Leuite He that had helped to offer so many sacrifices to God for the multitude of euery Israelites sinnes saw how proportionable it was that man should not hold one sinne vnpardonable He had serued at the Altar to no purpose if he whose trade was to sue for mercy had not at all learned to practise it And if the reflexion of mercy wrought this in a seruant what shall we expect from him whose essence is mercy O God we doe euery day breake the holy couenant of our loue We prostitute our selues to euery filthy tentation and then runne and hide our selues in our fathers house the world If thou didst not seeke vs vp we should neuer returne if thy gracious proffer did not preuent vs we should be vncapeable of forgiuenesse It were abundant goodnesse in thee to receiue vs when we should intreat thee but lo thou intreatest vs that we would receiue thee How should we now adore and imitate thy mercy sith there is more reason we should sue to each other then that thou shouldest sue to vs because we may as well offend as be offended I doe not see the womans father make any meanes for reconciliation but when remission came home to his dores no man could entertaine it more thankfully The nature of many men is froward to accept and negligent to sue for they can spend secret wishes vpon that which shall cost them no indeuour Great is the power of loue which can in a sort vndoe euils past if not for the act yet for the remembrance Where true affection was once conceiued it is easily pieced againe after the strongest interruption Heere needs no tedious recapitulation of wrongs no importunity of sute The vnkindnesses are forgotten their loue is renued and now the Leuite is not a stranger but a sonne By how much more willingly he came by so much more vnwillingly hee is dismissed The foure moneths absence of his daughter is answered with foure dayes feasting Neither was there so much ioy in the former wedding feast as in this because thē he deliuered his daughter intire now desperate then he found a sonne but now that sonne hath found his lost daughter and he found both The recouery of any good is far more pleasant then the continuance Little doe we know what euill is towards vs Now did this old man and this restored couple promise themselues all ioy and contentment after this vnkinde storme and said in themselues Now we begin to liue And now this feast which was meant for their new nuptialls proues her funerall Euen when we let our selues loosest to our pleasures the hand of God though inuisibly is writing bitter things against vs. Sith wee are not worthy to know it is wisedome to suspect the worst while it is least seene Sometimes it falls out that nothing is more iniurious then courtesie If this old man had thrust his sonne and daughter early out of dores they had auoyded this mischief now his louing importunity detaines them to their hurt and his owne repentance Such contentment doth sincere affection finde in the presence of those we loue that death it selfe hath no other name but departing The greatest comfort of our life is the fruition of friendship the dissolution whereof is the greatest paine of death As all earthly pleasures so this of loue is distasted with a necessity of leauing How worthy is that onely loue to take vp our hearts which is not open to any danger of interruption which shall out-liue the date euen of faith and hope and is as eternall as that God and those blessed spirits whom wee loue If we hang neuer so importunately vpon one anothers sleeues and shead flouds of teares to stop their way yet we must bee gone hence no occasion no force shall then remoue vs from our fathers house The Leuite is stayed beyond his time by importunity the motions whereof are boundlesse and infinite one day drawes on another neither is there any reason of this dayes stay which may not serue still for to morrow His resolution at last breakes thorow all those kinde hinderances rather will he venture a benighting then an vnnecessary delay It is a good hearing that the Leuite makes hast home An honest mans heart is where his calling is such a one when he is abroad is like a fish in the aire whereinto if it leape for recreation or necessity yet it soone returnes to his own element This charge by how much more sacred it is so much more attendance it expecteth Euen a day breakes square with the conscionable The Sunne is ready to lodge before them His seruant aduises him to shorten his iourney holding it more fit to trust an early Inne of the Iebusites then to the mercy of the night And if that counsell had been followed perhaps they which found Iebusites in Israel might haue found Israelites in Iebus No wise man can hold good counsell disparaged by the meannesse of the Author If we be glad to receiue any treasure from our seruant why not precious admonitions It was the zeale of this Leuite that shut him out of Iebus We will not lodge in the City of strangers The Iebusites were strangers in religion not strangers enough in their habitation The Leuite will not receiue common courtesie from those which were aliens from God though home-borne in the heart of Israel It is lawfull enough in tearmes of ciuility to deale with Infidels the earth is the Lords and we may enioy it in the right of the owner while we protest against the wrong of the vsurper yet the lesse communion with Gods enemies the more safety If there were another aire to breathe in from theirs another earth to tread vpon they should haue their own Those that affect a familiar intirenesse with Iebusites in conuersion in leagues of amity in matrimoniall contracts bewray eyther too much boldnesse or too little conscience He hath no bloud of an Israelite that delights to lodge in Iebus It was the fault of Israel that an heathenish Towne stood yet in the nauell of the Tribes and that Iebus was no sooner turned to Ierusalem Their lenity and neglect were guilty of this neighbourhood that now no man can passe from Bethleem Iuda to Mount Ephraim but by the City of Iebusites Seasonable iustice might preuent a thousand euils whic◠afterwards know no remedy but patience The way was not long betwixt Iebus and Gibeah for the Sun was stooping when the Leuite was ouer against the first and is but now declined when he comes to the other How his heart was lightned when he was entred into an Israelitish City and can thinke of nothing but hospitality rest security There is no perfume so sweet to a Traueller as his own smoake Both expactation and feare doe commonly disappoint vs for seldome euer doe we enioy the good we looke for or smart with a feared euill The poore Leuite could haue found but such entertainment with the Iebusites Whither are the
How iniurious were that affection to keepe his sonne so long in his eye till they should see each other dye for hunger The ten brothers returne into Egypt loaded with double money in their sacks and a present in their hands the danger of mistaking is requited by honest minds with more then restitution It is not enough to finde our owne hearts cleare in suspicious actions except we satisfie others Now hath Ioseph what he would the sight and presence of his Beniamin whom he therefore borrowes of his Father for a time that hee might returne him with a greater interest of ioy And now he feasts them whom hee formerly threatned and turnes their feare into wonder all vnequall loue is not partiall all the brethren are entertained bountifully but Beniamin hath a fiue-fold portion By how much his welcome was greater by so much his pretended theft seemed more hainous for good turnes aggrauate vnkindnesses and our offences are encreased with our obligations How easie is it to find aduantages where there is a purpose to accuse Beniamins sacke makes him guilty of that whereof his heart was free Crimes seeme strange to the innocent well might they abiure this fact with the offer of bondage and death For they which carefully brought againe that which they might haue taken would neuer take that which was not giuen them But thus Ioseph would yet daily with his brethren and make Beniamin a thiefe that he might make him a seruant and fright his brethren with the perill of that their charge that he might double their ioy and amazednesse in giuing them two brothers at once our happinesse is greater and sweeter when we haue well feared and smarted with euils But now when Iudah seriously reported the danger of his old Father and the sadnesse of his last complaint compassion and ioy will be concealed no longer but breake forth violently at his voice and eyes Many passions doe not well abide witnesses because they are guilty to their owne weaknesse Ioseph sends forth his seruants that he might freely weepe He knew hee could not say I am Ioseph without an vnbeseeming vehemence Neuer any word sounded so strangely as this in the eares of the Patriarkes Wonder doubt reuerence ioy feare hope guiltinesse strooke them at once It was time for Ioseph to say Feare not No maruell if they stood with palenesse and silence before him looking on him and on each other the more they considered they wondred more and the more they beleeued the more they feared For those words I am Ioseph seemed to sound thus much to their guilty thoughts You are murtherers and I am a Prince in spight of you My power and this place giue mee all opportunities of reuenge My glory is your shame my life your danger your sinne liues together vvith me But now the teares and gracious words of Ioseph haue soone assured them of pardon and loue and haue bidden them turne their eyes from their sinne against their brother to their happinesse in him and haue changed their doubts into hopes and ioyes causing them to looke vpon him without feare though not without shame His louing embracements cleare their hearts of all iealousies and hasten to put new thoughts into them of fauour and of greatnesse So that now forgetting what euill they did to their brother they are thinking of what good their brother may doe to them Actions salued vp with a free forgiuenesse are as not done and as a bone once broken is stronger after well setting so is loue after reconcilement But as wounds once healed leaue a scarre behinde them so remitted iniuries leaue commonly in the actors a guilty remembrance which hindered these brethren from that freedome of ioy which else they had conceiued This was their fault not Iosephs who striues to giue them all securitie of his loue and wil be as bountifull as they were cruell They sent him naked to strangers hee sends them in new and rich liueries to their Father they tooke a small summe of money for him hee giues them great treasures They sent his torne coat to his Father He sends varietie of costly rayments to his Father by them They sold him to be the loade of Camels He sends them home with Chariots It must be a great fauour that can appease the conscience of a great injury Now they returne home rich and ioyfull making themselues happy to thinke how glad they should make their Father with this newes That good old man would neuer haue hoped that Aegypt could haue afforded such prouision as this Ioseph is yet aliue This was not food but life to him The returne of Beniamin was comfortable but that his dead sonne was yet aliue after so many yeares lamentation was tidings too happy to be beleeued and was enough to endanger that life with excesse of ioy which the knowledge thereof doubled Ouer-excellent obiects are dangerous in their sudden apprehensions One graine of that ioy would haue safely cheered him whereof a full measure ouer-layes his heart with too much sweetnesse There is no earthly pleasure whereof we may not surfet of the sprituall we can neuer haue enough Yet his eyes reuiue his minde which his eares had thus astonished When hee saw the Chariots of his sonne he beleeued Iosephs life and refreshed his owne He had too much before so that he could not enioy it now he saith I haue enough Ioseph my sonne is yet aliue They told him of his honour he speakes of his life Life is better then honour To haue heard that Ioseph liued a seruant would haue ioyed him more then to heare that he dyed honourably The greater blessing obscures the lesse He is not worthy of honour that is not thankefull for life Yet Iosephs life did not content Iacob without his presence I will goe downe and see him ere I dye The sight of the eye is better then to walke in desires Good things pleasure vs not in their being but in our inioying The height of all earthly contentment appeared in the meeting of these two whom their mutuall losse had more endeared to each other The intermission of comforts hath this aduantage that it sweetens our delight more in the returne then was abated in the forbearance God doth oft-times hide away our Ioseph for a time that we may bee more ioyous and thankfull in his recouerie This was the sincerest pleasure that euer Iacob had which therefore God reserued for his age And if the meeting of earthly friends be so vnspeakably comfortable how happy shall we be in the light of the glorious face of God our heauenly Father of that our blessed Redeemer whom we sold to death by our sinnes and which now after that noble Triumph hath all power giuen him in Heauen and Earth Thus did Iacob reioyce when he was to goe out of the Land of Promise to a foraine Nation for Iosephs sake being glad that hee should lose his Countrey for his sonne What shall our ioy be who
time and after retrait as Laban to Iacob some what they doe also giue but vnwillingly as Herod some what they willingly giue and after repent them as Ioshua to the Gibeonites So great distrust is there in man whether from his impotence or faithlesnesse As in other things so in this I see God is not like man but in what euer he promises he approues himselfe most faithfull both in his ability and performances I will therefore euer trust God on his bare word euen with hope besides hope aboue hope against hope and onwards I will relie on him for small matters of this life for how shall I hope to trust him in impossibilities if I may not in likelihoods How shall I depend on him for raising my body from dust and sauing my soule if I mistrust him for a crust of bread towards my preseruation 11 If the World would make me his Minion he could giue me but what he hath And what hath he to giue but a smoke of honour a shadow of riches a sound of pleasures a blast of fame which when I haue had in the best measure I may be worse I cannot bee better I can liue no whit longer no whit merrier no whit happier If hee professe to hate me what can he doe but disgrace me in my name impouerish mee in my estate afflict me in my body in all which it is easie not to be euer the more miserable I haue beene too long beguiled with the vaine semblances of it Now henceforth accounting my selfe borne to a better world I will in an holy loftinesse beare my selfe as one too good to be enamoured of the best pleasures to be daunted with the greatest miseries of this life 12 I see there is no man so happy as to haue all things and no man so miserable as not to haue some Why should I looke for a better condition than all others If I haue somewhat and that of the best things I will in thankfulnesse enioy them and want the rest with contentment 13 Constraint makes an easie thing toilsome whereas againe loue makes the greatest toile pleasant How many miles doe we ride and runne to see one silly beast follow another with pleasure which if we were commanded to measure vpon the charge of a Superiour we should complaine of wearinesse I see the folly of the most men that make their liues miserable and their actions tedious for want of loue to that they must doe I will first labour to settle in my heart a good affection to heauenly things so Lord thy yoke shall be easie and thy burthen light 14 I am a stranger euen at home therefore if the dogs of the world barke at me I neither care nor wonder 15 It is the greatest madnesse in the world to bee an hypocrite in religious profession Men hate thee because thou art a Christian so much as in appearance God hates thee double because thou art but in appearance so while thou hast the hatred of both thou hast no comfort in thy selfe Yet if thou wilt not be good as thou seemest I hold it better to seeme ill as thou art An open wicked man doth much hurt with notorious sinnes but an hypocrite doth at last more shame goodnesse by seeming good I had rather be an open wicked man than an hypocrite but I had rather be no man than either of them 16 When I cast downe mine eyes vpon my wants vpon my sinnes vpon my miseries me thinkes no man should be worse no man so ill as I my meanes so many so forcible and almost violent my progresse so small and insensible my corruptions so strong my infirmities so frequent and remedilesse my body so vnanswerable to my minde But when I looke vp to the blessings that God hath enriched me withall me thinkes I should soone be induced to thinke none more happy than my selfe God is my friend and my father the world not my master but my slaue I haue friends not many but so tried that I dare trust them an estate not superfluous not needy yet neerer to defect than abundance A calling if despised of men yet honourable with God a body not so strong as to admit security but often checking me in occasion of pleasure nor yet so weake as to afflict me continually A minde not so furnished with knowledge that I may boast of it nor yet so naked that I should despaire of obtaining it My miseries affoord me ioy mine enemies aduantage my account is cast vp for another world And if thou thinke I haue said too much good of my selfe either I am thus or I would be 17 The worldlings life is of all other most discomfortable For that which is his God doth not alway fauour him that which should be neuer 18 There are three messengers of death Casualty Sicknesse Age. The two first are doubtfull since many haue recouered them both the last is certaine The two first are sudden the last leasurely and deliberate As for all men vpon so many summons so especially for an old man it is a shame to be vnprepared for death for where other see they may die hee sees he must die I was long agone old enough to die but if I liue till age I will thinke my selfe too old to liue longer 19 I will not care what I haue whether much or little If little my account shall bee lesse if more I shall doe the more good and receiue the more glory 20 I care not for any companion but such as may teach me somewhat or learne somewhat of me Both these shall much pleasure me one as an Agent the other as a Subiect to worke vpon neither know I whether more For though it be an excellent thing to learne yet I learne but to teach others 21 If earth that is prouided for mortality and is possessed by the Makers enemies haue so much pleasure in it that Worldlings thinke it worth the account of their heauen such a Sunne to enlighten it such an heauen to wall it about such sweet fruits and flowers to adorne it such varietie of creatures for the commodious vse of it What must heauen needs bee that is prouided for God himselfe and his friends How can it bee lesse in worth than God is aboue his creatures and Gods friends better than his enemies I will not onely be content but desirous to be dissolued 22 It is commonly seene that boldnesse puts men forth before their time before their abilitie Wherein we haue seene many that like Lapwings and Partridges haue runne away with some part of their shell on their heads whence it followes that as they began boldly so they proceed vnprofitably and conclude not without shame I would rather be haled by force of others to great duties than rush vpon them vnbidden It were better a man should want worke than that great workes should want a man answerable to their weight 23 I will vse my friend as Moses did his rod While it
either by fauour or wages few seruants and therefore few sons It is great fauour in God and great honour to me that he will vouchsafe to make me the lowest drudge in his family which place if I had not and were a Monarch of men I were accursed I desire no more but to serue yet Lord thou giuest me more to be thy sonne I heare Dauid say Seemeth it a small matter to you to be the sonne in law to a King What is it then oh what is it to bee the true adopted sonne of the King of glory Let me not now say as Dauid of Saul but as Sauls grand-childe to Dauid Oh what is thy seruant that thou shouldest looke vpon such a dead dogge as I am 22 I am a stranger here below my home is aboue yet I can thinke too well of these forraine vanities and cannot thinke enough of my home Surely that is not so farre aboue my head as my thoughts neither doth so farre passe me in distance as in comprehension and yet I would not stand so much vpon conceiuing if I could admire it enough but my straight heart is filled with a little wonder and hath no roome for the greatest part of glorie that remaineth O God what happinesse hast thou prepared for thy chosen What a purchase was this worthy of the bloud of such a Sauiour As yet I doe but looke towards it afarre off but it is easie to see by the outside how goodly it is within Although as thine house on earth so that aboue hath more glorie within than can be bewrayed by the outward appearance The outer part of thy Tabernacle here below is but an earthly and base substance but within it is furnished with a liuing spirituall and heauenly guest so the outer heauens though they bee as gold to all other materiall creatures yet they are but drosse to thee yet how are euen the outmost walls of that house of thine beautified with glorious lights whereof euery one is a world for bignesse and as an heauen for goodlinesse Oh teach me by this to long after and wonder at the inner part before thou letst me come in to behold it 23 Riches or beautie or what-euer worldly good that hath beene doth but grieue vs that which is doth not satisfie vs that which shall be is vncertaine What folly is it to trust to any of them 24 Securitie makes worldlings merry and therefore are they secure because they are ignorant That is onely solid ioy which ariseth from a resolution when the heart hath cast vp a full account of all causes of disquietnesse and findeth the causes of his ioy more forcible thereupon setling it selfe in a staied course of reioicing For the other so soone as sorrow makes it selfe to be seene especially in an vnexpected forme is swallowed vp in despaire whereas this can meet with no occurrence which it hath not preuented in thought Securitie and ignorance may scatter some refuse morsels of ioy sawced with much bitternesse or may be like some boasting house-keeper which keepeth open doores for one day with much cheere and liues staruedly all the yeere after There is no good Ordinarie but in a good conscience I pittie that vnsound ioy in others and will seeke for this sound ioy in my selfe I had rather weepe vpon a iust cause than reioice vniustly 25 As loue keepes the whole Law so loue onely is the breaker of it being the ground as of all obedience so of all sinne for whereas sinne hath beene commonly accounted to haue two roots Loue and Feare it is plaine that feare hath his originall from loue for no man feares to lose ought but what hee loues Here is sinne and righteousnesse brought both into a short summe depending both vpon one poore affection It shall be my onely care therefore to bestow my loue well both for obiect and measure All that is good I may loue but in seuerall degrees what is simply good absolutely what is good by circumstance onely with limitation There be these three things that I may loue without exception God my neighbour my soule yet so as each haue their due place My body goods fame c. as seruants to the former All other things I will either not care for or hate 26 One would not thinke that pride and base-mindednesse should so well agree yea that they loue so together that they neuer goe asunder That enuie euer proceeds from a base minde is granted of all Now the proud man as he faine would bee enuied of others so he enuieth all men His betters he enuies because he is not so good as they he enuies his inferiours because he feares they should proue as good as he his equals because they are as good as he So vnder bigge lookes he beares a base minde resembling some Cardinals Mule which to make vp the traine beares a costly Port-mantle stuffed with trash On the contrary who is more proud than the basest the Cynicke tramples on Platoes pride but with a worse especially if he be but a little exalted wherein wee see base men so much more haughtie as they haue had lesse before what they might be proud of It is iust with God as the proud man is base in himselfe so to make him basely esteemed in the eies of others and at last to make him base without pride I will contemne a proud man because he is base and pitie him because he is proud 27 Let me but haue time to my thoughts but leisure to thinke of Heauen and grace to my leisure and I can be happy in spight of the world Nothing but God that giues it can bereaue me of grace and he will not for his gifts are without repentance Nothing but death can abridge me of time and when I begin to want time to thinke of heauen I shall haue eternall leisure to enioy it I shall be both waies happie not from any vertue of apprehension in mee which haue no peere in vnworthinesse but from the glorie of that I apprehend wherein the act and obiect are from the author of happinesse He giues me this glorie let me giue him the glorie of his gift His glory is my happinesse let my glorie be his 28 God bestowes fauours vpon some in anger as he strikes othersome in loue The Israelites had better haue wanted their Quailes than to haue eaten them with such sawce And sometimes at our instancie remouing a lesser punishment leaues a greater though insensible in the roome of it I will not so much striue against affliction as displeasure Let me rather be afflicted in loue than prosper without it 29 It is strange that we men hauing so continuall vse of God and being so perpetually beholding to him should be so strange to him and so little acquainted with him since wee account it a peruerse nature in any man that being prouoked with many kinde offices refuses the familiaritie of a worthy friend which doth still seeke it and hath
deserued it Whence it comes that we are so loth to thinke of our dissolution and going to God for naturally where we are not acquainted we Iist not to hazard our welcome chusing rather to spend our money at a simple Inne than to turne in for a free lodging to an vnknowne Oast whom we haue onely heard of neuer had friendship with whereas to an entire friend whose nature and welcome we know and whom wee haue elsewhere familiarly conuersed withal we goe as boldly willingly as to our home knowing that no houre can be vnseasonable to such a one whiles on the other side we scrape acquaintance with the world that neuer did vs good euen after many repulses I will not liue with God and in God without his acquaintance knowing it my happinesse to haue such a friend I will not let one day passe without some act of renewing my familiaritie with him not giuing ouer till I haue giuen him some testimonie of my loue to him and ioy in him and till he hath left behinde him some pledge of his continued fauour to me 30 Men for the most part would neither die nor be old When we see an aged man that hath ouer-liued all the teeth of his gums the haire of his head the sight of his eies the taste of his palate we professe we would not liue till such a combersome age wherein we proue burdens to our dearest friends and our selues yet if it be put to our choice what yeere we would die we euer shift it off till the next and want not excuses for this prorogation rather than faile alleaging we would liue to amend when yet wee doe but adde more to the heape of our sinnes by continuance Nature hath nothing to plead for this folly but that life is sweet wherein wee giue occasion of renewing that ancient checke or one not vnlike to it whereby that primitiue vision taxed the timorousnesse of the shrinking Confessors Yee would neither liue to bee old nor die ere your age what should I doe with you The Christian must not thinke it enough to endure the thought of death with patience when it is obtruded vpon him by necessitie but must voluntarily call it into his minde with ioy not onely abiding it should come but wishing that it might come I will not leaue till I can resolue if I might die to day not to liue till to morrow 31 As a true friend is the sweetest contentment in the world so in his qualities hee well resembleth hony the sweetest of all liquors Nothing is more sweet to the taste nothing more sharpe and cleansing when it meets with an exulcerate sore For my selfe I know I must haue faults and therefore I care not for that friend that I shall neuer smart by For my friends I know they cannot be faultlesse and therefore as they shall finde mee sweet in their praises and encouragements so sharpe also in their censure Either let them abide me no friend to their faults or no friend to themselues 32 In all other things we are lead by profit but in the maine matter of all we shew our selues vtterly vnthriftie and whiles we are wise in making good markets in these base commodities we shew our selues foolish in the great match of our soules God and the world come both to one shop and make proffers for our soules The world like a franke Chapman sayes All these will I giue thee shewing vs his bagges and promotions and thrusting them into our hands God offers a crowne of glory which yet he tels vs we must giue him day to performe and haue nothing in present but our hope and some small earnest of the bargaine Though we know there is no comparison betwixt these two in value finding these earthly things vaine and vnable to giue any contentment and those other of inualuable worth and benefit yet wee had rather take these in hand than trust God on his word for the future while yet in the same kinde we chuse rather to take some rich Lordships in reuersion after the long expectation of three liues expired than a present summe much vnder foot As contrarily when God and the world are sellers and we come to the Mart the world offers fine painted wares but will not part with them vnder the price of our torment God proclaimes Come yee that want buy for nought Now we thriftie men that trie all shops for the cheapest pennieworth refuse God proffering his precious commodities for nothing and pay an hard price for that which is worse than nothing painfull Surely wee are wise for any thing but our soules and not so wise for the body as foolish for them O Lord thy payment is sure and who knowes how present Take the soule that thou hast both made and bought and let me rather giue my life for thy fauour than take the offers of the world for nothing 33 There was neuer age that more bragged of knowledge and yet neuer any that had lesse soundnesse He that knowes not God knoweth nothing and hee that loues not God knowes him not for hee is so sweet and infinitely full of delight that who-euer knowes him cannot chuse but affect him The little loue of God then argues the great ignorance euen of those that professe knowledge I will not suffer my affections to run before my knowledge for then I shall loue fashionably onely because I heare God is worthy of loue and so be subiect to relapses but I will euer lay knowledge as the ground of my loue So as I grow in diuine knowledge I shall still profit in an heauenly zeale 34 Those that trauell in long pilgrimages to the holy Land what a number of wearie pases they measure what a number of hard lodgings and knowne dangers they passe and at last when they are come within view of their iournies end what a large tribute pay they at the Pisan Castle to the Turkes And when they are come thither what see they but the bare Sepulcher wherein their Sauiour lay and the earth that he trode vpon to the increase of a carnall deuotion What labour should I willingly vndertake in my iourney to the true Land of promise the celestiall Ierusalem where I shall see and enioy my Sauiour himselfe What tribute of paine or death should I refuse to pay for my entrance not into his Sepulcher but his Palace of glory and that not to looke vpon but to possesse it 35 Those that are all in exhortation no whit in doctrine are like to them that snuffe the candle but powre not in oile Againe those that are all in doctrine nothing in exhortation drowne the wike in oile but light it not making it fit for vse if it had fire put to it but as it is rather capable of good than profitable in present Doctrine without exhortation makes men all braine no heart Exhortation without doctrine makes the heart full leaues the braine empty Both together make a man
though not so blessed yet so shalt thou be separated that my very dust shall be vnited to thee still and to my Sauiour in thee Wert thou vnwilling at the command of thy Creator to ioine thy selfe at the first with this body of mine why art thou then loth to part with that which thou hast found The Testimonies though intire yet troublesome Doest thou not heare Salomon say The day of death is better than the day of thy birth dost thou not beleeue him or art thou in loue with the worse and displeased with the better If any man could haue found a life worthy to be preferred vnto death so great a King must needs haue done it now in his very Throne he commends his Coffin Yea what wilt thou say to those Heathens that mourned at the birth and feasted at the death of their children They knew the miseries of liuing as well as thou the happinesse of dying they could not know and if they reioiced out of a conceit of ceasing to be miserable how shouldest thou cheere thy selfe in an expectation yea an assurance of being happy He that is the Lord of life and tried what it was to die hath proclaimed them blessed that die in the Lord. Those are blessed I know that liue in him but they rest not from their labours Toyle and sorrow is betweene them and a perfect enioying of that blessednesse which they now possesse onely in hope and inchoation when death hath added rest their happinesse is finished O death how sweet is that rest The taste of our Meditation wherewith thou refreshest the weary Pilgrims of this vale of mortalitie How pleasant is thy face to those eies that haue acquainted themselues with the sight of it which to strangers is grim and gastly How worthy art thou to be welcome vnto those that know whence thou art and whither thou tendest who that knowes thee can feare thee who that is not all nature would rather hide himselfe amongst the baggage of this vile life than follow thee to a Crowne what indifferent Iudge that should see life painted ouer with vaine semblances of pleasures attended with troupes of sorrowes on the one side and on the other with vncertaintie of continuance and certaintie of dissolution and then should turne his eyes vnto death and see her blacke but comely attended on the one hand with a momentanie paine with eternitie of glorie on the other would not say out of choice that which the Prophet said out of passion It is better for me to die than to liue But O my Soule what ailes thee to bee thus suddenly backward and fearefull The Complaint No heart hath more freely discoursed of death in speculation no tongue hath more extolled it in absence And now that it is come to thy beds-side and hath drawne thy curtaines and takes thee by the hand and offers thee seruice thou shrinkest inward and by the palenesse of thy face and wildnesse of thine eye bewraiest an amazement at the presence of such a ghest That face which was so familiar to thy thoughts is now vnwelcome to thine eies I am ashamed of this weake irresolution Whitherto haue tended all thy serious meditations what hath Christianitie done to thee if thy feares bee still heathenish Is this thine imitation of so many worthy Saints of God whom thou hast seene entertaine the violentest deaths with smiles and songs Is this the fruit of thy long and frequent instruction Didst thou thinke death would haue beene content with words didst thou hope it would suffice thee to talke while all other suffer Where is thy faith Yea where art thou thy selfe O my soule Is heauen worthy of no more thankes no more ioy Shall Heretikes shall Pagans giue death a better welcome than thou Hath thy Maker thy Redemer sent for thee and art thou loth to goe hath hee sent for thee to put thee in possession of that glorious Inheritance which thy wardship hath cheerefully expected and art thou loth to goe Hath God with this Sergeant of his sent his Angels to fetch thee and art thou loth to goe Rouze vp thy selfe for shame O my soule and if euer thou hast truly beleeued shake off this vnchristian diffidence and addresse thy selfe ioyfully for thy glory The Wish Yea O my Lord it is thou that must raise vp this faint and drooping heart of mine thou onely canst rid me of this weake and cowardly distrust Thou that sendest for my soule canst prepare it for thy selfe thou onely canst make thy messenger welcome to me O that I could but see thy face through death Oh that I could see death not as it was but as thou hast made it Oh that I could heartily pledge thee my Sauiour in this cup that so I might drinke new wine with thee in thy Fathers Kingdome The Confession But alas O my God nature is strong and weake in mee at once I cannot wish to welcome death as it is worthy when I looke for most courage I finde strongest temptations I see and confesse that when I am my selfe thou hast no such coward as I Let me alone and I shall shame that name of thine which I haue professed euery secure worldling shall laugh at my feeblenesse O God were thy Martyrs thus haled to their stakes might they not haue beene loosed from their rackes and chose to die in those torments Let it be no shame for thy seruant to take vp that complaint which thou mad'st of thy better Attendants The spirit is willing but the flesh is weake The Petition and enforcement O thou God of spirits that hast coupled these two together vnite them in a desire of their dissolution weaken this flesh to receiue and encourage this spirit either to desire or to contemne death and now as I grow neerer to my home let me increase in the sense of my ioyes I am thine saue me O Lord It was thou that didst put such courage into thine ancient and late witnesses that they either inuited or challenged death and held their persecutors their best friends for letting them loose from these gieues of flesh I know thine hand is not shortned neither any of them hath receiued more proofes of thy former mercies Oh let thy goodnesse inable me to reach them in the comfortable steddinesse of my passage Doe but draw this vaile a little that I may see my glory and I cannot but be inflamed with the desire of it It was not I that either made this body for the earth or this soule for my body or this heauen for my soule or this glorie of heauen or this entrance into glory All is thine owne worke Oh perfect what thou hast begun that thy praise and my happinesse may be consummate at once The assurance or Confidence Yea O my soule what need'st thou wish the God of mercies to be tender of his owne honour Art thou not a member of that body whereof thy Sauiour
himselfe and when he approcheth to the Throne of God he is so taken vp with the diuine greatnesse that in his owne eies he is either vile or nothing Places of publike charge are faine to sue to him and hale him out of his chosen obscuritie which he holds off not cunningly to cause importunitie but sincerely in the conscience of his defects He frequenteth not the stages of common resorts and then alone thinkes himselfe in his naturall element when hee is shrowded within his owne walls He is euer iealous ouer himselfe and still suspecteth that which others applaud There is no better obiect of beneficence for what he receiues he ascribes meerely to the bountie of the giuer nothing to merit He emulates no man in any thing but goodnesse and that with more desire than hope to ouertake No man is so contented with his little and so patient vnder miseries because he knowes the greatest euils are below his sinnes and the least fauours aboue his deseruings He walkes euer in awe and dare not but subiect euery word and action to an high and iust censure Hee is a lowly valley sweetly planted and well watered the proud mans earth whereon he trampleth but secretly full of wealthy Mines more worth than he that walkes ouer them a rich stone set in lead and lastly a true Temple of God built with a low roofe Of a Valiant man HE vndertakes without rashnesse and personnes without feare hee seekes not for dangers but when they finde him hee beares them ouer with courage with successe He hath oft-times lookt Death in the face and passed by it with a smile and when he sees he must yeeld doth at once welcome and contemne it Hee fore-casts the worst of all euents and encounters them before they come in a secret and mentall warre and if the suddennesse of an vnexpected euill haue surprized his thoughts and infected his cheekes with palenesse he hath no sooner digested it in his conceit than he gathers vp himselfe and insults ouer mischiefe Hee is the master of himselfe and subdues his passions to reason and by this inward victorie workes his owne peace He is afraid of nothing but the displeasure of the Highest and runnes away from nothing but sinne he lookes not on his hands but his cause not how strong he is but how innocent and where goodnesse is his warrant he may be ouer-mastered he cannot be foiled The sword is to him the last of all trials which he drawes forth still as Defendant not as Challenger with a willing kinde of vnwillingnesse no man can better manage it with more safetie with more fauour hee had rather haue his bloud seene than his backe and disdaines life vpon base conditions No man is more milde to a relenting or vanquisht aduersarie or more hates to set his foot on a carcase He had rather smother an iniurie than reuenge himselfe of the impotent and I know not whether more detests cowardlinesse or crueltie He talkes little and brags lesse and loues rather the silent language of the hand to be seene than heard He lies euer close within himselfe armed with wise resolution and will not be discouered but by death or danger He is neither prodigall of bloud to mis-spend it idlely nor niggardly to grudge it when either God calls for it or his Countrey neither is hee more liberall of his owne life than of others His power is limited by his will and he holds it the noblest reuenge that he might hurt and doth not He commands without tyrannie and imperiousnesse obeyes without seruilitie and changes not his minde with his estate The height of his spirits ouer-lookes all casualties and his boldnesse proceeds neither from ignorance nor senselesnesse but first he values euils and then despises them he is so ballaced with wisdome that he floats steddily in the midst of all tempests Deliberate in his purposes firme in resolution bold in enterprising vnwearied in atchieuing and howsoeuer happy in successe and if euer he be ouercome his heart yeelds last Of a Patient man THe patient man is made of a metall not so hard as flexible his shoulders are large fit for a load of iniuries which he beares not out of basenesse and cowardlinesse because he dare not reuenge but out of Christian fortitude because he may not he hath so conquered himselfe that wrongs cannot conquer him and herein alone findes that victory consists in yeelding He is aboue nature while he seemes below himselfe The vildest creature knowes how to turne againe but to command himselfe not to resist being vrged is more than heroicall His constructions are euer full of charity and fauour either this wrong was not done or not with intent of wrong or if that vpon mis-information or if none of these rashnesse though a fault shall serue for an excuse Himselfe craues the offenders pardon before his confession and a slight answer contents where the offended desires to forgiue He is Gods best witnesse when he stands before the barre for truth his tongue is calmely free his forehead firme and hee with erect and setled countenance heares his iust sentence and reioyces in it The Iaylors that attend him are to him his Pages of honour his dungeon the lower part of the vault of heauen his racke or wheele the staires of his ascent to glory he challengeth his executioners and encounters the fiercest paines with strength of resolution and while he suffers the beholders pity him the tormentors complaine of wearinesse and both of them wonder No anguish can master him whether by violence or by lingring He accounts expectation no punishment can abide to haue his hopes adiourned till a new day Good lawes serue for his protection not for his reuenge and his owne power to auoid indignities not to returne them His hopes are so strong that they can insult ouer the greatest discouragements and his apprehensions so deepe that when he hath once fastned he sooner leaueth his life than his hold Neither time nor peruersnesse can make him cast off his charitable endeuours and despaire of preuailing but in spight of all crosses and all denials he redoubleth his beneficiall offers of loue He trieth the sea after many ship-wracks beats still at that doore which he neuer saw opened Contrariety of euents doth but exercise not dismay him and when crosses afflict him he sees a diuine hand inuisibly striking with these sensible scourges against which hee dares not rebell nor murmure Hence all things befall him alike and he goes with the same minde to the shambles and to the fold His recreations are calme and gentle and not more full of relaxation than void of fury This man onely can turne necessity into vertue and put euill to good vse He is the surest friend the latest and easiest enemy the greatest conqueror and so much more happy than others by how much he could abide to be more miserable Of the true Friend HIs affections are both vnited and diuided
secrecie haue abridged themselues of dyet cloathing lodging harbour fit for reasonable creatures seeming to haue left off themselues no lesse then companions As if the world were not euery where as if wee could hide our selues from the Diuell as if solitarinesse were priuiledged from Temptations as if we did not more violently affect restrained delights as if these Ieromes did not finde Rome in their heart when they had nothing but rocks and trees in their eye Hence these places of retirednesse founded at first vpon necessity mixt vvith deuotion haue proued infamously vncleane Cels of lust not of pietie This course is preposterous if I were worthy to teach you a better way learne to be an Hermite at home Begin with your owne heart estrange and weane it from the loue not from the vse of the world Christianitie hath taught vs nothing if we haue not learned this distinction It is a great weaknesse not to see but we must be inamoured Elisha saw the secret state of the Syrian Court yet as an enemy The blessed Angels see our earthly affaires but as strangers Moses his bodie was in the Court of Pharaoh amongst the delicate Egyptians his heart was suffering vvith the afflicted Israelites Lot tooke part of the faire medowes of Sodom not of their sinnes Our blessed Sauiour saw the glory of all Kingdomes and contemned them and cannot the vvorld looke vpon vs Christians but wee are bewitched We see the Sunne dayly and warme vs at his beames yet make not an Idol of it doth any man hide his face lest he should adore it All our safety or danger therefore is from within In vaine is the body an Auachoret if the heart be a Ruffian And if that bee retired in affections the body is but a Cipher Lo then the eyes will looke carelesly and strangely on what they see and the tongue will sometimes answer to that was not asked Wee eate and recreate because we must not because we would and when we are pleased wee are suspitious Lawfull delights wee neither refuse nor dote vpon and all contentments goe and come like strangers That all this may be done take vp your heart with better thoughts be sure it will not be empty if heauen haue fore-stalled all the roomes the vvorld is disappointed and either dares not offer or is repulsed Fixe your selfe vpon the glory of that eternitie vvhich abides your after this short pilgrimage You cannot but contemne what you finde in comparison of what you expect Leaue not till you attaine to this that you are willing to liue because you cannot as yet be dissolued Bee but one halfe vpon earth let your better part conuerse aboue whence it is and inioy that whereto it was ordained Thinke how little the World can doe for you and what it doth how deceitfully what stings there are with this Honey what Farewell succeeds this Welcome When this Iael brings you milke in the one hand know she hath a nayle in the other Aske your heart what it is the better what the merier for all those pleasures wherewith it hath befriended you let your owne tryall teach you contempt Thinke how sincere how glorious those ioyes are which abide you elsewhere and a thousand times more certaine though future then the present And let not these thoughts be flying but fixed In vaine doe we meditate if we resolue not when your heart is once thus setled it shall command all things to aduantage The World shall not betray but serue it and that shall bee fulfilled which God promises by his Salomon When the wayes of a man please the Lord he will make his enemies also at peace with him Sir this aduice my pouertie afforded long since to a weake friend I write it not to you any otherwise then as Schollers are wont to say their part to their Masters The world hath long and iustly both noted and honoured you for eminence in wisedome and learning and I aboue the most I am ready with the awe of a Learner to imbrace all precepts from you you shall expect nothing from me but Testimonies of respect and thankfulnesse To Sir GEORGE FLEETWOOD EP. III. Of the remedies of sinne and motiues to auoid it THere is none either more common or more troublesome guest then Sinne. Troublesome both in the solicitation of it and in the remorse Before the act it wearies vs with a wicked importunitie after the act it torments vs with feares and the painfull gnawings of an accusing Conscience Neither is it more irkesome to men then odious to God who indeed neuer hated any thing but it and for it any thing How happy were we if we could be rid of it This must be our desire but cannot bee our hope so long as we carry this body of sinne and death about vs yet which is our comfort it shall not cary vs though we carie it It will dwell with vs but with no command yea with no peace We grudge to giue it house-roome but wee hate to giue it seruice This our Hagar wil abide many strokes ere she be turned out of doores she shall goe at last and the seed of promise shall inherit alone There is no vnquietnesse good but this and in this case quietnesse cannot stand with safety neither did euer warre more truely beget peace then in this strife of the soule Resistance is the way to victorie and that to an eternall peace and happinesse It is a blessed care then how to resist sinne how to auoid it and such as I am glad to teach and learne As there are two grounds of all sinne so of the auoidance of sinne Loue and Feare These if they be placed amisse cause vs to offend if right are the remedies of euill The Loue must be of God Feare of iudgement As he loues much to whom much is forgiuen so he that loues much will not dare to doe that which may need forgiuenesse The heart that hath felt the sweetnesse of Gods mercies will not abide the bitter rellish of sinne This is both a stronger motiue then Feare and more Noble None but a good heart is capable of this grace which who so hath receiued thus powerfully repels tentations Haue I found my God so gracious to me that he hath denied me nothing either in earth or heauen and shall not I so much as deny my owne will for his sake Hath my deare Sauiour bought my soule at such a price and shall he not haue it Was he crucified for my sinnes and shall I by my sinnes crucifie him againe Am I his in so many bonds and shall I serue the Diuell O God! is this the fruit of thy beneficence to me that I should wilfully dishonor thee Was thy blood so little worth that I should tread it vnder my feet Doth this become him that shall be once glorious with thee Hast thou prepared heauen for me and doe I thus prepare my selfe for heauen Shall I thus recompence thy loue in doing that
since the giuer of both lifes hath said He that shall lose his life for my sake shall saue it Loe this alone is lost vvith keeping and gained by losse Say you vvere freed vpon the safest conditions and returning as how welcome should that newes bee more to yours then to your selfe perhaps Death may meete you in the vvay perhaps ouertake you at home neither place nor time can promise immunitie from the common destinie of men Those that may abridge your houres cannot lengthen them and while they last cannot secure them from vexation yea themselues shall follow you into their dust and cannot auoid vvhat they can inflict death shall equally tyrannize by them and ouer them so their fauours are but fruitlesse their malice gainfull For it shall change your Prison into Heauen your Fetters into a Crowne your Iaylors to Angels your miserie into glory Looke vp to your future estate and reioyce in the present Behold the Tree of Life the hidden Manna the Scepter of Power the Morning Starre the white garment the new name the Crowne and Throne of Heauen are addressed for you Ouercome and enioy them oh glorious condition of Martyrs whom conformity in death hath made like their Sauiour in blessednesse whose honour is to attend him for euer whom they haue ioyed to imitate What are these which are araied in long white robes and whence came they These are sayes that heauenly Elder they which came out of great tribulation and washed their long Robes and haue made their long Robes white in the blood of the Lambe Therefore they are in the presence of the Throne of God and serue him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne wil dwell among them and gouerne them and lead them vnto the liuely Fountaines of waters and God shall wipe all teares from their eyes All the elect haue Seales in their fore-heads but Martyrs haue Palmes in their hands All the elect haue white Robes Martyrs both white and long white for their glory long for the largenesse of their glory Once red with their owne blood now white with the blood of the Lambe there is nothing in our blood but weake obedience nothing but merit in the Lambs blood Behold his merit makes our obedience glorious You doe but sprinkle his feet with your blood loe hee washes your long white Robes with his Euery drop of your blood is answered with a streame of his and euery drop of his is worth Riuers of ours Precious in the fight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Precious in preuention precious in acceptation precious in remuneration Oh giue willingly that which you cannot keepe that you may receiue what you cannot leese The way is steepe but now you breathe towards the top Let not the want of some few steps lose you an eternall rest Put to the strength of your owne Faith The prayers of Gods Saints shall further your pace and that gracious hand that sustaines heauen and earth shall vphold and sweetly draw you vp to your glory Goe on to credit the Gospell with your perseuerance and shew the false-hearted clients of that Roman-Court that the Truth yeelds reall and hearty professors such as dare no lesse smart then speake for her Without the wals of your restraint where can you looke beside incouragements of suffering Behold in this how much you are happier then your many predecessors Those haue found friends or wiues or children the most dangerous of all tempters Suggestions of weaknesse when they come masked with loue are more powerfull to hurt But you all your many friends in the valour of their Christian loue wish rather a blessed Martyr then a liuing and prosperous reuolter yea your deare wife worthy of this honour to be the wife of a Martyr prefers your faith to her affection and in a courage beyond her sex contemnes the worst misery of your losse professing shee would redeeme your life with hers but that she would not redeeme it with your yeeldance and while she lookes vpon those many pawnes of your chaste loue your hopefull children wishes rather to see them fatherlesse then their father vnfaithfull The greatest part of your sufferings are hers She beares them with a cheerfull resolution She diuides with you in your sorrowes in your patience she shall not bee diuided in your glory For vs we shall accompany you with our prayers and follow you with our thankfull commemorations vowing to write your name in red letters in the Kalendars of our hearts and to register it in the monuments of perpetuall Records as an example to all postery The memoriall of the iust shall be blessed To all READERS EP. X. Containing Rules of good aduice for our Christian and ciuill cariage I Grant breuity where it is neither obscure nor defectiue is very pleasing euen to the daintiest iudgements No maruell therefore if most men desire much good counsell in a narrow roome as some affect to haue great personages drawne in little tablets or as we see worlds of Countries described in the compasse of small maps Neither do I vnwillingly yeeld to follow them for both the powers of good aduice are the stronger when they are thus vnited and breuity makes counsell more portable for memorie and readier for vse Take these therefore for more which as I would faine practise so am I willing to commend Let vs begin with him who is the first and last Informe your selfe aright concerning God without whom in vaine doe we know all things Be acquainted with that Sauiour of yours which paid so much for you on earth and now sues for you in heauen without whom we haue nothing to doe with God nor he with vs. Adore him in your thoughts trust him with your selfe Renew your sight of him euery day and his of you Ouer-looke these earthly things and when you doe at any time cast your eyes vpon heauen think there dwels my Sauiour there I shall be Call your selfe to often recknings cast vp your debts payments graces wants expences employments yeeld not to thinke your set deuotions troublesome Take not easie denials from your selfe yea giue peremptory denials to your selfe Hee can neuer bee good that flatters himselfe hold nature to her allowance and let your will stand at courtesie happy is that man which hath obtained to be the master of his owne hearts Thinke all Gods outward fauours and prouisions the best for you your owne abilitie and actions the meanest Suffer not your mind to be either a Drudge or a Wanton exercise it euer but ouer-lay it not In all your businesses looke through the world at God whatsoeuer is your leuell let him be your scope Euery day take a view of your last and thinke either it is this or may be Offer not your selfe either to honour or labour let them both seeke you Care you onely to be worthy and you cannot hide you from God So frame your selfe to the time and company that you
And if wee could but as heartily haue prayed for him before as we haue heartily wept for him since perhaps we had not had this cause of mourning From sorrow let vs descend to paines which is no small cause of crying and teares as I feare some of vs must the word howsoeuer it is here translated is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 labour I must confesse labour and paine are neere one another whence we say that he which labours takes paines and contrarily that a woman is in labour or trauell when shee is in the paine of child-birth teares cannot be wip't away whiles toile remaines That the Israelites may leaue crying they must bee deliuered from the brick-kilnes of Aegypt Indeed God had in our creation allotted vs labour without paine but when once sinne came into the soule paine seized vpon the bones and the minde was possessed with a wearinesse and irksome loathing of what it must do and euer since sorrow and labour haue beene inseparable attendants vpon the life of man Insomuch as God when he would describe to vs the happy estate of the dead does it in those termes They shall rest from their labours Looke into the field there you shall see toiling at the plough and sithe Looke into the waters there you see tugging at the oares and cabels Looke into the City there you see plodding in the streets sweating in the shops Looke into the studies there you see fixing of eyes tossing of bookes scratching the head palenesse infirmity Looke into the Court there you see tedious attendance emulatory officiousnesse All things are full of labour and labour is full of sorrow If we doe nothing idlenesse is wearisome if any thing worke is wearisome in one or both of these the best of life is consumed Who now can bee in loue with a life that hath nothing in it but crying and teares in the entrance death in the conclusion labour and paine in the continuance and sorrow in all these What Gally-slaue but we would be in loue with our chaine what prisoner would delight in his dungeon How hath our infidelity besotted vs if we doe not long after that happy estate of our immortality wherein all our teares shall be wip't away and we at once freed from labour sorrow and death Now as it is vaine to hope for this till then so then not to hope for it is paganish and brutish He that hath tasked vs with these penances hath vndertaken to release vs. God shall wipe away all teares While we stay here he keepes all our teares in a bottle Psal 56. so precious is the water that is distilled from penitent eies and because he will be sure not to faile he notes how many drops there be in his register It was a pretious ointment wherewith the woman in the Pharises house it is thought Mary Magdalene anointed the feet of Christ Luke 7.37 but her teares wherewith shee washt them were more worth than her spilâ—nard But that which is here precious is there vnseasonable then hee shall wipe away those which here hee would saue As death so passions are the companions of infirmity whereupon some that haue beene too nice haue called those which were incident into Christ Propassions not considering that he which was capable of death might be as well of passions These troublesome affections of griefe feare and such like doe not fall into glorified soules It is true that they haue loue desire ioy in their greatest perfection yea they could not haue perfection without them but like as God loues and hates and reioyces truly but in a manner of his owne abstracted from all infirmity and passion so doe his glorified Saints in imitation of him There therefore as we cannot die so wee cannot grieue we cannot be afflicted Here one saies My belly my belly with the Prophet another mine head mine head with the Shunamites sonne another my sonne my sonne as Dauid another my father my father with Elisha One cries out of his sinnes with Dauid another of his hunger with Esau another of an ill wife with Iob another of trecherous friends 2 Kings 4. with the Psalmist One of a sore in body with Ezechias another of a troubled soule with our Sauiour in the garden euery one hath some complaint or other to make his cheekes wet and his heart heauy Stay but a while and there shall be none of these There shall be no crying no complaining in the streets of the new Ierusalem No axe no hammer shall be heard within this heauenly Temple Why are we not content to weepe here a while on condition that we may weepe no more Why are we not ambitious of this blessed ease Certainly we doe not smart enough with our euils that we are not desirous of rest These teares are not yet dry yet they are ready to be ouertaken by others for our particular afflictions Miseries as the Psalmist compares them are like waues which breake one vpon another and tosse vs with a perpetuall vexation and we vaine men shall we not wish to be in our hauen Are we sicke and grieue to thinke of remedie Are we still dying and are wee loth to thinke of life Oh this miserable vnbeleefe that tho we see a glorious heauen aboue vs yet we are vnwilling to go to it we see a wearisome world about vs and yet are loth to thinke of leauing it This gracious master of ours whose dissolution is ours while he was here amongst vs his princely crowne could not keepe his head from paine his golden rod could not driue away his feuers now is hee freed from all his aches agues stitches convulsions cold sweats now he triumphs in glory amongst the Angels and Saints now he walkes in white robes and attends on the glorious bridegroome of the Church and doe we thinke he would be content now for all the kingdomes of the world to be as he was We that professe it was our ioy and honour to follow him whither soeuer he had gone In his disports in his warres in his trauels why are we not now ambitious of following him to his better crowne yea of raigning together with him for heauen admits of this equality in that glory wherein he raignes with his Sauiour ours Why doe we not now heartily with him that was rauished into the third heauan say Cupio dissolui esse cum Christo not barely to be dissolued a malecontent may doe so but therefore to be dissolued that we may be with Christ possessed of his euerlasting glory where we shall not onely not weepe but reioyce and sing Halleluiahs for euer not onely not die but enioy a blessed and heauenly life Euen so Lord Iesus come quickly Now if any man shall aske the Disciples question Master when shall these things be the celestiall voyce tels him it must bee vpon a change For the first things are passed It shall be in part so soone as euer our first things our life
termes whereof if any be probable some are impossible Oh miserable grounds of Popish faith whereof the best can haue but this praise that perhaps it may be true A Religion that hath bin oft dyed in the bloud of Princes that in some cases teaches and allowes Rebellion against Gods Anointed and both suborneth Treasons and excuses pities honors rewards the Actors A Religion that ouerloades mens consciences with heauy burdens of infinite vnnecessary Traditions far more than euer Moses commented vpon by all the Iewish Masters imposing them with no lesse authoritie and exacting them with more rigor than any of the royall lawes of their Maker A Religion that coozens the vulgar with nothing but shadowes of Holinesse in Pilgrimages Processions Offerings Holy-water Latine Seruices Images Tapers rich Vestures garish Altars Crosses Censings and a thousand such like fit for Children and Fooles robbing them in the meane time of the sound and plaine helps of true pietie and saluation A Religion that cares not by what wilfull falshoods it maintaines a part as Wickliffes blasphemie Luthers aduice from the Deuill Tindals communitie Caluins fained Miracle and blasphemous death Bucers necke broken Bezaes revolt the blasting of Huguenots Englands want of Churches and Christendome Queene ELIzABETHS vnwomanlinesse her Episcopall Iurisdiction her secret fruitfulnesse English Catholikes cast in Beares skins to Doggs Plesses shamefull ouerthrow Garnets Straw the Lutherans obscene night-revels Scories drunken ordination in a Tauerne the Edict of our Gracious King IAMES Anno 87. for the establishment of Poperie our casting the Crusts of our Sacrament to Doggs and ten thousand of this nature maliciously raised and defended against knowledge and conscience for the disgrace of those whom they would haue hated ere knowne A Religion that in the conscience of her owne vntruth goes about to falsifie and depraue all Authors that might giue euidence against her to out-face all ancient truths to foist in Gibeonitish witnesses of their owne forging and leaues nothing vnattempted against Heauen or Earth that might aduantage her faction disable her innocent Aduersarie Loe this is your choice If the zeale of your losse haue made me sharpe yet not malicious not fasle God is my Record I haue not to knowledge charged you with the least vntruth and if I haue wronged accuse mee and if I cleere not my selfe and my challenge let me be branded for a Slanderer In the meane time what spirituall phrensie hath ouertaken you that you can finde no beautie but in this Monster of Errors It is to you and your fellowes that God speakes by his Prophet O yee Heauens be astonied at this be afraid and vtterly confounded saith the Lord for my people hath committed two euils they haue forsaken me the Fountaine of liuing Waters to digge them pits euen broken pits that can hold no water what shall bee the issue Et tu Domine deduces eos in puteum interitus Thou O God shalt bring them downe into the pit of destruction If you will thus wilfully leaue God there I must leaue you But if you had not rather dye returne and saue one returne to God returne to his Truth returne to his Church your bloud be vpon my head if you perish AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER THe Reader may please to take notice that in the former Edition there was added vnto this Discourse a iust Volume of aboue three hundred Contradictions and dissentions of the Romish Doctors vnder the name of The Peace of Rome which because it was but a collection out of Bellarmine and Navar and no otherwise mine but as a Gatherer and Translator I haue here thought good to omit FINIS NO PEACE WITH ROME WHEREIN IS PROVED THAT AS TERMES NOW Stand there can be no Reconciliation of the REFORMED RELIGION with the ROMISH And that the Romanists are in all the fault Written first in Latine by J. H. And now Englished SIC ELEVABITVR FILIVS HOMINIS Io 3. ANCHORA FIDEI LONDON Printed for THOMAS PAVIER MILES FLESHER and John Haviland 1624. TO THE TRVE SOVND AND HOLY CHVRCH OF GOD wheresoeuer warfaring vpon Earth I Present vnto thee deare and holy Mother this poore vnworthy token of my loue and loialtie the not so pleasing as true report of thy future broiles How much gladder should I haue beene if thy Spouse had so thought good to haue beene the messenger of thy Peace and securitie But since the great and wise Moderator of all things hath thought a Palme fitter for thee than an Oliue it is for thee to thinke of victory not of rest Thou shalt once triumph in heauen and rest for all but in the meane time here is nothing to bee lookt for but ambushes skirmishes tumults And how cheerefully must thou needs both beare and ouercome all oppositions that art not more sure of the necessitie of thy warfare than of the happinesse of thy successe whilest thou seest thy glorious husband not onely the leader of this field but a most iust and mercifull crowner of thy Conquest Certainly it is as vnpossible for thee to miscarry as to sit still and not fight Behold all the forces of heauen and earth conspire and reioyce to come voluntaries vnto this holy warre of thine and promise thee a most happy issue addresse thy selfe therefore as thou art wont couragiously to this worke of God But remember first to inquire as thou dost of ABEL Spare no teares to thy desperate Sister now thine enemie and calling heauen and earth to witnesse vpon thy knees beseech and intreat her by her owne soule and by the deare bowels of CHRIST by those precious drops of his bloudy sweat by that common price of our eternall redemption that she would at the last returne to her selfe and that good disposition which she hath now too long abandoned that she would forbeare any more as I feare shee hath hitherto wilfully done to fight against God but if shee shall still persist to stop her eares against thee and to harden her selfe in rebellion against her God forget if thou canst who shee once was and flie mercilesly vpon this daughter of Beliall that vaunts her selfe proudly in the glory of her munition Goe smite destroy conquer and reigne as the worthy partner of thine husbands Throne For mee I shall in the meane time be as one of thy rude Trumpets whose noise shall both awaken thy courage vnto this spirituall battell and whose ioyfull gratulations shall after thy rich spoiles applaud thine happy returne in the day of thy victory J. H. THE SVMME OF THE following Sections SECTION I. THe state of the now-Roman Church SECTION II. The commodities and conditions of Peace SECTION III. The obstinate and Peace-hating disposition of Papists SECTION IV. That the Confession of the same Creed is not with them sufficient to Peace SECTION V. The imputation or corruption of the Roman Church and their impossibility of Reconciliation arising from that wilfull fable of the Popes infallibilitie SECTION VI. That the other Opinions
of some superstitious old wife or some idle and silly Cloysterer Faine would out charity conceiue so which is still credulous and as the Apostle commands thinkes not euill if Cassander did not directly tell vs that they publikely sing in their very Churches this deuout Antheme O foelâ—x 〈◊〉 per a Nostrapians scelcra Iuâ—e matris impera Redemptori O happy Mother of that Sonne Which hast all our sinnes for done Out of a Mothers right we pray thee Bid our Redeemer to obey thee If all these were not openly approoued by the holy Censors of the Romane Church seuere Controulers of manners yea by the voyces of their owne Popes If at this day witnesse the Muses of Bencius and Bonarcius the Iesuites did not both speake and write thus But let vs leaue these bold impieties if you will to their Bernardines Antonines Bartlemewes of Pisa Turtellines being vs foorth their more sober Diuines Polydores Cassanders Viues Euen their opinions will not downe with vs which teach that the Saints are in any wise to bee prayed vnto Indeede Lib. de Beatit Sanct c. 15. Cass in Cons Ca. de Inuocat Sanct. The same is confessed by Luth. Oecol Melanct Brent see Mort. Apocal. 1.2.12 s 1. the Protestants say as Bellarmine grants that the Saints pray for vs but onely in a generality Bucer said truly that the Saints haue great loue to their militant brethren great desire of their saluation and so doubtlesse haue the Angels But must wee therefore single out any one of those blessed Spirits to aid vs to sue for vs in the Court of Heauen God forbid For vpon what faith must these prayers of ours bee grounded vnlesse perhaps as Hosius saith wee must beleeue in the Saints also yea how sure are we that none of the Saints can either search the heart the fountaine of our Prayers or at once heare tenne thousand of their Suppliants distant in place from each other yea further if as there should bee no limits set to Religion all the world ouer deuout Clients should at once ioyntly commend and prostrate themselues humbly to some one Saint It is 〈◊〉 a swiftnesse of nature as Hierom contends that would serue the turne a true vbiquity as Bellarmine confesses must be required to the hearing of all those prayers What hinders now but that they which of sinfull men haue made Saints should of their Saints make Gods also Besides which of the Prophets which of the Apostles euer commanded this which of the Saints of the former world hath euer done it Or what other if credit may bee giuen to Theodoreâ— did Saint Paul forbid vnder the worship of Angels to his Colossians Or what was the Heresie of the Collyridicus if this must goe for piety That rule of Epiphanius shall be euer a safe course for vs Epiphâ—her 79. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let Mary be honoured but the Father Son and Holy Ghost worshipped Heere is no feare of danger but that wee may goe safely to that God which cals vs to him and prostrate our selues to his Christ our Gracious Sauiour None of the Saints can enuy God this Honour none of them euer did either arrogate it to himselfe or suffer it to be giuen him Neither is there any of them whom God euer allowed either to take it to himselfe or to impart it to others or to accept it quietly being imparted to him by others The Papists therefore may come to vs when they will with safety and aduantage wee may not yeeld to them without manifest danger of Idolatrous dotage SECT XXI Of the Superstitious Heathenish and ridiculous worship of the Papists BVT if any good natured Reconciler shall bee so indifferent as to thinke these weightie points of difference not to be so hainous Socrat. l. 1. cap. 4. but that euery one might secretly maintaine what opinion hee list yet so that as Constantine said to Alexander and Arrius whiles the minds differ the outward peace may be preserued Let him further vnderstand that the continuall practise of the religious worship and seruice of God will euer both raise and proclaime no lesse hostilitie than matter of iudgement In our deuotions and publike exercises of Pietie and places consecrated to this vse there is nothing that can offend either the eye or the minde of a Papist except the barenesse of our walls and the Apostolicall simplicity of Ceremonies An easie fault and such as it is no praise of their ingenuitie to winke at For long since haue those clauses of our publike Liturgie beene purposely blotted out which in our Grand-fathers dayes did but lightly touch this galled fore of Poperie But contrariwise in the Popish Churches there is scarce any thing either said or done whereof we can with a cleere and vnwounded conscience be either partakers or witnesses Their very wals kill vs dead but their ridiculous or demonicall seruice who can endure We honour as wee ought the deare and happy memory of the Saints and chiefly the Leader of that heauenly Quire the blessed Virgin the Mother of God and whatsoeuer she can thinke not to be dishonourable to her selfe and her Lord and Sauiour we will most gladly giue it her to the full Neither will we only glorifie God in his Saints as Augustine hath taught Durand to speake but wee will magnifie the Saints as opportunity serues for their excellent graces and worthy acts both in God and in themselues wee will admire extoll and what wee may imitate their singular constancie faith sanctitie as Sidonius said of his Claudian No Tombe can either Soule or glory shroud Sidon in Epita Claud. Mamert But to digge vp their holy bones that I may borrow Luthers word out of their quiet graues and to fall downe before these wormeaten Monuments of the Saints to expect from them a diuine power whether of cure or of sanctification equally to respect Francis his Coule 〈◊〉 Combe Iosephs Breeches Thomases Shooe as Erasmus complaines with the Sonne of God himselfe can seeme no better to vs than an horible impiety Neither can wee abide either to deifie men or to canonize beasts It seemes that Cardinall could abide it well in whose Garden is yet to be seene this Epitaph which hee wrote vpon his too dearly-beloued Bitch This Tombe for then deare Bitch I builded haue Poem Illustr Port. Italor in That worthier wert of Heauen than a Graue Wee prophane Huguenots cannot skill of worshipping Martins Boots or Georges Scabbard or Crispiâ—s Paring knife or which they say is kept in a certaine Towne of Liguria the Tayle of that Asse which Christ rod vpon Mores in Scot. Orig. Pap. or ROCHES Dogge or Antonies Swine and surely he had need of a very thicke Hide that can doe this But in earnest say wee should yeeld these adorations to bee lawfull and godly What Macurius amongst so many woods of counterfeit trees can shew vs the true Crosse or what Heleus amongst such heaps yea Hils of Iron
man could not set forth his foot but into the iawes of death when piles of carcasses were caried to their pits as dung to the fields when it was cruelty in the sicke to admit visitation and loue was little better then murderous And by how much more sad and horrible the face of those euill times looked so much greater proclaime you the mercy of God in this happy freedome which you now enioy that you now throng together into Gods House without feare and breathe in one anothers face without danger The second is the wonderfull plenty of all prouisions both spirituall and bodily You are the Sea all the Riuers of the land runne into you Of the land Yea of the whole world Sea and land conspire to inrich you The third is the priuiledge of carefull gouernment Your Charters as they are large and strong wherein the fauour of Princes hath made exceptions from the generall rules of their municipall lawes so your forme of administration is excellent and the execution of Iustice exemplary and such as might become the mother Citie of the whole earth For all these you haue reason to aske Quid retribuam with Dauid What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits and to excite one another vnto thankfulnesse with that sweet Singer of Israel O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse And as beneficence is a binder these fauours of God call for your confidence What should you doe but euer trust that God whom you haue found so gracious Let him bee your God be ye his people for euer and let him make this free and open challenge to you all If there be any power in heauen or in earth that can doe more for you then hee hath done let him haue your hearts and your selues That they doe good and be rich in good workes And thus from that dutie we owe to God in our confidence and his beneficence to vs we descend to that beneficence which we owe to men expressed in the variety of foure Epithets Doing good being rich in good workes ready to distribute willing to communicate all to one sense all is but beneficence The Scriptures of God lest any Atheist should quarrell at this waste haue not one word superfluous Here is a redoubling of the same words without fault of Tautologie a redoubling of the same sense in diuers words without idlenesse There is feruor in these repetitions not loosenesse as it was wont for this cause to be obserued both in Councels and acclamations to Princes how oft the same word was reiterated that by the frequence they might iudge of the vehemence of affection It were easie to instance in many of this kind as especially Exodus 25.35 Psalme 89.30 Iohn 1.20 and so many more as that their mention could not be voide of that superfluity which we disclaime This heape of words therefore shewes the vehement intention of his desire of good workes and the important necessity of their performance and the manner of this expression inforces no lesse Charge the rich that the doe good and be rich in doing good Harken then yee rich men of the world it is not left arbitrary to you that you may doe good if you will but it is laid vpon you as your charge and duty You must doe good works and woe be to you if you doe not This is not a counsell but a precept Although I might say of God as we vse to say of Princes his will is his command The same necessity that there is of Trusting in God the same is in Doing good to men Let me sling this stone into the brazen foreheads of our aduersaries which in their shamelesse challenges of our Religion dare tell the world we are all for faith nothing for works and that we hold workes to saluation as a Parenthesis to a clause that it may be perfit without them Heauen and earth shall witnesse the iniustice of this calumniation and your consciences shall bee our compurgators this day which shall testifie to you both now and on your death-beds that we haue taught you there is no lesse necessitie of good works then if you should be saued by them and that though you cannot be saued by them as the meritorious causes of your glory yet that you cannot be saued without them as the necessarie effects of that grace which brings glory It is an hard sentence of some Casuists concerning their fellowes that but a few rich mens Confessors shall bee saued I imagine for that they dawbe vp their consciences with vntempered morter and sooth them vp in their sins Let this be the care of them whom it concerneth For vs wee desire to bee faithfull to God and you and tell you roundly what you must trust to Doe good therefore yee rich if euer yee looke to receiue good if euer yee looke to bee rich in heauen bee rich in good works vpon earth It is a shame to heare of a rich man that dyes and makes his will of thousands and bequeaths nothing to pious and charitable vses God and the poore are no part of his heyre We doe not houer ouer your expiring soules on your death-beds as Rauens ouer a carkasse wee doe not begge for a Couent nor fright you with Purgatory nor chaffer with you for that inuisible treasure of the Church whereof there is but one Key-keeper at Rome but wee tell you that the making of friends with this Mammon of vnrighteousnesse is the way to eternall habitations They say of Cyrus that he was wont to say he laid vp treasures for himself whiles he made his friends rich but we say to you that you lay vp treasures for your selues in heauen whiles you make the poore your friends vpon earth We tell you there must be a Date ere there can be a Dabitur that he which giues to the poore lends vpon vse to the Lord which payes large increase for all he borrows and how shal he giue you the Interest of glory where he hath not receiued the Principall of beneficence How can that man euer looke to be Gods heyre in the Kingdome of heauen that giues all away to his earthly heyres and lends nothing to the God of heauen As that witty Grecian said of extreame tall men that they were Cypresse-trees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. faire and tall but fruitlesse so may I say of a strait-handed rich man And these Cypresses are not for the Garden of Paradise none shall euer be planted there but the fruitfull And if the first Paradise had any trees in it onely for pleasure I am sure the second which is in the midst of the new Ierusalem shall haue no tree that beares not twelue fruits Reu. 22.2 yea whose very leaues are not beneficiall Doe good therefore O ye rich and shew your wealth to bee not in hauing but in doing good And if God haue put this holy resolution into any of your hearts take this
of my soule by repenting by beleeuing so shall I eate and in despite of Adam liue for euer The one Tree was for confirmation the other for tryall one shewed him what life he should haue the other what knowledge he should not desire to haue Alas he that knew all other things knew not this one thing that hee knew enough how Diuine a thing is knowledge whereof euen Innocencie it selfe is ambitious Satan knew what he did If this bait had been gold or honour or pleasure Man had contemned it vvho can hope to auoid error when euen mans perfection is mistaken He lookt for speculatiue knowledge hee should haue looked for experimentall he thought it had been good to know euill Good vvas large enough to haue perfected his knowledge and therein his blessednesse All that God made was good and the Maker of them much more good they good in their kindes he good in himselfe It would not content him to know God and his creatures his curiositie affected to know that which God neuer made euill of sinne and euill of death vvhich indeed himselfe made by desiring to know them now we know vvell euill enough and smart vvith knowing it How deare hath this lesson cost vs that in some cases it is better to be ignorant and yet doe the sonnes of Eue inherit this saucy appetite of their Grand-mother How many thousand soules miscarie with the presumptuous affectation of forbidden knowledge O God thou hast reuealed more then wee can know enough to make vs happy teach me a sober knowledge and a contented ignorance Paradise vvas made for Man yet there I see the Serpent What maruell is it if my corruption find the serpent in my Closet in my Table in my bed vvhen our holy Parents found him in the midst of Paradise No sooner he is entred but hee tempteth he can no more be idle then harmlesse I doe not see him at any other Tree hee knew there was no danger in the rest I see him at the Tree forbidden How true a Serpent is hee in euery point In his insinuation to the place in his choice of the Tree in his assault of the Woman in his plausiblenesse of speech to auoid terror in his question to moue doubt in his reply to worke distrust in his protestation of safety in his suggestion to enuie and discontent in his promise of gaine And if he were so cunning at the first what shall we thinke of him now after so many thousand yeares experience Onely thou O God and these Angels that see thy face are wiser then he I doe not aske why when he left his goodnesse thou didst not bereaue him of his skill Still thou wouldest haue him an Angell though an euill one And thou knowest how to ordaine his craft to thine owne glory I doe not desire thee to abate of his subtilty but to make me wise Let mee begge it without presumption make me wiser then Adam euen thine Image which he bore made him not through his owne weaknesse wise enough to obey thee thou offeredst him all Fruits and restrainedst but one Satan offered him but one and restrained not the rest when hee chose rather to be at Satans feeding then thine it was iust with thee to turne him out of thy gates with a curse why shouldest thou feed a Rebell at thine owne boord And yet we transgresse daily and thou shuttest not heauen against vs how is it that wee finde more mercy then our fore-father His strength is worthy of seuerity our weaknesse finds pity That God from whose face he fled in the Garden now makes him with shame to flie out of the Garden those Angels that should haue kept him now keepe the gates of Paradise against him It is not so easie to recouer happinesse as to keepe it or leese it Yea the same cause that draue Man from Paradise hath also withdrawne Paradise from the vvorld That fierie sword did not defend it against those vvaters vvherewith the sinnes of men drowned the glory of that place neither now doe I care to seeke vvhere that Paradise vvas vvhich vve lost I know vvhere that Paradise is vvhich vve must care to seeke and hope to finde As man was the Image of God so was that earthly Paradise an Image of Heauen both the Images are defaced both the first Patternes are eternall Adam was in the first and stayed not In the second is the second Adam which said This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise There was that chosen Vessell and heard and saw what could not be expressed by how much the third Heauen exceeds the richest Earth so much doth that Paradise whereto wee aspire exceed that which we haue lost Of CAIN and ABEL LOoke now O my soule vpon the two first Brethren perhaps Twins and wonder at their contrary dispositions and estates If the priuiledges of Nature had beene worth any thing the first borne Child should not haue beene a Reprobate Now that we may ascribe all to free Grace the elder is a Muderer the yonger a Saint though goodnesse may be repayred in our selues yet it cannot bee propagated to ours Now might Adam see the Image of himselfe in Cain for after his owne Image begot he him Adam slue his Posteritie Cain his Brother we are too like one another in that wherein wee are vnlike to God Euen the clearest graine sends forth that chaffe from which it was fanned ere the sowing yet is this Cain a possession the same Eue that mistooke the fruit of the Garden mistooke also the fruit of her owne body her hope deceiued her in both so many good names are ill bestowed and our comfortable expectations in earthly things doe not seldome disappoint vs. Doubtlesse their education was holy For Adam though in Paradise hee could not be innocent yet was a good man out of Paradise his sinne and fall now made him circumspect and since hee saw that his act had bereaued them of that Image of God which he once had for them he could not but labor by all holy endeuours to repaire it in them that so his care might make amends for his trespasse How plaine is it that euen good breeding cannot alter destinie That which is crooked can none make straight who would thinke that Brethren and but two Brethren should not loue each other Dispersed loue growes weak and fewnesse of obiects vseth to vnite affections If but two Brothers be left aliue of many they think that the loue of all the rest should suruiue in them and now the beames of their affection are so much the hotter because they reflect mutually in a right line vpon each other yet behold here are but two Brothers in a World and one is the Butcher of the other Who can wonder at dissentions amongst thousands of brethren when he sees so deadly opposition betwixt two the first roots of brotherhood who can hope to liue plausibly securely amongst so many Cains when he sees one
parting now therefore he wisely prefers his own estate to Labans loue it is not good to regard too much the vniust discontentment of worldly men and to purchase vnprofitable fauour with too great losse Behold Laban followes Iacob with one troop Esau meets him with another both with hostile intentions both goe on till the vtmost point of their execution both are preuented ere the execution God makes fooles of the enemies of his Church he lets them proceed that they may be frustrate and when they are gone to the vtmost reach of their tether hee puls them backe to their taske with shame Loe now Laban leaues Iacob with a kisse Esau meets him with a kisse Of the one he hath an oath teares of the other peace with both Who shall need to feare man that is in league with God But what a wonder is this Iacob receiued not so much hurt from all his enemies as from his best friend Not one of his hairs perished by Laban or Esau yet he lost a ioint by the Angell and was sent halting to his graue He that knowes our strength yet wil wrestle with vs for our exercise and loues our violence and importunity O happy losse of Iacob he lost a ioynt and wonne a blessing It is a fauour to halt from God yet this fauour is seconded with a greater He is blessed because hee would rather halt then leaue ere he was blessed If he had left sooner he had not halted but hee had not prospered That man shall goe away sound but miserable that loues a limbe more then a blessing Surely if Iacob had not wrestled with God he had beene foyled with euills how many are the troubles of the righteous Not long after Rachel the comfort of his life dyeth And when but in her trauell and in his trauell to his Father When he had now before digested in his thoughts the ioy and gratulation of his aged Father for so welcome a burden His children the staffe of his age wound his soule to the death Reuben proues incestuous Iudah adulterous Dinah rauished Simeon and Leui murderous Er and Onan striken dead Ioseph lost Simeon imprisoned Beniamin the death of his Mother the Fathers right-hand indangered himselfe driuen by famine in his old age to die amongst the Aegyptians a people that held it abomination to eat with him If that Angell with whom hee stroue and who therefore stroue for him had not deliuered his soule out of all aduersity he had beene supplanted with euils and had beene so far from gaining the name of Israel that he had lost the name of Iacob now what sonne of Israel can hope for good daies when he heares his Fathers were so euill It is enough for vs if when wee are dead we can rest with him in the land of Promise If the Angell of the Couenant once blesse vs no paine no sorrowes can make vs miserable Of DINAH I Find but one onely daughter of Iacob who must needes therefore be a great darling to her Father and she so miscaries that she causes her Fathers griefe to be more then his loue As her mother Leah so she hath a fault in her eyes which was Curiosity She will needes see and be seene and whiles she doth vainely see shee is seene lustfully It is not enough for vs to looke to our owne thoughts except wee beware of the prouocations of others If wee once wander out of the lists that God hath set vs in our callings there is nothing but danger Her Virginity had been safe if she had kept home or if Sechem had forced her in her mothers tent this losse of her Virginity had been without her sin now she is not innocent that gaue the occasion Her eyes were guilty of the temptation Onely to see is an insufficient warrant to draw vs into places of spirituall hazard If Sechem had seen her busie at home his loue had beene free from out-rage now the lightnesse of her presence gaue incouragement to his inordinate desires Immodesty of behauior makes way to lust and giues life vnto wicked hopes yet Sechem be wrayes a good nature euen in filthinesse He loues Dinah after his sinne and will needs marry her whom he had defiled Commonly lust ends in loathing Ammon abhors Thamar as much after his act as before he loued her and beats her out of doores whom hee was sicke to bring in But Sechem would not let Dinah fare the worse for his sinne And now hee goes about to entertaine her with honest loue whom the rage of his lust had dishonestly abused Her deflouring shall bee no preiudice to her since her shame shall redound to none but him and he will hide her dishonour with the name of an husband What could hee now doe but sue to his Father to hers to her selfe to her brethren intreating that vvith humble submission which he might haue obtained by violence Those actions vvhich are ill begun can hardly be salued vp with late satisfactions whereas good entrances giue strength vnto the proceedings and successe to the end The yong mans father doth not only consent but sollicite and is ready to purchase a daughter either with substance or paine The two old men would haue ended the matter peaceably but youth commonly vndertakes rashly and performes with passion The sons of Iacob thinke of nothing but reuenge and which is worst of all begin their cruelty with craft and hide their craft with Religion A smiling malice is most deadly and hatred doth most rankle the heart when it is kept in and dissembled We cannot giue our sister to an vncircumcised man here was God in the mouth and Saran in the heart The bloodiest of all proiects haue euer wont to be coloured with Religion because the worse any thing is the better shew it desires to make and contrarily the better colour is put vpon any vice the more odious it is for as euery simulation addes to an euill so the best addes most euill themselues had taken the daughters and sisters of vncircumcised men yea Iacob himselfe did so why might not an vncircumcised man obtaine their sister Or if there be a difference of giuing and taking it had beene well if it had not beene onely pretended It had beene a happy Rauishment of Dinah that should haue drawne a whole Country into the bosome of the Church but here was a Sacrament intended not to the good of the soule but to murder of the body It was a hard taske for Hamor and Sechem not onely to put the knife to their owne foreskins but to perswade a multitude to so painfull a condition The sons of Iacob dissemble with them they with the people Shall not their flocks and substance be ours Common profit is pretended whereas onely Sechems pleasure is meant No motiue is so powerfull to the vulgar sort as the name of Commoditie The hope of this makes them prodigall of their skin and blood Not the loue to the Sacrament not the
loue and their enuy And now they haue stript him naked and haling him by both armes as it were cast him aliue into his graue So in pretence of forbearance they resolue to torment him with a lingring death the sauagest robbers could not haue beene more mercilesse for now besides what in them lyes they kill their Father in their brother Nature if it once degenerate growes more monstrous and extreme then a disposition borne to cruelty All this while Ioseph wanted neither words nor teares but like a passionate suppliant bowing his bare knees to them whom he dreamed should bow to him intreats and perswades by the deare name of their brotherhood by their profession of one common God for their Fathers sake for their owne soules sake not to sinne against his blood But enuie hath shut out mercy and makes them not onely forget themselues to be brethren but men What stranger can thinke of poore innocent Ioseph crying naked in that desolate and dry pit only sauing that he moystned it with teares and not be moued Yet his hard-hearted brethren fit them downe carelessely with the noyse of his lamentation in their eares to eate bread not once thinking by their owne hunger what it was for Ioseph to be affamisht to death Whatsoeuer they thought God neuer meant that Ioseph should perish in that pit and therefore hee sends very Ismaelites to ransome him from his Brethren the feed of him that persecuted his brother Isaac shall now redeeme Ioseph from his brethrens persecution When they came to fetch him out of the pit hee now hoped for a speedie dispatch That since they seemed not to haue so much mercy as to prolong his life they vvould not continue so much crueltie as to prolong his death And now when hee hath comforted himselfe with hope of the fauour of dying behold death exchanged for bondage how much is seruitude to an ingenuous nature worse then death For this is common to all that to none but the miserable Iudah meant this well but God better Reuben saued him from the sword Iudah from affamishing God will euer raise vp some secret fauourers to his owne amongst those that are most malicious How well was this fauour bestowed If Ioseph had dyed for hunger in the pit both Iacob and Iudah and all his brethren had dyed for hunger in Canaan Little did the Ismaelitish Merchants know what a treasure they bought caried and sold more precious then all their Balmes and Myrrhs Little did they thinke that they had in their hands the Lord of Aegypt the Iewell of the World Why should wee contemne any mans meannesse when wee know not his destiny One sinne is commonly vsed for the vaile of another Iosephs coat is sent home dipped in blood that whiles they should hide their owne cruelty they might afflict their Father no lesse then their brother They haue deuised this reall lye to punish their old Father for his loue with so grieuous a monument of his sorrow Hee that is mourned for in Canaan as dead prospers in Aegypt vnder Potiphar and of a Slaue is made a Ruler Thus God meant to prepare him for a greater charge hee must first rule Petiphars House then Pharaohs Kingdome his owne seruice is his least good for his very presence procures a common blessing A whole Family shall fare the better for one Ioseph Vertue is not lookt vpon alike with all eyes his fellowes praise him his Master trusts him his Mistresse affects him too much All the spight of his brethren was not so great a crosse to him as the inordinate affection of his Mistresse Temptations on the right hand are now more perilous and hard to resist by how much they are more plausible and glorious But the heart that is bent vpon God knowes how to walke steddily and indifferently betwixt the pleasures of sinne and feares of euill He saw this pleasure would aduance him He knew what it was to be a Minion of one of the greatest Ladies in Aegypt yet resolues to contemne it A good heart will rather lye in the dust then rise by wickednesse How shall I doe this and sinne against God! He knew that all the honours of Aegypt could not buy off the guilt of one sinne and therefore abhorres not onely her bed but her company He that will be safe from the acts of euill must wisely auoid the occasions As sinne ends euer in shame when it is committed so it makes vs past shame that we may commit it The impudent strumpet dare not onely sollicit but importune but in a sort force the modesty of her good seruant She layes hold on his garment her hand seconds her tongue Good Ioseph found it now time to flee when such an enemie pursued him how much had he rather leaue his cloake then his vertue and to suffer his Mistresse to spoyle him of his liuery rather then he should blemish her honour or his Masters in her or God in either of them This second time is Ioseph stript of his garment before in the violence of enuy now of lust before of necessitie now of choice Before to deceiue his Father now his Master for behold the pledge of his fidelity which he left in those wicked hands is made an euidence against him of that which hee refused to doe therefore did hee leaue his cloake because he would not doe that of which he is accused and condemned because he left it what safety is there against great Aduersaries when euen arguments of innocence are vsed to conuince of euill Lust yeelded vnto is a pleasant madnesse but is a desperate madnesse when it is opposed No hatred burnes so furiously as that which arises from the quenched coales of loue Malice is witty to deuise accusations of others out of their vertue and our owne guiltinesse Ioseph either pleads not or is not heard Doubtlesse hee denied the fact but hee dare not accuse the offender There is not onely the praise of patience but oft-times of wisdome euen in vniust sufferings Hee knew that God would finde a time to cleare his innocence and to regard his chaste faithfulnesse No prison would serue him but Pharaohs Ioseph had lyen obscure and not beene knowne to Pharaoh if hee had not been cast into Pharaohs dungeon the afflictions of Gods children turne euer to their aduantages No sooner is Ioseph a prisoner then a Gardian of the prisoners Trust and honour accompany him wheresoeuer he is In his fathers house in Potiphars in the Iayle in the Court still he hath both fauour and rule So long as God is with him he cannot but shine in spight of men The walls of that dungeon cannot hide his vertues the irons cannot hold them Pharaohs Officers are sent to witnesse his graces which he may not come forth to shew the Cup-bearer admires him in the Iayle but forgets him in the Court How easily doth our owne prosperitie make vs forget either the deseruings or miseries of others But as God
must goe out of this foraine Land of our Pilgrimage to the home of our glorious inheritance to dwell with none but our own in that better and more lightsome Goshen free from all the incumbrances of this Aegypt and full of all the riches and delights of God The guilty conscience can neuer thinke it selfe safe So many yeares experience of Iosephs loue could not secure his brethren of remission those that know they haue deserued ill are wont to mis-interpret fauours and thinke they cannot be beloued All that while his goodnesse seemed but concealed and sleeping malice which they feared in their Fathers last sleepe would awake and bewray it selfe in reuenge Still therefore they plead the name of their Father though dead not daring to vse their owne Good meanings cannot bee more wronged then with suspition It grieues Ioseph to see their feare and to find they had not forgotten their owne sinne and to heare them so passionately craue that which they had Forgiue the trespasse of the seruants of thy Fathers God What a coniuration of pardon was this What wound could be either so deepe or so festred as this plaster could not cure They say not the sonnes of thy Father for they knew Iacob was dead and they had degenerated but the seruants of thy Fathers God How much stronger are the bonds of Religion then of Nature If Ioseph had been rancorous this deprecation had charmed him but now it resolues him into teares They are not so ready to acknowledge their old offence as he to protest his loue and if he chide them for any thing it is for that they thought they needed to intreat since they might know it could not stand with the fellow-seruant of their Fathers God to harbour maliciousnesse to purpose reuenge Am not I vnder God And fully to secure them hee turnes their eyes from themselues to the Decree of God from the action to the euent as one that would haue them thinke there was no cause to repent of that which proued so successefull Euen late confession findes forgiuenesse Ioseph had long agoe seene their sorrow neuer but now heard their humble acknowledgement Mercy stayes not for outward solemnities How much more shall that infinite goodnesse pardon our sinnes when hee findes the truth of our repentance Contemplations THE FOVRTH BOOKE The affliction of Israel Or The Aegyptian bondage The birth and breeding of Moses Moses called The plagues of Aegypt BY IOS HALL D. of Diuinitie and Deane of WORCESTER LONDON Printed for THOMAS PAVIER MILES FLESHER and John Haviland 1624. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE JAMES LORD HAY ALL GRACE AND HAPPINESSE Right Honorable ALL that J can say for my selfe is a desire of doing good which if it were as feruent in richer hearts the Church which now we see comely would then be glorious this honest ambition hath caried mee to neglect the feare of seeming prodigall of my little and while J see others Talents rusting in the earth hath drawne mee to traffique with mine in publike I hope no aduenture that euer I made of this kinde shall be equally gainfull to this my present labour wherein I take Gods owne Historie for the ground and worke vpon it by what Meditations my weaknesse can afford The diuinenesse of this subiect shall make more then amends for the manifold defects of my discourse although also the blame of an imperfection is so much the more when it lighteth vpon so high a choice This part which I offer to your Lordship shall shew you Pharaoh impotently enuious and cruell the Israelites of friends become slaues punished onely for prospering Moses in the Weedes in the Court in the Desart in the Hill of visions a Courtier in Aegypt a Shepheard in Midian an Ambassador from God a Leader of Gods people and when you see the prodigious varietie of the plagues of Aegypt you shall not know whether more to wonder at the miracles of Moses or Pharaohs obstinacle Finally you shall see the same Waues made both a wall and a gulfe in one houre the Aegyptians drowned where no Jsraelite was wet-shod and if these passages yeeld not abundance of profitable thoughts impute it not without pardon to the pouertie of my weake conceit which yet may perhaps occasion better vnto others Jn all humble submission J commend them what they are to your Lordships fauourable acceptation and your selfe with them to the gracious blessing of our God Your Lordships in all dutifull obseruance at command IOS HALL Contemplations THE FOVRTH BOOKE The affliction of Jsrael EGYPT was long an harbour to the Israelites now it proues a Iayle the Posteritie of Iacob finds too late what it was for their forefathers to sell Ioseph a slaue into Aegypt Those whom the Aegyptians honoured before as Lord now they contemne as drudges One Pharaoh aduances whom another labours to depresse Not seldome the same man changes copies but if fauours out-liue one age they proue decrepit and heartlesse It is a rare thing to find posterity heires of their fathers loue How should mens fauour be but like themselues variable and inconstant there is no certaintie but in the fauour of God in whom can be no change whose loue is intayled vpon a thousand generation Yet if the Israelites had been treacherous to Pharaoh if disobedient this great change of countenance had been iust now the onely offence of Israel is that he prospereth that which should be the motiue of their gratulation and friendship is the cause of their malice There is no more hatefull sight to a wicked man then the prosperitie of the conscionable None but the spirit of that true Harbinger of Christ can teach vs to say with contentment He must encrease but I must decrease And what if Israel be mighty and rich If there be warre they may ioyne with our enemies and get them out of the Land Behold they are afraid to part with those whom they are grieued to entertaine either staying or going is offence enough to those that seeke quarrels There were no warres and yet they say If there be warres The Israelites had neuer giuen cause of feare to reuolt and yet they say Lest they ioyne to our enemies to those enemies which we may haue So they make their certaine friends slaues for feare of vncertaine enemies Wickednesse is euer cowardly and full of vniust suspitions it makes a man feare where no feare is fly when none pursues him What difference there is betwixt Dauid and Pharaoh The faith of the one sayes I wil not be afraid for then thousand that should beset me The feare of the other saies Left if there be warre they ioyne with our enemies therefore should hee haue made much of the Israelites that they might be his his fauour might haue made them firme Why might they not as well draw their swords for him Weake and base minds euer incline to the worse and seeke safety rather in an impossibility of hurt then in the likelihood of iust
haile-stones that now the Amorites may see both these reuenges come from one hand These bullets of God doe not wound but kill It is no wonder that these fiue Kings flie they may soone runne away from their hope neuer from their horror If they looke behinde there is the sword of Israel which they dare not turne vpon because God had taken their heart from them before their life If they looked vpwards there is the haile shot of God fighting against them out of heauen which they can neither resist nor auoid If they had no enemie but Israel they might hope to runne away from death sith feare is a better footman then desire of reuenge but now whither-soeuer they runne heauen will be about their heads And now all the reason that is left them in this confusion of their thoughts is to wish themselues well dead there is no euasion where God intends a reuenge We men haue deuised to imitate these instruments of death send forth deadly bullets out of a cloud of smoke wherein yet as there is much danger so much vncertaintie but this God that discharges his Ordinance from heauen directs euery shot to an head and can as easily kill as shoot It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God he hath more waies of vengeance then he hath creatures The same heauen that sent forth water to the old world fire to the Sodomites Lightning and Thunder-bolts to the Egyptians sends out hailestones to the Amorites It is a good care how we may not anger God it is a vaine study how we may flie from his iudgements when we haue angered him if we could runne out of the world euen there shall we finde his reuenges farre greater Was it not miracle enough that God did braine their Aduersaries from heauen but that the Sun and Moone must stand still in heauen Is it not enough that the Amorites flie but that the greatest Planets of heauen must stay their own course to witnesse and wonder at the discomfiture For him which gaue them both being and motion to bid them stand still it seemes no difficultie although the rarenesse would deserue admiration but for a man to command the chiefe Starres of heauen by whose influence he liueth as the Centurion would doe his seruant Sunne stay in Gibeon and Moone stand still in Aialon it is more then a wonder It was not Ioshua but his faith that did this not by way of precept but of praier If I may not say that the request of a faithfull man as wee say of the great commands Gods glory was that which Ioshua aimed at he knew that all the world must needs be witnesses of that which the Eye of the world stood still to see Had he respected but the slaughter of the Amorites he knew the Haile-stones could doe that alone the Sunne needed not stand still to direct that cloud to persecute them but the glory of the slaughter was sought by Ioshua that he might send that vp whence those Haile-stones and that victory came All the Earth might see the Sunne and Moone all could not see the Cloud of Haile which because of that heauy burden flew but low That all Nations might know the same hand commands both in Earth in the Clouds in Heauen Ioshua now praies that he which disheartned his enemies vpon earth and smote them from the cloud would stay the Sunne and Moone in Heauen God neuer got himselfe so much honour by one dayes worke amongst the Heathen and when was it more fit then now when fiue Heathen Kings are banded against him The Sun and the Moone were the ordinary gods of the world and who would not but thinke that their standing still but one houre should be the ruine of Nature And now all Nations shall well see that there is an higher then their highest that their gods are but seruants to the god whom themselues should serue at whose pleasure both they and Nature shall stand at once If that God which meant to work this miracle had not raised vp his thoughts to desire it it had beene a blameable presumption which now is a faith worthy of admiration To desire a miracle without cause is a tempting of God O powerfull God that can effect this O power of faith that can obtain it What is there that God cannot doe and what is there which God can doe that faith cannot doe The Altar of the Reubenites REuben and Gad were the first that had an inheritance assigned them yet they must enioy it last So it falls out oft in the heauenly Canaan the first in title are the last in possession They had their lot assigned them beyond Iordan which though it were allotted them in peace must be purchased with their warre that must be done for their brethren which needed not be done for themselues they must yet still fight and fight formost that as they had the first patrimony they might endure the first encounter I doe not heare them say This is our share let vs sit downe and enioy it quietly fight who will for the rest but when they knew their owne portion they leaue wiues and children to take possession and march armed before their brethren till they had conquered all Canaan Whether should we more commend their courage or their charity Others were moued to fight with hope they only with loue they could not win more they might lose themselues yet they will fight both for that they had something and that their brethren might haue Thankfulnesse and loue can doe more with Gods children then desire to merit or necessity No true Israelite can if he might chuse abide to sit still beyond Iordan when all his brethren are in the field Now when all this warre of God was ended and all Canaan is both won and diuided they returne to their owne yet not till they were dismissed by Ioshua all the sweet attractiues of their priuate loue cannot hasten their pace If heauen be neuer so sweet to vs yet may we not runne from this earthen warfare till our great Captaine shall please to discharge vs. If these Reubenites had departed sooner they had been recalled if not as cowards surely as fugitiues now they are sent backe with victory and blessing How safe and happy it is to attend both the call and the dispatch of God! Being returned in peace to their home their first care is not for Trophees nor for houses but for an Altar to God an Altar not for sacrifice which had been abominable but for a memoriall what God they serued The first care of true Israelites must be the safety of Religion the world as it is inferiour in worth so must it be in respect hee neuer knew God aright that can abide any competition with his Maker The rest of the Tribes no sooner heare newes of their new Altar but they gather to Shiloh to fight against them they had scarce breathed from the Canaanitish
such a fauour to Ruth as she thought was aboue all recompence This was not seen in the estate of Boaz which yet makes her for the time happy If we may refresh the soul of the poore with the very offals of our estate and not hurt our selues woe be to vs if we doe it not Our barnes shall be as full of curses as of corne if we grudge the scattered eares of our field to the hands of the needy How thankfully doth Ruth take these small fauours from Boaz Perhaps some rich it well in Moab would not haue beene so welcome Euen this was a presage of her better estate Those which shal receiue great blessings are euer thankfull for little and if poore soules be so thankfull to vs for but an handfull or a sheafe how should we be affected to our God for whole fields full for full barnes full garners Doubtlesse Boaz hauing taken notice of the good nature dutifull carriage and the neere affinity of Ruth could not but purpose some greater beneficence higher respects to her yet now onwards he fits his kindnes to her condition giues her that which to her meannesse seemed much though he thought it little Thus doth the bounty of our God deale with vs It is not for want of loue that he giues vs no greater measure of grace but for want of our fitnesse and capacity He hath reserued greater preferments for vs when it shall be seasonable for vs to receiue them Ruth returnes home wealthy with her Ephah of barley and thankfully magnifies the liberality of Boaz her new benefactor Naomi repayes his beneficence with her blessing Blessed be he of the Lord. If the rich can exchange their almes with the poore for blessings they haue no cause to complaine of an ill bargaine Our gifts cannot be worth their faithfull prayers therefore it is better to giue then to receiue because hee that receiues hath but a worthles almes he that giues receiues an vnualuable blessing I cannot but admire the modesty and silence of these two women Noami had not so much as talked of her kindred in Bethleem nor till now had she told Ruth that she had a wealthy kinsman neither had Ruth inquired of her husbands great alliance but both sate down meekly with their own wants and cared not to know any thing else saue that themselues were poore Humility is euer the way to honour It is a discourtesie where we are beholden to alter our dependency Like as men of trade take it ill if customers which are in their bookes go for their wares to another shop Wisely doth Naomi aduise Ruth not to be seen in any other field whiles the haruest lasted The very taking of their fauours is a contentment to those that haue already well deserued and it is quarrell enough that their courtesie is not receiued How shall the God of heauen take it that whiles he giues and proffers large we run to the world that can afford vs nothing but vanity and vexation Those that can least act are oft-times the best to aduise Good old Naomi sits still at home by her counsell payes Ruth all the loue she owes her The face of that action to which she directs her is the worst piece of it the heart was sound Perhaps the assurance which long tryall had giuen her of the good gouernment and firme chastity of her daughter in law together with her perswasion of the religious grauity of Boaz made her thinke that designe safe which to others had been perilous if not desperate But besides that holding BoaZ next of blood to Elimelech she made account of him as the lawfull husband of Ruth so as there wanted nothing but a challeng and consummation Nothing was abated but some outward solemnities which though expedient for the satisfaction of others yet were not essentiall to mariage And if there were not these colours for a proiect so suspitious it would not follow that the action were warrantable because Naomies Why should her example be more safe in this then in matching her sonnes with infidels then in sending backe Orpah to her fathers gods If euery act of an holy person should be out rule we should haue crooked liues Euery action that is reported is not straight-waies allowed Our courses were very vncertaine if God had not giuen vs rules whereby wee may examine the examples of the best Saints and as well censure as follow them Let them that stumble at the boldnesse of Ruth imitate the continence of Boaz. These times were not delicate This man though great in Bethleem laies him downe to rest vpon a pallat in the floore of his barne when he awakes at midnight no maruell if hee were amazed to finde himselfe accompanied yet though his heart were cheared with wine the place solitary the night silent the person comely the inuitation plausible could he not be drawn to a rash act of lust His appetite could not get the victory of reason though it had wine and opportunity to helpe it Herein BoaZ shewed himselfe a great master of his affections that he was able to resist a fit tentation It is no thanke to many that they are free of some euils perhaps they wanted not will but conuenience But if a man when he is fitted with all helps to his sin can repell the pleasure of sinne out of conscience this is true fortitude In stead of touching her as a wanton he blesses her as a father incourageth her as a friend promiseth her as a kinsman rewards her as a patrone and sends her away laden with hopes and gifts no lesse chaste more happy then she came Oh admirable temperance worthy the progenitor of him in whose lips and heart was no guile If Boaz had been the next kinsman the marriage had needed no protraction but now that his conscience told him that Ruth was the right of another it had not beene more sensuality then iniustice to haue touched his kinswoman It was not any bodily impotency but honesty and conscience that restrained Boaz for the very next night she conceiued by him that good man wished his marriage bed holy and durst not lye downe in the doubt of a sinne Many a man is honest out of necessity and affects the prayse of that which he could not auoyde but that mans minde is still an adulterer in the forced continence of his body No action can giue vs true comfort but that which we doe out of the grounds of obedience Those which are fearefull of sinning are carefull not to be thought to sinne Boaz though he knew himselfe so be cleare would not haue occasion of suspition giuen to others Let no man know that a woman came into the floore A good heart is no lesse afraid of a scandall then of a sinne whereas those that are resolued not to make any scruple of sin despise others constructions not caring whom they offend so that they may please themselues That Naomi might see her daughter in
to his Ministers vnder the Gospell Saint Pauls suit is both vniuersall and euerlasting I beseech you Brethren know them that labour amongst you The chiefe praise is to be able to giue good aduice the next is to take it Saul is easily induced to condescend He whose curiosity led him voluntarily at last to the Witch of Endor is now led at first by good counsell to the man of God neither is his care in going lesse commendable then his will to goe For as a man that had bin catechized not to goe vnto God empty-handed he asks What shall we bring vnto the man What haue we The case is well altered in our times Euery man thinkes what may I keepe backe There is no gaine so sweet as of a robbed Altar yet Gods charge is no lesse vnder the Gospel Let him that is taught make his Teacher partaker of all As this faithfull care of Saul was a iust presage of successe more then hee looked for or could expect so the sacrilegious vnthankfulnesse of many bodes that ruine to their soule and estate which they could not haue grace to feare He that knew the Prophets abode knew also the honour of his place he could not but know that Samuel was a mixt person The Iudge of Israel and the Seer yet both Saul and his Seruant purpose to present him the fourth part of a shekell to the value of about our fiue pence They had learned that thankfulnesse was not to be measured of good men by the weight but by the will of the Retributor How much more will God accept the small offerings of his weak Seruants when he sees them proceed from great loue The very maids of the City can giue direction to the Prophet they had listned after the holy affayres they had heard of the Sacrifice and could tell of the necessity of Samuels presence Those that liue within the Sun-shine of Religion cannot but be somewhat coloured with those beames Where there is practice and example of piety in the better sort there will be a reflection of it vpon the meanest It is no small benefit to liue in religious and holy places we shall be much to blame if all goodnesse fall beside vs Yea so skilfull were these Damzels in the fashions of their publike Sacrifices that they could instruct Saul and his seruant vnasked how the people would not eate till Samuel came to blesse the Sacrifice This meeting was not more a Sacrifice then it was a Feast These two agree well we haue neuer so much cause to reioyce in feasting as when we haue duly serued our God The Sacrifice was a feast to God the other to men The body may eate and drinke with contentment when the soule hath beene first fed and hath first feasted the maker of both Goe eate thy bread with ioy and drinke thy drinke with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy workes The Sacrifice was before consecrated when it was offered to God but it was not consecrated to them till Samuel blessed it his blessing made that meate holy to the guests which was formerly hallowed to God All creatures were made good and tooke holinesse from him which gaue them being Our sinne brought that curse vpon them which vnlesse our prayers remoue it cleaues to them still so as we receiue them not without a curse We are not our owne friends except our Prayers helpe to take that away which our sinne hath brought that so to the cleane all may bee cleane It is an vnmannerly godlessenesse to take Gods creatures without the leaue of their Maker and well may God withhold his blessing from them which haue not the grace to aske it Those guests which were so religious that they would not eate their Sacrifice vnblessed might haue blessed it themselues Euery man might pray though euery man might not sacrifice yet would they not either eate or blesse whiles they looked for the presence of a Prophet Euery Christian may sanctifie his owne meat but where those are present that are peculiarly sanctified to God this seruice is fittest for them It is commendable to teach Children the practice of Thanksgiuing but the best is euer most meet to blesse our tables and those especially whose office it is to offer our prayers to God Little did Saul thinke that his comming and his errand was so noted of God as that it was fore-signified vnto the Prophet and now behold Samuel is told a day before of the man time the place of his meeting The eye of Gods prouidence is no lesse ouer all our actions all our motions We cannot goe any whither without him he tels all our steps since it pleaseth God therefore to take notice of vs much more should we take notice of him and walke with him in whom we moue Saul came beside his expectation to the Prophet he had no thought of any such purpose till his Seruant made this sudden motion vnto him of visiting Samuel and yet God sayes to his Prophet I will send thee a man out of the Land of Beniamin The ouer-ruling hand of the Almighty workes vs insensibly and all our affaires to his owne secret determinations so as whiles we thinke to doe our owne wils we doe his Our owne intentions we may know Gods purposes we know not we must goe the way that wee are called let him lead vs to what end he pleaseth It is our dutie to resigne our selues and our wayes to the disposition of God and patiently and thankfully to await the issue of his decrees The same God that fore-shewed Saul to Samuel now points to him See this is the man and commands the Prophet to anoint him Gouernour ouer Israel He that told of Saul before he came knew before he came into the world what a man what a King he would be yet he chooseth him out and inioynes his inunction It is one of the greatest prayses of Gods wisedome that hee can turne the euill of men to his owne glory Aduancement is not euer a signe of loue either to the man or to the place It had beene better for Saul that his head had beene euer dry some God raiseth vp in iudgement that they may fall the more vneasily there are no men so miserable as those that are great and euill It seemes that Samuel bore no great port in his outside for that Saul not discerning him either by his habit or attendants comes to him and askes him for the Seer yet was Samuel as yet the Iudge of Israel the substitution of his Sonnes had not displaced himselfe There is an affable familiarity that becommeth Greatnesse It is not good for eminent persons to stand alwayes vpon the height of their state but so to behaue themselues that as their sociable cariage may not breed contempt so their ouer-highnesse may not breed a seruile fearfulnesse in their people How kindly doth Samuel entertaine and inuite Saul yet it was he onely that should receiue wrong by the
of satisfaction preuented the hand of Samuel in this slaughter Now hee coldly stands still and suffers the weake hands of an aged Prophet to bee imbrued with that blood which he was commanded to shed If Saul might not sacrifice in the absence of Samuel yet Samuel might kill in the presence of Saul He was yet a Iudge of Israel although he suspended the execution In Sauls neglect this charge reuerted to him God loues iust executions so well that he will hardly take them ill at any hands I doe not find that the slaughter of Agag troubled Samuel that other act of his seueritie vpon Saul though it drew no blood yet stroke him in the striking and fetched teares from his eyes Good Samuel mourned for him that had not grace to mourne for himselfe No man in all Israel might seeme to haue so much reason to reioyce in Sauls ruine as Samuel since that he knew him raised vp in despight of his gouernment yet he mournes more for him then he did for his sonnes for himselfe It grieued him to see the plant which he had set in the garden of Israel thus soone withered It is an vnnaturall senselesnesse not to be affected with the dangers with the sinnes of our Gouernors God did not blame this sorrow but moderated it How long wilt thou mourne for Saul It was not the affection he forbade but the measure In this is the difference betwixt good men and euill that euill men mourne not for their own sinnes good men doe so mourne for the sinnes of others that they will hardly be taken off If Samuel mourne because Saul hath cast away God by his sinne hee must cease to mourne because God hath cast away Saul from raigning ouer Israel in his iust punishment A good heart hath learned to rest it selfe vpon the Iustice of Gods Decree and forgets all earthly respects when it lookes vp to heauen So did God meane to shew his displeasure against the person of Saul that he would shew fauour to Israel he will not therefore bereaue them of a King but change him for a better Either Saul had slandred his people or else they were partners with him in the disobedience yet because it was their Rulers fault that they were not ouer-ruled we doe not heare of their smarting any otherwise then in the subiection to such a King as was not loyall to God The losse of Saul is their gaine the gouernment of their first King was abortiue no maruell if it held not Now was the maturitie of that State and therefore God will bring them forth a kindly Monarchy setled where it should Kings are of Gods prouiding it is good reason he should make choice of his owne Deputies but where goodnesse meets with soueraignty both his right and his gift are doubled If Kings were meerely from the earth what needs a Prophet to be seene in the choice or inauguration The hand of Samuel doth not now beare the Scepter to rule Israel but it beares the horne for the anointing of him that must rule Saul was sent to him when the time was to be anointed but now he is sent to anoint Dauid Then Israel sought a King for themselues now God seekes a King for Israel The Prophet is therfore directed to the house of Ishai the Bethleemite the grand-child of Ruth now is the faithfull loue of that good Moabitesse crowned with the honour of a Kingdome in the succeeding generation God fetcht her out of Moab to bring a King vnto Israel Whiles Orpah wants bread in her owne Country Ruth is growne a great Lady in Bethleem and is aduanced to be great Grand mother to the King of Israel The retributions of God are bountifull neuer any man forsooke ought for his sake and complained of an hard bargaine Euen the best of Gods Saints want not their infirmities He that neuer replyed when hee was sent to reproue the King moueth doubts when he is bidden to goe and anoint his successor How can I goe If Saul beare it he will kill me Perhaps desire of full direction drew from him this question but not without a mixture of diffidence For the manner of doing it doth not so much trouble him as the successe It is not to be expected that the most faithfull hearts should bee alwaies in an equall height of resolution God doth not chide Samuel but instruct him Hee which is Wisedome it selfe teacheth him to hide his counsels in an honest policy Take an Heifar with thee and say I am come to doe sacrifice to the Lord. This was to say true not to say all Truth may not bee crossed by denials or equiuocations it may bee concealed in a discreet silence except in the case of an oath no man is bound to speake all he knowes we are not onely allowed but commanded to be innocently Serpentine There were doubtlesse Heifars enow in Bethleem Ishai had both wealth and deuotion enough to haue bestowed a Sacrifice vpon God and his Prophet But to giue a more perfect colour to his intention Samuel must take an Heifar with him The act it selfe was serious and necessary There was no place no time wherein it was not fit for a Samuel to offer Peace-offerings vnto God but when a King should bee anointed there was no lesse then necessitie in this seruice Those which must represent God to the world ought to be consecrated to that Maiestie whom they resemble by publike deuotions Euery important action requires a Sacrifice to blesse it much more that act which imports the whole Church or Common-wealth It was great newes to see Samuel at Bethleem hee was no gadder abroad none but necessary occasions could make him stir from Ramah The Elders of the City therefore welcome him with trembling not for that they were afraid of him but of themselues they knew that guest would not come to them for familiarity streight do they suspect it was the purpose of some iudgement that drew him thither Commest thou peaceably It is a good thing to stand in awe of Gods Messengers and to hold good termes with them vpon al occasions The Bethlemites are glad to heare of no other errand but a Sacrifice and now must they sanctifie themselues for so sacred a businesse We may not presume to sacrifice vnto God vnsanctified this were to marre an holy act and make our selues more prophane by prophaning that which should be holy All the Citizens sanctifie themselues but Ishai and his sonnes were in a speciall fashion sanctified by Samuel This businesse was most theirs and all Israel in them the more God hath to doe with vs the more holy should we be With what desire did Samuel look vpon the sons of Ishai that he might see the face of the man whom God had chosen And now when Eliab the eldest son came forth a man of a goodly presence whose person seemed fit to succeed Saul he thinkes with himselfe This choice is soon made I haue already espied the
one man slue all those thousands at a blow It was enough for the puissant King of Israel to follow the chase and to kill them whom Dauid had put to flight yet he that could lend his clothes and his armour to this exploit cannot abide to part with the honour of it to him that hath earned it so dearly The holy Songs of Dauid had not more quieted his spirits before then now the thankfull Song of the Israelitish women vexed him One little Dittie of Saul hath slaine his thousand and Dauid his ten thousand sung vnto the Timbrels of Israel fetcht againe that euill spirit which Dauids Musicke had expelled Saul needed not the torment of a worse spirit then Enuie Oh the vnreasonablenesse of this wicked passion The women gaue Saul more and Dauid lesse then he deserued For Saul alone could not kill a thousand and Dauid in that one act of killing Goliah slue in effect all the Philistims that were slaine that day and yet because they giue more to Dauid then to himselfe he that should haue endited begun that Song of thankfulnesse repines and growes now as mad with enuy as he was before with griefe Truth and Iustice are no protection against Malice Enuie is blind to all obiects saue other mens happinesse If the eyes of men could bee contained within their owne bounds and not roue forth into comparisons there could be no place for this vicious affection but when they haue once taken this lawlesse scope to themselues they lose the knowledge of home and care onely to be employed abroad in their owne torment Neuer was Sauls brest so fit a lodging for the euill spirit as now that it is drest vp with enuy It is as impossible that Hell should bee free from Deuils as a malicious heart Now doth the franticke King of Israel renew his old fits and walkes and talkes distractedly He was mad with Dauid and who but Dauid must be called to allay his madnesse Such as Dauids wisedome was he could not but know the termes wherein he stood with Saul yet in lieu of the harsh and discordous notes of his masters enuy he returnes pleasing Musicke vnto him He can neuer bee good Courtier nor good man that hath not learned to repay if not iniuries with thankes yet euill with good Whiles there was a Harpe in Dauids hand there was a Speare in Sauls wherewith he threatens death as the recompence of that sweet melodie He said I will smite Dauid through to the wall It is well for the innocent that wicked men cannot keep their owne counsell God fetcheth their thoughts out of their mouthes or their countenance for a seasonable preuention which else might proceed to secret execution It was time for Dauid to withdraw himselfe his obedience did not tye him to bee the marke of a furious master hee might ease Saul with his musicke with his blood hee might not Twice therefore doth he auoid the Presence not the Court not the Seruice of Saul One would haue thought rather that Dauid should haue beene affraid of Saul because the Deuill was so strong with him then that Saul should be affraid of Dauid because the Lord was with him yet we find all the feare in Saul of Dauid none in Dauid of Saul Hatred and feare are ordinary companions Dauid had wisedome and faith to dispell his feares Saul had nothing but infidelity and deiected selfe-condemned distempred thoughts which must needs nourish them yet Saul could not feare any hurt from Dauid whom he found so loyall and seruiceable Hee feares onely too much good vnto Dauid and the enuious feare is much more then the distrustfull now Dauids presence begins to be more displeasing then his Musicke was sweet Despight it selfe had rather preferre him to a remote dignity then endure him a neerer attendant This promotion encreaseth Dauids honour and loue and this loue and honour aggrauates Sauls hatred and feare Sauls madnesse hath not bereaued him of his craft For perceiuing how great Dauid was growne in the reputation of Israel he dares not offer any personall or direct violence to him but hires him into the iawes of a supposed death by no lesse price then his eldest Daughter Behold mine eldest daughter Merab her will I giue thee to wife onely be a valiant Sonne to me and fight the Lords Battels Could euer man speak more graciously more holily What could bee more graciously offered by a King then his eldest Daughter What care could be more holy then of the Lords battels yet neuer did Saul intend so much mischiefe to Dauid or so much vnfaithfulnesse to God as when he spake thus There is neuer so much danger of the false-hearted as when they make the fairest weather Sauls Speare bad Dauid be gone but his plausible words inuite him to danger This honour was due to Dauid before vpon the compact of his victory yet he that twice inquired into the reward of that enterprize before he vndertooke it neuer demanded it after that atchieuement neither had Saul the iustice to offer it as a recompence of so noble an exploit but as a snare to an enuied victory Charitie suspects not Dauid construes that as an effect and argument of his Masters loue which was no other but a child of Enuy but a plot of mischiefe and though he knew his owne desert and the Iustice of his claime to Merab yet hee in a sincere humilitie disparageth himselfe and his Parentage with a who am I As it was not the purpose of this modestie in Dauid to reiect but to sollicit the proffered fauour of Saul so was it not in the power of this bashfull humiliation to turne backe the edge of so keene an enuy It helpes not that Dauid makes himselfe meane whiles others magnifie his worth Whatsoeuer the colour was Saul meant nothing to Dauid but danger and death and since all those Battels will not effect that which he desired himselfe will not effect that which hee promised If hee cannot kill Dauid he will disgrace him Dauids honour was Sauls disease It was not likely therefore that Saul would adde vnto that honour whereof he was so sicke already Merab is giuen vnto another neither doe I heare Dauid complaine of so manifest an iniustice He knew that the God whose battels he fought had prouided a due reward of his patience If Merab faile God hath a Michal in store for him she is in loue with Dauid his comelinesse and valour haue so wonne her heart that she now emulates the affection of her Brother Ionathan If she be the yonger Sister yet she is more affectionate Saul is glad of the newes his Daughter could neuer liue to doe him better seruice then to be a new snare to his Aduersarie Shee shall bee therefore sacrificed to his enuie and her honest and sincere loue shall bee made a bait for her worthy and innocent Husband I will giue him her that shee may be a snare vnto him that the hand of the
should dwell in those brests which are consecrated vnto God The Arke and the Tabernacle were then separated The Arke was at Kiriathiealim the Tabernacle at Nob God was present with both Whither should Dauid flye for succour but to the House of that God which had anointed him Ahimelech was wont to see Dauid attended with the troupes of Israel or with the Gallants of the Court it seemes strange therefore to him to see so great a Peere and Champion of Israel come alone These are the alterations to which earthly Greatnesse is subiect Not many dayes are past since no man was honoured at Court but Ionathan and Dauid now they are both for the time in disgrace Now dare not the Kings Sonne in law Brother to the Prince both in Loue and Mariage shew his head at the Court nor any of those that bowed to him dare stirre a foot with him Princes are as the Sunne and great Subiects are like to Dials if the Sun shine not on the Diall no man will looke at it Euen hee that ouercame the Beare the Lyon the Gyant is ouercome with feare He that had cut off two hundred fore-skins of the Philistims had not circumcised his owne heart of the weake passions that follow Distrust Now that hee is hard driuen he practises to helpe himselfe with an vnwarrantable shift Who can looke to passe this Pilgrimage without infirmities when Dauid dissembleth to Ahimelech A weake mans rules may be better then the best mans actions God lets vs see some blemishes in his holiest Seruants that wee may neither bee too highly conceited of flesh and blood nor too much deiected when wee haue beene miscaried into sinne Hitherto hath Dauid gone vpright now hee begins to halt with the Priest of God and vnder pretence of Sauls imployment drawes that fauour from Ahimelech which shall afterwards cost him his head What could Ahimelech haue thought too deare for Gods Anointed for Gods Champion It is not like but that if Dauid had sincerely opened himselfe to the Priest as hee hath done to the Prophet Ahimelech would haue seconded Samuel in some secret and safe succour of so vniust a distresse whereas he is now by a false color led to that kindnesse which shall be preiudiciall to his life Extremities of euill are commonly inconsiderate either for that wee haue not leisure to our thoughts or perhaps so as we may be perplexed not thoughts to our leisure What would Dauid haue giuen afterwards to haue redeemed this ouer fight Vnder this pretence he craues a double fauour of Ahimelech The one of bread for his sustenance the other of a Sword for his defence There was no bread vnder the hands of the Priest but that which was consecrated to God and whereof none might taste but the deuoted Seruants of the Altar Euen that which was with solemne dedication set vpon the holy Table before the face of God a Sacramentall Bread presented to God with Incense figuring that true Bread that came downe from Heauen Yet euen this Bread might in case of necessitie become common and be giuen by Ahimelech and receiued by Dauid and his followers Our Sauiour himselfe iustifies the act of both Ceremonies must giue place to substance God will haue Mercy and not Sacrifice Charitie is the summe and the end of the Law That must be aymed at in all our actions wherein it may fall out that the way to keepe the Law may bee to breake it the intention may be kept and the Letter violated and it may bee a dangerous transgression of the Law to obserue the words and neglect the scope of God That which would haue dispensed with Dauid for the substance of the act would haue much more dispensed with him for the circumstance The touch of their lawfull Wiues had contracted a legall impurity not a morall That could haue beene no sufficient reason why in an vrgent necessitie they might not haue partaked of the holy Bread Ahimelech was no perfect Casuist these men might not famish if they were ceremonially impure But this question bewrayed the care of Ahimelech in distributing the holy Bread There might be in these men a double incapacity the one as they were Seculars the other as vncleane he saw the one must be he feared lest the other should be as one that wished as little indisposition as possibly might bee in those which should be fed from Gods Table It is strange that Dauid should come to the Priest of God for a Sword Who in all Israel was so vnlikely to furnish him with weapons as a man of Peace whose armour was onely spirituall Doubtlesse Dauid knew well where Goliahs Sword lay as the noble relique of Gods victorious deliuerance dedicated to the same God which won it at this did that suit ayme None could be so fit for Dauid none could be so fit for it as Dauid Who could haue so much right to that Sword as he against whom it was drawne and by whom it was taken There was more in that Sword then Mettall and forme Dauid could neuer cast his eye vpon it but hee saw an vndoubted monument of the mercifull protection of the Almighty there was therefore more strength in that Sword then sharpenesse neither was Dauids arme so much strengthened by it as his faith nothing can ouercome him whiles he caries with him that assured signe of victorie It is good to take all occasions of renuing the remembrance of Gods mercies to vs and our obligations to him Doeg the Master of Sauls Herdmen for he that went to seeke his Fathers Asses before he was King hath herdes and droues now that he is a King was now in the Court of the Tabernacle vpon some occasion of deuotion Though an Israelite in profession he was an Edomite no lesse in heart then in blood yet hee hath some vow vpon him and not onely comes vp to Gods House but abides before the Lord Hypocrites haue equall accesse to the publike places and meanes of Gods Seruice Euen hee that knowes the heart yet shuts his doores vpon none how much lesse should wee dare to exclude any which can onely iudge of the heart by the face Doeg may set his foot as far within the Tabernacle as Dauid hee sees the passages betwixt him and Ahimelech and layes them vp for an aduantage Whiles he should haue edified himselfe by those holy seruices he carpes at the Priest of God and after a lewd mis-interpretation of his actions of an attendant proues an accuser To incurre fauour with an vniust Master he informes against innocent Ahimelech and makes that his act which was drawne from him by a cunning circumuention When we see our Auditors before vs little doe we know with what hearts they are there nor what vse they will make of their pretended deuotion If many come in simplicity of heart to serue their God some others may perhaps come to obserue their Teachers and to picke quarrels where none are Onely God and the
abasement Heroicall and that the onely way to true glory is not to be ashamed of our lowest humiliation vnto God Well might he promise himselfe honour from those whose contempt she had threatned The hearts of men are not their owne he that made them ouer-rules them and inclines them to an honourable conceit of those that honour their Maker So as holy men haue oft times inward reuerence euen where they haue outward indignities Dauid came to blesse his house Mical brings a curse vpon her selfe Her scornes shall make her childlesse to the day of her death Barrennesse was held in those times none of the least iudgements God doth so reuenge Dauids quarrell vpon Mical that her sudden disgrace shall be recompenced with perpetuall She shall not be held worthy to beare a sonne to him whom she vniustly contemned How iust is it with God to prouide whips for the backe of scorners It is no maruell if those that mocke at goodnesse be plagued with continuall fruitlesnesse MEPHIBOSHETH and ZIBA SO soone as euer Dauid can but breathe himselfe from the publike cares hee casts backe his thoughts to the deare remembrance of his Ionathan Sauls seruant is likely to giue him the best intelligence of Sauls sonnes The question is therefore moued to Ziba Remaineth there yet none of the house of Saul and lest suspition might conceale the remainders of an emulous liue in feare of reuenge intended he addes On whom I may shew the mercy of God for Ionathans sake O friendship worthy of the Monuments of Eternity fit only to requite him whose loue was more than the loue of women Hee doth not say Is there any of the house of Ionathan but of Saul that for his friends sake hee may shew fauour to the Posterity of his Persecutor Ionathans loue could not bee greater than Sauls malice which also suruiued long in his issue from whom Dauid found a busie and stubborne riualitie for the Crowne of Israel yet as one that gladly buried all the hostilitie of Sauls house in Ionathans graue hee askes Is there any man left of Sauls house that I may shew him mercie for Ionathans sake It is true loue that ouerliuing the person of a friend will bee inherited of his seed but to loue the posteritie of an enemie in a friend it is the miracle of friendship The formall amitie of the World is confined to a face or to the possibility of recompence languishing in the disabilitie and dying in the decease of the party affected That loue was euer false that is not euer constant and then most operatiue when it cannot be either knowne or requited To cut off all vnquiet competition for the Kingdome of Israel the prouidence of God had so ordered that there is none left of the house of Saul besides the sonnes of his Concubines saue only young and lame Mephihosheth so young that hee was but fiue yeeres of age when Dauid entred vpon the Gouernment of Israel so lame that if his age had fitted his impotence had made him vnfit for the Throne Mephibosheth was not borne a Cripple it was an heedlesse Nurse that made him so She hearing of the death of Saul and Ionathan made such haste to flee that her young Master was lamed with the fall Yw is there needed no such speed to runne away from Dauid whose loue pursues the hidden sonne of his brother Ionathan How often doth our ignorant mistaking cause vs to runne from our bestfriends and to catch knockes and maimes of them that professe our protection MEPHIBOSHETH could not come otherwise than fearefully into the presence of Dauid whom hee knew so long so spitefully opposed by the house of Saul hee could not bee ignorant that the fashion of the World is to build their owne security vpon the bloud of the opposite faction neither to thinke themselues safe whiles any branch remaines springing out of that root of their emulation Seasonably doth Dauid therefore first expell all those vniust doubts ere hee administer his further cordials Feare not for I will surely shew thee kindnesse for Ionathan thy fathers sake and will restore thee all the fields of Saul thy father and thou shalt eate bread at my table continually Dauid can see neither Sauls bloud nor lame legs in Mephibosheth whiles he sees in him the features of his friend Ionathan how much lesse shall the God of mercies regard our infirmities or the corrupt bloud of our sinfull Progenitors whiles he beholds vs in the face of his Sonne in whom he is well pleased Fauours are wont so much more to affect vs as they are lesse expected by vs Mephibosheth as ouer-ioyed with so comfortable a word and confounded in himselfe at the remembrance of the contrary-deseruings of his Family bowes himselfe to the earth and sayes What is thy seruant that thou shouldst looke vpon such a dead Dog as I am I find no defect of wit though of limmes in Mepihbesheth hee knew himselfe the Grand-childe of the King of Israel the sonne of Ionathan the lawfull heire of both yet in regard of his owne impotencie and the trespasse and reiection of his house hee thus abaseth himselfe vnto Dauid Humiliation is a right vse of Gods affliction What if hee were borne great If the sinne of his Grandfather hath lost his estate and the hand of his Nurse hath deformed and disabled his person hee now forgets what hee was and cals himselfe worse than hee is A Dogge Yet a liuing Dogge is better than a dead Lion there is dignity and comfort in life Mephibosheth is therefore a dead Dogge vnto Dauid It is not for vs to nourish the same spirits in our aduerse estate that wee found in our highest prosperitie What vse haue wee made of Gods hand if wee bee not the lower with ourfall God intends wee should carry our crosse not make a fire of it to warme vs It is no bearing vp our sayles in a tempest Good Dauid cannot dis-esteeme Mephibosheth euer the more for disparaging himselfe hee loues and honours this humilitie in the Sonne of Ionathan There is no more certaine way to glory and aduancement than a lowly deiection of our selues Hee that made himselfe a Dogge and therefore fit onely to lye vnder the table yea a dead Dogge and therefore fit onely for the ditch is raised vp to the table of a King his seat shall bee honourable yea royall his fare delicious his attendance noble How much more will our gracious God lift vp our heads vnto true honour before men and Angels if wee can bee sincerely humbled in his sight If wee miscall our selues in the meanenesse of our conceits to him hee giues vs a new name and sets vs at the Table of his glorie It is contrary with GOD and men if they reckon of vs as wee set our selues hee values vs according to our abasements Like a Prince truely munificent and faithfull Dauid promises and performes at once Ziba Sauls seruant hath the charge giuen him of
so approues them that hee is rauished with wonder Hee that reioyced in the view of his Creation to see that of nothing hee had made all things good reioyces no lesse in the reformation of his Creature to see that hee hath made good of euill Behold thou art faire my Loue behold thou art faire and there is no spot in thee My Sister my spouse thou hast wounded my heart thou hast wounded my heart with one of thine eyes Our Wealth Beautie Wit Learning Honour may make vs accepted of men but it is our Faith only that shall make God in loue with vs And why are wee of any other saue Gods Dyet to bee more affected with the least measure of Grace in any man than with all the outward glories of the World There are great men whom we iustly pitty we can admire none but the gracious Neither was that plant more worthy of wonder in it selfe than that it grew in such a soyle with so little helpe of Raine and Sunne The weaknesse of meanes addes to the prayse and acceptation of our proficiencie To doe good vpon a little is the commendation of thrift it is small thanke to bee full handed in a large estate As contrarily the strength of meanes doubles the reuenge of our neglect It is not more the shame of Israel than the glory of the Centurion that our Sauiour sayes I haue not found so great faith in Israel Had Israel yeelded any equall faith it could not haue bin vnespyed of those All-seeing eyes yet were their helpes so much greater than their faith was lesse and God neuer giues more than hee requires Where wee haue laid our Tillage and Compost and Seed who would not looke for a Crop but if the vncultured fallow yeeld more how iustly is that vnanswerable ground neere to a curse Our Sauiour did not mutter this censorious testimony to himselfe nor whisper it to his Disciples but he turned him about to the people and spake it in their eares that he might at once worke their shame and emulation In all other things except spirituall our selfe-loue makes vs impatient of equals much lesse can wee endure to be out-stripped by those who are our professed inferiours It is well if any thing can kindle in vs holy ambitions Dull and base are the spirits of that man that can abide to see another ouer-take him in the way and out-run him to Heauen He that both wrought this faith and wondred at it doth now reward it Goe thy wayes and 〈◊〉 thou hast beleeued so bee it vnto thee Neuer was any faith vnseene of Christ neuer was any seene without allowance neuer was any allowed without remuneration The measure of our receits in the matter of fauour is the proportion of our beliefe The infinite Mercy of God which is euer like it selfe followes but one rule in his gifts to vs the faith that hee giues vs Giue vs O God to beleeue and be it to vs as thou wilt it shall be to vs aboue that we will The Centurion sues for his Seruant and Christ sayes So bee it vnto thee The Seruants health is the benefit of the Master and the Master Faith is the health of the Seruant And if the Prayers of an earthly Master preuayled so much with the Sonne of God for the recouery of a Seruant how shall the intercession of the Sonne of God preuayle with his Father in Heauen for vs that are his impotent Children and Seruants vpon Earth What can wee want O Sauiour whiles thou suest for vs Hee that hath giuen thee for vs can deny thee nothing for vs can deny vs nothing for thee In thee we are happy and shall be glorious To thee O thou mightie Redeemer of Israel with thine eternall Father together with thy blessed Spirit one God infinite and incomprehensible be giuen all prayse Honour and Glory for euer and euer Amen FINIS Contemplations THE SIXTH Volume By I.H. D.D. LONDON Printed for Nathaniel Butter 1625. Contemplations THE SIXTEENTH BOOKE Containing Shimei cursing Achitophel The death of Absalom Shebaes Rebellion The Gibeonites reuenged The numbring of the People By IOS HALL D. of Diuinity and Deane of WORCESTER TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND TRVLY NOBLE LORD FRANCIS Lord RVSSEL Baron of Thornbaugh all increase of Honour and Happinesse Right Honourable YOu shall not need to impute it to any other reason besides your vertues that I haue presumed to shroud this peece of my Labours vnder your Noble Patronage The world hath taken iust notice how much the Gospell is graced by your reall profession whom neither honour hath made ouerlie nor wealth lauish nor charge miserable nor greatnesse licentious Goe on happily in these safe and gainfull steps of goodnesse and still honour the God that hath honoured you Jn the meane time accept from my vnworthy hands these poore Meditations more hie for their subiect then meane for their author Wherein Shimeies curses shall teach you how vnable either greatnesse or innocence is to beare off the blowes of ill tongues and how baseness euer molds it selfe according to the aduantage of times Achitophels depth compared with his end shall shew how witlesse and insensate craft is when it striues against honesty and how iustly are they forsaken of their reason that haue abandoned God The blood of Absalom and Sheba proclaime the ineuitable reuenge of rebellion which neither in woods nor wals can find safety The late famine of Jsrael for the forgotten violence offered to the Gibeonites shewes what note God takes of our oathes and what sure vengeance of their violation Dauids muster seconded with the plague of Israel teache◠how highly God may bee offended with sinnes of the least appearance how seuere to his owne how mercifull in that seuerity If these my thoughts shall be approued beneficiall to any soule I am rich I shall vow my prayers to their successe and to the happinesse of your honourable Family both in the root and branches Whereto J am in all Humble duty deuoted IOS HALL Contemplations SHIMEI cursing WIth an heauy heart and a couered head and a weeping eye and bare feet is Dauid gone away from Hierusalem neuer did hee with more ioy come vp to his City then now hee left it with sorrow how could he doe otherwise whom the insurrection of his owne Sonne droue out from his house from his throne from the Arke of God and now when the depth of this griefe deserued nothing but compassion the foule mouth of Shimei entertaines Dauid with curses There is no small cruelty in the picking out of a time for mischiefe That word would scarce gall at one season which at another killeth The same shaft flying with the wind pierces deepe which against it can hardly find strength to sticke vpright The valour and iustice of children condemnes it for iniuriously cowardly to strike their aduersary when he is once downe It is the murder of the tongue to insult vpon those whom God hath humbled and to
men according to no other conditions then of their faith The Centurions seruant was sicke the Rulers sonne The Centurion doth not sue vnto Christ to come onely sayes My seruant is sicke of a Palsie Christ answers him I will come and heale him The Ruler sues vnto Christ that hee would come and heale his sonne Christ will not goe onely sayes Goe thy way thy sonne liues Outward things carie no respect with God The Image of that diuine Maiestie shining inwardly in the graces of the soule is that which wins loue from him in the meanest estate The Centurions faith therefore could do more then the Rulers greatnesse and that faithfull mans seruant hath more regard then this great mans sonne The Rulers request was Come and heale Christs answer was Goe thy way thy sonne liues Our mercifull Sauiour meets those in the end whom hee crosses in the way How sweetly doth he correct our prayers and whiles he doth not giue vs what we aske giues vs better then we asked Iustly doth he forbeare to go downe with this Ruler lest he should confirme him in an opinion of measuring his power by conceits of locality distance but he doth that in absence for which his presence was required with a repulse Thy sonne liueth giuing a greater demonstration of his omnipotencie then was craued How oft doth hee not heare to our will that hee may heare vs to our aduantage The chosen vessell would be rid of tentations he heares of a supply of grace The sicke man askes release receiues patience life and receiues glory Let vs aske what we thinke best let him giue what he knowes best With one word doth Christ heale two Patients the sonne and the father the sons feuer the fathers vnbeleefe That operatiue word of our Sauiour was not without the intention of a triall Had not the Ruler gone home satisfied with that intimation of his sonnes life and recouerie neither of them had beene blessed with successe Now the newes of performance meets him one halfe of the way and hee that beleeued somewhat ere he came and more when he went grew to more faith in the way and when he came home inlarged his faith to all the skirts of his familie A weake faith may be true but a true faith is growing He that boasts of a full stature in the first moment of his assent may presume but doth not beleeue Great men cannot want clients their example swaies some their authoritie more they cannot goe to either of the other worlds alone In vaine doe they pretend power ouer others who labour â—ut to draw their families vnto God The Dumbe Deuill eiected THat the Prince of our Peace might approue his perfect victories wheresoeuer hee met with the Prince of darknesse hee foyled him he eiected him He found him in heauen thence did hee throw him headlong and verified his Prophet I haue cast thee out of mine holy mountaine And if the Deuils left their first habitation it was because being Deuills they could not keepe it Their estate indeed they might haue kept and did not their habitation they would haue kept and might not How art thou falne from heauen O Lucifer He found him in the heart of man for in that closet of God did the euill spirit after his exile from heauen shrowd himselfe Sin gaue him possession which he kept with a willing violence thence hee casts him by his word and spirit He found him tyrannizing in the bodies of some possessed men and with power commands the vncleane spirits to depart This act is for no hand but his When a strong man keepes possession none but a stronger can remoue it In voluntary things the strongest may yeeld to the weakest Sampson to a Dalilah but in violent euer the mightiest caries it A spirituall nature must needs be in ranke aboue a bodily neither can any power be aboue a spirit but the God of spirits No otherwise is it in the mentall possession Where euer sinne is there Satan is As on the contrary whosoeuer is borne of God the seed of God remaines in him That euill one not onely is but rules in the sonnes of disobedience in vaine shall wee try to eiect him but by the diuine power of the Redeemer For this cause the Sonne of God was manifested that hee might destroy the workes of the Deuill Doe we finde our selues haunted with the familiar Deuills of Pride selfe-loue sensuall desires vnbeleefe None but thou O Son of the euerliuing God can free our bosomes of these hellish guests Oh clense thou mee from my secret sinnes and keepe mee that presumptuous sinnes preuaile not ouer me O Sauiour it is no Paradox to say that thou castest out more Deuils now then thou diddest whiles thou wert vpon earth It was thy word When I am lifted vp I will draw all men vnto me Satan weighes downe at the feet thou pullest at the head yea at the heart In euery conuersion which thou workest there is a dispossession Conuert mee O Lord and I shall be conuerted I know thy meanes are now no other then ordinary if we expect to be dispossessed by miracle it would be a miracle if euer wee were dispossessed Oh let thy Gospell haue the perfect worke in me so onely shall I bee deliuered from the powers of darknesse Nothing can be said to be dumbe but what naturally speakes nothing can speake naturally but what hath the instruments of speech which because spirits want they can no otherwise speake vocally then as they take voices to themselues in taking bodies This deuill was not therefore dumbe in his nature but in his effect The man was dumbe by the operation of that deuill which possessed him and now the action is attributed to the spirit which was subiectiuely in the man It is not you that speake saith our Sauiour but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you As it is in bodily diseases that they doe not infect vs alike some seize vpon the humors others vpon the spirits some assault the braine others the heart or lungs so in bodily and spirituall possessions In some the euill spirit takes away their senses in some their lims in some their inward faculties like as spiritually they affect to moue vs vnto seuerall sinnes One to lust another to couetousnesse or ambition another to cruelty and their names haue distinguished them according to these various effects This was a dumbe Deuill which yet had possessed not the tongue onely of this man but his eare not that onely but as it seemes his eies too O suttle and tyrannous spirit that obstructs all wayes to the soule that keepes out all meanes of grace both from the doores and windowes of the heart yea that stops vp all passages whether of ingresse or egresse Of ingresse at the eye or eare of egresse at the mouth that there might be no capacity of redresse What holy vse is there of our tongue but to praise our Maker to confesse our
and send them home empty of substance laded with shame halfe-dead with feare the very horses that might haue hastened their flight are left tied in their Tents their very garments are a burthen all is left behind saue their very bodies and those breathlesse for speed Doubtlesse these Syrians knew well to what miserable exigents the inclosed Israelites were brought by their siege and now made full account to sacke and ransacke their Samaria already had they diuided and swallowed the prey when suddenly God puts them into a ridiculous confusion and sends them to seeke safety in their heeles no booty is now in price with them but their life and happy is hee that can run fastest Thus the Almighty laughes at the designes of insolent men and shuts vp their counsels in shame The feare of the foure Lepers began now to giue way to security they fill their bellies and hide their treasures and passe from one Tent to another in a fastidious choice of the best commodities they who ere-while would haue held it happinesse enough to haue beene blessed with a crust now wantonly roue for dainties and from necessitie leape into excesse How farre selfe-loue caries vs in all our actions euen to the neglect of the publique Not till their owne bellies and hands and eies were filled did these Lepers thinke of imparting this newes to Israel at last when themselues are glutted they begin to remember the hunger of their brethren and now they finde roome for remorse We doe not well this day is a day of good tidings and we hold our peace Nature teaches vs that it is an iniurie to ingrosse blessings and so to mind the priuate as if we had no relation to a community we are worthy to be shut out of the City-gates for Lepers if the respects to the publique good do not ouer-sway with vs in all our desires â—n all our demeanure and well may wee with these couetous Lepers feare a mischiefe vpon our selues if we shall wilfully conceale blessings from others The conscience of this wrong and danger sends backe the Lepers into the Citie they call to the Porters and soone transmit the newes to the Kings houshold The King of Israel complaines not to haue his sleepe broken with such intelligence Hee ariseth in the night and not contemning good newes though brought by Lepers consults with his seruants of the businesse We cannot be too iealous of the intentions of an enemy Iehoram wisely suspects th s flight of the Syrians to be but simulatorie and politicke onely to draw Israel out of their City for the spoile of both There may bee more perill in the backe of an enemy then in the face the cruellest slaughters haue beene in retiring Easily therefore is the King perswaded to aduenture some few for-lorne Scouts for further assurance The word of Elisha is out of his head out of his heart else there had beene no place for this doubt Timorous hearts neuer thinke themselues sure those that haue no faith had need of much sense Those few horses that remaine are sent forth for discouery they find nothing but Monuments of frightfulnesse pledges of security Now Israel dares issue forth to the prey There as if the Syrians had comne thither to inrich them they finde granaries wardrobes treasures and what euer may serue either for vse or ostentation Euery Israelite goes away filled laden wearied with the wealthy spoile As scarcitie breeds dearth so plenty cheapnesse To day a measure of fine flower is lower rated then yesterday of dung The distrustfull Peere of Israel sees this abundance according to the word of the Prophet but enioyes it not he sees this plenty can come in at the gate though the windowes of heauen be not open The gate is his charge The affamished Israelites presse in vpon him beare him downe in the throng Extreme hunger hath no respect to greatnesse Not their rudenesse but his owne vnbeleefe hath trampled him vnder feet Hee that abased the power of God by his distrust is abased worthily to the heeles of the multitude Faith exalts a man aboue his owne sphere Infidelitie depresses him into the Dust into Hell He that beleeues not is condemned already FJNIS AN ALPHABETICALL TABLE OF THE WHOLE VVORKE AAron his Censer and Rod pag. 925 Aarons courage or mercy whether to bee more maruelled at 925 926. Absence The absence of God is hell it selfe 915 Sinnes not afflictions argue Gods absence 976 977. Abigail The signification of her name 1102. With her sorrow ibid. Her cariage to Dauid 1104. Ability A caution for concealment of our abilities 852. Carnall hearts are caried away with the presumption of their owne abilities 1081. Abimelech his vsurpation 985. Of him and Dauid 1091. Abner and Ioah 1119. Abraham Of him and his tryals 831. None of them like to that of sacrificing Isaack 834 Absolom Of his returne and conspiracy 1148. In his banishment is shadowed the misery of such as are shut out of heauen 1149. Of his pride treason 1150. His death 1237. Acception Acception of persons a good note of it in Ioshua and the Gibeonites 966. Achan his one sinne what it doth to all Israel 954. His hope of secrecie in his sin what it doth 955. His confession 956. Achish Of him Dauid 1106. Achitophel Of him and his counsell 1234 His fathers mourning for him 1240. Acquaintance Our strangenesse with God condemned being so often inuited to his acquaintance 52. Long acquaintance maketh those things which are euill to seeme lesse euill 145. Actions All our actions of faith and charity shall bee sure of pay 953. No action can giue vs comfort but that which wee doe out of the grounds of obedience 1027 Admonition With what impatience a gaulled heart doth receiue admonition 898 Sweet compellations how helpfull to the entertainment of good admonitions 956 How we must deale with admonitions to our brethren 1104 Adonijah he is defeated 1255. Aduersity what it teacheth 24 Affections good affections make heauy things light 3 Heauenly affections must bee free without composition 37 38 Loue and feare are two main affections of the soule 475 The affections how deceitfull 504 Affectation it is a great enemie of doing well 14 Nothing forced by affectation can be comely 59 The vanity of being caried away with the affectation of fame 66 Afflictions Not to be afflicted is a signe of weaknesse 7 A method in suffering afflictions 38 A notable enducement to suffering afflictions 45 46. Afflictions in loue better then prosperity without it 51 A good rule for behauing of our selues in afflictions 65 No maruell why the wicked are no more afflicted 149 A discourse of the comfortable remedies of all afflictions 366 The wicked grow worse by afflictions 835 Gods hand is often heauy on those whom he loues 855 Nothing so powerfully calls home a man as affliction ibid. The affliction of Israel 893 In our afflictions when wee seeme most neglected then is God most present
Philistims may be against him The purpose of any fauour is more then the value of it Euen the greatest honours may be giuen with an intent of destruction Many a man is raised vp for a fall So forward is Saul in the match that hee sends spokes men to sollicit Dauid vnto that honour which he hopes will proue the high-way to death The dowry is set An hundred fore-skins of the Philistims not their heads but their fore-skins that this victory might bee more ignominious still thinking why may not one Dauid miscary as well as an hundred Philistims And what doth Sauls enuy all this while but enhance Dauids zeale and valour and glorie That good Captaine little imagining that himselfe was the Philistim whom Saul maligned supererogates of his Master and brings two hundred for one and returnes home safe and renowned neither can Saul now fly for shame There is no remedy but Dauid must be a sonne where he was a riuall and Saul must feed vpon his owne heart since he cannot see Dauids Gods blessing graces equally together with mans malice neither can they deuise which way to make vs more happy then by wishing vs euill MICHALS wyle THis aduantage can Saul yet make of Dauids promotion that as his Aduersarie is raised higher so hee is drawne nearer to the opportunity of death Now hath his enuy cast off all shame and since those craftie plots succeed not hee directly subornes Murtherers of his riuall There is none in all the Court that is not set on to bee an Executioner Ionathan himselfe is sollicited to imbrue his hand in the blood of his friend of his Brother Saul could not but see Ionathans cloathes on Dauids backe he could not but know the league of their loue yet because he knew withall how much the prosperitie of Dauid would preiudice Ionathan he hoped to haue found him his sonne in malice Those that haue the Iaundis see all things yellow those which are ouergrowne with malicious passions thinke all men like themselues I doe not heare of any reply that Ionathan made to his father when he gaue him that bloody charge but he waits for a fit time to disswade him from so cruell an iniustice Wisdome had taught him to giue way to rage and in so hard an aduenture to craue aide of opportunitie If we be not carefull to obserue good moodes when wee deale with the passionate we may exasperate in stead of reforming Thus did Ionathan who knowing how much better it is to be a good friend then an ill sonne had not onely disclosed that ill counsell but when be found his father in the fields in a calmes temper laboured to diuert it And so farre doth the seasonable and pithy Oratory of Ionathan preuaile that Saul is conuinced of his wrong and sweares As God liues Dauid shall not die Indeed how could it be otherwise vpon the plea of Dauids innocence and well-deseruings How could Saul say he should dye whom hee could accuse of nothing but faithfulnesse Why should he designe him to death which had giuen life to all Israel Oft-times wicked mens iudgements are forced to yeeld vnto that truth against which their affections maintaine a rebellion Euen the foulest hearts doe sometimes entertaine good motions like as on the contrary the holiest soules giue way sometimes to the suggestions of euill The flashes of lightning may be discerned in the darkest Prisons But if good thoughts looke into a wicked heart they stay not there as those that like not their lodging they are soone gone Hardly any thing distinguishes betwixt good and euill but continuance The light that shines into an holy heart is constant like that of the Sunne which keepes due times and varies not his course for any of these sublunary occasions The Philistim Warres renue Dauids victories and Dauids victory renues Sauls enuy and Sauls enuy renues the plots of Dauids death Vowes and Oaths are forgotten That euill spirit which vexes Saul hath found so much fauour with him as to winne him to these bloody machinations against an innocent His owne hands shall first bee imployed in this execution The speare which hath twice before threatned death to Dauid shall now once againe goe vpon that message Wise Dauid that knew the danger of an hollow friend and reconciled enemy and that found more cause to mind Sauls earnest then his owne play giues way by his nimblenesse to that deadly weapon and resigning that stroke vnto the wall flies for his life No man knowes how to be sure of an vnconscionable man If either goodnesse or merit or affinitie or reasons or oaths could secure a man Dauid had been safe now if his heeles doe not more befriend him then all these hee is a dead man No sooner is hee gone then messengers are sped after him It hath been seldome seene that wickednesse wanted Executioners Dauids house is beset with Murderers which watch at all his doores for the opportunitie of blood Who can but wonder to see how God hath fetch from the loines of Saul a remedy for the malice of Sauls heart His owne children are the onely meanes to crosse him in the sinne and to preserue his guiltlesse Aduersarie Michal hath more then notice of the plot and with her subtill with countermines her father for the rescue of an Husband Shee taking the benefit of the night lets Dauid downe through a window Hee is gone and disappoints the ambushes of Saul The messengers begin to be impatient of this delay and now thinke it time to inquire after their Prisoner She whiles them off with the excuse of Dauids sicknes so as now her Husband had good leisure for his escape and layes a Statue in his bed Saul likes the newes of any euill befalne to Dauid but fearing he is not sicke enough sends to aide his disease The messengers returne and rushing into the house with their Swords drawne after some harsh words to their imagined charge surprize a sicke Statue lying with a Pillow vnder his head and now blush to see they haue spent all their threats vpon a senselesse stocke and made themselues ridiculous whiles they would be seruiceable But how shall Michal answer this mockage vnto her furious father Hitherto shot hath done like Dauid wife now she begins to be Sauls Daughter He said to me Let me goe or else I will kill thee Shee whose wit had deliuered her Husband from the Sword of her Father now turnes the edge of her Fathers wrath from her selfe to her Husband His absence made her presume of his safety If Michal had not bin of Sauls plot he had neuer expostulated with her in those termes Why hast thou let mine enemy escapeâ— neither had she framed that answer He said Let me goe I doe not find any great store of religion in Michal for both she had an Image in the house afterward mocked Dauid for his deuotion yet Nature hath taught her to prefer an Husband to a Father to chide a