A Commentary OR EXPOSITION VPON THE FIRST Chapter of the Prophecie of AMOS Deliuered In XXI Sermons in the Parish Church of MEYSEY-HAMPTON in the Diocesse of Glocester BY SEBASTIAN BENEFIELD Doctor of Diuinity and fellow of Corpus Christi College in OXFORD EPHES. 5.16 Redeeme the time because the daies are euill LONDON ¶ Printed by John Hauiland and are to be sold by Hugh Perry at the Harrow in Britaines Burse 1629. THE PREFACE TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Gentle Reader THese Sermons were prouided for the Pulpit not intended for the Presse Yet sith I liue in a prodigall age of the world wherein too many with their vnprofitable if not obscene Pamphlets doe runne a Ad prelâ—m tanquam pralium to the Presse as a horse to the battell and are entertained with applause I haue the more willingly now published them to thy view Thou wilt say There is already great store of Sermons abroad more than we can well vse I deny it not Yet to the fulnesse of this Sea I adde more and repent not Is abundance a burthen to thee If thy soule may be fed with variety as well by the eye as by the eare hast thou any reason to finde fault But weake stomacks may surfet at the sight of too much Let such fauour their eye-sight They may easily looke off and please themselues with their old choice There is no reason that their daintinesse should preiudice that profit which others might reape from this abundance Wee that are called to be labourers in the Lords Haruest must resolue with the Lord of the Haruest His resolution was b Ioh. 9.4 I must worke the workes of him that sent me while it is day the night commeth when no man can worke Our day is our life time the only time for vs to worke in If now in this our day time we will in stead of working only treasure vp knowledge in our hearts as that Hoarder in the c Cap. 11.26 Prouerbs did his Corne in his storehouse or will wrap vp the gifts wherewith God hath blessed vs in waste Papers as the slothfull seruant in the d Luk. 19.20 Gospell did his Talent in a Napkin the night will come vpon vs and we shall not worke Suffer vs therefore while it is our day to worke Our worke consisteth in the preaching of the Gospell The Gospell is preached as well e Ambo verbum praedicant hic quidem scripto ille vero voce Clem. Alexan. stromat lib. 1. interprete Gentiano Herueto p. 57. edit Basil in fol. An. 1556. paulò pòst Praedicandi sciâ—â—tia est quodammodo Angelica vtrouis modo inuans seu per manum sâ—u per linguam operetur There is not any thing publikely notified but we may in that respect rightly and properly say it is preached Luk. 8.39 and 12.3 Hoâ—kâ—r Eccl Polâ—t l. 5. §. 18 p. 28. Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles were in their times all Preachers of Gods truth some by Word some by Writing some by Both. Hooker ibid. §. 19. pag. 29. The Apostles in Writing are not vntruly nor vnfitly said to preach Hooker lib. 5. §. 21. pag. 39. vide ibid. plura Euangelizo Manu Scriptione Rainold de Rom. Eccles Idoâ—â—lat Praef. ad Com. Essex pag. 7. by writing as by speaking as well by pâ—n as by tongue The word spoken for the time is most piercing but the letter written is of most continuance I shall account it my happinesse if I may doe good both waies My place in that worthy Foundation whereof I am an vnworthy member wearing me out in the reading of Humanity now the fourteenth yeere hath hindered mee from doing that good I wished to haue done the one way by my speaking by my tongue If the other way by my writing by my pen I may redeeme the time past and by these my poore labours may doe some good not only to f The inhabitants of Mâ—isey Hampton Marston and Dunfield in the Diocesse of Glocester them among whom I first sowed this seed but also to other Congregations of my Country I haue enough If deare Christian thou finde in these my Sermons the same things iterated maruell not thereat I haue my Prophets warrant for it He in this first Chapter repeateth the same things fiue times ouer May not I after his ensample doe it once or twise I must professe vnto thee good Christian that my chiefe intent in this Commentary is the destruction of sinne If to any of the learned I seeme to haue failed of my purpose my earnest desire is that they will be pleased to take the paines to amend it The rest who to this poore labour of mine shall afford their gracious and fauourable good liking I heartily entreat to helpe me with their godly prayers that this worke and whatsoeuer else of like kinde I shall hereafter attempt to publish to the censure of the world may wholly redound to the glory of God and good of his Church Now the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Iesus that great Shepherd of the sheepe through the bloud of the euerlasting couenant sanctifie thee thorowout that enioying the peace of thy conscience in this world thou maist hereafter haue full fruition of that eternall peace of God in Heaâ—â—n Thine vnfeinedly in the Lord for thy good S. B. THE First Lecture AMOS 1.1 The words of Amos who was among the heardmen at Tekoa which he saw vpon Israel in the dayes of Vzziah King of Iuda and in the daies of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash King of Israel two yeares before the earthquake ONE of the Pharisees in the Gospell as if hee were vnwilling to be ignorant in so weighty a matter as is mans saluation in a tempting manner asked Christ this question Master what shall I doe to inherit eternall life Our Sauiour for answer put forth another question and said What is written in the Law how readest thou Luk. 10.26 Where we may note that the Law is written for man to reade that so he may be instructed what hee is to doe in discharge of his duty towards God The rich man in Hell prayed Abraham that â—â—â—rus might be sent vnto his fathers house to testifie vnto hi◠〈◊〉 brethren lest they also should come into that place â—â— torment To whom Abraham answered They haue Moses aâ—◠〈◊〉 Prophets let them heare them Luk. 16.29 The parable teacheth vs thus much that vnlesse we delight in hearing the word preached we shall neuer attaine to the meanes of escaping eternall torments Two notable vses of the word of God Reading and hearing They lead man as it were by the hand to the very point of his felicity For what more blessed than to possesse eternall life Yet was the Pharisee taught that by reading of the law liâ—e eternall might bee purchased And is it not a blessed thing to be freed from Hell torments Yet was the rich man told by Abraham that
but our men in doing as they doe doe sin against their conscience Vnhappy Parents which destroy your children in Popish and Atheisticall houses What are you inferiour to them that sacrificed their children vnto Deuils If your selues be righteous and Christians cast not away your seed your children the price of the precious bloud of Christ You haue made them in their Baptisme when they were young to confesse Christ will you make them now growne to yeeres to deny Christ O let the words of wise Ecclesiasticus chap. 13.1 bee precious in your memories He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith and doubtlesse your children placed in Atheisticall or Popish houses will themselues become Atheisticall or Popish Suffer I beseech you a word of exhortation in your childrens behalfe Binde them to none but to Christ put them to none but to Christians sell them to nothing but to the Gospell commit not your young ones into the hands and custody of Gods enemies A third vse Is it not lawfull to commit the children of beleeuers into the hands of infidels for the reason aboue specified that they be not withdrawne from the true seruice of God Then neither is it lawfull for you of your selues to keepe away your seruants from the seruice of God It is reputed for a tyranny in Pharaoh Exod. 5.3 4. That he would not suffer the children of Israel to goe three dayes iourny into the desart to sacrifice to the Lord their God and how can you free your selues from the impeachment of tyranny if you deny your seruants to goe but one houres iourney to this place to serue their God Thinke it not enough that your selues come hither to performe some duty to Christ your Lord and Master how can you performe your duty to him if you deny him your seruants You know what charge is giuen you in the fourth commandement not your selues only but also your sonnes and your daughters and your seruants men and maidens and the stranger that soiourneth with you are to hallow and Sanctifie the Sabbath day with the Lords seruice In this holy worke and seruice of God vpon the Sabbath day regard not what the multitude and greater sort of men doe Suppose all the world besides your selues would bee carelesse to performe this duty yet let your holy resolution be the same with Ioshua's chap. 24.15 I and my house will serue the Lord. Thus farre of my first doctrine grounded vpon Gods dislike with the Philistines for selling away the Israelites his faithfull people into the hands of the Edomites an vnbeeleeuing nation To ground a second doctrine hereon we are to note that the Philistines sold away the Israelites to the Idumaeans at such time as they were their captiues and so did adde affliction to the afflicted The doctrine is It is a very grieuous thing to adde affliction to the afflicted Witnesse the complaint made by the captiue Iewes against the insolency of the Chaldeans Psal 137.3 They that led vs away captiue required of vs songs and mirth in our heauinesse saying Sing vs one of the songs of Sion They the Chaldeans the Babylonians and Assyrians in whose country wee were prisoners required of vs scornfully and disdainfully thereby to adde to our griefes they required of vs songs such songs as we were wont to sing in Sion Ierusalem and our owne country before the destruction of the Temple and our captiuity They required of vs not songs only but mirth also they scoffingly desired vs to be merry when they saw vs so heauy hearted as nothing could make vs glad They required of vs songs and mirth in our heauinesse saying Sing vs one of the songs of Sion sing for vs or in our hearing some one or other of those Songs which you were wont to sing in Sion when you were at home in your owne country Intolerable is the hard heartednesse cruelty and scoffing nature of the wicked when they haue gotten Gods children into their nets God cannot away with such vnmercifulnesse and want of pity He reproueth it in the Babylonians Esa 47.6 where thus saith the Lord I was wroth with my people I haue polluted mine inheritance and giuen them into thine hand thou didst shew them no mercy but thou didst lay thy very heauy yoke vpon the ancient therefore now heare destruction shall come vpon thee Magna abominatio eoram Deo est afflicto addere afflictionem clamatque in coelum vox sanguinis The words are the obseruation of Oecolampadius vpon the now cited place of Esay It is a great abomination before God to adde affliction to the afflicted the voice of bloud cryeth vp to Heauen for vengeance Yea we are assured by Psal 102.19 that the Lord looketh downe from the height of his sanctuary and out of heauen beholdeth the earth that he may heare and so take pity of the sighings groanings and lamentable cries of such his people as are in affliction The time will not suffer me now to trouble you with more Texts of Scripture let the now alleaged be sufficient to confirme my propounded doctrine that it is a grieuous thing to adde affliction to the afflicted The vses of this doctrine I can but point at One is to reproue the Nimrods and tyrants of this world which haue no pity no compassion vpon the poore and distressed Such in the end shall know by their owne lamentable experience that to be true which Salomon hath vttered Prou. 21.13 Hee that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore shall cry himselfe and not be heard A second vse is to stirre vs vp to the performance of this our Christian duty euen to take pity vpon all that are in any kind of misery if our neighbours be destitute of aid and help we may not like wilde beasts lift vp our selues against them and so tread them vnder foot No. How dare we molest and trouble them whom by Gods appointment we are to releeue and succour We are commanded Deut. 15.11 to open our hands to the needy and poore that are in our land to open our hands to them for their helpe and succour It is not enough for vs to abstaine from all iniury and harme-doing but withall must we endeuour to releeue the oppressed This seruice of ours will be acceptable vnto God God for it will giue vs his blessing God will blesse vs for the time of our being here and when the day of our dissolution shall be that we must leaue this earthly tabernacle then will the Son of man sitting vpon the throne of his glory welcome vs with a Venite benedicti Come ye blessed of my Father inherit ye the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world For I was an hungred and ye gaue me meat I thirsted and ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye lodged me I was naked and ye cloathed me I was sicke and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came vnto me in as much as you haue
great thunder with lightning from heauen in the presence of all the people of God 6. This Law is of all lawes most neccssarie Necessarie for the preseruing and maintayning of discipline both in and without the Church Necessarie to convict man of sinne and to disrobe him of that pride which makes him to presume of his owne naturall strength Necessarie to represse and keepe vnder the obstinate and selfe-willed sinner with feare of punishments Necessarie to informe and instruct the regenerate in the true seruice and worship of God This law of the Lord so far surpassing all other lawes for the excellencie thereof these inhabitants of Iudah did despise they contemned it You see the sinne here laid vnto their charge Contempt of the law of the Lord. They haue despised the law of the Lord. The doctrine arising hence is The contempt of the law of the Lord is a very grieuous sinne This truth will be plaine if you will consider what punishments God in his holy word threatneth and layeth vpon the despisers or contemners of his Sacred Maiestie of his ceremonies of his commandements of his holy word Such despisers or contemners are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 3.32 The Lord will despise them 1. Sam. 2.30 The Lord will scorne them Prov. 3.34 The Lord will bring vpon them terrors consumptions burning agues and sorrow of heart Levit. 26.15 The Lord will send a fire vpon them to deuoure them Amos 2.5 and hauing so done He will laugh at their destruction Prov. 1.26 For this contempt Pharaohs chariots his chosen Captaines and his hoste were couered in the deepe they sanke to the bottome of the Sea as a stone they were all drowned Exod. 15.4 5. For this contempt Saul was reiected from being King ouer Israel he became his owne executioner he fell vpon his owne sword 1. Sam. 31.4 For this contempt Salomons kingdome was i 1. King 11.11 12. to be rent from him and to be giuen to his seruant it was accomplished in his sonnes dayes in the dayes of Rehoboā the Israelites made vnto themselues a new King euen Ieroboam sonne of Nebat 1. Kings 12.20 What was it but this contempt that brought k 2. Chr. 28.13 ruine to the state of Ahaz What but this contempt hath brought to nought many ancient and flourishing kingdomes and nations What else hath laid their honor in the dust Infinite should I be would I produce all that is deliuered in the Sacred Scriptures concerning this contempt of the Lord and his holy lawes The litle which I haue already brought out of that invaluable treasurie may serue for the establishment of my propounded doctrine namely that The contempt of the law of the Lord is a very grieuous sinne You see the doctrine Let vs now make some vse of it to our selues Is it true beloued Is it a grieuous sinne to despise the law of the Lord Let this be a motiue to vs to gage the very depth and bottome of our hearts there to see whether we haue sinned this sinne whether we haue carried our selues contemptuously towards the law of the Lord. Can we say concerning this law of the Lord as that sweet singer of Israel that holy man of God King Dauid once said that we haue not l Psal 119.61 forgotten it that we haue not m vers 51. declined from it that we haue n vers 55. kept it that we o vers 113. loue it we p vers 70 174 delight in it our q vers 97. meditation is in it all the day that its better vnto vs then r vers 72. thousands of gold and siluer Can we thus truely say Then doubtlesse are we free from this sinne of Contempt of the law of the Lord. But if we wilfully breake the law of the Lord if we haue no feare nor feeling of the iudgements threatned in that his holy law if we runne on securely in our vngodly courses if we prostitute our selues to all vncleannesse if we be filled with ſ Rom. 1.29 vnrighteousnesse fornication wickednesse couetousnesse maliciousnes if we be puft vp with error murther debate deceit malignitie if wee walke according to the t Ephes 2 2. course of the world in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of our flesh taking delight in doing the u Galat. 5.19 workes of the flesh then are we out of doubt guilty of this sinne of despising the law of the Lord. Wherefore let vs let euery one of vs enter into the closet of our own hearts examine we our selues how we haue heretofore stood and how we do now stand affected to the law of the Lord. Iudge we our selues that we be not iudged of the Lord condemne we our selues that we be not condemned of the Lord. If we finde our selues hitherto to haue bin x 2. Tim. 2.26 intangled in the snares of Satan to haue fashioned our selues to the manners of this sinfull world to haue spent our dayes in vanities and our nights vpon the beds of wantonnesse without any due regard of Gods holy lawes enacted in the high Court of Heauen to the contrary our best way will be to betake our selues to the throne of mercy there to begge of Him that sitteth vpon the throne the grace of vnfeined repentance that sorrowing with a godly sorrow for our sinnes past for our rebellion and disobedience to the law of the Lord expressed in the wicked conuersation of our fore-passed liues we may now at length become new creatures creatures of new hearts and new spirits resoluing for the time to come to yeeld all obedience to the Law of the Lord to frequent his Sanctuarie where this law is vsually read and expounded to vs that God thereby may bee glorified and our soules saued Thus farre of the sinne of Iudah as it is expressed in the first branch of this third part of my text They haue despised the law of the Lord. The doctrine grounded thereupon was this The contempt of the law of the Lord is a very grieuous sinne The vse made thereof vnto our selues was to stirre vp in vs a desire of conforming our obedience to this law of the Lord. The sinne of Iudah is further expressed in the next clause They haue not kept his Commandements Commandements The word in the originall and Hebrew fountaine is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word repeated Psal 119. two and twenty times The Septuagint translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vulgar Latin and S. Hierome mandata iust as we do mandates or commandements Tremellius and Iunius haue statuta statutes some haue Ceremonias Ceremonies which soeuer of these translations we receiue it will be consonant to the analogie of faith and the precedent clause For whosoeuer despiseth the law of the Lord he obserueth not his ceremonies he keepeth not his statutes he keepeth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his mandats or commandements So this clause is but an exposition of the former
Besides these there are other workes of God as begun so ended also extra personas externally and they are of two sorâ—s either supernaturall such I call the â—â—raculous workes of God or naturall such as are the creation of the world the preseruation of the same and the gouernment of it All these workes of which kinde soeuer whether miraculous or workes of nature are common to the whole Trinity The Father worketh the Sonâ—â— worketh and the Holy Ghost worketh as in doing of wonders so in creating all things in preseruing all things in gouerning all things Whereupon followeth that which before I affirmed that as the Father is Lord so the Son is Lord and the Holy Ghost iâ— Lord also So the Lord whom I commend vnto you foâ— the speaker in my text is the Vnity in Trinity one God in three persons God Almighty the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Before I goe on to shew you how he speaketh I must make bold vpon your patience to tell you of some duties necessarie duties to be performed by vs towards him as Lord. God is the Lord we are his seruants The duties wee owâ— him in this respect are three to obey him to serue him to profit him The first duty required of vs is obedience vnto God his word laws and commandements This duty whosoeuer performeth shall easily performe the second duty to wit faithfull seruice with all care and diligence to doe whatsoeuer worke it pleaseth God to employ him in and shall not leaue vndone the third duty but shall doe good and be profitable vnto the Lord. All these duties were well discharged by our first parent Adam As long as he was inuested with his robe of innocency he was perfectly obedient a faithfull seruant and profitable to his Lord. Now if it will be doubted here how a man should be profitable to God thus I answer That Gods riches doe consist in his glory and therefore if his glory be increased and enlarged his aduantage is procured The parable of the talents Mat. 25.14 confirmeth this point The parable is there plainly deliuered vnto you The meaning of it is that God giueth vs his graces to this end that wee should vse and increase them for his aduantage Yea God there compareth himselfe to a couetous vsurer â—o greedy of gaine as that he reapeth where he sowed not and gathereth where he scattered not By all meanes he laboureth to gaine glory to himselfe Eliphaz in the 22. chapt of Iob vers 2 3. seemeth in word to thwart and crosse this doctrine For saith he may a man be profitable vnto God Is it any thing to the Almighty that thou are righteous Or is it profitable to him that thou makest thy waies vpright I answer that God indeed is not so tied to man but that he can set forth his glory without him or his righteousnesse yea hee can glorifie himselfe in the vnrighteousnesse and destruction of man yet I say that to stirre vp man to holinesse it pleaseth God in mercy to count only that glory gained which is gained by the obedience of his seruants And therefore I say againe that Adam in the state of his innocency was perfectly obedient a faithfull seruant and profitable to his Lord. But alas man once beautified with innocency with holinesse and with the grace of God is now spoiled of his robes the Queene once cloathed with a vesture of needle worke wrought about with divers colours is now strâ—pt of her iewels and the soule of man once full of grace is now robbed of her ornaments rich attire My meaning is that man once able to present himselfe spotlâ—sse and without blame before the lambe is now fallen from that grace The Preacher Eccl. 7.20 doth assure vs that there is no man iust in the earth that doth good and sinneth not So much doth Solomons question import Prou. 20.9 Who can say I haue purged my heart I am cleane from my sin O saith Eliphaz vnto Iob cap. 15.14 What is man that he should be cleane and he that is borne of a woman that he should be iust Behold saith he God hath found no stedfastnesse in his Saints yea the heauens are not cleane in his sight how much more is man vnstedfast how much more abominable and filthy drinking iniquity like water When the Lord looked downe from heauen to see whether there were any childe of man that would vnderstand and seeke God Ps 14.2 could he finde any one framed according to the rule of that perfection which he requireth He could not This hee found that all were gone out of the way that all were corrupt that there was none that did good no not one So sinfull is man in his whole race sinfull in his conception sinfull in his birth in euery deed word and thought wholly sinfull The actions of his hands the words of his lips the motions of his heart when they seeme to be most pure and sanctified yet then are they as vncleane things and filthy â—â—uts Esay 64.6 So that that which is spoken of cursed Cain Gen. 4.14 may in some sense be applied to man in generall that for his sinne he is cast forth from the presence of God and is now become a fugitiue and a vagabond vpon the earth I will not prosecute this point of mans nakednesse any farther By this which hath beene spoken it appeareth plainly how vnfit man is to fulfill those good duties required of him by his Lord God For his first dutie in stead of obedience hee continually breaketh the commandements of his God in thought word and deed For his second duty in stead of waiting vpon God to doe him seruice he serueth Sathan sinne and his owne corrupt desires For his third duty in stead of bringing any aduantage of glory vnto God he dishonoureth him by all meanes leading his life as if there were no God You haue seene now the miserable and wretched estate of man by nature the vassall and slaue of sinne with whom it fareth as it did with Pharaohs seruants when they had sinned against their Lord Gen. 40. You know the story how Pharaohs chiefe Butler was restored to his former dignity when as the Baker was hanged These two seruants of Pharaoh may resemble two sorts of men exiled from paradise and from the presence of God because of their sinne to liue vpon the face of the earth as it were in a dungeon full of miserie namely the reprobate and the elect For the reprobate as they liue so they die in this dungeon and doe die eternally but the elect they are pardoned and restored to their former dignity and enabled by Christ their redeemer and reconciler to God to performe their duties to their Lord their duties of obedience of faithfull seruice and of profitablenesse to obey the commandements of God to performe whatsoeuer seruice is enioyned them and to procure aduantage of glory to their Lord. Beloued I doubt not but that all we who are now
of buildings How then is it that our dwelling houses doe yet stand and flourish Our sinnes and iniquities are exceeding impudent and sawcie they are ascended into the presence of God and doe stand like Sathan among his children before his face Yet for all this impudencie and sawcinesse of our sinnes and iniquities God is pleased to suffer our dwelling houses to be in safetie The consideration of this point may stirre vs vp to a gratefull agnition and acknowledgment of Gods singular bountie and longanimitie It is out of the bountie of the Lord that the earth since the time it first was cursed for the fall of man doth to this day yeeld fâ—uit in abundance for the vse of man That our possessions habitations dwelling houses and Churches are not laid waste and made desolate it is to be ascribed to Gods long sufferance and long animitie Of which I shall God willing anon speake more fully when I shall haue considered the words of the second sequel or consequent of Gods speech which are The top of Carmel shall wither The top of Carmel There were two hils of this name as St Hierome teacheth both in Iudea the one in the southerne climate of that country where on Nabal the husband of Abigail did dwell 1 Sam. 25.2 the other neere vnto Ptolemais towards the sea coast vpon which Elias prayed for raine 1 Kings 8.42 St Hierome seemeth to doubt which of these two Carmels our prophet here intendeth But Ribera resolueth for that Carmel which was neere vnto Ptolemais because it did appertaine to the lot of the ten tribes against whom Amos in this booke prophecieth This Carmel was a hill of much fatnesse and fertilitie whervpon it may as proverbially be taken for any such place St Hierome writing vpon Esay 16. saith it is the Scriptures idiome and proper forme of speech euermore to compare the rich hill Carmel to fertilitie and abundance One of the Hebrew d R. Dâ—uid apud Draâ—uâ—â— Doctors saith that Carmel is a generall name for all fruitfull arable fields and vineyards A great e Pagnin Hebrician saith that because the hill Carmel had by it a valley of exceeding feracitie and fruitfulnesse therefore Carmel is appellatiuely taken for any place set with corne trees or vines and specially withstanding corne with new fat wheat while it is in eare though another f Marinus in Arca Noe. Hebrician of like note affirmeth that because Carmel collectiuely signifieth standing corne or new wheat yet in the eare therfore a certaine region in the prouince of Canaan of extraordinary fertility as also a hill city there was called after this name Carmel Whatsoeuer Carmel be in this place whether a proper name or an appellatiue out of doubt it betokeneth a place of much fruitfulnes Following the streame of expositors I am of opinion that Carmel in my text is that same fruitfull mountaine of Iudea by Ptolemais The top of Carmel A place fit by reason of the woodes there to lurke and lie hid in as is plaine by Amos 9.3 Though they hide themselues in the top of Carmel I will search and take them out thence The top of Carmel In the Hebrew it is the head of Carmel The head or top of Carmel is the Scripture phrase to expresse whatsoeuer is best in Carmel By the like phrase we say Caput vnguenti the head or the top of the ointment to signifie the best of the ointment The top of Carmel Pagnine thus translateth it vertex loci fertilis the top of the fruitfull place And Iunius thus prostantissimum aruorum the best of the fields Both Pagnine and Iunius doe take Carmel here for an appellatiue and not for a propper name The top of Carmel shall wither shall wax dry or be dried vp That is where most fruitfull fields and pastures are there shall be a defect and want of necessaries for mans life Thus haue you the exposition of this last clause Now bee patient I pray you while from hence I commend one lesson vnto you It is this For the sinnes of a people God will make the top of their Carmel to wither I speake it more plainly For the sinnes of a people God will make their best grounds to yeeld them little or no profit For proofe of this point you will bee pleased to heare the euidence of the holy Spirit giuen in the word of life Deut. 28.20 Thus saith the Lord because of the wickednesse of thy workes whereby thou hast forsaken mee the Lord shall smite thee with blasting and with mildew the Heauen which is ouer thy head shall bee brasse and the earth that is vnder thee shall bee iron in stead of raine the Lord shall giue thee dust and ashes euen from heauen shall it come downe vpon thee vntill thou be destroyed In the 2 chapter of Hosea and the 5 verse because Israel had plaid the harlot and done shamefully departing from the Lord thus saith the Lord I will take away from Israel my corne in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof wil recouer my wooll my flax which I lent her to couer her shame Marke I beseech you the manner of the Lords speech my corne my wine my wooll my flax they are none of ours they are all the Lords The Lord hath lent them vs to serue our turnes and necessitâ—es if we abuse them to idolatrie or prophanes he will take them from vs recouer them againe vnto himselfe In the 4. Chapter of Hosea and the 3. verse because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land but euery on breaketh out by swearing by lying by killing by stealing by whoring and blood toucheth blood thus saith the Lord the land shall mourne and euery one that dwelleth therein shall be cut off with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of heauen and also the fishes of the sea shal be taken away If so what good then comes to you from Carmel from your best most fruitfull grounds In the 8. chapter of Hosea and the 7. verse because Israel transgressing the couenant of the Lord and trespassing against his law had sowen the wind thus saith the Lord they shall reape the whirlewind it hath no stalke the bud shall bring forth no meale if so be it bring forth the strangers shal deuoure it If so what profit then can we matching Israel in their most grieuous transgressions trespasses expect from Carmel our most fruitfull and pleasant fields The wisest King that euer sacred writ made mention of hath this saying Prou. 13.25 The belly of the wicked shall want True great Solomon The belly of the wicked man shall be emptie His Carmel the very best of his possessions shal yeeld him little profit To make an end of this discourse I would I could write it in your harts what the sweetest singer Psa 107.34 deliuereth vnto you touching this point it is worthy your best remembrance A
inflicted vpon the Syrians are generally set downe I note 1 Who punisheth 2 How he punisheth 3 Whom he punisheth The punisher is the Lord he punisheth by fire The punished are the Syrians to be vnderstood in the names of their Kings Hazael and Benhadad I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall deuoure the palaces of Benhadad The punisher is the Lord for thus saith the Lord I will send The note yeeldeth vs this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes In speaking of the vengeance of God our first care must bee not to derogate any thing from his procliuitie and propensnes vnto mercy We must breake out into the mention of his great goodnesse and sing a lowd of his mercies as Dauid doth Ps 145.7 The Lord is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse he is louing and good to all his mercy is ouer all his works The Lord strong and mighty blessed aboue all yea being blessednesse it selfe and therefore hauing no need of any man is louing and good vnto euery man Our sinnes haue prouoked his vengeance against vs yet he slow to anger and of great goodnes reserueth mercy for thousands for all the elect and forgiueth all their iniquities transgressions and sinnes His goodnesse here resteth not it reacheth also vnto the reprobate though they caÌ„not feele the sweet comfort of it For he maketh his a Matth 5.45 sun to rise on the euill the good and sendeth raine on the iust and vniust yea many times the sunne and raine and all outward and temporary blessings are wanting to the iust and good when the vniust and euil do flourish and are in great prosperitie Thus is Gods graciousnesse great bountie extended vnto euery man whether he be a blessed Abel or a cursed Cain a loued Iacob or a hated Esau an elected Dauid or a reiected Saul God is louing and good vnto euery man the Psalmist addeth and his mercies are ouer all his workes There is not any one of Gods workes but it sheweth vnto others and findeth in it selfe very large testimonies of Gods mercy and goodnes I except not the damnation of the wicked much lesse the chastisements of the Godly Gods mercies are ouer all his workes Dauid knew it well and sang accordingly Psal 145 8. The Lord is gracious and mercifull long suffering and of great goodnesse Ionah knew it well and confessed accordingly chap. 4.2 Thou art a gracious God and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repentest thee of euill The Church knowes it well and praies accordingly O God whose nature and propertie is euer to haue mercy and to forgiue receiue our humble petitions Dauid Ionah and the Church all haue learned it at Gods owne mouth who hauing descended in a cloud to mount Sinai passed before the face of Moses and cryed as is recorded Exod. 34.6 The Lord the Lord strong mercifull and gracious slow to anger and abundant in goodnesse and truth reseruing mercy for thousands forgiuing iniquity transgression and sinne In which place of Scripture although afâ—erward there followeth a little of his iustice which hee may not forget yet we see the maine streame runneth concerning mildnesse and kindnesse and compassion wherby wee may perceiue what it is wherein the Lord delighteth His delight is to be a sauiour a deliuerer a preseruer a redeemer and a pardoner As for the execution of his iudgements his vengeance and his furie he comes vnto it with heauy and leaden feet To which purpose Zanchius alleageth that of the Prophet Esai chap. 28.21 The Lord shall stand as once he did in mount Perazim when Dauid ouercame the Philistines he shall be angry as once he was in the valley of Gibeon when Ioshua discomfited the fiue Kings of the Amorites he shall stand he shall be angry that he may doe his worke his strange worke and bring to passe his act his strange act out of which words of the Prophet he notes that Gods workes are of two sorts either proper vnto himselfe and naturall as to haue mercy and to forgiue or else strange and somewhat diuers from his nature as to be angry and to punish I know some doe expound these words otherwise vnderstanding by that strange worke and strange act of God there mentioned Opus aliquod insolens admirabile some such worke as God seldome worketh some great wonder Notwithstanding this naturall exposition of that place the former may well be admitted also For it is not altogether vnnaturall being grounded vpon such places of Scripture as doe make for the preeminence of mercy aboue iustice It 's true God hath one skale of iustice but the other proues the heauier mercy doth ouerweigh He who is euer iust is mercifull more then euer if it may be possible He may forget our iniquities but his tender mercies he will neuer forgeâ— This our Lord good mercifull gracious and long suffering is here in my text the punisher and sendeth fire into the house of Hazael whereupon I built this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This office of executing vengeance vpon the wicked for sinnes God arrogateth and assumeth to himselfe Deut. 32 35. where he saith vengeance and recompense are mine This due is ascribed vnto the Lord by S. Paul Rom. 12.19 It is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. By the author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes chap. 10.30 Vengeance belongeth vnto me I will recompense saith the Lord. By the sweet singer Psal 94.1 O Lord God the auenger O God the auenger You see by these now-cited places that God alone is hee who executeth vengeance vpon the wicked for their sins This doctrine is faithfully deliuered by the wise sonne of Syrach chap. 39 where he saith Vers 28. There be spirits that are created for vengeance which in their rigour lay on sure strokes in the time of destruction they shew forth their power accomplish the wrath of him that made them Fire and haile and famine death Vers 29. all these are created for vengeance The teeth of wilde beasts Vers 30. and the scorpions and the serpents and the sword execute vengeance for the destruction of the wicked Nay saith he Vers 26. The principall things for the whole vse of mans life as water and fire and yron and salt and meale and wheat and hony and milke and the bloud of the grape and oile and cloathing Vers 27. All those things though they be for good vnto the godly yet to the sinners they are turned vnto euill So my doctrine standeth good It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes And you see he hath waies enough to do it All things that may be for our good are glad to do him seruice against vs. The consideration hereof should moue our hearts
chap. 49.25 where he cals it a glorious city and the city of his ioy Damascus in this place is not the bare city but i â—eâ— câ—â—us tractus Damascus siue Decapolitanus the whole country about Damascus and the coasts of Decapolis whereof wee read Mark 7.31 I will also breake the barres of Damascus To breake in the Hebrew phrase and by a Metaphor is to consume to destroy to waste to spoile In the 24. of Esai vers 19. where the Prophet saith confractione confringetur terra the earth shall with breaking be broken the meaning is the earth shall certainly be wasted and spoiled So here I will breake the barre of Damascus that is I wil consume spoile all the munitions all the fortifications all the fenced fortresses all the strength of Damascus This office of breaking barres God elsewhere assumeth to himselfe as Esai 45.2 where thus saith the Lord vnto Cyrus his anointed I will breake the brasen doores and burst the iron barres The Psalmist also ascribeth vnto the Lord this office of breaking barres Psal 107.16 where exhorting vs to confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and to declare his wonderfull workes he bringeth this for a reason For he hath broken the gates of brasse and hath burst the barre of iron asunder Now haue you the meaning of these words I will breake the barre of Damascus I the Lord will breake by my mightie power will lay waste and consume the barre barre for barres all the strength of Damascus of that part of Syria which bordereth vpon Damascus Now let vs see what lessâ—â—s may be taken from hence for our further instruction and meditation You will remember my three propounded circumstances The punisher The punishment The punished The punisher is the Lord the punishment is breaking of barres the punished is the whole country of Damascus From the first circumstance of the punisher the Lord himselfe taking vengeance into his owne hand I gather this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This doctrine was in my last Lecture commended vnto you and then at large confirmed I need not make any repetition of it The consideration of it day after day cannot be either vaine or vnfruitfull to vs. It may cause vs to bee wary and heedfull that by our daily sinning we make not our selues k Iohn 8.34 Rom. 6.20 seruants vnto sin and l 2 Pet. 2.19 corruption And whereas we cannot but sinne daily for who can say I haue m Prou. 20.9 purged my heart I am cleane from my sinne it may draw vs to repentance and to a godly sorrow for our sinnes whereby wee haue transgressed the law of God offended his Maiestie and prouoked his wrath Wee must beleeue it though God be good gracious mercifull and long suffering yet is he also a iust God God the auenger and punisher The consideration of this point may further admonish vs to be wary in any case that wee breath not after reuengement To reuenge our wrongs is Gods office wee must not intrude our selues into it we may not vsurp it Why will we herein be our owne caruers The wise son of Sirach chap. 28.1 speakes it confidently He that seeketh vengeance shall finde vengeance of the Lord and he will surely keepe his sins Marke his exhortation following verse the 2. Forgiue thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done to thee so shall thy sinnes be forgiuen thee also Wise Siracides saith no more than doth our Sauiour Iesus Christ Matt. 6.14 15. If ye do forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly father will also forgiue you But if ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your father forgiue you your trespasses Dearely beloued is this so Will not God forgiue vs vnlesse we forgiue others We must needs grant it to be so praying daily as we doe Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. Much then beloued very much to blame are we who lead our liues as if Lex talionis that same old law of rendring like for like first recorded n And Leuit. 24.20 Deut. 19 21. Matth. 5.38 Exod. 21.24 were this day in force Euen this day we sticke not to be of minde with the godlesse worldling Receiue I wrong I will repay it Eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand foot for foot burning for burning wound for wound stripe for stripe As good as he bringeth I will giue him We are commanded Matth. 18.22 to forgiue one another euen seuenty times seuen times How haue we cast behinde vs this holy commandement If thy neighbour sin against thee wilt thou not be meet with him seuen yeares after if possible Tell me if by order of friends or constraint thou be moued to forgiue thy neighbour wilt thou forgiue him Forgiue him Yea after a sort We will forsooth forgiue the fault but not forget the matter nor affect the party that wronged vs. Is this to loue our enemies Is this not to resist euill Nothing lesse Learne therefore of Christ what it is to loue your enemies Matth. 5.44 Blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you pray for them that hurt you and persecute you And againe learne of Christ what it is not to resist euill Matt. 5.39 Whosoeuer shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat let him haue thy cloake also and whosoeuer will compell thee to goe with him one mile goe with him twaine This is it whereto S. Peter exhorteth you 1 Epist chap. 3.8 Be yee all of one mind one suffer with another loue as brethren be pitifull be courteous render not euill for euill nor rebuke for rebuke but contrariwise blesse if ye will be heires of blessing Let wise Solomons counsell somewhat preuaile with you that counsell which he giueth you Pro. 24.29 O say not I will doe to him as he hath done to me I will recompense euery man according to his worke What shall I doe then when I haue receiued a wrong What else but follow the same wise mans counsell giuen me Pro. 20.22 Expectabo Dominum liberabit me I will wait vpon the Lord and he will deliuer me I shut vp this meditation with S. Pauls exhortation Rom. 12.17 Recompense to no man euill for euill if it be possible as much as in you is haue peace with all men Dearely beloued auenge not your selues but giue place vnto wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Hitherto beloued in the Lord I haue laboured to worke in you a detestation of all priuate reuengement The occasion of my discourse was from my propounded doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance proper to the Lord and therefore not any way to be medled in by vs. It is not for vs by our selues to auenge the
done these things to the needy and distressed ye haue done them vnto me Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world THE Thirteenth Lecture AMOS 1.7 8. Therefore will I send a fire vpon the wals of Azzah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod WE are come to the last part of this Prophecie the description of the punishments to be inflicted vpon the Philistines The seuenth verse doth not much differ from the fourth The same punishment which is there threatned to the Syrians vnder the names of Hazael and Benhadad is in this seuenth verse denounced to the Philistines vnder the name of Azzah And therefore as there I did so must I here commend vnto you three circumstances 1 The punisher the Lord I. 2 The punishment by fire I will send a fire 3 The punished the Azzites the inhabitants of that City the Philistines vpon the walls and palaces of Azzah The punisher is the Lord for thus saith the Lord I will send The note yeeldeth vs this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This doctrine I proued at large in my eighth Lecture vpon this prophecie Yet for their sakes who then heard me not or haue forgotten what then they heard I will by a few texts of Scripture againe confirme it vnto you It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes This office of executing vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes God arrogateth and assumeth to himselfe Deut. 32.35 where he saith Vengeance and recompence are mine This due is ascribed vnto the Lord by S. Paul Rom. 12.19 It is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. By the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes chap. 10.30 Vengeance belongeth vnto me I will ecompence saith the Lord. By the sweet Singer Psal 94.1 O Lord God the auenger O God the auenger The Prophet Nahum trebleth the phrase Chap. 1.2 The Lord reuengeth the Lord reuengeth the Lord will take vengeance on his aduersaries These few texts of holy Writ doe firmely proue my doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes One vse of this doctrine is to teach vs heedfulnesse in all our wayes that we doe not worke wickednesse before the Lord and so prouoke him to execute his vengeance on vs. Beloued let vs not forget it though God be good gracious mercifull and long-suffering yet is he also a iust God God the auenger and punisher It is proper vnto him to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes A second vse is to admonish vs not to intermeddle in the Lords office It is his office to execute vengeance we therefore may not doe it If a brother or neighbour or stranger doe wrong vs it is our part to forgiue him and leaue reuengement to God to whom it appertaineth To this Christian and charitable course our Sauiour worketh vs by a strong argument Mat. 6.15 If ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your Father forgiue you your trespasses Forgiue and you shall be forgiuen forgiue not and yee shall neuer be forgiuen Wherefore dearely beloued suffer your selues to be exhorted as the Romans were by S. Paul chap. 12.19 Dearely beloued if it be possible as much as in you is haue peace with all men recompence to no man euill for euill auenge not your selues but giue place vnto wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. It is pâ—oper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Here we see that for the sinnes of the Philistins God resolueth to send a fire to deuoure their wals and palaces This was my second circumstance the circumstance of the punishment I will send a fire Many desolations hath God wrought by fire By fire he laid waste Sodom Gomorrah and their sister cities Gen. 19.24 By fire he did eat vp Nadab and Abihu Leuit. 10.2 By fire he cut off the two hundred and fifty men that were in the rebellion of Korah Numb 16.35 By fire he deuoured two Captaines and twice fifty men 2 King 1.10 and 12. Why doe I load your memories with multitude of examples for this point My text telleth you that fire Gods creature becommeth Gods instrument and executioner of his vengeance for the sinnes of Azzah to consume her walls and deuoure her palaces I will send a fire a See Lect. 8. By fire in this place as vers 4. the learned Expositors doe vnderstand not only naturall fire but also the sword and pestilâ—nce and famine quod libet genus consumptionis euery kinde of consumption euery scourge wherewith God punisheth the wicked be it haile or thunder or sicknesse or any other of Gods messengers So large is the signification of fire in the metaphoricall vnderstanding The doctrine is The fire whether Naturall or Metaphoricall that is The fire and all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to be employed by him in the punishment of the wicked A truth heretofore proued vnto you as out of other places of holy Writ so out of the story of Gods visitation vpon Pharaoh and the Aegyptians Exod. 8 9 and 10. Chapters whereby you know that Frogs Lice Flies Grashoppers Thunder Haile Lightning Murraine Botches and Sores did instrumentally auenge God vpon man and beasts in Aegypt I stand not now to enlarge this proofe The vse of this doctrine is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of correction how to carry our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much looke to the instruments as to the Lord that smiteth by them If the fire or water or any other of Gods creatures shall at any time rage and preuaile against vs we must remember that it is God that sendeth them to worke his holy will vpon vs. Here he sent a fire vpon Azzah to consume her walls and deuoure her palaces Here you haue my third circumstance the circumstance of the punished in these words the walls of Azzah and the palaces thereof Azzah one of the fiue Prouinces or Dutchies of Palaestina and a Citie of the same name as I shewed you in my last Lecture The walls and palaces here mentioned doe signifie thus much that the Citie Azzah was well fortified and beautified with sumptuous buildings Yet must Azzah notwithstanding the beauty of her buildings and strength of her strong holds be deuoured with fire I will send a fire vpon the wall of Azzah and it shall deuoure the palaces thereof The great Citie Azzah for all her strong walls must shee be spoiled The doctrine to be learned from hence is No munition can saue that city which God well haue destroyed The reason is because there is no strength but of God and from God For what are
proposition The whole world with all things therein is wholly and alone subiect to the soueraigntie dominion and rule of Almightie God by whose prouidence all things are preserued all things are ruled and things are ordered These were the three degrees by which I told you you might discerne and take notice of the act of diuine prouidence The first was gradus conseruationis the second gradus gubernationis the third was gradus ordinationis the first degree was the degree of maintenance or preseruation the second degree was the degree of rule or gouernment the third degree was the degree of ordination or direction The first implieth thus much that All things in generall and euery thing in particular are by Almightie God sustained ordinarily in the same state of nature and naturall proprieties wherein they were created The second thus much that Almightie God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis suae euen as he listeth The third thus much that God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth and setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seeme to be most out of order he bringeth all to his chiefly intended end all doe make for his glory In this diuine ordination three things doe concurre Constitutio finis mediorum ad finem dispositio and dispositorum directio First God appointeth an end to euery thing Secondly he disposeth the meanes vnto the end Thirdly he directeth the meanes so disposed From these points thus summarily rehearsed I inferre my propounded doctrine No calamity or misery befalleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture For if it be true as true it is and the gates of Hell shall neuer be able to preuaile against it that God by his wonderfull prouidence maintaineth and preserueth ruleth and gouerneth ordereth disposeth and directeth all things in this world euen to the very haires of our heads it cannot be that any calamitie or misery should befall any one of vs by aduenture by hap-hazzard by chance by fortune The Epicure in Iob Chap. 22.13 was in a grosse and soule errour to thinke that God walking in the circle of heauen cannot thorow the darke clouds see our misdoings and iudge vs for them Farre be it from vs beloued so to be conceited We may not thinke our God to be a God to halfes and in part only a God aboue and not beneath the Moone a God vpon the Mountaines and not in the Valleyes a God in the greater and noâ— in the lesser employments We may not thus thinke beloued We haue learned better things out of Amos 9. Ier. 23. Psal 139. that God is euery where present and that there is no euasion from him No corner in Hell no mansion in Heauen no caue in the top of Carmel no fishes belly in the bottome of the sea no darke dungeon in the land of captiuity no place of any secrecie any where is able to hide vs from the presence of God The least moments and tittles in the world that you can imagine God his care and prouidence reacheth vnto to a handfull of meale to a cruse of oile in a poore widowes house to the â—â—ing of sparrowes to the ground to the cloathing of the grasse of the field to the feeding of the birds of the aire to the caluing of â—indes to the numbring of the haires of our heads and of the teares that trickle downe our cheekes Wherefore dearely beloued in the Lord whatsoeuer calamity or misery hath already seized vpon vs or shall hereafter ouertake vs let vs not lay it vpon blinde fortune but looke we rather to the hand that striketh vs. He who is noted in my text to cut off the inhabitant of Ashdod and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon he it is that for our sinnes bringeth vpon vs calamiti s and miseries Whatsoeuer calamities or miseries doe molest or trouble vs be wee assured that they are Gods visitatio vpon vs for our sinnes and admonishments for vs to amend our liues What remaineth then but that in time of misery and heauinesse wee louingly embrace Gods hand and kisse the rod wherewith he smiteth vs If hee smite vs with any kinde of crosse or tribulation our best way is to turne vnto him as with a spirit of contentment and gladnesse because so louing a Father doth chastise vs so with a sorrowfull and contrite heart because we haue offended so gracious a Father and thus shall wee finde comfort to our soules THE Fourteenth Lecture AMOS 1.8 And turne mine hand to Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the Lord God THe last time I began to expound the 8. verse then I passed ouer two branches thereof And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon whence considering the cutting off of king and subiect from Ashdod and Ashkelon to be the proper worke of the Lord I tooke this lesson No calamity or misery befalleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture Now let vs proceed to the remainder of that verse And turne my hand to Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish saith the Lord. Is not God a spirit How then hath he hands The letter killeth but the spirit giueth life saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 3.6 An ancient a Augustin de Doctrina Christiana lib. 3. cap. 5. Father vpon those words aduiseth vs to beware that we take not a figuratiue speech according to the letter for saith he Anshel in 2 Cor. 3. Echard Compend Theol patrum 〈◊〉 1 ap 6. pag. 157. when we take that which is spoken in a figure as if it were spoken properly it is a carnall sense Neque vlla mors anima congruentius â—ppeâ—â—atur neither is there any thing more rightly called the death of the soule If a figuratiue speech be properly taken or if the letter be vrged against the spirituall meaning that which was spoken to giue life to the inward man may subuert the faith and endanger the soule A trope vpon good reason to be admitted not admitted is a cause of errour It caused the Iewes to erre They tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching his owne body Iob. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three daies I will raise it vp againe It caused Nicodemus to erre Hee tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching mans regeneration Iob. 3.3 Except a man bee borne againâ— he cannot see the Kingdome of God It caused the Dis ples of Christ to erre They tooke it literally which Christ spake in a figure touching the execution of his Fathers will Ioh. 4.32 I haue meat to eat that ye know not of I hold it to be an errour of Nicephorus and others to take it after the letter as if Paul had indeed fought vpon a theatre with Lions at Ephesius because he saith 1 Cor. 15.32 that he fought with b
not because he is rich or in authority but because he is a Christian the son of God by grace and adoption Loue ye him not outwardly in shew only but inwardly in heart in deed in truth Loue him not only in his prosperous and flourishing estate but in his greatest need and be ye assured that the speciall loue and fauour of God will be your shield and protection Three things there are that doe reioyce God saith Ecclesiasticus Chap. 25.1 The vnity of brethren the loue of neighbours a man and his wife agreeing together The first which is the vnity of brethren according to my former construction compriseth the other two All Christians are brethren in Christ a neighbour to a neighbour a husband to his wife a wife to her husband For as I said in Christ there is no difference of sex there is neither male nor female all are brethren in Christ and therefore that neighbour that loueth not his neighbour the husband that is at ods with his wife the wife that agreeth not with her husband they are guilty of the breach of brotherly loue That exhortation made by S. Paul to the Romans Chap. 12.10 concerneth all of you all of both sexes without any difference Be yee affectioned to loue one another with brotherly loue I conclude this point with the same Apostles words 1 Cor. 1.10 and 2 Cor. 13.11 Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Iesus Christ that yee speake all one thing and that there be no dissentions among you Be of one minde liue in peace and the God of peace shall be with you Thus farre of the first branch in the description of Edoms sinne and of the doctrine grounded thereupon The doctrine was It is a thing very distastefull and vnpleasing vnto God for brethren to be at variance among themselues It was grounded vpon these words He did pursue his brother with the sword It followeth And did cast off all pity or after the Hebrew text did corrupt his compassions which reading is expressed in the margin of our Church Bible and the Geneua translation The English translation set out by Tyndall reades it otherwise Hee destroyed his mothers wombe and Winckleman reads it Et violauerit vterū and violated or abused the mothers wombe both doe allude to the Greeke edition of the Septuagent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he did violate the mothers wombe which reading may haue reference to the natiuity of Iacob and Esau borne at one birth of their mother Rebekah And then the meaning is that the Edomites Esau's posterity neglecting that bond and knot of brotherhood and consanguinity did exercise rigour and cruelty against the Israelites Iacobs posterity or it may haue reference to a sauage and outragious cruelty as if the Edomites were here noted for ripping vp mothers wombes or women with childe in Israel That such cruelty was vsed by the Ammonites it is plaine by the 13. verse of this Chapter But this Text in the originall doth not fasten this blame vpon the Edomites and I loue not to force my Text. I will not trouble you with other expositions The originall is He did corrupt his compassions The sense and meaning is well rendred and deliuered in our receiued English Bibles He did east off all pity Is Edom here condemned for corrupting his compassions for casting off all pitie The lesson hence to bee commended to your Christian considerations is this Vnmercifulnesse is a sinne hatefull vnto God I could bring you many places out of holy Writ for the confirmation of this doctrine But two only or three and they but touched shall serue for this present In Iob 6.14 the vnmercifull are noted to haue forsaken the feare of the Almighty In Rom. 1.31 among such as God hath giuen vp to a reprobate minde to commit things worthy of death the vnmercifull are named In Iames 2.13 a punishment is denounced to the vnmercifull There shall be iudgement mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercy These few Texts of Scripture doe plentifully establish my doctrine Vnmercifulnesse is a sinne hatefull vnto God If any will aske me What is this vnmercifulnesse whereof I now speake my answer shall be out of the learned Out of o Apud A shia 22. qu. 118.8.3 Isidore that it is one of the nine daughters of couetousnesse Out of p 22. qu. 159.1.2.2 Aquinas that it is the withholding of a deed of charity and an q 22. qu. 118.8.3 obduration or the hardning of the heart against mercy Out of r Comment in hunc locum Mercer that it is a breach of natures law and an abolishing of all kindnesse And so I come to make some vse of this doctrine The vse is to stirre vs vp to the exercises of humanity and mercy I will not now make any long declamation against inhumanity and vnmercifulnesse yet my Text requireth that I speake somewhat to it There was a time when righteousnesse seemed to be taken vp into the clouds and the earth to be void of it It was in the daies of the Prophet Esay He then cryed out Chap. 45.8 O ye heauens send the dew from aboue and let the clouds drop downe righteousnesse The time is now when loue seemeth to be taken vp into the clouds and the earth to bee void of it Now may we cry out O ye Heauens send the dew from aboue and let the clouds drop downe loue that the vncourteous and churlish Nabals of this present generation may now at length know that they are not borne for themselues only but for their poore neighbours also Your poore neighbours who stand in need of you by very prerogatiue of mankinde haue an interest in your succour and seruice But it may be that some are so farre from all humanity that this prerogatiue of mankind will not moue them to doe any worke of charity Such hard hearts let them heare what the Law is Deut. 15.7 If one of thy brethren with thee be poore within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giueth thee thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poore brother But thou shalt open thy hand vnto him and shalt lend him sufficient for his need I know flesh and bloud will oblect Shall I lend my neighbour sufficient for his need So may I soone exhaust my substance and liue in want my selfe I reply O thou of little saith why fearest thou Looke backe vpon the blessing of God rely vpon it he through his benediction will make thee large recompence Of this thou maist be assured if thou wilt haue recourse to the fore-cited Chapter Deut. 15.10 There art thou infallibly promised for thy almes deeds done to the needy that the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes and in all that thou putiest thine hand to My exhortation is no other than that of the Prophet Esay Chap. 58 7. Deale thy bread to the hungry bring the poore
vs e Vers 28. turne away from all the transgressions that we haue committed so shall we surely liue we shall not die And this we will the sooner endeuour to doe if we imprint in our hearts my propounded doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Thus much of the first vse which was to lesson vs to looke heedfully to our feet that we walke not in the way of sinners to partake with them in their sinnes I proceed Is it true Is it proper to God to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Here then in the second place we are admonished not to intermeddle in the Lords office It is his office to execute vengeance We therefore may not interpose our selues If a brother a neighbour or a stranger hath done vs any wrong we must forgiue him and must leaue reuengement to God to whom it appertaineth We must leaue reuengement to God to whom it appertaineth and forgiue our enemies What Forgiue our enemies How can flesh and bloud endure it Well it should be endured and many reasons there are to induce vs to so Christian an office The first is The forgiuenesse of our owne sinnes Whereof thus saith our Sauiour Luk. 6.37 Forgiue and you shall be forgiuen f Pet. de Palu serm aestiu en nr in Dom. 22. Trin. Ideo libenter debemus dimittere paruum vt Deus dimittat nobis magnum we ought willingly to forgiue vnto our neighbour a small matter that God may forgiue vs our great offences Looke what grace and indulgence we shew vnto our neighbours the like will God shew vnto vs. What else is said Luk. 6.38 With what measure you mete with the same shall it be measured to you againe Whereof I cannot giue a plainer exposition than in our Sauiours words Matth. 6.14 15. If yee doe forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly Father will also forgiue you But if yee doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your Father forgiue you your trespasses A second reason why we should forgiue our enemies is that when we make our prayers vnto God we our selues may be heard For God heareth not the prayers of such as doe abide in rancour and will not forgiue their enemies It is well said of an g Augustin Ancient Qui non vult dimittere fratri suo non speret orationis effectum Whosoeuer he be that will not forgiue his brother let him not hope for any good successe in his prayer h Ambros Another saith Si iniuriam non dimittis quae tibi facta est orationem pro te non facis sed maledictionem super te inducis If thou forgiue not the iniury which thy neighbour hath done thee when thou prayest thou makest not any prayer for thy selfe but doest bring a malediction or curse vpon thy selfe The most absolute and excellent platforme of prayer that euer was made and is by the maker thereof our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ commended vnto vs for our daily vse confirmeth this point vnto vs. The fifth petition therein is that God would be pleased to forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. Wherefore as in all sincerity we desire our selues to be looked vpon with the eyes of grace and mercy from heauen without any fraud or hollownesse or dissimulation in the Lord so are we taught by that clause our selues to deale with others so truly so honestly so heartily so sincerely and vnfainedly forgiuing euer as we may boldly say So Lord doe thou to mee as I to others Now if these hearts of ours be so sturdy and strong in their corruption as that they will not relent and yeeld to forgiue such as haue trespassed against vs how can we looke that our prayers should take effect A third reason why we should forgiue our enemies is that our good workes may be acceptable vnto God Let a man euery day doe as many good workes as there are Stars in Heauen yet as long as in heart he beareth hatred to his enemie God will not accept any one of them Munus non acceptatur nisi antè discordia ab animo pellatur saith Gregory thy gift is no waies acceptable vnto God vnlesse thy heart be first freed from discord Let no man circumuent himselfe seduce himselfe deceiue himselfe i August serm 5. de S. Stephino Whosoeuer hateth but one man in the whole world whaâ—soeuer he offereth to God in Good workes all will be lost Witnesse S. Paul 1 Cor. 13.3 Though I feed the poore with all my goods and though I giue my body that I be burned and haue not loue it profiteth me nothing If then wee would haue our good workes pleasing vnto God wee must be reconciled to our neighbours Our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ so aduiseth vs Matth. 5.24 Goe thy way first be reconciled to thy brother then come and offer thy gift A fourth reason why we should forgiue our enemies is that our soules may liue for by hatred and rancour wee slay our soules Saint Iohn Epist 1. Chap. 3. vers 15. auoweth it that he whosoeuer hateth his brother is a man-slayer Homicida est scilicet propriae animae saith k Pet. de Pal. vbi supra one he is a murtherer of his owne soule An exposition not absolutely to be disallowed for as much as it followeth in the same verse Yee know that no man-slayer hath eternall life abiding in him The life of the soule is loue therefore he that loueth not is dead So saith the same blessed Apostle Ep. 1. Chap. 3. vers 14. Hee that loueth not his brother abideth in death And greater is the dammage by the losse of one soule than of a thousand bodies The whole world in respect of one soule is not to be esteemed This is proued by our Sauiours question Mark 8.36 What shall it profit a man though he should win the whole world if he lose his owne soule A fift reason why we should loue our enemies is the reioycing of Saints and Angels To loue our enemies is an infallible signe of our conuersion Now wee know by Luk. 15.7 that there shall be ioy in Heauen for one sinner that conuerteth and vers the 10. That there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that conuerteth Thus whether we respect the reioycing of Saints and Angels or the life of our soules or the acceptance of our good workes or the fruit of our prayers or the forgiuenesse of our sins wee must loue our enemies after S. Stephen his example Act. 7.60 Lord lay not this sin to their charge after S. Paul his example 1 Cor. 4.12 13. We are reuiled and yet we blesse we are persecuted and suffer it we are euill spoken of and we pray after Christs example Luk. 23.34 Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe Adde hereto Christs Commandement Mat. 5.44 Loue your enemies
Zimi Chaldaeu Syris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certè hoc fine sâ—â— gâ—lari Dei O. M. prouidentâ—â factum nâ—n est Ego existimo illo significari nomen Dei in quatuor mundi plagis decantandum esse in all tongues and languages generally consisteth of foure letters More they speake of it You haue heard it before Iehouah b Deut. 10 17. God of Gods and Lord of Lords a God c Eccles 43.29 most wonderfull very d Deut. 10.17 great mighty and terrible a God that e Eccles 43.31 cannot either bee conceiued in thought or expressed by word f Aug. Soliloq cap. 24. of whom all the Angels in heauen doe stand in feare whom all dominations and g Reuel 5.11 thrones doe adore at whose presence all powers doe shake A God in greatnesse infinite in h August meditat c. 21. goodnesse souereigne in wisâ—ome wonderfull in power Almighty in coursailes terrible in iudgements righteous in cogitations secret in works holy in mercy rich in promise true alway the same eternall euerlasting immortall vnchangeable Such is the Lord from whom our Prophet Amos here deriueth authority to his Prophecie Thus saith the Lord. Hath the Lord said and shall he not doe accordingly hath hee spoken it and shall he not accomplish it Balaam confesseth vnto Balak Num. 23.19 God is not as man that he should lie nor as the sonne of man that he should repent Indeed saith Samuel 1 Sam. 15.29 The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent for he is not as man that he should repent All his words yea all the tittlâ—s of his words are Yea and Amen Verily saith our Sauiour Matth. 5 18. Heauen and earth shall perish before one iot or one tittle of Gods word shall â—scape vnfulfilled Thus saith the Lord Amos is here a patterne to vs that are Preachers of the word of saluation Wee must euer come vnto you with Thus saith the Lord in our mouthes we may not speake either the imaginations of our owne braines or the vaine perswasions of our owne hearts We must sincerely preach vnto you Gods gracious word without all corruption or deprauing of the same This is it whereto S. Peter exhorteth vs 1 Epist cha 4.11 If any man speake let him speake as the word of God For if we yea if an Angell from heauen shall preach otherwise vnto you than from the Lords owne mouth speaking in his holy Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him be acccursed let him be had in execration This note beloued doth also concerne you that are the auditors and hearers of Gods word For if wee the Preachers thereof must alwaies come vnto you with Thus saith the Lord then are you to heare vs with reuerence and attention And this for the authority of him that speaketh It is not you that speake saith our Sauiour Iesus Christ to his blessed Apostles Matth. 10.20 but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you And againe Luk. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me S. Paul commendeth the Thessalonians 1 Epist chap. 2.13 for that when they receiued of the Apostles of Christ the word of the preaching of God they receiued it not as the word of men but as it was indeed as the word of God Well therefore did S. Iames chap. 1.21 thus to exhort the Iewes Receiue with meekenesse the word that is grafted in you which is able to saue your soules God spake vnto Israel in a vision by night Gen. 46.2 and said Iacob Iacob Iacob answered I am here He was prest and ready with all reuerent attention to heare what his God should say vnto him and to follow the same with all faithfull obedience Such readinesse well becommeth euery childe of God euen at this day in the Church where God speaketh Thus must he thinke within himselfe It is thine ordinance O Lord by thy word preached to instruct me concerning thy holy will I am here Lord in all humble feare to heare thy blessed pleasure what this day it shall please thee to put in the mouth of the Preacher to deliuer vnto me I am here speake on Lord thy seruant heareth If a Prince or some great man of this world shall speake vnto you you will attend and giue eare vnto him with your best diligence how much more then ought yee so to doe when the King of Heauen and Lord of the earth calleth vpon you by his ministers Thus farre by occasion of the preface Thus saith the Lord. For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for foure Whether these children of Ammon were distinguished from the Ammonites as Drusius would proue 2 Chron. 20.1 and as R. Dauid anoweth filii Ammon unsquam vocantur Ammonitae the children of Ammon are no where called Ammonites I hold it needlesse to dispute in this place It is out of doubt that these children of Ammon or Ammonites did lincally descend from Ben-ammi who was Lots sonne begotten in incest vpon his younger daughter Gen. 19.38 Lot was Abrahams brothers sonne Gen. 14.12 Whereby it is euident that the posterity of them both the children of Israel and the children of Ammon the Israelites and the Ammonites were linked together by affinity and alliance The more to blame were those Ammonites without all respect of kindred to exercise such cruelty as they did against the Israelites for which cause Almighty God here sent his blessed Prophet to thunder out his threats against them For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for foure In the front of this Prophecie you haue the generall accusation of these children of Ammon For three transgressions and for foure Three of these transgressions if you will beleeue Albertus Magnus are Cruelty Anarice and persecution the fourth is an obstinate pertinacie a constant stubbornnesse euer to dwell in those sinnes Againe three of these transgressions are a coueting of other mens goods an vnlawfull seeking for those things that are not our owne and a hardnesse of heart to retaine them so sought for the fourth is the vnsatiable desire of a couetous man Many are the expositions of the learned vpon these words three and foure transgressions The most naturall proper and significant I take to be if by three and foure a finite and certaine number you vnderstand a number infinite and vncertaine God as often as he will forgiueth though we sin ten thousand times It is but a custome of the Scripture thus to speake God waiteth for vs twice and thrice that is a long time to see if we will returne from our euill waies vnto repentance but the fourth time that is at length when he seeth vs persist in our impenitency he reproueth vs casteth vs away and leaueth vs in our sinnes Thus haue you the generall accusation of the children of Ammon for their many sinnes for which the Lords protestation against them followeth I will not turne to it These words are diuersly rendred by expositors by the author of the vulgar Latine
thus haue argued Will not God spare the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites the Moabites Then out of doubt he will not spare vs. They silly people neuer knew the holy will of God and yet shall they be so seuerely punished How then shall we escape who knowing Gods holy will haue contemned it You see now why Amos sent with a message to the Ten Tribes of Israel doth first prophecie against foreine Nations In the last place are the Moabites This prophecie against the Moabites Tremellius and Iunius in their translation of the Bible do add to the first Chapter as a part of it But sith the Hebrew text so diuides it not I will not follow them but will expound it as belonging to the second Chapter The words then which I haue read vnto you are the burden of Moab a heauy prophecie against Moab And doe conteine three generall parts 1. A preface vers the 1. Thus saith the Lord. 2. A prophecie vers the 1. For three transgressions of Moab c. 3. A conclusion vers the 5. Saith the Lord. The preface and conclusion doe giue authoritie to the prophecie whereby we learne that the words here spoken by Amos are not the words of Amos but the words of the euerliuing GOD. The prophecie consisteth of foure parts 1. The generall accusation of Moab For three transgressions of Moab and for foure 2. The Lords protestation against them I will not turne to it 3. The declaration of that grieuous sinne whereby they so highly offended God Because they burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime vers 1. 4. A commination or denuntiation of such punishment as should be laid vpon them for their sins vers 2. 3. This punishment is set downe 1. In a generalitie Therefore will I send a fire vpon Moab and it shall deuoure the pallaces of Kirioth 2. More especially Where I obserue 1. The manner of the punishment as that it should come vpon them with feare trouble and astonishment And Moab shall dye with tumult with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet 2. The extent of it None might escape it neither Prince nor King For thus saith the Lord vers the 3. I will cut off the Iudge the King out of the middest thereof and will slay all the Princes thereof with him Thus haue you the Analysis resolution or diuision of my Text. Returne we now to the Preface Thus saith the Lord whose name in my Text is Iehovah Sundry are the Names of God in holy Scripture by which albeit the substance of God cannot aptly and clearely be defined yet they serue vs thus farre to bring vs to some further knowledge of God then otherwise we should haue These Names of God are obserued by ancient Diuines to be of two sorts Negatiue and Affirmatiue The negatiue Names of God are Vncreated Incorporeall Invisible Incorruptible Infinite and such like and these describe not what God is but what he is not and doe euidently declare vnto vs that he is bonum quoddam excellentissimum some most excellent Good free from all imperfection of any creature The affirmatiue Names of God are ascribed vnto him either essentially or by way of relation or by a Metaphor The Names of God ascribed vnto him essentially are either proper to him alone or common to others also Among the essentiall Names of God proper to him alone is Iehovah the Name of God in my Text. His other essentiall Names communicable vnto others as to men doe yet belong vnto God either modo excellentiae by an excellencie or modo causa independentis as he is the primarie cause of all things By an excellencie God is said to bee Good Iust Wise Mighty Holy Mercifull and as he is the primarie cause of all things so is he called a Creator a Redeemer and hath other like appellations Now the affirmatiue Names of God ascribed vnto him by way of relation are the Names of the Trinitie in which there is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no coÌ„meation no vnion each person hath his proper name Father Son Holy Ghost The other affirmatiue Names of God ascribed vnto him by a metaphor are affirmed of him either per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that euery man may vnderstand what they meane as when God is said to be Angrie or per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by analogie or similitude as when God is called a Lyon a Stone a Riuer Of these many Names of God now repeated vnto you his most proper Name is his Name in my Text his Name Iehouah a Name that cannot be attributed to any creature in the world no not by an analogie or similitude It is the honourablest Name belonging to the great God of Heauen I might spend much time about it would I apply my selfe to the curiosity of the b See my third Lecture vpon Amos 1. Cabalists and Rabbins They say it is nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a name not to be pronounced not to be taken within polluted lips they call it nomen tetragrammaton a name of foure letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by an excellency for as much as the Name of God * Abrah Broviê° in festo Circumc Dom. Conc. 3 Dei nomen significat quaternarius ea ratione quia fere omnibus nomen Dei QuadriliteruÌ„ Latinis Deus Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Italis Idio Germanis Goth Polonis Illyrijs Bogh Gallis Dieu Hispanis Dios Hebraeis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. Garhard lor. Theol. Tom. 1. de Natura Dei §. 26. Obseruant nonnulli appellationem Dei esse omnibus fere populis quadriliterum Sic Hebraeis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Assyrijs Adad Aethiopibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aegyptis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arabibus Alla Illyricis Bogi Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turcis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hetruscis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Latinis Deus Hispanis Dios Italis Idio Gallis Dieu Germanis Gott Polulis novi orbis Zimi Vide P. Gregor lib. 6. Synt. art mirab c. 2. in all tongues and languages generally consisteth of foure letters and they obserue these foure letters in Hebrew to bee letters of rest to signifie vnto vs that the rest repose and tranquillitie of all the Creatures in the world is in God alone they teach that it is a powerfull name for the working of miracles and that by it Christ and Moses haue done great wonders But these their braine-sicke superstitious and blasphemous inventions my tongue shall not enlarge Yet thus much I say of this Name that there is a secret in it It is plaine Exod. 6.3 There thus saith the Lord vnto Moses I appeared vnto Abraham to Isaac and to Iacob by the name of a strong omnipotent and all-sufficient God but by my name IEHOVAH was I not knowne to them This secret I haue heretofore vnfolded vnto you after this manner This great name
to his neighbour For as much as the Lord will destroy all such as speake lies This you know by the fift Psalme ver the 6. But how will he destroy them It is answered Reuel 21.8 All lyars shall haue their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Thus haue you the third vse of my doctrine My doctrine was God is truth in himselfe in his workes and in his words The third vse is our holy imitation of God in truth There is yet a fourth vse of this doctrine of the truth of God It serues for a redargution or reproofe of such as deny God and his truth Deny God and his truth Can there be any endued with a reasonable soule so voyd of vnderstanding Yes There is a generation of men monstrously mishapen in the powers of the soule who spare not to break the cords of Religion asunder and to cast her yoke from them They dare auouch with those in Tullie Totam de Dijs immortalibus opinionem fictam esse ab hominibus sapientibus reipub causâ vt quos ratio non posset eos ad officium religio duceret judging the seruice of God to be a meere deuise of man for the better gouernment of the Common-wealth wherein inferiors sith they will not be ruled by reason must be ordered by religion Tell such of the Scriptures you may as well vrge them with Lucians narrations tell them of repentance they cast it behind them tell them of faith they regard it not Speake to them of baptisme they hold it of no greater price then the washing of their hands Let them heare of the Resurrection this feeds them with many a merry conceit They thinke pleasantly with themselues what manner of bodies they shall haue at that day of what proportion and stature their bodies shall be whether their nayles and haire shall rise againe Impious wretches thus they make a scoffe at God and religion whom were they vsed according to their deserts the Preachers should pronounce and the Prince proclaime the foulest leapers that euer yet sore ranne vpon very worthy to bee excluded the hoast and to haue their habitation alone yea to be exiled the land and to bee expelled from nature it selfe which so vnnaturally they striue to bring to naught I say no more against them but leaue them to the God of truth whom they haue denied that he in due time may repay them home with vengeance Thus farre am I guided by my first doctrine grounded vpon this essentiall name of God his name Iehouah importing his truth in himselfe in his workes and in his words Thus saith Iehouah Thus saith the Lord Is not this the prophesie of Amos Are not all the words of this prophesie chap. 1.1 called the words of Amos the heardsman What then meaneth this phrase Thus saith the Lord As Almighty God in olde time spake to our Fathers by the mouth of Moses Exod 4.12 So did hee in succeeding ages speake vnto them by the mouth of other his Prophets Luke 1.70 Heereto S. Peter beareth record 2. Epist 1.20 Know this saith he that no prophesie in the Scripture is of any priuate motion and he giues the reason heereof verse 21. For the prophesie in old time came not by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the holy Ghost Hence sprang those vsuall and familiaâ— speeches in the bookes of the Prophets The word of the Lord came vnto me The Lord God hath spoken and this in my Text Thus sayth the Lord. This Lord who thus spake in old time by his Prophets did in fulnesse of time when he sent to consummate and perfect the worke of mans redemption speake by his blessed Euangelists and Apostles This appeareth by the faithfull promise made vnto them Matth. 10.19 Take no thought how or what yee shall speake It is not yee that speake but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you It must stand euer true what is recorded 2 Tim. 3.16 The whole Scripture is giuen by inspiration of God The whole Scripture and euery parcell of it haâ—h inward witnesse from the Spirit which is the author of all truth Sweet then is the harmony consent and agreement of all the Prophets Euangelists and Apostles from the first vnto the last Not one of them spake one word of a naturall man in all their ministeries the words which they spake were the words of him that sent them they spake not of themselues God spake in them Whensoeuer were the time whatsoeuer were the meanes whosoeuer were the man wheresoeuer were the place whatsoeuer were the people the words were the Lords Hence ariseth this doctrine The Author of holy Scripture is neither man nor Angell nor any other creature how excellent soeuer but onely the liuing and immortall God This truth is euident by this which I haue but now delired For if God in old time spake to our Fathers by the mouth of Moses if God spake by other his Prophets if God spake by the Euangelists and Apostles if all Scripture be inspired of God then it well followeth that God is the author of Scripture and therefore not man nor Angell nor any other creature how excellent soeuer I can but point at the vses of this doctrine The first vse is redargution Is the liuing and immortall God the author of holy Scripture Heere are all they to bee reprooued who doe vilifie and debase the sacred Scriptures and esteeme not of them as of the word of God Such are they who bearing in their fore-heads the stampe of Christians haue notwithstanding giuen their names to that Antichrist of Rome and the now-false Church there They shame not to affirme that setting aside the authority of that Church and her head the Pope the Scripture is no better then a l Collâ—q Wâ—rmâ—t doubtfull vncertaine and leaden rule then a m Colloq Râ—tâ—bon matter of debate then n Ludouic Matoranus dead inke then o Eskins inken diuinity then a p Pighius nose of wax then a r Colloq Worm booke of discord then a Å¿ Pighius dumbe Iudge then t Hosius Gretser Heereof see my second Lecture vpon Amos 1. Aesops fables Impious wretches had they not wip'd all shame from their faces they would neuer haue layd such load of disgraces vpon Gods holy word Their Cardinall Hosius stayes not heere he proceedes a degree further He coynes a distinction of Scripture as it s vsed by themselues whom he calleth Catholikes and as by vs whom hee calleth Heretikes His words are in the end of his third book against Brentius his Prolegomena The Scripture quomodo profertur à Catholicis verbuÌ„ est Dei quomodo profertur ab Haereticis verbum est Diaboli as it is alledged by vs so must it bee forsooth the word of the Deuill but as by them so onely shall it be the word of God Blasphemous Cardinall hee marcheth not alone u
longer to presume vpon his patience It is true Dominus patiens the Lord is slow to anger but the Prophet Nahum Chap. 1.3 addeth also that he is great in power and surely will not cleare the wicked This long for bearance of God towards vs patientia est non negligentia you must call it patience it is not negligence Non ille potentiam perdidit sed nos ad poenitentiam reseruauit saith St Austine serm 102. de Tempore God hath not lost his power but hath reserued vs for repentance and quanto diuâ—ius Deus expectat tanto grauius vindicat How much the longer God expects and waits for our conuersion so much the more grieuously will he be auenged vpon vs if we repent not I shut vp all with that exhortation of Ecclesiasticus chap. 5.7 Make no tarrying to turne vnto the Lord and put not off from day to day To moue vs to this speedie conuersion he addes this reason for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord breake forth and in thy securitie thou shalt be destroyed and thou shalt perish in time of vengeance What remaineth but that we pray with Ieremie Chap. 31.18 Conuert thou vs O Lord and we shall be conuerted for thou art the Lord our God THE IIII. LECTVRE AMOS 2.4 5. Thus sayth the Lord For three trangressions of Iudah and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they haue despised the Law of the Lord and haue not kept his commaundements and their lies caused them to erre after the which their Fathers haue walked But I will send a fire vpon Iudah and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ierusalem OVr Prophet Amos hath hitherto dealt with forraine Nations with the Syrians with the Philistines with the Tyrians with the Edomites with the Ammonites and with the Moabites Six in number All borderers vpon and professed enemies vnto the people of the Lord the type of the Church To each of these you haue heard the iudgements of God menaced his punishments threatned all which are accordingly fallen out Was not Amos his message from the Lord to the Israelites Why then doth he first foretell forraine nations their iudgements The reasons are three First that he might be the more patiently heard of his Countrymen friend and allies the Israelites The Israelites seeing their Prophet Amos so sharpe against the Syrians and other their enemies could not but the more quietly heare him when he should prophecie against them also Consolatio quaedam est afflictio inimici It is some comfort to a naturall distressed man to see his enemie in distresse also Secondly that they might haue no cause to wonder if God should at any time come against them in vengeance sith he would not spare the Syrians and other Nations though destitute of the light of Gods word and ignorant of his will Thirdly that they might the more stand in awe at the words of this prophecie when they should behold the Syrians and other their neighbours afflicted and tormented according to the haynousnesse of their iniquities Scitum est ex alijs periculum facere tibi quod ex vsu fiet It is a principle in Natures Schoole that we take example from other mens harmes how to order our wayes From this natures principle the people of Israell might thus haue argued Will not the Lord spare the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites the Moabites How then can we presume that he will spare vs They silly people neuer knew the holy will of God yet shall they drinke of the cup of Gods wrath How then shal we escape who knowing Gods holy will haue contemned it You see now good reason our Prophet had though sent with a message to the ten tribes of Israel first to let forraine Nations vnderstand Gods pleasure towards them in respect of their sinnes From them he commeth to Gods owne peculiar people diuided after the death of King Salomon into two families or kingdomes Iudah and Israel First he prophecieth against Iudah in the 4. and 5. verses Thus sayth the Lord For three transgressions of Iudah and for foure c. Wherein I obserue two parts 1. A Preface Thus sayth the Lord. 2. A Prophecie For three transgressions of Iudah c. In the Prophecie we may obserue foure parts 1. A generall accusation of Iudah For three transgressions of Iudah and for foure 2. The Lords protestation against them I will not turne away the punishment thereof 3. An enumeration of some particular sinnes by which the Iewes prouoked God vnto displeasure Because they haue despised the Law of the Lord c. 4. A commination or denuntiation of iudgement against them vers the 5. But I will send a fire vpon Iudah and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ierusalem First of the Preface Thus saith the Lord It is like that gate of the Temple in a Act. 3.11 And 5.12 Salomons poarch which for the goodly structure thereof was called beautifull Act. 3.2 So is this enterance to my text very beautifull We haue alreadie beheld it six seuerall times fiue times as wee passed through the former Chapter and once at our first footing in this There is engrauen in it that same Tetragrammaton that great and ineffable name of God Iehovah Iohovah Curious haue the b See Lect. 1. Cabalists and Rabbins bin in their inuentions about this name They will not haue it to be pronounced nor taken within polluted lips They note that it is nomen tetragrammaton a name of foure letters of foure letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because the name of God in all tongues and languages for the most part consisteth of foure letters and they adde that these foure letters in the Hebrew tongue are literae quiescentes letters of rest whence they picke this mystery that the rest repose and tranquillitie of all the creatures in the world is in God alone They further say that this name is powerfull for the working of myracles and that by it Moses and Christ haue done great wonders These their inuentions are partly superstitious partly blasphemus but all braine sicke and idle Yet must we needs acknowledge some secret in this name We are driuen to it by Exod. 6.3 There the Lord thus speaketh vnto Moses I appeared vnto Abraham to Isaac and to Iacob by the name of a strong omnipotent and all-sufficient God but by my name Iehovah was I not knowne vnto them The secret is thus vnfolded Iehovah this great name Iehovah importeth the eternitie of Gods essence in himselfe that he is c Heb. 13.8 yesterday and to day and the same for euer d Apoc. 1.8 which was which is and which is to come Againe it noteth the existence and perfection of all things in God as from whom all creatures in the world haue their e Act. 17.28 life their motion and their being God is the being of all his creatures not that they are the same that he is but because
the Iewes for their prerogatiue nor Ierusalem for her goodly buildings From this vnpartialitie of God in his workes of iustice my proposition stands good Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Will you a reason hereof It is because the Lord takes impietie for impietie wheresoeuer he finds it and for such doth punish it And he finds it euery where For the eyes of the Lord Å¿ 2. Chrâ—n 16.9 runne to and fro throughout the whole earth and are in t Prâ—u 15.3 euery place to behold as well the euill as the good His eyes are u Iere. 16.17 vpon all our wayes he seeth x Iob 34.21 all our goings he y Iob 31.4 counteth all our steps no iniquitie is z Iere. 16.17 hid from him This doth the Prophet Ieremie Chap. 32.19 wall expresse Thine eyes O Lord are open vpon all the wayes of the sonnes of men to giue euery one acccording to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings This the very Ethnickes guided onely by Natures light haue acknowledged Sybilla in her Oracles could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Almightie and inuisible God he onely seeth all things Hesiod could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath an All-seeing eye Plautus could say a Capte ivi Est profecto Deus qui quae nos gerimus auditque videt Doubtlesse there is a God who both heareth and seeth whatsoeuer we doe And b Metamorph. lib. 13. Ovid could say Aspiciunt oculis superi mortalia iustâ—s There is a God aboue who hath iust eyes beholdeth all the doings of mortall men c Thales interregatus an furta â—â—mâ—â—um Deos fallerent Nec cogiâ—ata â—nqâ—it Valer. Mar. lib. 7 cap. 2. Dioge Laert. lib. 1. in Thal s. Thales of Miletum the wisest of the seauen being asked whether mens euill deeds could be kept close from God! No sayd he nor their euill thoughts The Hieroglyphicke the mysticall or aenigmaticall letter whereby the Egyptians would haue God to be vnderstood was an eye And why so But as d Hierâ—glyph lib. 33. Pierius saith because Deus ille optimus maximus the great God of Heauen is mundi oculus the eye of the world It may be such was the conceit of that auncient e Augustin Father who sayd of God that he was totus oculus wholy an eye He giues his reason quia omnia videt because hee seeth all things All things are to the eies of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naked and opened seene as well within as without So saith the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews chap. 4.13 All the impieties of man in deed word or thought are manifest vnto the Lord he seeth them all and for impieties will punish them Well saith f De constantiâ lib. 2. cap. 16. Lypsius Culpae comes iustissimè poena semper est Paine is alwayes the companion of a fault And g Jbid. cap. 14. againe Cognatum immo innatum omni sceleri sceleris supplicium Euery wickednesse brings a punishment with it As the worke is so is the pay if the one be readie the other is present h Lipsius de constant lib. 2 c. 13. Neuer did any man foster within his breast a crime but vengeance was vpon his backe for it If there be impietie there cannot be impunitie Witnesse the blessed Apostle S. Iames chap. 1.15 Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death And S. Paul Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death Many are the texts of holy Scripture which I might alledge to this purpose I will for this present trouble you but with one It is Psal 34.16 The face of the Lord is against them that doe euill to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth From these now-touched considerations first that Almightie God in iudgement accepteth no persons then that his Al-seeing eye beholdeth whatsoeuer impietie is done not onely in our workes and words but also in our most retyred thoughts thirdly that in iustice euery impietie is to receiue a due punishment from these considerations my position stands firme and vnmoueable Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties they are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Here let all good Christians be admonished with their greatest carefulnesse to looke vnto their wayes that they walke not in the by-pathes of sinne to imitate the Heathen in their impieties Qui attrahit ad se culpam non potest effugere poenam sayth i Comment in Hebr. 12. Hugo Cardinalis Thinke not that thy prerogatiue of being a Christian can be a shield vnto thee Christianus k August enchir ad Laurent ca. 5. nomine non opere A Christian in name not in deed may be called a Christian but is no Christian l Bernard Sentent Christianus as he is haeres nominis Christi so must he be imitator sanctitatis A Christian is heire to the name of Christ and therefore must be a follower of Christ in holinesse A Christian sayth S. Austine if he be the Author of the Booke m Lib. 1. cap. 6. de vita Christianâ A Christian is a name of iustice of goodnesse of integritie of patience of chastitie of prudence of humilitie of courtesie of innocencie of pietie A Christian is he who is a follower of Christ who is holy innocent vndefiled vnspotted in whose brest there is no wickednesse who hurts no man but helpeth all He that can truely say I hate not mine enemies I doe good to them that hurt me I pray for them that persecute me I doe wrong to no body I liue iustly with all men hic Christianus est he is a Christian But if in the profession of Christianitie a man liues the life of a Heathen the name of a Christian shall doe him no pleasure If he take delight in the n Galat. 5.19 workes of the flesh in adulterie fornication vncleannesse laciuiousnesse drunkennesse hatred variance wrath strife or any like sinne God will forsake him the holy Angels will flie him the blessed Saints will detest him the Reprobate shall bee his companie the Deuils his fellowes hell his inheritance his soule a nest of scorpions his bodie a dungeon of foule spirits and at last both bodie and soule shal eternally burne in fire vnquencheable Wherefore dearely beloued suffer a word of exhortation o Ecclus. 21.1.2.3 Haue you sinned Doe so no more Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent For if you come too neere it it will bite you the teeth thereof are as the teeth of a Lyon slaying the soules of men So sayth Ecclus chap. 21.2 Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent Sinne It s like a leauen that will leauen the whole lumpe It s like a scab that will infect the whole flocke It s like
the poore whatsoeuer he be The commandement concerning him is Levit. 25.35 If thy brother be waxen poore and fallen into decay with thee then thou shalt relieue him yea though he be a stranger or a soiourner It is repeated Deut. 15.7 If there be among you a poore man thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from him But f Deut. 15.11 Matth. 5.42 Luc. 6.34 thou shalt open thine hand wide vnto him and shalt lend him g vers 8. sufficient for his neede Such is the commandement Doe men regard it Doe they not rather harden their hearts and shut their hands against the poore Do they not h Prou. 22.22 rob them i Ezech. 22.29 vexe them k Amos 4.1 oppresse them crush them Doe they not euen now as bad as the Israeliâ—es in my text did Do they not sell the poore for siluer for shoes for a trifle Doe they not euen now pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore If they doe so the Lord is ready to doe them right and to punish such as oppresse them For so much God vndertaketh Amos 4.2 where to such as oppresse the poore and crush the needie the Lord God hath sworne by his holinesse that loe the dayes shall come vpon them wherein he will take them away with hookes and their posteritie with fish-hookes This Salomon by the spirit full well knew and therefore Prou. 22.22 aduising vs not to robbe the poore brings this for a motiue vers 23. The Lord will plead the cause of the poore and will spoyle the soule of those that spoyle them And chap. 23.11 disswading vs from wronging of the poore he brings the like motiue Their redeemer is mighty hee shall plead their cause with you You see now God pleadeth the cause of the poore whatsoeuer he be But against whom doth he plead it My doctrine saith the Cruell the Couetous and Oppressors These are they whom the holy Spirit in this place taxeth Their cruelty and couetousnes were touched vers the 6. They sold the righteous the poore This was Cruelty They sold them for siluer and for shoes this was Couetousnesse Those two Cruelty and Couetousnes ioyned togither make Oppression which is the sinne reproued in the beginning of this 7. verse They pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore With these the Cruell the Couetous and Oppressors the Lord hath a l Hos 4.1 controuersie against these hee m Micah 6.2 pleadeth First He pleadeth against the Cruell Against the Chaldeans Esai 47.5 6. Sit thou silent and get thee into darknes O daughter of the Chaldeans thou shalt be no more called the Lady of kingdomes For thou didst shew my people no mercy thou hast very heauily laid the yoke vpon them Secondly He pleadeth against the Couetous Against the men of Iudah Esai 3.14 15. Yee haue eaten vp the vineyard the spoyle of the poore is in your houses What meane ye that ye beat my people to peeces and grinde the faces of the poore Thirdly He pleadeth against the Oppressors Against the heads of Israel Micah 3.3 Ye eat the flesh of my people and flay their skin from off them yee breake their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot as flesh within the cauldron Thus far of the doctrine God pleadeth the cause of the poore against the cruell the couetous and oppressors Now let vs see what benefit we may make hereof vnto our selues for our further instruction and the amendment of our liues First Doth God plead the cause of the poore against the cruell the couetous oppressors This may serue to reproue the cruel the couetous the oppressors of this age With vs now it is as once it was with the state of Israel Cruelty and Couetousnesse much worse then nettles and brambles haue ouer-run our land These two Cruelty and Couetousnesse that boundlesse this vnsatiable like the two daughters of the horsleech Prov. 30.15 haue bin so long vsed to cry Giue Giue that they will neuer be brought to say It is enough The first borne of these two Cruelty and Couetousnes is Oppression that loud-crying sinne vnder which this our land in euery corner almost groneth and shee hath her mates too Vsurie and Extortion All these Crueltie Couetousnesse Oppression Vsurie and Extortion walke hand in hand and seeke about like that n 1. Pet. 5.8 roaring Lyon the Deuill of whom they are begotten whom they may deuoure Many God knowes they haue deuoured already but that contents them not Dearely beloued how shall I worke in you a loathing a detestation of these foule sins Can I do it better then by setting before your eyes the deformitie and vglines of the men in whom they raigne And who are they will you haue their character and picture It is drawne by Salomon Prou. 30.14 There is saith he a generation a generation of men whose teeth are as swords and their o Iob 29.17 iawes as kniues to deuoure the poore from off the earth and the needie from among men They are as Dauids Lyons Psal 57.4 Their teeth are speares and arrowes and their tongue a sharpe sword They are as the kine of Bashan Amos 4.1 Oppressors of the poore crushers of the needy See you not in the shape of men Monsters Kine Lyons with teeth like speares and arrowes with iawes like kniues with tongues like swords Will you yet conuerse with them will you haue any further fellowship any further acquaintance with them You will say How shall we shun them vnlesse we more particularly know who they are Behold therefore a Catalogue of them out of a p Râ—inold vpon Obadiah pag. 84. learned and iudicious Diuine They are such as eat and deuoure vs vp with Vsurie such as spoile vs by monopolies by engrossing by false wares by subtile bargainâ—s such as wrong vs by enclosing of Commons such as wring vs by enhaunsing of rents such as rob the Church in pulling away the maintenance of the Ministers thereof in possessing their right in appropriating or deteining their tithes such as thrust husbandmen out of their liuings in their steed place a shepheard with his dog such as ioyne q Esa 5.8 house to house land to land liuing to liuing as though they meant aloâ—e to liue vpon the earth These are they whose character and picture I but now shewed vnto you men will you call them men nay monsters of men kine of Bashan Lyons whose teeth iawes and tongues are as speares and arrowes and kniues and swords to eate deuoure the needy and the poore These are they whom you commonly call deuouring Caterpillers greedie Cormâ—rants cruell Cambals and not amisse So vnsatiable are they and such merci-lesse man-eaters hated of all good people and r Psal 5.6 abhorred of God What can be the end of these men Shall not the day come wherein dogs shall licke their bloud as once
sword them and all their people and tooke their Cities all their Cities and vtterly destroyed the men the women and the litle ones of euery Citie they left none aliue They destroyed their fruit from aboue and their rootes from beneath These famous victories gotten by Israel ouer those two mighty Kings are described Num. 21. and Deut. 2. 3. Is Israel now the conqueror Is it the sword of Israel that smiteth Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan them and their people their men women and litle ones How then is it that the Lord in my text takes it to himselfe and saith I destroyed the Amorite I destroyed his fruit from aboue and his rootes from beneath The answer is easie Israel indeed smote the Amorites but it was by the power of the Lord not by any power of their owne Moses confesseth it of Sihon King of the Amorites Deut. 2.33 The Lord our God deliuered him vnto vs and we smote him and his sonnes and all his people He confesseth it likewise of Og King of Bashan Deut. 3.3 The Lord our God deliuered into our hands Og the King of Bashan and all his people and we smote him vntill none was left to him remayning Israel could not smite till God had deliuered God first deliuered then Israel smote Israel smote the Amorites not by any power of their owne they did it by the power of the Lord. And what is done by the power of the Lord may well be said to be done by the Lord. In regard hereof it is that the Psalmist Psal 135.10 ascribeth the victorie whereof we now speake immediatly vnto God Whatsoeuer the Lord pleased that did he in Heauen and in Earth in the Seas and in all deepe places He smote great Nations and slew mighty Kings Sihon King of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan and all the kingdomes of Canaan And gaue their land for an heritage euen an heritage vnto Israel his people The like he doth in the next Psalme and in the like words Psal 136.17 O giue thanks vnto the Lord To him which smote great Kings and slew famous Kings Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan and gaue their land for an heritage euen for an heritage vnto Israel his seruant In both Psalmes you see the destruction of the Amorite ascribed to God himselfe and his sole power So is it Psal 78.55 but more generally The Lord He cast out the heathen before Israel he cast out the Amorites and made the Tribes of Israel to dwell in their Tabernacles But no where so plainely is this great worke of casting out the Amorites and other the heathen before Israel attributed vnto God as Psal 44. There the people of God groning vnder their affliction in the middest of their enemies doe thus begin their confession vers 1. We haue heard with our eares O God our fathers haue told vs what worke thou diddest in their dayes in the times of old What this worke was they expresse vers 2. Thou diddest driue out the Heathen with thine hand Thou with thy hand didst driue out the Amorites and other the Heathen and in their roomes didst plant our fore-fathers This was a great worke and it was Gods worke That it was Gods worke and his alone they yet further acknowledge vers 3. Our forefathers they got not the land in possession by their owne sword neither did their owne arme saue them but thy right hand and thine arme and the light of thy countenance O God did stablish them God was all in all in the ouerthrow of the Amorites and the rest of the Heathen By his strength by his might by his power onely were they ouerthrowne And therefore albeit Israel smote with the sword Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan them and their people their men their women and their litle ones sith they did it onely by the strength might and power of the Lord the Lord in my text doth rightly challenge the whole glory of this ouerthrow vnto himselfe saying first I destroyed the Amorite before them and againe I destroyed his fruit from aboue and his roots from beneath From hence we may take a profitable lesson It s this Though God vse meanes for the performance of his counsels yet the accomplishment and glory of them belongeth to him alone This truth is so euident that it needs no further proofe Israel the people of Israel they were the meanes which God vsed for the performance of his counsels vpon the Amorites euen to destroy them and to roote them out from being a people but the accomplishment and the glory of that great worke was the Lords alone The people of Israel had they had much ado to ouercome their enemies the Amorites they might happily haue imputed somewhat to their owne force They might haue said Shewed we not great power in the battle Behaued we not our selues like men Did not we fight valiantly But when their enemies were driuen like chaffe with the winde when they who earst were stour and strong were tall as the Cedars and strong as the Okes when they should extraordinarily be dismaide should haue no more heart then a silly sheepe hath but should be scattered at the first onset should be so cowardly as that their enemies might at their pleasure slay them till they were weary of slaying them what can be said of it what can be thought of it This is all The Lord who is Lord of battels though he vse meanes for the performance of his counsels and for the atchieving of his victories yet will he haue the accomplishment and the glory of all to be peculiar vnto himselfe Thus is my doctrine illustrated Though God vse meanes for the performance of his counsels yet the accomplishment and glory of them belongeth to him alone The reason hereof is because all power is Gods and whatsoeuer power man hath to execute or performe what the counsell of the Lord hath appointed it s all deriued from God The vse is to teach vs to yeeld God the honor of all the victories that he giueth vs against our enemies The honor of all victories must be his When I say all victories I meone not onely the victories of Princes when they make warre or winne a battell in the field but euen our priuate victories too as when we haue bin assailed by some particular man and are escaped from his hands this is a victorie and the honor of it must be the Lords If a neighbour an vnkinde neighbour hath done vs any wrong or hath put vs to some trouble we are deliuered from it we must assure our selues it is God that hath giuen vs the vpper hand to the end that we should alwaies haue our mouthes open to giue him thanks for it This must we doe but this is not all We must with the mouth giue thanks to God for giuing vs the vpper hand against those that haue
m Geverharl Elmenhorst com ad Minutium Felicem pag. 41. Salisberiensis in his first Booke de nugis cvrial cap. 10. call Egypt Matrem superstitionis the mother of superstition For as n Tom. 5. pag. 170. c. S. Hierome in his Comment vpon Esay 45. witnesseth Neuer was there any Nation so giuen to Idolatrie or worshipped such a number of monsters as Egypt did This notorious superstition and Idolatrie of the Egyptians so much spoken of by Christian writers and others is also in the sacred volumes of Holy writ censured and controlled In Exod. 12.12 the meanacing of the Lord is against them Against all the Gods of Egypt I will execute iudgment I the Lord. The gods of Egypt that is the Images and the Idoles which the Egyptians adored and worshipped Concerning which o De quadraginta duabus mansionibus Mans 2 Tom. 3. pag. 42. S. Hierome in an Epistle of his to Fabiola reporteth out of the Hebrew writers that in very same night the Children of Israel departed out of Egypt all the Temples of Egypt were ouerthrowne siue terrae motu siue iactu fulminum either with earth quakes or thunderbolts These Hebrew writers say further eâdem nocte lignea idola putrefacta fuisse metallica resoluta fusa lapidea comminuta that in the same night all the wooden Images were rotten all the mettall Images were dissolued and moulten all the stone Images were broken If so it were it was doubtlesse a great worke a great iudgement of God vpon those Egyptian monsters In Esay 19.1 their confusion is againe foretold Behold saith the Prophet the Lord rideth vpon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt and the Idoles of Egypt shall moue at his presence and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it Where the Idoles of Egypt are the heart of Egypt They are called the heart of Egypt because the heart of the Egyptians did wholy depend vpon them for reliefe and succour The Lord rideth vpon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt and the Idoles of Egypt shall moue at his presence and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it The Idols of Egypt shall moue and melt at the presence of the Lord. In Ierem. 43.13 their desolation is likewise denounced There the Lord threatneth to send Nabuchadnezzar the K. of Babylon his seruant into Egypt What shall he doe there He shall breake the Images of Bethshemesh that is in the land of Egypt and the houses of the Gods of the Egyptians shall be burnt with fire Thus you see it confirmed not onely by Christian writers and others but also by the sacred volumes of holy Scripture that the Egyptians were a superstitious and an Idolatrous people Superstitious were they and Idolatrous Happie then wast thou O Israell that the Lord brought thee vp from the land of Egypt Liue in Egypt thou couldst not with a good conscience nor would the Egyptians willingly suffer thee to worship God otherwise then themselues did To haue worshipped as they did must needs haue beene a Hell vnto thy soule and to haue done otherwise must needs haue brought certaine daunger to thine outward estate Acknowledge it therefore for a great benefit and blessing of God vpon thee that he brought thee vp from the land of Egypt God in reckoning vp this fauour of his his bringing vp Israel out of the land of Egypt teacheth vs what an intollerable thing it is to liue among Idolaters and what a speciall fauour it is to be deliuered from amongst them And this should stir vs vp to a thankfull recognition of Gods goodnesse towards vs who hath deliuered the Church wherein we liue from the Babylonish and Romish Idolatrie wherein our auncestors were nus-led and trained vp to worship and adore not the true and liuing God but Angels and Saints damned â—â—â—les it may be silver and gold stocks and stones Images and Idoles and what not From such grosse and palpable Idolatry we are by Gods goodnesse deliuered and now doe as a long time we haue done enioy the bright Sunne-shine of the p 1. Tim. 1 11. glorious Gospell of the blessed God our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Being now deliuered from the q Colos 1.13 power of darknesse vnder Antichrist and translated into the light of Christs Gospell Let it be our daily care for it is our dutie to walke worthy the light h Ephes 5.8 as children of light to walke in truth Ep. 3. Ioh. ver 3. to walke in loue Colos 5.2 to walke in newnesse of life Rom. 6.4 to walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 If we walke after the flesh we shall mind the things of the flesh we shall be carnally minded and our end shall be death but if we walke after the spirit we shall mind the things of the spirit we shall be spiritually minded and our end shall be life and peace The choise is not difficult Life is better then death If you chuse life you must abandon and forsake the i Gal. 5.19 workes of the flesh which cause death Adulterie fornication vncleannesse lasciuiousnesse k Vers 20. hatred variance emulations wrath strife l Vers 21. envyings murthers drunkennesse revellings vsurie extortion oppression and such like are workes of the flesh and doe shut you out from life Yet may life be yours if you will be m Vers 18. led by the spirit n Vers 22. Loue ioy peace long suffering gentlâ—nesse goodnesse fayth meeknesse temperance are the fruit of the spirit Let these dwell among you and life shall be yours The God of life shall giue it you Hitherto you haue the first respect why it was beneficiall good for the people of Israel that they were brought vp from the land of Egypt It was good for them because the people of the land were superstitious and idolatrous and among such there is no good liuing The other respect now followeth It was beneficiall and good for the people of Israel that they were brought vp from the land of Egypt because the people of the land were full of crueltie and held Israel in subiection and seruitude Egypt was long a harbour to the Israelites but at length it prooued a Gaole vnto them The posteritie of Iacob finds too late what it was for their forefathers to sell Iacob a slaue into Egypt There arose vp a new Pharaoh a new king ouer Egypt he knew not Ioseph Then then were the Israelites contemned as drudges o Exod. 1.11 Task masters must be set ouer them to afflict them with their burdens Why so How had they offended They prospered too fast For thus sayth Pharaoh to his people Exod. 1.9 Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier then we Come on let vs deale wisely with them lest they multiplie and it come to passe that when there falleth out any warre they ioyne also v to our enemies and fight
for Nazirites Is it not euen thus O yee children of Israel I the Lord aske you the question Is it not thus The points of doctrine from hence to be collected are diuers 1. God will haue the blessings and benefits which he bestoweth vpon vs euer to be had in remembrance 2. We must acknowledge that whatsoeuer good we haue we haue it from the Lord. 3. The blessings which God bestoweth vpon vs are nothing inferiour to those he bestowed vpon the Israelites I make this plaine by a briefe collation of the blessings bestowed by the Lord vpon them and vs. The Lord brought Israel out of Aegypt the house of bondage with a mighty hand and he ouerthrew Pharaoh in the red sea the same Lord hath deliuered vs from as great a bondage hath freed vs from the house of Hell and hath spoyled that infernall Pharaoh the Deuill The Lord gaue vnto the Israelites the land of the Amorites for their possession when he had driuen out the Amorites from before their face the same Lord hath giuen vs a good land for our possession and hath from out our Churches expulsed the spirituall Amorite Antichrist Balaam of Rome The Lord raised vp vnto Israel of their sonnes for Prophets the same Lord hath raised vp vnto vs of our sonnes for Prophets he giues vs orthodoxall and sound interpreters of his holy word and Pastors to declare vnto vs what his sacred will is The Lord raised vp vnto Israel of their yong men for Nazirites the same Lord hath giuen vs Schooles and Nurseries of good literature for the trayning vp of our yong men as Nazirites in knowledge and in piety yea he hath giuen vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one most holy Nazirite euen Christ Iesus in whom he maketh vs all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Nazirites that is Christians sanctifying vs by his Holy Spirit in Baptisme wherein we promised to forsake the Deuill and all his workes and to giue vp our selues wholy to the obedience and seruice of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Haec frequenter seriò cogitemus fratres Dearely beloued let vs frequently seriously thinke of these things So shall we the more esteeme Gods benefits bestowed vpon vs and shall the lesse abuse them and shall the longer enioy them Which God of his infinite mercy grant vnto vs through Iesus Christ our Lord. THE XVII LECTVRE AMOS 2.12 But yee gaue the Nazirites wine to drinke and commaunded the Prophets saying Prophecie not IN this propheticall Sermon written by Amos concerning the Israelites I haue heretofore in my eight Lecture vpon this Chapter obserued foure principall parts A Reprehension An Enumeration An Exprobation and A Commination The first is a reproofe of Israell for sinne vers 6.7.8 The second a recitall of the benefits which God hath bestowed vpon Israel vers 9.10.11 The third a twyting of Israel with their vnthankefulnesse vers 12. The fourth a threatning of punishment to befall them from the 13. verse to the end of the Chapter Of the two former the Reprehension and the Enumeration you haue at sundry times alreadie heard Now are we to proceed to the Exprobation conteined in the words at this time read vnto you For our easier vnderstanding whereof we are to cast backe an eye vpon those benefits which in the precedent verses are mentioned to haue beene bestowed by the Lord vpon his people Israel They were either Corporall or Spirituall Corporall as the destruction of the Amorites before the Israelites and for their sakes vers 9. their deliuerance out of Egypt their protection and preseruation in the wildernesse for fortie yeares together that at length they might possesse the land of the Amorite vers 10. And Spirituall as the doctrine of the sincere worship of God and of eternall saluation together with the free vse and passage thereof expressed vers 11. by the raising vp of their sonnes for Prophets and of their yong men for Nazirites These were very great benefits and worthy all thankfull acknowledgement But the people of Israel were so farre from giuing thankes for them that they a Ruffinus vilely esteemed them and too too contemptuously reiected them This appeareth in this 12. verse which I therefore call an Exprobration an vpbraiding or twyting of Israel with the foulnesse of their b Albertus Magnus ingratitude Two things here are said vnto their charge one is Their solliciting the Nazirites to breake their vow The other is their hindering the Prophets in the execution of their function The first in these words yee gaue the Nazirites wine to drinke The second in these yee commaunded the Prophets saying Prophecie not Of these in their order The first is their solliciting the Nazirites to breake their vow Ye gaue the Nazarites wine to drinke Of the name of Nazirites and of their institution I spake in my last exercise out of this place I will not now spend time vpon the repetition of that I then deliuered It shall suffice if I adde but a word or two for the further illustration thereof The c Babington in Num 6. Nazirites had their name of Nazar which signifieth to separate They were yong men separate from the ordinarie course of men and bound to a certaine peculiar course and profession of life They were Ecclesiae ornamenta sayth d Harmon in 4 〈◊〉 Moses Calvin ornaments of the Church and God would in them as in a glasse make his honor and glorie in some sort to appeare They were quasi pretiosae gemmae to shine as rich Iewels among the people of God They were tanquam signiferi ante signani duces as standard-bearers ring-leaders and chiefetaines to shew the way of diuine worship vnto others Singular was the honor and dignitie of this order and calling of Nazirites Ieremie in his Lamentations chap. 4.7 thus sets them forth Her Nazirites were purer then snow they were whiter then milke they were more ruddie in body then Rubies they were like polished Saphyres The author of this order and calling is God This appeareth by the verse next before my text There the Lord hath sayd I haue raised vp of your yong men for Nazirites The first branch of the Law that concerneth this order and calling is accurately described Num 6.3 4. Whosoeuer shall vow the vow of a Nazirite he shall absteine from wine and strong drinke he shall drinke no vineger of wine or vineger of strong drinke neither shall be drinke any liquor of grapes nor eate moist grapes nor dried All the dayes of his Naziriteship shall he eate nothing that is made of the vine tree from the kernels euen to the huske These Nazirites for the time of their Naziriteship were to apply themselues wholy to the studie of the law of God and therfore was abstinence from wine and strong drinke enioyned them God would haue them refraine all things that might trouble the braine stirre vp lust and make them vnfitly disposed for so holy a studie of
non debetis ye ought not to be ignorant of this that the amitie of the world is enmitie with God and that whosoeuer is a friend of the world he is the enemie of God I may adde yea and of the Godly too Hereto agreeth that demaund of S. Paul 2. Cor. 6.14.15 What fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse What communion hath light with darknesse What concord hath Christ with Belial God is righteous the world is wicked and g 1. John 5.19 lieth altogether in sinne therefore there can be no fellowship betweene God and the world God is h 1. I haâ— 1.5 light he is the i Iam. 1.17 Father of lights in him there is no darkenesse at all The world what is it but k Ephe. 5.8 darknesse what but a receptacle of the vnfruitfull l Vers 11. workes of darkenesse therefore there can bee no communion betweene God and the world Christ is holy altogether holy and immaculate Belial is wicked he is the Prince of wickednesse therefore there can be no concord betweene Christ and Belial Now if there can be no fellowship if no communion betweene God and the world can we looke there should be any fellowship any communion betweene Saints worldlings betweene the godly and the wicked betweene such as loue God and such as loue the wâ—rld If there be no concord betweene Christ and Belial can we expect there should be any concord betweene true Christians and Belialists betweene the followers of Christ and the sonnes of Belial It cannot be expected These whom I call Belialists or the sonnes of Beliall worldlings and the wicked are such as loue the world the other whom I call true Christians or followers of Christ Saints the godly are such as loue God The repugnancie that is betweene the qualities of these two is elegantly deliuered in holy writ The louers of God are m Rom. 8.14 Galat. 5.18 led by the Spirit of God they n Galat. 5.16 walke in the Spirit and bring forth the o Vers 22.23 fruits thereof as loue ioy peace long-suffering gentlenes goodnes faith meekenes temperance and such like but they that loue the world are invested with p Ver. 19.20.21 adulterie fornication vncleannesse lasciuiousnesse Idolatrie witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murthers drunkennesse revellings and such like What greater repugnancie can there be then this Againe they that loue God are q 2. Tim. 2.22 of pure hearts and of r 1. Tim. 1.5 good consciences they Å¿ Coloss 1.22 present themselues holy vnblameable and vnreproueable in the sight of God they serue the Lord t Johan 4.23 in Spirit and in truth but they that loue the world are of u Psal 14.1 And 53.1 corrupt hearts of x Tit. 1.15 defiled minds and consciences their works are y Psal 14.1 abominable they are z Psal 58.3 deceitfull from the wombe they are altogether a Psal 14.3 become filthy their seruice of God is but a flattering of him for they b Psal 78.36 lye vnto him with their double tongue What greater repugnancie can there be then this Once more They that loue God cast all their c 1. Pet. 5.7 care vpon him they are d Vers 8. sober and vigilant for they know that their aduersarie the Deuill as a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whom he may deuour but they that loue the world like the foole in the Psalme e Psal 14.1 53.1 10.4 say in their heart there is no God Sobrietie they care not for vigilancie they will none of it f Philip. 3.19 Minding earthly things glutted with the pleasure thereof their sole care is g Rom. 16.18 to serue their owne belly h Philip. 3.19 their God is their belly their glory is their shame their end is damnation What greater repugnancie can there be then this Will it now please you to collect with me the qualities of the wicked the sonnes of Belial worldlings such as loue the world are wholy repugnant and contrary to the qualities of the Godly the followers of Christ Saints such as loue God and therefore there can be no agreement betweene them No better then was betweene Cain and Abel And that you know was bad enough For Cain slew Abel And wherefore slew he him S. Iohn giues you the reason 1. Epist 3.12 Because his owne workes were euill and his brothers righteous Thus farre of the hatred of the wicked against the Godly the true reason of my doctrine which was The wicked are euermore in a readinesse to doe all the disgrace and despite they can not onely to the true Prophets of the Lord and his Ministers but also to the true seruants of God of what vocation estate or condition soeuer they be Let vs now make some vse of that which hath beene hitherto deliuered for the bettering and the amendment of our sinfull liues First the Ministers of Gods word may from hence learne not to take it vnto heart if such as are bound by the Law of God and nature and by all good order to yeeld them due loue and reuerence shall in pride and contempt insult ouer them to disgrace and to despite them They may well remember that it s neither great nor new nor rare thing that they meete with such course entertainement in the world forasmuch as they cannot be ignorant that the world hateth them And what if the world hate them Shall they therefore be altogether dejected They need not For Christ giues them encouragement and comfort Iohn 15.18 If the world hate you yee know that it hated me before it hated you The argument is drawen ab exemplo from Christs owne example The world hateth mee you know it to be so you see it It needes not then to be any disparagement to you if it hate you it hated me before it hated you Cur ergo se membrum supra verticem extollit S. Austine propounds the question Tract 88. in Iohannem Why doth a member extoll it selfe aboue the head Recusas esse in corpore si non vis odium mundi sustinere cum capite thou refusest to be in the bodie if thou wilt not with the head susteine the hatred of the world A second argument of encouragement and comfort to vs against the hatred of the world is drawne from the nature of the world vers 19. If ye were of the world the world would loue his owne but because ye are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you This argument is euident euen to the common sense of men who cannot but know that betweene contraries there is no agreement and betweene men of vnlike qualities no full consent of minds It is then as if Christ had thus said The world loues none but his owne none but those that are addicted deuoted and wholy giuen ouer to it but
59 Sixtus the fourth 157 Sobrietie 286 Sonnes 265 The eldest Sonnes prerogatiue 14 13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 28 The Spanish inuasion 298 Stand before the Lord. 363 Stature 233 Our States of regeneration and election 11 Stratonice 149 Stwes in Rome 157 patronised ibid confuted 158 Swift of foote 359 T Testament the Old 53 the New ibid. Thankefulnesse in doggs 207 in Lyons 208 An exhortation to Thankefulnes 211 Three and foure Transgressions 57. 116 Thunder 295 Tiglath Pileser 372 The Translations of the Scriptures into vulgar tongues withstood by Papists 88 their exceptions ibid. Treasures of wickednes profit not 71 God is True 6 We must striue to be True as God is True 11 Trust not in wealth nor in any wordly helpe 220 Trust not in externall helps 367 Trust in the Lord. 368. 374 Trust not in man 373 Trumpets vsed in warre 40. 41 God is Truth in himselfe in his words and in his workes 6 We must be thankefull to God for our knowledge of the Truth 8 We must striue to represent God in Truth 10. 12 A Tumult 40 An exhortation to Turne to the Lord 46 Tydeus 234 Tyrannie 253 V The execution of Vengeance proper to the Lord. 33. Victories 239 Vilages depopulated 193 Vnthankefulnesse 205. 211 Odious before God 205. 211 forbidden 206 reprehended ibid punished 209 Vsurie 133 W To walke 84 how we are to walke 249 The Water 296 Warre the executioner of Gods vengeance 41 A Way taken properly figuratiuely 137 Wealth trust not in it 220 The wicked man 235 Wildernesse of Etham 254 of Shur 256 The Winde 297 Wine allowed 181 to be auoided 184 forbidden to the Nazirites 285 to Priests 286 to Kings 285 Wine giuen to the condemned 186 of the condemned ibid The abuse of Wine 181 A Woman of Munster 88 An english Woman 89 The Word of God praised 16 272 magnified 54 55 not to be declined from 85 to be embraced with diligence 87 compared to a lampe or light 86 We must be thankefull for hauing the Word of God 87 The Church of Rome with-holds the Word of God ibid The Workes of God internall and externall 7 Z Zacheus 201 232 Zedechiah K. of Iudah 97. FINIS A Commentary OR EXPOSITION VPON THE THIRD Chapter of the Prophecie of AMOS Deliuered In XVII Sermons in the Parish Church of MEYSEY-HAMPTON in the Diocesse of Glocester BY SEBASTIAN BENEFIELD Doctor of Diuinitie 2 COR. 12.14 I seeke not yours but you LONDON ¶ Printed by John Hauiland and are to be sold by Hugh Perry at the Harrow in Britaines Burse 1629. A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPALL THINGS contained in the Exposition of the third Chapter of the Prophecie of AMOS A ABimelech 184 Absolom 309 Actions of God 297 Adouai 146 Affliction of the Lord. 142. 281 Alexander the Great 212 All. 30 Ashdod 180 Azotus 181 B BEnefits temporall remember 17 Benefits vpon Israel 24 Bethel 289. 292 Bethschemites 240 Builders Of houses 307 Of Babel 307. 308 Building stately 306 C CAlamities from God 281 Cham. 182 Children 4 Choise of God 22 Christ patient 286 Citie 140 Cloysters 214 Cockatrice 98 Comminations 61 Conuersion 213 D DAuid patient 286 Decree of God 76 Deuill a fowler 78 Discord 76. â—â— 97 Diuinitie 131 E EGypt 182 Election of God 22 Enemies their reproaches 183 Euill two wayes 134 Two kindes 135 F FAith 265 266 Foole the Atheist 312 The rich man 309 310 311 A Fox 98 The Fowler 73 G GEdeon 240 Gilgal 292 The Grace of God 76 God A Fowler 79 A Lion 59. 61 God he is good 133 His Name 130 Seeth all 214 God of Hosts 258 259 260 Of Sabaoth 258 c. God the principall Agent 298. 300 The goodnes of God generall 133 Speciall 133 H HEare the word of God 8 Hearers of the word 265. 270 Of diuers sorts 13 Hearing twofold 265 Heart to be kept 101 Our Hearts our houses 312 Hosts God of Hosts 258. c. Houses spirituall 312 Stately 306 I IDolatrie Iehouah 130 131 Iehouih 147 Ignorance of God 199 Instruments how regarded 299 300 c. Iob. 299 His patience 286 Israel Prerogatiues 23 K To KNow 21 2â— Knowledge of God 19. 21 199 Knowen of God 2â— L LEauen 9â— Lions roaring 5â— Their names 16â— Comparisons from them 59 60. 16 M MAgistrates 213 Man 77 A Fowler 79 A Lion 60 Ministers their calling 240 Mitzraijm 18â— N NAmes of God 130 Numbers changed 290 P PAlaestina 180 Patience in trouble 285 Whence 286 Places of Idols 291. 292 Poore rich mens barnes 309 Powder Traitors 214 Power all of God 283 Prophets 42 Prouidence of God 75. 80 Of two sorts 81 Generall 81 Speciall 84 Particular 86 Ouer his Church 85 Punishment all of God 31 The Author of it 136 Euill of punishment 135. 139 God punisheth all sinne 34 His owne seruants 33 R REligion true 294 295 Rich man his barnes 309 S SAbaoth God of Sabaoth 258 c. Samaria 191 Saul 184 Scripture praised 130 Selfe-killing a sinne 185 Serpent 98 Shimei 299 Similitudes 75 Sinne Euill of sinne 135 Sinners 76 Smite God smiteth 16 Snare 74. 76 Snares Of Punishment 78 Of Sinne. ibid. Sodome 281 282 Sonnes 6 T THreatnings of God not in vaine 61 Accomplished 63 Absolute 65 Conditionall 66 Tongue to be tamed 99 Troubles from God 281 Endured with patience 285 286 c. Trumpeters 42 Trumpets 117 V VAriance 76. 94. 97 Visit 29 Our Visitations of God 281 God visiteth for euill 278 279 For good 278 279 In iudgement 278 279 Vzzah 240 W WAlke with God 47 Watchmen 43. 117 Water of bitternesse 98 Will of God is one 69 Word of God a Iewell 25. 45 To be heard 8 Appropriate to the Iewes 27 A two-edged sword 106 Effectuall 94. 102. 105 Y YOungling of Babylon 99 Yuorie houses 303. 304 Z ZEchariah 4 Zerubhabel 4 THE First Lecture AMOS 3.1 Heare this word that the Lord hath spoken against you O children of Israel against the whole family which I brought vp from the land of Aegypt saying You onely haue I knowne of all the families of the earth therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities HAuing heretofore by the gracious assistance of the Almighty finished my Exposition vpon the first and second Chapters of this Prophesie of Amos I doe now aduenture vpon the third in a sure hope and confidence of the continuance of the same assistance vnto me not doubting but that the Lord will enable me to goe forward in this course if he shall see it to be to his glory and to the good of his Church This third Chapter is Amos his second Sermon against the Kingdome of the ten Tribes the Kingdome of Israel It was made as it seemeth when their then King Ieroboam sonne of Ioash the thirteenth King of Israel though wicked for his life yet happy in warre had vanquished and subdued many of the Syrians and had recouered the coast of Israel from the a 2 King 14.25 entring of Hamath vnto the
cost they like not the charges it bringeth with it O let not any such repiner any such grudger be found in the assembly of the Saints Such if they conferre any thing to the maintenance of the Ministery they doe it not for conscience sake but of necessity not for any loue they beare vnto the Word preached but by compulsion of Law not as a free will offering to God for the recompence of his Kingdome among them but as a taxation which they cannot resist To such the preaching of the Word is not a benefit but a burthen So farre are they from taking any delight therein as that by their good wills they would wholly shake and shift it off Carnally minded men carelesse and prodigall of the saluation of their owne soules The horse-keeper that dresseth their horses the shepheard that watcheth their sheepe the heardman that looketh to their swine the Cobler that clouteth their shooes shall willingly be considered for their paines but the Minister or Pastor that breaketh vnto them the bread of life shall haue no supply from them to the releefe of his necessities No supply Nay well were he if he could hold his owne euen that portion of maintenance which is allotted to him by the Word of God But I hope there cannot be found in this assembly any one so sacrilegiously affected I haue good reason to be perswaded much better of you all Yet you as well affected as you are in this behalfe are to be admonished that to these exercises of our religion ye come willingly and ioyfully Willingly for your owne duties sake and ioyfully because from hence you may carry home with you a Iewell of an inualuable price euen the precious Word of God wherein quicquid docetur veritas quicquid praecipitur bonitas quicquid promittitur felicitas est as Hugo lib. 3. de Anima speaketh Whatsoeuer is taught its truth whatsoeuer is commanded its goodnesse whatsoeuer is promised its happinesse Nam Deus veritas est sine fallaciâ bonitas sine malitiâ felicitas sine miseriâ for God is truth without falshood goodnesse without malice happinesse without misery O come ye then hither as willingly for your duties sake so also ioyfully for your profits sake Willingly and ioyfully It is somewhat I grant to come hither to this house of God to diuine seruice but to come willingly and ioyfully it is a double vertue and that which giueth life vnto your comming If you come vnwillingly or grudgingly if you be drawne hither either for shame of the world or through feare of Law you come as men more than halfe dead without either operation of the spirit or desire of profit or feeling of comfort or increase of faith or bettering of obedience Wherefore dearely Beloued let your care be euer willingly and ioyfully to present your selues in these Courts of the Lord in his holy Temple Be ye well assured that as hee is accursed that doth the worke of the Lord negligently so is hee also accursed that commeth into the house of the Lord either vnwillingly or grudgingly as if he were discouraged with the tediousnesse either of the way or of the word It is recorded of the people of God Psal 84. that they trauelling towards the place of Gods worship passed through many dangers endured much heat suffered wants in the wildernesse and all for the delight they tooke in his seruice The delight that they tooke in the seruice of God did swallow vp all their wants their trauell their labour and their paines It made them say A day in thy courts is better than a thousand And I had rather be a doore-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickednesse A day in thy courts is better than a thousand A day one day onely and no more in thy courts in the courts of God in his Temple and the publike meetings and assemblies there is better is more sweet more comfortable more profitable than a thousand elsewhere yea though the place bee neuer so full of pleasure And I had rather be a doore-keeper in the house of my God I had rather be of the meanest account in the Church the place where my God the onely true and euerliuing God is serued than to dwell in the tents of wickednesse than to make my abode in most stately and gorgeous Palaces wherein wickednesse is practised and professed O! how amiable are thy tabernacles O Lord of hosts How excellent was this zeale of Gods people how great their forwardnesse to doe him seruice We would be accounted Gods people as well as they But where is our zeale Were ours as theirs was certainly neither blasts of wind nor feare of raine nor heat of Summer nor cold of Winter nor a Lion in the way nor any like trifle should stop vs from comming to the house of God his Temple the place where by his Ministers he speaketh to his people Thus farre by the occasion of my first obseruation which was grounded vpon the second of those fiue expositions whereof you heard in the beginning of this exercise My obseruation was The Prophets of the Lord cannot forewarne vs of any iudgements that shall befall vs except they be first agreed with God and God speake in them I proceed A second application of this first similitude to the matter here intended by the Holy Ghost may be thus As it cannot be that two should walke together except they be agreed So it cannot be that God should walke with Israel for as much as there is a disagreement betweene them The time indeed was when God walked with Israel and Israel with God Then it was when the people of Israel were desirous to please God to doe his holy will and to depend vpon him But afterward when rebelliously they forsooke God and applied themselues to the seruice of false gods it could not be that God should any longer walke with them or they with God This is the third of those fiue expositions whereof euen now you heard It was the exposition of Albertus Rupertus and Isidore and is embraced by later Expositors by Franciscus Ribera by Petrus Lusitanus by Oecolampadius Danaeus Gualter Tremellius and Iunius and Piscator The obseruation is When man through his euill courses leaueth off to walke with God or forsaketh him then will God no longer walke with man but will also forsake him To walke with God is louingly to adhere vnto him and to please him So is the phrase vsed in the Prophesie of Micah Chap. 6.8 What doth the Lord require of thee O man but to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to humble thy selfe to walke with thy God To walke with thy God that is Ionathan translates it to walke in the worship and feare of God Petrus Lusitanus saith it is to liue according to the Law and will of God And this doubtlesse is to please God It is said of Enoch Gen. 5.22 24. that he walked with God He walked with God that
effect Vnderstand wee therefore that the threatnings and denuntiations of Gods iudgements are either absolute or conditionall If absolute then are they irreuocable and must take effect but if conditionall then vpon humiliation and repentance they will bee changed they will bee altered Absolute was the denunciation that concerned the eating of the forbidden fruit Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die This threatning was absolute and peremptory not to be reuoked If Adam had prayed all his life long that he might not die but returne to his former condition yet the sentence of God had not beene reuersed Peremptory and absolute was that threatning of the Lord against Moses and Aaron Numb 20.12 Because yee beleeue me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I haue giuen them Moses and Aaron both are threatned that they shall neuer enter into the land of Canaan Moses vnderstanding the threat conditionally besought the Lord that hee might goe ouer Iordan into that good land But the Lord was wroth with him and would not heare him but said vnto him Deut. 3.26 Let it suffice thee speake no more vnto me of this matter Speake no more the sentence was peremptory and might not be reuersed As absolute and peremptory was that threatning by Nathan from the Lord vnto Dauid 2. Sam. 12.14 Because by thine adultery thou hast giuen great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the childe also that is borne vnto thee shall surely dye The childe shall surely die Dauids hope was that this threat was but conditionall and therefore with fasting weeping and prayer he besought God for the child and said Who can tell whether God will be gracious vnto mee that the child may liue Yet as the Prophet had denounced the child died So peremptory was the sentence and not to be reuersed So then its euident that some of Gods iudgements denounced against the sonnes of men are absolute and peremptory not to be reuersed Oâ—hers are conditionall to be vnderstood with this exception except they repent and amend The condition is sometimes expressed sometimes it is not The condition is expressed Ierem. 18.7 8. At what instant I shall speake concerning a nation and concerning a Kingdome to plucke vp and to pull downe and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their euill I will repent of the euill that I thought to doe vnto them It is likewise expressed Ezech. 33.14 15. When I say vnto the wicked Thou shalt surely die if he turne from his sinne and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely liue he shall not die Each of these Comminations is with an expresse condition The first was Such a Nation such a Kingdome I will plucke vp I will pull downe I will destroy The Nation the Kingdome performes the condition repenteth and turnes from euill and God reuerseth his sentence I will not plucke vp I will not pull downe I will not destroy it The second was The wicked man shall surely die The wicked man performes the condition repenteth and turnes from euill and God reuerseth his sentence He shall surely liue he shall not diâ— Sometimes the condition is not expressed but onely to be vnderstood So is it Ierem. 26.18 There we reade of Micah the Morushite that he in the daies of Hezekiah King of Iudah prophesied and spake to all the people of Iudah saying Thus saith the Lord of hosts Zion shall be plowed like a field and Ierusalem shall become heapes and the mountaine of the house the high places of a forest Fearefull is the Commination it threatens ruine to their Temple desolation to their City the vtter ouerthrow of their whole Kingdome How did the King and his people hereupon behaue themselues Did they fall into desperation No they did not Did they conclude an impossibility of obtaining pardon Nor did they so How then They conceiuing aright of the commination as fearefull as it was that it was vnto them a Sermon of repentance they feared the Lord they besought the Lord and the Lord repented him of the euill which hee had pronounced against them So was the Commination conditionall though the condition was not expressed The like we meet with Esay 38.1 There is a comminatory message from the Lord vnto the but-now-named Hezekiah Set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not liue The good King conceiues aright of the message that it was no otherwise vnto him than as a Sermon of repentance and therefore he turnes his face vnto the wall prayes and weepes sorely and the Lord repented him of the message he had sent and sends him a new message vers 5. Goe and say to Hezekiah Thus saith the Lord the God of Dauid thy father I haue heard thy prayer I haue seene thy teares behold I will adde vnto thy daies fifteene yeeres And so was the commination conditionall though the condition was not expressed And such is that in the Prophesie of Ionah Chap. 3.4 Yet forty daies and Nineueh shall be ouerthrowne The King of Nineueh though an heathen and an idolatrous King yet conceiues aright of this threat that it was to him and his people no otherwise than a Sermon of repentance The King therefore touched with repentance vnseateth himselfe vnthroneth himselfe commeth as low as the meanest strips himselfe of his kingly robes puts on sack-cloth sits in ashes causeth it to be proclaimed and published through Niniueh that there be a generall fast kept by man and beast that man and beast be couered with sack-cloth and cry mightily vnto God and turne euery one from his euill way and from the violence that is in their hands for saith the King Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that we perish not Who can tell And God saw their workes that they turned from their euill way and God repented of the euill that he had said that he would doe vnto them and he did it not So also was this commination conditionall though the condition was not expressed But why are these and many other threatnings of the Lord against sinners conditionall Why are they with condition of amendment Why is the condition either expressed or suppressed and only inclusiuely vnderstood It s thus First because Repentance if it follow after Gods comminatory sentence pronounced against sinners it procureth forgiuenesse of sin and taketh away the cause of punishment The cause of punishment is sinne remoue the cause and the effect must cease Let sinne be washed away with the teares of vnfained repentance and punishment shall neuer hurt vs. This is it which but euen now you heard out of Ezech. chap. 33.14.15 They were the words of the Lord When I say vnto the wicked Thou shalt surely die if he turne from his sinne and doe that which is lawfull and right
vrge this dutie First from the honour of him that speaketh Secondly from the danger of him that heareth negligently Thirdly from the profit of him that heareth with diligence First the preaching of the word of God is to be harkened vnto with all reuerence for the honours sake of him that speaketh For the honours sake of him that speaketh Why Who is he Is he not some Prophet some Apostle some Priest or Minister one whom wee know to be of meane descent some a Amos 1.1 Heard-man some b Matth. 4.18 Fisher-man some c 1 Thess 2.9 Act. 18 3. Tent-maker some d Matth. 13.55 Carpenters sonne Is not his mother called Mary and his brethren Iames and Ioses and Simon and Iudas And his sisters are they not all with vs How then is it that you vrge vs to giue eare with reuerence to the preaching of the Word for the honours sake of him that speaketh Our blessed Sauiour Christ Iesus vntieth this knot for me He to comfort his Apostles against the time of persecution thus saith vnto them Matth. 10.19 20. Take no thought how or what yee shall speake for it shall be giuen you in the same houre what yee shall speake For it is not yee that speake but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you In the thirteenth of Marke Verse 11. thus It is not yee that speake but the holy Ghost In the twelfth of Luke verse 12. thus The holy Ghost shall teach you in the same houre what yee ought to say Now see It is the Spirit of your Father the Spirit of God the holy Ghost that speaketh in his Ministers Why then yee are with reuerence to giue eare to them when they preach vnto you for the honours sake of him that speaketh Qui vos audit me audit saith Christ vnto his Disciples Luke 10.16 Hee that heareth you heareth mee and hee that despiseth you despiseth me He that heareth you heareth mee It is an admirable and gracious dispensation from God to speake vnto man not in his owne person and by the voice of his thunders and lightnings Exod. 20.18 or with the exceeding loud sound of a trumpet but by Prophets by Apostles by Disciples by Ministers by men of our owne nature flesh of our flesh and bones of our bones by men of our owne shape and language Iames 5.17 by men subiect to the same passions whereto wee are subiect God is hee that speaketh from aboue that blesseth and curseth that bindeth and looseth that exhorteth and disswadeth by the mouth of man For this respect and relations sake betweene God and his Ministers whom it hath pleased of his mercy in some sort to dignifie with the representation of his owne person here vpon the earth the world hath euer held them in very reuerent estimation Remember the Galatians Though Saint Paul preached the Gospell vnto them through infirmitie of the flesh Galat. 4.13 without the honour without the ostentation without the pompe of this world rather as one that studied to bring his person into contempt than otherwise yet were they so farre off from despising or reiecting him that they rather receiued him as an Angell of God yea as Christ Iesus And he bare them record that if it had beene possible they would haue plucked out their owne eyes and haue giuen them to him If it had beene possible that is if Nature and the Law of God had not forbidden it or if it had beene possible that is if they might haue done it sine suo dispendio as Haymo and Remigius doe interpret it if they might haue done it without their owne vtter vndoing or if it had beene possible that is if it might haue beene ad Ecclesiae vtilitatem so speake Aquinas and Gorran if it might haue beene for the good of the Church they would haue plucked out their owne eyes and haue giuen them to Paul Would they haue plucked out their owne eyes Nihil habet quisquam charius oculis suis There is nothing more deare vnto a man than are his eyes And yet if it had beene possible would the Galatians haue plucked out their owne eyes and haue giuen them to Paul When the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron Moses said vnto them Exod. 16.8 The Lord heareth your murmurings which yee murmure against him and what are wee Your murmurings are not against vs but against the Lord. What are we but Serui Ministri the Seruants and Ministers of the Lord Your murmurings are not against vs but against the Lord. This is that which the Lord saith concerning his Prophet Deut. 18.19 Whosoeuer will not harken to the words which hee shall speake in my name Ego vltor existam I will require it of him I will bee his auenger Whereupon Didacus Stella Hominem non debes aspicere sed Deum Enarrat in cap. 10. Lucae qui in eo loquitur Looke not vpon man set not thy thoughts vpon him but vpon God that speaketh in him For the words which hee speaketh hee speaketh in the name of God But say the Preacher bee a naughtie a wicked man what shall I then doe Deum qui per ipsum loquitur debes respicere Thou must haue regard to God that speaketh by him God diuinâ admirabili suâ virtute God of his diuine and maruellous power is able to bring to passe excellent and diuine workes by euill instruments God fed Elias by the ministery of Rauens Rauens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the euening 1 King 17.6 Did Rauens bring him food Cur ita Why so Lord Couldest thou not command Doues and other cleane birds to feed thy Prophet but thou must prouide for him by Rauens Note here the mystery God vseth many times to giue vnto his people the spirituall food of their soules sound and wholesome doctrine by euill and wicked men as he gaue good bread and flesh to Elias by Rauens tu vero comede onely eat thou and receiue thou from the hand of God what he sendeth and be not curious to know whether hee that brings thee thy soules meat be a Rauen or a doue a wicked or a good man so the food hee bringeth thee be sound and come from God By this time you see you are to giue eare with reuerence to the preaching of the word of God for the honours sake of him that speaketh You are now in the second place to be vrged to the performance of this dutie from the danger of him that heareth negligently The danger is great Saint Augustine discouers it by comparing the word of God for the estimation that is to be held of it to the Body of Christ in the Eucharist His words are in the six and twentieth of his fifty Homilies Non minus reus erit qui verbum Dei negligenter audierit quà m qui Corpus Christi in terram cadere suâ negligentiâ permiserit Whosoeuer shall heare the word
fenced wall vpon all the ships of Tarshish and vpon all Pictures of desire the loftinesse of man shall be bowed downe and the haughtinesse of man shall be made low The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day In that day when the Lord shall send a power against a Land for the iniquity thereof all strength shall faile before him This is that we reade Esai 26.5 In the Lord Iehouah is euerlasting strength For he bringeth downe them that dwell on high the lofty City he layeth it low he layeth low euen to the ground he bringeth it euen to the dust There is no strength against him Erit fortitudo vestra vt fauilla stupae your strength shall be as the imbers of tow opus vestrum and the worke of your strength shall be as a sparke they shall both burne together and none shall quench them Esai 1.23 There is no preuailing by strength against the Lord it is the acknowledgement of Hannah in her song of thanksgiuing 1 Sam. 2.9 Our Prophet Amos Chap. 2.14 hath thus deliuered it The strong shall not strengthen his force And thus is my obseruation confirmed No strength shall be able to withstand diuine reuengement One reason is because God ouerthroweth the greatest strength that man can erect euen at his pleasure A second is because there is no strength but it is of God and from God Vastatum superrobustum roborat Amos 5.9 God aboue is he that strengthneth the spoiled against the strong and maketh the spoiled to come with might against the fortresse I will but name the vses One is to teach vs neuer to put any affiance in our owne strength but so to vse all good meanes for our defence that still wee rely vpon the Lord for successe A second is to stop vs from glorying in our strength There is a caueat against it Ierem. 9.23 Let not the strong man glory in his strength If he will needs glory let him glory in the Lord. Let his glorying be in imitation of the royall Prophet Psa 18.2 The Lord is my rocke and my fortresse and my deliuerer my God my strength in whom I will trust my buckler and the horne of my saluation and my high tower The Lord is my strength A third is to admonish vs of a duty of ours which is in trouble sometimes yea alwayes to approach vnto the throne of grace by humble prayer to begge of God his protection against all the assaults of our enemies that they neuer preuaile against vs to take away our strength I am come to my last circumstance the circumstance of the spoile in these words Et diripientur palatia tua And thy palaces shall be spoiled The Vulgar Latine saith Diripientur aedes tuae thy houses shall be spoiled Petrus Lusitanus preferreth Palaces as best agreeing with the Hebrew He is in the right palaces are named because Conquerours when they haue wonne a City by assault doe enter into the fairest stateliest and most princely houses presuming to finde in them the greatest booties These Palaces are by some taken Metonymically to signifie either the goods heaped vp in them Albertus Magnus or the possessions belonging to them Wee shall not doe amisse if wee follow the letter and take these Palaces as they are for the Palaces of Samaria wherein the Princes Magistrates and Rulers of Samaria did store vp the treasures of violence and robbery as wee saw vpon the former verse So the meaning may be thus Palatia tua Thy Palaces O Samaria which were as the receptacles caues or dens in which thou didst treasure vp thy goods gotten from the poore by violence and wrong diripientur they shall be spoiled thou hast spoiled others therefore shalt thou thy selfe be spoiled Sic erit poena sceleri consentiens so shall the punishment be agreeable to the offence Obserue here Punishments are most vsually in the like proper and proportionable to the offences This is that which is vulgarly said In quo quis peccat in eo punitur as a man offendeth in the same manner will God punish him They who sought the life of Daniel sinned in causing him to be cast into the Lions den How were they for so sinning punished God might haue reuenged himselfe vpon them by his owne immediate hand but would not They were punished the same way they were cast into the Lions den and so perished Dan. 6.24 It was Dauids sinne to commit adultery with Vriahs wife and to slay her husband with the sword of the Ammonites How was he for so sinning punished He was paid home and punished in his owne kinde To reward and serue him as he had serued others God as a iust Iudge raiseth vp euill against him out of his owne house 2 Sam. 12.10 His owne sonnes breake out into the same sinnes they rise vp against him and one against another A tent is spread for Absolom vpon the house top and he lyeth with his fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel 2 Sam. 16.22 Amnon deflowreth his sister Tamar 2 Sam. 13.14 to reuenge this Absolom causeth his brother Amnon to be slaine vers 28. Bloud requireth bloud Hereof are we assured Gen. 9 6. Who so sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bleud be shed So saith our Sauiour in the Gospell Matth. 26.51 All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword The like is that in the Reuelation Chap. 13.10 He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword Bloud requireth bloud And though peraduenture a murtherer doe escape the hand of the Magistrate yet will the vengeance of God finde him out We see this in Ioab he shed innocent bloud the bloud of Abner and Amasa two Captaines of the Hosts of Israel Hee escaped a long time as if his murthers had beene forgotten but at length vengeance came home vnto him and suffered not his hoare head to goe downe to the graue in peace for his bloud was shed 1 King 2.34 Memorable is the example of Adoni-Bezek who being taken by Iudah and Simeon had his thumbes and great toes cut off Herein he confessed that the iustice of God had found him out and requited him in his kinde according to his own cruelty For saith he Threescore and ten Kings hauing their thumbes and their great toes cut off gathered their meat vnder my table as I haue done so God hath requited me Iudg. 1.7 Thus was cruelty repaid with crueltie in the same kinde A like example is that of Agag King of the Amalekites He hauing made many a woman childlesse is repaid in the like and is himselfe hewed in peeces by Samuel with this Item As thy sword hath made women childlesse so shall thy mother be childlesse among women 1 Sam. 15.33 If Haman set vp a gallowes to hang vp Mordecai Haman may be the first that shall be hanged thereon Esther 7.10 It is the law of equalitie and equitie that men suffer the same things of others which they haue
made In domo Iacob In the house of Iacob Heare yee and testifie in the house of Iacob saith the Lord God the God of Hosts Vers 13. In the other part which is of the matter to be testified wee may obserue 1. That God is fully resolued to punish Israel for sinne A day there is wherein the Lord will visit the transgression of Israel vpon him Vers 14. 2. That this punishment so resolued vpon by the Lord shall reach vnto their holiest places to their houses of Religion to their Altars in Bethel the hornes of the Altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground vers 14. 3. That this punishment shall extend to the palaces the chiefest places of their habitation euen to their demolition and ruine The winter-house shall be smitten so shall the summer-house the houses of Iuory shall perish and the great houses shall haue an end vers 15. 4. The seale and assurance of all and that we haue in the end of this Chapter in two words saith the Lord. In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel vpon him I will also visit the Altars of Bethel and the hornes of the Altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground And I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house and the houses of Iuory shall perish and the great houses shall haue an end Saith the Lord. Thus haue you the diuision of this text the branches are many all obseruable and worthy your attention Order requireth that I begin with the first part which was the mandate for the testification the first branch whereof was of the giuer thereof and that was Hee that might best doe it euen the Lord called here Dominus Iehouih Deus exercituum The Lord God the God of Hosts These names of God haue no small weight They serue to seale the truth of this Prophecie Amos might haue said in briefe Saith the Lord or the Lord God as he had said oft before but not content therewith he now addeth a third title or appellation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elohei hatzebaoth the God of Sabaoth He is called also Iehouatzebaoth 1 Sam. 4.4 the Lord of Sabaoth In your Te Deum that excellent Canticle of Ambrose and Augustine he is stiled the Lord God of Sabaoth Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth This name of Sabaoth is retained by Saint Paul Rom. 9.29 and he hath it from Esay 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left vs a seed we had beene as Sodoma and made like vnto Gomorrah Saint Iames hath it in his Epistle Chap. 5.4 Behold the hire of the labourers which haue reaped downe your fields which is of you kept backe by fraud crieth and their cry is entered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the cares of the Lord of Sabaoth There are of the Ancient who haue taken this name Sabaoth for one of the names of God Saint Hierome Epist 136. writing to Marcella of the ten Hebrew names of God saith the fourth is Sabaoth Quartum nomen Dei est Sabaoth quod Septuaginta virtutum Aquila exercituum transtulerunt The fourth name of God in Hebrew is Sabaoth which is by the LXX translated Virtutum by Aquila Exercituum Both words Virtutes and Exercitus signifie the same thing military forces an host or band of armed souldiers Isiodore Bishop of Hispalis Orig. lib. 7. cap. 1. agreeth with Saint Hierome Quartum nomen Dei dicitur Sabaoth Psal 24.10 quod vertitur in Latinum exercituum siue virtutum de quo in Psalmo ab Angelis dicitur Quis est iste Rex gloriae Dominus virtutum The fourth name of God is Sabaoth turne it into Latine it will be Exercitus or Virtutes hosts or bands of armed souldiers whereof the Angels in the Psalme doe speake Who is this King of glory Dominus virtutum the Lord of Hosts he is this King of glory The Author of the Looking-glasse in the ninth Tome of Saint Augustines workes the tenth Chapter of that booke speaketh thus vnto the Lord Tu mitis benigne fortis zelotes Sabaoth inuictissime O thou meeke and gracious strong and iealous and most inuincible Sabaoth Origen Hom. 4. in Esaiam vpon those words of the Song of the Seraphins Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth saith Sabaoth is by Aquila's interpretation Dominus militiarum the Lord of Hosts But in this place he seemeth to be maimed and vnperfect Drusius in his 23. Epist corrects him by adding Adonai vnto Sabaoth thus Adonai Sabaoth is by Aquila's interpretation Dominus exercituum the Lord of Hosts So the meaning is good and is confirmed by Epiphanius lib. 1. haeres 26. Aquila euery where in the old Testament for Adonai Sabaoth hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that is Dominus exercituum the Lord of Hosts As for Saint Hierome and Isidore and the Author of the Looking-glasse Drusius is of opinion they were deceiued in taking Sabaoth for a name of God Beleeue me saith he Sabaoth is neuer said of God but it is either Deus Sabaoth or Dominus Sabaoth either the God of Sabaoth or the Lord of Sabaoth And he is in the right For indeed Sabaoth is no name of God nor is it euer found alone if it be spoken of God Elegantly to this purpose saith Epiphanius lib. 1. Haeres 40. against the Archontici 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the name of Sabaoth hath the interpretation of Hosts and therefore the Lord of Sabaoth is the Lord of Hosts It is well knowne to euery one that is conuersant in holy Scripture that the Scripture where it vseth the name of Sabaoth speaketh not after this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sabaoth hath said vnto me or Sabaoth hath spoken but thus Dicit Dominus Sabaoth saith the Lord of Sabaoth and that is if you will interpret the Lord of Hosts Saint Ambrose his interpretation of this name Sabaoth I may not well passe by It is Lib. 4. de fide ad Gratianum cap. 1. There vpon those words of the 24. Psalme Dominus Sabaoth ipse est Rex gloriae the Lord of the Sabaoth he is the King of glorie he saith Sabaoth interpretes alicubi Dominum virtutum alicubi Regem alicubi Omnipotentem interpretata sunt Interpreters haue rendred the name of Sabaoth sometime by the Lord of Hosts sometime by the name of King sometime by the name of Almighty But the place is manifestly vicious For Sabaoth no where signifieth a King nor haue Interpreters any where so rendered it To correct that errour Drusius for Regem readeth exercituum and he proues his correction out of Eucherius whose words are Sabaoth exercituum siue virtutum an t vt aliqui volunt omnipotens Sabaoth is for signification as you would say of armies or of hosts or omnipotent Sabaoth is rendred Omnipotent or Almighty by the Septuagint as in other places so in this text of mine
abstulit the Lord hath taken away and he hath done so by good right Quia etiam dedit for first he gaue it Iob 1.21 The ground of this his patience was Domine tu fecisti Lord thou hast done it Thou Lord hast taken from me my children and all my substance and therefore I hold my peace Out of this very Fountaine Christ himselfe drew his patience when commanding Peter to put vp his sword into the sheath he asked him this question Calicem quem dedit mihi Pater Ioh. 18.11 non bibam illum The cup which my Father hath giuen me shall I not drinke it Domine tu fecisti my Father hath tempered this cup for me and I will drinke it This cup is the cup of the Passion of Christ the cup of his sufferings which God gaue vnto him Vt Pater non vt Iudex saith Rupertus God gaue this cup vnto him as a Father not as a Iudge and he gaue it to him Amore non irâ voluntate non necessitate gratiâ non vindictâ It was of loue not of wrath it was voluntary not of necessity it was of grace not for vengeance that this cup was giuen him But how did he drinke it Here may we with Cornelius Mussus Bishop of Bitonto in his Passion Sermon cry out O infinitam dulcis Iesu nostri patientiam O the infinite patience of our sweet Iesus Dedit illis carnem suam vt tractarent eam pro suâ libidine he committed vnto the Iewes his flesh to doe with it at their pleasure They insulted ouer him and he resisted not they threatned him and he answered not they loaded him with iniuries and he sustained them they bound him fast and he withstood them not they smote him and he endured it they flouted him and he held his peace they railed against him and he defended not himselfe they cursed him and he prayed for them O the infinite patience of our sweet Iesus which he drew from this fountaine Domine tu fecisti Lord thou hast prouided this cup for me and I refuse it not Domine tu fecisti Lord thou hast done it It is the bottomlesse fountaine of patience neuer to bee exhausted or drawne dry If thy wife thy children thy kinsfolkes thy friends or others be taken from thee by the stroke of death if thou lose thy goods by water by fire by warre or otherwise thou maist refresh thy languishing soule with the water of this fountaine Domine tu fecisti Lord thou hast done it If thy selfe be visited with sicknesse and so that there is no soundnesse in thy flesh nor rest in thy bones Psal 38.3 yet if thou draw from this fountaine the sorrow and bitternesse of thy visitation will be asswaged It must needs be a great comfort to euery childe of God to meditate hereupon that our sicknesse yea that euery pang and fit of our sicknesse is from God that the manner of it the measure of it the time of it and the matter of it is of God And it may giue vs good assurance that God will be mercifull and gracious vnto vs seeing he that striketh vs is our louing Father and in the stroke cannot forget his former compassions but will make all things fall out to further our saluation God is faithfull hee layeth not vpon vs more strokes than we are able to beare 1 Cor. 10.13 but maketh a way for our escape Psal 41.3 He strengtheneth vs vpon the bed of languishing and maketh all our bed in our sicknesse He putteth our teares into his bottle Psal 56.8 Cant. 2.6 Are they not all in his booke His left hand is vnder our head and his right hand embraceth vs. Beloued Christians we should comfort one another in these things Thirdly is it true Beloued Are all our visitations and punishments in this life laid vpon vs by the hand of God Here then may we take direction whither to make our recourse in the day of visitation And whither may that be but to the same hand of God that visiteth God smiteth and no man healeth God maketh the wound and no man restoreth No man healeth no man restoreth Therefore put not thy trust in man for there is no helpe in him but put thy trust in God for as he killeth so he maketh aliue againe as hee bringeth downe to the graue so he raiseth vp againe So sings Hannah 1 Sam. 2.6 The Lord killeth and maketh aliue he bringeth downe to the graue and bringeth vp What then shall become of the Physitian May I not seeke to him in time of sicknesse Seeke not first to him as Asa did 2 Chron. 16.12 lest thou be condemned as Asa was for seeking not to the Lord but to the Physitian But seeke thou first vnto the Lord. First be thou reconciled to him who is the chiefe Physitian of soule and body and then take thy course For my part I haue no hope that the Physitians helpe shall profit me and prosper with me vntill I be at peace with God and haue renewed my repentance from dead workes for my daily sinnes And let this suffice to haue beene spoken of the first branch of my second generall part which was the resolution of God to punish Israel for sinne Now followeth the second branch and that is that the punishment so resolued vpon by the Lord shall reach to their holiest places to their houses of religion in these words I will also visit the Altars of Bethel and the hornes of the Altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground Visitabo super Altaria Bethel Here is a Visitabo like the former a visiting in the worse part a visiting for euill and in iudgement Visitabo I will visit vpon the Altars of Bethel that is with Petrus Lusitanus Destruam illa vt meum sentiant furorem I will destroy those Altars they shall feele my fury The like phrase is that Exod. 12.12 In cunctis Dijs Aegyptifaciam judicia Against all the Gods of Aegypt will I doe iudgement and that Num. 33.4 Dominus in Diis eorum exercuerat vltionem Vpon the Gods of the Aegytians the Lord hath executed vengeance In both places the Gods of Aegypt are the Idols of Aegypt and the Lords doing of iudgements or executing of vengeance vpon them is all one with the Visitabo here I will visit the Altars of Bethel that is I will doe iudgements or I will execute vengeance vpon the Altars of Bethel Bethel Some Iewes as R. Kimhi and R. Esaias are of opinion that there were two Townes of this name the one belonging to the Tribe of Beniamin as appeareth Iosh 18.22 the other in the Tribe of Ephraim as it is manifested Iudges 1.22 This opinion of two Bethels Cap. 16.2 18.13 Andrew Masius in his Comment vpon Ioshuah reiecteth as needlesse Bethel here is that which in former time was called Luz which name it had from the abundance of Nuts or Almonds which grew there Hieron qu
verse there it is intimated that a day should come wherein the Lord would visit the transgressions of Israel vpon him In this visitation or punishment their religious places or houses of religion were to have a portion It is plaine by by the latter part of the fourteenth verse I will visit the altars of Beth-el and the hornes of the Altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground Nor were their religious places only to partake of this visitation but other places also prophane and ciuill their places of ordinary and common vseâ— their edifices and dwelling houâ—â— Their doome is forespoken in the beginning of the 15. verse The winter house shall be smitten so shall the summer house one houses of Iuory shall perish and the great houses shaue an end For the seale and assurance of all the conclusion of this Chapter is Neum Iehouah saith the Lord. Of Gods resolution to punish the sinnes of Israel together with the visitation of their religious places I entreated in my last Sermon Now am I to proceed with the punishment inted to their prophane and ciuill places to their places of ordinary and common vse to their edifices and dwelling houses thus deliuered in this fifteenth verse And. I will smite the winter house with the summer house and the houses of Iuory shall perish and the great houses shall haue an end For the easier handling of these words I am to speake of an action and of the obiect thereof of a smiting and of the thing to be smitten The smiting is the Lords the the things to be smitten belong to the Israelites Of both in their order First for the Action for the smiting which is Gods Persecution I will smite The actions of God and two sorts Immanent or Transcient Immanent are those that remaine within himselfe as to vnderstand to will to loue For alwayes and from all eternity God in himself vnderstandeth willeth and loueth The Transient actions of God are such as he in â—â—me produceth without himselfe So he created the world he â—â—â—leth it and worketh all in all he iustifieth he regnerateth he punisheth And of this ranke in his action of smiting Persecution I will smite God in holy Scripture is said to smite either immediately of himselfe without means or mediatly when he vseth meanes as Angels good or bad or men godly or wicked or other creatures God immediatly of himselfe and without means smote all the first-borne in the Land of Aegypt from the first-borne of Pharoah that sate on his throne vnto the first-borne of the captiue that was in the dungeon Exod. 12.29 God of himselfe smote them all And though hee oft-times vses meanes the ministry of Angells men or other creatures for the smiting of transgressours yet is God iustly said to smite them For the axiom of the Schooles is Actio non attribuitur instrumento propriè sed principali agenti Tho. 1.2 qu. 16. 1. c. si the action is not properly attributed to the instrument but to the principall agent The building of a house is not to be ascribed to the axe but to the Carpenter that vseth the axe Angels men and other creatures are to God but as the axe is to the Carpenter but as his instruments Whensoeuer therefore through their ministery any euil shal betide vs we are to acknowledge God to be the pricipall doer therereof He it is that smiteth vs. 2. King 19.35 It is true that an Angell in one night smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundred fourescore and five thousand Esay 37.36 The Angell smote them that is the letter But it was Angelus Domini it was the Angell of the Lord. The Lord sent that Angell to cut off all the mighty men of valour and the Leaders and Captaines in the campe of King Sennacherib The Lord sent him The Lord then was agens principalis he was the principal doer in that slaughter the Angell was but his messenger to put in execution the worke of the Lord. So the Lord was he that smote the Assyrians Israel vnder the conduct of Moses smote two mighty Kinges Sibon of the Amorites and Og of Bashan Numb 21.35 There Israel smote them yet Psal 136.17 the Lord is said to haue smitten them percussét Reges magnos He smote great King and slew famous Kings Sibon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan The Lord smote them The Lord then was Agens principalis he was the pricipall doer in this great ouerthrow Israel did but execute what the Lord would have done So the Lord was he that smote those Kings If a a 1 King 20.36 Lion smite vs vpon the way if either b Esay 49.10 hunger or thirst if the heat or the Sunne smite vs if our Vines c Psal 78 47 48. be smitten with haile our Sycomore trees with frost our flockes with hot thunder-bolts our d Deut. 28.22 corne-fields with blasting and with mildew if our selues be smitten with consumptions with feuers with inflamations with extreme burnings with the e Vers 27. botch of Aegypt with the Emrods with the scab and with the itch whereof we cannot be healed if we be smitten with f Vers 28. madnesse with blindnesse with astonishment of heart if we be any way smitten whatsoeuer the meanes may be it is the Lord that smiteth vs. Percutiet te Dominus the Lord shall smite thee Vers 22 27 28 35. It is in one Chapter in the 28. of Deuteronomie foure times repeated to shew vnto vs that if we be smitten with any the now mentioned miseries or any other it is the Lord that smiteth vs. The Percutiam in my text serues for the corroboration of this truth Percutiam I will smite the winter house with the summer house If then but a house be smitten be it a winter house or a summer house the Lord is he that hath smitten it So from this percutiam I will smite I I the Lord will smite ariseth this doctrine In the miseries or calamities that doe befall vs in this life we must not looke to the instruments but to the Lord that smiteth by them Thus haue the godly euer done Holy Iob in his time did it The losse of all his substance and children by the Sabeans Iob 1.15 Chaldeans fire from Heauen and a great wind from beyond the wildernesse could not turne away his eyes from the God of Heauen to those second causes Those he knew to be but instruments the Lord was agens principalis he was the chiefe doer This he acknowledgeth and blesseth God for it Dominus abstulit The Lord that gaue me all hath taken all away blessed be the name of the Lord Iob 1.21 Such was the practice of King Dauid Shimei 2 Sam. 16.5 a man of the family of the house of Saul comes forth from Bahurim Vers 6. curseth still as he comes meets the King casts stones at him raileth vpon him calleth him to his face
till the comming of the Messias Here then he that holdeth the scepter in Beth-Eden is the King abiding in Beth-Eden Hitherto beloued haue I laboured to vnfold the words of my text I will cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden I the Lord with my mighty power will cut off will vtterly consume and destroy the inhabitant not one only but euery one that dwelleth in Bikeath-Auen the so named city of Syria There will I not stay my hand but I will also with my mighty power cut off vtterly consume and destroy him that holdeth the scepter not only the vnder-magistrate but the King himselfe out of Beth-eden another so named city of Syria Bikeath-Auen shall not be able to defend her inhabitants nor Beth-eden her King I will cut off c. Thus farre the exposition Now some notes of instruction You will be pleased to remember with me my three propounded circumstances 1 The punisher the Lord. 2 The punishment a cutting off 3 The punished the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and the King of Beth-eden From the first circumstance The Lord himselfe taking vengeance into his owne hands ariseth this doctrine It is proper to the Lord to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Which truth hauing beene often commended to your Christian considerations in former lectures I now let passe From all three circumstances of the punisher the punishment and the punished ioyntly considered arise other profitable doctrines First wee see that the cutting off of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and of him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden is the Lords proper worke The lesson which wee may take from hence is this No calamity or misery be falleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture It was an errour of the Paynims to hold fortune in so high account b Iuuen. Sat. 10. Te facimus Fortuna Deam coeloque locamus They esteemed her as a goddesse assigned her a place in Heauen They presented her by the image of a woman sitting sometimes vpon a ball sometimes vpon a wheele hauing with her a rasour c Pierius Hieroglyph lib. 29. bearing in her right hand the sterne of a ship in her left the horne of abundance by the rasour they would giue vs to vnderstand that she can at her pleasure cut off and end our happinesse by the ball or wheele that she is very prone to volubility and change by the sterne in her right hand that the whole course of our life is vnder her gouernment by the horne of abundance in her left hand that all out plenty is from her This palpable Idolatry of the Gentiles giuing the glory of the most high to their baâ—e and inglorious abominations wee Christians must vtterly renounce We honor the Lord of hosts alone and to him alone doe we ascribe the soueraingty dominion and rule of the whole world Such is the extent of Gods wonderfull and eternall prouidence The whole world with all things therein is wholly and alone subiect to the soueraignty dominion and rule of Almighty God by his prouidence all things are preserued all things are ruled all things are ordered These are the three degrees by which you may discerne and take notice of the Act of diuine prouidence The first is Gradus conseruationis Trelcat Instit l b. 2 pag. 46. The second Gradus gubernationis The third Gradus ordinationis The first degree is of maintenance or preseruation the second is of rule and gouernment the third is of ordination and direction The first degree which I termed gradum conseruationis the degree of maintenance and preseruation implieth thus much that all things in generall and euery thing in particular are by Almighty God sustained ordinarily in the same state of nature and naturall proprieties wherein they were created This truth is excellently explained Psal 104. 145. 147. In which the Psalmist ioyfully singeth out of the wonderfull Prouidence of God in the maintenance and preseruation of man and euery other creature the beasts of the field the foules of the aire the fishes of the sea d Psal 104.10 11. He sendeth the springs into the vallies that all the beasts of the field may drinke and the wilde asses quench their thirst e Psal 147.8 Psal 104.13 Hee couereth the heauen with clouds prepareth raine for the earth and maketh grasse to grow euen vpon mountaines that cattell may haue food he hath made the mountaines f Psal 104.18 to be a refuge for goats and rockes for conies the Lions g Vers 21. roaring after their prey seeke their meat at him You see Gods care and prouidence for the preseruation of the beasts of the field see the like for the fowles of the aire He hath planted the h Psal 104 16. Cedars of Lebanon for birds to make their nests there and the firre trees for the storkes to dwell in the young i Psal 147.9 rauens that cry vnto him he feedeth Our Sauiour Iesus Christ Matth. 6.26 calls you to this consideration Behold saith he the fowles of heauen they sow not nor reape nor carry into barns yet your heauenly father feedeth them Gods care and prouidence for the preseruation of his creatures here resteth not it reacheth euen to the bottome of the sea There is great k Psal 104.26 Leuiathan there are creeping things innumerable small and great all which wait vpon the Lord that he may giue them food in due season In due season hee giues them food l Psal 104.24 and they gather it he openeth his hand and they are filled with good O Lord how manifold are thy workes In wisdome hast thou made them all the whole world is full of thy riches The prouidence I termed gradum gubernationis the degree of rule and gouernment It implyeth thus much that Almighty God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis suae euen as he listeth This point is deliuered not obscurely in many places of holy Scripture as in those generall and vniuersall sayings which doe proue God Almighty euen this day to work in the world and to doe all in all In Esa 43.13 thus saith the Lord Yea before the day was I am and there is none that can deliuer out of mine hand I will doe it and who shall let it Agreeable to this are the words of our Sauiour Ioh. 5.17 My father worketh hitherto and I worke From both these places wee may truly inferre that God worketh in the gouernment of this world day after day euen vntill the end thereof which Saint Paul Ephes 1.11 auoweth He worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will To the consideration hereof Elihu stirreth vp afflicted Iob Chap. 37. wishing him to consider the wonderous workes of God the Clouds and his light shining out of them the thunder Gods maruellous and glorious voice the
snow the frost the whirlewind the raine all these God ruleth and gouerneth after his good pleasure And who I pray you ruleth man and mans affaires but the Lord O Lord saith Ierem. chap. 10.23 I know that the way of man is not in himselfe neither is it in man to walke and to direct his steps King Salomon confesseth as much Prou. 20.24 The steps of man are ruled by the Lord. From this ruling prouidence of God King Dauid Psal 23.1 drew vnto himselfe a very comfortable argument The Lord feedeth me therefore I shall not want Let vs as comfortably reason with our selues The Lord feedeth vs therefore we shall not want It is spoken to our neuer ending comfort by our blessed Sauiour Matth. 10.29 Are not two sparrowes sold for a farthing and one of them falleth not on the ground without your father Feare ye not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrowes In the same place he further assureth that all the haires of our head are numbred Doth Gods care reach to the falling of the haires of our head and can we doubt of his perpetuall rule and gouernment in the world It must stand true Almighty God for his vnlimited power gouerneth all things in the world and ruleth them pro libertate voluntatis suae euen as he listeth The third degree by which we may discerne the act of diuine prouidence I called gradum ordinationis the degree of ordination or direction It implyeth thus much that God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth and setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seem to be most out of order he bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end all must make for his glorie In this diuine ordination three things doe concurre Constitutio finis mediorum ad finem dispositio and Dispositorum directio First God appointeth an end to euery thing secondly he disposeth meanes vnto the end thirdly hee directeth the meanes so disposed To discourse of these particulars seuerally would carry mee beyond my time and your patience I will but only touch the generall which was God of his admirable wisdome ordaineth or setteth in order whatsoeuer things in the world seeme to be most out of order he bringeth them all to his chiefly intended end they all make for his glory Hereupon dependeth the truth of my propounded doctrine inuiolable No calamitie or miserie be falleth any one of whatsoeuer estate or degree by chance or at aduenture For if it be true as true it is and the gates of Hell shall neur be able to preuaile against it that God by his wonderfull prouidence maintaineth and preserueth ruleth and gouerneth ordereth disposeth and directeth all things in this world euen to the very haires of our heads it cannot be that any calamity or misery should befall any one of vs by aduenture by hap-hazard by chance by fortune The Epicure in the booke of Iob 22.13 was in a foule errour to thinke that God walking in the circle of heauen cannot through the darke clouds see our misdoings and iudge vs for them Dearely beloued we may not thinke our God to be a m See Lect. 1. page 10. God to halfes and in part only a God aboue and not beneath the moone a God vpon the mountaines and not in the vallies a God in the greater and not in the lesser employments We may not thus thinke We haue liued long enough to haue learned better things out of Amos 9. Ierem 23. Psal 139. that God is euery where present and that there is no euasion from him Serm 4. in Iames 4.10 infra Lect. 14. pag. 159. No corner in Hell no mansion in heauen no caue in the top of Carmel no fishes belly in the bottome of the sea no darke dungeon in the land of captiuitie no place of any secrecie any where is able to hide vs from the presence of God Wee haue learned Zach. 4.10 that God hath seuen eyes which goe thorow the whole world You may interpret them with me many millions of eyes He is * Hieronymus in illud Psal 94.9 Qui plantauit aurem non audiet aut qui finxit oculum non considerat Ego autem dico quod Deus totus Oculus est totus Manus est totus Pes est Totus Oculus est quia omnia videt Totus Manus est quia omnia operatur Totus Pes est quia vbique est totus OCVLVS altogether eye for he seeth all things We haue learned Esai 40.12 that God hath hands to measure the waters and to span the heauens You may interpret it with me that he hath many millions of hands He is totus Manus altogether hand for he worketh all things We haue learned Matth. 5.35 that God hath feet to set vpon his foot-stoole You may interpret it with me that he hath many milions of feet He is totus Pes altogether foot for he is euery where We shall then be very iniurious to God if we deny him the ouersight of the smallest matters The holy Scriptures doe euidently shew that he examineth the least moments and tittles in the world that we can imagine n Supra pag. 10. to a handfull of meale to a cruse of oyle in a poore widowes house to the falling of sparrowes to the ground to the clothing of the grasse in the field to the feeding of the birds of the aire to the caluing of hindes to the numbring of the haires of our heads Wherefore dearely beloued in the Lord whatsoeuer calamity or misery hath already seized vpon vs or shall hereafter ouertake vs let vs not lay it vpon blinde Fortune but looke we to the hand that striketh vs. Hee who is noted in my text to cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Auen and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden euen He it is that for our sins bringeth vpon vs calamities and miseries The late fearefull floud raging vpon this land to the vtter destruction of great store of cattell and much people and the late rot of sheepe in this and other places of this land are Gods visitations vpon vs for our sinnes and admonishments for vs to amend our liues Shall there be euill in a city and the Lord hath not done it saith Amos chap. 3.6 It s out of question there is no euill in the city no not in the world but the Lords finger is in it and that iustly for our sinnes sake What remaineth but that we rent our hearts and turne vnto the Lord our God He is gracious mercifull slow to anger of great kindnesse and repenteth him of euill How know we whether he will returne and repent and leaue a blessing behinde him for vs Let vs therefore goe boldly vnto the throne of grace that wee may receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need THE Eleuenth Lecture AMOS 1.5 The people of Aram shall goe into captiuity vnto Kir saith the Lord. WEe goe on with that which yet remaineth vnexpounded in this 5. verse
vnto him all laud and praise for suffring vs notwithstanding our manifold sins euery man to dwell d 1 King 4.25 vnder his vine and vnder his fig-tree to liue in our owne land in peace free from all feare of being led into captiuity Thus much of my first vse A second followeth My Doctrine was When God punisheth a nation with captiuity for their sinnes he spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King Will you haue a reason hereof Heare then what Elihu saith Iob 34.19 God accepteth not the persons of Princes he regardeth not the rich more than the poore Hee accepteth no mans person saith S. Paul Gal. 2.6 No mans person Then neither the person of the Priest nor of the King If these sinne like others of the people these shall be punished as well as others and if others bee carried into captiuity these must into captiuity also The vse of this Doctrine is to admonish the great and mighty ones of this world that they presume not to sinne against the Lord as if they were priuiledged by their greatnesse and might No priuiledge can serue their turnes when they must e Iob 21.20 drinke of the wrath of the Almighty Then shall they be as f Iob 21.18 stubble before the wind and as the chaffe that the storme carrieth away Consider this all yee who take your selues to bee mighty among your neighbours ye whom God hath blessed with this worlds good aboue your neighbours Thinke not your wealth or authority can protect you when Gods sore displeasure shall breake out against you for your sinnes but rather let it euer be written in your hearts what is written Wisd 6.6 The mighty shall be mightily tormented And remember what is added in that place He that is Lord ouer all will spare no person neither shall he feare any greatnesse for hee hath made the small and the great and careth for all alike But for the mighty abideth the sorer triall And hence ariseth a third vse It is to minister a word of comfort to the inferiour and poorer sort of people If the mighty shall g Amos 2.6 sell the righteous among you for siluer and the poore for shooes if they h Amos 2.7 gape ouer your heads in the dust of the earth if they i Esa 3.15 grinde your faces if by violence and oppression they k Habak 1.4 compasse you about yet be ye of good comfort God the Iudge of all accepteth no persons He in his good time will auenge your causes be your oppressors neuer so mighty for when he punisheth a land for the sinnes of a people he spareth neither Priest nor Prince nor King There is a fourth vse of this Doctrine It is to warne vs not to set our hearts vpon the outward things of this world for as much as God will not respect vs for them Neither Priest nor Prince nor King can stand before the displeasure of Almighty God And shall a mighty man shall a rich man stand No. l Psal 68.2 As the smoke vanisheth so shall he be driuen away and as the wax melteth before the fire so shal he perish at the presence of God Wherefore dearely beloued in the Lord let vs onely and earnestly seeke after such things as may make vs accepted with God as righteousnesse peace and ioy in the holy Ghost For whosoeuer in these things serueth Christ hee is acceptable to God saith Saint Paul Rom. 14.18 Thus farre by occasion of my first doctrine which was When God punisheth a nation with captiuity for their sinnes he spareth neither priest nor prince nor king And it was grounded vpon the first reading of the words of my text â—fter the Hebrew thus Their King shall go into captiuity he and his princes together after the Septuagint thus Their King shall goe into captiuity their priests and Princes likewise I commended vnto you another reading out of the Vulgar Latine Melchom shall goe into captiuity he and his Princes together and I told you in the beginning of this exercise what Melchom was I said it was the same with Milchom or Molech or Moloch an abomination of the Ammonites their Idoll their God to whom they yeelded diuine worship and consecrated their children through fire All this I made plaine vnto you out of the sacred Scriptures The Doctrine Neither Melchom of the Ammonites nor any other Idoll of any other people can saue themselues in the day of captiuity much lesse can they saue the people that doe trust in them and worship them First they cannot saue themselues Secondly nor them that put their trust in them They cannot saue themselues For what is become of Succoth-benoth the God of Babel of Nergal the God of Cuth of Ashima the God of Hamath of Nibhaz and Tartack the God of the Auins of Adrammelech and Anammelech the God of Sepharvaim Their names indeed remaine vpon record 2 King 17.30 31. but themselues are vanished they are come to nought Hezekiah King of Iudah he who brake in peeces the brazen Serpent which Moses made because his people offered incense to it he put downe those Idoll Gods he tooke away their high places hee brake their images hee cut downe their groues 2 King 18.4 What is become of Ashtoreth the Idoll of the Zidonians of Chemosh the Idoll of the Moabites of Milchom the abomination of the children of Ammon Their names indeed remaine vpon record 2 King 23.13 but themselues are vanished they are come to nought Iosiah King of Iudah that good King he put downe those Idoll Gods he brake their images in peeces he cut downe their groues and filled their places with the bones of men 2 King 23.14 I could here repeat vnto you many other Idols and Idoll Gods whose names are particularly recorded in the register of Gods holy Word which also are vanished and come to nought But the time will not suffer me Let it suffice what is spoken in a generality of the Kings of Assyria 2 King 19.18 that they did set on fire the Gods of the Nations Gods And yet set on fire True But they were but Idoll Gods and therefore could not helpe themselues Not helpe themselues Why not The reason is giuen in the same place For they were no Gods an Idoll God is no God they were no Gods but the worke of mans hands euen wood and stone therefore the Kings of Assyria destroyed them The very same reason is deliuered in the very same words by the Prophet Esay Chap. 37.19 They were no Gods but the worke of mens hands euen wood and stone therefore the Kings of Assyria destroyed them The holy Prophets are very zealous in Gods cause against those Idols Esay Chap. 41.29 saith They are all vanity their worke is of nothing they are wind they are confusion Ier. Chap. 10.15 saith They are vanity they are the worke of errors in the time of their visitation they shall perish I should weary my selfe and your attention would
I produce whatsoeuer the Prophets of the Lord haue spoken to the vilifying debasing of Idols This which I haue already deliuered out of Esay and Ieremy and from out the second booke of Kings doth make good the former part of my propounded Doctrine namely that neither Melchom of the Ammonites nor any other Idoll of any other people can saue themselues in the day of captiuity Can they not saue themselues in the day of captiuity Much lesse can they saue the people that doe trust in them and worship them which was the second part of my Doctrine And it is pregnantly confirmed out of the 46. Chapter of the Prophecy of Esay vers 7. where the Prophet out of his zeale for the Lord of Hosts against Idols and Images assureth all people that though they cry vnto Idols and Images yet can they not answer them nor deliuer them out of their tribulations Ieremy likewise Chap. 11.12 le ts the Cities of Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem to vnderstand that though they cry vnto their Idols and Images yet they shall not be able to helpe them in time of their trouble Adde hereto what S. Austine saith in his soliloquies or heauenly meditations Chap. 5. An Idoll or an Image its m 1 Cor. 8.4 nothing it hath n Psal 135.16 17. Psal 115.5 6 7. eares and heareth not a nose and smelleth not eyes and seeth not a mouth and speaketh not hands and feeleth not feet and walketh not and all the proportion of members and yet liueth not and what helpe can be expected from such an Idoll such a Nothing My Doctrine stands firme Neither Melchom of the Ammonites nor any other Idoll of any other people can saue themselues in the day of captiuity much lesse can they saue the people that doe trust in them and worship them Now let vs see what vse we may make hereof for our further instruction and benefit First this doctrine serueth to reproue all Papists for their blind superstition in worshipping their Idolls and Images For what doe they make of their Images but meere Idols while they fall downe before them and doe them reuerence with capping with kneeling with knocking with creeping with crossing with kissing with lighting of candles and with other like beggarly trash and trumpery as is yet this day in vse in the Church of Rome with great obseruation The time was when this Church of England subiected it selfe to that of Rome and was drunken with the wine of her fornication Then were the people of this land defiled with Idols No Parish Church but was polluted with Images Then was Gods prouidence and due honour neglected For the cure of diseases not God but Saints were inuocated and sought vnto For the plague o Rainold Idol 1. 6. 7. S. Sebastian for the Pox p Homilies Tom. 2. Serm. 3. against perill of Idolatry F. 8. b. S. Roch for the falling euill S. Cornelius for sore eyes S. Raphael for the toothach S. Apolonia for other crosses and afflictions S. Hippolitus S. Christopher S. Catherine Euery artificer and profession had a speciall Saint as a peculiar God Schollers had S. Nicholas yea and S. Gregory Painters S. Luke Shipmen S. Mary Souldiers wanted not their Mars nor Louers their Venus euen among vs Christians Yea our beasts and cattell had their Gods too S. Loy was the horseleech and S. Anthony the swineheard If sometimes we remembred God yet as if we doubted of his ability and will to helpe we vsed to ioyne to him another helper The young Scholler was wont to begin his learning with God and S. Nicholas be my speed For such as neezed the prayer was God helpe and S. Iohn And for the stumbling horse God and S. Loy saue thee May not now a godly man iustly for zealous indignation cry out O heauen O earth O seas what madnesse and wickednesse against God were our fore-fathers fallen into They tooke delight in the seruice of stocks and stones the workes of their owne hands they worshipped and serued the creature aboue the Creator which is blessed for euer But what profit had they of such their worship Found they any helpe in the day of visitation No Those Images themselues could not helpe themselues and how then could they helpe their worshippers Themselues were broken downe and remoued from out our Churches and their worshippers are remoued with them In their stead the light of the glorious Gospell of God now shineth in our Churches now is superstition exiled and the true seruice of God is come in place and Christ for his mercies sake touch vs and giue vs feeling and make vs thankfull for this so great a blessing Thus haue you the first vse A second followeth It serueth for a reproofe to vs also For though we haue cast off the yoke of Romish superstition and haue kept our selues vnspotted of the adoration and worship of Images yet are wee not free from Idolatry but are many waies stained therewith Whatsoeuer this world hath visible or inuisible outward or inward if it displace God of his right by carrying our heart and hope after it it is our Idoll Thus is gold siluer or our money an Idoll if we make it our hope or say to the wedge thou art my confidence Iob 31.24 In this sense S. Paul Coloss 3.5 calleth couetousnesse Idolatry and Eph. 5.5 he calleth the couetous person an Idolater Thus is our substance an Idoll if as Iob speaketh Chap. 31.25 We reioyce because it is great or because our hand hath gotten much Like those Habak 1.16 Who did sacrifice to their nets and burne Incense to their flues where all they are taxed for Idolaters who because their portion is increased and their meale plenteous by such instruments and helps as they vse in their trades of life doe forget the right author of their wealth and arrogate all to themselues and their seruiceable meanes Thus is our wit and vnderstanding an Idoll when we ascribe vnto them our getting of riches of gold and siluer into our treasures like the Prince of Tyrus Ezech. 28.2 who with this conceit exalted in heart brake out into that most blasphemous challenge I am a God and I sit in the seat of God in the middest of the Sea Such is the Idoll of the Polititians shall I call them or Atheists of this age who take themselues to be wiser than Daniel as the Prince of Tyrus did and are perswaded that Moses and the Prophets are not so able to instruct them as they themselues Thus is our strength an Idoll if we boast of it as Sennacherib did Esay 37.24 who bragged what great matters hee had done by the multitude of his chariots but touching the true Lord of Hosts as if he were lesse than nothing he vaunteth to Hezekiah King of Iudah vers 10. Let not thy God deceiue thee Thus is our belly our God when walking after the lusts of our flesh we serue not the Lord Iesus
of knowledge of that his heauenly truth wherein consisteth our saluation that we may be saued What greater benefit can there be vnto vs then this What more ample testimonie of his eternall good will to vs For this benefit that is for the knowledge of Gods heauenly truth the blessed Apostle St Paul neuer ceased to giue thanks vnto God I thanke God saith he 1. Tim. 1.12 I thanke him who hath made me strong that is Christ Iesus our Lord for he counted me faithfull and put me in his seruice When before I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an oppressor but I was receiued to mercy From this his thankefull heart proceeded those his words Phil. 3.8 Doubtlesse I thinke all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord for whom I haue counted all things losse and doe iudge them to be but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen dung that I might winne Christ St Pauls charitie was not confined within the Temple of his owne bodie others had a tast thereof As the Corinthians to whom in his first Epistle cap. 1. ver 4. he thus manifesteth his affection I thanke my God alwayes on your behalfe for the grace of God which is giuen you in Iesus Christ that in all things ye are made rich in him in all kind of speech And in all knowledge I thanke my God alwayes on your behalfe not for your riches for your honors for your large possessions for your flourishing cittie but for the grace of God which is giuen you in Iesus Christ for your free vocation for your faith for your reconciliation for your iustification for your regeneration for your hope of eternall saluation for the preaching of the word of God among you and for your knowledge of the truth thereof The knowledge of this truth of God farre surpasseth all the treasures of this corruptible world Shall not we then poure out our soules in thankfulnes before almightie God for bestowing vpon vs so gracious a blessing as is this knowledge of the truth of God Let vs with the spirit of blessed Paul account all things which haue beene or are gainefull to vs in this present world to be but losse and dung in respect of this knowledge of Gods holy truth forasmuch as hereby we may winne Christ Thus haue you the second vse of my doctrine My doctrine was God is truth in himselfe in his workes and in his words The second vse concerneth our thankesgiuing for the knowledge of Gods truth The third tendeth to our imitation Is it true Is God truth in himselfe in his workes and in his words Why striue we not with all the faculties and powers of our soules to represent our God in truth He in the beginning in the first man in our forefather Adam created and made vs in his owne image after his owne likenesse Gen. 1.26 Then was man inuested with glorious roabes with immortalitie with vnderstanding with freedome of will then was he perfectly good and chast and pure and iust and true Whatsoeuer might appertaine to happines or holinesse he then had it For God created him so like vnto himselfe in perfect happines and holinesse that he might in some sort beare about with him the image of the great and glorious God of Heauen But alas our first Parent continued not long in that his first estate of puritie innocencie and integritie by his fall he lost vs that his precious Iewell which had he stood fast would haue beene vnto vs a chaine of gold about our neckes yea as it is called Psal 8.5 A crowne of honor and glorie But by his fall we are become miserable and vnholy and wicked and vncleane and false as vnlike to God as darkenesse is to light and Hell is to Heauen In this estate of sinne and death we all lay wallowing till God of his owne vnspeakeable mercy and goodnesse raised vs vp by his grace to a better state a state of regeneration and saluation wherein all we whose names are written in the Register of the elect and chosen children of God must spend the remainder and residue of the dayes of our pilgrimage in this world In this state wee must not stand at one stay but must alwayes be growing vpward We must day by day endeuour to encrease our spirituall strength and change our Christian infancie with a ripe and constant age and adde grace to grace till we become perfect men in Christ To vs now in the state of regeneration belongeth the exhortation of God vnto the children of Israell Leuit. 11.44 Be ye holy for I am holy And that of Christ to his auditors vpon the Mount Matth. 5.48 Be ye perfect as your Father which is in heauen is perfect or as it is in St Luke Chap. 6.36 Be ye mercifull as your Father also is merciful By which places we are not exhorted to a perfection of supererogation as Monkes would haue it nor to a perfect and absolute fulfilling of the Law for that is impossible so long as wee carry about vs these vessels of corruption witnesse St Paul Rom. 8.3 But all that we are exhorted to is that we would do our best endeuours to resemble our God and to be like vnto him in holinesse in perfection in mercifulnesse Be holy as God is holy be perfect as God is perfect be mercifull as God is mercifull non absoluta aequalitate sed similitudine not absolutely and equally holy perfect and mercifull as God is but by a similitude God is our Father and will not we his children like good children striue to be accomodated and fitted to our Fathers vertues Beloued let vs apply our selues to this imitation of our heauenly Father to be holy as he is holy to be perfect as he is perfect to be mercifull as he is mercifull and for my present purpose to be true as he is true To this last we may thus be led God is our Creator and he is the God of truth Psal 31.5 Christ is our Redeemer and he is Truth Ioh. 14.6 We are renued by the holy Ghost and he is the spirit of Truth Ioh. 16.13 We liue in the bosome of the Church and she is the pillar and ground of Truth 1. Tim. 3.15 Thus liuing we are taught by the word of truth Colos 1.5 And are brought to the knowledge of the Truth 1. Tim. 2.4 And are sanctified by Truth Ioh. 17.17 Adde hereto that we are commaunded euery one to speake the Truth Ephes 4.25 And shall we doe our best to resemble God in Truth To be true as he is true Dearely beloued sith we are the children of Truth for God is Truth and his children we are let vs walke as it becometh the children of Truth let Truth be in our thoughts in our words in our workes in all our wayes What shall I more say to this poynt but exhort you in St Paules words Ephes 4.25 That ye would cast off lying and speake euery man the truth
their miserie tells vs of a woman a mother Marie Eleazars daughter who tooke from her owne brests her owne childe a harmelesse suckling a silly infant did kill it and did eat thereof My author saith that this vnnaturall mother tooke her tender babe as it was sucking from her brest and thus spake vnto it f MiseruÌ„ te infans in bello fame seditione cui te seruauero Litle infant poore wretch in warre in famine in sedition for whom shall I preserue thee for whom shall I saue thee aliue If thou liue thou must be a slaue to the Romans but famine preuents thy seruitude yea and the mutinous Iewes are more cruell than either the Romans or the famine Be thou therefore mihi cibus seditiosis furia humanae vitae fabula Be thou meate to me a furie to the mutinous and euen a mocke of the life of man When shee had thus spoken she embrued her hands in the bloud of her owne sonne she boyled the dead bodie and eat the one halfe the remainder shee reserued for another repaste The mutinous Iewes drawne by the g Contaminatissimi nidoris odore capti sent and sauour of this meate brake into this womans house they threatned to kill her vnlesse shee would shew them where her meate was laid Shee told them shee had meat indeed and had reserued it for her-selfe notwithstanding sith they so vrged her shee would shew it to them So shee brought them to the reliques of her sonne At the sight thereof they shrunke backe with feare horror and astonishment Then the mother mercilesse mother with great boldnesse said thus vnto them This meate which you see is indeede part of my owne sonne it was my h Facinus meum deede to kill it eat yee of it for I haue eaten Will you be more tender than a woman more pitifull than a mother eat yee of it I haue eaten If you will not eate it it shall remaine for mee his mother A mother No mother but a monster shee was that could act such a prodigie Well What with the extremitie of this famine what with the furie of the sword what with sicknesse during the time of this warre against Ierusalem there i See Pedro Mexi â— in the life â—f Veâ—paâ—ian perished in Ierusalem and the Prouince adioyning as k In Chrâ—nicâ—â— An. Do. 73. Eusebius l Lib. 7. cap. 9. Pag. 594. Orosius and m Câ—rneâ—â—us Suetonias apud Oâ—â—siam loco citato other Authors affirme six hundred thousand men able to beare Armes But if we will beleeue n De bello Iudaic lib. 7. cap. 17. Vndecies centum millia Euseb Histor Ecâ—lâ—s lib. 3. cap. 7. Iosephus a Iew and present at that warre there died eleuen hundred thousand or a million and one hundred thousand And Iosephus his report is subscribed vnto by o Apud Lipsium nâ—â—u ad Tacitum lib. 5. pag. 539. Zonaras and Iornardes Besides these now dead fame morbo ferro partly by famine partly by sicknesse partly by the sword there were taken captiue to the number of p Iosâ—ph vbi supâ—a Cassiodor chronic Titâ—s filius Vespâ—siani Iudea cap ta centum milâ—ia caphitâ—râ—m publice vâ—â—nâ—ndedit Abbas Vâ—sperg Chrâ—nic ad An 29. Chr. 73. 97. thousand or as q some one hundred thousand sould and dispersed in the wide world The Iewes thus dead and scattered what became of their glorious cittie Ierusalem The holy Temple there was burnt their strong and high wals were throwne downe all the citie became wast and desolate and so it remaines to this day Certainly it is befallen Iudah and Ierusalem according to this commination in my text I will send a fire vpon Iudah and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ierusalem Thus farre haue you the words of my text expounded Now to the doctrine You haue heard Gods iudgments against the kingdome of Iudah and the glorious Citie Ierusalem denounced in the same words as his iudgements were against the Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites The Syrians the Philistines the Tyrians the Edomites the Ammonites and the Moabites were aliens from the Common wealth of Israell they were strangers from the couenant of promise they had no hope they were without God in the world But these Iewes these Inhabitants of Iudah and Ierusalem were of the Common wealth of Israel God made his couenant with them they were not without hope they were the people of the Lord and the Lord was their God yet because they sinned against the Lord as the forenamed Gentiles did the Lord was pleased to deale with them as with the Gentiles euen to send a fire vpon Iudah which hath long since deuoured the palaces of Ierusalem The doctrine which from hence I commend vnto you is Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties they are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen God is absolutely vnpartiall both in mercy and iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without respect of persons hee iudgeth according to euery mans worke 1. Pet. 1.17 Iew or Gentile it s not materiall if they be obedient they shall liue and flourish if they be rebellious they shall die perish Sundry other r Deut. 10.17 2. Chro. 19.7 Iob 34.19 Esai 11.3 Mat. 22.16 Mar. 12.14 Luc. 20.21 Act. 10.34 Rom. 2.11 Galat. 2.6 Eqhes 6.9 Coloss 3.25 places there are in both Testaments old and new which I might alledge to shew that with God there is no respect of persons By Persons I meane not the substance of man or man himselfe but his outward qualitie or condition as Countrey sex parentage wealth pouertie nobilitie wisedome learning and the like According to these God in iudgement respecteth no man Whosoeuer he be Iew or Gentile male or female poore and rich bond or free learned or vnlearned that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse hee is accepted with God Act. 10.35 but let Iew or Gentile male or female poore or rich bond or free the learned or vnlearned worke wickednesse before the Lord and he shal be without partialitie punished Iob 34.19 Such hath euer beene the practise of the Lord. Lazarus his pouerty did not hinder him from saluation neither did the rich mans abundance free him from damnation It was no impeachment to Cornelius that he was a Gentile nor immunitie to Iudas that he was a Iew Saules throne could not shield him from the wrath of God neither did Dauids sheepfolds avert from him the blessings of God Esau was the elder brother yet God hated him Iacob was the younger yet God loued him Neuer did any perish in obedience neuer did any prosper in rebellion Certainely God hath no respect of any mans person for his outward estate qualitie or condition God spared not the Angels for their excellencie nor the old world for their multitude nor Saul for his personage nor Absolon for his beautie nor
which sort are wine and strong drinke Salomon so accounts of them Prov. 20.1 For there he saith Wine is a mocker strong drinke is raging and whosoeuer is deceiued thereby is not wise Salomons Mother doth likewise so account of them Prov. 31.4 There her counsaile to her sonne is It is not for Kings O Lemuel it is not for Kings to drinke wine nor for Princes to drinke strong drinke left they being drunken forget the Law and peruert the iudgement of any of the afflicted For this cause also were the Priests forbidden wine when they were to goe into the tabernacle of the Congregation and that vpon paine of death The prohibition is Levit. 10.9 There thus saith the Lord to Aaron Doe not drinke wine nor strong drinke thou nor thy sonnes with thee when yee goe into the Tabernacle of the Congregation lest ye die It shall be a statute for euer throughout your generations Hitherto I referre that Exech 44.21 No priest shall drinke wine when he entereth into the inner court From the places now alledged ariseth this position Sobrietie is a vertue fit for all men but especially for Ministers of the word and Sacraments Especially for Ministers The reasons are First it is not for Ministers to speake foolishly or to doe any thing vndecently Yet can they not but offend both in the one and the other if they suffer themselues to be ouercome with swilling of wine or strong drinke Secondly it is for Ministers to be vigilant in their vocations to be diligent in their ministeriall imployments in reading in studie in meditation to be deuout in their praiers vnto God for themselues the people ouer whom God hath made them ouerseers to handle the word of life reuerently and to dispense it in due season to euery weary soule Yet must they needs faile in the performance of these duties if they giue themselues to the drinking of wine and strong drinke Here may all that serue at the Altar be admonished euermore to be mindfull of their calling and of the hatred which God hath of excesse in men deuouted to his seruice aboue all others as also of the fearefull iudgement that will in the end without all faile ensue For if of all it be true that the drunkard shal neuer enter into the kingdome of God which you know to be true and the holy Spirit hath passed it for a truth 1. Cor. 6 10. then must it needs be sealed vp in the conscience of any Minister that a Minister through his excesse in drinking causing the holy things of God to be despised shall neuer neuer come within the gates of that eternall ioy but in stead thereof shall reape the reward of his sinne in euerlasting torments both of bodie and soule But this by the way The thing wherewith the Israelites in my text stand charged is their giuing the Nazirites wine to drinke The Israelites knew full well that it was the peremptorie mandate and expresse commandement of the Lord that the Nazirites should absteine from wine and strong drinke yet did they contrary thereunto giue vnto the Nazirites wine to drinke Gaue they the Nazirites wine to drinke was this such an offence that God should take displeasure at it To what end then serues the precept of giuing wine to him that is readie to perish through the anxietie and bitternesse of his minde that thereby he may be cheared and comforted The precept is Prov. 31.6 Giue strong drinke vnto him that is readie to perish and wine vnto those that be of heauie hearts Let him drinke and forget his pouertie and remember his misery no more In vaine were this precept were the drinking of wine an offence whereat God should take displeasure And S. Paul doth amisse 1. Tim. 5.23 to wish him to drinke no longer water but to vse a little wine for his stomackes sake and his often infirmities if the drinking of wine be an offence If the drinking of wine be an offence why doth the same Apostle tell the Romans chap. 14.17 that the kingdome of God consisteth not in meate and drinke thereby giuing them libertie not onely to eate but also to drinke what they would euen to drinke wine To this I say It is not of it selfe any offence to drinke wine or to giue others wine to drinke but herein consisteth the offence of the Israelites that they gaue the Nazirites wine to drinke contrary to the Law of God and his holy commandement Tolle verbum Domini et liberum est vinum bibere adde verbum Domini vinum exhibere aut bibere tam grande est nefas quà m adulterium aut latrocinium So Brentius Let there be no law no commandement of God against the drinking of wine and you may at your pleasure drinke wine But if Gods law and commaundement be against it then for a man to drinke wine himselfe or to giue others wine to drinke it s as great a sinne as adulterie or robbery Adam in Paradise had a law giuen him that hee should not eate of the tree of knowledge of good and euill The law is expressed Gen. 2.17 Of the tree of knowledge of good and euill thou shalt not eate of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die To eate an Apple was of it selfe but a small matter but the Law of God whereby the eating of the Apple was forbidden was a matter of great weight The very eating of the Apple God did not much care for it was the obseruance of his commandement and the obedience thereunto that he required Saul had a commandement giuen him that he should goe downe to Gilgal and tarry there seauen dayes till Samuel should come and direct him what to doe The commandement is expressed 1. Sam. 10.8 Thou shalt goe downe before me to Gilgal and behold I will come downe vnto thee to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings seauen dayes shalt thou tarrie till I come to thee and shew thee what thou shalt doe According to this commandement Saul went to Gilgal and tarried there e 1. Sam. 13.8 seauen dayes according to the set time that Samuel had appoynted The seauenth day a little before Samuel came Saul f Vers 9. offered a burnt ofring g Vers 10. As soone as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering Samuel came Saul vnderstanding thereof went out to meete him that he might salute him Samuel seeing what was done tells Saul that he had done h Vers 13 foolishly in not keeping the commandement of the Lord his God which he commaunded him and withall foretells him of a heauie iudgement to befall him i Vers 14. Thy kingdome shall not continue The offering of the Holocauste or burnt offering to the Lord was it not of it selfe a good worke Yet because Saul offered it out of due time namely before Samuel was come it was sinne vnto him and the losse of his kingdome Did the
Lord care for the preoccupation or preuention of so little time as if it were a matter of it selfe to be regarded No it was the obseruance of his commandement and the obedience thereunto that he required So for my text I say The giuing the Nazirites wine to drinke was not of it selfe a matter that the Lord much regarded but it was the obseruance of his commaundement and the obedience thereunto that he required The commandement I euen now repeated vnto you out of Num. 6. The summe of it is The Nazarite shall absteine from wine and strong drinke Contrary to this commandement did the Israelites here giue vnto the Nazarites wine to drink which is the thing wherewith they are here twyted to this sense Ye gaue the Nazarites wine to drinke in so doing you made proofe of your contempt of my Law and your disobedience thereunto I looked you should haue beene thankefull vnto mee for bestowing so great a benefit vpon you as is the order and calling of the Nazarites for the trayning vp of your yong men in pietie and religion but you vnthankfull you haue repaid me with contempt and disobedience you haue sollicited the Nazarites to breake their vow and contrary to my Law yee gaue them wine to drinke The doctrine we are to gather from hence is Disobedience against Gods holy lawes and commaundements is a sinne carefully to be eschewed by euery child of God As by the knowledge of light we may know what darkenesse is and by the knowledge of good what euill is so by the knowledge of obedience towards God we may know what disobedience against him is Of obedience towards God I entreated in my fift Lecture vpon this Chapter I then handled this conclusion Obedience to the commandements of the Lord is a dutie which the Lord requireth to be performed by euery child of his Whence by the Law of contraries followeth my now-conclusion Disobedience against the commandements of the Lord is a sinne which the Lord requireth to be eschewed by euery child of his For the illustration of this conclusion we are to note in man a twofold disobedience one in the state of corruption the other in the state of regeneration Disobedience in man in the state of corruption is an euill qualitie inbred in him by nature whereby he is made of himselfe altogether vnable and vnwilling to liue in subiection vnto God to heare his voice to obey his will or to doe what he commandeth By this disobedience man is not able to doe any thing but hate God his word his will and whatsoeuer is pleasing to him He euer rebels against God he euer resisteth the will of God he euer despiseth the commandements of God and embraceth with all his might what God forbiddeth How great this disobedience is the holy Scripture doth euidently demonstrate when it describeth the nature of man his thoughts his counsailes his affections his desires his actions in the state of corruption and before his regeneration So it calls vs k Num. 20.10 rebels Ezech. 2.3 impudent children and stiffe-hearted vers 4. Gods aduersaries and his enemies Esay 1.24 Children of l Ephes 5.6 Câ—lâ—s 3.6 diffidence and incredulitie Ephes 2.2 Children of wrath ver 3. Children of darknesse Ephes 5.8 Children of the m 1. Ioh. 3.8 Ioh. 8.49 Deuill 1. Iohn 3.10 It sayth of vs Gen. 6.5 that euery imagination of the thoughts of our hearts is onely euill continually It saith of vs Iob 15.25 that we stretch out our hands against God and strengthen our selues against the Almightie It saith of vs Ephes 4 17. that we walke in the varitie of our mindes that hauing our vnderstanding darkned we are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in vs b cause of the blindnesse of our hearts that as men past feeling we haue giuen our selues ouer vnto lasciuiousnesse to worke all vncleannesse euen with greedinesse Such is the disobedience that is in man while he is in the state of corruption before he is regenerate There is another kind of disobedience in man when he is in the state of Regeneration This disobedience is common to euery child of God while he liueth in this world albeit in some it be greater in some lâ—sse as regeneration is perfecter in some then in others This I thus describe disobedience in man in the state of regeneration is an euil qualitie inbred in him by nature wherby he is made vnable to yeeld due subiection vnto God wholy on euery part with all his heart and all his might or so to obey his holy will simply in all things and alwayes without tergiuersation as neuer to decline from the rule of true obedience By this disobedience we are all made guiltie of the wrath of God of damnation and of eternall death The consideration hereof made Dauid Psal 130.3 to crie out vnto the Lord If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquities O Lord who shall stand It drew from him that humble supplication Psal 143.2 O Lord Enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shall no man liuing be iustified It wrested from him that same confession Psal 32.6 namely that the very godly haue need to pray for the remission of their sinnes There speaking of the remission of sinnes he saith For this shall euery one that is godly pray vnto thee For this for the remission of sinnes shall euery one that is godly pray vnto thee O Lord. From hence is it that our blessed Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ taught his Apostles the most perfect Christians that euer were and therefore the most godly to pray for remission of their sinnes This disobedience which as yet resideth in vs in the best of vs S. Paul elegantly describeth Rom. 7.14 where thus he speaketh in his owne person as a man regenerate we know that the law is spirituall but I am carnall sold vnder sin n Râ—m 17.15 For that which I doe I allow not for what I would that doe I not but what I hate that doe I. o Vers 16. If then I doe that which I would not I consent vnto the law that it is good p Vers 17. Now then it is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me q Vers 18. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing For to will is present with me but how to performe that which is good I find not r Vers 19. For the good that I would I doe not but the euill that I would not that I doe c. I am not ignorant that the Pelagians of old and diuerse of late as Erasmus Ochinus Castellio Faustus Socinus the Samosatenian Iacobus Arminius and their adherents doe affirme that S. Paul speaketh these words not of himselfe as a man regenerate but doth in them describe a man that is a prophane incontinent sensuall vnregenerate or doth describe the nature of man after his fall what and how