God brake these Cedars of Lebanon and made these Hindes to calue and now they cry Peccauimus vers 19. If euer wee will stoope the iudgements of God will bring vs on our knees Samuel takes vantage of their humiliation Iuxta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythagora Oneratis superponendum onus id est ad virtutē incedentibus augmentanda praecepta Tradentes se otio relinquendos Hier. aduers Ruffin Psal 2. Iosh 24.14 Eccl. vlt. and according to the golden sentence of that Samian-wise-man that bids vs lay weight vpon the loden how euer Hierom take it in another sense hee lades them with these three duties Feare seruice consideration Feare and seruice goe still together Serue the Lord in feare saith Dauid Feare the Lord and serue him saith Ioshua And feare euer before seruice for that vnlesse our seruice proceed from feare it is hollow and worthlesse One sayes well that these inward dispositions are as the kernell outward acts are as the shell he is but a deafe nut therefore that hath outward seruice without inward feare Feare God saith Salomon first then keep his commandments Behold the same tongue that bade them not feare ver 20. now bids them feare and the same spirit that tells vs they feared exceedingly ver 18. now inioynes them to feare more What shall we make of this Their other feare was at the best Initiall for now they began to repent and as one saies of this kinde of feare Ioh. de Combis Compend Theol. that it hath two eyes fixed on two diuers obiects so had this of theirs One eye looked vpon the raine and thunder the other looked vp to the God that sent it The one of these it borrowed of the slauish or hostile feare as Basil calls it the other of the filiall for the slauish feare casts both eyes vpon the punishment the filiall lookes with both eyes on the partie offended Now then Samuel would rectifie and perfect this affection and would bring them from the feare of slaues through the feare of penitents to the feare of sonnes and indeed one of these make way for another It is true that perfect loue thrusts out feare but it is as true that feare brings in that perfect loue which is ioyned with the reuerence of sonnes Like as the needle or bristle so one compares it drawes in the thred after it or as the potion brings health The compunction of feare saith Gregorie fits the minde for the compunction of loue Greg. 3. Dial. cap. 34. Compunctio for midinis tradit animū compunctioni dilectionis Wee shall neuer reioyce truly in God except it be with trembling Except we haue quaked at his thunder we shall neuer ioy in his sunne-shine How seasonably therefore doth Samuel when he saw them smitten with that guilty and seruile feare call them to the reuerentiall feare of God Therefore feare yee the Lord It is good striking when God hath striken there is no fishing so good as in troubled waters The conscience of man is a nice and sullen thing and if it be not taken at fit times there is no medling with it Tell one of our gallants in the midst of all his iollitie and reuels of deuotion of pietie of iudgements hee hath the Athenian question ready What will this babler say Let that man alone till God haue toucht his soule with some terror till he haue cast his body on the bed of sicknesse when his feather is turned to a kerchiefe when his face is pale his eyes sunke his hand shaking his breath short his flesh consumed now he may be talkt with now hee hath learned of Eli to say Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth The conuex or our bowed side of a vessell will hold nothing it must bee the hollow and depressed part that is capable of any liquor Oh if wee were so humbled with the varieties of Gods iudgements as wee might how sauoury should his counsels be how precious and welcome would his feare be to our trembling hearts whereas now our stubborne senselesnesse frustrates in respect of our successe though not of his decree all the threatnings and executions of God There are two maine affections Loue and Feare which as they take vp the soule where they are and as they neuer goe asunder for euery loue hath in it a feare of offending forgoing and euery feare implies a loue of that which we suspect may miscarry so each of them fulfills the whole law of God That loue is the abridgement of the Decalogue both our Sauiour his blessed Apostle haue taught vs It is as plaine of Feare The title of Iob is A iust man and one that feared God iustice is expressed by Feare Pro 8.13 Deut. 6.13 Mat. 4.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isay 29.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 15.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. Caesare Acts 23.10 Heb. 5.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccles 1.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccl. 1.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 20. For what is iustice but freedome from sin And the feare of the Lord hates euill saith Salomon Hence Moses his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt feare is turned by our Sauiour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt worship or adore And that which Esay saith In vaine they feare mee our Sauiour renders In vaine they worship me as if all worship consisted in Feare Hence it is probable that God hath his name in two languages from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Feare and the same word in the Greeke signifies both Feare and Religion And Salomon when hee saies The feare of the Lord is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beginning as wee turne it of wisdome saies more than we are aware of for the word signifies as well Caput or Principatum the head or top of wisdome yea saith Stracides it is the crowne vpon the head it is the root of the same wisdome whereof it is the top-branch saith the same Author And surely this is the most proper disposition of men towards God for though God stoop down so low as to vouchsafe to bee loued of men yet that infinite inequalitie which there is between him and vs may seem not to allow so perfect a fitnesse of that affection as of this other which suits so well betwixt our vilenesse and his glory that the more disproportion there is betwixt vs the more due and proper is our feare Neither is it lesse necessary than proper for we can be no Christians without it Hem. in Ps 25. whether it be as Hemingius distinguishes it wel timor cultus or culpae either our feare in worshipping or our feare of offending the one is a deuout feare the other a carefull feare The latter was the Corinthians feare whose godly sorrow when the Apostle had mentioned he addes Yea what indignation yea what feare yea what desire The former is that of the Angels 2 Cor. 7.11 who hide their faces with their wings yea of the Son
and the Philistims How doth he wish now that hee had rather stood to the hazard of Sauls persecution than to haue put himselfe vpon the fauour of Achish Hee must fight on one side and on whether side soeuer he should fight hee could not auoyd to bee treacherous a condition worse than death to an honest heart which way he would haue resolued if it had comne to the execution who can know since himselfe was doubtfull either course had bin no better than desperate How could the Israelites euer haue receiued him for their King who in the open field had fought against them And contrarily if hee would haue fought against his friend for his enemy against Achish for Saul hee was now inuironed with iealous Philistims and might rather looke for the punishment of his Treason than the glory of a Victorie HIS heart had led him into these straits the Lord finds a way to leade him out The suggestions of his enemies doe herein befriend him The Princes of the Philistims whether of enuie or suspition pleade for Dauids dismission Send this fellow backe that hee may goe againe to his place which thou hast appointed him and let him not goe downe to the battle lest hee bee an Aduersary to vs. No Aduocate could haue said more himselfe durst not haue said so much Oh the wisdome and goodnesse of our God that can raise vp an Aduersary to deliuer out of those euils which our friends cannot That by the sword of an enemie can let out that Apostume which no Physician could tell how to cure It would be wide with us sometimes if it were not for others malice There could not bee a more iust question than this of the Philistim Princes What doe these Hebrewes here An Israelite is out of his element when hee is in an Armie of Philistims The true seruants of God are in their due places when they are in opposition to his enemies Profession of hostilitie becomes them better than leagues of amity Yet Achish likes Dauids conuersation and presence so well that hee professeth himselfe pleased with him as with an Angell of God How strange is it to heare that a Philistim should delight in that holy man whom an Israelite abhorres and should bee loth to be quit of Dauid whom Saul hath expelled Termes of ciuilitie be equally open to all religions to all professions The common graces of Gods children are able to attract loue from the most obstinate enemies of goodnesse If we affect them for by-respects of Valour Wisedome Discourse Wit it is their praise not ours But if for diuine Grace and Religion it is our prayse with theirs Such now was Dauids condition that he must pleade for that hee feared and argue against that which he desired What haue I done what hast thou found in thy seruant that I may not goe and fight against the enemies of my Lord the King Neuer any newes could be more cordiall to him than this of his dismission yet must he seeme to striue against it with an importunate profession of his forwardnesse to that act which hee most detested One degree of Dissimulation drawes on another those which haue once giuen way to a faulty course cannot easily either stop or turne backe but are in a sort forced to second their ill beginnings with worse proceedings It is a dangerous and miserable thing to cast our selues into those actions which draw with them a necessitie either of offending or miscarriage SAVL and the Witch of Endor EVen the worst men may sometimes make head against some sinnes Saul hath expelled the Sorcerers out of the Land of Israel and hath forbidden Magick vpon paine of death Hee that had no care to expell Satan out of his owne heart yet will seeme to driue him out of his Kingdome That wee see wicked then oppose themselues to some sinnes there is neither maruell nor comfort in it No doubt Satan made sport at this Edict of Saul what cares he to be banished in Sorcery whiles he is entertayned in malice He knew and found Saul his whiles he resisted and smiled to yeeld thus farre vnto his Vassall If we quit not all sinnes hee will bee content wee should either abandon or persecute some Where is no place for holy feare there will bee place for the seruile The gracelesse heart of Saul was astonied at the Philistims yet was neuer moued at the frownes of that God whose anger sent them nor of those sinnes of his which procured them Those that cannot feare for loue shall tremble for feare and how much better is awe than terror preuention than confusion There is nothing more lamentable than to see a man laugh when he should feare God shall laugh when such an ones feare commeth Extremitie of distresse will send euen the prophanest man to God like as the drowning man reacheth out his hand to that bough which he contemned whiles hee stood safe on the banke Saul now asketh counsell of the Lord whose Prophet hee hated whose Priests hee slew whose Annointed he persecutes Had Saul consulted with God when hee should this euill had not beene but how if this euill had not beene hee had consulted with God The thanke of this Act is due not to him but to his affection A forced piety is thanklesse and vnprofitable God will not answer him neither by Dreames nor by Vrim nor by Prophets Why should God answer that man by Dreames who had resisted him waking Why should hee answer him by Vrim that had slaine his Priests Why should he answer him by Prophets who hated the Father of the Prophets rebelled against the word of the Prophets It is an vnreasonable vnequality to hope to finde God at our command when wee would not be at his To looke that God should regard our voice in trouble when wee would not regard his in peace Vnto what mad shifts are men driuen by despayre If God will not answer Satan shall Saul said to his seruants Seeke me a woman that hath a familiar spirit If Saul had not knowne this course Deuillish why did he decree to banish it to mulct it with death yet now against the streame of his conscience hee will seeke to those whom he had condemned There needes no other iudge of Sauls act than himselfe had he not before opposed this sinne he had not so hainously sinned in committing it There cannot bee a more fearefull signe of an heart giuen vp to a reprobate sense than to cast it selfe wilfully into those sinnes which it hath proclaimed to detest The declinations to euill are many times insensible but when it breakes forth into such apparant effects euen others eyes may discerne it What was Saul the better to fore-know the issue of his approaching battell If this consultation could not haue strengthened him against his enemies or promoted his victory there might haue beene some colour for so foule an act Now what could he gaine but the satisfying of his bootlesse curiositie in
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
complaine could neuer haue beene sustained by men What shall we then thinke if hee were affrighted with terrors perplexed with sorrowes and distracted with both these And lo he was all these for first here was an amazed feare for millions of men to despaire was not so much as for him to feare and yet it was no slight feare he began 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be astonished with terror Which in the dayes of his flesh offered vp prayers and supplications with strong cries and teares to him that was able to helpe him and was heard in that hee feared Neuer was man so afraid of the torments of Hell as Christ standing in our roome of his Fathers wrath Feare is still sutable to apprehension Neuer man could so perfectly apprehend this cause of feare he felt the chastisements of our peace yea the curse of our sins and therefore might well say with DAVID I suffer thy terrors with a troubled minde yea with IOB The arrowes of God are in mee and the terrors of God fight against me With feare there was a dejecting sorrow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soule is on all sides heauy to the death his strong cryes his many teares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are witnesses of this Passion hee had formerly shed teares of pittie and teares of loue but now of anguish hee had before sent forth cries of mercie neuer of complaint till now when the Sonne of God weepes and cries what shall wee say or thinke yet further betwixt both these and his loue what a conflict was there It is not amisse distinguished that he was alwayes in Agone but now in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a struggling passion of mixed griefe Behold this field was not without sweat and bloud yea a sweat of bloud Oh what Man or Angell can conceiue the taking of that heart that without all outward violence meerely out of the extremitie of his owne Passion bled through the flesh and skin not some faint deaw but solid drops of blood No thornes no nailes fetcht blood from him with so much paine as his owne thoughts hee saw the fierce wrath of his Father and therefore feared hee saw the heauie burden of our sinnes to be vndertaken and thereupon besides feare iustly grieued hee saw the necessitie of our eternall damnation if he suffered not if hee did suffer of our redemption and therefore his loue incountred both griefe and feare In it selfe hee would not drinke of that cup. In respect of our good and his decree he would and did and while hee thus striueth hee sweats and bleeds There was neuer such a combat neuer such a bloodshed and yet it is not finished I dare not say with some Schoolemen that the sorrow of his Passion was not so great as the sorrow of his compassion yet that was surely exceeding great To see the vngratious carelesnesse of mankinde the slender fruit of his sufferings the sorrowes of his Mother Disciples friends to fore-see from the watch tower of his Crosse the future temptations of his children desolations of his Church all these must needes strike deepe into a tender heart These hee still sees and pitties but without passion then hee suffered in seeing them Can we yet say any more Lo all these sufferings are aggrauated by his fulnesse of knowledge and want of comfort for he did not shut his eyes as one saith when hee drunke this cup he saw how dreggish and knew how bitter it was Sudden euils afflict if not lesse shorter He fore-saw and fore-said euerie particular he should suffer so long as he fore-saw he suffered the expectation of euill is not lesse then the sense to looke long for good is a punishment but for euill is a torment No passion workes vpon an vnknowne obiect as no loue so no feare is of what we know not Hence men feare not Hell because they fore-see it not if wee could see that pit open before wee come at it it would make vs tremble at our sins and our knees to knocke together as Baltazars and perhaps without faith to runne madde at the horror of iudgement He saw the burden of all particular sinnes to be laid vpon him euery dramme of his Fathers wrath was measured out to him ere he toucht this potion this cup was full and hee knew that it must be wring'd not a drop left it must be finished Oh yet if as he foresaw all his sorrowes so he could haue seene some mixture of refreshing But I found none to comfort me no none to pittie me And yet it is a poore comfort that arises from pittie Euen so O Lord thou treadest this wine-presse alone none to accompanie none to assist thee I remember Ruffinus in his Ecclesiasticall storie reports that one Theodorus a Martyr told him that when he was hanging ten houres vpon the rack for religion vnder Iulians persecution his ioynts distended and distorted his body exquisitely tortured with change of Executioners Vt nulla vnquā aetas sunilem meminerit so as neuer age saith he could remember the like he felt no paine at all but continued indeed all the while in the sight of all men singing smiling for there stood a comely young man by him on his Iibbet an Angell rather in forme of a man which with a cleane towell still wip't off his sweat and powred coole water vpon his racked limbs wherewith he was so refreshed that it grieued him to bee let downe Euen the greatest torments are easie when they haue answerable comforts but a wounded and comfortlesse spirit who can beare If yet but the same messenger of God might haue attended his Crosse that appeared in his agony and might haue giuen ease to their Lord as he did to his seruant And yet what can the Angels helpe where God will smite Against the violence of men against the furie of Satan they haue preuailed in the cause of God for men they dare not they cannot comfort where God will afflict When our Sauiour had beene wrestling with Satan in the end of his Lent then they appeared to him and serued but now while about the same time he is wrestling with the wrath of his Father for vs not an Angell dare be seene to looke out of the windowes of heauen to releeue him For men much lesse could they if they would but what did they Miserable comforters are ye all the Souldiers they stript him scorned him with his purple crowne reed spat on him smote him the passengers they reuiled him and insulting vagging their heads and hands at him Hey thou that destoyest the Temple come downe c. The Elders and Scribes alas they haue bought his bloud suborned witnesses incensed Pilot preferred Barrabbas vndertooke the guilt of his death cried out Crucifia Crucifie He thou that sauedst others His Disciples alas they forsooke him one of them forsweares him another runnes away naked rather then he will stay and confesse him His mother and other friends they looke
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
in at the eye 1198 F FAction How to quell it drawne from an order in the body and soule 55 Falshood where that is in any it makes vs to suspect others 1134 Fame the vanity of being caried away with the affectation of fame 66 Fame is alwaies a blabbe oftentimes a lyar 1270 Fashion an excellent description of a man of fashion 700 immodesty of outward fashion bewrayes ill desires 851 Of the fashions out-running modesty 1135 Fasting it merits not but it prepares for good 908 Fathers what they owe to their children 242 Fauour it makes vertues of vices 67 Extraordinary fauours to the wicked make way for iudgments and are forerunners of their ruine 876 The purpose of any fauour is more then the value 1088 Fauour not vsed aright doth iustly breake out into Indignation 1135 Faith sudden extremity is a notable tryall of faith 15 The bond of faith is the strongest bond 29 A discourse of the proofes and signes of true faith 348 Of sense and faith 437 Of the power of faith 704 A notable meanes to hearten our faith 894 No life to that of faith 908 A pretty obseruation of the difference of sense faith 916 1162 All our actions done in faith and charity shall bee sure of pay 953 Faith euer ouerlooks the difficulties in the way and hath eye to the end 972 The strongest faith hath euer some touch of infidelity 977 1106 Faith giues both heart and armes in Warre 1084 The weake apprehensions of our imperfect faith are not to be so much censured as pitied 1162 Where our faith is not wanting to God his care cannot be wanting to vs. 1331 Faithfulnesse a faithfull man hath three eyes Of sense of Reason of Faith 34 The Character of a faithfull man 174 175 Faithfulnesse in reproofe 216 None so valiant as the beleeuer 918 It is no smal happinesse to be interessed in the faithfull 1052 Faithlesse no charity binds vs to trust those whom we haue found faithlesse 1102 Feare Feare and seruice must goe together 474 Feare distinguished 474 It fits the minde for Loue. ibid. Loue and feare neuer goe asunder where they are true 475 Feare what it signifies in the originall ibid. Distinguished ibid. Defined ibid. Our feare must bee reduced to seruice 476 A notable encouragement against feare of all oppositions 531 Meere feare is not sinfull 892 Feare and familiaritie God loues in the vse of his Ordinances 897 The most secure heart hath its flashes of feares 951 A fearfull man can neuer be a true friend 1004 Boldnesse and feare are commonly mis-placed in the best hearts 1052 Where there is no place for holy feare there will be place for the seruile 1109 Feasts A checke for our new-found feastings 476 Fight How all the creatures fight for God 531 Fishing Of the Ministers being compared to Fisher-men 1201 Flatterer or flatterie Its character 192 His successe remedy 218 Fatterie what it doth 280 Flattery a sure token of a false teacher 920 A iust doome for false flatterers fully described in the Amalekite that brought tydings to Dauid of Sauls death 1117 1118 A flatterer most notably discouered 1132 1133 Flesh in the matters of God we must not consult with flesh and blood 835 Flight whether wee may fly in time of danger 1177 Follow neuer was seene so bad course but had some followers or applauders 138 Food the soule is fed as the body with milk strong meat 145. 146 Fooles three sorts 213 The successe of their follie ibid. All sinne hath power to befoole a man 1006 Force a pretty Embleme of force and wylinesse ioyned together to worke mischiefe 1002 Fortitude in generall and speciall 226 True ChristiaÌ„ fortitude what it teacheth 918 True Christian fortitude wades through all euills 1023. A note of true fortitude 1027 Forwardnesse It argues insufficience 871 Foâ—ce a pretty Embleme of the Foâ—ces tayes tyed together 1002 Freedome none free but Gods seruants 9 Freewill That errour foysted on the Church of England by the Parlour of Amsterdam 583 The Romish errour of free-will 645 Friend how to vse him 5 When knowne 25 Friendship Three grounds of friendship 29 What only should part frieÌ„ds 30 True friendship necessarily requireth patience ibid. No time lost that is bestowed on a true friend 31 The right behauiour of a true friend ibid. Of the losse of a friend 31 32 How to make men our frieÌ„ds perforce that will not be so in loue 47 A true friend the sweetest contentment in the world 53 How to deale with an offending friend 55 What we must doe in medling with friends faults 57 Rich men can hardly know their friends 59 The character of a true friend 177 A fearfull man can neuer be a true friend 1004 The fruition of friends a great comfort 1016 The purpose of any friendship is more then the value 1088 Fulke Doctor Fulke commended 287 Funerals Our Churches practice in them commendable 591 G GAderens Christ among their herds 1293 Why they besought Christs departure 1303 Gaine How many in feare of pouerty seâ—k to gaine vnconscionably and dye beggers 1003 No gaine so sweet as that of a robbed altar 1054 Gallant His description in his iollitie 493 Gamester hee is prettily deciphered 1001 Gergesens Christ among them 1293 Gesture vid. body Gibeonites Their wisdome but not falshood commended 958 Their smooth tale told for themselues ibid. The rescue of Gibeon 965 The Gibeonites reuenged 1243 Gideon His calling 957 His preparation victories 981 There is no greater example of modestie then in Gideon 985 Gifts or giuing God loues not either grudged or necessary gifts 39 Gods former gifts arguments of more 144 Speed in giuing how acceptable 966 In gifts intention is the fauour not the substance 972 God will find a time to make vse of any of his gifts bestowed on any man 991 We measure the loue of God by his gifts 1027 God loues not to haue his gifts lie dead where hee hath conferred them 1265 Glory Gods glory must bee the chiefe of all our actions and desires 902 God The vse of his presence p. 12 13 The absurd impiety of Israels desire of hauing other gods 899 A miserable god that wants helping 1044 With what securitie they walke that take their directions from God 1047 Godlinesse Neuer was any man a loser by true godlinesse 1129 Goliah Of him and Dauid 1080 How fitly he termes himselfe a dogge 1084 His end is a picture of the end of insolency and presumption 1085 Good Of doing good with an ill meaning 63 64 Of good ill vsed 64 All our best good is insensible 146 A good man wil euer be doing good 868 Good done but not out of conscience what they meet with 1090 Goodnesse Its power 7 No good man that mends not 8 It is of a winning qualitie 1023 Those men are worse then deuils that hate any for goodnesse ibid. Gospell The enioyment of it what a fauour it is 907 Its sweetnesse 929 Gouernours
Angels stand in his presence it could not bee but Gods fauour would bee sweeter his chastisements more easie his benefits more effectuall I am not my owne while God is not mine and while he is mine since I doe possesse him I will enioy him 46 Nature is of her owne inclination froward importunately longing after that which is denied her and scornfull of what she may haue If it were appointed that we should liue alwaies vpon earth how extremely would we exclaime of wearinesse and wish rather that we were not Now it is appointed wee shall liue here but a while and then giue roome to our successors each one affects a kinde of eternitie vpon earth I will labour to tame this peeuish and sullen humour of nature and will like that best that must be 47 All true earthly pleasure forsooke man when he forsooke his Creator what honest and holy delight he tooke before in the dutifull seruices of the obsequious creatures in the contemplation of that admirable varietie and strangenesse of their properties in seeing their sweet accordance with each other and all with himselfe Now most of our pleasure is to set one creature together by the eares with another sporting our selues onely with that deformitie which was bred through our owne fault yea there haue beene that haue delighted to see one man spill anothers bloud vpon the sand and haue shouted for ioy at the sight of that slaughter which hath fallen out vpon no other quarrell but the pleasure of the beholders I doubt not but as wee solace our selues in the discord of the inferiour creatures so the euill spirits sport themselues in our dissentions There are better qualities of the creature which we passe ouer without pleasure In recreations I will chuse those which are of best example and best vse seeking those by which I may not onely be the merrier but the better 48 There is no want for which a man may not finde a remedie in himselfe Doe I want riches He that desires but little cannot want much Doe I want friends If I loue God enough and my selfe but enough it matters not Doe I want health If I want it but a little and recouer I shall esteeme it the more because I wanted If I be long sicke and vnrecouerably I shall be the fitter and willinger to die and my paine is so much lesse sharpe by how much more it lingreth Doe I want maintenance A little and course will content nature Let my minde be no more ambitious than my backe and belly I can hardly complaine of too little Doe I want sleepe I am going whither there is no vse of sleepe where all rest and sleepe not Doe I want children Many that haue them wish they wanted It is better to be childlesse than crossed with their miscariage Doe I want learning He hath none that saith he hath enough The next way to get more is to finde thou wantest There is remedy for all wants in our selues sauing onely for want of grace and that a man cannot so much as see and complaine that he wants but from aboue 49 Euery vertuous action like the Sunne eclipsed hath a double shadow according to the diuers aspects of the beholders one of glory the other of enuy Glory followes vpon good deserts Enuy vpon glory He that is enuied may thinke himselfe well for he that enuies him thinkes him more than well I know no vice in another whereof a man may make so good and comfortable vse to himselfe There would be no shadow if there were no light 50 In medling with the faults of friends I haue obserued many wrongfull courses what for feare or self-selfe-loue or indiscretion Some I haue seene like vnmercifull and couetous Chirurgians keepe the wound raw which they might haue seasonably remedied for their owne gaine Others that haue laid healing plaisters to skin it aloft when there hath beene more need of Corrosiues to eat out the dead flesh within Others that haue galled and drawne when there hath beene nothing but solid flesh that hath wanted onely filling vp Others that haue healed the sore but left an vnsightly scarre of discredit behinde them He that would doe good this way must haue Fidelitie Courage Discretion Patience Fidelitie not to beare with Courage to reproue them Discretion to reproue them well Patience to abide the leisure of amendment making much of good beginnings and putting vp many repulses bearing with many weaknesses still hoping still solliciting as knowing that those who haue beene long vsed to fetters cannot but halt a while when they are taken off 51 God hath made all the World and yet what a little part of it is his Diuide the World into foure parts but one and the least containeth all that is worthy the name of Christendome the rest ouer-whelmed with Turcisme and Paganisme and of this least part the greater halfe yet holding aright concerning God and their Sauiour in some common principles ouerthrow the truth in their conclusions and so leaue the lesser part of the least part for God Yet lower of those that hold aright concerning Christ how few are there that doe otherwise than fashionably professe him And of those that do seriously professe him how few are there that in their liues deny him not liuing vnworthy of so glorious a calling Wherein I doe not pittie God who will haue glory euen of those that are not his I pitie miserable men that doe reiect their Creator and Redeemer and themselues in him And I enuy Satan that he ruleth so large Since God hath so few I will be more thankfull that he hath vouchsafed me one of his and be the more zealous of glorifying him because we haue but a few fellowes 52 As those that haue tasted of some delicate dish finde other plaine dishes but vnpleasant so it fareth with those which haue once tasted of heauenly things they cannot but contemne the best worldly pleasures As therefore some dainty guest knowing there is so pleasant fare to come I will reserue my appetite for it and not suffer my selfe cloied with the course diet of the world 53 I finde many places where God hath vsed the hand of good Angels for the punishment of the wicked but neuer could yet finde one wherein he emploied an euill Angell in any direct good to his children Indirect I finde many if not all through the power of him that brings light out of darknesse and turnes their euill to our good In this choice God would and must be imitated From an euill spirit I dare not receiue ought if neuer so good I will receiue as little as I may from a wicked man If he were as perfectly euill as the other I durst receiue nothing I had rather hunger than wilfully dip my hand in a wicked mans dish 54 Wee are ready to condemne others for that which is as eminently faulty in our selues If one blinde man rush vpon another in the way either complaines of others
the present fauour of God we haue many times and feele not The stomacke findes the best digestion euen in sleepe when we least perceiue it and whiles wee are most awake this power worketh in vs either to further strength or disease without our knowledge of what is done within And on the other side that man is most dangerously sicke in whom nature decaies without his feeling without complaint To know our selues happy is good but woe were to vs Christians if we could not be happy and know it not 67 There are none that euer did so much mischiefe to the Church as those that haue beene excellent in wit and learning Others may be spightfull enough but want power to accomplish their malice An enemy that hath both strength and craft is worthy be feared None can sinne against the Holy Ghost but those which haue had former illumination Tell not me what parts a man hath but what grace honest sottishnesse is better than profane eminence 68 The entertainment of all spirituall euents must be with feare or hope but of all earthly extremities must be with contempt or derision For what is terrible is worthy of a Christians contempt what is pleasant to be turned ouer with a scorne The meane requires a meane affection betwixt loue and hatred We may not loue them because of their vanitie we may not hate them because of their necessary vse It is an hard thing to be a wise Oast and to fit our entertainment to all commers which if it be not done the soule is soone wasted either for want of customers or for the misrule of ill ghests 69 God and man build in a contrary order Man laies the foundation first then addes the walls the roofe last God beganne the roofe first spreading out this vault of heauen ere hee laid the Base of the earth Our thoughts must follow the order of his workmanship Heauen must be minded first earth afterward and so much more as it is seene more Our meditation must herein follow our sense A few miles giue bounds to our view of earth whereas we may neere see halfe the heauen at once Hee that thinkes most both of that which is most seene and of that which is not seene at all is happiest 70 I haue euer noted it a true signe of a false heart To be scrupulous and nice in small matters negligent in the maine whereas the good soule is still curious in substantiall points and not carelesse in things of an inferiour nature accounting no duty so small as to be neglected and no care great enough for principall duties not so tything Mint and Cummin that he should forget iustice and iudgement not yet so regarding iudgement and iustice that he should contemne Mint and Cummin He that thus misplaces his conscience will be found either hypocriticall or superstitious 71 It argues the world full of Atheists that those offences which may impeach humane society are entertained with an answerable hatred and rigour those which doe immediately wrong the supreme Maiestie of God are turned ouer with scarce so much as dislike If we conuersed with God as we doe with men his right would be at least as precious to vs as our owne All that conuerse not with God are without God not onely those that are against God but those that are without God are Atheists Wee may be too charitable I feare not to say that these our last times abound with honest Atheists 72 The best thing corrupted is worst An ill man is the worst of all creatures an ill Christian the worst of all men an ill professor the worst of all Christians an ill Minister the worst of all professors 73 Naturally life is before death and death is onely a priuation of life Spiritually it is contrary As Paul saith of the graine so may we of man in the businesse of regeneration He must die before he can liue yet this death presupposes a life that was once and should be God chuses to haue the difficultest first we must be content with the paine of dying ere we feele the comfort of life As we die to nature ere we liue in glory so we must die to sinne ere we can liue to grace 74 Death did not first strike Adam the first sinfull man nor Caine the first hypocrite but Abel the innocent and righteous The first soule that met with death ouercame death the first soule that parted from earth went to heauen Death argues not displeasure because he whom God loued best dies first and the murtherer is punished with liuing 75 The liues of most are mis-spent onely for want of a certaine end of their actions wherein they doe as vnwise Archers shoot away their arrowes they know not at what marke They liue onely out of the present not directing themselues and their proceedings to one vniuersall scope whence they alter vpon all change of occasions and neuer reach any perfection neither can doe other but continue in vncertaintie and end in discomfort Others aime at one certaine marke but a wrong one Some though fewer leuell at the right end but amisse To liue without one maine and common end is idlenesse and folly To liue to a false end is deceit and losse True Christian wisdome both shewes the end and findes the way And as cunning Politikes haue many plots to compasse one and the same designe by a determined succession so the wise Christian failing in the meanes yet still fetcheth about to his steady end with a constant change of endeuours such one onely liues to purpose and at last repents not that hee hath liued 76 The shipwracke of a good conscience is the casting away of all other excellencies It is no rare thing to note the soule of a wilfull sinner stripped of all her graces and by degrees exposed to shame so those whom we haue knowne admired haue falne to be leuell with their fellowes and from thence beneath them to a mediocritie and afterwards to sottishnesse and contempt below the vulgar Since they haue cast away the best it is iust with God to take away the worst and to cast off them in lesser regards which haue reiected him in greater 77 It hath euer beene counted more noble and successefull to set vpon an open enemy in his owne home than to expect till he set vpon vs whiles he make onely a defensiue war This rule serues vs for our last enemy Death whence that old demand of Epicure is easily answered Whether it be better Death should come to vs or that we should meet him in the way meet him in our minds ere he seize vpon our bodies Our cowardlinesse our vnpreparation is his aduantage whereas true boldnesse in confronting him dismaies and weakens his forces Happy is that soule that can send out the scouts of his thoughts before-hand to discouer the power of death a farre off and then can resolutely encounter him at vnawares vpon aduantage such one liues with securitie dies with
vp at Linne or of the freezing of the Thames and after many thankes and dismissions is hardly intreated silence He vndertakes as much as he performes little this man will thrust himselfe forward to bee the guide of the way hee knowes not and calls at his neighbours window and askes why his seruants are not at worke The Market hath no commoditie which hee prizeth not and which the next table shall not heare recited His tongue like the taile of Samsons Foxes carries firebrands and is enough to set the whole field of the world on a flame Himselfe begins table-talke of his neighbour at anothers boord to whom he beares the first newes and adiures him to conceale the reporter whose cholericke answer he returnes to his first Oast inlarged with a second edition so as it vses to be done in the fight of vnwilling Mastiues hee claps each on the side apart and prouokes them to an eager conflict There can no Act passe without his Comment which is euer farre-fetcht rash suspicious delatorie His eares are long and his eies quicke but most of all to imperfections which as he easily sees so hee increases with intermedling He harbours another mans seruant and amids his entertainment askes what fare is vsuall at home what houres are kept what talke passeth their meales what his masters disposition is what his gouernment what his guests and when hee hath by curious inquiries extracted all the iuice and spirit of hoped intelligence turnes him off whence he came and workes on a new He hates constancie as an earthen dulnesse vnfit for men of spirit and loues to change his worke and his place neither yet can he be so soone wearie of any place as euery place is wearie of him for as he sets himselfe on worke so others pay him with hatred and looke how many masters he hath so many enemies neither is it possible that any should not hate him but who know him not So then hee labours without thanks talkes without credit liues without loue dies without teares without pittie saue that some say it was pittie he died no sooner Of the Superstitious SVperstition is godlesse Religion deuout impietie The superstitious is fond in obseruation seruile in feare he worships God but as he lists he giues God what he askes not more than he askes and all but what he should giue and makes more sinne than the Ten Commandements This man dares not stirre forth till his brest be crossed and his face sprinkled if but an Hare crosse him the way he returnes or if his iourney began vnawares on the dismall day or if he stumble at the threshold If he see a Snake vnkilled he feares a mischiefe if the salt fall towards him hee lookes pale and red and is not quiet till one of the waiters haue powred wine on his lappe and when he neezeth thinkes them not his friends that vncouer not In the morning hee listens whether the Crow crieth euen or odde and by that token presages of the weather If he heare but a Rauen croke from the next roofe he makes his will or if a Bittour flie ouer his head by night but if his troubled fancie shall second his thoughts with the dreame of a faire garden or greene rushes or the salutation of a dead friend he takes leaue of the world and saies he cannot liue He will neuer set to sea but on a Sunday neither euer goes without an Erra Pater in his pocket Saint Paules day and Saint Swithunes with the Twelue are his Oracles which hee dares beleeue against the Almanacke When he lies sicke on his death-bed no sinne troubles him so much as that he did once eat flesh on a Friday no repentance can expiate that the rest need none There is no dreame of his without an interpretation without a prediction and if the euent answer not his exposition hee expounds it according to the euent Euery darke groue and pictured wall strikes him with an awfull but carnall deuotion Old wiues and Starres are his counsellers his night spell is his guard and charmes his Physitian He weares Paracelsian Characters for the tooth-ach and a little hollowed wax is his Antidote for all euils This man is strangely credulous and calls impossible things miraculous If he heare that some sacred blocke speakes moues weepes smiles his bare feet carry him thither with an offering and if a danger misse him in the way his Saint hath the thankes Some way he will not goe and some he dares not either there are bugges or he faineth them euery lanterne is a ghost and euery noise is of chaines He knowes not why but his custome is to goe a little about and to leaue the Crosse still on the right hand One euent is enough to make a rule out of these hee concludes fashions proper to himselfe and nothing can turne him out of his owne course If hee haue done his taske hee is safe it matters not with what affection Finally if God will let him be the caruer of his owne obedience he could not haue a better subiect as he is he cannot haue a worse Of the Profane THe Superstitious hath too many gods the Profane man hath none at all vnlesse perhaps himselfe be his owne deitie and the world his heauen To matter of Religion his heart is a piece of dead flesh without feeling of loue of feare of care or of paine from the deafe strokes of a reuenging conscience Custome of sinne hath wrought this senslesnesse which now hath beene so long entertained that it pleads prescription and knowes not to be altered This is no sudden euill we are borne sinfull but haue made our selues profane through many degrees wee climbe to this height of impietie At first he sinned and cared not now he sinneth and knoweth not Appetite is his Lord and Reason his seruant and Religion his drudge Sense is the rule of his beleefe and if Pietie may be an aduantage he can at once counterfeit and deride it When ought succeedeth to him he sacrifices to his nets and thankes either his fortune or his wit and will rather make a false God than acknowledge the true if contrary he cries out of destinie and blames him to whom he will not bee beholden His conscience would faine speake with him but he will not heare it sets the day but hee disappoints it and when it cries loud for audience hee drownes the noise with good fellowship He neuer names God but in his oathes neuer thinkes of him but in extremitie and then he knowes not how to thinke of him because hee begins but then He quarrels for the hard conditions of his pleasure for his future damnation and from himselfe laies all the fault vpon his Maker and from his decree fetcheth excuses of his wickednesse The ineuitable necessitie of Gods counsell makes him desperately carelesse so with good food he poysons himselfe Goodnesse is his Minstrell neither is any mirth so cordiall to him as his sport with
bodie vexation of conscience distemper of passions complaint of estate feares and sense of euill hopes and doubts of good ambitious rackirgs couetous toyles enuious vnderminings irkesome disappointments weary sacieties restlesse desires and many worlds of discontentments in this one What wonder is it that we would liue We laugh at their choice that are in loue with the deformed and what a face is this we dote vpon See if sinnes and cares and crosses haue not like a filthy Morphew ouer-spread it and made it loathsome to all iudicious eyes I maruell then that any wise men could be other but Stoicks and could haue any conceit of life but contemptuous not more for the misery of it while it lasteth then for the not lasting we may loue it wee cannot hold it What a shadow of a smoake what a dreame of a shadow is this wee affect Wise Salomon sayes there is a time to be borne and a time to dye you doe not heare him say a time to liue What is more flitting then time Yet life is not long enough to be worthy of the title of time Death borders vpon our birth and our cradle stands in our graue We lament the losse of our parents how soone shall our sonnes bewaile ours Loe I that write this and you that reade it how long are we here It were well if the world were as our tent yea as our Inne if not to lodge yet to bait in but now it is onely our thorow-fare one generation passeth another commeth none stayeth If this earth were a Paradise and this which we call our life were sweet as the ioyes aboue yet how should this ficklenesse of it coole our delight Grant it absolute who can esteeme a vanishing pleasure How much more now when the drammes of our honey are lost in pounds of gall when our contentments are as farre from sincerity as continuance Yet the true apprehension of life though ioyned with contempt is not enough to settle vs if either we be ignorant of death or ill perswaded for if life haue not worth enough to allure vs yet death hath horror enough to affright vs. Hee that would die cheerefully must know death his friend what is hee but the faithfull officer of our Maker who euer smiles or frownes with his Master neither can either shew or nourish enmitie where God fauours when he comes fiercely and puls a man by the throat and summons him to Hell who can but tremble The messenger is terrible but the message worse hence haue risen the miserable despaires and furious rauing of the ill conscience that findes no peace within lesse without But when he comes sweetly not as an executioner but as a guide to glory and profers his seruice and shewes our happinesse and opens the doore to our heauen how worthy is he of entertainment how worthy of gratulation But his salutation is painfull if courteous what then The Physician heales vs not without paine and yet wee reward him It is vnthankfulnesse to complaine vvhere the answer of profit is excessiue Death paineth how long how much with what proportion to the sequell of ioy O death if thy pangs be grieuous yet thy rest is sweet The constant expectation that hath possessed that rest hath already swallowed those pangs and makes the Christian at once wholly dead to his paine wholly aliue to his glory The soule hath not leysure to care for her suffering that beholds her crowne which if shee were conioyned to fetch thorow the flames of hell her faith would not sticke at the condition Thus in briefe he that liues Christianly shall dye boldly he that findes his life short and miserable shall dye willingly hee that knowes death and fore-sees glory shall die cheerefully and desirously To M. Samuel Burton Arch-deacon of Glocester EP. III. A discourse of the tryall and choice of the true Religion Sir This Discourse inioyned by you I send to your censure to your disposing but to the vse of others Vpon your charge I haue written it for the wauering If it seeme worthy communicate it else it is but a dash of your pen. I feare onely the breuitie a Volume were too little for this Subiect It is not more yours then the Author Farewell WE doe not more affect varietie in all other things then wee abhorre it in Religion Euen those which haue held the greatest falshoods hold that there is but one truth I neuer read of more then one Hereticke that held all Heresies true neither did his opinion seeme more incredible then the relation of it God can neither be multiplyed nor Christ diuided if his coat might bee parted his bodie was intire For that then all sides chalenge Truth and but one can possesse it let vs see who haue found it who enioy it There are not many Religions that striue for it tho many opinions Euery Heresie albe fundamentall makes not a Religion We say not The Religion of Arrians Nestorians Sabellians Macedonians but the sect or heresie No opinion challenges this name in our vsuall speech for I discusse not the proprietie but that which arising from many differences hath setled it selfe in the world vpon her owne principles not without an vniuersall diuision Such may soone be counted Tho it is true there are by so much too many as there are more then one Fiue religions then there are by this rule vpon earth which stand in competition for truth Iewish Turkish Greekish Popish Reformed whereof each pleads for it selfe with disgrace of the other The plaine Reader doubts how he may fit Iudge in so high a plea God hath put this person vpon him while he chargeth him to try the spirits to retaine the good reiect the euill If still he plead with Moses insufficiencie let him but attend God shall decide the case in his silence without difficultie The Iew hath little to say for himselfe but impudent denials of our Christ of their Prophecies whose very refusall of him more strongly proues him the true Messias neither could he be iustified to be that Sauiour if they reiected him not since the Prophets fore-saw and fore-told not their repelling of him onely but their reuiling If there were no more arguments God hath so mightily confuted them from heauen by the voice of his iudgement that al the vvorld hisseth at their conuiction Loe their very sinne is capitally written in their desolation and contempt One of their owne late Doctors seriously expostulates in a relenting Letter to another of his fellow Rabbins what might be the cause of so long and desperate a ruine of their Israel and comparing their former captiuities with their former sinnes argues and yet feares to conclude that this continuing punishment must needs be sent for some sinne so much greater then Idolatry Oppression Sabbath-breaking by how much this plague is more grieuous then all the other Which his feare tels him and he may beleeue it can be no other but the murder and refusall of their
knowest I loue thee Why are you else in such awe to offend that a world cannot bribe you to sinne Why in such deepe griefe vvhen you haue sinned that no mirth can refresh you Why in such feruent desire of enioying his presence Why in such agony when you enioy it not neither doth God loue you neither can you loue God without faith Yet more Doe you willingly nourish any one sinne in your brest do you not repent of all Doe you not hate all tho you cannot leaue all Doe you not complaine that you hate them no more Doe you not as for life wish for holinesse and endeuour it Nothing but faith can thus cleanse the heart that like a good hous-wife sweeps all the foule corners of the soule and will not leaue so much as one webbe in this roomie house Trust to it you cannot hate sinne for it owne sake and forsake it for Gods sake without faith the faithlesse hath had some remorse and feares neuer repentance Lastly doe you not loue a good man for goodnesse and delight in Gods Saints Doth not your loue leade you to compassion your compassion to reliefe An heart truely faithfull cannot but haue an hand christianly bountifull Charitie and Faith make vp one perfect paire of Compasses that can take the true latitude of a Christian heart Faith is the one foot pitcht in the centre vnmoueably while Charitie vvalkes about in a perfect circle of beneficence these two neuer did neither can goe asunder Warrant you your loue I dare warrant your faith What need I say more This heat of your affections and this light of your workes wil euince against all the gates of hell that you haue the fire of Faith let your soule then warme it selfe with these sweet and cordiall flames against all those cold despaires whereto you are tempted say Lord I beleeue and I will giue you leaue still to adde Helpe my vnbeleefe To Mr ED. ALLEYNE EP. VII A direction how to conceiue of God in our deuotions and meditations YOu haue chosen and iudged well How to conceiue of the Deitie in our prayers in our meditations is both the deepest point of all Christianitie and the most necessarie so deepe that if we wade into it we may easily drowne neuer finde the bottom so necessarie that without it our selues our seruices are prophane irreligious wee are all borne Idolaters naturally prone to fashion God to some forme of our owne whether of an humane bodie or of an admirable light or if our minde haue any other more likely and pleasing image First then away with all these wicked thoughts these grosse deuotions and with Iacob burie all your strange gods vnder the oake of Shechem ere you offer to set vp Gods Altar at Bethel and without all mentall representations conceiue of your God purely simply spiritually as of an absolute being without forme without matter without composition yea an infinite without all limit of thoughts Let your heart adore a spirituall Maiestie which it cannot comprehend yet knowes to be and as it were lose it selfe in his infinitenesse Thinke of him as not to be thought of as one whose wisdome is his iustice whose iustice is his power whose power is his mercie and whose wisedome iustice power mercy is himselfe as without qualitie good great without quantitie euerlasting without time present euery where without place containing all things without extent and when your thoughts are come to the highest stay there and be content to vvonder in silence and if you cannot reach to conceiue of him as he is yet take heed you conceiue not of him as he is not Neither will it suffice your Christian mind to haue this awefull and confused apprehension of the Deitie without a more speciall and inward conceit of three in this one three persons in this one essence not diuided but distinguished and not more mingled then diuided There is nothing vvherein the vvant of words can wrong and grieue vs but in this Here alone as we can adore and not conceiue so we can conceiue and not vtter yea vtter our selues and not be conceiued yet as wee may Thinke here of one substance in three subsistences one essence in three relations one IEHOVAH begetting begotten proceeding Father Sonne Spirit yet so as the Son is no other thing from the Father but another person or the Spirit from the Sonne Let your thoughts here vvalke warily the path is narrow the conceit either of three substances or but one subsistence is damnable Let me lead you yet higher and further in this intricate vvay towards the Throne of grace All this will not auaile you if you take not your Mediator with you if you apprehend not a true manhood gloriously vnited to the Godhead without change of either nature without mixture of both whose presence vvhose merits must giue passage acceptance vigour to your prayers Here must be therefore as you see thoughts holily mixed of a Godhead and humanitie one person in two natures of the same Deitie in diuers persons and one nature wherein if euer heauenly wisdome must bestir it selfe in directing vs so to seuer these apprehensions that none be neglected so to conioyne them that they bee not confounded O the depth of diuine mysteries more then can be wondred at O the necessitie of this high knowledge which vvho attaines not may babble but prayeth not Still you doubt and aske if you may not direct your prayers to one person of three Why not Safely and with comfort What need we feare while wee haue our Sauiour for our patterne O my father if possible let this Cup passe and Paul euery where both in thanks and requests but with due care of worshipping all in one Exclude the other while you fix your heart vpon one your prayer is sinne retaine all and mention one you offend not None of them doth ought for vs without all It is a true rule of Diuines All their externall workes are common To sollicit one therefore and not all were iniurious And if you stay your thoughts vpon the sacred humanitie of Christ with inseparable adoration of the Godhead vnited and thence climbe vp to the holy conceit of that blessed and dreadfull Trinity I dare not censure I dare not but commend your diuine method Thus should Christians ascend from earth to heauen from one heauen to another If I haue giuen your deuotions any light it is well the least glimpse of this knowledge is vvorth all the full gleames of humane and earthly skill But I mistake if your owne heart wrought vpon with serious meditations vnder that spirit of illumination will not proue your best master After this vveake direction studie to conceiue aright that you may pray aright and pray that you may conceiue and meditate that you may doe both and the God of heauen direct you inable you that you may doe all To M. THOMAS IAMES of Oxford EP. VIII A discourse of the grounds of the Papists
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
death but the poore soules that when they are crushed yeeld the iuyce of teares exhibit bils of complaint throw open the new thornes maintaine the old mounds would these men be content to be quietly racked and spoiled there would be peace In the City not the impure Sodomitish brothels that sell themselues to worke wickednesse not the abominable Pandars not the iugling Cheater not the Counterfeit Vagrant but the Marshall that drawes these to correction Not the deceitfull Merchant that sophisticates his commodities inhanceth prices sels euery inch of what he cannot warrant Time Not the vnconscionable and fraudulent Artisan but the Promoter and the Bench. In the Common-wealth not the cruell robber by sea or land that lies in the way like a spider in a window for a booty for bloud Not the bold night-walker that keepes sauage houres fit for the guilty intentions of his burglaries but the watch that takes him Not the ranke adulterer that neighs after his neighbours wife and thirsts after onely stolne waters but the sworne men that present him Not the traiterous Coyner that in euery stampe reades his own conuiction whiles he still renewes that face against which he offends but the Sheriffe that attaches him Not the vnreformable drunkard that makes a God of his liquor a beast of himselfe and raues and swaggers in his cups but the Constable that punishes him would these Officers conniue at all these villanies there would be peace In the Church not the chaffering Patron or periured Chaplaine not the seducing heretike or seditious schismatike not the scandalous Leuite not the carelesse Questman not the corrupt Officiall but the clamorous Preacher or the rigorous High-Commission In the world lastly Not the ambitious incrochers vpon others dominions not violaters of leagues not vsurpers of mis-gotten titles and dignities not suborners or abettors of conspiracies and traitors but the vnkinde patients that will not recipere ferrum I wis the great Potentates of the world might see a ready way to peace Thus in family countrey city common-wealth Church world the greatest part seeke a licencious peace in a disordered lawlesnesse condemning true iustice of cruelty stripping her of the honour of peace branding her with the censure of troublesome Foolish men speake foolish things Oh noble and incomparable blessing of peace how iniuriously art thou ascribed to vniust neglect Oh diuine vertue of iustice how deseruedly haue the Ancients giuen thee wings and sent thee vp to heauen in a detestation of these earthly indignities whence thou comst not downe at all vnlesse it please that essentiall and infinite Iustice to communicate thee to some choise fauourites It is but a iust word that this Iland hath beene long approued the darling of heauen We haue enioyed peace to the admiration to the enuy of neighbourhood Would we continue it would we traduce it to ours Iustice must doe it for vs. Both Iustice and Peace are from the throne Peace is the Kings Peace and iustly descends from Soueraignty by coÌ„mission let me haue leaue to say with the princely Prophet a word that was too good for the frequent text of a Pope Diligite iustitiam qui iudicatis terram Still ô God giue thy Iudgment to the King and thy Iustice to the Kings son And if any shal offer wrong to the Lords anointed in his person in his seed the worke of that iniustice shall be war yea Bellum Domini the Lords war 2 Sam. 25.28 Then let him who is both the Lord of Hosts and the God of Peace rise vp mightily for his anointed the true King of peace that he who hath graciously said all this while Da pacem Domine Giue peace in our time O Lord may superscribe at the last his iust Trophees with Blessed be the Lord which teacheth my hands to warre and my fingers to fight Ye haue heard of the spirituall Iustice and Peace Ye haue heard of the Ciuill may it please you to mix both of them together My text alone doth it if you doe but with our most accurate Translation reade Righteousnesse for Iustice So shall you see the spirituall disposition of Righteousnes produce the ciuill effect of Peace What is righteousnesse but the sincere vprightnesse of the heart to God in all our wayes He is perfect with God that would be so What need I tell you that this is the way to true inward peace Nil conscire Not to be guilty of ill A cleare heart will be a quiet one There is no feast to a good conscience this is meat musicke welcome It seemes harder that time spirituall honesty should procure euen outward peace Heare wise Salomon By the blessing of the vpright the city is exalted Prou. 11.11 When a mans wayes please the Lord he maketh euen his enemies to be at peace with him Pro. 16.7 Righteousnes exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people Pro. 14.24 It followes then as a iust corâ—llary That the honestest and conscionablest man is the best subiect He may perhaps be plaine perhaps poore perhaps weake but the state is more beholden to his integrity than to the ablest purse than to the strongest arme Whereas the graceles vicious person let him be neuer so plausible a talker neuer so careful an officer neuer so valiant a Leader neuer so officious a Courtier neuer so deepe in subsidies neuer so forward in actions is no other than an enemy to the state which he professes to adore Let no Philosopher tell me of maius vir boâ— usicâ—uis I say from better authority An il man a good subiect that a lewd man can no more be a good subiect than an ill subiect can be a good man Heare this then wheresoeuer ye are ye secret oppressors ye profane scoffers ye foule mouth'd swearers ye close adulterers ye kinde drunkards and who euer come within this blacke list of wickednesse how can ye be loiall whiles you lodge traitors in your bosomes Protest what ye will your sinnes breake the peace and conspire against the sacred Crowne and dignity of your Soueraigne What care we that you draw your sword and vow your bloud and drinke your healths to your Gouenours when in the meane while you prouoke God to anger and set quarrels betwixt your Country and Heauen That I may winde vp this clew It were folly to commend to you the worth of peace we know that the excellency of Princes is expressed by serenity what good hath the earth which God doth not couch vnder the name of Peace Blessed be God and his Annointed we haue long and comfortably tasted the sweetnesse of this blessing the Lillies and Lions of our Salomon haue beene iustly worded with Beati pacifici Would we haue this happinesse perpetuated to vs to posterity Oh let Prince and people meet in the ambition to be Gens iusta a righteous nation righteous euery way First let God haue his owne His owne dayes his owne seruices his feare his loue his all Let
Religion leade all our proiects not follow them let our liues be led in a conscionable obedience to all the Lawes of our Maker Farre be all blasphemies curses and obscenities from our tongues all outrages and violences from our hands all presumptuous rebellious thoughts from our hearts Let our hearts hands tongues liues bodies and soules be sincerely deuoted to him Then for men let vs giue Caesar his owne Tribute feare subiection loyalty and if he need our liues Let the Nobility haue honour obeisance obseruation Let the Clergy haue their dues and our reuerence Let the commons haue truth loue fidelity in all their transactions Let there be trutinae iustae Leu. 19.36 Iust balances iust weights pondera iusta Let there be no grinding of faces no trampling on the poore Amos 5.11 no swallowing of widdowes houses no force no fraud no periury no perfidiousnesse Finally for our selues let euery man possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour framing himselfe to all Christian and heauenly temper in all wisdome sobriety chastity meeknesse constancy moderation patience and sweet contentation so shall the worke of our righteousnesse be peace of heart peace of state priuate and publike peace Peace with our selues peace with the world peace with God temporal peace here eternall peace and glory aboue vnto the fruition wherof he who hath ordained vs mercifully bring vs for the sake of him who is the Prince of Peace Iesus Christ the righteous A COMMON APOLOGIE OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND AGAINST THE VNIVST CHALLENGES OF THE OVER-IVST SECT COMMONLY called BROWNISTS WHEREIN THE GROVNDS AND DEFENCES OF THE SEPARATION are largely discussed Occasioned by a late Pamphlet published vnder the name of AN ANSWER TO A CENSORIOVS EPISTLE Which the Reader shall finde prefixed to the seuerall SECTIONS By IOS HALL LONDON Printed for THOMAS PAVIER MILES FLESHER and John Haviland 1624. TO OVR GRATIOVS AND BLESSED MOTHER THE Church of England THE MEANEST OF HER CHILDREN DEDICATES THIS HER APOLOGIE AND WISHETH ALL PEACE AND HAPPINESSE NO lesse than a yeere and a halfe is past Reuerend Deare and Holy Mother since J wrote a louing monitorie Letter to * * Smith and Robinson two of thine vnworthy Sons which I heard were fled from thee in person in affection and somewhat in opinion Supposing them yet thine in the maine substance though in some circumstances their owne Since which one of them hath washt off thy Font-water as vncleane and hath written desperatly both against Thee and his owne fellowes From the other J receiued not two moneths since a stomack-full Pamphlet besides the priuate iniuries to the Monitor casting vpon thine honourable Name blasphemous imputations of Apostasie Antichristianisme Whoredome Rebellion Mine owne wrongs I could haue contemned in silence Meam iniuriam patienter tuli impietatem contra Sponsam Christi ferre non potui Hieron ad Vigilant but For Sions sake J cannot hold my peace Jf I remember not thee O Ierusalem let my tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth It were a shame and sinne for me that my zeale should be lesse hot for thine innocencie than theirs to thy false disgrace How haue J hastened therefore to let the World see thy sincere Truth and their peruerse slanders Vnto thy sacred Name then whereto J haue in all pietie deuoted my selfe I humbly present this my speedie and dutifull labour whereby I hope thy weake Sonnes may bee confirmed the strong encouraged the rebellious shamed And if any shall still obstinatly accurse thee I refer their reuenge vnto thy Glorious Head who hath espoused thee to himselfe in Truth and righteousnesse Let him whose thou art right thee In the meane time we thy true sonnes shall not only defend but magnifie thee Thou maist be blacke but thou art comely the Daughters haue seene thee and counted thee blessed euen the Queene and the Concubines and they haue praised thee thou art thy Welbeloueds and his desire is towards thee So let it be and so let thine be towards him for euer and mine towards you both who am the least of all thy little Ones IOS HALL A COMMON APOLOGIE AGAINST THE BROWNISTS SECTION I. IF TRVTH and PEACE Zacharies two Companions had met in our loue this Controuersie had neuer bin The Entrance into the worke Zach. 8.29 the seuering of these two hath caused this separation for while some vnquiet mindes haue sought Truth without Peace they haue at once lost Truth Peace Loue vs and themselues God knowes how vnwillingly I put my hand to this vnkinde quarrell Nothing so much abates the courage of a Christian as to call his Brother Aduersarie We must doe it Math. 18.7 woe be the men by whom this offence commeth Yet by how much the insultation of a brotherly enemie is more intolerable and the griefe of our blessed Mother greater for the wrong of her owne So much more cause I see to breake this silence If they will haue the last words they may not haue all For our carriage to them They say when Fire Otho Frising ex Philem. Vâ— Chaldeâ—â—â— Ruffin Eccles Hist l. 2. cap. 26. the god of the Chaldees had deuoured all the other woodden Deities that Canopis set vpon him a Caldron full of water whose bottome was deuised with holes stopt with waxe which no sooner felt the flame but gaue way to the quenching of that furious Idoll If the fire of inordinate zeale conceit contention haue consumed al other parts in the separation and cast forth more than Nebuchadnezzars Furnace from their Amsterdam hither Dan. 3. it were well if the waters of our moderation and reason could vanquish yea abate it This little Hin of mine shall be spent that way wee may try and wish but not hope it The spirits of these men are too well knowne to admit any expectation of yeeldâ—nce Since yet both for preuention and necessary defence this taske must be vndertaken * * id Treatis of certaine godly Minist against Bar. I craue nothing of my Reader but patience and iustice of God victory to the Truth as for fauour I wish no more than an enemie would giue against himselfe With this confidence I enter into these lists and turne my pen to an Aduersarie God knowes whether more proud or weake SEP IT is an hard thing euen for sober-minded men in cases of controuersie to vse soberly the aduantages of the times vpon which whilest men are mounted on high they vse to behold such as they oppose too ouerlie and not without contempt and so are oft-times emboldned to roule vpon them as from aloft very weake and weightlesse discourses thinking any sleight and slender opposition sufficient to oppresse those vnderlings whom they haue as they suppose at so great an aduantage Vpon this very presumption it commeth to passe that this Author vndertaketh thus solemnely and seuerely to censure a cause whereof as appeareth in the sequele of the discourse he is vtterly ignorant which had he been
long had beene to punish Noah that was righteous After forty daies therefore the Heauens cleare vp after an hundred and fifty the waters sinke downe How soone is God weary of punishing which is neuer weary of blessing yet may not the Arke rest suddenly If we did not stay some-while vnder Gods hand we should not know how sweet his mercy is and how great our thankfulnesse should be The Arke though it was Noahs Fort against the waters yet it was his prison he was safe in it but pent vp he that gaue him life by it now thinkes time to giue him liberty out of it God doth not reueale all things to his best seruants behold He that told Noah an hundred and twenty yeares before what day he should goe into the Arke yet foretels him not now in the Arke what day the Arke should rest vpon the Hills and he should goe forth Noah therefore sends out his Intelligencers the Rauen and the Doue whose wings in that vaporous ayre might easily descry further then his sight The Rauen of quicke sent of grosse feed of tough constitution no Fowle was so fit for discouery the likeliest things alwaies succeed not He neither will venture far into that solitary world for feare of want nor yet come into the Arke for loue of liberty but houers about in vncertainties How many carnall mindes flye out of the Arke of Gods Church and imbrace the present world rather choosing to feed vpon the vnsauory carkasses of sinfull pleasures then to bee restrained within the straight lists of Christian obedience The Doue is sent forth a Fowle both swift and simple Shee like a true Citizen of the Arke returnes and brings faithfull notice of the continuance of the Waters by her restlesse and empty returne by her Oliue leafe of the abatement how worthy are those Messengers to be welcome which with innocence in their liues bring glad tydings of peace and saluation in their mouthes Noah reioyces and beleeues yet still he waites seuen daies more It is not good to deuoure the fauours of God too greedily but so take them in that we may digest them O strong faith of Noah that was not weary with this delay some man would haue so longed for the open ayre after so long closenesse that vpon the first notice of safetie hee would haue vncouered and voyded the Arke Noah stayes seuen dayes ere he will open and well-neere two Moneths ere he will forsake the Arke and not then vnlesse God that commanded to enter had bidden him depart There is no action good without Faith no Faith without a word Happy is that man which in all things neglecting the counsels of flesh and blood depends vpon the commission of his Maker Contemplations THE SECOND BOOKE NOAH Babel ABRAHAM ISAAC sacrificed LOT and Sodom 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 THE LORD STANHOPE ONE OF HIS MAIESTIES MOST HONORABLE PRIVIE COVNCELL All Grace and Happinesse RIght Honourable I Durst appeale to the iudgement of a carnall Reader let him not bee preiudicate that there is no Historie so pleasant as the Sacred Set aside the Maiestie of the Jnditer none can compare with it for the Magnificence and Antiquitie of the matter the sweetnesse of compyling the strange varietie of memorable occurrences And if the delight be such what shall the profit be esteemed of that which was written by GOD for the saluation of Men J confesse no thoughts did euermore sweetly steale Me and Time away then those which I haue imployed in this subiect and I hope none can equally benefit others for if the meere Relation of these holy things bee profitable how much more when it is reduced to vse This second part of the World repayred I dedicate to your Lordship wherein you shall see Noah as weake in his Tent as strong in the Arke an vngratious Sonne reserued from the Deluge to his Fathers curse modest pietie rewarded with blessings the building of Babel begunne in pride ending in confusion Abrahams Faith Feare Obedience Isaac bound vpon the Altar vnder the hand of a Father that hath forgotten both nature and all his hopes Sodom burning with a double fire from Hell and from Heauen Lot rescued from that impure Citie yet after finding Sodom in his Caue Euery one of these passages is not more full of wonder then of edification That Spirit which hath penned all these things for our learning teach vs their right vse and sanctifie these my vnworthy Meditations to the good of his Church To whose abundant grace J humbly commend your Lordship Your Lordships vnfainedly deuoted in all due obseruance IOS HALL Contemplations THE SECOND BOOKE NOAH NO sooner is Noah come out of the Arke but he builds an Altar not an house for himselfe but an Altar to the Lord Our faith will euer teach vs to prefer God to our selues delayed thankfulnesse is not worthy of acceptation Of those few creatures that are left God must haue some they are all his yet his goodnesse wil haue Man know that it was he for whose sake they were preserued It was a priuiledge to those very bruit creatures that they were saued from the waters to be offered vp in fire vnto God what a fauor is it to men to be reserued from common destructions to bee sacrificed to their Maker and Redeemer Loe this little fire of Noah through the vertue of his faith purged the world and ascended vp into those heauens from which the waters fell caused a glorious Rainbow to appeare therein for his securitie All the sins of the former world were not so vnsauory vnto God as this smoake was pleasant No perfume can be so sweet as the holy obedience of the faithfull Now God that was before annoyed with the ill sauor of sinne smells a sweet sauour of rest Behold here a new and second rest First God rested from making the World now he rests from destroying it Euen while we cease not to offend he ceases from a publike reuenge His word was enough yet withall he giues a signe which may speake the truth of his promise to the very eyes of men thus he doth still in his blessed Sacraments which are as reall words to the soule The Raine-bow is the pledge of our safety which euen naturally signifies the end of a showre all the signes of Gods institution are proper and significant But who would looke after all this to haue found righteous Noah the Father of the new World lying drunken in his tent Who could thinke that wine should ouerthrow him that was preserued from the waters That he who could not be tainted with the sinfull examples of the former world should begin the example of a new sinne of his own What are we men if we be but our selues While God vpholds vs no temptation can moue vs when he leaues vs no temptation is too weak to ouerthrow
countenance of an executioner Iacob sees the face of Esau as the face of God Both men and deuils are stinted the stoutest heart cannot stand out against God He that can wrestle earnestly with God is secure from the harmes of men Those minds which are exasperated with violence and cannot be broken with feare yet are bowed with loue when the wayes of a man please God he will make his enemies at peace with him Of IACOB and LABAN ISAACS life was not more retyred and quiet then Iacobs was busie and troublesome In the one I see the Image of contemplation of action in the other None of the Patriarkes saw so euill dayes as he from whom iustly hath the Church of God therefore taken her name Neither were the faithfull euer since called Abrahamites but Israelites That no time might be lost he began his strife in the womb after that he flyes for his life from a cruell brother to a cruell vncle With a staffe goes he ouer Iordan alone doubtfull and comfortlesse not like the sonne of Isaac In the way the earth is his bed and the stone his pillow Yet euen there he sees a vision of Aâ—â—els Iacobs heart was neuer so full of ioy as when his head lay hardest God is most prâ—â—â—nt with vs in our greatest deiection and loues to giue comfort to those that are forsaken of their hopes He came farre to find out an hard friend and of a Nephew becomes a Seruant No doubt when Laban heard of his sisters sonne he looked for the Camels and attendance that came to fetch his sister Rebecca not thinking that Abrahams seruant could come better furnished then Isaacs sonne but now when hee saw nothing but a staffe hee looks vpon him not as an vncle but a master And while he pretends to offer him a wife as the reward of his seruice he craftily requires his seruice as the dowry of his wife After the seruice of an hard Apprentise ship hath earned her whom he loued his wife is changed and he is in a sort forced to an vnwilling adultery His mother had before in a cunning disguise substituted him who was the younger son for the elder and now not long after his father in law by a like fraud substitutes to him the elder daughter for the younger God comes oftentimes home to vs in our owne kind and euen by the sinne of others payes vs our owne when we looke not for it It is doubtfull whether it were a greater crosse to marry whom he would not or to be disappointed of her whom he desired And now he must begin a new hope where he made account of fruition To raise vp an expectation once frustrate is more difficult then to continue a long hope drawne on with likelihoods of performance yet thus deare is Iacob content to pay for Rachel fourteene years seruitude Commonly Gods children come not easily by their pleasures what miseries will not loue digest and ouercome And if Iacob were willingly consumed with heat in the day and frost in the night to become the sonne in law to Laban What should we refuse to be the sonnes of God Rachel whom he 〈◊〉 is barren Lea which was despised is fruitfull How wisely God weighes â—ot to vs our fauours and crosses in an equall ballance so tempering our sorrowes that they may not oppresse and our ioyes that they may not transport vs each one hath some matter of enuy to others and of griefe to himselfe Lea enuies Rachels beauty and loue Rachel enuies Leahs fruitfulnesse Yet Lea would not be barren nor Rachel bleare-eyed I see in Rachel the image of her Grandmother Sara both in her beauty of person in her actions in her successe shee also will needs suborne her handmaid to make her a mother and at last beyond hope her selfe conceiueth It is a weake greedinesse in vs to affect Gods blessings by vnlawfull meanes what a proofe and prayse had it beene of her faith if shee had stayed Gods leasure and would rather haue endured her barrennesse then her husbands polygamy Now she shewes her selfe the daughter of Laban the Father for couetousnesse the daughters for emulation haue drawne sinne into Iacobs bed he offended in yeelding but they more in solliciting him and therefore the fact is not imputed to Iacob but to them In those sinnes which Satan drawes vs into the blame is ours in those which we moue each other vnto the most fault and punishment lyes vpon the tempter None of the Patriarkes diuided his seed into so many wombes as Iacob none was so much crossed in his seed Thus rich in nothing but wiues and children was he now returning to his Fathers house accounting his charge his wealth But God meant him yet more good Laban sees that both his Family and his Flocks were well increased by Iacobs seruice Not his loue therefore but his gaine makes him loth to part Euen Labans couetousnesse is made by God the meanes to inrich Iacob Behold his strait master intreats him to that recompence which made his nephew mighty and himselfe enuious God considering his hard seruice payd him wages out of Labans folds Those Flocks and Herds had but few spotted Sheep and Goates vntill Iacobs couenant then as if the fashion had beene altered they all ran into parted colours the most and best as if they had beene weary of their former owner changed the colours of their young that they might change their master In the very shapes and colours of brute creatures there is a diuine hand which disposeth them to his owne ends Small and vnlikely meanes shall preuaile where God intends an effect Little pilled sticks of Hasell or Poplar laid in the troughs shall inrich Iacob with an increase of his spotted flocks Labans sonnes might haue tried the same meanes and failed God would haue Laban know that he put a difference betwixt Iacob and him that as for fourteene yeares he had multiplyed Iacobs charge of cattell to Laban so now for the last six yeares hee would multiply Labans flocke to Iacob and if Laban had the more yet the better were Iacobs Euen in these outward things Gods childen haue many times sensible tastes of his fauours aboue the wicked I know not whether Laban were a worse Vncle or Father or Master he can like well Iacobs seruice not his wealth As the wicked haue no peace with God so the godly haue no peace with men for if they prosper not they are despised if they prosper they are enuied This Vncle whom his seruice had made his father must now vpon his wealth be fled from as an enemy and like an enemy pursues him If Laban had meant to haue taken a peaceable leaue hee had neuer spent seuen dayes iourney in following his innocent sonne Iacob knew his churlishnesse and therefore resolued rather to be vnmannerly then iniured well might hee thinke that he whose oppression changed his wages so often in his stay would also abridge his wages in 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
needs all this pompe When the true God neuer required but one at once as himselfe is one why doth the false prophet call for no lesse then seuen As if God stood vpon nūbers As if the Almighty would haue his power either diuided or limited Here is nothing but a glorious and magnificent pretence of deuotion It hath been euer seen that the false worshippers of God haue made more pompous showes and fairer flourishes of their piety and religion then the true Now when Balaam sees his seuen bullockes and seuen rams smoking vpon his seuen Altars hee goes vp higher into the mount as some counterfeit Moses to receiue the answer of God But will God meet with a Socerer Will hee make a Prophet of a Magician O man who shall prescribe God what instruments to vse Hee knowes how to imploy not only Saints Angels but wicked men Beasts Diuels to his owne glory He that put words into the mouth of the Asse puts words into the mouth of Balaam The words doe but passe from him They are not polluted because they are not his as the Trunke thorow which a man speakes is not more eloquent for the speech that is vttered thorow it What a notable proclamation had the Infidels wanted of Gods fauour to his people if Balaams tongue had not beene vsed How many shall once say Lord we haue prophecied in thy name that shall heare Verily I know you not What madnesse is this in Balaam Hee that found himselfe constant in solliciting thinkes to find God not constant in denying and as if that infinite Deity were not the same euery where hopes to change successe with places Neither is that bold forehead ashamed to importune God againe in that wherein his owne mouth had testified an assurance of deniall The reward was in one of his eyes the reuenging Angell in the other I know not whether for the time hee more loued the bribe or feared the Angell And whiles hee is in this distraction his tongue blesses against his heart and his heart curses against his tongue It angers him that hee dare not speake what he would and now at last rather then lose his hopes he resolues to speake worse then curses The feare of Gods iudgement in a worldly heart is at length ouercome with the loue of gaine Of PHINEAS BAlaam pretended an haste homeward but he lingred so long that he left his bones in Midian How iustly did he perish with the sword of Israel whose tongue had insensibly slaine so many thousands of them As it is vsually said of the Deuill that he goes away in a stench so may it truely be said of this Prophet of his According to the fashion of all hypocrites his words were good his actions abhominable Hee would not curse but hee would aduise and his counsell is worse then a curse For his curse had hurt none but himselfe his counsell cost the blood of 24000 Israelites Hee that had heard God speake by Balaam would not looke for the Deuill in the same mouth And if God himselfe had not witnessed against him who could beleeue that the same tongue which vttered so diuine prophecies should vtter so villanous and cursed aduice Hypocrisie gaines this of men that it may doe euill vnsuspected But now hee that heard what hee spake in Balacs eare hath bewrayed and condemned his counsell and himselfe This policie was fetcht from the bottome of hell It is not for lacke of desire that I curse not Israel thou doest not more wish their destruction then I doe thy wealth and honor But so long as they hold firme with God there is no sorcery against Iacob withdraw God from them and they shall fall alone and curse themselues Draw them into sinne and thou shalt with-draw God from them There is no sinne more plausible then wantonnesse One fornication shall draw in another and both shall fetch the anger of God after them send your fairest women into their tents their sight shall draw them to lust their lust to folly their folly to Idolatry and now God shall curse them for thee vnasked Where Balaam did speake well there was neuer any Prophet spake more diuinely where he spake ill there was neuer any Deuill spake more desperately Ill consell seldome succeedeth not Good seed fals often out of the way and rootes not but the tares neuer light amisse This proiect of the wicked Magician was too prosperous The daughters of Moab come into the tents of Israel and haue captiued those whom the Amorites and Amalekites could not resist Our first mother Eue bequeathed this dowry to her daughters that they should bee our helpers to sinne the weaker sexe is the stronger in this conquest had the Moabites sent their subtillest Councellors to perswade the Israelites to their Idol-sacrifices they had beene repelled with scorne but now the beautie of their women is ouer-eloquent and successefull That which in the first world betrayed the sonnes of God hath now ensnared Gods people It had beene happy for Israel if Balaam had vsed any charmes but these As it is the vse of God to fetch glory to himselfe out of the worst actions of Satan so it is the guise of that euill one through the iust permission of the Almighty to raise aduantage to himselfe from the fairest pieces of the workmanship of God No one meanes hath so much enriched hell as beautifull faces All Idols are abominable but this of Baal-Peor was besides the superstition of it beastly Neither did Baal euer put on a forme of so much shame as this yet very Israelites are drawne to adore it When lust hath blinded the eyes it caries a man whither it lists euen beyond all differences of sinne A man besotted with filthy desires is fit for any villany Sinne is no lesse crafty then Satan himselfe giue him but roome in the eye and he will soone be possessed of body and soule These Israelites first saw the faces of these Moabites and Midianites then they grew to like their presence from thence to take pleasure in their feasts From their boords they are drawne to their beds from their beds to their Idols and now they are ioyned to Baal-Peor and separated from God Bodily fornication is the way to spirituall If we haue made Idols of flesh it is iust to be giuen vp to Idols of wood and stones If we haue not grace to resist the beginnings of sinne where shall we stay If our foot slip into the mouth of hell it is a miracle to stop ere we come to the bottome Well might God be angry to see his people goe a whoring in this double fornication neither doth he smoother his wrath but himselfe strikes with his plague and bids Moses strike with the sword He strikes the body and bids Moses strike the head It had beene as easie for him to plague the Rulers as the vulgar and one would thinke these should bee more properly reserued for his immediate hand but these hee
Lyon taught Samson thankfulnesse there was more honey in this thought then in the carkasse The mercies of God are ill bestowed vpon vs if we cannot step aside to view the monuments of his deliuerances Dangers may be at once past and forgotten As Samson had not found his hony-comb if he had not turned aside to see his Lion so we shal lose the comfort of Gods benefits if we doe not renue our perils by meditation Lest any thing should befall Samson wherein is not some wonder his Lion doth more amaze him dead then aliue For loe that carkasse is made an Hiue and the bitternesse of death is turned into the sweetnesse of honey The Bee a nice and dainty creature builds her cells in an vnsauory carkasse the carkasse that promised nothing but strength annoyance now offers comfort refreshing and in a sort payes Samson for the wrong offered Oh the wonderfull goodnesse of our God that can change our terrours into pleasure and can make the greatest euils beneficiall Is any man by his humiliation vnder the hand of God growne more faithfull conscionable there is hony out of the Lion Is any man by his temptation or fall become more circumspect there is also hony out of the Lion ther is no Samson to whom euery Lion doth not yeeld hony Euery Christian is the better for his euils yea Satan himselfe in his exercise of Gods children aduantageth them Samson doth not disdaine these sweets because he findes them vncleanly layd His diet was strict and forbade him any thing that sauoured of legall impurity yet hee eates the hony-combe out of the belly of a dead beast good may not be refused because the meanes are accidentally euill Hony is hony still though in a dead Lion Those are lesse wise and more scrupulous then Samson which abhorre the graces of God because they finde them in ill vessels One cares not for the Preachers true doctrine because his life is euill Another will not take a good receit from the hand of a Physician because he is giuen to vnlawfull studies A third will not receiue a deserued contribution from the hands of a Vsurer It is a weake neglect not to take the hony because we hate the Lion Gods children haue right to their fathers blessings wheresoeuer they finde them The match is now made Samson though a Nazarite hath both a wedding and a feast God neuer misliked moderate solemnities in the seuerest life and yet this Bridal feast was long the space of seuen days If Samson had matched with the best Israelite this celebration had been no greater neither had this perhaps been so long if the custome of the place had not required it Now I doe not heare him plead his Nazaritisme for a colour of singularity It is both lawfull and fit in things not prohibited to conforme our selues to the manners and rites of those with whom we liue That Samson might thinke it an honour to match with the Philistims hee whom before the Lion found alone is now accompanied with thirty attendants They called them companions but they meant them for spies The courtesities of the world are hollow and thanklesse neither doth it euer purpose so ill as when it shewes fayrest None are so neere to danger as those whom it entertaines with smiles whiles it frownes we know what to trust to but the fauours of it are worthy of nothing but feares and suspicion Open defiance is better then false loue Austerity had not made Samson vnciuill he knows how to entertaine Philistims with a formall familiarity And that his intellectuall parts might be approued answerable to his armes he will first try masteries of wit set their braines on worke with harmlesse thoughts His riddle shall appose them and a deep wager shall binde the solution Thirty shirts and thirty sutes of raiment neither their losse nor their gayne could be much besides the victory being diuided vnto thirty partners but Samsons must needs be both waies very large who must giue or receiue thirty alone The seuen daies of the feast are expiring and yet they which had bin all this while deuouring of Samsons meat cannot tel who that eater should be from whence meat should come In course of nature the strong feeder takes in meat and sends out filthines but that meat and sweetnes should come frō a dououring stomacke was beyond their apprehension And as fooles and dogs vse to beginne in iest and end in earnest so did these Philistims and therefore they force the Bride to intice her husband to betray himselfe Couetousnes Pride haue made them impatient of losse and now they threat to fire her and her fathers house for recompence of their entertainement rather then they will lose a small wager to an Israelite Somewhat of kinne to these sauage Philistims are those cholerick Gamesters which if the dice be not their friend fall out with God curse that which is not Fortune strike their fellowes and are ready to take vengeance vpon themselues Those men are vnfit for sport that lose their patience together with their wager I doe not wonder that a Philistim woman loued her selfe and her fathers family more then an Israelitish Bridegroome and if she bestowed teares vpon her husband for the ransome of them Samson himselfe taught her this difference I haue not told it my father or my mother and should I tell it thee If shee had not been as she was shee had neither done this to Samson nor heard this from him Matrimoniall respects are dearer then naturall It was the law of him that ordained marriage before euer Parents were that Parents should be forsaken for the husband or wife But now Israelitish Parents are worthy of more intirenesse then a wife of the Philistims And yet whom the Lion could not conquer the teares of a woman haue conquered Samson neuer bewraied infirmity but in vxoriousnesse What assurance can there be of him that hath a Philistim in his bosom Adam the perfectest man Samson the strongest man Salomon the wisest man were betrayed with the flattery of their helpers As there is no comfort comfortable to a faithfull yoke-fellow so woe be to him that is matched with a Philistim It could not but much discontent Samson to see that his aduersaries had plowed with his Heifer and that vpon his owne backe now therefore he payes his wager to their cost Ascalon the City of the Philistims is his wardrope he fetches thence thirty sutes lined with the liues of the owners He might with as much ease haue slain these thirty companions which were the authors of this euil but his promise forbade him whiles he was to clothe their bodies to vnclothe their soules and that Spirit of God which stird him vp to reuenge directed him in the choice of the subiects If we wonder to see thirty throats cut for their sutes we may easily know that this was but the occasion of that slaughter whereof the cause was their
is his Oracle In matter of iudgement to be guided only by the euent is the way to error Falshood shall be truth and Satan an Angell of light if we follow this rule Euen very coniectures somtimes happen right A Prophet or Dreamer may giue a true signe or wonder and yet himselfe say Let vs goe after other gods A small thing can win credit with weake mindes which where they haue once sped cannot distrust The idolatrous Danites are so besotted with this successe that they will rather steale then want the gods of Micha and because the gods without the Priest can doe them lesse seruice then the Priest without the gods therefore they steale the Priest with the gods O miserable Israelites that could thinke that a god which could bee stolne that could looke for protection from that which could not keep it selfe from stealing which was won by their theft not their deuotion Could they worship those Idols more deuoutly then Micha that made them And if they could not protect their maker from robbery how shall they protect their theeues If it had beene the holy Arke of the true God how could they think it would blesse their violence or that it would abide to be translated by rapin and extortion Now their superstition hath made them mad vpon a god they must haue him by what meanes they care not though they offend the true God by stealing a false Sacriledge is fit to be the first seruice of an Idol The spies of Dan had been curteously entertained by Micha thus they reward his hospitality It is no trusting the honesty of Idolaters if they haue once cast off the true God whom will they respect It seems Leuites did not more want maintenance then Israel wanted Leuites Here was a Tribe of Israel without a spirituall guide The withdrawing of due meanes is the way to the vtter desolution of the Church Rare offrings make cold Altars There needed small force to draw this Leuite to change his charge Hold thy peace and come and be our father and Priest Whether is it better c. Here is not patience but ioy He that was won with ten shekels may be lost with eleuen When maintenance and honour calls him hee goes vndriuen and rather steales himselfe away then is stolne The Leuite had to many gods to make conscience of pleasing one There is nothing more inconstant then a Leuite that seeks nothing but himselfe Thus the wilde fire of Idolatry which lay before couched in the priuate ball of Micha now flies furiously thorow all the Tribe of Dan who like to theeues that haue carried away plaguy clothes insensibly infected themselues and their posterity to death Heresie and superstition haue small beginnings dangerous proceedings pernicious conclusions This contagion is like a canker which at the first is scarce visible afterward it eates away the flesh and consumes the body CONTEMPLATIONS THE ELEVENTH BOOKE CONTAINING The Leuites Concubine The desolation of Beniamin Naomi and Ruth Boaz and Ruth Anna and Peninna Anna and Eli. Eli and his sonnes By IOS HALL D. of Diuinitie and Deane of Worcester AT LONDON Printed by IOHN BEALE and NATHANIEL BVTTER Ann. Dom. 1624. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE SIR FVLKE GREVILL KNIGHT CHANCELOVR OF THE EXCHEQVER ONE OF HIS MAIESTIES MOST HONOVRABLE PRIVY COVNCELLORS A MOST WISE LEARNED IVDICIOVS INGENVOVS CENCOR OF SCOLLERSHIP A WORTHY EXAMPLE OF BENEFACTORS TO LEARNING I. H. VVith his vnfained prayers for THE HAPPY SVCCESSE OF ALL HIS HONOVRABLE DESIGNEMENTS HVMBLY DEDICATES THIS MEANE PIECE OF HIS STVDIES CONTEMPLATIONS THE ELEVENTH BOOKE The Leuites Concubine THere is no complaint of a publikely disordered State where a Leuite is not at one end of it either as an agent or a patient In the Idolatrie of Micha and the Danites a Leuite was an actor In the violent vncleannesse of of Gibeah a Leuite suffers No Tribe shal sooner feele the want of gouernment then that of Leui. The law of God allowed the Leuite a wife humane conniuence a concubine neyther did the Iewish concubine differ from a wife but in some outward complements Both might challenge all the true essence of marriage so little was the difference that the father of the concubine is called the father in law to the Leuite Shee whom ill custom had of a wife made a concubine is now by her lust of a concubine made an harlot Her fornication together with the change of her bed hath changed her abode Perhaps her owne conscience thrust her out of doores perhaps the iust seuerity of her husband Dismission was too easie a penalty for that which God had sentenced with death She that had deserued to be abhorred of her husband seeks shelter frō her Father Why would her Father suffer his house to be defiled with an adultresse tho out of his own loynes Why did he not ra-say What Doost thou thinke to finde my house an harbor for thy sin Whiles thou wert a wife to thine husband thou wert a daughter to me Now thou art neyther Thou art not mine I gaue thee to thy husband Thou art not thy husbands thou hast betrayed his bed Thy filthinesse hath made thee thine owne and thine adulterers Goe seeke thine entertainement where thou hast lost thine honesty Thy lewdnesse hath brought a necessity of shame vpon thine abbettors How can I countenance thy person and abandon thy sinne I had rather be a iust man then a kinde Father Get thee home therefore to thy husband craue his forgiuenesse vpon thy knees redeeme his loue with thy modesty and obedience when his heart is once open to thee my doores shall not be shut In the meane time know I can be no Father to an harlot Indulgence of Parents is the refuge of vanity the bawd of wickednesse the bane of children How easily is that Theefe induced to steale that knowes his Receiuer When the lawlesnes of youth knowes where to finde pitty and toleration what mischiefe can it forbeare By how much better this Leuite was so much more iniurious was the Concubines sinne What husband would not haue said She is gone let shame and griefe goe with her I shall find one no lesse pleasing and more faithfull Or if it be not to much mercy in me to yeeld to a returne let her that hath offended seeke me What more direct way is there to a resolued loosenesse then to let her see I cannot want her The good nature of this Leuite cast off all these tearmes and now after foure months absence sends him to seeke for her that had runne away from her fidelity And now hee thinkes She sinned against me perhaps she hath repented perhaps shame and feare haue with-held her from returning perhaps she will be more loyall for her sinne If her importunity should win me halfe the thankes were lost but now my voluntary offer of fauour shall oblige her for euer Loue procures truer seruitude then necessity Mercy becomes well the heart of any man but most of a
he hath corrected so can ease them Folly is neuer Ieparated from wickednesse Their heart told them that they had no right to the Arke A Councell is called of their Princes and Priests If they had resolued to send it home they had done wisely Now they doe not carry it away but they carry it about from Ebenezer to Ashdod from Ashdod to Gath from Gath to Ekron Their stomacke was greater then their conscience The Arke was too sore for them yet it was too good for Israel and they will rather dye then make Israel happy Their conceit that the change of ayre could appease the Arke God vseth to his owne aduantage for by this meanes his power is knowne and his iudgement spred ouer all the country of the Philistims What doe these men now but send the plague of God to their fellowes The iustice of God can make the sinnes of men their mutuall executioners It is the fashion of wicked men to draw their neighbours into the partnership of their condemnation Wheresoeuer the Arke goes there is destruction The best of Gods Ordinances if they bee not proper to vs are deadly The Israelites did not more shout for ioy when they saw the Arke come to them then the Ekronites cry out for griefe to see it brought amongst them Spirituall things are either soueraigne or hurtfull according to the disposition of the receiuers The Arke doth either saue or kill as it is entertained At last when the Philistims are well wearie of paine and death they are glad to bee quit of their sinne The voyce of the Princes and people is changed to the better Send away the Arke of the God of Israel and let it returne to his owne place God knowes how to bring the stubbornest enemy vpon his knees and makes him doe that out of feare which his best child would doe out of loue and duty How miserable was the estate of these Philistims Euery man was either dead or sicke those that were left liuing through their extremity of paine enuied the dead and the cry of their whole Cities went vp to heauen It is happy that God hath such store of plagues and thunderbolts for the wicked If he had not a fire of iudgement wherewith the yron hearts of men might bee made flexible hee would want obedience and the world peace The Arkes reuenge and returne IT had wont to bee a sure rule Wheresoeuer God is among men there is the Church Here onely it failed The testimony of Gods presence was many moneths amongst the Philistims for a punishment to his owne people whom hee left for a curse to those forrainers which entertained it Israel was seuen moneths without GOD How doe wee thinke faithfull Samuel tooke this absence How desolate and forlorne did the Tabernacle of GOD looke without the Arke There were still the Altars of GOD his Priests Leuites Tables Veiles Censers with all their legall accoustrements These without the Arke were as the Sunne without light in the midst of an Eclipse If all these had beene taken away and onely the Arke had beene remaining the losse had beene nothing to this that the Arke should be gone and they left For what are all these without God and how all-sufficient is GOD without these There are times wherein GOD withdrawes himselfe from his Church and seemes to leaue her without comfort without protection Sometimes wee shall finde Israel taken from the Arke otherwhiles the Arke is taken from Israel In either there is a separation betwixt the Arke and Israel Heauy times to euery true Israelite yet such as whose example may relieue vs in our desertions Still was this people Israel the seed of him that would not bee left of God without a blessing and therefore without the testimony of his presence was God present with them It were wide with the faithfull if God were not ofttentimes with them when there is no witnesse of his presence One act was a mutuall penance to the Israelites and Philistims I know not to whether more Israel grieued for the losse of that whose presence grieued the Philistims their paine was therefore no other then voluntary It is strange that the Philistims would endure seuen moneths smart with the Arke since they saw that the presence of that Prisoner would not requite no nor mitigate to them one houres misery Foolish men will be struggling with God till they be vtterly either breathlesse or impotent Their hope was that time might abate displeasure euen whiles they persisted to offend The false hopes of worldly men cost them deare they could not be so miserable if their owne hearts did not deceiue them with mis-expectations of impossible fauour In matters that concerne a God who is so fit to be consulted with as the Priests The Princes of the Philistims had before giuen their voyces yet nothing is determined nothing is done without the direction and assent of those whom they accounted sacred Nature it selfe sends vs in diuine things to those persons whose calling is diuine It is either distrust or presumption or contempt that caries vs our owne waies in spirituall matters without aduising with them whose lips God hath appointed to preserue knowledge There cannot but arise many difficulties in vs about the Arke of God whom should wee consult with but those which haue the Tongue of the Learned Doubtlesse this question of the Arke did abide much debating There wanted not faire probabilities on both sides A wise Philistim might well plead If God had either so great care of the Arke or power to retaine it how is it become ours A wiser then he would reply If the God of Israel had wanted either care or power Dagon and we had beene still whole why doe we thus grone and dye all that are but within the Aire of the Arke if a diuine hand doe not attend it Their smart pleads enough for the dismission of the Arke The next demand of their Priests and Soothsayers is how it should be sent home Affliction had made them so wise as to know that euery fashion of parting with the Arke would not satisfie the owner oftentimes the circumstance of an action marres the substance In diuine matters wee must not onely looke that the body of our seruice be sound but that the clothes be fit Nothing hinders but that sometimes good aduice may fall from the mouth of wicked men These superstitious Priests can counsell them not to send away the Arke of God emptie but to giue it a sinne-offering They had not liued so farre from the smoake of the Iewish Altars but that they knew God was accustomed to manifold oblations and chiefly to those of expiation No Israelite could haue said better Superstition is the Ape of true deuotion and if we looke not to the ground of both many times it is hard by the very outward acts to distinguish them Nature it selfe teacheth vs that God loues a full hand He that hath beene so bountifull to vs
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
wicked spirits haue their wish The Swine are choked in the waues What ease is this to them Good God that there should bee any creature that seekes contentment in destroying in tormenting the good creatures of their Maker This is the diet of hell Those fiends feed vpon spight towards man so much more as hee doth more resemble his Creator Towards all other liuing substances so much more as they may be more vsefull to man The Swine ran downe violently what maruell is it if their Keepers fled that miraculous worke which should haue drawne them to Christ driues them from him They run with the newes the country comes in with clamour The whole multitude of the country about besought him to depart The multitude is a beast of many heads euery head hath a seuerall mouth and euery mouth with a seuerall tongue and euery tongue a seuerall accent Euery head hath a seuerall braine and euery braine thoughts of their owne so as it is hard to finde a multitude without some diuision At least seldome euer hath a good motion found a perfect accordance it is not not so infrequent for a multitude to conspire in euill Generalitie of assent is no warrant for any act Common errour caries away many who inquire not into the reason of ought but the practise The way to hell is a beaten road through the many feet that tread it when vice grows into fashion singularitie is a vertue There was not a Gadarene found that either dehorted their fellowes or opposed the motion it is a figne of people giuen vp to iudgment when no man makes head against proiects of euill Alas what can one strong man doe against a whole throng of wickednesse Yet this good comes of an vnpreuailing resistance that God forbeares to plague where he finds but a sprinkling of faith happy are they who like vnto the celestiall bodies which being caried about with the sway of the highest sphere yet creepe on their owne wayes keepe on the courses of their owne holinesse against the swinge of common corruptions They shall both deliuer their owne soules and helpe to withhold iudgement from others The Gadarenes sue to Christ for his departure It is too much fauour to attribute this to their modesty as if they held themselues vnworthy of so diuine a guest Why then did they fall vpon this suit in a time of their losse Why did they not taxe themselues and intimate a secret desire of that which they durst not begge It is too much rigour to attribute it to the loue of their hogges and an anger at their losse then they had not intreated but expelled him It was their feare that moued this harsh suit A seruile feare of danger to their persons to their goods Lest he that could so absolutely command the Deuils should haue set these tormentors vpon them Lest their other Demoniacks should be dispossessed with like losse I cannot blame these Gaderens that they feared This power was worthy of trembling at Their feare was vniust They should haue argued This man hath power ouer men beasts deuils it is good hauing him to our friend his presence is our safety and protection Now they contrarily mis-inferre Thus powerfull is he it is good he were further off What miserable and pernicious mis-constructions doe men make of God of diuine attributes and actions God is omnipotent able to take infinite vengeance of sinne Oh that he were not Hee is prouident I may be carelesse He is mercifull I may sinne He is holy Let him depart from me for I am a sinfull man How witty sophisters are naturall men to deceiue their owne soules to rob themselues of a God Oh Sauiour how worthy are they to want thee that wish to be rid of thee Thou hast iust cause to bee weary of vs euen whiles we sue to hold thee but when once our wretched vnthankfulnesse growes weary of thee who can pitie vs to bee punished with thy departure Who can say it is other then righteous that thou shouldest regest one day vpon vs Depart from me yee wicked Contemplations VPON THE HISTORIE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT The seuenth Volume In two Bookes By I.H. D.D. LONDON Printed for THO PAVIER MILES FLESHER and Iohn Haviland 1625. Contemplations VPON THE OLD TESTAMENT THE EIGHTEENTH BOOKE Wherein are REHOBOAM IEROBOAM The seduced Prophet IEROBOAMS Wife ASA ELIJAH with the Sareptan ELIJAH with the Baalites ELIJAH running before AHAB flying from IEzEBEL By IOS HALL D. of Diuinitie and Deane of WORCESTER TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE IAMES LORD HAYE BARON OF Saley Viscount Doncaster Earle of Carlile one of the Lords of his Maiesties most Honorable Priuie Councell RIGHT HONORABLE I Cannot but thus gratulate to you your happy returne from your many and noble imployments which haue made you some yeeres a stranger at home and sorenowned abroad that all the better parts of Europe know and honor your name no lesse then if you had beene borne theirs Neither is any of them so sauage as not to say when they heare mention of your worth that Vertue is a thousand Escuchions Jf now your short breathing-time may allow your Lordship the freedome of quiet and holy thoughts cast your eyes vpon Jsrael and Judah vpon the Kings and Prophets of both in such beneficiall varietie as prophane historie shall promise in vaine Your Lordship shall see Rehoboam following Salomon in nothing but his seat and his fall as much more wilfull then his father as lesse wise all head no heart losing those ten Tribes with a churlish breath whom he would and might not recouer with blood Ieroboam as crafty as wicked plotting a reuolt creating a religion to his state marring Jsraelites to make subiects branded in his name smitten in his hand in his loynes You shall see a faithfull messenger of God after miraculous proofe of his courage fidelity power good nature paying deare for a little circumstance of credulous disobedience The Lyon is sent to call for his blood as the price of his forbidden harbour You shall see the blinde Prophet descrying the disguise of a Queene the iudgement of the King the remouall of a Prince too good for Ieroboams heire You shall see the right stocke of Royal succession flourishing in Asa whiles that true heire of Dauid though not without some blemishes of infirmity inherits a perfect heart purges his Kingdome of Sodomy of Jdolatry not balking sinne euen where he honored nature You shall see the wonder of Prophets Elijah opening and shutting heauen as his priuate chest catored for by the Rauens nor lesse miraculously catoring for the Sareptan contesting with Ahab confronting the Baalites speaking both fire and water from heauen in one euening meekely lacquaying his Soueraigne weakely flying from Iezabel fed supernaturally by Angels hid in the rocke of Horeb confirmed by those dreadfull apparitions that had confounded some other casting his mantle vpon his homely successor and by the touch of that garment turning him from a ploughman to