thy selfe The most absolute and excellent platforme of prayer that ever was made and is by the maker thereof our LORD and Saviour Iesus Christ commended vnto vs for our dayly vse confirmeth this point vnto vs. The fift petition therein is that God would be pleased to forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. Wherefore as in all sincerity we desire our selues to be looked vpon with the eies of grace and mercy from heaven without any fraud or hollownes or dissimulation in the LORD so are wee taught by that clause our selues to deale with others so truely so honestly so heartily so sincerely and vnfainedly forgiving ever as we may boldly say so LORD do thou to me as I to others Now if these hearts of ours bee so sturdy strong in their corruption as that they wil not relent and yeeld to forgiue such as haue trespassed against vs how can we looke that our praiers should take effect A third reason why we should forgiue our enimies is that our good workes may be acceptable vnto God Let a man every day do as many good works as there are stars in HeaveÌ„ yet as long as in heart he beareth hatred to his enimie God will not accept anie one of theÌ„ Maâ—â—â— noÌ„ acceptatur nisi aute discordia ab animo pellatur saith Gregorie thy gift is no waies acceptable vnto God vnlesse thy heart be first freed from discord Let no man circumvent himselfe seduce himselfe deceiue himselfe i Augustin serm 5. de S. Stephano Whosoever hateth but one maÌ„ in the whole world whatsoever he offereth to God in Good workes all will be lost Witnesse S. Paul 1. Cor. 13.3 Though I feed the poore with all my goods and though I giue my body that I be burned haue not loue it profiteth me nothing If then wee would haue our good workes pleasing vnto God we must be reconciled to our neighbours Our blessed Saviour Iesus Christ so adviseth vs Matth. 5.24 Goe thy way first be reconciled to thy brother then come and offer thy gift A fourth reason why we should forgiue our enimies is that our soules may liue for by hatred rancour we slay our soules S. Ioh. ep 1. chap. 3. verse 15. avoweth it that he whosoever hateth his brother is a manslayer Homicidiest scilicet propriae animae saith k Pet. de Pal. vbi supra one he is a murtherer of his owne soule An exposition not absolutely to be disallowed for as much as it followeth in the same verse Yee know that no manslayer hath eternall life abiding in him The life of the soule is loue therefore hee that loueth not is dead So saith the same blessed Apostle Ep. 1. cap. 3. verse 14. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death And greater is the dammage by the losse of one soule then of a thousand bodies The whole world in respect of one soule is not to be esteemed This is proved by our Saviours question Marc. 8.36 What shal it profit a maÌ„ though he shold win the whole world if he loose his owne soule A fift reason why we should loue our enimies is the reioycing of Saints and Angels To loue our enimies is an infallible signe of our conversion Now we know by Luk. 15.7 that there shall be ioy in Heaven for one sinner that converteth and verse the 10. that there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that converteth Thus whether we respect the reioicing of Saints and Angels or the life of our soules or the acceptance of our good works or the fruit of our prayers or the forgiuenesse of our sinnes we must loue our enimies after St Stephen his example Act. 7.60 LORD lay not this sinne to their charge after S. Paule his example 1. Cor. 4.12 13. We are reviled and yet we blesse wee are persecuted and suffer it we are evill spoken of and we pray after Christs example Luk. 23.34 Father forgiue them for they knowe not what they doe Adde hereto Christs commandemeÌ„t Math. 5.44 Loue your enimies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them that hurt you and persecute you Leaue yee vengeance to the God of vengeance so shall yee bee the vndoubted children of your heavenly Father And thus farre of the second vse which was to admonish vs not to intermeddle in the Lords office of executing revengement A third followeth Is it true Is it proper to the LORD to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Here then in the third place is a treasurie of comfort of terrour of coÌ„fort to the Godly of terrour to the wicked For though the LORD doe vse the wicked to correct the Godly yet will he in due time overthrow the wicked with a large measure of his iudgements and free the godly Gods holy practise in this kind must be hereof a warrant vnto vs. The Israelites were kept in thraldome and bondage many yeares by the Egyptians The Egyptians they were but the weapons of Gods wrath wherewith hee afflicted his people They were Gods weapons Were they therefore to escape vnpunished No. Witnesse those ten great plagues which at length God wrought vpon them and their fearefull overthrow in the redde sea at large set downe in the book of Exodus from the 7. chapter to the 14. This was it which God said to Abraham Gen. 15. vers 13 14. Knowe for a suretie that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs foure hundred yeares and shall serue them notwithstanding the nation whom they shall serue will I iudge Ahab the most wicked of the Kings of Israel who sold him selfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the LORD and his accursed wife Iezebel were Gods instruments to afflict Naboth with the losse of his life and vineyard Ahab Iezebel were Gods instruments were they therefore to escape vnpunished NO Witnes both their ends The end of Ahab recorded 1. King 22 38. In the place where dogges licked the blood of Naboth did dogges licke the blood of Ahab also And the end of Iezebel registred 2. King 9.35 Shee was eaten vp with dogges all saving her skull her feete and the palmes of her hands It was a part of Daniel his afflictions to be cast into the denne of Lyons his accusers vnto Darius were the instruments of this his affliction These his accusers were the Lords instruments for this businesse Were they therefore to escape vnpunished No. Their fearefull end is set downe Dan. 6.24 By the commandement of King Darius they with their wiues and children were cast into the denne of Lyons the Lyons had the masterie of them and brake all their bones in pieces yer ever they came to the ground of the denne Here might I recall to your remembrances other iudgements of God of this qualitie written downe in the register of God's workes his holy word How and what he
LORD that he may out off their memorial from the earth So it 's vsed Ezech. 14.13 Sonne of man when a land sinneth against me by committing a trespasse then will I stretch out mine hand vpō it and will breake the staffe of bread thereof and wil send famine vpon it and will cut off man and beast from it I will cut off that is I will destroy both man and beast from a sinfull land I omit many like places of holy writte and commend vnto you but one more parallell to this in my text It is in the 3. ver of the 2. chap. of this prophecie There thus saith the LORD I will cut of the iudge out of the midst of Moab as here in my text I will cut off the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven and verse the 8. I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod I will cut off whether the iudge out of the middest of Moab or the inhabitant from Ashdod or the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven the meaning is one and the same I will cut off that is I will vtterly destroy or extinguish Which to bee the meaning of the word the author of the Vulgar Latin acknowledgeth translating the word in the originall not excindam as indeed it signifieth I will cut off but disperdā I will destroy So do the Seaventy Interpreters in their Greeke edition of the Bible here translating the Hebrew word not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as indeed it signifieth I will cut off but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will vtterly or altogether destroy overthrowe and extinguish I will cut off the inhabitant the inhabitant what but one yes all and every one of the inhabitants The Holy Spirit in the sacred Scripture vseth so to speake by a word of the singular nūber to vnderstand more then one yea all of that kinde which kind of speech is analogically reduced to the figure Synocdoche Let vs see the truth of this in a few instances In Exod. 8.6 it is said when Aarō stretched out his hand vpō the waters of Egypt that then the frogge came vp and covered the land The frogge It were senselesse to thinke that one frogge could cover the land of Egypt and therefore by the frogge we are to vnderstand many frogges In Num. 21.7 the Israelites desired Moses to pray to the LORD that he would take away from them the Serpent The serpent what but one It is out of doubt that the people meant all the fierie serpents sent among them by the LORD to sting them to death of which wee read verse the 6. Ieremie in chap. 8.7 saith that the storke the turtle the crane the swallow doe knowe obserue their appointed times The storke the turtle the crane the swallow We may not thinke the Prophet singleth out one storke one turtle one crane one swallow from the rest but his meaning is of all storkes turtles cranes swallowes that they knowe obserue their appointed times As in the now cited places so here in my text the holy Ghost vseth one number for another the singular for the plurall vnderstanding by one inhabitant all the inhabitants of Bikeath-Aven Of Bikeath-Aven the Greek Translators taking the words partly appellatiuely and partly properly doe render them the field of On. In like sort Gualter the valley of Aven The author of the Vulgar Latin vnderstanding them wholy appellatiuely rendreth them the field of the Idol and so they may signifie the plaine of Aven the plaine of griefe the plaine of sorrow as Calvin observeth Innius and Tremellius doe render it as before Gualter è convalle Avenis the valley of Aven vnderstanding thereby the whole coast of Chamatha which way Syria bordereth vpon Arabia surnamed the Desert Calvin saith it is vncertain whether Bikeath-Aven be a proper name of a place or no yet saith he it is probable Drusius following the Hebrew Doctors affirmeth that it is the proper name of a city in Syria Mercer the learned professour of Paris ioineth with him And our English Geneva Translatiō draweth vs to be of the same mind that Bikeath-Aven is a proper name of a city in Syria The same opinion must we hold of Beth-Eden in the next clause that it is a proper name of a city in Syria of which opinion I find Mercer and Drusius and our English Translators at Geneva to haue beene And Calvin holds it to bee credible though he translates it the house of Eden so Gualter doth so doth Tremellius who by the house of Eden vnderstandeth the whole country of of Coelesyria wherein stood the city Eden The author of the Vulgar Latin takes Beth-Eden for an appellatiue and translates it the house of pleasure Such indeed is the significatiō of the word and it is by Arias Montanus Ribera applied to signifie the city of Damascus as if Damascus were there called not only Bikeath-Aven that is the field of the Idol because of the Idolatrie there vsed but also Beth-Eden that is the house of pleasure because of the pleasant situation thereof But I retaine the proper name Beth-Eden and take it for a city in Syria wherein the King of Syria had a palace and mansion house Which I take to be plaine in my text where the LORD threatneth to cut off him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-Eden Him that holdeth the scepter that is the King keeping his court at Beth-Eden For I see not any absurditie in it if I say that the King of Syria had a mansion house as well at Beth-Eden as at Damascus and that at this time the court lay at Beth-Eden Him that holdeth the scepter This is a periphrasis or circumlocution of a King A scepter is Regium gestamen and insigne potestatis Regiae a Kingly mace the proper ensigne or token of Kingly power Whence in the best of Greeke Poets Homer Kings are called * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 86. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scepter-bearers Hereby wee vnderstand what we read in the storie of Hester chap. 8.4 King Assuerus hold out his golden scepter toward Hester And that Gen. 49.10 The scepter shall not depart from Iudah In the former place Assuerus maketh shew of his kingly favour vnto Hester by holding out his mace vnto her in the later Iacob prophecieth of the stabilitie and continuance of the Kingdome in the tribe of Iudah till the comming of the Messias Here then he that holdeth the scepter in Beth-Eden is the King abiding in Beth-Eden Hitherto beloved haue I laboured to vnfold the words of my text I will cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden I the LORD with my mighty power will cut off will vtterly consume and destroie the inhabitant not one only but every one that dwelleth in Bikeath-Aven the so named city of Syria There will I not staie my hand but I will also with my mighty power cut of vtterly consume and destroy him that holdeth the scepter not only the
doe cal for vengeance to light vpon the doers of them But what of other sinnes Doe not they cry also Are they dumbe No saith Gregorie Moral 5. cap. 8. Omnis namque iniquitas apud secreta Dei iudicia habet voces suas Every iniquitie hath a voice to discover it selfe before God his secret iudgements Not a voice only but feet also yea and the wings too to make way into Heaven for vengeance * Dr. King B. of LondoÌ„ vpon Ion. lect 2 Every sinne is of â— high elevation it ascends aboue the top of Carmel it aspireth and presseth before the Maiestie of Gods owne throne God complaineth of Niniveh Ion. 1.2 Their wickednesse is come vp before me Hee telleth Sennacherib 2. King 19.28 and Esai 27.29 Thy tumult is come vp into mine eares The Prophet Oded 2. Chron 28.9 saith to the Israelites of their rage that it reacheth vp to heaven You see as well a sublimitie and reach of sinne as a loudnesse and vocalitie of it As it hath a voice so hath it feete so hath it wings as it cryeth so it runneth so it flieth into heaven all to fetch downe vengeance against vs the miserable and wretched actors of it Our wickednesse what it is and in what elevation of heighth whether it be modest or impudent private or publicke whether it speaketh or cryeth standeth or goeth lyeth like an aspe in her hole or flyeth like a fiery serpent into the presence of God your selues be iudges Recall to your remembrances the iudgements of the LORD The anger of the cloudes hath beene powred downe vpon our heads both with aboundance with violence b Psal 93.3 The flouds haue lifted vp the flouds haue lifted vp their voice the flouds haue lifted vp their waues the waues of the Sea haue beene marvailous Her surges haue broken downe her walles yea haue gone over her walls to the losse of the precious liues of many of our brethren The arrowes of a wofull pestilence haue beene cast abroad at large in all the quarters of our realme even to the emptying and dispeopling of some part thereof Treasons against our King and country mightie monstrous prodigious haue beene plotted by a number of Lyons whelps lurking in their dennes and watching their houre to vndoe vs. All these things and other like visitations haue beene accomplished amongst vs for our sinnes and yet wee amend not Yea we grow worse and worse Wee fleete from sinne to sinne as a flie shifteth from sore to sore Wee tempt the LORD wee murmure we lust we commit idolatrie wee serue the flesh we sit downe to eate and rise to play of bloodshed of blasphemie rage against God of oppression of extortion of fraud against poore labourers of anger of bitternesse of wrath of strife of malice publicke infamous and enormous sinnes wee make no conscience we commit them with greedinesse wee drawe them on as with 〈◊〉 we glorie in them as if wee had even sold our selues to 〈…〉 before the LORD LORD whether will we 〈◊〉 we frozen in our sinnes and growâ—◠〈◊〉 Que 〈…〉 câ—â—â—â—ittie tot facit passus ad inforâ—â—â— saith c Pet. de palâ— de Thes N. par aestival enarr 2. in Dom. 16. Tri. one Looke how many sinnes a man committeth so many steps he goeth towards Hell Yea say I for every sinne we commit we deserue to be throwne headlong into Hell fire What shall we doe then and brethren what shall wee doe Our LORD God telleth vs what is best Ezech. 18.30 Returne cause others to turne away from al our transgressions so shall not iniquitie be your destruction verse 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby you haue transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why should you die 32. I desire not the death of him that dieth saith the LORD God returne you therefore and liâ—â— Can there be a sweeter invitation Come therefore ioine 〈◊〉 heart stand together d Ezech. 18.27 tâ—rne we 〈…〉 and doe we that which is lawfull and right that we may saue our soules aliue Come let vs e vers 28. turne away from all the transgressions that we haue committed so shall wee surely liue we shall not die And this wee will the sooner endeavour to doe if wee imprint in our heartâ— my propounded doctrine It is proper to the LORD to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Thus much of the first vse which was to lesson vs to looke heedfully to our feet that we walke not in the way of sinners to partake with them in their sinnes I proceed Is it true Is it proper to God to execute vengeance vpon the wicked for their sinnes Here then in the second place we are admonished not to intermedle in the Lords office It is his office to execute veÌ„geance We therefore may not interpose our selues If a brother a neighbour or a stranger hath done vs any wrong we must forgiue him must leaue revengement to God to whom it appertaineth We must leaue revengement to God to whom it appertaineth and forgiue our enimies What Forgiue our enimies How can flesh and blood endure it Well it should bee endured and many reasons there are to induce vs to so Christian an office The first is The forgiuenes of our own sins Whereof thus saith our Saviour Luk. 6.37 Forgiue and you shall be forgiven f Per. de Palu serm aâ—stiv enarr in DoÌ„ 22. Ttin Ideo libenter debemus dimittere parvum vt Deus dimittat nobis magnum we ought willingly to forgiue vnto our neighbour a small matter that God may forgiue vs our great offences Look what grace and indulgence we shew vnto our neighbours the like will God shew vnto vs. What els is said Luk. 6.38 With what measure you mete with the same shall it be measured to you againe Whereof I cannot giue a plainer exposition theÌ„ in our Saviours words Mat. 6.14 15. If yee do forgiue men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgiue you But if yee do not forgiue men their trespasses no more wil your Father forgiue you your trespasses A second reason why we should forgiue our enimies is that when we make our prayers vnto God we our selues may bee heard For God heareth not the praiers of such as do abide in raÌ„cour and will not forgiue their enimies It 's well said of an g Augustin ancient Qui non vult dimittere fratri suâ— non speret orationis effectum Whosoever he be that will not forgiue his brother let him not hope for any good successe in his prayer h Ambros Another saith Si inturiam non dimittis qua tibi facta est orationem pro te non facis sed maledictionem super te inducis If thou forgiue not the iniury which they neighbour hath done thee when thou prayest thou makest not any praier for thy selfe but doest bring a malediction or curse vpon
with silence many places of holy Scripture in which God is tearmed a terrible God let vs confesse with the Psalmist Psalm 76.7 Thou O God of Iacob thou art to be feared who shall stand in thy sight wheÌ„ thou art angrie Here are they worthely to be taxed and censured who are so far from fearing Gods iudgements as that they plainly scoffe and iest at them Such a one was he of Cambridge shire who o This Sermon was preached Febr. 8. 1606. some 14. yeares since in the yeare 1592. made a mocke of the Lords glorious voice the THVNDER The story is delivered by Perkins in his p Printed at Cambridg in 4o. 1596. pag. 36. exposition of the Creed in these words One beeing with his companion in a house drinking on the Lordes day when he was ready to depart thence there was great lightning and thunder wherevpon his fellow requested him to stay but the man mocking and iesting at the thunder and lightning said as report was it was nothing but a knaue cooper knocking on his tubs come what would he would go and so went on his iourney but before he came halfe a mile froÌ„ the house the same haÌ„d of the LORD which before he had mocked in a cracke of thunder strooke him about the girdlesteed that he fell downe starke dead A memorable example brought home as it were to our doores to put vs in minde of Gods heavy wrath against those which scorne his iudgements Let vs beloved be wise vpon it and at every iudgement of God tremble and feare confesse as before out of Psal 76.7 Thou O God of Iacob thou art to bee feared who shall stand in thy sight when thou art angry 3 Is there no thing nor creature able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose Here is matter enough to vphold and stablish our faith in Gods promises to the abolishing of all wavering and doubting touching our salvation Thus No thing nor creature is able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose God is able to do whatsoever he wil do he wil do whatsoever hee hath promised to do he hath promised to giue eternall life to all that beleeue in Iesus Christ How then can I who do beleeue or any other who doth beleeue in Iesus Christ doubt of mine or their salvation Vpon this rocke of Gods omnipotency Abrahams faith stood vnshaken as appeareth Rom. 4. Abraham he doubted not of the promise of God through vnbeliefe but was strengthned in the faith And how Because he was fully assured that the same God who had promised was able also to doe it This ablenes of God Abraham opposed to his owne weaknes And so aboue hope beleeued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations according to that which was spoken to him so shall thy seed be This promise Abraham laid hold of not considering his owne bodie eveÌ„ now dead being almost a hundred years old neither the deadnesse of Sarahs womb he laid hold of the promise How By faith Which was increased and confirmed to him by the consideration of the power of God And why is all this written of Abraham S. Paul saies why ver 23. Now it is not written for him only that it was imputed to him for righteousnes but also for vs to whom it shall bee imputed for righteousnes if wee beleeue in him that raised vp Iesus our LORD from the dead who was delivered to death for our sins and is risen againe for our iustification Wherefore to all our sins infirmities and impotencies from whence may arise diffidence infidelity or vnbeliefe we must ever oppose Gods omnipotency and thereby support our faith in his promises I shut vp this point and my whole lecture with S. Austines discourse Serm. 123. de tempore Nemo dicat non potest mihi dimittere peccata Let no man say vnto me God cannot forgiue me my sinnes Quomodo non potest omnipotens How is it possible that the Almighty should not bee able to forgiue thee thy sinnes But thou wilt say I am a great sinner and I say Sed ille omnipotens est But God is Almighty Thou replyest and saiest My sinnes are such as from which I cannot be delivered and clensed and I answere Sed ille omnipotens est But God is Almightie Almightie able to doe all things greater or lesser celestiall or terrestiall immortall or mortall spirituall or corporall invisible or visible Magnus in magnis neque parvus in minimis great in great businesses and not litle in the least No thing or creature is able to withstand Gods power or to let his purpose THE TENTH LECTVRE AMOS 1.5 I will breake also the barre of Damascus and cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-Eden and the people of Aram shall goe into captivity vnto Kir NOw proceed we to the other clauses of the last part of this prophecy against the Syrians The second clause is I will cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven The third is and him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden the fourth is and the people of Aram c. In each of these I doe obserue as before I did three circumstances 1 The punisher the LORD either immediatly by himselfe or mediatly by his instruments 2 The punishment to be vnderstood in those phrases of cutting of and going into captivity 3 The punished the Syrians noted in these names Bikeath-Aven Beth-eden Aram. Let vs examine the words of the text as they lie in order I will cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven I the LORD IEHOVAH a See Leâ—â— 9. who remoue mountaines and they feele not wheÌ„ I overthrow them who remoue the earth out of her place and make her pillars to shake who my selfe alone spread out the heavens and walke vpon the height of the sea I the LORD IEHOVAH who doth great things and vnsearchable marvailous things and without nuÌ„ber I the LORD IEHOVAH who haue resolued to send a fire into the house of Hazael which shall devoure the palaces of Benhadad haue resolued to breake the barres of Damascus I will also cut of the inhabitant of Bikeath-Aven him that holdeth the scepter out of Beth-eden c I will cut off To cut off is in sundry places of holy Scripture a Metaphore drawne ab excisione arborum from the cutting downe or rooting vp of trees and signifieth vtterly to consume to wast to dissipate to destroy to exstinguish So it 's vsed Ps 101.8 where David purposing not to be negligent or sloathfull in the execution of iustice against all malefactors in Ierusalem resolueth to cut of all the workers of iniquitie from the city of the LORD Betimes will I destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut of all the workers of iniquitie from the city of the LORD So it s vsed Psal 109.15 where Davids prayer against the wicked is that their iniquitie and sinne be alwaies before the