rahab that entertained the Spies whom Joshua sent to view the Land of Canaan saved them from the dangerous pursuite of the messengers of the King of Jericho and she said to them I know the Lord hath given you the Land and that your terror is fallen upon us Josh 2.9 and that all the Inhabitants of the Land melt because of it For we heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you when he came out of Egypt and what you did to the two Kings of the Amorites on the other side Jordan Sihon and Og whom ye destroyed utterly And assoon as we heard these things our hearts did melt neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you for the Lord your God he is God above in Heaven and in Earth beneath And this is the right way to make God known to the wicked and ungodly of the earth From thence came that prayer of David Put them in fear O Lord that they may know themselves to be but men Psa 9.20 The fear of God vvill smite them vvith such terrour that they shall not have hear to stirre against him So it is said that God is known by executing his judgments Reason Rom. 2.5 For as the Apostle saith the very naturall man hath the work of the law written in his heart The lavv vvritten in the heart of every man is a generall principle both of truth in the understanding vvhich affirmeth a divine nature and of avve in the affections to make him feared And this lavv is not idle but it vvorketh for there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vvork of the lavv And this is the true cause vvhy there is no peace at all to the vvicked man because he hath the lavv of nature vvorking vvithin him vvhich is against him and he hath not the lavv of grace to lay the storms vvhich the law of nature raiseth From hence it commeth that the wicked flyeth when no man pursueth as Solomon saith and he feareth where no fear is and Tully could say that all the poeticall fictions of the furies which disquieted men so much were but the pinchings and convulsions of mens guilty consciences who when they had done evill knew that they had broken the law written in their hearts and then feared the power which they saw above them armed with vengeance against evill doers St. Paul teacheth us the use of this point Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power Vse Rom. 31.3 do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same Where doing that which is good hath a double reward for it quiteth fear and it crowneth us with praise Me thinks that this consideration of the reward should stirre us up to say What shall we do that we may work the works of God John 6.28 29. Then will Christ tell us This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent Faith in Christ taketh away this terrour of the Lord as the Aoostle saith we knowing the terrour of the Lord do perswade men and what is the thing to which the Apostles doe perswade but to reconciliation with God through Christ so that when we preach faith to you wee preach peace even as the Apostle saith peace to them that are neer peace to them are far off and the God of peace sendeth his Son the peace of his Church with the Gospell of peace Wee are taught here that the welfare of the Church is the grief and vexation of her enemies 2 Doct. Cushan and Midian are afflicted and in a cold fit when they hear what God doth for Israel So did the Aegyptians repine at the prosperity of Israel in Aegypt they said Behold the children of Israel are more and mightier then we Exod. 1.10 Come let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply c. You see vvhat the vvorld thinks of their plots against the Church of God they think they do vvisely vvhen they vex the Church this is that wisedome which the Apostle doth call carnall sensuall and divelish And these be the wifemen of which it is said ubi sapiens where is the wiseman and God hath made the wisedome of the world foolishnesse The reason of this opposition is given by our Saviour the world hateth you because you are not of the world Reas 1 and I have chosen you out of the world and for this they weep at the joy of the Church they joy at their weeping the Prophets complaint Truth faileth and he that departeth from evill maketh himself a prey Isa 59.15 So David But mine enemies they are lively they are strong Psal 38.19 and they that hate wrong fully are multiplyed They also that render evill for good are mine adversaries Verse 20. because I follow the thing that good is They began betimes for Cain slue his brother 1 Joh. 3.12 Ratio rationis and wherefore slue he him because his own works were evil his brothers righteous I can easily bring you to the head of these bitter waters so soon as Adam had fallen from grace when God kept his first assise upon earth and convented and arraigned the transgressours the man the woman and the serpent he revealed his eternall counsell of election and reprobation and put a difference between the seed and seed the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent Which is not onely to be understood of the unreconciliable enmity that is between Christ and the Devill For Christ was the seed of the woman quia solus ita semen mulieris non etiam vâ—ri semen sit But hee meant therein that enmity vvhich should be betvvixt the elect vvho are the seed of the vvoman by naturall generation and the holy seed by spirituall regeneration so called Semen sanctum and the seed of the
serpent for Christ calleth the vvicked genimina viperarum generation of vipers and to such he saith Vos estis ex patre vestro Diabolo you are of your father the Devill John 8.44 For this Rupertus saith that the Bible is called the Book of the battails of the Lord Num. 21.14 because it conteineth the story of the vvars betvveen these tvvo the Church and the vvorld From this enmity vvhich God put betvveen the Church and the vvorld ariseth this hatred and opposition so that the prosperity of the vvicked is Davids grief the miseries of David be the vvorlds joy the joy of the Church is the affliction of the vvorld God left the Devill in his fall and took him not up again thereby forsaking him he put enmity into him and he for the hatred that he beareth to God hath ever since persecuted him in his Church because his malice cannot extend to hurt him And herein he is the more cruel because he knovvs his time is but short Satan is but Gods instrument in the afflicting of the Church so it is said to the Angell of the Church of Smyrna Reas 2 Behold the Devil shall cast some of you into prison Revel 2.10 that ye may be tryed and ye shall have tribulation ten days He goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour If he be kept from devouring he biteth and rendeth and doth vvhat hurt he can for he is a murtherer but if God shevv the light of his countenance to them vvhom he pursueth he is sick of that mercie and so are all the tents of Cushan the vvhole brood of vipers have this venome from the old serpent to be afflicted at the prosperity of the Church For instance I vvill prevent the time David saith one day telleth another and one night certifieth another To morrovvs memoriall teacheth this day this vvas the vigill of that popish holy day vvhich the same Papists here at home and many beyond the seas hoped to have made festivall to all posterity The children of darkness had provided to put out our light to quench the light of our Israel it was an affliction to the Papists to behold religion and peace setled under the government of a learned King who knew what he believed and why and who had discovered himself an enemy to their Antichristian and hereticall synagogue They saw a fair issue ready for timely succession so gratiously seasoned with the salt of heavenly wisedom from the first of their capacity and apprehension that there remained no hope for their politique religion to finde footing in these Churches Their flourishing state of Church and Common-welth was such an affliction to them that some Zealots of their Religion the sons of thunder could no longer contein themselves but their study was how to put their grief upon us and to transfer our joy upon themselves They shewed us the vvay of their rejoycing their mercies vvere cruel nothing could remove their grief at our vvelfare but the destruction of the head and body root and tree and all in a day And they that vvould have destroyed us thought and the Jesuites and Priests of the Roman Faith taught them to believe that they should do God good service We see the mercies of that religion so clearly in this horrible Treason that all that knovv and serve the God of peace have just cause to esteem Papists disloyall subjects secret enemies to the State bloudy persecutors of the Gospell of peace Our stories are full of their malice vvrackings imprisonments starvings burnings hangings and many exquisite torments executed upon innocent and holy Martyrs But vvhen vve remember the Povvder-Treason that calleth all the tormentors of the Church before them mercifull the Devill did never roar so loud before the Buls of Rome never bellovv'd such terrour to the Church as in that damnable and desperate attempt The provocation vvas their affliction at our prosperity and griefe at our vvelfare again this venome of the generation of vipers boiled over and they that bore evill vvill to our Sion sayd one unto another Catosby to his confederates I have bethought me of a way at one instant to deliver us from all our bonds and without any forriegn help to replant the Catholique Religion which is to blow asp the Parliament house with Gunpowder for in that place have they dohe us all the mischief and perchance God hath designed that place for their punishment for this striketh at the root and will breed a confusion fit to beget new alterations What alterations could be here meant but those that Job felt that our Land and Church might complain Thou hast turned my Harp into mourning and my Organs into the voice of them that weep How did they swallow up the joy of this change in hopeful expectation of successe but the children came to the birth and there was no strength to bring forth Their own fear came upon them For it was Catesbyes own Lenvoy to his revealed Treason But saith he If this take not effect as most of this nature miscarry the scandal will be so great to the Catholick Religion as not onely our enemies but our friends will with good reason condemn us Thus did their minds mis-give and abodements of evil did secretly call upon them to fly from the anger to come This diverted them a while from this execution and put them into a new project Thomas Winter was sent as his confession under his own hand reporteth to inform the Constable of Spaine then coming in Ambassy from the King of Spain to our Sovereigne of the state of the Catholicks in England and to entreat his mediation to solicite our King for the revocation of some penall laws and the admittance of the English Catholicks into the ranke of his other Subjects Winter met with him at Bergen neer Dunkirk and by the meanes of Owen an apostate Traitor he had accesse to him mooved him in his suite and had a fair promise from him to do all good offices in that errand But Owen discouraged that hope saying that he believed nothing lesse and that they sought onely their own ends meaning the state of Spaine holding small accompt of Catholiques Owen animated the Treason and promised to send Faux over to help to set it forward From thence Winter went to another of our fugitives Sir William Stanley to Ostend where he asked his opinion whether if the Catholiques of England should do any thing in England to help themselves the Arch-Duke would second them he answered no for all those parts desired peace with England After all these despairs they had no remedy to cure their disease of envy at the gratious peace of this State but their powder-plot in which none but profest Papists within the land had any hand None that we can discover but Priests and Jesuites here or abroad did blow the fire No forreign Prince hath the dishonorable name of privacy with it or abetment of it onely the
the first the cutting of a passage through the red sea to bring Jsrael out of Aegypt 3 He nameth the miracle of giving his people vvater out of the rock and loading the stream along vvith the hoast 2 The motive that induced him 1 Affir 2 Neg. 1 There vvas internus motor the invvard motive 1 Affirm his love to Israel and his care to preserve them vvhich is exprest in his riding on the chariots of salvation 2 There vvas externum motivum the outvvard motive and that vvas the oaths of the Tribes even his vvord vvhich he had put to Abraham for that land 2 Non iratus I am not angry 3 The Argument dravvn from hence 2 Neg. God hath shewed himself marvelous to Israel in exitu in their going forth then he divided a sea for them in via in their way then he made rivers to run in dry places after them in introitu in their entrance then he divided Jordan for them Therefore vve may trust in him and commit our selves to his care he will never leave us nor forsake us 1 Of the wonders shewed in the waters and therein 1 Of the division of Jordan This was a great wonder the story of it is recorded so for the day before it was done Joshua said to the people Sanctifie your selves Josh 3 5. for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you yea God himself said to Joshua This day will I magnifie thee in the sight of all Israel that they may know that as I was with Moses so I will be with thee The wonder is set down thus No sooner did the feet of the Priests which bare the Ark dip in the brim of the water but the waters that came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the City Adam that is beside the Zaretan and those that came down from the Sea of the plain even the salt Sea failed and were cut off and the people passed over right against Jericho This was so great a wonder that we read When all the Kings of the Amorites which were on the side of Jordan westward Josh 5.1 and all the Kings of the Cananites which were by the Sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel untill we were passed over that their hearts melted neither was there spirit in them any more because of the children of Israel And the Psalmist doth celebrate the prayses of God for the same with poeticall streins of divine rapture he putteth both together as this our Psalmist doth both that of the Red Sea and this of Jordan The Sea saw that and fled i.e. it saw that when Israel came out of Egypt Psa 114 2 3. Judah was his Sanctuary and Israel his dominion Jordan was driven back What ailed thee O Sea that thou fleddest thou Iordan that thou wast turned back The things most remarkable in that wonderfull work of God were these 1 That the waters of so great a River as Iordan should recoil towards their head for water being a ponderous body doth naturally fall downward and seeketh still the lower place but God did make a wall of water to stop the decourse of the stream which was a work against nature for the other part of the stream ran on and left the land dry 2 The second wonder was the means that God used to accomplish this great work for the Priests that did bear the Arke must set the first foot into the River for God said Assoon as the soals of the feet of the Priests Josh 3 13. that bear the Arke of the Lord the Lord of all the Earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan the waters of Jordan shall be cut off c. Here was the Arke the Sacrament visible of Gods invisible presence and the Priests of the Lord bearing it they had the warrant of Gods Word to attempt this passage and they did not so much as wet their feet in that river no sooner did the soals of their feet touch the water but they fled from the Lord not from the Priests yet from the Priests as the Lords instruments not that any vertue or efficacie was in the feet of the Priests the vertue was in the Sacrament of Gods presence the Ark which they carried upon their shoulders neither was the vertue of that wonder in the Saerament efficiently and primarily but mediately and instrumentally It was the work of the Lord of all the Earth whose Sacrament was the Arke whose servants the Priests 3 A third wonder was the faith of the Priests that did bear the Arke who could believe a thing in nature so impossible in reason so improbable that they durst attempt it both in regard of their ovvn persons but especially of the Ark of God vvhich they did bear Moses vvanted faith in a lesse matter vvhen God bade him onely speak to the Rock he smote it tvvice once in vain to punish his unbelief once vvith successe to fulfill Gods promise Yet the Priests believed faithfully and obeyed vvvillingly and did not debate the matter anxiously or go on timerously 4 A fourth wonder was in the time Josh 3.15 for it was in the time of the harvest when Jordan overfloweth all the banks when there was a great deal more river then channel and the more water the more wonder 5 We may adde here to a fifth that when all the people were past over Josh 4.5 Joshua did command twelve men out of every Tribe a man to return back again into the midst of the Channel and they were not priests but lay-men and they were not to follow the Ark but to goe before it and from thence they must every man bring upon his shoulder a stone and those were set up in Gilgall for a monument of this passage for the memoriall thereof to their children 6 The last wonder was that when the twelve men returned from the midst of the channell of Jordan to the land which was for them to dwell in The Priests following them with the Arke of God the soals of their feet were no sooner lifted upon the dry land but The waters of Jordan returned to their place and flowed over all his banks as they did before Josh 4.18 But he names river in my Text so Further this mention of the Rivers is yet referred to a former story wherein God declared his power in the Rivers of the Egyptians and that not improperly because then the people were in the house of bondage and the first Plague which God put upon the Egyptians was this All the waters were turned into bloud Exod. 7 20. the fish died and the Waters stanke It may also renew the memory of tvvo more passages over Jordan 2 Kiâ— 2.8 one of Eliah who took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters and they were divided hither and thither so that they two went over on dry
Abraham and his oath unto Isaac And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting Covenant And after having briefly surveyed the story of Israels deliverance and passage having recapitulated the comming of Israel into Egypt the plagues of Egypt there comming out thence vvith the vvealth of Egypt the pillar of cloud the pillar of fire the Quails the Manna the vvater out of the rock he gives this reason of ad for he remembred his holy promise Vâ—rse 42. and Abraham his servant Of this oath of God the Authour to the Hebrews Heb. 6.13 for when God made a promise to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he swear by himself saying Surely blessing I will blesse thee and multiplying I will multiply thee The reason vvhy God bound himself by oath followeth Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise Verse 17. the immutability of his counsell confirmed it by an oath This was a great obligation to bind God to this performance neither doth it any vvhit abridge his own liberty but that he remained Liberimum agens still for that he declared therein the constancy of his decree which vvas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Because as I have shewed that and all other Gods promises have reference to the obedience of the people so that God might have cancelled this obligation upon their forfeiture thereof by disobedience if he had pleased which maketh good the former motive of his own good wil and favour vvho notwithstanding their many provocations and rebellions yet performed this promise 2 The motive is negatively set down For here it is exprest vvhat vvas not the cause of these vvonderfull vvater-vvorks vvas it vvhich is as much as it was not because the Lord was displeased at rivers it was not because his wrath was against the sea To part the Sea in two to divide Jordan to make rivers run a vvhile in full stream to serve his people was no displeasure taken at these elements God never layeth his rod upon those creatures which he hath ordained for the service of man but to punish man To the creature it is all one to keep the naturall order of creation or to suffer supernaturall alteration for omnia illi serviunt all things do serve him vvas God angry vvith the earth vvhen he cursed it after Adams fall vvhen he drown'd it after it grevv full of cruelty The insensible creatures do the will of him that made them It is recorded as a blemish to that mighty King Xerxes Herod Polihim lib. 7. Num. 173. that he foolishly overweened his power in such a case For being to passe his army over the Hellespont where the sea vvas about seven furlongs over he caused a bridge to be made of floaty vessels to that purpose But a great tempest arising and breaking his bridge vvhen he heard thereof he vvas in such passion at the sea that he commanded it to be punished vvith three hundred stripes and he cast in fetters into it to take it prisoner and caused these vvise vvords to be spoken to it O aqua amara Dominus hanc tibi irrogat poenam quod eum laesisti qui de te nihil mali meritus es te tamen Rex Xerxes velis nolisve transmittet As wisely either he himself or as Herodotus reporteth Clio 34. Cyrus Cyrus his Grandfather fell out with the river Gyndes for drowning him a white horse but his revenge was more in sight so was his deliberate furious folly For he set his army a work to cut out new channels and divided the river into 360 brooks ut à mulieribus ne genua tingentibus transiri possit But our God had no quarrell the text saith to these inanimate creatures of his which were so at his command The Church here doth God right to confesse the true motive of this extraordinary operation of God so here is a double confession 1 That Tu Domine fecisti thou Lord hast done it 2 That he did for such a cause This is not barely avouched but it is proved Thy bow was made quite naked that is thou didst let all the world take notice of thy power and strength and favour in the cause of thy Church At the comming of God in great Majesty and Glory on Mount Sinai to give the law before-mentioned there was absconsio roboris the hiding of his strength God revealed himself then to Israel onely but these three great wonders here confest did uncase the bow of God made it quite naked so that all nations might take knowledge of the arm of the Lord and might give testimony to the same The Argument drawn from hence is still the same for from the former evidences of Gods great power and mercy shewed and openly declared unto the Church they gather comfort to assure themselves of the favour of God toward them in this captivity in Babylon They know and believe that the hand of God is not shortned nor his arme weakned but that he who was able to cut a way for them through the sea and the river of Jordan and to make rivers run in dry places to relieve their fathers in the wildernesse is still as able to succour them in that captivity against the King of Babel and all the Chaldeans so hee sheweth by what faith the just shall live in their banishment Namely by faith grounded on the power and wisedome and love of God and of his truth The doctrines which this passage affordeth are these 1 God must have the glory of his own great Works Doctr. David is a full example of this duty for 1 in his own case he saith Ps 66.16 Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul 2 He stirreth up others to do the like even in this case mentioned in my text Come and see the works of God Ps 66.5 6. he is terrible in his doings toward the children of men He turned the sea into dry land they went through the flood on foot there did we rejoyce in him The reason hereof is in sight Reas 1 for David saith this honour is due to his name We have two debts which we shall ever be paying and yet never clear with our Creditors that is of prayse to God of love to our neighbours he that came of purpose into the world to pay our debts hath not wip't off this score rather he hath set us further in debt 1 To our brother if God so loyed us as to send his Sonne amongst us we ought also to love one another so much the more 2 To himself David saith The loving kindnesse of the Lord is ever more and more toward us therefore laus ejus erit semper in ore meo his prayse shall be ever in my mouth The comming of Christ amongst us hath made it more and more seen for therein the bow of God was made quite naked 2
We must do God this right to honour him in his own works Reas 2 because if we be silent and do not our duty herein yet David saith Ps 145.10 All thy works shall praise thee O Lord. 3 We see the enemies of God do not spare to do all they can to rob God of his glory Reas 3 and as one saith Vigilat bostis tu dormis the enemy waketh and dost thou sleep Some gave out amongst the Egyptians that this passage over the sea on dry land was onely an advantage taken by Moses of a great ebbe occasioned by an extraordinary wind which comming of the land at the head of the bay made all the head of the bay dry land for many miles together but the text is against that for it sheweth how the waters were a wall unto them on both hands Again the waters were divided by an East vvind but that vvind blows not from that shore but rather it should have been a Northerly vvind others imputed this to Moses as done by magicall arts vvhich if it had been so no doubt but there vvere vvith Pharcah of his Magitians that could in the learning of the Egyptians have vvrought vvith Moses hand to hand And surely that is the reason that there is so often mention of this vvonder in Scripture to stirre up all faithfull people to vindicate the honour of God against the depravers thereof This admonisheth us both to the hearing and reading the story of the Bible Vse 2 that we may understand what the Lord hath done in former ages Gen. 18.19 God himself made Abraham so much of his counsail for that because he knew that Abraham would teach his children And for that the Sacrament of the Passeover was instituted Ex. 12.26 for that it might teach their children after them For this were the twelve stones set up in Gilgall Josh 4.21 to teach the story of the passage over Jordan and in the New Testament the Sacrament of the Lords Supper was instituted in remembrance of Christ till his coming so many as would learn matter enough to fill their mouthes with the praise of God let them open the two Testaments and read therein let them hear and study that holy story there is enough in it to make a man wise to salvation For this is your wisedom and understanding to know the Lord and to serve him and to honour him for For him that honoureth me I will honour saith our God 2 This reproveth those that swallow the gratious favours Vse 2 of God without any relish or tast of them neither consider the former mercies of God nor his present blessings that live like bruit beasts saying this day is like yesterday and to morrow will be like this day and more abundant and such sensuall and carnal sons of nature there are that reap benefits where they never sowed prayers and gather mercies where they never scattered supplications 3 This chideth the Euchites of our time Vse 3 that are all for prayer and they never give God rest from petitious but like the nine Leapers when they are healed they never return any thanks I have ever commended to you the use of prayer it is a speciall part of Gods worship and God loves both frequent and importunate petitions but if we part praise from it and do not joyn thanksgiving with supplication we have the profit but God hath not the honour of his own favours All our care must not be who will shew us any good we must also offer to him the sacrifices of righteousness as well as call upon the name of the Lord for quid recipiam we must have quod retribuam Seeing God must have the glory of his own great works Vse 4 we must take the pains to search after them not onely content our selves with such as offer themselves to our consideration but we must take delight to look them out so David The works of the Lord are great Psa 111.2 sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honorable and glorious and his righteousness endureth for ever He hath made his wonderfull works to be remembred Which shews that our praising of the name of God is no meritorious act of free-will but an officious service due to him and it is a great injustice in you to deny it to him for David saith He is worthy to be praised This serveth for caution Vse 5 It is a glory to God vvhen vve thankfully remember vvith praise the vvonderfull vvorks that he hath done but it is no honour to him at all vvhen vve report of him more then he hath done and put miracles upon him that he never did The Church of Rome hath long had a busie hand in these false ascriptions the golden legend of vvorm-eaten authority amongst them and their Speculum exemplorum set forth by John Major a Jesuite in Anno 1607 and Cantipatranus a Domican Friers full Volume of miracles set forth Anno 1605. tell fine tails ridiculous even to children yet the implicite faith of Papists doth svvallovv all for canonicall vvherein God is dishonored vvith humane inventions and truth it self vvith lies their legends of their Ladies of Loretto and Hales are of the same coynage and it is the policy of that Strumpet of Rome to keep this mint alvvays at vvork to amaze the ignorant vvith strange vvonders But I say unto them in the vvords of Iob Job 13.7 Will ye speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him Gregory their own Pope upon these words saith Veritas fulciri non quaerit auxilio falsitatis he saith that it is the trick of hereticks It is I am sure the practise of Papists but thou man of God fly these things truth is not honored but vvith truth 2 We must search out and confesse the true cause of all the good that God doth to us Doct. 2 It is Aristotles Doctrine in his Elenches that Elene 1.4 id quod non est causa ut causam ponere to make that a cause which is not is a capatious and sophistical manner of reasoning So the Serpent over-reach't Eve in Paradise for when God had given our Parents there a precise Law Thou shalt not eat of the tree in the midst of the Garden The true cause why God put that restraint upon them vvas to try their obedience to him in a small and easie precept forbidding them a thing in it self good to shew his reservation of his own power to awe them So saith Moâ— 35.10 Saint Gregory But Satan tempting the woman to break this Law and to cast off this light burthen and easie yoak of God suggested another cause Gen. 3.5 God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eys shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil as if God had dealt too sparingly with man in the communication of his own similitude to him and had set him that bar
2 It serveth for the good of our Brethren Hâ—b 5.19 for it is the end of all strife I wil not enter into the lists with the Anabaptists to confute their weak arguments against the lawfulnesse of an oath you hear it warranted by reason and examples grow thick in the book of God to justifie it 2 Quaere Whether every oath be to be kept To that we answer in a word every lawfull oath is to be kept so is every lawfull promise If a man vow a vow unto the Lord nuâ— 30.3 or swear an Oath to bind his soul with a bond he shall not prophane his word he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth Every oath and every promise engageth our faith that is our fidelity and so it is a bond upon our souls and though it it be to our hinderance we must not break Remember how the breach of the oath of the Lord made by Joshua and the elders of the people to the Gibeonites smarted in the house of Saul Zedekiah had engaged himself by oath to Nebuchadnezzar an heathen King and brake and rebelled against him indeed it was before the doctrine of Rome was afoot Fides non est servanda cum haereticis no faith to be kept with hereticks But here the Prophet Shall he escape that doth such things Or shall he break the Covenant and be delivered Eze. 17 15 And after saith God As I live surely mine oath that he hath despised Ver. 19. and my Covevenant that he hath broken even it will I recompence upon his own head For he said He despised the Oath by breaking the Covenant when lo Vâ—rse 18. he had given his hand A lawfull promise and oath hath three notes to justifie it Truth Righteousness Judgement Jer. 4.2 1 In truth the heart joyning with the Author 2 In righteousnesse seeking Deo proximo servire serve God and our neighbour 3 In judgement it is deliberation and advice 4 Doctr. God declareth his power sometimes openly to the comfort of his Church and the terrour of the enemies thereof gathered from these words Thy Bow was quite naked for as before there was abscontio roboris the hiding of his strength when God revealed himself to his Church onely upon Mount Sinai so there was now revelatio roboris a revealing of his strength when he had made his Bow quite naked 1 For the setling of his Church in obedience to him Reas 2 so saith the Psalmist after commemoration of the wonder All works of God done for Israel That they might keep his statutes Ps 1â—5 45 and observe his Laws 2 For the glory of his name Reas 2 that he might fill the mouthes of the faithfull with his praise and this effect it wrought with Israel a while for when God had done great things for them Then they sang his praise Ps 106.12 3 For the credit of his Word Reas 3 that they might settle their faith in his promises so it is there said Then they believed his Word 4 To convince the ingratitude of men Reas 4 if they notwithstanding the manifestation of his power to them do start aside and rebell against him so doth the Psalmist taxe them where repeating the manifest and naked bow of God revealed to them it is the burthen of his song Yet they sinned more against God by provoking the most High in the wildernesse he repeateth more of his great works Psa 78 17. and addeth For all this they sinned still and believed not for all his wondrous works he repeateth more and saith Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God and kept not his testimony c. 5 To instruct posterity that should succeed them Reas 5 That the generation to come might know them even the children which should be borne Psa 78 6. who should arise and declare them to their children That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his Commandements This is the way to keep the bow of God still naked that all the ends of the world may see the salvation of our God God layeth his Bow quite naked in the sight of the world that the Egyptians may see that God fighteth for Israel against them and may fly from them that the world may see that all their consultations against the Church shall faile of successe and it will turn to bitternesse in the latter end You may easily discerne how all this is directed to our instruction Vse To awake us to a consideration of the revealed power of God for if God shew it it is that we may see it it was the cause of Israels so many rebellions For whereas God did so great things for them Ps 78.7 That they might not forget his works They forgate his works and his wonders that he hath shewed them and that made them children of disobedience To direct to the right use of this mercy of God which is as you have heard 1 In respect of God to give him due praise that he may have the honour due to his name 2 In respect of our selves to confirme our hope and faith in his word and in the arm of his strength believing that bow and the whole quiver of arrows belonging to it is on our side and we need not fear what man or Devil can do against us 3 In respect of this life that we passe the time of our dwelling here in fear living in the obedience and service of this Almighty Maker and preserver of men by keeping his statutes c. 4 In respect of posterity that we leave them our good example and the light of our knowledge to instruct them in the wonderfull works of God that generation may praise him to generation and declare his power 5 In respect of our enemies that they may see and know whom we have trusted and may know that our help is in the name of the Lord who hath made heaven and earth so that we shall not need to fear their bow nor their arrows upon the string ready to goe off against us there is a Bow on our side and an arme to weild it Verse 10. The mountains saw thee and they trembled the overflowing of the water passed by the deep uttered his voice and lift up his hands on high THese words have reference to the former wonders of Gods works in which the Holy Ghost Poetically and Rhethorically doth give life to things in-animate to expresse their yielding and giving vvay to Gods extraordinary operations some understanding that For such impression did the power of God make in the everlasting mountains as he calleth them before ver 6. and in the perpetuall hils that they gave way to his people as if they had seen God himself and that the feare of God had been upon them to make them tremble The like Poeticall streine we have in the Psalmist What ailed ye mountains that ye skipped like
the west Country This is the help in trouble ready to be found let us awake this help with the loud voice of our importunate supplications saying O Lord help now O Lord now give prosperity Let us give him no rest till he hath bowed the heavens and is come downe to visit the distresses of his faithfull servants Our Saviour comforteth us well saying My Father worketh as yet and I work and if our labour which is opus in Domino a work in the Lord be not in vaine his labour which is opus Domini a work of the Lord will prosper in his hand He is as strong in the river of Rhine as in he was Jordan and his Church is as dear to Him now as ever it was and he is as diligent in making inquisition for bloud and as attentive to the complaints of the oppressed as he was Verse 11. The Sun and Moon stood still in their habitation at the light of thine arrows they went at the shining of thy glittring spear 12 Thou didst march through the Land in indignation thou didst thresh the heathen in anger 13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people even for salvation with thine Anointed thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked by discovering the foundation to the neck Selah 14 Thou doest strike through with his staves the head of his villages they that came out as a whirlwind to scatter me their rejoycing was as to devoure the poor secretly I Read all this together because I conceive it hath reference to one story and that is recorded in the book of Joshua For after Israel came into the land of Canaan and had destroyed Jericho and the City of Ai the Gibeonites terrified with this news craftily pretending themselves to be a people dwelling in a far Country and for the name of Gods sake whose wonderfull works they had heard of they desired to make a league with Joshua Joshua and the Elders were deceived and confirmed a league with them by oath But after the fraud was detected Israel made the Gebeonites serve them but they were under the protection of Israel This league of Gibeon with Joshua did much trouble the neighbouring Kings for they feared Gibeon being a strong City therefore five Kings do make war against Gibeon to smite it The Gibeonites send to Joshua for succours Ioshua according to his oath of confederacy with them came from Gilgal he and all the people of war with him Ver. 7. and all the mighty men of valour he gave the assault to the five Kings and their Army he discomfited them and made them fly Then the Lord rained stones from Heaven upon them Ver. 11. there were more that died with the hailstones then they whom the children of Israel slow with the Sword Then spake Joshua to the Lord Ver. 12. in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou Moon in the valley of Ajalon And the Sun stood stil Ver. 13. and the Moon stayed untill the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies Is not this written in the book of Jasher so the Sun stood still in the midst of Heaven and hasted not to goe down about a whole day And there was no day like that before it nor after it Verse 14. that the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man for the Lord fought for Israel This is the wonder that Habakkuk our Prophet doth here commemorate a miracle yet fresh in the memory of the Church yet by computation of times from the time of Joshua when this was done to this time of Habakkuk when this is remembred were past more then 700 years Habakkuk doth well to remember this for of all the miracles that God wrought for Israel this was the greatest here Heaven fought against Earth the Sun and Moon stood still to give light to the Battail and the faithfull witnesses of Heaven so the Sun is called staid his course to bear witnesse how God fought for Israel We may truly say to Israel Tibi militat aether Observe the words of the Prophet how well they follow the history in Joshua Habukkuk saith The Sun and Moon stood still in their habitation they stood in their severall sphear wherein they move for these be their habitations and note that they both stood stil Sun and Moon For the Moon borrowing all her light of the Sun had she kept her course while the Sun had stood still the length of a day there had been great irregularity of motion in these Caelestiall bodies from the constant order set them by their Maker in their Creation Observe also that he doth not say the earth stood still but the Sun it had been as some said the Earth and the Moon stood still as the Sun and the Moon and our understanding would have as soon apprehended if that new Astronomy had had been then revealed which some of our Empericks and Journeymen in that excellent Science of Astronomy have of late revived in their Almanacks telling the world that they have long been in a wrong belief that the Sun moveth and the earth is fixed for they believe that the Sun is fixed and the earth is moved And to evade the cleer evidence of this text which tels it for a wonder that the Sun stood still they say this is spoken to our capacity because to our sight it so seemeth that the Sun moveth and the earth is fixed but indeed it is otherwise Our capacity I think hath much wrong done in this for if the Word of God had told us that God had created the Sun to stand still and the Earth to move it is more likely that we should have taken his Word for it and have believed it as it is as well as now we believe it as it appears We are neither incapable nor incredulous but that many against the letter of Scripture have written and made more believe that the Sun stands still from the creation The common defence of this opinion grounded upon Gods application of himself to humane capacity doth make figures in story where is no need and maketh David a man of small judgment in the knowledge of the Sun who saith that God hath set a tabernacle for the Sun in the Heavens called here an habitation Which is a Bridegroome comming out of his chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run his race His going forth is from the end of the Heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it Doth not this Prophet speak of the glory of God declared in the motion not the station of the Sun or in the glory of God shewed in our opinion of the Suns motion not in the truth thereof Greater secrets then this are revealed in holy Scripture which are against the vouchie of the outward sense or the rationall discourse of man and no doubt but if the Sun had stood
God We have no such warrant but look wee what we may pray for and we shall finde that God doth answer us with success 1 That the name of God may be hollowed doth not every faithfull servant of God place his trust in this name doth he not praise it for all things 2 That the Kingdome of God may come Is not this Kingdome of grace in the Church doth not the believer feel Christ reigning in his heart and ruling him by his spirit and doth he not expect his second comming in glory and believe everlasting life 3 That the will of God may be done here as it is in heaven is it not so Our conversation is in heaven doth not the whole life of a faithfull soul spend it self in imitation of Christ and of the Angels of God and of the holy Saints that are gone before us to praise God in heaven 4 Have we not daily bread doth not God feed us with food convenient for us 5 Doth not God assure our consciences of the free remission of our sins Doth not he in temptations save us from the evill one that seeketh our destruction and maketh them the exercises of our vertue and are directed to the dilapidation of our faith We may aske nothing else of God but what hath reference to one of these petitions and in all these God heareth us and granteth our requests Our own want of faith and zeal in prayer our own neglect of the dutie our own unthankfulness to God for benefits already received our corrupt desires to spend the favours of God upon our lusts may make many of our prayers miscarry Much more if we do ask any thing at the hands of God which is not lawfull But let us aske as he commandeth and the argument will follow comfortably If the servants of God have heretofore prevailed with God so far as to work miracles for their good much more will God hear our ordinary suits and grant them so far as may stand with the glory of his name and our good But at adventure he hath commanded us to pray and let us do our duty in obedience to him and leave the successe to his fatherly providence prayer is the casting our care upon God and is not that a great comfort to us when our care is put off and so repose that we may serve our God without fear or care for things of this life 2 The victory that followed the station of the Sun and Moon contein two things 1 What God did in indignation to his enemies 2 What he did in favour to his people 1 What he did in indignation Conteining 1 His martiall march through the Land 2 His conquest of it 1 His March Thou didst march through the land in indignation which teaâ—heth us That in all wars God is Lord of Hosts Doct. and generall of all the Armies teat fight in his quarrel This was assured to Joshua by a Vision for It came to passe when Joshua was by Jericho Josh 5.13 that he lifted up his eyes and looked and behold there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand and Joshua went unto him and said unto him art thou for user for our adversaries And he said nay but as a Captaine of the hoast of the Lord am I now come and Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship This must be God that appeared to him by this Angel and it is the same Angel which God before promised Behold I send an Angell before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared Beware of him and obey his voice and provoke him not Ex â—2 22 for he will not pardon your transgressions for my name is in him This Angel must needs be the same who is after called the Messiah or anointed in the next verse and both the power that was given him of God to protect and to pardon and the charge that was given to the people not to offend him and the worship which Joshua did give him and the name which God said was in him prove him to be Jesus Christ All serves to prove that God was the leader of these wars as here is said Thou didst march through the Land And God doth take it upon himself I the Lord do all these things Esa 45.7 The reason is because war is one of the rods of God wherewith he doth scourge the sinnes of men For thus saith the Lord God How much more when I send my four great judgments upon Jerusalem the first of them is the sword Ezek. 14.21 Who can manage the judgments of God but himself and therefore when wicked persons are imployed by him to punish sinners by the sword he confesseth the service done to him as in the case of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel against Tyrus I have given him the Land of Egypt Ezech. 29. Vâ—rse 2â— for the labour wherewith he served against Tyrus because they wrought for me saith the Lord. God ordereth all wars for wars as I have said is one of Gods own rods and none can manage them without him so all wars as they are from him are just wars But they may be unjust in respect of them that commence and prosecute them The point then here taught is that in all wars which are just in respect of God who smiteth them God is the leader and the protector of his armies who giveth them both strength to fight and victory in battail These were Gods wars by which Israel was setled in the land of Canaan and they were the wars of God by which Israel was led away captive into Babel you heard God himself say so Hab. 1.6 For lo I raise up the Chaldaeans that bitter and hasty nation which shall march through the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs God was he that marched through the land then in indignation This teacheth us wheresoever we see the sword of God abroad in the world to smite Vse to confesse it to be Gods soare judgment without whom no man could draw a sword or lift up his arme in the world God brought in his Israel by the sword and by the sword he carrieth them out of Canaan note the hand of the Lord is in both Therefore whatsoever preparations of war Gods servants do make to hold or to recover their own right to relieve the distresses of others or to suppresse the injuries of oppressours they must commit their cause to the Lord and seek their strength from him and depend on him for their successe But as God is the author and manager of all wars so is he the speciall protectonr of those that he hath separated from the world to be his Church and peculiar people as in the story of Israels passage you have heard In this war God did march before his Israel against the inhabitants of Canaan and cast the
law against her Mother in law and a mans enemies are the men of his own house What shall we do then Therefore Verse 7. I will look upon the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me Christ our Saviour doth apply this text to his own comming into the world Mat 10.34 he professeth it that he came not to bring peace into the world but the sword In which words hee rather expresseth the events and effects then the intention and purpose of his comming for where the light of the gospel doth shine Father Mother Brother Sister are but nuda nomina bare names where Christian Religion is not for the true Gospeller will fall out with all and forsake them all for Jesus Christ The rest of the Church is God in Christ let us seek peace with men if it be possible as much as in our power let us have peace with all men but let us trust no humane or temporall supportation Seeing it is here set down as a great judgment of God upon Midian Vse 4 that they were beaten with their own staves and wounded with their own weapons Let us take notice of this judgment and take it for a great signe of Gods indignation against us when we break the bonds of peace and Christian charity byting and beating one another libelling and defaming woorrying one another with suits of molestation schismatically forsaking the fellowship one of another and changing publique Congregations into private Conventicles and forsaking the setled Priesthood of the Church for such as do labour most to break the peace of the Church for what is this but the angel of Satan beating of us with our own staves Doth not this home-contention in our Church open an easie way to the enemie of both to enter in and spoil all And this I have observed that two sides have gained by our Church contentions The Anabaptists have recovered some from us who standing so violently against Popery have questioned all that they received The Papists have recovered many who have gone so far in the defence of the mean that themselves have staggered into the extream God be mercifull to our land and continue the peace of the State even the sweet correspondence of our Sovereign and his subjects and we shall have hope that our arms shall be strengthened against our enemies and our own staves shall do us no hurt 2 Their sin it was a trespasse against the Church of God devouring of the poor and that by open violence comming like a whirlwind in sudden fury against them and by secret practises to hurt and annoy them teaching us that It is a grievous and provoking sin Doct. openly or secretly to distresse the poor There be two words of strong signification here used 1 Scattering which signifieth their expulsion out of their places where they dwelt to go as the Levite did to get them a place where they can finde one which suiteth well with the humour of the covetous rich man who desires to dwell alone upon the earth 2 Devouring which signifieth taking away from them all that they have to put it to their own heap whereby they become vassals to those that strip them This is a grievous sin Reas 1 and well deserves the punishment above mentioned 1 Because God hath declared himself the patron and protector of the poor and therefore the Psalmist saith The poor committeth himself unto him for he is the father of the fatherlesse so that to distresse those is to clip the wings of the hen that gathereth in her chickens it is 2 Because the poor are our own flesh Reas 2 so they are called by the Prophet and it is used as an argument to perswade compassion To deal thy bread to the hungry to bring the poor that are cast out to thy house Isa 58 7. when thou seest the naked to cover him and that thou hide not thy self from thine own flesh The poor and rich both digged out of the same pit both cast in the same mould 3 Because Reas 3 Natura paucis contenta nature is content with a little and we have enough amongst us to minister that For if we have food he meaneth not Manna and Quails but necessary food and raiment he meaneth not costly but necessary raiment we must be therewith content To strip the poor naked to multiply our changes of raiment or to take away a whole garment from them to put one lace more upon ours this is inhumane irreligious To scatter them that we may have elbow-room enough and more then needs for our selves that we may have so much the more to look upon and lie by us this is Midianitish and heathenish Vos autem non sic do not you so Because God hath committed together with riches Reas 4 the care and custody of the poor to the rich and as they hold their wealth not as rightfull owners but as mercifull stewards and dispensers thereof so in the dispensation they are accomptants to God for the overplus and he wil call for the inventory and judg their administration of those things Understand therfore that God doth not at any time relinquish his interest that he hath in the gifts which he bestoweth on men but still he saith The silver is mine Hag. 2.9 and the gold is mine saith the Lord of hoasts When David gave up all the provisions that he had made for the building of Gods temple to Solomon his Son he blessed the Lord and he confest saying O Lord our God 1 Ceron 29 16. all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thy holy name commeth of thine hand and is all thine own so before all things come of thee and of thine own hand have we given thee The use then that we must make of this point is Vse 1 For the rich let them know their duty to the poor love is a debt that they owe to them not an arbitrary courtesie they may not 1 Either encroach upon them by robbing or spoiling them of that which they have as here those Midianites did to spoil their corn to take away any thing of theirs 2 Neither may they come upon them as a whirlwind to encompass and gird them in by their devices of power or wit or authority to make prizes of their labours whilst they eat the bread of adversity and drink the waters of Marah 3 Neither may they withhold their hands in their bosomes in their wants but stretch them forth to relieve their necessities The wise son of Jakeh saith Pro. 30.14 There is a generation whose teeth are as swords and there jaw teeth as knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men And Solomon saith The soul of the wicked desireth evill Pro 21.10 his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes Let them remember that the rich man in the gospel is not charged with any oppression of
have of a Saviour We may see it in our first parents vvho no sooner had sinned but they hid themselves from God because they savv their fault by the light of the Lavv vvhich they had transgressed This fear bringeth us to repentance Reas 2 it putteth our sins in our sight and setteth before our eys the vvrath to come so the generation of vipers vvere first put in fear by vvarning given them of the anger to come and upon that foundation he buildeth his doctrine of repentance ferte ergò fructus dignos poenitentia bring forth therefore fruits vvorthy of repentance it is time to amend vvhen sin standeth at the door that is the vvages of sin to punish all or some nevv temptation to sin to make it more fear vvill tell us that time is pretious vve must lose none of it from our true repentance and conversion to God 3 This fear serveth for caution against the time to come Reas 3 for piscis ictus sapit one that hath been once soundly shaken with a strong fit of this fear will be the more weary to declâ—ne and avoid it another time For there is nothing that so much agonizeth the soul and body of man as the sense and conscience of the wrath of God 4 It is one of the arguments as you have heard Reas 4 by which we do prove certain great Articles of faith as 1 It proveth that there is a God for that power which the conscience of man doth fear as an avenger of evill is God 2 It proveth the resurrection of the body for as the Apostle saith if in this life onely we have hope so we may say if for this life onely we have fear it can be no great matter for the judgments of God cannot take sufficient vengeance of sin here 3 It proveth the finall judgment for all the afflictions of a temporall life are but the fore-unner of the last judgment But here it is objected that this may wel hold in the reprobate Quaest but to see this earth-quake of trembling in the Church and amongst the holy ones of God as it is here described this seemeth too hard a portion for Gods beloved chosen ones To this I answer that judgment beginneth at the house of God and the righteous are hardly saved Sol. they that have no other hell but in this terrour of the Lord here do most smart in this world and there is great reason for it 1 In respect of God to shew him no accepter of the persons of men but an equall hater of evill in all that commit it as David saith If I regard wickednesse in my heart God will not hear me 2 In respect of the sin committed by his chosen that God may declare the danger of it for terrour to others and his justice in avenging it that men may fear and do no more so 3 In respect of the wicked that they may have example of fear in the smart of others to bring them to the obedience and service of God This doth serve Vse 1 first for exhortation to stir us up to consider our God in the way of his judgments and to bethink us what evill may hang over our heads for sin the Church hath ever found this a profitable course In the way of thy judgments Isai 26 8. ô Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee The profit that groweth hence is there confest by the Church When thy judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousnesse This doth serve to put difference Vse 2 between the children of God and the children of this world for the ungodly are not afraid of the hand of God but the sinner contemneth but the righteous layeth it to his heart so saith the Church Lord when thy hand is lifted up they wil not see Verse II. Vse 3. but they shall see and be ashamed This also serveth for consolation of the Church for let them not be too much dejected with consideration either of Gods revealed wrath or their own just fear no though their fear do shake and stagger their very faith for a time for God will not forsake them unto despair but will let some of the beams of grace shine even through the clouds of fear to comfort them David felt it Psal 56.3 and confest it saying What time I am afraid I will trust in thee See how they grow together fear and faith But this is objected as an argument against that doctrine of the assurance of salvation Ob. that a child of God may have in this life for it is urged Can a man that standeth assured of the favour of God to him in Christ Jesus be so shaken with fear as the Church here confesseth We answer 1 That fear of temporall smart in this life is naturall Sol. and may be in the sons of God it was in the Sonne of God Jesus Christ and it may be without sin and the elect although they fear the judgments of God on earth yet they doubt not but that their names are written in heaven 2 That fear is not against faith which is quick and sensible of the wrath and judgments of God it is Cos fidei the Whetstone of faith it puts a better edg upon it and serves to teach us to lay so much the faster hold upon Jesus Christ Courage either to resist an evill ingruent without a right knowledg of it or to bear an evill incumbent without a right understanding both of the Authour of it the cause of it or the end of it or the measure of it is not courage but stupidity But when we do rightly know God to lay his hand on us for sin or hear him threaten us with the rod is it not time to fear and to pray with Jeremie Be not a terrour to me Jer. 17.17 for thou art my hope in the day of evill 3 Fear and faith go together in respect of the temporall judgments of God because the threatnings of temporall judgments are not always peremptory but oft-times conditionall therefore the King of Niniveh proclaiming a generall Fast and repentance in Niniveh had this encouragement Jonah 3.9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not God himself hath put us into this comfort At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation Jer. 18.7 and concerning a Kingdome to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it If that nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evill I will repent of the evill that I thought to do unto them So that this fear of the temporall judgments of God doth no way weaken the faithfull assurance that we have conceived of eternall salvation rather it strengtheneth it yea the more that we either tast or fear the punishing hand of God here the more do we
prostitute strumpet to the shame of their Religion he that hath begun will also in time make an end and he that beginneth to lose estimation at home will hardly either encrease or maintein it abroad Who are papists or affected popishly amongst us for the most part but such as are ignorant of holy Scriptures or such as corrupt and pervert them for the revelation doth point out Antichrist as the finger of John did Christ with This is he it calleth Rome Babylon and sheweth us the fall thereof and the cheerfull rising of the true Church to light and glory In all those dangers that the Church of God runneth the comfort here expressed in the Lord stays the heart thereof with flagons and comforteth it with apples for his love is a banner to it The parts of this text are three 1 The hope of the afflicted Church 2 The ground of this hope and comfort 3 The dedication of this Psalm 1 The hope of the afflicted Church Yet will I rejoyce in the Lord. You know that joy dilateth the heart and giveth it sea-room in the stormy and tempestuous state of trouble joy is a thing that every soul affecteth we desire many days to see good we are apt with Solomon to try our hearts with joy This is welcome to them that live here on earth which is convallis lachrymarum a valley of tears wherein the story of our whole life is written upon a scroul on both sides filled with lamentations mourning and wo and our Saviour saith Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted We have so many causes of mourning that whether we look to our selves the occasions of our own woe or to our sorrows the fruitfull spawn of our breeding sins the naturall and proper effects of our own corruptions we have from both matter of grief and provocation of sorrow 1 Pro nobis for our selves for what we suffer 2 In nobis in our selves for that we do deserve Therefore we must not seek joy in our selves for then we shall weep as Rachel for her children because they are not The joy of the Church is in the Lord. Plerumquè in ipsis piis fletibus gaudii claritas erumpit and then it is when man forsaketh all comforts and findeth that Gregor Bonum est adhaerere Deo semper when a man unmindeth all other comforts This as Augustine saith est gaudium quod non datur impiis sed eis qui te gratis colunt quorum gaudium tu ipse es ipsa est beata vita gaudere de te propter te ipsa est non est alia All you then who have found sorrow and heavinesse by the due consideration of those evils which you have committed and of those holy duties which you have omitted and of those punishments which you have justly suffered come hither and learn how to rejoyce forget that which is behind remember Lots wife look not back to the beguiling delights of the bewitching and flattering world look before you to the Lord for hee is the Authour he is the Mediatour he will be the finisher of your joy gaudium vestrum nemo tollet a vobis and your joy no man shall take from you Joy not in greatnesse and high place or in riches in the fruit of the womb in the extent of your lands in the favours of Princes in the full sea of temporall happinesse they that suffer in all these things do finde joy in the Lord. Reasons why in the Lord. 1 They that joy in the Lord rest in the Lord and cast all their care upon him they pray fiat voluntas tua thy will be done and they are content with it and they are thankfull for it when it is done neither relucting at the doing of it nor repining and finding fault when they see it performed They say with old Eli 1 Sam. 3.18 Isa 39.8 It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good and with Hezechiah good is the Word of the Lord. And therefore the Lord is the same to them whether he be offerens opening his hand and giving or auferens stretching out his hand to strip and divest them of all that he hath as he was to Job 2 They that rejoyce in the Lord rejoyce in nothing otherwise then as a means and faculty to serve the Lord. And so we may rejoyce in honours which do put our good example more in sight that others may behold our good works and glorifie God So we may rejoyce in authority and power over others if we use it to the winning of others to the service of our God to the coertion of evill doers and the reward of the good So may we rejoyce in riches if we use them as means to advance the Law of God and to expresse our charity to the needy All this is joy in the Lord that God trusteth us with the dispensation of these outward things and the applying of them to his service 3 They that rejoyce in the Lord rejoyce because God is Lord so David The Lord is King the earth may be glad of it for Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord. This is the Jubilation of the Church Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us Isa 25.9 this is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation that do thus acknowledge him their Lord and are glad that they live under his government Isai 26.8 The desire of their souls is to his name and to the remembrance of him For when thy judgments are in the world the inhabitants of the earth will learn righteousnesse O Lord our God other lords have ruled us but by thee onely will we make mention of thy Name This was the joy of the Church here professed in the midst of extream sorrows There cannot be a better signe to know this true spirituall joy from all other false seemings and blandations of joy 1 Signe then the lasting thereof for the candle of the wicked shall be put out but God is a Sun and a shield to his Church Joy in all other things is but a sojourner and tarrieth but a small time but when once it fastneth upon God it saith Here will I dwell for ever for I have a delight herein This joy hath none of the fears that other joys have to make us doubt the losing of it it hath none of the impediments to stop the way to it that other joys have It hath none of the sorrows that other joys have to commedle with it It hath none of the miseries that conclude all other joys to determine it Therefore as the Apostle admonisheth Vse rejoyce always in the Lord again I say rejoyce Rejoyce when thou aboundest rejoyce also when thou wantest full and empty when thou givest alms and when thou receivest alms it is a more blessed thing to give it is also a blessed thing to receive in health
in their deportation and return 3 Under the title of Hindes feet I contein the mercy of expedition whereby they are delivered from their captivity in Babylon 4 Under the title of walking upon high places the mercy of restitution to their own land and of constitution and establishing of them in their land The just live and are supported by faith apprehending these full mercies 1 Of Salvation The Church of God hath need of salvation and therefore great cause to rejoyce in it 1 In respect of her spirituall enemies for your adversary the Devill goeth about like a roaring lyon seeking to devour saith the Apostle These spirituall enemies do assault the Church 1 Out of their own malignity and envy to man and to this purpose the powers and principalities of darknesse do go always armed both with temptations to corrupt them and with fiery darts of provocations to destroy them for this it is that Satan goeth and cometh to survey the earth and to pry and search where he may fasten any hold where he may gripe so St. Bernard saith Hostes indefessi nos assiduè oppugnant modò apertè modò fraudulentèr he gives this reason Invidet humano generi quia praevidet horum Deum futurum 2 By way of commission for God doth employ Devils in the Church amongst his holy ones both for probation of their faith for exercise of their patience for preservation of them in humility for punishment of their sin for sweetning to them the hopes and quickening their desires of a better life and for the polishing and burnishing of their example that others that be lookers on may know before hand that this life to a just man is militia a warfare and they that will joyn with the Church must know before they put their hand to the plough what hazards they must run lest they look back and make their sin more then it was by apostasie departing away from the living God It is cleer in Jobs example that Satan had commission from God himself to try the faith and love and patience and humility of Job and to make him an example And as clear it is which the Psalmist saith of Isratl when they started aside from God Psal 78.21 that a fire was kindled in Jacob and anger came up against Israel and in these executions God doth uphold the ministery and service of evill angels as he did against his enemies the Egyptians of whom it is so said He cast upon them the fiercenesse of his wrath Verse 49. anger and indignation and trouble by sending evill angels amongst them St. Paul confesseth that least he should be too much exalted with that Metaphysicall rapture above measure 2 Cor. 12.7 There was given me a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure Thus in respect of spirituall enemies without us we have need of a salvation the rather because our own corruptions within us are false to us and ready to joyn with Satan against us 2 In respect of humane opposition for the regiment and Kingdom of Christ is thus assigned to him Be thou ruler in the midst of thine enemies David doth well expresse this For they have consulted together with one consent Psal 83.5 they are confederate against thee The tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarenes Gebal and Ammon and Amalek the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre Ashur also is joyned with them they have hâ—lpen the children of Lot Here is no mention of this sweeping broom of Babylon that comes in the Reer of this march and carrieth them clean away Christendom hath for many years suffered from the Turke whose invasions encroach upon the bounds thereof and gain ground of it daily And even within our selves the Pope and all the friends of his Hierarchie do hate and persecute so much of the true Protestant Church as they either can or dare attempt and the earth hath nothing to shew more bloudy and cruell then the Spanish Inquisition nothing more cunning and dangerously plotting then the society of Jesuits so that in respect of humane opposition there is great need of a salvation 3 In respect of the punishments deserved for sin for what Nation hath so kept in their sins to themselves that wee have not found means to impart them even into the Church Solomon could not take a wife out of Egypt but his wisdom proved too weak a fence against the temptation to Idolatry Nehemiah presseth this example Did not Solomon King of Israel sin by these things yet among many Nations was there not a King like him who was beloved of his God and God made him King over all Israel nevertheless even him did out-landish women cause to sin The children of Israel could not eat of the fat and fruits of the land of Goshen to relieve their famine but they were mingled with the Egyptians and learned their works and worshipped their gods Therefore in regard of their many and great sins they needed salvation These sins endangered their heavenly hopes for the wages thereof is death This Doctrine may turn to great profit to us 1 If wee apply our selves to the means Vsâ— by which wee may apprehend this salvation For this generall apprehension of Gods mercy in Christ which the most part of common professors trust to will never justifie any man in the sight of God except 1 He be by the law of God brought to a sight and sense to a confession and acknowledgment of all his sins 2 To a true sorrow and mortification of the flesh for them 3 To a serious deprecation of the wrath of God due to them in the justice of God 4 To amendment of life ruled and governed by the holy Word of God rightly understood 5 To a faithfull application of the sufficient merits of Jesus Christ to our selves which faith doth so root and ground us in Christ that wee become one with him so that wee may lay the burthen of our sins upon him and put the robe of his holy righteousness upon us For so doing we may rejoyce in our salvation as his free gift to us and as our full acquitall and discharge from all our sins before God So that the ignorant person that liveth in darkness not knowing the mystery of his salvation And the blinded Papist who trusteth either to the power of his own free will or to the merit of his own works or righteousnesse or to the mediation of Saints and Angels or the mother of our Lord to propitiate on his behalf or that trusteth to the Popes indulgence and pardon of all his sins Or that believeth to have salvation by the dispensation of the Church treasure the supererogate works of over-doers that have done more then the Law of God hath required of them Also the unconscionably prophane that go on in their sins without check of the inward man their hearts never smiting them for that
serveth to reprove the doctrine and faith of the Church of Rome Vse 3 who teach that God hath committed to his Son the dispensation of Justice but to his sons mother the dispensation of mercy which opinion was no sooner afoot but they turned Domine into Domina Lord into Lady and so in the Church of Rome the Virgin Mary hath more Devotoes vowed to her service then Christ hath she hath more temples dedicated to her honour then Christ and far more miracles ascribed to her then to Christ Yea they shame not in print to tell the world that she hath saved some from hell whom her son had condemned thether and she hath released many from hell whom her son had already sent thither I onely alleage against them the plain words of our Saviour Thou hast given him power over all flesh Joh. 17.2 that he should give eternall life to as many as thou hast gived him Therefore beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees the poisonous doctrines of the Church of Rome which take salvation out of the hands of God and ascribe the donation thereof to creatures This was wont to be called Idolatry in the sermons and writings of the learned to invocate the Virgin Mary as they do in their Rosaries and Letanies of the holy Virgin Mother of mercy Gate of heaven our salvation she that hath bruised the head of the serpent They make their vulgar Latine Bible say so Ipsa conteret caput tuum There be two Psalters both printed in Paris in French and set forth with the approbation of the Sorbonne one called St. Bonaventures Psalter in which wheresoever God is named for Dominus they have put Domina printed in Anno 1601. The other Psalter is digested into fifteen demands printed the same year with the same approbation wherein the Virgin Mary is called the first cause of our salvation the finder out of grace and putteth her before Christ even in gloria Gloria Virgini Maria Jesu Christo What think you doth that Church wish the salvation of of any man in good earnest that swerveth us from the God of our salvation and directeth us to seek it from a creature Yet this is the religion which is now grown in fashion with many in these doubtfull and giddy times which as it robs God of one of his highest prerogatives and doth divest him of his power of salvation so the professours thereof will finde it a thief in their things temporall for in ordine ad Deum the Church will engrosse all the Apostles of that Church wil not be content till all be laid at their feet Let me commend to you the Kings Majesties confession of his faith published in Latine and in English directed to all Christian Kings in this perticular his words are For the blessed Virgine Mary I yield her that which the Angel Gabriel pronounced of her that she is blessed amongst women and that which she prophecyed of her self in her Canticum that all generations shall call her blessed I remember her as the mother of Christ whom of our Saviour took his flesh and so the mother of God since the divinity and humanity of Christ are inseparable and I freely confesse that she is in glory both above Angels and men her own Son that is both God and man onely excepted But I dare not mock her and blaspheme God calling her not onely Diva but Dea praying her to commend and controul her Son who is her God and her Saviour You see what opinion his Majesty hath of the Doctrine and practise of Rome in this point he doth call it mocking of her and blaspheming of God to ascribe salvation to her or to seek it from her I hope you have lived too long in the light of the Gospel to be taken with any of these baits and to be befooled with any of these inchantments of palpable heresie I hope if an Angel from heaven should come and teach you this doctrine to seek your salvation any where else but from God you would answer him 〈…〉 as Nehemiah did answer Sanballat There is nothing as thou saiest but thou feignest it out of thine own heart Beloved let all that love Jesus Christ and his holy truth joyn as one man against popery and seek to the light of the Word whil'st it shineth upon us that we may not lose the way of salvation which that Word revealeth Popery robbeth the Church of this Word and putteth this candle under a bushell it sendeth us the wrong way for salvation and like the blind Aramites it leadeth them into the midst of Samaria even putteth them into the hands of their enemies God did much for this land when he gave us this light let not our unthankfulnesse to him or our peevish waiwardnesse amongst our selves or our evill and unworthy conversations forfeit this light or remove our candlestick So long as we know where our salvation is setled and who hath it in keeping for us so long as we look that way and direct all our obedience and worship our thanks and prayse that way we are safe for Blessed is the people that be in such a case blessed is the people whose God is the Lord for ipse est qui dat salutem 2 Ground of their hope The Lord is my strength This comfort supporterh in afflictions and this is that which is our ability of which the Apostle saith But God is faithfull 1 Cor. 10.13 who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able for what are we able surely of our selves to nothing that is good for us the name of man ever since the fall of man hath been a name of impotency and weaknesse Cease ye from man Isai 2.22 whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accompted of Christ hath told us sine me nihil potestis facere For by strength shall no man prevail 1 Sam. 2.9 Psal 71.10 I will go in the strength of the Lord God and I will maeke mention of thy righteousesse even of thine onely The words of my text are Doctrinall Doct. The Lord is the strength of his Church Consider this which way you will 1 In eo quod sumus in that we are In him we live 2 In eo quod facimus in that we do the good that we do he doth it himself O Lord thou hast wrought all our works in us Isai 26.12 The skill that we have in our severall professions and trades and mysteries it is his spirit that giveth it the strength that we have to labour in our severall callings is his strength and that blessing was included in the curse of man Gen. 3.19 Thou shalt eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face that God would give man strength to earn his bread and his labour should be his physick it should make him breath out evill and noxious vapours in his body which might offend health in sweat And if
stirre up strife all the day long And when there is not only contention as in those that secretly work one against another but there is Jurgium a chiding and scolding too and that they go so farre in it that when the Prophet speaketh to them of peace they prepare themselves to battail this is hostility to peace Here all those that disquiet the peace of their brethren by secret whispers and by open detractions and all those that molest one another in needlesse suits of law all talebearers that carry fire about them to enflame a brother against a brother do see who takes notice of them even God himself and they make the Prophets and Ministers of God like Joseph to carry their evil report to their father and to complain of them as enemies unto peace All those that when a contention is layd asleep do awak it with new suggestions and stirre it up a fresh and put fewelâ—o it to inflame it all which proceeds from an evil root of bitternesse in us and witnesseth against us that surely the fear of God and the love of brethren is not in that place The Apostle telleth us That if we be led by the Spirit of God we are the sonnes of God But it is clear that contention and strife and debate are fruits of the flesh and declare us to be carnall and flesh and bloud cannot inherite the Kingdom of heaven Those contentions do make us unfit for the service of God and to performe all Christian offices to one another and God seeing it for the good of his people he detecteth it to his Prophets of purpose that they may seek Reformation thereof But these did strive even with the Prophets How farre this unquietnesse did stretch in this people the next words declare Therefore the Law is slacked By the Law here he meaneth the Law of God that labefactata est is weakned or as others read it lacerata est is torne in pieces others dissolvitur is dissolved that is the Law of peace and charity for the whole summe of the Law is love that is broken and no man maketh conscience thereof or careth to be rued by it here observe 1. This goeth near the heart of Gods Prophet when he seâ—th that God is no more set by and his Law no better regarded so doth the Prophet complain I beheld the transgrtssours Ps 119.158 and was grieved because they kept not thy word this complaint then was no humane perturbation but a sad compaint for the injury done to Almighty God in his Law And herein we shew our zeal of Gods glory when we are moved and troubled at the contempt of his Law for commonly we are full of hear and provocation in personall injuries when our selves are touched but we are too cold in the quarrell of God The holy Psalmist cryes out Away from me all ye that work iniquitiy for I will keep the Commandments of my God This is to be angry without sin when we are provoked against them that violate the holy Law of God 2. Note how licentiousnesse was overgrown in this people and to what an height there sin was come up when the Law of God which was by God given to them deposited with them given with such a charge of keeping it with such terrible threatnings of all declining from it given with such promises annexed to the keeping of it was now neglected the lanthorn and light to their feet put out of purpose because they love darknesse more then light These two things mutuo se generant do mutually beget each other For from the contempt of the Law of God doth arise licentiousnesse and custome of sinning and from that licentiousnesse doth grow a further contempt of the Law When men live out of the aw of Gods Commandments and will not be kept within the bounds and limits which the Law of God â—oth set them there can be no hope of their conversion their estate is desperate the Prophet must repaire to God this is Dignus vindice nodus It is time for thee Lord to put to thine hand for they have destroyed thy Lawes Judgment doth never go forth 1. Some understand this of the impurity of those wicked men that God doth see their violence and how his Law is broken and yet he keepeth in his judgment and doth not punish the transgressours which maketh them to sin boldly for because sentence is not speedily executed against the wicked the heart of the children of men is wholly set in them to do evil In which sense the Prophet doth chaleng God of remissnesse in execution of his judgment and quickneth him by this complaint 2. Others do understand these words of the corruption of all judicial authority amongst them for where the Law God of faileth and is not regarded there can be no seat of Justice no man can expect that judgment should come from thence expectavi judicium excce clamor there is the stool of wickednesse And that sense doth best agree with this place and the coherence of the Text For where Religion is despised the courts of Justice must needs be corrupt Justice is either turned into wormwood if the Judg be incensed and carrie a spleen for if the Judg be servile and live in fear of some great power he must take his directions from them he must decree as he is commanded Or if he be covetous justice is a prize then winne it and weare it Or if he be partiall as the parties are befriended so the cause is ended So that judgment that is upright and uncorrupted judgment never goeth out and so the best causes speed worst You see here was great cause of complaint when there was neither Religion nor Justice left in that land It followeth The wicked doth compasse about the righteous Psal 12.8 so David complained The wicked walk on every side And again Be not far from me for trouble is near for there is none to help Psal 22. He complaineth of the ungodly and calleth them Bulls and Lyons strong Bulls ravening and roaring Lyons Dogges have compassed me Where the law of God is neglected authority and power degenerateth into oppression and tyranny Vers 16. men lay aside humanity and are transformed into brute beasts that have no understanding There is nothing more dangerous then to be an honest man and one that feareth God and maketh conscience of his wayes amongst the wicked They came about me like bees As the Sodomites came about Lot and they cry down with them down with them and let them never rise again The Prophet Isay describeth it well And Judgment is turned away backward Isa 59.14 and Justice standeth a farre off for truth is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter Yea truth faileth and he that departeth from evil Vers 15. maketh himself a prey and the Lord saw it and it displeased him that there was no judgment Christ told us long ago in his disciples
If you were of the world the world would love you for the world loves all her own but because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you You see how they compasse about the just men in whom any Religion appears or any care of a good conscience or any fire of holy zeal the wicked come about such to quench this fire and beset such round about that they may not escape them Let Lot say to the Sodomites I pray you brethren do not so wickedly Gen. 19 9 they will presse upon him and threaten him Now will we deal worse with thee then with them then they pressed to break the door Therefore wrong judgment proceedeth Because things are carried by the licentious and unbridled will of power without Religion or conscience of Equity therefore there is wrong judgment I understand the Prophet thus That private injuries and oppressions between man and man were frequent and the wicked used all means to molest the just and when they did flie for remedy to the courts of Justice they were also so corrupt and did so favour the cause of the wicked that there they had wrong judgment The Judges and Magistrates that should execute the judgments of God upon the wicked and should deliver the oppressed out of the hands of the oppressour they were guilty 1. Of favouring and animating and abetting the wicked in their ungodlinesse which they should have punished for which also they were ordained 2. Of unjust judgment punishing where they should spare and oppressiing whom they should defend Here was a corrupt common-wealth and this was the grief of the Prophet and he had no remedy but to put the scrole of their sins and to spread it before the Lord and in the behalf of the oppressed to appeal from the courts of men to the tribunal of God The words thus opened and the sense cleared let us consider this text 1. In the totall summe it is a verie serious complaint of the Prophet to God 2. In the particulars of which he complaineth He complaineth of two things 1. Of the corruption of the state of the common-wealth of the Jewes 3. Of Gods declaring the same corruption to him The corruption is exprest in three things 1. In the Conversation 2. In the Religion 3. In the Justice of that Nation 1. In the totall the Prophet doth complain to God seriously and out of a greived heart of the people 〈Complaint is a part of Prayer 〉 Doctr. Prayer is a pouring forth of the heart to God wherein we prostrate all our desires to God and crave his help Sometimes we call to remembrance the mercies of God and summe up his benefits which though it be joyned with prayer and doth passe under the name of prayer yet is it rather a speciall and distinct part of Gods worship in it self then properly any member or part of prayer Sometimes we begge of God supply of our wants and that we call Petition Sometimes we plead the cause of our brethren and begge for them that is Intercession Sometimes we pray against judgment and sin and that is Deprecation Sometimes we have cause to complain to God of the sins and transgressions of our brethren when either the honour of God or the peace of brethren is violated so here this is Imprecation For when we see that the outward means of reclaiming men from giving offence to God to the Church and to Christian Religion do not work effectually to reforme them yet we must not forsake the cause of God so but make our complaint unto him and put the matter into his hand Thus when there was a councel held against the Apostles Act. 4. and therein consultation for the quenching of the light of the Gospel then beginning to shine more clearly Vers 17. Peter and John went aside from the councel dismissed with a straight and severe charge to speak no more in that name They came to their brethren and informed them of these things and They lifted up their voice to God with one accord Vers 24. In that prayer they complain of their enemies 1. For that which they had done already For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles were gathered together 2. For that which they meant to doe And now Lord behold their threatnings This also is twice included in the Lords Prayer for when we desire that the Kingdome of God may come we do complain of the enemies of that Kingdome and desire God to arise and scatter them and defeat all their designes against the same And when we pray not to be led into tempation but to be delivered from evils we do secretly complain of all those evils which Satan and his wicked instruments do plot against the body of the Church or any particular members thereof 1. The reason is because vengeance belongeth to God and we must remember of what spirit we are and must not take the quarrel of God into our hands but leave it to God to see and require 2. Because the times and seasons are only in his power and we must leave it to his wise Justice to take the fit time for the conversion or confusion of his enemies in the mean time resting our selves on his sure Protection and faithful care of us 3 Because we may have enemies for the present who may come to a sight and sense of their sins and may by our complaint of them to God receive his saving mercy to reconcile them to the Church as he did Saul at the Prayer of Saint Stephen who shortly after became an Apostle and proved a chosen Instrument of Gods Glory 4. We must complain of these things to declare our zeal of Gods Glory and our holy impatience to see his Commandements despised of men 5. To shew our charity to our brethren who do suffer by this cruel and wicked world whose estates we pitty and we go to God as a common father to us all to take the matter into his own hands From whence we conclude that it ever ought to be a part of our Prayer to call upon the name of God by way of complaint of the iniquity of the times in which we do live that God may give an end to it and that it may not prevail against his Church least the enemies thereof do grow too proud This manner of complaining and calling upon God for Justice against the ungodly doth not die with us here the separated souls parted from earth and from their bodies do retain it I saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the Testimony which they held Rev 6.9 And they cryed with a loud voice saying how long O Lord and holy and true Vers 10. dost thou not judg and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth This