her foot Every one cannot spy Sathan when he appeareth as a friend When Christ would have gone to suffer at Jerusalem Peter as a friend in words of compassion saith to him 〈◊〉 thy selfe this shall not be 〈◊〉 thee Christ he perceived friendly Sathan in Peter Matt. 16. 23. But in the grosse sinne of Idolatry 〈◊〉 downe and worship mee and in this notorious sinne of 〈◊〉 you shall not die at all any man may easily discover Sathan But Eve shee was not moved at the report of an Angell of light but at the words of a base Serpent or buggish worme shee was not only content to hear his needlesse questions his reproaches to Gods word and his blasphemous termes against God himselfe but which is more she heard him willingly shee beleeved him and shee was very forward to doe as the 〈◊〉 perswaded her Aspiceret 〈◊〉 timentibus oculis shee should have beheld the Tree with twinckling eyes as it is 〈◊〉 1 Sam. 3. 11. with tingling eares she should not have striven about words which were to no profit but to the perverting of the hearers yet heare you that Eve giveth her eyes to behold the Tree her eares to hear blasphemous words she giveth her hands to take of the fruit she giveth her mouth and bellie yea all her bodie unto the 〈◊〉 But it is not good to eat much honie nor to seek glorie by the sense When that she could not refrain her appetire she was like a 〈◊〉 which is 〈…〉 and without walls Proverbs 25. 28. and her inward parts were battered We finde in the outside three things vidit tulit comedit she saw she took and she did eate The first was the concupiscence of the eye The second the stretching out the arme to take of the fruit was the attempt The last was the actuall sinne and the 〈◊〉 The ancient Divines doe call the first desiderium the second conatum the endeavor the last actum the accomplishment The The desire of the eye and the endeavor of the hand doe argue a consent and by the assent of reason she yeeldeth to eate Seven degrees in every sinne The ancient Fathers doe make seven degrees in every sin out of this very first sin of Eve But five of these degrees are past before we come to tulit and the other two last one concerneth the taking the other the act 1. Suggestion The first of these degrees they call a suggestion 2. 〈◊〉 the second they call the invading of the consent 3. Consent to delight the third they call consensum in delectatione a consent to sinne with delight 4. Lingring the fourth they call moram a lingring and stay in the delight 5. Consent to sinne the fift they 〈◊〉 call 〈◊〉 in actum a consent to the very practise of sinne 6. Taking Then after these five degrees commeth the 〈◊〉 which is tulit the taking the fruit 7. Eating and the seventh which is comedit the very act of sinne These seven degrees are seven several motions and distinct as you may easily see in this sinne and disobedience of Eve The first suggestion in Eve to disobedience was wrought by the Serpent but now the suggestion in our mindes is by our selves Here the Serpent made question of Gods goodnesse now the corruption of our own nature maketh many needlesse questions Sathan hath two wayes to convey concupiscence either by his Pipes to play unto us pleasant notes or by his Glasse therein to shew us many allurements But after the Fall the Devill needed not to use his suggestion for behold all the imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart were only evill chap. 6. 5. Christ calleth these suggestions cogitationes ascendentes mounting and ambitious thoughts She saw three things which are three degrees and all the three are the second general degree The first degree of the seeing they doe call allubescentiam an entertaining of the luggestion and we call it here aspectum intuitum arboris the beholding of the outward shew of the tree The second degree of seeing is by beholding it to withdraw our asfection from the fear of God which we call 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 our turning our selves from God 3. Consâ—… sua cum delectatione The third degree I told you was called a consent with delight which is a further bair not only willingly but even wishly to behold the fruit and to look into the nature of the fruit This degree they call inspectum and contuitum vidit quod delectabile she seeth that which is delightfull to the sight and this is consensus intellectus a consent of the understanding as it is in Job 20. 13. when wickednesse was sweet in her mouth she hid it under her tongue and favoured it and would not for sake it but keep it close in her mouth 4. Morosa delectatio The fourth degree is beyond the third it is mora and morosa delectatio a lingring of the del ght this makes her dote on every circumstance on the beautie on the virtue of this tree Hereby when we have removed from us the thoughts of sinne sinne is resumed this is non inspectio sed introspectio she seeth knowledge not to be seen Hereby she seeth quod concupiscendum this degree is the hunger and thirst of sinne a burning desire to sinne wherein she seeth lignum delectabile and desiderabile that the tree is pleasant and to be desired to get knowledge 5. Consensus in actum The fift degree as I told you is called consensus in actum the consent to the act it self thinking with themselves If the beholding this tree be so pleasant having in it to the eye all varietie of pleasure what and how wonderfull delightfull will the taste thereof be surely it will be full of all pleasure and therefore I think it expedient to take thereof and I doe long to eat of the same this is the consent of reason ad opus malum to work wickednesse even with greedinesse and they doe call this last degree of sinne vidit aberrationem cordis a wandring astray of the heart See Prov. 20. 1. 6. Conatus In the sixt place comes the sixt degree which is conatus the endeavor to streatch our the hand and to apply our hand to the pulling of the fruit from the forbidden tree 7. Actus peccati In the seventh place comes the last degree which is the eating of the fruit the consummation of all even the sinne it self These seven degrees are compared to the seven degrees of 〈…〉 of a childe in the mothers bellie by the ancient Divines and that out of James 1. 15. where the Apostle saith When last hath conceived it briugeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death And indeed Eve by seeing was brought to bed of sin which was the first begotten of Sathan The Cavilists doe say of suggestion here of Sathan by his question that the suggestion is as
said ye shall not eate 〈◊〉 speaking of both And again in his second dixit he saith They shall not dye the death and their eyes shall be opened and they should be as Gods By his saying they their he meaneth not Eve alone but Adam also This plural dialect of the Serpent argueth that he tempeth both Eve Adam At what time the Serpent beginneth his temptation he beginneth with one not with both with the woman not with the man with the weaker with her that was but a rib of mans strength with one that is more credulous of his word than man to whom the commandement is delivered in a word he maketh her to fall who is lesse able to stand So that there were then but two sinners in the world the Serpent and the Woman Adam was still upright But here when Adam eateth of the forbidden fruit he maketh up the third sinner So that Sathan Eve and Adam are all sinners Sathan in the Serpent inticed the woman by his curious question in all subtilty to commit sin and indeed prophane and vain bablings they doe increase to more ungodlinesse 2 Tim. 2. 16. The Serpent when he hath plaid his part and made her eat he is gone But as the Sepent was the Devils instrument to tempt the woman so here the Devil instead of the Serpent will work the destruction of the Man by the Woman causing her to give the forbidden fruit unto him Sathan by the Serpent which was the most craftie and the most sabtle made his first assault And here he made his second assault upon Man per charissimam by her that was most dear unto him for in that he saith of her in chap. 2. 23. she is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of man that she weth his affection of his earnest love to her He useth subtilissimum and charissimum that which is most craftie and that which is most deare as his two instruments He tempteth the weaker and simpler by subtiltie the wiser by affection As I told you before he assaulteth the weaker Woman that was but a ribbe having the commandement but by tradition from her husband who had it from God himself and so here in his temptation of man he assaulteth the affection which is the weaker part of mans soul For S. Gregorie saith very well Quod est vir uxor in vinculo nuptiali idem est ratio affectio in vinculo naturali that which the man and his wife is in the bond of Marriage that is the reason and the affection in the bond of Nature reason is the stronger as the husband affection the weaker as the wife Sathan he knew well that such was the affection of Man to his wife that he reposeth such trust in her that he will not examine what she demandeth nor refuse what she offereth for the heart of her husband trusteth in her Prov 31. 11. he 〈◊〉 semitam animae suae the way of his soul and that way will he assault Adam In 2 King 3. 14. Elisha the Prophet not because of Jehoram King of Israel who was wicked but only that he regarded Jehosaphat King of Judah he would not have looked toward Jehoram nor seen him So the Serpent doth here deal with Adam Adam he would not have looked toward the Serpent nor toward the tree had it not been that he regarded the presence of Eve This is his means by the perswasion of the Woman to get his affection and that so Sathan may seize upon it But this is the counsell of Nahum chap. 7. 5. Trust not in a friend nor in a Counsellor keep the door of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosom There is neither trust in friend nor wife this is the mithridate for this poyson we are to beware of Domesticall servants and professed friends which do draw men to mischief more than sworn enemies wherefore follow the advise of our Saviour Matt. 18. 8 9. If thy foot or thy hand cause thee to offend cut them off if thine eye cause thee to off end pull it out better is it to goe into life halt and blinde than to goe with a sound body to Hell fire Cast from thee whatsoever is neer and deer unto thee even the wife of thy bosome rather than to be tormented in the everlasting flames of Hell fire The Devils resolution here is by the woman whom Sathan had enforced to assault man Perverting Gods Councel and purpose So he shall be sure first to pervert the councell of God Secondly the woman shall enter deeper into sinne by making man to sinne Thirdly that Sathan might be Master thereby of them both The disordering of Gods purpose is in this he hath made her for an help but Sathan maketh her an hindrance to obedience The wife should be beautifull as the Vine upon the sides of thy house Psal. 128. but she is become as the Ivie to destroy the tree whereby it groweth she giveth the fruit to Adam to choak him he giveth her to Adam as Saul gave his daughter Michal to David that she might be a snare unto him 1 Sam. 18. 21. He made her to him as Jezabell was to her husband Ahab who by her counsel sold himself to work wickednesse by her counsel he gave himself wholly to serve sinne 1 Kings 21. 25. But woe be to the man by whom offences comes Matth. 18. 7. 1. The womans deeper entrance to sinne It was one thing peccare to sinne and peccare facere to cause another to offend In that she took of the fruit and did eat her self she did sinne she gave to Adam she caused him to sinne and this is an aggravation of sin to make her sinne the more 2. The Devils gain and Adams losse Lastly is the Devils gain by the losse of Adams soul which standeth upon two parts the one is on Eves part and the other on Adams part Eve gave to her husband and Adam did eat For the former Eve after she had eat of the fruit she wiped her mouth and gave of the fruit to Adam like the adulterous woman in Prov. 30. 20. that eateth and wipeth her mouth and saith I have not committed iniquity after she hath satisfied her own desire she maketh as though she had not offended When she had sucked the gall of Aspes and when the Vipers tongue had slain her Job 20. 16. she then wipes her mouth as though there were nor death nor danger in the same and having eaten her self she giveth to her Husband to eat also Evill did Sathan doe and knew it to be so Eve she had after the fall flattering inticements in her mouth her words were as oyle but the end of her speeches was bitter as wormwood her feet goe down to death and her steps goe down to Hell Prov. 5. 4.5 But yet Eve here thought she had done well Sinnes bringeth forth sin You
But here on the contrarie part Adam exalted himself he became even disobedient unto the death the everlasting death of body and soul could not withhold him The motive to sinne was small and 〈◊〉 the retentive was great and terrible 4 The manner The fourth circumstance is the manner of sinne It was citò factum soon committed Peters denyall was ad vocem ancillulae at the 〈◊〉 of a sillie made Adams transgression was without delay at the voice of his wife 5. The Place The fifth circumstance is of the place It was in Paradise that he was polluted But though Lucifer were the most glorious in the Heavens yet for his pride God sent him headlong from the Heavens Man was Monarch of the earth all in Paradise were at his command yet for his disobedience God sent him out of Paradise 6. The Time The sixt circumstance is of the time He was servent in obedience in the beginning but he continued not therein many dayes time as a file filed away his righteousnesse he sell in the beginning 7. The Punishment The seventh circumstance is of some notable hurt aliquod damnum that should come to man by his disobedience whereby both God and man are damnified It before while he was righteous he were in the image of God for in the likenesse of God was Adam made chap. 5. 1 then surely by mans disobedience Gods Image in man was defaced Adam who was now unrighteous was no more like God who was only righteous and 〈◊〉 of Wisdome but Adam as David speaks Psal. 73. 22. was foolish and ignorant he was even as a beast before God and his sinne was not only his own confusion but the ruine of us all of all mankinde It is Christ Jesus that will make our sinnes and iniquities to be no more remembred Heb. 10. 17. It was the transgression of Adam that brought grave jugum super 〈◊〉 a grievous burthen to all the world from this sinne came all sinnes hence came the heap of all evill The Fathers say that Omnia 〈◊〉 sunt appendices 〈◊〉 all misehief doth depend upon this disobedience of Adam and they say that because this is the greatest sinne it deserveth the greatest punishment The ancient Divines consider a difference in Eves sinne and in Adams sinne Eve she sinned in three respects First In hearing Gods name reproachfully blasphemed Secondly In that she heard this blasphemie not from the mouth of an Angell of light but from a paultry and abject Worm And lastly In that she became scandalum a means to slander God and seduce Man Adams sinne is seen in three other respects First The man was stronger and yet he was seduced by the weaker Secondly Man was made as the womans head and therefore when he heard her say she had eaten when he did see her offer him of the forbidden fruit it was his part to have reproved her Thirdly the root of nature was in him not in her yet the corruption of all came by Eve unto Adam and from both to us all which hearing the words of the Serpent and the Woman which seeing the pleasant fruit which eating of the forbidden tree did bring the punishment and death of body and soul to all men living The Remedy But the remedy for this so vile and 〈◊〉 a sinne and the redresse of this punishment is by the promised seed our Saviour Christ born of a Woman It was our Saviour that for the flattering 〈◊〉 of Adam heard all reproaches Adam beheld the fruit which was pleasant in his eyes Christ he was buffetted about the eyes Adam took the tree in his hand Christ was fastned to the tree for the stretching out of Adams hands to take of the fruit his hands were stretehed out and nailed upon the crosse Adams eating of this pleasant fruit was 〈◊〉 by his eating of bitter gall and sharp Vinegar according to that Psal. 69. 21. They gave him gall in his meat and in his thirst they gave him vinegar to drink Man had his side pearced but Christ had his heart opened All these things did God doe to deliver us out of that miserie whereinto by Adams sinne Mankinde had fallen who shall deliver me from the body of this death but God through Jesus Christ. In Ezechiel 3. 3. they that shall eat the roll that God shall give them it shall be in the mouth as honie In beleeving Christs name we shall have life John 20. 31. If then we eat of the forbidden tree eat not of the promise which we have in Christ we shall dye the death both body and soul shall be tormented We must not say Quid mihi tecum Christe Christ what have I to doe with thee but we must receive him that is our Redeemer In the 〈◊〉 we must therein eat of the bread which is his body Mat. 26. 26. who brake the bread in his Supper and offred his body on the Cross Christ through suffering death tasted death for all men that through affliction the Prince of our salvation might be consecrated Heb. 2. 10. And by our faith in him death shall be to us but as the tasting of the poyson which death shall not swallow up our soul though our body dye our soul shal live for ever But the sinners that eat of the tree that commit wickedness if they repent not shal be cast into endless afflictions As by Adam we all eat of the forbidden tree in the mid'st of the Garden in the beginning of the bible so by Christ the blessed shall eat of the tree of life in the mi'dst of the heavenly Paradise wherein there are twelve manner of fruits and the leavs thereof doe serve to heal all the Nations of the Earth Rev. 22. 2. The leaves of this tree in the end of the Bible will serve for medicine here in this life but after this life ended this tree of life shall fill us all with 〈◊〉 joy and glorie everlasting Which God of his infinite mercy grant c. Amen Tunc aperuerunt sese oculi amborum noveruntque se nudos esse consutis foliis ficulneis fecerunt sibi subligacula Gen 3. 7. January 25. 1591. THE opening the eys of our first Parents by which they saw that they were made naked which was the former part was sent from God that they seeing that sin which was against God was a losse of their glory which is called bonum utile and that instead thereof brought unto them nakednesse shame and confusion which was against bonum honestum and also that it did cast them into that distresse and anguish of minde that they could not tell what to doe or finde to cover their shame but figg leaves which was against bonum jucundum which opening of the eyes comming from God was to this end that by seeing this they might return to their own hearts Esay 46. 8. and enquire as Esay willeth them 5. 19. wherefore they had done this and transgressed Gods
recoverie and amendment But for him that was so indurate in malice that to his power exalting himself to be like God added this malicious and envious seeking of the fall of others there was no hope either of pardon from God or of amendment in him for when Christ came into the world he said to Christ Quid nobis tibi there was no hope of him being in the state of a Rebell and so the seeking of the examination and tryall of him as of the other would not avail Now to the first part that is the Reason In which we are to consider this Why God begins not absolutely Maledictus es but Maledictus quia and so renders a reason why he is accursed so executes the sentence though not judicially according to course of Law yet justly that the mouth of all the world might be stopped and that the infernall spirits themselves might be enforced to acknowledge that the Lord is righteous and his judgements just Psal. 119. 137. That the judgement is just though the tryall hold not the reason is quia fecisti hoc he was the doer of that and was the contriver of the platform of that act and therefore God begins with him wherein as the ancient Fathers note God would have us to observe two senses first the sense of the emphasis and the second of difference For the emphasis Gods meaning is because thou hast done this quia fecisti hoc that is that thou hast overthrown Man for whom all things were created and consequently so much as in thee lay hast sought to overthrow my determinate Councell and to bring to naught all that I have made therefore thou art cursed for doing this Then for as much as we see this emphasis of Heaven and Earth it should make us consider the greatnesse of sinne which moved the son of God not only to take our flesh but to shed his blood also even for this hoc That men would remember when they sin that they are about a hoc that brought all the curses which followed after that therefore they should not make a light accompt of it reckoning it a small matter but to reckon of sinne as God quare 〈◊〉 hoc And as it serves by way of vehemencie to aggravate the offence of the offence so it serveth for distinction As if God should say another thing Thou hast done but because thou hast done this therefore the sentence is come upon thee Thou thoughtest in thy self to make thy self equall with God Isay 14. and because thou hast done that that is come upon thee which Christ saith Matth. 25. Ever lasting fire is prepared for thee But now because thou wast not content with that but hast mingled poyson whereby thou hast venomed and poysoned others because thou hast been an homicide for that is his second fault John 8. 44. there is thy punishment for doing this Now we see the ground of Gods proceeding with him The sentence in it self consists of four parts which we reduce to these two one concerns himself the other us That which respects him is in this verse that which concerns us is in the next The first is threefold First That he is cursed above all Cattel and above all the Beasts of the field Secondly That he shall goe and creep upon his belly Thirdly He shall eat the dust of the Earth Wherein as in the beginning generally so here in special you are to consider the Analogie of every part of his punishment First then he is maledictus and the reason is quia maledixerat maledictio doth in justice befall him quia loquutus est malè as you may see in the five verses before not that God had done it but it came of himself for he had defamed God speaking evill of God great reason it is then that evill speech should befall him So there is an equality between the Devils sinne and his punishment Now in regard of the second which is in the 15. verse That he should goe upon his bellie for as much as he doth take upon him to exalt himself Isay 14. And for that he tells Eve If yee eat of it eritis sicut Dii therefore he is cast down the proportion to him that will flie is by the contrary to creep not to goe on his leggs but on his bellie So the Serpent because he would flie up into the highest place is made to creep on his bellie So the second part of the Sentence stands with equity As also the third for his temptation was that they should eat of the forbidden fruit now cibi prohibita poena is that he that lusts after that he should not eat shall be forced to eat that he would not as Augustine saith In Psal. 106. they that long for meat which they ought not to desire shall be punished with eating that which their soul most abhorreth that is for the equity kept in the three branches of this Sentence Concerning the Serpent himself In the first branch which is thou art cursed are two points very necessary to be considered First That God saith Maledictus es and not Maledictus sis for thereby God plainly sheweth that it comes not from him but from the Serpent for then he would have said Maledictus sis but it is Maledictus es shewing that the Serpents curse comes from himself So all the curses miseries and calamities of this world and torments of the world to come proceed not from him but from himself as Job calls them sparks Job 5. 7. So they are the very sparks of the fire of concupiscence of sinne that is kindled in us as also the Prophet saith the fruit and crop of that seed of sinne is calamitie and miserie Hos. 10. 13. which was is and ever shall be the fruit of it therefore called the Revenues of sinne Prov. 12. 16. and the wages of sinne Rom. 6. that is there was an evill in him first to speak evill of that partie in whom was noe evill and so malum ad se malum trahit one evil brings another the Serpents evil speaking is the cause that evill is spoken of him for that is it that makes the difference as Pro. 26. 2. there is a curse that is causlesse and that shall return upon himself as Shemeis curse against David 2 Sam. 16. So should the curse of Balaam if he had cursed the People of God but he was wiser and said How shall I cursewhere the Lord blesseth but it is otherwise when Noah a just man 〈◊〉 Canaan Gen. 9. And when Elisha cursed the Children that called him baldhead 2 Reg. 24. they were cursed indeed for when it is a just curse and hath root in 〈◊〉 es then it takes place for we see there was a maledictio in those persons whom Noah and Elisha cursed they had spoken evill before and therefore evill is spoken of them for one evill is a loadstone or jet stone to draw another evill It is that which Jerome notes upon 1
his wife The second is his eating Inordinate Consent Touching the first The giving eare to the voyce of his wife it is nothing unlesse it bee accompanied with another circumstance hee may heare the voyce of his wife if shee speak that is reason and so the superior may heare the voice of the inferior In the second of the Kings the fift chapter and thirteenth verse the Master must hear the voyce of the Servant in reason If the Prophet saith Naamans servant to Naaman had commanded thee a great thing wouldst thou not have done it how much rather when hee saith to thee but this Wash and be cleane and there Naaman heard the voyce of his servant so that licet audire vocem 〈◊〉 the words of reason are to be heard from our Inferiour be it Wife Child or Servant for reason ruleth all out of the mouth of whomsoever it commeth but we must not hear words noysome and of wicked desire but when they are brutish senseless and of foolish desire we must not hear them but above all not words contrary to Gods word for vox dei praecipiens commanded him not to eat vox uxor is disuadens perswaded the contrary yet he heard the voice rather of his Wife than of God so the fault is disobedience to God which is not alone but is accompanied with another fault called Ignavia negligence carelesness not regarding Gods Commandement This laying the bridle carelesly on the neck is to be subject to her voice that was subject to him and by such negligence was drawn to transgression the 〈◊〉 act It was no excuse to Joab that he had Davids letters to murther Urias as it is 2 Sam. 11. 14. nor Solomons Idolatry was not to be excused because he was perswaded thereunto by his Wives It is a great offence non contristari mortiferas delitias not to be sorry for deadly delight The pleasing voice of Eve was no excuse to Adams breach of Gods Commandements 2. The disordered Act. The other branch is the disordered act of Adam which is a second degree of sinne for to have heard the voice of his Wife and there to have stayed and not to have sinned had been worthy commendation to have remembred the voice of God and not regarded the voice of Eve had been commendable before he heareth the voice of God but here he obeyeth the voice of Eve Out of this act of sinne the Fathers gather two Circumstances the first is that the voice of God might easily have been obeyed Of all the trees in the Garden thou maist eat de illâ arbore of that one tree alone thou shalt not eat in such plenty one might have been forborn so that great was the disobedience when so small a matter commanded by God was not obeyed by Man according to that of St. Austin upon this place Magna est iniquitas ubi non magna obediendi difficultas here is great ingratitude not to for bear this one having all other in aboundance The Second Circumstance in this act of sin is to doe it though charge were given before to the contrary with pain of death in the 17. of the former Chapter It was otherwise with Paul 2 Cor. 15. he remembreth their obedience to be with fear and trembling Not death shall separate Paul from his obedience but Adam was disobedient though death were denounced disobedient to death so that the aggravating the act is the contempt of Gods denouncing of death and punishment So much may suffice of the Fault The Punishment or Penaltie Now touching the Punishment Cursed is the earth for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the dayes of thy life c. I consider this Punishment of Adam after two sorts either as a Sentence or as a Law Now we will speak of it only as a Sentence hereafter by Gods patience we will handle the other as a Law Herein we will consider the proportion of that Fault with the Punishment with the Fault and with the Act it self In the Sentence are two Punishments The first cursed be the earth for thy sake c. The second in the sweat of labour shalt thou eat thy bread till thou return to dust for dust thou art and to it shalt thou return The one part of the Punishment is a hard life the other a corruption by death In Proportion As Eves so Adams punishment is in proportion First his desire was unlawfull and the Act was sin for according to 1. of St. James 15. When lust conceiveth it bringeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Eves lust made her sinne and she was punished Adams neglect to suffer an Inferiour to prevail against God is punished with labour for labour is poena ignaviae and Mans ingratitude to God is punishment with the Earths ingratitude to Man he was disobedient the earth shall be unfruitfull he offended in meat and he is punished in his meat the earth that should feed him is cursed for him he offended in unkindness active he is punished with unkindness passive he dealt unkindly with God he shall suffer the earths unkindness Eve her punishment was in bringing forth life Mans is in bringing forth living to maintain and nourish life which is a great difficulty both have their pain labour and sorrow Hers is in intension great but for a few houres his is great in extension to indure all the dayes of his life And so much generally of the Punishment In his meat Now in particular the first part of mans Punishment is in his meat Men must needs have whereof to eate for life without living and maintenance will not be preserved there is not only a bringing forth of Children but there are also curae oeconomicae houshould cares meat and cloathing must of necessity be had according to that of the Wise man Preacher 6. 7. all the labour of man is for his mouth and the 16. of the Proverbs and the 26. is to like purpose he must eat and the hearb of the field must be his meat fuell must maintain the fire and meat must maintain life Adam came of the earth and must live by the earth the earth that was his Mother must be his Nurse and from thence mankinde must be maintained even all the meanest and the Monarch for as it is Preacher 5. 8. the aboundance of the earth is over all the King consisteth by the field that is tilled The hearb of the field bread was the only sustenance of the Patriarchs before the Flood but after the waters had taken away by over much moisture the strength that was in hearbs and bread God gave them then other meats drinks of strength in the 9. Chapter of this Book 20. Noah planted Vineyards and drunk the wine thereof But that Adam is here to 〈◊〉 is the hearb of the field and the bread of his own labour These two wereable to strengthen mans hart as it is said
must be by an excrement bread is the interest of thy continuall labour this is the yoke of the sins of Adam God in punishing the Israelites will remember the land which he gave them Leviticus 26. 42. and they must suffer the punishment of their iniquitie yea when you shall remember your own wickedness yee shall judge your selves worthy destruction for your iniquitie in the thirty sixth of Ezekiel and the thirty first Paul in the first of the Corinthians the ninth and the fifteenth saith it were better for him to die than not to doe his duty The use of the Scripture Now this sentence upon Adam hath this use for us spinae tribuli the thorns and thistles when we walk in the field speak to us as Gods book doth and make us a Sermon telling they should not have grown there but for us the earth should not have been cursed with barreness but for our wickedness if the thorn prick or the nettle sting thee it will say hoc propter te I was first brought and still I grow to make thee remember thy obedience so that the very nettle that is good for nothing shall put thee in mind of thy 〈◊〉 Be not angrie with the earth if it be barren for it will say it was so non propter se sed propter te To conclude this point well saith a Father we must have not only sensum poenae in corpore the feeling of punishment in our body but sensum irae divinae in mente the seeling of Gods wrath in our soul. But now not to leave you plunged in despair with consideration of grievous punishment in a word I will touch the alay of this punishment be comforted though God be just yet he is mercifull non est Crux sine Christo hast thou a Cross then hast thou Christ to comfort thee Mercies in this Sentence are five God hath left five signes of his mercie in this sentence which the ancient Fathers term vestigia miserantis gratiae impressions of Gods mercifull favour 1. The first is non dixit maledictus tu cursed be thou as he said to the Serpent but terra maledicta cursed be the earth the nature that sinned is not cursed nor is it like Cains curse in the fourth Chapter and eleventh verse for there is he cursed from the earth but here the earth of which Adam was made not Adam himself was cursed 2. Secondly he is punished but with a little labour to his great sinne with a watry drops of sweat and the sweat is but an easie sweat of the face not like Christs sweat in his prayer the twenty second of Luke the fourty fourth verse which was like drops of blood trickling down to the ground 3. Thirdly God might have suffered the earth to have been fruitless let man have laboured never so much but that man for all his sinne yet with his labour shall make the earth fruitfull in my opinion is a great mercy which I ground out of the one hundred twenty eighth Psalme when thou eatest the labour of thy hands saith David thou shalt be blessed It is a blessing when the Wife is fruitfull as the Vine upon the house side when thy Children are as the Olive plants about thy Table and it is a blessing that yet with labour the earth shall bring forth fruit It is a comfort that your labour shall not be in vain as St. Paul speaketh the first to the Corinthians the fifteenth and the fifty eighth God in mercy sendeth rain to water the earth what to doe Isaiah telleth you in his 55. chapter and 10. verse to give not only bread to the eater but even seed to the sower It is a comfort when we sowe that we shall reap he that soweth eareth reapeth thresheth doth it in hope the first to the Corinthians the ninth chapter and tenth verse God giveth bread to the hungry and the seed to further increase by labour dat acquisitum that thou hast gained through thy labor 4. Fourthly it is a great mercie to call it panis taus thy bread thou shalt eat of thy own bread this is mercy I say to terme that mans which is Gods Lastly this labour hath a date and an end it hath tempus refrigerii upon the amending your lives God will put away your sinnes and a time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Acts 3. 19. Let this be lastly your comfort that though you labour long yet you shall have a resting after your labour In sudore vultûs tui vescitor cibo donec revertaris in human cum ex eâ desumptus fueris nam pulvis es inpulverem revertêris Gen. 3. 19. October 〈◊〉 1598. NOw are we to handle the other part of Adams Sentence and punishment The ground and nature of the Sentence and in the Sentence we are to consider the ground of it and the nature or form of it Disobedience is the ground of this sentence and this Sentence is made even a Law for according to that of Paul Romans 6. 2. The Law of life which is in Christ Jesus hath freed me from the Law of sinne and of death so that sinne is the cause of death Hence sprung the Pelagian heresie condemned by the Councell of Carthage Concil Carth. 7. That said that though we sinned yet we were freed though we lived never so dissolutely yet we were saved After Christs comming death was not the reward of sinne but mark what St. James in his first chapter and thirteenth verse saith When lust hath conceived it 〈◊〉 forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death and St. Paul in the fifth to the Romans the nineteenth and the twenty first saith Death That as by one mans disohedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many were made righteous and further That as sinne reigned unto death so grace by righteousnese might reign to eternall life Truth it is that through sin came death and that death hath rule over all Adam at the first by sinne brought death the last Adam by obedience brought everlasting life and as Paul in the first to the Corinthians the fifteenth chapter and the twenty sixth verse saith That the last enemie that Christ should destroy was death for as it is in the same chapter As in Adam all die so in Christ all shall be made alive and the very wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternall life saith Paul in the sixth to the Romans and the twenty third verse The nature and form of sinne Touching the nature and form of the sinne God is not cause of sinne God is not the agent in sinne but the cause of sinne is only from Adam himself And according to that of the Wise man in his first chapter and thirteenth verse Adam and sin cause of death God hath not made death neither hath he pleasure in the
verse Fourthly he breaks the bond of nature for the party murthered is his brother and so he becommeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Romans the first chapter Fiftly he feares not to kill him though he know it will be to the great grief of Adam and Eve his Parents wherein he deals worle than Esau who would not utter his hatred against Jacob till the dayes of mourning for his Father were past Genesis the twenty seventh chapter Sixtly it was not done ex irae impetu but ex odii habitu and against such the Prophet prayeth be not mercifull to such as sinne of malicious wickedness psalm the fifty ninth Seventhly his hatred was not open Cloaked hatred under colour of friendship but cloaked and hidden under a shew of love which makes it more grievous It was not mine enemie that did me this dishonour for then I could have born it It was not mine adversary that exalted himself against me for I would have hid my self but it was thou my companion my guid and familiar friend therefore let death seiz upon him Psalm the fifty fifth and the twelfth thirteenth and fifteenth verses Eighthly this sinne is committed after Gods admonition who had uied all means to draw him to repentance Ninthly not only being admonished but seeing his Father made an example of Gods wrath whom he saw daily labouring and moyling in the earth for his disobedience to God Tenthly that which makes Cains sinne out of reason sinfull Romans the seventh is the cause not for any offence that Abel had committed but for doing his duty in Gods service as the Apostle noteth in the first epistle of John the third chapter and the twelfth verse Wherefore slew he him because his own works were evil and his brothers good Cain Patriarch of hypocrites and persecutors of the Godly As before he was the Patriarch of all hypocrites so here Cain is the Patriarch of all persecuting Tyrants for that he slew his brother for no other cause but for well doing and for this good sacrifice whereby he pleased God Abel the first righteous Martyr And as Abel is said to be the first of all righteous men Matthew the twenty third chapter and the twenty fifth verse so here we see him the first Martyr wherein we see the works of the Devill who is a mutherer from the beginning John the eighth chapter and the fourty fourth verse Anger conceived hatred is murther of the soul. for he did not only murther our first 〈◊〉 in Paradise but he makes Cain a mutherer first of his own soul by conceiving hatred against his brother and purposing his death and then by killing the body of his brother Envy the meanes As this is the effect of the Devill so he makes the sinne of envy the means of which sinne the Wise-man saith Proverbs the twenty seventh chapter and the fourth verse Who can stand before envy there is no way but death with them that are envyed Examples The Bretheren of Joseph were content with nothing but the death of their brother but that two of them did withstand it Genesis the thirty seventh chapter It was envy that made the Scribes and Pharisees crucifie Christ Matthew the twenty seventh chapter Of hatred 〈◊〉 murther We see how Cain proceeded against his brother from envie to anger from anger to hatred and from it to murther these degrees must be observed Note that we may avoid them in our selves because there is no man but may sall as well as Cain except the grace of God doe stay him To conclude It is a necessary point that we consider aright of of this matter for the Prophet complaineth in the fifty seventh chapter of Isaiah and the first verse The righteous perisheth and no man considereth it So it is a fault if we do not consider the death of righteous Abel The Wiseman complaineth in the seventh chapter of Ecclesiastes and the seventeenth verse In the dayes of my vanity I have seen a good man punished in his justice and a wicked man continue longer in his malice This was Abel's case but when a man shall consider that death was at the first inflicted upon sinne because it is the wages of sin Romans the sixt chapter and the last verse and that 〈◊〉 is the means by which death entred into the world Romans the fift chapter and yet that Abel a righteous man is the first that drank of this Cup in the old Testament as John Baptist was in the new it will make him say Hoc est onus Jehovae as it is in the twenty third chapter of Jeremiah and the thirty fourth verse and hic est durus sermo John the sixt chapter The Apostle saith Godlinesse hath promises both in this life and the life to come in the first epistle to Timothie the fourth chapter and the eighth verse and among the promises of this life long life is one in the sixt chapter to the Ephesians and the third verse which God promiseth to them that honour their Superiors On the other side God threatneth that the blood thirsty and deceitfull man shall not live out half his dayes Psalm the fifty fift And yet Cain lived long and Abel a godly man dyed soon Therefore when we see the righteous dye quickly and the wicked live long we must take heed we stumble not at Gods doings but justifie God and acknowledge that he is just and true and every man a lyar Psalm the fifty first Romans the third chapter Therefore to make this point plain it is true long life is promised as a blessing of God which he promiseth to the observers of his command but withall we must know there are certain causes wherein this rule holdeth not true that the dutifull and holy man shall live long in this world The exceptions are First in respect of the parties themselves to whom this blessing is promised It is with a Godly man as with the fruit of trees if after it is once ripe it besuffered to continue on the trees it will be rotten so it is with good men in this world And therefore the Wiseman saith of Enoch that because he lived amongst sinners God translated him and he took him away least wickednesse should alter his understanding and deceit beguile his minde Sapi. the fourth chapter In such a case it is not a benefit but a detriment for a man to live long And there is no man but in such a respect will be content that God shall break promise with him Secondly Another exception is in respect of the punishment of sinne If a party that pleaseth God should by living long become miserable he would not think long life a blessing and therefore God in mercy took away good Josiah that he should not see the miseries that were to come upon the Jews by the captivitie in the second booke of Chronicles and the thirty fourth chapter this favour he vouchsafed to that godly King
the furnace and cast them up in the 〈◊〉 and they caused a stink And David in his sicknesse saith Psalm the thirty second His moisture was like the draught in Summer Therefore in the plague of Leprosie Leviticus the thirteenth chapter and the fourty fift verse the Leper was to have his mouth shut up David in that great 〈◊〉 spoken of in the first book of Chronicles the twenty first chapter and the thirtieth verse would have gone to 〈◊〉 but be found he should not feared with the Angel Therefore the servant of God saith Proverbs the fourteenth chapter A wise man 〈◊〉 the plague and shunneth it but the foolish goeth on still But these are not the only causes For besides 〈◊〉 there is some divine thing to be considered for there is no 〈◊〉 but a spirit belongs to it as Luke the thirteenth chapter and the eleventh verse a spirit of infirmity So are we to conceive that besides natural causes there is some spiritual of the sicknesse as 〈…〉 twelfth chapter a destroying Angel So in Davids plague in the second book of Samuel the twenty fourth chapter And 〈◊〉 the thirty seventh chapter and the thirty sixt verse the Angel went forth and slue And Apocalyps the sixteenth chapter and the 〈◊〉 verse The Angels poured out the Vials of the wrath of God and there fell a noysome sore So it is Gods hand that brings in these plagues The cause stands on two parts First Gods wrath 〈◊〉 which all evil things proceed For affliction commeth not from the earth Job the fift chapter and the sixt verse They are sparks of his anger And he is not angry with the waters that they should drown 〈◊〉 the third chapter nor with the aire that it should corrupt but for these things commeth the wrath of God that is for our sinnes 〈◊〉 the fift chapter He doth but make a way to his wrath and then the earth 〈◊〉 up the 〈…〉 Psalm the seventy eighth The sinnes of the people are the cause of Gods wrath Peccata morum goe before peccata humorum There is first corruption of the soul Michah 〈◊〉 first chapter and the third verse All flesh had corrupted their 〈◊〉 Genesis the sixt chapter So there is infection in mens wayes before the streets be infected There is plaga animae the plague in the soul before it appear in the body It is sinne that bringeth sicknesse and death Romans the sixt chapter So they are both joyned Psalm the thirty eighth and the third verse There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne Therefore it is our sinne and infection of the soul that must be looked into If it were some outward cause only it could not be but the plague should stay 〈◊〉 there is so great store of means Jeremiah the eighth chapter Is there no balme in Gilead But he saith Jeremiah the fourty sixt chapter and the eleventh verse Frustra multiplicas medicanda sinne being not taken away physick will doe 〈◊〉 good First the corruption of manners must be holpen and then bodily help will follow Psalm the fourty first Heal my soul for I have sinned against thee And that course our Saviour keeps Matthew the ninth chapter first he saith Thy sinne is forgiven and then Take up thy bed and walk These sinnes he calls inventions Inventions please us greatly and all new things our new omnia better than old Manna Numbers the eleventh chapter But if it be our own inventions then we goe a whoring after it Such is the delight we take in it verse the thirty ninth Our first Parents were of this minde so proud they would not take a rule of life from God but would sicut Dii Genesis the third chapter They set up to themselves graven Images Exodus the 〈◊〉 chapter They have Dii alieni such as their Fathers had Not when men living otherwise then God 〈…〉 I shall have peace Deuteromie the twenty ninth chapter and the 〈◊〉 verse These webbs that we weave our selves and these eggs that we hatch Isaiah the fifty ninth chapter are our confusion and 〈◊〉 God and great reason For Exodus the fifteenth chapter and the twenty sixt verse he saith If thou 〈…〉 to my 〈◊〉 I will lay no disease Ego Dominus 〈◊〉 But if we follow our own inventions we can look for nothing but diseases quid tibi praecipio haec 〈…〉 Deuteronomie the twelfth chapter 〈◊〉 men will be 〈◊〉 than 〈◊〉 that was Sauls rebellion he would not destroy all as God commanded he was wiser than so But what were these inventions It is said verse the twenty eighth They joyned themselves to Baal 〈◊〉 Numbers the twenty fift chapter that is the sinne of whoring and fornication and that impudently before the congregation committed by Zimry and Cosby It was the adoring of an abhominable Idoll a sinne so grievous as it is said many years after 〈◊〉 not enough of the sinne of Peor Joshuah the twenty second chapter it is a sinne that will not be cleansed at the first And we see daily the sinne of uncleannesse ends with a plague that is infectious For the Cure It is certain As there are natural causes so natural cures of this Diseise 〈◊〉 as some Writers doe hold had this Disease and used not only prayer but a plaister by the Prophets direction Isaiah the fifty eighth chapter But as the cause of the plague is not only natural so here is used a spiritual remedy that is in as much as contrary curantur contrariis viis If the provoking of Gods anger be the Cause of the plague the appeasing of it by prayer must be the Remedy The two remedies are out of the double sense of the word which signifieth prayer and punishing Prayer is an appeaser of Gods wrath not only in other points but in this Numbers the twenty fift chapter They all wept and prayed And David in the second book of Samuel the twenty fourth chapter and the seventeenth verse fled to this remedy I have sinned but these sheep what have they done And Hezekiah being infected with the plague turned himself to the wall Isaiah the thirty eighth chapter And in Salomons prayer the first of the Kings and the eighth chapter where plagues or corrupt agues shall hop here then in heaven And there is a good proportion between this remedy and the disease For if there be a corrupt smell the way to take it away is by the good smell of incense or perfume So as our sinne doth give an evil savour and stink in Gods nostrils so the spiritual incense will remove it and that incense is prayer Psalm the fourty first Therefore the prayers of the Saints are called odours Apocalyps the fift chapter But it must be prayer qualified in two sorts First Phinehas prayer that is the prayer of the Priest So David had Gad to pray for him Hezekiah had Isaiah Lift thou up thy prayer Isaiah the thirty eighth chapter The Corinthians had Gad to pray for them the
considered that considering how God hath plagued them in the Devil we should beware that we fall not into the like sinnes Touching the Curse of God As it is the first so the greatest part of this Sentence And is a punishment most fearfull for all men doe abhorre to be cursed and to incurre the displeasure of a man much more of God whose word is his deed so that he no sooner speaks but it is done Jacob was loth to doe any thing to deceive his Father because so saith he I shall bring a curse upon me and not a blessing Genesis the twenty seventh chapter Indeed as the Wise-man speaks the curse that is causelesse and proceeds from foolish people shall not light upon a man Proverbs the twenty sixt chapter and the second verse But if a godly man such as Jacob and Isaac were doe curse it shall not fail but come to passe Much more shall the curse of God take effect for it shall come into a mans bowels like water and like oyle into his bones Psalm the hundred and ninth the seventeenth verse For the meaning of this Curse the Holy Gohst hath set down a large commentary in 〈◊〉 the twenty eighth chapter and in Leviticus the twenty sixt chapter and the Prophet saith Gods curse is a flying book twenty cubits long and ten cubits braad containing the curse that gotth over the whole earth 〈◊〉 the fift chapter and the third verse It is a book written within and without with lamentations mournings and woes Ezekiel the second chapter By these places it appeareth how large Gods Curse is in respect of this life But if with this we joyn that which Christ addeth concerning the life to come that is everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels Matthew the twenty fift chapter his curse will appear to be farre more large Secondly There is no malediction but in regard of some evill The evill that procured this curse unto the Devill was the evill of his malice which he shewed not only in speaking evill of God but in seeking to destroy man both in body and soul And his malice appears herein because he did those things being not provoked thereunto and for that he did it without any 〈◊〉 to himself As the Devill is malicious so are all they that are of that evill one Cain had no other cause to hate his Brother and to slay him but because his works were righteous and his own evill in the first epistle of John the third chapter and the twelfth verse The 〈◊〉 persecuted Christ not for any evill that they found in him worthy of death but only of envy Mark the fifteenth chapter and the tenth verse Thus to sinne of malice is a thing so displeasing unto God as albeit he did in mercy forgive men when they sinned through frailty yet he will punish their own inventions Psalm the ninty ninth and the eighth verse and therefore against such the Prophet prayeth Be not mercifull to those that offend of malicious wickednesse Psalm the fifty ninth and the fifth verse But consume them utterly in thy wrath that they may perish verse the thirteenth Where the Lord saith Cursed art thou and not be thou he sheweth that the curse commeth not from God but from the Devils malice and so whatsoever misery betideth us it is nothing else but the sparkles of our own sinnes Job the fift chapter and the ninth verse and as the Psalmist saith They are the dreggs of Gods wrath Psalm the seventy fift for as the Prophet speakes Wee our 〈◊〉 batch the 〈◊〉 egge that is sinne and the Serpent that is bred of this egge is the curse of God inflicted upon us both in this life and the life to come We doe first by sinne as it were cast the seed and the crop that we 〈◊〉 is all manner of misery and calamity Isaiah the fifty ninth chapter and in Justice God doth reward us thus for the wages of sinne is not only punishment with sicknesse povertie and such like in this world but hereafter with eternall death and destruction both of body and soul Romans the sixth chapter the twenty third verse In that God speaks by way of comparison Cursed art thou 〈◊〉 all beasts he doth not drop a curse upon the Serpent but as Daniel speaks the curse is 〈◊〉 upon him Daniel the ninth chapter and the eleventh verse And that this curse was verified in the visible Serpent appears hereby that not only Men but even all beasts doe shun the Serpent as a Creature principally accursed of God much more it is true in the invisible Serpent the 〈◊〉 for not only the godly but even the wicked that are of their Father the Devill 〈…〉 stick to curse him The visible Serpent being an unreasonable creature could not be so malicious But the invisible Serpent the more policie he hath the more pernitious and hurtfull he is 〈◊〉 he is so malicious that as he himself is fallen from his first estate and hath plunged himself in the bottom of Hell so he laboureth to bring all men into the same estate therefore thus was his malice rewarded Now to the two other branches of this Sentence where we shall finde two 〈◊〉 punishments for two sorts of sinnes for pride must have a 〈◊〉 and lust must loath and we shall see that they are both rewarded accordingly as Salomon saith That Pride goeth before dejection Proverbs the sixteenth chapter and the eighth verse So the Devil having 〈◊〉 himself must be thrown down to creep upon the ground for it is great equity that he that would fly should creep And as it was meet that glory should end in shame Philippians the third chapter so is it as meet that God should punish inordinate last with loathsomnesse And this is the course of Gods Justice as the Wise-man saith in Proverbs the twentieth chapter and the seventeenth verse The bread that is gotten by deceipt is sweet but at the last it will fill the mouth with gravel All the sinnes of the world may he reduced to these two that is The desire of greater glory than God hath appointed to us And of greater pleasure than is lawfull for us First we are to inquire How the first of these two punishments is verified in the visible Serpent for we know that all Creatures saving Man are dejected and creep as it were upon their belly and as one saith 〈◊〉 their breast between their feet only man being lift up with his countenance is taught not to set his minde upon earth but to meditate upon heavenly things But as Jonathan went of all four when he climbed up to the rock upon his hands and feet the first book of Samuel the fourteenth chapter and the thirteenth verse so doth man somtime grovel and creep upon earth when he is earthly minded But the difference that is between the Serpent and other beasts is this The Serpent having no legs lyeth flat upon his belly and is therefore
said was death and deadly poyson 2 Reg. 1. 39,40 is medicinable with us and commonly used in purgations so is Vipers flesh c. But we stand not on this but though they were not good for to shew Gods mercy and love to the Godly yet they are good to shew his justice and wrath to the wicked Esay 10. 5. there are none but will say that rods are good and necessary in a school so are these things good to punish the wicked in the world Joel 2. 25. So that if there were nothing but this which David confesseth Psal. 119. 67. Before I was troubled I went wrong but now I keep thy Law therefore it was good for me that I have been introuble c. It were enough to prove them to be good because these Armies and Hosts of Gods displeasure doe bring us to goodnesse Joel 2. 25. But now for germinabit tibi spinas Gen. 3. 18. that is for thy finne and because of thy disobedience the earth shall bring forth to thee thousinner so that before we did sinne there was none of these things that could hurt us but were for our good for as God made us mortall and subject to corruption yet it was Gods preservative grace which keeping him from dying and mortallity that his dust returned not to dust so the same preservative grace should have kept all Adams posterity from any hurt of these things if they had continued in integrity Wherefore to conclude this whether thornes and venomous herbs were created in principiis suis or in semine for we hold both Creations it is certain that they had been good and could not have been hurtfull to them if they had not sinned which we see by warrant for those men which were renewed to the Image of God and were in Gods favour all things did serve to their good and no ill thing could hurt them Jam. 5. 17. Elias could command Heaven to rain not to rain Jam. 5. 18. Joshuah might by Gods permission command the Sun and Moon Joshuah 10. 12. The three Children could not be hurt in the fire raging and flaming Dan. 3 27. Neither could the Lyons be evill to hurt him Dan. 6. 22. The Viper could not hurt Paul Act. 28. 3. If the faithfull drink deadly poyson it shall not hurt them Mark 16. 18. and many such examples are Heb. 11 33. which shew that God giveth his preservative grace to the Godly by which they have such a prerogative as Adam had in his innocency when his corruptible dust was kept from corruption that it turned not to dust again They which have Gods eyes and Image shall see this to be true that the thing which is deadly to some shall not hurt them So that as all things are clean to the Clean so all is good to the Good and Godly Usus Spiritualis Now for the spirituall use And first we are put in minde of our homage to God in serving and praising him for these earthly and temporall blessings which we receive from him the only author and owner thereof for many not knowing that their Wine Oyle and Corn and other riches come from God Ose 2. 8. did give the glory and praise of them to Idolls ascribing the gift to others If by these things we receive strength and continue in health we must remember our duty to be thankfull Ezech. 11. 16. to 21. for seeing God hath opened his mouth for our good saying Let the Earth be fruitfull and if now he still openeth his hands and fill us with his blessing it is our duty of gratefullnesse to lift up our hands and open our mouths to blesse and praise his holy name so these earthly benefits must be keyes to unlock and open our mouths to sing some praise to him Jer. 2. 31. God hath not been a Lord of darknesse nor a wildernesse to us therefore we must not be as barren and unfruitfull ground to him but yeild some fruit of our lives by obedience and some fruit of our lips by thankfullnesse Usus duplex The use and profit of this is first in regard of Gods word to the Earth and then in regard of Gods word in respect of himself For the first we see that God speaketh but once to the Earth and it is sufficient to move it to perfect obedience But in the 22. Jer. 29. God is fain to speake thrice terra terra terra before we can be brought to heare and understand for our eares are more deaf than the senselesse earth Post dixit Deus Sunto luminaria in Expanso Coeli ad distinctionem faciendum inter diem noctem ut sint in signa cum tempestatibus tum diebus annis Sintque in luminaria in Expanso Coeli ad afferendum lucem super terram Gen. 1. vers 14.15 IN this Chapter God created the World and being created he perfected it and being perfected he furnished it Thus the Heavens and the Earth were finished and all the hosts of them the first verse of the next chapter Austin saith well Creata ordinavit ordinata ornavit creata ordinata ornata septimo die perfecit after the beginning was the perfecting after the perfecting was the adorning tenebras fugavit abyssum exaltavit terram discooperuit In these three following dayes is the beautifying of the Heavens the Waters and the Earth God first began to create the Heavens then he made the Waters and lastly the Earth So he first beautifieth the Heavens then the Waters and lastly the Earth that is first beautified which was first created Argument Touching the Argument of this dayes work The Heaven is as a Garden the Fathers call the stars coelestes Rosas heavenly Roses The Sun is as the general of the hoste of Heaven the Moon is as the Suns Lieutenant The Sun is as the Father the Moon as the Mother the Stars are as the Children When Joseph dreamed that the Sun and the Moon and the eleven Starres did doe him reverence and he told it his father Jacob was angry saying What! shall I and thy mother and thy brethren fall on the ground before thee chap. 37. 9. The Sunne seemeth as gold the Moon as silver and the Starres as many pearls God counteth the starres and calleth them all by their names Psal. 147. 4. and in Psal. 19. 4. he hath set in the Heavens a Tabernacle for the Sunne which commeth forth as a Bridegrome out of his Chamber and rejoyceth like a mighty man to run his race His going out is from the end of the Heaven his compasse is unto the ends of the same and none is hid from the heat thereof The Sunne saith Austin is a Bridegrome all the starres with one consent doe sing praises unto God Job 38. 7. This is the summe of the Argument As for the words in Dixit Deus is the Decree then is the return then the execution then lastly the approbation Of Dixit generally Quest.
of his blessings on him in this happy place which sheweth Adam in all justice worthy to be condemned as filius mortis 2 Sam. 12. 5. in that he having such infinite store of all good trees that were yet was not content but did impiously and ungratefully take away and steal from him which had but only one tree From both these we gather that it is not lawfull in respect of Gods will nor against the Law of nature but it is allowed and permitted to man in the estate of innocencie to desire and to use and enjoy both plenty and variety of Gods blessing here on Earth which are pleasant and good that is such good Creatures which may serve for delight and profit David Psal. 23. 5. giveth God thanks for both for God gave him balme which is a thing for pleasure and an overrunning cup which is for plenty And Salomon 2 Chro. 9. 21. and in the 1 King 10. 22. when his Navie went to Ophir he took order according to the wisedome God gave him that they should bring him Apes Peacocks and Parrots c. which we know are only for delight and hath a use for pleasure so he had both a desire and fruition of such things and our saviour Christ which is wiser than Salomon John 18. 2. he often resorted to and reposed himself in a garden and took pleasure therein and Luke 24. 43. there we see he cate of an honey-Combe for the pleasure of taste and St. Augustine giveth this reason because God caused Bees not to gather honey for the wicked only but for the godly also The desire then and the use is lawfull only we must take this Caveat by the way and beware that we long not after the forbidden Tree that is that we both in respect of our wills and desires in regard of the means to obtain and get these things and also of the use and enjoying them must beware that we doe not that which is forbidden for to desire those things in affection immoderately to seek them by evill means inordinately and indiscreatly or to use them in excesse unthankfully is the abusing and making them evill unto us And let this suffice for the first part Now for walking about the Garden Moses here calleth us into the mid'st of it and we know that usually in the mid'st of their places of pleasure men will have some curious devise so God applying himself to the nature of men is said to have a speciall matter of purpose in the mid'st which Moses will have us now see and consider We read in the 1 Cron. 16. 1. that in the middle of the Temple and in the mid'st of the middle part God caused the Cherubins and the Ark to be set where his glorie and presence did most appear for there he contriveth and conveyeth the most excellent things in all Paradise and setteth them in the mid'st thereof to be seen which were no where else that is to say the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evill which he expresseth by name as for all the rest he hudleth them up in a general term as not worthy the naming in respect of this Touching which two St. Austin saith well that we must note that they came out of the ground not out of the Aire that is they were not fantasticall trees as some men have imagined but very true and substantial trees as the rest not differing but only this in prerogative and special fruit which by Gods blessing they brought forth fructus erat non ex natura arboris sed ex gratia Creatoris as è contra it was not an evill or hurtfull tree ex voluntate plantantis sed ex culpa comedentis for by Adams sinne it became deadly We see then that as Paradise was a natural place though it had reference to a spirituall place for in this tree of life is both matter of Historie which proveth the very true and essential being of it and yet withall matter of mysterie For as it is a true use to be applyed to the body and natural life to maintain it So besides that History in it was a mysterie to signifie a heavenly matter to be spiritually applyed to our souls as the Scriptures doe teach And in these two respects we shall have a perfect comprehension of these trees in the middest Touching the tree of life and the corporal use of it we must remember that it is said in the 7. verse that God gave man a spirit of life and made him a living soul that is such a soul which could give life to every part in the body with the functions and faculties thereof as to eat and drink to move goe and stirre which the soul of Beasts also giveth to them naturally Touching the natural life and living soul of Man all Physicians doe well agree with divinity in this that it standeth in two points and that there were two causes ordained by God by which it should be maintained or impaired the one is set down Deut. 34. 7. Humidum radicale the natural vigor and strength of nature in moisture the other is called Calor naturalis 1 Reg. 1. 1 2. that is natural heat So long as they two are perfect and sound the bodily life doth continue perfect but when there is a defect or decay of them then the natural life doth cease and end Wherefore God taketh order that by eating and drinking there should be a supply of that natural moisture which should be spent in us by travail and labor Jer. 18. 15. And therefore it is called a refection and recovering by food that moisture which before hath been decayed in us now because the moisture and juice which cometh of meats and drinks would at last by often mixture become unperfect as water being mixed with wine is worse therefore God gave this tree of life for mans bodily use that whatsoever naturall defect might grow in these two yet the fruit of this tree shall be as balm as it were to preserve his bodily constitution in the first perfect good estate of health Secondly though there be no decay of moisture or that yet sinne which is the sting of death might impair or destroy this immortall life 2 Chron. 15. 16. For when God doth punish or chastise man for sinne then even as a moth fretteth a garment so doth sinne consume our life Psal. 39. 11. Therefore God ordeined also the other tree of knowledge to a remedy for that that as the body should be sustained by that corporall fruit of life so his heart also might be propped up or upheld by grace Heb. 13. 9. which this tree of knowledge did teach him to apprehend And thus much of the corporall use of these trees which were truely in the Garden as this History doth shew Now for the other part it is not to be doubted but that as it hath a true matter of history So it hath in it also a spirituall mystery
he did now For as the Angells which though they were unmarried yet notwithstanding did fall and not keep their first estate So no doubt the Divell would have been as strong in his delusions to have made him to fall as he was in deceiving his wife we may therefore lay the fault of this finne upon Eve or the Divell for as St. James saith Jam. 1. 14. It was not so much any outward occasion as his inward and corrupt concupifcence which made him to sinne But be it that she was the cause of fall yet from whence then came that occasion of evill to him Non'e e latere viri why then out of himself came all this cause of sinne But if any shall complain yet further of the womans hurt and fault let us know that this woman was made by the counsell of God the means and occasion by which amends was made and that with advantage for the evill for all the evill which she had first done for as she brought forth sinne and death so she was a means to bring forth a holy seed which should bring eternall righteousnesse and life unto all for as the Serpent should deceive the woman So it was Gods purpose that the seed of the 〈◊〉 should destroy the Serpent and his works wherefore we must not so much with grief marvail that the womans sinne was made the occasion of all our misery as with joy and comfort to wonder that God made the seed of the woman to save us from sinne and to bring us to 〈◊〉 And thus much for the resolution of these two doubts Now for the second part we see that after deliberation God cometh to this determination and saith Faciam adjutricem where we may mark that God saith not fiat as when he made other Creatures but faciam which is a word of advisement and wise deliberation whereas fiat is a word of haste and expedition to be presently done without delay which almighty God doth to put us in minde that when we goe about to get our selves wives or to give our children in marriage that we must not 〈◊〉 about it rashly or suddenly to post up such matters on the sudden but with great discretion wise advice and consultation to attempt so weighty a matter that is first by considering whether it be good or no for us that a match should be made Again seeing it is plain that God only is the giver of good and meet marriages and wives we learn that therefore it is our duty when we lack this help to pray earnestly unto God that it would please him to say unto us as he said unto Adam I will make a meet help for 〈◊〉 For want of observing which rules in 〈◊〉 it often cometh to passe that very unmeet matches and marriages hath been in the world and foul corruptions and abhominable abuses have crep into this holy ordinance to the slander and disgrace thereof for this is set down as the chiefest cause of all the monstrous sinnes of the first age of the world Gen 6. 2. Because the sonnes of God looking upon the daughters of men took them wives according to their own fancies that is rashly and headily without advice and deliberation and they took them at the first sight as pleased themselves and did not crave of God to give them such as might please him Micholl Davids wife is said to be a wife of Saules making and giving and therefore because God made not the match and marriage between them she was not a meet help but a snare to intangle him And so God doth threaten Joshua 23. 12 13. verses that if the Israelites doe after their own wills take unto them heathenish woman to be their wives which he had forbid they should be no helps to them but hurts namely They should be thorns to their eyes whips to their sides and snares to their feet because they doe not take wives at Gods hands that is such as he alloweth and willeth them to take Nam quum formavisset Jehova Deus è terrâ omnes bestias agri omnesque volucres coeli adduxisset ad Adamum ut videret quî vocaret singulas etenim quocunque nomine vocavit illas Adam animantem quamque id nomen ejus est Gen. 2. 19. Octob. 16 1591. THese words contain the occasion of the former deliberation for that there might be an orderly proceeding it was necessary that man being alone and wanting a meet help which was good for him therefore that first a generall view and survey might be taken of all the Creatures which God had made to see whether amongst so many millions of goodly creatures some one might be found for Adam to be a meet mate for him and then if the man should not finde any one fit for him God might proceed in his former purpose in making one woman meet for his company In these words therefore we have first to consider Gods commission and warrant for the ministring and bringing together all the creatures before the man Secondly Adams answer returned non est inventus for after his diligent search it is said he found no meet help for the first because it is Gods royall prerogative to cause all the creatures to make their appearance at a certain place and time which man of himself might not presume to take upon him therefore God giveth over his right by a letter of Attourny and dedimus potestatem to Adam by which he might lawfully both take a streight survey of them all and also impose names to every one of them as he pleaseth which see that this writ and warrant is given out to all the living creatures here below saving unto fishes the reason whereof is because that if there were any likelyhood at all that man might finde a meet companion and mate for himself any where then it must needs be amongst one of these two kinds of creatures either amongst beasts of the field or fowls of the aire for there be some agreement and conformity between man and beasts and birds naturally but none at all between the fish and us the beasts as we have seen are made of the same mould and matter which we are made of and the fishes were made of the slyme of the waters and not of slyme of the earth Secondly because they have naturally divers notes and voices as well as man but the fish are mute and dumb and therefore unmeet for our company Thirdly beasts and birds doe feed on earthly things as we and breathe and live in the same aire and place which we doe and doe delight naturally in the sight and company of man and easily will be made tame sociable and serviceable for man whereas è contra the fish neither feed nor breathe as we doe they cannot live in the same place and element which we doe but are as it were inhabitants of another world below us and besides this they will by no means be made tame and
shall see the nature of sinne that sinne bringeth sinne unlesse it be extinguished by repentance for Austin saith well of sinne Quod nisi deleatur duplicatur which unlesse it be extinguished it is doubled In Esay 14. 29. the Prophet saith That out of the Serpents root shall come a Cockatrice and from the Cockatrice egge shall come a firie flying Serpent and here from the Serpents malice came Eves sinne and from Eves sinne came Mans fall the Serpents temptation brought forth Eves disobedience and that Cockatrice egge hatched Adams downfall and so they were both robbed of their righteousnesse This is their discending from Jerusalem to Jericho Luke 10. 30. Rebellion with sinne Againe after the woman hath eaten this her giving of the fruit to her husband to eate is a further circumstance in the nature of sinne to add rebellion unto sinne for the devill will not only seduce the woman but by her will seduce man for he draweth also the mighty by his power Job 24. 22. The Serpent will destroy both the weak and the strong the foolish and the wise The sociablenesse of sinnes Thirdly Sinne will be associate for the sinner will try the righteous if he will offend that even here Adam may be as deep a sinner as her self for indeed good fellowship is not so apparently seen as among sinners for they joyn hand in hand manum in manu saith Salomon Prov. 16. 5. They doe consult in heart and make a league against the Lord Psal. 83. 5.6 The Ishmaelites and Moabites c. Sinners are as thornes folded one in the other Nahum 1. 10. This is the sociablenesse of sinne Sinne infectious Fourthly it is hence observed that sinne is infectious The Serpent he infected Eve with his breath of craft and maliciousnesse made her beleeve him and eat of the fruit and she being infected her self infected him This is called Pollution He that toucheth pitch is defiled She went not only out of the way her self but she caused many to fall from the Law Malach. 2. 9. her word did fret as a canker as Paul speaketh 2 Tim. 2. 17. for sinne is contagious it poysoned Eve and Adam also See 1 Tim. 1. 6. Austin upon this saith well That if God strook blind the soul of Eve she could not see her own miserie from her originall righteousnesse The Serpent gave and Eve gave the fruit The Serpent gave to Eve and Eve gave to Adam the same material fruit but not with like affection She in giving to Adam of the fruit thinks she doth him an especial favour and that whereof he needs not fear for though by the giving him the same she take away from him original righteousnesse the favour and fear of God yet she accounteth that she makes him a great reward But this her reward may well be compared to the present of Ehud Judges 3. 16. who presented Eglon the King of Moab with a curious made dagger wherewith after he killed him The Apple wherewith Eve presented Adam was his destruction but yet as I said she did it not with the minde of the Serpent for he caused her to eat of a malicious minde knowing it would be her bane Yet Eve she gave it to Adam of a good affection not of any malicious intent 2. Means that women seduce men Now the means wherewith she induceth man to bring him to eate are of two sorts which are the two means that women use to seduce men withall both are by the voice as you may see in 17. verse following Adam obeyed the voyce of his wife so that it should seem that she used some oration to perswade him blanditiarum verba 1. Flatterie and flatterring words 1 King 11. 4. The idolatrous wives of Salomon turned his heart to Idolatrie blanditiis by their flatterie And here Eve saith to Adam as it were thus You may see that I have eaten and find the fruit to be pleasant I have eaten and yet I am living and thus with a protestation of love she wisheth Adam that he would eate Adam in the mean while as a Father saith well stood in doubt either to eat or not to eat inter preces uxoris cōminationes Creatoris between the prayer of his wife and the threats of his Creator God had said in the day they did eat thereof they should die he saw she had eaten and yet was living Salomons wives blanditiis by flatterie overcame Salomon 2. Importunity The other thing wherewith women overcome men is Importunity It was this that Delilah used to overthrow Sampson she was importunate with him continually and therefore he told her all his heart Jud. 16. 16. So that these are the two means wherewith woman overcommeth man namely blanditiis importunitatibus by flatterie and importunitie And he did eat Now it followeth to speak of Adams sinne And he did eat In the 17 verse of this chapter God curseth man because he had obeyed the voice of his wife and for that he had eaten of the tree whereof God had commanded him that he should not eat whereby you see that not only the giver of the forbidden fruit but the taker thereof also both the perswader and the consenter to sinne deserve death The manner how he consented is in this with her Adam he came to her not she to him say the Fathers For although God had created Man in uprightnesse though he were placed by God in Paradise and though Gods love to man were shewed in making Eve to be his help yet he gave no eare to the speeches of Gods love nor to his threats but rather hearkned unto Eve and her allurements The woman hereby is convicted of carelesnesse and the man of negligence in that he permitteth her to wander from him where she pleaseth but the woman must not depart no not a little lest she fall A third thing is Eve and Adams curiositie of this tree they would eat it to try what virtue was in it they would try a conclusion if they should eat thereof whether they should dye as God had said or be as Gods knowing good or evill Moses commanded That there should be no manna reserved till the morning yet Exodus 16. 20. some there were that would try conclusions that obeyed not Moses but reserved it till the morning and it was full of worms and it stank Again as it appeareth in that chapter to try conclusions some there were contrarie to Moses words that upon the Sabbath day went forth to gather Manna Paul 2 Cor. 11. 3. saith I fear lest as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your mindes should be corrupt from the simplicitie that is in Christ. In Adam his body from his soul his sense from his reason should not have swerved Eve beleeved not God but the Serpent Adam beleeved not God but Eve Paul Coloss. 2. 7. would have us rooted and builded in Christ and stablished in the faith But the
where and filleth all places with his presence Jer. 23. 24. The Prophet Isaiah 66. 1. saith the earth is but his foot-stool and we know that one cannot walk on his stool he properly can but stand on it therefore some think to satisfie this place that God is said to have appeared here and was heard walking and speaking not in his own personall presence but per dispensationem sending an Angell as it were in his 〈…〉 But there are some which doe think that it is not necessary and that we need not grant here any such extraordinary and visible apparition and presence of God in any shape or resemblance and that that which Moses saith Deut. 4. 15. of Gods appearing in Horeb may truly be affirmed and avouched of this place namely that they only heard a voice but saw no shape or visible likeness or representation which appeared to their eyes and therefore that they perceived and knew Gods presence comming to them not by the eye seeing any thing but by the care only hearing a sound or voyce for so we read that he came and appeared Moses and Elias in such a strange manner of voice and sound that they might by it know that no creature but only God the Creator which could come in such a majesticall and glorious sound and in this sense we may take these words because it is said they heard Gods voice walking and not that God came visibly walking he was heard speaking not seen walking The second point on Gods part is quod venit Deus ambulando by which walking is commonly meant such conveying as Judges use when they come to judgment and to try matters to be judged Prov. 8. 20 2. It is said of Samuell which judged Israel that every yeer he walked and ment about all places in Israel as Judges doe goe their circuits and perambulations to Judge the people 1 Sam. 7. 16. So that this in effect and substance is that which is said before and signified by his comming namely his purpose to give sentence and to execute just judgment against their sinne The third point concerning God is that his walking was not in silentio as Job saith but with an audible voyce Job 4. 16. and that such a voice as Ely heard 1 Sam. 3. 11. which should make their eares tingle and glow that it was a terrible and fearfull voice terryfying them for sinne The fourth and last thing is the time that is in sero in the evening And therefore doth God wait untill the evening Esay 30. 18 because he would willingly have mercy on them which rather by right and reason should wait for him But when we regard not Gods sending God doth oftentimes wait and tarry so long before he commeth to Judgment that his delaying late tarrying and waiting somtimes becommeth offensive to the godly and scandalous to the wicked for so the godly cry Lo how long wilt thou tarry to be revenged of the blood of thy Saints and the enemies of God doe slander the foot steps of his annointed Psal. 89. 51. saying where is the promise of his comming he is long comming As this therefore is the first regard and acceptation of the time that God surely and certainly commeth at last though late in the evening So the second is the reason why he commeth then because temptation and the time of lust and committing of sinne is aestus diei as it were the heat of the day and then God seeth that it is no time to come to man for then all his senses and wits are taken up with the heat of lust and concupiscence and therefore it is Gods wisdome to choose out this cool time of the day in which the rage and heat of sinfull lust is overpassed and abated That course which Abigail took 1 Sam. 25. 36. is the course which God useth that is in the spirit of discretion to deal with men when the fit or rage of sinne is past and when their blood is cooled for it is no medling with a man in his drunken fit or in his fury of heat and rage because their advisement and senses are then taken away the Prophet Jer. 2. 24. would have us to see the wisdome and discretion of men of experience in this case who will not seek to take the wilde Asse when she is lusty and light for then at that time she will snuffe up the aire proudly and scornfully and none can turn or tame her therefore saith he take her in her moneth when she is great with young and then she may easily be caught and tamed this must be our wisdome and discretion when we see them rapt and bereft of their senses to bear and suffer them untill the tempest be overblown and the heat of their sinne cooled and somewhat allayed Now to the second severall point which is Adams part which sheweth the effect which this voice of God wrought in them and how they demeaned and behaved themselves when Gods voice came to them which is set down in two things First They heard it Secondly They hid themselves from God which is amplified after two sorts First That they hid and shrouded themselves in the shrubs and thickest of the trees Secondly That they hid themselves from the presence of God and this is the effect which his comming and voice wrought and heard in them for which because between hearing and hiding there must goe something the writers doe finde out these severall things First for the hearing we say and may see that it is a mercy and favor of God in that he did not only open their eyes being blinde making them see their foul sinne but also open their eares being deaf that they might hear of the danger of their sinne but this is a new counsell a stratagem of the Devill the evill counsellor to make them flye away at that voice which should have been the means to have brought them to God again Peccatum est fuga as divines doe say therefore the Devill will have them bis fugitivi having fled from God by sinne now to flye again further from him by despair and there to hide themselves as who should say without doubt your God commeth in just and angry mood to make an end of you for sinne therefore by mine advise haste and flye away from him this is the Devils custome and comfort when he hath brought men into sinne as plainly he sheweth himself 1 Sam. 28. 16. When he had brought Saul into sinne he saith why comest thou to me seeing God hath forsaken thee God will surely punish thee as he said c. Where he sheweth himself in his right kinde This is all the comfort we shall finde at his hands when we have committed sinne for when we have followed his ill counsell he will say thus to us you hear how angry God is how terrible and fearfull his voice his steps towards you and presence is wherefore fly for how will ye be able to abide
his hand and vengeance which are thus afraid at the sound of his steps and voice But if Adam and Eve doe and needs will 〈…〉 will they 〈◊〉 surely from the presence of God and is not God their only life joy comfort hope and help in this miserie see then by the craft of Sathan and sinne they are willed to 〈◊〉 from their life health liberty and hope of all the good they have that so the Devill might be sure that they should perish in their sin To conclude we see into what miserie man is fallen for a little vain pleasure of sinne which lasted but the space while the apple was chewed in their mouthes but that vain short delight being vanished and gone now remain their extreme miseries for ever except the mercy of God provide a remedy For first we see it brought on them nakedness and shame Secondly blindness and senselesness that they could not see their shame and sin Thirdly the worme of conscience when they saw it for as a garment breedeth a moth which will destroy it so doth sinne breed his gnawing worm which will torment and destroy sinners Fourthly when it was seen it brought on them confusion of face without Fiftly a horrible feare and trembling of the heart within Sixtly to avoid and cover it it taught them the folly and fondness of vain hypocrisie with figge leaves to cover it Seventhly and lastly it brake out into a desparate madness and frenzie in that sinne and Sathan perswaded them that they must flie from God and hide themselves from him as without hope of his mercy And therefore we see now that they had lodged themselves in the brakes and thickets of the shrubs and bushes but all in vain as we shall see hereafter for that which they had made their Castle and Covert to lodge hide and keep themselves safe God maketh to be as it were their Goal and Prison out of which he will bring them to judgement and to the Barre to be araigned as we shall see in the next verse Inclamavit autem Jehova Deus Adamum dixit ei Vbi es Gen. 3. 9. Februry 1. 1591. THE whole course of Gods proceeding in this judgment is called by the Fathers Spectaculum clementiae divinae dementiae humanae a spectacle and clear view on the one side of the loving kindness of God and on the other part of the foolish blindness of man All this verse as the ancient Writers term it is as the voice of an Archangell crying before the first Judgment 1 Thess. 4. 16. for as at the last day of generall judgment shall first an Archangell be sent out with a voice of a Trumpet to scite and summon all flesh to arise out of their graves in which sinne hath hid and lodged them till then So we see at the first Judgment of man before God beginneth he first sendeth out a voice calling and crying to Adam and Eve to arise out of their prison and to appear before God to receive according to their deserts and works for God did usually use the voice and ministerie of Angels by whom he did commonly speak unto men as Gen. 16. 8. God spake unto Agar by the voice of an Angel and that voice by which God spake was the voice of an Angell Deut. 5. 22. 26. and that also John 12. 28. 29. And the reason why God speaketh to men by the ministerie of Angels is because his voice is not proportionable to our hearing and weak eares it is farre above our reach and therefore he speaketh by Angels framing their voice more fit and agreeable to our nature and thus generally of the words of this verse More particularly we are to observe two parts first that God did call to Adam Secondly the effect or contents of his calling The first is a proclamation the other the tenor and substance thereof The matter and contents of his calling is judiciall but as Gods song over is as well of mercy as of judgment Psal 101. 1. and his works of bountifulness as of severity and justice Rom. 11. 22. so will we proceed in the handling and declaring of this his speech first shewing his mercie therein and then speaking of them as they declare and set out his severity and justice Touching his mercy which he remembreth in judgement the matter thereof here contained is two sold First as Gods mercy hath been seen in these four points In sparing them In making them see their sinne In sending his Messengers to them And in comming himself to them First point So this is the first point and a degree of mercie above and beyond all in that as he came so he 〈…〉 to speak and talk with him which I doubt not to make the fist degree and step of further mercy These things considered that every use and action of God doth set out a new mercy unto man is a verifying of the gracious saying of our Saviour Christ Matth. 23. 37. quoties te congregare volui ut gallina pullos suos sed noluisti And this is a fault in Adam that he did not first goe to seek the Lord and crie to him ubi estu domine rather than God should come to him and say ubi es Adam or when he had perceived that God was walking towards him first This is his second fault that he did not prepare himself with fear and humility to meet the Lord and fall down low before his foot-stool for Shemey in policie saw it best when he had offended David and heard that he was comming into his Country again first to make haste to runne and meet him with submission and humility that so he might procure grace and pardon as indeed he did 2 Sam. 19. 19. 20. but Adam insteed of crying to God as David did de profundis doth betake himself to flying and therefore God as a friend pittying his estate doth pursue and follow him in his flight and speaketh to him in his silence and so preventeth him every way that he may be saved And all this is done to him to set down to us that men might be moved hereby to say as David doth I will sing of the loving kindness and mercy of the Lord my tongue shall ever be talking of his praise Psal. 149. 1. and that we might consess with thankfulness that his mercie is above all his works Psal. 59. 16. The second generall point is the tenor and contents of the voice and proclamation where we must note that this question ubi es is not vox ignorantis sed increpantis tamen clementis Dei For the tenor of the words doth savor much of mercy for when God had found Adam all hid he breaketh not out into the cruell and bitter invective as Shemei did 2 Sam. 16. 7. Come forth come forth thou murtherer and wicked one c. Which severe voice man deserved and God in mercy might have justly used but God according to his goodnesse
fruit which would make us as Gods when he knew that it would be as poison to our bodies and make us damned Devils Now this following of the Devills counsell and advise in this place is so much the worse in Adam and so much the more to be condemned because twice before he had followed it with ill success and saw he was deceived which might have been a double caveat and fair warning to him now to beware but as he had followed the Devils counsell twice before in practise and deed so we shall see him to follow it twice hereafter in word For first of all touching his word and speech the Devill teacheth him a peece of his Sophistry teaching him that he must needs answer to put non causam pro causa And secondly in the other place he teacheth him a peece also of the Devils Rhetorick which is called translatio criminis a laying the fault upon another and so shifting it from himself outward covering and inward dissembling hath a very good correspondence and therefore hypocrisie is compared to a Cloak or masking Hood Job saith 31. 33. If I hide my sinne as Adam did concealing my sinne in my bosom will not God finde it out and punish it But Adam being bewitched and infatuated by the Devill that spirit of error had learned to make choice rather to strive with Gods justice than to appeal to his mercy for favour and grace whereas by confessing he might have had pardon he by defending it brought himself the more deeply into judgment and his sin the more into question and triall By confessing his sinne Christ would have been his advocate to plead for his pardon but by defending and justifying it he made him to be a Proctor to plead against him and Judge to give sentence against him whereas by confessing his disease God would have been his Physitian to heal him he è contra by taking on himself to heal his own sickness made himself and his disease more grievous and more desparare But let us come to see how he seeketh a quia and an ergo that is a good reason and argument to defend and justific his deed Let us I say come to the particulars of his answer and see the strength and validitie of his reasons for if it be good and justifiable it will hold the proof and the examination will doe it no hurt Concerning which first we know it in corrupt policy that it is good alwayes to begin a lye with a truth or at least with great likelyhood of verity that so the lye may after run more currant and goe more roundly away therefore at the first in the forefront of his answer he places indeed a manifest and known truth that he heard Gods voice and the second also is truly said that nothing might be suspected namely that he was afraid In which two truths confessed the Fathers doe say are contained the first and second degrees which by Gods Decree should have been the two chief inducements to move men to repentance and therefore in that he was not moved to submission and confession of his fault thereby they gather that this part of his confession also is against himself therefore these two evasions are nothing but to make against his cause The second excuse is of decencie and 〈◊〉 or comelinesse as who should say I saw it a shamefull thing and very unmeet and undecent to appear before thee being naked and therefore I hid my self in which he doth make his thought and imagination a rule to measure Gods estimation and judgement by as if that which he thinketh inconvenient and uncomely God must think and esteem to be unseemly and unmeet also The Prophet Samuell saith 16. 7. 1 Sam. 16. 7. That God seeth not as man seeth neither are our thoughts his thoughts he is not moved with the like passions that we are for Job in sterquilinio was more pretious and amiable in the eyes of God and more acceptable to his minde quà m Heredes in solio as a Father saith and the reason is because he looketh to that holiness which is within and accepteth a man thereafter and regardeth not the outward estate of the body whether he be 〈◊〉 or in poor aparrel as men of corrupt judgment doe Jam 2. 3. 4. therefore Adams thought and conceit of his bodily nakedness which seemed unseemly to him ought not to be taken as a rule to measure Gods thoughts and to prove and determine what is undecent and unreverent in the eyes and judgment of God touching the outward things for seeing that nakedness is factum dei it cannot simply displease him or be detestable in his sight for he saw all that he had made was passing good nothing to be ashamed of as undecent therefore it is certain that if this had been all the matter which he pretendeth he might have boldly for all his nakedness have presented himself without shame or fear before God for as I have shewed that nakedness of their bodies in which they were made and which they enjoyed being innocent was no matter of blushing but of beauty no blemish or undecencie but an ornament glory to them as the nakedness of the Sun and Moon is such a glory and beauty to them that if any should put upon these glorious bodies a Cloak of velvet or Cloth of gold it would be so farre from beautifying them that it were a blemish and disgrace undecent for them and this is the hope and expectation of the Sonnes of God one day to enjoy that happy estate again in which they shall want no bodily garments to cover them but shall all shine in glory as the Sun in the skie Thus we see that this quia and ergo will not stand it is not Gods art or workmanship nor his voice that made him feare flie or hide but somewhat else which he had done and committed whatsoever it be which God will bring to light and make apparent hereafter Now let us come to the consequence here set down ergo abdidi for which we shall perceive that this is no good or right reason or consequence which he should have inferred uppon the premisses for thus he should have concluded I was afraid and naked and fled for conscience of my sinne therefore I confess humbly my sinnes before thee and doe crave pardon for them Thou diddest open mine eyes that I saw my sinne and thou openedst mine eares by feare that I knew thy judgment ergo now also open my mouth that I may confess humbly and open my heart that I may repent truly for it thus he should have made his consequence I heard thy presence with majesty comming ergo I prepared my self to meet my Lord right humbly confessing my finnes that I might have found pardon this was Jacobs resolution and conclusion in policie Gen. 32. 7. when he heard that Esau came against him he feared and was troubled and therefore used all means preparing
drift was by defence to put clean away all the fault from himself but now he laboureth by excuse to be seen to have as little part in the fault as may be and to have the shew and appearance of that evill to be put away from him that he be not brought within the compasse of the offence His first defence in effect is non feci But now this excuse is feci sed benè feci When that would not serve his turn his third excuse is feci malè sed non multùm q.d. though inceed I cannot deny but I am in the compasse of the offence yet I am not in the fault I did not much of the evill that was done And this is our nature when we cannot defend our selves à toto then we excuse us à tanto as Adam doth which saith you must not lay all the fault on me for God and the woman have parts and shares therein the woman for giving the apple to me and God for giving the woman to me This excuse then hath two parts the woman and God both which we will examine to see where the fault is indeed As it is a foul fault in a man to seek to excuse himself by accusing another so it is another fault worse than that that a man should make a silly woman the matter of his excuse for we say it is manhood in men to pitty and spare especially that sex as the weaker a foul shame to seek to intangle and draw woman into danger or hurt but rather to support and defend them as much as with modesty and honesty we could Adam might have considered that she heing the weaker the first of Peter the third chapter and the seventh verse that it had been his part to have made a buckler for her shelter and defence for men willingly should and naturally are taught to forbear and not to wreck their malice and anger upon woman-kinde But the fault in him which passeth all is this that this woman is his wife which he accuseth as the cause of his evill and bringeth in as the principall in this fact for by this there is perfidia on his part a breach of Faith and wedlock-love for it is most unseemly and unnaturall for a man to accuse his own wife If we consider that he which before in Gen. 2. 24. confessed that he should forsake Father and Mother for her sake yea which before by sinne was content to forsake God and all for her love if he did love her so well why doth he not shew it now for he should have stood out betweene Gods wrath and her for her defence which no doubt would have beene more acceptable to God for it is a thing commended in Moses Psal. 106. 23. and in David 2 Sam. 24. 17. that they offered themselves to be punished to acquit and save others there from for they were content to beare Gods displeasure themselves that others might bee set free but here è contra Adam was willing to bee in the society of the fact and fault but now hee will pull his neck our of the Coller and will not have any society or part with her in the punishment Adam blameth God Now I come to the other part of his excuse in which he layeth part of the blame on God as bringing him also within the compass of this evill committed vtinam hoc tantum dixerat Comedi saith one for to challenge God for giving this woman to him and to come to upbraid God to the face with this The woman which thou gavest mee made me to sinne is another offence most intollerable He will not be content with one excuse but will have two strings to his bowe for fayling that if the woman will not serve to bee his excuse then this may To bring God into the fault and to say directly that he is in the society and had a part therein is intollerable blasphemy The womans excuse which shee alledgeth in the next verse is far better in accusing the devill But to say Data a te dedit mihi sinne was her gift and she was the gift thou gavest me the woman and the woman gave me the apple of offence wherefore if thou hadst not given her to me the apple had not been given and so I should never have sinned against thee q.d. I did not pluck it I was not the author nor cause of it If I have sinned I may thank you for it you were the 〈◊〉 of all which gave her to me you would needes give me a wife if you had meant me that good which you pretended you should not have given me such a one as would give me this forbidden fruit or at least if you must needs make and give her you should not have joyned nor put her together with me in the place and garden where I am but put her in a garden by her self apart and separated from me for I knew not else what she should mean by staying with me Thus we see that his excuse and allegation for himselfe is partly an expostulation with God and partly an accusation against him In both which he seemeth to say this in favor of his fault it did not become me to suspect her of any evill whom thou gavest to bee a meet help and good for me I thought that whatsoever she did or should perswade me to would have become good and helpfull to me ergo I yeelded to it This we see is a foul fault to quarrell with Gods goodnesse and to charge God with sin whereas all iniquitie and sin God doth utterly abhorre There is no affinitie between God and evill for no evill commeth neer his dwelling est ne iniquit as apud deum saith Saint Paul the second to the Corrinthians the sixth chapter and the fourteenth verse to such which thus impudently reason against God What agreement hath righteousness with unrighteousness why then O man dost thou charge God with sinne so that he fetcheth the Pedigree of his sinne which he committed and derived it thus even from God himself The sinne which is came by eating of the apple which was the gift of Eve which was the gift of God Thus to make his sin inmeasurable sinfull he deriveth his sinne from the holiest of all and wrappeth not only the woman his wife in the transgression but also fetcheth God in for company as partner with them in this their evill Tum dixit Jehova Deus mulieri Quid hoc est quod fecisti dixit autem mulier Serpens iste seduxit me comedi Gen. 3. 13. February 12. 1591. IN the end of the last verse before ended the triall of Adams offence for as you have seen from the seventh verse hath been the triall and examination of the crime committed In the seventh verse was the arest in the eighth verse was the second processe which being served on him was of force to shut him close in prison in the bushes in the
Sam. 2. 29. those that honor me I will honor their own evil shall bring forth this crop it shall be the sparks of their own sinne The other poynt is this That God shews us plainly that there are in 〈◊〉 many and diverse degrees in that he saith not only he is cursed but cursed above all Cattel and every Beast of the field there are curses in lesser degrees and in greater degrees for as the Fathers note there is stillans maledictio a curse that comes by drops as Dan. 9. 11. And there is a curse that is powred upon us by whole buckets full as it were whole Seas full of curses And in the next Chapter God pronounceth Cain accursed as here the Serpent but not in the same degree that the Serpent is cursed Now for as much as no beast is venomous and hath poyson but the Serpent thereby we see he hath received a curse above all other beasts Now we see how it is verefied both of the naturall and spirituall Serpent 〈◊〉 naturale malum justi venenum saith the Philosophers for all other things had and may have and use and were good for some purposes so that if we goe to nature naturally there is no evill but in the Serpent Touching which evill we say in the Creation as we make no question but that the body of Man being natural was subject to mortality except it had been preserved by Grace 〈◊〉 being united to the soul a spiritual substance thought it were 〈◊〉 it should have been preserved by Grace from being mortall so we make no question but the venom and poyson of the Serpent was made so but it should have been preserved in the 〈…〉 it should have been no curse and no 〈◊〉 should have come 〈◊〉 by and so being evil maledictus it draws evil consequently as evil 〈◊〉 and evill reports it can be no otherwise said of them then as 〈◊〉 speaks Matth. 23. 33. The Serpents the generation of 〈…〉 should they escape the damnation of Hell Thirdly we say 〈…〉 so in respect of every beast both wilde and tame they doe both 〈◊〉 reversari serpenti not only man but all beasts are 〈…〉 the Serpent and abhor and flie his 〈◊〉 so there is in 〈◊〉 that natural curse above all other but that is not so much 〈…〉 as the other the verefying of it in the mysticall and 〈…〉 in whom is such evil and mischief that Christ 〈…〉 him evil it self and having evil in 〈…〉 man 〈…〉 in so much as the wicked and ungodly doe curse him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even they that are the children of the curse as Jude 〈…〉 is none be he never so the Devils child but will speak evil of him as the children of wisdome are justified of her enemies so the children of folly and the Devils will not stick to curse him Thirdly Maledictus prae this curse takes deeper root in him than in any other Creature as his evill is in a further manner in him than in any other there is no beast doth that which he causeth man to doe for there is no wrath in wilde beasts so malicious as in man submitting himself to the pleasures of drunkennesse and whatsoever sinne else no beast will drink more than shall doe him good nor be drunk as man nay it is a shame to speak the things that are done of them in secret by the instigation of Sathan and malice of the Devils wrath Ephes. 5. 12. and the beasts never banded themselves together with weapons to fight as men doe and they fight but with those weapons which nature yeelds them but man hath devised Guns and Spears one to goare another neither doe they give themselves wholly to all excesse as man doth This evil wherewith man is infected by the Serpent is above that which is in bruit beasts yea above all evil of Creatures both wilde and tame And it is said in that respect only but in this also that there is no beast of the field nor Creature in Heaven or Earth but keeps and continues in his first condition and estate wherein he was first created but the Devill hath left his and man by the seducing of the Devil hath lost his state also and keepeth not his course in obeying his Maker as all other Creatures doe as Psal. 110. where a reason is rendred of it and Psal. 32. Man is compared to the Beasts yea like Horse and Mule which understand not If it be thus with beasts then much more may man be ashamed that hath reason and understanding and yet committeth these things which bruit beasts refrain and therefore when there is a comparison between man and the beasts as Chrisostome saith Pejus est comparare bestiis quam nasci de bestiis and that man that shall live so like a beast is worse than he that is turned into a beast as Nebucodonoser In these three respects he is cursed above all other The last point is that which the ancient Fathers set down upon this division that God puts down and names both these beasts that man hath service of and in beasts those that he hath no use of wilde beasts as Tygres and Lyons and such and this degree saith Augustine that the Devil translates himself into both names both shapes which shews that the Devil can take either shape and as we know in his livelie temples wherein he dwells as Sorcerers and such he shews himself sometime in them Jumentum a tame beast to help and serve man as Acts 16. in the Maids possessed with a spirit of Divination and sometime he will be in them a roaring Lyon to fear us But in whether shape he appears whether in Maids or Boyes he is maledictu in both for his intent in both is accursed namely to seek our ruine and destruction so that whether we respect the condition or comparison it is verefied in the Serpent above all other beasts Mulieri dixit Admodum multiplico dolorem tuum etiam conceptus tui in dolore paries liberos quin erga virum tuum appetitus tuus esto ipse praeesto tibi Gen. 3. 16. August 27. 1598. THE breefe of his divisions upon the Text were Eves Punishment That this was Gods just Judgement upon Eve in this Sentence upon her Parêre Parere which the Fathers very briefly and aptly expresse by these two words parêre parere that shee should bring forth with payne and obey in the first is an apt correspondence to her offence her pleasure is punished with paine her delight with sorrow according to the old Proverb sweet meate and sower sawce and so likewise is there an apt correspondence in the other part of the punishment for whereas shee tooke upon her to have more knowledg than her husband and by her meanes hee was seduced from his obedience shee shall bee obedient to her husband shee is punished first in the law of Nature and of Nations for all that beareth young doeth it
remember from whence they were fallen and repent the second of the Revelations the fift verse or according to that of the fifty first of Esay the first verse They should look to the rock whence they were hewed and to the hole of the pit whence they were digged This then planteth in them humilitie for no question but only for humilitie there needed no mention of these words whence they were taken God had said in the 19. verse Out of the earth wast thou taken dust thou art and to dust shalt thou return And Moses in the second chapter before the seventh verse saith Man was made of the dust of the ground and here again Out of the earth wert thou taken this iteration of the same thing in effect is not needlesse for the holy Ghost setreth down nothing that is needlesse for true is that saying that Nunquam nimis discutitur quod nunquam satis But this is 〈◊〉 so often to put us in minde of humility lest that should stick still in their stomachs which made them first to transgresse and to banish the thought from their mindes that they should be as Gods which thought were enough to cherish pride but rather that in remembrance of their sorrow and repentance they should cast dust upon their heads with Jobs friends the second of Job the twelfth verse The second use is the Justification of Gods righteousnesse and equity Man was not a native of Paradise he was a stranger he was not borne there for God took him elsewhere and put him into this Garden at the first the fifteenth of the former chapter He was brought from the Earth and put here And again here non est sumptus unde missus but missus unde sumptus he is not taken from whence he was sent but tent to the Earth from whence he was taken He was brought I say to Paradise not made there for this Garden of Eden was given him to take all pleasure and full use of it at the first upon a condition he should keep Gods Commandement in the seventeenth of the former but he brake the Law of Paradise and therefore according to his just demerrits he is sent to Earth from whence he was taken and this answereth with Gods truth and his Justice Yet this Justice is tempered with mercie for God sendeth him but to the Earth from whence he was taken The sinne of the Devil you see in the 14. Of Esay the 14 verse what it was He would ascend above the height of the Clouds saying Ero 〈…〉 I will be like the most high but God brought him down to the grave and sent him to Hell fire spoken of in the twenty first of the Revelations the eighth verse So man carrieth upon his forehead his sinne Ecce homo factus tanquam unus 〈◊〉 Adam would be as God knowing good and evill the very same crime then that was in Satan is in Adam the transgression of them both is one and the same This was mercy then not to punish them alike not dealing so with man as he had done with the Angell Lucifer Adam is here made as a scape Goat that had all the sinnes and 〈◊〉 of the people upon his head and so was sent into the 〈◊〉 the sixteenth of Leviticus the twenty first verse Adam had his sinne upon his forehead by the last verse and here is sent to the earth to till it So that this is mercy with judgement 4 The end of his sending The fourth point is the end Ut operaretur terram to serve to till to dresse the ground from whence he was taken this is the end Not to walk up and down unprofitable and to be idle nor to be at case and doe nothing but to be occupied in labour and service for none are to be exempted from this labor none I say as Job speaketh from him that grindeth in the mill to the Prince that sitteth upon his 〈◊〉 Paul in the first to the Thessalonians the fourth chapter and the 〈◊〉 verse admon sheth them to love them that labour among them in the Lord for their work sake yea even the sonne of Man came not to be served but to serve the twentieth of Matthew the twenty eighth The servant which is idle and unprofitable shall be cast into utter darknesse the twenty fift of Matthew the thirtieth verse there is his punishment Sr. 〈◊〉 saith That God sent not Adam out of Paradise to the earth to make the earth a Paradise or garden of pleasure but a place of labour 〈◊〉 operaretur that he should work and till the Earth for though the rich man in the sixteenth of Luke lived at case and fared 〈◊〉 every day and made this world a world of pleasure whereas Lazarus lived in pain and labour yet mark what was the end It was said by Abraham in the twenty 〈◊〉 of that chapter Remember that in thy life time thou receivedst thy pleasure and Lazarus pains now therefore he is comforted and thou art tormented so was he punished for making this world to himself a Paradise Abraham made not this world a garden of pleasure but removed his tent from place to place the thirteenth chapter and the eighteenth verse Idlenesse and fullnesse of bread is afterwards punished The office of the Priest is not to be idle but to serve the fourty fourth of Ezechiel the sixteenth Mare mortuum made by labor The best Writers are of opinion that where now is mare mortuum the dead Sea was heretofore in times past made by mans labour only for a place of pleasure as the Garden of God but God changeth it into the contrarie Tyrus sometimes lived as in Eden the garden of God the twenty eighth of Ezechiel the thirteenth but in the seventeenth verse God will cast Tyrus to the ground and bring it to ashes And if we will live in the earth in 〈◊〉 and in pleasure as in Eden and make it our Paradise be assured there will follow pains and a great torment The second use Secondly He must doe this service to the ground And so was Kain said in the second verse of the chapter following to be a tiller of the ground In the twenty second verse they wrought metals taken out of the ground as brasse and iron and in other places they work in quarries of stone as in mines of metal we labour the earth for bread and for drink all must operari terram Apply hither the thirty second of Jeremy the fourty third verse Kings themselves live in this world but to serve they are Gods servants in things holy and in things civil for they are the Ministers of God to reward the good and punish the wicked the thirteenth to the Romans the fourth verse And in the sixt verse for this cause pay you tribute to Princes for that they are Gods Ministers If the King say put this man in prison and feed him with the bread of affliction it is done the 1 of
no more favor hath God forgotten to be mercifull no doubt God will shew the mercy that hee found in his misery or if with the Prophet Jer. 47. 6. we fay Oh thou sword of the Lord how long will it bee ere thou cease turne again into thy scabbard rest and be still no doubt God will be mercifull And for the Cherubyms the Cherubyms that covered the two ends of the mercy seate in Exodus the 25. chapter and the 18. verse were Cherebims of protection that covered with their wings the Mercy-seat And in Ezekiel 28. it is said That the king of Tyrus had been in Eden the garden of God and verse 14. That he was the 〈◊〉 Cherub that covereth it was a Cherubym of protection They no doubt that accompanied the Lamb Revel 14. were Angells and Cherubyms singing and harping for joy and these Cherubyms that here are appointed with fire and sword if it please God to be mercifull may turne their shape and lay downe the Sword for if Gods wrath be appeased no wrath is executed as in the case of David and of Jerusalem and of Ninivie where God stayed the hand of his Angell and his wrath ceased for God giveth power to Angells in Heaven and Princes on the Earth and all the shields of the world belong unto God Psal. 47. so that if he be appeased they yeeld their power and if God will have mercy upon man and will say deliver him that he goe not downe the pit for I have received a reconciliation then shall he be restored to his former state Job 33. 24. Upon mans repentance God will deliver his soule from destruction and if here God were once reconciled the sword should be taken away from the Angell and he should put it up into his sheath and man should recover his former state and the Angell shall become an Angell of mercy like the Cherubyms Exod. 25. 〈◊〉 covered with their wings the mercy seat or Propitiatory Now the meanes of reconciliation is a Propitiatory sacrifice for Sacrifice is the way of Reconciliation When Abraham with his offering of his sonne had pleased God the Angell stayed Abrahams knife and he found favor with God chap. 22. After David by his sinne had procured the punishment of his people he repented him of his sinne ond offered him up a burnt offering and a peace offering and then the Lord answered him by fire from heaven upon the Altar of burnt-Offering and when the Lords wrath was appeased the Angell sheathed up his Sword 1 Cron. 21. 26. and here if in Adams Case Gods wrath be appeased and he reconciled the Angell will lay down his firySword and flamma quae ardet gladius qui mactat the fire that should burne shall be extinguished and the sword that should slay shall be sheathed and by a Sacrifice Gods wrath shall be appeased for Exod. 12. chapter Where God seeth the blood upon the 〈◊〉 of their houses God and his Angell will passe over their houses and plague nor destruction shall not fall upon them the token of blood shall be a reconciliation of Gods favor and the Angell passed by This brings us to the great Propitiatorie Sacrifice the like whereof never was in the world in the which is not the blood of Lambs Goats or beasts but the blood of the immaculat Lamb Jesus Christ Gods sonne and mans Saviour who offered his pretious blood for the sinnes of us all who was the only and all sufficient Sacrifice to apapease the wrath of God and reconcile man to his Love this Sacrifice drew the alliance of Men with Angels made a reconciliation with God and restored man to the tree of life and the Paradise of God and the Angels shall rejoyce and be glad at this reconciliation and that Christ was exalted the eleventh of the Revelations and the fifteenth verse And the seventh place the Fathers doe alledge that this place is a poynting even unto the Gospell that in the fencing thus of Paradise it was foretold that one should come that through his obedience should remove the armed Cherubyms and give unto mankinde a passage into Paradise and this they ground upon the first of Ezechiell and the tenth verse and upon the tenth of Ezechiell and the fourteenth verse and the fourth of the Revelations and the seventh verse they agree that there were foure Cherubyms in the first of Ezechiell and the tenth verse they had the face of a Man the similitude of the face of an Oxe of a Lyon and of an Eagle and in the tenth of Ezekiell and the fourteenth verse one had the face of a Cherubym the other of a Man of a Lyon and of an Eagle and for the Cherubyms in the fourth of the Revelations and the seventh verse The one was like a Lyon the other like an Oxe the third like a Man the last like an Eagle and these foure beasts in the Revelation theydoe referre unto the foure Evangelists But the other places and this also they doe referre unto the four principall acts of Christ in our reconcillation They doe apply the face of the Man to Christs nativitie who was borne man of a pure virgin The face of the Oxe to his passion who resembled his death to the death of an Oxe sacrificed for the sinnes of the People and the face of the Lyon to his Resurrection who thereby triumphed over death even he that was a Lyon of the Tribe of Judah And lastly they compare the face of the Eagle to his glorious ascention whereby he mounted like an Eagle above an Eagles pitch only to reconcile us unto Gods favor And if the Sacrifice of Christ be applyed unto us then doth it appease Gods wrath to us David applyeth Nathans rebuke to himselfe after all his sorrow and acknowledgment of his sinne in the one and fiftith Psalme with deepe and hearty repentance he sheweth that the Sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit and a broken heart he despiseth not and if with David in the fourth Psalme and the fist verse We examine our owne heart and offer the Sacrifices of righteousnesse and trust in the Lord this application of our Sacrifice to this Sacrifice is by our hearty repentance and then shall the Sacrifice of Christ Jesus be unto us a reconciliation and a propitiatory Sacrifice even to us that are penitent for hee that mourneth and sorroweth for his sinnes that repenteth from his heart of his former wickednesse shall be sure to have a part of this blessed Sacrifice once offered for all upon the Crosse And this is Pauls Sacrifice in the twelfth to the Romans and the first verse offer upyour bodies a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable serving of God these then that sacrifice their Soules and Bodies by Repentance shall be assured to have a part in Christs sacrifice If thy eye offend pull it out the ninth of Marke and the fourty seventh verse apply by thy repentance Christs passion
to thy self and Paul the first to the Corinthians the second chapter and the second verse saith he esteemeth the knowledge of nothing but of Jesus Christ and him crucifyed And the Tree of life is fenced with Cherubyms which is taken for knowledge and the Sword for power Paul in the first to the Celossians and the 24 verse Rejoyceth in his afflictions to fulfill the rest of the sufferings of Christ in his flesh And Christ himself by his sufferings entred into glory the twenty fourth of Luke and the twenty sixt verse and if we with a contrite heart in repentance make a Sacrifice of our sensuall and bruitish affections and with patience beare our afflictions we shall passe with Christ to everlasting glory the Angel shall lay down his Sword the Cherubyms shall become our friends we shall be partakers of Christs Sacrifice which worketh reconciliation between God and man and the wrath of God being appeased then followeth the restoring of us to the heavenly Paradise And to him that overcommeth God will give to eate of the Tree of life in the middest of the Paradise of God the second of the Revelations and the seventh verse And so much shall suffice at this time AMEN LECTURES PREACHED UPON the fourth Chapter OF GENESIS LECTURES Preached in the Parish Church of St. GILES without Cripple-gate LONDON Deinde Adam cognovit Chavvam uxorem suam quae ubi concepit peperit Kajinum dixit acquisivi virum à Jehova Postea pergens parere peperit fratrem ipsius Hebelum Gen. 4. 1. February 7 1598. THIS continuance of the story of Moses begins to set forth the increase of the world after Adam and Eve were expelled Paradise The sum of all set downe in this Chapter to that end is of two parts First the propagation of mankinde Secondly the partition of mankinde set out in Cain and Abell The propagation is the fulfilling of that Prophesie of Adam who foretold of his wise that she should be mater viventium in the third chapter and the tewentith verse and it is indeed a resemblance of the tree of life in that by means hereof albeit life cannot continue in any singular person because of the Sentence pronounced by God that as hee is dust so shall heereturne to dust Chapter the third yet there is immortalitas speciel that is a perpetuall succession of life in the posterity of Adam As a Tree albeit in the end of the yeere it casts his leaves yet still there remaines a substance of life in it which makes it send forth leaves again Esay the sixt and the thirteenth verse so it is in mankinde for as the old life falls so there riseth up a new When the Father dieth the Child stands up in his place and so is life still preserved This is done by generation which is a kinde of creation as it is said of Adam that he begat a Child in his own likeness after his Image Genesis the fifth and the third verse For as there is in God diffusiva virtus whereby he communicateth his goodnesse to others so it is a thing to bee desired that Adam having received life should shew the same to others that when Adam dyeth Cain and Abell issued up in his stead which desire is so planted in man that albeit God when he said to Adam that in sorrow and the sweat of his browes he should eate his owne bread told him that hee should have enough to doe to get a living for himselfe yet Adam being scarce able to provide for himselfe begetteth children And albeit God said unto the woman that shee should bring forth children in sorrow and travell Genesis the third Chapter and the sixteenth verse yet shee not only brings forth Cain but having tryed the paine of child-bearing shee said not as Rebecca Genesis the twenty fift Chapter and the twenty second verse but addeth yet and brings forth Abell so high a reckoning did Adom and Eve make of continuing their kinde In the propagation we have two parts First Adams knowing And secondly Eves conception unto which two things are to be added first the manner of expressing the carnall copulation of Adam and Eve by this terme of knowledg Afterward Secondly the circumstance of time noted in the word afterward For Adams knowledg and the generation of mankinde wee see that the transgression of the Commandement of God in Paradise doth not hinder marriage so as it should be a sinne to beget children but contrary wise marriage is a remedy against sinne the first of the Corinthians the seventh Chapter and the second verse And that which God affirmeth touching the joyning of man and woman Genesis the second Chapter and the twenty fourth verse That Man shall leave father and mother and cleave to his wife and they two shall bee one flesh is not repealed by God for wee see the accord of marriage betweene Adam and Eve is continued and they company together and bring forth children And as the estate of marriage was not taken away by sinne so was not the blessing of fruitfullnesse and conception Therefore as before they fell God said Bring forth fruit and multiply and fill the Earth the first Chapter and the twenty eighth verse so here Eve receiveth from the Lord strength to conceive and bring forth Cain and Abell Now the woman bringeth forth not only a seede but the seede promised in the third chapter of Genesis and the fifteenth verse and that a holy seede Matthew the second chapter and fifteenth verse not only Men in Earth but Saints in Heaven and the end hereof is not only that wee should desire to have our own names continue but as Joshua speakes in the seventh of Joshua and the ninth verse quid fiet magno tuo nomine that is that not only wee may magnifie Gods name while wee live but that when wee fall another seede may stand up and prayse his name that the seede may serve him Psalme the twenty second and the thirtith verse A people that shall bee borne shall praise him the hundred and second Psalme and the eightteenth verse Know Touching the carnall copulation of Adam with Eve where God expresseth it by the terme of knowledge it sheweth us the holinesse of this tongue wherein the holy-Ghost writ this then which there is no tongue that useth so modest and chaste speeches and therefore is called the holy tongue and it withall sheweth us that the holy-Ghost by his owne example commendeth unto us modesty and chaste speeches for that modest speech which hee useth here to expresse the company of man and woman he useth also Matthew the first where he saith Joseph knew not Mary and this thing hee calleth by another terme Debitam benevolentiam I Corinthians the seventh and the third verse that is he exhorteth us to avoid fornication uncleaness and filthiness Ephesians the fifth and the third verse so he might provoke us by his example for as that broad speech uttered
we were like to perish till he provided for us so we must give him a present even the first fruits of that we have acknowledging that all came from him in the twenty sixt chapter of Deuteronomie The ground of our oblation is to testifie so as the ground of our oblation 1. our thankfulness is the testifying of our thankfulnesse 2 our subjection to God Another end is the testifying and acknowledging of our subjection to God that as he gave us our souls so we confesse we ought to bestow our souls on God And that we shall doe if when our own reason cannot attain to see how that should be just which he requireth 1. to give and subject our souls to God yet we be content to make our souls subject to him and to bring them into the obedience of Christ in the second of the Corinthians and the tenth chapter If as we have grieved the spirit of God with our sinnes so we be content to grieve our souls and to break them with sorrow which is a sacrifice to God in the fifty first Psalme and the seventeenth verse 2. to subject our bodies to God Secondly as we have received our bodies from God so we must make them subject to God by abating the desires which our flesh delighteth in that we may delight in that which God requireth and that we be content to impoverish the body to chasten it and bring it under by fasting in the first of the Corinthians and the ninth chapter From both soul and body our mouths must shew forth Gods praise that it may be more fit for his service we must not only acknowledge in our soul that we owe our selves both soul and body to God but we must open our lips and shew forth his praise with our mouthes in the fifty first Psalme 3. We must honour God with our substance And lastly we must honor God with our substance in the third chapter of the Proverbs And not content our selves with the oblation of the lips as a sacrifice that cost us nothing in the second of Samuell and the twenty fourth chapter The sacrifice also hath two grounds The sacrifice also hath two grounds 1. The confession of our sins aud why First The confession of our sinnes for in that the poor Lamb or other beast whatsoever hath his throat cut what is it else but a confession that what the Lamb suffereth the same we our selves deserved to suffer As the Lamb dieth so we deserve the death both of body and soul And as the Lamb was burnt to ashes so we deserved to be burnt in the lake of sire and brimstone in the twentieth of the Apocal. and the tenth verie For sine effusione sanguinis non est peccatorum remissio in the ninth chapter of the Hebrews And so in that the poor beast hath his blood poured out we doe thereby confesse that we cannot have remission of sinnes without the shedding of blood if we seek it in our selves 2 The confession of our faith in Christ which maketh the other perfect and why But there is a second ground of the sacrifice and that is the confession of our faith which maketh all the other confessions perfect for how is it possible that a Lamb should be worth a Man and that the death of an unreasonable creature should be a sufficient satisfaction for the sinnes of a reasoable soul the Apostle saith It is impossible that the blood of Lambs and Goats should take away sinnes in the tenth chapter of the Hebrews and the fourth verse It cost more to redeem souls then so vise a price or the price of the most pretious things in the world in the fourty ninth Psalme Christ the Lamb slain by whose blood we have remission of sinnes and why Therefore the reason why they offered sacrifice was to make confession of their faith in Christ whom they confessed to be the Lamb of God slain from the beginning of the world by whose blood we have remission of sinnes So the Lambe which Abel offered in the fourth chapter of Genesis which Esay foresaw should stand before his shearrer in the fifty third of Isaiah whom John Baptist pointed at John the first chapter and the twenty ninth verse Ecce Agnus Dei is Christ the Son of God slain from the beginning of the world to take away sinnes Apoc. the thirteenth chapter And in the blood of that Lambe are the sinnes of the whole world purged as it is in the first Epistle of St. John the first chapter and the seventh verse 4. The warrant whereby they offered oblations and sacrifice Fourthly The warrant whereby they offered their oblation and sacrifices was not any expresse command of God in the Scripture and God only knoweth what kinde of service best pleaseth him and of themselves they were not to devise any thing 1. Adam was instructed by God and they by Adam but they were taught by Adam and Adam was instructed by God As Adam had experience that God was able to bring light out of darknesse so he taught Adam by his spirit that as by the tree of life he would give life so by death he would give life For as in the Sacrifices of the Law the Jews were taught that out of death God would give them life We by our Sacraments so now in our Sacraments Christians are assured that by the death of Christ whereof the Supper is a commemoration the faithfull obtain life Made known 1. By the light of nature The meanes whereby God made this known to them was first the light of nature That they had offended God which told them that seeing so many infirmities and sicknesses lay upon them it was for that they had offended som body 2. That they owe thankfulness for all they had to be acknowledged in heart word and works Secondly that all they possessed was from some superior power to whom they ought to be both thankfull and dutifull and to acknowledge both these in words as well as in heart and to expresse this subjection by works that is by offering somthing to God 2. For the confession of faith no reason or light of nature taught but by Gods spirit But as for confession of faith no reason of man no light of nature that could apprehend that but as Christ saith in the sixteenth of Matthew it was the Revelation of Gods Spirit which taught them that Christ the Lambe of God should be offered as a Sacrifice for sinne of which all the sacrifices that went before were types Concerning Cain and Abell we are to observe two points First what they had in common Secondly what severally All both poor and rich must offer For the first As we learn that all must offer both in the Law in the thirtieth chapter of Exodus for God will have his offering be we rich or poor and in the Gospell where Christ alloweth
him for the same should have provoked Cain to a godly emulation debuit fratrem mutatus imitari non amulari I have observed that nothing is done but upon emulation saith the Preacher Ecclesiastes the fourth chapter If that be taken away all desire of virtue will die That which we are to apply from hence to our use is that If Gods doings which are just be subject to the unjust construction of men as it falls out in Cain We ought not to marvel if our doing be hardly censured which many times are wrong notwithstanding howsoever we may rightly be reproved oftentimes for our doing yet God is alwayes to be acknowledged righteous when he is judged Psalm the fifth for he is righteous in all his wayes Psalm the one hundred and fourty fifth and no iniquity in him Psalm the ninty second Tum dixit Jehova Kajino Quare accensa est ira tua quare cecidit vultus tuus Nonne si benè egeris remissio si verò non benè egeris prae foribus est peccatum excubans Gen. 4 6 7. June 10. 1599 WHICH words of God do let us see Cain's sorrow of malice and envy that the sorrow of Cain was not the sorrow of repentance but of malice and envy and therefore he findeth fault with it saying Why art thou wrath and why is thy countenance cast down God knew no just cause of his sorrow and therefore it was not a good and godly sorrow but malicious and full of envy Gods first sermon the ground of all others These words contain a sermon of God and the first that was preached after man was sent out of Paradise and it is the seed-plot of all other sermons that is in the Prophets and Apostles To bring sinners to repentance In which generally we are taught as much as the Prophet after affirmeth of Gods goodness That he delighteth not in the death of sinners Ezekiel the thirty eighth chapter That he will not have any to perish but come to repentance in the second of Peter the third chapter and the ninth verse And hereof we have a plain example in Cain who is the first of all the reprobates which not withstanding God laboureth to bring to repentance Again here we see the blessednesse of mans state for albeit the Angels be of all creatures most excellent yet in these two respects mans estate is more blessed than the Angells For the sinne of Angells is incurable as Jude sheweth Jude the sixth The Angels that kept not their first estate but lost their own habitation are reserved by God in everlasting chains to judgment Whereas the sin of man may be cured Secondly in that God when he was to redeem the world would not assume the nature of Angels but tooke the nature of man in the second chapter to the Hebrews and the sixteenth verse For there is cure and physick for mans sinne as the prophet speaketh Let there be an healing of thine error in the fourth of Daniel and the twenty fourth verse Therefore the people acknowledged that albeit they have trespassed against God in taking strange wayes yet there is hope in Israel concerning this in the tenth chapter of the first book of Esdras And if yee repent iniquitas vestra non erit in scandalum Ezekiel the eighteenth chapter and the twenty second verse Meanes to cure the sin of man There is means to cure the sin of man Thirdly therefore seeing sin is not incurable we may not neglect sinners but must labour to restore them as God dealeth here with Cain And this is the duty 〈◊〉 both the Prophets and Apostles doe stirre us up We desire you to admonish them that are unruly in the first to the Thessalonians the fift chapter and the fourteenth verse And he that converteth a sinner from his way shall save a soul James the fift chapter and the twentieth verse Gods word Physick for the soul. Further we learn that this cure is wrought of God by means of his word for that is the physick of the soul and the balm of Gillead Jeremie the eighth chapter and the twenty second verse And not only by the rod but also by discipline as appeareth verse the eleventh Fiftly As the diseases of the soul are double so is the spirituall medicine of Gods word double 1. of comfort When Adam and Eve were cast down with sorrow for their sinne then God cured them with the word of comfort telling them of the blessed seed in the third chapter of Genesis amd the fifteenth verse 2. of reproofe But here he meeteth with one of another disease and ministreth to him the word of reproofe rebuke and threatnings In respect of the one the word it self is compared to honey Psalm the nineteenth and the tenth verse and in respect of the other the Ministers of the word are called the salt of the earth in the fift chapter of Matthew and the 〈◊〉 verse The one is the word of mercy the other the word of judgment The one is set out by the oyle poured in the wounds of the sick man whose nature is to supple the other is signified by wine which hath a peircing power Luke the tenth chapter Therefore out of Christ's side came out only blood but water also John the nineteenth chapter and the thirty fourth verse There is a cure both by compunction of heart through sorrow in the eleventh chapter to the Romans and by unction that is by the Holy Ghost which anoynteth us with the oyle of gladnesse Therefore we must marke what disease the soul hath for it is as unkindly to heal wounds with sweet words as it is in the sixth chapter of Jeremiah as to apply oyle to those parts that require 〈◊〉 The parts of the sermon are four And by ancient Writers are reduced to these four uses of holy Scripture which the Apostle noteth in the second to Timothie the third chapter and the sixteenth verse To reproofe belongeth Why art thou angry and why is thy countenance cast down To doctrine If thou doe well sbalt not thou be accepted To correction If thou doe not well doth not sinne ly at the dore Lastly for instruction he telleth Cain that albeit the desire of sinne doe assault us yet it shall not have dominion over us Or as other interpret this place it containeth 〈◊〉 motives and arguments why sin should be hatefull to us First because sin is a 〈◊〉 thing and such as no reason can be given for Secondly it will deprive us of our reward Thirdly not only so but we shall be cast down into hell to be partakers of the wrath of God for ever Fourthly albeit the Devill doe labour to make us commit sinne yet the seed of the Woman shall give us grace and strength to resist sinne and the desire thereof In the first part are two questions Question of the minde One of the minde Why art thou angry Quest. of the
countenance The other of the countenance Why is thy countenance cast down Concerning both which in that God knoweth no cause of Cain's sorrow it is plaine that it was an evill sorrow for God alloweth not that sorrow for which we cannot give a reason Note A reason to be given of our sorrow and actions And as God will come one day to ask an account of our works so we must every one give a reason of our actions in the fourteenth chapter to the Romans and the twelfth verse and in the first cpistle of Peter the fifth chapter But if we be not able to give a reason of those things which we doe then are we as bruitish as unreasonable beasts God teacheth man more than the beasts of the earth giveth him more wisdome than the fowles of heaven Job the thirty fifth chapter verse the eleventh Therefore man ought to doe God more service than they Therfore the Prophet saith in the thirty second Psalm Be not like horse and mule that have no under standing We are as the Apostle speaks men of understanding in the first to the Corinthians and the tenth chapter such as ought to doe nothing but what they can give a reason for Therefore the word is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first epistle of Peter the second chapter and the second verse and the service that God requireth of us is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the twelfth chapter to the Romans and the second verse and they that doe otherwise are not only evill but absurd and unreasonable men in the second to the Thessalonians the third chapter and the second verse All kinde of sin is unreasonable As God sets this brand upon all kinde of sinne that is unreasonable Chiefly hatred so chiefly the sinne of Cain for his hatred towards Abel was not for evill but for good In naturall reason we are to love good things and hate evill but where he hated his brother because his works were good and his own evill the first epistle of John the third 〈◊〉 and the twelfth verse it appeares that his sinne was bruitish and unreasonable which unreasonable kinde of dealing the holy Ghost expresseth Is thine eye evill because his is good Matthew the twentieth chapter and the fifteenth verse We must make account for gestures of our bodies Secondly for his countenance God will have an account of the gestures of our bodies for as they were both created and redeemed by God so we must glorifie God both in body and spirit the first to the Corinthians the sixth chapter and the twentieth verse God alloweth no affection that is causless and therefore condemneth unadvised anger as a sinne Matthew the fifth chapter which was Cains sinne The second motive is If thou doe well shalt not thou be rewarded and accepted where in he wills us to look not only to the ground and cause of our actions but to the end of them as if God should say if reason cannot move you to hate sinne yet let affection move Affections Hope Fear Now there are two chief affections which move the life both of man and beast that is hope and feare first God moves with the hope of reward If thou doe well shalt thou not beeaccepted then with the fear of punishment but If thou doe evill sinne lyeth at the dore By the first question Gods meaning is Am I such a one as doe not regard well doings All Scripture affirmeth that God tendreth goodnesse dicite justo quia bene erit merces so saith Jehosaphat to the Judges in the 〈…〉 Isa. Be of good courage and 〈◊〉 it for the Lord will bee with the good the second booke of the Chronicles and the ninteenth chapter with whom the Apostle agreeth Be stedfast and unmoveable quia labor vestra non erit inanis in Domino as it is in the first of the Corinthians and the fifteenth chapter and the conclusion of the whole Scripture is Behold I come shortly and my reward is with mee the two and twentith chapter of the Revelations and the second verse If our love were perfect it would cast out feare and wee should not neede to bee drawne to doe well with hope of reward but because there is great imperfection on both parts during this life therefore wee have neede to bee stirred up to doe well with the one and terrified from doing evill with the other The reason why David hearkned to Gods statutes was propter retributionem Psalme the hundred and ninteenth Moses was contented to suffer adversity with Gods people for that hee looked to the recompence of reward Hebrewes the eleventh chapter so that it is Gods will we should take notice of this word of comfort that if wee doe well wee shall bee accepted The word Neshah used in the originall hath two significations both to reward and to forgive as it is in the thirty second Psalme Blessed are they whose intquities are forgiven the first sense hath reference to the fourth verse where it is said God had respect to Abel and his sacrifice And for the other sense thou shalt be forgiven It is agreeable to the Scripture which teacheth us that to ridd our selves of sinne wee must breake off iniquity with right dealing Daniel the fourth chapter and mercy Joel the second chapter and the thirteenth verse sanctifie a fast call an Assembly then shall the Lord bee mercifull and Peter to Simon Magus Pray to God if so bee the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee Acts the eighth chapter and the twenty second verse But Abel did well and that was 〈◊〉 rewarded in this life for his brother killed him he was not rewarded here therefore it followeth he was rewarded in the life to come For God is not unrighteous to forget the labour of our love Hebrews the sixth chapter and the tenth verse though God forget us on earth yet we shall be remembred in heaven It is a righteous thing with God to recompence them which are troubled with rest when the Lord Jesus shall shew himself from heaven the second to the Thessalonians the first chapter and the sixt and seventh verses So that the second motive to drive us from sinne is that it deprives us of the reward and sets us out of the hope of Gods favour In which case we must practise the counsell of the holy Ghost Apocal. the second memor esto unde cecider is resipisce The third motive is that if thou doe not well sinne lyeth at the dore which is the corrective part as if God should say though neither reason can move nor hope of good yet let this move us that sin doth not only deprive us of God but brings eternal destruction si bonus non infructuosê si malus non impunè for God takes order that neither good shall be unrewarded nor evill unpunished sinne shall not only deprive us of our hope and shut us out of heaven but lock us fast
sinne then we must proceed another way yet true and very profitable and so say ad te appetitus ejus ejus saith Augustine cujus numquid fratris absit Nay saith he it is appetitus peccati and Augustine doth ground this upon Jeremiah the fifteenth chapter and the ninteenth verse where it is said If thou return and in the same verse ipsi convertantur ad te non tu ad illos and so after Austin St. Jerome saith excellently ne peccatum illi sed ille peccato dominaretur not that sinne might have dominion over him but he over sinne and so in a manner dealt all the ancient Divines It is well known St. Jerome knew the tongues and was well acquainted with the Scriptures and so the sense is more perfect and compleat this way than the other This then is the point of instruction as before by way of praise and threat so here God deals by way of admonition which is brought in by way of supposing an excuse as if one should say I would not 〈◊〉 but I cannot doe otherwise I have no power over my self to rule my self or 〈◊〉 this grief how then can I rule over it that is over sinne But against this supposition of Cain Gods instruction is thus though sin be turned towards him yet God saith he may be Master over it that he needs not yeeld to it as if God should say to Cain I would have thee doe that which my grace offereth unto thee and not that which the concupiscence of sin leads thee to Here are two things propounded First our own state in these words but unto thee his desire shall be subject Secondly our duty what to doe thou 〈◊〉 rule over him For the first I grant it thou canst not live without it for sinne lyeth at the dore knocking and will run in and embrace thee if thou open the dore to it it is not possible but ad te appetitus ejus sinne will be taking hold of thee as it is exactly set down Hebrews the twelfth chapter sinne hangs on fast This is your state saith God and take notice of it but then doe your duty when sinne knocks look that you shut the dore against it when sinne runs to you see you turn your back on it and when it desires let it be in vain and then saith St. Austen surgendo proferendo frustra defatigetur ut tandem mihi proferat discat amplius non surgere and this it is that God would have us to remember to repell sinne by striving against it and not become Slaves to it by serving the lusts of it For as many times as a man refuseth the conversion and turning of the oportunities of sinne it is the redoubling of so many rewards and crowns in the Kingdome of heaven so that I tell you as often I have that it signifies both comfort and exhortation that that which exhorts should comfort and that which comforts should exhort too First for comfort not that any man should think himself forsaken and out of the compass of Gods favour when sinne runs to him for therefore it is called conversion it is the motion that water hath in hollow places that howsoever on hills or steep places it runs down yet in hollow places it staieth such is the nature of sinne As if God should say seeing your nature is such that it is naturally inclined to sinne by the teint and corruption of the poyson of that Serpent which first beguiled your first Parents which every man in his own nature hath sense of yet he feels no more than all the dear Saints of God have felt Therefore that it should not seem strange to any man when he seeth sinne run to him and findes those temptations of sin and motions thereunto for it is no other thing than what is incident to all the first to the Corinthians the tenth chapter and the thirteenth verse No temptation hath taken you but such as is incident to man Now that is our inclination naturall which we cannot avoid here in this life and that is comfort against the objects of sinne that our case is no worse than other mens But withall to this comfort God joyns exhortation that for as much as we shall be continually provoked and assaulted by sinne and sin will run to us and ly at the dore yet we are not to goe and meet it and if not goe meet it we must take heed we draw it not to us with cart-ropes as if it came not fast enough Isaiah the fist chapter and the eighteenth verse and as Ezekiel speaks we may not be as dragons sucking still Ezekiel the fourth chapter and the second verse nor put the stumbling blocks of iniquity before our face Ezekiel the fourth chapter we may not plough for sinne Proverbs the twenty first chapter and the fourth verse as if he should say sinne will come fast enough in the fallow grounds therefore we need not to provoke our selves by pictures lewd songs enterludes and such like means 〈◊〉 draw it to us but to abandon them all It is that which the Apostle exhorts all men to in the second to the Corinthians the eleventh chapter and the twelfth verse to cut off all occasions to sinne observing what that is that provoketh them to sinne and cut that off that we draw not sinne to our selves and so be accessary to sinne and cause of our own woe If the water be comming that we give no passage to it if the coals lye before you spit on it you may but beware you blow it not and if sinne would have passage stop it 〈◊〉 serving sin you be carryed away captive of sinne for of whomsoever a man is overcome his servant he is the second of Peter and the second chapter and his servant you are to whom you obey Romans the sixth and the thirteenth verse Therefore give not your members as weapons of unrighteousness to sinne but give your selves to God This is our duty which we must doe and perform for as the former part is set down for our comfort so this serves for our instruction So there is a comfort in our estate comming by this exhortation and there is exhortation out of the comfort to doe our duty on sinne which shall stand us in great stead in the day of the Lord. Here are four divisions or distinctions First God saith There is sinne in body and sinne in soul there are as well corporall sinnes as mentall and as well actuall as cogitable 〈◊〉 a sinne against man as well as God Secondly Si bene feceris nonne acceptaberis so that God saith plainly he that beareth malice doth not well that is he sinneth against his brother for a man may as well sinne against man as against God for that Gods command is Love thy Brother or Neighbour as thy self therefore a man should not imagine that except he offendeth God he sinneth not That is a second distinction Sinne sleeping
reprehension Then the shewing of the promise which God maketh to them that doe well and on the other part the danger of the 〈◊〉 that belong to them that doe evill and when withall we 〈◊〉 that 〈…〉 will set upon us yet it shall not prevail against us but we shall have the mastry over it if we accept of Gods grace offered to us Now seeing God laboureth by all these means to drive Cain from sinne and he notwithstanding continues hardened in it we see the Prophets words verefied that God ordereth his works in 〈◊〉 for t That the mouth of wickedness may be stopped Psalm the one hnndred and seventh and the fourty second 〈◊〉 God may in this respect say to Cain and every wicked man quid debui facere quod non feci I saiah the fifth chapter so that we are not to accuse God that Cain proved so wicked for he is to be justified when he is judged Psalm the fifty first The use hereof 〈◊〉 to those that are Preachers of the word that seeing the Scholar is not above his Master seeing the Messenger is not greater than he that sent him we should content our selves if our preaching have not that success we with seeing Gods Sermon made to Cain did want effect And yet we see our weakness in the Prophet who seeing that his pains took no place with his auditors resolved that he would speak no more in Gods name Jeremiah the twentieth chapter and the ninth verse but Esay made a better conclusion Isaiah the fourty ninth chapter and the fourth verse For albeit he confessed he laboured in vain and spent his strength in vain yet he will goe on still for that he knew his reward was with God Heb. 6. When God preacheth and Cain never the better Our labour is not in vain in the Lord. when Christ in his first Sermon could doe no good we are not to think it strange though our preaching want success Though others profit not feeing nothing befalls but what befell God and Christ the Prophets and Apostles for it was St. Pauls case also the second to the Corinthians and the second chapter Note it is better it should want effect being preached than it should not be preached at all and better it should perish in the eares of the hearers than in the mouths of such as are Ministers Thus much we have to observe on Gods part It is Cains way not to profit by Sermons but to grow worse after Now on Cains part we are to note first what is Cains way that taking notice of it we may labour to avoid it for the Apostle saith Woe to them that walk in the way of Cain Jude the eleventh Now the way that Cain walked in was to hear Sermons but not to profit by them As he was careless in his sacrifice and thought any thing would serve to offer to God so when God preacheth to him he had no respect how he heard and therefore he had no profit thereby When God had used all means that could be to draw him from sinne First by shewing him that it was an absuid thing to finne more 〈◊〉 a bruit beast than a reasonable man Secondly by shewing him not only that he should by finne deprive himself of God but procure his own woe and be brought to account for it And lastly by ministring to him comfort that from the blessed seed of the woman that hath broken the head of the Serpent he should receive strength to subdue sinne yet for all this he stops his eare lyke the deaf Adder Psalm the fifty eighth and saith with them Jeremiah the fourty fourth and the sixteenth verse Say what you will we will doe what pleaseth our selves This was Cains humor and this was theirs also that heard Jeremy Ezekiel the thirty third chapter and thirty first verse They come and fit before thee they hear thy words but doe them not but their heart goeth on their covetonsness and runneth upon their worldly affaires Cain was the Patriarch of all such and as they walk in his way so they must come to be partakers of that woe that belongs to him and to all his of spring But we are further to note that Cain was not only not a whit better but far worse after the Sermon he went as the Psalmist speaks Psalm the sixty ninth from one wickedness to another Note he proceeded from wrath to deadly hatred and from hatred to murther from peccatum in affectu to peccatum in effectu for the word that goeth out of Gods mouth shall not return to him void but shall accomplish that which God will and prosper in the things whereto he sent it Heb. 6. It is like the rain that falleth down from heaven and watereth the earth which though it bring not forth good corn yet it causeth thorns and thistles to spring up Isaiah the fifty fifth chapter and the tenth and eleventh varies and so the Apostle saith that the Gospel preached by him is not in vain but is either odor vitae ad vitam or odor mortis ad mortem the second to the Corinthians and the second chapter and this effect it hath not that it is the nature of Gods word to bring forth evill Example but as the nature of water is to coals and never to kindle unless it be in lime which is hot and kindled by means which naturally cooleth and quencheth all other things so where the nature of Gods word is to kill sinne if it be uttered to the wicked which perish sinne is made unreasonably sinfull by the word Romans the seventh chapter and wicked men are the more hardened in their sinne when by the word they are reproved of sinne Hence it is that men being reproved and checked of sinne by the word have proved more sinfull Note The worse by reprehension As Abner being reproved by Isbosheth was the worse in the second of Samuel and the third chapter so Asa being reproved of the Prophet was the worse in the second of the Chronicles and the fifteenth chapter For the pariculars of this verse we must know that Cain's sinne is not a sinne presently committed but that kinde of sinne which is plowed for He goeth about and fetcheth a compass before he committeth the deed He had already resolved to murther his Brother if opportunity would serve before he spake word to him And as he that looketh after a woman to lust after her hath already committed adulterie in his heart in the fifth chapter of Matthew Murther in heart not acted so Cain was already guilty of murther though it were not actually committed and so it was with Judas so soon as he had agreed with the Scribes and 〈◊〉 to kill Christ he was guilty of murther before God as if it were already done All the while that he was compacting with them about his death he was in that sinne as Christ saith of him Quod facis
when Parties are convicted upon witnesses which is the more usuall way but when by manifest arguments and proofs they are proved guilty For so in Cain The falling down of his countenance His going into the fields with his Brother And he being found slain thereupon are manifest tokens that he slew Abel for there was none else to doe it Upon those grounds God proceeds to give sentence against Cain In which sentence we have an Ecce of Gods Severity in his Justice and of his Bounty in Mercy For first This is a great mercy to Cain that where God did not take this judiciall course with Korah for resisting the Magistrate of Gods people but caused the earth presently to swallow him up in the sixteenth chapter of Numbers and punished Ananias with sudden death for that he lyed not to men but to God Acts the fifth chapter and never stayed either to see whether he would confesse or to convince him yet he will not proceed against Cain till he have proved him guilty and condemned him accordingly Of Gods proceeding in justice against Cain there are three parts First the spirituall part against his soul. Secondly the Oeconomicall part against his labour bestowed in tilling the earth Thirdly his Politicall punishment which standeth herein That he shall be an exile and Vagabond on earth The first part of his punishment is in these words Cursed art thou from the earth for Gods meaning herein as Cain himself doth apprehend it verse the fourteenth is that Cain is cast out from the earth and from the presence of God that is God doth inflict upon him an Ecclesiasticall severing from Gods presence not from the presence of his Providence for of that Psalm the one hundred thirty ninth Whither shall I goe from thy presence Presence of Gods favour but from the presence of Gods favour and grace of which the Prophet prayeth Cast me not from thy presence Psalm the fifty first from the fellowship of the Saints as in saying Cursed art thou from the earth he pronounceth upon him the sentence of Banishment out of the society of men As God doth separate Cain out of the family of Adam which was an Image of the Church wherein he heard Gods word so also he doth baniish him out of the company of men Touching the first point we know that it is the highest punishment that can be inflicted to be cursed of God for in the third of Genesis and the fourteenth verse the sentence pronounced upon the Serpent was Cursed art thou if there had been any punishment more grievous doubtlesse God would have laid it upon him And in the end of the world the last and most fearfull punishment or sentence upon the Devill and his Angels is Ite maledicti Matthew the twenty fift chapter Especially when the curse is directed to the person maledictus tu as if it were shot out of purpose against him so he directed the curse to the Serpents person Genesis the third chapter and the fourteenth verse Cursed art Thou above all cattel But when God came to Adam he spared his person and laid the curse upon the earth Maledicta terrapropter te Genesis the third chapter and the seventeenth verse But here we see the sentence is pronounced against Cain's person as it was against the Serpent Cursed art Thou from the earth Wherein we may see that Cain's sinne is another manner of sin than Adam's and therefore is more grievously punished as it standeth with justice 〈◊〉 ad rationem peccati 〈◊〉 plagarum modus Deuteronomie the twenty fourth chapter But Cain's sinne is greater than Adam's five wayes First Adam's sinne proceeded out of concupiscence but Cain's came of malice which deserveth no mercy as the Prophet sheweth Psalm the fifty ninth Be not mercifull to them that sinne of malicious wickednesse Secondly Adam's sinne was committed upon a sudden and did not take root as Cain's did for his sinne was a long time hatching and breeding for all Gods preaching to him yet he went forward in sinne albeit he had long admonition from God to keep him from it Thirdly Adam having committed his sinne was taken with fear and fled to hide himself if he could but Cain was not a whit afraid but faced it out and never shewed any sorrow for it Fourthly when Adam was examined he confessed his sinne willingly but Cain obstinatly denyed it and would not be brought to confesse it though God had three times laboured to make him confesse He denieth his fault non tam audacter quam procaciter Wherefore Adams sinne and Cains are not both of one regard or nature and therefore must not be punished alike but the one more grievously than the other So yet we see here is a great correspondencie between the Serpents sinne and Cain's for as the Serpent of envy murthered our first Parents so Cain is here the instrument of the Serpent to kill Abel for that he envyed him And therefore the Wise-man said Invidiâ Diaboli intravit mors Fiftly As the Devils sinne is pride Ero similis altissimo Isaiah the fourteenth chapter the fourteenth verse so Cain shewed his pride by his contempt of Gods word command who forewarned him not to kill his Brother as also by his saucy answer to God Am I my Brothers keeper Wherefore as Cain's sinne is equall to the Serpents sinne so he hath the same punishment that the Serpent had Maledictus tu In regard of which likenesse of their sinne the Apostle saith Cain is ex maligno illo in the first of John the third chapter and the twelfth verse that is rather the Son of the Devill than of Adam and therefore the Son is punished with the like punishment that was laid upon the Father For the contents of the word Maledictus The nature of a curse is That the party upon whom it is pronounced must be evill as the Prophet saith Isaiah the third chapter and the eleventh verse Dicite justo quia bene vae autem malo quia male especially that party is cursed that hath no good in him for wee see in the eighteenth chapter of Genesis if there had been any good in Sodom but five persons the Lord would have spared it but because there was no good in it it was plagued with fire and brimstone which doth most of all resemble hell But on the other side because there was wine found in one cluster the Lord said destroy it not Isaiah the sixty fifth chapter and the eighth verse In the new Testament God promiseth mercy to the Church of Philadelphia quia modicam habes virtutem in the third of the Revelations and the eighth verse The goodness of a sinner But Cain had no goodnesse left in him for whereas the goodness of a sinner is fear shame compassion and repentance Cain had none of these Adam was afraid when he had sinned but Cain was 〈◊〉 little afraid that he faced out his sin and as for shame it was
his Sentence and therefore as Christ saith Luke the thirteenth chapter Except 〈◊〉 repent ye shall all likewise 〈◊〉 so all threathings in the Scripture goe with this condition The soul that sinneth it shall die except it repent Ezekiel the eighteenth chapter and he that calls his brother fool is in danger of hell fire except he 〈◊〉 Matthew the fifth chapter and the twenty second verse So that the justice of God is no hndrance but that the most grievous sinner that is may obtain forgiveness if he repent and because Cain repented not therefore he is excluded from the remission of sinnes The point that remains is That we consider 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the second to the Corinthians the second chapter the devises and fetches which the enemie of our Salvation useth to work our destruction for when sinne is to be committed he brings them to presumption and albeit God hath threatned plagues for such and such sinnes yet he perswades a man as Peter did Christ in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew Non fiet haec tibi that is before sinne is committed but when finne is finished and the Devill hath that he would have then he laboureth to bring men into desperation saying it must needs be and they cannot avoid the wrath and judgements of God In the reading of the old Testament he layeth a vail over the hearts of men as it was with the Jews that by the Law they might not see the grievousnesse of sinne and so avoid the danger of it in the second epistle to the Corinthians and the third chapter but when he hath entised men to commit sinne then he blindeth their eyes that the light of the Gospell whereby they are assured of the forgivenesse of sinnes and of the mercy of God in Christ should not shine into their hearts in the second to the Corinthians the fourth chapter he will neither let them see the grievousnesse of sinne before they commit it nor behold the mercy of God after it is committed Which mercy of God is so generally offered to all sorts that even murtherers lyars albeit they be grievous sinners cannot despair of mercy for we see both David and Peter obtained pardon and none are debarred but only they that say Quid nobis tecum Jesu Nazarene in the first chapter of Mark and the twenty fourth verse That which excluded the Devill himself from mercy was this desperate fear for as Augustine saith Obstinatione suâ non enormitate sceleris Daemon est Daemon Even so Cain the Child of the Devill seemeth to say thus much in this his confession I desire no pardon at thy hands O God because I see the greatness of my offence is greater than thy mercy For Cain we see what befell him because as the Prophet speaketh Noluit intelligere ut bene ageret Psalm the thirty sixt because he had no care to doe as God would have him therefore God gave him up to the lusts of his own heart and as the Apostle speaketh in the second to the Thessalonians the second chapter and the tenth verse because when God spake to him he believed not the truth that he might be saved God sent him strange delusions that he should believe the Devils lyes who preached to him and perswaded him after he had sinned that his sinne was greater than Gods mercy for if Pharaoh first harden his own heart Exodus the eighth chapter and the thirty second verse it is just that God harden his heart so as he shall not hearken to his ministers Exodus the ninth chapter and the twelfth verse But because the Prophet complaineth that while he would have healed Israel then the iniquitie of Ephraim was discovered and the wickednesse of Samaria Hosea the seventh chapter Therefore we must be heedfull that while we seek to cure desperation we make not a way to presumption for that is the great sinne against which the Prophet prayeth in the ninteenth Psalme Keep thy servant from presumptuous sinnes so shall I be clear from the great sinne This was the sinne of Cain and we must beware that we walk not in his way as Jude counselleth Quia è nimiâ spe presumptio is the high way to desperation therefore when we know Gods will as Cain did we must seek no faither nor follow our own wisdom It was Sauls sinne he would be wiser than either Samuel or the Lord himself for being commanded to destroy the Amalekites with all they had Saul as if God knew not what he did takes upon him to spare the best things in the first book of Samuel the fifteenth chapter this was his presumption We must beware saith Moses in the twenty ninth chapter of Deuteronomie and the ninteenth verse That when we hear the words of the curses and the punishments which God threatneth against the transgressors of his Law That wee doe not blesse our selves in our hearts saying I shall have peace though I walk after the stubbornness of mine own heart thus adding 〈◊〉 to thirst It we will not despaire we must fear for so did Job and therefore he saith Timor meus spes mea in the fourth chapter of Job and thesixth verse The fear he had and felt when he was about to sinne wrought in him an assured hope and assurance of Gods favour and that fear made him say Etiamsi 〈◊〉 sperabo in eum Job the thirteenth chapter That fear is a means of hope the Apostle S. Peter sheweth for having said that he would have all men to hope perfectly in the first of Peter the first chapter and the thirteenth verse he expresseth the means how they shall attainto this perfect hope that is by passing their conversation in fear verse the seventeenth This course did not Cain take but contrariwise when he heard God tell him that if he did evill sinne lay at the dore he for all that blesseth himself in his heart and said I shall doe well enough though I walk after the stubbornnesse of mine own heart and kill Abel my Brother contrary to Gods commandements En expellis me hodie à superficie istius terrae ut à facie tua abscondam me cumque vagus sim infestus agitationibus in terra si ullus fuerit qui me inveniat interficiet me Gen. 4. 14. Septemb. 9. 1599. CAINS speech to God as we see stands upon two parts one touching his sinne in the thirteenth verse the other concerning his punishment in this verse which also contains two parts First a meer repetition of the sentence given upon him in the eleventh verse Secondly an addition which Cain himself makes That now whosoever should finde him should kill him which is his chief complaint For the first part When sentence is passed upon any person God requireth two things First Agnitionem culpae whereunto two things belong That 〈◊〉 Promissio poenitentiae as Ezekiah promiseth That he will walk all the dayes of his life in the bitternesse of
take the sword and revenge his own quarrel but in case of necessity when there is none to defend it is lawfull to use the Sword for his defence It is not lawfull originally for Cain to make his 〈◊〉 his Wife as the Fathers prove Genesis the 2. chapter and the 4. verse so where God saith therefore shall a man leave his Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife his meaning is he will not have friendship kept within one Familie but will have men so to marry that 〈◊〉 Families may be linked together in love Again where both in Genesis the second chapter and Matthew the ninteenth chapter it is said they two shall be one flesh that is not true where Brother and Sister are joyned together for they are one flesh already in as much as they are born of the 〈…〉 Therefore where there is unity of blood between such 〈◊〉 is no lawfull marrying but necessity is without law and therefore Cain is dispensed withall because necessity caused him Touching the mixture of Brother and Sister it is 〈◊〉 to the Lord and his soul abhorrs it Leviticus the 〈◊〉 chapter and the twenty third verse but if this kinde of copulation were originally lawfull it would not be so abhominable that he would punish it in such sort Besides we see this is a thing so unlawfull that John Baptist chooseth rather to hazard his life than he will suffer this sinne unreproved which he would not have done but that it was originally unlawfull for Herod to have his Brothers Wife Matthew the fourteenth chapter For the knowledge Cain had with his wife we see that as Adam when he was cast out of Paradise knew his Wife so Cain being departed from Gods presence to a Land of trouble and disquietness having lost spirituall comforts seeks for rest in carnall delights For the procreation of Children as Sarah speaks Genesis the eighteenth chapter is an act of pleasure which albeit it be lawfull for Adam a repentant sinner yet not for Cain being in that state that he was for in the time of repentance the Bridegroom must come forth of his Camber and the Bride out of her Bedchamber Joel the second chapter and the sixteenth verse and they that are married may not so give themselves over to the flesh but that upon speciall cause sometime they give themselves to prayer and fasting in the first to the Corinthians the seventh chapter and the fifth verse but Cain standing as he did at this time transgresseth the Command of God And yet touching the third point Gods goodness appeareth herein that for all that he so blesseth 〈◊〉 which was unlawfull that she conceiveth It was in Gods hand and his sinne deserved it that she should have been barren for Jeremiah the twenty second chapter in the second of Samuel the sixteenth chapter the sinne of Jeconiah and Michal is the cause of their barrenness Therefore in Gods justice it is a due punishment to all sorts not to have Children but yet as he brings light out of darkness so to shew he can of evill Parents bring forth good Children he gives Cain issue as he brought good Ezekiah out of Achan and Josia out of Ammon For this cause he gives the wicked Children as also in this regard to shew that he is able to break the Serpents head not one way only by killing sinne in men but by making them examples of his justice as in Pharaoh Romans the ninth chapter For this cause have I stirred them up even as we see the bodies of Malefactors are given to Chyrurgeons for Anatomies that in them men may see the state of our bodies and so it may be for the good of others For as it were inconvenient that evill Parents should only have evill Children because by this means evill would be infinite so it is as inconvenient that good Parents should have none but good Children for so that which is of grace would be ascribed to nature And so we see that albeit the act be unlawfull and the seed stolne yet being cast into the ground we see God so blesseth it that it is fruitfull The fourth point is that Cain called his Sons name Enoch the meaning whereof is a dedication or consecration and this gives hope as if there were some goodness remaining in Cain for those things that are built to be dedicated are Altars and Churches things for Gods use as Noah built an Altar and offered burnt offerings Genesis the eighth chapter but that which Cain built is no Altar but a City and we know Cities and Towns are dedicated to the world and the consecration that he makes is to no God except he make the world his God Philippians the third chapter his position is that gain is godliness in the first to Timothy the fourth chapter and therein he bestowes his service But after we have another Enoch so truly called Genesis the fift chapter the Son of Seth who did not depart from Gods presence as this Enoch did but consecrated himself to God and became a Preacher of righteousness who as well by his preaching as by uttering the censure of excommunication behold the Lord commeth with a thousand of Angels as Jude speaks dedicated himself to the Church but the first work that Cains Enoch sets himself about is the world This is the difference between Cains Henoch and Seths Henoch the one builds a City on earth the other seeks for a City from above whose builder is God So that there is no hope of Cains return he consecrates his Sonne and City but it is to the wrong God if to any Secondly Touching the building of the City which is a matter respecting the world before wee come to that we must know there was now a great distance of yeeres betweene the time that Cain knew his wife and the time that hee built the City for hee built not the City only for himselfe his wife and childe but was now grown to bee so great a number that hee must have a City to place his posterity in for God respecting mankinde rather then the sinne of man made the seede sowne plentifull They that came of Abraham Isaac and Jacob came but to twelve and in few yeeres of those twelve came seventy five and for the increase of mankinde Hee makes the barren families like a flock of sheepe as it is in the hundred and seventh Psalme Therefore when Cain was grown to so great a multitude he built him a City It is true of Cain which the Apostle affirmeth Hebrews the third chapter No man departs from God but by an evil heart of unbelief So Cain thinks that albeit God hath cursed that part of the earth where Adam was yet it may be the Land toward the Sun rising may be better and therefore he makes triall like the Isrealites which being forbidden to keep any of the Manna till morning for all that would trie whether it would be full of worms and being forbidden to
not here saith the Apostle any abiding City Hebrews the thirteenth chapter and the fourteenth verse that is true for albeit we have Cities yet they continue not therefore we seek for a City of Gods building Hebrews the eleventh chapter and the ninth verse and not a City built by Cain This is a point of examination for it is to be considered whether a man in the course of his life reach any further than these three If he goe no farther in the practise of his life but to get Children to build Cities and fair Houses and to get a name he is in the way of Cain But if with the other Enoch we continue still in Gods presence then we doe well Cain having life granted for repentance mispends it in building of a City and such like vanities And as there is a woe to him so woe to them that like him mispend their time which God giveth them for repentance Jude the eleventh verse Cain is in a place of torment where he cryeth woe that he mispent his time so vainly and therefore we must beware by his example for this is the use we are to make of Cain and the Reprobate that when we see what is their end we beware that we walk not in their waies that we mispend not our time in fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and vanity of buildings and seeking the glory and honor of this world because to all such there belongs a woe no less than to Cain as it is in the epistle of Jude Deinde Chanacho natus est Hirad Hirad genuit Mechujaëlem Machujaël verò genuit Methuschaëlem Methuschaël genuit Lemecum Assumpsit autem sibi Lemec uxores duas Gen. 4. 18.19 〈◊〉 9. 1599. IN these two verses we have two points to consider the one is a journey which the Holy Ghost undertaketh the other is the end of that journey In the journey Moses begins to set down the Pedigrees of Cain and the end of that journey is the story of Lameoh wherein it may justly be inquired First why any mention is made in Scripture of the Reprobate Secondly why it makes mention of the generation of Cain before the generation of Seth For the first It is a matter of absolute necessity that the Scripture should make mention of the ungodly and reprobate for whereas God proclaimed enmitie between the Serpents seed and the seed of the Woman Genesis the third chapter and the eleventh verse it was his will that it should appear in the world how the one was an enemie to the other therefore it is called liber bellorum domini Joshua the tenth chapter The life of man is called militia super terram Job the seventh chapter and the Church is called the Church militant haec est patientia Sanctorum Revelations the fourteenth chapter and the twelfth verse to shew that the godly have enemies in this world whereby their patience is tried Secondly why mention is made first of the pedigree of Cain there is sufficient reason to be given that is In as much as the wicked are called the men of this world Psalm the seventeenth and the Children of this generation Luke the 〈◊〉 chapter and the eighteenth verse it is reason they should be first remembred in this world for that they shall not be mentioned any where else they only have their interest in this life but in the morning the righteous have the dominion Psalm the fourty ninth and the fourteenth verse that is in the life to come 〈◊〉 shall be first made of the godly and therefore Christ before he speaks of 〈◊〉 the wicked saith first Metthew the twenty fifth chapter Venite benedicti patris mei that is in regard of the persons and for sinne it self as the Philosopher saith ad meminem ante venit mens bona quim animus malus every man is first possessed with an evill minde before he can have a good minde as the Apostle saith in the first to the Corinthians the the fifteenth chapter and the fourty fift verse That is not first which is spirituall but that which is naturall We are all by nature first the Children of wrath Ephesians the second chapter and belong to the posterity of Cain before we can be partakers of grace and therefore it is good reason that in Scripture our state by nature be first spoken of before our state by grace that the Law should goe before the Gospel the seed of the Serpent before the blessed feed of the Woman Thirdly It may be demanded why this passage is made to the story of Lamech next after the story of Cain the reason is for that it is Gods will to bring sinne to a head For as in Adam we saw the poyson of the Serpent and the infection of it in Cain so here is a new infection For as there is a spirit that lusteth after envy James the fourth chapter which made Cain kill his brother so in Lamech we see that spirit which Jude speaks of verse the seventh that is a spirit that longeth after strange flesh which he she wed in taking two Wives That is there is an unclean spirit as well as an 〈◊〉 spirit whereas there are two parts of the will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Cain the angry part was infected with the Serpents poyson his heart was inflamed with a desire of revenge Now in Lamech we see this infection goeth lower even to his reins and stirs him up to lust There are but two temprations Deuteronomie the thirty third chapter and the eighth verse which the Hebrews call meribah and Massah which the Apostle termeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebrews the third chapter the one is the temptation unto contention and revenge where with Cain was infected of which the Apostle saith James the fourth chapter and the first verse From 〈◊〉 are warres and contentions among you are they not from your lusts The other is the temptation of concupisence which poisoned Lamech In the Gospel we have them both that is spiritas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke the eighth chapter and the second verse Christ healeth certain women possessed with malignant and envious spirits and Luke the eleventh chapter The unclean spirit departing out of a man walketh in dry places The malicious spirit she wed his poyson in Cain by the temptation of meribah and now Lamech is infected with the unclean spirit and yeelding to the temptation of 〈◊〉 And in these two Reprobates infected with these two kindes of temptations the Holy Ghost sheweth the perfection of sinne For sanctification hath two parts First That we possesse our vessels in holiness which is an exposition to the uncleaness of Lamech and in the first to the Thessalonians the fourth chapter and the sixt verse that no man oppresse or tread down his brother which opposeth it self against the spirit of Cain who trod down his brother and violently slew him Charity and
like 〈◊〉 Psalm the fourty ninth so we see their earthly felicity turne 〈…〉 miserie Therefore we must not dedicate our selves wholy to the world as Lamech we may not desire to be of that absolute power and force that no man shall be able to resist We may not only seek to delight our selves with musick to drink wine in bolls Amos the sixt chapter and the sixt verse That was it that Cains Enoch desired we must have respect to the second Enoch and so desire to be well in this world that we may also be well in the next world that as he is in heaven in glory so we may be in glory with him The beginning of worldly mens desire is Cain that is the getting in of wealth the end is Naomi that is pleasure and enjoying of it that was the course of the covetous rich man Luke the twelfth chapter I will pull down Barns and set up bigger and gather my corn thither and then say to my soul thou hast enough take thy pleasure but as Naomi was turned into Mara so this pleasure is turned into bitternesse Ruth the first chapter The pleasure which worldly men enjoy here is turned into the dreadfull torments of the world to come On the other side the generation of the godly begins with Enosh Genesis the fift chapter and the sixt verse and ends in Noah Genesis the fift chapter and the twenty ninth verse that is their beginning is sorrow but end in rest as the 〈◊〉 saith Psalm the one hundred twenty sixt They that sow in teares shall reap in joy the end of wicked mens pleasure is bitterness but the godly after sorrow are made partakers of rest in the evill day Therefore as the Scripture hath a use for correction and instruction so here not only they are corrected that follow the generation of the wicked posterity of Cain but we are instructed to follow the generation of the godly Tum dixit Lemec suis uxoribus O Hada Tzilla audite vocem meam uxores Lemeci auribus percipite Sermonem meum nam virum interfecero ad vulnus meum etiam adolescentem ad tumicem meum Cum septuplo sit vindicandus Kajin utique Lemec septuagies septies tanto Gen. 4. 23.24 Januar. 20. 1599. IN Lamech who was the seventh from Adam by the line of Cain the Holy Ghost propounds the example of a perfect wicked man as in Enoch the seventh from Adam by the line of Seth he sets out the pattern of a man perfectly righteous Concerning Lamech we heard his name is an oppressor First of chastity by violating Gods institution making three in one flesh where God saith two shall be one flesh and then of charity by proclaiming to the world that no man should hurt him but he should die for it So that where there are two wayes that overthrow that excellent virtue of love and charity that joyns man to God we see that Lamech by turning love into fleshly lust and charity into hatred and revenge gives the world an example of both In both he justifieth Cain as the Prophet saith of Juda That she justifieth Samaria and Sodom because she exceedeth them in their abominations Ezekiel the sixteenth chapter and the fifty first verse for Cain was content with one Wife but Lamech gave the reins to lust so as he took two and though Cain murthered Abel his brother yet he adds not murther to murther as Lamech did who saith That first he slew a man in his wound and then a young man in his hurt but to these two he adds that which the Wise-man calls profundum malitiae that is contempt Proverbs the eighteenth chapter and the third verse For then is a man come to the depth of wickedness when he contemnes God and his word and this is it which the Sonne of God calls the depth of Satan Revelations the second chapter the twenty fourth verse for he scoffs at Gods words which he spake concerning Cain verse the fifteenth saying If Cain shall be avenged seven fold truly Lamech seventy times seven fold verse the twenty fourth Secondly We doe not consider this by it self which Lamech did but we consider him as by this sinne he became the corrupter of mankinde so as it may be said of him that he made the whole world to sinne as Jeroboam made Israel to sinne for he was the first that brought in the sinne of uncleanness and cruelty which are as the Prophet speaks Psalm the eighteenth and the fift verse Torrentes Belial that is the floods of wickedness which brought destruction upon the old world Genesis the sixt chapter For as one saith there was priùs eluvio vitiorum before there was any deluge of waters for so the Holy Ghost witnesseth that the wickednesse of man was great upon earth and the earth was filled with cruelty and all flesh had corrupted his way and all this proceeded from his example for he gave the world a pattern to give the reins to lusts and make no conscience of bloodshed which brought destruction upon them Thirdly When as he had contrary to Gods Ordinance taken two Wives Adah and Zillah the one that set her felicity on painting of her face like Jezabel in the second of the Kings the tenth chapter the other to be to him as Herodias was to Herod Matthew the fourteenth chapter When God for all this spared Lamech and did not punish him as he deserved but rather blessed him with Children and earthly prosperity yet he is not any thing the better for Gods mercy but growes from one sinne to another till his sin became as the Apostle speaketh Romans the seventh chapter Out of measure sinfull and till the chief sinne appear in him which is even the head of the Serpent In whom we finde that verified which the Preacher saith Ecclesiastes the eighth chapter and the eleventh verse that if God presently punish any sinne he is counted cruel But when sentence against an evill work is not executed speedily then the hearts of the children of men are fully set to doe evil as the Apostle also sheweth That whereas Gods patience and long-suffering should lead us to repentance the wicked abuse his goodness and take occasion thereby to add sinne to sinne and so to heap up wrath for themselves against the day of wrath Romans the second chapter and the fourth and fist verses The discovering of these sinnes is plainly opened in this oration which Lamech makes to his Wives for sinne discloseth it self two wayes either by Cains way that is by the eye or countenance as Cain when his heart grew malicious shewed it presently in his countenance verse the fifteenth or else Lamechs way that is by the some or froth of the mouth for we see here according to Christs rule Matthew the twelfth chapter That Lamechs mouth speaketh from the abundance of his heart for the tongue is the Trumpet of the minde and as a Galilean may be known by
glory And this was the first sinne that came into the soul of the woman and as the Philosopher saith that the heart is primum vivens ultimum moriens so vain glory as it first took possession in the heart of man so it is last and with most difficulty dispossessed So that when a man hath mortified all his lusts and subdued all sinnes yet pride and the desire of glory revives again And whereas the sinnes of the world are three The lust of the 〈◊〉 The lust of the eyes and pride of life the first Epistle of John the 〈…〉 chapter and the sixteenth verse The sinne of pride is such a one as doth not only corrupt all virtues but 〈◊〉 all other sinnes and prevails against them for gluttony or the lust of the 〈◊〉 is come under the power of pride So as men take a pride in excesse of meat whereas gluttony would be contented with a sittle for the belly is sooner filled than the eye satisfied Secondly For Covetousnesse What makes men to exceed in the cares of getting riches but only pride and desire of glorie For knowing that the borrower is a servant to the lender Proverbs the tenth chapter and all things obey money Preacher the tenth chapter In respect of the excellencie of wealth they are so covetous that albeit they have more than enough yet they still gather together that they may have all men in subjection to them so hard it is to suppresse the desire of vain glory And the harder because where other sinnes be resting upon a man this sinne comes creeping upon him and flattereth him as a thing most agreeable to his nature Howbeit it is to be avoided with all heedfulness for it comes from good things as the root Secondly A man is proud oftentimes even of humilitie not only when they outwardly humble themselves with fasting but also when they are inwardly humbled Joel the second chapter Secondly it is the harder because it comes with a colour and shew of reason for it is Gods will that we should not only doe good works but that it should be done openly as Christ saith to shine and to be seen of men sic splendeat lux Matthew the fifth chapter and the sixteenth verse both that God may be glorified by us and that we may give good example to others But not withstanding we must beware that we doe them not to purchase praise to our selves How to avoid vain glory pride c. and other fins by meditation and prayer Secondly The question of ignorance is How we should avoid this desire of glorie which is so bred in us The answer to this doubt is By medition and prayer For as God hath laid this Curse upon the earth That it should bring forth thorns and thistles of it self but if we will have any good of it we must bestow labour upon it So this curse is laid upon our soules that good things will not come into our mindes without diligent meditation but pride and such sinnes will take place of themselves without any further trouble Wherefore as to avoid all temptations we must occupie our selves in godly meditation as Augustine saith Semper te Diabolus inveniat occupatum so there are speciall meditations for the avoiding of pride and the desire of vain glory First To think of the uncertainty of worldly glorie that Christ that to day should have been crowned King by the Jews was the next day crucified by them Secondly Of the emptinesse and vacuity of it as that all the glory that Haman had did not content him when he had received but one little disgrace by Mordechai Esther the fifth chapter Thirdly of the punishment of this sinne for whereas he spares other sinnes if he see withall some token of goodnesse so as he will quench the smoaking flax Isaiah the fourty second chapter he will not defer his judgements from the Hypocrites and ambitious but will withdraw his graces from them here and punish them eternally in the world to come Fourthly We should think of our own hearts if we doe good without regard of mens praise Fiftly Of our own inability how little we are able to doe of our selves except God move our hearts and work in us both to will and to doe Philippians the second chapter and the thirteenth verse that so we may ascribe the praise of all our good deeds to him as the only author of them These meditations will kindle a sire in us that we shall have a desire to speak as Psalm the thirty ninth as the Prophet having considered that God did command us to keep his testimonies saith presently O that my wayes were so directed that I might keep them 〈◊〉 the hundred and nineteenth But as by those 〈…〉 desire to avoid that which we are forbidden so unto our desire we must add resolution 〈◊〉 the nine and 〈◊〉 I said I 〈…〉 to my 〈◊〉 Dixi 〈…〉 The other means is 〈◊〉 For when we have done all we can to avoid this 〈◊〉 by our 〈◊〉 meditations yet that will not serve till we cry for Gods 〈…〉 strengthen us and help us for vain is the help of 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 and eighth So though the Apostle doe will the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put on the 〈◊〉 of God yet he saith the chief 〈…〉 fight with the Devil is prayer Ephesians the sixt chapter For except the 〈◊〉 keep the City the watch-men watch in vain Psalme the hundred twenty seventh We must not only say the general prayer which 〈◊〉 all 〈◊〉 Lead us not into temptation 〈◊〉 particularly against this 〈◊〉 say with David Psalme the thirty sixt 〈◊〉 not the 〈◊〉 of pride come 〈◊〉 me And Psalme the hundred and fourteenth Not to us O Lord not to us but to thy name give the praise The 〈◊〉 is For then 〈◊〉 shall 〈◊〉 your 〈◊〉 As before to doe good was the good corn that is to be sown but to doe 〈◊〉 〈…〉 seen is the tares that must be plucked up So the perswasion is thus to be taken Doe good works sincerely and ye shall have a reward though not in this world but if ye doe them in 〈◊〉 to 〈…〉 ye shall lose your reward When the holy Ghost implyeth that our good works shall have a reward and so perswadeth us to the 〈◊〉 of them He 〈◊〉 to our infirmity for there are 〈…〉 causes to move us to doe good As the shedding of Christs blood whereby he redeemed us to himself to be 〈◊〉 of good works Titus the second chapter and the fourteenth verse But because he knows whereof we be made and that we are weak he 〈◊〉 us with hope of reward and herein he hath regard Non ad gloriam operis sed ad zelum operantis of the reward of works done in sincerity heretofore Of these that are done in hypocrisie note two things First How true it is that they lose their reward Concerning which howsoever Hypocrites have a reward in this world yet they have not 〈◊〉
to come the first epistle to Timothie the fourth chapter and the eight verse Again to trust in God and not in riches is a better foundation not for our selves only but for our posterity I never saw the righteous for saken nor 〈◊〉 seed begging their bread Psalm the thirty seventh and the twenty fift verse The seed of the righteous is blessed Psalme one hundred and twelve and the second verse The second mean Prayer The second means to avoid this sinne is Prayer either with a moderate desire to pray with Salomon Proverbs the thirtieth chapter That God will give neither poverty nor riches or with David Psalme the hundred and nineteenth Incline my heart is thy Laws and not to 〈◊〉 And this is a good means such as a covetous man will 〈◊〉 admit For howsoever the sinne of covetousnesse be rooted in the heart of man yet when he considers the danger that he is in by the same he will pray that he were not covetous And howsoever the Apostle saith The prayer of a righteous man availeth mush if it be servent Oratia 〈◊〉 pravales James the fift chapter and the sixteenth verse yet God will sometime hear the prayer of a wicked man if it be not servent yet if it be offered up often it will not be in vain not by the violence or weight but by often rising up as the water that often falls makes the stone hollow The prayers of wicked men are turned into sinne if they be ordained to sinne Psalme the hundred and ninth and the seventh verse And God doth not hear them that ask to spend upon their lusts James the fourth chapter and the third verse But when wicked men pray against sinee and seek for grace to destroy sinne in them God doth not reject these prayers For Christ will not 〈◊〉 the smoking 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 flashing of such destics in the 〈◊〉 of coverous men enough they be not so vehement as the prayers of righteous men Mathew the twelfth chapter Christ did not quench the small desire that was in 〈◊〉 at the first but accepted of it so that it grew to be a desire of shewing greater works of liberality Luke 19. The third 〈◊〉 The third means is Meditation Every covetous 〈…〉 these flashing desires in his heart that he were not to covetous As 〈◊〉 though he lived wickedly yet desired to dyethe death of the righteous But that those desires may be constant they 〈◊〉 wife from meditation which will stitre them up often For so they will be 〈…〉 ad meridiem Proverbs the fourth chapter and the eighteenth verte Whereas otherwise they are as the sudden flash of lightning that doth no sooner appear but is presontly gone Therefore that he may avoid this sinne the covetous man among all his thoughts of vanity I will goe to the Citie and buy and fell 〈◊〉 the fourth chapter I will pull down any barus and make greater I will act and drink Luke the twelfth chapter must 〈◊〉 these true thoughts which only keeps him from it First he must think of the means whereby he obtains riches Secondly of riches what it is to be rich and what riches are That he may consider of the means of getting riches as he ought he must think first To how many cares he is brought with the desire of being rich how infinite and 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 are that they are like 〈◊〉 he hath 〈◊〉 sooner rid himself of one care but another ariseth in his heart For when a man hath enough yet still he hath his cares They that want meat and drink doe but say What shall we eat and 〈◊〉 At 〈◊〉 the sixt chapter and the rich men that have to eat and drink are also car 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 more and to enlarge 〈◊〉 banos to receive more Lake the twelfth chapter therefore the Apostle saith well They that will be 〈◊〉 pearct themselves with many sorrows the 〈◊〉 epistle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the sixt chapter Secondly to how many sinnes the 〈◊〉 man doth end anger his soul while to gather riches he sticketh not to sinne against God by oppression by deceit by peryury swearing and 〈…〉 Thirdly to how many judgments and 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 he is subject by means of these sinnes even while he is in this life 〈◊〉 That by means of his 〈◊〉 he is like no 〈◊〉 forever A sorrow 〈◊〉 to every sinne For whereas there is a sorrow due to every sinne which 〈◊〉 by repentance is remitted and 〈…〉 at the 〈◊〉 of God The sinne of the covetous man is so 〈◊〉 in him 〈◊〉 he cannot be sorry for it the more he hath the more he still desiteth and the neerer he is to death the more 〈…〉 his 〈◊〉 of covetousnesse Of restitution Without it no remission If he will be truly penitent for 〈◊〉 he must make restitution as 〈◊〉 Luke the nineteenth chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nisi 〈◊〉 non 〈…〉 But this is that which makes a 〈◊〉 mans sinne 〈◊〉 before God That he cannot make restitution which notwithstanding must be made and other sinnes require no restitution therefore Christ 〈◊〉 well That it is as hard for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven as for a Camel to passe through the eye of a needle Matthew the nineteenth chapter When the young man was willed to sell all he had and to give to the poor he was very sore grieved so loath are they to restore that which they have unjustly gotten together But howsoever the Doctrine of restitution is durus serme yet it is sanus sermo The consideration of these four things that doe accompany the greedy desire of getting riches will make a man to avoid this sinne if he think upon them throughly Uncertainty of riches evils they bring The second observation is touching riches wealth it self If thou consider how deceitfull and uncertain a thing riches is for which thou hast brought thy self to so many inconveniences and such infinite cares so many grievous sinnes to so many judgements of God daily hanging over our heads for the same and into such difficulty of 〈◊〉 it will make thee avoid it therefore our Saviour calls riches deceitfull Matthew the thirteenth chapter and the twenty second verse And the Apostle saith they are uncertain vanity the first epistle to Timothie the sixt chapter The reason is because he that hath them to day may lose them to morrow and though they make mans life comfortable for a while yet they cannot prolong life The reason is because our life doth not stand in the aboundance of wealth In which words the holy Ghost gives them leave to imagine that if they be covetous they shall be wealthy and rich howbeit it is not any means that the covetous man can use that will make him wealthy for which of you by taking thought Proverbs the twenty second chapter and Matthew the sixt chapter The blessing of the Lord maketh rich Sola 〈◊〉 Domini Proverbs the tenth chapter
St. Paul found in the work of his Ministerie was to plant faith and to perswade men that we are justified before God by Faith in Christ without the works of the Law But St. Peter and St. James met with them that received the doctrine of Faith fast 〈◊〉 but altogether neglected good Works But because both 〈◊〉 necessary therefore St. Paul 〈◊〉 all his epistles joynes the 〈◊〉 of Faith with the doctrine of Works This is a faithfull saying and to be avouched That they which beleeve in God be carefull to shew forth good works Titus the third chapter and the eighth verse Therefore with the doctrine of the Grace of God he joynes the doctrine of the carefull bringing forth of good works Titus the second chapter and the 12. verse The saving grace of God hath appeared and teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this world The doctrine of Grace is not rightly apprehended untill we admit of the Doctrine of good works Wilt thou know O man that Faith is dead without works Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offred his sonne Isaac James the second chapter and the twentieth verse Therefore St. Peter saith That is no true faith which is not accompanied with virtue and godlinesse of life It is true that good works have no power to work justification because they doe not contain a perfect righteousnesse And in as much as they are imperfect there belongs the curse of God unto them Cursed is he that continueth not in all things Galatians the third chapter Good works a token of justification So farre are they from justifying but yet they are tokens of justification Genesis the fourth chapter Respexit Deus ad Abelem ad oblationem suam God first looked upon his person and then upon his sacrifice For before the person be justified his works are not accepted in Gods sight The best works if they proceed not of Faith are sinne Romans the fourteenth chapter Our Saviour saith No branch can bring forth fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine John the fifteenth chapter Therefore if we doe any good works they proceed from our incision and ingraffing into Christ by whom they are made acceptable to God Paul saith Abraham was justified by faith before works not when he was circumcised but when he was uncircumcised Romans the fourth chapter and the tenth verse But James saith Abraham our Father was justified by Works James the second chapter and the twenty first verse To reconcile the Apostles we must know that the power of Justification which in Paul is effective But that which James speaketh of is declarative It was Abrahams Faith that made him righteous and his works did only declare him to be justified Therefore Paul saith That albeit good works have no power to justifie yet they are good and profitable for men Titus the third chapter For they declare our justification which is by faith and by them we make our selves sure of our calling and election the second epistle of Peter the first chapter and the tenth verse In these two verses Peter delivers two things First A Rule by which we may examine our selves Secondly An application of the same Seeing we have such a good Rule to try whether we be elected and called let us study by the practise of these virtues to assure our selves of our calling and election Two things commend this Rule which the holy Ghost sets down First That it is Regula negativa For having said before affirmatively If these things be in you and abound they will make you that you shall not be idle nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ. Now he speaks negatively But if you have them not you are blinde which is more than if he had contented himself with his affirmative speech For as the tree in the Garden was called Arbor scientiae boni Genesis the second chapter though directly it brings us to the knowledge of nothing but evill because Adam knew not what a good thing it was to be obedient till he felt the smart of his disobedience So we doe perceive the goodnesse of things by the want of them better than by the enjoying of them The benefit of possessing the graces of Gods spirit doth not so much move us as the want of them Therefore the Apostle saith If ye care not for being fruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ yet let this perswade you to practise all these virtues for that if you be without them you are blinde And as no man knoweth what a benefit it is to have sight so well as a blinde man that wants it so it is with them that practise not these virtues Secondly That it is a universal Rule Whosoever hath not these things For our nature is inclined to take exception against good rules As John Baptist when he willed all men to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance Nor as the Jews not to say We have Abraham to our Father Matthew the third chapter It is our corruption as the Apostle faith to think that we shall escape the plagues of God for these sinnes which we condemn in others Romans the second chapter Therefore our Saviour prevented that exception when speaking to his Disciples he said Quod vobis dico omnibus dico Mark the thirteenth chapter Even so Peter saith Whosoever wants these virtues whatsoever occasion he pretends for the want of them he is blinde and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sinnes But to speak more particularly of this Rule two things make us secure in the matter of our Salvation which notwithstanding We should work out with fear and trembling Philippians the second chapter and the twelfth verse The one is our Knowledge We are ready to say with Job I know that my Redeemer liveth Job the nineteenth chapter But unlesse we perform somthing else it shall be in vain to make this allegation Have not we prophecied in thy name Matthew the seventh chapter The other cause of confidence and carelesnesse is the opinion we have that it makes no matter how we live The blood of Christ doth purge me from all sinne the epistle of John the first chapter and the seventh verse To these two the holy Ghost opposeth two things First Doe we think we know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Yea but he that knoweth not these virtues is blinde and knoweth nothing Secondly Doe we think we need not to be carefull of holinesse of life because we are purged by Christs blood But except we be carefull to walk in newnesse of life we have forgotten that we were purged from our old sinnes For the first point That he that hath not these virtues is blinde we are to know That albeit there be no opposition between knowledge and wickednesse of life because all that know Gods will doe not practise it yet there is a necessary dependance
God will remember them and punish them to the third and fourth generation Exodus the twentieth chapter His patience towards us whereby he would draw us to repentance makes us think him like our selves that he doth forget our old sinnes as we doe but he will set them before us and 〈◊〉 us for them Psalm the fiftieth Gen. 4 7. If thou do'st evil thy sinne lyeth at the dore and thou art to look for Gods plagues for evil shall haunt the wicked Psalm 140. 11. Our forgetfulnesse of sinne is Gods remembrance The brethren of Joseph were for a while touched with their sinne committed against their brother but when they had forgotten it then did God remember it and brought trouble upon them for it as they themselves consessed The sinne which Simcon and Levi committed was an old sinne the thirty fourth chapter of Genesis but God remembred it and put in Jacobs heart to curse them for it Genesis the fourty ninth chapter so did God remember the old sinne of 〈◊〉 committed against the Israelites and punished it in the first booke of Samuel and the fifteenth chapter so the sinne of Saul in killing the 〈◊〉 which was old was punished with a famine the second booke of Samuel and the one and twentith chapter so Job saith God will plague the old man for the sinne of his youth so that his 〈◊〉 shall be full of 〈◊〉 and shall ly down with him in the dust Job the twentieth chapter and the eleventh verse therefore David prayeth Remember not the sinnes of my youth the twenty fift Psalme and the Church prayeth That ancient sinnes might be forgiven We have sinned with our Fathers Psalm the one hundred and 〈◊〉 Remember not our old sinnes And because we are by nature inclined to forget them which we commit in our youth and have been committed in former time by our Fathers therefore we must beware that we provoke not God to punish us for them When the wicked Servant forgat his old debt which his Lord forgave him and began again to deal cruelly with his fellow this forgetfulness made God to reverse his purgation 〈◊〉 the eighteenth chapter so we must remember that God forgave our old sinnes for this remembrance is profitable to us as out of darkness God brings light so out of the remembrance of former sinnes he can make us to avoid sinnes to come Note The sinfull woman when she remembred that Christ had forgiven her many sins was provoked thereby to love him much Luke the seventh chapter and when Paul remembred that he had been a persecuter of the Church of God and a blood-shedder and that his sinne was purged it made him carefull to walk in holiness of life so as he laboured more than all the Apostles in the first to the Corinthians and the fifteenth chapter wherefore seeing the remembrance of sinnes past is so good it must needs be hurtfull to our our own souls and prejudiciall to Gods glory to forget that our former sinnes were purged by the blood of Christ. Abrahamus Pater ille vester gestivit videre diem istum meum vidit c. Job 8. 56. Decemb. 31. 1598. THEY are the words of our Saviour Christ and therefore true because uttered by him that is the truth it self Wherein affirming of Abraham that he desired to see his day that is the day of his Nativity He sheweth that Abraham was a true Christian and solemnized the same Feast which we now celebrate in remembrance of Christs birth already past which was then to come when he rejoyced And this is matter of comfort unto all men That the service which they offer to God is no new kinde of service but as ancient as Abraham and the rest of the Fathers of whom it is said That they 〈◊〉 to be saved by the Grace of Christ as well as we Acts the fifteenth chapter and the eleventh verse So sai hold Jacob Lord I have looked for thy Jesus Genesis the fourty ninth chapter and the eighteenth verse And the Prophet saith Exultabo in Jesu meo Habakkuk the third chapter and the eighteenth verse Of this day the Prophet saith This is the day which the Lord hath made let us rejoyce and be glad in it Psalme the hundred and eighteenth In this day we are to rejoyce as in a day of Harvest and as in a day of Victory Isaiah the ninth chapter and the third verse So that all the Prophets that were since Abraham desired to see this day of Christs birth no lesse than he The occasion of these words uttered by Christ was that the Jews boasted that they were Abrahams children But Christ tells them they doe foolishly considering they did degenerate from Abraham and were not like him for they had neither Abrahams works nor his faith Abraham desired to see my day and longed for it though he lived long before me but ye despise me you grieve to see me but he would have been glad to see me as you doe he defined to see me and when he saw me with a lively faith he rejoyced to shew what account he made of me but ye make no reckoning of me but 〈◊〉 me Wherein we are to consider three points Abraham's desire to see Christ the sight he had of him and the great joy he conceived when hee saw him which three may be reduced to Abraham's faith and love The sight which Abraham had of Christ's day is the vision of his faith which faith of his is environed with two most pregnant effects of care that is a desire to see Christ and joy after he had 〈◊〉 him for in temporall things whatsoever men most love that they doe not only desire to have but when they obtein it they rejoyce Who will shew us any good that is the desire whereby men testifie this love to earthly blessings of corne and oyle and wine and when they have abundance of these things then they have joy of them though it bee not like the joy of heart which the light of Gods countenance bringeth to the faithfull as it is in the fourth Psalme But in spirituall things Zacheus to testifie his love to Christ did not only desire to see him but when Christ told him hee would dine at his house he came downe and received him joyfully Luke the ninteenth chapter and the fifth verse Abraham's desire offereth three things to bee considered First What hedesired to see that is Christ's day Secondly the desire it selfe hee leaped for joy Thirdly the reason of this great desire For the first hee desired to see the day of Christ which receiveth three senses either the day of his Deitie as Hierom expounds it or the day of his Passion as Chrysostome or the day of his Nativitie as Ireneus interprets it for any of these are sufficient matter of desire as Christ tells his disciples Luke the seventeenth chapter and the two and twentith verse But as Augustine saith that day of
which inward desire of revenge must likewise be overcome as the Apostle willeth Romans the twelfth chapter Avenge not your selves sed vince malum bono we must overcome the evil of our fleshly lusts and desires of revenge with the grace of mortification and patience 2. Extra Secondly The seed of the Serpent is without us for there are filii Belial of whom were those to whom Christ said John the eight chapter You are of your Father the Devil Such as will doe mischief for doing well such enemies are men of corrupt mindes and understandings that are destitute of the truth and are bold to say that gain is godlinesse from which we must separate our selves the first epistle to Timothy the sixt chapter and the fift verse And if we overcome in this warre then we shall be partakers of this promise But who overcommeth in this warre and who can say he is a conqueror in this battall The Apostle saith That he that sinneth is overcome of sinne and brought into bondage of the sinne the second epistle of Peter the second chapter and the nineteenth verse Therefore where the promise is here made only to him that overcommeth we must see if the Scripture offereth more graces James the fourth chapter and the sixt verse And if we look into Apocalyps the second chapter and the fift verse we shall finde there he that makes this promise offers more graces that is Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and doe thy first works Dâ—… victoria So there are two victories the first is continere a peccato the other is paenitere de peccato If we cannot get this victory over the Serpent that he doe not cause us to sinne at all yet if we so farre overcome him that sinne reign not in our mortal bodies Romans the sixt chapter and the twelfth verse if we wound his head which was promised Genesis the third chapter and the fifteenth verse so as though he cause us to sinne yet he get not the head or set up his throne in our hearts then we are to hope that we shall be 〈◊〉 of this promise if we return from whence we are fallen and repent us of the sinnes we have committed and doe the first works then no doubt we shall be restored to our first estate and Christ shall give us a new right in the tree of life But he that either fighteth not at all but is at a league with Hell and hath made a Covenant with death Isaiah the twenty eighth chapter he that will deny sinne nothing but will fulfill the lusts of the flesh or if he fight yet he fight not lawfully nor strive to overcome but is content to follow every temptation as an oxe led to the slaughter Proverbs the seventh chapter and not only so but put stumbling blocks before himself which may make him fall Ezekiel the fourteenth chapter and use all means that he may be overcome And if having fallen they labour not to get the victory after by repenting of his former sinnes and doing the first works then they have no part in this first promise Men may draw neer to the holy mysterie of Christs body and blood and snatch at the tree of life but Christ gives it not except they be such as overcome either by the grace of abstinencie from sinne or of repentance and sorrow for sinne They may be partakers of the tree of life de 〈◊〉 but not de jure The bread of life is to them as the bread of wrong Proverbs the fourth chapter and the seventeenth verse and the bread of deceit which shall in the end fill their mouths with gravell Proverbs the twentieth chapter So both the promise and condition are touched But the question is How we shall overcome that we learn Apocalyps the twelfth chapter where the Saints are said to overcome the great dragon the old Serpent with the blood of the Lambe Which blood hath two uses First that which the Apostle calls the sprinkling of the blood of 〈◊〉 Christ the first epistle of Peter the first chapter and the second verse Secondly That by receiving the cup of blessing we are partakers of the blood of Christ the first epistle to the Corinthians the tenth chapter and the sixteenth verse So that in these words is a reciprocation vincenti ut comedat comedenti ut vincat dabo edere the body and blood of Christ is the fruit of that tree of life which the Apostle speaks of the first epistle of Peter the second chapter and the twenty fourth verse That he bare our sinnes in his body upon the tree Of which fruit whosoever are partakers in the Sacrament when it is ministred to them doe receive power to overcome that so they may eate of the tree of eternal life For in this Sacrament we have both a means of victory and a pledge of our reward that is the life of grace begun in us here to assure us of a glorious life in the world to come Every tree must have a root and the root of that tree which Christ speaks of is here in this Sacrament for in it is sown in the hearts of the receivers as it were a kernel which in time shoots forth and becomes a tree for as there was a death of the soul by sinne before God inflicted a death of the body so answerable to that first death of sinne there must be in us a life of grace which is the root of that tree from whence we shall in due time receive the life of glory In this sacrament the tree of the life of Grace is town in us that is a measure of grace wrought in our hearts by the power of Gods spirit by which we shall at length attain to eate of that tree which shall convey unto us the life of glory As there are two trees of life so we must have a double Paradise We must have liberty to be of the Paradise on earth that is the Church Militant which is called hortus conclusus Canticles the second chapter before we can be received into the heavenly Paradise that is the Church Triumphant So there is a plain analogie between those As when we are dead in sinnes and in the uncircumcision of the flesh Colossians the second chapter and the thirteenth verse we receive the life of grace by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ in baptism so when we are fallen from the life of grace and are restrained from the life of God Ephesians the fourth chapter and eighteenth verse and dead in trespasses and sinnes Ephesians the second chapter then we obtain victory against sinne and death by the blood of the Lamb being drunk in the Sacrament Apocalyps the twelfth chapter and the eleventh verse For if the material tree of life in Paradise received such influence from God Genesis the third chapter that being dead in it felse it had power to convey the natural life of our Parents while they eat of
there is an Angel under Christ which takes charge for the defense of the Church on earth which is Michael your Prince Dan. 10. 21. Secondly Out of Judes epistle verse the ninth the ancient Fathers prove that by Michael we are not to understand Christ for that which he affirmeth that Michael durst not check the Devill with cursed speaking cannot be ascribed to Christ which not only dare but hath trodden down Satan under his feet much more dare he check him which unlesse he could doe it were a plain signe that he is not Omnipotent Therefore by Michael here we are to understand some other and not Christ. Thirdly Out of this place Apocalyps the twelfth chapter and the fift verse In as much as the Child that was born was Christ it is not like that this Childe should suddenly be translated into an Archangel and fight with the Dragon And therefore both Theodoret and others say that Michael is a chief spirit among the created spirits that then took care of the Church in Jury and still is carefull of Christs Church unto the end of the world And to this we may add the judgement of the Church which on this holy-day doth thank God for the service of the Angels but makes no mention of Christ that it is he that in this place warreth with the Dragon and his Angels For the Dragon there is a farre more easie passage so as we may soon guesse what is meant by him for in this chapter he is called the Devil and Satan whereof their name signifieth a slanderer and he is justly so called for that he both slandereth God to man as if God did envy mans prosperity Genesis the third chapter and slanders man to God as he did Job whom albeit he were a blessed Saint yet he accuseth before God as an Hypocrite Job the first chapter The other name Satan signifieth a great enemie not only to the good whom he hath most cause to hate as being contrary to him but also to the bad That he is an enemy to the good it appears by this That he persecuted not only the child that was new born but the woman also and because he cannot shew his malice upon him he makes warre with her seed Apocalyps the twelfth chapter the thirteenth seventeenth verses That he persecuted also an enemie to the bad appears verse the ninth where he is called The seducer of of the whole world and the accuser of the brethren for that he first brings them to commit grievous sinnes and then pleads against them that the plague of God may come upon them These are the Leaders The Bands and Souldiers under their conduct are Angels on both sides The Angels that serve under Michael are they that excell in strength and doe the command of God in obeying the voice of his word Psalm the hundred and third and the twentieth verse they that the Apostle calls elect Angels the first epistle to Timothy the fift chapter and the twenty first verse The Angels that warre on the Dragons side are the evil Angels Psalm the seventy eighth and the fourty ninth verse The Angels that sinned the second epistle of Peter the second chapter And they that kept not their original as Jude saith these fight for the Dragon and he is their Captain as Christ saith The Prince of the Devils is 〈◊〉 Matthew the twelfth chapter For as among the good Angels there is principatus primus principatus so it is among the wicked Angels for there must be order in all companies Touching the Battail it self we are first to remove some things of offence not to think it strange that the Angels are here said to move battail For albeit they be called Angeli pacis Isaiah the thirty third chapter and the seventh verse because they bring peace yet in many places they are called Gods Hosts as Jacob seeing the Angels of God called the place where they were Nahanaim Genesis the thirty second chapter and the second verse and they magnisie God by that title Isaiah the sixt chapter Lord God of Hosts Luke the second chapter the Angels are called Heavenly Souldiers And where Christ saith If I pray to the Father he will give me more than twelve 〈◊〉 of Angels Matthew the twenty sixt chapter He compareth them to Troops and Bands of Souldiers for that they are not only Angels to Gods friends and servants but souldiers fighting against them that oppose themselves against God Further where their state is in a continual motion that must not offend us for the Angels themselves are not yet in the perfection of their felicity for we see they are imployed in doing service for us they continually aseend and descend from Heaven to Earth and from Earth to Heaven for the good of the godly for God saw it good that as well they as the Saints departed out of this life should not be made 〈…〉 Hebrews the eleventh chapter and the fourtieth verse which is illistrated Matthew the thirteenth chapter where the Angels are called Reapers giving us to understand thereby that as the 〈…〉 is not at rest till the Harvest be all in so it is with the Angels they must continually be imployed in doing service for them that shall inherit Salvation till the number of the Elect be accomplished So neither needs that to offend any that the Dragon is 〈◊〉 to have fought in Heaven for so he is said to have appeared before God among the sonnes of God And when Ahab was to be deceived a lying spirit stood before God the first book of the Kings the twenty second chapter All this was only by Gods permission For all this doth no make the Devil blessed no more than Adam was blessed being in paradise For having sinned and being thereby out of Gods favour he no more enjoyed that comfort of Paradise which he took before his fall but quaked and hid himself from the presence of God for tear Genesis the third chapter The Dragon is no more blessed for being in Heaven or appearing before God than a prisoner that for a time is brought out of prison into the Court to be arraigned for he takes no delight of the pomp and glorie of the Court knowing it is not for him but he must return to the 〈◊〉 from whence he was taken So it is with the Devil These offences being removed we come now to the Fight it self which was not in any bodily manner for they are spirits 〈◊〉 the hundred and fourth and therefore their fight is a spiritual fight Ephesians the sixt chapter And their 〈◊〉 not carnal but spiritaul the second epistle to the Corinthians the tenth chapter That as the Angels fight by temptations on the one side and by resistances on the other they fight by agonies and inward conflicts which is more truly called conflicts than any combat The other fight with bodily enemies for as some note Abraham would rather fight wich five Kings than abide that conflict
disquieted the heart also wherein it resteth is disquieted For the words of the wise are as goads and pricks Ecclesiastes the twelfth chapter and Matthew the fift chapter as salt and mustard seed Matthew the thirteenth chapter as wine To a putrified sore Luke the tenth chapter So that whether we respect the old or new Testament we see the words have this 〈◊〉 to disquiet sinne especially such words as Peter spake to his Auditors out of the Prophet Joel where he sheweth that as Christ hath a day of resurrection which is past whereby he gave his Apostles those gifts of the spirit so he hath another day which is the featfull and great day of Judgement when the word of the Rulers shall not be enough for them that have killed the Lord of life though they promised to serve them harmlesse Matthew the twenty eighth chapter For here they shall give an account of their cruelty to Christ. And thirdly whereas he moveth them to repentance First In this consideration of the day of Judgement Secondly of the sinne they committed that they slue and crucified Christ Thirdl of the grievousnesse of their sinne that he was the sonne of God whom they dealt thus with and every sinne hath a sting but especially 〈◊〉 For the remembrance of it stings the conscience so as it cannot be quiet Now in that they not only committed murther but murthered such a one as was both a holy and just one Acts the third 〈◊〉 and the blessed sonne of God this could not but 〈◊〉 their hearts as we see the remembrance of the day of Judgement is such a thing as made Felix tremble Acts the twenty fourth chapter And when we hear of the Judgement to come it should bring out of us these questions Jeremiah the eighth chapter and the sixt verse Quid feci and Isaiah the fifty seventh chapter and the fourth verse Cui 〈◊〉 upon whom have you gaped To consider not only the sinne we have committed but the person against whom that it is God of all 〈◊〉 stie and power And Matthew the twenty first chapter Quid faciam that is he considers of the Judgments of God which belong to us For these so grievous sinnes these are means to prick our hearts at the hearing of the word But yet we say though the word of God hath this nature yet except the work of the spirit doe concur with the word the conscience is seared the first epistle to Timothy and the fourth chapter and cannot be touched with any thing The soul is possessed with the gangrene that is without life and feeling so that it hath no sense be it pricked never so deeply the second 〈◊〉 to Timothie the first chapter but he that feels himself pricked in heart for his sinnes may assure himself his conscience is not feared but both a heart of flesh easily to be touched with sorrow for sinne and that his soul is not dead in sinne but liveth spiritually In the Question we have to observe First that this compunction made him speak for as the Wise-man saith Qui pungit cor educit sermonem So here when they were pricked they said Men and Brethren as if the holy 〈◊〉 should say if a man say nothing after he is pricked it is nature compunction For if when men are moved inwardly with a feeling of their sinnes for all that they say nothing nor seek direction of them that are skilfull they doe smother and detein the truth Romans the first chapter Secondly We must observe what they said and that was Quid faciemus what shall we doe A first the People then the 〈◊〉 and after the Publicans said to S John the 〈◊〉 Luke the third chapter which is the second thing to be noted that as true compunction is not dumb so not 〈◊〉 but would be doing somthing they say not What shall we say but What shall we doe Quid faciemus as if the same spirit which pricked their hearts had also taught them that something must be done The like question did St. Paul make being pricked Domine quid vis me facere Acts the ninth chapter and the sixt verse So the Angel said to Cornelius Goe to Joppa and Simon shall tell thee what thou oughtest to doe Acts the tenth chapter So said the Jayler to the Apostles Acts the sixteenth chapter What shall I doe that I may be saved I and my houshold and that I may be rid of the pricking of my conscience For as compunction must not be silant so neither must it be idle or unfruitfull in the knowledg of the Lord the second epistle of Peter the first chapter Thirdly Observe after what manner they said What shall we doe and that was not as Cain and Judas said Genesis the fourth chapter and Matthew the twenty seventh chapter Their what to doe Quid faciemus was a note of desparation Nor as the P arisees said desparately in their sury and rage What shall we doe John the eleventh chapter If such have their sinnes laid before them their hearts will not be pricked but cleave asunder as they to whom St. Stephen 〈◊〉 Acts the eighth chapter The heart may be cast down with too much grief so as a man shall say with Cain My sinne is greater than can be forgiven or else moved with malice and be pricked so as they will prick again as they that being pricked with the reproof of the Prophet 〈◊〉 Let us sting him with our tongues as he hath stung our hearts Jeremiah the eighteenth chapter and the eighteenth verse for this is the effect which the word of God hath in many that are wicked But that which Peters Auditors say is spoken in heavinesse and a desire to have sinne that doth disquiet them that which the Apostle calleth the sin that doth so easily beset us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebrews the twelfth and the first verse taken from them This their heavinesse makes them conformable to Christ and therefore is commendable in them For it is Gods will that such as shall be saved be made 〈◊〉 to the Image of his sonne Romans the eighth chapter and the twenty ninth verse for Christ was pierced not only with a bodily spear in his side but with grief of soul And as he suffered of compassion over us so we must suffer in compassion with him Out of that which the ancient Fathers observe in Sorrow we have five things to note First That something may be done as a remedy against sinne For albeit we have sinned never 〈…〉 yet there is hope tamen adhuc spes est Esdras the tenth chapter and the second verse there is hope of some means to be used which if it be done as Ezechiel the eighteenth chapter privata vestra non 〈…〉 Domine scandalum Secondly By that which they say is to be gathered that as something may be done so it ought to be done that the terror of minde being removed we may be assured of the favour and grace of
As it is choragi so epicorigia that is not so compleat of it self but something is to be joyned to it For faith St. Peter the fittest to take instruction from who shewed the failing and wavering of his faith when Christ asked him Lovest thou me he answered Thou knowest that I love thee John the twenty first chapter But how knew he it when he denyed him before a poor Damosel Matthew the twenty sixt chapter And in respect of Christ Luke the twenty second chapter and the thirty second verse I have prayed for thy faith Christs promise and his own experince may perswade us he knew the nature of faith And this is an infallible mark of time faith that it hath joyned virtue and is taught of the Law of God and true faith doth not abrogate the Law nay Romans the third chapter the Law is established by faith Faith must bring in virtue by the hand So in that great chapter of faith having gone through all he faith They chused rather to suffer than to enjoy pleasures of sinne Hebrews the eleventh chapter Paul saith true faith operatur 〈◊〉 per charitatem So Peter here and James the second chapter and the twenty second verse it doth cooperari that is the figne James gives of faith In the first epistle of John the fift chapter the figne of true faith is it overcomes not only the Devil but the world and the pleasures riches honors of the world as in Hebrews the eleventh chapter It is the same signe that Hebrews eleventh chapter and the fourth verse shewed it self in Moses when he refused to be the sonne of Pharaohs daughter And Jude in the twentieth verse saith If it be true faith it is fides sanctificans So they all agree Paul saith Faith must work rightcousnesse Peter It must bring virtue in by the hand John It must overcome the world and Jude saith It is a sanctifying faith not locked up in a mans conscience So that it is no true faith which virtue follows not Adjicite fidei vestrae virtutem virtuti verò notitiam 2 Pet. 1. 5. THE Apostles minde is to shew That the life of a Christian is no single thing but a Quire or Dance and the beginning of the train is faith For if we must be elevated to be partakers of the Divine nature as verse the first it must be a divine thing that must effect this and the first divine thing is divina veritas the same which the Prophets in all ages have described to us Which divine truth we apprehend by faith Now because there may be deceipt in our faith we must take heed that it be not a rotten faith There is fides ficta the first epistle to Timothy the first chapter and the fift verse Faith feigned and a dead faith James the second chapter There is a vile faith as well as a like pretious faith And that we may separate the pretious from the vile Jeremiah the fifteenth chapter And if we will know which is the pretious faith for which Christ prayed in Luke the twenty second chapter it is not that which is alone but which is accompanied with other virtues It must not be totum integrale or Alpha and Omega but like a Quire wherein are diverse parts faith is but a part and the eighth part of Christianity This company is not added ad ornatum but for necessity therefore he exhorts Give all diligence and he that hath not these is blinde To proceed If faith be not all what is that company he speaketh of The first is Virtue A word which the Scripture hath taken from Philosophers whereof all their books are full and albeit we must beware that no man spoile us through Philosophie Colossians the second chapter yet we may not contemne it We are called to glory and virtue verse the third and Philippians the fourth chapter and the eighth verse If any virtue It is not to be taken generally for so it contains all It comprehends not moral virtues more than theological but a more special thing By Virtue is not meant an honest life nor faith but virtue is used either for an active power as in the first epistle to the Corinthians the first chapter and the twenty fourth verse or some notable effect as Galatians the third chapter and the fift verse It is used either in opposition to weaknesse as in the first epistle to the Corinthians the fifteenth chapter and the fourty third verse and the second epistle to the Corinthians the twelfth chapter and the ninth verse Virtus mea perficitur in infirmitate or in opposition to fear as in the second epistle to Timothie the first chapter and the seventh verse Not the spirit of fear but of power By Virtue is meant that acrimena sinapis as Christ speaketh If you had faith but as a grain of mustard-seed this is that must be added to faith then shall that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first epistle of John the third chapter and second verse be accomplished in us then we shall say with Christ in the fift chapter of St. Johns Gospel My Father worketh and so doe I and in the first epistle to the Corinthians the twelfth chapter The Holy Ghost worketh all in all Faith hath no act but the act of assent but the true faith is operative Which power of working is called by Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Paul in the first epistle to the Corinthians the fourth chapter The spirit of faith The life and work of faith with power 〈◊〉 fidei in virtute the second epistle to the Thessalonians the first chapter and the eleventh verse St. Paul saith in the first epistle to the Corinthians the fourth chapter and the twentieth verse You shall perceive non sermone sed virtute not only a power to talk well but to work they have a form of faith but doe 〈◊〉 virtutem the second epistle to Timothy the third chapter and the fift verse As it betokens a power of doing well so an ability of induring adversity depends on this virtue For want of this Peter foll asleep Matthew the twenty sixt chapter He came afar off when Christ was apprehended and was afraid of a poor Maid So it was with Peter having nothing but faith but when he joyned with his faith virtue then that was fulfilled Luke the twenty fourth chapter and the fourty ninth verse He is indued with power from above Induemini virtute ex alto When he received the power of the holy Ghost Acts the first chapter and the eighth verse then he was bold Acts the fift chapter and the twenty ninth verse The Apostle calls it strength in the inner man Ephesians the third chapter and the sixteenth verse If a man fear death his strength is small Proverbs the twenty fourth chapter and the tenth verse By this virtue Moses feared not 〈◊〉 the eleventh chapter and the twenty third verse As there is modica
sides Matthew the fourteenth chapter and the thirty first verse so Modica virtus Apocalyps the third chapter and the eighth verse Where there is great faith there is great virtue where no faith no virtue As it is no true faith which virtue doth not follow so no true virtue which faith doth not goe before It is called Grace in respect of God from whom it comes and virtue in regard of the effects The Philosopher called them habitus because they had them from themselves but virtus est 〈…〉 Domino virtutis to salve the error of the Philosophers The Apostle calls it Grace in the second epistle of Peter the third chapter and the eighteenth verse grow in grace so he calls it virtus He hath called us to glory and virtue in the second epistle of Peter the first chapter and the third verse and Philippians the fourth chapter and the eighth verse It is by good consequence that it is so called because it is wrought by the Gospel which is the power of God Romans the first chapter and the sixteenth verse His words are spirit and life John the sixt chapter Virtue must bring forth virtus The Philosophers Virtue had no divine thing in it they enured themselves to it and so ascribed it to themselves Our virtue proceedeth from faith which is a divine thing Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne Romans the fourteenth chapter But the Heathen called their virtues habits as from themselves not from the grace of God To Virtue Knowledge He began with Faith a theological virtue then he added Virtue which is moral now he comes to Knowledge another theological virtue By this successive coupling we are taught not to stay at virtue but to proceed de virtute in virtute Psalm the eighty fourth and the seventh verse from strength to strength As before against infirmity and weaknesse of our nature he added virtue So for our error and ignorance he joyneth knowledge for there may be an active power to work and yet not aright as Romans the tenth chapter the second verse They have zeal but not according to knowledge But there must be not only power but wisdome not only homines improbi shall be cast out but foolish vigins Matthew the twenty fift chapter As virtue is required so is knowledge to direct us in that we doe We must seek for Non tam virtutem quam aurigam virtutis scientiam sine quâ ipsa virtus est vitium therefore Proverbs the twenty third chapter and the fourth verse Cease from thy wisdome And in Ecclefiastes the seventh chapter Be not nimium just us Knowledge is a key Luke the eleventh chapter and the fifty second verse And a Quire must have a key to set the song that is the key of knowledge In the Law nothing was to be offered without salt that is the grace of knowledge It is that which the Apostle calleth the inward annointing in the first epistle of John the second chapter and the twentieth verse which gives a sweet savour and sent to God So saith the Apostle in the second epistle to the Corinthians the second chapter We are a sweet savour to God But is not faith knowledge It is But yet where the object of faith is verum falsum Science hath for its object good and evil as Genesis the second chapter and the ninth verse the passions of Christ and the torments of Hell are indifferently the objects of faith but the affections are stirred by good and ill And it is knowledge that must discern between good and ill evil things may goe under the shew of good and therefore we must have knowledge to unmask them So the doctrin of repentance being a good thing hath a shew of ill and without the grace of knowledge men are hardly brought to beleeve it As there is prudentia carnis Romans the eighth chapter and the sixth verse and prudentia seculi in the 〈◊〉 epistle to the Corinthians the third chapter and the nineteenth verse so there must be a spiritual knowledge and wisdome to discern them and to measure what is good That all which we doe teach may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first epistle of Peter the second chapter and all you doe may be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Romans the twelfth chapter we must add this knowledge Knowledge is lame without power and power is blinde without knowledge for knowledge is the lightning of the eyes of the minde the second epistle to the Corinthians the fourth chapter There is a knowledge falsly so called the first epistle of Timothy the sixt chapter and the twentieth verse The knowledge truly so called is not speculative but practique It is the knowledge from on high that directs our feet in the way of peace as Luke the first chapter and the seventy ninth verse And not only that which lightens our eyes Physitians of longest practise and Souldiers that have been trained are most respected so it is in worldly things and so it should be in divine things A man must animare praxin that was the advise of the Civilian give a soul to it as in the thirty third chapter of Deuteronomie and the eighth verse first Thummim and then Urim Jesus began to doe and teach Acts the first chapter and the first verse that is the touchstone of knowledg as Christ saith If any man will doe his will he shall know of his doctrine qui fecerit voluntatem Patris sciet de doctrina utrum sit ex Dec John the seventh chapter and the seventeenth verse for there are some that are alwayes learning but never come to the knowledge of the truth especially that knowledge that may be truly so called in the second to Timothy and the third chapter Scientiae verò continentiam continentiae verò tolerentiam 2 Pet. 1. 6. THE Apostle proceedeth now to the fourth voice of this quire having laid faith for the first and to it added that which the Apostle calls the work of faith in virtue in the second to the Thessalonians the first chapter and the eleventh verse and thirdly To virtue knowledge now in the fourth place he joyneth to it temperance It is the common course of the world so soon as they have a little taste of knowledge to ascend up to heaven but he tells us knowledge must goe down to our fouls and then proceed to godliness which we are taught in our conformity to our Saviours example of whom the Apostle saith Ephesians the fourth chapter and the ninth verse He that ascended the same is he that descended first The chief point of our duty is first to temper our affections and then to come to godliness after For the justifying of 〈◊〉 order in respect of the consequence this hath with the former there are three causes why he bringeth in temperance next after knowledge The first is because whereas corruption is in the world through 〈◊〉 verse the first and Ephesians the fourth chapter The
scattered be a misery the remedie against that is to be in the unity of a flock and the way to be delivered from being a pray is to be under the defence of a Shepheard The one is the wisdom the other is the strength of this poor Creature Then to erre from the Fold and Shepheard is the only evil that can be fall them so the Prophet 〈◊〉 Ezekiel the thirty fourth chapter They stragled on every Hill and 〈◊〉 the ninth chapter our Saviour describes the misery of the people to shew them that they were as Sheep without a Shepheard If to erre be a misery then our felicity stands either in staying in the Fold or if we be gone astray to return to the Shepheard that is to Christ who promiseth life and aboundance of life to him that converteth unto him the tenth chapter of St. Johns Gospel and the tenth verse Secondly For the term of Shepheard and Bishop it is applyed to Christ by Congregation being a flock Every Governor is a Shepheard not only in regard of the state of the Church but in respect of the Common-wealth For it is first applyed to Joseph who was a politick Magistrate Genesis the fourty ninth chapter so to Joshuah when Moses prayeth for a civil Governor to be 〈◊〉 over the People Numbers the twenty seventh chapter so Psalm the seventy seventh Thou leadest thy People like sheep by the hand of Moses and Adron Psalm the seventy eighth He took me from the Sheepfold to feed Israel And in the first book of Kings the twenty second chapter Ahab being slain the People of Israel are amazed 〈◊〉 Sheep wandring on the waters without a Shepheard So Isaiah 44. 〈…〉 est This was the opinion of the Heathen and therefore such temporal Governors are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not only so but as it followeth they are Pastores animarum For seeing men are reasonable Creatures God forbid but a Magistrate should have a greater regard of men than rural Shepheards of Sheep that are pecora 〈…〉 the the fift chapter the mount of God from whence came the Law But here is Gods own hill from whence came the Gospel As the term Shepheard so is Pastor Ezekiel the thirty fourth chapter and the eighteenth verse to tread on the good pastures and drink of the deep waters These are applyed to the state Civil as Psalm the twenty third and the second verse The Lord is my Shepheard he maketh me to rest on green 〈◊〉 and 〈…〉 to the still waters But as these terms are applyed to the Common-wealth so also the Church is a flock and the Shepheard is Christ. All that came before him were but theeves as he saith I am the true Shepheard and therefore it is more excellently applyed to him 〈◊〉 to any other For no Shepheard can say of his 〈◊〉 he made them but we are the Sheep of his Church Psalm the hundred and tenth No shepheard bought his sheep with his blood but Christ 〈◊〉 purchased his Church with his blood Acts the 〈◊〉 chapter No shepheard feedeth his flock with himself as Christ 〈◊〉 feed us with the preaching of his word being in his divine nature 〈◊〉 and with his flesh in his humane nature But the Apostle 〈◊〉 not himself to call him Shepheard but Bishop There was in the Church Pastores Doctores Ephesians the fourth chapter and the eleventh verse and the first epistle to the Corinthians the twelfth chapter Both Teachers and Governors They fed men by teaching and so made them more able in the inward man but there were other Pastors by oversight called Bishops Both titles have their ground in John the twenty first chapter and the sixteenth verse where Christ saith to Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the one word signifies to feed the other to governe So there are pastores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 of their gifts makes the difference of titles Many have the gift of feeding by teaching that have not the gift of oversight and Government St. Paul gave Titus power to order Titus the first chapter to Timothy to receive accusations the first epistle to Timothy the fift chapter to put to silence to correct to visit Acts the fifteenth chapter every one hath not such power neither is it fit they should have Out of which words for our moral instruction seeing it hath pleased Christ to the office of Pastors to add Bishops he left us exemples as the first epistle of Peter the second chapter to teach us that have or that must have a regard of others must be free from sleep Therefore it is said of such Hebrews the thirteenth chapter Vigilant pro animabus vestris unlike those of whom Isaiah the fifty six chapter Their shepheards lye a sleep and delight in sleeping Nebemiah the second chapter and the first verse neither must they be negligent Some have a care but it is to feed themselves with the milk and cloath themselves with the fleece 〈◊〉 the thirty fourth chapter They are Episcopi uberum vellerum but it is of the souls that they must be carefull That is the end of their Government as also of civil Magistrates and Masters of Families And that Governor that hath not this end is no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he aimeth at a wrong mark Thirdly For the erring and turning again he saith Ye went astray and so hazarded your souls We know it is one thing to be lost and another to erre Luke the fifteenth chapter The groat was lost the Sheep was not lost but strayed away of it self and that is a voluntary thing but this is not to be applyed to matter of opinion but to error of life as Proverbs the fourteenth chapter Nonne oves errant quia operant 〈◊〉 That straying is set forth in the riotous young man Luke the fifteenth chapter who by mispending his goods on Harlots was brought to misery They that stray are such as commit sinne with greedinesse Ephesians the fourth chapter that is not by the negligence of such as are set over us but by our own corruption As we goe astray by errors of life so by errors of opinion as James the second chapter That wait upon lying vanities and for sake their own mercy by crrors of life and opinion They for sake their fathers house as John saith in the first epistle of John and the second chapter Those things I write ne peccetis So we preach ne erretis We say as the Angel did to Sarai her maid Agar Remember whence thou commest and whither thou goest Genesis the sixteenth chapter Therefore the Disciples when others went astray said to Christ John the sixt chapter Whether should we goe away that is we say not to forsake the fellowship of the Church nor to withdraw themselves For in such my soul hath no delight 〈◊〉 the tenth chapter But Peter confesseth here you have sinned and gone astray what then If we
called a Serpent of creeping but other beasts though they have their brests between their leggs yet they doe not creep as the Serpent doth Another question is How this creeping can be a punishment to the Serpent seeing from the beginning they were created without feet The solution is That that which was natural before the fall after the fall became a punishment Nakednesse before the fall was no matter of shame for The man and his wife were naked and were not ashamed Genesis the second chapter and the twenty fift verse but since the fall it is a disgrace to be naked So now the creeping of Serpents is a signe of Gods 〈◊〉 inflicted upon visible Serpents because of the sinnes of him that is invisible whereas in the beginning it was no punishment Another question is How the third part of this Sentence is verified of the visible Serpent That he eats dust For one Prophet saith of him To the Serpent dust shall be his meat Isaiah the sixty fift chapter and the twenty fift verse And another saith The Serpent lick the dust Michah the seventh chapter and the seventeenth verse and yet in the Creation Moses recordeth that the Serpent hath the like food that other Creatures have of whom God saith To every beast of the earth fowl of the aire and to every creeping thing upon earth I have given every green hearb for meat Genesis the first chapter and the tenth verse The answer is That whereas at the first the Serpent had food in common with other beasts now he is excommunicated and is appointed only to feed upon the dust not upon the earth for that hath a moisture and so is apt to nourish but God did not allot unto him so much but only to feed upon the dust which is dry and altogether without moisture So that all men may evidently see both by the motion and feeding of the Serpent that the Curse of God is upon him because the Devil that old Serpent did use him as a means to perswade man to sinne against God As for the invisible Serpent these punishments pronounced by God are verified in him also but not literally for he hath no 〈◊〉 of body and therefore cannot creep but as he is a spirit so we must judge and discern spiritual things spiritually the first epistle to the Corinthians the second chapter for he hath a spiritual brest and belly he hath a spiritual creeping and feeding For his moving we are first to consider the motion as it offereth it self First It is the basest and vilest motion that is to signifie unto us that the dejection of the Devil is a more 〈◊〉 dejection and overthrow than any can be For where at the first he was an Angel of light appointed to be a Minister in Heaven now he is cast down into the deepest Hell and is there occupied in all base and vile service Now he doth busie himself in nothing so much as how to work wickednesse and to destroy the souls of men Of this dejection our Saviour speaks I saw Satan as it were lightning fall down from Heaven Luke the tenth chapter and the eighteenth verse And of him to his shame it is said How art thou fallen from Heaven that said I will ascend into Heaven and exalt my throne above the starres of God Isaiah the fourteenth chapter and the twelfth verse For it is a great shame for a Prince and noble person that hath been occupied in matters of State to be thrust into the Kitchen to be a drudge So is it with the Devil the invisible Serpent who having been before a Minister in Heaven doth now creep upon earth and compasse it Job the first chapter And as Christ saith He walks through dry places Luke the eleventh chapter and the twenty fourth verse that is he delights to be in souls that are defiled with all manner of sinne and if he cannot be received there he will enter into the Swine Matthew the eighth chapter And then doth he creep when he makes men to minde earthly things Philippians the third chapter and the second verse As this word sheweth that the reward of pride is and shall be basenesse so from his creeping we are taught what is his fraud and deceitfulnesse These things that have feet and goe cannot move without some noyse but the way of the 〈◊〉 doth passe mans understanding for that it leaveth no impression Proverbs the thirtieth chapter In this sense the Apostle saith Some false brethren have crept in Galatians the second chapter and the fourth verse and these creep into widows houses the second epistle to Timothy the third chapter This kinde of creeping is nothing else but a privy kinde of beguiling and deceiving such as we finde to have been used by the Devill the second epistle to the Corinthians the twelfth chapter Therefore we must have a special regard of the Devil when he comes to us in this manner for then is he more to be feared than when he seeks about like a roaring Lyon whom to devour the first epistle of Peter the fift chapter and the third verse The Devil is said to creep to signifie thus much That as creeping things doe not fly about our heads nor keep even pase with us so the old Serpent is alwaies aiming at our lowest part as it were at the heel tempting us by sensuality to the sinne of uncleannesse and intemperance Secondly We are to consider the manner of this motion which is expressed by the original word to be upon the brest and belly whereby we have shewed to us two main 〈◊〉 For when he creeps upon his brest by the listing up of himself he brings the temptation of the brest that is he would have us 〈◊〉 up with pride and exalt our selves When he creeps upon his belly he tempts us to desire the forbidden fruit and apple that was so goodly and pleasant to look upon and under this is comprehended both the sinnes of 〈◊〉 and lust In this manner we are to observe the means whereby he perswades men to these sinnes In the breast is the heart and when he labours to take the possession of the heart by corrupting our inward thoughts then he creeps upon his brest And his creeping upon his 〈◊〉 betokens the actual accomplishment of sinne So we see that albeit the Devil be a spirit yet by a spiritual analogie he creeps upon his breast and belly no lesse than the visile Serpent Thirdly After the casting down of Pride we come to consider the sinne of Lust and the punishment laid upon it which is To eate the dust The invisible Serpent doth not eate only corporally but spiritually he may be said to eate for in spiritual matters there is a thing answerable to eating We say in regard of the delight we take in somthing this is meat and drink to us And so the Holy Ghost also speaks I esteem of thy word above my appointed food Job the twenty third chapter