the rod of the Spanish inquisition long subject to the sugillations of the Jesuits their mortall enemies But now the sword of massacre is drawn against them before there were some attempts made upon the persons of some few of the Religion or some encroachment made upon their goods They thought it gain to lose all for Christ so that they might win him and be found in him but now the poor distressed Church heareth the voyce of the daughter of Babel crying out against her Nudate Nudate First discerning them and then but who can tell what then the true Church lying at the mercy of Rome shall find her mercies cruel We cannot but take notice of it that the Church of Rome is both a strong and a bloody enemy she is not yet stupannated nor past teeming she aboundeth in continuall sucerescence of new seed Cardinal Bellarm. under the name of Tertus doth wonder why our King should fear the cruell dominion of the Pope under whom all his Tributaries do so well And the humble Supplicants to his Majesty for the liberty of conscience as they call it and for Toleration of the Romish Religion have urged the peaceable state of our neighbours in France where the Papist and Protestant do both exercise their Religion in Peace We now see they feele and smart for it that there can be no peace with Jezebel of Rome 2 Reg. 9.22 so long as her whoredomes and her witchcrafts are so many She lieth lurking in the secret places to murther the innocent her patience is limited with no other bounds but Donec adsint vires till they have strength Nuni proximus ardet Vcalegon They have declared themselves here what they would have done Our comfort is in this Vision and we must tarry and wait the Lords leasure Haman the Jesuit hath got a decree against the Reformed Church in France to root it out and the sword is now drawn against them the Protestants in Bohemia have felt the edge of the Romish sword she that cals her selfe mother of the Christians ostendit ubera verbera producit she pretendeth love Savus amor docuit natorum sanguine matrem commaculare manus And the Church makes pitiful moan saying Shall they therefore empty their not and not spare continually to stay the nations Hab. 1.17 But we know that God is good to Israel to such as be true of heart God hath a sword too and he is whetting of it he hath a quiver and it is full of arrows he is bending of his bowe and preparing his instruments of death and he hath a right hand and that shall find out all his enemies How shall we wear out the weary houres of time till God come and have mercy upon Sion we have many ways to deceive the time 1. The idle think the time long whilst we have therefore time let us do good we have work enough to work out our salvation with feare and trembling to make our Calling and Election sure ro seek the Lord whilst he may be found to wash us and make us clean to put away the evil of our works to cease to do evil to learn to do well to get and keep faith and a good conscience to walk with our God They that well consider what they have to do borrow time from their natural rest from their meats from their recreations to bestow it on the service of God There be that overcharge themselves with the businesses of the world with the care of gathering riches with ambitious thoughts of rising higher with wanton desires of the flesh with sensual surfeits in gluttony and drunkennesse and the day is not long enough for these children of this world to whom I say with the shepheard Quin tu aliquid saltem potius quorum indiget usus Virg Alexis Are these the things you look upon non relinquetur lapis super lapidem There shal not be left a stone upon a stone Walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evill Remember your Creation to good works that you should walk in them and whilst you have the light walk in the light Ambulate in luce Ambulate digni luce 2. To sweeten the delay of the vision and to shorten the time of our expectation let us heare our Saviour saying Search the Scriptures There 1. We shall find the promises of God made to his Church in all ages thereof beginning in Paradise at semen mulieris the seed of the woman and so continuing to the fall of the great strumpet the ruine of Babylon in the Revelation wherein we shall find God to be yesterday and to day and the same for ever 2. We shall read the examples of Gods mercy to his Church and judgement of the enemies there of all the Bible through It is a work for the Sabbath as appeareth in the proper Psalm for the day To praise God for this Psal 92. to sing unto the name of the most high The Church professeth itâ—â—◠〈…〉 Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work Vers 4. I will triumph in the works of thy hands The works of God are these When the wicked spring as grasse and when all the workers of wickednesse do flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever For lo thine enemies O Lord for do thine enemies shall perish all the workers of iniquity shall be scartered But my horne shall be exalted like the horne of an Vnicorn I shall be annointed with fresh oyl Mine eye shall see my desire upon mine enemies mine eares shall heare my desire of the wicked that rise up against me The righteous shall flourish like a palme-tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God They shall bring forth more fruit in their age they shall be fat and flourishing The use of all To shew that the Lord is upright he is my rock and there is no unrighteousuesse in him These be meditations of a Sabbath of rest and the word of God giveth full examples of this truth and daily experience in our own times offereth it 3. The Scripture doth put into our mouths Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs teaching us to sing and to make melody to God in our hearts Excellent to this purpose are the Psalms of the Bible and if we sing merrily to the God of our salvation this will passe away the time of our waiting for the promise of God cheerfully we shall not think it long For this did David desire to live Oh let me live and I wil praise thy name 4. The Scripture is full of heavenly consolations to establish the heart that it shall not sinke under the burthen of this expectation for in the Scriptures the Spirit of God speaketh Let him that hath ears to hear hear what the Spirit speaks to the Churches this Spirit Christ hath left in his Church
wherein he prophecyeth the birth of Christ in Bethlehem In both these Prophecies we observe that the promise of God hath not only assured the spreading of true Religion but the assemblies of beleivers to certain places for instruction that they may bee taught vias Domini the ways of the Lord. Never was there Religion in the world without some places of publick-Worship for meeting of people together Even in Adams time there was a place where Adam and his children met to offer sacrifice and Cains flying from the presence of the Lord was his wilfull excommunication from that place And in truth they that would have no Churches may aswell cry down Religion and the publique ministry of the Word and pluck down the hedge which God hath planted about his Vine and lay all common Understand us rightly we do not affix holinesse to the place nor think any speciall sanctity inherent in it but seeing God is by a singular right become master of the house that is separate to his use as the Apostle saith judge I pray you is it comely that wee put not difference between Gods House and our owne houses It is observed that Christ when he purged the temple purged only that part of the temple which was set apart to prayer and hearing of the Word because that use of the Church was to continue in the time of the Gospel and after he had cast out the oxen and the doves which were provisions for sacrifice then he citeth that place and reneweth the sanction My house shall be called an house of prayer to all nations which is a sanctification of all Churches to the Worship of God That this was so understood Know that before they had any Churches built for the publick exercise of Religion they had some places of meeting which they called Aedes sacras holy houses of which the Apostle putting difference sayth have ye not houses to eat and drink in Cor 1 1◠22. despise ye the Church of God Here be our own houses for common and natural moral and civil use here is the Church of God the place of assembling of the Congregations to the Worship and service of God No sooner is a place consecrate to this use but it is a Temple of Gods So when Jacob had set up a stone for a pillar Gen. 28.19.22 in the place where he dreamed and had the vision of the ladder he called the name of it Bethel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods house And after At his returne he came to that place and having first put down all the strang gods Gen. 35.7 he built an altar to the Lord and called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good of Gods house It is palestra in which we do meet with God to wrestle with him in our fervent prayers and supplications He by his word wrastleth with us to overcome both our ignorance and impiety And therefore as Jacob Gen. 32.31 so may we call our Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the face of God for there God did look upon him And in the times of the Gospel these houses of prayer have had several tittles Aedes sacrae in respect of their succession to them and Templa in respect of their succession to that at Jerusalem Tectum amplum some derive it and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Propter dedicationem 2. Propter usum 3. Propter jus perpetuum 4. Propter sabbatum For there is Dominica in Dominico thence came the word Kirke Yet in use in Scotland And Ecclesiae in respect of the meetings there When David could not come to the sanctuary of God he worshipped toward it Hear the voyce of my supplications Psal 7. Ps 28.2 Dan. 6.10 when I cry unto thee when I lift up my hands towards thy holy temple Daniel being farre from the temple opened his window toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day The Temple is a type of Heaven where the Saints of God do meet to praise God which is the worship that is done to God in heaven And I heard a great voyce out of heaven saying Behold the tabernacle of God is with men Rev. 21.3 and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God This Mr. Brightman understandeth of the Church of the Gentiles where God is seen So doth James Brocard an Italian understand it of the Church delivered from Poperie and Mahometry and all haeresie But Master Bullinger better advised saith that as in the former part of this Revelation hell is described so in this chapter heaven is set forth And that as you see in the similitude of a tabernacle so doth Junius and Napier well interpret this place I conclude then that all the Churches wherein the Christians meet to call upon God are the temples of Gods presence wherein God is invisibly resident both to give his Spirit where he thinketh good and to direct our service of him and to receive our prayers and sacrifices of thanksgiving and to communicate to his servants the ordinances of his grace the means of their salvation 2. As God is in these temples made with hands and declareth his presence in his house in his Word and Sacraments and in the solemne meetings of his children so is he in heaven which is his highest temple whereof these are but types and figures We beleive in him as maker of heaven and we pray to him our father which art in heaven this place he himself calleth his habitation I dwell in the high and holy place 1. In heaven Yet as Solomon saith The heaven of heavens is not able to containe him Isa 57.15 2 Reg. 8.27 So he is there as in the most excellent part of his creation but not comprehended there for there he is most purely worshipped thence cometh our Sicut in Coelo The heathen gods are no where in heaven they are not that is the temple of the true God in earth they are not for they are no gods that have residence in earth and have no power at all in heaven As the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 8.4 We know that an Idol is nothing in the world Here by the name of Idol is not meant the material image representing their god for that is a bodily substance to be seen and felt and it is in the world but he speaketh it de numine the divinity is a non ens For he addeth that there is no God but one and whereas many be called gods in heaven and in earth as there be many gods and many Lords yet he saith there is but one God the rest are nomina not numina For there were that worshipped the Sun the Moon and the starres these as creatures and second causes do us good but they serve our God When our God is in his Temple all those help to make up the quire of them that praise him For the heavens declare the glory of
mercies Psal 5.7 The Church knoweth that God is more glorious in his mercy 3 Reas then in all his other attributes for his mercy is above all his works the justice of God is against us because we are unrighteous the wisedom of God is against us because we have walked as fools and not as wise men The holiness of God is against us because we are unclean conceived in sin and born in iniquity The truth of God is against us for omnis homo mendax every man is a lyer The power of God is against us because we have forsaken him the fountain of living water c. The Patience of God is against us because he is a God that loveth not iniquity neither shall evill dwell vvith him he hateth all those that work wickedness Onely Mercy is our friend that maketh Christ our justice our wisedom our sanctification and redemption that maketh truth perform gratious promises and his power becometh our protection his patience our peace Divitiae misericordiae riches of mercy This seemeth to excellent use 1 To assure to us the favour of God 1 Vse because it is built upon the foundation of Gods mercies of which Dauid saith The mercy of God endureth for ever his mercy is euerlasting The knowledge of salvation given by the remission of our sins is Through the tender mercy of our God Luk. 1.77 78. whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us So that if God be angry with us for our sin yet his vvrath doth not burn like fire but as he sayd of Solomon I will chasten him with the rods of men but my mercy will I not take utterly from him 2 It seemeth to rebuke those that put their trust in humane merits or works of the Law they that come to God for wages forsake their own mercy nothing so contrary to Divine mercy as humane condignity 3 Because here is anger and mercy together 2 Cor. 1.3 Naâ—u 1 2. this killeth all presumption for he that is called The God of mercies is called a jealous God and a furious Avenger And the rods of men well laid on will smart and draw bloud 4 This inviteth to new life because The goodness and mercy of God leadeth to repentance and the Crown of it Rom. 2.6 5 Seing we have so much need of mercy our selvs let us shew mercy unto others Estote misericordes ut pater vester coelestis be ye mercifull as your heavenly father for there shall be judgement vvithout mercy to him that sheweth no mercy Christ abideth yet naked and sick and imprisoned and hungry and thirsty in our poor brethren as his mercy embraceth us so let our mercy embrace him that he may say esurivi pavistis I was hungry and ye fed me Ver. 3. God came from Teman and the holy one from mount Paran Selah His glorie covered the Heavens and the Earth was full of his praise 4 And his brightness was as the light he had horus coming out of his hand and there was the hiding of his power 5 Before him went the pestilence and burning coals went forth at his feet THe second part of this Psalm doth contein a celebration of the prayses of God Vid. divis p. 23. which also doth declare upon what grounds the Church in affliction and captivity doth put trust in God The whole Section is a commemoration of the great power and glory and power and mercy of God shewed in behalf of his own people v. 3 4 5. ad finem v. 15. 1 In his coming to them from Paran and Teman 2 Of the same power and glory declared in giving of the possession of the land of Canaan to Israel 3 In the dismay of the Nations v. 7. 4 In the marvellous Water-works 8 9 10. 5 In their great victories within the Land I begin at the first God came from Teman and the holy one from Mount Paran The best exposition that I do finde amongst many of these words is that here is remembred the coming of God to Israel when he gave them the Law written in two Tables of stone with his own hand For God came then from Teman and Paran Paran was a great mountain neer to mount Sinai but Teman signified the South so God came from the South thence came God to give Israel his Law wherein he did express himself the King of this people by coming so neer to them by shewing himself so openly and by revealing his wil to them so plainly This was so great a favour done to them that he addeth Selah which word is onely used in Davids Psalmes and in this Psalme and the word in the judgments of the learned is sometime vox optantis the voice of one that wisheth aequivalent to Amen or vox admirantis the voice of one admiring shewing some speciall matter or vox affirmantis of one affirming avouching what is said or vox meditantis of one meditating requiring consideration of what is said But withall it is a rest in Musique Jerome saith it is commutatio metri or vicissitudo canendi his glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise And His Brightnesse was as the Light he meaneth the brightnesse of that glory wherein he appeared when he gave the Law set forth Exod. 19.16 For there were Thunders and Lightnings He had Horns comming out of his hands by Horns in Scripture strength is signified the horne of salvation is the strength of salvation the exalting of the horne is the advancing of power and these are said to be in his hands because the hands and arms are called the strong men in the body they are the instruments of power And there was the hiding of his power there in that apparition God did hide his power from the rest of the world and declared it perticularly to his Church as David saith He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgments Psal 147.20 they have not known them Before him went the Pestilence and burning coals went forth at his feet His meaning is that God then declared himself mighty in the punishment of his enemies and the enemies of his Church for under these tvvo kinds of punishments by pestilence and fire he shevveth that God hath the command of all the instruments of vvrath of vvhich these tvvo by plague and fire are the most licking and devouring putting no difference where they go And this hath reference to the many plagues wherevvith he punished the Aegyptians vvhen he brought his people from the land of Aegypt from the house of bondage The summe of all is this that God hath declared himself glorious 1 In his speciall favour to his people 2 In his just vengeance From vvhence these points of doctrine issue 1 That the consideration of Gods former mercies doth strengthen faith in present tribulations 2 That the Church of God hath a speciall interest in the povver and protection of God 3 That
you will not beleeve The work to be done is vers 6. God threatneth to raise up the Chaldeans against the Jews he calleth them a bitter and an hastie nation those shal go all the land over and drive out or destroy the Jews and take possession of their land Chaldaea lay from Jerusalem North it was a mighty Kingdom and the cheif City thereof was Babylon Nebuchadnezzar was King thereof they are to be stirred up by God himself who as you heard out of Obadiah doth use to punish one Nation by another and sometimes his Church by the Heathen He gave Israel the promised land upon condition of their obedience to his Law and now finding them rebellious he giveth away their land to the heathen and as before he drove out the posterity of Canaan to plant Israel there now he will remove them and give their land to the Chaldeans God is very terrible in his threatnings for a great part of the Chapter is spent as you see in description of that Nation of the Chaldeans to fill them full of horrour 1. For the people of that land Vers 6. he calleth them Bitter and hasty Bitter in the execution of that wrath whereof God had made them his Ministers and hasty in the speed thereof for the wicked are limited and if God stayed them not they would soon swallow up the Church of God but when God enlargeth them and suffereth them for the sins of the Church to break in upon them they will come in like a flood that overfloweth and breakketh the banks and cover all with inundation 2. They are described to be terrible Vers 7. and dreadfull and therein he declareth that he will put the Jews out of heart that they shall have no courage to resist this invasion for God will smite them with fear of the adversarie power which fear in them shall open the enemie an easy way to victory 3. He proveth this for he saith Their judgment and their dignity shall come of themselves His meaning is that God will not restrain them but give the Jews into their hands and leave the Chaldeans to be both judges and executioners in their own cause and to follow the leading of their own will no Law of God shall awe them no law of nature or nations shall limit them their own will shall carry them to give judgment upon the Jews and to get them dignity and honour over them The reason why God will put them into so mercilesse hands is given by the Prophet Jeremy For the Jews have said to Jeremy As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee Jer. 44.16 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth Vers 17. For this wilfull stubbornnesse God doth now purpose to put them into the power of such as shall be as wilfull as they whose judgment by which they shall judge the Jews and whose dignity by which they shall exalt themselves shall follow their own will He proceedeth to shew what preparation they have for war and therein first of their horses Vers 8. in which kind of strength some put their trust as David saith Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses These horses of the Chaldeans he doth make terrible in 2. things 1. They are swifter then the Leopards he compareth them not with the Roebuck and the Hind so much mentioned in Scripture for speed nor with the Hare whose speed is to save themselves but with the Leopards persecuting with swiftnesse the beasts on which they prey as he addeth 2. They are feircer then the evening wolves those wolves whose hunger not only leadeth them out to seek prey but such is their cruelty that they will destroy whole flocks if they can The Chaldeans did breed horses for the warre whose speed and feircenesse is such that as Jeremy saith describing the turning of men to their own ill wayes it was like as an horse rusheth into the battaile Yet this were no great terrour but that it followeth their riders shall be such as shall put them to it 1. They shall spread themselves for they were to passe throughout the breadth of the countrey that there will be no escaping then by resistance 2. They shall come from farre to set up the army so that they shall be terrible in their number 3. they shall fly as the Eagle that hasteth to eat no man shall escape them by flight all shall be a prey He proceedeth to describe the easie victory that the Chaldeans shall have of the Jews Vers 9. They shall come all for violence Tota gens ad rapinam veniet not ad pugnam but ad praedam The whole Nations shall come to spoile not to fight but to prey Their faces shall sup up the East-wind the East-wind it seemeth was the most unwholesome breath of heaven upon that land within short time withered and destroyed the fruits of the earth and the hopes of the Spring The Lord saith that the faces of the Chaldeans the very sight of them shall bee as banefull and as unresistible as the East wind They shall gather the Captivity as the sand 1. They shall gather together the people of that land to carry them away into captivity with no more pain then one would take up his vessel ful of sand out of the heap or they shall carry multitudes of the Jews into captivity without number as the sand They shall scoffe at the Kings Vers 10. and the Princes shall be a scorne unto them Either he meaneth that he shall make nothing of the power of any Kings either in the land against which he cometh or amongst their confederates but shall laugh them to scorne that come to help the Jews as his vassals Or he shall easily subdue them and lead them in triumph whethersoever he goeth and proudly insult over them Some extend it so farre as that the Chaldean conqueror shall make Kings his jesters and parasites and make himself sport with them And whereas the strong holds and castles are wont to be a terrour to the invador the Chaldeans shall deride every strong hold For they shall heap dust and take it i.e. They shal raise up of the earth near unto their strong holds such fortifications as shall defend them and offend the enemy the very earth of the Jews shall they use against the Jews to overcome them Then shall his minde change and he shall passe over Vers 11. These words do declare that the Chaldeans full of victories and ful of pride after this great conquest shall change their minde and passe over to some other quest of glory bigge-swolne with their former prevailings And he sheweth how these enemies of the Jews shall runne themselves upon the just displeasure of God who stirred them up to this warre He shall offend imputing this his power unto his God From hence commeth the
working in that means Thus in the Church of Rome Angels by God employed for the service of man by the over-doing thankfulnesse of man were honoured with the honour due to him that sent them Those that leave the service of God and study men and apply themselves wholly to their humours to better their estates do set up new and strange gods against the true God and give his glory to creatures and make their means their idols do commit idolatry and break the first great Commandement of the Law The Romanists cannot clear themselves of this trespasse though Bellarmine their Champion do his best to excuse it He distinguisheth between images which he calleth veras rerum similitudines the true similitudes of things but he calleth idols false Representations of things that are not But not to trouble our selves to examine his frivolous distinction the image it selfe of a true thing subsisting is a creature and to give that the honour due only to God is grosse idolatry for example that in their Romane Breviary which is directed to the Crosse be it not to the image and representation of the Crosse before their eyes but in it to the Crosse it selfe is it not idolatry O Crux ave spes unica hoc passionis tempore auge piis justitiam reisque dona veniam 2. This text chargeth them that they offend whereby it appeareth that idolatry is an offence you see how high it reacheth even to the ungodding of the Almighty and we shall shortly see how sore it smarteth upon the offenders 1. The devil is the Authour of idolatry Reas 1 for when God had buried Moses secretly to prevent idolatry the devil would have discovered the place to move the People to idolatry that was the strife which Saint Jude mentioneth between Michael the Arch-angel and the devil about the body of Moses wherein the Arch-angel prevailed against him 2. The devil is a great tempter to idolatry Reas 2 Matth. 4. for he assaulted Christ so si procidens adoraveris me if thou wilt fall down and worship me 3. The devil is the chief Agent in the Ministery of the idolatrous Priests Reas 3 as the evil spirit offered his service to be a lying spirit in the mouths of Baals Prophets foure hundred of them at once 1 Reg. 22.22 The promise of Satan is that which he profest to Christ to draw men from the worship of God to worship him and there is no mean all worshippers that do not worship the true God worship Satan so the Chaldaean imputeth their force to Satan for he that is not with him is against him The use of this point is taught by the Apostle Saint John Vse 1 John 5.21 Babes keep your selves from idols give not the glory of God to creatures It is an admirable thing in the whole course of the story of Israel and after of the Iews Moses could tell them for what Nation is there so great Who hath God so nigh unto them Deut. 4.7 as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for Yet was idolatry their national sinne although upon all occasions they might advise with God though they had the pillar of fire the pillar of cloud the Arke the Law the Priesthood the Temple and all the oracles of God committed to them Therefore no wonder if the Chaldaean who had none of this did commit idolatry These are examples for us and because we have no feare but of the idolatry of the Church of Rome we must take warning to keep our selves from their idols and their idolatry This we understand is now the study and care of the religious Patriots in the honourable and high Court of Parliament let us joyn with them in our Prayers to God for the rooting out of the Romish Religion let us give God our hearty thanks that he worketh by his spirit such zeal of the glory of his truth in the godly faithful hearts of the Commons of this land to stirre and rowze up themselves in a matter so much concerning the honour of our God as this doth For who delivered us from the Spanish violence in 88 And who delivered us from the bloody powder treason in An. 1605 If the gods that our enemies serve could have prevailed against our God had we not been as Sodom and as Gomorrah Therefore let us pray God to preserve us from idols and from them that love and serve them of whom I may say truly with David The words of their mouths are smoother then butter but warre is in their heart Ps 55.21 Their words are softer then oyle yet are they drawn swords There can be no hope that those men which will rob God of his glory and give it away to creatures will ever be true to us Let every one in the zeal of Gods glory shew and professe his hatred to idolatry and his love of the true Worship of God and as they need the sword of the Lord and of Gideon so let us cry The sword of the Lord his word in the mouths of his faithful Ministers and the sword of Gideon the sword of the religious Court of Parliament against them Vers 12. Art thou not from everlasting O Lord my God my holy one we shall not dye O Lord my God thou hast ordained them for judgement and O mighty God thou hast establisted them for correction 13. Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evill and canst not look on iniquity wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then he 14. And makest men as the fishes of the sea and as the creeping things that have no ruler over them 15. They take up all of them with the angle they catch them in their net and gather them in their dragge therefore they rejoyce and are glad 16. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net and burn incense unto their dragge because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous 17. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations AFter God hath denounced his judgment upon the Jews contained in the former Section now the Prophet beginneth a new wrastling with God in the behalf of the afflicted members of his Church The Prophets speech is addressed to God himself wherein he first ascribeth to God Eternity Art not thou from everlasting O Lord my God He ascribeth to him Holinesse My holy One And this Pronoune possessive My doth lay hold upon a special interest that Habakkuk by faith claimeth in God From which consideration he draweth this cheerful Conclusion We shall not die O Lord speaking of himselfe and of the afflicted in the Church of the Jews that though God had threatned such an invasion by the hand and power of the Chaldaeans yet shall it not proceed to their ruine God will keep his Church there is a remnant that God will save from the
stormy winde and the tempest as David saith the flood of many waters shall not come neare them This faith he builds upon a good foundation For 1. From the eternity of God he may conclude that the love wherewith he loveth his Church is an eternal love and therfore not to be subject to the power of time 2. From the holinesse of God he may conclude that all the faithful Jews being an holy seed shall have his favour Against this it may be objected that God hath revealed himself to the contrary for he hath before threatned to raise up the Chaldaeans a fierce and terrible nation that shall go through the bredth of the land and shall run like an Eagle and an evening wolfe only for prey What hope then can there be against these The Prophet answereth that objection Thou hast ordained them for judgement and mighty God thou hast established them for correction That is God by his might hath armed them against the Jews to execute his judgement on them and for castigation and correction of them Vers 13. not for eradication He proceedeth then to expostulate and dispute with God concerning this judgement to be executed upon the Jews by the Chaldaeans Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity This is a further Confession of the holinesse of God to whom he attributeth pure eyes such as cannot behold evil and look upon iniquity because that holinesse cannot approve ill and that justice cannot wink at it and leave it unpunished Otherwise videre malum non est malum to see evil is not evil Gods general view of all things doth set his eye upon the good and evil So the Sun shineth upon the just and the unjust but God is a God that loveth not iniquity neither shall evil dwel with him he abhorreth all them that work wickednesse David saith His soule abhorreth them So that the Prophet here acquitteth God from any hand in the evil of these Chaldaeans although he stirreth them up against the Jews he is wise to use them as instruments of correction but he is too pure and holy to be Partaker in their sins From hence groweth the Expostulation following Seeing thou art so pure and holy that thou abhorrest evil and hatest all the workers of iniquity Why dost thou look upon them that deale treacherously Why dost thou O holy and just God look on whilst the Chadaean betrayeth thy People Mr. Calvin reads Transgressores Montanus Praevaricatores Jun. Perfidos whom the Kings Bible followeth This the Prophet Isaiah calleth a grievous vision The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously Isa 21.2 and the spoiler spoileth For the Chaldaean did invade the Jew both cunningly by treason and violently by force He urgeth God further Why holdest thou thy tongue when the wicked man that is the Chaldaean an idolater and a bloody man devoureth the man that is more righteous then he that is devoureth the Jew who as bad as he is is a better man and more righteous then the Chaldaean He wondreth at the softnesse and forbearance of God that can see and be silent to behold so much iniquity He proceedeth in his complaint Vers 14. Thou makest man as the fishes in the sea where the great ones do prey upon the small ones and as the creeping things that have no ruler over them and therefore feed upon one another who have no law to awe them but quo quis est valentior eo violentior so the Jews are to the Chaldaeans a prey But the words following do shew another thing intended not a reference of these creatures one to another but all of them to the fisherman so the sense is thou seemest to esteem the Jew no more then thou dost the fishes on the sea or the creeping things on the earth For it followeth They take up all of them with the angle Vers 15. they catch them in their net and gather them in their dragge The Chaldaeans are the Fishermen the Jews the fishes and for these they have 1 The Angle whereby is meant their fishing for a single Person 2. Their net let fall to catch more 3. Their dragge for whole sholes of fish so that here is no evasion he that escapeth the angle shall fall into the net or if he escape the net the drag shall sweep him away and bring him to the shore So that he reby all way of evasion seemeth stopped against the Jew he is put into the hand and power of the Chaldaean as a draught of fish into the hand of the Fisherman And all this while the Fisherman thinketh he doth no man wrong as the Poet saith Nec patitur Tyrrhenum crescere piscem For the fish of the sea is esteemed his that can catch him so shall the Chaldaean fish Judâ—a as if the Jews were fishes not men and as if there were no Providence to take care of them no owner to call them his Therefore they rejoyce and are glad There is no compassion in them of chaldaea toward the Jew but as the Fisherman rejoyceth in his draught of fishes and never looketh upon them with any pity of their lives but is glad that he hath gotten them So shall the Chaldaean be glad when the Jews are in his net that he may carry them into captivity This victory doth not only make the Chaldaean glad but he is proud too and boasteth in his own strength and attributeth his prevailings to his own power as it followeth Therefore they sacrifice unto their net Vers 16. and burn incense unto their dragge that is they do thank their own arme and armies for their victories and as Iob saith They kisse their own hands because thereby they come to have a fat portion and plenty of meat so that they give no glory to God yea before the Prophet saith from the mouth of God that they would ascribe the prosperity of their warres to their god i.e. to their idol now they will grow so proud that they will thank their own wit and power for all The Prophet concludeth with a passionate expostulation Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the Nations Vers 17. Seeing they are a People so lawlesse so mercilesse so proud O Lord wilt thou give way to them still and shall they possesse all that they catch which he calleth emptying of their net and shall they not spare continually to slay the nations Shall they passe thus from nation to nation and shall they still conquer is all fish that comes into their net De verborum interpretatione bactenus In the further handling of this section I observe as in the former two things 1. The summe and contents of the whole section 2. The parts thereof 1. The summe hereof is this whereas the Prophet at first beholding the sins of the Jews was moved with an holy indignation against them and with zeal of Gods glory which turned him into a chiding
thinketh to gather an happinesse he reapeth nothing but woe 2. Wherein he hopeth for ease and relaxation of his cares he getteth a burthen which the word of loading implyeth 3. He is charged that he is author to himself of that burthen he loadeth himself as David he disquieteth himself 4. That for which he doth himself so much hurt bringeth on himself so much danger it is no better then thick clay The gold and silver of the earth is sharply and scornfully mentioned as no better then thick clay And indeed as it cometh from the melting to the eye gold seemeth such even like to a thick and massy clay it hath no beauty in it to affect the eye And seeing the world prizeth this rich metall at so high a rate that the Babylonian doth make no conscience of cutting the Jews throat breaking all laws of nations to get their gold God doth in this smart quip shew how the Chaldean shall be censured and taxed abroad for his scraping when all that he hath gotten is but thick clay If we go to our principia naturae principles of nature we shall find that God made the earth and whatsoever after that either mineral growing within the earth grasse or pearle flower tree or fruit growing on the earth beast or bird fish or fowle worme or fly living on the earth or in the water and man the lord of all all are made of earth Earth the chiefest material in their building there fore to Adam said God Terra es If man the most excellent of creatures in the composition of his body be but thick clay The stile is high enough to give that title to any either mineral or vegetable whatsoever 7. Shall they not rise up suddainly that shall bite thee and awake that shall vexe thee and thou shalt be for booties unto them Some Interpreters think this verse also a part of that taunting speech which many shall use against Babylon and the Chaldaeans wherein they shall declare that they do look Pride should have a fall The manner of speech frequent to the Hebrews by interrogation Shall they not rise up c. hath more weight in it and implyeth both vehemency in the Commination and assurance of the judgment threatned more then if he had said They shall arise that shall bite thee Read Isay 13. and see the burthen of Babylon and passe to the 14. for this v. is but a short abridgment of that full prophecie And expoundeth these words of my text that the Medes and Persians shall very shortly arise to destroy Assyria and all the Chaldaeans The same judgement is threatned by the Prophet Jeremiah cap. 50. cap. 51. A Nation coming out of the North to make their land desolate For Media is a city north from Babylon whence Cyrus came against it And for the manner of the taking of Babylon it is here set down to be sudden They shall rise up suddenly that shall bite thee Herodotus reports that upon one of their great Holy-days Chro. 35. when all the city were in their dancing and disports Ex inopinato eis Persae astiterunt on a sudden the Persians came upon them they came into the city and took a part of it when the other part sung out their song and danced on and knew not that the enemy had surprized them So they were bitten and vexed and taken and the mighty and glorious great city of Babylon was made a booty and prey to the Persians The greatnesse and riches of this city of Babylon is by Herodotus thus exprest The whole dominion of the Chaldaeans being laid and assessed to maintain the Kings wars for defence of his state for the twelve moneths in the year the charge of four moneths was imposed on Babylon and all the rest of Asia bore the charge of the 8 months so that one third of the imposition lay upon Babylon Vers 8. Because thou hast spoiled many nations The first Monarchy that we read of in holy Scripture is that of the Assyrians began by Ninus of whom Niniveh took name and by Nimrod whom histories call Belus and after him succeeded by Semiramis his wife This Monarchy grew by continual wars and violations of their neighbours to an exceeding height and strength So that the exaltation of that Monarchy was the ruine of many nations in power and their subjection to the Assyrians and this Monarchy lasted as some write an 1300 Saint Augustine de Civ dei lib. 16. cap. 17. speaking of this Monarchy saith In Assyria praevaluerat dominatus impiae Civitatis hujus caput erat illa Babylon He calleth it nomen aptissimum Confusio Confusion Actively for it confounded all the parts of Asia bringing them under one Regiment and it came it self after to a shameful confusion This victorious grassation of the Assyrians over-running all like to a deluge of waters did so swell them with the pride above reproved and here threatned that the Prophet Isaiah doth call this Monarchy Lucifer How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer Son of the morning As in the judgement of the ancient learned fathers Isa 14.12 alluding to the fall of the Angels that kept not their first estate Nimrod their founder Gen. 10.9 is called A mighty hunter before the Lord That is a mighty tyrant and a great Oppressour of men The blood of men was not precious the Land the City and the Inhabitants all bent to spoil and to violence Therefore it is said The remnant of the People shall spoil thee There was not such an universal subjection to the Monarchy of the Assyrians but that there were a remnant left to come upon them and to overcome them These as hath been said were the Medes and Persians Isa 13 3. whom God calleth his sanctified ones his mighty ones for his anger Because he hath called them and set them apart from others to be Ministers of his vengeance for the destruction of this proud nation For he will make inquisition for blood and they that have smitten with the sword shall now perish by the sword De verb is hactenus In these words which are the Declaration of Gods just judgment against the Chaldaeans before we proceed to the full handling of them We must first take notice of the just proces of God against this pride of the Chaldaeans For it pleaseth God to give us here an account of his provocation and he giveth in evidence against them that their pride went not alone but was accompanied with many sins 1. Their gripple covetousnesse in seeking to increase their own heap and covetousnesse is a sinne that God abhorreth St. Paul doth call it the root of all evil 2. Their violent invasion of the goods of others by injury oppression and extortion for he increaseth that which is not his Not to be content with our own is ungodlines but to spoil and rob others and to be our own Carvers to take what we can get is wrong to our brethren
of the Jews shall be resetled there before the end of the world as it was after the return from the captivity of Babylon so that though there have been interruption of possession for so many years there shall be no impeachment of title but their right doth run on till the time appointed for the restoring of them Concerning the calling of the Jews and the restoring of them to the Church St. Paul hath prophecyed so plainly Rom. 11. as there can be no doubt thereof But for the restoring of them to the land of promise we have no good ground in holy Scripture 1 Because they have forfeited their estate therein which they held with condition of obedience When thou shalt beget children Deut 4.25 and childrens children in the land and shalt have remained long in the land and shall corrupt your selves and make a graven image or the likenes of any thing and shall do evill in the sight of the Lord thy God to provoke him to anger I call Heaven and Earth to witnesse against you this day that ye shall soon utterly perish from of the Land whereunto you goe over Jordan to possesse it ye shall not prolong your dayes upon it but shall utterly be destroyed And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations This is not without hope for as by sin they lost their inheritance there so by repentance it was recoverable When thou art in tribulation Verse 3. and all these things are come upon thee even in the latter days if thou turn to the Lord thy God and be obedient to his voyce He will not forsake thee nor destroy thee nor forget the Covenant with thy Fathers This proves their tenure conditional and their restitution to this land after their return froÌ„ captivity was also upon the same condition of obedience as appeareth in the words of Christ How often would I have gathered thy children together Moâ—h 23.37 38 39. even as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Behold the house is left unto you desolate For I say unto you you shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. That place is plain that the habitation of Jerusalem that is Domus vestra and the temple of which our God said Domus mea now become by abuse Domus vestra shall be desolate till the second comming of Christ 2 The Prophesies do speak plain Thus saith the Lord of hoasts Jer. 19.11 even so will I break this people and this city as one breaketh a potters vessell that cannot be made whole again My conclusion therefore is that Though the argument drawn from the free gift of that land to the people measuring out the same to the tribes do serve to comfort their captivity in Babylon with hope of restitution yet now in these times and ever since the dispersion of the Jews for the cause of Christ this can minister no comfort at all to that nation to promise them their land again I come to matter of instruction 1 These words aime not at the generall scope of this Section in which is declared that The remembrance of Gods former mercies is a sweet consolation of present afflictions 2 Because he nameth the measuring out of the land of Canaan to the tribes the driving in sunder the nations the scattering of the mountains the bowing of the hils 1 Docemur We are taught The best form of thanksgiving is that which maketh perticular commemoration of the mercies of God to his Church or to any member of it 2 That the matter of thanksgiving is an acknowledgment of all benefits as received from the hand and free gift of God 3 From the phrase and manner of speech here used we are taught that figurative forms of speech are in use in holy Scripture In thanksgiving 1 Doct. let us be perticular in our commemoration we have Davids example for it Prayse the Lord Psal 103.2 O my soul and forget not all his benefits so he stirreth up himself to remember them to remember them all The two Psalmes 105.106 are full examples of this perticular thankfulnesse and they are good guides to such as would learn it This is necessary Reas 1 1 Because the more perticularly we recompt the favours of God to us the more we discerne Gods love to us as in the example of this people Deut. 4. Moses saith That God had done much for this people never so much for any read from Verse 32. ad finem 38. And all those favours grew out of one root Because he loved thy Fathers It is the Apostles note Ecce quantam charitatem behold how great love Sic Deus dilexit mundum God so loved the world 2 Seeing Gods temporall favours are not always bestowed in love but are made rods to whip the ungodly Reas 2 this is a certain rule that these favours of God are evermore tokens of his love to such as are thankfull for them and to none else 3 They that keep an inventorie of their receipts Reas 3 and are always reckoning and reporting the bounty of God to them shall finde that their receipts of favours have been more and greater then their issues of prayers For how many great blessings have we from God that we never prayed for so that God giveth us much more cause of thanksgiving and prayse of his name then of prayer and supplication 4 Thanksgiving is a work of justice as David Reas 4 it well becommeth the just to be thankfull and again give to the Lord the glory due to his name that is for every perticular benefit perticular prayse and thanks Thanksgiving doth put us in mind of our unablenesse to requite God Reas 5 we cannot make him amends for his favours done to us we shall finde that our wel-doing extendeth not to him we must therefore do good to all propter Dominum for the Lord. 6 Thanksgiving doth put us in mind of our unworthinesse Reas 6 as Mephibosheth to David What is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a de ad dog as I am Jacob Non sum dignus I am not worthy David himself What is man 2 Sam. 9.8 that thou art so mindfull of him 7 If we will forget God will remember us as to David Reas 7 I anointed thee King over Israel I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul I gave thee thy Masters house and thy Masters wives into his bosome Domus Israel Domus Judae Surely Vse we have not well taken out the lesson of thanksgiving to God for to shuffle it up with generall God be thanked for all comes if but coldly and is a poor rependam for all the benefits bestowed upon us St. Augustine upon those words of David And forget not all his benefits saith pro quibus bonis primo quia es cum non esses sedest lapis deinde quia vivis sed vivit pecus
still and the earth that we live upon had moved when this miracle was by the spirit of truth recorded it had been so set down to us as followeth At the light of thine Arrows they went at the shining of thy glittering spear The meaning I conceive to be this that the Sun and Moon did not now keep their ordinary motion appointed in their Creation but by a miraculons dispensation they attended the arrows of God and his spears For God declared himself in this war to be the God of Israel by shining arrows and glittring spears he meaneth not onely the arms of Israel his people but the apparent demonstration of his owne miraculous and extraordinary power declared in this war For you heard in the story that God cast down great stones from Heaven upon them which slew more then Israels sword did These were arrows of God and his spears with which he fought for Israel they are called bright and glistring both 1 Because the Sun-shining upon these great hailstones reflected a dazeling light from them as experience telleth us both in snow ice hailstones and all waterie bodies 2. And because in this judgment there was so manifest appearance of the immediate hand of God in this war Thus Mr. Calvine doth understand these words and saith Sol retentus est ut daret locum sagittis hastae Dei. Onely he seemeth to me somewhat too strict when he saith per sagittas hastam nihil aliud intelligit quam arma populi Dei Yes sure he meaneth his own weapons too with which he fought from heaven and those rather as the more shining and glittering Montauus also upon these words saith Solem Lunam cursus suos ad commoditatem exercitus sacri temperasse Junius also and Beza do conceive that these hailstones fell not without thunder and lightning which are the terrours of heaven and the voice of God it followeth Thou diddest march through the Land in indignation thou diddest thresh the heathen in anger this as I conceive hath reference to the following victories by which all the land of Canaan was subdued to Israel for the Church here confesseth that as God by deed of gift had long before assured this promised land of the heathen to his Israel so he gave them a full possession thereof by marching through the land and by threshing the inhabitants thereof Thus the Church confesseth We have heard with our ears O god our Fathers have told us Psal 44.2 what work thou didst in their days in the time of old How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and plantedst them in how thou didst afflict the people and cast them out For they gate not the Land in possession by their own sword neither did their own arme save them but thy right hand and thine arm and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a favour unto them this phrase of marching through the Land doth expresse God in arms for Israel But the other phrase of threshing the heathen doth imply victory and full power over them even to the stripping them out of all Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people even for salvation with thine annointed The cause why God put himself into this quarrel was the preservation of his people where Israel is twice call'd the people of God which must be understood of the adoption of grace for by right of creation all people of the world are Gods people This was Israels glory and it was also their safety that they were Gods people and how they came to be so Moses will tell The Lord did not set his love upon you Deut. 7.7 choose you because ye were more in number then any people for ye were the fewest of all people But because the Lord loved you Ver. 8. and because he would keep the oath that he had sworn unto your Fathers that is He loved you because he loved you But he addeth thou wentest forth with thine annointed Which Mr. Beza doth understand of David and so maketh a long stride from the conquest of Canaan to the reigne of David and from these victories to Davids victories many many years after And Tremelius and Junius do so apply the text Mr. Calvine lead them all into this Exposition Others conceive that the former commemoration is continued and they that are before called Gods people are here called Gods annointed for wheresoever there is election there is unction and we may say of Israel that God annoined them with the oile of gladnesse above all their fellow nations for David saith Non fecit taliter I am sure the Seventy read and understand the text thus for they read that God went forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latine reading is Cum Christo tuo and the originall Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Messiah which moveth me to refer this to Christ who was the bond of that love which knit God so to Israel for whose sake God was so favourable to Israel Master Calvine doth confesse that this hath reference to Christ and includeth all the favours of God declared to Israel from their coming out of Egypt to the last mercy shewed to them to have come to them non nisi interposito Mediatore not without a Mediatour But he addeth that the promise of Christ did more cleely appear and was more manifestly revealed in the reigne of David then before which might give comfort to the Church in distresse that makes Master Calvine go so low as Davids reigne to apply these words But the next words shew that the former history of the wars of Israel to settle their possession in Canaan and not yet at an end So then I understand that God went forth with his anointed that is with Jesus Christ to save his people and there is the the life bloud of all the comfort in this whole Psalme of the Church and by this faith by faith in this Messiah the just shall live It followeth Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked By the house of the wicked the land of Canaan is here meant and by the head that God wounded either the wisedome and policy or the sovereignty and power of the Land is meant for none of the Kings of the land could stand before Israel so that the very head of the house was wounded By discovering the foundation to the neck This was the manner of Gods working against the head of the house of the wicked by making the foundation naked that is digging up the very roots thereof by an utter extirpation of the Inhabitants of this land It was Edoms cry against Jerusalem Rase it Rase it the Margent make bare even the foundation thereof Psa 137.7 as before you heard out of Psal 44. Thou hast cast out the Nations and placed them in It followeth Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of the Villages That is thou didst overthrow the Inhabitauts of the land
word is their warrant his truth their assurance When we behold the same power of God in the change of Ministers of his will Vse vve learn to know vvhatsoever alteration the vicissitude of time maketh on earth yet thou Lord art the same and thy years do not fail Therefore as David saith Put not your trust in Princes nor in any son of man for there is no help in them there is help by them but it is not in them our help is in the name of the Lord who hath made heaven and earth 2 This shevveth the perpetual course of Gods favour to his Church the faithfull servant of God Moses dieth but the spirit that God put upon Moses survived him Eliah Elisha Num. 27.18 and rested upon Joshua he was consecrated to that imployment 1 By Gods own election and designation 2 By the imposition of Moses hands and the devolution of some of his honour upon him 3 By Gods own gift of the same spirit that vvas upon Moses Thus vvhere God loveth a poople the favour of God runeth in a full stream in the Chanel of his Church 3 Seeing this constant truth of God in his gratious promises to to his Church hath reference to our obedience this much teach us to obey and serve our God in all things that his sun may shine upon our Tabernacles and that vve may anoint our paths with butter for as David saith No good thing will he with-hold from them that serve the Lord. Dâ—uâ— 28. He hath shevved his people vvhat they shall trust too blessings and cursings life and death 3 Doctrine This also teacheth us as the Apostle doth The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man prevaileth much James 5.16 He proveth it by the example of Eliah who though he were a man subject to the like passions as we are he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth in three years and six moneths And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain So this example of Joshua praying is a full example of the effectuall power of prayer these examples as that also of Moses praying upon the Mount when Joshuah fought with Amalek do all seeme to prove the force of prayer Exod 17. And great reason there is that this should be effectuall with God 1 Because there is no service that man can perform to God wherein he doth so much part with himself and even lay himself down in prayer for therein he openeth his heart to God and poureth forth his spirit to him and his faith doth bring God to him face to face When men pray as they ought they know God and themselves they know and confesse him the faithfull Creatour the mercifull redeemer the gracious preserver the bounteous rewarder of men And they know themselves to be but men that is indigent and needy having nothing but what they receive from his hand and of his free gift immerent deserving none not the least of his favours Which two considerations do serve to humble us and to honour him We finde in Scripture watching and fasting often joyned with prayer as outward means to tame and subdue the flesh that it may be the lesser able to resist the power of the spirit for the spirit is willing in the servant of God but the flesh is weak 2 There is no part of Gods worship that hath so many precepts to impose it on us as prayer hath in both the Testaments none that we have so many examples of great successe and prevayling with God none that we have so good means to perform as prayer none that hath so many promises made to it in holy Scripture 1 For precepts 1 Precept so soon as God had established him an house for his publique worship he commanded it to be called an house of prayer to all nations Solomon dedicated that house to God by prayer it is Gods own Word seek ye my face it is the Churches answer Thy face O Lord will I seek And Christ our Saviour often in the gospel the Apostles after him enjoyns it 2 For example we have Abraham 2 Example Isaac and Jacob Moses David Solomon Hezekiah Eliah Manasseh Nehemiah Job Samuel Daniel all the Prophets all the holy men Christ his Apostles all with admirable successe 3 For means 3 Means Christ taught us to pray shewed us the way to the Father in his mediation and by his name And the spirit which Christ left in his Church helpeth our infirmities Christ hath comprehended all in a few words 4 Promise Whatsover you shall ask the Father in my name it shall be given you Ask and receive that your joy may be full petite quaerite pulsate These great examples of successe do all seem to stirre us up Vse to the performance of this part of Gods worship both 1 In obedience to the Commandement of God who hath imposed this duty on us whose Commandements are mighty and ought not to be light layed 2 In an holy ambition of the best graces of God vvhich are this way obteined of him 3 In an humble love to our God to whose presence and conference we come by prayer 4 In an holy imitation of those great examples vvhich are so frequent in Gods faithfull ones in the double Testament of God 5 In a thankfull use of the means by God ordeined to facilitate this service that we receive not the grace of God in vain 6 In a confident faith in Gods gratious and free promises vvhich are yea and Amen 7 In an humble sense and feeling of our ovvn vvants and the necessities of our brethren for so vve do exercise both our piety to God and our charity to our selves and our brethren But this discourageth many Ob. we read of great power of prayer of old as that Moses prayer gave Joshua victory Joshuahs prayer made the Sun stand still Eliah by prayer shut up heaven by prayer he opened it Daniel by prayer shut up the mouths of the lions in their den We see no such effects of prayer now and therefore we think prayer is not of such effect now as heretofore To this our answer is Sol. that great and extraordinary examples of the successe of prayer are but thinly scattered in the Book of God to shew the power of Gods Ordinance Neither may that be a rule to us that prayer is not of force as it hath been because we do not see such great effects thereof as have appeared in former times For in the time of the shadow when Christ was seen in type and under a veil there was need of extraordinary examples to confirm faith but to us that live in the cleer light of the gospel to whom Christ is made manifest to be our intercessor this may seem to strengthen faith If God did hear the prayers of his faithful owns and answered them by miracles they had speciall warrant to demand those things at the hands of
we consider with what coarse fare and little rest and mean apparell the labouring man doth passe through great labour we cannot but acknowledge that experience hath sealed this doctrine that God is the strength of man for man layeth on load upon man and they that live at ease feel not the burthens that they do lay upon their brethren God is our strength in eo quod patimur in that we suffer for could we fore-think our selvs able to bear that sorrow and misery which captivity and war doth bring upon us do you not hear some say they cannot eat such and such meat they cannot rise early they cannot brook the air their tender flesh cannot endure any hardnesse Can such endure to spend their whole time in praysing the goodnesse of God toward them for his great mercy that he putteth them not to it to try what they can suffer let them hear the Prophet Jeremie complain The pretious sons of Sion comparable to fine gold Lam. 4.2 how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghils The women fed on their own aborrements and did eat their own unripe fruit children of a span long Lam. 2.20 Such as were so tender that they could scarce endure to touch the ground of the street with the soals of their shoes even to such God sent word that Her own feet should carry her a far off to sojourn When it shall please God to turn the wheel of providence and to set Princes and high persons in the rank of common men in the condition of miserable and distressed men tender hands will learn to labour and God will give strength The ordinary the extraordinary the outward the inward the expected the sodain calamities of life are manifold to bear them all with patience to digest them with cheerfulnesse to turn them into the nourishment of our faith and hope this is the strength of the Lord in us our soul would soon grow weary of them if God did not establish our hearts for the sense of evils incumbent and the fear of evils ingruent would soon distract and distemper us if the strength of the Lord did not sustein us This doctrine which informeth us whence we have our strength Vse directeth us also in the use of it for so God himself hath taught us Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Deut 6.5 with all thy soul with all thy might We must put our whole strength to his service Luk. 10.27 and to the obedience of his Law All other use of our strength for this life is subordinate to this for they mistake their own creation that think they were made for themselves and employ their wits and time and strength to support to adorn and to make pleasant and easie this temporall life of ours Christ saith that this love of our God must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all our strength Some abuse their strength to oppression and spoil to wrong their brethren so Babylon is called the hammer of the whole earth for God did use these Chaldaeans as the rods of his fury to punish the transgressing nations but there came a time when this hammer was cut asunder and broken How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations Jer. 50.23 I have laid a snare for thee and thou art also taken O Babylon and thou wast not aware thou art found and also taken because thou hast striven against the Lord. Let the oppressours of their brethren consider this the snare of God is full of danger for it hath three dangers in it 1 To catch suddenly thou wast not aware 2 To hold fast thou art taken 3 To destroy for they that are taken in the snare of God are at his mercy in his power Vpon the wicked Psal 11.6 he will rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their cup. Some give their strength to women and by unchast and lewd conversation weaken those bodies and defile the Temples of God where Gods holy spirit should dwell It was the advice which Batsheba the mother of Solomon gave to her beloved Lemuel and she putteth it home in a mothers holy passion What my son and what the son of my womb Prov. 31.2 and what the son of my vows Give not thy strength to women nor thy wayes to that which destroyeth Kings It seemeth that Solomon had taken out his mothers lesson for he giveth all that fear God warning to take heed of the strange woman for he saith She hath cast down many wounded Prov. 7.26 yea many strong men have beea slain by her Her house is the way of hell going down to the chambers of death Some give their strength to drunkennesse they have a woe for their labour Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning Isai 5.11 that they may follow strong drink that continue till night till wine enflame them Some give their strength to covetousnesse some to pride some to their bellies some wast and consume their strength in idlenesse God gave them not their strength to any of these evill ends It is his strength that they abuse and he calleth for all of it in his service Me thinks the Apostle doth plead for God very reasonably and therein he teacheth us to try our selves whether we be innocent or faulty in this As you have yielded your members servants to uncleannesse 〈◊〉 6 1◠and to imquity to iniquity so now yield your members servants to righteousnesse unto holinesse It is unreasonable when God desireth but the same service done to him that made and preserveth us and would save us that we give to Satan who goeth about like a roaring lyon to destroy us and it is a good way between God and conscience to try our hearts whether we have done our God the right that we should do him in our strength for have we had as great delight in the Bible and have we read that with as much diligence as we have read other books of delight and pleasure have we heard the Word with as much attention and profit as we have heard other vain and wanton tales have we bestowed as many private hours in prayer as we have done in game Have we as much delighted in the Lords Supper the souls feast as we have done in the feasts and banquets of the body Nay have we not usurped some of Gods day for our temporall businesse and neglected the Church assembly and the ministery of the word to eat and drink and game and sleep take our ease would we have done so if some comand from some superiour powers had comanded us any speciall service This is the way to try us surely we have not given our whole strength to the Lord if
we have done these things and therefore unlesse we redeem the time and amend our ways our consciences will tell us that his servants we are whom we obey and the servants of sin must look for the wages of sin that is death But let us do no more so seeing the Lord is our strength let our strength be the Lords let it serve him for himself our brethren for his sake Another use of this point I learn from the song of Moses Vse 2 the man of God and of the children of Israel after they came out of the red sea The Lord is my strength and song let him that is our strength Exod. 15 ◠be our song also that is let us praise him with joy and thanksgiving it is the honour that David giveth to the Lord as his strength is always from him so he promiseth My song shall be always of him he desireth that his mouth may be fil'd with his prayse all the day long these be called the calves of the lips of them that confesse his name they are sacrifices of righteousnesse and they please God better then bullocks that have horns and hoofs this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reasonable service It followeth there and it is another use of this point Vse 3 The Lord is my strength I will prepare him an habitation In which words though literally there be a propheticall reference to the Tabernacle of God which God did after appoint to be erected and consecrated to his speciall worship and further yet to the building of the Temple at Jerusalem the joy of all the earth yet in thankfull retribution to God for the strength that we have from him every faithfull soul must within it self erect an habitation for God and his anointed Know you not that your bodies are the temples of the holy ghost doth not Christ dwell in us by faith is not the soul the body of the Church is not the understanding and intellectuall part the holy of holies the chancell of the Church where the glory of God dwelleth and where the memorials of his mercies are kept is not the heart the altar wherupon all our sacrifices of thanksgiving the incense of our praiers are burnt Is not the mouth of them that confesse his name the beautiful porch of this Temple Doth not Christ stand at our doors and knock and desire our entertainment O let us receive him he is our strength there is not a stronger man to come in and bind him and cast him out that day we receive him that day is salvation come home to our house Let him not come in as a guest and sojourner to tarry a night and be gone let him have the rule of the house Christ will then tell us that the Kingdome of God is within us and where he ruleth there is peace which passeth all understanding 3 The next ground of their hope is a strong faith that he will make my feet like hynds feet That is he will give me a swift escape out of all my affliction and I shall come again out of captivity The Lord will loose the bonds of his Church and give her deliverance out of all her troubles Doct. This is a good ground of hope Because it is one of Gods honourable titles to be a deliverer so is he called in this 18 Ps v. 2. Reas 1 From whence these words are taken so Thou art my help and my deliverer Psal 70.5 Thus David honoureth God with that great title for it includeth a confession of prayse both of the power of God able to deliver and of his wisedome and love applying that power to the comfort of his afflicted Church Because it was the office of his anointed the Son in whom he was well pleased Reas 2 to deliver his people from the hands of all their enemies He gave redemption to his people He shall save his people from all their sins he confesseth it his errand hither He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted Isai 6.11 to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Because God knoweth the weaknesse of his Church Reas 3 and though he chasten them with the rods of men yet will he not take his mercy utterly from them Psal 125.3 lest the righteous should put forth their hand unto wickednesse This hath speciall vertue to comfort us both Vse 1 Generally in our whole life and 2 especially in the severall crosses and distresses incident to the body of the Church or any member of the body 3 And individually to each perticular person in their personall vexations and unrest 1 For the generall calamities incident to life Job saith Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery If a man have no time of respiration from sorrow if his body be in sicknesse his mind in grief his estate in poverty his person in prison suppose him as much afflicted as his time and strength can bear yet death determineth all and setteth the oppressed and the prisoner free as Job saith 2 The Church or any part of it be it afflicted and driven into corners persecuted as in the time of the ten bloudy persecutions and as at this day the Protestants are cruelly pursued both in our neighbour France and in the Palatinate and in Bohemia Ministers banished as raisers and strivers of sedition which was laid to the charge of Jesus Christ and after of St. Paul The Lord hath ever heretofore been a deliverer of his Church and his hand is not shortned our hope is that he will also make his Saints hearts glad by a timely deliverance and will give them hinds feet to escape from the arrow that fleeth after them by day and from the dogs that hunt and pursue them with open mouth 3 In the case of personall grievances how can we either in dangers feared or in oppressing griefs and pains receive any peace to our souls but in the faith of deliverance believing that no miseries can so environ us but that there may be found an open way out of them so David saith Many are the troubles of the righteous Dominus ex omnibus liberet This admonisheth the afflicted to Vse 2 call upon God for this deliverance and to seek it no where but in his hand wo be to them that go to Egypt for help it was the undoing of Israel their trust in the broken staffe and reed of Egypt And they that trust to Idolatrous nations to help them in their distresses and wants thrust thorns into their own eyes and goads into their own sides and their trust shall be their ruine Israel did finde it so and smarted sharply for it This also as all other favours of God either possessed or expected doth awake us to a duty of service of our God Vse 3 for we are servi quasi servati and we must serve him that we may be
for if we be truly regenerate we shall be saved certainly and this righteousnesse is a full assurance of our regeneration as the Apostle saith 1. Ioh. 2.29 Ye know that every one which doth righteousnesse is born of him So that righteousnesse is the earnest of our salvation it is salus in semine salvation in the seed here it is salus in Messe in the harvest hereafter for St. James saith The fruit of righteousnesse is sown in peace For where righteousnesse is once rooted Iam. 3.18 there is peace and assurance both of grace and glory 3. This righteousnesse doth honour God in this world for when men live in the conscience of their ways and in the holy fear of God 3. Benefit abstaining from evil all they can doing all the good they can rather suffering and forgiving then doing and revenging injuries striving to bear themselves uprightly before God and men our Saviour saith Others seeing their good works will glorifie their father that is in heaven 4. This righteousnesse is the only witnesse of our sincerity in the love and service of our God for let no unrighteous man say he loveth God or serveth God the proud the covetous 4. Benefit the wanton the breaker of the Sabbath the drunkard let them come to Church hear and receive the Sacrament now and then let them not deceive themselves without this righteousnes no man shall please God Neither shall the Church esteem such as members of the body of Christ for we are taught that no adulterers fornicators covetous persons c. shall inherit the Kingdome of heaven But sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meeknesse and fear 1 Pet. 3.15 Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evill of you as of evil doers Vers 16. they may be ashamed that falsly accuse your good Conversation in Christ Let men hunt for fame and reputation in the way of honour and high place in the way of great dependance or of riches if they be ungodly and want this righteousnesse they want the falt that should pickle them to keep the just shall be in everlasting remembrance their candle doth not go out by night their name shall be like to precious unguent But let the ungodly do what they can the name of the wicked shall rot 5. This righteousnes upon a death-bed wil comfort 5. Benefit when neither meat nor medicine will down with us for there follows after righteousnesse a gracious traine a comfortable sequence The Kingdome of God is righteousnesse and Peace Rom. 14.17 and joy in the Holy Ghost Mark the upright man and observe the just Ps 37.37 for the end of that man is Peace What a joy of heart was it to Hezekiah he did not say I have reigned a King over thine inheritance so many years I have gotten so much riches and treasure I have subdued so many enemies but Remember Lord I beseech thee now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart Is 38.3 c. Thus having learnt what this righteousnesse is and having surveyed the benefits that attend it let us take a few necessary cautions to order and regulate both our judgement and our life 1. Let us not take that for righteousnesse which is no such matter 1 Caution for all that glistereth is not gold Satan hath good skill in varnishing and guilding and painting to make things that are not seem as though they were I do not think but the Pharisees thought themselves just men and that opinion was held of them abroad and that Christ seemed a strange Preacher that told the People Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees c. Acta 26.5 for Saint Paul doth call their sect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must exceed that or else no salvation yet if that righteousnesse which consisted in great chastisement of the flesh in great austerity of life in so many real acts of devotion would not serve Beloved that cheap and soft and tender Religion that eats and drinks of the best and wears soft garments and lies easily and consisteth only in hearing much and knowing something and talking of good things and an outward formal representation of goodnesse will never passe for righteousnesse before God This doth not come near the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees Their Doctors were never out of Moses chair they were faithful and painful in teaching the law Alas many of our labourers loyter Their auditors were frequent and attentive when they knew of the sitting of their Rabbies they would tell one another and call one another to it as Jerom saith faying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The wise repeat And they would hasten thither They compasse sea and land to make Proselytes to their sect We by our evill Conversation lose many from our Congregations It is the complaint of them of the separation that our evill life is one great cause of their forsaking of us and though that do not excuse them yet it doth accuse us and we cannot plead not guilty to that enditement They gave God a quarter of their life in prayer Let every mans own conscience speak within him how farre he out-goeth them in this They read they studied they repeated they carried about them alwayes some part of the Law and were expert in the understanding of it And do not Pamphlets of newes vaine Poems and such like froth of human brains devour much of the time the holy Bible should have bestowed upon it Beloved the righteousnesse that should be in us to fill us with true love of God and our neighbour is wanting in most it is imperfect in the best in too many it is but seeming In Religion zeale is gone some false fires there are yet in the Church that boast themselves to be zeal and are good for nothing but to finde faults and pick quarrels true devotion which had use to shew it self in all outward holinesse and reverence is so retired that many are more homely at Church in presence of God and the holy congregation then they dare to be in the private houses of many that are here present Our heads are grown so tender that even boyes must be covered at Church In prayer our knees are too stiffe to bend we grow drousie in hearing the very face of Religion hath lost the complexion that it had when knowledge was yet but coming out as if we would revive that Romish fancy that ignorance is the mother of devotion In civil conversation how is righteousnesse turned into a cry the words once past of our forefathers though ignorant were faster tyes then bonds recognizances statutes oaths now are It was once the imputation of one Nation as Tully chargeth the Greeks Da mihi manuum testimonium It was once Romes
shame omnia Romae venalia Templa sacerdotes altaria It was once the Grecians infamy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Titus 1.12 There have been many National sins which one Country hath upbraided another withal But how is it that since the light of the Gospel in our Land we have made prize of the sins of all Nations and made them free Denisons amongst us Schisme in the Church corruption of justice bribes gluttony drunkennesse contention pride outlandish manners oppression that Tyrus and Sidon will appeare more innocent then Chorazin and Bethsaida and Sodom and Gomorra are like to make a better reckoning in the day of audit then Capernaum Therfore try your wayes and make your paths even and strait before he come qui justitias judicabit If your righteousnesse be not right the light that in them is darknesse and then quantae tenebrae how great is that darknesse 2. When you have examined your righteousnesse Caution 2. and finde it to be a sincere reddition of due to God and man take heed that you trust not in it When Jacob came to a new Covenant with Laban for wages he said to him do this So shall my righteousnesse answer for me in time to come Gen. 30.33 for my hire before thy face Our upright dealing with men may justifie us to face of man but our righteousnesse in the court of heaven is a poor plea let no man reteine it for an Advocate to answer there for him it will be speechlesse in that presence So much of it as is ours is foul and immerent deserving no favour at the hand of God We have two things to do 1. A debt to pay to God 2. A Kingdom to be purchased in heaven We are broken for the debt our righteousnesse cometh nothing near the clearing of the debt and can we hope of doing any thing toward the purchase Nature it self cannot wish them more unhappy then they are that trust in their own righteousnesse for the reed they lean upon will first wound them and then break under them 3. Yet let it go for a caution too Caution 3. do not so under value thy righteousnesse as to think there is neither need nor use of it because it meriteth nothing at the hands of God for God is gracious to accept from us that which deserveth no such good liking from him Thus he accepted the humiliation of Ahab and he rewarded it thus he accepted the repentance of Niniveh and the thiefe upon the crosse that confessed Christ and shortly after died received a promise to be with Christ in Paradise Christ speaketh comfortably Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Joh 6.37 Righteousnesse is the way to him This is the song and Jubilation of the Church We have a strong City Isa 26. i. Vers 2. salvation will God appoint for wals and bulwarks Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in For God keepeth a book of remembrance Mal. 3.16 such as Malacy saith A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name for the Lord loveth the righteous Ps 58.11 and verily there is a reward for the righteous Yea beloved I dare go so farre and I am sure that I tread on ground that will carry me through it is not faith it is sin it is presumption to trust in the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ onely without a care and conscience and practise of righteousnesse in our selves For Christ redeemeth us not to idlenesse but to work out our salvation we are delivered from the hands of our enemies ut serviamus ei that we might serve him redemption doth not destroy but renew our creation and we were created to good works and we are called to holinesse Let no man think that Christ needeth the help of our righteousnesse to satisfie his Father but we do need our righteousnesse to declare our faith in Christ and to make application of the righteousnesse of God to our selves Though the full strength of Scripture be bent against merit of righteousnesse there is no ground there for idlenesse to stand upon we must not cast all upon Christ and make him who came to redeeme us from the punishment of our evil works a redeemer of us from the necessity of good works Our very union with him is enough to necessitate operative righteousnes for he saith My Father worketh as yet ego operor and I work and it is his word thus must we fulfil all righteousnes Therefore that Christ may see he paid the debt for such as would have paid it if they could and did their best to pay all let us not neglect our own righteousnesse in our quest of salvation but being only by Jesus Christ delivered from the hands of our enemies let us serve him in righteousnesse and holynesse before him all the days of our life Let it go also for a caution 4. Caution that seeing the necessity of righteousnesse we do look well to the integrity thereof as the Apostle admonisheth us in his testimony of the Corinthians That in every thing ye are enriched by him 1 Cor. 1.5 7. so that ye come behind in nogist It is noted of the Saints of God in glory that they do weare long white robs these be the garments of righteousnesse there is our sicut in Coelo we must not wear our righteousnesse like a short garment it must be entire covering the whole body to the foot that is the integrity of the whole man For whosoever maketh conscience of his righteousnesse in some things and not in all is but a hypocrite that man makes conscience of nothing at all That professor that for his profit will do any thing contrary to the revealed Will of God or if for pleasure or for revenge he will go out of the way of Gods Law that mans righteousnesse is but vain For St. James saith Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet faileth in one point is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 Sinne is like leaven a little of it sowreth the whole lump of righteousnesse Knowing the necessity of this righteousnesse and the continual use of it 5. Caution and that our whole life is a perpetual warfare here on earth we must know that this righteousnesse must never be put off or laid aside all our life long it must not beworne in our colours ad pompam but in our armour ad pugnam to the fight This righteousnesse is not for shew but for service There be some temptations that take their aime at us and come forth to assault us there be others that are shot at random and yet may hit us As he that killed Ahab directed not his aim at him so a man sometime by occasion falleth into temptation If a man at those times have not his righteousnesse to seek but that he wear it as a brest-plate it may