rule is also delivered in divers other placâ—s of Scripture that whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased but he that humbleth himself shal be exalted 〈◊〉 18. 14. S. Peter therefore having signified that the Lord resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble inferreth this exhortation humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time 1 Pet. 5. 5 6. This work of humiliation the Holy Ghost ordinarily worketh in Gods children by the ministery of the Law whereby he revealeth unto us our miserable estate in our selves in respect both of our sinnes for by the Law commeth the knoâ—ledge of sinne Rom. 3. 20. and also of the punishment denouncing the fearfull plagues of God for sinne both in this life and in the world to come Thus when Peter had declared to the Jews their hainous sin in crucifying Christ they were pricked in their hearts and said to the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do Act. 2. 23. 36. 37. When the Prophet Nathan had by a Parable which he applied to David the King aggravated his sin saying thou art the man David both privately testified his humiliation to the Prophet saying I have sinned against the Lord 2 Sam. 12. 7. 13. and also publiquely professed the same Psal. 51. But of humiliation for sinne the Publican is propounded as a notable pattern for imitation Luke 18. 13. And as for humiliation wrought by denunciation of judgments consider the example of Iosias 2 King 22. 11. 13. 19. Of the Ninivites Ion. 3. 5 6. In like manner ought we to be humbled before God when we consider that our sins are so hainous and detestable in the sight of God that nothing could satisfie the justice of God or appease his wrath for them or expiate the guilt of them but the death and sufferings of the Eternall and only begotten Son of God Of which death of Christ the blame is to be laid upon our sins as the meritorious cause rather then upon those who were but the instruments of his death For by our sins we nayled Christ upon the Crosse by our sins we pierced the precious body of Jesus Christ we are the men that crucified our blessed Saviour Let us therefore pray to God that he would poure upon us the spirit of grace and supplication that looking upon him whom we have pierced we may mourn for him being put to death for our sins as a man mourneth for his only son Zach. 12. 10. And if the denunciation of Gods temporall judgements ought to humble us before God how much more ought we to be humbled at the consideration both of the temporall plagues denounced in this world and also of eternall torments in hell But when these ordinary means of humiliation by the ministery of the Law will not prevaile it pleaseth God sometimes by means extraordinary or at the least not so ordinary to draw men unto him as it were by a strong hand adding to the Ministery of the Word sometimes afflictions and crosses and sometimes terrors and anguish of conscience By afflictions I sophs brethren were brought to acknowledge their sinne Gen. 42. 21. Manasses when he was in affliction greatly humbled himself before God 2 Chron. 33. 12. So did the prodigall son Luk. 15. 18. according to that Esay 26. 16. Hos. 5. 15. By terrors also sometimes men are humbled as Peter Luk. 5. 8 9. being affrighted when by the miraculous draught of fishes he was brought to acknowledge the Divinity of our Saviour Christ much more the Gaolour Act. 16. 27. 29. And most of all S. Paul Act. 9. 6. 9. But here we must beware of an erroneous and dangerous conceipt of some who run into contrary extreams For as they imagine none to believe who have not full assurance so they think none to be humbled as they ought or effectually called who are not drawn either by grievous afflictions or by the terrours of their conscience to the brink of despaire as though there were no hope of salvation for them Indeed it is good for a man to be much humbled in himself and as Iob speaketh to abhor himself repenting in dust and ashes and to acknowledge that iâ— himself or by his own means there is nâ— hope of salvation But it is either great ignorance or forgetfulnesse of Christ to acknowledge no means whereby to be saved or if a man acknowledge Christ it is great infidelity to think that his sins which are but â—inite though many and great aâ— more and greater then the mercies of God and merits oâ— Christ which are infinite Therefore so to be humbled is a fearfull sin and perhaps a greater sinne then any for which he is humbled Notwithsâ—â—nding this may be said for the comfort and profit of those whom â—od doth draw by a strong hand that is by grievous afflictions either outward or inward which are indeed the most grievous for a wounded conscience who shall bear I say first for their comfort that the Lord doth sometimes so cast down those whom he purposeth most of all to exalt and that they sometimes do prove the most zealous Professours of Religion and the worthiest instruments of Gods glory as you see in the example of Paul For their profit they are to be advised that when they are afflicted either outwardly or inwardly they would first acknowledge the hand of God by what means soever the affliction doth happen unto them and not to seek to remove the hand of God afflicting them if outwardly by indirect or unlawfull means if inwardly by worldly and carnal delights but to labour that the end which God propoundeth in afflicting them may be atchieved 2. That they would humble themselves under the mighty hand of God whom they have provoked to anger against them labouring to call to mind their sins whereby they have offended God to confess them particularly to bewaile them and to be sorry for them because by them they have displeased God and pierced our Saviour earnestly and heartily to pray to God for the remission of their sins for Christ his sake to promise purpose and vow amendment for the time to come Thus confessing their sins and forsaking them they shall be sure to find mercy and humbling themselves they shall be exalted Prov. 28. 13. But as I said ordinarily the Lord worketh humiliation by the ministery of the Law Now that we may be humbled thereby we are not only to believe the sentence of the Law denouncing the terrible curse of God against every one that doth not continue in all the things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. to be true but also to apply it to our selves after this manner seeing this is most true as being the undoubted Word of God that every man in himself is subject to the fearful curse of God both in this life and in the world to come who doth not perform the three degrees of obedience
us to return unto him by unfained repentance as himself exhorteth Esay 44 22. These things saith Saint Iohn I write unto you that you sin not but if any man do sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins 1 Ioh. 2. 1 2. 3. Seeing our Saviour hath redeemed and bought us with so great a price therefore we ought to acknowledg him to be our Lord in the right of Redemption and our selves not to be our own men but his servants For therefore Christ died and rose again to life that he might be the Lord both of the quick and of the dead Rom. 14. 9. And if we acknowledg him to be our Lord we must be carefull to do his will otherwise in vaine do we call him so Why do you call me Lord and do not the things that I command you Luke 6. 46. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shal enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven Mat. 7. 22. Again being bought with a price we are not our own men but his that bought us and therefore ought not to seek our selves or the satisfying of our own lusts but to glorifie God both in our bodies and in our spirit which are not ours but Gods 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. That body is not thine to spend in sin but is to be offered unto God as an holy and acceptable sacrifice That tongue is not thine own as the wicked say of theirs Psal. 12. 4. to use or rather abuse at thy pleasure but to be used to the glory of God That heart is not thine to be addicted to worldly vanities but to be given to God In a word Christ died for al that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again 2 Cor. 4. 15. 4. Seeing Christ hath given himself for us to fâ—ee us from our enemies let us stand fast in that liberty which Christ at so deâ—r a price purchased for us and not suffer our selves to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage Gal. 5. 1. For what can be either more dishonorable to out Redeemer then that we should revolt froÌ„ him to serve sin Satan or more pernicious to our selves for then our latter end should be worse then our beginning 2 Pet. 2. 20. Remember the Israelites who being redeemed out of Aegypt for desiring to return perished in the wilderness Remember Lots wife Luk. 17. 32. who being delivered out of Sodom for looking back was turned into a pillar of salt The which I speak not as though I thought that a man who is once truly justified redeemed can either totally or finally fall away from saving grace but to admonish those who think they stand to take heed they do not fall 1 Cor. 10. 12. For if any professing himself to be redeemed shall fall away his example will not prove that a man may fall from saving grace but his falling away will evidently prove that he was never in the state of grace 1 Ioh. 2. 19. 〈◊〉 5. For as much as Christ our 〈◊〉 is sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5. 8. we should purge out the old leaven and keep a perpâ—â—â—all feast of unleavened bread signified by the 〈◊〉 days of that feast not with the 〈◊〉 hypocrisie nor with the old leaven of naughtinesse but with the unleâ—vened graces of sincerity and truth but especially when we celebrate the memory of our redemption 〈◊〉 the Lords day or in any of our Lords Feasts or at the celebrating of the holy 〈◊〉 which is the antitype to the Passeover 6. Lastly we are to be hearâ—dy thankfull unto God for this 〈◊〉 benefit wherby we being 〈◊〉 lost by sin and therefore in our selves worse then nothing for better were it not to be then being lost not to be redeemed are restored to a betten estate then we lost in Adam And this our thankfulness we are to expresse partly by thanksgiving whereunto we are excited in this Psalme 〈…〉 CHAP. VI. The fruits and end of our redemption viz. the true worship of God in holinesse and righteousnesse 〈…〉 we shall abuse this great benefit of Redemption if we have not respect to the end thereof which is our sanctification For else what can be the cause of such dissolute living as is every where to be seen among those who professe themselves redeemed by Christ but a foolish opinion that Christ having freed them from their sins they may sin the more freely and that he having dyed for their sins they need not to die to them and so abuse the grace of God unto wantonnesse Iude 4. For if our sanctification be the end of our redemption then do we abuse this great benefit of God if we do not refer it to this end yea rather we deceive and abuse our selves with a vain opinion of our redemption For if this be the end of our redemption then those that live in sin as the servants of sin either are not redeemed for whom Christ the Son maketh free they are free indeed or else they are redeemed in vain for that is in vain which is frustrate of the end Now that sanctification is the end of our redemption it may be proved by the testimonies of holy Scripture and also by sound reasons drawn from thence Tit. 2. 14. Christ hath given himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and that he might purifie or sanctifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Eph. 5. 25 26 27. Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse in with the washing of water by thâ— Word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or anysâ—ch thâ—ng but that it should be hâ—ly and without blemish Col. 1. 21 22. You that were enemies Christ hath reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable in his sight 1 Pet. 2. 24. Christ himself bare out sins in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness The reason is evident For that which is the end of all Gods blessings in this life both spiritual and temporal must needs be the end of our Redemption But our sanctification is the end of all Gods blessings in this life 1 Thes. 4. 3. This is the will of God even your sanctification this is that which God willeth and intendeth in bestowing his benefits upon us He hath elected us that we might be holy Ephes. 1. 4. he created us after his own Image that we might worship him in holinesse and righteousnesse Eph. 4. 24. he hath called us to holinesse 1 Thess. 4. 7. and we are called to be Saints or Saints by calling Rom. 1. 7. 1 Cor. 1. 2. he doth regenerate us to the same end For we are the workmanship
some darling sinne from which he will not be reclaimed But as he who truly repenteth of any one sin repenteth of all in respect of the desire and purpose of his heart being not willing to retaine any so he that repenteth not of all repenteth of none at all in deed and in truth Simplicity He that walketh in uprightnesse towards God without hypocrisy walketh also before men in simplicity and â—inglenesse of heart without guile Both implied in the word for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Basil saith or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Chrysoft speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 simplicity of maners and of speech the character of an harmlesse or upright man But he that useth dissimulation and guile towards men is an hypocrite and so is called Mat. 22. 18 Mark 12. 15. So much of the notes that respect good things now follow those which respect evill And that either of sin or of punishment The 〈◊〉 man hateth sinne as well in himselfe as in others or rather more and more severely censureth it in himselfe then in others not excusing nor extenuating but rather amplifying and aggravating the same The hypocrite hateth sinne in others but not in himselfe and to that end he is curious to pry into other mens behaviour and neglecteth his owne He can see a mote in an other mans eye but cannot discerne a blame in his owne Mit 7. 3. 4. he is a sharpe censureâ— of other mens faults but flaâ—tereth and blesseth himselfe in his owne sinnes Ps 36. 2. Deut. 29. 19. examples hereof in Saul 1 Sam. 14. 44. in Iudâ— Gen. 85. 24. yea in Daâ—id whiles 〈◊〉 conceâ—led his sinne 2 Saâ— 1. 2. 5. Afflictionâ— The evill of punishment 〈◊〉 afflictions which God hath ordayned as tryalls to discerne the sound and upright from the unsound and hypocrite by the patient bearing whereof the faithfull are found to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is found and approved Iam. â—12 For tribulation being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1. 7. Iam. 1. 3 the trial of our faith worketh patience and patience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 5. 3. 4. that is as Chrysostome with whom others agree expoundeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it maketh him approved that is tryed as we see in Iob and in the three children Dan. 3. in the faithfull Iewes Ps. 44. 7 and in all the faithfull but chiefly in all that are martyrs By afflictions likwise the hypocrite being tryed is discovered and as it were unmasâ—ed by the not patient bearing and enduring thereof For either he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set light by the affliction and not take it to heart or else 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he fâ—inteth under it contrary to the counsell of the Holy Ghost Heb 12. 5 cited out of Pro 3. 11. He that taketh not to heart an affliction cannot be said patiently to beare it for in patiendo est patientia in suffering is patience and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in not suffering as â—ppeareth in the examples of Iob Iob. 1. 20. and David Pâ— 6. 38. 6. And this is the cause many times why the hypocrite doth not profit by affâ—ctions because he is not sensible thereof Ier. 5. 3. and being unsensible becommeth incorrigible 〈◊〉 2 30. And the cause hereof is because hypocrites not walking with God doe not acknowledge his hand but ascribe their affliction either to misfortune or to secondary causes which are but the instruments of God Or if they doe acknowledge the hand of God yet they are not humbled under it neither doe they bewayle their sinnes nor crave pardon of them nor turne to him that smiteth them Es. 9. 18. nor promise amendment or if they doe they meane not or at least afterwards they doe not performe nor submit themselves meekly to beare their affliction nor learne obedience by that which they suffer neither are they bettered by them but become worse Es. 1. 5. If they take it too much to heart then either they impatienly beare it murmuring against God and fainting in themselves or they seeke an evasion out of it by some sinne and so fall away from God by which their defection their hypocrisie is discovered To these tryals by affliction we may adde other temptations as by the doctrine of false teachers either aâ—â—uring to idolatry which the Lord sometimes permitteth to prove us whether we love him intirely or not Deut. 13. 3. or to heresies which the Lord also suffereth that those which are approved may be knowne 1 Cor. 11. 19. CHAP. XI Of uprightnesse towards men NOw we are to speak briefly of integrity as it hath reference to man For as we are to serve God in holinesse before him that is in uprightnesse of heart without hypocrisie so also in righteousnesse before him that is in simplisity and singlenesse of heart without guile For this simplicity whereof we are now to speak is not that which is opposed to discretion as being want of wit for the simplicity of doves must be tempered with the prudence of serpents we must be without guile as doves without gall but we must not be like Ephraim Hos. 7. 11. as silly doves without heart but is opposed to dissimulation disguising doubling deceipt and guile From which the redeemed of the Lord are free according to the testimony of the Prophet Zephany c. 3. 13. and according to the oath of God in this place worshipping the Lord in righteousnesse before him That is performing the duties which they owe unto men as in the sight and presence of God Now this simplicity is expressed by the same â—ermes which signified uprightnesse being referred to men and where they are put absolutely without relation either to God or man both are or may bee implyed as alwayes going together Thus the word Thamim may be understood in this larger sence And therefore where Iacob is called Ish thâ—â—inâ— Gen. 25. 27. it is to be understood as wel of his simple and sincere dealing among men as of his uprightnesse towards God and so the 72 interpret it by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 free from fayning or dissembliug and Aquila by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a simple hearted man free from doubling and deceipt and so the word is used sometimes to signifie simplicity Gen. 20. 5 6. 2 Sam. 15 11. The like is to be understood of Iob and other holy men to whom that attribute is given in the scriptures who are also noted to have performed their duetyes to men in uprightnesse or integrity as David Ps. 78. 72. is said to have sed that is ruled the people of God according to the integrity of his heart The want whereof is objected by Iotham to the men of Shechem Iud. 9. 16. 19. that they had not dealt in truth and integrity with Gedeon his father And therefore even â—uch as dissemble with men are sometimes called hypocrites Mat. 2. 18. and their disguising is called hypocrisie Mâ—rk 12. 15. or as Luke termeth