be thus zealous and so if it be for the name of our Father or any of those that we receive benefit by wee will thinke ill of our selves if we take not the quarrell upon us God is not to be accused to punish those that take his name in vaine To conclude as it is most certaine that Gods name is glorious in it selfe Psal 8.1 How glorious is thy name in all the World So it must be in every one of us If thou wilt it shall be glorified by thee willingly if thou wilt not in spite of thy teeth whether thou wilt or no he will be glorified Exod. 14.4 And I will harden Pharaohs heart so I will get me honour upon Pharaoh and upon all his Host Deut. 14.2 Thou art an holy people unto the Lord. We must be as the Israelites or wee shall be as Pharaoh Hee that will not glorifie Gods name with the Israelites shall glorifie it with Pharaoh that is by suffering Gods punishing hand For the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse The end of the third Commandement The IV. Commandement Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabbath day c. THE outward worship was divided into the generall or state and temporall worship The reason is this because whereas God commandeth the inward worship of the Soule in the first Commandement both of knowledge and will and in the second hee would have manifest and knowne outwardly the submitting of our knowledge wisedome and reason by reverence a worship the submitting of our affections or will by yeelding reverence of gesture and for this outward gestnre because it could be performed onely to him he would not have it done then onely but when wee were dealing with others and to others that the glory of his name might be magnified in speech and therefore the duties of the third Commandement are injoyned and these three perpetuall and generall besides these three in the fourth Commandement he taketh order that there be not onely a generall profession but also a set day a solemne profession wherein there should be a publique profession of these duties and those and wherein they should all be brought to â—ight Levit. 23.2 3. The feasts of the Lord which ye shall call the holy assemblies even those are my feasts Six dayes shall worke be done but the seventh shall bee the Sabbath of rest an holy convocation ye shall doe no worke therein It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings The end of the Sabbath A great and holy assembly for this end either that they might be sanctified and all taught or that they might practice them to his glory in the great congregation It is true and that the Heathen man saw well Publicorum cura minor the common care is not the best care But that that is looked to of all is cared for of none and cometh to be regarded of none and so no doubt would men have dealt with God had not he provided a particuler day for himselfe and setled it by a Commandement and that in very particuler manner By that continuall and generall Sabbath they have no day of rest The drift of God in adding this Commandement shall be seene For the Commandement it selfe generally it is full out as long and longer then the second Commandement of many words and therefore moveth us to a due and no lesse consideration of it We see for the duties of the second Table foure of them are ended in a word because common honesty and writers as Philosophers politick and civill Lawes have taken order for them as in manslaughter whoredome and theft c but the fifth because God seeth there is an humour in us that will not willingly yeeld to subjection therefore it was necessary that God should fence it with a reason So likewise in the tenth there is a great particularity used in it because men thinke that their thoughts are free and not to come into judgement and therefore they may have their Concupiscence and Will free But now in the first Table every Commandement hath his reason but above them all in particular this Commandement it includeth six respects that are not found in any of the rest 1. That where the rest runne either barely affirmative as the fifth or barely negative as the rest in this both parts are expressed Affirmative in these words Remember thou keepe holy c. Negative In it thou shalt doe no manner of worke c. So that our desire and inclination to the breach of this Commandement is both wayes met withall 2. That not onely to our selves but to all others that pertaine to us which in a full ennumeration and a wonderfull kind of particularity God proceedeth here to reckon them up that with us or by us may be violators of this Commandement 3. In the other we see how the case standeth they all are imperative and they runne peremptorily the word here used though it be of the Imperative Moode yet it is rather a word of intreaty Remember and may be a note of separation from the rest this Commandement therefore imperat persuadet doth both command and perswade in the word Remember 4. Againe beside the Commandement it yeeldeth a reason and perswadeth but not with one reason as the other but with one maine reason indeed and three others so that this exceedeth all by the multitude of perswasions 5. Another is this that we see in the former Commandement the reason is fearefull so it is in the second Commandement In this it is a farre more easie and reasonable for the great and maine reason is this that we should doe no more then God hath done 6. That as we see by the preface annexed Recordare Remember when we know it is that word that we expresse an especiall charge by because we thinke that it maketh no matter that it is but a trifle whether a duty be broken or kept and therefore he wileth and chargeth us to have an especiall regard of it and not forget him The Commandement as it standeth is divided into the 1. Precept and 2. Aetiologie that is the reason or perswasion First the Precept Remember that thou sandine a day unto me a day of rest to the Lord. For the understanding of it wee must know what is meant first by day of rest or Sabbath secondly what by sanctifying A day of rest or Sabbath properly in the Originall tongue betokeneth such a rest as there hath a worke gone before it Cessaâ—iâ— such a rest is plainely set downe Levit. 25. When the Land hath beene laboured and tilled six yeares he chargeth it to be suffered to rest the seventh yeare and lye fallow a politick Law So that after a labour of six dayes this is it that God requireth that there should be a day of ceasing Sanctifying is here attributed to two in this Commandement in the end that the Lord sanctifyed the Sabbath here in the beginning that wee must remember to sanctifie it The
that Saul is heterogeneum amongst the Prophets it will fall against order for a Ceremoniall precept to stand in the middest amongst morall commandements For every Ceremonie or Type because it was a foretelling of the Gospell therefore must bee referred to the Gospell as the shadow to the bodie for indeed Ceremonies are Evangelicall So there is not onely this but also a Confession of the Law and the Gospell in the Decalogue Againe this being helde as a principle that the Law of Moses is nothing else but the Law of Nature revived and that a resemblance of GODs Image if that wee say that this Precept is Ceremoniall then must wee say that in the Image of GOD some thing is Ceremoniall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to abide but for a time But all things in him and in his image are eternall according to his nature And so consequently in the Law of Grace Againe when CHRIST delivereth to the Scribes the summe of the ten Commandements Thou shalt love the LORD c. It is no question but it is a summe of the Commandements Then in that part of the summe Thou shalt love the LORD c. Wee must finde the religious observation of the Sabbath and so Morall the love of GOD in which it is contained else our Saviour had delivered an imperfect summe Lastly a dangerous way is taken for bringing in one Ceremonie and the Papists as Parosius and Politian◠they will bring in another for they will have the second Commandement also to bee ceremoniall and there is no reason why there may not bee as well three as two and so foure and five and so all Therefore the best institution the best way for upholding the duties Eternall and to keepe them without blemish is to hold that part of the ten Commandements to deny all Ceremonies in the law as comming of the nature of the Commandement but they are plainly Morall 6. To come to the time of the Gospel Eph. 2.15 wee hold that all ceremonies are ended and abrogated by CHRISTS death but the Sabbath is not which is plaine by Matth. 24.20 for there CHRIST denouncing the overthrow of Jerusalem bids them pray that their calamitie befall not in the winter or on the Sabbath day Wee know this destruction fell out long and many years after CHRISTS death when all ceremonies were ended the Vaile rent c. Now then if hee should have prayed that their flight might not bee on the Sabbath and that were abrogated as a Ceremonie hee should have prayed that it might not have beene on that day which indeed should have beene no day Therefore it is necessarie that it bee counted no Ceremonie 7. Another is that to chop and change one day for another is not abrogatio but commutatio Judaismi 2. So the Seales of the Covenant of their owne nature are thinges morall though in regard of some other respect they bee ceremoniall Yet in the other that are meere typicall there is no manner of commutation but they are cleane taken away for if wee grant that the waxe candles the copes c. are not the Jewes but changed where as Judaisme is not to bee but as it is Eph. 2.15 Hee hath broken downe the wall hee hath taken away c. It is manifest that in stead of the Jewes seventh day in the Apostles dayes another seventh day was ordained Therefore it was not as the Ceremonies but as the Ministerie of the Covenant and Seales of the Covenant and the Day of the Covenant For wee see Act. 20.7 where as the Apostles called together the Disciples in the first day of the weeke which is our Sabbath now to heare the Word and breake bread And 1. Cor. 16.2 hee willeth them in their meetinges they should every one in the first day of the weeke put aside by him and lay up as GOD had prospered him that there might not bee gatheringes when hee came And Revel 1.10 it is plainelie called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The LORDS Day So then we see plainly in the whole time the Apostles lived it being changed by them and not taken away Therefore not of the nature of the Types of the Law But when the old Covenant ceased then ceased the Ministerie of the old Covenant The Priesthood of Levi was changed and given to all Tribes and in stead of it is our Ministerie And as the Seales of the Covenant ceased the Ceremonies of the Covenant as Circumcision and the Paschall Lambe and in their place our Sacraments Baptisme and the LORDS Supper so the Day of the Covenant is taken away and in place of it is put the LORDS Day None of them being in his first end ceremoniall but as having a continuall use the Sabbath lasteth as long as the Church militant The reason which might seeme to have moved the Apostles to change this day De ratioue mutationis Sabbath may bee fitly taken from the institution of the Sabbath in the time of the Law For as then nothing was more memorable then the day of his Creation so when it pleased GOD that old thinges should cease there was a benefit that did overshadow the former Therefore from that day wee now celebrate the memoriall of CHRISTS Resurrection and became of the other worke also concurring fifty dayes after the great and inestimable benefit of Sanctification and the people by speaking with strange tongues and the memorie of the benefit of creation being as well shewed in the first day of the weeke as in the last and so have wee it by great reason established of the Creation Redemption Sanctification of the three speciall benefites wrought by the three Persons And so much for the clearing of that place The three Verses that follow 9.10.11 they are thus divided First they give light to the Commandement thus the 9. and 10. is nothing els but an expounding what the LORD meaneth And secondly at the eleventh Verse There is a reason yeelded why they should yeeld obedience to this And in the first there is an order taken as well concerning Works as concerning Persons For works sixe dayes shalt thou labour and doe all thou hast to doe For persons thou thy sonne c. Againe in the first part there is an affirmative six dayes shalt thou labour c. and a negative In it thou shalt doe no manner of worke c. 2. There is a permission sixe dayes thou shalt worke and doe all c. Sixe dayes hath GOD bestowed on thee but the seventh day hee hath kept to himselfe hee hath bestowed sixe dayes on thee the seventh is GODS Now in these two oppositions there are two by-reasons included for the maine reason is in the 11. Verse 1. By right of Creation we are GODS and all ours for he made us of nothing and so might challenge us and our dayes so that standing in this case we could not challenge one day to our selves insomuch as if it had pleased GOD but to give us but one
Sabbathum Jehovae maneat unusquisque in loco suo neque egrediatur quispiam to morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord abide ye every man in his place and let no man go out on the seventh day Which is a great abuse with us 6. In Exod. 31.13 there is a matter that goeth beyond all these neither may the contrary course be taken for there in the Chapters precedent in the 28 29 30. God having set downe this platforme for the building up of his Tabernacle and willed Moses presently to goe in hand with it yet he saith in that thirteenth verse Notwithstanding I will have my Sabbath kept which is as much to say that in that worke that might have best shew and might seeme the best and lawfullest and make most to his glory yet he would have his Sabbath kept and not broken for it because in other matters ye may refraine in this ye may not And so vers 15. he taketh order for the universall day Whosoever he be that doth any manner of worke on the Sabbath day is judged worthy of death Nomanner of worke the universall terme And Numb 15.35 it is executed upon one that brake the Sabbath Jer. 17.27 he there protesteth for polluting the places of his rest that he will visit them with a plague of fire and such a one as should burne up the Pallaces of Jerusalem and should not be quenched The Prophets are great urgers of this Commandement above all other Commandements and where this plague of fire is threatned there goeth before a prophaning of the Sabbath and we may observe that there hath not beene any strange visitation by fire but some notable profanation of this day hath gone before and it is usuall among us also So when it shall please God to visit us with the like judgement wee know where to have the cause of it Therefore to conclude this place those that goe out to gather Manna that carry burthens that buy or sell that gather in harvest or vintage that journey and travell up and downe and to speake as it is Exod. 31. generally let not them thinke it is otium or Sabbatum Jebovae that it is the keeping of the Sabbath Augusline 3. Serm. de quadrages non sabbathum Domini est sed sabbatum Tyri The 37. Canon of the councell of Ments tempore Caroli The 35. Canon of the first councell of Triburia The 1. Canon of the second councell of Mascon injoyne a holy observation of this day In the 37. Canon of Ments there is a deprivation of the Communion for three yeares against that party that goeth to pleade causes or keepe Markets belike it was their custome in those dayes to pleade causes on the Sabbath So in the councell of Triburia the like order was taken and likewise Concil matisconense it was larger for the fault milder for the punishment for it was but for halfe a yeare And as one saith God commanded the rest not for the rest it selfe but onely Quia toto die hoc Deo tantummodo vacandum and to give over himselfe body and soule to God Here then falleth in the question concerning the strict observation of the Sabbath Quest 1. which was injoyned the Jewes and whether the same also doth lye upon the Christians Unto this Commandement Resâ—l as to every Commandement there were ceremonies Two the one for not dressing their meate the other for not building their fire on the Sabbath day Exod. 35.3 which are both ceremoniall The reason for there is no externall duty of the Law but it may be performed of any man of any Nation throughout the World But it is well knowne that those that are under the Poles they cannot live one day without fire and to let their fire goe out it were the utter destruction of them all and therefore because it is such an externall action it is certaine it is not morall The like may be said concerning the provision of meate for they that are under the hot Zone under the Equinoctiall their provision will not last them but one day therefore these Acts cannot be kept in the whole World therefore ceremoniall So the Christian is released not but that they could be performed of the Jewes and therefore a peculiar precept to the Iewes because they had no hinderances To make yet a further question Quest 2. Whether all those six rests are absolutely to be holden or not and whether on the Sabbath all of those before mentioned as to gather Manna to travell c. be simply unlawfull We answer to this No no further then the precept Eth hasshabbath c. for that our rest must be a sanctification the outward rest is Destinatum sanctificationi ideo quiescimus ut sanctificemus So whereas our quies is not destinata sanctificationi where the sanctification can be cum quiete with Rest there it is lawfull where it cannot bee there it is unlawfull Certaine it is that a man may rest and not sanctifie and so he may sanctifie and not rest and therefore it is said there are many resters and few sanctifiers In these cases the sanctification standeth thus either upon the meanes of our sanctification or else in the declaring of our sanctification that is in the practice of it Whereas a mans rest cannot agree with both these the rest because it is not destinated to them may be left the rest being a subordinate end And the rule is in Logick Tantum destinati sumendum est quantum ad finem prodest so much of any thing appointed is to be taken as conduces to the end wherefore it is taken as if you will take a purge you must take so much as will serve to purge and where his end riseth there must also the destinate arise Mat. 12. for the meanes of sanctification Christ defending his Disciples against the Jewes which indeed were altogether urgers of the bodily rest he sheweth that the rest in regard of the sanctification may be broken as of the Priests in sacrificing and indeed it is the most laborious time for the Minister but hereby they are blamelesse because they are in opere cultus Domini exercised about divine worship And so shall you reade Acts 1.12 mention made of a Sabbath dayes journey out of 2 Kings 4.23 for there the Shunamite comming to het husband for her Asse he saith to her Why should you goe to him to day it is neither the Sabbath day nor the new Moone The meaning is this that the Shunamite was wont to goe out to heare the Prophet and because she had not meanes shee would ride forth Therefore where the meanes of sanctification are wanting a man may take a sabbath dayes journey he may goe where they are used to be gotten Thus for the first part of sanctification Now of this first part of sanctification the meanes is lesse acceptable to God then the second part thereof which is the practice of the worke of
he will worke the like effect as men doe for the breach of Wedlocke Out of these we have three commodities First we learne that we are of dull spirits not feared with Gods proper names of justice c. but he must take other of raging men so jealousie we feare but when we heare that God is just we heare it without any great motion Secondly that of Tertullian Lib. 2. contra Marcion Utitur Spiritus hoc vocabulo ad exaggeranda ejus scelera that sinne is so odious a thing and so vile that if it were possible would make God angry and to be that he cannot be Thirdly it is the Apostles use that he maketh of the justice of God as we see in 1 Cor. 11.29 he protesteth himselfe to be jealous that we our selves might be jealous that is that every man enter into his owne heart and consider what God is and say thus What saith God that he is jealous let us consider what God is and againe what we are how excellent hee is and how vile and wretched creatures we are Why then it should appeare that this should pertaine to us and not to him and rather of our selves and our owne salvation there is nothing worthy in us that he should be jealous of And this for the entry to the thing Now to the thing it selfe Visiting the finnes c. This commination hath two things 1. The censure of the sinne 2. The punishment The censure is by two names First by hatred for if it bee love that maketh us to keepe the Commandements then it must be hatred that maketh us to breake them But can any thing hate God The nature of God is essentially good Solut. nay goodnesse it selfe which can no way come to be the object of hatred Againe sundry of his effects come from his love and they are such as the very wicked love them and him for them because he bestoweth on them their being life sense moving But there is another kind of effects that proceed indeed from his love by which he would have us preserved and so consequently he giveth us Commandements Cohibentia voluntatem inordinatam that bridle our licentious will and these are they that make him to be hated of us For when a man is given to his owne will and is drowned with the zeale of himselfe then he must needs hate those Commandements because they are adversaries and contrary to his will and affection and indeed God commeth to be hated by too much love of our selves For it would have all our desires to be free to our selves and any that doth oppose it selfe it hateth it So then as God saith Mal. 1.5 Your eyes shall see it and you shall say The Lord will be magnified upon the borders of Israel Secondly I have loved you saith the Lord And ye say Wherein hast thou loved us Was not Esau Jacobs brother yet I loved Jacob and hated Esau and made his Mountaines wast c. Expounded Rom. 9.13 to be nothing else but that he did not choose Esau Then are we said to hate God when there standeth a case betweene his will and an inordinate affection of ours when his will is not chosen but our inordinate affection is preferred and our minde Hoc est odisse deum deum non eligere For God loving us it is the will of God that when the question commeth his loving being so exceeding good to us as that it challengeth us wholly and that love is Vinculum conjugale and therefore the love of the Lord should be Amor conjugalis which hath no third thing but aut amat aut odit non est medium Mat. 6.24 either he must love or hate Deut. 22.16 the Maids father shall say to the Elders I gave my Daughter to this man to Wife and he hateth her c. and chap. 24.3 And if the latter husband hate her and write her a bill of divorcement c. treating there of love betweene married persons he saith If a man marry a wife and hate her that is cease to love her and begin to be weary of her If shee be not onely and wholly loved she is hated because these duties are joyned to one alone there can be no third thing 2. The other name which God calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iniquity perversnesse peevish and perverse the having of it is to meete with the opinion and censures of men as Dan. 3.14 Nebuchadnezzar to the three Children What disorder is this in you that you will not serve my god nor worship the golden Image that I have set up For the observing and not transgressing of this Second Commandement they were called perverse fellowes and disordered Subjects because they obeyed not the Kings decree Therefore God sheweth the truth who are disordered even those that are breakers of this Commandement and so it shall be found at the judgement of judgements at the last day of judgement God saith Exod. 23.2 A man must not follow a multitude to doe evill his reason is because in doing so he shall become perverse But the voice and judgement of the world is cleane contrary But the resemblance of it that is commonly made of the Fathers is of a pond full of Crabs a perverse swimming fish for she swimming backwards and a fish that were cast into the pond should swimme right they would charge her of not swimming right because she swimmeth not backward as the rest But God Christ the Prophets and Evangelists the Apostles tell us it is not so but that they are disordered that breake this Commandement And this for the censure 2. Now for the punishment It were enough to be found among the hated of God but God moreover addeth here a visitation the meaning of it we haue 1. Sam. 7.16 the word betokeneth the Circuit of a Judge as Samuel went his Circuit year by yeare to Bethel Gilgal and Mispeh and judged Israel And out of our owne practise or as we our selves terme it the Visitation of a Bishop And because visitare is to goe to see it presupposeth absence and so an intermission and it doth very fitly resemble the judgements of God For the forbearing of them as it is Luke 19.44 Dominus requiret de manibus vestris he will require it at our hands to know the time of our visitation As there be some that say the Lord is long a comming so there be some that say he will not come at all That say Non requiret Dominus as Ps 10.12 therefore for the patient waiting of the just for the judgement and glory of God that they may know that it 's a sure thing that he will come as a Judge and though he be long a comming yet at the last he commeth and then he taketh order so certaine we should be of the requiring of our sinnes at our hands though he seeme as though he would not come at all The visitation of God we find to be fitly resembled to this his
one thing that is whatsoever is done it must throughly be done it must be alonely done the reason is because we are res integra finita finite creatures and if two things be done at once one part of our thoughts will be taken from the other we cannot wholly intend two things at once this is our case But it was the case of our Father Adam in innocency because he had a naturall soule and finite therefore he was not able wholly to intend the dressing of the Garden in six dayes and to intend the whole sanctification of the day of rest commanded Gen. 2.3 now because of this God would have a solemne profession of body and soule and therefore this was the end why God instituted blessed and sanctified the seventh day so that it commeth for a remedy against distraction to be intended to any other use especially in the solemne worship of the Lord that takes up the whole man and necessarily suffereth no distraction therefore it doth not suffer him to be intended to any other use Now if being then in that case he could not we that have more impediments to withdraw us we had need of a remedy against our distraction And thus cometh the rest in because that this totall solemne sanctification cannot be performed without ceasing from the rest of our workes and labour because unlesse we doe rest we cannot sanctifie Therefore is it that this is commanded with our sanctification a day of rest otherwise whereas our resting hindreth our sanctification it must bee taken away And indeed Christ doth acknowledge Mark 2.27 that man was not made for the rest but for sanctification Sanctification was his end and man was made for it rest is a subordinate end and man was not made for it but rather that for man and as it is 1. Tim. 4.8 a mans bodily labour so his bodily rest profiteth nothing but to this end applyed God liketh it not There is beside in the commandement another word Remember and because that is properly of a thing past therefore it referreth to some place or time before and there is mention of the Sabbath but in two places before one is Exod. 16.23.24.25 but that is not it for God in the end adding God blessed it referreth us to that place where the same words are Gen. 2.3 and so we know that we are referred thither And by this occasion falleth in that first question that many thinke it is a Ceremony and sundry are so perswaded and hold that men are not bound to sanctifie it since Christ Our Saviour in the case of difference and resolution of Polygamie hath taken a good course and order hee goeth to the beginning how it was ab initio non sic ab initio from the beginning it was not so to call it to the first institution for that is it that giveth the best judgement and the last first end is the true end A thing is not said to be ceremoniall if a ceremoniall use or end be annexed to it for then not one of the tenne morall Commandements but it should bee ceremoniall for they have some ceremonie annexed to them but that is a ceremony whose first and principall end is a ceremonie which this day of rest cannot be The reason because Paradise and mans perfection and a ceremony cannot agree in the state of a mans innocencie The reason is because that before there was a Saviour there could not be a type of a Saviour and before there was sin there needed no Saviour So consequently needing no Saviour needed no ceremony and needing no Saviour nor ceremonie it could not be ceremoniall But that was it that Adam having in the six dayes a naturall use in his body of the creatures should for the glory of God on the seventh day have a spirituall use and consideration So that this remedy against Distraction is the first and principall and generall end though other ends were after added as Deut. 5.15 it pleased God to add this reason that they might remember the benefit of the deliverance out of Aegypt but this was but finis posterior a particular and after end and necessary So it were well if we might add to our dayes of rest the memory of our benefits And Exod. 23.12 God yeeldeth a politique end the ceasing of beasts and men that they may returne more fresh to their labour there is moreover no better nor certainer way to keepe off our enemies those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 6.12 those spirituall wickednesses the preaching of the Law then is a meane to enable us to withstand the crafty and subtile suggestions of sin and Satan And if any will say that beside these ends there was figured by this rest that rest we shall have from sinne by Christs death True but yet it is an accessorie end in the Sacrament of Circumcision Circumcision is ceased and the Passover so is the Sabbath but the Sacrament of initiation is not ceased there were two ends of it 1. The first was to seale us to his preventing or following Grace 2. The other to bee a figure of the circumcision of the Heart of the Sacrifice of the world this is ceased So the seventh day is ceased but there is another day there is a day remaining because the end of it was immutable from the beginning The reason of it selfe is so forceable and plaine that without bringing in a manifest absurditie it cannot bee avoided when they see these endes to carry us to the Institution and that in Paradise But you will say Adam never kept it neither was it kept till Exod. 16. Which should in the very misliking seeme an absurd thing that GOD two thousand yeares before a thing should bee put in use should consecrate that thing to Sanctification and all that while it should bee to no End And indeed the sort of the Heretikes that held that materia prima was so made of GOD a great many yeares before the world and it abode by him till the world was made They are confounded by the Fathers by this that no man of wisdome doth make any thing to stand by him many yeares before it can bee put to any use Therefore GOD useth not so to doe but when hee shall have use of any thing then to blesse it This prooveth that this day resteth on the consciences of men and that the institution riseth from GOD immediately even in Adams innocencie Wee must understand that Deut. 4.13 GOD maketh there a plaine distinction betweene Ceremonies and the morall law by this manner That the one proceedeth from him immediatelie the other by the ministerie of Moses and that very same is Deuterenom 5.31 Againe beside the Confusion and breach of Order a thing which GOD misliketh one of the Fathers on these words saith Nunquid Saul est inter Prophetas What is Saul amongst the Prophets Not a Prophet by profession they wondred at it that hee should bee amongst the Prophets one saith
day and had reserved the other sixe to himselfe wee had no just cause of complaining But if hee had dealt thus liberally with us to grant us day for day wee should not have murmured but have opened our mouthes to prayse Him then the order hee hath taken now if we be not cleane voyde of good nature must needs content us in granting to us six and reserving to himselfe but one Wee see likewise GODS bountifulnesse with Adam Gen. 2. When hee granted him all the Trees in the Garden except one then presently the Devill was at him and upbraided him with GODS niggardnesse that he had not granted him all the Trees of the Garden may yee not eat of all the trees c. And so no doubt the Devill useth this pollicie now a dayes in this May yee not doe what yee will all the dayes of the weeke The consideration of this the great bountie of GOD. That wee cannot say but that wee are well dealt withall having granted to us two times and a time six dayes to his one time and consequently that wee bee carefull to give him his And that by this great liberalitie wee may learne to make him a better answer then Adam did and say as Joseph to his Mistris Gen. 39.9 All that is in the house my Master hath granted mee onely thee hath hee reserved for himselfe how then can I doe this thing So that our answer bee all the dayes of the weeke hee hath granted us onely one day hee hath reserved to himselfe how then can I bee so unkinde as not to let him have that Hee having granted so richly and largely And if not that then to paterne our selves by David 2. Sam. 12.5 hee being so richly provided for of GOD if that one sheepe the poore man hath he will not suffer but pull it out of his bosome so we if we cannot suffer that one sheepe but plucke it out of GODS bosome and make it common to our selves having many of our owne making it onus servile that because wee deale so wee are worthie a thousand times to bee the children of death And this is one first reason that might move us 2. The second is the greatnesse of the permission of GOD of these dayes one is permitted to thee to doe as that in Gen. 2. of all shalt thou eate there is not a necessitie Though one thing bee handled in divers Commandements as prayer was handled in the first Commandement as a part of inward worship in the second as a part of outward worship in the third as a sacrifice of the lippes and heere as it is an exercise of the Sabbath Where in there is an vneven proportion Hee hath but one to our six And therefore the seventh day to that one So that the vice of idlenesse of forbearing of worke is forbidden in the eight Commandement and so doeth Paul put it Eph. 4.28 to stealing is opposed painfull working So then this liberall permission of GOD wherein there is such an vnequall and vneven proportion if it bee broken wee are to bee charged of great wickednesse That that followeth And doe all thy worke The meaning of it is this that indeede GOD might have dealt with us as before hee might have made all our life to bee bestowed on musing of his will but hee is content to forbeare us and to spare us the rest of the weeke that in those dayes all our businesse might bee dispatched and none to bee done on His day As Nathan said to David So much have I given thee and more would I have done if this had not beene sufficient so certaine it is hee saw in his wisdome that this was sufficient Therefore hee willeth us to remember when it is a comming that wee may ende all according as the thing sanctified requireth Then in the tenth Verse there followeth another opposition which comprehendeth a second reason But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD c. idest If as GOD hath permitted you sixe dayes so likewise Hee had made the seventh day yours to then in it yee might have done as in the other but now hath hee reserved this seventh day from you and hath kept it to himselfe and therefore you cannot without open stealth breake upon this day to doe your worke wherein you have no manner of right as much as if a man should say You may weare that which you have bought but this that I have bought with mine owne money you cannot without violent injurie plucke it from mee So because his dealing is liberall you cannot without manifest injurie to GOD take it away from him And because this is his hee will keepe it and wholly to himselfe Therefore is it that followeth In it thou shalt doe no manner of worke This for the first part of the tenth Verse Now to the other to the Persons They stand in five rankes 1. Thou 2. thy children 3. thy servants 4. thy cattell 5. strangers within thy gates 1. Thou Matth. 24.45 it is said that it is a preferment to one to bee set over the familie of the LORD and therefore Cui plus datur plus ab eo petetur Luke 12.48 unto whom much is given of him shall much bee required Therefore the first charge is in this Even upon him that is Chiefe As there is in this upon Jos 24.15 so long as a man is alone in the state of a sonne or servant hee may answer Ego serviam I will serve but if hee come once to have a charge a familie then hee must say Ego domus mea I my house will serve the LORD Because CHRIST as Luke 19.9 When hee had once converted Zacheus sayd This day is salvation come to this whole house Why Because this man that is chiefe is become the childe of Abraham Eexmplum dedi vobis So Gal. 2.13 Whereas the principall fall away there all the other even Barnabas himselfe will bee drawne away so though hee discharge the dutie himselfe yet if hee see not that other discharge it hee is a debter id est hee ought to bee so farre from giving occasion to others and not onely that but from sitting them on his businesse that hee ought to see that both hee and they discharge it 2. Concerning Children The argument of Augustine is good on Deut. 20.15 After a man had builded a new house the manner was to consecrate If a care lye upon him to consecrate the workes of his hands much more to consecrate those which are the fruit of his loynes as his Wife Sonnes Daughters and the affection of Abraham Gen. 18.19 Where the greatest love is there is the greatest desire as well of conjunction in Spirit as in Body It is true naturall love Curare liberos to have a care of our children as of our selves 3. Concerning Servants because Col. 3.11 God knoweth no servants that is he hath no respect of persons in this regard all bound to worship him therefore it
is that he bringeth in that thy man servant and thy mayde may rest as well as thou Another is added Deut. 5.15 the estate of servants Gods care of the Common-wealth and we know that in the Spartane and other Common-wealthes there hath beene Insurrection by reason of overburthening of servants therefore is this put in a preservation of the Common-wealth Gods providence is great in providing of this 4. So likewise of the next member of Beasts Psal 36.6 his mercy and providence is extended to the beasts so Prov. 12.10 to the soule of the beast that is he will take order that the beasts be not tired because the earth shall have her Sabbath One end of Gods providence for them is the restrayning of our covetous humour who rather then we will omit any little gaine we will put our land and cattell to the uttermost and wee care not to what paines Againe another that by beholding the beasts doing their duties we might be the more moved to the doing of ours We must therefore note that God commands not their rest as delighted therewith even as Jonah 3.5 the beasts commanded to fast not that God was delighted with their abstinence or was acceptable to him but onely this that as the Ninivites seeing their beasts pyned before them they might consider of it and be moved the more so here seeing the beasts to keepe Sabbath they might remember to keep it 5. The last is the stranger within thy gates The Gates of an House or a Citie in Scripture signifieth Jurisdiction or Defenced protection That as then he is in his Gates so he is in his Jurisdiction so whosoever commeth under anothers Gates as he cometh for protection if he be be injured so he must confesse that hee must be under his Jurisdiction that for any godly duty hee may command him and Gen. 19. Lots intercession for the Angels Therefore came they under my roofe that they might receive no harme and as he had a care that they might receive no injury so ought we have a care of their soules As Nehem. 13.19 the men of Tyrus and Ashdod so long as he had any hope to reclaime them he suffered them to bring in their Wares but after hee saw they would bring in their Wares for all his warnings and threatnings he tooke order that the Gates of Jerusalem should be shut against them in the end of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or preparation of the Sabbath And so we see both for Workes and for Persons in severall and particuler The maine reason is vers 11. For in six dayes the Lord made Heaven c. As wee said before that a rule for discerning precepts is Ratio immutabilis praecepti facit praeceptum immutabile if the reason of a Commandement be immutable it maketh the commandement to be immutable and so consequently because the reason is to sanctifie Gods name when we shall be glorified in Heaven we shall there doe it we shall there onely intend it untill we come thither we have but finite soules and canot intend it wholly this reason being immutable that it shall there be done of us in the state of glory when we shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One to One So may we likewise say of this it being a reason abexemplo from Gods owne example For concerning that this axiome The Creatour is to be followed of the Creature in that he commandeth it is an immutable reason for as much as it is the example of God nor can receive any time of exception because I have rested I propound the same to thee Therefore it pleased God to use this reason as most forcible He maketh use of others besides this Exod. 23. and Deut. 5.15 those he useth as proper to the Jewes this reason of the benefit of the Creation is here forced being greatest as well for the use as the duties which God that day cals for to be performed by us in an especiall manner the consideration of his goodnesse wisedome power and eternitie So also for the meditation of it in that day as the 92. Psalme was made for that day As for the continuance of the memorie of the Creation and keeping men from Paganisme for if it had been duly kept then that great doubt that troubled all the Philosophers so much Whether the World had a beginning had beene taken away And therefore this day being one especiall meanes that men might not fall into Atheisme is therefore sanctified of God to be a day of Rest Augustine on Genesis intreating of the Creation saith That it is true that it might have pleased God to have said Fiat totus Mundus let all the World bee made in one moment as Fiat lux let there be light in the first it had beene all one to his Omnipotencie to have made it as well in a moment as in six dayes his inquisition is What then should move God and hee findeth no reason but this that men might proceed in the musing of and meditation of the Creation in the same order that God hath taken in the Creation else they should have been in a maze Therefore Psal 104. David when he entreth a discourse of the Works of God he useth an order and Basil and Ambrose have written bookes of it that men might begin to thinke and give themselves to necessary thoughts and wholesome cogitations And this is thought to be the course that was in the Primitive Church For the substance of the reason it selfe generally to move all to doe as God hath done nothing moveth a man so as a notable example as Christ John 13.16 Exemplum dedi vobis I have given you an example When he saw his Disciples given to pride and would have them brought to Humility What way taketh he He taketh up a bason of water and a towell and putting off his upper garment washeth their feet and when he had done vers 15. he saith Wott yee what I have done Exemplum dedi vobis Yee call me Lord and ye doe well for I am so If I that am your Lord wash your feet how much more ought you to wash one anothers feet And in the 1 Cor. 11. Paul propoundeth a marveilous example Be yee followers of me as I am of Christ And therefore he himselfe may doe that I have done my selfe and because I that needed not have rested therefore must thou rest that needest it The last reason of the three Therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day he did not onely rest himselfe but he hath consecrated it also and besides his example hee hath annexed a solemne Institution So that it shall be to us a Mercatura animae the market day of our soule both for amendment of the weeke that went before and for a better life in the weeke to come But this is not the reason the force of the reason is in this because God hath blessed and hallowed it therefore this is a marveilous strange kinde of opposition Seeing
by if nature were the first cause then they should reduce all things to it and bring a reason of every thing from it Hoc autem fieri non potest but this cannot be done For they themselves cannot give a reason of the ebbing and flowing of the sea the colour of the Rainebow the strength of the neather chappe which is able to snap a sunder iron yet hath a very weake upholder The heat of the stomacke why it consumeth any meat that hurteth not it selfe nor the next parts And even in vertues they make another kinde of vertue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divine heroicall 3. If nature were the first cause then seeing nothing can goe against the chiefe cause there should be nothing against nature But we see the Sunne stood at the commandement of Joshua the Sunnes eclyps in the full of the Moone against nature at Christs passion the Comet against nature in the constellation of Cassiopeia with the watery signes No naturall reasons prophecying that Cyrus should dâ—l ver and restore Isâ—ael 3. Prophecying and foretelling things to come in plaine names Esay 44 28. A prophecy of Cyrus 100 yeeres before he was borne 1 Kings 13.2 Of Iosias 300. before his birth Iosh 6.26 Of Hiel 500 yeeres before his time almost that he should â—uâ—ld Ierico and lay the foundation of it in his eldest sonne Abiram and set up the gates thereof in his yongest sonne Segub Id quodevenit that which camâ— to passe 1 Kin. 16.34 Ergo a Deo qui est agens voluntarium Therefore from God who is a voluntary agent prophecie of necessity must be referred to a superior cause God so sensibly proved to us in his creatures that we may as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 touch or handle him 4. The order of the creatures the wonderfull framing of them the hidden power in them and the great art in the searching out of them insomuch that the ordinary and contemptible things have wrought to the astonishment of all men Pliny marvelleth at the Gnat at the trunke of it where with she maketh a noyse and saith that witâ— out a power above nature that thing could not be created As also thâ— Butterflies and infinite others Galene de usu partium blasphemously intreating of the parts of man when he commeth to one of least account he is in admiration of it and is constrained to name God and saith he hath described Hymnum Domino a Hymne or song â—o the Lord in describing the use of that part And as we learne by those things that are without us that there is a God so may we learne the same by things in us We have a soule indued with reason and understanding immortall then this must either be the cause of it selfe or else have it of some other Of it selfe it is not for it knoweth not it selfe no not the body but by anatomy but every cause knoweth his effect not onely post quam productum fuerit sed etiam antequam producatur quibus quasi gradibus producitur after it is brought forth but even before the production and as it were by what meanes it is produced The cause must know its effect 2. Our parents our father in begetting us our mother in conceiving knew not what should be begotten ad causam autem necâ—ssariò requiritur ut cognoseat suum effectum antequam existat dum est in producendo For to the cause it is necessarily required that it know its effect before it be and while it is in producing The cause must command the effect 3. And after we be brought forth we cannot command every part of us as the beating of the Arteries in the heart therefore from our selves we proceed not Therefore we must necessarily have our cause aliunde from some other And there is no cause in the world partaker of mans understanding but man For no unreasonable thing and none is above reason but God And Arist 9. ad Eudemum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reason is not the cause of reason but reason commeth of a better thing then reason The cause is better than the effects Aratus alledged Acts 17.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are also his off-spring Rom. 1.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which may be knowne of God is manifest in them 4. Within our soule are certaine sparkes of the light of nature â—i principles of infallible and undoubted truth as to honour our parents and superiours to doe as we would be done to to defend our selves to keepe promise to hurt no man without a cause c. at the first hearing whereof we assent And if these were not we were all naught and the overthrow of all sciences nature and society should follow All naturall notions infallible truths among which this is one that there is a God and that he is to be worshipped and howsoever all other faileth yet this never faileth all other principles yeeld to this A signe that it is deeper printed in us then the rest insomuch that the pride of mans nature which will yeeld to nothing else is contented miserably to submit it self to a peece of red cloath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe-love rather then there should be no religion This notion therefore the chiefe and will not be pluckt out Object unlesse the heart goe also If exception be here taken If this notion be universall how then be there so many Atheists We will answer them with Seneca Sol. 1. Mentiuntur qui aiunt se non sentire esse Deum affirmant tibi non sibi affirmant interdiu non noctu evelli non potest è corde cor ipsum evellendum est They lie who affirme that they perceive not that there is a God they who say so they say it to thee but not to themselves they affirme it in the day time but not in the night and it cannot be pluckt out of the heart the heart it selfe must first be pluckt out But better thus A man may proceed to great hardnesse of heart Sol. 2. and blinding of himselfe yet must we hold that rule 1. Polit. 1. Specimen naturae cujuslibet è natura optima sumendum est the proofe of the nature of any one is to be taken from the best nature Cic. de nat deorum If we will know what notion is most universall in man we must take our argument from the best But they say there is an universall notion For the other which are sicke of the world and the flesh and the pleasures of them both as we cannot from a sicke man reason of taste so we are not to judge by these men what is naturally in man for they are a loose sort dissolute in life and having no leisure to thinke a good thing having their hearts fat yet though he be as fat as the Horse or a Mule yet if the Lord put his bit into their mouths these naturall sparkes will breake forth
of the Rocke so they had also the signes of the Gospell Their being under the Cloud and passing through the Sea like to our baptisme Manna to Christ his body the water out of the rocke to his blood The order of the uses of the law Opoâ—tet vocare ad calculum We must câ—ll to an account 1. Vse of the law Yet two necessary points That where there is no perfection in the law through the imperfection of nature yet it is â—aedagogus ad Christum a schoolmaster to Christ To make this more plaine Christs wise dome must be ours That a man must often call himselfe to accounts how he hath used his talent Matth. 25.14 God is compared to a Housholder that will take account of his servants of those talents that he delivered to them at his departure We must vocare talenta nostra ad calculum call our talents to account and not doe as the wicked and foolish servant that is noted of great folly for hiding his talent in the ground Then for the first use of the law it is our Tabula supputationum table of accounts It containeth our credita debita what things are owen to thee and what thou owest it s the table that we must cast our accounts by it sheweth us where we are and telleth us our accounts est remedium ignorantiae a remedy of ignorance Now because it sheweth us that our debt is much greater then we are able to pay and that it sheweth us the strength of sinne 1 Cor. 15.56 that it is so strong that it bringeth us to that Revel 2.5 Memor esto unde excideris remember whence thou art fallen shewing us our miserable estate the image of God from whence we are fallen and hell into which we shall fall whereof the one will worke in us a griefe the other a horrour the law is that if our debt be greater then we are able to pay our goods children and our selves must be sold and payment made 4. When it hath once gotten us to this that we may be condemned in the whole summe Secundus legis usuâ— ducit nos ad Christum ducit nos ad aeneum serpentem 2. Vse of the law leads us to the brasen serpent Christ The covenant of faith being entered into us then have we this use of the law 1. It puts us in mind of the great deliverance of Christ from the law 2. It granteth grace in that measure that is required in this life The law sheweth the finne and the remedy Exod. 20.1 c. when sinne and we have reckoned it hath her minister and Scrivener the conscience to subscribe and set seale to this great debt And thus will the 3. use of the Law come that it will be humiliator an humbler And so as it is Gal. 3.23 It shutteth us up in the dungeon and imprisoneth us and this is a remedium superâ—iae a remedie of pride Then commeth in the second use of the law That forasmuch as we see our condemnation is just and that we can never discharge so great an account it maketh us seeke for a surety to defray the whole summe for us It doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drive us to thinke of a surety namely to the brazen Serpent as Moses did the Jewes that is Christ And of these two uses two other uses will follow 1. It serveth us as an Arrow shot into us to put us in remembrance of our great deliverance and guideth us over the billes of accounts that we seeing that much is forgiven us might love much The other Psal 119.59 to teach Quid retribuam Domino What shall I render to the Lord to turne our selves into his pathes and to draw no more debt upon Christ then needs The preface of the Law ANd God spake all these words and said c. till the 18. verse The summe of all these words and in effect the body of the law containes two parts The style verse 2. I am the Lord thy God c. 2. The charge which receiveth the whole ten precepts In every law according to the positions in mans law is required 1. Wisedome 2. Authority For the wisdome of God Deut. 4.8 And what Nation is so great a Nation that hath Ordinances and Lawes so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day Moses challengeth all the lawes and the Nations of the World The wisdome of a law is best seene and tryed by the sufficiency of it For his authority it is rerum agendarum telum This is alwaies the preface of every law and is here in the second verse In every edict and Proclamation the beginning is with the stile of the Prince whereby he challengeth by his prerogative Royall to doe what he list For this authority is the common reason of the whole charge of the law and is annexed to every Commandement that hath a reason as to the 2 Where there is a reason given it is from hâ—s authority 3 4. For I the Lord thy God c. For the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse For in six daies the Lord made Heaven and Earth c. And if it be true that men need not a reason to perswade them to a benefit then surely not to this because it is a benefit and a priviledge as Psal 147. v. last He hath not dealt so with any Nation neither have the Heathen knowledge of his lawes Yet it pleaseth God to adde his reason from his owne person though indeed profit be a sufficient Orator Chap. 19 v. 2 3 4 10 12 14 16 18 25 28 30 31 32 34 37. Chap. 20. v. 7 24 26. Chap. 21. of Leviticus v. 8 12 15 23. The reason of the new Testament annexed Rom. 14.11 Phil. 2.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For it is written as I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow unto me of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth and every tongue shall confesse to God The parts of the preface In this stile or authority are three parts according to three titles The first title of his Name Jehovah Secondly the title of his jurisdiction Thy God Thirdly the title of that notable act he did last Which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt c. Such prefaces in their Edicts and Statutes doe earthly Princes use 1. Is the name of the Prince Caius Caesar 2. The jurisdiction Emperour or King of such a Countrey 3. The last noble act he did as when the Romans had overcome Germany every Caesar was called Germanicus or when they had overcome Affrica Scipio Affricanus Scipio the conquerour of Affrica And alwaies the last triumph did drive out all the former For the Name first Jehovah I Jehovah not I am Jehovah It argueth his nature power and benefits Thou art Lord. The name of his nature it cannot be denied Psal 83.18 That they may know that thou whose Name is Jehovah it is communicable to no
witnesse then these are Rom. 7.7 maketh but one non concupisces thou shalt not covet for all 4. The whole course of the Church of God Jewes and Christians have consented to this division and all disallow theirs onely Augustine excepted As Iosephus lib. 3. of the Commandements that the two first which they make but one are two and the two last are but one Philo Iudaeus de decalogo of the decalogue Aben Ezra Rab. Salomon upon Exod. 20. Christians Clemens 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his Strom. The tenth word or Commandement concerning all the affections and lusts Chrysostome on Matth. Athanasius de sacris Scripturis concerning the holy Scriptures Ambrose and Ierome on Ephes 6. Nazianzen in his verses Onely Augustine de decem praeceptis of the ten Commandements alloweth of theirs Yet himselfe veteris novi testamenti quaest septima in the seventh question of the old and new Testament divideth them plainely thus And the reason that moved him to the contrary was but weake and a bare conjecture that he would have but three Commandements in the first Table because there are but three persons in the Trinity By the same reason we might adde the fourth for the unity in the Trinity Canisius hath an argument of great force with them that is he saith the reason of the Law must alwaies be annexed to the first Commandement but according to our division it is in the second For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God therefore all that is but the first Answer But we say that the reason went before the charge was not annexed to any of the Commandements Our duty to God perpetuall inward in heart and mind Commandement 1. outward in gesture Commandement 2. speech Commandement 3. temporall seventh day Commandement 4. our neighbour in deed or intent particular Comm. 5. his body Command 6. his wife Command 7. his goods Command 8. his good name Com. 9. generall concerning the restraint of the first motions C. 10. For the division of the foure Commandements of the first table 1. the table of holinesse which taketh order for the worship of God this order is 1. Perpetuall 2. Temporall Perpetuall either inward in heart and minde Commandement first or outward and this either in gesture the outward worship Commandement second or in speech and communication Commandement third The temporall with the Congregation Commandement fourth Or thus into the manner and meanes of Gods worship Commandement second And the scope Commandment third The second table the table of righteousnesse either for truth in the inward parts or the actions as they are committed before God or man as our neighbours Either respective Commandement fifth because there is onely a relation or absolute either to touch his neighbours person in his life Commandement sixth or his owne flesh Commandement seventh or his gifts substance wisdom Commandement eight or his good name Commandement ninth Or else this table restraineth the first motions Commandement tenth The interpretation of the Law FOr the interpretation of them as they lie The Commandements they must needs be interpreted For if the Law of God be perfect Psalm 19. then it commandeth all things that we are to doe and forbiddeth all that we are not to doe Which if it be interpreted by the letter onely we shall not finde the thousandth part of those things that are to be commanded or forbidden therefore there must be interpretation A conclusion Every law standeth on a Synecdoche the reason is because the law being to take order for actions the actions of man being infinite both for variety and number because the circumstances and the degrees of the circumstances are infinite the rules also should be infinite and so exceed the memory of man which cannot be therefore God taking another course hath set downe generall rules and so doth man after his example And these generall are to receive interpretation and to be applied to particulars Quest 1. Answ If it be asked where this interpretation is to be had I answer Deut. 17.9 Mal. 2.7 If a matter of controversie arise it must goe to the Levites to the Priests and Ministers of God Here may a question arise Quest 2. Whether every thing that they deliver be good and that the interpretation which they deliver be alwaies true and good I answer It is not Answ As there be rules in giving an interpretation so there may be rules to examine it and to judge of it But there are rules in examining the interpretation and judging of it and unlesse it be done according to those rules it is not good For Christ Matth. 5. reprehended the Lawyers for not giving them according to the Rules The condition of the law standing in a more particular respect there must also be more particular rules then the bare sentence giveth The interpretation must be but to shew the compasse of the law how farre it extendeth where it may be excepted Fines mandatorum sunt observandi The bounds of the Commandements must be observed And they are but two 1. Ampliatio praecepti an enlargement of the Commandement 2. Limitatio praecepti a bounding of the precept The later writers call them the extent and the exception of the precept so that these two are a complete division of the interpretation of any law How these two are to be done in the law of God they may be knowne generally by that rule Oculus ad scopum the eye to the marke because the law is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word spoken but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the meaning of the law Certum est quod is committit inlegem qui legis verba observat sed contra mentem legislatoris facit For intentio legislatoris voluntas legis It is certaine that he trespasseth against the law who observeth the words of the law but doth contrary to the mind of the giver of the law For the intention of the Law-giver is the will of the law or the purpose of the law is best knowne by the intent of the Law-giver For as the law is regula actionis the rule of action The intent of the Law giver is the meaning of the law we must therefore will what God willeth it a mens legislatoris regula legis so is the mind of the Law-giver the rule of the law The intent of the Law-giver is best knowne by his end It is a morall axiom As bonitas ethice Morall goodnesse it a bonitas theologica pendet à fine so theologicall goodnesse depends on the end The end of God is Esay 42.8 Gloriam meam alteri non dabo My glory will I give to no other 2. Subordinately the end 1 Tim 2.4 Vult homines servari he wils men to be saved But more particularly to know this end and direction these two limitation and extension be the best Rules for exextension of precepts 1. Rule First for extension the Jewes have set downe thirteene which the Christians
also have observed and may be reduced to these six First as the Jewes say in every Commandement there is praeceptum faciens an affirmative precept and praeceptum non faciens a precept negative if the Commandement be affirmative it implieth also his negative and contrarily according to the rule of Logicke à contrariis taken from contraries Si hoc sit faciendum ejus contrarium fugiendum if this be to be done then his contrarie is to be shunned Psalm 34.14 Fuge malum fac bonum Eschew evill and doe good the practise of this rule The affirmatives of the law are but two namely the fourth and fifth Commandements These the Rabbins finde in the books of Moses dilated into 248. Commandements affirmative which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Precepts commanding to the number of joynts in a mans body And the negatives in the same five bookes of Moses into 365 negative Commandements which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precepts forbidding to the number of the daies in the yeere both added together make 613. according to the letters of the ten Commandements 2. That wheresoever a thing is either forbidden or commanded 2. Rule there all the homogenea of the same kinde to it are commanded or forbidden The same may be seen in mans law A law is extended vel specificè vel per aequipollens specifically or by a thing of like force and valew Specifically Cum quid sit ejusdem naturae circumstantiis diversum when a thing is set downe that is of the same kind but by circumstance is diverse 2. By equipollent The Rabbins call it by two names 1. Where the ballances hang equall the Logicians call it à pari from the like As in the Commandement of theft to set a mans house on fire is as evill as to steale 2. Where one is either lighter or heavier from the lesse to the greater If a man be bound to honour his superiour then much more to preserve him The third is peculiar to the law of God Ro. 7.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. Rule the law is spirituall c. When you have extended this specifice per aequipollens specifically and by equipollent they must be extended to the spirit Lex humana ligat manum linguam divina verò comprimit animam The Law of man ties the hand and the tongue but the law of God presseth the soule John 4.23 the true worship of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in spirit and truth And the reason is good for the heart is the fountaine for all evill è corde cogitationes malae out of the heart come evill thoughts This appeared in the heathen by the dreame of Polydorus in Plutarch de sera numinis vindicta of the grievous punishment of God that dreamed in the night that his heart came to him and said Ego tibi horum omnium malorum sum author I am unto thee the authour of all these evils The heart therefore is first to be cleansed by truely planting the feare of God in it and the knowledge of him Plutarch said that the heathen if they could they would have restrained the heart but because they could not come to it they forbare it The law of man by reason of it ceaseth two waies 1. For want of knowledge because they know not the heart 2. For want of power as where the number of the offenders is so great or the power so great that there is no standing against thē And upon these must needs come both tolerations in the Church Common-wealth For want of knowledge as when things are so subtilly and slylie conveyed that one cannot tell where the fault is or how it may be remedied But in Gods law neither of these holdeth and therefore there is no fault tollerable with him For his power Jerem. 17.9 Cor hominis pravum inscrutabile quis cognoscit idem the heart of man is wicked and unsearchable who knoweth it And in the next verse scio I know he sheweth that there is a quis who and who it is that knoweth it Ego dominus scrutans renes corda I the Lord who search the reines and the hearts There is no defect of knowledge in God for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the knower of hearts August If the Candle burne videt te he sees thee if it be out videt te he seeth thee he seeth all thy faults both present and past and thy thoughts too 7 Degrees in sin before we come to the act A desire to looke on it a little longer Therefore in this point it s justly said that the law is spirituall Now for the thought it may be divided into seven branches or stations 1. Cogitatio ascendens the thought ascending the very suggestion 2. Inclinatio voluntatis the inclination of the will to give entertainment to that thought 3. Mora a delay in the thought 4. A delight which commeth of the conceiving of it 5. The desire of the feeling in outward act of the inward pleasure agreeable to the outward act 6. The consent of the heart to the practise 7. The deliberation of many meanes and the choosing of some one to bring it to passe The law of God taketh hold of all these though mans law doth not The fourth rule of extension is 4. Rule that which the law of man hath made Cum quid prohibetur prohibentur illa omnia per quae pervenitur ad illud contra when any thing is prohibited all things which lead thereunto are also prohibited and on the other part The Jewes say ambulandum est in praeceptis we must walke in the Commandements not by any out-path but viâ regiâ by the Kings high way that is by those meanes and instruments that God hath commanded the reason is Bonum pendet à fine A good thing dependeth upon the end The goodnesse of a way or motion dependeth of the end So that if these or these meanes bring to an evill end they are evill and so consequently are not to be used in good things neither are we in them to seeke God Psalm 1. Nor stood in the way of sinners The way is the meanes So with the act we conclude the meanes So if the thing be good the omission of it as also of the meanes is evill Bonae legis est non solùm tollere vitia sed etiam occasiones vitiorum and contrariwise Good lawes do not onely prevent vices but the occasions of vices The fifth rule is a rule also of man Cum quid prohibetur 5. Rule vel jubetur prohibentur vel jubentur illa omnia quae consequuntur ex illo When any thing is prohibited or commanded then all the consequences thereof are prohibited or commanded That is the signes and outward notes of things ante before namely where the good thing is commanded there is also the signe of it commanded And contrariwise when it pleaseth the Holy Ghost to condemne pride
the greatest way to transgression and a degree of profanenesse and Atheisme So in the second place there is a marvellous desire in us of coveting newnesse change for our eye stolne bread privy matters strange flesh and this he taketh hold of and strengthneth as much as he can and where prophanenesse prevaileth he faileth not of bringing them to a curious desire to seeke beyond the truth till at the last they finde a lye instead of it such as he brought Salomon to who having the knowledge of true religion as much as any man had was not content with that but fell to seeking after strange religions abroad Salomonis idololatria curiositate oriunda Salomons Idolatry proceeded from curiosity And there was never any errour sowne but it grew upon a misliking of the truth in that point and an inordinate desire of seeking after new misteries and conceits In the third there is also in us a great desire to reconcile God and mammon and though our Saviour said flatly that it was impossible to serve both yet we seeke to the attaining of temporall commodities to have a Paradise here and elsewhere There is a desire in us to make our selves common to all and to use a freenesse or friendlinesse to all A desire to make our selves common to as many as can be and so to be loved of all good and bad thinking that while we are in the world the world will doe us good and when we come into Heaven God will doe us good also This the divell misliketh not for he runneth not on soli vel tantum to himselfe alone or onely for when he tempted Christ and had promised to give him all the Kingdomes of the earth if he would fall downe and worship his desire was not that he onely should be worshipped but that hee might be joyned to God and have part of the service with him Now the reasons whereby these are forbidden 1. We must confesse Contra ha◠duae rationes Against these two reasons that the nature of man hath received a great wound insomuch as none can be partaker of his hearts desire as other creatures have in some state And therefore the heathen with us confesse a maime in mans nature But we know the cause of it being enformed by the history of the Bible what befell to man namely that it is by dealing with the tree by being our owne choosers and therefore this choosing of ours must be left and we are to tye our selves to the will and choice of our superiour nature that knoweth best what is best for us 2. Of the second the reason is evident that when we have a God we should desire to have the true God no man would erre even they that bend themselves to deceive others cannot abide to be deceived themselves None would thinke that to be that is not or that not to be that is 3. The reason of the third is that there be sundry things that a man cannot have but alone in which number is a master God therefore is to be had alone else not God so comparing himselfe to a master Mala. 1.6 No man can serve two masters the service to a master must be alone or else not Oseah 2.20 where he maketh God to say Sponsabo te mihi in fide I will marry thee unto me in faithfulnesse As also 2. Cor. 11.2 that he had espoused the faithfull to one husband Christ A master and husband must be had alone This is a 2. consideration for an husband also must be had alone So the having of God is of like nature either we must have him alone or none at all God in jealousie in the second Cōmandement hath a relation to this If a farther reason be required that will be sure to serve and that is that the joyning of any thing with God must needs abase him and his worship For he being the excellentest nature in the world all inferiour things if they be joyned with him abase him and he will not be abased Therefore this worship must be kept pure without mingling it with any other worship Whatsoever being of a nobler substance if it be joyned with any viler thing it is adultery This for the three propositions Propositio prima Habebis Deum The first proposition Thou shalt have a God Object A doubt how we can be without God Now the consideration of the first proposition 1. Habebis Deum 1 Cor. 8.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For an idoll is nothing in the world It s said that an idoll is nothing and we know it And consequently if he be God and an idoll nothing there can be no other God but he and therefore it cannot be a God and so not joyned with him Therefore this must needs be strange to command us that we must needs have a God a true and alone God We must learn to distinguish of the word have and so we come unto the particular precept non facies Thou shalt not make As we say though a man take Armes against his Prince yet she is his Prince still and he hath none other and this having is in regard of the superiority yet he himselfe hath her not or at the least will not have her because he accounteth her not his Prince The like is betweene God and us In regard of the superiour it is ferrea frons vel lex an yron law we must needs have him and therefore it were best for us to have him Yet in as much as we would exempt our selves from his service and obedience they that rise up against him in the breach of any of these three propositions with those that acknowledge him not or would not have him they have him not It s the course of the Holy Ghost to use this phrase in the Prophets They had Baalim and Astaroth Not that they were Gods or any thing but that in their account they had them for Gods in the superiour part We are said to have a thing when we have it and acknowledge it not or when we have it and acknowledge it We are said to have a thing saith the Philosopher if it be knowne to be had For if a man have treasure digged in his ground or in his Cellar and know not of it he hath it not So the Nations that know not God are said not to have had God 2. That a man hath not that which a man accounteth not of as a man hath rushes cobwebs in his house yet he is not to be said to have thē or because he careth not whether he have them or no. Into these two parts all the breaches of this fall Thou shalt have a God i. First thou shalt worship a God Worship in Mat. 4.10 doth expound have in this place It was said that the spirituall worship of God or having of God is the end and scope of this Commandement The worship of the spirit or soule is divided as the soule is
there is in us a nature like to the bow as in the bow if you bend it not forward it will backe of it owne accord and therefore it must be still thrust forward untill the string be in the very nocke 2. A 2. and a better is a marke Revel 2.19 of the Church of Thyatira there the Angell witnesseth that her last fruits were more then her first Psal 84.7 We must grow from strength to strength Ps 84.7 they shall bring forth more fruit in their age i. the true worshippers Blessed are they that dwell in thine house they will be alway prasing thee Phil. 1.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that your love may abound yet more and more Psal 92.14 they shall also bring forth more fruit in their age they shall be fat and well liking 3. For a 3. that may serve of the woulfe if we persevere then when the woulfe commeth 2 King 2.11 Elias was not afraid of the fiery charet If we feare not the fiery charet or the fiery horses it is the last if this make us not afraid then shall we have that spoken by God of us Job 2. which God saith to the Devill of Job What sayest thou now Satan for yet he continueth in his uprightnesse though thou movedst mee against him to destroy him without cause 6. Rule For procuring it in other We see Heb. 12.12 how it standeth us upon to strengthen our â—â—ke brethren that we be as to our selves so to others Act. 11.23 â—â—â—nabas and Silas exhorted all that with purpose of heart they would continue in the Lord. Act. 13.43 Paul and Barnabas spake to them and exhorted them to continue in the grace of God Act. 14.22 confirming the Disciples hearts and exhorting them to continue in the faith c. As contra Ezek. 34.4 not to provoke our brethren to leave to strengthen the weake not to bind up the broken nor to reduce the strayers is set downe there as the marke of evill shepheards and evill sheepe Joh. 19.30 as the receiving of the vinegar was Christs Consummatum est so perseverance is the consummatum est of the Christians Ezek. 9.4 so shall we have the sure marke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the last letter the letter of perfection the letter of endurance and continuance which whosoever have they shall not be slaine and they shall enter into the holy City And they that have it not shall be slain without pity So much for the first Commandement The II. Commandement Thou shalt not make c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praecepti THE Commandements of the first Table are divided into such as concerne the worship of God either inward as the first Commandement or outward as the second third and fourth The outward is either continuall or for a time on a set day or either private and publike or publike onely That for one day and publike onely as the fourth Commandement The other continuall and private teacheth either the outward gesture In honore reverentia in gestibus as the second Commandement Or in praise which is exhibited in speech as the third Commandement Or else concerning the manner of worship in the second or the end as the third Commandement That part of outward worship which concerneth the manner of it and behaviour to behave our selves in all parts of the body and in externall signes is distributed into the Precept it selfe and the Sanction which is brought in by way of a reason v. 5. For I the Lord thy God c. And ye know in Princes Lawes and Statures after they have set downe those things that they command and that we should doe then they set this downe Qui secus faxit punietur He that doth not thus shall be punished And that is called Sanctio praecepti i. the part of the precept that toucheth the corrective part and sheweth how we shall be corrected that will not be directed by the precept The Precept is of two sorts for first either it prescribeth what manner of worship he requireth in respect of himselfe Thou shalt not make c. Or secondly how we are to be affected to him in that manner so prescribed Thou shalt not how downe c. That is as much to say as God will have his honour in outward worship but he will prescribe it himselfe And secondly he will require at our hands that unto that manner of him prescribed wee should every way behave our selves reverently So first he will have modum à se praescriptum And secondly he will have reverentiam exhibitam to that modus If we marke as the other precepts stand the other eight are very short This and the fourth may for their length be called Statutes containing a long summe of words and you shall see it was not without cause For an inward honour to be given to God all Lawes tooke some order for it as Solons Deos castè adeunto and then againe for the keeping of their oathes they were exact severe and strict So the Heathen they knew these two parts but they knew not the other two And for the second Table they are altogether exact in it the last excepted But the outward manner of Gods worship and the day of worship were things blotted out in the time of Gentility and were most grosly of all the rest transgressed Then it is because these were in especiall feare to be violated and ergo it is not for nothing that he useth such order in them For inward honour and keeping of the vow we agree with Turks and Pagans But this is it wherein we disagree the outward manner of worship and this makes the distinction betweene Christs Church and Satans Synagogue Let us come to the opening of the meaning of this Commandement Thou shalt not make c. And as all the rest so this standeth upon a Synecdoche under one generall comprehending all the rest The generall thing forbidden here is not the making of a similitude or graven Image but a farther thing set downe Col. 2.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Invented worship Will-worship devised by man Will-worship For the energie or force of the Commandement is in these words non facies tibi that is wee must not invent any thing whatsoever Non simulachrum non imago damnatur sed non facies tibi The invented or will-worship hath two things in it to allure us unto it they are both seene in the worshipping of Images First because it hath a shew of wisedome that a man should invent such an excellent thing When any man is thought to be wise that he may bee taken to devise a worship for God Secondly it hath a shew of humility that a man should not cast downe himselfe before God but before his Image and Angels c. as Paul setteth downe Col. 2.23 But if we so run it will make us lose our reward The affirmative part or generall thing commanded is set downe Heb. 8.5 cited out of Exod. 25.40
Images of such men and from thence as appeareth by the fifth Canon of Carthage into the high wayes as Crosses in memory of such a one that dyed and from thence to the Church-yards then to the Chuch-walls then to the Church-porch and doore and so at last into the Church and to the Altar Here was magnum ex parvis sed ex pravis principiis And the like is to be feared of us for we have them in our Parlors already So we see the beginning and causes of Images in persecution first a desire to please secondly an inordinate mourning Now in the peace of the Church there fell out two other causes First because they would have their Church as rich as themselves For in the 2. Nicene Councell Sect. 4. is an Epistle of a Noble man of Syria that had built a Church for the Christians to one Nilus he had made the Wals white but not contented therewith thought thereupon to have all the creatures of God painted whâ—rein he desired his advice Who answered that his advice was there should be no such thing but that he would be contented with the simplenesse of the Christian Churches but if hee would needes paint he should write nothing but the story of the Bible and sentences of the Scripture For it is seemlyer then beasts c. So that one cause was by reason of their wealth they desired things pleasant to the eye Secondly another cause in the same place was that of Paulinus a Bishop of Nola in Campania that having occasion of a Journey into Syria and so into Aegypt and having none to preach to his people in his absence because he would his people to have some teacher in his absence thought good to paint on the wals the whole story of the Bible and did so that they might preach to them and so their Preachers and Schoole-masters were nothing else but painted wals But this is not any way to be commended in him and the effect was accordingly For it so came to passe that they grew to be ignorant and had no other teacher but the very wals And as Syrenus saith because their Pastors began to wax dumbe Images therefore their Images were their Pastors But it is certaine by the writings that to the dayes of Hierome there was none such So is the reason of the second Commandement A briefe recapitulation of what was said before The second Commandement was divided into first the charge secondly the penalty the charge of two sorts concerning the manner of Gods externall worship First Non facies c. Thou shalt not make Second Non adorabis c. Thou shalt not worship In the first is restrayned 1. Exemplum in these words Sculptile Imago 2. Exemplar or the patterne In things above or in earth or in the water c. The Exemplum of two sorts either particular and then most usuall Sculptile Yet so that whatsoever else there is of the same kind whether fusile or ductile or conflatile there are words in the Law for every one of them and therefore God was so manifold in setting downe all the words Or for taking away all quarrelling he hath set downe the common name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Temunah and Col temunah all likenesse which condemneth the metaphysicall notions abstracted from all matter and in the matter all kind of likenesse whether Idols or Images true or phantasticall and all are comprehended in Temunah let Arias and Pagnine be their Judges For further exposition of this there was added out of Deut. 4.2 and John 4.23 the glosse of Moses and Christ concerning the generall restraint of this there were seven reasons remembred Now for the Exemplar we shewed it was necessary because there was nothing almost but the braine of Man had abused it which was declared by five things in Heaven sixe in the Earth and three in the waters Then we came to the particular question of Images handling these three points First what might be alleadged out of the Scriptures for them Secondly what reason there was for them Thirdly how at what time by whom and by what meanes they came into the Church For the first in their Rhemish Testament but one place found in all the New Testament Heb. 9.5 Vetus arca habebat Cherubim and that is taken out of the Old Exod. 25.18 and so confesse none to be in the New And in the Old that of the Cherubims and of the Serpent is all they can shew for them Unto which both our answer is ut ante chiefly that of Tertullian There were priviledges for them if they can shew the like priviledge for the Crucifixe or any other Image in the New Testament it is somewhat for them Generi per specieÌ„ non derogatur they have no expresse commandement for any Image Againe the ends of both are otherwise the Cherubim was not to represent God but to be a place out of the Church from whence God would give his answers Exod. 25.22 And the Brasen serpent being a point in Physick not in Divinity the end of it was health to the sting with serpents therefore they make nothing for the worshipping of Images But 2 Kings 18.4 when the Brasen serpent began pati abusum to be abused we see how he used it Which sheweth plainly how little affinity it had with this Commandement So the Cherubs should have been served if they had been abused by the people But God had taken order for them for none could come to them but the high Priests and that but once in the yeare Secondly for the reasons 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not onely in the Israelites but also in the Apostles and in Moses Exod. 33.18 he desired to see God and he had nothing shewed but his back-parts This being condemned 1 Cor. 3.3 and being not onely in regard of the people of God that this made them draw every thing to Idolatry but even in the heathen Aug. lib. 4. de Civit. Dei cap. 21. saith that Varro spyed it that it brought great inconveniences to Religion his reason quia facile contemaere divos in stoliditate simulachrorum It was also shewed 2. nimium is a broad way to superstition and it is a vaine assertion of theirs that there can be no nimium in Religion And Aug. in Psal 101. scorneth it and saith that if we doe so we may soone bring a rock into the Church because it did represent Christ too So for the time when and the Authors by whom Images began we have shewed out of Ireneus 1. that the Crosse came first from the Valentinians the Images of Christ and his Saints from the Gnosticks 1. Iren. 24. in Epiphan 27. heres Lib. 3. the Image of the Virgin Mary from the Collyridians August in his 13. Booke contr Adimant giveth foure reasons First the policy of Hereticks to claw the Heathen persecutors being themselves inclined to them Secondly too much mourning for the dead noted 1 Thes 4.14
this is the punishment of God upon Ministers that they shall fall into such a company that will not heare because they had dull eares themselves in hearing before and not onely that Pro. 28.9 but also to speake to a dull people The fifth Rule of signes The Commandemâ—nt it selfe is signum i. Mal. 1.14 a way to examine us God maketh there a very abject and as Augustine saith an unlawfull comparison to compare himselfe to a great King on earth and vers 8. he reasoneth If you should offer such a gift to your Prince would he accept thy person If we would heare him as we would heare a great Prince 1 Sam. 19.8 Jonathan to David To morrow is the day of the month you will be looked for for my Father will see your place empty And our place may be empty that is we may be absent for divers causes First 1 Sam. 19.14 sicknesse Lawfull causes of absence from Church for so Micholl answered to Saul for David Secondly 2 Sam. 20.28 the answer of Jonathan for David He went to Bethel for my family said he offereth a sacrifice to day so if a man be to offer a sacrifice himselfe he may be absent from Sauls sacrifice for it is best to be the principall agent in Gods service Thirdly Mat. 9.13 Misericordiam volo potius quam sacrisicium the workes of mercy to visit the sicke is lawfull c. because they be meanes ordained for the duty of charity therefore for such a duty we may depart and leave the other duty The second signe Judg. 9.7 the meditation of this talio Looke as you heare so you shall be heard Heare what I say and I will heare what you say It is a good signe if we can say Even as I heare even so heare me O Lord. The third signe Psalm 119.63 79. If we be companions of those that worship God and if those persons be more deare to us because they are reverent and zealous in Gods service and the other more odious because they be cold it is a good signe The sixth Rule Accessory to procure it in others Hierome on Numb 36.13 no man may be a curtaine in the Lords house unlesse he hath a hooke and a tache Quilibet verus Christianus est cortina patris to draw on another brother Psalm 42.4 Davids affection I remember it with joy John 1.41 45. of Andrew to his brother We have found that Messiah and of Philip to Nathaniel We have found him of whom Moses in the Law did speake c. 1 Cor. 11.33 the Rule spoken of before one to stay for another and one to bring another that they may by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the same mind and one accord The contrary condemned and punished Acts 13.8 in Elymas for seeking to hinder the Deputy from receiving the Gospell he was stricken with bodily blindnesse c. Order is taken Com. 1. for the inward worship and Com. 2. for the outward now he proceeds to the Commination or Sanction which containeth a penalty on the breakers and a reward for the keepers of the Commandement Every Commandement sancitur praemo poena If it be asked why this Commandement is the first that hath this punishment set downe as the fifth Commandement is said to be the first with promise Ephes 6.2 We have three reasons for the justifying of Gods worke in it First because that as Deut. 25.2 the punishment must be proportionable to the fault and the sinne against the first Commandement is hidden and in the wombe in our hearts and bosomes that God onely can see it and view it therefore the punishment of it also is left to God and Acts 17.30 he is content to oversee it But this because it comes into the light of the Sunne and is to be seene of every body in this respect God hath more particularly pronounced a punishment against it 1 Tim. 5.20 that others may feare According to the rule of justice Malum ubi contingit ibi moriatur if the fault be open so shall the punishment also be if private so also And seeing this is committed in the sight of all therefore to be punished in the sight of all The second is that whereas every punishment is brought in Ut prohibeat impetum ad turpia and our impetus or inclination being marvellously whetted to the breach of this by profit and safety the best Oratours annexed to it I speake of that corruption wherein every head is full of new platformes that it will devise to it selfe and that we cannot be vile in our owne eyes as David was 2 Sam. 6.22 but of this that sometimes it falleth out as God foretold Revel 14.9 that the Beast getteth place and then he that will not receive the marke of the Beast in his forehead he shall neither buy nor sell and not that onely but hee shall be rent in pieces Here then is the motive that man can be content to leave God and bow downe to the Beast if they can be perswaded they may thereby enjoy temporall commodities and security of this life for come what Religion will they are ready for all And in regard of the comming with these reasons not onely of that the Devill counted a great thing Job 2. the saving of mens Skinnes but the Fleeces also peace and tranquillity so because this profit was annexed it was necessary there should be a punishment cohibere impetum hunc to stop our inclination Thirdly because we see Dan. 3.6 6.8 and Acts 4.18 Edicts and Commandements contrary given out i. for receiving of a false invented worship that men should at the sound of the Trumpet fall downe and worship the golden Image else to be cast into the middest of a hot fiery Furnace And that who so should pray to God within thirty dayes should be cast into the Lyons denne And an edict that the Apostles should speake no more in Christs name Therefore it was necessary that God should give a countermaund and a contrary edict And that as Princes say Qui secus faxit he that transgresseth shall forfeit this and this So God should say If you will not bow downe and give me this worship you shall forfeit you and your children after you and your childrens children shall be subject to mine indignation This for the reason why God hath made it a penall Statute The Sanction or establishment is divided into Commination visiting the iniquity c. Promise and shew mercy c. The preface was touched before in the beginning of the Law Of Jehovah thy God Now of fortis zelotes strong and zealous the two words that remaine they containe the certainty of bringing to passe that which he threatneth or promiseth here in this Commandement For mighty signifieth that there is no hinderance in performance of it He is able to doe it It falleth out that where men whose armes and hands are shortened conceive mighty wrath and indignation but there wanteth
strength and therefore are not feared as 2 Sam. 16.13 great malice and hatred in Shimei yet it was nothing but an handfull of dust and because he wanted might it was faine to end in words onely Whereas if hee had beene mighty his anger would more have prevayled So the want of might is many times the hinderance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mighty so in Esay 31.3 and in other places of the Scriptures it pleaseth God when he opposeth himselfe to men Aegypt is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is such strength in God that mans weaknesse is not able to match it In Hebrew there be two words given to God that comprehend the whole nature of strength first * * * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnoz the second * * * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cayl The first is that we call Robur internall strength the other externall strength either of Weapons or Armes c. 1. For the first as when it pleaseth the H. G. to debase the strength of man 1 Cor. 1.25 that the weaknesse of God is stronger then the strength of men so Exod. 8.19 when he speaketh of Gods strength and the mighty wonders which he wrought in Aegypt he compareth it to the finger of God Which finger Psal 144.5 if it doe but touch the Mountaines it will make them smoake and not onely his finger but more the puffe the winde of a mans mouth is the least thing and weakest and yet he saith At the proceeding of it out of his nostrills the foundations of the Hills were discovered and the ground removed Psalm 18.15 This is positive and not onely this but also privative Psalm 104.29 If he doe but hold in his breath all things perish or he cast his eye aside the World comes to an end in a moment Secondly for fortitudo strength or munitions without him albeit this is sufficient to move us yet that Jer. 23.29 Is not my Word even like a fire saith the Lord and like an Hammer that breaketh the stone And Psal 7.13 Except a man returne he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready For the other his powers and Legions of Angels Psalm 68.17 twenty thousand but in Dan. 7.10 they are said to be more Thousand thousands and tenne thousand thousands of heavenly souldiers Luke 2.13 Legions of heavenly souldiers Besides in the 8 9 10. of Exodus Armies of the basest creatures Lice Frogs Caterpillers Grashoppers c. By which he brought mighty things to passe against the great princes as Psal 105. 2. Zelotes Jealousie that seemeth to import thus much It might be thought all one for God whether we did afford him this outward worship or not and that he careth not nor regardeth this outward manner and therefore conceiveth no anger against the breach of it therefore he to take away all such doubt setteth this downe that he is a regarder and a jealous regarder of this Psalm 10.13 he ascribeth to the wicked this speech Tush God he regardeth it not The other possibly will make us regard yet there are but few that make regard whether he can therefore he hath taken upon him that that implyeth the speciallest regard that can be and betokeneth such an affection as is in them that have a regard Jealousie is the excesse of love whereby every man regardeth a thing so as Numbers 5. that he cannot abide it to be common to any with him as he that is Impatiens consortis and cannot abide to have any one part common but he must have it whole himselfe 1. For the first Impatiens consortis when he will have no fellow 2 Cor. 11.2 the Apostle saith he was jealous over them with the zeale of the Lord that he might present them a pure Virgin to Christ onely 2. For the second that he must have the whole Psalm 69.9 The zeale of thine house hath even devoured me and Christ hath applyed it to himselfe It is an affection that it must devoure the whole man and eate him up cleane and separate him so that he have no fellowship with any other such regard then hath God to his outward worship This affection in it selfe is good else God Numb 5.14 would not have given that Commandement allowing the spirit of jealousie Yet by reason of hitting or missing in us it is joyned and mingled sometimes with other affections and when we misse of our purpose wholly then it is Zelus amarus ex laesa concupiscentia as James calleth it Quia extra non sentit quod jutus concupiscit and this griefe stirreth up another Vindicem laesae concupiscentiae Nahum 1.23 such anger as will have revenge and further then that Prov. 6.34 35. a raging and universall revenge Now then if this fall into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it proveth not to be like a sparke in a stack of Straw or falling into an heape of Chaffe which maketh a flame and vanisheth away but like a sparke of fire falling into a barrell of Gunne-powder bearing up all before it According to mans strength is his anger The Kings anger is death and the eternall Kings eternall death of body and soule Luke 12.5 For avoyding error touching this that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is affirmed of God what is to be thought of it and what profit we may have of this affirmation Whether there fall any affection of man into God It is certaine it doth not if a man speake properly if he speake not by a metaphor And to them which say Indignum est haec de Deo dici we must answer with Augustine Indignum certe est si quid quod de eo diceretur inveniretur dignum but we cannot for our great and glorious titles of Majesty magnificence glory are nothing to his glory Magis congrua accommoda sunt humanae imbecillitati quam divinae majestati so this is spoken for mans infirmity The applying of it to the Scriptures 1. Whereas it is said in many places God is not as man that he should repent him and in other places that it repented him that he made man c. For reconciling of such places his rule is Cum negantur istae affectiones de Deo significari immutabilitatem cum dicuntur de Deo efficaciam that he will worke effectually So that these affections here shew that God will doe as men doe which have the like affections not that he hath these affections but that he produceth these actions that they doe which have those affections Secondly also as Augustine saith that those things are affirmed of God and man eodem verbo sed non eodem modo For jealousie in man may be light and for no cause but in God with knowledge and wisedome mans jealousie knoweth no order it is disordered and raging in God it is tranquilla justitia Thirdly to these two we may add the end that it is convenient to the same nature these two being observed that
visitation is for justice so here should have beene merces and not misericordia not Mercy but wages but our reward doth argue non mercedem but gratuitum amorem not wages but mercy Now that it is called a work operans misericordiam and the other i.e. his justice but a visitation i. e. a thing intermitted that is also a speciall thing to bee observed the nature of his justice is restrayned to the fourth generation and his mercy is extended to thousands so here is a proportion the one containing the other two hundred and fifty times not that the mercy of God is greater then his justice but because he is more delighted in the action of the one then of the other The reward is promised to them that love him the manner of love is according to the love of God because he is jealous for us that wee might bee jealous for him that wee may say as 1 King 19.20 Elias zelo zelatus sum I have beene very jealous for the Lord God of hosts sake zelantes potiùs quà m amantes The triall of this love consisteth in keeping the commandements i. e. that if it be not a commandement it is not from him and therefore whatsoever was without them was not from love Another it is very certaine that the righteousnesse of speech and the true signe of loving him had beene the keeping of him but he saith not so but the keeping of my commandements the reason is because he is able to keepe himselfe and needeth not our keeping therefore he hath set our love to bee tryed by two things First by mandata or praecepta mea his commandements Secondly minimos istos his little ones for the commandements it is said Wee keepe him in his parâ—â—â—â—â— and his love in mandata Hosea 4.10 that they kept them not 2. for the other Mat. 25.45 quandiu uni ex istis minimis non fecistis neque mihi c. in as much as yee did it not to one of the least of these yee did it not to mee And the third thing is this that our estimation of them must be such that wee thinke them worth the keeping as Psal 19.10 David accounteth of them as dearly as of much fine Gold of Ophir and Psal 119.72 Thy law is dearer to mee then thousands of gold and silver For keeping by this word Keeper wee must understand that God hath made us keepers of his commandement Now the property and charge of a Keeper is to preserve that thing that he keepeth as from himselfe so from others and to see and have regard that it be neither lost by negligence nor cast away nor broken nor hurt but kept sound till his comming that gave them to him in charge For the losse of Gods commandements 1. King 20.40 For the breaking of them Mat. 5.19 Whosoever shall breake the least of these commandements c. shall be called the least in the kingdome of God but a contemptuous threatning is Psal 50.17 Now that they may be safely kept and as it is Prov. 4.21 it is best to lay them up in that place that is surest even in the middest of our heart For the keeping in regard of others wee must not say as Cain of Abel sumne ego custos c. am I my brothers keeper for as Caine should have beene keeper of his Brother that others kill him not so wee should be keepers of Gods commandements that others breake them not Wee must have the commandements of God not only observanda but also consenvanda not only observe but conserve them And if wee performe this duty wee shall doe as they doe Prov. 16.17 he that keepeth them keepeth his owne soule by them So much of the 2d Commandement The III. Commandement Thou shalt not take the c. THe object of this commandement is the Name of god or his glory The thing commanded is a reverent taking of his Name comprehended in this word praise And the proper place of Gods glory is in this commandement by reason of the object which is his name by the which he is glorified And this his glory is such as for it Esa 43.7 he created all things For mine owne glory I created them and for this that which was before his Creation his predestination Ephes 1.6 unto which wee must joyne our praise Now if they must be made like to their creator if the worke must be according to the minde of the maker it is well therefore that end which moved him to make us must be our end and therefore all our actions and thoughts must come to this to be as it is 2. Thes 1.12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you In the second Commandement be these two respects First that the honour exhibited in outward behaviour is exhibited to one that is present Secondly that the honour exhibited is given to the party himselfe for to him alone it must be done Now the worship of the Tongue which wee call Praise goeth beyond these and is most excellent for it is of him that is absent and to others and not to himselfe Though God be present every where yet when wee in our actions and speeches speake of him to others there is praise and so it goeth to him And yet there commeth a further portion of glory So that it is not only true Luk. 14.8 that honour is given to the person but also to his Name Psal 29.2 Give to God the glory due unto his name which giving of glory is properly called praise for the worship of God is made an especiall glorification of God Psal 50. vers last he that offereth me praise glorifieth mee which sheweth that it is allone to give glory to God and to give him praise Now this praise hath his proper place in our mouth Psal 34.1 With my mouth will I praise thee the instrument chiefe in this office is the Tongue and by performance of this our tongues are made glorious Psal 37.30 The mouth of the righteous will be talking of wisdome and his tongue will speake of judgment The manner how this praysing is to be performed is set downe in Moses Deut. 32.3 I will publish with my mouth give yee glory to God i. e. one must report and they that heare must give glory to God Now as was said before in the word Glory accordingly as it is taken both in divinity and out of divinity there is more then either in honour praise or worship because all these are directed that the party on whom they are bestowed might be glorified And the matter of glory hath proportion to Claritas the brightnesse in glasse and in other such visible things that as they are seene a farre off so that party to whom such honour is given it is in such sort that he might have a name a farre off and knowne Therefore for this cause in Psal 66.2 the Prophet having exhorted men to praise he goeth further and
exhorteth them to make his praise glorious that is doing as he sheweth us in the booke of Prayses that is the Psalmes as Psal 71.8 First by filling our owne mouths with it and then with filling other mens eares as Psal 66.8 O praise our God yee people and make the voyce ef his praise to be heard And this is to be done Psal 34.1 continually and so continually as that there be no staying but ever more and more as Psal 71.14.15 But I will waite continually and will praise thee more and more My soule shall dayly rehearse thy righteousnesse and thy salvation for I know no end thereof In the duty of praise touching this point of it that when wee have resolved our selves thus to fill our mouthes with it it must be as it is Psal 66.16 before them that feare him and not before them alone birds of our owne feather but also before the Congregation as Psal 149.1 Let his praise be heard in the congregation of the Saints and not only before every assembly but before the great assembly as Psal 40. I have declared thy righteousnesse in the great Congregation Gather all into one place and one assembly yet this is his wish Psal 71.18 that he might fill all the World with his praise and that he might speake to a company of all Nations Forsake mee not untill I have declared thine arme to this generation and thy power to all them that shall come And that that goeth beyond all this that he is not content with this but is desirous to deliver over this affection so as Psal 22.31 and 72.17 it should continue so long as the world endureth So much of the end of this Commandement The necessity of this Precept The necessity of this was handled before and standeth upon 12. Reasons and as wee have heard before that therefore man was made and therefore consequently wee must exercise it Then he is in vaine if he have not his end 1 The Hebrue sheweth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creare benedicere to create and blesse because the element added is nothing els by reason of the affixe but an effect of the Creation 2. They gather the necessity of the end out of the word Creation by Gen. 2.2 It may be better gathered out of the words following The first thing that he did after his Creation was the sanctifying of a day to that end to be wholly spent in his praise In which respect of favour Christ delivering to us a forme of Prayer though God in the first place commanded that the internall worship should be first yet having regard to the end and knowing that the end in our intention is the first he giveth it for the first petition and teacheth that we might first desire Gods name to be hallowed 3. That was said before it was the worke of the Sabbath and that is a figure and resemblance of all the actions wee shall be occupied about in patriâ i. e. in Heaven This is a third thing that commendeth it unto us that it shall be our continuall opus in our Countrey and therefore if any be desirous to participate the Celestiall exercises here let him spend his time in glorifying God while he is here 4. The setting of us while wee are here in earth being somewhat lower then the Angells in their estate Their delight is as Luk. 1. to sing Hallelujah praise to the Lord. It is the exaltation of the nature of man while he is yet in the way of corruption and while he is on earth to be made equall to the Angells in this worke of praise 5. The casting downe of a man when he is not fit to do it as Chrysostome on Psal 148. saith that seing the basest of them are called to doe it then he is baser then the vilest creatures that will not doe it 6. From the exercise of the Church militant it is best acceptable to him as Psal 29. vers ult it is the worke of the Temple and so consequently to be preferred before the work of the Market place The reason of the place as that place is the place of all places 7. This is alone the thing that distinguisheth a man from all other creatures all other creatures have but one sound they have no voyce And as he is a Reasonable soule he is distinguished in regard of the first commandement so his voyce in regard of this commandement man alone hath a distinct voyce and therefore can praise God with the tongue and therefore ought to be delighted in that wherein he excelleth all other Creatures i. e. with the glorifying of the name of God 8. Not onely because it is a proper worke of Man but that which is next that by this meanes whatsoever is occupied about it whether it be tongue lippe or penne c. it getteth a dignity by it And as James 5.8 casteth downe the tongue when it is lewdly occupied so David extolleth it when it is thus occupied It is in the highest degree of dignity 9. For the reverence of the great commendations and motives that this yeelding of praises hath Psal 147.1 It is not only good and honest but also pleasant Davids soule at the praise of God was as delightfull as his mouth filled with marrow and that it is seemly and profitable honorisicantes me honorificabo they that honour me I will honour God will bestow what he can upon him and for the reward it is to be chosen 10. Whereas the excellency of man standeth rather in dare then accipere in giving rather then in receiving and rather in facere quà m in fieri in doing rather then suffering here is only our facere dare In all other things wee are made and wee receive but this wee give glorify to God magnifie him sanctify him There is as it were magnifying and as it were an holinesse wrought in him by our praise 11. This duty lyeth so straite on us as that though Christ commands the contrary as in the man delivered from the Devill yet he must not be obeyed whereas all other precepts are such as the contrary of that commandement is not to be done there is no such thing here there can be no precept against this precept 12. That which is Prov. 12.14 A man shall be satiate with good things by the fruit of his mouth and Christ Mat. 12.36.37 not onely mens workes but even their words shall justify or condemne them The employing of our tongue will either receive fruit to life or gall and wormwood to confusion and so consequently there lyeth a necessity of this duty on us to hallow his name Wee see by the petition what is here commanded i. e. that Gods name may be hallowed inwardly by our intent making it the end and scope of all our doings outwardly by making it the matter of our speech and writing and that our tongue be an instrument of speaking his praise and that our
I have done it see you doe not resist me but see yee submit you selves to my ordinance that is God is resisted if his Ordinance be resisted and Rom. 13.2 he that despiseth his ordinance despiseth him therefore that God hath hallowed we must not pollute We see then how farre this rest is to be kept and what is required to the sanctification The substance of the fourth Commandement consisteth especially in these two things 1. in the outward rest of the body 2. the other the End to Sanctifie it As before we must Remember it both in the weeke before the day come partly because then we are to yeeld account of the former dayes workes to God In singultu scrupulo cordis with sorrow and trouble of heart partly also as Augustine saith Ne quid operis rejiciatur in diem festum that we put not off any businesse untill the Sabbath and when it is come as Gregorie 11. Mor. 3d. Epist because there are two things the one Aliorum exempla the example of others will make us forget duely to sanctifie it The other Ludorum spectaculorum studia the desire we have after sports and pastimes wee are therefore then the rather to sanctifie it for Esay 58.13 Delicatum Domini Sabbatum the Sabbath of the Lord is a delicate thing Because these two therefore engender a forgetfulnesse we must both remember it aforehand add then also when it commeth The thing that we are to remember is a day of rest to sanctifie it Augustine in two words comprehendeth it well Otium sanctum a Holy Rest or returning from labour And if we aske A returning from what labour the words following shew from what workes A Canon of the Church sheweth it Quod ante fieri poterat quod post fieri poterit What might have beene done before and what may be done afterward must be rested from And whatsoever is meant by the labours and works of the weeke dayes that must be ceased from of us on the contrary Ab eo quod nec ante fieri poterat nec postea poterit non est ita avertendum that which could not be done before and that which cannot be done afterward may on that day be done by us The reason why it must be thus Aug. Epist 157. ad Optatum and Jerome upon Ezek. 20. concerning that the distinction of the bodily rest is for sanctification For out of Eccl. 3. they take this for a ground that there is nothing but must have his time and consequently that we appoint certaine times for our bodies for repast as of sleepe c. in which time we take such order as that we be not let by any thing and as he saith there the more serious a thing we are to deale with the more we seeke that nothing be done with it but that onely and wholly The cheifest care to be had of the soule that nothing trouble it frō his whole meditation but to this end it is meet wee be even solitarie as Augustine saith and we thinke we take a good order in it so So in the Law of Nature there is a time for the soule and the building of the same for procuring holinesse to it for declaring holinesse in it and so consequently that wee are because it is a serious matter to use no lesse diligence in the cases thereof then that there may be no other thing to hinder us And it is a matter so plaine that we see even the councell of Trent taking order for keeping of holy dayes hath set downe Quae abhis qui humanarum occupationum negotio detinentur omnino praestare non possent that this body entermeddle not it selfe with worldly affaires So many of the Fathers as write upon that Psal 46.10 Vacate videte quod ego sum Dominus be still and know that I am God shew by the course of wisedome the same that the Philosophers require that Postulandum secessum ut melius intendamus a full Vacation from cares that a mans head be not occupied with thoughts in worldly matters but that his soule might wholly intend this day and the body might be at command with the soule therefore the forbidding of workes in this Commandement is not therefore because the workes of themselves are evill but onely because they would distract the minde and would not suffer the whole man wholly to intend the workes of the Sabbath The substance of this Commandement I sayd consisteth of these two parts Rest and Sanctification The Rest is the first part otium It is a very strange thing that the nature of man is so altogether given to be contrary to Gods will and wisedome so that it falleth out on both sides contrary Where the precepts are laborious Nota. and of travell and paine there they will be idle and where the precepts are not laborious and of no paine there rather then they will not breake the Commandement they will take paines and wee will even against our natures make our selves businesse and we will pick out that day of all dayes of the weeke that he hath chosen so that we make it a kind of pollicie to make advantage of that day and to find labour in that day which hee hath denyed us to labour in This for the easinesse of the Commandement and perversenesse of man Concerning this rest there are six Countermands The first thing that wee finde Countermanded here is Exod. 16.26 there God taketh order in Elim before the Law was given that from their very necessary labour from gathering Manna they should cease the reason is because it is mercatura animae the soules Market there is a better thing then Manna John 6.58 and 1 Pet. 2.3 speaking there of the heavenly food of that day doth preferre it before Manna 2. A second forbidding in Nehem. 13.15 not onely the gathering of Manna or the going out to gather but though it bee brought us yet a plaine countermand and execution upon it sheweth that it is unlawfull So we are forbidden as from gathering of Manna so from buying of Manna To this belongeth Buying and Selling all Markets and Faires on that day forbidden 3. From carrying burthens Jer. 17.21 22. there is a great commination against those that carryed burthens on that day that made it their carriage day that hee would bring a plague upon them and that such as is there mentioned that is Captivity So we must not carry on that day except we will that God give us a burthen that is Captivitie 4. A fourth thing forbidden Exod. 34.21 because this carriage and inninge of harvest and grapes might seeme to be a matter of great necessity therefore he saith that both in Seed-time and Harvest and Vintage his Sabbaths should be kept that is so as that the provision of the whole Common-wealth must give place to the Rest of the Lord. And that is for carriage 5. For journeying and travelling on the Sabbath day Exod. 16.29 Cras erit
the the state of a Learner and yet shewed a great gift that way above his yeares And if points of doctrine faile Luke 3.10 and Act. 2.37 what other points were to bee resolved of as there were divers questions moved by some how they might live accordingly id est by the Souldiours and by the Publicanes Now because there are no doubts it is a signe that feare is cleane extinguished out of mens hearts and if there bee any it is not of doing or leaving undone but of detracting 2. Betweene equalls Gal. 2.2 2. Kings 2.11 Luke 24.17 Mal. 3.16 When as hearers or two of like calling whether they bee Teachers as in the two first places as Elias and Eliseus went talking The word in the originall beareth a further signification and as Paul with Peter and the disciples in Luke with CHRISTS approbation and in Malachie it is accompanied with a blessing id est because that thing in the preaching of the Word doth good to one which doth not to the other by the laying together as it were a symbolum in a common shot they receive a more generall benefit As on the other side those imperfections and infirmities that hinder mee happly the same may fall into the minde of my brother and I may shew him how his case and how I was delivered out of it The third is Deuter. 11.19 Where it is sayd Of the exercise of the Law there shall bee an examination in families and the father or chiefe thereof hee shall question with the younger and that shall enter and whet them more and make it sticke faster So these three make a full member 4. Concerning the fourth and last It is not to bee passed over Aug. lib. 10. de Civit. DEI accompteth it totum opus Sabbathi as if the Sabbath was made for nothing else But onely for thanksgiving and prayse For this ende was as is aforesayd penned Psal 92. for that ende appointed Howbeit they have drawne Psalmes generally to these three points That the Church of GOD publikely that every man particularly may make use Either of those that containe generall matter or of some particular custome For generall instruction Psal 91. the generall Psal 103. of some particular benefit as Psal 68. When as wee have had too much raine and pray for faire weather or when there is too much drought the latter part of Psal 65. Then for these particular benefites particular Thanksgiving or as Psal 35.18 the neglect of which is a blemish in our Church Hee desireth deliverance and promiseth that beeing heard hee will sing His Praise in the Congregation So Psal 65.1 the very word there is due There is due to thee an Hymne The reason is because thou hast heard our prayers Tibi debetur Hymnus à SION These actions are so generall as that they may serve for every action of the Sabbath In wicked exercises wee can never bee frequent enough God requires that wee should bee as faithfull in his worke The celebration of the Sacraments Exod. 12.16 and performing of the discipline of the Church It is the Sabbath dayes worke The order doth pertaine to all and it so pertaineth to all that least any man should thinke it is enough to doe it once Revel 22.11 Qui sanctisicatus est sanctisicetur adhuc Hee that is holy let him bee holy still There is still a necessitie every Sabbath day wee must continue 1. Cor. 13.9 Our knowledge is but in part and our prophecying but in part There shall still remaine scrutamini scripturas search the Scripture Revel 7.14 That wee should still wash our Robes in the bloud of the Lambe id est Come still nearer and nearer to cleannesse so farre forth as 1. Tim. 4. If wee continue there in wee shall save our selves This for the Meanes The Meanes are for the Fruit and therefore hee that planteth a Vineyard hoc est vltimum fructus ejus Though hee hope when it is yet aframing yet last is the Fruit. This is the fruit that GOD looketh for the great ende of the Commandement that His Name may be sanctified in us We must not use the Meanes only For the Meanes the phrase is set downe Numb 20.12 Because ye beleeved mee not to sanctifie mee in the presence of the children c. Levit. 20.7 Sanctificate sancti estote Sanctifie your selves and bee yee holy Such wordes because of the two folde glorie that redoundeth to GOD have a double use GOD is glorified 1. either by us directly or 2. from us by others indirectly Matth. 5.16 That they seeing our good workes might glorifie Him Therefore commeth it to passe that these wordes as sanctification and justification c. have a double sense First it signifieth a making holy When wee are indeed made holy and that is by Meanes for this cause sanctification is a making holy Second in regard of the other a declaring of this made sanctification And of our selves The first beeing 2. Pet. 1.10 And second shewing it to all other men to bee so and so wee may glorifie GOD our selves and GOD may bee glorified in others Whereby it falleth out that because good workes make this Therefore CHRIST Matth. 12.12 sayth That a good worke is lawfull on the Sabbath day What worke soever sheweth Regeneration is lawfull 2. Tim. 2.21 for there the Apostle sayth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Prepared or made fit to every good worke But because that the day is specially instituted for the remembrance of his great Mercies as 1. Making us when wee were nothing 2. Redeeming us when wee were in a worse case and 3. The beginning of Sanctification for these three great Mercies Therefore it is that no worke doth so well agree as Thanksgiving for these Mercies Hee is so delighted in no worke as in the worke of Mercie And therefore commeth it that there is an especiall affinitie betwixt sanctification and workes of mercie Ose 6.6 When hee had sacrifice without this hee abjecteth all Therefore to compare this with the rituall sanctification of the law As you had annointing so you had the second part every thing was sanctified by two meanes First If hee were a person his hand was filled by Aaron implevit manum ejus Aaron And if it were an Altar then there was somewhat offered on it So oblation or filling the hand is the second Deut. 16.16 There is a charge to Aaron that whensoever they came to appeare before the LORD none of them should appeare emptie Therefore Levit. 8.31 There is mention made of a Basket of sanctification in which were reserved those thinges that afterward they would consecrate to the LORD The very same order was taken 1. Cor. 16.1.2 On the LORDS Day there should bee collection for the poore There is nothing that so setteth out the matter as Deut. 26. wholly The workes are either outward and performed to the bodie or inward and performed to the spirit of man For the first Matth. 25.
Commandement is the fountaine whence all of the second Table doe come as a streame beginning at the Conduit-head This fifth Commandement hath all those properties which are due to any man with respect And in those two things which must be seene in love 1. In respect of God the excellencie 2. In respect of us conjunction or nearenesse Whereas in conjunction we must rather love the faithfull our countreymen and kinsfolke here in the case of excellencie it is not so For sometimes wee must give more honour to an infidell as Acts 25. Paul to Nero and Dan. 6.3 to a stranger as they did to Daniel and Gen. 41.40 as Pharaoh did to Ioseph And to give this to men indued with gifts is in regard of their nearenesse to God for by his benefits they are neerer his end so as for this cause they are to be preferred and made nearer to us also And they are also nearer to us in respect of the greater profit we shall receive of them according to that of the Heathen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He as God for God setteth as much by that which is his his owne as by himselfe so that being nearer our profit we may love them and being nearer to God we must performe all other duties unto them Why are not all men excellent alike Quest Sol. Gods wisdome wonderfully appeareth in this For seeing Gen. 2.18 the occasion of the Woman was that she should helpe because that though it were good yet not the best that Man should be alone for he being finite and therefore of a finite power might with helpe performe better services unto God Now seeing they were plures more then one the question is whether they must be one body or not And if there be one body then must there be diversity of members 1 Cor. 12.21 But if it be said there should not be one that is confuted here Also God being most excellent and having all other things under him would in his creatures have a patterne of that excellencie and subjection so that for that cause 1 Cor. 15.41 he made every star differ from other inglory So also that they might be those divers vessels 2 Tim. 2.20 And by this Commandement doth all power stand And hence it is that he hath called them Gods Psal 82.6 And therfore this Commandement possesseth this place as in medio in the midst as Philo Iudaeus saith because God would have him first to looke to his worship and then to his owne honour in the second Table Gen. 17.9 This Commandement hath two parts 1. precept Honour c. 2. Reason that thy dayes c. This division proved Ephes 6.2.3 The precept containeth the duty of Inferiours Honour Superiours to be Fathers and Mothers For God includeth in one word the most especiall things And because as Chrysostome saith first they must be before they can be honoured therefore first What is meant by Father What is here ment by Father 1. That is true Matth. 23.9 We have but one Father for all others as the Heathen said be but instruments Whensoever therefore any thing is attributed to God and man God is the first Ephes 3.17 so he is the first Father Psal 27. which tooke us out of the wombe and the last Father Psal 82. which taketh us up when all other have forsaken us So that seeing to be a Father commeth from God and our superiours are made partakers with God as his instruments they must also have their duties from him The word Father signifieth him that hath a care or desire to doe good for which Iob cap. 25. was called a Father so that he is a Father by whom others are in better case and estate 2. Mother This hath the name of a faithfull keeper as we may see by the end of her making which was to helpe And the same word was so used Iob 12.20 Ruth 4.4 And the Heathen themselves know this that a good governour differeth nothing from a good Father 3. Honora honour The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth aggravare so where excellencie is added to the thing it is of weight and in precious things the heaviest is the best So that addere pretium is addere pondus and so by translation honorem honour for when a man hath received the person of God it is more to be esteemed It was a miracle among the Heathen that so many Kings should give their heads to one sometimes to a Woman sometimes to a child which argueth plainely that they knew a divine power therein that might not be resisted i. Gods ordinance and so worketh a reverence in our hearts And as in the former word so for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 honour Solon in his Lawes and Plato and the Romanes doe make choyce of this word and other that write of Lawes and that matter 1. Now what the estate of them is this is to be set downe as 2 Cor. 4.13 All things are for your sakes i. for the Churches sake Politia est propter Ecclesiam set downe 1 Tim. 2.2 For there the Apostle goeth thus to worke God would have all men saved that they might be saved he would have them live in all godlinesse and honesty that they may doe thus he would have them taught the knowledge of God this necessarily requireth a rest for in the warres there is nothing rightly ministred That men might intend thus to live it is said vers 2. it is expedient they should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 leade a peaceable life in regard of outward invasions and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quiet in regard of minde and inward tumult and troubles Now if the naturall Father and Mother could have performed this as a while they did to Gen. 9. there had needed no other But Gen. 10.8 9. there comes one Nimrod with a company of hounds at his taile the same metaphor it pleaseth the holy Ghost to use i. sons of Belial and he taketh upon him to be an hunter i. a chaser of men to disturbe So because the naturall Father cannot performe it and because we cannot in deede doe fully the duty of our soules therefore there is a Priesthood in the Tribe of Levi a spirituall Father in the Apostles and their successors For this cause Heb. 13.17 to soules and bodies 1 Tim. 2.2 was it that God first allowed and after instituted that men should have government both for resisting of outward foes and quieting of inward strises Rom. 13.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let every soule be subject c. There it is said that this binding of men into one society this power is of God and so to be accounted of us for vers 4. he saith God hath delivered him a sword to the end that he should be vindex malorum against the evill and disturber of this quietnesse by which men might intend the former rest and consequently that he should be a comforter and cherisher of good men and those that love to live
the other of Uzziah and Jeroboam Amos 5.13 In that day shall the wise man hold his peace he shall not dare to speake his wisedome shall doe him no good if he speake he shall be served as Michah Judges 18.25 was Tace hold thy tongue else one of us shall runne thee thorow this is no time for a Wise man to speake But in the dayes of Hezechiah Esay 22.16 Esay durst say to Shebnah Who are you Whence come you God shall deale thus and thus with you And their mouthes and eyes shall deale thus and thus with you And their mouthes and eyes shall be open Christ John 18.22 standing before Annas for saying I am not bound to accuse my selfe presently for saying so a Catchpoll layeth him on the face So it was done to Paul Acts 23.2 hee beginneth to cleare himselfe and Ananias saith to one that stood by Strike him on the face Amos 6.10 We must not say what is right or wrong This is the first signe Secondly another Paul for all his appeale could get no Justice because Nero was upheld by his Governours and he must uphold them The same was the case of David why he might not goe and fight 1 Samuel 29.9 There the King perswadeth David to bee gone then David saith What have I done that I may not goe and fight against the enemies of the LORD and the KING And hee saith Truely I finde no fault in you You have beene good and upright in my sight but my Lords and the Governours they like you not my Princes will not have it so The third signe His speech The Heathen man A good Governour saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is my duty and I must doe it and an evill Governour will say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have power and I may doe it 1 Sam. 22.7 Saul I can give you Vineyards c. John 19.20 Pilate I have power c. Fourthly another out of Menander whose eye brows swell greater then their estate proud Governours If there fall out a fault and ye tell them not of it before they will say Why told ye not us of it Tell him of it and he will say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wee will consider of it And it shall be as much amended as if you had not told them This maketh a fourth signe 2 Sam. 18.13 one telleth Joab of Absaloms hanging and Joab said Diddest thou see him and not kill him Thou shouldest have killed him and I would have given thee a reward The other said You see what strict charge the King gave you and Abishai and Ittat not to lay hands upon him But you would have happely said to the King He is worthy to dye if I should have done it you would have beene against mee your selfe Hee counselleth him to have done that which he himselfe would have reproved in him Fifthly another and it is greatly complained of by the Fathers and was wont to be in the Primitive Church It is not Christianity that abrogateth Justice They would have their Rulers doe wrong to a Christian Bishop then hee must have Justice and when it commeth to the Emperour Why saith he you shall have Justice A day of hearing is appointed if it be plaine and when it commeth to the point then the Deputy commeth to him and saith You are a Christian you ought to be patient you need not follow your suit you should rather forgive it c. So they rather then to shew their folly would give over So the Christians were dealt withall and loaden thus till their backes were broken Such is that Acts 16.39 They goe roundly to worke with Paul they whip him and his fellowes and the next day would have let them goe privily Paul among the rest taketh this courage to him and saith They would not because they had corrected them openly without a cause he would have them come themselves and fetch them out so that they were faine to fetch them out themselves So when men desire not that Christianity should drowne Justice it is a signe of a good government Sixthly the thriving of the righteous a good signe Psal 72.7 In a good mans time the righteous should flourish Contra as the Heathen man saith where it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Flatterer is best 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the Sycophant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then he that is naughty and lewd 1 Sam. 26.16 David saith If God have done it let him smell the savour of a sacrifice if men cursed bee they before the Lord. So hee knew there were Sycophant talebearers as Doeg that tolde Saul of Davids being at Nob and in the Cave He was the cheife of all his servants over all his flockes a great office in those dayes My meaning is this Eccles 29.9 that these putrid members be cut off and the righteous be releeved for the Commandement sake Beatus qui non suit subjectus indigno as the Heathen man saith When Caesar first entred into his tyranny he gave preferments sic ut bonestaret hornines tamen inquinaret ornamenta So places of good credit are discredited by placing such Officers as discredit the places There be many moe signes but these may suffice The sixt Rule The procuring of it to others A precent Pro. 24.21 an example 1 Sam. 24.10 and 26.9 That for dehortation Now for exhortation 2 Kings 25.24 Feare not to serve the Caldeans let us serve the King of Babel and wee shall be well This is to be understood out of Numb 16.3 when the Governour is meeke and commands that which is right in the Lords eyes not such as the gainsaying of Corah was But Psalm 44.16 if the Chaire of Justice doe singere molestiam doe cause heavie commandements praester statutum then quis consurget mecum In unjust commands I will not doe then are we both to harden our selves and others and wish them not to doe it That thou mayest prolong The reason c. In generall it was said that it was to all a generall promise as in the second Commandement To them that love me c. But this is particulerly to one and hath a particuler promise Long life So that is true Ephes 6.2 it is the first Commandement with particuler promise Now the reason to this Commandement It is a common proverbe Adorant plures solem orientem quam occidentem more worship the Sun rising then setting our parents be compared to the Sunne going downe Job 12.5 When a man is toward his end he is like a candle that burneth within the socket Therefore we neglect them but hope for somewhat to come by them to us if they grow up with us and so may profit us hereafter but when they are one foot in the grave we have there done with them we esteeme them no longer therefore here is a reason or motive from God that if we give due honour unto them we shall be rewarded
the faithfull of the Land shall be his and vers 7. The lier shall not tarry in his sight And thus much of the ninth Commandement The X. Commandement Thou shalt not covet c. IN this Commandement the Papists are against us and make it two which it cannot be Our reasons as we said in the generall division are these 1. Because there is but one period 2. Because there should be a Law of particulars which in least of all is Gods Lawes 3. Because onely these two concupiscences should be forbidden And whereas they say all other ought to be referred unto these they teach not how 4. Because Rom. 7.7 the Apostle sets it downe in one word non concupisces thou shalt not lust 5. The consent of the Hebrewes before Christ and the Fathers since 6. The inconveniencie that they are driven to to transplace this Scripture and say sensus est perturbatus that the sense thereof is perplexed 7. They themselves cannot speake of it distinctly as they divide it but confound it Now for the Commandement Deut. 5. Esa 55.7 Ier. 18.11 Mar. 7.14 Rom. 7.7 Ephes 2.3.4 whence we must take all that we speake herein The dependance The dependance as Aug. saith si quis caetera facere studeat hoc maximè faciat if any man endeavour to observe the other Commandements let him much more labour to fulfill this Prov. 4.23 As life issueth from the heart so good and evill life And Esa 59.5 commeth the Cockatrice egge which if it be not broken Iames 1.15 will be sinne whence commeth death The end The ends 1. That God may shew himselfe to looke further and his Law to reach further then mans Law For though mans Law say Binde the hands and stop the mouth yet it saith cogitationis poenam nemo patiatur let no man be punished for his thoughts But Gods Law saith not so Act. 8.22 but the very thought must bee prayed for 2. Propter Pharisaeos for your Pharisaicall justiciaries that though in the other Commandements we may flatter our selves yet this Rom. 7.14 will make us see that we are wretched The consent is in the other Commandements But the thought which in respect of the consent is called partus imperfectus an imperfect birth is forbidden in this For as in the other intentio the intention is forbidden etsi non consequaris although yee accomplish it not so here cogitatio etsi non consentias the thought although ye consent not as Aug. magnum fecit qui non sequitur sed non perfecit he hath done much and gone a great way who bath never assented to lust This Paul Rom. 6.12 calleth sinne raigning in us and Rom. 1.2 dwelling in us For as Aug. saith transivit in affectum cordis impetravit consensum rationis ut faciat si adsit occasio facultas this raigning sinne hath built his nest amongst the affections of the heart and hath obtained the consent of reason to fulfill its lust whensoever occasion and ability presents the opportunity So that it is here whilest it is in question but when it commeth to that Faciam I will or would doe it it is done before God This concupiscence is of two sorts 1. 2 Pet. 3.3 proper 2. Gal. 5.17 of the spirit against the flesh This of the spirit is good and Ephes 1.18 causeth good motions in us and 1 Pet. 4.1 armeth us to performe them and checketh us Psal 44.5 and is opposite to us Matth. 5.22 from this commeth our prayer and maketh us to love those things so much the more Prov. 3.9 And that of our owne Concupiscentia naturae which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naturae naturall is not evill for so Christ desired to eate when he was hungry Matth. 24.18 and rest when he was weary Concupiscentia corruptionis Iohn 4.6 But that which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corruptionis from corruption 2 Pet. 1.4 which is not an hand to the understanding as it ought to be but choketh it up and maketh us to be men of concupiscences And of this corrupt concupiscence 1 Tim. 5.19 some is foolish and some is hurtfull 1. Foolish concupiscence Foolish concupiscence is Colos 3.1 earthly desires when the naturall desire transit lineas passeth the bounds wholly to seeke those things and set their heart on them 2. Hurtfull concupiscence Hurtfull concupiscence is that which is against the spirit Gal. 5.7 7. opposite to the spirit This is that praeputium uncircumcision Act. 7.51 which hindreth the eares and heart from that which is good And this in good things corrupteth our understanding making it Eccles 10.1 like a flie in a barrell of honey and provoketh us to evill by these things which though they are good yet will worke in us an evill humour 1 Cor. 6. i. to make us subject to evill to need to have it then the Devill will bring such a condition as Mat. 4. he did to Christ And in evill it will bring us per malum aut ad malum an evill way or to an evill end as to make us use evill meanes to a good end or an evill end to good meanes It is called the old man Ephes 4.22 Col. 3.9 peccatum inhabitans sinne dwelling in us Rom. 7.5 the sting 1 Cor. 15.16 the pricke 2 Cor. 12.7 virus Serpentis the poyson of the Serpent The Scholemen call it fomitem peccati the fuell of sinne the late writers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 virium a want of power and strength to rule the passions and affections for when man would make his concupiscence above his understanding Hose 8.11 God permitted it to be And this is that giving up Rom. 1.24 delivering to themselves And whereas the giving to Satan hath a returne 1 Cor. 5.1 2 Cor. 2. this to be given up to himselfe hath no returne so that it is better to be delivered up to the Devill We see then what this concupiscence is and how we are affected to it Now for the danger and the meanes to it though we come not so farre as suppuration i. the consent which is the lowest degree in the other Commandements we must not yet once cover for this desire being in us Ephes 2.23 as also of the world and of the Devill Suggestions from conen piscence Per hanc còncupiscentiam carnis by this lust of the flesh there is two suggestions the one in regard of this alone and the other as it is applied to us of the Devill 1. Alone as Matth. 9.5 in the dialogue Mar. 7.2 those ascending thoughts for nothing in us is good but that which descendeth Ascending thoughts 2. The Devill seeing this as he did with Christ when he was hungry Matth. taketh occasions to cast thoughts into us as hee did into them Luke 9.49 and together Ephes 2.2 the world carrieth them away For as Nazianzen saith The sparke is in us and the Devill doth onely blow it up Now those that arise are
kingdomes of this world for both power and glory may be ascribed to an earthly Prince and it is certaine that Solomon had them all and therefore as hee is distinguished from earthly fathers for that he is said to be in heaven so he differs from earthly Kings in that his Kingdome is said to endure for ever and ever There is another difference implyed in the Article earthly Princes have a Kingdome a Kingdome of power and a certaine glory in this world but it is not the Kingdome This prepositive Article imports two things a Generality and a Superiority for the first point he that hath but a peece of the earth to beare rule in is not an universall King but God is King over all the earth Psal 47. Therefore if wee be so carefull to behave our selves aright in the presence of an earthly King whose Kingdome is limited within certaine bounds which if hee exceed he is no more King much more ought we to praise and glorifie him whose Kingdome is universall Secondly for the superiority of Gods Kingdome there are a great number of Kings on earth but of this Kingdome it is said All Kings shall fall downe before him all Nations shall worship him Psalm 72. For hee is said to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19. Touching the other difference signified by the word for ever Though a man had all the earth for his Kingdome yet it could not be a Kingdome for ever and ever no Prince ever raigned the whole age of a man and so long time as a man naturally may live which the Philosophers say is the space of an hundred yeares but his Kingdome indures not onely the age of a man but In seculum For ever Thy Kingdome Power and Glory endureth for ever and ever whereas mans Kingdome Power and glory lasteth but a few yeares and sometimes but a few dayes Jezabel had a glorious Kingdome but within a few yeares it was said of her Ubi est illa Jezabel 2 Reg. 10. when it was fulfilled which the Prophet Jeremiah foretold 13.28 Tell the King and Queene Humble your selves for your dignity shall be taken away and the crowne of your glory shall fall downe And the like is the greatnesse of all earthly Kingdomes and therefore Christ teacheth us to direct our Petitions to him whose Kingdome is everlasting Psalm 145. whose power endureth for ever and ever not to a mortall King but to God Qui solus habet c. which onely hath immortality 1 Tim. 6. who being himselfe an everlasting King and incorruptible is able to bestow upon us both a Crowne 1 Pet. 5. and an inheritance incorruptible and that fadeth not 1 Pet. 1.4 This is our hope and the perfection of our desires and therefore as the Creed hath his period in Life everlasting so last of all we are taught to pray for Glory everlasting THE NINETEENTH SERMON Amen WE are now come to the last word of the Lords Prayer the power and efficacie whereof at this time is to be considered for there is in it every way matter worthy of our consideration and wee cannot perfectly accomplish our duty in prayer except we understand this word aright For after we have laid out our severall petitions to God and made our allegation to God why we desire to be respected by him namely because we are of his Kingdome and Jurisdiction for that we have no power of our selves to do any thing Lastly because that we confesse that all glory is to be ascribed to him then it remaineth that we desire of God that those Petitions and allegations made by us may by him be ratified which is done in the word Amen Wherein the ancient Writers consider two things First Jerome saith it is Signaculum consensus nostri that by it we acknowledge that whatsoever we can desire is contained in this forme of prayer Secondly as S. Cyprian saith it is votum desiderii nostri that as wee allow of this forme of Prayer and the Petitions made therein so we desire that it will please God to performe and accomplish them so in this word is implyed the consent of our minde to allow of the things which we are taught to pray for in this Prayer and secondly the desire of our heart for the obtaining of the same The one is the seale of our faith in as much as wee acknowledge those things to be true The other is the seale of our love whereby we testifie our desire for the accomplishment of these Petitions The one is referred to Truth the other to the fervencie of the spirit in which two things as our Saviour affirmeth Joh. 4.24 the right worship of God consisteth concerning which word to be added in the end of our supplications there is an absolute commandement not only in the old Testament Let al the people say Amen 1 Chron. 16.33 Ps 106. but in the New as appeareth by S. Pauls question 1 Cor. 14.16 who to shew the necessity of this word he saith How shall the unlearned say A men to thy thanksgiving for indeed it concerneth every one as he will answer the transgression of dicet omnis populus all the people shall say which is a flat commandement not to be omitted to adde this word to their prayer The word it selfe is originally Hebrew but used by the Evangelists and retained still in every language and tongue without translation or alteration either in Greeke Latine or any other the reason of the retaining of it is that is might appeare that the Synagogue of the children of Israell and the true congregation of the Church of Christ gathered out of all Nations is but one mysticall body whereof Christ is the head the same we are given to understand by this that the Spirit of Adoption is said to cry non onely Abba in the hearts of the Jewes but also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Father in the hearts of the Gentiles Rom. 8.20 Therefore our Saviour would not have his name to be either intirely Hebrew as Jesus Messias or intirely Greeke as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the one in Hebrew the other in Greeke Jesus Christ to shew that he is our peace who of two hath made one that hath reconciled us both in one body and that he is the corner stone whereby the Church consisting both of Jewes and Gentiles is coupled together and groweth to be one holy Temple to the Lord Eph. 2.14 Though they be as the Apostle speakes Congregatio primogenitorum Heb. 12.23 yet we are the Church of God as well as they we I say that are borne after them we that are of the Gentiles have none other law for our direction then that which the Jewes had as the Apostle saith I write no new commandemem but an old commandement which you have heard from the beginning 1 Joh. 2.7 Wee have no other faith but as the Apostle saith eundem spiritum fidei habentes 2 Cor. 4. The same grace is offered
divided and that also falleth into the division of having The parts of the soule as God maketh them Deut. 6.5 are reason or understanding called the soule 2. The affection or will called the Heart Therefore they are foolish schoolemen that expound by the heart the body of man So the duety of the mind being to know as is abovesaid in the treatise of the heart and appetite to regard love falleth right to this But under the division for the well expounding of the parts we must labour for the true sense of this Therefore as we know the parts of the mind so we must know that these parts have their order Vires animae sunt ordinatae the powers of the soule are set in order saith the Philosopher The order is this that we must know it before we can regard it and love it For ignoti nulla cupido there is no love of that we know not the Philosopher That invisa possumus cupere incognita nequaquam we may covet things unseene but never things unknown Augustin Therefore they say well where two things be in order if the first be taken away the second shall never be fulfilled So if ignorance be brought in God shal never be desired nor loved and so not had The first kowledge He must be knowne and that standeth first the duty of the mind and understanding part 2. Love he must be loved esteemed the duty of the second part the heart or will Now the end of knowledge is but the fulnesse of perswasion a setled beliefe which we call faith both the meanes and end of knowledge And therefore comprehended in the first part as the fulnesse of regard and love is nothing else but obedience But to make it more plaine let the mind begin that we may first know God knowledge must have its object and that is God He cannot be knowne à priore in himselfe therefore we must seeke to know him à posteriore and that is by his attributes and effects For his Attributes they are those ten set downe Exod. 34.6 7. His Majesty Truth Vnchangeablenesse Will Justice Mercy Knowledge Power Vbiquity Eternity Of these two especially are called principall and concerne us most his Justice and Mercy the other 8. are called communiter ad dno common to two because they fall into these two alike So knowledge in fulnesse 1. proceeding to faith apprehendeth 1. the Justice of God 2. his Mercy and beleeveth them both Adde the other 8. to his Iustice that he is of infinite majesty infallibly true c. and they make it more perfect and consequently more fearefull adde them also to his Mercy that he that loveth us is King of eternall life c. and it maketh his Mercy more and consequently farre more to be beloved Out of this faith or knowledge proceeding of his justice there proceedeth feare and out of it humility These out of Justice the first part and out of the knowledge and faith of mercy with the other 8. proceed two duties more one hope who would not hope 2. Fructus spei invocatio precatio est interpres spei The fruit of hope invocation prayer is the interpreter of hope By prayer or thankesgiving i. to acknowledge from whom we have received it Love hath his effect and fruit Love is full in obedience which is a conforming of our selves and our will to the Will of God Or a bearing willingly of whatsoever it pleaseth God to lay on us for not conforming our selves to him in this life and that is called patience obedientia crucis the obedience of the Crosse In these the having of God doth wholly consist and there can be no other duety added to them We must understand this that it pleaseth the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures by the figure Synecdoche for shortnesse of speech sundry times to name one of these and thereby to meane and comprehend the whole worship of God As Iohn 17.3 all is given to knowledge This is life eternall that they know thee c. In another place all to feare And in another place all to hope c. In the rest under the name of one synecdochicall to comprehend all the other Virtutes 2. 3. proposâ—tionis Vertues of the second and thâ—rd propositions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall not be must be perpetuall And not without good reason for they have a very good dependance one of the other Now to these we must adde the duty of the second proposition 1. true religion and out of the third proposition pure religion against joyning it with other worship And beside these out of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be which is the future tense to consent to it in our life till this non erit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall not be devoure our erit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be It includeth the verture of perseverance through all the Commandements And coram facie mea before my face includeth sincerity and singlenes of heart for our heart is as well before his eyes as our other parts contrariwise condemneth hypocrisie These make up the manner of his worship In the resolution of the first Commandement the first thing in it Knowledge is knowledge of which in regard of the excellency and dignity of it Iohn writeth thus ch 17. v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. This is eternall life that they know thee In the handling of these severall vertues as before in the explication of the Commandement we must follow those rules that we have set downe Vsus necessitas cognitionis Dei The use and necessity of the knowledge of God The first thing concerning knowledge is the use of it and thence the necessity of it The necessity out of this place that knowing we must attaine everlasting life And forasmuch as life everlasting is so much worth to us and without this knowledge we lost it but we are dull by our owne nature therefore we are to seeke a further provocation We must therefore adde that Ier. 9.24 where God plucketh from us all our Peacock feathers as gifts of nature as wisdome gentry riches strength c. and chargeth not to rejoyce in them but in that we know God But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me And herein only must we glory But as we said it is not the excellency that can so strike into us our dull hearts but they cannot desire to be excellent But because we cannot be without it when we come to shew that we must needs have it that is ferrea ratio a hard reason If he finde us ignorant that we cannot doe agendum i. the law being our agend and no action can be without moving and no moving without the will and no will without desire and no desire without a thing knowne therefore take away knowledge and take away all and so nothing shall be done and consequently we shall become idle Not but that