his heart vvas perfect with the Lord all his dayes Loe how all his infirmities are covered with the mantle of sincerity 1. King 15. 14. Contrariwise in Iehu wee may observe how the holy Ghost after a large description of many excellent things done by him doth at last drawe as it were a cross-line and dash out all spoken before with this Conclusion But Iâ—hu regarded not to walke in the law of the Lord vvith all his heart Loe how all his other graces are buried in the grave of an unsound heart 2. King 10. 31. Great vertues not sweetned with sincerity are no ornament unto us great infirmities not sowred with hypocrisie are no great deformities those God acknowledges not these he imputes not The reason is because where sincerity is there in the meanest workes that are together with them the heart is given to God the more a man gives of his hart to God the more acceptable is his worke The widowes mite could weigh but little but her heart weighed heavy and so her heart being put to her mite gave it weight above the greater but farre more heartless largess of the Pharisee Sincerity is to our works as spirit is to our bodies which maketh it far better then where there is more â—lesh but less spirit O rare and excellent vertue of sincerity which can make light drams and barley corns as massie and ponderous as the huge talents whereas contrarily the want of sincerity maketh talents as light as feathers Hypocrisie such is the filth of it imbaseth the purest metalls and turneth very gold yea pretious stones into rustâ—y iron whereas sincerity by a divine kinde of Alchymie turneth iron into gold As in the naturall body to use Saint Augustines comparison the case of the sound finger is safer than of the blindish eye the finger indeed is but a little small thing and cannot do such service as the eye it is not of that admirable nimbleness and quicknes nor can it guide and direct the whole bodie as the eye doth and yet is it better to be a finger sound than to be an eye and dim or dark ready to fal out of the socket And Chrysostom sayes well that she is a worse woman that in hypocrisie blurs her face with tears that shee might be judged an huÌ„ble PeniteÌ„tiary than she that beautifies it with painted colours that shee might be reputed a faire and lovely creature Finally sincerity as it is of all vertues the girdle Ephe. 6. 14. of all other the most acceptable to God so is it to us the most profitable in all dangers tryals temptations begetting in us that Lion-like boldness spoken of in Pro. 28. 1. It is not put out of countenance with false accusatioÌ„s of slandâ—rous tongues it throweth them off as Paul did the Viper unhurt yea in a holy scorne it laugheth at them No no the brest-plate of righteousnes the brazen wall of a good conscience feareth no such arrowes It saith with Paul 1. Cor. 4. 3. I pass not for mans iudgement And with Iob 31. 35. Though mine adversary should write a booke against me I would take it upon my shoulder and binde it as a crowne unto me That which made him thus confident was the sincerity of his heart My righteousness I holde fast and will not let iâ— goe my heart shall not reproach mee so long as I live Iob 27. 5. And as it bred confidence in Iob in his tryals so did it minister comfort to Hezekiah beeing now stricken with the thunderbolt of the sentence of death O Lord thou knowest saith he I have walked vvith an upright heart Esa. 38. 3. Though those good works hee had done were in regard of his calling of the highest note the restoring of the true worshippe of God the purging of the defiled Temple and Priest-hood yet hee doth not comfort himselfe with these so worthy works O Lord thou knowest I have cleansed thy Sanctuary erected thy worship repaired the decayed wals of Ierusalem renewed the glory beauty of thy Sion No but without instancing in any particulars he had done he mentions onely the sincerity of his affection in doing them I have walked with a perfect or upright hart which is the same our Prophet here promiseth I will walk with a perfect heart Perfect as in regard of sincerity opposed to a doublâ— heart so likewise in regard of integritie opposed to a cloven or divided heart The former implies an unfained the later an universall obedience for the shunning as of hypocrisie in respect of others so of partiality towards himselfe Blessed are they that seeke him with their whâ—le heart Psal. 119. 2. And therefore are they blessed because it is commanded Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Deut. 6. 5. Those false harlots the World the Divell and the Flesh are content to share with God in thy heart but God like the true mother will have all or none The gods of the Heathen were goods fellows they could well enough endure inter-com-communing and partnership but the true God is the jealous God who cannot away with halfes or parts As himselfe and the light which of all visible things comes nearest his nature are indivisible so is he most delighted with the Holocaust of an intire and undivided heart And as in nature Solutio continui the division of any member is the mayme and griefe of the bodie but the division of the hart is the present death of it so the division of the affections of the heart betweene the love of God and the love of our selves is undoubtedly the death of the soule With what face can we come before God when with Ananias and Saphira we keep back paâ—t from him when with Zachary and Elizabeth wee walke not in all the commandements of the Lord Doubtless the old and sure way not to be asham'd when we present our selves befoâ—e him is to have respect to all his coÌ„mandments Though we caÌ„not keep all nor any one indeed as wee ought yet we may and must have regard unto all and that equally without respect or difference of any For he that failes in one point is guilty of all Iames 2. 10. His meaning is sayes the most learned Interpreter Deum nolle cum exceptione coli that God will not bee served with exceptions and reservations As his lawe is one intire rule though consisting of many peeces so ought our actions and affections intirely to be squared thereunto If wee will goe out of Egypt we must not leave so much as an hoofe behinde us If we leave but one gate of our soule oâ—â—n our spirituall enemies who ly in ambush for all advantages may as well by that rush in upon us to our perdition as if no gate were shut no breach made up If the Bird bee taken but by the claw the Fowler is as sure of him as if hee had his whole body in his hand And the Ship is oftner
fac quod vis saith Saint Augustine If then thou wilt sin securely seek ouâ— a place where hee sees thee not and there doo what thou list but if his eye pâ—y into â—very corner then hast thou reason rather to stand in awe of the presence of the immortall God than of a mortall man So doo whatsoever thou doost saith the heathen Philosopher 〈…〉 as if severe Cato stood by lookt on but if in stead of Caâ—o he had put Deus as if God stood by and lookt on his advice might well have passed for â—ight Christian Doctrine which was the Counsell of Another save thaâ— hee named gods for God Quaecunque capesses Testes factorum stare arbitrabere divos What availeth it to have no creature privy to our evill acts when wee have him privy to them who must one day judge them The forgetfulness heerof makes many men and especially great ones dig deep as if they would hide their counsell from â—he Lord and contrive in secret those things which afterward being brought to light cast shame in their faces a burden upon their consciences a blot upon their name and without repentance everlasting confusion both upon body and soule It were good then to write upon their walls and to engrave upon their windowes that short Moâ—to which as short as it is yet our memories are shorter Cave Deus videt Take heed God sees it But then should wee chiefly call it to minde and make use of it when beeing inclosed within our wals sequestred from company occasion and oportunity invite us to sinne Verse 3. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turne aside it shall not cleave to mee THe Originall hath it if wee will render it word for word I will set no word of Beliall before mine eyes But Word is there figuratively put for Thing as likewise Psal. 41. 8 and so is it rendred both by Montanus in the Margent and in the Text by â—unius howbeit in his comment upon this Psalm hee precisely follow the Originall applying it against sycophants and flatterers the mice and moaths of Court But of these I shal find or take occasioÌ„ to speak heerafter and for the Present make choice rather to follow the beateÌ„ track of all the Translations and other comments which I have seene specially considering that to speake properly a Word cannot bee the object of the ey but a Thing Well then one speciall point of that Wisdom which our Prophet had promised in the verse going before appeares in not setting these things of Belial or wicked things before his eyes As wee turne away our eyes from that or remove that from our eyes which we like not so what wee most delight in wee commonly set before our eyes or at least wee fixe and set our eyes upon that True it is that the eyes of the Lord are sayd to be in every place beholding the evill and the good Pro. 15. 3 yet are they in a special manner set upon those places and persons that hee hath a tender care of and respect unto and loves in a speciall maner Such a place was the Land of Canaan A Land which the Lord thy God â—areth for the eyes of the Lord thy God are upon it from the beginning of the yeare to the end thereof he never took off his eye from it Deut. 11. 12. Such a person was David I vvill instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shall goe I vvill guide thee with mine eye or as the Originall Mine eyes shall bee upon thee Psalme 32. 8. Such are all those of whom Saint Peter speakes The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous 1. Pet. 3. 12 and they are so over them that hee withdrawes not his eyes from them Iob 36. 7. Now then as they are alwayes sette before Gods eyes whom he loves so is God alway set before their eyes who love him I have set the Lord alwayes before mee Psalme 16. 8. Vnto thee lift I up mine eyes Psal. 123. 1. And as long as hee thus set his eyes upon God and God before his eyes hee could not well set any wicked thing before them Hee could not at once intend two such distant objects hee might glance or squint upon both but directly fix his eyes upon both hee could not This made him so confident I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes A bird may light upon a mans house but he may choose whether shee shall nestle or breed there or no And the Divell or his instruments may represent a wicked object to a mans sight but hee may choose whether he will entertaine or imbrace it or no. So that upon the matter for a man to set wicked things before his eyes is nothing else but to sinne of set purpose to set himselfe to sinne or to sell himselfe to sin as Ahab did 1. King 21. The best among us God helpe us are subject to sinne For if we say we have no sinne we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us yet by the grace of God we may be kept from presumptuous sins that they have no dominion over us Psal. 19. 13. And though wee doe the evill which we would not doe yet wee endeavour to doe the good which wee doe not and we delight in the lawe of God after the inner man though wee feele in our members another law warring and rebelling against the lawe of our mind and bringing us into captiuitie to the lawe of sin Rom. 7. In such sinne ever goes with some unwillingness with some wrastling and striving with some remorse of heart and check of conscience whereas the unrepentant sinner sets wicked things before his eyes hee seekes out provocations and hunts after occasions of sinning he goes on with an high hand and a stiffe neck and is carried with a swinge as a ship under full saile hee drinkes-in iniquity as the beast licks up the water or the fish catches at the bait hee cannot sleep nor rest quietly in his bed before hee have done some mischiefe his only study is to fulfill the desires of the flesh and having his conscience seared with an hot iron and being past feeling he gives him selfe over to vvorke all manner of uncleanness and that with greediness hee returnes to his former sinnes as the horse rusheth into the battell Ier. 8. 6. He makes haste he runs to all excess of ryot I. Pet. 4. 4. And being come to this pass hee gets him a brow of brass a strumpets forehead that canon blush Ier. 3. 3. He declares his sin like Sodome and hides it not Esa. 3. 9. And then Peccator cum in profundum venerit contemnit when he is thus plunged in the gulfe of sinne hee growes desperate hee neither feares God nor cares for man Take heed then of setting wicked things before thine eyes that is of sinning ex destinata malitiâ of set purpose say alwaies and practice
autem cum abundent infeliciter viuendo augenda sunt docendo Lies are either to be shund by speaking truth or to be confest and bewailed with sorrow or if they abound by ill living they are not to bee multiplied by teaching them as lawfull Verse 8. I will earely destroy all the wicked of the Land that I may cut off all wicked doers from the citie of the Lord. OVr Prophet having in the former verses of this Psalme vowed the reformation of his owne Person of his housholde Servants of his Counsellers inferior Magistrates Heere in this last verse he vowes in generall the reformation both of the Church and of the Common-weak of the Civill and Ecclesiastical State In the handling of which words I will follow the method proposed in the Text. The first word is In matutinis as Arias Montanus or Singulis matutinis as Tremelius renders it In the mornings or morning by morning Every morning wherin he notably expresseth his diligence and dispatch in that it should bee his mornings worke and then his Constancy and perseverance in that it should bee his worke euery morning The second thing is the worke it selâ—â— I will destroy I will cut off his meaning is when no other remedy will serve the turne The third is the Obiect the persons upon whom this severe justice is to be done not petty offenders much lesse the innocent but notorious malefactors The vvicked of the Land wicked doers The fourth is the unpartiality of his proceeding without respect of persons All the wicked of the Land all wicked doers twice repeated that we might take notice of it As he wold cut off none but notorious malefactors so would he as near as he could cut them all off Neither his heart nor his eye should pitie nor his hand spare any of them The fift and last is the End hee proposeth to him selfe of this worke the purging of the Citie of the Lord by which is meant Hierusalem first for Example to the whole Realme it being the Metropolis and head Citie of the kingdome as also and principally by reason the service of God and the exercise of religion was in a speciall manner by divine ordinance tyed unto it First then of the first In matutinis wherein his diligence in the carefull performing of this worke comes first to bee observed The saying is common and in some cases no lesse just Odi nimium diligenâ—es but where the businesse is weighty and the fayling dangerous a man can hardly be too diligent The life of man is precious and the preservation of the State and Church important and diligence in such a case is not onely commendable but necessary The search of truth is hard specially being disguised by the colourable shifts of cunning heads and in such a case as it is the glorie of god to conceal a thing so it is the Kings honour to search out a matter Prov. 25. 2. And no time so fit for this search as the morning when mens wits are freshest and their mindes after repose least distracted Therefore Iosuah rose early in the morning for the discovery of Achans theft 7. 16. And besides the drinking of wine often makes men after meales to forget the lawe and pervert the iudgement Pro. 31. 5. Therefore is there a woe pronounced against that Land whose Princes or chiefe Magistrates eate in the morning Eccles. 10. 16 that is take up that time which is specially allotted for matters of justice with intemperate and unseasonable eating and drinking As then he is cursed that doth the worke of the Lord negligently so is hee blessed that doth it diligently and watchfully In matutinis The second thing implyed in this word is speed and dispatch therefore it followes in the same place of the Prophet Ieremy Cursed bee hee that keepeth backe his sword from blood 48. 10 that deferreth to doe justice when occasion and oportunity is offered when reason and religion requires it Delayes in other things are not good but in this they are starke naught because by delay great offences many times get either friends for protection or meanes for evasion according to a saying of the Italians Give mee time and give mee life Againe by delay and connivence small offences growe great a little fire which at first might have beene put out with a spoonfull of water being let to burne turnes townes and cities into ashes and cannot bee quenched with whole rivers Punishments are as medicines which if they be kept too long hazard the Patient and lose their vertue And Magistrates as Physicians who must not let a disease go too long left by sufferance it proove incurable which might haue beene holpen by timely ministring Lastly as by delay the offender growes bolder to the farther indangering and oppressing of the innocent the infecting of the good the hartening and hardning of the wicked So hee that should cut him off many times by tract of time growes colder in his zeale to justice If Ioab had received condigne punishment according to his deserts at his killing of Abner he would never have growen so audaciously insoleÌ„t to murther Amasa in such a treacherous manner And had Absolon beene taken short when by his command his brother Amnon was slaine there had bin no danger of his ensuing rebellion against his Soveraigne his Father It is good then to launce an ulcer betimes before it growe to a Gangrene and to kill a Tetter before it spread to a Ringworme That which God commandeth Fathers of families that if they love their children they correct them betimes and chastice them whiles there is hope Prov. 13. 24 is also required of the fathers of the Common-wealth Whoseever will not doe the lawe of God and the King let iudgement be executed speedily upon him Esra 7. 26. And the reason hereof is yeelded by Salomon Eccles. 8. 11. Because sentence against an evill worke is not executed speedily the heart of the sonnes of men is fully set on mischiefe Yet is there not more haste to be made than good speed The celestiall spheares the higher they are in situation the slower are they in their proper motion and the supreame Iudge of the world useth much forbearance long suffering toward sinners that so by the riches of his goodnes hee might draw them to repentance or because hee foreseeth that they will doo some notable good worke to the advancement of his glory the good of his church Much like saith Plutarch in that golden Booke of his De sera Numinis vindicta as the lawes ordain that a woman condemned to death for some hainous offense bee neverthelesse reprived and spared if shee be with childe untill she bee delivered which beeing done the Law is executed upon her As then the supreme Iudge in heaven inflicts punishments on offenders without al passion and with all patience in due manner place and season so should his Vice-gerents on earth not so much out of desire of
not spare her but deposed her from her Regency 1. King 15. And indeed it is truly said Iustitia non novit patrem non novit matrem veritatem novit Iustice neither knoweth father nor mother but onely the truth It is reported by a late Traveller that in Zant over the place of judgement where all causes both Criminall and Civill are decided there are these two Latine verses written on the wall in letters of gold Hic locus odit amat punit conservat hâ—norat Nequitiam pacem crimina iâ—ra bonos This place hateth wickedness loveth peace punisheth offences preserveth the lawes honoureth the good implying that there should be no partiality used but every man should be proceeded withall according to his deserts To which purpose was that memorable speech of our King Henry the fourth of that name who when his eldest son the Prince was by the L. chief Iustice for some great misdemeanors commanded and committed to prison hee thanked God that hee had both a sonne of that obedience and a judge of such unpartiall and undanted courage But Agesilaus was as much to blame who when hee commended a friend of his to the Iudge hee mooved him that if his cause were good hee would absolve him for justice sake if not at his motion but howsoever the world went absolved hee must be bee an ill example of dangerous consequence in him who was to be a paterne of indifferent justice to his inferiour Iudges among whom wee finde that too often true which the heathen Orator complained of in his times Omnium Sermone percrebuit It is rife in every mans mouth In his iudiciis quae nunc sunt pecuniosum hominem quamvis sit nocens neminem posse damnari That in these judgements which are now-adayes a monied man though hee bee guilty cannot be condemned Nihil tam sanctum quod non violari nihil tam munitum quod non expugnari pecuniâ possit There is nothing so holy that may not be violated nothing so well fenced that may not bee overthrowne with money the lawes being made like unto cobwebs which catch and holde little â—lyes but the great ones breake through them Blasphemy and perjury sacriledge and symonie and extortion and oppression and vsury and exeessive bribery passe currant when petty theeverie in case of extreame necessity is most severely punished The fifâ— and last point I proposed is the End our Prophet proposeth to him selfe of this great work heer vowed It is the purging of the Citie of the Lord whereby is meant Ierusalem First for example to the whole Realme it being the Metropolis and head Citie of the Kingdome as also and principally by reason the service of God and the exercise of religion was in a speciall mannâ—r by divine ordinance tied unto it in which regard he cals it the Citie of the Lord as the Evangelist doth the holy Citie Mat. 4. This Citie was so large that it conâ—â—â—â—ed of foure quarters every one of them by walles divided from another The first and highest was mount Sion in it was the Citie of David called by â—osephus the superiour Citie exceeding strong in regard of the naturall situation thereof The second was called the Daughter of Sion because it seemed to come out as it were of the bosome of the other and in this was mount Moriah whereupon the Temple stood This Citie was compassed with a stronge walâ— wherein stood threescore Towres The third was beautified with many ample streets faire buildings compassed with a wall wherein were fourteen Towers The fourth was inhabited by all sorts of Artificers compassed with the third wall which was twenty five cubits high and had in it fourescore and tenne strong Towers So populous withall it was that during the siege of the Romans in the space of five monthes there were slaine and died as Iosephus there present reports it to the number of eleven hundred thousand Now albeit in our Prophets dayes this Citie was not yet brought to this perfection yet was it then very spacious and populous notwithstanding which greatness of the place and disordred multitude of the inhabitants yet by Gods helpe he undertakes the reformation It is a thing which we ought to bear away for it meeteth with the idleâ—ess and litherness of many who imagine that it is impossible to reforme a great City yea if it bee but a little market-town it is impossible say they that all should bee well there Yea this excuse is pretended by such as have but small families in comparison and so under a colour of this impossibility to reform all they doo almost just nothing no not so much as the lawes put into their hands and command them to do Yet these men have but as it were a posterne gate in Ierusalem to keep what thinke you would they doo if they had the charge of so great and large a City True it is let Officers doo their best there will be much disorder what wil it bee then when they doo little or nothing in respect of any care to weed out sinne but rather bolster it out take part with leud companions give them countenance speak and write for them yea keep them company men fitte rather to bee overseen and guided continually by others than to bee in authority to see or guide any But let such as bee in office doo their duty executing the good lawes put into their hands by higher authority and then not doubt of the impossibility of reforming abuses in their lesser charges seeing David trusting upon the help of God is so confident touching this great populous City Let them but put-to their endeavours and they shall finde such success in the advancement of godlines and suppressing of impiety many times even beyond hope and expectation as they wil see cause to rejoice in the performance of their dutie and to praise God for his blessing upon it Again David vowing to reforme this City meaneth not to stay there but to proceed to the cleansing purging of the whole Land This no doubt hee might think that if Ierusalem were reformed it would be a great light and direction to the whole Kingdome as wee see how it falleth out lesser places look to those that beâ— greater and the meaner sort look to those that beâ— higher froÌ„ whom also there is 〈◊〉 force to draw inferiours either to good or evill Above maiori discit ar are minor A great towne or a great house well ordered may fitly bee compared to a great garden ful of sweet flowrs which yeeldeth much good â—avour and prospect to the neighbours if they bee ill ordered they bee like great dunghills noysome and contagious to such as dwell about A great towne or a great Personages house if they bee good do much good to the Countrey but if they bee naught and sinfull the poison of them is strong and the infection daÌ„gerous It is then a work worthy a King to beginne the reformation of