deserueth at the hands of all the children of God to whom the fruit of this doctrine hath in any measure been granted and who haue any proofe of their faith at al that at least they yeeld the Lord thus much that as they bee thankfull yea euen with admiration to consider how hee hath brought matters to passe for them beyond hope so that they arme themselues to beleeue still and that more assuredly that God is able and willing to make way for them in all their desires or distresses without which yet they shal lose the benefit of this his power and loue But more of this as occasion shall be offered As for Eglons rising vp at the mention of God as though hee had reuerenced him for this is the next thing that followeth in the text howsoeuer they vsed to doe so at that time who were but heathen Kings as Baalam before when Balak then King of Moab came to him and his Princes with him to aske what Gods answere was to him Baalam I say then spake thus vnto him Arise Balak to heare Gods voice and to giue reuerence to it Concerning his rising vp I say at the naming of God that wee may make some good vse of it wee are sure it serueth to conuince Atheists and prophane ones who are farre from yeelding any But if yee will say what reuerence was that which they gaue seeing they were Idolaters and did it at the naming of God whether it were the true God Iehouah or any other I say sufficient to condemne these But some make shewes of reuerence when in truth they offer disgrace So we reade of the Pharisies that when it was proued to them by the blind man that Christ had opened his eyes which they could not abide to heare they would not take knowledge of it but as though they might boldly and freely detract from him whom they hated so that they gaue words of honour to God bewrayed their hypocrisie who would seeme holy and therefore said giue glory to God wee know that this man is a sinner and so bewrayed that they had no religion when yet they would seeme to goe before others therein seeing this is true that hee that honoureth not the sonne neither doth hee honour the father Let all this then both serue to shame all brutish and prophane persons who yet are in the visible Church who ascribe not so much to the word preached neither regard the message of God with so much reuerence as this heathen Eglon did who in token thereof stood vp when Ehud told him that he had a message for him from God But to leaue these let it bee a watch word to vs that professe the true worship of God that we please not our selues in the worke wrought I meane in giuing outward and bodily worship to God and in calling him father seeing neither they who draw neare to him with bodies onely doe please him neither all that say Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the wil of the father that is in heauen and againe seeing it is written that all who call on the name of the Lord must depart from iniquity let vs regard that duly without which wee shall haue no more to commend vs to God then this Heathen King had But of this enough before cap. 1. vers 4. It followeth Vers 21. And Ehud put forth his left hand and tooke the dagger from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly 22. So that the haft went in after the blade and the fat closed about the blade so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly but the dirt came out OF Ehuds intent and preparation to kill Eglon King of Moab wee haue heard now followeth the execution of it For as Iael was strengthened by God to destroy and kill Sicera captaine of Iabin King of Canaan so the Lord strengthened Ehud heere to bring downe Eglon King of Moab that Israel his people who cried vnto him might bee deliuered out of the bondage that he had brought them into And thus God in a moment tooke away the life and honour of him both together by one deadly blow wherin hee would shew vs the wofull estate of those who haue nothing but in this world to what end they may come euen heere they know not how soone and suddenly beside the irkesome desolation that shall meet with them when they goe hence Oh the base and lothsome death that God would haue him brought vnto and yet in his flourishing estate so far from likelihood of any change or decay at all If wee regard any thing wee will consider this examples are infinite Thus Belshazzar and Herod were taken downe in the middest of their iollity Adde to these Nabal for the vncomfortablenesse of his death with Zimri that burned himselfe to burne the Kings pallace in Tirza and so died and with Ioash the King of Iuda who was slaine of his seruants and Iezabel whose blood was without compassion dashed against the stones Euen so doe wee not daily see the flourishing estates of men turned to most desolate decay in so much as they bee iustly reproued for making them their Paradise and that by the words of our Sauiour are these the things ye looke after and also when hee bewailed them for that they died without hope And heere by so fit an occasion as is offered by Ehuds killing of Eglon this King of Moab I thinke it not vnfit in this place though in a word and by way of execration to note and bring to the remembrance of the Reader the cursed practise of Iesuites in murthering and bringing vntimely death vpon the Lords annointed Kings and Princes vnder the colour of their heresie as they call it or lest they should incurre some way the Popes displeasure for not doing so as though they would helpe the Lord to cut off such as flourish and prosper And the rather I mention them because they defend themselues by this fact of Ehud and such like most impudently and abiurdly to couer their horrible treasons and murthers The two last Kings of France were thus handled and the facts with the doers highly extolled by these that hartened them on thereto Oh villaine intolerable whereby as by their persecuting the Gospell they most liuely shew themselues to bee vtter aduersaries to Christ and to bee most neare akind to them who commit the sinne against which we should not pray that cannot bee forgiuen But to leaue them whom God alloweth not to bee instruments of such bloody acts and trecheries let vs returne to the persons before mentioned who liued heere in pleasures of sinne for a season and were without God in the world and soone perished miserably These with many other mentioned in the Scriptures and in later Chronicles for I speake of the chiefe and greatest persons seeing they doe most moue affection so highly
which they could not beare and not thinking he had oppressed them enough by doing so added yet more vnto them also And thus they play the parts of giants which grind the faces of the poore to whom sound reason euen the commandement of God diswading them from it is vtterly vnsauorie and crauing of pity at their hands is in vaine This is apparent in sutes and controuersies betwixt the mightie and the meane the one eating vp the other as if they were bread So such as are set in place to chase away wickednesse receiuing and deuouring gifts out of the hands of the guilty and lion-like roaring against the innocent and so sucking aduantage out of them and liuing by the sinnes of the people are very Giants and no better then Anakims All such and the like aggricuances are to be groned vnder by the godly in the eares of the Lord. And they who are deliuered from such burdens haue great cause with reioycing to praise God as the people did when they were brought back out of the captiuitie saying Our mouth was full of laughter and our tongue filled with ioy But of this enough because I haue spoken of the like point before in vers 7. Now to goe forward in the story it is said that Iudah had not rested in these destructions of the Canaanites and of many other mentioned in the booke of Ioshua but proceeded further to take Debir another citie scituated by Hebron but more of this in the next verse And in the meane season here it is to be considered how vnwearied Iudah is said to haue been in the worke of the Lord euen in procuring the destruction of his enemies the Canaanites with Ioshua while hee liued who was the chiefe guide of the rest For this diligence of theirs in going from one peece of this worke to another should be a notable incouragement to all that are seruants to God in any worke that he sets them about that they should not doe it negligently nor stand at a stay after good beginnings as though they had done sufficiently alreadie They must not repeat their labours and cumbats which are past as though they had done enough but looke to those which are to come as the Apostle teacheth in the Epistle to the Philippians And this is carefully to be regarded whether it be in performing outward duties as these men of Iuda did or inward as in resisting temptations patient bearing of afflictions and the like they should alwaies be vnwearied in the worke of the Lord. For to this end God hath promised strength by the armour of a Christian And thus it is meet for al such to grow from strength to strength and from faith to faith as God hath giuen commandement and to verifie that which is written by Salomon the righteous shineth as the light vnto the perfit day As plants when the be rooted in good ground doe burnish and spread their branches and bring foorth fruite plentifully And such must know that it is a sore discouragement to the weaker Christians when they shall see dampes and deadnesse in the ancienter professors who haue been sometimes prouokers and stirrers vp of others to the duties of godlinesse A great blemish doubtlesse it is in them who may iustly be charged to doe so For beside other inconueniences this is one that it beateth a strong conceit into the hearts of the weake that they find not that liking in Gods seruice that they are told of and promised in the word of God which they heare As if God were not to be trusted in setting forth so large offers and priuiledges therein or as though he were wearie of weldoing to his the which to affirme is rancke blasphemie They should all so know such I meane as God hath put in his service that they ought now after long continuance therein and in his house to bee as fathers to procure and seeke the good of the weaker sort of their brethren and to haue great care that none become faint by their example but therefore to shine as lights and grow daily in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Oh it is comely for others to behold and their owne glory to see that they follow the Lord stil directing and going before them as they did at any time past Like Caleb who fortie and fiue yeere after the Lord had set him about his work as one of the two who were counted more faithfull then the rest was as strong and fit for it as hee had been so many yeeres before I know it is a rare thing partly seeing few liue so long partly seeing many waxe soone wearie of well doing and either haue not meanes to set them forward or else haue no desire to vse them with that delight which once they did beside their many discouragements it is therefore I say a rare thing to see men faithfull and constant for any long time in goodnesse But so much the more commendable it is where it may bee found oh it is a good thing alwaies to be constant in a good matter I deny not but the best may easily and doe with the wise virgins begin to nod and with the Church in the Canticles fall a sleepe but therefore is it the needfuller for them to be quickned vp by Gods promises and other incouragements as where he saith To him that ouercommeth will I giue the tree of life that is euerlasting life and such like And also to quicken vp themselues as I haue said by diligent watching and feruent prayer c. that they perish not with the wicked of the world while they liue among them For they know that by faithfulnesse and constancie therein they grow at last to perseuerance and to a good end of their conflicting daies and that they must depart from many ill actions and bad companies which other make themselues merry with all But if such shal begin to think that their reward here and in the life to come wil not be answerable to the losse of their pleasure that they forgoe which reward yet is an hundreth fold more euen in this life beside happinesse afterwards let them cast their account before they begin but if they feare nothing but their owne weakenesse let them not be discouraged God will be their strength let them cast their care on him and he will care for them Thus by this which I haue said of this matter it may easily be seene that they take the right course to happinesse who with these men of Iuda hold out constantly and vnwearied in well doing notwithstanding all discouragements temptations and opposition to the contrary THE FIFTH SERMON VPON THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES VERS 12. And Caleb said he that smiteth Kirlah Sepher and taketh it euen to him will I giue Acsah my daughter to wife VERS 13. And Othniel the sonne of Kenaz Calebs younger brother
and any cost and it bring any toyle and trouble and hinder mens ease and profit behold a Lion is in the way they will not at all take them in hand or if they haue begun they soone waxe wearie of the worke and giue it ouer neuer enioying Gods promise to harten them to the obeying of his commandements but yeelding to their owne corrupt reason so that there is little rooting out of grieuous disorders and lewdnesse of life in towne countrie or familie as whoring drunkennesse gaming ill companies and such like and as little pursuing of the persons that disguise themselues therewith either in Church or Common-wealth And this was a greater fault in these tribes to let the Canaanites remaine and not expell them because they were strong enough to haue done it and stronger by much then they on whom they should haue executed Gods charge for so it is said verse 28. When Israel waxed strong yet did they not expell them wholly but onely put them to tribute So this aggrauateth the sinne of our time forasmuch as God hath giuen authority into mens hands to remoue such disorders and greater gifts of knowledge and ability to ouermatch such euils as he would haue to bee rooted out and yet there wanteth zeale and courage to goe about it And though things shall neuer bee brought to that perfection that were to be wished yet much might be done that is vtterly neglected This be said and noted out of all the verses in generall and of all the tribes mentioned therein Now more particularly somewhat is to bee said of Manasse and Ephraim who did not alike behaue themselues when they were seuered as when they were ioyned together then they went the one with the other roundly to the worke and prospered but now they being diuided they were backward and slothfull and so let the Canaanites grow and multiply That which I will obserue heere is this That we looke heedfully to this that we make much of godly society and labour to enioy it therefore and to take all the good that we may by it For wee haue much encouragement thereby whatsoeuer good wee goe about wherein it may bee vsed For as the Wise man saith Two are better then one if one lie alone how should he be warme And so many good persons being ioyned together in a good worke like firebrands in a chimney that giue a glowing heate when they are laid together when one alone soone goeth out one is refreshed helped hartened and comforted by the other according to the kind of worke which they take in hand and so one alone is much weakened made heauie and soone discouraged As Moses his hands failed against Amalek till Aaron and Hur propped them vp But Moses and Aanon Caleb and Ioshuah Dauid and Ionathan and so much more many together as their employment required who doubteth but that they did much more roundly and readily dispatch the worke appointed them of God then if they had been disioyned and asunder Therefore doubtlesse where both if there bee no more or many are sound hearted in seuerall to God and his worship and like minded and vpright hearted each to other the Lord is doubly honoured the Gospell graced euen in the eyes of the wicked the aduersarie stronglier resisted by their vnited force besides the strengthening one the others hands in the way to happinesse And therefore the publike assemblies of the faithfull haue great force to quicken and to comfort the people of God in the seeing the faces of one another all being present together to meet the Lord there farre otherwise then one alone can finde it though he be well minded also and enioyeth no such benefit of the ministry at all vnlesse it can be no otherwise Euen so Christian fellowship in priuate betwixt the people of God for their mutuall edifying and comfort as they haue opportunity to enioy it is many waies gainefull And though solitarinesse hath also her kinde and sweet vse and though there is a time to be alone when a man desireth it who is fit to vse it yet to be tied to it or which is worse to bee in bad company euery while it is such an vncomfortable estate that if it were not for imployment in their particular calling wherein they may bestow their chiefe time they should make their life meerely tedious and wearisome Therfore I maruell that godly fellowship and acquaintance is no more sought and made account of nor the communion of Saints which is but one fruit of the Gospell in no heartier and greater request nor no better vse made of it where it is enioyned but broken off among some by euery light and small conceit teatch or sinister report and slander and by such like occasions And seeing I haue spoken this of fellowship one thing I haue thought good to adde and that is if it bee possible let a wise Christian bee neuer to seeke of some one faithfull friend at the least to whom he may breake his minde in all doubtfull cases and communicate with him about necessary matters and who may be to him as an eye to watch ouer him and as another him-selfe to comfort him Let this suffice to shew what a benefit Christian society and godly fellowship is many waies to them that can rightly vse it according to the words of the Psalmist Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is brethren to dwel together in vnity and what danger and discouragements there arise in the priuate condition where no helpe by Christian communion of neighbors is enioyned and therfore what heed is to be taken therin that such a band be not broken where it is and where none is that it be speedily as may be sought and procured that for want of aduice fellowship and good company so many waies requisite men be not plunged into depth of troubles both in matters of soule and in things of this life many of the which might easily haue been auoided Now it followeth which I will deferre to the next Sermon THE NINTH SERMON VPON THE FIRST AND SECOND CHAPTERS OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES VERS 30. Neither did Zebulon expell c. as before to vers 34. VERS 34. And the Ammorites draue the children of Dan into the mountaine so that they suffered them not to come downe to the valley VERS 35. And the Ammorites dwelt still in Mount Heres in Aijlon and in Shaalbim and when the hand of Iosephs family preuailed they became tributaries VERS 36. And the coast of the Amorites was from Maaleh-akeabim euen from Selah and vpward NOw it followeth From this 30. verse to the 34. the holy Story setteth downe particularly how the tribes of Zebulon Ashur and Naphtali did euen as the other tribes before mentioned of Beniamin Manasse and Ephraim that they let those Canaanites liue still among them and did only put them to tribute Wherein to see the agreement that was in this
prognosticate vnto what a passe they are like to grow if they had elbow roome For though none might liue happilier then they yet who for the most part doe lesse looke after it for as they in Moses absence from them but fortie daies made themselues a calfe to worship euen so the people are so brutish in these daies and disordered euen while their faithfull pastors liue with them that the greatest part of them take no good by them what did I say nay they liue most offensiuely vnder them A signe of a wofull condemnation ready to come vpon them all may see it is in their so doing for louing darkenesse in the cleare light of the Gospell more then it And though some of them who are more subtill doe carrie the matter more closely yet they are restrained by necessity or shame not reformed by grace and the power of the word And let others who are not so bad and yet not brought to true repentance let them I say make better vse of such helpes while they enioy them as they did in the Acts of the Apostles and especially let them see that all bee well betwixt God and them yea and let them get furniture of grace to vphold them afterward also lest too late they lament that they tooke no good by them and bewaile the want of them as Saul did Samuel when there is no helpe But heere in as much as we see these people held out in Gods seruice but for a time and that was while they had good gouernours and ouerseers liuing with them it auaileth much therefore to obserue in our selues what it is that maketh vs embrace religion and what is the chiefest thing that causeth vs to hold on the same A worthie point for all to learne and namely such as pretend they loue the Gospell it much concerneth vs I say to know and be assured whether it be fauour of men commodity credit example or other outward respect which moueth vs to professe any thing more zealously then some other doe or whether for conscience sake in that God commandeth vs so to doe and for the sauour and sweetnesse that wee finde therein and in the Gospell which wee heare For euen thereafter shal our welfare prosperity and perseuerance be For if wee haue tasted how good the Lord is and haue found that hundred fold that is promised and verefied in vs which is written in the Psalme that a day in Gods house is better to vs then a thousand else where then we may know that wee haue builded vpon a rocke and our building shall stand and till we meet with a better booty then that and may serue a better master then the Lord is which shall neuer be wee will keepe close to him and count his seruice to bee perfect freedome And to such as demand of vs whether wee will continue and hold on in a godly course or goe backe as Christ demanded of his Disciples we shall be able to answere with Peter whither shall wee goe wee are in the way to eternall life and we will not change our Christian course for any other Otherwise it is not enough to boast of our loue to God and to say Lord Lord when yet we will take no paines throughly to gage our harts and to see our affection well ordered that so good life may follow Now while the holy Ghost speaketh of the people how they followed the Lord all the daies of Ioshua and the godly elders hee stayeth a while about them giuing them this testimony that they had seene the workes of God which he had done among them meaning that they had not barely looked vpon them but obserued and as Mary did the words of the Angell had laid them vp in their hearts to consider them For what profited it then otherwise to see them For there is no doubt but that there were many more aliue at that time who had seene the miracles and great workes which the Lord had wrought in placing them in Canaan but they were not worth the naming seeing they had not also made vse of them but these had seen them in another manner so that they acknowledged the Lords power and goodnesse toward them thereby declaring that to be the cause of their constant seruing of God and cleaning to him euen because they had seene them And it is no lesse doubtlesse then a great cause of the godlinesse of them that haue any in them namely that they are such as haue seene and weighed Gods wonderfull acts as his mercy and gracious working by the power of the Gospell in themselues or other as also for that they haue had proofe of his mighty vpholding of theÌ„ in a good course against all aduersary power of the prince of darkenes and his band In like manner this hath hartened them to duty not a little for that as they haue seen it alwaies to go well with them while they feared the Lord and departed from euill so they â—â—ue seene the heauie hand of God to haue been against others that haue peruerted their waies followed a bad course so that although they haue prospered heere for a season yet when God in his due time hath blowne vpon their visored felicity they haue wanzed away in his displeasure This Salomon commendeth to vs in his example who professeth that it was his practise to behold and consider all things not impertinent matters as a busie bodie but profitable and especially the courses and issues of the righteous and wicked By which meanes hee attained to great experience and wisedome both to guide himselfe and others Euen as his father Dauid did also saying that he was made wiser then the ancient because he considered such things But this meditating of Gods wonderfull workes and namely this one the greatest of other how he hath appointed to saue some from vtter perdition and letteth others goe on in their sinnes though it be a strong motiue to draw men to God yet with griefe it may be spoken it is vtterly wanting among most men Their hearts are set on follie and vanity He that hath liued to see many laid in graue hath scarce a thought that hee shall follow and goe the way that all haue gone before him in As for that they heare that except they repent they shall all perish although they know their hearts are hardened so that they neither can repent nor haue the least desire after it yet they crie peace peace as though all were safe So that it may now iustly be complained of which Salomon hath long agoe bewrayed that the fooles eyes are in euery corner of the world meaning that they are busying themselues any way needlesly and amisse but as for things out of the world or aboue it that is as Saint Peter speaketh a farre off their eyes are sore and pur-blind they cannot looke after them and as the Prophet speaketh they
by their loud and vnbeseeming as well as vnseasonable complaints and outcryings whereby they disquiet the whole family for some ouersight which they espy yea they haue oft times no cause at all to doe so or at least if they had any iust cause to be grieued yet a little patience and bearing with the trespassers as the cause requireth and sober and kinde telling them of it might haue done farre more good and haue kept the whole family quiet The same I may say of the wife if she be giuen to waspishnesse and bee shrewish hot and wrathfull who thereby troubleth both husband and the whole house and this accusation reacheth yet further euen to the spitefull and malicious who are not onely oft iarring and at strife with their neighbours vpon small or no occasions but are ready to sue them at the law for euery trifle and so trouble both them and themselues also Whereas the vertuous Queene Hester beholding how shee was the onely hope and helpe vnder God of the Churches deliuerance from Hamans plot and deuising to wast and destroy it vtterly tooke vpon her the going about it though it was with most likely perill of her life and that without the hurt of any one beside saying in so doubtfull a case If I perish I perish Yea Saul himselfe who yet had no commendation through the story for vprightnesse and goodnesse would not suffer any of the murmurers and repiners against his entring in to bee punished at his first comming to his kingdome as some would haue had it but chose rather to put vp the disgrace saying there shall no man die this day for to day the Lord hath saued Israel And this by occasion of Ehuas sending the people away that went with him being the first of the three things mentioned to be contained in these 3. verses Now followeth the second thing to wit of Ehuds second going to Eglon and what he said Hee returned in hast from the place neere Gilgal in the land of Israel whither hee had conducted the people which could not bee farre from the place where King Eglon lay for hee hauing brought the Israelites into subiection to him it is cleere thot he lay neere their borders the better to see them kept vnder and he comming to him told him hee had a message which was of secresie to doe vnto him Whereat the King required him to stay the vttering of it till the company standing by were commanded out of the place For hee hauing so lately receiued a present at his hand had no suspition of any trechery to be intended by him The company being gone Ehud was admitted to come neare vnto him And telling him that his message was from God hee stood vp to doe reuerence at that name and so by this meanes he had the way made more easie for him and the better opportunitie to doe the worke he went about And in these two verses we may see considering that the Lord called Ehud to this worke for the destroying of that his peoples enemy and to deliuer them out of his hands for else it had been a most bloody and trecherous act we may see I say the courage and confidence that was in him to aduenture that great danger that hee did by going about to kill Eglon the King who if before his attempt he had been detected and found out had been put who doubteth to most extreme tortures among enemies and no friend of his standing by or in presence And what had hee to vphold himselfe by in that great difficulty and fearfull danger but his trust in God and confidence that hee who laid that worke vpon him would bring him well through it And yet how hard a thing it was for him who seeth not if he will rightly consider it in that difficulty and great straite that hee was in to beleeue that God would make way for him and enable him to such a worke all likelihoode thereof being taken away And this teacheth vs what the nature of faith confidence is whersoeuer and in whomsoeuer it is to be found that they looke not vpon things that are seene which may-work deadly discouragement and anguish but vpon that which is not seene with mortal eye and that is Gods power and willingnesse ready at hand to helpe vs forward and to encourage vs to waite for the accomplishing of that which we beleeue and looke for in our greatest need This it was that animated and strengthened Ehud to attempt this dangerous worke And this faith and confidence hartened and emboldened the Priests when the Lord by Ioshua commanded them for their passing into the land of Canaan to set their feet on the water to goe ouer the riuer Iordan how vnlikely soeuer it was their beleeuing I say the Lord by the mouth of Ioshua that a way should be made for them to passe through safely as on dry land euen that it was that hartened them to doe it who yet in so doing must of necessity haue been drowned by mans reason and iudgement And this faith made Peter bold to pronounce to the lame and diseased euen while they lay visited to pronounce I say in the hearing of all that stood by when he saw no likelihood thereof appeare Iesus Christ maketh you whole arise and walke For hee beleeued Christ who had said to him that he should worke a miracle whensoeuer it was expedient and that faith made him bold to say so whereas if that had not been immediately done indeed which he foresaid should come to passe that the parties should bee healed he should haue been vtterly discredited and laughed to scorne and cast out from mens company as a deceiuer This faith made the holy Martyrs yeeld their bodies to the fire for the defence of Gods truth while they beleeued not onely that they should bee receiued after into glory but also that God would strengthen them for the present time to endure the flame And this it is that inableth vs to suffer the hardnesse which wee willingly sustaine throughout our liues euen this that we trust and rest perswaded that God will bring vs well through it and afterwards receiue vs into his eternall kingdome Which caused Saint Paul to vtter these words Why weepe ye thus and rend my heart for I am resolued and ready not to bee bound onely but also to die at Ierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus and euen so he taught writing to Timothy Therefore we suffer because we beleeue in the liuing God who is the sauiour of all but especially of them that beleeue And this of Ehud in these two verses and of his words spoken to the King and as for such as aske why he deluded the King with a lie while hee went about to kill him seeing hee vttered no message to him at all when yet hee told him hee had a message from God vnto him to them I answere the word
chiefe men in the tribe of Zebulon she had praised before and that for their forwardnes against Gods enemies in so great perill as we haue heard they were in For it was a ridiculous thing in the iudgement of men for such a small number as they were to goe against such huge armies and all as valiant souldiers addressed in warlike furniture by whom they might haue been swept away in lesse then an houre but they preferred God and his word before their owne liues By the high places mentioned here the mount Tabor is signified on which they were appointed to stand to behold the multitude of the Canaanites and yet they not flying away from them but marching toward them their faith appeared to bee so much the greater and therefore they are thus commended Thus much for the meaning of these fiue verses Now I haue cleered that which was needfull to be made plaine in this storie there being some difficultie therein the next thing is that we seeke a further benefit by it And first by them who are commended for yeelding their helpe in that great worke of the Lord as Ephraim Beniamin and Ishaker mentioned in the 14. and 15. verses we may see that such as doe set themselues to further Gods people or his seruice shall not be vnrecompensed nor forgotten as these are here regestred to their praise neither is any to thinke that the labour and trauell so bestowed is in vaine And whereas some obiect That now the Scriptures are finished and therefore no man can looke for the same particular reward that these enioyed I meane to be Chronicled in the monuments thereof yet let them know that if they be faithfull and constant to the end the Lord hath written their names in another booke farre more durable euen the booke of remembrance wherein he writeth the workes of the Saints that he may both here and for euer reward them and honour them before men Angels For though it be vsuall with men to doe as the Butler did to Ioseph I meane to let goe vnrewarded many kindnesses and duties done to them by their neighbours yet God who is lesse bound to the best by any due of desert but only of his free promise and gracious fauour he I say will not doe so for why if one offer but a cup of cold water vnto any in the name of a Disciple that is because he is so the Lord will not leaue him vnrewarded Therefore when the woman in the Gospell had powred ointment on the head of our Sauiour he said that wheresoeuer the Gospell should be preached that act of hers should bee remembred and spoken of Much more they who shall honour God more fruitfully and faithfully may assure themselues that great is their reward from him for hee that shall forsake any thing for his sake shall receiue an hundred fold for it euen in this life besides the happinese that abideth him in the life to come Oh therefore the blockishnes and vnbeliefe of the greatest part euen of Christendome who desiring to enioy good daies while they liue here doe in no carefull manner take the way thereto but shift as the baddest sort do to take their part in the sinfull pleasures of this life By meanes whereof though they thinke themselues on the surer hand and to play the part of wise men yet in truth they neuer finde the quiet and sweete fruite of the Gospell which yet many of them professe nor euer attaine the happie life here or after that they looke for Oh things present doe so dazle their eyes with their deceiueable beauty and their hearts are so hollow inconstant and vnfaithfull that if they be tickled with loue and liking of any thing that pleaseth their humour how dishonest yea and filthie soeuer it be they are drawne after it as the silly fish with the bait So that it is no maruaile that few doe beleeue that their labour in the Lord shall be rewarded by chusing rather to abide affliction then to embrace the short pleasures of sinne Oh the number is great of them that follow the deuices and desires of their owne wicked hearts vpbraiding the godly with the small gaine they get by their zealous profession of religion Indeed it is a thing impossible for an vnbeleeuer to see either the vnfruitfulnes of his owne estate or the gaine of the contrarie as wee see by them in Malach. 3. who aske in plaine termes If it be not in vaine to serue God and what profit commeth thereby c. But this ought not to trouble the righteous as we see in the 16. verse of the same chapter but if through frailtie they slip into that temptation as Dauid did Psal 73. let them doe as he did vers 17. enter into the Sanctuarie of God and change their opinion But as fast as one seeth another taken away and for all the fearefull manner of the death of some of them who haue liued as if they feared neither hell nor iudgement day yet what one of an hundred remaining behinde still is brought any thing neerer to a Christian life thereby Now more particularly by these of Machir or Manasses Zebulon and Issachar which were chiefe men in the tribes and yet forward and readie to ioyne with the rest against Gods enemies wee learne that as the mightiest and wealthiest should not come behind others in any part of Gods seruice but put foorth themselues before them as these here did so they that doe not so must see that they shall haue reproch for their negligence and sloth as the other shall be renowned of God himselfe as wee see here these be which were enough to put heart and courage into that sort of men particularly if sinne haue not plucked it out But of this I speake in other places by occasion and therefore I say no more now Now Debora passeth from these whom she commended and turneth to the other whom she discommendeth in these verses Whereby we may see how great the reproch of thē is who do not helpe in Gods house to set forward his worke and to ioyne with his seruants therein For such do not only discourage their brethren and let the worke lie raw and vnperfect but they flesh their aduersaries and God knoweth whether they would not also turne on their sides if they should be tryed Wherein it is not amisse to obserue the plaine dealing of the holy Ghost in this narration for as he ingenuously yeeldeth testimony of praise to the well deseruing so hee conceileth not the shame of the carelesse and slothfull but rebukes them without respect of persons Which dealing as it sheweth what course he will take in that solemne day wherin he will iudge the world with equity so it should driue all fooles out of these conceits whereby they beguile themselues saying rush God will doe neither good nor euill and that hee will not smite them but they
a Musitian to heale him of a troubled conscience then to meditate of God his former mercies doth make euery new crosse more heauie to himselfe then other I confesse such haue an expetience but it is like their hope neither shall helpe them For thus they argue Such a sicknesse I recouered of therefore I looke to breake this too Loe their experience breedeth a rotten confidence in them and makes them presume of that which often they faile of and when they faile they are either like Iehoram very lions or as Nabal meere blockes The case is plaine They digge to themselues pits which will hold no water but forsake the Lord and their owne peace for a vaine conceit and as Ionah saith While they embrace lying vanities they forsake their owne mercie whereof they haue no promise And so at length that is verified of them which is written by the Prophet Though they escape a Beare yet a Lion shall deuoure them yea and often that which they least feare shall be their vndoing Now this caueat let me adde to the doctrine lest I be mistaken I say not that a Christians experience breedes hope of the selfesame outward issue and manner of deliuerance out of his trouble which hee hath before time found Neither durst the three children in the third of Daniel expresly auouch that God would worke a miracle for their deliuerie and yet they had faith neuerthelesse to beleeue that he would bring them well thorow which I speake to controle the phantastical spirits of some who affirme that the not recouerie of a disease as it might be the plague is the fruit alway of vnbelief If we could beleeue the promise say they in Psalme we should not feare that sicknesse nor dye thereof Contrariwise let vs know that the act of faith is euer carried according to the qualitie of the promise Pauls faith was not expresly carried to beleeue That the pricke in his flesh should be remoued and yet he had experience of many deliuerances but that Gods grace should bee sufficient And he beleeuing this had the fruite of his former experience because hee obtained an equiualent supplie This be said by occasion of the first prop of Samsons prayer to wit the rehearsing of Gods former goodnesse the second followeth that he was his seruant and had done his worke in that his great labour against the Philistims And by this we must know that it is a thing very materiall to be able to proue our selues Gods seruants For by what right can we else claime any place in his house otherwise then as strangers But if we be so then we doe him faithfull seruice as the Apostle saith his seruants yee are to whom ye obey yea and that wee performe ioyfully and without feare all our daies for it is not a seruice in name but perfect freedome indeed and so doing wee may claime the benefit of seruants that is protection The Angels had this title to be called the seruants of God And as he said he was his seruant so particularly he shewed that he was so in this for he said I haue not pleased my selfe nor serued mine owne humour in killing these Philistims but I did thy worke and fought thy battailes Euen so in our particular actions wee are to looke to be guided by God to proue that we are in the state of seruants and not hangbyes and then we may be able with boldnes to say we haue a good conscience in all things and where we are accused yet to be at peace else God might also discharge himselfe of his promise vnto vs. It is no small priuiledge as I haue noted elsewhere that whiles we are well occupied wee may boldly sue to God for blessing And so did Samson here For if earthly masters tye themselues to prouide sustenance for their seruants not looking that they should be troubled with the care of any thing saue their labour then with what boldnes might Samson here call vpon the Lord that he might not perish for thirst being in the heat of his worke For it might else haue turned to the dishonour of the Lord to suffer him to miscarrie for want Oh that men would trie the Lord in this and commit their waies to him in well-doing to see if he would not effect their good desires and else let them not wonder that he seeme an hard master to them Now followeth the substance of his prayer and that was that he hauing imployed himselfe to glorifie Gods name might not be deliuered into the hands of the vncircumcised and hee saith further I being set by thee O Lord to iudge ouer thy people suffer me not to come into their hands and power contrary to that which thou promisedst to me till I had fulfilled thy worke So wee should be earnest with the Lord that wee may not liue nor dye to the dishonour of his name but to bee kept if it may bee from iust reproch Such requests can none make that set themselues on worke without God though they counterfeit or make great florishes as Ioab did See 2. Sam. 10. And whereas ye will obiect that he did yet fall into reprochfull euils afterward for all this his prayer the answere thereto is that he neglected the nourishing of the grace that hee did now pray in and further answere will by more fit occasion be made hereto in the next chapter therefore I will deferre it to that place When Samson had made his prayer thus in his extreame thirst the Lord as it is manifest in this verse caused water to come foorth of the hollow place of the iaw breaking out of the tooth which stood therein and so hee drunke and was reuiued And therefore he gaue a name to the thing done accordingly calling it the Fountaine of him that prayed By this that the Lord heard Samsons prayer and rather gaue him water extraordinarily then he should perish it teacheth the same to vs that rather then we shall miscarrie he will prouide for vs though we know not neither see how As he sed Eliah by the rauens and the good widow with the increase of her little oyle till it paid her debt and maintained her and hers and preserued Ionah in the fishes belly and against all likelihood brought him safe to land So God hath many waies to comfort his and vphold their estate and he is as willing as he is able to doe it and that by his extraordinarie prouidence rather then they should faile And if he see it not expedient alwaies to doe so yet he doth more for them a great deale then if he gaue them their desire for hee worketh in them contentation and other grace and sooner shall the stones of the streete bee turned into loaues of bread and the water of their wels into drinke before they shall perish euen here vnlesse he doe better things for them Cleaue wee therefore to him inseparably and
honoured for the great workes that he did among them not only preferred a murtherer before him and vniustly got liberty of Pilate to crucifie him being Lord of glory but also railed and spitted on him and most shamefully reuiled and mocked him in the middest of his agonies and indeed herein they resemble their father the diuell who then most insulteth when hee hath a man vnder but the Lord is alway nearest to his as he was to Ionah in their extremities Now although God for his euill doing doe iustly punish such an one yet we should be moued with some pitie toward him and not to adde vexation to such as God smiteth And therefore wee reade that the Lord afflicting Israel for their iust deserts by sending them through the long and vast wildernesse yet when the King of Edom would needes vexe them also by for bidding them passage through his coasts was displeased with him And therefore the Prophet Amos writeth thus For three transgressions of Edom and for foure I will not be intreated neither turne to him and addeth that as the reason because he did pursue his brother with the sword and did cast off all pitie toward him And for that cause saith hee will not leaue him vnpunished The vse is to vs to beware of all crueltie and especially if it be mixed with enuie for which cause Salomon saith Anger is cruell and wrath is raging but who can stand before enuie Thus Dauid prayes against him who pursued the man whom God afflicted saying Let his daies be few and his prayer be turned into sinne because he remembred not to shew mercie but he persecuted the poore man and him that was contrite in his heart c. But these things wee reade and despise as if God would be mocked See more of this in other places of this booke and by name vpon the fourth verse of the first chapter And here consider againe notwithstanding such disguising of Samson as wee haue now heard and that he was thus brought into an high degree of shame contempt and miserie whereby it might be thought that he was no better then an abiect and castaway yet consider we I say that he was euen now reclaimed from his forementioned sinnes and reconciled to God againe as I said before and say it againe that none may mistake me in so saying and by that which I haue set downe of his repentance God sheweth how deare he was to him for all that hath been said of his fall not that he had merited by his patience in the prison forgiuenes of his sinnes but he acknowledged them there beleeued the pardon of them and as it became a godly man he repented as before hath been proued else these had turned him quite off from God This did greatly extenuate and asswage his miserie ouer it was with him before he thus turned to God So that the Lord who prouided for Ionahs body the shelter of a gourd lest the extremitie of the heate of the Sunne might haue added affliction to his disquieted minde euen hee I say did much more gratiously preuent this poore prisoner his seruant with mercie and fauour against the time that his enemies grew to the height of their malice lest it might otherwise haue been intollerable Yea and hereby the Lord animated him to beare the indignitie the more quietly because his strength was now also renewed and thereby he knew God had called this despitefull rabble together to be auenged of them Heereby let vs learne that whatsoeuer men haue been in their euill liues heretofore and howsoeuer they haue brought vpon their own heads much misery thereby yet there is much comfort to bee taken in them both by themselues and by others when they haue truly renounced and cast from them the workes of darkenesse to haue no more fellowship in them but do shelter themselues vnder Christs wing as the poore chicken vnder the hen that he may couer and remit them And this only is able to make them hold vp their heads when so many sorrowes and troubles doe otherwise oppresse them But oh then how happie and sweet is this vniting of vs to Christ by faith when we are so resolued that we may abide in his loue that wee carefully seeke to enioy and preserue it and doe wisely decline other things which doe make that benefit seeme farre lesse gainfull and beautifull vnto vs then it is It is truly said by Salomon that it is the wounded spirit which makes the trouble waighty and the spirit of a man free and cheerefull through a good conscience and supported by God which beares him vp in his affliction And howsoeuer the proofe hereof is sweetest in affliction sent vpon vs in our innocency yet it hath place also euen in crosses which are drawne vpon vs for some sinne when wee haue humbled our selues truly for them and haue not delayed to seeke reconciliation with his Maiesty for them For then a man recouereth his particular confidence in God and seeth that his affliction hauing done that for which it came shall speedily bee remoued and a supply of patience giuen the whilest to vndergoe the triall Therefore oh fooles that cause God thus to punish them but double fooles who abuse their correction and lie vnder it impenitent for these shall need no Philistims to adde sorrow vpon sorrow seeing they make their burthen double and treble by their sin aggrauated and by a conscience hardened against God Vers 26. Then Samson said to the seruant that led him by the hand Leade me that I may touch the pillers that the house standeth vpon and that I may leaue to them 27. Now the house was full of men and women and there were all the Princes of the Philistims also about the roofe were three thousand men and women that beheld while Samson played 28. Then samson called vnto the Lord and said O Lord God I pray thee think vpon me O God I beseech thee strengthen mee at this time onely that I may bee at once auenged of the Philistims for my two eyes 29. And Samson laid hold on the two middle pillers whereupon the house stood and on which it was borne vp on the one with his right and on the other with his left 30. Then said Samson Let mee lose my life with the Philistims and hee bowed him with all his might and the house fell vpon the Princes and vpon all the people that were therein So the dead which he slew at his death were moe then they which he had slaine in his life 31. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came downe and tocke him and brought him vp and buried him betweene Zorah and Eshtaol in the scpulchre of Manoah his father now he had iudged Israel twentie yeeres NOw it followeth in the end of this third part of the Chapter to consider the issue of this their dealing with Samson and that is
his owne head Hereof it is that if we thus tell them which is the very truth that their sinne hath found them out they haue no eares to heare vs and if we waroe the like offenders before their punishment commeth that God wil after the same manner be auenged of them yet they will not beleeue vs till hee visit them in some such heauie manner indeed and then with Iosephs brethren they begin to say We remember our sinne this day that euen as other haue done to vs so wee haue done to other before and as this cruell King Adonibezek sayd here Seuentie Kings thumbs haue I cut off c as I haue done so God hath rewarded me And this men shall come to either in Gods fauour to their amendment or in his displeasure to their hardning and confusion And therfore it were wisedome to confesse it in time while wee may bee taught and told of it for all mens consciences will crie out to them that it is true that they haue by word or deed iniuried other before they haue receiued such measure themselues but if they had not in that kind and particular manner offended yet they are sure they haue done it some other way so that they haue iust cause if they wel waigh it and looke to Gods hand therein to beare all such indignities as they count them as are offered them both with meekenesse and contentedly And were it not that God dealt thus with men they would neuer acknowledge nor dislike the sinne which they are guiltie of but suffer it to lie secret in them and worke them a mischiefe Whereas yet it being ferreted out by such iudgements of God they cannot but confesse it especially when they bee in any great feare and danger of death And for vs who are now warned if wee haue had our part in this sin that with the common sort wee haue smitten others with our tongue or wronged or intended euill any way against them learne wee with great regard to put a speedy end thereto by repentance lest God awake and preuent vs by some such like iudgement againe as we haue caused to other and to this end put wee these two lessons in practise neither in heart word or deed offer we any hard or vnequall measure to any man and if any offer it to vs if it be possible that it may be without our great hurt let vs quietly and meekely passe by it and make no great matter of it for the time shall come wherein we shall wish wee had done so and not haue laid that so neere our heart which might more easily haue been passed by of vs. But in saying God hath rewarded him it is to be noted that he an heathen Idolater could see so farre as to ascribe to God his affliction Whereby we may see that very bad men doe acknowledge God to be the striker and punisher of them But where should he learne it for though it did him no good to acknowledge it yet it is that which many who haue been baptized doe not come to but curse and ban rage and fret in their afflictions crying out of their ill fortune as they call it so farre are they from resting in the iustice of God and to say hee hath done righteously Also as they ascribe to chance and fortune their calamities so doe they runne for helpe to Witches and Sorcerers when they be oppressed with them which is greatly to the conuicting of them For why should not they much more see the hand of God when they are visited if Heathens haue seene so farre as to ascribe to God their troubles and to confesse their sinne as this Adonibezek did here This not onely checketh such as I haue mentioned but laieth hard to their charge also that make some shew of goodnesse who yet doe harden their hearts vnder their afflictions and will not know Gods waies though they see well enough that they suffer for their euill deeds neither will relent nor feare his iudgements though they cannot deny that they are due to them for their deierts More particularly such as this Heathen King was shall rise in iudgement against such professors as will not see their crueltie vnmercifulnesse their vncleannesse which they nourish in themselues their oppressions also and iniuries they doe to their neighbours though they bee most clearely laid before them When yet Pharaoh and other such haue especially when Gods hand was heauie vpon them acknowledged that the Lord had done it For euen the wickedest mans owne conscience sometimes accuseth him that hee doth euil and ought not these much more we haue farre greater light to tremble when they haue so grossely offended say Against thee against thee O Lord we haue done this euill And especially when they know what danger they be in thereby and what heauie plagues hang ouer their heads for the same Although such must goe further then so euen to tell it to themselues that God will not be at one with them vnlesse they acknowledge their faults also and submit themselues to him as his word teacheth howsoeuer it shall please him to correct them and withall to resolue in all conditions of their liues whatsoeuer to indeuour and be readie to obey him Also this should teach vs when we receiue indignities at mens hands yet to looke to God who set them a work against vs as Dauid said of Shemei and not as the dog doth to catch the stone and leaue the smiter And though they haue wronged vs willingly yet if wee considered that the Lord did it we should the lesse be mooued or offended with the instrument whereas we on the other side beate our braines and straine our selues al that we can to pursue them and seeke to be reuenged on them whom yet the Lord will sufficiently punish for the wrong they haue done For example wee are so out of quiet for a word spoken against vs as if it were treason when in the meane while we doe not once thinke how we haue prouoked the Lord to stirre vp such ill persons against vs. Adonibezek we see here would not asscribe it to the Israelites but saith it was God that did thus vnto him Furthermore here by this that we heare his crueltie thus laid out by his owne mouth that he had played the tyrant against many and those no meaner persons then Kings to cut off the thumbs of their hands and feete and not to some few of them but euen seuentie persons wee see what a raging furie this vice of crueltie is and to what depth of euil it carrieth men that do not wisely consider the foulenesse and shamefulnesse of it For whereas one man should be sociable with another yea with strangers if occasion be offered seeing euery one is our neighbour this crueltie cutteth of all fellowship nay all libertie of inioying such benefits of peace goods or the like So that the cruel man is farre
repentance And if the company and neere acquaintance with the godly be so precious then beware lest we forsake our fellowship as the manner of some is but make we much of such and let our delight be as Dauid said his was in the Saints that are on the earth and in such as excell in vertue And such as dwell among them and haue dealings with them as neighbours that are neere seated together must needs in some sort haue let them take heed that through commonnesse of liuing with them they waxe not wearie of this blessing as wee easily are brought to be and so we be easily alienated from them by testinesse and conceits as too many are euen by small occasions and for very trifles when we haue yet learned one to beare anothers burthen and religion teacheth vs to make especiall account of and in any wise to seeke peace with them and insue and follow after it though it flie from vs that by so doing all may say we be the very disciples of Christ indeed for that we so loue one another Thus let them doe good and take good mutually together euery way as they can But to whom are good people commonly daintiest euen to such as dwel a farre off from them God declaring thereby that they who dwell by them are blind in not discerning and seeing what such a benefit is worth and therefore that they prouoke God to giue them their habitation and to send them among such as they themselues be that is vnquiet and froward people yea and worse then so I meane prophane skorners that they may thereby the better know what godly friendship is worth who if they had been wise would haue kept themselues well while they were well that is in better company I haue seene in my time some that tooke a pritch against such as feared God and were truly religious and in their distempered heate and ouerhastie dislike and wearinesse of their fellowship though they were farre better then themselues thus are men caried of their sections rashly wilfully and in passion in this their heate I say they would needs resolue to remoue their dwelling and when they had made choice of it to their owne liking when no perswasions might stay them from it they were so handled by strangers that knew not God nor their duties and so vexed and crossed among them that they cried out one to another Wo is me that I am constrained to dwell in Meshec meaning that they were then so troubled with them that had no pitty nor regard of them that they with shame confesse then and cry out that godly neighbours are a treasure and wished with much losse to dwell by them againe This example of the Kenites should further teach vs that though it is both lawfull and meete to regard maintenance yet we ought to respect chiefly in remoouing our dwellings the true knowledge of God which now is to be attained of vs by a sound ministery and that is seldome without some whose companie is to bee desired and whose acquaintance may make our liues sweet and ioyfull As Ruth the Moabitesse did therefore follow her mother in law Naomi into the holy land out of her owne country and could not be plucked from her by all the prerogatiues thereof her kindred acquaintance and such like It was the commendation of strangers as we oft reade in the Scriptures that when they saw Gods blessing vpon the Iewes they turned to their religion and said with Ruth to Naomi thy God shall be our God whereas we see that the most sort are rather content to part with some good commoditie then they would dwell among Gods people thinking it a bondage to liue with such as will not run to the same excesse of riot with them Commonly when men change their dwellings they respect some sinister end thereof as profit or the fulfilling of their lusts and let religion goe where it will But to passe from these such a mind should they haue as Ruth and the like had that trauell into farre countries to see them that they might with the Queene of the South seeke the wisdome of God to guide them as well as to see the countries or reape commodities and pleasures there or else it is out of question that they shall bring home the vaine fashion with the rude and heathenish manners thereof to the tainting of other and their owne vtter vndoing as by too wofull experience we see at this day To returne from trauellers to the other and though I confesse that men in their remoouing their dwelling may yea and must regard their commoditie yet not that only but withall they should with Abraham set vp an alter that is retaine Gods true worship and see how it may be vpholden where they shall become VERS 17. But Iuda went with Simeon his brother and they shew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and vtterly destroyed it and called the name of the city Hormah 18. Also Iuda tooke Azzah with the coastes thereof and Ashkelon with the coastes thereof and Ekron with the coastes thereof 19. And the Lord was with Iudah and he possessed the mountaines for hee could not driue out the Inhabitants of the valleyes because they had chariots of iron NOw this 16. verse of the Kenites being spoken of we are come to an end of the long repetition of the actes of Iudah done in the time Ioshua mentioned frō the 8. verse to this 16. which was as we heard interlaced and here the holy Ghost returneth to Simeon and Iudah and proceedeth in these two verses to set downe other actes of theirs after Ioshuahs death as he began to doe in the beginning of this chapter vnto the 8. verse and sheweth how they destroyed another city of the Canaanites Zephath by name and that they tooke more cityes besides which were after as by their names here sett downe we know possessed of the Philistines Now it is to be noted that they wasted some of the cityes vtterly by fire as Hazor and Iericho and so they delt with this here mentioned Zephath whereas they inhabited others of them Why they delt so with this it is not sett downe but they did as they were commanded We are sure it was that God might shew his kindnesse to Israel when some of them were vtterly subuerted where greatest danger was to be feared and to testifie his seueritie and his iustice to such of his enemies and therefore it is not for any to crie out of it as crueltie which the righteous God saw meet to be done And by this we must learne that though wee bee forbidden to hate the persons of our enemies yet when wee bee set by the Lord to execute iudgement vpon them our eie must not spare them vnder the colour of charitie or compassion for their propernesse manhood or any other foolish respect Neither may we do the worke of the Lord
when he had shewed them the way into the citie they smote the citie with the edge of the sword but they let the man and all house depart VERS 26. Then the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a citie and called the name of it Luz which is the name thereof vnto this day NOw after the mentioning of the Tribe of Iuda and Beniamin and what they did it is in order set downe what the other Tribes did to wit how they suffered and did not expell the Canaanites neither And yet the house of Ioseph is exempted which comprehends the Tribe of Ephraim and Manasse together First therefore it is declared what these two ioyntly together did to vers 27. in the words of the text here set downe and then what they did seuerally to verse 30. That which is said of them ioyntly together is to their commendation that they went against Bethel which fell to their lot and the Lord with them to incourage and strengthen them so that they feared and tried which way they might most easily take it Now the name of this citie had in times past been called Luz as we reade in Genesis but Iacob as he went to Padan Aram from the wrath of his brother Esau resting there and the Lord appearing to him and comforting him called the place Bethel that is the house of the mightie God But to goe forward they that were sent about that businesse namely the Tribe of Ioseph seeing a man to come out of the citie asked of him in which part of it they might set vpon it and on which side was their going out and comming into it for thereby it appeareth that they had shut it vp for feare of Israel and that they had left but some secret way for their necessarie vse to goe out and in thereby and they promising the man largely hee shewed the way to them and they entred and slue the inhabitants and tooke it and sent the man away wel rewarded or rather as it was indeed he banished himselfe from them into another countrey and was so wealthy that hee was able to build another city and called it by that name Luz This worke of the house of Ioseph which they went about namely to take this citie Bethel which was before in the deuision of the land of Canaan giuen to them as God had inioyned them doth liuely set before our eies as in a glasse the dutie of all Gods people that is to say readily to goe about and set vpon the worke that God hath appointed them and laid vpon them yea and this is to be done whatsoeuer lets and discouragements may stand vp in the way to hinder them For hath not he commanded them And is not he able to remooue those impediments rather then they shal hinder his worke in the hands of his seruants which they beleeuing are to go forward and commit the successe to him that hath promised to bring them through all difficulties which might hold them backe For otherwise if wee looke not to God by faith but what let is in the way and be hindred thereby we shall cast the commandement of God behind our backe and do as they who obserue the wind and therfore sowe not and looke too much to the clouds and therefore reape not and so for feare of inconueniences we shal let passe necessarie duties Againe when we thriue and haue good successe we blesse God and are merry but if we be crossed we curse disguise our selues with impatience Whereas it ought to be enough to vs that God hath brought it to passe either thus or otherwise And beside the authoritie hee hath ouer vs his bountifull rewarding of vs in his seruice ought to incourage vs to adresse our selues to all such worke and not onely so but further seeing he commandeth and would haue vs doe it as it may be most for our owne ease that is willingly readily chearefully for the Lord loueth that in all his seruice as he loueth a chearefull giuer And we know for our owne parts that men go awkly and vntowardly about that work which they take in hand vnwillingly And we are all to learne of our Sauiour who hath giuen vs example herein saying that his meate and drinke was to do his Fathers will Besides we are made redeemed set here to that very end to serue the Lord in holinesse and righteousnes without feare all the daies of our life and not to please our selues how hard soeuer the worke is that is to be done of vs. And that is our life ioy and comfort no other course of walking is life but death no other is sauory or soundly ioyfull And this should bee thus in all callings and conditions as with Magistrates Ministers Husbandmen Artificers Masters of families and others who doe I denie not many things required of them by God but not one worke as another neither that ioyfully which they doe and as if it were the worke that God hath set them about for then they should doe it readily but for their bellies and in other carnall respects For why they can indeed do them no otherwise because they do not first know themselues to bee the Lords redeemed ones that so they may easily obtaine other things at his hands But I would that euen they who are so did goe about that which they doe by Gods commandement chearefully and with delight for the Lords sake then should there many excrements be cut off from the infinite actions which are done in our liues and with so much sinne remooued many plagues and annoiances should bee auoided from mens liues also But alas the most professors are not acquainted with going to worke in Gods seruice after this manner neither find any sauour in this Christian course but respect onely their owne commoditie and that they may bee without feare of want and penury and the most doe worse that is spend their precious time in idlenesse play and vaine pleasures at least and as for seeking first Gods kingdome to be vnder his gouernment and to rest on him for other things by lawfull labour and meanes vsing it is one of the hardest things for them to fasten on though God hath yet promised that such onely shall bee blessed But of this somewhat hath been said before It is further added in this verse that while the house of Ioseph went vp against Bethel the Lord was with them which seeing it is here added I will say somewhat of it though I haue spoken thereof before by another occasion Now this house of Ioseph thus going about the worke that God had commanded them is said to haue God with them in their worke for so hee had promised Which teacheth that this assurance we haue from him that if we attempt ought by his commandement he hath set his seale to it that we shall haue successe and prosper in our worke So was it said
to Ioshua in his first going against the Canaanites I will be with thee and hee belieued and prospered euen so these and the like promises of God being belieued of vs are our comfort and thereby wee learne experience how to doe the like for the time to come in what worke soeuer the Lord shal imploy vs. This would make men vse their callings not so as they should bee burdens to them but recreation going merrily to their work as they may with Gods good allowance and leauing it of with fitnesse to other good duties as prayer reading singing meditating c. If this were beleeued men should be free from the plodding and distracting cares of the vngodly who make their liues wearisome by distrust of Gods prouidence fearing they shall begge ere they dye c. and from the moyling and toyling labor of such as tire themselues with their callings For God giues rest to his beloued as Dauid saith Psalm 127. 2. And from this temporary rest he will in due time translate them to eternall rest All which I say not onely to the denouncing sharpely and heauily against the common professors of the Gospell who will beleeue God no further then they see him but also to the iust reproouing of those who haue obtained of him to beleeue in deed that they shall haue eternall life and yet their particular trials in which they are taught to depend vpon him and to cleaue to his promises made and granted out vnto them to that very end that they should doe so they yet stagger and doubt as if they had neuer had faith He that desireth to heare more of Gods being with his let him reade that which hath been said on verse 19. This place Bethel being so called that is the house of the mightie God because the Lord appeared to Iacob there whereas it had in times past been called by another name it very well teacheth seeing nothing is set downe in vaine in the Scriptures but to good vse that it is commendable as occasion is offered to giue conuenient and meet names such as may instruct in some good thing drawne from some good example or putting vs in mind of duties either to God or men As God gaue the name by the Angell vnto our Sauiour calling him Iesus Some care not what name they giue to their children of most notorious persons as counting it their credit that they may be like them resembling herein the Idolatrous King of Babel his Eunuchs who purposely altered the names of Daniel and his fellowes in token that they should renounce the true God and his seruice and embrace the contrarie Some giue such names to them as the rehearsing of them causeth laughter Which is vnseemely seeing the name is giuen in the assemblie of the faithfull and in the presence of God and when they are to bee entred into the Church of God We doe not place religion in names or titles yet neuerthelesse a wise and godly choice in this matter may be had that the names giuen may be in stead of instructions to the parties named In the apparrelling of our bodies in comely maner we will haue care that the very shoe which is the least matter be decently put on and sutable to other partes of our attire so there being required a proportion in all our actions this one is not to be neglected Therefore in the old Testament the names were giuen either according to the euent of things about the time of the birth of the child as Moses called one of his sonnes Gershom that is stranger because hee was then a stranger in another land or their names were borrowed from their holy predecessors to put them in mind to follow their steppes or some such like respects they had in giuing them Now let vs heare of the spies In this verse where it is said that the spies met this man comming out of the citie for what cause he went it is not expressed somewhat is to be noted by occasion of the man and somewhat from the spies By the man first going in his simplicity out of the city whither to saue his life or vpon some other necessarie occasion meeting with these spies and falling into such a streight thereby that either he must loose his life or betray the citie for the spies said to him shew vs the way into the citie and we will shew thee mercie We may see what streights and difficulties we meet with be subiect to and in danger of in this life for that perill which we neither feare nor once thinke of may befall vs euen to the hazarding of our liues much more of our vndoing or the losse of the best of Gods blessings that we inioy as wife children goods c. In the story of the French Massacres we reade that by the popish faction a whole assemblie of Protestants were slaine at the Sermon The Shunamites child went into the field in the morning well but died at noone The widow of one of the children of the Prophets who liued in good estate for a great part of her husbands time yet through the debt he was in at his death shee was brought into that streight that her two sons must bee sold to pay the debt and carried away from her perhaps to bee brought vp by Idolators in an idolatrous land and she knew no other for a time though God prouided better for her Iob his children in the middest of their merry makings were destroyed by the fall of the house and he himselfe lost all at once and his bodie was filled with scabbes and sores Samaria was besieged and the danger so great that the king therof was resolued and looked for no other but that he and all that hee had must be at the pleasure of another man And Ierusalem was so ouerwhelmed with griefes that she was driuen to complaine that no sorrow was like her sorrow when yet before she had been the beauty of the whole world These difficulties as I haue said with many other both mentioned in Scripture and seene in experience may fall out in our liues so that we shall be driuen to crie out euery one of his owne burdens what shall I doe yea and it may bee an innocent mans case to be brought into such straits and his who is godly and he shal not be able to auoid it till God send helpe As for the wicked such streights come vpon them as an armed man vpon a naked Now seeing God hath such vantage of vs thereby and that throughout this present life may most iustly inflict them vpon vs that I say no more oh what cause haue we to make precious vse hereof for the which cause in so necessary a matter I thinke good to set downe some vses thereof to the Reader And first this is one that we should euery day which is a part of our iourney home as oft as
indifferency the Lord I say dealeth not so but offers to them who haue dealt trecherously and broken couenant with them that if they can alleage any sound reason for their doings yea euen from himselfe as that hee hath dealt hardly with them and hath been void of compassion to them hee will heare them and giue them leaue to plead their owne cause Which aduantage hee giuing them he doth stop all mouthes and is iustified himselfe in all his words and workes Which makes greatly for the conuicting of all such as say like them in Ezechiel the Lords waies are vnequall and that he could haue kept them from such falles and dangerous estates thereby as come vpon them Where yet who seeth not that hee hath set double hedge and ditch betwixt them and their sinnes nay rather brazen wals to the end they might not come neere nor commit them Hee hath to speake plainely sent his Prophets among them to forbid and threaten them euen as hee did to Adam if hee should reach out his hand and eate of the forbidden tree Hee allureth and seeketh to win them and perswadeth them to imbrace the good way and not to come neare the way of death and punishment euen as hee seeketh them who are lost but few of them will heare and come so that he may say what shall I doe more for this people yea he may as well say to them as hee did to the people by Hosea the Prophet when he said O Ephraim what shall I doe vnto thee O Iuda how shall I entreate thee So that if any harden their hearts in such manner to charge God for their sinnes from which yet by no perswasions nor reasons they could bee reclaimed nay for the maintaining wherof they haue shewed themselues rebellious and obstinate know they that while this Scripture and such other shall remaine to witnesse against them they shall neuer bee able to finde the smallest ease by such cauiling whereby they doe but as it were by patching new with old make the rent worse And by this we may see that we were not best to trust to our owne imaginations nor to follow our owne waies neither to deale as Adam to excuse our selues nor to be like to them in the Gospell who when they were bidden to the marriage sent their answere as it pleased them but so as it little became them for thereby wee wade but the deeper into danger and beare away more blowes as it may bee said of them that striue against his chastisements For euery tongue that shal contend with him in iudgement he shall condemne And this we may see if wee list in that fearefull example of him that hid his talent in the earth which he was commanded to put to vse and occupie it Hee thought hee had reason enough to say for his defence that hee knew him to bee an hard man of whom hee receiued it and therefore would be sure to returne him his owne againe But what answere heard he euen this Take the vnprofitable seruant and cast him into vtter darkenesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Therefore we see by this as also by our text in that the people had nothing to answere when a reason was demanded of them why they had done so that when men haue followed their owne swinge in sinning as they haue desired they shall neuer bee able to answere any thing in their owne defence soundly nor iustly but to the further encrease of their sinne as I haue said already but shall bee tongue tied wherupon it followeth that which I haue proued that the Lord hath so good right when he dealeth against sinners that entring into iudgement with them hee feareth not to giue them all vantages that they thinke will serue their turnes but in the end they shall see that they do but make themselues thereby the more guilty For by these meanes in giuing this people liberty to answere what they could their sinne was the more aggrauated against them they hauing not so much as any colour to defend themselues And this being so let vs learne hereby not to yeeld onely by silence but to be humbled also and relent and proceed on to true repentance yea let vs beware that wee haue no controuersies with the Lord by being bold to offend and prouoke him thinking though foolishly and falsly to make a good end for be we sure we shall neuer make our part good against him neither let vs sinne in hope for when wee are threatened punishment for the same or when we shall be arraigned we shall easily be found guilty and the Lord shall be iustified and then all our faire shewes must vanish leauing vs in the briers Thus we haue heard the people reproued for their sin now the threatning of the punishment followeth which is sharpe and sore and is set down in three points The first is that God would not expell their enemies as hee had vpon condition promised the second that their remaining still in the land should be as thornes in their sides the third their gods should bee as a snare to catch them in to their destruction And for the first of these punishments namely that God should not expell the Canaanites it is well to bee weighed what he meant by it that wee may the better see what a punishment it was Now his meaning in thus speaking was this for as much as yee haue not stood to your couenant to driue the nations out but haue suffered them to remaine there still neither will I stand to mine which was but conditionally made with you so that wheras I promised to be with you and strengthen you and to expell them for you as I haue begun to doe now I will doe so no more And what will follow of that euen this that if I doe it not you shall not be able to doe it of your selues for ye are too weake as ye haue good proofe And yet if they be not cast out they shall remaine to your destruction This the Lord meant by saying that he would not cast them out This first punishment teacheth vs this that when we remoue not annoiances while we may we shall not be able afterward when we would Now our greatest annoiances are euery mans speciall sinnes euen as this one their breaking off couenant with the Lord was theirs And when wee see some of the speciallest of these our sinnes and what eye sores they be to vs while our hearts goe after them and what trouble and sorrow they bring with them to vs and yet wee cast them not from vs but still retaine them it shall come to passe afterwards that they shall get such strength in vs that we shall not be able to depart and come out from them no not then when wee would For they shall so winde themselues into vs and so draw our delights after them especially through long
notorious and knowne sinnes and let them endeauour to giue good example without wearinesse that so they may bee free from such fearefull offences And this be said of the peoples repentance To all the former instructions out of these two verses this I adde that if the bitter weeping of the people there caused the place to take the name from thence so that to this day it is retained and is called a place of weeping and further we see how long the remembrance of it is kept for many yeeres after then it doth strongly commend to vs what care we should haue while we liue to possesse the generations comming after vs of good examples giuen by vs among them that liue with vs which may doe good when we are gone either Ministers by their diligent and feruent preaching and godly liuing or the people in more then ordinary receiuing the message of the Gospell with thanksgiuing and other commendable fruits following The place of such inhabitants whether it receiue a name from such things done there as this Bochim did heere or no it is not so materiall But this is to bee thought that the remembrance of such good things done them might harten and encourage many that shall come after them not in that place onely but also in many other to follow such examples But whether they doe or no this is too true that no vile actions shall bee done to leade the people from God and goodnes no disorder I meane vnruly behauiour and reuell rout keeping but their example shall bee taken vp to be sure not onely of them that haue seene them but also of them who shall come after them hauing heard of them and be made customes if not petty lawes among themselues as the custome of spending the twelue daies at the Natiuity c. doth too truly testifie And thus I end THE THIRTEENTH SERMON ON THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The second part of the Chapter VERS 6. Now when Ioshus had sent the people away the children of Israel went euery man into his inheritance to possesse the land 7. And the people had serued the Lord all the daies of Ioshua and all the daies of the elders that outliued Ioshua which had seene all the great workes of the Lord that he had done for Israel 8. But Ioshua the sonne of Nun the seruant of the Lord died when hee was an hundred and tenne yeeres old 9. And they buried him in the coasts of his inheritance in Timnah-heres in mount Ephraim on the north side of mount Gaash 10. And so all that generation was gathered vnto their fathers and another generation arose after them which neither knew the Lord nor yet his workes which he had done for Israel 11. Then the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the Lord serued Baalim 12. And forsooke the Lord God of their fathers which brought them out of the land of Egypt and followed other Gods euen the gods of the people that were round about them and bowed vnto them and prouoked the Lord to anger 13. So they forsooke the Lord and serued Baal and Ashteroth NOw followeth the second part of the chapter to the end which also containeth the summe of the rest of the second part of the booke vnto the 17. chapter and setteth downe the estate of the children of Israel vnto the death of Sampson and that was after this manner 1. The people prouoked God by their sinnes 2. God punished them for them and that by other nations 3. He raised vp Iudges to them and 4. When they cried vnto him deliuered them 5. After that they brake forth and fell to Idolatry againe And this was their estate all the time that passed till the acts mentioned in the 17. chapter as is shewed by perticular examples through all the chapters before that beginning in the third But if any see reason not to consent that these verses in this second part of this chapter doe lay forth the summe of the second part of the booke in generall it maketh no great matter He must yet grant that in them is set downe the estate of the people generally at the time after Ioshuas death who knew not the Lord and in the chapters following more perticularly vnto the seuenteenth chapter The distinct matters in this second part of the chapter are these fiue now mentioned 1. Their sinne 2. Their punishment 3. Their crying to God 4. Deliuerance 5. Their reuolting The first of them was their sinne the which is set downe from the eleuenth verse to the fourteenth with the occasion that they tooke to fall in that manner and that is from the sixth verse to the eleuenth And the occasion was the death of Ioshua and other good gouernours heere mentioned that outliued him for though in their time the people serued the Lord as heere it is said yet after them arose another generation that knew not the Lord and then they forsooke him Of these now as it followes in order And first let vs consider what is said of Ioshua then of the people and lastly of them both Of Ioshua first in his life and so come to his death then of the people after his death In that it is said of him that he had sent the people away to their inheritance before he died as it is recorded Iosh 24. it causeth a question to bee moued why hee had called them together before his death that appeareth in the chapter mentioned now throughout vnto the 28. verse and it was to this end to rehearse Gods benefits to them and to exhort them to serue the Lord and this was a little before his death at which time also he renewed a couenant betwixt the Lord and the people the like to which we reade that Iehoida did betwixt the Lord and Ioash the King And so did Nehemiah Iosiah and other whose rare godly example is set forth most clearly and liuely to be a patterne to all Christian magistrates euen the highest how they should count it their greatest honour to honour the Lord among the people and cause them to doe so likewise to aduance his true worship also and therefore to see true and sound doctrine taught and not to suffer superstition nor false opinions to bee thrust vpon the Church and to prouide as neare as may be that the people may know that they doe not require these things of them for fashion but in sincerity and that seeing the Lord is a plentifull rewarder of them that seeke him therefore they must not thinke themselues discharged in that they prouide for the outward peace of the people only wherein yet they doe very commendably but that they may liue godly also because vnder God they are the maintainers and preseruers of both tables And the best that they can yeeld the Lord for aduancing them is to serue him in feare themselues and kisse the sonne and prouide that others may doe so and that
are wise to doe euill but to doe well they haue no knowledge The Lord himselfe bewaileth this brutishnes in men that like vnreasonable creatures they minde onely that which is present and before their eyes but oh saith hee that my people were wise and did consider their end For that is wisdome indeed which seeing the most doe want therefore they neuer enioy the thousand part of sweet liuing heere as they might doe Now the holy story hauing spoken of the workes which Ioshua and the people did in his life maketh mention of his death as that which followeth when all the actions of life are ended And therefore Dauid when hee was departing hence said I goe the way of all the world As wee haue therefore heard much of the actions of our life so let vs heare some what of death as the text giueth vs leaue and occasion And in that we heare that he died the seruant of the Lord as hee had long liued and had done so many worthie things in his life death and departure hence being so solemne a thing as it is we should bee much moued not onely to thinke vpon the end of all flesh but especially of our owne death and to prepare for it aboue all things and to learne to die that so wee might with him die the seruants of God Which though to a naturall man it be imposible yet the Lord maketh it tolerable yea easie and a welcome thing to all such as haue first learned to liue well heere or at least are fit to die For perseuerance in good life meeteth with a good death and ioyfully embraceth it in which respect Salomon saith that the day of death is better then the day of birth as being the entrance into life And therefore the text saith Ioshua the seruant of the Lord died noting that his death was not as the death of euery common man but a blessed death and a rest from the worke of the Lord in which hee had been faithfull in his life and therfore now looking for his reward from the Lord a bountifull paymaister death was welcome to him As it is reported of an ancient Father of the Church that being 80. yeeres old and being then to bid farewell to his friends said Thus long haue I serued the Lord and now it grieueth mee not to die for I haue a good master thereby meaning that death was far more welcome to him then life euen as that day is to a faithfull seruant wherein he is to receiue liberall wages for his long seruice then all the daies are that went before And thus S. Paul speaketh of Dauid that when he had serued his time he slept meaning that hee rested from his labours in body while his soule returned to God who gaue it And when we haue learned and fitted our selues to die then the hearing of death and the beholding it in other is a fit meane to quicken vs to the looking after it our selues and to further and confirme vs in readinesse to die well considering deepely of it and of our owne mortality with it And it much helpeth to thinke vpon the infinite thousands mentioned in the Scriptures who haue been taken hence by death and namely the rolles of Kings such as haue been more noble and memorable persons who seemed to haue an eternity heere by their dignity pompe and prerogatiues aboue other men as also among our selues more neerely to hearken after and thinke vpon the death of such as wee haue knowne or liued with oh it doth not a little helpe to cracke the pride of life in vs and to prepare for death All which in fit seasons and vpon good consideration being set before our eyes are singuler meanes to fasten this meditation vpon vs that wee also may willingly and readily giue place to death and this shall much easilier and the better bee while by our reioycing that we haue in Christ Iesus our Lord wee die daily before death doe come By meanes whereof as it is vncertaine when we see any to die among vs who shall bee next so euery one should put forward himselfe as the Apostle did in a case not vnlike being told by their master that one of them should betray him euery one asked for himselfe saying is it I master Euen so I say we ought to resolue euery one for himselfe that he may be the next that so death may the better be prouided for And let this serue by this occasion for a meditation of death His old age being an hundred and ten yeeres are reckoned as an honour to him that being so commended for his godlinesse hee liued so long To whom Moses and Caleb may bee added full of yeeres and grace Doubtlesse it is no lesse to a man seruing God so religiously so long a time For it is not an honour bestowed vpon all to become fathers and worthies in the Church for their long continuance in grace when we see the loue of so many to waxe cold and a farre greater number to bee reprochfull in their age But gray haires are a comely ornament when they are found in the way of righteousnesse For although it bee happinesse for the people of God to die betimes seeing to bee with Christ is best of all yet to liue long heere if God may be honoured by vs in our life is an high honour also another way euen by doing much good And so Dauid confessed saying If I may liue to keepe thy word for thereby God is glorified I shall count it a great bountie vnto me Which reason Dauid and Hezekiah vsed desiring life to this end saying The liuing the liuing shall praise thee Esa 38. 19. And in the Psal None can worship thee in the graue This a man would thinke should stir vp all that haue made good beginnings in Christian life to long after perseuerance therein yea though they liue vnto old age and that they may bee experienced and well seene in the waies of God that so they may declare them to others Which as it is rare and few mens cases to doe so it is their honour that doe it and their benefit who enioy it I speake this to the shame of such as doe by small occasions depart from good beginnings and in the pride of their hearts and contempt of other take conceits against their brethren who hold constantly the profession of their hope and breake off their fellowship with them directly contrary to the word of God or some other way depart from a good course so that few such doe hold out to the end in their good beginnings but lose that honour that Ioshua had who in his old age died as he had long liued to wit the seruant of the Almighty then the which title the Angels had no greater honour It is further added of Ioshua that he was buried in his owne inheritance which was
nothing carefully redeeme their precious time from either endlesse and needlesse busying their mindes about the commodities of this life or trifling it out little better then idly if not as the other doe so that they can giue small good account of the well passing of it as that good man Hezekiah did 2. King 20. 3. and as the Apostle commandeth to the Ephesians without which the so passing of it shall bee reckoned among their other sinnes This be said of that generation that died now of that which liued and tooke occasion to doe wickedly when their forefathers were dead This people it is said heere knew not the Lord that is effectually neither therefore acknowledged him nor they knew not his workes that is as we heard before made no vse of them neither profited by them without which the bare knowledge of them was nothing A description therefore ye see heere set downe of an euill people to wit that they were such as neither knew God nor his workes And no maruell for if they who did both I meane the former generation of whom I haue spoken did see that which they did by the meanes of good teaching and example it is no strange thing that these did neither of both who had not these good helpes which the other had It is not possible for such comming out of darkenesse to walke before God in reuerence and cheerefulnesse For how should men come to vnderstand mysteries as the sauing knowledge of God in Christ is and the effectuall knowledge of his great workes to bee brought to his feare by them and so to doe more then they that only say Lord Lord and do not the will of the Lord how I say should they come to such knowledge vnlesse they should be plainely taught and haue some to breake the ice to them in following and practising it and so in giuing good example to them Therefore in places where both are wanting such persons as I speake of are not to bee sought vnlesse they enioy both by the benefit of other places being destitute of them in their owne habitation which is sufficient to moue all such of vs as enioy better helpes to mourne for the desolation of those that want them as we cannot chuse if we haue the spirit of our Sauiour who pitied such as they were and to entreat the Lord to supply their wants And further this bewraies the vnhappinesse of all such as doe not heartily seeke after both but are content to liue without them I meane the getting of the knowledge of God and Christ to the certainty of saluation Ioh. 17. and also to liue with such as neere as may bee who may bee shining lights to them vnto sanctification of life This last sort of the people affordeth also an other lesson vnto vs that the latter generations are for the most part backwardest in goodnesse and more declining from it then the former It was no wonder if it were so in these that wanted the meanes for it is so euen where they are enioyed Wee see how those plants and flowers that were rare a few yeeres agoe grow now in euery garden for one getteth them of another so sinne growes by tradition and example and daily encreaseth each age adding some new till they come to the full measure And though commonly old things decay and waxe worse yet old Adam the older the stronger Sinne hath his ages of growth for as the world growes older so sinners multiply who trading in sinne doe still exceed the former age in all kind of leaudnesse and one consenting with the other in exalting follie whether wee consider number of persons equall comparison being made or the foulenesse or boldnesse in sinne wee must looke that the latter daies will bee worser The pride couetousnesse and drunkennesse of our presentage was not seene in our forefathers dayes as now nay which is monstrous not in the middest of Poperie although this extenuateth not their other sinne for euen they in subtilty and ill conscience exceed their former ages also There is now more knowledge indeed where long teaching hath been but because men receiue not the truth in loue and sincerity God accurseth it with barrennesse Honest simplicity which is not tainted with craft and subtilty and therefore fitter to receiue the print of the Gospell is iusled out by such as are for the most part risen vp more prophane and filthie more scornfull also and hardlier perswaded to goodnesse then the former generations And though this may bee found true in the generall estate of all as toward the end of the world and in the latter daies our Sauiour foretold it should be so that iniquitie should abound and haue the vpper hand yet in perticular generations one after another it may also be seene to bee so that if the Gospell bee planted in a nation countrey or towne and bee continued from one age to another though the meanes be like yet the latter generation shall come behinde the forme in feruencie diligence and euery way in yeelding fruit of the Gospell commendably in respect of it they will verifie the prouerbe New things are dainty and old loathsome For I cannot tell how it commeth to passe that yee must grow glutted with the word and wearie and ashamed in some sort of the godly zeale and forwardnesse that they haue seene in others of former times They will receiue the Gospell as other haue done but they thinke it more then needeth to stoope to the simplicity of it and to bee zealous patternes to other in practising the perticular doctrine of it in one point as well as in another but seeke to take more liberty then they are willing to examine vpon what good grounds they doe it neither will they bee forward in going one before another in mercifulnesse in iustice and in seeking to punish notorious faults in their families and townes and in the like good example giuing and thereby discourage them who else were like to come forward if there were not laid such blocks in their way So that we had need to stirre vp our selues by the examples of them that haue gone before vs commendably rather then to please our selues in that which we doe and to rest therein without contending and striuing to doe better For who is ignorant that such an estate cannot be good And if wee will bee aduised let vs know that our reward shall bee great if wee honour the Lord with greatest forwardnesse in religious duties when iniquitie aboundeth in the world and when the loue of many shall waxe cold Now I haue shewed the occasion of this peoples sinne namely that their good gouernours were dead their sinne it selfe now followeth in these 3. next verses and that in this manner first generally then perticularly In this verse thus that they did euill in the sight of the Lord and that they fell to Idolatry Heere to stay a little till I
wealth and commodities yet neuer bethinke themselues to be freed from the danger of Gods wrath which often wasteth them to nothing Know we therfore that if we decay in our goods by barrennesse of the ground or vnseasonablenesse of the weather by debt suretiship or by any other such like and especially by mispending them know we I say we haue a warning thereby sent vs of God for some ill parts of life as it is said in Deuteronomie If thou wilt not obey the voice of the Lord thy God then the fruit of thy land and all thy labour shall a people that thou knowest not eate and the heauen that is ouer thee shall be brasse and the earth vnder thee iron And againe A nation that is of a fierce countenance shall eate the fruit of thy cattell and he shall leaue thee neither wheate wine nor oyle neither shalt thou prosper in thy waies By all which and this which is in the text that they heere were spoiled of their goods as it should make vs carefull to preuent euen his iudgement among many other by vpright walking with God and harmelesse liuing among men how foolish and precise soeuer that course of life seeme to many so when wee haue gone out of the good way and fallen from that obedience which we haue couenanted to yeeld vnto God and sustaine such losse thereby aboue all things let vs seeke to finde out the cause thereof and that speedily as Ieremy requireth and beare our losse because we haue sinned and sinne no more lest a worse thing befall vs. And let vs not count it our hard fortune as foolish men tearme it for there is none when wee are so wasted in our goods neither please wee our selues in condemning and charging the second cause thereof whereby we are 〈…〉 of them for whatsoeuer be the instrument of our losse or vndoing sure it is that the Lord is the effecter and worker of it And therof 〈…〉 Deuteronomie of this and all other his fearfull iudgements after that 〈…〉 sent them when it shall be demanded wherefore hath the Lord done this how fierce is his great wrath they shall answere because they haue forsaken the couenant of the Lord God of their fathers therfore hath the Lords wrath waxed hot against this people to bring vpon it euery curse that is written in this booke And the same doctrine that I haue taught of the spoiling of mens goods that it is a fruit of the wrath of God for their sin this being excepted that the Lord may impouerish his people who feare him in fauour and mercy The same I may as fitly and truly say of the bringing or them into seruitude and bondage vnto vile and cruell persons but let the one bee vnderstood by the other seeing I speake of this in another place But I will further obserue another thing heere that seeing it is said that they were led into bondage after they were spoiled of their goods and so smarted by both we may note how God so dealeth with the disobedient out times euen as hee did heere with these that as their sins go not alone so neither doe their punishments So that God dealeth with such as offend him not one way but many as he did puinsh Achan both with shame and with paine so Pharaoh was visited with terrours and with bodily plagues also euen so now many are pursued with crosses in their goods reproch in their name and in their body with paine and diseases And this he doth that men may know they shall pay deare for their stolne pleasures how sweet soeuer they bee to them in their fond account and that so both together may hold them backe from prouoking him For as Esay saith one iudgement shall not serue the turne if men struggle and fight against it and stand out with God when hee smiteth gently his hand will bee stretcht out still and looke what the former hath not done the latter shall make good As wee reade in Ioel that fruit which one plague consumed not another did till an vtter riddance follow of all But men bite vpon the bridle and curse their lucke but look not into themselues so when God strippeth men of their goods and then casteth them into bondage as hee did deale with them heere or when hee doth the like to vs that one iudgement come in the necke of another to vs I thinke it may bee said truly without respect of damnation that wee haue paid deare for stolne pleasures and our bold taking of our liberties amisse And seeing I haue not spoken particularly of going into seruitude and our nation hath not knowne what it meaneth nor how sharpe a scourge it is yet seeing many fall into it by Turke and Spanyard who haue little feared it therefore I wish them to reade of it in Deuteronomie secondly to consider of it by the estate of the people of Israel in Egypt and lastly to lay it out and set a view of it before their eyes by the Popish and cruell tyrannizing ouer our soules heere in our owne land in the daies of Queene Mary when we could enioy no liberty of the word and Sacraments but our brethren who refused their Idoll-seruice and false worship were tortured and tormented by the bloody persecutors and what may men looke for then at the hands of strangers And this to be said of bondage Now further in that it is added in generall in the text that they could not stand before their enemies for being so weakened by them in goods number and strength what maruell Let this be obserued that God vseth his and our enemies against vs his children when we prouoke him by our sins as hee vsed Nabuchadnezzar against Ierusalem and Senacherib and others Not that God putteth new poison and malice into them who had nothing else in them before but that hee iustly suffereth and letteth them alone without any bridling or restraining them to vomit vp their venome and their cankered hatred and letteth them loose to Satan Whereby this among many other things may bee learned how vncertaine the comfort is that some take in this that the Papists they hope shall neuer preuaile against the Protestants nor Popery euer yoke them any more Yes if God be displeased with them he may plague them that way by raising them vp as enemies against them as easily as hee did heere the Canaanites against Israel and if they were without feare that way hee may and can meet with them after sundry other sorts little to their comfort as they may see daily if their sinnes be not remoued out of his sight so that as the Prophet speaketh it shall be with them as if though they escape the Lion a Beare should meet them or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bite him By this which wee haue heard of the punishment of this people
verse I hauing spoken of the reuolt of this people in the former verse beside the direction which by occasion I set downe there the holy story goeth on heere to shew what the Lord did to this people thus turning from their good beginnings after the death of the Iudge He was sore displeased with them and his anger was kindled against them Here to say the same that I did there of Gods anger were but a needlesse thing That which I note of it heere is this that as before hath been seene so through the whole book it appeareth that it is vsuall with the Lord to doe thus namely when men sinne to be angry that is to do as men will when they be angry for otherwise wee haue heard that neither anger repenting nor any such affection or change is in the Lord. And is it not meet that God should thus deale with vs thinke we when we are so ready by euery occasion to prouoke him For if this held vs not in awe we should euen we who are his owne oft times breake out as the common sort do the flesh being wearie of penting in whereas the loue of God I grant should bee sufficient to constraine vs to our duties And what a thing were it that God should alwaies bee angry with a man doubtlesse if any one could bee perswaded that he were so affected to him not onely his whole life should bee in daily and deadly vnquietnesse but he should also be ouerwhelmed with the thought of it and driuen to desperation And yet we may know by that which hath been said that God hath iust cause to doe no lesse but to let his anger burne as fire against such as prouoke him But indeed hee oft deferres the declaration of his wrath giuing men time and liberty thereby to repent and doth not once shew it many times when hee is often prouoked Hereof it is that when God being iustly displeased and yet men doe not in in the meane while repent and turne to him humbly seeking mercy that hee doth afterward declare by his manifold or sorereuenges that hee was long before prouoked to anger and iustly offended with them But this is wisely to bee marked of vs that though his owne people sinne as there is none that sinneth not to wit by ouersight infirmity vnauoidable ignorance and such like whereas hee doth not by and by suffer his anger to breake forth the reason is this he hath said himselfe that he wil not looke straightly what is done amisse of them and beside when they see that they haue fallen so they rise againe and this they do daily and ordinarily returning to him againe cast themselues down in true humiliation before him in the meditation application of the work of their redeemer Christ and so the Lord is pacified with them againe Therefore such as are wise will bee most carefull to keepe away occasions of Gods displeasure seeing the Lords anger is a consuming fire and while that is prouided against men may possesse their soules with peace and may goe out and in with him daily with good liking and comfort thus much of Gods being angry againe now of the punishment that followed vpon it God being thus displeased with them seeing they had so shamefully transgressed and broken the couenant that he made with their fathers therefore hee will no more hee said cast out any of the nations that Ioshua left behinde For although Israel was oft deliuered out of the hands of sundry of them by their Iudges by whom also many of them were slaine yet they were not vtterly rooted out but their posterity sprung vp againe afterward and multiplied in the land to the great disquieting vexing and annoying of his people This I say was the punishment And how sore it was may bee thought by this that these nations were left among them to their destruction as in verse 3. we haue seene where wee heard the same punishment threatened by the Angell to them at Bochim But then they repented and there is no doubt but God accepted it as hee promised But this was more grieuous that afterwards their posterity did worse then they For they there were reproued and threatened for making couenants with the Canaanites these for falling flatly to Idolatry with them Heere besides that wee may see that for the most part men waxe worse and worse and the good decline and the bad decay and wanze away in their sinnes as may bee seene by the example of these compared with that we reade in the second verse wee may further learne againe as in verse 3. we heard that God will be discharged of his couenant towards men in and concerning the outward benefits of this life if they stand not to their couenants which they haue made with him And if they bee his owne people hee will punish their offences with the rod and their iniquitie with strokes though hee take not his mercy vtterly from them and if they be other he will much more leaue them helpelesse and to shift for themselues so as they fal into depth of euill who might haue thriued and prospered through his blessings Yea and they might haue bin in good hope to haue embraced his couenant of grace and mercy also as many are brought by Gods temporary benefits to seeke after spirituall so might these haue done also Therefore little doe men know what vexation they they bring vpon themselues when they waxe carelesse in their couenants keeping which they haue entred into with God as the leauing of some grosse sinne or the forsaking of ill company worldlinesse or such like offences and so forgetting themselues fall to them againe afterward They shall surely runne on from euill to worse that deale so with God and from smaller punishments to greater iudgements so little cause they shall haue to reioyce for glory of their winnings thereby So that beside other manifold punishments which cannot bee reckoned vp they that breake couenant with the Lord shall alwaies haue some speciall eye sores left to vexe them as these nations were to Israel And as this worthily layeth forth the forementioned punishment in vers 15. that the hand of the Lord was sore vpon this people of his euen so wee shall finde it who are vnfaithfull to him in our couenants as that either stubborne and disobedient children none of the least plagues shall rise vp to make our liues wearisome to vs which as Salomon saith shall be as corruption to our bones and that many waies as in wasting our goods riotously and with harlots and vnthriftinesse or by imbracing popery and otherwise by waxing prophane Or we shall be crossed by vnkinde spitefull and vnquiet neighbours who with sutes brawlings and sundry disagreements shall make our best pleasures to be turned into bitternesse and wormewood or we shall be plagued with seruants who shall consume vs and bring reproch and vexation vnto vs by
be so sheltred by the Lord as we were before and namely that shall be when wee begin to feele his heauie hand against vs. And wee in this towne and heereabout haue seene while wee haue made it our chiefe delight to follow the Lord not regarding the examples and multitudes of bad and irreligious persons who dwell among vs to be withdrawne by them we that haue done so wee haue seene I say Gods exceeding goodnesse toward vs I speake to his praise and desire I may neuer see the contrary And in comparison of the world I meane the ignorant and prophane sort who desire not to be acquainted with the Lord and his waies it may truly bee said that wee haue seene many good daies when our chiefe care hath been to liue vnder his gouernment and when wee haue failed at some time more then at others and through frailty forgotten ourselues hee hath mercifully quickened and brought vs backe againe so that for the most part wee haue not knowne what the sorrowes of the world meane And our worst daies haue been when we haue forgot ourselues and forsaken the good and right way and walked or stepped aside into by-waies then he hath taught vs by wofull experience what sorrowes and vexations meane For example when we haue in the simplicity of our hearts ioyned in the sweet doctrine of the Gospell preached vnto vs and haue minded it chiefly as our best treasure and when wee haue as well feared to offend the Lord in those things which haue liked vs best prouoking one another to loue and to good workes oh how hath hee made vs to prosper and when hath he frowned vpon vs but when we haue peruerted our waies In this verse the nations are reckoned whom the Lord would haue to remaine in the land among whom his people the Israelites must dwell reade them in the text By this that they must dwell with these wicked nations wee are taught that it is one of the punishments among many other which our diuers kinds of sinne draw vpon vs that euen because of them we must sometime dwell with the wicked for though all must haue to do with them or else they must goe out of the world yet this that I now speak of is another matter Dauid dwelt among the haters of peace out of the holy land as for the Church of Pergamus whose habitation was where Satans throne was that was Gods triall to them But the dwelling of Israel in Babylon and their fathers before them among the Egyptians and the dwelling of these heere mentioned among the Philistims Canaanites and Heuites these habitations I say were Gods punishments and curses euen the fruit of their deserts and grieuous sinnes who vexed them many waies as if Hornets should haue stung them and because such dwellings are brought vpon men by their owne prouokings of God and that sundry waies therefore beside the smart that they sustaine by them through outward troubles they haue this added thereunto that they cannot meekely and quietly beare them for the wound that they haue made in their conscience by their knowne sinnes which is most grieuous vnto them seeing they must and cannot but remember that they iustly sustaine them One example of our time I will alleage of two persons a yeoman and his wife I might bring many These two dwelling among sundry good neighbours and religions because they were not like minded to them because they distasted the Gospell tooke a sore pritch against them without any iust cause giuen them and therupon in wilfulnes remoued their dwelling from them Their going away was to enioy better neighbours and to bring in the world and the commodities thereof the faster But to be short seeing yee will long no doubt to heare the end so it was that they enioyed not that which they sought and went for for their wealth wasted and their neighbours who had neuer known what it ment neither had learned to vse them neighbourly dealt roughly with them and sore vexed and wearied them vpon this the Lord visited them both with great sicknesse euen both of them together And then they had leisure to bethinke themselues of the change they had made and especially with what minde they had done it and then the crying out of their doings in this behalfe and that they did as it fell out in the presence of some of them whom they had first dwelt among being sent for by them vpon occasion though they dwelt more then twentie miles distant from them not sparing to charge themselues deepely and to shew their great repentance for their rashnesse and wilfulnesse in their remouing euen to them So the man died there the woman in a maruellous manner bewailing her offence which was compounded of many and this from day to day In which time it fell out that I was an eye and an eare witnesse of much more then I say Shee by little recouered so farre as shee might bee carried from thence and so shee returned to her first dwelling no friend could perswade her to the contrary but neuer recouered her health but within a while after died at her owne house acknowledging and bewailing her sin to her neighbors that visited her bearing the shame of it meekely and with contentment This example I thought not to be out of season to make mention of by so good an occasion to admonish some to make better reckoning of good neighbourhood who are too ready vpon a tetch taken to ease themselues with thinking to recouer their dwellings Besides let vs not be secure about this to dwel we care not where nor in what places soeuer because some can doe no otherwise but it is laid vpon them to bee yeelded to of them by meere necessity for though it bee Gods triall to some of them and other haue it as their iust punishment yet make wee account of Christian and peaceable habitation as more then a common benefit And yet such must know also that they must keepe themselues vnstained among the wicked and ill disposed and haue no fellowship with their vnfruitfull workes of darkenesse but groane vnder their burthen to God that he may ease them of it in time and seeke to supply their want in some other place by the publike meanes if they want them as they may But let other if they can be free from the company and neere dwelling of such as are prophane noisome and spitefull enioy their freedome rather as Saint Paul saith of seruants if it be their lot to be so let them be contented but if they can be free let them vse it rather And that not onely for the hurt that they may easily get there but let their delight also bee in the saints which are on the earth and their fellowship with such as excell in vertue for the manifold good that they may reape by them But heere an end of this matter Now before I goe from the
it is to teach vs that which wee are hardly brought to beleeue namely that he is most ready to remit and to remoue his punishments yea when we haue prouoked him thereto by our sins if it repent vs. When Dauid confessed his sin the Prophet Nathan being sent of God to moue him to repentance and vnderstood by his confession that he did so answered him immediately thy sinnes are forgiuen thee So the posterity of this people heere mentioned when God had sent vpon them a strange iudgement in their wheat haruest euen thunder and raine that they might thereby perceiue and see that their wickednesse was great in asking a King contrary to Gods commandement who had forbidden them so to doe and the people had giuen testimony of their repentance in desiring Samuel to pray for them and confessing that sinne in asking a King and their other sinnes hee answered Feare not the Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people and I will not cease to pray for you but I will shew you the good and right way And the whole Scripture throughout is full of examples that tend to the same end So that it may boldly and truly bee said the Lord is gracious and of great kindlesse and repenteth him of the euill that hee had brought vpon his So that it remaines that this heauenly Scripture lie not by vs vnoccupied and without fruit and vse But seeing wee doe oft forget the Lord and thereby doe that which is euill in his eyes oh fickle and inconstant people that we are wee should not sleepe in our sinne but repaire to this remedie to rend our hearts rather then our garments and neuer to thinke our selues well till we haue recouered our losse and by faith see that wee are receiued into fauour with him againe for hee waiteth for this our humiliation and it shall neuer come before him in vaine and be frustrate but he will most certainly accept of it and as for vs we ought neuer to be quiet till wee doe so And wonderfull it is and to our great detriment that the way being so open to Gods mercy and louing kindnesse euen to them that stand in need of it while they smart for their prouocations of him it is I say to bee wondred at that so few take benefit by it yea and that assoone as they haue offended they hast not to returne to him againe but wander in vnbeleefe and hardnesse of heart till they bee driuen to it by meere necessity to bow and cry vnto God And the more wee bewray our blockishnesse herein in that wee bee so hardly brought vpon our knees when we haue sinned against God wee are to know for I thought it meet to vtter it that there are no knots nor difficulties in this doctrine namely that God will be found when hee is sought vnto and will heare when he is prayed to It is a most cleere and well approued truth and none faile of helpe but such as doe not either heartily seeke it if they know how or else such as are ignorant how to doe it And that which I haue said of repenting and returning to God when wee see some speciall fault committed either by negligence or wilfulnesse to wit that we should in solemne manner thus cry vnto God as we haue been taught euen so we ought to doe though there be no apparant wilfulnesse seene in our daily slips and infirmities to offer vp to God daily our sutable repentance for the same that so we may bee no time or not long in the least manner estranged no nor absent from God but continually goe in and out before him through the day and so all our life long which is our Paradise and felicity in this world And this be said of the first of the three examples as occasion hath been offered to the tenth verse THE NINETEENTH SERMON ON THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES WE haue heard how God raised vp a sauiour or deliuerer to the people of Israel when they cried to him in their oppression euen Othniel now it is shewed how he fitted and furnished him for so great a worke And that was thus Othniel being a priuate man and one of the meanest of his fathers house only somwhat enriched by his marrying of Acksah Calebs daughter and a man of some courage was the person whom the Lord stirred vp for this purpose And he being further off then many other from ability hereunto it is said that the Lord gaue him his spirit meaning the fruits of his spirit as knowledge and iudgement to vnderstand the matters of God and his will which are things most requisite for a gouernour and he gaue him also encrease of courage strength and wisedome for warre and besides them all certified him by his spirit that he was called of God to such a seruice Now all things being thus appointed by God he as it is said heere iudged Israel that is hee executed his office in taking vpon him the protection of his people wherein the Lord being with him hee rescued them out of bondage to liberty againe and gouerned them and restored the pure worship of God among them and more particularly concerning the subduing of the aduersary of Israel it is said that the Lord strengthened him against him that Cushan-rushathaim I meane and gaue him into his hands And this cleerely teacheth vs that all gifts of the spirit and all excellent effects therof they are none of ours they are the Lords he giueth and distributeth them at his pleasure as we see heere that it was the spirit of the Lord that came vpon Othniel whereby hee brought to passe the great things that he did And whatsoeuer is of any note in man for price and exceliency it is all of God and commeth from his meere bounty Alas there is no bird stripped of her feathers more bare and naked then man in himselfe is void of goodnesse for what hath he that he hath not receiued Insomuch as all that he hath to glory of is his sinne A most holy and approued truth which giueth God his due and layeth out man in his colours that hee is nothing else if her robbe not God of his honour and pranke not vp himselfe in his gifts he is nothing else I say but naked poore and a mirrour of misery Saul the King of Israel when he wrought so great a deliuerance for Israel against the Ammonites Moses and Ioshua in the mighty preuailing for them against the Heathen nations and that in spite of all their teeth who were the proudest of them yea and Salomon in all his royalties what had they to commend set out themselues withall but the gifts which God furnished them with How doe numbers iet vp and downe vaunting themselues who hauing some gifts giuen them of God but to a farre other
which is translated message or errand doth not onely signifie a word or message by mouth but also a thing or deed such as that was which he did vnto him for he was sent from God to kill him euen as among the Latines Verbum res Quid hoc verbi est Quid hoc rei est both are one Now followeth the third thing and that is in this 20. verse namely of Ehuds last words to the King immediately before he killed him and of Eglons behauiour thereat as it is heere set downe let vs consider of which this I say In that he should so simply hearken to and beleeue him admit him into his secret parlour and that Ehud being a stranger should neither be suspected nor searched as the manner is and great reason was for it before hee should haue accesse to the King and that none of all the Kings attendants should aduise such a matter that hee should not bee suffered to stand on his feet before the King which was more suspitious but rather commanded to bee vpon his knees before him and then that hee should cause his owne company to goe out of the place and leaue them two onely together but especially to let Ehud depart before they saw all to be wel These I say and such like if the Lord had not blinded and cast a myst before them could neuer haue passed as they did And we may say it was much like that which we reade of Abner captaine of Sauls hoast and all his men to wit that when he imagined that Dauid pursued him and sought his life and should therefore haue more specially watched and attended the Kings person then at other times yet that euen then all the armie should be asleepe together where they lay in so much that Dauid challenged Abner for it was it not admirable For it could not haue been so in any reason except God had cast a sleepe vpon them to the end that Dauids integrity and innocency toward Saul might be knowne when there was seene no other way to shew it and all saw that would how he might haue killed Saul And hereby let vs learne that when God will haue any worke wrought or any thing brought to passe for his glory the good of his Church or destruction of his enemies he hauing many waies to bring it to passe will effect it through infinite difficulties without our troubling our selues about it For his prouidence alway ministreth to and makes way for his purpose till it be executed Dauid was so coped in by Saul at one time that there seemed no hope of escape but then the Lord whistled him away and set him about other businesse What lets and discouragements thinke wee had Noah to hold him from that great worke of building the Arke to the preseruing of the world and the Church of God I will leaue it to the consideration of the reader rather then spend the time in laying it forth In the bringing to passe Gods promise to Ioseph in his dreame what a long time was it before it was effected euen well nigh twentie yeeres and how vnlike and in the meane while how many difficulties were raised and set in the way to the frustrating of it as the malice and enuie of his brethren some of them intending and seeking to kill him but all the company consenting that he should be sold to strangers a farre off from whence they thought he should neuer haue bin any more seen of them neither his dreames come to passe and then his imprisonment also after all by the false accusation of his whorish mistrisse who would not haue said that by the meanes of all these he should haue been vtterly depriued of the benefit of the promises which God had made to him But could they preuaile was any iot of Gods word made voide so that it came not to passe And was all the cruell malice of Haman easily auoided in plotting the destruction of all the Iewes Gods people the day thereof being appointed the King perswaded by him to let all be as hee would haue it and no friend to them but they were as sheep appointed to be slaine but they that were in as great danger themselues that is to say Hester and Mardocai and when shee the Queene who was all their hope vnder God should goe about to helpe them out of the danger she brought her selfe thereby into the present perill of her life And yet because it could not be possible that the Church of God should be ouerthrowne did not he most strangely deliuer it But to let passe examples in Scripture euen thus the Lord hath and doth vphold his Church heere and there for a time against all enemies and lets and will doe till he hath accomplished and made vp his number And when wee see that he continueth his fauour more specially to any place or people through many trials let vs say the Lord hath done great and maruellous things for them and they had need to acknowledge his kindnesse and profit by it more then in common manner lest their account be harder to be made then other mens And to come to shew it more particularly and so to conclude this point if euery priuate person whom this concerneth could weigh through what difficulties as tentations and discouragements God hath brought him to hold and keepe faith and a good conscience both in the beginning middle part of his combate and conflicting daies and more specially when he hath well nigh runne his race and finished his course with ioy oh what thankes would he render to the Lord for it For all such may well remember how oft they haue said within themselues that they shall neuer be stablished and perseuere to the end and that the promise of heauen made to them is too good to be true And yet God hath so mixed his power with their weakenesse and so vpheld them beyond their expectation that hee hath brought them safely through all that they feared Oh I cannot sufficiently magnifie and commend this goodnesse of the Lord and withall the glorious worke of faith and what wonders they effect and yet little known or asked after But seeing the arme of the Lord is no more shortened now then in times past but he doth great things for them that beleeue at this day let vs also learne Dauids lesson Commit thy way to the Lord saith he and beleeue that he will effect it and he will doe it in deed without any needlesse and indirect trouble or fretting care of thine but if we beleeue not I deny not but that we may see as Elisha told the Prince of Israel and Mordicai Hester Gods promises performed to others which hee made as the vnbeleeuing Prince did but we shall haue no part therein our selues nor cause of sound reioycing thereat in as much as we had no exercise of our faith in beleeuing them Therefore this worthily
those that receiue them The example of Lot is alleaged who for the defence of those strangers that turned in vnto him offered much inconuenience to himselfe and his daughters that hee might free the strangers whom he receiued from iniurie The like is said of the care of that old man mentioned hereafter in this booke to the Leuite and his concubine whom he had receiued as strangers into his house Hereupon and by the like it is concluded that as it were by an vniuersall law the promises that are made to strangers for their safety should bee inuiolably kept The very Barbarians shewed much kindnes in a like case as wee reade in the booke of the Acts to Paul and his company entertaining them kindly yea and did more also then that vnto them for they laded them with necessaries at their departing To all that hath been said of faithfulnesse to bee shewed to such as it is promised to as Iael did I answere that I am of the same mind that it ought to be so and the Scripture doth straitely vrge the same But yet wee must know that no bands of familiarity and equity are so neerely ioyned together and so iust but that if God for causes best knowne to him command otherwise they are to bee broken And so it may seeme to bee of this act of Iael For seeing the Lord had now cursed and commanded to be destroyed these Canaanites and Sisera their captaine therefore neither shee nor any other might heere take vpon them to saue or spare them but doe to them as God directed them and so she did Thus the Leuites followed and obeyed Moses in killing their friends and kindred who had committed idolatry with the Calfe which they had made and pleased God highly in so doing In this respect and by vertue of this commandement of God Abraham went about to kill his sonne and they that thinke foolish pitie ought to be shewed contrary to the word of God let them remember what befell the King of Israel who when hee had spared Benhadad the King of Aram contrary to the word of God was reproued by the Prophet at the cōmandement of God in these words Because thou hast let goe out of thy hands a man whom I appointed to die thy life shall goe for his life And therefore to returne to Iael forasmuch as I see that the Lord was the only gouernour of this worke and commended her for it in the next chapter by Debora yea pronounced her blessed when the action of killing Sisera is spoken of therefore I conclude that she being certainly perswaded of Gods wil in that which she did and commanded of God so to doe her deceiuing of his hope was no more since in her then Abrahams attempt to kill his sonne was or the Leuites sleying of their kindred for their idolatry And this for answering the question The doctrine hath been taught already that wee haue no authority to follow her example but the word wherby our actions must be guided as by a rule and by no example without it Thus wee haue seene as I said in the beginning of the chapter that the Lord by Barak Debora and Iael subdued Sisera with his huge armie It followeth Vers 22. And behold as Barak pursued after Sisera Iael came out to meete him and said Come and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest and when he came into her tent behold Sisera lay dead and the naile in his temples Vers 23. So God brought downe Iabin the King of Canaan that day before the children of Israel Vers 24. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered and preuailed against Iabin the King of Canaan vntill they had destroyed Iabin King of Canaan NOw it is shewed how Iael came out to meete Barak who not finding Sisera among those who were slaine followed after him and she told him what she had done vnto him and thus she preuented Barak lest hee should wearie himselfe with seeking him and bee grieued when he found him not and hee came into her tent and found it so And by Baraks pursuing him it appeareth that Sisera was not deceiued in that hee feared it and warned Iael to preuent it Likewise it appeareth here that the Lord deliuered his people out of the hands of Iabin and destroied him Here let vs note two or three things and so come to an end of the whole chapter And first though Iael must imbrace and hold peace with Iabin yet wee see her heart went not with him neither did she like his crueltie and oppression of Gods people but sought to turne it away and she reioyced to see the people of God to preuaile and to helpe them all that she could as Nehemiah and Ester did vsing their fauour they found with Kings to this end It teacheth that the godly doe giue good testimonie how they dislike it when the wicked rule and haue all in their hands as Iael did here by her worthie helping to beate downe Iabins and Siseras power For as Salomon saith when they beare rule the people sigh And contrarily what ioy they haue when God giues them godly guides and makes them to prosper such as Moses and Iosua were with other who did more aduance the Lord and his true worship as it became them then they did themselues And so it is in meaner estates that we haue great cause to praise God when he feebleth and disgraceth the vngodly and prospereth the enterprises of his seruants in any place of superioritie and gouernment and so in meaner conditions And let all such as are vnder them glorifie God by bringing foorth much fruite when they enioy such liberties and let them feruently intreate for much good may be done in such times the Lord when it is otherwise to change it remembring that which is written in the Psalme Pray for the peace of Ierusalem they shall prosper that loue thee I will procure thy peace c. Further we may learne that as Barak pursuing Sisera as he was commanded obtained a great blessing of God so shall all that incline their hearts to follow the commandements of God with a pure heart For it is the fruit of Gods promise and he is not pleased if wee walking wisely and diligently in our calling doe not beleeue the same For through vnbeleese wee depriue God of his honour and our selues of our owne due which hee hath freely and graciously bequeathed vs. But contrarily by giuing credit to God and walking in a good course as frailtie will permit we may in reuerence and yet in confidence looke surely for blessing either outward with other or at the least the inward ioy of a good conscience that is as continuall feasting which is alwaies a companion in such a case And therefore great pitie it is that wee should through our owne folly at any time depriue our selues of such a benefit And especially this
verse shee shewes why God should bee praised one cause was for that he had been auenged of his enemies in the behalfe of the people and for their sakes for though hee had long vsed them as executioners of wrath against his disobedient people yet now their sinne was come to the top and his peoples sin was repented of therfore their turne was come about now to be brought to punishment Another cause of their thankes for the people Zebulun and Naphtali who had willingly offered themselues to follow Barak against Sisera although hee had no authority ouer them before Both these are expressed in this verse in these words Praise ye the Lord for auenging of Israel and for the people that offered themselues willingly Heereby wee learne first that God is the reuenger of the iniuries and wrongs of his people euen as hee himselfe saith Vengeance is mine and I will repay saith the Lord yea hee will doe it in his due time and that right soone for so he saith and we had need to marke it If saith he the vnrighteous Iudge will doe right to the poore widow lest shee troubling him with oft suing vnto him should at last weary him shall not God auenge his elect which cry day and night vnto him yea though it bee long I tell you hee will auenge them quickly and recompence tribulation to them that trouble his as the Apostle speaketh Waite we therefore hee hath not forgotten himselfe but as the Wise man saith If thou seest the oppression of the poore there is a greater then the oppressor But though there might much more be said of this point to the like purpose yet who beleeueth these things according to the words of our Sauiour When the sonne of man commeth shall he finde faith on the earth teaching vs how hardly men should beleeue though hee gaue therein a fearefull watchword thereof to all that should come after which should make vs the better to looke to it so this complaint may as iustly bee made still at this day that wee are dull and slow of heart to beleeue this and such other truths as were vttered to vs by the Prophets and Apostles But that is our woe and misery for why should wee not rest quietly while the Lord takes part with vs that are his children and giues vs so faire and strong encouragement But let vs passe to the next point in this verse The other thing in this verse is this that the people should praise God for those that offered themselues readily and willingly to pursue Gods enemies which teacheth that such as doe the worke of God should goe about it willingly and cherefully For as he loueth a chearefull giuer so he doth a cheerefull doer of that which he commands and contrarily Cursed is he that doth the Lords businesse negligently It is therefore highly to bee reioyced in and God much to be praised for it where men are forward in Gods matters and where the waightier and more excellent they bee the more courage and delight men haue in the taking of them in hand Among the which I reckon the preaching of the Gospell and the profession of it with the duties of our particular callings and such like wherin to be forward cheerful as people be in hay and haruest in going to markets and faires it honoureth God highly and all such as behold it ought to praise God heartily for giuing such gifts to men as are rarely to be seene among them for they that doe so shew plainly that they looke for a reward from God when they can goe roundly and readily about businesse which other men so aukely goe about For the most part men be too forward and ready to leaud company keeping and to the sins of the time and other workes of the flesh but when they should obey the Lord or bee set about any good worke especially whereof no profit is like to redound to them they goe most aukely and vntowardly about it euen as the euill debter who is to do worke to his creditour to pay him And therefore fearefull and grieuous is the sinne of those loose liuers who if any bee forwarder and zealouser in Gods matters then other in duty doing to him ward them they mocke and discourage who yet sinne grieuously in that they be not companions with them But of this the lesse because I haue spoken of it in the former chapter Thus much of this verse Now in the next in calling Princes and great persons to harken as they doe in this verse it is to teach them to know from whence their victories and all greatnes come and to ascribe them to the Lord according to Christs words in the prayer thine O father is kingdome power and glory for euer as for them there is not the least iot of the praise thereof due to them God honours them in that he will make them his instruments therein and furnish them with any gifts to that purpose I meane to doe him seruice And yet as though they were of absolute power of themselues forgetting the Lord that aduanced them they ascribe their great acts and victories to themselues as Senacherib against Hezechia and Benhadad against Ahab yea and this they did both of them before they had got the victory and did not tarrie till they had conquered their enemies and then crow ouer them which yet had been their great sinne and prided themselues in that they had done as Nabuchadnezzar in his Babell and therefore they were put to shame both of them most worthily being themselues brought vnder in a manner fit for such braggers as would thrust the Lord out from helping them nay rather they challenged euen him and opposed themselues against him as is to be seene in the story of both And therefore in one battell Benhadad lost an hundred and seuen and twentie thousand men so that hee and his euen a few that were left with him were constrained to flie and in the other battell wherein very many of his men were slaine hee was brought to greater shame and abacement as his last refuge to wit his seruants to goe to the King of Israel with ropes about their necks to entreate for their liues And as for Senacherib the Angell of the Lord flue an hundred foure score and fiue thousand of them in one night and such successe at least in the end haue all such as are like to them Hence it is that the Scripture for the further bewraying the pride and vanity of such vseth these phrases The Lord smote Beniamin before Israel The Lord fought for Israel And againe stand still and behold the saluation of the Lord c. And among other names the Lord is called strong in battell and the Lord of hosts And surely if a sparrow fall not to the ground without his wil neither is the lot without his disposition much more doe the euents
and hazards of warre depend vpon his prouidence being oft times matters of as great weight as the alteration of kingdomes and estates come to Now if Princes must know their victories and honour are giuen them of God then much more we inferiours ought to learne it well that we are beggers and haue nothing nay wee are worse then nought rather then that wee haue ought to glory of as it would soone appeare if we could be brought to consider aright of it euen what infection is in vs to taint and poyson all our actions or if the Lord should but thrust at vs for our euill deeds but euen as it were with his little finger Besides in this verse Debora declareth that shee will yea repeating her words that she will praise the Lord whereby it appeareth shee called Barak to it her selfe and sheweth that shee was so liuely quickened and stirred vp with the feeling of Gods goodnesse declared vnto them that she would doe that dutie if no other did For as the whole Church of God fared the better for this victory so she acknowledged her selfe a part to haue receiued great benefit thereby also and therefore as she was formost in the onset so is shee first in thankesgiuing and put not off the duty to the rest of the people but rather goes before other therein And indued so God worketh in his oft times that his seruants are so rauished with thinking vpon his louing kindnesse that they cannot bee satisfied with prayer and praise giuing to God in publike among other but they must doe it also by themselues alone as Dauid saith I will praise God in the congregation and I wil praise him in secret and they are so bent vnto it that if other should not yet they themselues as many as they can prouoke will do it as the noble man Ioshua said If al run to idolatry I and mine will serue the Lord. And if we consider it well how few weigh Gods goodnesse in publike blessings as in the late discouerie of the treason although many praise God openly for fashion and in ceremony we shall find it no more then needeth to practise this duty alone by our selues apart as we reade of the tribes oft times as well as among others else would not our Sauiour haue willed vs to goe alone euery one by himselfe into his chamber to pray as Isaac also did in the fields how little soeuer many be acquainted therewith and therefore finde the lesse benefit by the prayers and thankesgiuing which they make with others they being in great likelihood made but in hypocrisie or which others make for them Euery mans owne soule best knowes what cause hee hath of thankes better then others and accordingly let him professe it though there bee not many which will be brought to it And of Deboras first words in the song wherein shee stirred vp the Israelites to praise God and the reasons why thus much be said Vers 4. Lord when thou wentest out of Seir when thou departed out of the field of Edom the earth trembled and the heauens rained the clouds also dropped water 5. The mountaines melted before the Lord as did that Sinai before the Lord God of Israel 6. In the daies of Shamgar the son of Anath in the daies of Iael the high waies were vnoccupied and the trauellers walked through by waies 7 The townes were not inhabited they decayed I say in Israel till I Debora came vp who rose vp a mother in Israel IN the first of these two verses which also containe the beginning of their song Debora setteth downe the Lords great mercy in one example to her forefathers the people of Israel which had been shewed long before in the latter two shee maketh mention of his goodnesse toward them at that very time present In the great deliuerance mentioned in the former chapter but more particularly to speake of both and to begin with the first in the fourth and fifth verses we are to know that this story mentioned by her containeth the acts that were done by the Lord after he brought the people of Israel beyond mount Seir when Israel 38. yeeres after their going out of Egypt into the desert were come neare to the land of Canaan namely how wonderfully the Lord tooke part with his people there and ioyned himselfe vnto them against their enemies For he going with them in a pillar of fire and a cloud did terrifie their enemies the Ammorites in such wise that though the Israelites were vnexperienced in warre and strangers there and were weake and vnfit also for such worke yet their enemies could not resist them and not onely so but she saith that the Lord cast such a feare vpon them as if the earth had trembled and great stormes and tempests had been cast downe from the clouds and as if the mountaines had melted and been shaken By these allegoricall speeches she describeth the feare that was smitten into the Amorites at Israels comming neare them when the Lord brought them out of Egypt And further shee addeth to the same end that euen as mount Sinai for so it must bee vnderstood though the word like as bee not expressed at the Lords comming downe vpon it was shaken and moued so did the nations at the comming of Israel feare and were terrified And in laying out Gods kindnesse thus towards her fathers long before shewed to them as commonly this is reckoned to be one that he brought them out of Aegypt thorow the fearefull wildernesse to Canaan in many other places of the Scripture her meaning is to declare that hee shewed not this fauour now of late onely to them who liued at that time but of old and long agoe also to his people in former ages as they stood in need of his aide diuersly and that for their sakes also And if wee obserue the Scriptures which are a glasse of Gods administration and gouerning of his Church we shall see that there is little mention made of other nations of the earth or their affaires but the bent of them is wholly as it were with a streight line directed to the Churches vse and benefit as either to punish or blesse them for his people sake To this his Church all his workes of loue mercie iustice wisedome prouidence are referred for though God be the Sauiour of all yet especially of the faithfull in his Church From whence wee are to learne that God hath in all ages bin bountifull and gracious to his Church as well as now euen to our forefathers in their daies and so from age to age as it is written his mercie endureth for euer For it hath been deare to him as the spouse or bride to the Bridegrome And his loue hath been more hot then fire that cannot be quenched with much water And to this end hee hath been so affected to it that it might know that he loueth it as hee saith in Exodus If
grosse disfiguring of him all men obserue it with commiseration and pity Now of Dan seuerally she complaineth for that they of that tribe fled away for feare of the enemies from their dwelling places if not also for their worldly profit as Reuben and the other did as we haue heard in the exposition of this verse So that as these did another way and in another respect deserue blame as wee see namely for their feare of their enemies whereas they should haue rather vnderstood that it behoued them to haue taken part with their brethren so the ill fauourednesse if it could bee seene with the eye and the vnseemelinesse of it in them teacheth what a slauish affection this feare and timerousnesse is and what a burthen to Gods seruants when their faith is damped and hindred by it that it cannot haue the proper worke that is to harten and encourage them to bee forward and zealous in the worke of the Lord but shiftingly to prouide for themselues And therefore in the Reuelation this spirituall fearefulnesse is threatened as seuerely as adultery and murther and therefore doubtlesse is no lesse then a great blemish This I say is in men a shamefull sinne to be content that other shall beare the brunt and themselues goe free Such shall smart and be wounded deeply when the other shall reioyce Howbeit this I will adde that as this fearefulnesse comming from a false heart destitute of the loue of God and faith is damnable disobedience to God and trechery to men so yet because it may through infirmity cleaue to a right good seruant of God for we must wisely discerne of the cause from whence it ariseth therefore we must not count alike of both as we haue good warning by Peters example who of meere frailty feared to confesse his master but by and by he went by himselfe and wept bitterly for it whereas they whose feare riseth of falshood and meere carnall respects onely seeke grosly to auoide danger but relent not after for their sinne therefore we must be waile both but pity them that haue been ouercome through frailty and commend their estate to God to giue them more strength and courage and not daring be bold to censure them so farre as to say that Christ will denie them before his father for they are as farre from falshood and malice as they are from resolution and Christian magnanimity yea and much further and let vs rather that thinke we stand beware that we fall not Now after all these she speaketh of the men of Ashur who excused their not comming forth to helpe against their enemies by meanes of their weak defences at home and their farre distance but howsoeuer they thought they had good reason for their absence we see that they are also reproued by the spirit of God in Debora To teach vs that it shall little boot vs to make defences for our sinne and that wee cannot hide it from God and that hee looketh for another thing at our hands that wee should not refuse to obey his word no though it be with some danger Which if we refuse to do as these are heere dispraised and sharpely reproued for not so doing so we in the day of iudgement shall be not onely put to shame and rebuke with in ecouerable losse for our slight gaine by our excuse making but also we shall be cast from Gods presence for euer Thus wee haue heard how shee hath commended the tribes that did fight against the enemies and dispraised those that refused and hath said nothing of Iuda Simeon Leui and Gad and therfore neither haue I any thing to say of them who must haue my ground of all that I speake from the word And that which remaineth in this first point of the second part is of the two tribes Zebulun and Naphtali who in the middest of the earthlinesse feare and pretences of their brethren did as wee haue heard in the exposition of this verse put their liues in danger by fighting with the enemies Of whom although I haue spoken sufficiently before yet this I adde that if the cause so require we should be ready to giue our liues for the brethren Which Saint Iohn meant when he said wee ought to lay downe our lines for the brethren euen as our sauiour did leauing vs an example And as this case falles out seldome so yet when it doth we ought not to be to seeke of this readinesse and willing minde to do this seruice for them considering that we are neuer like to yeeld our liues in better maner vnlesse it be for the Lords cause and Gospell directly which is in a manner all one And why not when we see that some will be ready to doe so for some benefactor of theirs who hath been bountifull toward them As S. Paul saith for a good or bountifull man perhaps some will die Now if wee ought to hold our liues on this condition that beside the many casualties whereto they are subiect they ought also to bee ready to bee offered at the pleasure of God with all things else that we enioy with them wee may see that it is no wise part to be wedded to that which wee haue heere lent vs heere below nor to our liues themselues as we are and the rather for that our Sauiour professeth that he who will saue his life shall lose it prising them at so high a reckoning as wee doe namely to count them as our paradise which is the chiefe cause that we doe so dote vpon them and also that we do so meanely esteeme and make account of the life to come as that our hearts do little long after it And to conclude by the opposition of these forementioned tribes let vs learne wisedome and iudge righteous iudgement Let vs marke the repugnant example of both sorts of men the zealous according to knowledge on the one side and the carelesse on the other also their actions their affections and their reward obseruing how the Lord honoureth encourageth and recompenseth the one with the loue of his people maine blessings and how he brandeth the other with a blacke cole of infancy and shame that as we like or abhorre their portion so we may like the grace of the one and abhorre the practise of the other It followeth THE THIRTY FOVRE SERMON ON THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 19. The Kings came and fought then fought the Kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo they receiued no gaine of money Vers 20. They fought from heauen euen the starres in theâ—â— courses fought against Sisera Vers 21. The riuer Kishon swept them away that ancient riuer the riuer Kishon O my soule thou hast marched valiantly Vers 22. Then were the horse hoofes broken with the beating together of their mightie men IN these words is contained the second point or branch of the second part of the chapter wherein Debora
meane experience of the truth of it but hard is the case of them who haue neither of both The third thing that made the Canaanites fight vnprosperously against Israel was the breaking of their horse hoofes with the oft beating together of the mighty The horse hoofes are naturally most sound and strong so that they be not easily cleft asunder nor broken but they ranne heere with such violence in that skirmish to saue themselues and so smote one against another that they broke their hoofes In which case wee know that they could neither sit their horses to pursue their enemies neither shift for themselues by flying This most liuely teacheth vs that no man should trust in his owne strength nor in the strength of an horse in charrets or in riches no not in Princes power nor in any earthly thing whatsoeuer It is as easie for the Lord now to leaue men and disappoint them in their vaine confidence of young yeeres great wealth hope of long life or such like as it was to plucke off Pharaohs chariot wheeles and heere to breake the horses hoofes of the Canaanites and so to bring vpon them destruction thereby Thus we haue heard in this second branch of this second part of this chapter how hard and ill successe the Canaanites had in this battell Vers 23. Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord to the helpe of the Lord against the mighty 24. Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite shall be blessed aboue other women blessed shall she be aboue women dwelling in tents 25. He asked water and she gaue him milke she brought forth butter in a lordly dish 26. She put her hand to the naile and her right hand to the workemans hammer with the hammer smote she Sisera she smote off his head after she had wounded and pierced his temples 27. He bowed him downe at her feete hee fell downe and lay still at her feet hee bowed him downe and fell and when he had sunke downe he lay there dead IN these verses and this part of the song followeth the third and last branch of the second part of the chapter wherein Debora first setteth downe the wrath of God against such as refused to helpe in the worke of the Lord as were the Merozites and that shee doth in this 23. verse And then she declareth the fauour of God toward them that helped therein besides those who were in the battell as Iael and this she doth in the other 4. verses More particularly in this 23. verse she calleth all in her song to curse this city with her for that it being neare the place where the battell was yet the inhabitants thereof refused to helpe their brethren being called thereto and requested The other tribes before mentioned had some kind of excusing themselues neither were desired though they knew of it but these beheld and yet would not set hand to helpe therefore they are thus dealt with But seeing it might be thought to come of stomacke and reuenge that shee pronounced such sharpe threats against them therefore she saith the Angell of God bad her sing so And thereafter we are to learne what we may doe about cursing that it is in no sort lawfull for vs to curse any man for to satisfie our owne reuenging mindes For when we deale in our owne matters we must loue our enemies and as our Sauiour teacheth blesse them that curse vs but if God it any time shew that hee will haue any to bee destroyed they who know his will they are to approue the same This is the harder to learne because that corruption which lurketh in vs and is chained vp from notorious breaking out willingly seeking the opportunity and pretence of zeale to shrowde it selfe vnder euen as a secret traitor seeing the dore open which leadeth to the Princes chamber dare not goe in alone but waiteth till some of the nobles or guard passeth in and in that company he cunningly conueyeth himselfe to worke mischiefe Pray we for grace therefore to watch the dore of our lips through which many good words of blessing passe and let vs beware that no cursed speech passe by also vnder what colour soeuer And thus did Dauid directed by God and other of the faithful who cursed Gods enemies as in the Psalme who yet as they were did otherwise in kind affection and the same not euill bewaile them As Samuel and Ieremy and our Sauiour did bewaile and weepe for the destruction of wicked men wherin we haue no doubt but they pleased God Now to such as demand what they shall doe to them who vexe the godly and rage against the Gospell the answere is that we are to pray God to change their minds or to weaken their power that they may not be able to doe the euill they would and if this be not granted then wee must craue strength to beare that which wee must goe vnder And heere wee must further learne on the contrary by the example of these of Meroz to obey God calling vs to any duty as they did who followed Debora and Barak and to helpe those that are in want and need especially if they follow their calling contrary to that which these men of Meroz and the people of Peniel and Succoth in the seuenth chapter did who denied to refresh Gedeon his men as they pursued his enemies and theirs But if these were pitifully handled and the men of Meroz cursed for not helping their brethren what thinke we shall be done to them who not onely helpe not the seruants of Christ but vexe grieue and oppresse them And if no other thing can disswade them from such a course yet let this that they themselues are euer like daily to bee taken hence by death then shall they come to their accounts as they see on euery side many to be who were as vnlike as they and while they remaine here they shall haue God against them who hath professed that hee will bee an enemy to those that are enemies to his And this of Meroz briefly for in so long a worke I am vnwilling to repeate the same thing often Now she calleth all Gods people to blesse and wish well to Iael as one blessed among other women of her linage and kindred who dwelt in tents as the Kenites did and repeateth the words for more force Thus the Lord would haue her commended vnto all posteritie to the rouzing vp of other who are slack and backward in all good things that when they shall see that God doth so highly account of the readinesse of some in his businesse other may be quickned to the same care in well doing For were this deeply imprinted in mens hearts and throughly perswaded to thē and often thought of that God knoweth their workes and is a plentifull rewarder of all that seeke to please
so it hath bin in former times that when mens waies haue pleased the Lord he hath caused not only their very enemies to be at one with them but also their very hearts to be intirely knit to them Yea many sillie persons so furnished with grace by God haue forced great ones to wish from their hearts for all their wealth and power that they were like to them And yet this is more that a Minister of the Gospell who is to challenge them openly that keepe not the commandements of Iesus and in his name to rebuke and threaten the workers of iniquitie though all this is of the louing and kinde Preacher done to saue their soules by turning them from their euill waies that such a Minister I say who is not only hated for his good will and counted their enemie for telling them the truth but also accused by them pursued also and not suffered to be quiet among them yet should constantly hold out his labours with a life vnoffensiue what a work of God thinke we is that in him who were like to continue so gracious a course in the middest of so many discouragements whereof I haue mentioned but a few if the Lord should not giue them faith to beleeue that of their loue to him they should feed his lambes and his sheep and that in so doing they assure themselues they shall be plentifully rewarded and to this end that he will giue them shoulders I meane courage to beare their so great a burthen These are no small things which yet God worketh among vs that we may see he regardeth vs as he did some in former times The other and last thing to be noted in this second part is of Sisera that the Lord pulled him downe and cast him from his so great honour and valiantnes For as it was a great abasement for such a Nimrod to be driuen to so great a streight as to lurke in another mans house not daring to peere foorth as the sillie bird beaten into the bush by the hawke so it was yet farre baser to fall by the hand and at the feete of a woman Let vs learne that the Lord bringeth to naught the high and haughtie and that to their vtter shame who were so great and proud It is no strange thing in the Scriptures to finde it thus though fooles wonder at it who will learne no instruction by it The Lord casteth the mightie from their seate Witnesse Abimilech who in his desperate mood being striken on the head with a milstone by a woman called his page and bid him to runne him through lest it should be said A woman slew him And yet that which was said of him was reprochfull enough to wit that a base page slew him and agreeth well with the point in hand Thus Absolon who had stomacke to rise against his father so kinde to him was brought to a base and reprochful death very fit for such an one being thrust through by Ioabs common souldiers And Iezabel scorning God and his Prophets was according to the foretelling of the Lord made dogges meate and dung vpon the earth being throwne out of the window from her royall palace The proud and stout Iewes who railed on Peter calling him despitefully a drunken man were so terrified with their sin that they were glad to seeke to be comforted euen by him whom they had scorned And well is it with them whose pride the Lord resisteth in mercie for their good as hee did Pauls by appalling him first and then sending him to poore Ananias who being his comforter now had been a prey for him if God had not preuented it For the rest whom I haue mentioned they excepted also in the second of the Acts the other I say were resisted to their cost and vtter vndoing And so by the foolishnes of preaching as it pleaseth the world to call it and an humble submitting of themselues to his holy doctrine they that are saued must attaine but as that generation of vipers the Pharisies were glad to come to Iohns ministerie if so be they tooke any good by it Be we therefore humble and meeke they who are graced are they that finde fauour with him but as for the proud he resisteth them and setteth himselfe against them till they be confounded if they so abide and be brought to naught And therefore let the scorners and enemies taunt and mocke the simple professors of the truth like Edomites they shall one day wish they had been like them and iudge them more happie then themselues as Diues for all his superfluitie did wish that he might haue had not the estate of Lazarus which he saw no hope to attaine but the thousand part of it euen that he might dip his finger in cold water and quench his thirst which yet might not be granted him And therefore let vs but stay a while and containe our selues and wee shall see these boasters and contemners if they will needs hold on their course wee shall see them I say swept away and they shall be no more so little cause shall we see of hauing our teeth water after their dainties They are wise who can in the iolitie and prosperitie of the enemies of the Church see their ouerthrow by faith and count their florishing and bragges to be but vaine crakes And thus much be said of the second part of the Chapter THE THIRTIE FIVE SERMON ON THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES The third part of the Chapter Vers 28. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window and cried through the lattesse Why is his charet so long a comming why tarrie the wheeles of his charets c. Vers 29. Her wise Ladies answered her yea she answered her selfe with her owne words Vers 30. Haue they not gotten and they diuide the spoile euery man hath a maide or two Sisera hath a prey of diuers coloured garments a prey of sundrie colours made of needle worke on both sides for the chiefe of the spoile Vers 31. So let all thine enemies perish O Lord but they that loue him shall be as the Sunne when he ariseth in his might And the land had rest fortie yeeres IN these words is contained the third and last part of the song of Debora and so of the Chapter and hath two members in the first she bringeth in the boastings of the women that were enemies to Gods people and Siseras deare friends and derides them in the first three verses In the last member she opposeth a propheticall prayer against their boastings wishing therein to the remainder of Gods enemies destruction and to the Israelites all increase of good things and that increase she laieth out by a comparison of the Sunne from the rising to the noone tide euen such she wisheth it to be More particularly to come to the first point she saith that Siseras mother was looking
benefits to them as the other did and deliuerances and chargeth them with disobedience also Out of these words wee may see it is a fit time for preaching to worke when men are inwardly stung with smart of their afflictions as it appeareth these were when the man of God was sent to preach vnto them for then mâ—n will suffer themselues more easily to be reproued for their sinnes and will cause themselues as they see cause and the word is receiued into their hearts more readily whereas they are otherwise most commonly hardned and hate to be reproued And yet further then men come prepared to our daily and ordinarie preaching it profiteth them nothing The danger is this that they are like to quench the spirit after and to dull the edge of such good beginnings of grace in them which will most certainly come to passe if they be not carefull to stirre them vp daily Men while they haue elbow roome thinke that the preacher yea God himselfe must be beholding to them for their hearing but when God hath them cooped in a narrow compasse his roddes being held ouer them then the Preacher is welcome yea sought to earnestly and God is plied with confessions and prayers We see it though with griefe and haue too great experience of it in the practise of the secure and irreligious sort who though they mind not God all the yeere long yet fall to prayer and deuotion when some great thundring lightning and tempest doth astonish them and when the likelihood of death is vpon them His word they heare daily without any great reuerence but his terrible workes seene and felt though but seldome make them hide themselues in corners for feare By whose example we see what need the Lord hath to bore eares into our soules by terror and amasing iudgements as Iob speakes chap. 33. because his word is wound about mens fingers and made but as the confused noise of many waters and as a sound beating the aire going in at one eare and out as fast at the other Let not such boast themselues as are spared except they applie themselues to the hearing of Gods voyce by the Minister who can skill to doe his message with more regard and earnestnes for either the more is behind if they belong to God and they must haue somewhat to quicken their appetite thereto and to make it sinke deeply into their hearts and worke vpon them powerfully for their good or else woe be vnto them the Lord in all likelihood hath cast them off and taketh no pleasure in them and greatly it is to be feared that when affliction shall come vpon them yet by reason of that their former vnbeliefe and contempt of instruction they shall doe them little good The thing that they should doe is this when the Lord laieth his hand vpon them let them examine themselues touching their affection to the word and how little they were moued by it in the time of their health prosperitie and so they may easily finde that their blockishnesse and carelesse or vnprofitable hearing their deadnes fulnes of stomacke and such like with earthlinesse wearinesse wandring drowzinesse c. haue caused the Lord to send such trials vpon them be they inward or outward as might grinde off their flat and blunt edge and set on a sharper and keener vpon them that with desire and meeknes they may embrace the word and finde it sauourie to their taste till it haue wrought vpon them as it ought that is euen to cast them into the mould of it And this let such know that if their afflictions tame them not nor meeken their spirits vnder the hand of God but that they fight against him as Pharao did and will not see and vse well this season which is offered them that if they be deliuered once againe out of them they may haue sound preaching in all high reuerence let them know I say that their case is wofull and desperate For as the Lord saith in the like case by his Prophet O people how shall I intreate thee or what shall I doe vnto thee So he may say vnto them for he hath no other physicke then his word mercies and chastisements If none of all them can breake the heart there is no helpe nor hope that if he should vse extraordinary courses which they are not to looke for that hee should preuaile any more with them then he did with the Priests who going against their consciences in bringing Christ to his death were no more moued with his resurrection Therefore they are wisest who put not the Lord to this extremitie but hearken to him when he speaketh and offereth them faire by the voyce of his messengers and deferre not till affliction as a second warning be sent vnto them lest then also they be found alike vnprouided and being hardned lest God should not vouchsafe them that mercie to mollifie soften them as the truth is they who tempt him so farre by presumption doe not easily recouer themselues though God doe visit them by his corrections or iudgements but rather for the most part go further from him and increase their rebellion But whether these men cried out being forced thereto by their many and sore afflictions or no this is sure that when the man of God had deliuered his message to them and had shewed them their vnthankfulnes to God for their many deliuerances and had conuicted them of their disobedience they did then crie out in token of their great griefe for their offending God as their fathers before had done Here not to repeate the same things which I noted before out of the like words vttered at Bochim this is to be marked that the Lord here sent his messenger as he did there to call the people to consideration of themselues and their doings and we see what need they had thereof All generations declare what they are and to what wrack and ruine they come who are not helped and that in due time and season with this wholesome instruction from God that the righteous smiting them they may not fall into the hands of the vngodly to be rung about by them to their vtter shame and reproch and so fall into the iawes of the diuell to be vndone without recouerie And when the Lord dealeth so graciously with any as that they may enioy this benefit of sound teaching let them beware that they harden not their hearts at the hearing of it the oftner they heare the happier it is for them but with meekenes receiue it that it may bring foorth fruite in them plentifully euen to eternall life The Prophet who was sent vnto them puts them first in minde of Gods benefits and many deliuerances from their enemies The next thing here to be considered of vs out of these words in the 8. and 9. verses beside that which we haue heard by the like occasion is this that we record
and the manner brutish They want and would haue to defray the hard world or to bestow vpon their lusts and to maintaine themselues in pride of life but neither worke they because they thinke it is a sin to be idle nor because they looke for any other fruite of their labour saue the bringing in of the peny They see not whose commandement it is that they should labour Genes 3. therefore they goe through it with vexation discontentment distrust endlesse carking and tying God to their girdle to giue what successe they desire which if they get they take it for granted that he loueth them if not they storme To the impure all things are impure and so are their callings they doe the workes of them commonly not to shunne noysome lusts temptation and the fruites of sloth nor to serue Gods prouidence neither to sharpen and fit themselues thereby to religious exercises and to good duties nor to auoide offensiue burthening of others nor to doe good and relieue them that want c. and so to obey God in all nay to speake the truth when they are in their shops at markets in their fields they are far from setting God before their eyes much lesse doe they beleeue that God is with them there to blesse them in their worke as well as when they are occupied in duties meerely religious Sinister ends and causes doe compell the most to yeeld some obedience to Gods commandement but doubtlesse if all were now men of worth and might liue of themselues we should haue few workers As we see by their words saying Oh such a man is happie Why because he need not worke nor toyle as we doe but liue easily and enioy the world at will And by this they bewray that they could bee content to doe so too if necessitie vrged them not to doe otherwise Therefore their labour is as displeasing to God as their idlenesse in a manner as they vse it A wofull thing ans not without the curse of God vpon such as will not learne a better direction that whereas some goe about their worke in faith beleeuing that because they are Gods beloued therefore God will giue them rest blessing and successe others rise earely sit vp late drudge and droile eate the bread of care and drinke the water of affliction yet either they thriue not or at least they are as much to seeke of soule-prouision I meane grace and hope of saluation at the end of their wearisome life as at the beginning whereas it shoud haue been their first work after they came to yeeres of discretion Which should teach vs wisedome and not to giue God a short and formal pittance of seruice when we be at Church on the Sabbath but seeing that great worke is to seeke with the most therefore to giue all their diligence thereto that is to make their saluation sure that all the sixe daies we may wholly giue vp our selues to other affaires without so much as minding God or godlinesse For the Lord will haue vs serue him religiously as well in actions ciuill not religious of their owne nature as holy and this is the scope of his third Commandement which tieth the seruice of God to euery part of our liues in our common course of liuing as well as the second doth to religious duties and therefore must be extended to our particuler callings as being the greatest part of our time and wherein our liues are most taken vp But I will proceede in the next Sermon and here an end Now to proceed where I left THE THIRTIE EIGHT SERMON ON THE SIXTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES WHile Gedeon was thus hard at worke and labouring the Angell came and spake comfortably vnto him as if he had bin praying or in the like exercise and not to terrifie him To teach vs that our businesse and works of our callings are no lets to vs frō hauing cōmunion and fellowship with God neither doe hinder his presence and comfortable being with vs. And the same may be said of our callings themselues ordained by him bee they meane and base or waightie Therefore the Lord was with Iacob in his iourney and in the way when hee was going from his brother Esaus wrath and rage And so hee made the Gospell effectuall in Lydia by Pauls preaching she being then a seller of purple and rich and not yet truly conuerted to God And the Lord blessed the two tribes in their calling and habitation saying Reioyce Zebulon in thy goings out that is in thy prosperous voiages on the seas and thou Ishachar in thy dwelling in tents meaning in thy quiet keeping at home about thy traffique and businesse And by this which I haue said let vs marke that if it be not long of our selues our lawfull callings and businesse are no hindrances of vs from the seruing of God holily and religiously as some thinke they be but that from them we may goe to prayer or the like exercise in good manner euen as wee may from these to them Although I may truly say this that for not well learning it few can ioyne these wisely and rightly together because their affections and delights are set too egerly towards that which sauers of the earth and of gaine which is the cause that measure is not commonly kept therin Dauid saying that he had rather be a doore-keeper in the house of the Lord then to dwell in the tents of the vngodly which he would not haue said if mens attendance vpon the basest worke in their lawful callings had been an hindrance to them from Gods seruice may by his words stay and comfort many weake Christians who thinke that they are much letted from the duties of godlinesse euen by the very vsing of their callings because they be not spirituall as prayer and the like exercises are But to end this let the vse of that which hath been said be thus much vnto vs that wee euer labour to be so innocent well gouerned in al our earthly businesse and workes of our calling that we may not driue the Lord from vs but haue him alwaies with vs by the spirit of truth direction and comfort as we haue heard he hath been with other and was here with Gedeon in their earthly affaires for that is the vsing of them aright and in their kinde The next thing in this verse is this that though the Lord sent his Angell to Gedeon for his owne reliefe and comfort and also the peoples yet wee see this was not done till they were brought neere to extremitie all helpe of man was past and they had no other refuge vnder God but to prouide for themselues by flying from their dwellings to saue their liues As for example Gedeon whose father was in some authoritie and therefore none of the poorest yet was at this point euen thrashing a little corne by the aide and nourishment wherof he and his might flie from the
Midianites as farre as that lasted to carrie them By this we learne that God seeth it expedient in his wisdome sometime to leaue the godly long vnder the crosse and not to put an end to their troubles by and by as ordinarily he vseth to doe according to that which is said in the Psalme Heauinesse may endure for a night but ioy commeth in the morning And againe He that commeth will come and not tarrie But he knoweth well that when he vseth so to doe wee commonly conceiue hope thereby that our affliction be it sicknesse disease losse or any such will not hold vs long and therefore our deuotion is more short and cold and we in so doing neither honour God nor haue any proofe of our faith and patience neither experience another time after how to beare our trouble aright For the which cause the Lord sometime disappointeth our false hope and putteth vs to greater plunges by holding vs longer in our affliction to the end we may search our selues deeplier and we may be more throughly touched with the feeling of our sinnes and rebellions and so turne to him in faith and amendment For this cause the Lord holdeth vs sometime on the racke the longer as in paine sicknesse or penurie as also bondage to such as haue superioritie ouer vs and vse it to our great disquiet and wearying of vs and we pray and long to be deliuered but the Lord seemeth not to heare vs pray but letteth the burthen remaine still vpon vs. Wherefore thinke we doth he so when he professeth that he afflicteth not willingly neither delighteth therein and yet we lie in paine and griefe I answere the Lord seeth wee be not yet tamed and humbled sufficiently great hath the pride of our hearts been our inconstancie vnfaithfulnesse vncharitablenes also with other sinnes and our mindes are set on the world excessiuely and wandring after our diuers lusts And we are like to returne to these courses againe if we were set at libertie as soone as we desire therefore doth he seeke to weane vs from these and the like by continuing such vnwelcome crosses vpon vs. So wee are for the same causes depriued oft times of our deare companion in mariage which is a great part of death it selfe or driuen from our owne habitation into the fearefull prison which taketh much from the delight of liuing yea and we are tried with sudden dearth as oft times by excessiue raine and wet sometime by drouth as Gedeon here was in as hard a case being driuen to flie from his owne dwelling in a manner famished In these the like God leaueth his seruants for the causes which I haue mentioned and also to the end that his deliuerance and ease giuing after them all may be the more precious when it commeth hauing been so long desired and thirdly to this end he holdeth his roddes the longer ouer vs that patience may haue her perfect worke in vs and himselfe haue the whole praise An example of this which hath been said wee haue in Ioshua 7. where the people hauing promise of Gods assistance went against the men of Al not making question but they should speed as well as they had done before at Iericho But loc on the sudden they were smitten before their enemies This astonisht them till the Lord tels Ioshua the cause Ye looke saith the Lord it should be with ye as at other times but I see cause of the contrarie Looke well into the matter and ye shall find that there is sacriledge among ye and therefore ye cannot stand before your enemies So that though they were doing the worke of God yet because there was found in them this infection it made the Lord to crosse their hopes that so they might purge out their sinne and goe about the worke in a better manner Many wonder why the Lord saieth them long vpon their sicke beds whereas if they had their health they say they should worship him in publike and priuate with more cheerefulnes Wheras the Lord aimeth at a further matter and would purge out their coldnes hypocritie carelesnesse and other sinnes accompanying them euen in their good duties that so they may returne thereto with more reuerence and conscience We reade that Paul after his great lifting vp into heauen was buffered with vnwelcome temptations which though hee prayed that he might be rid of yet the Lord suspended his helpe that Paul might be humbled and fitted to vse his knowledge the more fruitfully Now followeth the salutation of the Angell the Lord is with thee thou valiant man If we marke the ebbe and low estate of Gedeon as we haue heard it was wonderfull to heare this newes brought him that the Lord was with him as it was lamentable to see in what distresse he was when hee heard the words of this message vttered to him For it was as much as if the Angel had said the Lord loueth thee as one of his deare ones and he is with thee euen now to comfort and preserue thee euen in this thy oppression and therfore none shall be against thee to hurt thee This was much to be said in such a time of calamitie to such an afflicted person And yet wee must know that it yeeldeth to vs the like instruction That euen in great outward troubles and inward disquietnes of minde when a body would thinke that God and all good men were our aduersaries yet in all this is God with vs whom he hath made a couenant with yea he loueth and careth for vs as deare and precious vnto him euen as Christ Iesus the sonne of his loue was though without beautie among men and as a withered branch despised Esay 53. Therefore the spouse in the Canticles saith I am blacke but comely O ye daughters c. meaning that the Lord Iesus her husband esteemed no whit lesse of her neither was she any whit lesse amiable in his eye being tanned in the sunne then when she was in her perfect beautie Indeede the sinne which causeth the Lord to afflict is odious but the affliction it selfe argueth that he makes much of vs because thereby he would purge out of vs that which he misliketh which affliction when it hath wrought kindly the Lord can soone change our hew and restore our former beautie as Iobs example witnesseth The reason is this he hauing once testified his loue freely vnto vs before at our effectuall calling and shedding it plentifully into our hearts by the holy Ghost saying to our soules I am your saluation and your exceeding great reward and your God alsufficient and binding vs to beleeue the same he remaineth like himselfe and changeth not and therefore hee requireth that wee should doe the same that is by faith hold it fast in our perswasion that he doth so And this is more that the Lord is so affected to vs in the depth of our afflictions as if we were freed
former in that Gedeon seruing God so commendably as he was commanded for which also hee is by name commended as a worthie person and a beleeuer was yet called seditious of them that were themselues so indeede and that therefore hee was counted worthie to die who yet was the meane whereby the other did liue note that when the wicked are charged neuer so iustly for their euill doings yet they euer returne the accusation vpon their accusers For example the doctrine of Gods word and the Preachers thereof doe by Gods blessing become the meanes and outward instruments of much good doing and some turne from their euill waies thereby but what dissenting is there among the rest for this when they see it In such wise as that they fall commonly to this exclamation that both teachers and such as follow their doctrine are troublers of the people but as for themselues they haue done no euill Euen as the Papists crie on the other side that they are disturbed and disquieted for that they may not be suffered to serue God as they would bee glad to doe nor their Priests to set foorth their pedlary ware to sale to the ignorant and superstitious whom they had sometime deceiued and as their fellowes in many places still doe no lesse palpably then Simon Magus did the people of Samaria whom he had with his sorceries bewitched These will not suffer their Idolatrous worship at any hand to bee ouerthrowne but say as the people said to Ieremy We will worship the Queene of heauen that is the Moone and other starres and as the foolish people of Ephesus who cried out in a mad mood Great is Diana of the Ephesians when yet who were more vnlike to make tumults and sedition then they whom they accused as Paul and his companie So to leaue these and to returne to them whom I began with thus crie the wicked out when their lewd doings bee reproued iustly out of pulpits Preachers are seditious they make strife and tumults where they come and draw people after them whereas they were quiet and well enough before but who are they whom they draw euen those who forsake their companie whom I speake of and leaue off their cursed manners and behauiour so that they are now depriued of them therefore now they make their part good against them crying out that they are seditious Thus Elias was charged to trouble the land when he taught the true seruice of God and reproued Idolatrie but he shewed who were troublers of the land to all that list to know it euen such as be not obedient to the commandements of the Lord. But that all may see that such are not to be charged as troublesome persons whose preaching bewraieth the bad sort who are therefore incensed against them because their euill deedes are brought to light by them neither they who obey their doctrine though they bee hated of the greatest part that saying of our Sauiour teacheth I came not to send peace into the earth but the sword and debate And againe I am come to set fire on the earth and what is my desire if it be alreadie kindled So that if ciuill distension and trouble follow vpon our preaching and professing it is the filthie heart of the rebellious sort out of which that stinch commeth as out of a dunghill who can away with no better sauour Now in that Ioash called his sonne Ierubbaal Baal shall contend against him not in reproch but for a memoriall he did it which brought the Idol into contempt So hee was called Ierubbosheth 2. Sam. 11. 21. This sheweth that he was so farre from being ashamed of his owne or his sonnes fact that he reioyced in it that Idolatrie had the foile by his meanes as all well minded people should doe the like But I proceed THE FORTIE THREE SERMON ON THE SIXTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 33. Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and they of the East gathered together and pitched in the valley of Izreel 34. But the spirit of the Lord came vpon Gedeon and he blew a trumpet and Abiezer was ioyned with him 35. And he sent messengers through all Manasseh which also was ioyned with him and he sent messengers to Asher and to Zabulon and to Naphtali and they came vp to meete him NOw followeth the last point of the foure in this fourth part of Chapter as was noted in the 11. verse In which is shewed how Gedeon after that the Midianites gathered themselues together prepared for warre against them he hauing before destroyed Idolatrie and set vp the true worship of God that thus all the people might see when it was done how ill it might haue been vndone againe and how profitable it was for them which Gedeon had done so though we may remember what troubles and stirres were raised against him before he could bring it to passe But oh what a mercie of God was this to them that the Midianites were held in all this while who bound their hands and feete till Gedeon had brought so worthie a worke to passe but euen he whom none were able to resist euen the Lord omnipotent The summe of these three verses is this That the Lord gaue occasion to Gedeon by bringing the Midianites and other assistants to them into the land to preuaile against and get victorie ouer them For he trusting to the word of God by which he had been and that lately so well strengthened prepared to goe against them and the Lord armed him and he drew helpe together out of the tribes that were neere vnto him as is to be seene in the text so that Israel was againe restored in great multitudes Thus after all the trouble that Gedeon had both otherwise and by feare of the Midianites now prouoking the Israelites to battell and the many hurts that they did thē before yet God would we see haue his true worship set vp Idolatrie cast down first as we haue heard which the wise men of the world though they had allowed would yet haue deferred till after the victorie And note we hereby that it much pleaseth him that we should not post off the great and waighty cōmandements of his worship seruice for our earthly affaires bodily businesse though waighty if there be time enough to discharge them no nor lay aside the exercises of praier hearing reading and the like for our owne pleasure And we our selues may see that it is very meete and expedient that it should be so and how cheerefully we may goe about the one when wee haue well discharged the other whereas by deferring we leaue them vndone altogether sometimes and our appetite is much quailed when we returne to them As therfore we reade that as great neede as there was to make all possible speede to rescue the Church in the great distresse it was in at that time yet that Hester sought the Lord by fasting
is little wisdome in them to doe so but a bold tempting of God we see what strange alterations fall out in their liues that their estate changeth from that it was I say not as other mens by age sicknesses diseases onely for to them we are all subiect but from towardnesse hope and likelihood of goodnesse which they had sometime and therefore they should haue been rooted and growne forward therein and such as neuer had any waxe much worse and worse and by their afflictions they be much disguized For by that time that cruell enemies domesticall or forraigne I meane in the world haue oppressed them as both may easily bee or suites debt suretiship or prison haue molested them which commonly fall out to be or the vnrulinesse and disobedience in children the vnfaithfulnesse and leaudnesse of seruants and the vnpeaceablenesse and vnappeasablenesse in neighbours and landlords with great iniuries offered by them shall vexe them together with sicknesse and other calamities which meet with them I say when some of these as mothes in a garment haue eaten into them the beautie of their estate is decaied and consumed in these cases I say they are altered and changed as if they had neuer been the persons So that as Elimelech by famine was constrained to change his dwelling and good Dauid by his owne sonne was almost driuen from his kingdome euen so and much more when sundry of the forementioned waies shall afflict bad men doe they not shew the vncertaine hold that they haue and yet they haue no hold of any better of the things which are in greatest price heere among men together with the reproches and disgraces that befall them that I say nothing of sundry kinds of death to cut them off from all and are sufficient proofes of that which I say So that we haue good cause to beare a low saile euen when we be at the highest and to thinke we haue little when we haue the most And to looke for our change in our prosperitie and to make heauen our habitation against we go hence and the earth with the pompe and beautie of it but as small and vncertaine riches Indeed all the glory of these things must haue his end yet commonly where God is not prouoked much there is no vnseasonable change of mens prosperitie into misery but a kindly inioying it with Gods good liking though sometime God afflict thus for other ends as Iob c. And because many of Gods deare ones prouoke him to turne their blessings and delight temporall as in wife children goods beautie strength c. into sorrowes and punishments which must be so or else it would bee worse with them let them also beware that they breake not out further against him least by any sinne wilfully committed and not repented of speedily they cause and procure this to themselues that they be roughly handled of him more then commonly euen like other men and that particularly by the grosse abuse of these outward things themselues where to they are subiect they bee not deformed and disguized by strange and rare afflictions God hath all good things in store for his but he can also soone strip them thereof as Ieremie saith in the person of the Iewes euen as hee withholdeth them altogether from some other And this I thought good to say though somewhat of this argument hath been said before It followeth how God furnished Gedeon with gifts of the spirit both wisdome and courage whereby according to that which hee had said to him before Goe in this thy power and thou shalt saue Israel out of the hands of Midian he was new fitted for it Which teacheth that when God appointeth his seruants to any charge or businesse of his hee inableth them to goe through it and ministreth helpe to them accordingly So Paul saith in a farre greater worke then this of Gedeons that God counted him faithfull and put him in his seruice after he had appointed him thereunto So Saul when he was chosen King had gifts giuen him to gouerne God making him thereby as the text saith another man So the Lord dealeth with those whom hee maketh Ministers of the Gospell that they shall doe his message to the people faithfully and diligently and plainely and powerfully to the iust challenging of them who boldly take vpon them so waightie a calling as doth concerne the sauing or destroying the soules of men hauing no furniture of preaching the Gospell soundly and clearely neither any care to looke that way nor other grace bestowed vpon them Now Gods worke is not onely some great seruice as Gedeons to fight and Pauls to preach and Moses to deliuer Israel from Egypt but euen to liue in the married estate to walke in a calling publike or priuate and much more to professe the name of Christ in what condition soeuer And when we speake of Gods calling a man to this worke I meane not any sensible calling by voice as here Gedeon extraordinarilie was but when a man entreth into these estates functions or actions by direction and warrant of the lawfulnesse or necessitie thereof from the word and ordination of the Church Vsing also the holiest and best meanes to obtaine faith knowledge wisdome and conscience to discharge them well to such I say God will not be wanting although they may thinke that their case is not as Gedeons and yet they had need bee no weaker in faith nor lower brought then he was and that they are but seely priuate persons yes God will so blesse them and prosper their lawfull enterprises yea though they deeme themselues vnfit to vndertake such workes or vnable to goe through them that so as they shall haue cause to blesse the Lord and wonder at his loue and faithfulnesse to them when they who goe about the same to obserue how he assisteth and blesseth them and on the other side how they who relie vpon their own head and pollicie shall wanze come to nothing and be resisted by him as we reade of such as being commanded to goe against the Canaanites refused but would needs goe fight against them being forbidden and therefore they were sore discomfited But of this I haue spoken before Gedeon being thus furnished was in couraged to go against Gods enemies and so much the more seeing he had such successe before by the promise of the Angell Where note how well things prosper with vs and goe forward when we are certaine that we be set a worke by the Lord and more particularly when we are furnished with faith in his promises for the present and time to come and heartned by the experience of Gods helpe in the time past For it was not for nothing that the Lord meaning to set him a worke about a greater seruice gaue him good proofe first as of his owne weakenes so of his assistance in the lesser I meane in the destroying of Baal of which point more hereafter if God
been asked What if by you being but feeble and few in respect of your enemies the Lord would destroy the Midianites would you not thinke God had fought mightily for you Oh they would haue confessed no lesse but seene that it had been cause of great thanks True till the victorie had been gotten and then who but themselues had foiled the Midianites So it may be Saul and Ieroboam while they were vnderlings would haue counted it a greater priuiledge and themselues highly indebted to God if hee would haue bestowed a lesse matter then a kingdome vpon them but when they had got it they shewed they were vnable to be made partakers of so great a felicitie and wee see that they were not fit to haue so weighty and glorious matters as kingdoms committed vnto them Euen as wee see meane and beggarly persons that neuer knew what belonged to wealth or dignitie yet if they be raised vnto it cannot beare it nay the ground cannot beare them if they bee set on horsebacke they ride out of reason euen till they breake their owne neckes whereas ingenuous and wel-bred natures can aswell carry themselues in such a condition especially if education and grace meet together as the poorest can in a bace and simple And surely many of vs can as hardly beare a little wealth small reuenues a few hundreds nay scores as Saul and the other could their kingdomes though ere wee had them we were as lowly and meane in our owne eies as our fellowes Therefore as I said we may see how soone we abuse Gods benefits and all such good liberties as he bestoweth vpon vs as riches health promotion credit I would I might not say spirituall gifts also euen as Pharaoh his princely estate and greatnes the rich man in the Gospell his wealth Herod the very praise and commendation that was giuen him by the people So we that can challenge nothing at Gods hands as due debt to vs but trouble and sorrow which is the fruite of our sinne what a lamentable case is it that the Lord sparing vs much from sundrie calamities and furnishing vs with benefits of diuers kinds to draw vs to know loue belieue in him and honour him that we cannot for al this so soone inioy any thing that is ought worth but by and by wee set vp our brustles wee forget from what a cursed estate and whence we came and kick vp our heeles against the Lord and yet this is easie to bee seene in all estates of men and kinds of Gods benefits So that the Lord if he loue vs seeth that there is no better way to be taken with vs for our good then to take away such liberties againe from vs and to let out our humours seeing they breed but a pleurisie in vs or to crosse vs in them lest they should steale away our hearts from him and so we driue him to say of his benefits as he did of this people There be too many of them I must make them fewer or else they wil glory of their multitude and greatnes Euen so we cause the Lord to say of vs as to Saul a bad person they haue to much wealth I must plucke some of it from them they haue had health too long I must abridge them of it they haue had too many of my benefits as ease credit countenance c. vnlesse they could vse them better I must saith the Lord of necessitie take them from them And this is the cause why the Lord holds many of his vnder that commonly they haue no great matters put into their hands and are much crossed in those earthly commodities that they loue best lest they should be the worse for them And it is rarely seene that euen they are better by them then if they had them not Therefore except God shall bestow vpon vs an humble and wise heart and well ballanced with grace to account of these things as they are to wit transitory and soone flitting away and to valew the heauenly treasure of faith and a godly life aboue all earthly riches let vs know that the Lord deales wiselier with vs then we are aware in dieting and shortning of vs and we our selues shall see it as clearely in time if wee marke it as these Israelites did that God hath done vs no wrong in taking somewhat away which we had or denying vs somewhat which we desire And as for such as seeke aboue all things to florish and haue the world at will they are not so happie as they bee counted especially in their owne reckoning neither will shew themselues the wisest men in the end as by this and the like may bee seene of them that will weigh it But to come yet more neere to that which is noted in the text not onely men abuse Gods benefits other waies but this one way also that is to vaine-glorie as it is said that this people here mentioned would haue done and therefore the holy story addeth it as a reason why the Lord would not haue so many goe to the battell least they should say that they had preuailed by their owne might and so should haue taken Gods honour to themselues And by this wee learne why God denieth and doth not giue vs in our attempts many great or any meanes at all sometime and if he doe yet not with any good successe or at least not as hee is wont to doe although to mans reason there bee likelihood enough yea very great because if he should man would snatch the glorie from him to himselfe As Nabuchadnezzar did when he said This is great Babel that I haue built Zenacherib that blasphemed the Lord by his Captaine Rabshakeh So Benhadad so grosly for got himselfe in boasting what he would doe that hee was answered wisely in this manner Let not him that girdeth on his harnesse boast himselfe as he that putteth it off And they to whom S. Iames wrote how foolishly concluded they before the successe and bragged of their gaine before they knew they should haue it What would they haue done thinke we if they had alreadie enioyed it also And is not this strange that whereas wee pretend if wee might partake such and such blessings wee would bee much more thankfull and seruiceable for them the Lord should conuict vs of dissimulation and falsehood telling vs that we know not our owne hearts for wee would bee more proud bold and vainglorious So that if the Lord should not bewray to vs what poison lurkes in vs we should thinke that he did himselfe great wrong in cutting many short of their desires who might be like to doe him seruice by enioying them whereas alas he knowes that in so doing hee loseth no honour himselfe in so dealing with men nay hee hath much adoe by such meanes to keepe men from destruction at least from deepe dishonouring of him But to returne it is most true that if God did not denie much to
though the Prophet in the Psalme haue taught the contrary saying Except the Lord build the citie the labourers toile themselues but in vaine But of this hath often been spoken And here we are further to marke the benefit of good example and how it preuaileth oft times with inferiours Gedeon here bids his souldiers doe as they saw him doe so that he went before them As all heads and superiours should likewise doe that they may propound their own example in al good duties Hence it was that our Sauiour Christ washing his Disciples feete propounded the same to them to be followed and that so they might in humilitie serue one another as they saw him their Master to serue them and not to set vp themselues aloft as they began to do and aske which of them should be greatest And when the inferiour cannot obiect that the superiour doth not so himself as he requireth of the other in a dutie common to both it is a worthie thing This is to be applied to the reformation of faults and the doing of dutie by word or deed either in familie or otherwise And therefore it is a soreaccusation against such as being to giue light to others take no heede or care themselues or very slight care how they walke among and in the midst of those whom they are to giue light vnto Parents and guides in families beside that they doe for the most part little reproue the faults and sins of those who are vnder them vnlesse it be for and about their owne aduantage haue small care commonly of their owne behauiour in their sight but wil braule and scold contend and raile and liue in other ill courses among them And it were heartily to be wished that some who are in greater place and whose authoritie reacheth further then priuate mens did not commit the same faults which they are sued vnto to punish in others Oh how much it were to be desired that the elder and younger might ioyne and accord together in the worke of the Lord as wee see and approue this mutuall consent and sweete harmonie in Gedeon and his souldiers I say oh that the ancienter in yeeres gifts profession and authoritie whom it best becommeth and concerneth most would incourage and hearten forward the younger sort to heare the word to be zealous against sinne to be innocent humble dutifull sober companions of the good abstainers from ill companie and in a word to beleeue in the Lord to cleaue to his promises to submit themselues to his gouernment in the whole course of their life saying to them as Gedeon here saith As ye haue seene me doe so doe you Thus Dauid calleth vpon the people Come hearken vnto me my children and I will teach you the feare of the Lord by mine owne experience For thus and thus long haue I serued him and I repent me not that I haue spent my life in the worke of so good a Master Oh how the experience confidence cheerefulnes and courage of one aged seruant in Gods house animates and puts life into many young beginners and hearers who alas though they be zealous yet are raw and rude ignorant and vnexpert and know not what belongs to such a trade and profession as how many discouragements feares baites offences prouocations to wearinesse and apostacie they are to meete with ere their course be finished And what a commendable thing is it that the younger nouices will yeeld themselues to their ancients learne by their instructions be perswaded by their exhortations and follow their examples so farre as they tread in the steps of Christ with all meeknes and teachablenes without prefidence and conceitednes Oh if it were thus in townes and places what an heauenly order should we see in stead of boldnes prophanenes and loosenes in all ages and estates For though there be examples giuen and followed yet it is by such as are the diuels trumpeters who leade others after them to inordinate courses vncleannes riot lying scorning them that be better then themselues which indeed are liker Abimilecks troope then Gedeons But as for good examples where shall we finde them who looks to this to liue so in the former part of his life that he may be a president in the latter And if some one odde man be found among an hundred how doe the multitude of inferiours disdaine him and winde him about their fingers But of examples I haue also said somewhat before We haue heard what Gedeon bad his men doe now followeth what he bad them say that was this For the Lord and Gedeon his meaning was that he would haue them boldly and without feare proclaime and say one to the heartning and incouraging of another that the victorie should bee the Lords as the author and Gedeons as the instrument Thus teaching vs that as wee should bee examples in our liues to other so wee should in our words exhort and perswade as occasion shall be offered to beleeue the promises of God before they be fulfilled as Gedeon did here his souldiers to beleeue that God would giue them the victorie Thus did that worthie King Iehosaphat stirre vp and incourage his people the men of Iudah to beleeue the words of Gods Prophet which had brought tidings to him of deliuerance from the Ammonites Moabites and them of mount Seir. And this hope wee should haue our selues by long proofe of Gods promise keeping that wee may thereupon resolue them so farre as wee can preuaile with them that there shall not a iot of all that God hath spoken fall to the ground but as our fathers trusted in him and were not confounded so neither shall they be disappointed nor ashamed who trust in him to the end of the world And when wee haue the like incouragement our selues from other we should no lesse be confirmed and strengthened that when they can say to vs heauen and earth shall perish but one title of Gods promise shall not faile we may rest and be satisfied Oh happy are the people whom the Lord when he commeth shall finde to haue been thus exercised THE FORTIE NINTH SERMON ON THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CHAPTERS OF the booke of IVDGES NOw further are laid out after Gedeons aduice to his souldiers and the propounding of his owne example vnto them his industrious attempt in his going forward to the Midianites campe and what hee and his men did together in the way thither and what successe the Lord gaue thereto The first of these two is set downe in this 19. and 20. verses the last in the 21. and 22. His companie was diuided into bands to the end that they might come vpon their enemies on euery side and amaze the whole campe with sudden feare Then he chose for his purpose the fittest time of the night the middle part thereof when the enemies being in a dead sleepe were with that sudden feare the more throughly astonished
For the noise of the trumpets with the mightie crie made by the men and the breaking of the pitchers with the light appearing did not onely astonish them but likewise so troubled them they being scarcely awaked out of their sleepe that they could not conceiue what it should meane but thought that many and great hoasts were rushing into their campe as the Aramites did into whose camp the lepers came And the Lord with all this striking them with a kinde of madnesse they tooke their owne fellow souldiers for their enemies and so most miserably slew one another the Ammonites and Moabites stood vp against them of mount Seir to destroy them though they were their fellow souldiers as we see also in the campe of the Aramites into which the lepers came This kinde of astonishing the enemies by Gedeon who was directed by God therein is worthie to be noted of vs to teach vs what kindes of terrors and vexings of a rebellious people the Lord hath in a readines to feare them yea and that when men thinke themselues best fensed against them out of feare of them and furthest off from falling into them Zimri and Cosbi were slaine suddenly and fearefully Chorah and his companie were swallowed vp of the earth when no likelihood could be seene thereof till it came The men of Ziklag wallowing like beasts on the ground drunken were slaine by Dauid when they looked not for it Abimilek by a piece of a milstone receiued his deadly wound and Absolon hanged by the haire of his head on an oke Thus I might goe on infinitly God hath many waies to scourge his enemies as he hath to deliuer and comfort his people There is no peace to the vngodly saith God Oh then how fearefull is it to be a wicked man for if Gods anger be kindled but a little how happie are all they that feare him for if he haue a controuersie with men and be against them oh what terrors are euery while like to fall on them till they be confounded of them Some will obiect that for all this many wicked persons walke securely and are as merrie and void of feares as the best of them all I answer first although God meetes them not with such bodily feares as here he amazed these heathens withall yet there is that within them commonly which euen in the middest of their merriments causeth their hearts to be heauie and presage no good vnto them at length This I say of such as are not hardned And who can expresse the bitter sorrowes and checks and feares which they feele who carrie an ill conscience about them which pursues them both sleeping and waking and not at Church onely but euen in their callings companies feastings pleasures when others thinke full little of it and themselues wish they could make truce for the while therewith that it might then be furthest off So that a poore Christian would not willingly change states with them to haue their greatest glorie except he might bee free from their troubled conscience which is like to the hand-writing vpon the wall of that wofull Belshazzar And this is their portion euen tempest fire snares as the Psalmist saith euen a sauour of hell before they come there As for those that haue learned how to strangle their conscience and smother it or who are waxen hardned let them know that there is no peace belonging to them though they stop their eare from hearing of terror And when God shall quicken and rouze vp their conscience woe be to them for it shall roare vpon them as a lion and yet God is greater Therefore if any such shall seeke how to be freed from this horror let them make their peace with God and so their conscience shall turne to be their friend but the rest may heare this doctrine as Nabal heard Abigails newes to their confusion It further appeareth by the effect what these fearefull meanes wrought which the holy storie setteth downe in this verse that the whole campe was astonished feared cried out and fled In which case let no man thinke that these meanes alone and apart from Gods work had any great force to feare especially to hurt the enemies for what was there in the blowing of the trumpets the breaking of the pitches or in their lampes to the getting of the victorie But the Lord put to his hand and helpe whereby the enemies were daunted and set beside themselues or else all that was done had been but ridiculous And he that made Goliahs head to be cut off with his owne sword he wil still blesse the vnlikely meanes as the world accounteth them yea and foolish also of our prayers sinceritie patience hope and the like to bring great things to passe yea and faith to ouercome the world without the which what are all other things whatsoeuer Still I say therefore as I said before blessed is the people whose God is the Lord Iehouah But of this occasion hath been offered to speake almost in euery Chapter In the 20. verse in that the people of Israel in their crie and noise that they made vttered these words The sword of the Lord and of Gedeon therein they testifie that God was the chiefe cause and Gedeon as the instrument appointed to bring that worke to passe Not as if they would deuide the victory betwixt God and him betweene whom there was no comparison but to signifie that as God was the chiefe and principall worker so it pleased him to vse Gedeon as his instrument to effect it The same it behooueth vs to do ascribe we to God the glory of all the good we doe yea and of our saluation especially which we seeke but know we that as Gods instruments we are to worke it on in feare and trembling and to giue all our diligence as the Apostle exhorteth to make our calling and election sure And so in all duties of faith that we performe acknowledge we that we receiue all gifts and abilitie to thinke and to doe that which is good and our selues to be Gods workemen and labourers vnworthy to be imployed by him euen as we see it to bee an honour to be in a Kings seruice And further by this let all captious cauillers take their answer who say that the people who depend vpon their Ministers make them their God Be it knowne to all such that as they detest such blasphemy so yet to the shame of all such scorners they honour them vnder God as the instruments of their saluation and acknowledge them as here Gedeons souldiers do him to be the hand which God putteth the sword of his spirit into for the conquering not of mens bodies but their soules and the bringing into subiection the thoughts of their hearts yea the whole powers of soule and body to the obedience of Christ In which respect Salomon praies that Gods Priests may bee clothed with saluation And Paul
the ministery of the Church with schismes and factions which are but the fruits of pride and arrogancy And if we can grow or cause by our example and gifts other to grow in grace let vs not with the Disciples contend who shall bee chiefe and greatest But we though we haue these gifts and the like to glorifie the giuer and to restraine and hold our selues from this vaineglory yet wee gape for that by Satans deluding of vs lamentable to behold so that when wee haue not praise of men who should looke for that from God if I say we cannot get that we leaue off labouring and sit still and for this very cause some as well in the ministery as the people doe part and breake off their fellowship one with another But of this see somwhat before in the eighth verse of this Chapter Vers 24. And Gedeon sent messengers to all mount Ephraim saying Come downe against the Midianites and take before them the waters vnto Bethbarah and Iordan Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and tooke the waters vnto Bethbarah and Iordan 25. And they tooke two Princes of the Midianites Oreb and Zeeb and slew Oreb vpon the rocke Oreb and slew Zeeb at the winepresse of Zeeb and pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gedeon beyond Iordan IN this verse the holy story sheweth how Gedeon sent to all the inhabitants of mount Ephraim to meet with the Midianites and take vp the passages where they went ouer the waters euen to Bethbara or Bethabora and Iordan And the men of Ephraim did so And so hee made them partakers also of the honour of the victory as he did the other tribes This is the summe of this verse And to make our vse of it it were to be wished that we in this our age did as these did that in all ciuil actions religion did guide vs that where helpe is needed and required by one of another that it were likewise willingly and readily performed as namely in aiding the widowes and fatherlesse the poore and the oppressed And much more it were to be wished that we were so ioyned together in the Church that if there were any excellent and profitable matter begun that we were willing to haue other coadiutors and fellow labourers to the finishing and perfiting of the same but wee rather oft times which is greatly to be lamented and our sinnes iustly deseruing the same doe hinder one another whereas both they ought to bee regarded who haue a good mind to the worke of God and doe labour in it though they bee not equall with some other euen for that which God hath inabled them and which they are fit to doe and also they in humility should reuerence their elders in gifts and yeeres and be readier to learne of them then to pearke ouer them Which sinne in the forwarder sort both of Ministers and people and in the ancienter and younger sort of both being suffered to grow for want of loue so that the one doth not his dutie toward the other hath caused the Lord seuerely to punish it in both that being diuided they are thereby seebled and the good which they did is hindred and crossed and not only so but also that is verified which Saint Paul writeth to the Galathians that one biting and deuouring another they be consumed one of another at least by a third sort but yet through their fault and procuring But of this I haue spoken in the first chapter Ephraim tooke two Princes of Midian Oreb and Zeeb whose punishment by the iust iudgement of God was agreeable to their sinne The one namely Oreb was slaine on a rocke and mountaine called by the same name Oreb where they had constrained the people of God to hide themselues and where they had sought them to kill them The other that is Zeeb was slaine at the threshing place or winepresse called Zeeb for those places they spoiled of their victuals and famished them Where it is manifest that God forgetteth not neither winketh at the cruelty of his enemies but in due time and place will pay them home so that all that will may see that God hath not left them vnrecompenced And that either with the same punishment as he did Adonibezek or at the same time as he did Iudas who betraying his master to death died first himselfe or as heere he did to Oreb and Zeeb euen in the same place where they did the mischiefe and as among vs the wilfull murtherers suffer and are made spectacles by hanging in chaines to all that passe by neere the place where they committed the murthers or if none of these waies hee punish them yet some other such that may be as a signe to all that God will be reuenged on such as they be For why as the blood of Abell so doth theirs cry for vengeance woe therefore to bloody persecutors and cruell persons for God and their sinne shall find them out Therefore let them know this that fall into the hands of such lest they should bee discouraged And lest we should thinke that these Princes did but fight for themselues against the Israelites as in warre men doe reade of their malice and cruelty in the Psalme 83. But for Gods iust punishing of his enemies according to their sin I haue said enough in chapter 1. of this booke THE FIFTIETH SERMON ON THE EIGHTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 1. Then the men of Ephraim said vnto him why hast thou serued vs thus that thou calledst vs not when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites and they chode with him sharpely 2. To whom he said what haue I now done in comparison of you Is not the gleaning of grapes of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer 3. God hath deliuered into your hands the Princes of Midian Oreb and Zeeb and what was I able to doe in comparison of you and when he had thus spoken their spirits abated towards him AFter the admirable victory that God gaue to Gedeon as hath been largely shewed in the former Chapter now in this followeth the pursuit of the rest of the Midianites by Gedeon but first another thing by occasion of that victory is heere set downe and that is the Ephraemites quarrelling with him The summe and parts of this Chapter to ioyne them together as they may well and conueniently be are these The first is the contention of the Ephramites with Gedeon for not calling them to the warre to verse 4. The second point in this Chapter is that the men of Succoth and Penuel denied victuall to Gedeon when hee pursued and followed after the rest of the enemies and their punishment together with the putting to death of the two Princes of the Midianites Zeba and Zalmunna to the 22. vers The third containeth certaine perticulers concerning Gedeon as the offering of the kingdome to him and his sonnes by the Israelites and
his refusing it and of Gedeons Ephod and the danger that came thereby whereto is to be added the sinne of Israel to the end of the chapter The first part of the Chapter TO begin with the first part it is said that the men of Ephraim contended sore with Gedeon and fell out with him for that he called them not to the battell against the Midianites as appeareth in the first verse whereto the milde answere of Gedeon is to bee marked which is set downe in the second verse And thirdly how they were appeased by it as wee reade in the third Of these let vs heare more perticularly as they lie in order And heere first some man might thinke it an vnseasonable accident that befell Gedeon euen in the chiefe spring of his glory I meane that in the very necke of the victory should come vpon him such a crosse blow as to turne the solemnity and honour of his great acts in subduing the Midianites into reproch and abasement But the most wise God who best knoweth how to keepe his owne children in compasse and seeth what corruption they carry about them by meanes whereof they cannot beare any great blessing or prosperity without swelling and pride he I say doth commonly so dispose of them that with rare and speciall liftings vs and heightenings of them either in grace wealth honour and successe or the like hee matcheth and mixeth some great coolings and buffetings of them to keep them from falling dangerously in so slppery a place as they stand in Of Gedeon we cannot certainly say any thing to his iust reproofe in any grosse manner but of great infirmities of his wee haue heard and therefore doubtlesse hee being a man hee had that in him which might haue puffed him vp vpon so great successe if God had not by this great and vnwelcome crosse preuented it So Iphta comming fresh from a great conquest was suddenly quailed by his onely daughter And Iob in the middest of his flourishing and prosperous estate heares all at once of his children and substance destroyed and spoiled Likewise Dauid had few victories but the Lord sent him a cooler vpon them the rebellion of Absolon the cursing of Shemei the insurrection of Sheba the death of Ammon the slaughter of Absolon which doubtlesse were enough to purge out any superfluous humour which might rise vp in him and so to keepe him sober temperate and within holy compasse It is not so strange that the Lord should thus physicke his seruants being already surfeted with excessiue and sinfull abuse of their prosperity but it is his great mercy that he should so diet them with these potions that they may preuent surfeting The reason is because first it is the wisedome of the same Physitian to giue preseruatiues as well as purgations And againe sinne is easilier kept out from entring then thrust out of doores being once gotten in which the Lord foreseeing rather chooseth with a little hardship to the patient then by violent and extreame courses to preuent matter of disease rather then to heale the disease And the truth is it is easier for a man to bee dieted then purged I meane to beare an affliction which commeth before the spirit and conscience is wounded by a sinne then which followeth sin as the deserued punishment of it But for the point in hand let vs by this first learne what a leaud nature there is in vs that wee cannot haue a little health and welfare but presently we distemper our selues so that wee must be faine to be physickt lest wee should endanger our life I meane wee can enioy no good blessing but we forget our selues and cause the Lord to allay the sweetnesse of it with some bitternesse except he will suffer vs to be turned quite ouer with it Againe when we enioy any blessing let vs not measure the same by the pleasure and content which it giues our nature for euen in that is a sting which will secretly hurt vs but by the sober humble and thankfull affection wherewith wee imbrace the blessing And let vs know that then onely we enioy it in kind and entier otherwise by halues and scarce that And when we see that God sauceth our dainties with soure hearbs let vs be thankfull to him and say Lord I had else fed too much of this dish till I had ouerlaid my stomacke euen as children who finding hony eate too much of it therefore blessed be thy name who suffered me not to be sicke of it rather then if thou shouldest let me alone then I should bee prouoked to vomiting which were worse And this bee noted of the Lords ordering the action of these Ephramites for Gedeons good Now yet these Ephramites shew many foule faults in this action of contending with their gouernour and deliuerer of them as vnthankfulnes expostulating with him without a cause then their dissimulation who faine themselues to haue been willing to haue gone to warre with him and yet would not when they might haue done and when did they this euen when they saw the danger of the warre to bee past and ouer and that now honour was giuen to Gedeon for that which he had done whereas they had been as ready if hee had lost the victory to haue much more cast that in his teeth To prosecute these a little more particularly their vnthankfulnesse first was great and the iniurie which hee sustained thereby who ought to haue been much honoured of them for his industry and labour and highly accounted off by them for the same but if so be their vnthankfulnesse was so great towards him in this what manner of behauiour thinke wee would they haue vsed if they had sustained any wrong or violence at his hands who deale thus vndutifully nay rudely and rebelliously with them and yet hauing receiued so great a deliuerance by his meanes and so picking matter of quarrell out of a good turne and benefit But as we may note the vnthankfulnesse of men when yet they haue iust cause to shew the contrary duty as may be seene in many and namely in Absolon to his father whom when hee had deliuered from death iustly deserued hee sought his fathers life and to get away his kingdome also from him so wee may by this vnkind recompence they gaue to Gedeon for the famous act that hee wrought for their ease and peace wee I say who shall gratifie men may learne our duty thereby and that is this that we were not best neither ought wee to looke for our reward and commendation for well doing any manner of way from men but to rest in this that God knoweth our workes and it is enough that we are sure that from him we shall receiue our reward according to the words of the Apostle Be ye stedfast my beloued brethren and vnmoueable alwaies abounding in the worke of the Lord for as much as ye know that your
therefore why the Lord should fight as fast against them to driue them to repentance for their reuoltings from him as they fought against Beniamin And to teach them that they wanted meekenesse loue and discretion to temper their feruent reuenge withall that so they might doe the holy worke of God in an holy manner Therefore in such a case let men be contented nay glad if God crosse them that they may the better spie out what poysoneth their best duties and desires as pride rashnes boldnesse and learne hereby meekenesse humilitie repentance feare c. for God doth iustly suffer many discouragements to be vpon such as he did also oft times deale so with the Israelites going vp to Canaan out of Egypt Exod. 3. that they may stay their course in any euill attempts and proceed more aduisedly and commendably in their doings But it falleth out sometime as I said before that sore and great difficulties stand vp in mens way not vnlike to Gedeons wherein the Lord deales with his as if he sending them on a iourney would make heauen and earth to be against them in their trauels which is greatly to their admiration and astonishment As who would haue said that Dauid had been chosen of God to be king when yet the promise thereof was oft renued and confirmed to him seeing his discouragements were so many and strong that he met with whereas Saul came to his kingdome easily without trouble And in such cases wherein we haue so much to dismay vs yet Satan is euer at hand also to worke vpon our weakenes and to set vs much more backward especially when wee shall bee brought to thinke Gods deeds seeme contrary to his words and promise as the death of the Shunamites child which yet had bin giuen her as an vnlooked for blessing Now when it pleaseth God to trie vs by seeming to set such barres in our waies few of vs are wise inough to see or at least rightly to consider why it is thus with vs and why God suffereth things so to trouble vs but as though wee had thereby iust cause to complaine of his doing and to expostulate with him we begin to doubt how he wil make good his promise to vs and whether we may go forward in the good course in which we haue begun yea and we are impatient perhaps or much disquieted at the least if we doe not also fret and fume and so are discouraged from our good beginnings Whereby we may see our froth rather then faith which seemed before to bee good substance and feele the stinch of our vnsauourie hearts which vpon small occasion cast out such euill smelles And yet herein wee differ from Gedeon that as he was found in his discouragements and crosses to be of farre greater courage and confidence then wee so his triall was in great matters and ours but in trifles for the most part And not onely when wee bee crossed and hindred in good actions we do thus but if we haue but some one let in our way as euen in our common businesse such distemperature as I haue spoken of shall possesse vs or if we haue lost something though of small valew yea though it be but only missing and out of the way or if we be hindred by the weather which is ordinary or as oft it falleth out through our own rashnesse only as when we 〈…〉 stumble and hurt our foot against a stone what should we then bee like to do if in going about any duty we should haue so many and great lets in the way and crossings of vs as may easily meet with vs and those also as it were sent from God to resist vs It is therefore the singular and onely grace of God to inable vs to belieue and bee perswaded that hee doth oft times such things to trie vs and that we may shew foorth the grace of faith and patience that is in vs and therefore we are to hold our peace seeing he hath done it And such hinderances and crossings fall out sometimes when we are going to prayer priuately or in our familie or to the hearing of the word preached or to receiue the sacrament c. from which no wise body will say we should be withdrawne by any pretence as though wee pleased not God therein seeing euen in them some lets do rise vp in the way to hinder vs. And the like we may obserue in those discouragements which are from within our selues For example when a Minister in his course of preaching shall find ill measure at the hands of others whose good he most seeketh while they see not the purpose of God toward them as Moses did by the Israelites when he was first sent vnto them Exod. 6. or if they shall but despise Gods prouidence toward them as the Pharisees are said to haue done how thinke we is this like to worke vpon him or which is more if he shall feele within himselfe great vnfitnesse as Moses did Exod. 3. and some vnwillingnesse deadnesse drousinesse or want of assistance from God in discharge of the worke of his ministery all which are great dampings to a man who hath vsed the best meanes to furnish himselfe both with knowledge and conscience and yet euen the best sometimes haue the proofe hereof in themselues What thoughts thinke we are like to arise in him in such a case Therfore if a man looke not for these and if he be not resolued before hand that such quailings of him may fall out and also if hee be not armed against the temptations which may arise therefrom it is wonderfull how the diuell may weaken his faith and zeale and slacken his purpose of diligence in the Lords worke But on the other side if in such a case hee be able to stay himselfe by considering that such trials are vsual more or lesse to the best seruants and Ministers of God and alway haue been who haue their ebbings aswell as their flowings as Eliah Paul yea our Sauiour himselfe had strong discouragements what a singular benefit is this Much more if he hauing ouercome the first onset shall in the second place meditate of the end which the Lord hath in abasing him thus he being occupied in Gods owne worke and that is that hee may teach him humilitie yea how to flee out of himselfe and depend immediatly vpon the Lord for sufficiencie and assistance and not trust to his own wit study memory tongue or gifts which others make their onely refuge and therefore are often disappointed oh what gaine shall he reape thereby and say with Paul I am neuer fitter for Gods seruice then when I am lowest in mine owne opinion hereafter therefore if I boast I wil boast of mine owne infirmities as the Apostle speaketh in which the glory of God is most perfected and aduanced Gedeon receiuing the like discourtesie and rude answer of the men of Penuel as he had before of the men
of a Father fit to be vrged vpon such He that made thee without thee will not saue thee without thee He will not saue thee for thy labours sake but by thy labour They that gathered more Manna then their fellowes got nothing thereby but it fareth otherwise here gather much and haue much labour little and haue little euen as the Apostle speaketh of another thing on the contrary he that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly As we mete to the Lord so will he measure out to vs againe He that laboureth not eateâ—â— not but he that laboureth much enioyeth the fruite thereof some thirtie some sixtie some an hundred fold euen as his diligence is Oh it is strange to see how men set themselues to work in earthly businesse wherein yet they haue no absolute promise of thriuing because faith the chiefe help is wanting but here where the Lord hath tyed himselfe to blesse their labour with abundance men haue no list to stirre A mediocritie of wealth contenteth few and that maketh them so endlesse and restlesse in their desires and traulles but the commonnest measure of grace pleaseth them best because that is gotten with least trouble It is fearefull that men should doe so much for the fulfilling of their lusts and so little that they might excell in goodnesse But their reward is thereafter And in the meane season God puts as great difference betwix such as there is betweene Alexander Caesar or the like Captaines who were vnwearied also in their conquests and Gedeon or others like who fought the Lords battels and laboured therein by faith in his promises Now it followeth 14 And tooke a seruant of the men of Succoth and enquired of him and hee wrote to him the Princes of Succoth and the Elders thereof euen seuentie and seuen men 15 And he came vnto the men of Succoth and said Behold Zeba and Zalmunna by whom ye vpbrayed me saying Are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna already in thy hands that we should giue bread vnto thy wearie men 16 Then he tooke the Elders of the citie and thornes of the wildernesse and briers and did teare the men of Succoth with them 17 Also he brake downe the tower of Penuel and slew the men of the citie NOw in these verses following it is shewed that when Gedeon had taken the Princes of Midian and was returned to Succoth he seeks diligently to know the names of the chiefe men and Elders thereof and he brought and shewed the Princes Zeba and Zalmunna vnto them for hee kept them aliue not to make his boast of them but that he might shew them that God had deliuered them into his hands as hee made no doubt thereof before that so they might be the more ashamed and accused for that which they had done to him and his men in denying them bread And thereupon hee did vnto them as he had threatned for he tare their flesh to wit of them of Succoth with the thornes and briers of the wildernesse and then ouerthrew the tower of the men of Penuel and slew the citizens either because they insulted more arrogantly then the men of Succoth did or else because they resisted Gedeon trusting in their tower and so were slaine Whether they of Succoth died by the paine punishment as it is most like or whether their flesh was onely torne and yet life remaining in them though the storie doth not declare yet we cannot be ignorant how sore and extreame the paine was What kinde of execution was done vpon the men of Penuel themselues in putting them to death the storie setteth not downe but as it is sure they were slaine so it is not without good probabilitie that the other were torne to death also Gedeon meeting this young man causeth him to set downe the names of the chiefe Elders and gouernours of Succoth in writing as it might be the names of the Aldermen and citizens for he would not trust his owne memorie in so waightie a matter And this hee did because hee would not flie vpon any in rashnes and anger and would be sure by that his aduised deliberation to punish onely those who were guiltie and those were the ancients of the citie As Salomon also was very attentiue in hearing the cause of the harlots To teach vs our dutie in this point that when any fall into our hands to be corrected by vs wee doe not at any time hastily in an angrie mood and without due consideration vse correction but weigh the cause rightly and not reuenge our selues by satisfying our brutish affections vpon the persons yea and to let them also see iust cause why they be corrected And in this wee resemble the Lord himselfe of whom Abraham saith It is farre from the Iudge of the whole world to destroy the righteous with the wicked Genes 18. It is an hard thing to be ruled by the word of God in correcting others whereas flesh looketh to nothing but to the will and reuenge of it selfe and not to the bettering of the partie and the good example of other and discharge of a good conscience before God Therefore S. Paul hath giuen a good rule to all by teaching one kind of correcters namely fathers that they should not be bitter to their children euen as Achan in a waightie case was wisely handled and kindly dealt with by Ioshua in a matter of life and death and was regarded in and concerning his soule when sore punishment was inflicted vpon his bodie Sundrie waies doe men shroud this cursed humour vnder the false habit of zeale or lawfull seueritie sometime to couer their ambition as Iehu in killing Ahabs posteritie sometime couetousnes as Saul in slaying some of the Amalekites sometime pride and reuenge as the Israelites in warring vpon the Beniamites All of them failed of the ground end manner or measure in executing the correction all which being neglected and not obserued doth marre the action be it neuer so lawfull in it selfe and necessarie As when the offending partie seeth not the cause of his correction or is cruelly handled by the correcter who maketh nor the end of his correction or punishment to be the sauing of the partie and to make the sinne odious that he is punished for and the same an example to other And here is iustly condemned the doing of them who say they cannot correct but in anger and while their hearts are exasperated against the partie is if they should say they can neuer doe it rightly or without sinne whereas God saith Be angrie but sinne not for anger doth nothing well Although what neede the word of God or the examples of the Saints bee vsed to shame them whom heathens may shame Of whom some prescribe rules to such as are angrie how they may bridle anger from râ—sh outrage and one among the rest told his seruant I had surely beaten thee but that I was angrie This doctrine is to be
should not bridle him for the vpholding of the peace of the Church and Common-wealth they could not possiblie dwell together nor liue and conuerse the one with the other nor stand in any sort no not as they doe but being of so contrary and bad qualities they must needs as fire and water destroy one another And whereas the good Magistrate and faithfull Minister with other assistant Christians doe labour to throw downe the workes of darknesse and of the diuell and so to bridle the rage of the turbulent and vnruly sort of people herein it may be spoken with griefe the opposition against pietie and goodnesse is so great that although the Lord working not by miracle but by meanes somewhat bee done for the incouragement of his and the restraining of the other yet but little in respect of that which might be and that were to be desired and looked because such good instruments the most of them are too faint to fight the Lords battels against his so fierce subtile and many enemies The like prouidence of God I noted before touching Abimelechs hiring vaine fellowes vpon the fourth verse of this Chapter And to that I may adde that the Lord doth vse one wicked person to deuoure and oppresse the other that so his owne people may enioy the more peace and safetie As we see here that this politicke dissembler Zebul a right picture of our subtile Machiauilians now adaies smoothes and flatters this Gaal and serues his humour as one that would make his fellow drunke drawes him on leaudly to drinke pot after pot till he be quite turned ouer by a pretended shew of friendship that so his intent and plot to betray him to Abimelech might in the meane season take the more sure effect Secondly from hence let vs note how one sinner being opposite to anothers drifts and purposes goeth to worke in the defeating of his enemy Euen thus that as the prouerb saith one naile driues out another they haue no way to go beyond each other but this who shall vse his weapon skilfullest and most mischieuously They all fetch their wiles out of one budget and their arrowes out of one quiuer either subtiltie or force is their weapon the sligh and treacherous Achitophel runnes to the budget the cruell and malicious Efau to the quiuer here lies the point who shall draw out the subtillest and cunningest fetch or who shall take thence the sharpest or deadliest arrow Both shoot in the same I meane the diuels bow but the skill is who shall ouer-reach and ouer-shoote each other therein And he that prouides them this artillery will be sure to be the gainer which part soeuer loseth hee will prouide that his kingdome shall increase euen in the opposition of his subiects they fight as fast for him as they doe against each other Zebul and Gaal serue two Masters here in one sense the one Abimelech the other Shechem and the one by his boasting seekes to out-face the other The other by his conniuence and dissembling seekes to root out him But loe in the meane while both serue one Master the Diuell hee reioyces as much in the spectacle as Ioab and Abner did in the beholding their young men to play as they cruelly called it but in good earnest to cut each others throat If men in their cursed doings and tradings thus in sinne would consider that themselues are sure to goe by the walles and forfeit their soules to him with whose engins and tooles they appugne each other yea if they considered that their quarrels serue to no other end but to make a pageant for the diuell to laugh at If they could see into the issue that hee who winneth winneth hell and hee that loseth loseth heauen the gaines are onely Satans oh how would this quaile them and dampe them in their leaudnesse Put case that in the same ship vpon the sea two men walke contrary steppes to each other the one crossing the other in their motions doth not the ship carrie them both one way Can they will they nill they resist the motion of the ship wherein both saile Euen so all sinne hath one motion though sinners mooue diuersly let them striue each against other neuer so eagerly both must yeeld to one motion their sinne wil bring them both to hell The prodigall man walkes with quite aduerse steppes to the couetous but both steps tend to hell One great man seekes to ouerthrow another hee that is subtill takes the vantage of him that is ambicious and laies such a traine for him as by following his ambicious plot he incurreth the danger of the law and so supplants him but both the wisdome of the one and the folly of the other is hellish So that the closer and deeper the one is aboue the other the sooner he may subuert him but a subtiller then both goeth beyond them and will at length ouerreach them both One man vnderhand worketh mischiefe against another and he againe vnsheaths his tongue against him the former is like to put downe the latter but his owne sinne will as fast vndoe him So the buyer would match the seller by his dissembling the seller would cosen the buyer by his boasting and praising of the wares but indeed both deceiue themselues aswell as each other The vse is to teach men not to thinke themselues safe and warrantable because they resist euill except they dislike and hate it also for they may sinne as fast in resisting it as in allowing it Againe let it teach men to abhorre this estate which admitteth no peace no sound consent and vnitie but is a fountaine of confusion and to embrace that profession and practise which commeth from the God of order and is as vniforme in the meanes as the end and vniteth them that embrace it in the league of loue and peace As for those that are better minded let them beware of this errour of the wicked let them not thinke their libertie hereby restrained because they may not match the vngodly in their kind to play the Cretians with Cretians the Foxes with Foxes this is not their profession they are bought with a price to serue the Lord in their bodies and spirits The other indeed being disswaded from this practise answere for themselues That if they did not sweare cosen lie and temporise with the world they could not liue euery one would ouer-reach them they should greatly disaduantage themselues in forgoing that liberty But let the godly oppose their innocencie with the wisdome of the spirit to the subtiltie and all other leaud qualities of the wicked and if they cannot match them thereby let them willingly take the foile and submit themselues to God rather then returne euill for euill This vrging of Gaal by Zebul alleaging his owne words that he had said Who is Abimelech made him goe forth against him but ful soone he turned his face away from him and fled where we may see how God
will giue good successe both in mercies and deliuerances But I haue handled this point at large in this historie before In this Scripture is set downe that this wofull instrument had his deadlie wound and by what meanes euen in a base manner by a woman breaking his skull by throwing downe vpon him a peece of a mil-stone where wee may further note by Gods cutting off this cursed instrument Abimelech in the middest of his iolitie and before hee had done any more mischiefe that the prosperitie of the wicked is both short and vncertaine when and how it shall come to an euil end Which although I noted in general before out of the short time of his reigne yet a little I wil adde thereto by this present occasion here offered Now this their speedy taking downe is wrought by the Lord not only by the many waies that he hath to meet with and to punish them but also because they are euer putting the Lord as it were in fresh remembrance by their renewed and continued prouokings of him what hee oweth them And in the meane while he is not idle when he is still and patient toward them for hee knoweth and appointeth the time and the meanes to subuert them So the Psalmist saith Though the wicked flourish like a greene Bay tree yet a little while and his place shall haue no resemblance of such a one to haue been there and hee shall bee no more found Behold this verified in Zimry with his Cosby in Chorah the Rich man mentioned in the Scriptures and in many other in our owne experience who while they prosper are decaying but they that abide and remaine in the power of faith hope and patience as of Gods seruants is required and are thorowly set a worke in them they shall see good daies and be well liking and yet euen they also if they withdraw themselues from their confidence and will giue themselues to liue by eye-sight as other doe they shall see the Lord can soone change his course and their sorrowes will bee exceedinglie multiplied like other mens Dauids feet had well nigh slipt when hee beheld the present flourishes of the vngodly til God drew him out of his own fancie into the Lords Sanctuarie and taught him this wisdome to compare them with himselfe as well in one part of their estate as another and the bitternesse of their end and reward with the plausiblenesse of their iollity when they are in their flower and their slipperinesse when they are at the best Therefore as in a picture such as will throughly view it take not some note of the knee or foote or any one part of it but the whole for otherwise they should see nothing to any purpose so view wee the whole course of Gods dealing with the wicked as well the ending as the beginning and his proceeding with them and thereby our hastinesse in desiring their dainties will be abated full soone and our opinion changed as Dauids also was in iudging the bad to be happie after that he had better considered their end Lay we also sure hold on this that as the time and terme of the wicked is stinted and appointed so say we of the Lords dealing with our selues Yet a little while and he that commeth will come and not tarrie to bring our full redemption Furthermore we see here in that Abimelech had his deaths wound and after was slaine that he had not his will on the people of Thebez as he had on the other but as he suffered him to destroy the men of Shechem which fled to the Hold of their God Baal-Berith so yet he saued the men of Thebez and their wiues who betooke themselues to the Tower that was therein for shelter Wherein we may note that God doth oft times plague them whose iniquity is manifest as the sinne of these men of Shechem was when other who haue not sinned in the like manner though they be not yet religious are spared and borne with as these men of Thebez were The reason is the sinne of the one sort is manifest and grieuous and cannot be hid and crieth for vengeance the other either through ignorance or for that they haue not so wittingly or grossely offended are borne with that they may come to repentance And yet this is no excuse to them who liue in the light of the Gospell and haue knowlege if they liue and abide vnrepentant though they be not grosse offenders Neither on the other side haue they any cause to flatter themselues whose sinnes are notorious though they be not by and by cut off The vse of this doctrine is in this respect to incourage them who doe but walke in the way of the vngodly but stand not stiffely to maintaine their euill doings that seeing God giueth them time to repent and beareth with them they should not harden their hearts but take all occasions to turne vnto him And for such as are not fit to heare this doctrine but goe forward in euill they may euer feare that Gods vengeance is comming Now he being brought to bee past all hope of life by the blow the woman gaue him we see that hee who sought such glory as to be made King yea and obtained it also though most vniustly euen he did yet come to such shame and reproch as hee counted it as to be slaine by a woman and not so much as by the meanest man of warre Neither did it serue Abimelechs turne any whit at all that the last stroke was giuen him by a Page hauing had his deadly wound by the woman before onely it bewraied his pride which encreased the shamefulnesse of his foile And yet for him to be slaine by a Page was it such an honour to a great King so valiant and victorious as Abimelech now thought himselfe being in the top of his hopes and hauing brought vnder his enemies Therefore where God will set his brand of shame vpon a man it is but folly for him to striue against him or to elude him It was as confidently giuen out that Abimelech was slaine by the hand of a woman as that Sisera was dispatcht by Iael as for the Page hee slew as we may say a dead man in a mockery If this verifie not the saying God resisteth the proud what doth When men that haue carried thēselues aloft and borne their heads on high as the tall Cedars being terrors to their inferiors especially of the more religious sort are thus brought to shame as he was is it not notable to see them as much abased in their death below the meanest as they aduanced themselues aboue the greatest before It is reported of a Pope that he entred in like a Fox ruled like a Lion and died like a Dogge if he had also been buried as that proud Iehoijkon or Iezabel like an Asse what could haue been added to his shame and yet a liuing
to speake more heere being as much and a great deale more as is like to be regarded of such as I speake of Thus we haue seene the wofull end of this cursed Abimelech and of the wicked men of Shechem who had been the furtherers of him to the mischiefe that he wrought And after these troublers of the land were taken away there was peace and euery man left off from the worke that Abimelech had drawne him to and went home to his owne place where first it may be seene what stirre disquiet and trouble one vile person may make in the Church or Common-wealth the Lord so punishing the peoples sinne as partly I noted before in this chapter Absolon was but one man but how did he disquiet his father and the whole land Likewise Sheba the sonne of Bicry that raised a new commotion against Dauid and so the Prophet Elias told Ahab that he troubled all Israel And so I may say of Achan and of Kora and of many other euery of these was but one in his attempts but each of these what plagues and mischiefe wrought they by their seuerall sinnes though most of thē priuate persons to the whole state of the Church and Common-wealth of Israel If wee compare the sinnes of the whole body with the sinnes of a few wee shall finde that the sorrow which few brought vpon the whole companie came little short of the plagues which God inflicted vpon the whole when all prouoked him Although alas what speake I of particular actions Adam his sinne first brought a feareful confusion into the whole creation What wonder then if this contagion and pestilence hath euer since and still doth cause the like disorder in the places where it rangeth whose deformitie yet and the mischiefe that it workes though we see as it were with our eyes who almost is not bewitched with the painted beautie thereof But to returne when Achan Sheba Absolon were taken away behold all was whist againe and a great calme there was after so horrible tempests The whole Church is as a ship in which if there be one Ionah what tumult makes he but cast him out and the danger is ouer And as this is true of great sinners and publike offenders so it is true of more inferiour and priuate persons as of Magistrates in their precincts Headborowes in townes Masters and parents in families seeing but for the badnes of such the rest should be in peace And further by the rooting out of Abimelech let vs confesse it to bee a great benefit when such authors of mischiefe and workers of iniquitie bee taken away and therefore giue all our endeuour for the maintenance of peace and to make holy and right vse of it while we enioy it For as wee may see by these that sought peace after the death of Abimelech euen so the most that are vsed to trouble other in time waxe wearie of it In these two verses is the shutting vp the whole chapter Iothams prophecie is verified and Gods iudgement thereby declared how hee rewardeth iniquitie Of which this I say briefly seeing in some sort it hath been touched already that they who take ill matters and bad in hand shall haue smal cause to reioyce thereof in the end For their sinne will finde them out when they thinke least of it And it is most like also that looke what way they haue sinned euen the same way their sinne may be punished as here it was Stone for stone Abimelech killed his brethren vpon a stone and he is killed by a weake woman most vnlikely with a stone The like wee haue heard of Adonibezek and of Oreb and Zeeb who tooke their death where they wrought mischiefe Oh how doth God recompence into their bosome in full measure heaped vp and running ouer vnto such The which they will not foresee and so preuent vntill they smart and be past recouerie If this cannot moue any of the like sort to take warning by such watch-words in time to hate their bad course and that with detestation at least let those that haue shunned and declined from such euill waies reioyce with thanksgiuing and that vnfained for that they haue been preserued from them and that they haue chosen the good way to walke in it howsoeuer they haue had many prouocations vnto the contrary And last of al we may see here that as God reuenged the innocent blood of Gedeons sonnes so God will take part with such innocents Hurt them not therefore for the time will come when thou shalt pay deare for thy so doing of which point looke more in the former part of the historie The end of the ninth Chapter THE SIXTIE ONE SERMON ON THE TENTH CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 1. After Abimelech there arose to deliuer Israel Tola the sonne of Puah the sonne of Dodo a man of Issachar and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim 2. And he iudged Israel three and twentie yeeres and died and was buried in Shamir 3. And after him arose Iair a Gileadite and iudged Israel twentie and two yeeres 4. And he had thirtie sonnes that rode on thirtie asse colts and they had thirtie cities which are called Hauoth-Iair vnto this day which are in the land of Gilead 5. And Iair died and was buried in Kamon THE summe of this Chapter is briefly this that the children of Israel hauing enioyed peace and libertie for a time vnder Tola and Iair fell againe afterward to Idolatrie Whereupon the Lord also did againe deliuer them into the hands of their enemies wherfore they calling vpon God were at the first sharply reproued but afterward truly repenting they obtained fauour with God and were released of their sinnes as before time By occasion whereof entrance is made into the storie of their deliuerance in the chapter following The parts of it are three The first containeth the time of their peace to verse the sixth The second a new defection and reuolt of the people from God to verse the 17. The third mentioneth the preparation that the Ammorites made against the children of Israel and the peoples and Princes meeting and comming together to consult and agree how to goe against them and this is to the end of the Chapter The first part of the Chapter GOd raised vp these two Iudges to wit Tola and Iair after the former to keepe the people in the true worship of God and in outward peace Here to speake somewhat in this first part of both these two Iudges of Israel ioyntly together and afterward somewhat seuerally this is to be noted of the former that after the ouerthrow of that cursed Abimelech the people of Israel had a long time of peace in both their daies that is 45. yeers Where note that though God iustly punisheth the sins of mē as he did theirs here yet he doth still remember his people and regard them sending them peace againe afterwards euen as
so many shifts to wash it away and so harden their hearts that they cannot profit thereby but with great vse and comfort to his owne children in the end especially how terrible and feareful soeuer the beginnings and proceedings also sometime are or seeme to be vnto them And so he terrifies many at their first conuersion with the feeling of his wrath and heauy displeasure iustly kindled against them for the odiousnesse and detestation of their liues past so that they fall into a kind of despaire as the people in the Acts did at Peters sermon saying Men and brethren what shall we doe And yet a little before they made light of their sinnes which then so pricked their consciences and had no sense of them By all this that hath been said of this matter we may gather what manner of thing sinne is if it appeare in the proper colours of it and as it is indeed to wit the most fearefull of all things Many thinke this true that I say of murther adulterie idolatrie and such like But the truth that I haue vttered is verified of other sins also which yet seeme lesse odious as of anger impatience worldlinesse distrust tetchinesse pride of heart sloth and idlenesse the leaudnes of the eie self-loue deceiuing reuenge and the rest whatsoeuer they be if they come clearely to the conscience to be felt and duly considered And because we make them such common matters and are so little grieued for them the Lord is therefore driuen to awake vs as heere hee did this people to make vs astonished and stung at the heart for those sinnes which wee thought were small or none at all while wee lay nuzled and drowned in them For if God open our eyes once to see them as they are to be seene and as they may be felt with the shame foulenesse basenesse sottishnesse in the committing of them and the danger that they bring wee iudge euen so of them as well as of the rest For what horror doth adultery breed when it is thought of after the committing it is as an arrow shot through the liuer But of that ve will say there is no doubt so what is anger when it is past to him that offended by it but shame and so I may say of all other A view hereof may bee taken in Saul when God pursued him for his sinne and made him crie out saying What shall I doe for God hath forsaken me and speaketh no more to me And what torment thinke wee felt Iudas when of himselfe he said I haue sinned in betraying the innocent blood And when his sinne so wounded his conscience that the halter made an end of his life And Adams transgression also which was diuers from both the other what wrought it vpon him was he not so terrified for it that he fled from Gods presence as farre as he could to hide himselfe in the thicket among the trees And if I should reckon vp an hundred more who all sinned in a diuers manner one from the other which of them hath not abhorred his owne as if no other had been so vile when God makes him see it Therefore the Martyrs rather then they would commit sinne against their conscience and feele the terrour of it chose to lose their liues rather as wee may reade plentifully in the booke of Monuments True it is men doe not alwaies see nor feele this neither can they be brought to be moued and astonished for their sinne except they be by the Lords strong hand thus forced and vrged But by this to end the matter in hand we may iudge what shall be the horror of the Iudgement day it selfe when all such things shall fully be made manifest And for vse of all this let vs learne seriously to haue all sinne in horror and detestation yea euen then when it puts on an harlots face and hath most force to deceiue vs lest that which we heare strike and wound vs at the heart when wee looke for no such thing but shall find it most deadly vnwelcome vnto vs. Another thing herein to be marked is that although they had dealt deceitfully with the Lord both in their former abuses of their deliuerances and now also in their complaint which they make for new helpe yet the Lord leaues them not in this case which had been enough to haue hardned them and made them quite desperate But euen by these words of defiance whereby hee seemeth wholly to abandon them from protection yet secretly he drawes them to a deeper searching into themselues and to a far more serious meditation on their estate that so hee might grant them their desire and receiue them to fauour againe Oh vnspeakable and admirable kindnesse of the Lord thus to draw water out of the rocke and to fetch light as it were out of darknesse If God be so gracious to his children when he seemeth to frowne then how sweete and pleasant is his amiable countenance and how delightfull are his promises and his incouragements If he cannot forget himselfe so farre to his children though degenerate as to put off the habit of affection towards them euen when he would play the Iudge then how pleasant is his louing kindnesse Therefore although it is not easie for him that is fallen and departed from God to see this intent of God toward him in the time of his threats and terrors yet they knowing it to bee so they must grow to beleeue it in the time of their neede for it magnifieth Gods deepe rooted and tender loue to his children when they haue offended and it makes matter of vnfained thankes and praise when the worst end of his anger and displeasure shall appeare to haue been this that remorse and repentance might be wrought in those who had offended him that so they may be receiued of him againe The vngodly see not neither finde any such fruite of Gods renouncing their complaints and confessions or his terrors of word and workes against them for their sinne his voyce is as the voyce which sounds in a deafe mans eare or if they heare it they either rebell the more or else runne away from him through feare But did this present terror so worke in these No the Lord meant better to them though he spake roughly because indeed faire speech was no fit medicine for their disease and they were drawne to him by the secret condition more then driuen from him by the open threat So strangely doth the same speech and word of God instruct or teach wisedome yea put hope into the beleeuer and vtterly disanimate and turne off the wicked or at least no whit profit them For as God intendeth a thing so shall it worke all shall worke for the best to them to loue God Sweetnes shall come out of bitternes to them whereas the other hauing no such promise finde no such effect Christ saith the text looked vpon Iudas
and guarded against all inward or outward aduersarie power of our saluation This is that approching with confidence to the throne of grace this is that freedom of spirit which calls God father whether the resistance be made by some lust or some diuels instruments or the diuel himselfe what libertie is this that a Christian may with hope which will not make him ashamed pray against it with assurance of being heard euen as Christ himselfe was in that which he besought his father for And why Because he is within the couenant and therefore warreth against all euill therefore hee may boldly pray for grace against it that he be not foiled for he is about Gods worke and the Lord is a louing Master he will not see his seruant frustrated of his hope in his seruice Thirdly these words note out this That it is wisedome for a man to bestow his chiefe cost there whence hee lookes for best recompence and acknowledgement in the time of most need The steward in his kinde is commended for this policie who would shew curtesie to such as he knew in a day of hardnesse and want would be readiest to remember it with thankes and requitall The contrary folly the Apostle to the Romanes taxeth what fruite had ye of those things whereof yee are now ashamed A man is not ashamed of that labour which hath brought him in plentifull gaine but of that which answers not his cost and hope Men that haue runne themselues out of breath all their life groping after a blind happinesse in their vnprofitable superstitious prophane course at length seeing themselues deceiued wish they had serued a Master who might haue saued them and receiued them into euerlasting habitations But he answers them bidding them go see if their money will saue them their god or their lusts their masters as for me I had none of their seruice neither shal they haue any wages frō me Thus the Lord is faine to vpbraid men though not by word saying Go to your Idols yet in effect in that he leaueth them shiftlesse or else who should perswade one of an hundred that he soweth among thornes or loseth his labour and cost when he casteth it and himselfe away vpon one Idoll a broken staffe or other And the truth is such a bewitching nature these Idols are of not Popish onely but spirituall also set vp in the loue of the heart that they possesse their seruants with an opinion of fruite which is to be obtained if they could hit vpon it till at length with other like themselues when time and strength thrift and cost is all spent and wasted they crye out miserably like theeues at gallowes they were deceiued leauing an example for others if they bee wise to profit by as for themselues neither rule nor example could doe them good as wofull experience witnesseth in too many other Vers 15. And the children of Israel said vnto the Lord Wee haue sinned doe thou vnto vs whatsoeuer please thee onely we pray thee to deliuer vs this day 16. Then they put away the strange gods from among them and serued the Lord and his soule was grieued for the miserie of Israel THe people hauing receiued an hard and sharpe answere of the Lord to them to wit that hee would not heare them laid it neere to heart and cried againe to the Lord how soone after it is not here expressed confessing their sinnes casting away their Idols which at their first suing to God they did not now in stead thereof they serued the Lord whom they had forsaken and beside all this they submitted themselues to him to doe what he would to them resting confidently perswaded of his mercie and so obtained deliuerance which they had earnestly sued for and sought out of that present calamitie for the Lord was intreated of them and granted their desire Now if it seeme strange to any that in their first crying to God their sute was reiected wee must know that they sought not to him for it in the vprightnesse of their hearts as is said before and therfore God meant to hold them on the racke as it were and not onely to keepe them in suspence but also to hold them in a deepe feare by denying helpe to them Secondly to bring them to a through repentance as indeed now they did shew signes of it and those also effectuall which they did not before and for this purpose he draue them more throughly to examination of them themselues then they had done before So that we see at first they gladly would haue been deliuered but in the meane while they would not cast away their Idols and other sinnes but would still walke in the waies of their owne hearts Which setteth before vs a common disease that is too oft euen in Gods deare children that in our afflictions we crie to God for mercy and helpe and faine would haue the punishment taken away but so that we would haue libertie to liue as we did before and hold fast our sinnes still and abide in them for they are dearer to vs then our owne flesh Euen after this manner many of vs too oft and boldly deale with the Lord so that repentance is hardly attained vnto no not euen then when we are to sue to the Lord for ease in our trouble As may bee seene in Dauid himselfe in the 32. Psalme that it was painefull to him to confesse against himselfe we need not the speech of the people of Anothoth to Ieremie to preach vnto vs pleasant things and againe that we will not heare the law of this thy Lord neither to follow Demetrius the siluer Smith in the booke of the Actes for these were wicked both of them And how did they foile themselues they of Anathoth to retaine their pleasures the other to vphold his wicked gaine But that it should be so with vs in any manner who are of the better sort how can it be borne And yet it may iustly be complained of Oh euen the better sort of men will not be reformed Insomuch that when affliction is vpon them of which they would most willinglie bee eased yet they cannot be brought to see or amend any thing that is amisse because they flatter themselues are great in their owne eies while their iniquitie is found worthy to be hated And yet there are worse then these who murmur vnder their affliction and doe what they can to hide their sinnes And here more particularly as it is cleare that this people saw they did euil in worshipping strange Gods but would not acknowledge it til God draue them to it by his sore iudgements So when we see and will not see how we prouoke him by any of our speciall sinnes let vs feare that he will if wee will not abhorre and be weary of them by his instructions and warnings which he giueth vs that he will I say bring vs thereto by sharpe correction So
to wit to preach the Gospell to the most nations of the world yet before they tooke it in hand he made them meete for the worke they went about So Iphtah when hee was to fight against the Ammonites for the deliuering of Israel hee was by the spirit of God indued with gifts for that purpose euen farre greater then he had before now when hee was set about a greater worke So the Ministers much more as the calling is farre more excellent when hee sendeth them to any people to conuert them and make them of his militant Church hee stirres them vp by loue zeale and labour to set their gifts of knowledge a worke and maketh a great change among the people by their ministerie They who are vnfit to doe the Lords message to them to whom they are sent are not sent by him but seeke themselues and their owne profit and not the peoples It is worthie our view to behold the difference of men called by God and such as climbe in by another way of their owne framing Both doe one and the same worke but the one sets himselfe aworke the other is set aworke by God The one after his fashion goes about it but how awkly and vntowardly by setting a bold face vpon the matter by carrying a great shew and bearing sway by preaching what and when he pleaseth and in the manner he liketh best but errand he hath none to doe to the people no more then Cushi had to Dauid and thereafter is his welcome For as hee faileth of the end of his office so loseth he the honour of it except with a few flatterers and hang-byes Alas they haue enterprized a long race and iourney without prouision to enable them to runne it through It is not the habit that makes the Minister nor the learning though that comes neerer degree dignitie or applause of man which onely will carrie this worke through stitch It is this that God hath said to him as to Paul and Moses Goe I will be with thee that is fit thee embolden thee for a Minister hath enough to discourage him euen from within himselfe as I haue noted elsewhere yea beare thee out against opposition and encourage thee by blessing thy labour otherwise all thy prouision is to little purpose thou maist stand like a foole errandlesse speechlesse Now being called and separated by God and therefore also qualified though thy selfe a weake earthen vessell yet what precious treasure doest thou carrie How admirably doth the Lord make way for him making high hils to stoope and lie leuell before him procuring honour from the consciences not the countenances onely of such as they haue wonne to God from the power of Satan and darknesse by conuerting and sauing them And by stopping the mouthes of such as might despise and discourage them saying Who is this new-found babler what will hee beare downe all and thinke to haue vs tyed to his girdle No no he deales for his Master who sent him and therefore seekes to bring yee vnder the yoke and girdle of Christ and therefore let the discouragements be neuer so great this worke shall prosper and euen out of the mouthes of blockish brutish sauage and ignorant yea prophane ones the Lord shall procure credit to his Ministerie when he hath changed them thereby and these shall iustifie wisedome against all cauillers scorners and enemies thereof Let them be of neuer so many kindes as in this age there are many who contrary to the manifest fruite they see impeach either the sufficiencie of their calling or the worthinesse of their message Oh therefore how lamentable is it that all congregations are not thus furnished and made partakers of so blessed an ordinance of God! Therefore the Lord Iesus to shew how pitifull a case it is to see the people dispersed as sheepe hauing no shepheard he not onely had compassion on them himselfe but also willed the Disciples to pray to the Lord of the haruest to thrust labourers into the haruest seeing none are forward to that worke except the Lord stirre them vp thereto This point hath been spoken of before I therefore will not be tedious therein to the reader The vow that I said before Iphtah made is heere shewed what it was namely that he would in token of his thankfull heart offer and dedicate to the Lord that thing that should first come out of his house to meete him if he returned with the victorie This vow though hee meant well was ill made and in great ignorance in that he did not make it more distinctly and aduisedly For what if a dogge had first met him which is a fauning creature and had been like enough to haue first come foorth to meete him hee could not haue offered it to the Lord it being vncleane and so forbidden to be made a sacrifice His words haue this meaning when he saith It shall be the Lords and I will offer it for a burnt offering that is I will offer it in sacrifice and it shall be a burnt offering to the Lord for hee meant simply that he would offer the first thing that should meete him if he had thought of his daughter would he haue made that vow And will any say that in so vowing he meant that if that which should first meete him should not bee fit for sacrifice he would offer it to virginitie and yet perhaps it should not be fit for that neither as if it had been a dogge and if he had meant to offer it to virginitie as some hold he did did hee not see that his daughter had been most like to haue bin the partie vpon whom his vow should haue bin performed For who had bin liker to haue first come foorth to meete him then she And would he thinke wee haue vowed that which might haue turned to his owne and his daughters so great sorrow Therefore I say hee meant no offering of that which should meete him to perpetuall virginitie Neither are those words of his to be taken disiunctiuely as some think they may thus That which first commeth forth to meete me shall be the Lords or I will offer it For though the Hebrew letter â— be so taken sometime yet very rarely and so little reason is it that it should be so taken heere being most commonly taken coniunctiuely as they well know that haue any vnderstanding in the Hebrew tongue yea and oft in some one chapter as may easily be shewed As for example in Genes 32. 1. 2. 3. 4. foure of fiue times it is so taken in 3. or 4. verses So in Genes 33. 1. 2. as oft in two verses and Genes 45. 1. 2. 3. As many times it is found to be and in most Chapters if not all throughout the old Testament this word signifieth and coniunctiuely not or disiunctiuely as I haue said before Therefore heere to take it otherwise there is small reason for it especially the sense of the place
doe harme and partly our selues procuring it who nourish not in our selues such motions nor make wise vse of them by setting them a work and applying them to some fit obiect as Iphtah here did but delight only in the sweetnesse and pleasure which we feele and so suffer the heauenly flame to vanish for want of laying on fewell to preserue it And although the Lord causeth his children euen here sometimes in health sometime at death to enioy such vnspeakable feelings and operations of the spirit which hee doth to giue them such a taste of heauen as may cause in them a restlesse longing til they come thither yet he knoweth they would say with Peter Master it is good for vs to be here and would thinke of no departure if this should be an ordinarie diet Therefore he rather considers what they can digest then what he can afford and saith My grace shall neither be giuen in superfluitie nor yet in penury but it shall be sufficient And let vs learne to account so of it as the best for vs. Onely let vs beware lest by our giuing way to our flesh the counterpoise of the spirit that is to the earth to our sensualitie and lusts we bury and quench the spirit and smother it from appearing in the beauty thereof and also lest wee cause it to be heauy and sad in vs and so our selues to bee blockish and sottish rather then heauenly and ioyfull which is to choose to feede with swine when we might eate Angels foode In these two verses is not only set downe the victory which God gaue to Iphtah ouer the Ammonites but it is also particularly amplified and in larger manner described As that many fell in the battell and that hee ouerthrew twentie of their cities and that hee brought the Ammonites in subiection to him Where wee may clearely see what it is that encourageth vs and setteth vs forward in our duties doing Euen the Lords appointing and calling vs thereto as of the publike calling of the Minister I spake before it is true of the priuate duties also Husband and wife from thence haue their hartning on to liue mutuall helpers one of another to their Christian and peaceable conuersing together and passing their daies sweetly and bearing their crosses contentedly euen from hence I say that they beleeue God hath ioyned them together to that end So the Magistrate and all other in the seuerall duties of this life And want of this faith is enough to make mens liues ouercast as the weather is with clouds and tempests and to fill men with sinne and sorrow Other things which might bee noted from hence haue been mentioned before but besides them of these two a little In that the King of Ammon went by the worst in the battell had with Iphtah it shewes what wilfulnesse brings a man or the contempt or reiecting of good and sound perswasions such as Iphtah vsed to disswade him from warre For though he were an Heathen yet he knew by the law of Nature that he ought not to offer iniury to the innocent And we know that when the Gentiles knew God onely by the light of nature and did not honour him accordingly he gaue them vp to their hearts desires to fulfill them against nature Much more they who haue light in the word of God hauing no regard of good instruction and admonition shall come to naught especially the despisers thereof vnlesse they take shame and abashment to themselues for it and so come to better state according to that which is written He that knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall bee beaten with many stripes But more of this punishment vpon wilfulnesse see before set downe by the like occasions and by name in Chap. 8. 14. And in that hee lost twentie cities which hee had of his owne and lost those also which he fought for which were none of his it liuely setteth before our eies that many not contented with that which is their owne while they claime to and seeke that which belongs to other men either by colour of law or otherwise they lose that which they sued for and spend and consume that which they had before The Lord doth oft times requite their vnconscionablenesse that way and yet in great mercy he dealeth with them in so doing to keepe a heauier iudgement from them who would most certainely be worse if they should by their corrupt and bad dealing speed better and be suffered to haue successe I will cleare this point by example and instance Pharaoh not contented to haue oppressed the Israelites for many generatiōs with bondage would needs pursue them when they were gotten out of his clawes though hee had smarted many waies for not letting them goe But what came of it seeing he sought vniustly to encroach vpon Gods possession he not onely failed of that hee desired but lost also that which he ventured euen his owne life and all that hee had and his people also in the middest of the sea The same is verified in other parts of vnrighteousnesse Sampson not content to liue with credit and honour in his owne land and within his compasse would needs breake out among the Philistims there hit into Delilas company which his soule entirely loued though vnlawfully and was made a vassall to a base mistresse But behold a short time this pleasure of sinne lasted for loe his louer rewards him with treason and then Sampson poore man is faine to forgoe his mistresse by force who could not be plucked from her by conscience and that which he abhorred that he was made to vndergoe and that by them whom he most hated to wit a painefull bondage while hee liued beside shame and sorrow and after all an vntimely death I will instance first in the sinnes of the second Table The murtherer and thiefe can by no perswasion bee brought to labour with his hands and to doe the thing which is good tush it goeth vtterly against him to bee put to labour and to worke hard all the yeere long for a poore liuing hee can bring in all at once and get great booties to liue at ease and plentifully for a long time as he imagineth and is not that a merry world yes while it lasteth in his kind but how long is that He gets two or three purses and in the fourth enterprise he is taken in the manner Doth hee not then thinke you wish from his heart that hee had obeyed Gods ordinance and been hard at work as much as he loathed it before rather then to haue put forth his hand to violence For he seeth that neither he hath obtained that which he sought for and that ouerthrow which he little looked for that hee hath brought vpon himselfe He lay in waite for the life and goods of another therein he was defeated but this will not satisfie for his sinne he must giue life and goods to
euery blast of winde the frowning of my betters the want of encouragement from men or because I see these things are not in price and account among such as cannot iudge If I onely serue God faithfully of many that liue in the same towne carelesse and prophane will God be ashamed of me before so many or rather will hee not acknowledge me and reiect them for all their multitude Oh then what a wretched part were it for me to be ashamed of him before men or to feare base and sinfull man whose breath is in his nostrils more then God who can cast body and soule into hell But of this point see chap. 8. verse 11. compared with former In saying God deliuered the Ammonites into his hands without their helpe as it is manifest he did wee see first how gratiously God prouided for this his seruant that whereas hee could by no meanes procure aide from these Ephramites the Lord dealt so for him that hee needed them not but went through as prosperously as if he had obtained their best assistance For why God will not forsake his that trust in him hee is their helpe and defence in time of neede in so much that if father and mother forsake them hee taketh them vp This is a thing which greatly flesheth the vngodlie who alas little know what refuge the righteous haue in time of neede to wit that if they haue friends might and wealth they thinke they can ouermatch their aduersarie and then they thinke hee hath no shift as for the Lord they exclude him but he must either fall into reproch or make shipwracke of his conicience although if God see it expedient hee disappointeth and frustrateth their hope Thus the enemies of Dauid Daniel and our Sauiour insulted when they had contriued their purposes so mischieuously to manward that they saw no way for them whom they pursued to escape Now say the Iewes let vs see if God will helpe him at this pinch But oh fooles if God were farre off also from his when you are hottest in your furie against them ye said somewhat indeed but loe he is then neerest them to carrie them through and laugh their enemies to sâ—orne Iphtah was desirous here of the Ephramites helpe but being denied the Lord so wrought that they were the first that complained and not hee There needed no Ephramites helpe the Lord of hoasts being on his side to make a supply And let this be added as an encouragement to them whom I spake of in the last doctrine that their hakednes and solitarines I meane want of mens countenance and furtherance ought rather to driue them to cling more closely vnder the Lords wing who is able to make the enemies of his people their friends if their waies doe please him if not hee can vse meanes to vphold them without their helpe For either he can so muzzle them that they shall not hurt them as they would or hee can enable them with such courage and boldnes that they shall contemne their contempt and little regard their opposition or if they be such as may doe them any hurt yet the Lord can so grace them that they shall goe vnder that crosse willingly and bee rather confirmed then vnsetled in their good course thereby And let all such as would willingly bee religious saue onely for the reproch with others yea euen their owne flesh would cast vpon them let such I say labour to beleeue this and that temptation shall little trouble them Againe obserue from hence what blessing God giueth by weake meanes when men goe to worke in their simplicitie and in a good conscience which in all good attempts ought to encourage them that offer themselues willingly to the worke as the tenne thousand of the men of Zebulon and Napthali did in the Lords battailes against some hundred thousands in Siserâ—s armie that came against them In such a case where God hath set vs on worke and heartned vs let vs not be discouraged by our meanenesse which in shew of reason is indeed able to doe little which hereby I may perswade that they haue not been the greatest men of account that haue brought greatest light in the Gospel vnto men but such as are very meane in the iudgemeÌ„t of the world euen so in many other of his dealings he effecteth great matters by weake meanes See that which is noted vpon Iphtah his victorie in the eleuenth chap. and 32. verse being the same words Vpon these promisses Iphtah concludeth with an interrogation asking them wherefore they were come to fight against him As if he should haue said I saued your liues you sitting at home with ease what reason haue yee therefore thus to come against me By this we may learne that when wee should do good to all by Gods commandement it proues vs to be of a most bad disposition when we shall be found iniurious and hurtfull to the innocent as these men of Ephraim were against Iphtah and so I may say of those that doe vs hurt and no good though we liue innocent by them whereas the Heathens doe good to such as doe good to them c. The vse of this doctrine is that we so liue among men that wee may not be charged iustly nor conuicted of wronging any and yet not to rest there but to be ready to doe them good as it may stand with our calling and as we shall be able so shall wee be sure neuer to feare accusations of vnkinde and vnbrotherly dealing but if any be brought we may answere them as Iob did If mine aduersarie write a booke against me I will take it on my shoulder reade it who listeth As touching their reiecting this Apologie of Iphtah the point hath been handled before in the eleuenth chapter although this wilfulnes farre worse became them then the Heathen king of Ammon yet somwhat I will adde by so fit occasion It is like their wilfulnes troubled Iphtah not a little especially being their gouernour who was loth to haue turned the edge of the sword vpon his owne people if it could haue been auoided and besides yet could not suffer it to haue his graue and iust defence so slightly reiected But what other fruite was to be expected at their hands who came ready armed to trie the matter by force Was it like they would stand debating and reasoning long with him who came with a preiudicate and resolute minde to the contrary It is not said indeed that they gaue not eare to him but their reall refusall to hearken appeares in their proceeding to warre But yee will say in the eighth of this booke their predecessors bewraied the contrary for their wrath was appeased by the answere of Gedeon I answere Indeed being vsed like froward children and condiscended vnto that is their proud and angrie humour being pleased they gaue ouer with much adoe they had bin beasts if they had not nay doubtlesse
it iustly as a blessing and rewarde of their education to the shame I speake it of such loose persons as whose childrens religion shameth the ignorance and vngodlinesse of their parents Thirdly this redoundeth to the honour of God and his faithfulnesse when one posteritie after another for some generations shall bee found to know the God of their fathers in whose steps to walke it is to them a worthy commendation before men but much more in the sight of God as Timothy a godly childe and grandchild is commended Secondly here in that the Lord doth raise a deliuerer out of the tribe of Dan in which this place Zorah was neere to Eshtaol and verse 25. sheweth this tribe being one of the meanest It teacheth that God will serue himselfe by the meaner sort as well as by the mightier and greater when it pleaseth him For if he furnish them with gifts fitting for that he setteth them about whereof they are as capeable as the other thereby he enables them for the worke which not their birth or wealth alone can doe as we haue seene before Therefore it is not for vs to scorne and reproach such whom the Lord by their gift will exalt though this be to be added that neither meane nor mighty shall haue any cause in the end to reioyce in their preferment otherwise then they haue well and rightly vsed their place and themselues in it with their gifts And as I haue said of outward place and aduancement in the world so I say of inward grace and gifts of the spirit That euen out of the meane or middle sort of people the Lord chuseth many yea most to be heires of saluation and to vse our Sauiours words Matth. 11. to be seasoned with the Gospell by beleeuing for so I expound the words And doubtlesse in comparison of these few great ones are called nay many who haue striuen against mediocritie of estate which yet Agur preferreth as the best to serue God in they haue forsaken their owne mercy See more in the tenth chapter 1. 2. 3. verses thereof The Angell speaketh to her of her barrennesse that she might receiue the message of bearing a childe more thankefully and ioyfully for barrennesse in those daies was generally holden a kinde of curse as I noted in chap. 12. the end and fruitefulnesse a blessing but wee see that God turneth this curse to a blessing and it was counted no doubt by this woman a great worke of his mercy that hee gaue a childe to her being barren as well as of his power as Dauid reckons it Thus doth the Lord make way for the thankfull entertaining of his mercies by laying before vs our want and insufficiencie and yet all is little enough to procure that affection except it be a little at first for in a very short time our mindes are changed with the time and we rather looke vpon that we enioy then looke backe vpon our former penurie or the author of our change So that the Lord is faine to vpbraide vs by his vndeserued kindenesse as hee did Dauid by his taking from the sheepefold in stead of reaping the fruite thereof in praise and dutie which is verified well in many of them that haue mourned and complained long of the heauie burden that oppressed their conscience which they feared as Hezekiah once did that they should neuer bee eased of and at length met with such comfort as they long wished for for although at the first obtaining thereof they indented with God that hee should bee all in all with them yet in time they haue worne out the remembrance of such kindenes as Pharaohs butler did Iosephs Let such and all others whose conscience beares them witnesse that the Lord hath made them fruitfull of barren in what kinde soeuer but that they haue brought forth sower grapes and wilde oliues and made themselues barren againe of fruitfull let them I say looke backe and view the matter yet better and pay their rearedges which they are run into with God lest at length they wish they had bin beholding to God for lesse except their fruit might haue made the Lord as I may say beholding to them for more then they haue yeelded To him that hath shall be giuen hee shall receiue fauour vpon fauour that keepes the old in precious remembrance and regard occupying for him whose the talents are which are occupied whereas he who hath not shall forgoe still till he haue lost all that is he that hath forgotten him of whom he receiued that which hee hath shall both lose that for which he hopeth yea and the principall to which he hath This for one point Besides by this example the Lord sheweth vs how hee turneth his chastisements to benefits vnto his people as the issue of Iobs afflictions witnesseth For if they from whom he taketh away any good things and correcteth receiue not greater outward benefits then they forgoe yet if they waite on God they shall haue proofe of the graces that are in them as faith patience and obedience as oft I haue already noted in this booke which are farre more sweete to them then any outward libertie which they lose and forgoe So then let the people of God prouide to walke before him with vprightnesse and they shall see whether their life bee not replenished with comforts and they followed with many a token from God of his loue to them and pleasure in them by all which they shall finde their daies vpon earth to be sweetely passed and they exceedingly well prouided for till they be taken to glorie The Angell in prescribing to the woman that shee should drinke no wine nor eate no vncleane thing said so because the childe that she should beare should be a Nazarite to the Lord who by the law of the Nazarite was himselfe to bee tied to certaine ceremonies for that time of his so being the one was that he should also abstaine from wine secondly that no rasor should come on his head thirdly that hee should not touch or come neere any dead body of this reade further in the booke of Numbers Now a Nazarite was one that was separated from others and more particularly such a one as serued the Lord in a more strict manner then other did as for Samson who was to continue this estate throughout his life he was a peculiar person and therefore a type of Christ not onely in death and that most victorious but euen in life wherein our Sauiour fulfilled all righteousnesse The signification of the Nazarite was this that the Lord would haue all that come neere vnto him and will be in his seruice to be separated from the common sort which doe not examine their waies after the rules of Gods word but walke after their owne hearts desire And hereby and vnder a ceremony hee requireth that of his which in plaine words he doth elsewhere saying ye shall therefore be
that so the hearers may see themselues wound into better communication ere they are aware and secretly blush at their owne ignorance The particular that the Angell mentioned was to counsell him to offer a burnt offering to the Lord. The signification thereof was that thereby hee should consecrate himselfe body and soule with the powers and parts of both vnto the Lord and so he should honour the Lord as became him and shew that hee did thereby acknowledge himselfe willing and readie to obey him in all things And this is our true seruing of God to offer vp our selues wholly vnder his gouernment as the Apostle speaketh to the Romans And so on the contrary they doe nothing lesse who giue themselues to follow their owne lusts and the deuices and desires of their wicked hearts or who in some things wil yeeld him dutie and by halues as we reade that Saul did for which cause the Lord reiected him Let the reader looke more of this point in chap. 2. and in chap. 10. and elsewhere And further as Manoah for the kindnesse hee receiued of the Angell was bidden to offer to God that which he offered to him so we should not offend who are Gods Ministers if in the like case we doe the like As for example if for our trauaile by aduice and counsell to any brother either troubled in conscience or otherwise with some great and dangerous doubt he being satisfied and quieted to his good contentment by our counsell if I say he the partie so counselled by vs out of a thankfull minde should offer gratuitie to vs as many thinke it their dutie I say wee should not offend if we should desire him to giue it either wholly or a part thereof as freely to some very good vse if he be well able as to some godly poore as hee would haue done to vs seeing we thinke it vnmeete for vs to receiue it because we would in no wise bring a reproch to our ministerie orgiue occasion to any to thinke that we doe basely sell the gifts of God for money For if hee bee both able and willing as Naaman the Sirian in the like case was to shew thankfulnes which we thinke it vnmeete to receiue we shall doe a good dutie to helpe to benefit some other where there is need of it and so fit an occasion is offered by Gods prouidence to relieue him Too few such occasions are offered of doing good in that maner if they be yet they are not taken and yet it is well knowne how many there are to doe good vnto and how wee are commanded by God to take all occasions thereof as he offereth them And if ye aske why Elisha did not worke vpon Naaman in that manner I say hee was an heathen and a stranger newly conuerted and if he had requested any such kindnesse of him it must haue been put into his hands to dispose in all which respects hee refrained But of this I haue said somewhat before chap. 8. in Gedeon his refusing the kingdome and demanding the earings the lesse therefore shall serue Another thing I thinke good to stay about a little in this verse and that is by occasion of a word the Angell spake And that is this that hee called that bread which Manoah called flesh For when hee desired the Angell that hee might prepare for him a kid of the goates the other answered hee would not eate of his bread whereby who doubteth will some say but that both meant one particular thing Manoah that he would prepare some refreshing for him and the Angell that hee would not eate with him Here by the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth not bread onely but all food and so flesh particularly by this word I say the Papists who are faine to catch hold of euery thing that they thinke may serue for their purpose take occasion to maintaine their transubstantiation and they crie aloud that the bread in the Sacrament may signifie flesh as it doth in other places of the Scriptures Where it appeares that they are so hastie to alleage a proofe from hence for their purpose that in the meane while they take one thing for another For though the Hebrew word may signifie flesh as it doth bread yet they should remember that Paul wrote in the Greeke tongue where the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth bread is neuer taken for flesh And what gaine they by thus playing the Sophisters among the ignorant For they who are able to iudge do see that they abuse the reader grossely in saying bread may be taken for flesh because the Hebrew word sometime signifieth so when the Greeke word neuer signifieth so in which tongue yet all that concerneth the Lords Supper is written And so while they goe about with the dogge to get the flesh that shineth in the water they lose that which they seemed to haue in their mouth and so both And yet if the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did signifie flesh as it doth bread how doth it follow that it should signifie so in the Sacrament against sense reason scripture and truth So wee see what substantiall proofes they bring to vphold and iustifie their absurd opinions and religion This I say vpon this supposition granted that the Angell and Manoah spake of the same indiciduall thing which yet no man will grant to bee a necessarie consequence For though Manoah meant flesh yet the Angell might meane bread both by a Synecdoche meaning a refreshing by bread and meate Manoah might offer him a kid and he might answere I will not eate of thy bread in this sense Prepare nothing for me I will not eate so much as any bread much lesse of thy flesh Who is so simple as to thinke otherwise except any should imagine that the meate was like to be set before the Angell without bread If bread were needfull also what necessitie is it that both their meanings must needs be about the same particular But I spare Thus much of Manoahs desiring him to eate the second thing followeth of asking him his name but of this in the next Sermon THE SEVENTY THREE SERMON ON THE XIII CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES THus he still seeing the man of God as he tooke him to be to shew such grace in his speech was the more knit to him and so desired to know his name and hee shewes him the reason to wit that when it should come to passe which he promised Manoah might honour him with some reward The Angell seeing it a needlesse thing that he asked did not answere to him in word but thought it fitter to make himselfe knowne to him in deedes then in words and thereby to confirme the former promise made to them And this to be the meaning of the verse the next words doe proue namely that hee did wonderfully for so are the words in the originall hee was marueilous or he did wonderfully
tread them downe euen to death and the slauish dastardlines of the Philistims on the other side as much to bee admired that they seemed not to striue or fight for themselues a whit wee may see how mightily God assisteth his seruants whom he setteth about his worke when he will haue all to see that it is he that bringeth it to passe and not they As in Gedeons vanquishing the Midianites that couered as grashoppers the face of the earth for multitude for he did it with a very few euen three hundred men And so he dealt with Iehosaphat For when the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir came to cast him and the people of Iudah out of Gods inheritance with a fearefull and an exceeding armie the Lord sent a messenger to them saying Feare not for all this great multitude for the battell is not yours but Gods Stand still moue not and behold the saluation of God towards you To morrow goe out against them and the Lord will be with you And to make vse of this doctrine I say that if wee haue eyes wee may see that God assisteth and helpeth his in their trouble feare and neede beyond all that mans reason can reach vnto when they depend on and trust in him yea hee brings them into danger oftentimes and straits and all to this end that his power in deliuering them may be seene in their weakenes and fighteth for them as sensibly as he did for Iehosaphat or for Dauid against Goliah Of the which truth Ionah is a liuely proofe who was receiued into the fish when he was cast into the sea preserued in the belly of it and cast vp to land by the extraordinarie prouidence of God rather then hee should be lost and forsaken Samson hauing thus slaine them hee went and abode in a place called Etham an high rocke which belonged to the tribe of Simeon in the borders of Iudah And therefore it is said in the next verse that the Philistims came and pitched in Iudah to seeke for him But before hee thus slew them as is said in the 8. verse that is to be marked which he said and is set downe in the seuenth verse that when he saw that they had burned the Timnite and his daughter seeing they were onely an occasion of their losse he said thus to those Philistims If yee haue done thus to them your neighbours and of your owne countrey who did not hurt you what would you doe to me if I should fall into your hands I will therefore be auenged of you before I cease Thus much for the cleering of these two verses Out of this verse wee may note that if men be cruell and outragious against them that were onely the occasions of their hurt though they neuer sought nor intended it how much more will they shew their fury and madnes against them who haue done the hurt and wrong vnto them This may fitly be gathered from the reasoning of Samson And so wee may well conclude and say that if wee will bee exasperated against such as doe but come in our way or were onely present where wee sustained some reproch or iniurie how much more if we light vpon him that hath done the wrong to vs will wee shew our selues vnreasonable For hee that cannot beare a little much lesse will beare a great deale Fall not we as neere as we can into the hands of such So hee that will beate the ground at which he stumbled will much more fiercely rise against him who hath cast him wilfully on the ground Further in that Samson said hee would be auenged of the Philistims before he ceased hee spake as it became him seeing God had appointed him to doe so So are all in authoritie set in place by God to be a terrour to the wicked euen as they are for the comfort of those that are good For it is a grace and no easie matter to punish sinne aright and to seeke to winne the offender And it is as great an offence for them to doe that worke of the Lord negligently as it is to fall vpon the innocent hastily and cruelly So all priuate persons and Preachers of the word especially should doe likewise to wit make that sinne odious to themselues and others as farre as lieth in them which the Magistrate is to punish and they to reproue euen as they ought to be like affected to all sin because God abhorreth it Herein saying with good Leui Who is my father I know not euen my father if hee goe about to hinder the worke of God and herein follow wee our blessed Sauiour who came to destroy the workes of the diuell But I haue oft noted this before therefore I presse it no further That which in the former verse he was said to threaten the same in this verse he is said to doe and accomplish That is to smite them with a great plague and in reprochfull maner setting as it were his feete vpon them or spurning them vnto death This if it had not been commanded by God had bin cruelty So that here we may learne to know that except we haue our charge from God to execute vpon men seuere and sharp punishment it is meere crueltie to set vpon it which wee should in no wise like much lesse delight to attempt no more then wee would be willing to haue the like offered to our selues But haue wee compassion and commiseration ouer such as are in miserie any way as we our selues would in like case desire the same This is a branch of the former often touched before That which is said of the rocke Etham here in in Iudah is to shew that he abode there till hee was after taken from thence by the men of Iudah and carried to the Philistims which was soone after Of which I know no more to be said saue onely that we may see that he did not goe to hide himselfe in a corner as though hee durst not stand to that which hee had done but being like to be apprehended he went God directing him to take that patiently which they should doe to him and to depend on him for issue though to a defenced and high place yet to an open where he was knowne to be and was easily remoued from thence when the men of Iudah came vp thither to carrie him bound to the Philistims he committing himselfe to Gods prouidence whose worke he had done For though he went thither from the Philistims yet he was euen there in a place where they gouerned So let all bee wise to doe that for which they may not bee driuen to flie for it but so answere to it and bee armed to beare that which comes vpon them for the same As it falleth out oft times that euen for that which they haue well done some instruments of the diuell or other will bee ready alwaies to molest and bring trouble vpon them for
as if it it had been sword staffe or other weapon And when hee had slaine them hee shewed what heapes hee had made with so slight a helpe or instrument Heere we see that these Philistims lately so exceedingly ioyfull did not onely lose their ioy but their liues also And this may tell vs yet a heauier thing then the former For it teacheth that for the most part looke what fearefull and blind estate the blind and bad people liue in and chuse to repose themselues in in the same they continue for the most part and end their daies For is there almost any place left for amendment Therfore the Apostle saith The wicked and the deceiuer wax worse and worse and when they crie peace peace and all things are safe then commeth destruction suddenly vpon them before they be aware as the trauell vpon a woman with child and they shall not be able to auoide it When the rich man in the Gospell reioyced most in that he had he was nearest a wofull end So Baltazzer when he was drinking wine merrily with his Princes and Concubines in the vessels of the Temple then the fearfull hand writing appeared on the wall hauing this meaning God hath finished thy kingdome So Agag And as such liue so they die Although I denie not but God where it pleaseth him can giue a new hart where it is sought and cause such vanity to bee distasted as wherein men haue delighted and worke found reioycing instead thereof Therefore chuse wee the best delights and so the longer we hold them the soundlier wee shall enioy them vntill we keepe them vnto our end Another thing that he did was that when he had slaine an heape he correcteth himselfe when hee smote them on both sides with the iaw-bone they preasing about to take him and he saith two heapes or many as if he should haue said heapes vpon heapes had been slaine by him And seeing hee knew that God gaue him the strength thereto hee being a godly man why doth he vtter these words but that al might see and acknowledge what a great worke God had wrought by him and that by a weake meane euen with the iaw bone of an Asse To teach vs that where the Lord will haue vs execute iustice without pitie vpon euill doers we must not faint nor be negligent to doe his commandement vpon them as Samson did here Ioshua before on Achan Ehud vpon the King of Moab and Shamgar on the Philistims God will haue the wicked smart for their trespasses openly committed to smart I say by men according to the weight and hainousnesse of them and vtterly forbiddeth foolish pity to be shewed in such a case according to the saying of Salomon It is an abomination to iustifie the wicked The like may be said against that foolish pity which ariseth in vs when wee behold Gods immediate hand vpon them and yet wee ought not then for all this to insult ouer them but we must ascribe honour to God with those 24. Elders in the Reuelation and Dauid vpon the death of Nabal Now followeth the third point that as Samson honoured God in shewing what hee had done by him in slaying heapes of men euen a thousand so he added this thereto that he gaue a name to the place where hee did it as a memoriall thereof that all posterity comming after might know vnto the end of the world what great things God did for his people against their enemies The name of it he called Ramath-Lehi as if he should haue said the lifting vp of a iaw-bone which remaineth as a monument of Gods mighty worke by him euen to this day Thus and by this meanes Gods seruants haue praised him in times past as in the booke of Numbers Ioshua and other is to bee seene as well as other times by songs and dances that wee all may marke and remember his benefits and great workes and praise him among the generations following to the quickening and comforting of his people and the feare of his enemies although not in the same manner that some haue done in ages past But of this before once or twice The fourth part of the Chapter Vers 18. And he was sore athirst and called on the Lord and said Thou hast giuen this great deliuerance into the hand of thy seruant and now shall I die for thirst and fall into the hand of the vncircumcised 19. But God claue an hollow place that was in the iaw and there came water thereout and when he had drunke his spirit came againe and he reuiued wherfore he called the name thereof En-hakkoreh which is in Lehi vnto this day 20. And he iudged Israel in the daies of the Philistims twentie yeeres NOw followeth the fourth and last part of this Chapter wherein is shewed what an exceeding great thirst Samson had after the slaughter of these Philistims and that he prayed to God and he giue him water so that he reuiued and so he praised God there And 〈…〉 time that hee iudged Israel is in the last place adioyned and set downe â—â—ch was twentie yeres By this thirst of his the Lord would haue him to know himselfe and to be held vnder lest by that which hee had done to the Philistims hee might haue been lifted vp aboue that which was meet Thus he dealeth with his intermixing his chastisements with blessings that both they may be held in humility by the one and yet may haue sufficient encouragement to abide constantly in a good course and not forget the Lord and become high minded as they are easily brought to bee by the other to wit his benefits And thus the Lord saw good to deale euen with Paul himselfe who was buffeted by Satan when hee had been listed vp to the third heauen by the rauishing of Gods spirit yet hee had that humour remaining in him which needed setling and cooling that his ioy might be kept within holy lists and bounds And the same I haue noted in that famous accident of Iphtah his daughter whom God set on to abase him that hee might proceed on to the triumph more soberly Wee must thinke Gods seruants are deare to him when hee sticketh not to bereaue them of their preciousest delights to the end they may hold their delight in him and not turne their sweetnesse into bitternes I meane their holy reioycing into fleshly presumption The reason hereof is because else God cannot trust vs in the businesse he sets vs about except hee giues vs coolings and abasements to consume the superfluity of our hypocrisie conceitednesse of our selues pride and security which are as vnfit dealers in heauenly matters as Nadab and Abihu their strange fire was to kindle incense or offer sacrifice withall And secondly the Lord honoreth many of his deare seruants whose faith and setlednesse in grace and freedome from such grosse staines hee is priuie vnto by giuing them
folly yea the vaine and deceitfull folly of the ignorant and irreligious who haue been and still are so readie to flocke together by hundreds and thousands to satisfie their eye and to behold that which may prouoke foolish laughter with what danger soeuer And yet if this be so to be disliked as who of sound iudgement will not affirme it so to be what may be said of them who now long after as also in yeeres past and yet still in the light of the Gospell haue inuented other maner of spectacles to delude the simple withall euen shamelesse shewes and most dangerous stage plaies omitting none to play a part in them that may increase sinne as some to play the vice and foole so disguising themselues as if they were void of reason some to resemble the diuell by which counterfeiting they make the mentioning of diuels in the Scripture to be onely a ridiculous iest and matter to laugh at that so they may be the bolder to sinne and the lesse feare diuell or damnation and some are brought on the stage in womens apparell God hauing commanded the contrary and said It shall not be so In the which meetings they doe not onely with the Philistims please their eye but also strongly are incensed and prouoked to lewdnes and lust which some of them were nothing so much acquainted with before Whom if God should shew some such strange iudgement vpon as vpon these here as we haue heard that some of them haue had lately faire warnings in that kinde while they haue been in the middest of their pastimes I denie not but it were lamentable but doubtlesse not lesse what doe I say nay by farre more deserued then this But these must be left to the Magistrate who should not in vaine beare the sword but to the terror of offenders Of like sort to the Philistims meetings to laugh and please themselues in beholding Samson brought foorth to be a gasing stocke among them of like sort I say are the brutish flockings together of some parts of our countrey who on the most Sabbaths through the summer haue vsed and that very lately I am sure and still they may for ought I know to feast drinke and dance with much misrule accompanying them misrule ye may well gesse what by that which I haue mentioned as if God had neuer commanded better things saying yet aloud in their eares Remember that ye keepe holy the Sabbath All which prophane customes with the like let them perish and come to naught and holy assemblies to heare sermons and to pray rise vp and bee duly and reuerently frequented and vsed on the contrary Of these lewd customes I haue elsewhere spoken I noted before the slauishnes which Samsons sinne brought him to while he committed it in the 17. verse reseruing the other to wit the basenes and shame which followed after it to this place as more proper for it That which God threatned to the whole body of his people for renouncing his seruice that they should lose their headship ouer the nations and become the taile that befell this one man Samson for his wilfulnes Not vnlike to that which Noah by implication prophecieth of the Church in the two heads therof Shem and Iaphet that Cham should be vnder and a seruant vnto them while they dwelt in the tents of God but otherwise Cham should hold his dominion ouer them Samson was made a Lord in some sort ouer these Heathens to rule them and so he did while he held his honour in the seruice of God but being wearie of it loe hee is made the most vile vnderling to them and loden with all despite that malice could lay vpon him We will neither beleeue that there is honour in seruing God whereas yet the Angels haue no greater and the greatest Kings vpon earth hold their Maiestie in seruing the Lord and maintaining his truth inuiolable nor shame and miserie in the contrary But Samson doubtlesse saw the former the more cleerly when he was so oppressed with the latter and that in so foule a manner as that he who weigheth the storie shall neede no further proofe of the deformed and vile nature of sinne Euen thus was it with Adam when he had sinned whereas before he was the soueraigne Lord ouer the creatures hee became the vilest and worst of all if God had not restored him Thus the euill Angels not content with the highest honour became diuels abased to the lowest and cursedest ebbe of shame And this particular I thought good not to omit though I haue said meetly enough of the other parts of miserie which this sinne of his caused to the end that such as like Samsons diet so well may know by that time God hath tamed them so and fetcht them about as he did this poore offender he will make them buckle and stoope to his lure and be glad of the meanest roome in his house as the prodigall that wished himselfe an hireling of his fathers in his wretched penurie whom the place of a sonne before liked not As for them who thinke it their reproch to weare Gods liuerie at all they are rather to be hissed at then confuted by this text let them goe like vagabonds and Cains vpon the face of the earth but as their true shame is herein that God vouchsafes them no roome in his Church so the time shall be when their shame shall breake foorth to their confusion then when there shall neither be place for them to hide their heads in nor cloakes left them to couer their shame much lesse to haue entrance into his kingdome Let rather such as goe for Christians who enioy the honour of good report among the best for their religion and haue been hitherto kept from reprochfull crimes and the fruit thereof that is shame among the godly and from being a byword to the wicked let such I say look about them by this example and beseech God to shew them yet more cleerely the priuiledges of their sinceritie and godly care of obedience which euen here are glorious ere glory it selfe be obtained that so they may cleaue fast vnto him still and beware lest catching at some other shadow of glory by forsaking their zeale and following the common sins of the time they become most ridiculous pageants of scorne to them whom before they held in awe and reuerence by the admiration of their vertues Sure it is that if they will venture with Samson to breake out to doe euill for the hauing of their owne pleasure or to auoid a little trouble they shall as he did reape a great deale for it Before Samson set vpon this worke he besought the Lord to inable and assist him and we must know that his prayer was feruent and effectuall offered vp in faith and obtained that he sought And whereas he may seeme to seeke reuenge in his prayer wee must consider he was the Lords instrument to bring
to passe his worke and for good successe in that he intreateth God to assist him Euen as the Apostles did in the Acts when the Priests had forbidden them to preach in the name of Iesus which he had commanded them they besought God to stop and hinder their threats from hauing effect and prayed that with all boldnes they might vtter and preach his word The same did Samson against these enemies of God and God heard both alike both him and the Apostles Though God had promised them both all necessarie assistance yet his grace was not so pinned to their sleeue as that they might alway make account of it without seeking of it by the prayer of faith as in Elia and Elisha appeareth and wee haue toucht it in the prayer which he made for supply in his deadly thirst when he was about Gods worke in chapter fifteenth where I also obserued the ground of that libertie which Gods faithfull seruants haue in their accesse to God by prayer And in effect Samson prayeth thus O Lord seeing I am brought now into so great a company of these Philistims whom I being blind shall neuer be able to pursue as thou haddest commanded me they being enemies to thee and thy people and seeing thou hast restored my strength to me in this so good an opportunity seeing it is thus saith he in token that I beleeue no lesse I beseech thee to grant that I may now bee auenged of them and that they may be payed home for the iniurie they haue done me by plucking out mine eyes and other woe which they haue wrought mee thy seruant whereby I haue been hindred from doing thy worke among them Thus we see how it fareth with Gods people and what their behauiour is in their affliction to wit that they testifie their beleeuing in him by feruent supplication to him in such time of their need shewing thereby that they make him their onely refuge and stay And by this we are taught how earnestly and diligently we should go about the Lords businesse when we may and haue opportunity and chiefly in our tribulation namely with feruent prayers suing to him for helpe in the one and successe in the other which seeking to him the Lord doth much regard and commend and as hee here did to oppose our selues against his enemies wherein we finde and can proue that they bee so For as the Lord loueth a cheerefull giuer so hee loueth a cheerefull doer of his businesse And so should wee bee also and the rather seeing there are but few that are forward and readily minded in Gods matters howsoeuer in other attempts they runne when they should draw backe But of this latter point euery where almost through the booke In these two verses is shewed how Samson setting his shoulders strongly to the pillers of the house he said My life perish with theirs And the house fell on the Princes and the people so that many more were slaine by him at his death then he slew in his life and he died with them Here we see for one point the momentanie and flitting estate of the ioy of the wicked And this is their bane their vexation and chiefe heart smart that when they haue feathered their nest as they say and prouided great wealth pleasure and honour whereby they giue shew to fooles that they haue gotten a pettie paradise here on earth yet when they haue done they want one chiefe thing to helpe them to hold and keepe still their deceitfull and pictured felicity and that is length of time and daies that they may containe the enioying of it to themselues This they cannot buy nor compasse as they can all other things to their liking and for want of this all the other leaue them fade and giue ouer their vse as if they had neuer been theirs and yet withall send them also to a farre worse conditon What prouision haue many made in sumptuous and goodly buildings with fat pastures and commodious grounds laid thereto and all commodities more neerly adioyning as fish-ponds burrowes for coneyes doue-houses parkes orchards gardens and what not that may bee deuised for their pleasure as Salomon speaketh of himselfe And heerein one followeth another as farre as by their wealth they can reach and when they looke now to enioy them and so to shew their happinesse thereby to other then or after a very little while Time denies her seruice to them and will performe it no longer without which all the rest are to them as nothing nay vexation of spirit also Thus death the Lords messenger comes oft on the sudden as the sergeant or bailiefe arresting and taking them away from all their pleasant delights as Samson was violently from his Delilah vntill they cry out againe when they see how they are plucked from them but all in vaine seeing there is none to rescue them The same may be said of those who haue prouided yeerely reuenewes to auoid dangers and maintaine fleshly reioycings All which though they be Gods good benefits and may be lawfully enioyed yet when they are set in Gods place and made the delights of men in stead of his fauor and gouernment they are cursed with the vsers of them And thus when they must be taken from them against their will and they can enioy them no longer they say in themselues O death how vnwelcome art thou to vs who haue taken vp our pleasure heere And haue they nothing else to say where is now their wisdome who went for the wisest of other in their prosperity that hath bewrayed them to bee meere fooles and left themselues then nothing Why did they not rather obey God therefore who charged them that they should not lay vp their felicity here below Why did they not giue credit to him who told them as he told the rich man in the Gospell There is no certainty of any earthly thing till tomorrow Therefore must such become by words for their follie and wilfulnesse in euery common mans mouth as I know not wherfore their doings serue but for matter to talke of who looked to haue been famous here for euer by their vniatiable gatherings and great prouision making of earthly abiding and prospering For he that hath said to him who was as well setled in momentany rest as these when he thus comforted himselfe Soule eate and drinke and take thine ease thou hast much good laid vp for thee for many yeeres Hee I say that spake thus to him Thou foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee and whose then shall be the things which thou possessest He saith as much daily to these and who can then pitie them if they will not be warned Much like a great man that died a few yeeres agone who when sicknesse grew fast on him and would not bee shaken off as hee hoped it would haue been at the first comming of it when he could
his ministery empaireth and spendeth his strength and health can be said to be the procurer of his owne vntimely death for he hath spent his strength in his calling to which end God gaue it him And as Paul said he was ready to be bound and to die for the Lord Iesus so Samson said let me lose my life with the Philistims He runneth not rashly to death but followeth his vocation and if death come therewith vnto him he yeelds to it willingly and the rather because he had brought this necessity vpon himselfe by his owne sinne and hee could no otherwise pursue Gods enemies then with hazard of his owne life Euen as valiant souldiers who seeke not death but yet looke for no other The vse of this to vs is this that as wee should abhorre the least sinne this way yea the very speech or thought intending and seeking our owne death so yet it is our duty to walke in the estate in the which God hath set vs in such wise that we be not onely ready fit and willing to die but also if God will in our faithfull discharge of our duties meet with vs by death as hee did with the Apostles then to bee readie to yeeld to it and to remember That hee who loseth his life for Gods sake shall finde it And therefore let neither our life nor any thing we haue be thought too good for him who requires it And though all lose not their liues yet many doe forgoe other commodities which were not commendable in them if it were not for Gods cause Very Heathens when they spake according to their light saw it to be vnnaturall for men to deuoure themselues And as the souldier may not disranke himselfe or forsake his station without his Emperours permission who hath set him in his place so neither ought any to destroy his owne life and soule by wilfull death but waite the time that God hath appointed Indeed the Heathen saw not thus much that a man might not auoide apparant perill of violent death whether by an incurable disease as one of them starued himselfe to death to free himselfe from the stone or by the pursuit of their enemies This they made themselues erroneously beleeue to be magnanimity and the waiting for death in that case cowardise And like to them are many brutish people among vs who in some great distresse of mind or shame which their owne sinne hath brought vpon them bereaue themselues of their liues like Iudas and Abimelech And others being crossed but in a small matter are ready to wish themselues as deepe in the ground as they are high too And euen Christians often forget themselues and haue this pang vpon them to curse the day of their birth and to desire death I doubt not but many doe it in rashnesse for if death came and offered it selfe they would recant but howsoeuer it bee both this rashnesse and the other madnesse is vtterly vnbeseeming Christians and a token of an vnsauorie heart little seasoned with the doctrine of confidence and patience And if a wise man weigh it there is more cowardlinesse in preuenting trouble or crosses by violence then enduring them patiently And let such as the diuell hath woond in withall so farre as to worke vpon their melancholy and terrours of conscience or weaknesse of nature by such dangerous tentations as these to drowne hang stab themselues abusing the Scripture and such examples as this of Samson to that end let such I say bee fenced well against his malice by this instruction answering with our Sauiour in the like case Auoide Satan I dare not tempt the Lord my God But to returne a little to Samson It is so farre off from equitie to condemne that last act of his in losing his life with the Philistims that it was far to be preferred before his other annoying of them and euen his greatest auengings of them For he slew many more of them now at his death then he did in his life And was therein a liuely figure of our Sauiour Christ who though he destroyed the workes of the diuell in his life euen as hee came to the same end and foiled him shrewdly many waies yet at his death he triumphed ouer him led him captiue Both their acts I meane Samsons and Christs doe shew as in a glasse what we all should doe namely endeuour to doe the best good at our death which shall the better bee done if we lay for it in our life For liue well and dye better because wee ratifie and confirme all the good we did while we liued when we iustifie it at our death And this is one fruite and peece of honour that a good life receiueth that a good death followeth it Oh therefore begin wee betimes to feare God and as we are commanded remember we our maker in the daies of our youth and let it not bee tedious to vs to nourish those good beginnings that our last end may be like both or else an hundred to one that we shall haue small cause to reioyce in our end that I say no more And the like in this particular may bee said of the death of the righteous which is said of Samson yea and much more And it affoordeth no small encouragement to al such as are faithfull in the work of the Lord I meane in rooting out and destroying the enemies of their owne soules especially the corruption of their nature and the fleshly lusts which issue frō thence Their watchfulnes and diligence in suppressing them ought to be daily their prayers constant their faith in Gods almightie power to which nothing is impossible as armour ought continually to be exercised in the assaulting of their concupiscence and the fruites thereof And though they yeeld not at the first because they are strong and mightie yet hauing receiued their deadly blow at first by the death of Christ they shal decay sensibly and at death be quite abolished as the walles of Iericho fell downe the seuenth day of the compassing thereof Thus Samson dieth with the Philistims but in a most contrary and vnlike manner For they dyed in riot idolatrie crueltie and impenitencie but he in faith and as Stephen did in calling vpon the name of the Lord. So let it be well laid for and looked to that though wee must dye with the bad yet we may in no wise dye as they doe And so the outward manner of death though in paine disease and kinde of death it bee one and the same to vs and them as the Wise man saith to wit As the foole dyeth so dyeth the wise yet all that can iudge will say that wee must not measure the godlines and happy estate of men by outward things though they fall out alike to both And by this let vs beware that we feare not death with the wicked who say in token thereof we must dye but waite wee for
receiuing sinners graciously and that againe and againe they lamenting after him they are ready I say to thinke that they shall easily bee forgiuen without any remorse or pricke of conscience for their sinne which is a grosse abusing of Gods patience and his readinesse to receiue sinners who haue offended and differeth not much from them who say Let vs sinne that grace may abound The middle way betwixt both is safest to goe in to wit not to cast away their confidence when they vnfainedly turne to God and yet not to take or arrogate to themselues the beleeuing of pardon while they continue bold in sinning without broken and relenting hearts And this lesson being learned of vs as God teacheth it and hath himselfe giuen example vnto vs is a sound and certaine rule to guide vs toward our neighbours who haue offended vs that is to say that as he embraceth and forgiueth sinners returning vnto him so we should not bee cruell or hard-hearted toward them but readily to receiue them when they submit themselues According to that which our Sauiour answered to Peter when he asked him how oft he should forgiue his brother vnto seuen times he answered him I say not vnto seuen times but seuenty times seuen We ought therefore to forgiue them but what not the transgression of Gods law for we cannot doe that for none can forgiue sinne but God But the wrong and iniurie done vnto vs and the euill minde they beare toward vs I say that wee ought as we professe in the fifth petition to remit As for satisfaction if he haue taken away our goods we may in the remitting that doe as the repentance and ability of the partie shall giue occasion and so I say of the punishment which he hath deserued if he haue hurt vs in our body name or otherwise yet if it bee expedient and that wee sustaine not any great detriment thereby we may remit it But yet in some case though we forgiue the wrong yet wee may vrge the partie that is culpable to satisfaction and punishment according to the law of God and the nation where wee liue left men should be emboldened to sinne thereby yea and sometime wee who are wronged ought so to doe necessarily otherwise we should sin against God and the Common-wealth And thus Achan by Iosua and the theefe on the crosse were iustly punished and put to death for why both Gods law and mans had else been broken This I haue said of this matter there being some difficulty about it that we may see what wee are bound to remit vnto our neighbour and how farre An other thing in this verse is that this Ehud who was giuen them as a deliuerer is said to haue bin lame but in what part of his body euen on his right hand that member which might worst be missed especially in a valiant captaine and man of war as he was and now called to shew his strength and skil wherin we can say no lesse but that God doth that which is strange and maruellous in our eyes For he sheweth vs hereby that he when it pleaseth him and that is most commonly vseth weake meanes to effect and bring great matters to passe that his glory may be more easily seene and giuen vnto him yet flesh and carnall reason will not yeeld easily thereunto But for proofe of the doctrine looke what base and weake instruments the Lord vsed to vexe a mighty King I meane Pharaoh namely Frogs Lice Locusts such like So Ionathan his armor-bearer flew many of the Philistims Dauid Goliah In the Prophet Ioels time how did the Lord plague the drunkards and the sinners of the land who were so iolly hauing the fruits of the earth in plentifull manner to serue their turne as though there had been none that could haue resisted them how did he I say plague the the stoutest and the mightiest of them by the like weake meanes spoiling thereby the fruits of the earth without the which their iollity must fall to the ground Thus the Prophet speaketh Heare ye this O Elders and hearken all ye inhabitants of the world whether such a thing hath been in your daies or in the daies of your fathers That which is left of the Palmer worme hath the Grashopper eaten and the residue of the Grashopper hath the Canker worme eaten and the residue of the Canker worme hath the Caterpiller eaten And to see the mighty hand of God in other matters which farre exceede these for God can and doth this often but this ought not to cause vs therefore to bee slight in meanes vsing to serue his prouidence How did hee by his Apostles who were simple men and of no great account in the world yet how did hee by their ministery and weake preaching as it was accounted subdue the proud and stately world to the obedience of the Gospel Euen Paul but one man how many cities yea countries did he bring from darkenesse to light and from the power of Satan vnto God insomuch as whole Asia was filled with his doctrine and both Iewes and Grecians heard the word of the Lord. And so in our daies hee hath perswaded many to become true Christians by the ministery and labours of them who are of small reputation in the world And why he bringeth to light such excellent tidings of the kingdome of glory by so weake meanes Saint Paul sheweth the reason in these words We haue this treasure in earthen vessels saith he that the excellency of that power might be of God and not of vs. Therfore despise not the weake by whom God worketh neither let such discourage themselues who by the grace of humility meeknesse loue and such like with their small gifts shall edifie and build vp the Church of Christ when the knowledge in the bare letter of such as are thereby puffed vp shall doe little good And as it is in the ministery so shall it be seene in the people that true godlinesse accompanying the knowledge of Christ though ridiculous among men shall do much in perswading and drawing many to the loue of the Gospell and fellowship therein which as it is the greatest so it is doubtlesse the rarest thing that is to be seene among the people As in the example of the woman of Samaria is to be seene who brought her neighbours to Christ being conuerted her selfe yea and this may bee seene still at this day that euen priuate persons truly religious shall with their humility diligence and loue doe much more good then they who haue variety of knowledge and vtterance being destitute of those graces though they bee little accounted of The vse of all that I haue said of this point is that we haue the works of God how meanely soeuer accounted of and specially his worke of grace in men that wee haue them I say in most high reuerence in comparison of the gloriousest acts of men
And this of the foure points in this story from the 12. verse namely 1. the reuolting of the people from God 2. the Lords punishing them 3. their crying to God and 4. his sending a deliuerer to them And thus much of this matter But these foure things in this second story thus ended there remaineth somewhat in this verse that hath not yet been spoken of and much in the whole chapter by occasion of the last point I meane of Ehuds deliuering them with which I will proceed and first with that part of this 15. verse that remaineth The words are these And the children of Israel sent a present by him to Eglon King of Moab Heere if this trouble any that the largest part of this story remaineth behinde vnhandled and wherefore it should bee so seeing the foure materiall points or parts of the chapter haue as wee haue seene been handled already I answere all that is behinde to the 31. verse doth issue and grow out and by occasion of the last point of the 4. namely of the deliuerer whom God raised vp to the people I meane Ehud and is set downe to illustrate and amplifie the deliuerance of the people as shall appeare euen how God deliuered them from the bondage of the Moabites and gaue them rest The person being this Ehud as hath been said the story shewes how hee wrought this their deliuerance and it was thus first by slaying the King of Moab himselfe which reacheth to the 27. verse then by killing ten thousand of the men of Moab which is to the 30. verse after the which followeth the subduing of the Moabites and the deliuerance and rest of the people to the 31. Now of the first of these in the first place namely of killing the King For the laying forth of the which wee are to consider first the things that went before it namely by what meanes hee wrought such a great worke and they are set downe to the 21. verse then the act it selfe which is to the 23. and the things that followed to the 27. The things that went before it as the meanes to worke it by were the double going or iourney of Ehud to the King of Moab the first when hee deliuered the present to him onely to the nineteenth verse the last when he did the act it selfe to the 21 In his first iourney to him note these three things one the occasion of it that was a carrying of a present to him the second his furnishing himselfe to do the deed with a short and sharpe dagger then the deliuering of the present Thus the storie being set downe at large in the text I haue laid it forth in the seuerall parts of it so farre as in this place is expedient for the better vnderstanding of the reader Now let vs go through them all in order And first whereas it is said in the latter end of this 15. verse That the children of Israel sent a present by Ehud to the King of Moab for so it was indeed as the word in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth and not tribute this as I said was the occasion by which he went to him so by this present the King of Moab was blind folded that hee might not suspect any such matter afterward to bee intended by Ehud when hee attempted and went about the fact in deed For though it was lawfull for him and the Israelites to goe about to kill him yet it was nothing meet that they should by any vndiscreetnesse giue him occasion to suspect it And by this which was allowed in them we may see that it is lawful and not displeasing to God for a good man being in danger or displeasure with another and namely a superiour to remoue it if he can by a gift or present I know presents may be lawfully sent in other respects namely to shew thankfulnesse for kindnesse receiued and I know also that a gift somtime is sent to the helping forward of a bad matter and for the corrupting of iudgement which is most odious neither of both these is meant heere But to get fauour and namely with our betters by such meanes when we know no other to bee like to preuaile there is nothing against it but that wee may serue Gods prouidence that way for the remouing of displeasure And so did our father Iacob seeke to put away the wrath of his brother Esau and to procure his fauour And although he who receiueth it doth oftentimes offend therein for that hee should yeeld fauour without it yet for the giuer wee know what Salomon saith A gift in secret pacifieth wrath And it doth as well pull downe the heart of him that sendeth it as mollifie him that receiueth it which is farre better then that both or either of them should ranckle and bee inflamed each against the other And this may suffice to haue been said of this matter and so of the whole 15. verse Vers 16. And Ehud made him a dagger with two edges of a cubit length and he did gird it vnder his raiment vpon his right thigh 17. And he presented the gift vnto Eglon King of Moab and Eglon was a vnry fat man 18. And when he had now presented the present he sent away the people that bare the present 19. But he turned againe from the quarries that were by Gilgal and said I haue a secret errand to thee O King who said keepe silence and all that stood about him went out from him 20. Then Ehud came to him and he sat alone in a sommer parlor which he had and Ehud said I haue a message to thee from God Then he arose out of his throne EHud whom God had giuen to the people for a deliuerer was by the consent of them chosen to goe with the present to the King of Moab and he knowing that he was to deliuer the people out of his hands did thus goe about it namely to prouide him a sharpe dagger for more speedy expedition thereof and girded the same vnder his right thigh that there might be the lesse suspition of that he intended For though the danger could not be but very great and he notwithstanding be doubted not of good successe from God yet he cast with himselfe how many and great the perils were in going about it that he might the wiselier auoid them I confesse that this act that they intended to doe namely to kill the King of Moab secretly and thus to prouide for it and to couer it by the present that hee offered him I confesse I say that if God had not called him to it and set him about it it had been an action in many respects odious and highly to be condemned But God raising him vp to such an end hee was approued of him therein and that was his encouragement and emboldening that God had called him to accomplish that worke And heere note from that which I haue now said that this is
turne the edge of the sword against their enemies And thus much of Gods mercies of old and lately shewed on his people as in these 4. verses hath been declared But it followeth Vers 8. They chose new gods then was warre in the gates Was there a shield or speare seene among the forty thousands of Israel 9. Mine heart is set on the gouernours of Israel and on them that are willing among the people praise ye the Lord. 10. Speake ye that ride on white Asses ye that dwell by Middin and that walke by the way 11. For the wife of the archers appeased among the drawers of water there shall they rehearse the righteousnesse of the Lord his righteousnesse towards his townes then did the people of the Lord goe downe to the gates THe holy story hauing set downe the peoples deliuerance out of their great calamity and oppression from Siseras army goeth on in this eighth verse and sheweth the cause why they were cast vpon them and that was for their idolatry by meanes whereof it is said they had no heart to take vp weapon no not any of them throughout all the tribes against their enemies In the next three verses all sorts are stirred vp and called to praise God that tooke benefit by the victory and deliuerance as shall bee particularly shewed when I shall come vnto them by the order of the text Now to begin with the eighth verse Barak and Debora vtter this in this part of their song that then the warre began to oppresse the Iewes and the enemies to besiege their cities and gates where they held their iudgement seates when they had turned to idolatry so that this was the cause of their grieuous punishment By the which we may see how greatly God is displeased with men when they will runne after the sins that they haue been forewarned of and commanded to take heede of euen the sinnes which his soule abhorreth as Israel had oft times been admonished of this Idolatry The Lord will not put it vp at their hands And who can denie but that it standeth with most sound reason that when men who are but vile wormes shall thus boldly kicke vp their heele against their maker they should smart for it and not be suffered to commit such insolencie against him vnpunished And therfore he gaue vs examples hereof in the Apostate Angels which kept not their place that he set them in and therefore that he threw them downe for their disobedience and in our first parents whom hee draue out of Paradise when they hauing so great liberty as they might haue eaten of any fruit in the garden except one tree yet counted all little in respect of that which was forbidden them and stood on thornes till they had cast behinde them the commandement of God and eaten of that forbidden fruit also Now if God spared not the Angels and our first parents who were innocent before that their fall what may other offenders looke for whose sinnes are as the haires of our head in number And in that he dealeth not thus with wilfull transgressors at this day it is not for that he should be vniust or carnall in so doing but he beareth much with them as all may easily see and is patient toward them to this end that be may thereby bring them to repentance which if any abuse they pay for all their boldnesse in the end in so much that hee who speedeth best shall haue small cause to brag of his winnings And yet he shoaleth out some one of an hundred heere and there not many indeed in comparison of those who haue offended in that kind whom he striketh by and by with deadly blowes and setteth him on the stage to publish as it were by his wofull example to all the rest though he bare longer with some other for the cause before alleaged what he might doe to them yea and in perfect iustice execute vpon them And therefore let all that are wise take warning while they hold a good course to continue it and they that are out of it hast speedily vnto it and let none tempt God boldly to doe that which he forbiddeth for he will not be mocked they shall pay deare for their so doing And yet though God spare them from outward warre and iudgements for a time yet as the Prophet Esay speaketh that there is no peace to the vngodly so they may be sure they shall haue warre with him in their minds And let all praise God to whom he giueth an heart to shunne the euill and sinnes of the time in which they liue And for the idolatry of the Church of Rome I may say most of the Papists doe wilfully and malitiously erre against the truth and some for their pompe and bellie and many doe it of meere superstition and blind deuotion and custome as they receiued it of their forefathers seeing they that least offend therein among the rest doe put Christ out of office in their seruice they giue him and honour him as their King but with a crowne of thornes and a scepter of a reed in his hand bee it knowne vnto them that their damnation sleepeth not their wee is at hand And that they may partly gather by the vncomfortable yea fearefull death of many Papists and great masters and maintainers of popery who for all the boldnes in their life time whereby they beare out matters yet when they must die some cry out they are vndone other cry out of their religion and but for the hardnesse of their hearts it would be seene in more of them And no maruell seeing they try not their estate what it is This being obserued that the greatest offenders among them shall smart most But yet this I will say that for all their deuotion and fast cleauing to the Church of Rome if it please God that if they might bee brought to heare the sermons of learned and religious preachers and to admit of their conferences many of them would renounce that trumpery as standing vpon rotten props and embrace the truth of the Gospell stablished so strongly And further in that it is said that they could not take vp a weapon against their enemies no they had no heart to handle shield or speare because of their sinne as idolatry and other enormities it plainely shewes that mens sinne turneth euery thing out of course against them and contrary to the nature vse and end for the which it is created and appointed of God euen as this people durst not take weapon in hand to fight for their liues their consciences accusing them that God would be against them Wherefore is the weapon ordained but for a mans defence against his enemie and why hath God giuen courage to man but that at such a time I meane of warre and other necessity it might be put to vse But behold heere was neither of both imployed or set a worke any more then if
they had not been at all When Achan had troubled Israel by taking the execrable thing the Lord tels Ioshua that therefore they could not stand before their enemies How much more if they themselues had sinned Oh mens sinnes turneth plenty into want courage into timerousnesse and fainting of heart and light into darkenesse and all out of kind Behold what it did in Ieroboam when hee stretched out his arme against the Prophet of God for reprouing him for his idolatry at Bethel his arme was immediately withered and dried vp that he could not draw it in againe So Gehazi when he had taken most wickedly both money and raiment of Naaman the Syrian pretending his masters sending him for it and after his returne had answered his master Elisha with a lie maruellous it is to say and against nature and any sound reason in mans iudgement what came vpon him euen a leprosie forthwith so that he went out a leaper as white as snow And the band of Priests Iewes and souldiers that came into the garden to apprehend and take our Sauiour Christ so boldly and trecherously yet suddenly they went backe like drunken men and fell to the ground astonished and vnfitted vtterly for such a purpose as to lay hold of him and that at one word spoken by our Sauiour and yet not in terrifying manner as he might haue done saying he was the man whom they sought So that in seeking him they were both lusty and ready to lay hold of him yet when they had found him they could doe nothing to him for their sinne had taken their power and ability from them For who is able to reckon vp how many waies God hath to visit astonish and terrifie men for their sinne Therefore among other punishments in Deuteronomy threatened this is one a trembling heart a sorrowfull mind and feare both day and night And if the Lord should not handle some thus other would not bee afraid but would abuse his Maiesty yea and faithfull people also much more grosly would tempt God then now they dare doe though euen now many doe it too boldly when they forget themselues But Hypocrites goe verie farre in sinning boldly as other doe who are like them therefore many are apalled among vs some hauing their wit and reason taken from them some become foolish some madde men other against nature laying violent hands vpon themselues their seuerall sinnes doe though no reason of man seeth it doe I say driue them to it This is another fruit to be ioyned to the former which sinne bringeth forth True it is indeed the Lord dealeth not thus in kind with all sinners nay wee see how impudent and brasen faced most bee in their leaud courses and set vp their bustles against the ordinance of God But though their foreheads bee of brasse yet their hearts be glassie their consciences if they would yeeld are as water powred forth they haue not the true Lion like courage and boldnesse which in their iollity they would haue all thinke that they haue but sin hath infeebled them they cannot abide the force and sting of their conscience but fall downe coward-like when it smiteth them neither can their sinne abide the hand of God which as it is euer readie to be reached foorth against them so when it is so indeed they are soone dismaied as Nabal was when he heard he should dye True it is they set a good face vpon the matter openly bragging and bracing as I haue said but when their conscience and they goe to it hand to hand as it doth but seldome then in their necessitie it is with them as if an armed man were vpon them their white liuerd hearts doe vtterly faile them And yet where is he that by such checkes of the word and his conscience and the feare of many arrestings of him from God doth once complaine and crie out of his estate and so seekes strength and recouerie out of it by faith peace and confidence with the true detestation of his sin which like a Witch so inchaunteth and disableth him of all courage and boldnesse and turnes him into a very coward and weakling Now in that men doe not perceiue this as they might easily do their blindfolding of themselues and hardning of their hearts is the cause thereof Now Debora turneth her selfe to diuers kinds of men and distinguisheth them one from another exhorting them all as she her selfe did to praise and magnifie God This I will lay open more plainly it being somewhat hard otherwise for some readers to vnderstand and discerne the same And first in this verse she beginneth with the chiefe of the armies and those that offered themselues willingly to the battell In the next verse she speaketh to the rich Merchants that rode on costly beasts that were as hee calleth them white Asses and such as sat in iudgement And thirdly in this same verse also she speaketh to all meaner persons that trauailed on foote seeing there was now libertie for them to passe to and fro in the high waies she moueth these I say to magnifie God Euen all sorts of people who went out and in by the gates of the citie for their businesse profit pleasure or any other necessarie vse In the second verse she nameth the very boyes and girles who could not safely goe out to draw water without danger of the archers who lay in waite secretly to shoote at them and so put them in perill and ieopardie of their liues or to be sore wounded these might now she saith fetch their water without feare of hurt Then she calleth to them who dwelt in villages and vnwalled townes their danger hauing been very great so as they were driuen away from their houses telling them that they might now returne home againe and dwel in them quietly as in times past and last of all she speakes to those who were wont to meete in the gates of the citie that is in the open places for iudgement All these she moues to praise the Lord for that he had now by that one deliuerance and victorie set them all at libertie and in peace Now to make our profit of these verses and more particularly to examine them and to begin with the ninth whereas she saith in this verse that her heart was set on the gouernours of Israel or which is all one her heart was toward them to prouoke them meaning the cause was so great why they should praise God that she could not chuse but speake to them as if she should say she desired most earnestly that the chiefe of the armie and the gouernours and captaines thereof and great men should praise God the reason was because they with her and Barak were the chiefe in that businesse and they going before them the other should the easiler be drawne by their example to follow And it liuely teacheth and setteth before the chief doers in such martiall affaires also the