The Broken Heart OR DAVIDS PENANCE Fully exprest in holy Meditations upon the 51 PSALME BY That late Reverend Pastor SAM PAGE Doctour in Divinity and Vicar of Deptford Strond in the Countie of Kent Published since his death BY NATHANAEL SNAPE of Grayes Inne Esquire LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper 1637. TO THE HONORABLE Sir ROBERT AYTON Principall Secretary to the Queenes most excellent Majestie and Master of Saint Katherines neere the Tower of LONDON Sir MY intentions had fastened the patronage of this Booke upon that pious and Right Honorable Gentleman Sir Iulius Caesar your predecessour in the Mastership of St Katherines whose dedication of himselfe to that great Master and maker of the world renders you the Successour of his place and my service Therefore and because all that know you rightly speak you to be a friend to Learning and Philagathus in abstracto a true Religion Lover I thought fit to present these devouâ— Meditations to your judicious acceptation These royall Penitentials deduced and exemplified unto us from the sacred person of a King conclude all persons and degrees from an exemption in the practise And the command of that excellent duty is more especially incumbent on us in these particular times of humiliation when that formidable pestilentiall sword hath so smitten us and hangs still so perpendicularly over our heads The profit of Repentance it removes our sinne in reatu poena it blunts that weapons point whose thirst is sooner quencht with â—ear then bloud and it preferreth the miserable delinquent from the shamefull Barre to the most glorious Bench. Let the Reverend Authors pen declare his worth and let the worke commend it selfe to the world Onely Sir be you pleased to give it countenance and protection which I am confident will improve it to a more generall and publique approbation and make it the more redundant in the Churches benefit Health honour and Heaven at last I wish you from the heart of Your humble Servant N. S. MEDITATIONS upon the 51. PSALME VERSE I. Have mercie upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions IN this Psalme David is 1. For himself ad fin v. 17. 2. Then for the Church 18. 19. In the first part 1. He is all crying God mercie and supplication v 1 2. 2. Confession of sinnes 3 4 5 6. 3. Supplication against 7. ad fin 17. 1. In the first consider 1. What ailes him where is his griefe his transgressions his iniquitie his sinne 2. What remedie loving kindnesse multitude of tender mercies 3. What effect of these to blot out to wash throughly and cleanse away all this uncleannesse 3. What he ailes He varieth the phrase and calleth his disease transgressions Arias Mont. rendreth it praevaricationes to our sence For the Law setteth us bounds thus farre we may go and no further every sinne is a transgression an over-reaching of our bounds Peshang signifieth the same to forsake the commandment and it answereth Gods challenge of him by Nathan Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord Vers 2. He calleth his griefe his iniquities these also are against the Law which S. Paâ—l calleth holy and just He calleth it sinne which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is privatio legis This shewethus the danger of all our sinnes They put us out of the way for our way is the way of Gods commandments all other are called false wayes It is Uia legis the way of the Law which guideth our thoughts words and actions It is Via veritatis the way of truth which guideth our understandings and judgements It is via pacis the way of peace which guideth our heart and the affections thereof Sinne putteth us out of all these wayes Into those false wayes which David doth utterly abhorre Yet he is fallen into them by a strong temptation It is our wisedome to know and consider the nature of sinne that every sinne is transgression of Gods Law So Joseph answered his wanton Mistresse How shall I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God And now David hath bethought him he saith to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. We must not think that any of our sinnes do hurt God or take from him any thing to empaire him For when we live in his obedience we give him occasion to exercise his holinesse in our sanctification his goodnesse in our conservation his bounty in donation of all good to us But if we transgresse he exerciseth his wisedome in his detection of us his holinesse in abhorring of us his justice in punishing of us So that the going out of our way which he hath set us in his Law is the hinderance of our owne journey and the danger of our own souls and bodies It is our great blindnesse of judgement and hardnesse of heart that we should delight in sinne against the Law of God The Law of God is an undefiled law The Law is holy and the commandment holy just and good This was ordained of God to be a bridle to restraine sinne yet our corruption hath made it a spurre to provoke and put on sinne So the Apostle found it For sinne that it might appeare sinne working death in us by that which is good that sinne by the commandment might be exceeding sinfull For corrupt nature is impatient of restraint and no fruit seemes so faire to the eye or taste so sweet to the palate as the forbidden fruit doth Every man above all things in the world affecteth his own will and desireth libertie to do what seemeth good in his own eyes The Law doth restrain us of this and it is 1. Holy in directing us a way wherein we may wâ—lk in all pleasing to God 2. Iust in declaring the danger of going astray from it 3. Good in rewarding our obedience for godlinesse hath the promises of this life c. David hath professed great love to this Law great delight in it all his Psalmes over He hath confessed great benefits received from it yet here he confesseth transgression and iniquitie and sinne he hath not kept this Law and hath sinned against God Now we see in this example how heavy sinne is when the conscience groweth sensible of it Nothing so pleasant as our sinne for the time but Citò praeterit quod delectat It soone passes away which delighteth now David gronesunder the burthen of it he hath the whole weight of the law upon him for it and he hath found that he hath walked contrary to God We have great use of this recollection of ourselues 1. We have need of God every moment for his help and comfort and counsell So long as our sinnes are upon our conscience unrepented unpardoned we cannot pray to God for any favour 2. We cannot give thanks as our prayers are turned into sinne if we regard wickednesse in our hearts for God heareth not sinners 1.
our hearts are purged by that faith Verbum lavat non quia dicitur sed quia creditur The word washeth not because it is spoken but because it is beleeved 2 God washeth us by the water of baptisme which is therefore called the Laver of our new birth Which though it be received but once in our life as the Nicene Creed saith I beleeve one Baptisme for the remission of sinnes Yet it is available for our whole life and the vertue of it extendeth to our last gaspe thereof The Sacrament of Baptisme is for our new birth and as S. Augustine noteth As we are born once for our life so new born but once For the Lords Supper is renewed being for nutrition But the gift of God is without repentance David needed not a new circumcision after his fall his repentance renewed the vertue and power thereof 3 We are of Gods washing by the faith of Christ in his bloud which cleanseth us throughly from all sinnes That is the true and perfect lavatorie the fountain which God set open to the house of David and the inhabitants of Ierusalem that is to the whole Church of God for sinne and for uncleannesse For He gave himself for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquitie and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 3 Cleanse me See how fervent David is in his prayer he reneweth the same petition for his purification he hath but changed the phrase the suit is the same it was to be washt throughly but he expresseth it to the effect that he may be clean Sinne of all pollutions is the foulest it maketh uncleane eyes uncleane hands foule feet foule consciences A little washing of foule hands doth but foule them more we must wash till we be clean No unclean thing shall ever enter into the new Ierusalem So soone as the Angels had sinned they were cast out of Paradise aloft And so soone as Adam had sinned he was cast out of Paradise below So soone as Cain had sinned he was cast out of the presence of God and became a vagabond on the face of the earth The pure in heart shall see God who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart Therefore make me clean wonder not that David is so importunate with God for his full purgation from his sinne being so sensible of the danger of his impuritie For the reason why our uncleannesse remaineth upon us unpurged and we continue untroubled at it is we are not enough sensible of the foulnesse that defileth us or the danger that it brings along with it Some of us pretending holinesse can be well content and can pray to be washt but we affect not a perfect cleannesse We have some sinnes that bring in profit as usurie symonie bribery fraud lying perjurie and such like Some that put us forward in the world as ambition pride flatterie c. Some that give us pleasure and delight as adultery fornication immoderate eating and drinking chambering and wantonnesse c. Some that please our malitious disposition as revenge secret inâ—idiations cunning under minings satanicall libellings and wit-blasts c. David is for cleannesse he would have no remaine left upon his conscience of any unrepented sinne Wash me throughly and make me clean It is true penitence to forsake and abhorre sinne all kinde of sinne and to let no iniquitie have dominion over us We cannot so long as we live here put away sinne so that no remaines shall annoy us If we can quite the dominion of sinne that we suffer it not to reigne in our mort ll bodies this is our utter most And so long as sinne dwelleth in us not a received inmate but a violent intruder we shall finde that the Spirit of God will aid us so against it that as the Spirit in us doth daily grow with the increasing of God so the flesh will loose ground and the old Adam will grow weaker and weaker Our wounds which now stink and are corrupt through sinne will be so clean washt that there will be way made for healing of them up Medicus est offer ei mercedem Deus est offer ei sacrificium Is it a Physitian offer him a reward is it God offer him sacrifice The Prophet hath found out one alter in this Psalme Cor contritum a contrite heart VERSE 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sinne is ever before me 2 HIs confession wherein 1. He at large and in a generalitie confesseth his sinnes For I acknowledge my transgressions 2 He sheweth the motive to this confession a perpetuall sight of his sinnes 3 He considereth both the generalitie of his sinnes and this last speciall sinne in the offence by it given 4 He recounteth his originall sinne the fountain of his corruption 5 To aggravate his digression he compareth himself in a state of sinne with that condition which God exacteth of him and which he will hereafter work in him 1 His confession at large After a â—ight and sense of sinne in the work of repentance confession followeth 1 David confessed to Nathan sent of God to him to charge him with his sinne and that authoritie Christ left in his Church in the new Testament with the Priests therof Whosoever sinnes you remit they are remitted unto them absolution is not rightly administred but upon a faire evidence of a true and serious repentance Which must begin at confession and therefore the power of absolution doth suppose a duty of confession The abuse of confession in the Church of Rome hath gotten it an ill name some of them having many times corrupted it to their own ends to ransack the consciences of men and to romage the hearts of men to finde how they may serve their turns Yet was it an holy institution in the intendment thereof that a man should often survey all his thoughts and words and actions Censure them with griefe tremble at them with fear confesse them with shame cure them with good counsell expiate them with some revenge extinguish them with full purpose of amendment of life and establish their hearts with some healing comforts from the holy Word of God administred as cordials from our souls Physitians But as Auricular Confession hath been sometimes practised it is a kinde of encouragement to sinne for beleeving as some do that their confession and penance and absolution doth wash them throughly from all their iniquities and cleanse them from all sinne They spare not to commit all kindes of sinne in trust of this remedie making the remedie of sinne a provocation to sinne Like those mountebanks that in sight will wound themselves to shew the vertue of their salve and drink poyson in confidence of their antidote Penances also have been sometimes so easie and perfunctorious as they may make a sport at sinne study it with deliberation practise it with
Whatsoever we do against God we do it against our selves Whatsoever we do evill is against God it opposeth his will it resisteth his word and commandment it valueth the pleasure of sinne more then his favour and exchangeth God for a vain delight Is not this an high offence 3 He putteth it home Tibi soli peccavi against thee alone have I sinned Some question is made how David can say Soli Thee alone Did not he offend Vriah in defiling his bed in sending for him to colour his adultery in taking him home under a pretence of entertainment to make him drunk After all to procure his death did he not sinne against Bathsheba to defile her Did he not sinne against Joab to make him a murtherer Did he not sinne against his own body to destroy the temple of the Lord and to defile a vessell of holinesse with uncleannesse Did he not trespasse the Church which was ashamed and grieved at his aberration Did he not trespasse his double unction of King and Prophet how then doth he say Tibi soli against thee alone Mr. Calvin doth two wayes answer this question 1 That he had done this sinfull act secretly and so had none to make his peace withall but God who onely knew the offence This doth not help for Joab knew that he was an instrument of Davids injustice he knew he had defiled his own body she knew And no question but it was resented of many But this Psalme was made for the use of the Church after all was out against him 2 That he denyeth not the full extent of his fault but making his confession to God he declareth what did most cruciate and disquiet his conscience onely this that he had sinned against God and provoked his anger against him This may passe for a good solution of the question for the sinne against God extendeth to both Tables of the Law and when we trespasse our own selves or our neighbours we sinne mainly against God in both The full extent of our sinne is onely against God Every sinne hath a branching and dispersion like so many brooks running into one maine streame all empty themselves into the Sea all finally wrong God Mr. Calvin addeth his own judgement Tibi soli against thee alone Howsoever the secrecie of my sinfull acts may keep it out of sight from some and the flatterie of others may cast excuses or defences upon it and the charity of others may like Sem and Japhet cast a garment upon it to hide it may connive at it or pardon it To thee I have sinned thou doest know it and it appeares onely to thee in the full and true proportion I cannot hide it from thee This also may be well received He addeth that he nameth God onely because God onely hath the vengeance in his hand and he is in no danger but of him For who on earth hath power to chasten Kings for sinne but God onely There was no Pope above Kings in David's time The high Priest a type of Christ was nothing so great a man as the Pope the Vicar of Christ But the truth is when Christ came to reveale himself then began Sathan first to lay claime to all the kingdomes of the earth and the power to dispose of them and he made Christ a great offer to give them all to him But what Elisha would not Gehezi his man would what Christ refused his Vicar sticks not to accept of after Saint Augustine cleareth the doubt another way Tibi soli peccavi quiatu solâ—ss sine peccato ille justus punitur qui non habet quod puniatur Against thee onely have I sinned because thou alone art without sinne That just one was punished who had nothing in him to be punished Some reade to thee onely Peccavi I have sinned because none but he can pardon sinne as God saith I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake I best may satisfie my own judgement with reference of this complaint of David to the reproof of Nathan Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evill in his sight David striketh here at the root of his sinne from whence all his other iniquities and transgressions and sinnes of which he complained derived themselves It was my sinning against thee in the contempt of thy word that hath undone me and made me a prey to Sathan He that in the Serpent found that way to undo the first Adam in Paradise by drawing him away from the word he ever since hath tried that conclusion with all his posteritie and hath much advanced his kingdome by it he tryed the same way with Christ in the wildernesse but he kept him to the word Scriptum est it is written And therefore he tryed him by the word and urged Scriptum est it is written to him hoping by the word to have recovered him from the word And ever since his great agents especially Hereticks and Schismaticks are great Textmen This clearing of the words of David pointeth us to the beginning of all sinne in us which is at swarving from the word of God David found it so dangerous that the whole 119. Psalme is aymed at that sinne Vers 1. and 2. he pronounceth them blessed that walk in this way and keep his testimonies Vers 3. They do no iniquitie c. Vers 4. he urgeth Gods commandment for this to keep his precepts diligently Vers 5. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes 8. I will keep thy statutes O forsake me not utterly His desire to the word his comfort from the word his joy in the word his estimation of the word his love to the word all the Psalme is full of these holy meditations We may all confesse in this respect with David that we have sinned against God onely for having the word in that plentie and so many helps by hearing and reading to take benefit of it Our ungodly lives testifie that we depart from it Which of our sinnes doth the word of God favour which doth it not threaten with losse of the kingdome of heaven as the Angels that sinned lost their habitation and Adam his paradise for departing from that word Israel Gods darling people lost their Canaan and first ten Tribes were lopt from the Church then cut off from the state and carried away and never heard of The remaine lost all and live now in dispersion it is our sinne and we begin to stinke in the nosthrils of God heare and feare And done this evill in thy sight 2 Here is the boldnesse of his sinne wherein let us consider 1 The person I. 2 The commission done 3 The trespasse evill 4 The particularity this 5 The daring of it in thy sight 1 Of the person It is againe prest and may not be omitted in our consideration For let every one consider his own person in all his delinquences and he shall finde so much more quarrell
that sinned are not capable of it The Angels that stand in their first estate never came to miserie and they stand by the providence and love of God But sinfull man maketh God called mercifull and he putteth him to his multitude of tender compassions This is the rock of our refuge our strong Citie of refuge against the pursuer it is our hiding place In nothing doth God comfort us more Therefore be ye merciful with this sicut Sicut pater vester coelestis as your heavenly Father There is nothing that flattereth sinne more and that giveth it growth and vegetation amongst us then the overweening of this mercie Every wicked man can say God hath multitude of tender compassions and his mercies are more then my sinnes it is true But what interest such a one may have in those mercies he little considereth For with the Lord is mercie that he may be feared and that a sinner may apply himself not to continue in his finne presuming upon it but for sake it beleeving it for he that confesseth and for saketh his sinne shall have this mercie Let us therefore begin with David at Confitebor contra me I will confesse against my self and say Peccavi contra Dominum I have sinned against the Lord with a conscience of our sinnes and a sense both of the pollution of them within our selues and of the provocation of Gods due displeasure against us for them Then it will be in season to call for mercie But if we over-weene our own integritie as some justiciaries do Sani non egent medico the whole need no Physitian or if we sinne on in confidence of mercy at last We shall finde that God sitteth in his throne and judgeth uprightly and that the ungodly shall not stand in judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous For the Lord knoweth the way of the just but the way of the ungodly shall perish 3. What effect he desireth of these mercies This is varied in phrase for he is passionate and exceeding earnest with God and plieth him with strong cries and supplications 1. To blot out his transgressions 2. To wash him throughly 3. To cleanse him 1. The blotting out of his transgressions hath reference to the books of God wherein all our transgressions are recorded 1. The book of Gods remembrance 2. The book of our conscience 1. The book of Gods remembrance God is a Seer and there is nothing hid from his eye and he doth consider the sonnes of men his eyes are upon all his wayes There is not a thought in our hearts but he knoweth it long before we our selues know it As he seeth so he remembreth and that we call his book of accounts wherein he recordeth all that is said done or thought that he may judge us according to all that is registred in that book whether it be good or evill He is said to blot us out of that book when our true repentance and his free pardon hath removed our iniquity from us Two Doctrines arise from hence 1. One of terrour all our sinnes are booked and kept upon record 2. Another of comfort they may be blotted out thence 1. Doctr. Knowing the terrour of the Lord we must be wariehow we sinne against him for though we love sinne he hateth it He is a God that loveth not wickednesse neither shall any evill dwell with him Though we sleight sinne and passe it over gainsomely and pleasantly yet he taketh it to heart and recordeth it that he may be able to set all our sinnes in order before us when time comes This is a black book and it will be a fearfull and shamefull thing to behold all our sinnes inventoried together All our idle words vain lascivious malitious false slanderous speeches all our loose thoughts all our vast and unlawfull desires all our ungodly works done all the good duties omitted all the evils we would have done all the imaginations of the thoughts of our hearts are not all these things written in his book We may conceive it by this David hath the honourable memory of walking in all the wayes of God alwayes save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittite That matter is recorded in this living book of holy Scripture so are many of the infirmities of his holy ones chiefly for terrour of his children that they might feare to sinne against him who keepeth so exact a score of all our transgressions These are called debts and God our creditour keeps his debt-book very perfect The Steward in the parable called his Masters debtors they could tell every man what he owed but who knoweth how often he hath offended We have no hope to pay these debts and therefore we desire mercy to blot them out of the book And if we look back upon the transgressions of our whole life we shall see need not onely of the loving kindnesse of the Lord but of the multitude of his tenderest compassions 2. Another book is the book of our Conscience this also keepeth a record against us It was called of old our inwit for though our appetite and witbe so corrupt that the deceivable lusts of the flesh do often transport us to Gods offence yet our understanding and reason and memorie informe our conscience of our sinnes and that booketh them This book is not so exactly kept as the other because 1. Many sinnes passe us which we are not aware of 2. Many thoughts words and works escape us which we think to be no sinnes our consciences not being rightly informed 3. Many sinnes our memory doth not retein which should give in evidence to our conscience against us 4. The conscience it self may be corrupted benummed seared and so many foule deeds may escape unrecorded Yet for all this if we had no other book opened against us to convince us of sinne but this This alone would call us guilty and expose us to wrath David sueth to have his transgressions blotted out of both these books For if the tender mercies of God should blot his book and the book of our conscience remaine against us we should live upon the rack in a perpetuall torture our spirit wounded within us It is well observed of Cardinall Bellarmine Sciebat David ex actione peccati relinqui in animâ— reatum mortis aeternae David knew that by the acting of sinne in his soul was left the guilt deserving eternall death You may discerne the convulsions and strong cramps of the soul for sinne in David There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne So long as we live in sinne we feele not the pain of it David for ten moneths found no great need of these mercies of God For a sinner during his impenitencie is as a man besides himself but reversus ad se returning to himself then he bethinketh in what case he stands before God Demersus in profundo drowned in the deep the Sea above him seems not heavy Elementa in loco non
delight and expiate it at short warning But such pardons were not afoot in Davids time he confesseth to Nathan and undergoeth a sore penance after Nathan had absolved him Good use might be made of this in the Church If a true Penitent revealing his wounded conscience to some learned and godly Physitian of his soul and declaring his true griefe did establish his repentant heart with the comfort of the Word and receive the benefit of Gods gracious pardon in the way of Gods holy ordinance In businesses of our estate we may heare wise men speak out of experience and reading and observation but it is safest to trust such whose profession and practise in the laws may give us more full satisfaction in all our doubts In diseases of the body reading experience and observation may accommodate men unprofessed to speak rationally and to advise wisely but health is a deare commoditie they do most safely that consult the learned studied and practised Physitian he is the likeliest to direct for our good In the occasions of the soul although many great Scholars have profited to ability to informe the judgement in the truth to convince errour to instruct and comfort yet seeing God hath ordained some in his Church to do this ex officio and hath sent them to teach to baptise to commend the prayers of the Church to him to absolve penitents our using of their ministery in these things is strengthened with warrant and in this case Nathans absolution is as good as on Angels 2 We finde David confessing here to God his wickednesse Nathan hath used all the good and discreet wayes that may be to bring David to a sight and sense of his sinne 1 He shewed him his sinne in a parable borrowing another person to represent to him his sinne 2 He shewed it in the commemoration of Gods manifold favours to him which cannot but shew that God had better deserved of him then to be answered with transgression of his commandments For he might plead Do you thus unkindly requite my love 2 He came to the point and opened his wounds and shewed him the rottennesse and stench of them in an hoc fecisti Thus hast thou done and I held my peace all this while 3 He revealeth to him the purpose of God for his correction by a severe punishment of his faults divers wayes as you have heard This made him cry God mercie and crave aid of Gods tender compassions to wash him For I acknowledge my wickednesse Which teacheth That true repentance ariseth from a knowing and beginneth at confessing our sinne They pray but faintly and weakly for mercy to wash them that do not well discerne and confesse their wickednesse The woman of Canaan that came to Christ for her daughter cries loud for his help the disciples cannot still her Blinde Bartimeus runnes hard and cryes lowd for his sight The woman with the issue of bloud pressed through the crowd as neare as she could to Christ to touch the hemme of his vesture David sometimes cryed till his throat was hoarse Moses prayed till his hands fell All that feele need of help from God and know it no where else to be had will ply him heartily and give him no rest So forceable is the knowledge of our sinnes to put us upon God in importunate eâ—â—lagitations of mercy Such know that there is no state here on earth so unhappy as the state of a sinner Let us never hope for peace in our conscience or favour with God till we come to see and confesse our wickednesse Oh that there were such an heart of piety and holy zeale as to search and try our own wayes and to detect our own sinnes as we have hearts of malice and curiousitie to dive into the transgressions of others I would we could discerne our own beams as clearly as we see the motes in our brothers eye I acknowledge my wickednesse I search no further Let me now turn your eyes upon your own hearts and put you to the search of them to the bottome that you may confesse your wickednesse to God betweene you and him alone For wounds must be searched before they can be cured And then shall you be prepared to heare the story of Christs bitter passions that he susteined for you which shall shortly be recounted to you out of the Gospell by appointment of the Church There you shall see the loving kindnes of God and the multitude of his tender compassions you shal see what need your wounds had of his stripes what need your voluptuous lives had of his dolorous throws and pangs what need your crown of pride had of his crown of thornes what need your crying sinnes had of his strong prayers and supplications what need your deserved curse had of his undeserved crosse If all tears were wiped from our eyes for our selves and that our mouthes were filled with laughter and our tongues with joy yet if we did consider in what liquour we were washt the precious bloud of a Lambe without spot Pilates Ecce homo Behold the man shewing us our Redeemer newly come from his cruell whipping his pretious body the glory of humanity ploughed up with scourges into deep furrows to save our skinnes whole Uox sanguinis the voyce of bloud speaking better things then the bloud of Abel crying for our purification and his dying plea even for his enemies Father forgive them for they know not what they do These and a thousand more considerable passages in his dolorous passion were enough to turn all our harps into mourning and all our organs into the voice of them that weep to make our heads fountains of tears to melt us into passion to distill us into spirit of compassion for him that payed so deare for our souls Sic Deus dilexit mundum misit filium suum dedit unigenitum as August dedit unicum ut non esset unicus So God loved the world He sent his Sonne He gave his onely begotten Sonne He gave his onely Sonne that he might not be his onely Sonne And in the manner of giving Non pepercit filio suo he spared not his sonne he layd upon him the iniquitie of us all Will you finde the cause of all this the roote of bitternesse the gall and wormwood that made his potion so corroding Search your heart for sinne and wash the bloudy wounds of your Redeemer in a bath of compassionate tears your own putrified soars in a bath of penitentiall tears And as Israel brought forth Achan and put him in sight who had trespassed in the accursed thing so let our confession put our transgressions in sight saying with David I acknowledge my wickednesse And with Achan I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done That which undoes Religion and destroyes the fear and service of God and hindereth our repentance and evacuateth all our acts of piety that which maketh the word to us a dead
no good thing And this he chargeth with all his aberrations from the way of God law Not I that is my regenerate part but sinne in me that is my naturall corruption not yet mortified my flesh not yet brought in subjection to the law and will of my God 2 Meum my David owneth his sinne and confesseth it his own Here is our natural wealth what can we call our own but sinne Our food and rayment the necessaries of life are borrowings We came hungrie and naked into the world we brought none of these with us and we deserved none of them here Our sinne came with us as David after confesseth We have right of inheritance in sinne taking it by traduction and transmission from our parents we have right of possession So Job Thou makest me to possesse the sinnes of my youth We plead ancient custome and prescription for sinne for we were never without it since we first came into the world Peccatum meum my sinne is Davids griefe David in piety to God and in charitie to his neighbour did mourn and weep rivers of waters for them that kept not the law But other mens sinnes are not put upon his account and require not his repentance except they were committed by his counsell example or approbation He is now to declare his repentance that extendeth no further then to peccatum meum my sinne This may aggravate a sinne much for as is the person so is the sinne here Meum my toucheth the person of the offender Nehemiah urgeth Should such a man as I flie David was a person take him not beyond his private estate as the yonger sonne of I shal favoured by God defended from the Lyon the Beare from Goliah from the Philistines from Saul and from all his enemies Adams sinne which many sleight as no great matter to draw such a judgement upon all flesh was the greatest sinne that ever was committed by man in respect of the person For being in a state of innocencie and having free-will to do good and in the fresh glory of his creation and in the fulnesse of his makers image and in the fatnesse of the earth the fitnesse of an help meet for him amounting to what could I have done more that I have not done his trespasse was prodigious nefarious abhominable To defile his holinesse to benight his wisedome to corrupt his goodnesse to evacuate his righteousnesse to forget his happinesse and to see God for a fruit having paradise before him and all the fruit at his service his sinne was infectious it did not onely vitiate and deflowre his person it also impoysoned the fountain of bloud which was to propagate a posterity to fill the earth We know that peccatum meum my sinne the sinne of the Angels that fell was so aggravated by the consideration of their persons who fell that God cast them off for ever and reserveth them in chains of darknesse for a great day David a publique person a king Gods king Posui Regeâ— meum super montem sacrum meum I have set my king upon my holy hill of Sion Regis ad exemplum c. David an holy Prophet vices that are sleighted in common persons in men professed holy are twise themselves and Sathan glorieth more in the corruption of a Prophet or Minister of the Word then in many common men God is more offended and the Church more scandaled Let every man judge his sinne by consideration of himself In his person in his place and office in his received favours from God Meum my will so make great weight Meum hath speciall reference here to Davids sinne which doth put him to this penance 1 His lust upon the sight of beauty 2 His adulterie 3 His making Vriah drunk 4 His corrupting of Joab 5 His murther of Vriah 6 His ten moneths impenitencie This is peccatum meum my sinne Every one of these very hainous for lust adulterie and making men drunk and a constant or rather obstinate impenitencie These be sinnes in fashion and many think the better of themselves for them It is the pride of many to boast of their unchast and lascivious lewdnesse of life of their making their companions drunk and no sense of the abuse of Gods good creatures the wrong to God to their neighbour to their own bodies thereby exposed to diseases Beloved if all these if any of these sinnes belong to any of you I charge you not let your consciences save me the labour and do you own it and call it peccatum meum my sinne as David here doth Put it before you in sight and confesse it to God that you may finde mercie If none of these call you guilty search your hearts for that darling sinne Peccatum meum my sinne The pleasant the profitable sinne that reigneth in you You see confession spares not any sinne whatsoever you call meum mine must be all brought forth 3 Coram Before This sinne was now come before as August observeth Sinne is behinde our backs when we are first tempted to it when we first commit it Sathan sheweth the pleasure and profit of sinne but he concealeth the trespasse and the danger thereof 1 It was in sight of God from the first motion and yeelding to it 2 It was in sight of the Devill and his Angels that suggested it 3 It was in sight of those agents of the King who did negotiate it 4 It was in sight of the common man who could not but take notice of it 5 It was in sight of the Church Gods faithfull ones who were much scandalized by it 6 It was in sight of the enemies of God who thereby took great occasion to blaspheme the name of God and his Religion 7 It was in sight of Nathan Gods holy Prophet who was sent of purpose by God to reprove it Nathan charged him Thou diddest it secretly see the deceiveablenesse of Sathan no sinne dare look the light in the face Qui male agit odit lucem He that doth evill hateth the light One of the greatest encouragements to finne is an hope of secrecie and therein for the most part the sinner mis-carrieth for not onely God which hateth the sinne but Sathan also that tempted to it do both finde means to bring it to shame Yet the heart of David was so hardened and his conscience so blinded with the pleasure of sinne that he felt no remorse of it Some sinnes are much more hardly repented then others especially those sinnes which please the naturall man best repented hardest 4 Coram me Before me Now at last his sinne is come to the light of his own understanding to the sting of his own conscience Now he sees what need he hath of mercy Miserere mei Deus c. Have mercy upon me O God Now he sees what commandments he hath despised as Nathan chargeth him Now he sees what offence he hath given to God to his Church What defiling to his own soul and body
what danger to both We can never repent heartily till we come to this and we are very loath to come to it Now David seeth his sinne clearly the whole sinne the motives the means the acts the colours and conveyances there all coram me before me Coram populo before the people shame to him Coram Ecclesia before the Church griefe to them Coram inimâ—cis before the enemies joy to them Coram Deo before God anger against him Coram Nathane before Nathan a chiding But if any hope of repentance and amendment it is in Peccatum meum coram me my sinne before me Here is the distresse of a sinner he never discerneth how unhaphie he is till his sinne is before him Excused be the masks of sinne pleasure is the sweetning of sinne secrecie is the night of sinne Remove all these and let thy sinne appeare naked and stript of this shelter Mulier formosa supernè turpiter atrum desinet The fairest womans face Foule nether parts disgrace How quickly could David see his own sinne in another person in the parable of Nathan It was ten moneths before his own sinne was before himself We are very blinde to behold our own faults yet we are most beholding to them that help our weak sight and cleare our eyes that way It was the wish of a well-minded heathen man that he might ever dwell either by a true friend or some very malitious and spightfull enemy because either love or malice would ever tel him his own and he should be sure to know his faults Christ What say men that I am we must use all the meanes we can to search our wounds that they may be healed To know our disease ut curetur it is S. Gregor note upon this Text Ascendat tribunal mentis suae constituat se ante se Videat foeditatem suam at corrigat ne nolens videat erubescat Let him ascend the tribunall of his minde and place himself before himself let him see his foulnesse to correct it lest against his will he see it and be ashamed at it Some put all their vertues before themselves as the Pharisee he gave not himself an ill word in his confession I am not like other men I fast I pay tithes I give almes I pray c. The poore Publicane could not see any good Corn within his field it was so over-grown with tares Lord be mercifull to me the sinner Great persons have so much the more danger from sinne because they have so many flatterers to keep their vertues ever in their sight or to lay vertues to their charge that they have no right too And so few Nathans to shew them their sinnes and to say Tueshomo thou art the man How can they repent when their sinne is yet behinde their backs and no body dares put it in sight Or if it come in sight there may be foâ—nd law to make it good Sinnes when they are grown to have countenance of authority and strength of custome to establish them are no longer sinnes Leges fiant they are made laws And time cals that a sinne now which anon is a singular vertue But let us call sinnes and vertues by their proper names and let them be in our sight and we shall begge the grace of repentance very heartily 5 Sempe alwayes Sinne is sweet in the mouth Job speaks of hiding it under the tongue but in the stomacke it is unwholsome and upbraiding David found it so when once it came before him it was ever in his sight as before he said There is no rest in my bones propter pâ—ccatum by reason of my sinne Sometimes he thought how he had sinned against Vriah a faithfull servant in defiling his bed in betraying his life sometimes how he sinned against his own â—oul and body in defiling it with the flesh Sometimes how he had sinned against Joab to make him an instrument of injury against Vriah to defile him also with innocent bloud Sometimes how he abused the good creatures of God to make Uriah drunk how he twice wronged the honorable state of matrimony once desiring to make Vriahs repaire to his house a cover for his sinne and when that failed and Vriah was slain he veiled his sinne with his own marriage of the defiled widow alwayes he thought how he had sinned against God This case of David is a lively peece describing to the life the unrest of an unquiet conscience overcharged with sinne That which Poets feigned of Furies ever disquieting some persons was nothing else as Tully found and applied it but a troubled conscience which hath no peace And we can never attain to peace before we have felt the sting of sinne the rigour of the law the terrour of the Lord the rods and scorpions of an afflicted and unrestful conscience And this will hold till our repentance Gods pardon sealeth our quietus est no company no pleasure no comfort will help this no such sorrow as Animus dolet the minde is sorrowfull VERSE 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 3. HIs confession expresseth where he hath given offence which hath two parts For 1 He accuseth himself 2 He cleareth almighty God 1 In his self-accusation 1 Here is the height of sinne against God Tibisoli c. Against thee onely 2 Here is the boldnesse of his sinne In thy sight In the first here is 1 Ego I the person 2 Peccavi have sinned the trespasse 3 Against thee Pars laesa the party offended 1 Ego I the person This comes in still for it maketh weight alwayes in the confession Some charge the malevolent aspects of their starres some charge Sathan with all their sinne Others have other put-offes to save themselves harmlesse David takes all upon himself his own corruption his own rebell flesh his unregenerate part his old Adam did it Me me adsum qui feci Here here I am that did it I whom thou tookest from following the ewes great with lambe whose sheep-hooke thou hast changed for a Scepter whose sheep for thine own people Israel upon whose head thou hast set a crown of pure gold I whom thou diddest lately invest in the full Monarchie of thy people to whom thou gavest the possession of Ierusalem from the Iebusites I who setled peace Religion and Courts of justice in Ierusalem that thou mightest be served and honoured and I would faine have built thee an house there Ego I to whom God committed the trust of government to rule others the trust of judgement to punish others as King over his inheritance I to whom God committed the care of others souls to guide them by his word to direct them by good counsell to allure them by his gratious promises to terrifie them by his threatnings as the Lords holy Prophet I who both wayes as King and Prophet should have beene an example of holinesse and righteousnesse to all Israel Nathan said Tues homo thou art the
it self will prove the burthen of the conscience the feare of a deadly blow the trembling of our hearts the shame of our faces the disquieting of the whole man This sheweth us what a body of sinne we beare about us for as the proverbe is Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked this calleth the heart uncleane and the conscience defiled Cease therefore to do evill and learne to do well This is the way of life to escape the paths of death Evils are a shamed of themselves and Sathan dare not be so open in his temptations as to tender them to us bare-faced but he putteth either some matter of vertue upon them to hide them out of sight or some pretence of great pleasure or profit to sweeten them that they may go down with us without distaste Let us but take so much leasure as to take off this disguise and behold evill in it own proper colours and we shall see such a loathed deformitie we shall feele such an abhorred complection of stench and commistion of filthinesse as will discourage us from it We shall discerne danger in the touch of it and death in the committing of it Libera nos à malo Deliver us from evill 4 The particularity This sinne Here Davids repentance doth come home to his present disease this great exemplarie teeming and pregnant this parturient sinne which brought forth so many so horrible sinnes Lust when it conceiveth bringeth forth sinne Lust was Davids sinne see the present issue and encrease of it it broughtforth adultery Two bodies defiled Matrimony Gods ordinance polluted Gods good creatures abused to drunkennesse Joab corrupted Uriah murthered This sinne cherished veiled with a marriage and for ten moneths unrepented I have done this evill all this beside all the other sinnes of my life I have added this also No doubt but he did consider this sinne also in the punishment of it 1 With vexation in his conscience 2 With shame in the world 3 With the griefe of the Church 4 With the joy of Gods enemies 5 With the anger of God 6 With the chiding of Nathan 7 With the death of the childe 8 With a continuall incumbent punishment in his own house Non discedet gladius c. The sword shall not depart c. Before he craved mercy against his transgressions and iniquitie and sinnes Now he comes to this eminent and notorious sinne I have done evill this evill Which teacheth us when we come to repaire the decayes of our spirituall man by repentance to have speciall care of those particular sinnes which have especially corrupted us and provoked God against us A generall peccavi iniquè egi I have sinned and done wickedly will not serve without we come to this evill As the people of Israel did when the Lord affrighted them with thunder and raine in their wheat-harvest they confessed and said to Samuel Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we dye not for we have added unto all our sinnes this evill in asking us a King We say of some man he is a very true hearted honest man but he will sometimes over-drink or he will sometimes sweare in his passion or he will over-shoot himself in his anger or he is somewhat covetous or prodigall or wanton c. Let every man so account with God for his sinnes as to confesse with griefe shame and fear this evill to which either some corruption of nature or some continuance of custome or some temptation of pleasure profit or some present occasion for want of grace by some sudden surprize hath prevailed with him to give him a fall Opportunitie doth often tempt and prevaile against a great measure of knowledge and grace and God sometimes leaveth us to our selves to try our strength how we can resist Sathan If we prove too weake for him and that he do over-beare us we have no remedie but this particular repentance All sinnes foule us therefore David prayeth to be washed some sinnes steine us and an ordinarie washing will not cleare us therefore he prayeth Wash me throughly and make me cleane It is our wisedome to discerne this difference of our sinnes and consider which be dyed in crimsin which in scarlet and to bring them to the washing especially So shall we be purged from our great offence Here is Noahs drunkennesse and Lots drunkennesse and incest Pauls persecution of the Church Peters denyall of his Master In multis offendimus omnes in many things we sinne all But if we survey our consciences carefully and inquisitively we shall finde this evill some especiall sinne that we have either much accustomed our selves to or that we have once committed overtaken with some sudden strong temptation which we may call this evill How evill this evill tasted in the end we see his appetite desired it before as a chiefe pleasure and now it is become his griefe and greatest paine He was very warie after of falling into this sinne Yet another temptation put him into new sinne of numbring his people when he had done this evill also he fell to this remedy of particular repentance And David said unto God I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing but now I beseech thee do away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly He that hath many of these grosse and high-growne sinnes blasphemies prophanations of the Lords-day adulterie drunkennesse c. to account for is in heavy case If one at once smart so shâ—rply and weigh so heavily what will many do Aperiantur ut operiantur sanemus ut sanemus Let them be shewn that they may becovered let us reveal them that we may heal them 5 The daring of this sinne In thy sight He had conveied this sinne as closely and warily as he could God took notice of that also Thou diddest it secretly Bathsheba was secretly sent for and entised and defiled Vriah dyed in a just warre But now David seeeth that all this was done in the sight of God he seeth what the hand doth and what heart setteth it awork David could not be ignorant of this but we willingly embrace temptations to evill which we can keep out of the worlds eye The searching eye of God cannot be benighted it is over all the world and discerneth both good and evill Will any man steale whilest the owner looketh on Dare any man trespasse a King when his eye is upon him A king sitting on the throne of judgement driveth away all evill with his eye He was a foole that said in his heart Non est Deus there is no God he saith so that denyeth him a sight of all things There is no power like the power of God there is no strength to execute power like the strength of God There is no fire so hot as the fire of his furie There is no threatning so surely accomplished as his menaces Yet when we are afraid of every eye of man in our secret sinnes we dare
these in this distresse can tell you whether this be not a breaking of their bones Let the Word therefore work upon us and let every hearer when he heareth his sinne reproved take the reproofe to him and prevent an accusation tu es homo thou art the man with a confession Me me ad sum qui feci I I have done it So breaking our bones with remorse and contrition wee shall save them from his breaking we shall reserve them to his healing and binding up I conclude this point in the words of our Saviour He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day 2 Davids suit wherein 1 Where he seeketh remedy it is from God the hand that â—â—oke his bones can set them againe no other hand can doe it Come let us returne to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up David knoweth that God hath a multitude of tender compassions he layd that foundation of his faith repentance and prayer Verse 2. Whom have I in heaven but thee there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever David had good friends in heaven Abraham the father of the faithfull Isaac the seed promised Iacob that wrastled with God and prevailed yet he seeketh to none of these and I never read in either Testament of any one that had any suit to Abraham but the rich man in hell To countenance the use of invocation of Saints yet that hath no life in it to encourage any such mediation All the booke of God through the addresse of prayers hath beene onely to God and he hath revealed so open a way of accesse to him that wee need not goe so farre about for David saith He also will heare their prayers and will helpe them David was put to it to try all the wayes of comfort and hee used no other invocation The sorrowes of death compassed me the paines of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow then called I upon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soule God maketh this good use of our sinnes to bring us to him and sinne never undoeth us till it driveth us away from God to seeke help elsewhere You see what good successe the richman had with Abraham he could not get a drop of cold water he was sent to Moses and the Prophets for his brethren They sought no helpe any where but immediately in God he hath healing under his wings wings are the emblemes of speed he is swift to heare our complaints to heale our sores He healeth all our infirmities and forgiveth us all our sinnes 2 How he seeketh remedy by prayer he doth not come pharisaically to God to justifie himselfe by his former conscionable living he doth not â—lledge how he hath walked and done that which is right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the daies of his life save onely in this thing All our former holinesse will not beare us out in any one sinne but when we fall we cause all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in the sinne that he hath sinned in them shal he dye rather our sinne is aggravated thereby therefore the way of prayer is the way of remedy Let us seeke the face and favour of God so by confession deprecation and supplication The fountaine is deepe but we have wherewith to draw up the waters thereof our prayer is a bucket that will not come up empty The Apostle biddeth semper orate pray alwayes Christ biddeth aske seeke knocke This the Prophet calleth buying without money when we have all good things for asking The Church of Rome hath not a worse barre to keepe her children from God and other men from their communion then by teaching them to say prayers in a strange tongue for all such petitioners have their answer nescitis quid petatis ye know not what ye aske our understanding our affections our faith our hope all must be exercised in our prayers 3 What is his suit Make me to heare joy and gladnesse We may demand why David doth desire this now seeing he had no sooner confest his sinne but Nathan pronounced his absolution he heard joy in his pardon he heard gladnesse in the remedy of his punishment non morieris thou shalt not dye 1 David had heard this comfort from Nathan yet hee desireth further assurance of it from the spirit of God for in so sudden joyes we are not our owne men so are wee transported with the gladnesse thereof When thou broughtest againe the captivity of Sion we were like to them that dreame Our foule sinnes doe make us feare that it is too good to be true 2 He desireth more of this comfort more joy and more gladnesse The joy of sinne and delight of sense doth much hinder repentance the joy of the holy Ghost doth crown repentance 3 David openeth himselfe in his phrase of Petition he doth not say give me joy and gladnesse but make me heare for the vessell of his heart was not yet capable of the joy that was now tendred to him griefe and anguish had filled it he prayeth therefore for capacity to receive this gladnesse Five notes grow upon this point 1 When he had heard already he desireth to heare more they that have once tasted of this joy are never satisfied but cry alwaies give give till they come to the fulnesse and fatnesse of Gods house 2 See what a distressed man a sinner is Enosh he is â—â— fraid he shall never have joy enough â—â—◠〈◊〉 prayeth here for double joy joy and gladnesse joy in his pardon of sin gladnesse in his favour 3 See how long the conscience of a sinner is tost like to the sea after the winde is laid 4 Observe how he would have his joy come to him ex auditu fac me audire by hearing make me to heare for ex auditu fides faith comes by hearing he lost his joy by harkening to the voyce of the Serpent 5 It will not come so except God make him heare fac me aâ—dire make me to heare he must say ephata to our eare that we may not onely receive the sound of comfort in our eare but sound comfort in our heart If the foure windes should breath nothing but joy and gladnesse and all the Prophets and Angelâ— of God should like Ababs Prophets prophecie good to us unlesse God by his spirit did suggest to our spirits this joy wee were still in evill taking for till our spirit witnesse with Gods spirit wee have no joy He desireth assurance in his faith 4 The
effect ut ossa exultent that the bones may rejoyce David had sensuall joy he had the full desire of his heart yet that proved the breaking of his bones and the wounding of his conscience his faith is that God will heale all with his saving grace There is no such joy here below as the forgivenesse of our sinnes and the Ministers of the Gospell in no part of their Ministery doe bring fuller tidings of peace then in absolution of penitents O quà m speciosi pedes c. O how beautifull are the feet c. The wicked man hath none of this peace Blessed is hee whose unrighteousnesse is forgiven c. Let the children of peace comfort themselves all their teares are botteled all their sighes and grones numbred all their bones set and healed the storme of Gods threatnings the tempest of the conscience calmed But none but God can doe this VERSE 9. Hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities 3. HE sueth for pardon he doubleth his request and varieth the phrase still importunate with God 1 He desireth that God in mercy would not see his sinnes but hide his face as Sem and Japhet looked another way when they came to cover their fathers nakednesse which phrase of hiding the face of God cannot bee literally understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee speaketh after the manner of men for men hide their faces from that which they would not see But the face of God cannot be hid and it is impossible to conceale our sinnes from him impossible for him to put our sinnes out of his sight his eye seeth all things yet David in this phrase doth shew that desiring to be washt and purged hee would have his sinnes now forgotten and no more laid to his charge for as Saint Augustine saith Vnde se Deus non avertit advertit si advertit animadvertit From whom God turnes not away he turnes unto if he turne unto he observes he would have God looke upon him still but not upon his sinnes for that is his suit ne averte faciem tâ—am â—â— me turne not thy face away from me God is said then to hide his face from sinnes when hee pardoneth them and that is Davids suit 1 I observe here that the face of God and our sinnes are incompatible his face is all holinesse and it cannot endure to behold sinne for his soule loatheth it Our sinnes are all workes of darkenesse and cannot endure the light of his face We are very carefull to keepe our grosse sinnes out of the sight of men whose power extendeth no further then our goods our reputation or our life here Christ saith Feare not them that kill the body and can doe no more feare his face who hath power of soule and body to cast them both into hell The face of God is fearefull to a sinner for God threatneth the disobedient to his Commandements I will set my face against you then followeth yee shall be slaine before your enemies Qui odeâ—unt vos regnabunt super vos fugietis nemine persequente they that hate you shall raigne over you ye shall flye no man pursuing you How dare we tempt that face and provoke it against us nothing is hid from the light of it and there is no suggestion more foolish or that declareth us more shallow and simple then Dominus non videbit the Lord shall not see Wee are sure that all our sinnes are seene numbred recorded before his face 2 This phrase to my understanding importeth that as David before prayed to be washt purged and cleansed from his sinnes that they might no more annoy him so he desireth God to turne his face from them that they may no more offend him For a true penitent is more grieved at his offence given to God than at the shame or feare or paine that sinne putteth him to therefore Averte faciem tuam turne thy face away amounteth to a request that God would no more take offence at his sinnes 3 The phrase importeth an absolute and full pardon desired for so long as there is any sinne the face of God must be against it but when he desireth averte faciem turne away thy face he desireth a remove of his sinne which cannot be cleare from his countenance any way but by his gratious pardon for Gods pardon doth extinguish all iniquities so it is equivalent to our petition Dimitte debita nostra Forgiveus our trespasses 2 He resumeth the same Petition and re-enforceth his suit for Gods pardon in a phrase before used verse 1. Blot out mine iniquities which hath reference to the two bookes one of our conscience the other of Gods remembrance in which all our sinnes are recorded ut antè as before Onely here he addeth a request for pardon of all his iniquities that he may have a cleare conscience within himselfe and an even reckoning with God If any shall wonder why David urgeth Gods pardon so earnestly and with such importunity of strong supplications let him know that such offences as provoke God are not easily pardoned we must pray heartily and ply him continually with our requests to have our sinnes remitted for though God be very ready to forgive in respect of his mercy yet he is wise to see some cause for it And a sinner is not capable of mercy presently till his soule hath beene in bitternesse for his trespasse and is humbled before God It is our fault and it corrupteth us much our over-weening of the mercy of God to us for though hee be full of tendernesseâ— yet is he full of holinesse and nothing provoketh him more then our bearing our selves too bold upon his mercies Master Calvine Ubi quis defunctoriè pro remissione vota concipit nondum didicit quam horribilis sit Dei offensâ—o He that slightly prayes for pardon of sinnes hath not yet learned how horrible the offending of God is Saint Augustine commendeth this Petition of David hee saith Bene rogas thou well askest for 1 He opened his owne face and then he desireth God to hide his face his face was opened to behold his sinne For I acknowledge my wickednesse and my sinne is ever before me Si tu peccatum â—uâ—â—â—â— derso ponis dens ibâ— facsem ponit Tu peccatum eâ—â—m ante facioÌ„ pone sivis ut deus auertat faciem suam ab eâ— Sie securur rogas exandiâ— If thou settest thy sinnes behinde thy backe God sets them before his face set thy sinne before thy face if thou wilt have God turne away his face from it So thou safely askest and hee heareth thee 2 He desireth God to blot out all his iniquities out of the booke of his remembrance But he putteth them into this Psalme and commendeth this Psalme to the Master of Musicke and so depositeth the record of it in the perpetuall use of the Church so the greatnesse of the fault is kept in fresh memory of all ages Wee have no
away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted unto thee HEre he petitioneth for a constant course of Gods favour for hereafter wherein 1. Deprecatur he prays against v. 1â— 2. Supplicat prayes for Verse 12. 3. Promittit promiseth Verse 13. 1 Deprecatur prayes against 2. 1 Gods casting him away from his presence 2 Gods taking his holy spirit c. 1 Cast me not away from thy presence Our sinnes deserve that God should deny us to come before him for why should the children of darkenesse presse to the light or the children of death to him in whose presence is life Our first Parents soone found how unfit they were for the presence of God and therefore so soone as they had sinned of their owne accord they fled from the presence of God and hid themselves When Cain had done that murther upon Abel his brother it was Gods just punishment a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be And he was sensible of it Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face shall I be hid And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight This is excommunicatio major the greater excommunication When Pharaoh was exasperate against Moses he said Get thee from me take heed to thy selfe see my face no more When David heard how Absolon had slaine Amnon hee was moved like a father for the death of a sonne more that hee suffered that griefe from a sonne yet when the strong fit was off he could not but returne to his fatherly affection to Absolon yet neither his owne naturall inclination or the perswasions of Ioab by the woman of Tekoah did yet readmit him to the Kings presence The King said let him returne to his house and let him not see my face Much more sorrowfull is the punishment of exile from the face of God for David preferreth the presence of God before all other good whatsoever Many say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Christ is the light of Gods countenance a light to lighten the Gentiles God to Moses My presence shall goe with thee and I will give thee rest Christ is called the Angell of his face So David prayeth that Christ may not faile him and that he would not in respect of his sinnes deprive him of the comfort of his Redeemer Saint Gregory saith he prayeth here against Cains sinne of despaire for A facie dei projicitur cui spes veniâ— post peccatumnegatur Hee is cast from the sight of God to whom hope of pardon after sinne committed is denyed Augustine hath a good note here prius dixit averte faciem à peccatis meis first he said turne thy face from my sinnes but here ne projicias me à facie tuâ Cujus facieÌ„ timet ejus faciem invocat Cast me not from thy face whose face he feares his face he desires to see It was Abrahams prayer O that Ishmael might live in thy face or before thee â—he would aske no more of him They that walke uprightly and conscionably before God are not cannot be ashamed to behold his face As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnesse I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse 1 Here in the righteousnesse of Christ I shall see thee but hereafter I shall fully enjoy thee when after I have borne the image of the earthy I shall beare the image of the heavenly 2 Take not thy holy spirit from me Christ calleth this spirit a Comforter David had need of him now in distresse because of his sinnes This spirit he promised a guide to leade us in the way of all truth David had need of him for seeing God loveth truth in the inward parts and hee had gone in false waies he needeth this guide to guide his feet in the wayes of peace When David hearkened to the voyce of temptation and his eye did walke after his heart then did God withdraw his spirit from him and left him to goe alone He findeth the want of that faithfull guide of his waies and prayeth O take not thy holy spirit from mee David had a double portion of Gods holy spirit for hee had 1 The spirit of holinesse to direct and guide his life and conversation as a private man and by that hee became a man after Gods owne heart 2 He had the spirit in plentifull measure in regard of his office and place and that also was double for 1 Juveni Davidem servum meumâ— oleo sancto meo uâ—xi eum I have found David my servant with my holy oyle have I annoynted him he had not onely Samuels externall unction but God gave him a spirit fit for a King to goe in and out before his people Else how could the yongest sonne of Ishai bred abroad in the field and taken from following the ewes great with lambe have beene fit to have come from managing a sheepe-hooke amongst his fathers cattell to have managed a Scepter in Israell the Lords inheritance And wee have example hereof in Saul his predecessor of whom we reade that when hee parted from Samuel who annointed him King God gave him another heart for so Samuel had told him that the spirit of the Lord should come upon him and hee should be turned into another man Hee that called him to be a King accommodated him for government Thus did God also deale with David Then Samuel took an horne of oyle and annointed him in the middest of his brethren and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward So that he not onely was sanctified in further measure as a private man but was indued with heroicall graces fit for a Prince And it is said after this that 1 He walked wisely 2 He governed prudently 2 David was a Prophet also of the Lord herein not inferiour to Saul for it is said of him that he prophecied and it was a wonder Etiam Saulinter Prophetas Is Saul also amongst the Prophets David is called the sweet singer of Israell and we have many of his holy Psalmes whereof the Church of God maketh singular use No question but the sinne of David had much weakened the power of the holy spirit in him all these waies and he seemed now to himselfe as a man divested of these graces in such sort as was grievous to him besides he had the fearefull example of Saul his predecestor of whom it is said But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him Now charged with the conscience of his sinne and peradventure comparing his sinne with Sauls he feared the like punishment Saul
departed from the word of the Lord in sparing the life of an enemy David in taking away the life of a friend Had he not cause to feare at least an equality in his punishment whom he had exceeded in his sinne no question but God giveth his graces with his holy callings and we hazard the withdrawing of them from us when we embrace sinne Wee finde examples too frequent in all sorts of men that they doe lose by their falling into sinne the graces of God which commonly doe follow their lawfull callings When Kings leave good counsell and embrace enemies of their state to the grievance and vexation of the Common-wealth on when they turne sensuall and attend onely their loose delights God taketh from them the spirit of government When Ministers study nothing but riches or honour or follow pleasures God taketh from them the spirit of prophecie In ordinary mechanicall and manuall professions many excellently able in their way perish and drowne their abilities in idlenesse in gaming in drinking c. Yet when any of these come againe to themselves and refraine these evill courses the spirit of God returneth againe to them and they doe well Saul had many graces of the spirit but the maine hee wanted and the other he lost and that example putteth David into this suite Spiritum sanctum tuum ne ausera◠take not thy holy spirit from me VERSE 12. 2. SUpplicat he prayeth for herein also hee is double and desireth two things first restitution secondly confirmation 1 His restauration Restore to me the joy of thy salvation he meaneth that inward spirituall joy which before he had in the faith of his salvation For having fallen so foully and thereby deserved so ill at the hands of God hee was jealous of himselfe that he had lost the favour of God and the salvation of his soule The word in the originall hath Jesus in it The joy of thy Iesus for he beleeved that Iesus the Saviour should come of his seed That was joy to him and his sinne did shake his faith therein ne Deus ei offensus subtraheret quod pacatus promiserat formidavit hee feared lest God offended should withdraw that which being pleased he had promised So before him Saint Augustine understood David Redde exultationem salutaris tui i. Christi quis enim sine illo sanari potuit nam in principio erat verbum tempora variata sunt non fides restore the joy of thy salvation that is of Christ For who can bee saved without him the times are changed not faith Our observations from hence are 1 That Davids joy was in making sure of his salvation he had now made experience of a carnall and sensuall joy he findeth it loathsome and defiling and the end bitternesse therefore he returnes to the pursuit of that joy So in a better minde the Church said I will goe and return to my first love for then it was better with me than now The truth is there is no such joy here as in the favour of our God and the faith of our salvation with him David once said Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corne and wine and oyle increased This is our summum bonum our chiefe good and upon our deathbeds we hearken to them that speake comforts to us of our salvation when we must part with all here But the Apostle would have it the maine care and businesse of our whole life to worke out our salvation with feare and to make our election sure As the Sea-man regardeth so the businesse within boord as alwaies observing the way of his ship and also looking to his Chart and Compasse for the accomplishing of his voyage In the comforts and joyes of life in things temporall we ever hope that to morrow will be better than to day and when that comes we fall short still Deterior semper posterior dies seldome comes a better But for the joy of our salvation the more we taste of it the more we thirst after it and as we grow in grace we increase in spirituall joy and as our tast so our desire of eternall life doth increase that we thinke long till we appeare before our God in Sion 2 Sinne depriveth us of this joy for when our conscience accuseth us of having done that which displeaseth our God how can we hope that he who is not the God of our obedience should be the God of our salvation Sinne is a thing so hatefull to God that his soule abhorreth it Adam the first sinner hid himselfe Caine beleeved himselfe banisht from the presence of the Lord. The spirit of God departed from Saul sinne turneth our prayers into it selfe If I regard wickednesse in my heart Dominus non exaudiet me the Lord will not heare me sinne turnes our praises of God into the sacrifice of fooles There can be no peace to the sinner so long as we continue in a state of sinne without search of Gods gratious pardon wee are in the deepe pit if we then despaire the pit shutteth its mouth upon us if yet we hope there is no health in our bones because of our sinne till God hath sealed our pardon and that his spirit doe witnesse with ours that wee are in his favour Doe not our owne corruptions and the evill counsels of the ungodly and the temptations of Sathan worke strongly upon us when they prevaile against the joy of our salvation We under value that joy very basely when we change it for any other that holds out in number weight and measure that filleth the measure full and presseth it downe and maketh it runne over Dic animae meae salus tua sum say to my soule I am thy salvation let mee have thy word for that and then as Saint Augustine saith hic ure hic seca here burne here cut me we shall not feare them that kill the body for if wee had all the joyes of the world we could hold them but during this life this joy survives our death Satietie of other joyes breeds surfet of this thirst beati qui esuriunt c. blessed are they that hunger c. Whereas David desireth to be restored to this joy we see our evill condition we cannot tell when we be well when we have joy the best and truest joy that can be we part with it for vanitie of vanities and when we feele the want of it we complaine It is the weakenesse of our judgement we cannot value good things so priceably in the possession of them as in the subduction Carendo magis quà m fruendo by wanting more then enjoying is an old rule of our imperfect reason Godlinesse should ever be joyned with contentednesse and our desires should be limited to our enjoyings when wee affect any thing beyond Gods allowance we are often abated in the allowance and our vast and unlawfull desires are corrected by withdrawing from us the good that
I beene holden vp from the wombe and resolveth to trust to that supportation I will goe in the strength of the Lord God Wee have many great examples in the best of Gods servants of falling into great sinnes Adam and Eve Noah Abraham Lot Isaack Iacob David Salomon Sampson Peter c. This feare shaketh David so that he craveth ayde of the good spirit for corroboration This is a singular marke of a just man so David describeth him he guideth his waies by discretion Surely he shall not be moved for ever his hart is fixed trusting in the Lord his heart is established We see here that the grace of repentance whereby weforsake sinne and turne to God and put our selves into the way of a new life will not serve unlesse the grace of confirmation doe establish us and keepe us from evill We are the Lords husbandry there is no end of that kinde of worke in the culture of ground there must bee breaking up of our fallow grounds stirring and plonghing till it be fit for seed There must be semination hrrowing to cover the seed There must be weeding of it and watering from heaven then an harvest then begin againe else Grandia saepe quibus mandavimus bordea sulcis Infelix lolium steriles dominantur avenae Often the furrowes where we sow good seeds Are overgrowne with cockle darnell weeds In the story of the widow that was so much in debt and her exactious creditours demanded her two sonnes for bondmen in satisfaction of the debt we reade that shee made her moane to Elisha he finding nothing in her house valuable but a small pot of oyle bade her borrow empty vessels and poure out and sell the oyle and pay the debt and said Live thou and thy children of the rest The Prophets care extended beyond the paiment of the debt to her maintenance In this miracle of Gods mercie here is a lively representation of his love to his elect For our sinnes doe make us debtors the justice of God is the creditour the graces of Gods spirit are the oyle he giveth of this plentifully to cleare the debt That is not all for this spirit which David here prayeth for he giveth for our after-maintenance that we grow not necessitous againe and renew our debt These two cares must not be parted the care of repentance and of a constant good life Christ joyned them together Ecce sanus factus es Behold thou art made whole and then noli amplius peccare sinne no more The corruption of nature is such even in the regenerate by the remaines of sinne that as tinder we are apt to take fire by the touch of the least sparke How then shall we bee fenced against the fiery darts of Sathan The grace of the spirit to beare off these and that which preserveth us from this fire is the shield of our faith for that establisheth our heart and moysteneth it so with the bloud of Iesus Christ that it cannot be apt to kindle suddenly And that faith doth David here request of God which is our best munition against these fiery assaults To shew what need every one of us hath to make this petition to our God for his confirming spirit 1 Let us see the miserable and unhappy condition of such as doe want this spirit 2 The singular benefit of such as have obtained it 1 Of the want we may all complaine of it for that want unheavened the Angels that kept not their first estate and turned the best of Gods creatures into divels and uncleane spirits the rebell and profest opposites of God and corrupters of man This want unparadised our first Parents and made them wofull spectacles of scorne Ecce homo factus est ut unus c. Behold the man is become like one of us What wanted in these two creatures to consummate the glory of their creation and to make their very making and happinesse but this free spirit of God to confirme and establish them It may be a wonder in reason and in religion why Almighty God did not accomplish his worke of creation by this addition of this spirit to the prevention of that misery that for want of it befell the creature and to the preservation of his owne worke from that malignity which followed sinne For hereby the creature became in it selfe corrupt and abhominable to the fellow creatures noxious and to God himselfe peccant and offensive all which had beene stayed by this one free spirit here desired I remember in the plea of God for his own full care of his people he urgeth that 1 He chose a fruitfull hill 2 He fenced it 3 He gathered out the stones 4 He planted it with the choisest Vine 5 He built a Tower in medio in the midst of it 6 He set up a Wine-presse in it and then he saith And now O inhabitants of Israell and men of Iudah judge I pray you betweene me and my Vineyard what could have beene done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it may we not heare his like complaint of Angels and man I created them in mine owne image I gave the one the fruition of heaven the other of Paradise the Angels saw my face Man was but a little lower than these Angels crowned with glory and honour invested in the dominion of his sublunarie creatures in the service of the very Angels and celestiall bodies What could have beene done more to these Angels and to man that I have not done in them may we not all answer Yes Lord thou mightest have given with these great favours thy free spirit to confirme and establish us in that happinesse and so we had beene alwaies as thou haddest made us In answer to this quere I could say who knoweth the minde of the Lord or who hath beene of his Councell we may step too farre having our shooes on our feet if we adventure to set our feet on holy ground the secrets of Gods will must be adored not searched God is not accountable to his creatures for his purposes or his actions With men the rule holds qui justè faciunt bis justi sunt they that doe justly are twise just but with God it is so that fecit omnia â—enè he hath done all things well and if he doe or say or decree or will any thing it is therefore just and good in high perfection because he doth it But you may take this for a put off and yet goe away unsatisfied Therefore seeing God calleth to the men of Iudah and inhabitants of Ierusalem to judge betweene him and his Vineyard I thinke we may boldly sit upon this cause and heare it indifferently God pleaded what could have beene done more clearing himselfe from all defectivenesse or failing on his part toward his creature Man replyeth one thing wanted even this spirit that David here desired I answer for God against all the world that that spirit was also given
joy is not yet full 2 That the knowledge of such conversation here would adde to their joy 3 That God is free to fill up their measure how farre and in what kinde Ignoramus we know not 3 Gratum in instituto acceptable in the thing it selfe No comfort to piety or charity like to communication The liberall man is in his trim quando distribuit when hee gives in such chests reponit thesauros Christ layes up his treasures It is my joy to say my bread my wooll my friends my purse my hand my letter made such a one In charitie aurum mâ—um in altari Domini my gold upon Gods Altar Of all the friends we have we esteeme them best that have converted us from sinne to righteousnesse by reforming the errors of our judgement or the vices of our conversation He that of a poore man makes me rich he fitteth me for this world He that of a wicked lewd lascivious man makes me godly fitteth me for this life and that which is to come for godlinesse hath the promises of both We hold our calling and meanes by this service we doe it ex officio out of duty We lift up our voyces like trumpets to tell the house of Iacob their sinnes not to shame but ad dignam emendationem to amâ—nd them No calling requireth more integrity more fidelity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is sufficient none hath a greater reward our reward is with God yea God is our exceeding great reward We have the office and name of Iesus servabis teipsum quite audiunt thou shalt save thy selfe and them that heare thee They that turne many to righteousnesse shall shine like starres he telleth the number of these starres and calleth them all by their names 4 Gratum Deo acceptable to God he is emblemed in the father of the Prodigall Bring my sons from farre and my daughters from the ends of the earth Good Ministers undergoe a great hazard in this service for if any perish in his sinne for want of our warning his bloud is upon us Ob. But doth not David presume to promise this Sol No our labour is not in vaine in the Lord for 1 If some sinners like the high way non recipiunt bonum receive not the good as they that hate to be reformed sinne raigning in them crying Nolumus scientiam viarum tuarum non possunt audiri strepitus in domo We desire not the knowledge of thy wayes they cannot bee heard there is a noyse in the house Christ would gather them noluerunt they would not 2 If some like stony ground receive seed and it wither for want of moysture 3 If some receive it with joy and the cares or pleasures of life choake it 4 Yet there is some good ground which cultured and well ploughed and stirred by the sharpe coulter of the law watered with the teares of their teachers and the dew of heavenly grace will take the seed and bring forth fruit Saint Ambrose to Monica Saint Augustines mother impossibile est ut filius harum lachrymaruÌ„ pereat it is impossible that the sonne of these teares should perish True it is many conneâ—s little thanke for labouring their conversion yea theâ— are angry with us for it Thou thankest him that putteth thy stray beast into the way why art thou offended with him qui teipsum vellet reducere aberrantem which would bring thee thy selfe backe going astray Bonam vis domum uxorem bonam cur non teipsum bonum thou wouldst have a good house a good wife why not thy selfe good Let us cut a passage through all impediments with zeale and faith and love beleeving that this good worke cannot miscarry True it is that good workes exact our uttermost of performance propter se for themselves successus est extra nos the successe is out of our power yet our hope and faith may cheerefully look to the successe Davids faith hath ground 1 From the fitnesse of him to teach 2 From the acceptablenesse of the worke 3 From the dignity of the subject vias tuas thy wayes 4 From the auxiliarie cooperation of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellow-workers with God From this passage observe God hath sundry wayes to teach 1 By Catechisme so Lois and Eunice did teach Pauls Timothy The Creed oratio dominica lex Lords prayer the Law Three Sermons teaching credenda petenda agenda things to be beleeved to be asked to be done 2 By reading the Word these are sure oracles able to make thee wise to salvation Moses of old time hath in every Citie them that preach him seeing he is read in the Synagogue every Sabbath day 3 By Sermons giving the sense of the word dividing and applying it aright Where able men are wanting the Church provideth Homilies profitable In Conc. Vasensi Anno 444. Si presbyter infirmitate prohibente non potuerit prâ—dicare Sanctorum patrum Homiliae à Diaconis recitentur If the Priest by reason of infirmity cannot Preach let the Homilies of the holy Fathers be repeated by the Deacons Some hold good preferments in the Church that are very sicke of an impotency to that service these have this helpe Preaching learnedly and conscionably by laboured Sermons hath ever had great honour and hath great efficacie but Cavete quomodo audiatis take heed how ye heare There may be danger in the failing of the Preacher in judgement or discretion For some vent their fancies for truth their owne selfe flatteries for the spirit of consolation their owne furies for zeale their owne spleene for reprehension and turne the bread of life to gravell Try the spirits si ex Deo if they be of God as they of Berea Scrutamini Scripturas search the Scriptures 4 Here is another kinde of teaching when converted sinners turne teachers This is the rich mans suit si unus â— mortuis if one from the dead Benhadads servants shewed comfort to their drooping Master saying We have heard that the Kings of Israell are mercifull men If one of them could have said it by any experience or a King in his case had found it so how had he comforted him David could say Dicam quid fecit animae meae I will tell you what he hath done for my soule I was in misery and he helped me I sinned foully provokingly scandalously I continued in sinne impenitently At last I was chidden I was sorry I was ashamed I cryed God mercy he heard me forgave me and received me to favour They that speake from hearing reading or contemplation speake not so to the heart as they that have had experience Give me a grieved man comforted let him tell his owne tale There is no oratorie no varnish or guilded speech wrought and laboured by the sweate of art that may compare with his plaine tale He hath cor in linguâ— his heart in his tongue no musicke like his voluntarie David will loose no time Then will I teach then when I heare of
griefe so inward as in anima in the soule yet so sensible as nos vidimus we saw it How were the rivers of their bloud which runne in the channels of their veines to water the earth of which they are made frozen and congealed that they had neither mercy to pitty their fathers sonne nor so much tendernesse as to looke another way nos vidimus we saw Seeing malice and envy had taken away their hearts why had it left the eyes open to let in so unpleasing a sight Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother Thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity oculi augâ—â—â— dolorâ—m commonly that the eye sees not the heart grieves not here the mercies of the brethren were all turned eruell 4 I but perchance Ioseph might thanke his owne stout heart for their cruell usage of him for many times our own untemperate carriage in afflictions brings fewell to the fire that scorcheth us and blowes more breath into the tempest of winde that bestormeth us But Iosephs brethren have not this excuse they confesse their brother resisted them not but with humble entreaties they confesse he besought us The petition of a soule in anguish faire-spoken and humble hath pierced hard hearts and relented cruell intentions of evill but it wrought not here for 5 They confesse we would not heare They did heare the request of their brethren but they would not heare for they will not heare that doe not heare to doe what they are requested I have prest this example the more to declare how troubles awake the conscience from a dead sleepe and turn our eyes into our owne bosomes that if there lye a notoriouâ— unrepented sinne in the heart stoned as low as Jonah who lay asleepe in the bottome of the shippes Hold affliction will romage the ship and will cry as the Mariners to Ionah Awake thou sleeper and bring it above hatches Therefore it is wisedome by confession by repentance and prayer to quit our consciences so soone as we can of such sinnes Here is a sinne of bloud almost a full yeare old and though Nathan hath pronounced Gods pardon of it the conscience of David is not yet at rest his thoughts are upon it and his prayers be concerning it 2 Another of Sathans seasons to call such speciall sinnes to remembrance is when we are neare our end that is a season wherein many of the faithfull servants of God have dangerous and fearefull conflicts with Sathan After his 40. daies temptation of Christ in the wildernesse it is said that he departed from him for a season Once he borrowed the heart and tongue of an Apostle even of Peter to tempt him but Christ resented him and said Get thee behinde me Sathan but he confesseth a little before his passion The Prince of this world commeth but he hath nothing in me There is his advantage against us when any speciall sinnes lye upon the conscience unrepented then he hath something of his in us This makes many an aking heart upon death-beds for then judgement is at hand and the old flatterie of sinne Dominus tardabit the Lord will delay is removed by the sensible decay of the body and the evident symptomes of approaching death The widdow of Sarepta when her onely sonne was dead was in a storme at Eliah and said unto him What have I to doe with thee O thou man of God art thou come to call my sinne to remembrance and to slay my sonne Did the death of her sonne call her sinne to remembrance bethinke you then how our owne death in sight and sense will call all our sinnes to remembrance that we have done And in this Inventorie if there be any capitall sinne texted and recorded by the conscience in great and capitall letters not yet blotted out by our repentance and Gods gracious pardon how will that sin present it selfe to present remembrance how will it cruciate and torment the inward man even the hid man of the heart Judas his last words gushed out the bowels of his despaire as his last passion did the bowels of his body I have sinned in betraying innocent bloud he had not the heart to breath one miserere have mercy to comfort the agony of his despairing end The penitent convert thiefe on the Crosse was in a better minde he glorified God and his Sonne Christ by a free confession for he rebuked his blasphemous fellow thiefe saying Dost not thou feare God seeing we are in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for wee receive the reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amisse This had beene the Crosse of his soule as that he hung on was of his body if his faith had not nailed his sinnes as fast to Christ as Christ was nailed for them to his Crosse which he declared in the next words And he said unto Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome which was answered with bodie mecum cris to day thou shalt be with me It is worthy our observing that Iesus Christ did institute the holy Sacrament of his Passion the evening before his suffering as it were acting his death in visible demonstration before he under-went it To teach how effectuall the death of Christ is against our sinnes and for preparation of the soule for her remove hence And from hence it is that the holy Church hath not only offered this Sacrament as the bread of our spirituall life to nourish it but hath commended it also to sicke persons upon their death beds as viaticum animae the provision of the soule so the Councell of Nice calleth it That the conscience being then purged from all sinne may receive Iesus Christ inâ—o it And in this holy action our search of our hearts will soone finde out any eminent and notorious sinne to confesse and repent it that the conscience may be disburthened and that the soule of man may be domus pacis the house of peace for otherwise we receive that Sacrament unworthily to our condemnation Our Saviour is precise in this If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee More if God have ought against thee leave there thy gift Goe and be reconciled et offer and then bring it This is a Sacrament from God to us it is a sacrifice from us to God If any great extraordinary sinne lye upon the conscience we had best exonerate us thereof for we and our gift will else be unacceptable to him If God receive our gift he will not refuse us for he looketh first upon Abel then on his sacrifice we make our offering acceptable not that us Now because our sinnes lye so heavy especially our notorious sinne this or that particular transgression upon our conscience in the agonie of death Christ hath ordained a gracious remedy that upon our repentance the faithfull Minister of the Word should
of God 3 A wandring unsetled life 4 Terrour of conscience Observe the effect upon himselfe for 1 He repineth at the justice of God for inflicting too much punishment 2 He despaireth of the mercy of God he neither hopeth nor asketh Gods pardon 3 He lookes for retaliation whosoever meeteth me will kill me he holdeth himselfe now no better than a man of death The reason why God declared himselfe so soon so quick so sharp an avenger of murther is because hee is author of life and conserver of it Iob giveth him that title the preserver of men and he cannot beare it that hee taking care of all to preserve their lives men should unsive one the other In the plantation of Paradise he set in the middest of the Garden a tree of life not onely a Sacrament but an instrument of life It was one of his quarrels with the old world For the earth is full of violence because of men Therefore when he renewed the world after the floud hee exprest his care of mans life Surely the bloud of your lives will I require at the hand of every beast will I require it and at the hand of every man and at the hand of every mans brother will I require the life of man Whosoever sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed for in the image of God made he man Cains conscience thought this just when he said whosoever meeteth me wil kill me This was after established for a law whosoever killeth any person the murtherer shall be put to death Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murtherer which is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death he giveth two reasons of this severe law 1 For bloud defileth the land and the land cannot bee cleansed of the bloud that was shed therein but by the bloud of him that shed it The Iewish Doctors interpret this law thus The avenger of bloud cannot pardon wilfull murther because the bloud shed is not the possession of the avenger of bloud i. e. of the Magistrate but it belongeth to God 2 For I the Lord dwell among the children of Israell This agreeth well with their exposition of the Law God taketh this into his owne judicature his peremptory law must stand Salomons doome is A man that doth violence to any mans person to bloud shall flye to the pit let no man stay him God unpriviledgeth him Thou shalt take him from mine Altar that he may dye In overt acts of murther this law is cleare and just There be covert acts as when our hand is not the actor but our instigation and proxie as in Naboths case whom Ahab murthered by a coloured processe and in Davids case here Consent and approbation in the Court of conscience extendeth so farre as drawing in a party as principall So Paul confest that he slew Stephen who saâ—e by and kept the garments of them that stoned him Yet God favoured the lives of such as by misadventure without malice which our law calleth Chance-medly had shed bloud he priviledged Cities of refuge for them to flye unto where they continued till the death of the high Priest then they had liberty Which shewed that involuntary murther needed the expiation of the death of Christ our high Priest For shedding of bloud in our owne defence for preservation of our lives in an assault nature reason religion and the lawes under which we live doe all excuse it Yet there ought to be a tendernesse in us to favour life as much as may be because the law of God is so expresse proximum ut teipsum love thy neighbour as thy selfe but wilfull murther is my Text. Davids fault was no lesse and against the vengeance of that sin he here prayeth For engagements to duels which in point of honour do often inflame great spirits to bloudy executions Let us wisely weigh the matter and we shall finde manifest injurie maintained on one side professed revenge on the other both naught The heinousnesse of this sinne of bloud thus detected in culpa poena in the fault and punishment Our use of this point is 1 A caution ne fiat let it not be 2 A remedy post factum when it is The first I confesse is not in my Text yet seeing how heavy this sinne lay upon the conscience of David we may deduce this use of it knowing the terrour of the Lord to admonish all men to looke to the law non occides thou shalt not kill For these things are written for our learning as the Apostle applyeth the commemoration of the old sinnes of Gods people to them to whom he wrote Not to lust after evill things not to be idolaters not to commit fornication not to tempt Christ not to murmure as they did so we may admonish not to shed bloud as many have done Take heed of murther I may use the words of Gamaliel Lest haply ye be found even to fight against God for it is against God 1 In his law not occides thou shalt not kill 2 In his image for man is so 3 In his Magistrate who beareth not the sword in vaine he weareth it as a defender of thy life and as an avenger of thy bloud 2 For remedy post factum after the sinne committed David was a King and in no danger of temporall lawes to avenge the bloud by him shed and it was carried so cunningly as he appeared not to it But had Zimri peace who slew his Master or had David any peace who slew his servant he repaireth to God by holy devotion and prayer to be delivered from blouds for this bloud had defiled him If bloud doe make the land uncleane in which it is committed it doth much more defile the person guilty of it till it be avenged And surely now we come to the reason why David doth not before pray Lord forgive remit or pardon but wash wash throughly make mee cleane wash me with hysope blot out all my sinnes For bloud defileth it is no ordinary pollution it is a foule steine it will not easily out it is a crimosin a scarlet dye No man can ever wash out that tincture no man can pardon that sinne We may say as our Saviour doth with men this is impossible but with God all things are possible hee must be sought by prayer libera me deliver me The words of Davids petitioâ— libera me Deus deliveâ—â—e O Lord doe shew that David is in durance for this is â—â—x Captivi the voyce of a captive He is in laqueo diaboli in the snare of the divell so the Apostle calleth the guilt of sin and before hee calleth it the condemnation of the divell The divell hath his snares like a cunning fowler as well as his pawes being a roaring Lyon he maketh snares of our owne sinnes to hold us fast and David himselfe saith of God Vpon the wicked
he shall raigne snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest 1 Snares to hold them then if they be not delivered follow fire and brimstone and they cannot escape This is the case of a sinner if he repent not if God pardon not hee is in the snare of Sathans temptation he is in the snare of divine vengeance let him therefore cry aloud for his deliverance that he may have his feet in a large roome The wicked lay snares for the righteous but God either preventeth them that their soules ever escape them or else he subventeth them The snares are broken and we are delivered No snares hold us so fast as those of our owne sinnes they keepe downe our heads and stoope us that wee cannot looke up a very little ease they are to him that hath not a seared conscience 2 A quo petit from whom he askes Christ directeth us to say Pater noster qui es in coelis Our Father which art in heaven libera nos à malo deliver us from evill David directeth his prayer to God the God of his salvation This prayer is like to speed 1 Oratio plana an open prayer It is confession and prayer for in that he prayeth to be delivered from bloud-guiltinesse he pleadeth guilty to the evidence of bloud Confession hath a great efficacie to induce mercy prayer of great force to obtaine it Here they are in composition and they shew that the two punishments of sinne shame and feare are upon him Confession sheweth his shame prayer sheweth his feare of Gods anger and just vengeance so it is oratio plana an open prayer 2 Legitima lawfull It is an honest lawfull request his soule is Gods for he saith all soules are mine hee desireth deliverance of their soule 3 Plena full He desireth two things herein to be delivered from the sinne of bloud ne relabatur lest he relapse into it from the vengeance due to that sinne ne corruat lest he perish by it so it is oratio plena 4 Recta right Hee knowes that this is a sinne which none but God can pardon he hath not left the dispensation of pardon of this sinne to any subordinate Magistrate on earth he hath deputed under him an avenger of bloud no pardoner therefore he directeth this prayer onely to God so it is oratio recta it goes the right way as he saith I will direct my prayer to God and will looke up 5 Fidelis faithfull It is full of confidence for he calleth God to whom he addresseth himself the God of his salvation My Saviour my King my God challenging a propriety and interest in him so it is oratio fidelis 6 Fervens earnest It is full of zeale and holy earnestnesse and importunitie as appeareth in the â—ngemination here used O God he resumeth it and taketh better hold of him Thou God of my salvation 1 O God is a good invocation for hee heareth prayers 2 Yet to distinguish him from all false Gods hee is so particular as to single him from all other thou God 3 And to magnifie him and to reenforce his Petition he calleth him Deum salutis the God of Salvation which expresseth him able to deliver him for it is his nature and his love and his glory to be a preserver of men 4 And to bring home this joy and comfort into his own heart he addeth salutis meae of my salvation So it is oratio fervens and the Apostle telleth us that such a prayer prevaileth much with God For God may be a Saviour and a deliverer and yet we may escape his saving hand his right hand may skip us Wee can have no comfort in the favours of God except we can apply them at home rather we may thinke on God and be troubled I finde that in David himselfe My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so farre from helping me and from the words of my roaring 2 O God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent This would never have troubled him if he had seene that all had fared alike if he had heard none complaine but it followeth Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted in thee and thou diddest deliver them They cryed unto thee and were delivered But I am a worme and no man despised c. His enemies upbraided him he trusted in the Lord that he would deliver Let him deliver him c. But a stedfast faith laying hold on God as my salvation the decreer the worker the giver of my salvation that armeth me against all the malice of the world against all the sinnes of my soule against all the divels of hell Why art thou so sad c. Confidam in Domino ipse mihi salus I will trust in the Lord he is my salvation But here is a Quaere why David doth in particular desire to be delivered from the sinne of bloud and mentioneth not his great sinne of adultery for which hee did commit that murder That that sin was the fulnes and height of his transgression as the Apostle saith when sin is finished it bringeth forth death so that is the comprehension of the whole transgression If he be freed from that he is câ—â—ere of all When Judas made confession of his sinne hee saith no more but I have finned in betraying innocent bloud that passeth for a full confession yet he sinned in covetousnes also for so one of our Ancients saith Auaritia Christum vendidit Covetousnesse sold Christ yet because his treason was the finishing and full growth and stature of his sin that comprehendeth all the rest The word blouds here used is by Saint Augustine Saint Gregory and others interpreted according to the frequent use of Scripture to contain our whole naturall corruption In multis sanguinibus tanquam in origine peccati multa peccata intelligi voluit In many blouds as in the originall of sin hee would have understood many sins Ad peccata respiciens looking to his sinnes plus dicit he saith more Caro sanguis non possidebunt regnum Dei Flesh and bloud shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Refert ad Vriae caedem referri dicit ad omnia ejus peccata mortaâ—iâ— Hee hath reference to the murder of Uriah and saith that all his mortall sinnes are to be referred to it So Saint Gregory and after them Master Calvine Both Davids sins were sins of hot bloud First bloud enflamed with lust Secondly bloud enflamed with anger and revenge Here was the right bloud of lawfull marriage extinct by murder a propagation of illegitimate bloud added by adultery Uxor a wife became mulier ahenea a brazen-fac'd woman a shamefull and hatefull title So both sins here contained 3 The greater sin is here named for murder is a more hainous sinne then adultery Adultery defileth the body that may be thoroughly washed and made clean but
murder destroyeth the body and spilleth the bloud on the earth like water which cannot be gathered up againe Adultery increaseth the world though with an illegitimate issue murder depriveth the world of a legitimate Here adultery defiled a woman but murther lost the state of a faithfull servant Adultery is an act of peccant nature murther is against nature contrary to humanity Sâ—vire in propriam speciem to be cruell against our own kinde is hainous and therfore lay more heavy upon the conscience of the offendor was more offensive to God and man and needed more speciall deprecation 4 Sins are much weighed according to the measure of comfort given to them and therfore such sins as are done upon a sodain temptation be commonly no other then sins of infirmity Satans surprizes and our overtakings Such was Davids adultery for he was idle he walked on the roof of his house Vidit concupivit accersivit convenit c. He saw desired sent for her confers c. caetera quis nescit the rest who knows not But his other sin a deliberate act of study a premeditated mischief seen and allowed Here was fulnesse of malice depth of cunning fairest pretexts of high favour all to palliate a close designed practice against the life of a faithfull servant Sins on the by are often more hainous then the maine sin As here the making Uriah drunke and killing him worse then the adultery So when we have deceived a neighbour in bargaining the maintenance and supportation of our deceit by lying and swearing defileth the conscience more then the first sin Sinnes that come on for the shelter and occultation or for the defence and justification of any sinne weigh twice their own weight because they seem to make sins out of measure sinfull Adultery should have beene declined but being committed it should have been presently repented but when in stead hereof sin is added to sinne that over-measure of iniquity is more then the first transgression Therefore here wanted not cause from the monstrous provoking condition of this sin to put in a speciall caution by prayer against it that it destroy not utterly 5. When David purposed to build an house to God which was before this fall of his God refused his offer Thou hast shed bloud abundantly thou hast made great wars thou shalt not build an house to my name because thou hast shed much bloud upon the earth in my sight If the bloud of lawfull warre shed in the quarrell of God and his Church did foule Davids hands and made them unfit for that work No question but now David doth consider how he hath shed the bloud of warre in peace How he hath defiled his hands with innocent bloud wilfully shed which taketh from man the privilege of Gods Altar And the conscience of this might well stirre him up to this particular request To be delivered from blouds all serveth to admonish us 1 To be very carefull how we do charge our consciences with deliberate sinnes for they cleave fast and they weigh heavy Repentance hath somewhat to doe to put them off So long as wee go no further then the evill wee would not do and commit sin with reluctation and griefe wee are within the verge of mercy But when once wee commit 〈◊〉 with greedinesse and delight and beare out one sinne with another we forget and forsake quae ad pacem what concerns our peace 2 To do our best to preserve the life of our brother It is our bloud that runs in his veins he is caro de carne nostra flesh of our flesh and calls Adam and Eve father and mother as well as we The vexation that David sustained for this sin may discourage any man to have bloudy hands There is no conveyance to hide and conceal it and grace is hardly obtained to pardon it 2 Promittit hee promises And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 1 Quod promittit that hee promises 2 Quid what 1 Quod that This may beare a double construction 1 As a vow Lingua mea my tongue c. 2 As a declaration of the effect of that deliverance desired 1 Votum a Vow These be noble and holy great and good thoughts As Araunah spake like a King to David when he offered him his Floore Oxen c. So David speaks like a King to God when he promiseth to do somwhat for him All receive daily benefits of donation of condonation every one desireth his owne turne served but few think of returning to give thanks as the tenth of the Lepers Many seeke the face of God for such things as they want spirituall or temporall few bethink Ego autem quid Domino What shall I render to the Lord David joyneth Petition and Promise with a conjunction copulative Liberame lingua mea Deliver me and my tongue c. They should not part Beneficium Benefit Officium Duty With us one good turn asketh another and they speake to purpose who when they request do also promise And it is happy for us that we have to do with one that may be entreated to doe us favours and to expect our retribution after Thankfulnesse is a great loser by our times 1 It hath got an ill name for bribes and all gifts either to buy or to corrupt justice are called thankfulnesse 2 It hath not the libertie it had it had wont to be free now forced 3 Onely it hath got place for it had wont to follow a benefit now it commonly goes before it Nothing loseth us the favour of God more then our barrennesse If like the earth wee would bring forth an harvest for the seed sowed in us if like the Sea wee did evaporate If like rivers we did return to our Sea whence we came we might have spem augustiorem a fuller hope but commonly we are sepulchra beneficiorum graves of benefits 2 These words may be understood onely to declare the effect of Gods pardon for the joy of it will set him a singing and the favour of it will set him a worke to magnifie the righteousnesse of God It is Davids owne rule O give thanks to the Lord Let the redeemed of the Lord say so But indeed the Prophet here desireth God to set his instrument in tune that hee may sound his prayse For till God deliver him from the foulnesse of sinne he is unclean and cannot be admitted in chorum into the number of singers God will refuse him as before What hast thou to do to declare it But if God be pleased to remove all his sins then he shall be a fit instrument to sound the prayse of God Therefore Augustine Admonet non ut deponat praedicationem sed ut assumat poenitentiam obedientiam It is not as if he ceased to prayse God but that he takes to himself repentance and obedience Ex bono thesauro bona Good things from a good treasury God looked on Abel and his
offering So soon as sin is removed wee are presently fit for prayse It is the generall part of our service of God and it makes our prayers and prayses miscarry when we come to God charged with sins without repentance wash you make you clean c. Then come and let us reason together 2 Quid promittit What hee promises Here observe 1 What instrument he will use for Gods service lingua the tongue 2 Lingua mea my tongue 3 Cantabit shall sing The manner of his service 4 Aloud the intention 5 The argument of his song justitiam righteousnes 6 Tuam Thine 1 Lingua the tongue This is tuba animae the soules trumpet The best member that we have for this service So our old English Church Psalmes doe reade I will sing give prayse with the best member that I have The K. B. readeth I will sing give prayse even with my glory So Awake up my glory awake Psaltery Calvin readeth Exurge lingua arise ô tongue For that is the glorious instrument of Gods prayse The tongue hath an ill name in Scripture because it is the instrument of Gods dishonour and our neighbours great hurt oftentimes The tongue of David had lasciviously courted Uriah's wife and had spoken him faire to his hurt The tongue often blasphemeth God the common crying sinne of the time lying swearing flattering slandering false witnes multiloquium much-speaking turpiloquium filthy-speaking cursing boasting c. There are so many sins of the tongue that Saint Iames saith If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the wholebody But if any man seeme to be religious and bridleth not his tongue this mans religion is vain It is Davids first note of the tenants of Gods house aloft He that speaketh the truth in his heart and backbiteth not with his tongue And it is the first rule for him that desireth life and loveth many dayes that hee may see good Keepe thy tongue from evill and thy lips from speaking guile No lesson so hard to be learned of us here as the wise and â—â—â—creet government of the tongue David promised a singular care of this I said I will take heed to my wayes that I sin not in my tongue Socrates reports of one Pambâ— an honest wel-meaning man who came to his friend desiring him to teach him one of Davids Psalmes he read to him this Verse He answered This one Verse is enough if I learn it well Nineteen yeers after he said In all that time he had hardly learned that one Verse David is now in a good way to employ his tongue in the service of God For they are out which say with our tongue will we prevaile our lips are our owne who is Lord over us he that distinguished man by this excellent gift from all other his creatures meant it not to him for a rod to scourge himself for a Scorpion to sting his neighbour nor for mans own self punishment There is better use to be made of it as here 2 Lingua mea my tongue God cannot want prayse and glory from his creatures for Coeli eâ—arrant gloriam Dei the Heavens declare the glory of God and one generation prayseth him to another But that is no thanke to thee Lingua mea tua sua thy tongue mine his As David Let every thing that hath breath prayse the Lord. So let every thing that hath a tongue sing aloude c. Thou God of my salvation let it be lingua mea my tongue that sings To say the truth why is it lingua mea my tongue but to serve mine own turn in offices of piety charity it hath not a better employment then the prayse of the Lord. When any thing of ours doth omit or slight duty to our maker our interest in it ceaseth For our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost and our tongue is the Organ of the Church hee that made it tuned it to his prayse Christ cured the dumbe as well as the blinde deafe and lame c. 3 Shall sing This is the voice of joy and gladnesse in the tabernacles of the righteous These carry forth their seed with teares they sowe in teares their dwelling is in convalle laeâ—rymarum in the vale of teares Though they sit by the rivers of Babel they never hang up their Harps they can and do sing the song of the Lord in a strange Land For whatsoever their outward calamities are which often wash their faces with their teares they have upright hearts to God My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour There is in every one of the Elect an outward man which negotiateth in outward things and hee hath his hande full There is also an inward man and he is willing but weak The calamities of life the dishonours done to Gods name and glory by others the failings on our own part in duty our fallings from it doall work our grief and turn our organs into the voice of them that weep Yet in the midst of these sorrowes wee may rejoyce in the Lord like Musique in the cabin when the ship is in a storm My song shall be alwayes of the loving kindnesse of the Lord. Amongst all the favours of God none tasteth stronger of his divine nature none happieth us more in the peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost then his pardon of our sin and deliverance from it Fils dimittuntur tibi peccata tua Sonne thy sinnes are forgiven thee answereth Davids suite Sana animam meam heale my soule for donation the Lord doth not magnifie himself so much in it seeing he hath power over all But to pardon sinnes which do so violate his Majesty and are so contrary to his holinesse and doe so abuse his bounty and free favour this may make us sing I never read that any thing which God gave away grieved him but the sins of men grieve him at the heart and make him repent his making of them Therefore no such provocation to sing as deliverance from sin by pardon Songs were in fashion of old the Church was full of Musique the old Testament full of songs Some of our curious Zelotes cry it down in Churches it did well when time was â— but every particular person receiving Gods gracious pardon of his sin in the spirituall comfort of his conscience shall doe well to declare his thankfull recognition of it and his singular delight in it the cheerfullest way he can Is any merry let him sing 4 Alowd This â— for God for himselfe for the Church 1 For God That his honour may be proclaimed therfore they borrowed the voice of still and lowd instruments David make the voice of his prayse to be heard Dicitâ— in gentibus tell it among the nations Sicut in Câ—lo as in Heaven there the quire of the new IerusaleÌ„ cease not day and night to voice
gold and pictures of silver 3 Ubi Where As there is a time so there is a place to open our lips Christ was like a Lambe non aperies es thou shalt not open thy mouth before Pilate 4 Cus to whom David refrained even from good words whilst the â—icked â—â—â— before him Counsell and reproofe are cast away upon fooles and mad men and scorners Saint Gregory addeth there must be 1 Gravitâ—â— in sensu Weight in the sense 2 Moâ—â—â— in verbis Measure in the words 3 Poâ—dâ—â— iâ— sermone Weight in the words Otherwise wee open our own mouthes God openeth them not It is Davids prayer to God Set a watch O Lord before my mouth keepe the doore of my lips Saint Augustine noteth that it is osâ—iâ—m â—riâ— ergo aperiatur claudatur Aperiatur aâ— confessioneÌ„ â— laudatur ad excusatione in peccati The door of the mouth therfore let it be opened and shut opened to confession shut to excusing of sin And Luâ—olphus faith Aperiri debet Deo clauci diabolo aperiri Deo in oratione claudi in vanalâ—cutione It must be opened to God shut to the Devill opened to God in prayer shut to the Devill in vain-speaking David for ten moneths together was mute sinne had shut up his mouth for as long as we live in impenitencie a spirit of dumbnes possesseth us we cannot neither pray or prayse God In this time his acultery did cry alowd so did Uriahâ— drunkennesse so did his letters to Joab to did the murther of Uriah Now hee prayeth that the mouth of accusation may be stopt and that God would open his mouth that he may speak for himself against these accusing sins that hee may magnifie the loving kindnesse of the Lord. 1 I conceive that this petition for the opening of his lips intendeth a â—itting preparing of him for the praise of God Wee advise well before wee put up a petition in the causes of our estate or good name to any superiour authority More ought wee to God he best knoweth himself how to accommodate us to his service and therefore Domine aperias Lord open thou The necessity of an holy preparation for any part of Gods Service doth admonish and exact an holy advice with God before we go about it Reading of his word meditation invocation of his Name by prayer that hee would put our hearts in tune and set our song of his prayses for us that wee may sing Canticum Domini the song of the Lord and then it will be Canticum Domino a song to the Lord. 2 We may also conclude from hence that though an inward worship of the heart be much commended to us in Scripture so Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spiâ—it rejoyceth â—n God my Saviour and David stirreth up his soule to this service My soule prayse thou the Lord c. Yet that menâ—all and animal service is not all that God requireth hee would have the service also of our lips of our tongue which is our glory And to make the voice of Gods prayse to be heard be saith I wil prayse God with my glory Awake Lute and Harpe awake my tongue of my glory And he calleth upon the Church to prayse him in the sound of the trumpet with timbrell and pipe with stringed instruments and organs Upon the lowd Cymbals upon the high sounding Cymbals For as we have our private Chappels for our private duties the secret of our heart and the closets of our conscience So we have our part in Choâ—â— in the Congregation of Gods Saints and there wee must sing cheerfully and lowd that God may be praysed according to his excellent greatnesse this is heaven upon earth 3. The bold sinners say Our lips are our own who is Lord over us These assume to themselves both power and skill to menage their tongue and acknowledge no Lord above them to restrain or check them David in his Domine aperias Lord open thou confesseth a Lord above him And there is no such way to impudent freedome of speech as a bold contempt of autority It is one of the provoking sins of our time the over-bold liberty of speech and procacity of the pen censuring and depraving Superiours scandalizing all that our dislike hath set light The ground of this gall and worm-wood in the tongues and pens of the time is a vain opinion that there is no Lord over us to stop our mouth and to tongue-tie us Yet wee know the lash of the Law smarteth upon some that shoote for arrowes bitter words and some are made examples of terror to awe others But if men feare not those Lords and Lawes which take this petulancie of the tongue to talke David confesseth a Lord in my Text to whom he committeth the opening of his mouth Domine aperias Lord open thou Let us take heed how we rule our Lips and how wee open them before him for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned And of every idle word that we speake we shall give accompt to him in the day of judgment Evill words corrupt good manners and such as doe evill are but hardned and exasperate by Libels and scandalous obloquies When Michael the Archangell disputed against the Divell about the body of Moses he durst not bring against him a rayling accusation True and just quarrels by intemperancie of the tongue may turne into rayling accusation and it is not reproofe but rayling so Aug. Quicquid lacerato animâ— dixeris malè dixeris Whatsoever thou speakest with a distructed minde thou speakest evill Beloved there is a Lord over us who hath dominion of all our parts if he open our eyes we shall see clearely if he open our earâ—s we shall heare quickly if he open our lippes we shall speake wisely and soberly This is our Master-piece to governe our tongue well to open and shut the doore of our lippes wisely and seasonably He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life but hee that openeth wide his lippes shall have destruction The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lippes but a man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth Who so keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soule from troubles We have no better way to decline the danger of the tongue to reape the good fruit of it then 1 To pray as here Domine labia Lord open thou my lips or as David Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable c. Set a watch O Lord before my mouth 2 To resolve as David to take heed ne peccemus lingua lest wee offend in our tongue To keepe our mouth bridled not to speak thine own words 3 The promise subjoyned setteth the tongue a work and giveth it matter of long and speech And my mouth shall shew forth c. Saint Gregory observeth the sequence of the text first
shutting up of Davids penitentiall supplication in a broken and contrite heart I conclude 1 That in an arraignement for sinne there is no plea of good workes David had the conscience within him and the testimony without him of God and the Church that he had served the Lord and had walked in all the wayes of the Lord with all his heart save onely in this matter Yet this one matter cannot be answered without the exact fulnesse of repentance Here is no setting off of any sinne for some singular good worke before done The sinne that he hath committed doth extinguish the light of all his former righteousnesse as if it had never beene But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquitie all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned The Pharisâ—e might have past with us for a devout and an holy man if Christ had not detested him 1 He went up to the Temple to pray which was an exercise of devotion 2 I here he prayed with himselfe though in a publike place he had a private prayer here was no vaine ostentation in sight 3 He rejoyced in two things which have reference to the two duties of Repentance 1 Cease to do evill for he saith I am not as other men extortioners unjust adulterers nor as this Publicane not like them in their sinnes But I thanke thee for it 2 Learne to do well I fast twice I give tythes c but we referre this also to I thanke thee The Publicane had another bearing which became humble repentance well But the Pharisee for any thing I can discerne might have past for an holy man if Christ himselfe had not detected him I tell you this man went downe to his house Yet observe the Text He went justified more then the other the other not altogether unjustified 2 This directeth me in the deduction of a second conclusion that a broken and a contrite heart for sinne is as safe rest for the soule as the conscience of a good life This appeareth in the direction betweene the state of our innocent creation and our costly redemption For our creation set us in a way of happinesse rather in possession and fruition of happinesse but such as might be lost but our redemption bought us a never-withering crowne of glory Our holinesse of life may be corrupted as Davids was but our contrite and broken spirit none can heale but God onely and because it is his sacrifice he will not despise it In all the examples of repentance above-mentioned we see how firmly the Penitents stood upon that ground for that put away all their former sinnes and established them in the good favour of God Therefore David having this sacrifice ready and now tendring the same to his God doth cease further solliciting of God for himselfe and beginneth as one fully reconciled to God to sollicite him in the behalfe of his Church as followeth From whence we draw this exhortation Let us all labour our repentance as the most needfull worke of all We must charge all our afflictions upon our sinnes and we have but this one way left to repaire us to redeeme the favour of our God to us even our repentance One joynt sacrifice of broken hearts and whole hecatombes of contrite spirits would mend all that 's amisse Let us therefore commence a just warre against our owne corruptions and sinnes it is not enough to conquer the weake Island to destroy the vines the fewell of our drunkennesse to possesse the towns and villages the habitations of sinne in the outward members of the body There is in every one of us a strong Fort an hard and stonie heart fortified against all piety and holinesse where Sathan as a strong armed man holdeth possession this Fort and strong hold this propugnacle of sinne this heart must be broken Let us bend all our batterie against that and see to it that the world the flesh the devill may not supply it and then the day is ours and to him that overcometh shall be given a crowne of life Nothing overcometh this Fort of sinne in our hearts nothing breaketh them so soone as 1 A good watch kept that they may take no rest 2 Fasting to sterve the body of sinne 3 Weeping to open the sluces and drowne it with our teares 4 Praying for our Amaleth within us cannot stand if our soules like Moses hold up their hands in prayer to the God of our lives 5 An holy implacable furie against it never to give over the assault till we have brought it to subjection This fort thus conquered the Island is ours VERSE 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Ierusalem HEre beginneth the second part of this Psalme containing the prayer of David for the Church From the sequence of this prayer observe When we have by true repentance made our peace with God for our selves we have accesse with boldnesse to the throne of grace to put up petitions to God The Reason is Our sinnes do separate our God and us So Isaiah But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare David confesseth If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me God treating with a sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquitie sheweth them the way into his favour 1 Wash you make you cleane 2 Come now let us reason together saith the Lord. David confesseth because of his iniquities which are an heavy burthen to him I am troubled I am bowed down greatly When we should lift up our heads our eyes our hands to God our sins confound us with shame wee â—ile from the presence of God they shake us with feare wee are afraid of his judgements But true Repentance doth wash us so clean and reconcileth us so perfectly to our God that wee dare come in fight we dare present God with our requests We sâ—cke the face of God when we ayle any thing every griefe of our persons or of the state in which wee live sendeth us presently to God for remedy In affliction wee seeks God early We secke him but we finde him not alwayes we aske of him but hee granteth not our requests wee cry lowd to him but he heareth us not and we take it ill to be denied to be delayed Saint James gives us the reason Ye aske and receive not because you aske amisse There is mors in olla death in the pot there is sinne in the heart our fountain is impoysoned the waters of it are corrupt Hose directeth a speeding way ô Israel returne to the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thy iniquitie Take with you words and turn to the Lord say unto him Take away all inquity and give good so will we render the calves of our lips In this course of removing our sin first we
Impenitents 2. So our thanks-givings are but the sacrifices of fools 3. We cannot heare with profit for good seed must be sowne in good ground 4. We cannot receive the holy Sacrament for pearls must not be given to swine So we are unfit for all acts and exercises of Religion And especially upon our death-beds when we should part with this life Our iniquities shew us quite out of heavens way and we have no warrant to commend our spirits into the hands of God for he receiveth no such souls as turn aside to crooked wayes he leadeth them forth with workers of iniquitie There is none so unhappie as the impenitent sinner For the world cannot be friend him and God will not Who shall then have pity upon thee O Iesus David feels the burthen of sinne importable There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne For mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me My wounds stinke and are corrupt because of my foolishnesse I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long S. Augustine very judiciously looketh beyond David in this Psalme and maketh the whole Psalme the complaint of Christ Who though he were free from the infection of sinne yet was he over-laden with the burthen thereof for God layed on him the iniquities of us all So the point is more prest to the conscience of a sinner for if my sinnes could make the soul of Christ heavy to death if my sinnes could make him sweat water and bloud and pray with strong cryes and supplications how blinde must my reason be if I see them not How insensible and dull must I be if I feele not the stench and annoyance the weight and burthen of them For these iniquities do move God to anger and it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God in his displeasure for even our God is a consuming fire Now we see in Davids example how combersome a few sinnes are and what feare what agony of heart what griefe what shame they bring We have cause to lay this to our hearts for when we shall see our many crying bold presumptuous sinnes together in order before us when our conscience shall tell us not onely that we have received the grace of God in vain but that we have turned the grace of God into wantonnesse and have abused his best â—avours and despised his threatnings At once carrying in our faces Cains frowns and in our heart Cains malice against our brother having Esaâ—s prophanenesse Achans theft Ahabs oppression out-sinning those who are in the holy story the spots and blemishes of their times How doth Sathan benight us if we discerne not our fault and our danger How doth he harden our hearts if we feele not the burthen How doth he benumme and dead the conscience if the lash of our iniquities do not smart upon us We have cause to think upon it now if our Land after so great blessings of God swarme at this day with impious sinnes if Religion hath suffered symonie and oppression pride and drunkennesse Sodome and Gomorrah were modest sinners in comparison of us It will be easier for them one day for we live in the light we have more knowledge of our Masters will then our fathers had Pulpit and Presse have filled the eare and eye with the wayes of life And we are filii tenebrarum sonnes of darknesse still and walk in the paths of death We are hearers onely deceiving our own selves and the more we know of our Masters will the more stripes it will cost us that we have done so little of it we have gathered such drosse to our gold that it will ask an hot fire to refine us God in favour yet forbeareth us expecting our repentance and there is no hope of his love but in that way To fast and mourne for a day to ask God forgivenesse to promise amendment is no more then Ahab may do and it may spinne out the time and put off judgement for a while But plangere commissa to bewail sinnes committed is but a part of repentance and it hath lost the labour and our tears shall never be put into the bottle if after we do committere plangenda commit sinnes to be bewailed Transgressions iniquities sinnes these are our disease and that which threatneth it mortall is our dangerous impenitencie 2. What remedie Mercie this is the soveraigne remedy this heals all diseases but some few drops of this balme will not do it here David knows that God hath sundry vessels of this wine some stronger then other he desireth to draw of the strongest and for quantity he desireth the multitude a great measure and that running over for qualitie his tenderest and dearest compassions Those that are extracted and distilled to the height of strength sinnes of ignorance sinnes of infirmitie and weaknesse sinnes committed with reluctation and resistance the Fathers have called veniall because a small measure of Gods mercy will remove them and their punishment but studied sinnes acted after deliberation and practised upon advise and used to hide and shelter other sinnes have a more provoking qualitie in them to kindle the wrath of God a worse deserving condition to draw that wrath upon us David needs the most the best and strongest of these mercies for his transgressions Saint Augustine Attendis contemptores ut corrigas nescientes ut doceâ—â— confitentes ut ignoscas Thou observest the despisers to correct them the ignorant to teach them the confessours of sinne to pardon them Zacharie calleth these mercies that he beggeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bowels of the mercy of our God Sicut pater miseretur as a father takes pity Christ hath given us a full example of such a Father in the parable of the prodigall Look how high the heaven is above the earth so high is the mercie of God to them that feare him that is nothing in comparison for mercie cannot be numbred This is that which boundeth the waters of the Sea that they do not return to drown the earth This keepeth his fire and brimstone bound up that it falleth not upon our Cities and Towns our persons and cattell to consume them This locketh up the earth underneath us that it doth not open the mouth to swallow us up quick This keepeth the key of his treasures of judgements that they cannot come abroad to destroy and consume the world as Jeremy saith It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not They are new every morning Though he cause griefe yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies for he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men They that love lying vanities forsake their own mercy The mercy of God is called our mercy for God hath no occasion to use his mercy any where else but among the sonnes of men The Angels
ponderant Elements in their places are not heavy But take him from his sinne a little and set them within an optique distance that he may see them he will both see the in numberablenesse and feel the heavinesse of them We beleeve a day of judgement designed and ordained of God for a severe audit of all our sinnes We are in that day judged by both these books of Gods remembrance and of our own conscience For so we shall be our own judges and there can be no hope for such as have these books opened against them God cannot forget Our conscience cannot but accuse so that we are all children of wrath and in a state of condemnation The judge may say Quid opus est testibus What need of witnesses for the least one of these legions of sinnes that we are guilty of hath weight enough to weigh us down to the bottome of hell All these will make the pit shut her mouth upon us 2. But against this David doth shew comfort when he prayeth to have his transgressions blotted out of Gods book For this sheweth that there is a way out of the danger of the vengeance to come The book wherein all our debts are recorded may be crost and the offences may be blotted out The way is 1. The justice of God must be satisfied our debt paied for God can neither falsifie his truth who hath threatned sinne with vengeance nor satisfie and silence his justice without it So that we must finde Iesus Christ in this prayer without whom there is no acceptance to God for a sinner for our life is hid with God in Christ we appeare in our selves no other but dead in trespasses and sinnes But Christ is our life and the loving kindnesse that David prayeth for here is that wherewith God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne that we might not perish but have everlasting life And the tender mercies which he craveth are those of which Zachary doth speak Through the tender mercie of our God whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us To give light to them that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Here is Via lactea the milkie way the very way of salvation for the tender mercies of God give not onely light of comfort to cheare our hearts but light of direction also to guide our wayes and that is the blotting away our repented sinnes 2. Another phrase followeth which sheweth how this foule record may be blotted out of Gods Tables VERSE 2. Wash me throughly from mine Iniquitie THis shews that Iniquitie is a foule and defiling blemish and needeth washing So foule as no washing will do it but Lava tu wash thou So foule as it will need his washing throughly 1. Lava Wash His calling for so much mercy sheweth his fear of iniquitie his calling for all this washing sheweth his shame of it He doth not desire to have it hidden from sight but quite removed Not removed onely from the book of Gods remembrance but washt out of the book of his own conscience also Sinne is of that foule nature that it defileth the conscience of a man and maketh him uncleane I think no man will denie but David notwithstanding this sinne was a regenerate man For even this Psalme which confesseth this uncleannesâ—e in him is part of holy Scripture and the penne-men of Scripture were all holy and wrote as they were guided by the Spirit of God He seeth and confesseth a pollution and would faine be quit of it Yet some of late have so cleared a regenerate man from all sinne that they say God can finde no sinne at all in them It is true that God seeth no iniquitie in his elect to condemne them for it for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus But then they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit But if any of the elect turn out of the way for a time to walk after the flesh as David here did he seeth that sinne he hateth it he punisheth them for it and till he hath washt them from it they remain defiled with it Therefore they pray to be washt Naaman for a leprosie in the body must wash in Iordane Sinne is the leprosie of the soul and as the bodily leprosie did defile the person that had it the clothes that he wore the bed that he lay upon the very wals of the house where he remained that all must be purged and it cast him that had it out of the camp So the leprosie of sinne maketh all things unclean within and without us that we do but touch Whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean This is the cause of the groning of the creature for though it hath gone the way of the creation from the beginning yet it is become subject to vanitie by the pollution of our sinnes and our iniquitie reacheth to the heavens it defileth the celestiall bodies above us and the earth beneath us because these have been aiding and assisting to us in our sinnes not of any evill disposition in themselues but by our abuse of them to Gods dishonour All this presseth a necessitie of our continuall washing both for the defiling which is within us and for the pollution that cometh from us We must hate the garment that is spotted with the flesh This made David desire to be washt throughly Multiplica lavare multiply to wash some do render it others Amplius lava wash me more as Peter Not my feet onely but my hands and my head Naaman must wash seven times in Iordane to put off his bodily leprosie Sinne which is the leprosie of the soul cleaveth so close to us that we had need of an often and a scouring lather to rinse our defiled souls For as to the pure all things are pure So to them that are defiled is nothing pure but even their minde and conscience is defiled There is nothing that nourisheth sinne more in us then an opinion of an easinesse to repent when we will to put it off Beloved diseases are never so painfull to us as when we are put to it to take much physick for them For for the time the physick is more painfull then the disease violent purgings strong vomits languishing sweats bleeding bitter pils and potions unpleasing dyet yet great diseases ask a suffering of all these for health But in a dangerous disease we call upon our Physitian not to spare us so he recover us Ths is it in the state of our diseased souls we must take strong physick to remove violent and dangerous diseases David describing his sinne saith My wounds stink and are corrupt Do you know the pain of washing such wounds Do you not perceive the necessity of it There is no dallying in such cases lest our negligence make the maladie gangren and prove immedicable It will ask sharp
letter that which weakeneth the power of our Baptisme and maketh the Lords Supper an eating and drinking of judgement that which maketh all our praises of God a sacrifice of fooles that which turneth all our prayers into sinne and transformeth the grace of God into wantonnesse is We either hide our sinne out of sight cautè closely wherein we may deceive the world but we cannot shut up the eye of God or benight the light of our own conscience Or we plead Non est factum not our deed against two witnesses at least one in heaven another in our own bosomes Or we put on some honest names upon our dishonest carriages calling wantonnesse recreation and prosecution of revenge a standing upon our credit and a maintenance of honour Or we face out our sinnes with societie as drunkards plead they do no other then is done in Court in City in Countrey and amongst all sorts and degrees of men these times adde women too for many will not sit out in a fashion And if we reprove such they regest that some of our selves are good fellows too Here the proverbe failes The more the merrier when they go in the wayes of death Or we devolue our fault upon others as Adam Mulier quam dedisti the woman which thou gavest me It falleth upon God Vinum quod dedisti inebriat vestes quas dedisti superbum me cibus gulosum c. The wine which thou hast given me makes me drunken the clothes thou hast given me make me proud thy meat gluttonous c. Some proceed further the full growth of impudence and impenitencie justifying their sinnes and calling evill good and good evill treading under foot the bloud of the covenant as an unholy thing raging waves of the Sea foming out their own shame wandring starres for whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever whose condemnation sleepeth not Beloved your reason and judgement and common understanding doth call swearing blasphemie It calleth doing that which you would not suffer injury It calleth immoderate eating gluttony intemperate drinking drunkennesse It calleth unlawfull copulations adulterie and fornication By the light of nature and of Religion we abhorre the denomination of these sinnes who is willing to be called a blasphemer an oppressour a glutton a drunkard If the names of these sinnes be shamefull make conscience of the sinnes themselves For it was ever in fashion in the world and will be that they which do wickedly and foolishly shall be called wicked and foolish persons I conclude with Joshuahs speech to Achan My sonne give I pray thee glorie to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him tell now what thou hast done and hide it not He that hideth his sinne shall not prosper shame and feare are the two great hinderances of confession they are also the rods of sinne These should rather move us to confession and repentance for repentance removeth them both ut ante And my sinne is ever before me 2 Here is a great motive to confession for David found his sinne troublesome to him Sinne is taken commonly for the fault and so our fault alwayes in sight bringeth shame Sinne is also taken sometimes for the punishment and that in our sight alwayes bringeth fear It must needs be combersome to have these two roddes alwayes lashing of us shame and fear Sinne is also said to be before us 1 Either in the eye of understanding and judgement and reason knowing and disliking it 2 Or in the eye of our conscience pleading guilty to it And this is ever so till our repentance and Gods pardon hath removed it Our first parents in paradise did see the forbidden fruit 1 That it was good for food 2 It was a desire to the eyes 3 To be desired to make one wise They considered not that the eating of it was against the commandment that it was certain death to eat of it I he sinne was not before them In every temptation to evill and commission of evill there is a pleasure that offereth it self to the eye upon that our yeelding weaknesse fastneth That is ever before us to put us into sinne and when we have done it that is before us to keep us from repentance That was it that corrupted Davids holinesse at first to sinne and that held him so long impenitent But when God had awaked him by his Prophet then the pleasure of finne ceased and the shame and fear and sorrow of it succeeded then was his sinne ever before him The words of Davids complaint weigh heavy if we take the full weight of every one of them they amount to a talent of lead and we may call them The Burthen of David 1 Here is sinne 2 My sinne 3 Coram in sight 4 Coram me before me 5 Semper ever 1 His complaint is of sinne All sinnes are not alike deadly nor all of equall provocation There be different magnitudes of sinne one sinne differeth from another in qualitie Some more offensive then other to God to man to our selves Some in quantity of number hath more sinnes retaining to it then others have for no sinne doth ever go alone Some in quantitie of dimension greater then other more provoking Some in quantitie of weight heavier and more incurving and slooping towards and immerging deeper into the gulf of perdition Some in quantitie of measure more filling and more heaped up more pressing down more running over Some in the seed of concupiscence some in the root of delight some in the blade of consent some in the eare of perpetration some in the full growth and ripenesse of custome some shedding self-sowing by defence and justification of it and by publique profession and maintenance When Sathan would strike us with a fiery dart he will shew us our sinne at the worst In confession of sinnes to God we must consider that we are in his eye to whom all things are manifest from whom no thing can be concealed and therefore there is no slubbering or mincing our confession We must confesse all as we desire to be made clean from all let us be as particular as we can in the enumeration of our sinnes And because our memorie may fail us in particularities let us help it with opening before God our Corpus peccati body of sinne So I understand here my sinne that is Corpus peccati the body of sinne in the grosse summe is ever before me David doth come to particular sinnes after in his confession This peccatum sinne is that corruption of nature which is ever striving against the Law that flesh which is ever rebelling against the Spirit that old man which is corrupt according to the deceiveable lusts of the flesh The bed of sinne in us the stool of wickednesse the throne of Sathan the remnants of sinne which abide even in the regenerate upon which S. Paul complaineth so much I know that in me that is in my flesh is
man in just accusation and now David saith Ego sum homo I am the man in humble confession Great Princes and persons in eminent ranke can take it upon them highly in termes of honour then ego I am the man They must do so here also 2 The trespasse Peccavi I have sinned David ever had a tender conscience for sinne he never slept in any of his trespasses so long before or after as in this For when he had opportunitie to come so neare to Saul as to cut off his skirt of his garment his heart smote him So did it after he had numbred the people now he feeleth the weight of sinne upon his conscience and cries Peccavi I have sinned Every true penitent doth so but every one is not a true penitent that doth so for Cain said more Mine iniquitie is greater then it can be forgiven Pharaoh said as much I have sinned this time The Lord is righteous I and my people are wicked for the thunder and haile mingled with fire After he said more upon the judgement of the locusts I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you Now therefore forgive I pray thee my sinne this once and intreat the Lord for me Judas went further I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent bloud He repented saith the Text he said with the price of his sinne in his hand in the act of restitution But Cain and Judas confessed in finall desperation Pharaoh shrunk onely at the punishment the sinne grieved him not Davids peccavi I have sinned had more in it he knew his sinne fully it was ever before him And he was more troubled with his fault then with his punishment he made the worst of it yet he had faith in the loving kindnesse and in the multitude of the tender compassions of God he had the spirit of supplications and prayed fervently His first suit is for his washing and his strong cries are like them of the Leper to Christ Lord that I may be clean and the further we go in this Psalme the more pregnant remonstrances he maketh of his true repentance the more cleare example doth he give for ours As feare shooke him and as shame covered his face so faith supported him and prayer to God sanctified his mortification Such a peccavi I have sinned so open in confession without so stinging with compunction within so quickened by a lively faith so winged with zealous prayer will soone finde the ready way to the throne of grace and finde mercie there in a time of need 3 Parslaesa the party offended Here the spirit of David is troubled he is full of passion 1 He confesseth the wrong done to God Contra te against thee 2 He resumeth it with a duplication Against thee 3 He putteth it home with a soli Tibi tibi soli peccavi Against thee thee onely have I sinned 1 Contra te Against thee That is the sting and torment the rodde and scorpion of the conscience when we consider that our trespasse hath beene bent and aymed against God Si non Jehova pro nobis If the Lord had not beene on our side is Israels word we had perished Auxilium nostrum à Domino Oâ—r help is from the Lord In his favour is our life This makes every wilfull sinne we commit mortall because it trespasseth the majestie of God therefore no sinne in this nature is veniall and this makes every sinne of infinite merit because it is a sinne against an infinite majestie And for that our persons are finite and not capable of infinite punishment there is no way to satisfie this infinite majestie offended but by eternity of punishment This appeares in this sentence Go ye cursed into everlasting fire The smoke of their torment shall arise for evermore The worme never dyeth the fire never goeth out We have many great motives to make conscience of trespassing against this majesty of God 1 For the good that he is 2 For the good that he doth 1 For the good that he is He is one that hateth iniquitie no evill shall dwell with him He is all holinesse and righteousnesse 2 For the good that he doth 1 He is our faithfull Creator He made us not we our selves he fashioned us in the wombe he kept us there he took us thence 2 We came naked into the world he clothed us we came hungry he gives us daily bread we came ignorant he taught us weak and he strengthened us unclean and he washed us in the laver of regeneration 3 We were born children of wrath he adopted us heires of grace and glory and redeemed us with the deare cost and expense of his Sonnes bloud 4 He is the preserver of men he giveth us spirituall and temporall favours His loving kindnesse and mercie followeth us all the dayes of our life 3 We may adde for the evils that he doth For is there any evill or punishment which he sendeth not He is velox ultor a swift revenger and his right hand doth finde out all his enemies We would not willingly anger a person that hath power to do us hurt though we have no hope that he will ever do us good But our God is a father as well as a judge and with him is mercy that he may be feared that we may not runne our selves upon the edge of his sword Let us consider how all things else serve him but we onely and the Angels that sinned They unhappied their estates by sinning against God and of glorious Angels became unclean devils there is no part of the work of Gods hands so eternally cast away reserved in chains of darknesse for the judgement of the last day We had a way opened to us a new and living way 2 He therefore resumeth this against thee either doubling the consideration of his sinne or doubling the consideration of the party offended by it both which shews that he had laid it to heart and that lay heavy upon his conscience he had throughly considered against whom he offended We cannot think too much of it we cannot confesse it too often we cannot deplore it too bitterly that we have sinned against God For many are the pressures of this life but they are all comforted with a sure refuge to God He is our help in trouble Vana salus hominis the help of man is vaine But when we sinne against God we lop the tree that should shelter us from a storme We undermine the tabernacle of our dwelling Whither shall we go for our healing when we are wounded Whose counsell shall we aske when we are sick Who shall feed our hunger c. Who shall then have pitie upon thee O Ierusalem or who shall be moane thee or who shall go aside to aske how thou doest Thou hast forsaken me saith the Lord thou art gone backwards therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee and destroy thee I am weary with repenting
against himself for it Personall considerations do much aggravate or extenuate sinnes Sinnes of ignorant persons are nothing so defiling them and provoking God as sinnes of knowledge Sinnes of yonger persons in whom the passions of youth are more unruly and understanding and reason as yet but in the blade offend not so much as sinnes of aged persons whom time and experience should both informe and confirme in better wayes they have felt more comfort of the favour of God and seen more examples of the justice of God and have been longer taught in the word of God and where God soweth liberally he expecteth to reape plentifully Sinnes in poore persons who have received little at the hands of God displease him not so much as theirs whose cup doth overflow whose pathes are anointed with butter and their bellies filled with the treasures of his plenty Sinnes in inferiour persons not so offensive as in Magistrates and Princes and eminent persons whose examples may prove infectious to corrupt many Generally the same sinnes in the people are lesse then in the Minister Cujus in ore verbum vitae cujus in more should be vitaverbi In whose mouth is the Word of life in whose conversation the life of the word Therefore when David remembred his own person a King and an holy Prophet so much beholding to God for his high favours his heart did the more smite him for his trespasse And thus should the example work with us upon any temptation to sinne to consider with Joseph How should I do this great wickednesse and there take occasion to recount the favours of God to us the fruits of the earth the fruits of the wombe of our cattel our peace our health our daily bread our friends and all the comforts of life concluding thus God hath deserved better at my hands then so that I should give way to this temptation and so sinne against him whose loving kindnesse hath followed me all the daies of my life Should I blaspheme his Name by swearing in whose name is my help Should I prophane his Sabbath who hath allowed me six dayes for my work and this one for my rest and relaxation of all cares of life to attend his service Should I offend my neighbour whom God made in his own image for whom Christ shed his pretious bloud and for whom he taketh care as he doth for me that he may live in peace by me And as this in early consideration may prevent sinne so in a later consideration it may serve to hasten our repentance and to make it more serious when not withstanding so many reasons against it I have yeelded to a temptation and committed a sinne The more cause I had not to do it the more must my repentance be 2 The Commission Have done evill Sinnes of omission wherein God is neglected or our neighbour in duties of pietie or charitie give great offence You may see it in the sentence I was hungrie Et non pavistis me Ite maledicti and ye fed me not Go you cursed Sinnes of desire though not effected and perpetrated do more offend for as our good desires do stand for acts and receive rewards so our evill and unlawfull desires expresse the malignity of our corrupt dispositions and merit just vengeance Sathan doth corrupt the heart first and then out of the foule treasure of the heart proceed all kinds of evils Peccatum animae the sinne of the soul is the pollution of the soul and God seeth it David was an adulterer when his desire was first enflamed with lust but now it is done Vriahs wife is defiled Uriah is slain here is a sinne of commission Sinnes of this kinde which corrupt us and do hurt abroad cannot be recalled so long as sinne is but in desire it defileth at home onely but when it comes abroad into action it is a complete and full unrighteousnesse Therefore in repentance we must especially have care of such evils as are done by us which we cannot recall to repent them heartily and to wash them clean from our consciences for they cleavefast to us they scatter their poyson abroad And if sinnes of omission do smart so upon offenders and sinnes of desire how deep is the scarlet dye of sinnes of commission 3 The trespasse I have done evill Evill is a creation of our own for all that God made was exceeding good This we can do of our selves yet Sathan puts us on by his temptations Yet not under the name or shew of evill the delight and pleasure of the flesh seemed in the temptation like the forbidden fruit faire to the eye and pleasant in taste The evill we commit if we think of it will soon appeare like it self to our understanding and reason but especially to the Spirit of God in us But our appetite hath not the leasure to advise with these in general delight is good pleasure is the gift of God But if this be not regulated by the Canon of manners which is the holy law of God there may be a latent evill which we are loath to see for feare of depriving our selves of our desired delight But when lust hath conceived we see the birth of sinne quickly succeeding Then the pleasure is gone and nothing remaineth but the evill the guilt of sinne and the burthen of the conscience That is done and there remaineth behinde the sting of it anguishing the conscience or the custome of it searing the conscience Every evill we do is an injury to God and a contempt of his Law If God should for his pleasure scourge and torment us and make it his sport to heare our groanings and to see our teares who could challenge him for using his own creatures according to his own will but as a father he loveth us our paine his smart How is it then that we take pleasure in evill which God hateth and which so offendeth him that his soul abhorreth all them that work wickednesse It is a better way to be before hand with quid faciemus What shall we do good Master what good thing may I do to obtain everlasting life then to cry Quid feci what have I done Oh what evill have I done to deserve death Or as Job Peccavi quid faciam tibi I have sinned what shall I do unto thee The name of evill should loath us it is so foule and it should feare us it is so dangerous Therefore in all temptations to it it will be our wisedome and holinesse to abstract the pleasure of evill from the evill To part them and weigh them by themselves We shall finde the pleasures of sinne in weight lighter then vanity and in such firme conjunction with vexation of the spirit and for their lasting so short lived and so soone gone and leaving such a bitternesse in the soul behinde them that the very thought thereof in sad consideration will call such mirth madnesse and say to such pleasure What meanest thou Again evill weighed by
adventure them upon the eye of God Yet he is privy to the first suggestion to the first consent elelight procuration action c. all the circumstances of our sinne Never was sinne conveyed so closely as to be concealed from him this David did know and teach and discovereth their vanity that thought they could hide their errour from him Yet they say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it Vnderstand ye brutish among the people and ye fools when will you be wise He that formed the eye shall not he see c. Achans close theft Rahels stolne gods Laban found them not God revealed to Moses where she hid them Gehezies secret lye and covetousnesse Judahs secret incest all in sight Flatter not thy sinne with hope of secrecie and remember nothing is so bold and facing as sinne Thou doest it in the sight of God his eye is open upon it to discerne and hate it to detect and punish it darknesse hideth not from him VERSE 4. That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest and cleare when thou judgest 2. HE cleareth almighty God for having freely and fully confessed his sinnes in generall and in particular this late eminent notorious scandalous and provoking sinne he addeth this Ut justificeris in sormonibus c. That thou mayest be justified in thy sayings Which place is cited by the Apostle and by him we are directed to a right understanding of it What if some did not beleeve Shall their unbeleefe make the faith of God without effect God forbid yea let God be true but every man a ly ar as it is written That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art judged The Apostle urgeth these words to this purpose to shew that the sinnes of those who return by repentance can no way hinder but do rather advance the justice of God God declareth this justice in two things 1 In accomplishing his threatnings of punishment to correct them with the roddes of men and so these words of David have reference to that threatning of Nathan Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house He confesseth that God is by his open and offensive sinne just in those his words of commination and all the world may see that God is no favourer of sinne in any of his chosen but he hath ready rods to chasten it to which justice he submitteth God hath occasion given him by his confession fession of his sinne to declare his justice in the well deserved punishment of it so farre that when he shall execute that judgement upon him and his house he shall be found cleare from any crueltie 2 But this is not all for David had received many gracious promises of mercie from God to his own person and government and to his posteritie And there might be a feare that this crying sinne of David might reverse these promises and call in those favours of God from him Here David openly confesseth his sinne and declareth his strong faith in those sure promises of God beleeving that though he have sinned against him and done this great evill in his sight yet he will gratiously accept of his true repentance and pardon him his sinne and make good his former promises to him So shall he be declared just in his sayings and promises of mercie and shall be cleare when he judgeth him of violating his truth Whereby it appeares that the elect of God when they fall into any grievous sinne do put God to it to declare his justice both wayes for it is justice in God 1 To performe what he hath threatned and promised 2 To carrie an even hand in the trespasses of his children that neither his justice suffer in bearing with sinne nor his mercie in over-chastening the sinner The Text now thus cleared 1 We have in God two things in his carriage toward his elect in their fals and transgressions 1 His justice in chastening them 2 His mercie in pardoning 2 We have in David two things 1 His humble patience submitting himself to the punishment 2 His strong faith apprehending Gods gratious pardon 1 Of the justice of God It will do well in our reading the stories of the fals and trespasses of Gods Saints if we do withall observe the proceâ—â— of Gods judgements following them He soone taught us what we should trust to in the fall of our first parents For when they had sinned in the forbidden fruit he left them awhile to the mercie of their own accusing consciences and to the scourge of shame and the scorpions of their own feares to cruciate and anguish them Then in the coole of the day he came himself and convented the offenders and in a judiciall session he examined the parties by the evidence of fact And finding them guiltie he pronounced against them a sentence of mortalitie he accursed the earth under them he adjudged the man to labour and sweating for his bread The woman to subjection to her husband and to great anguish in her child-birth That all posteritie might by their example feare the justice of God and refraine from sinne which brought so much evill upon the committer thereof Yet we doubt not of their salvation Noah was drunk once and lay uncovered in his tent his own sonne discovered his shame Noah deserved punishment but his sonne should not have punished him but God used the unnaturall evill affection of his sonne as his rod to punish the sinne of the father I could be full in examples for this proofe that God doth not leave sinne in his Saints unpunished I onely produce these two great examples 1 In the beginners of the first world 2 Another in the repairer of it The first man made in the image of God in holinesse and righteousnesse The second the onely righteous man whom God found in that age I produce them as cleare examples of the justice of God in punishing sinne even in persons most in favour And the rather for the condemnation of their sinnes which now are afoot in the world and are scarcely confest to be sinne 1 The forbidden fruit is desired before any fruit of the garden stolne bread is sweet The name of God which by a speciall law must not be taken in vaine what name so blasphemed Is it not a shame to Religion that after the word had beene freely preached about 60. yeares in the free libertie of the Gospell and the Law of God in Pulpits and in print so learnedly expounded that there should be need of a speciall statute law for conservation of this name from prophanation and to set a corporal punishment or a pecuniarie mulct upon swearers But neither Gods Law nor Acts of Parliament can save that name of God harmlesse I will presse no further instances tell me by this taste whether the forbidden fruit be not most desired 2 For Noahs sinne it was but once drunkennesse and God left it not unpunished with
foule shame In the Apostles time it was a modest sinne he saith They that are drunke are drunke in the night Now day and night are both guilty of it it is a sinne in fashion meetings of purpose called and intended for it The farewels of friends parting the welcomes of friends returning the celebration of great Festivals as if Bacchus had washt us in the bloud of the grape from our sinnes But God will be justified in his sayings he will declare his justice in his severe punishment of this sinne here and if it be not sincerely repented he hath told us home what he will do No drunkard shall enter into the kingdome of heaven I should lay your sinne to my own charge if I should not let you know the terrour of the Lord in this case The defence of it by the societie of sinners aggravateth the sinne God hateth it so much the more Malum quo communius Sinne the more common the worse 2 He declareth his justice in the performance of his mercie to his elect For even in these examples in my text alledged 1 To Adam he shewed mercy who sinned having onely a Law for his obedience with a penalty threatned in case of disobedience but there was no promise a foot if he should trespasse that Commandment And that made Adam when he had sinned hide himself from the presence of God ashamed and afraid to come in sight But God in free favour did seek him out and before he called him to his answer for his sinne he reveiled mercie in the promised seed When he laid his curse upon the Serpent that tempted him and therefore ever since his time sinners have a way of grace opened in that promise and no sinnes if sorrowed for can evacuate the force of that promise it standeth good to all that truly and sincerely repent So as David saith In judgement he remembreth mercie There he did so in the very sentence of judgement upon the Serpent was the first revelation of mercie to man He had no Obligation of a former promise to binde him to it but it was a free and voluntarie tender of favour growing out of his own perfect and absolute goodnesse In the tender whereof he hath given us strong assurance that if in free favour he would do so much much rather when he had put us in securitie thereof by promise 2 The example of favour to Noah doth justifie God in his sayings for he shewed him much favour after his fatherly correction of his fault 1 In verifying his blessing upon his two sonnes Sem of whom Abraham came and the twelve Patriarches and David and Christ Iesus And to whose tents in the fulnesse of time he invited Japhet and brought in the fulnesse of the Gentiles 2 In accomplishing his curse upon his yongest sonne many yeares after by giving away their Land from them and rooting them out with a violent destruction This performed upon the repentance of Noah which thought it be not in expresse and full termes set forth in the storie yet we may take it so signified when Moses saith And Noah awoke from his wine that is not onely recovered after sleep to sober judgement but to a penitent recognition of his sinne And by the spirit of prophecie he was enlightned to looke into times to come and to foresee the future estate of his posteritie and by the spirit of supplication to desire God for his eldest sonne and by the spirit of faith to beleeve in the resolved goodnesse of God to his second sonne And in all the story of holy Scripture we finde that the sinnes of repentant men though chastened with some temporall roddes of affliction yet never failing of mercie Davids children that transgressed were threatned with the roddes of men but with reservation of favour not to take his mercie utterly from them as from Saul 2 We shall now see how David did beare himself in the wise consideration of these two things 1 When he confest his sinne whereby God was justified in his threatnings of judgement He declareth his own humble patience submitting himself to the holy hand of God q. d. I confesse all my sinnes this my horrible and crying sinne that the world may see thy justice in punishing me and my patience in bearing it Stripes were ordained of purpose for the backs of fools I am one of them and I put my self under thy punishing hand He is content that as he hath made himself an example of a grievous sinner so God should declare in and upon him an example of his severe justice and so be justified in his sayings If God did forbeare all other punishments of our sinne in our own persons in our house and familie in our goods in the necessaries of life in which kindes he ordinarily avengeth himself upon offenders yet if the sinner shall but truly repent him of his sinne repentance it self is a greater punishment then all these There is more in it when it is said of Peter that he went forth and wept bitterly then in the disciples Reliquimus omnia We have left all And Saint Paul felt more smart in the thorne in his flesh and the Angell of the Lord bufferring of him then in all his dangers by Sea and Land his stripes shipwracke imprisonment When our own consciences are upon torture our souls upon the rack when we judge and take vengeance upon our selves it is judgement without mercy We ever feare we underdo Therefore the conscience of his sinne doth beare witnesse to the justice of God and he findeth no fault with his punishment Surely murmurers that repine at the punishing hand of God and think much of his judgements enflame the anger of God more by their resisting his right hand which hath found them out If they went in Davids way to take a just dimension of their sinne and did confesse it contritely to God they would be content that he should declare his justice in their punishment and they would see that he would overcome if he came to be judged Speak thy conscience when thou abusest thy drink to drunkennesse if God punish thee with thirst hast not thou well deserved it If thy meat to surfet if thy strength to wantonnesse c. 2 He sheweth faith For notwithstanding these many and this foule great sinne he beleeveth that God will be justified in his sayings that is declared just in his gracious promises of mercie The sinnes of the elect cannot outgrow the mercies of God nor our offences make his truth faile David is so full of this faith that as he spendeth part of this Psalme in a deploration of his sinnes so he bestoweth also part of it in supplications whereby he declareth his faith VERSE 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquitie and in sinne did my mother conceive me 4. HE recounteth his originall sinne the corrupt fountaine of all his impurities he makes way to it with an Ecce for now he is at the
head of sinne That we were all in Adam in the day of his creation needeth no proofe for out of him was the woman created and of them made one flesh by marriage was all mankinde propagated So that these first parents of our flesh did stand or fall to the benefit or losse of all their posteritie But man stood but a while in honour and by his fall he not onely corrupted his own person but his nature whereby there remained an infection of sinne to the pollution of the whole nature of mankinde This the Apostle hath affirmed disertly In Adam all dye that is all are subject to the law of mortality and all are under the curse of the law for the second death God concluded all under sinne that is both the infection of sinne and the punishment thereof David speaketh here of his originall sinne in the pollution thereof and confesseth that from that root of bitternesse this and all his other sinnes derived Therefore he confesseth the beginning of it not onely at his shaping and formation in the wombe when God gave his body a composition in the wombe and set every member and part of his body in the proper place but he goeth higher to his first conception In peccato fovit me in sin she nourisht me his first warmth which put the first natural heat to the radicall moisture of which we are created This appeares in the difference between the first man created and the first generated for â—f Adam it is said In the image of God made he him But de primo generato of the first begotten for in the account of the Genealogie he reckoneth not Cain who was gone from the presence of God nor Abel who was by Cain murthered But the Genealogie begins at Seth of whom we reade And Adam begat a sonne in his own likenesse after his image and called his name Seth. For Cain he needed not to say so for the corruption of his foule heart shewed him borne of corrupt seed But Seth was one of the holy Fathers of the Church yet begotten in the image of Adam now corrupt and not in the image of God as Adam was created How could it be otherwise for our first parents being defiled who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one The Fathers with full consent referre that speech of Iob to our originall sinne as Pineda upon that place recounteth and quoteth them I should not need to prove this point of originall sinne having so cleare evidence for it as my Text in hand But that the Pelagians long ago denyed any such sinne or naturall corruption affirming Verba Pelagii Ut sine virtutâ— ita sine vitio procreamur atque ante actionem propriae voluntatis id solum in homine est quod Deus condidit The words of Pelagius That as we are begotten without vertue so without vice and before the acting of our own wils that onely is in man which God made Saint Augustine long ago took this heresie to â—ask and learnedly confuted it But of late Ann. 1620. there was a Pamphlet stolne out in print and vented from pocket to pocket by some Anabaptists at home who yet refuse to be so called In this the heresie of Pelagius is revived and originall sinne denyed and peremptorily it is affirmed that no sinne is derived from our parents We take say they from Adam vanity corruption and death This vanity is onely a weaknesse and impotencie in nature to know and do the duties of the Law of God But they deny it to be sinne Their reason is Adam was made of the earth we were made of Adam Adam was made of the earth onely in respect of â—iâ— body for God first made the body and then infused the soul in it The body was free from sinne the soul a spirituall substance infused by God was also free from sinne so Adam was created without sinne But we were no otherwise made of Adam then Adam was made of the earth and we were no more in Adam when he sinned then Adam was in the earth before his creation First according to the body Adam had no commandment given him till he had understanding to embrace it and will to receive or refuse it Adam sinned not till he departed from the commandment They conclude hence that we receiving nothing but our flesh from Adam cannot sinne till we have understanding to know what is commanded us ergo no originall sinne To all which we answer That the flesh which Adam took from the earth was pure for so was the earth But the flesh that we take from Adam is tainted with sinne And true it is that no actuall sinne can be committed without the Law But we may be guilty of originall impuritie without prevarication of the Law Adam had onely the matter of his body from the earth we derive more from Adam For whereas as God breathed into the body of Adam all at once the breath of lives We live three lives The life of plants in our vegetative The life of bruits in our sensitive The life of Angels in our rationall soul Philosophers and Phisitians and the learned Scholars of nature do resolve that we traduce two of these lives from our parents the third is immediately both created and infused by God The proper seat of originall sinne is in the sensitive part of man and that corrupteth our reason and as it groweth faster then our rationall doth so it over-groweth it and keepeth it down untill our new birth doth cut it and keep it short and the good Spirit of God give us strength to resist it and to subdue it This God himself hath in both Testaments fully detected in two holy Sacraments first Circumcision This was to be administred so soone as an infant was capable of it even after the first criticall day and that part of the body was chosen for this Sacrament which might best shew our generation unclean it was a Sacrament of purgation the impuritie of our naturall generation In the new â—estament the Sacrament of Baptisme was instituted to the same purpose And where our Anabaptists do charge us that by our doctrine of originall sinne we bring upon infants a danger of eternall death and thereby we revive that wicked Proverbe The fathers have eaten fowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge We regest this calumny upon them in just imputation For when they confesse that we traduce from our parents vanity corruption and death these are the punishments of sinne and if we have no sinne of our own it is our parents sinne and so our teeth are on edge for their sowre grapes The doctrine of originall sinne was ever taught in the Church and when Saint Augustine did meet with the Pelagian heresie denying it he opposed it strongly and because the adversary urged the faith and doctrine of certaine Hereticks denying originall sinne S. Augustine produceth the constant contrary asseverations of the
most orthodoxe Fathers of the Church in their own words For he citeth Ireneus Ciprian Reticius Olimpus Hispaâ— Hilar. Ambrose Innocentius Gregor Basil Magnus Chrysost and Jerome which is a full cloud of sacred witnesses of antiquity beleeving and teaching the same doctrine This upon the Text in hand Saint Augustine doth clearly avouch Nunquid David de adulterio natus erat quid est quod sie dicit nisi quia trahitur iniquitas ab Adam Nemo nasâ—itur nisi trahens poenam trabens meritum poenae Was David born in adultery Why speaks he so but because iniquity is drawn from Adam There is none born which draws not punishment drawing that which deserves punishment He urgeth the words of the Apostle Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum propago sumus corporis mortui The body is dead by reason of sinne We are the off-spring of a dead body Julian the Pelagian did urge against originall sinne the honourable state of Matrimony So Saint Augustine chargeth him Tu autem dicis nuptias sine dubio damâ—ari ab omni sit liberum obligatione peccati But thou sayest The condemning of marriage is no sinne But marriage was ordained and the blessing of propagation was given before the sinne of Adam And marriage is honourable among all men and the bed undefiled The sinne of Adam did not discommand marriage nor reverse the blessing of encrease And Saint Augustine upon this Psalme doth answer Opus hoc castum in conjuge non habet culpam sed origo peccati trahit secum debitam poenam Non enim maritus quia maritus mortalis non est aâ—t aliunde nisi peccato mortalis est Matrimoniall function is without fault but originall sinne draws with it the punishment due to it For the husband as a husband brings not death nor any way but by sinne God provided a remedy the seed of the woman against sinne and suffered humane infirmity to passe on that he might shew mercie where he pleased But you may demand what any spirit of contradiction can alledge against Davids disert confession of his formation and conception in sinne Our Anabaptists answer That it is a question whether his confession here intend himself or his mother It was a poore shift to busie our thoughts about such a question for why should David confesse any thing here concerning his mother If any why not both parents This confession must have coherence and correspondence with the former I acknowledge my wickednesse my sinne is ever before me But what if it concerne him Then thus he confesseth and desireth God to consider whereof he was made of dust weak flesh unable to resist the tempter when the Law came unto him through which weaknesse he was overcome This is that which we call originall sinne this Carentis justitiae wanting of righteousnesse this impotencie to all good acts this seed of corruption which is the teeming and pregnant spawne of all sinnes But they would have it that as Christ because he had our flesh and was made sinne yet was no sinner So David though confessing himself conceived in sinne was not by conception and birth a transgressour To which we answer 1 That the comparison is blasphemous between Christ and David for Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost David in the ordinary way of flesh 2 That we call not originall sinne transgression of the Law in origine for that is the definition of actuall sinne For originall sinne is defined 1 Est corruptio naturae à prima perfectione It is the corruption of nature from the first perfection 2 Est corruptio naturae hominis quae efficit ne vere obediamus legi Dei nec simus sine peccato It is the corruption of humane nature which makes us unable to obey Gods Law that we cannot be without sinne 3 Est ignorantia inmente concupiscentia in carne It is ignorance in the minde and concupiscence in the flesh 4 But the fullest is this It is an hereditarie corruption of nature which bringeth forth in us the works of the flesh and proneth us to all evils and thereby doth fasten upon us a guiltinesse whereby we are in desert and danger of the wrath of God And this is the sinne which David here confesseth which began with him in his very conception But they alledge that the words of David may have reference not to himself but to his mother Then we must understand him thus that David doth not confesse sinne as a fault but as a punishment and so it hath regard to curse I will multiply the sorrows of thy conceptions So he onely meaneth his mothers punishment for the fall and his weaknesse through the fall That weaknesse we call originall sinne But why David in his repentance should repent his mothers punishment we cannot so well discerne for true repentance hath respect not to the punishment deserved but to the sinne deserving it Therefore these poore flashes of humane wisedome which is carnall sensuall and diabolicall cannot elude the evidence of truth that David bewailing his sinne doth repaire to the root of it in his conception confessing the first seminarie of this weaknesse to begin there But our Anabaptists urge further that if the matter of which David was made was tainted with sinne Then was also the matter of which Christ was made tainted with sinne for he was conceived in the wombe of a mother We reply That he was conceived by the holy Ghost and it was an holy thing that was born in his mother so the Angel saith to her They reply that then Christ was not true man for he was not born of the substance of his mother We answer That Christ was born of the very substance of Mary and that in his miraculous generation by the holy Ghost the substance was not changed but the qualitie of it For when David prayeth after for a new heart he doth not desire to have the substance of his heart changed but the qualitie thereof that of a sinfull and unclean heart it may be made a pure and holy heart a fit Temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in Thus I hope I have to any sober judgement cleared both our received doctrine of originall sinne and the interpretation of my Text against these old and new Pelagians and so the confession of David standeth good that beside his actuall transgressions of the Law he standeth guilty before God of originall uncleannesse from which corrupt fountain all his streames of actuall iniquities do derive I will now fortifie this doctrine with plain demonstrations of the truth from the Scripture 1 Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom all have sinned Neverthelesse death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after Adams transgression Saint Augustine understandeth this sinne to be that originall sinne that David here complaineth of for
Adams was actuall and death reigneth not but where sinne reigneth The same Apostle finding in his understanding enlightned and in his zeale inflamed and in his will rectified by the Spirit of God good motions to serve God uprightly yet those discouraged and ineffectualled in him often he chargeth all this upon his corrupt nature which he calleth Peccatum inhabitans Sinne dwelling in him Vers 20. Lexmembrorum the law of his members Vers 23. Corpus mortis the body of death Vers 24. The flesh Vers 25. With my minde I serve the Law of God with my flesh the law of sinne This the Author to the Hebrews doth call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sinne that doth so easily beset and inviron us For this little Infants unborne and new borne are subject unto death and to charge death without a charge of sinne would call the judge of all the world unjust That there is originall sinne and that David here complaineth of it we have made it cleare Now observe that David in his repentance to make it full doth apply all his sinnes to the multitude of Gods tender compassions For a full confession maketh way to a full absolution When Jeremiah advise thus to search and try our wayes first and then to turn to the Lord he intendeth that we must examine our hearts in this search to the bottome and go so farre back in this inquisition as to the mother sinne the primitive and originall masse of corruption which empoysoneth our nature which cancreth our manners and in time gangreneth our whole conversation mortally to the very dominion of sinne David doth so for here he looketh back so farre as to his first conception and diggeth so deep as the root of his sinne For he chargeth all his transgressions upon this beginning of sinne which indeed in all the children of Adam is not onely a naturall pollution defiling us but it is a corrupt seed shooting out in time into a blade and bearing a full eare of actuall prevarications Therefore no man knoweth his own heart and let no man be so bold of his own strength to promise resistance to such temptations as have corrupted others It is the Apostles good counsell Brethren if any man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse considering thy self lest thou also be tempted In which words The considering of thy self is no other then the wise remembrance of thy originall corruption for there is tinder in thee apt to take fire from a little spark There is in Sathan both cunning and malice enough with his temptations to strike this fire The Apostle useth a fit word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 si anticipetur for sometimes we are by sensuall motives perswaded and by semblance of good deceived or by entisements of pleasure or profit allured to evill When the Serpent as with Eve disputeth with us and corrupteth our judgement darkeneth our reason blindeth benummeth or deadeth our conscience and so we not onely take but gather and give the forbidden fruit Sometimes Sathan catcheth us by surprise and with a sudden temptation having all opportunities for sinne to friend he overtaketh us and embarketh us in some trespasse before we have leasure to advise our selves So was Troy taken at last by a cunning stratageme Victâ—mque quamvis videat Vix or edit sibi potuisse vinci She saw her self orecome by foes Yet scarse beleeves she what she knows Thus was David here caught he was at leasure in peace in glory and power at ease his mind now quiet his breasts full of milk his bones of marrow and walking on the leads of his house his eye no sooner was fastened on the beauty but his heart was fired with lust after Vriahs wife he enquired of her sent for her defiled her prevented and surprized with a sudden temptation This he imputeth to his naturall corruption by his originall and birth sinne So some that have ever made conscience of an oath yet upon a sudden passion sometimes rap out a fearfull oath to Gods great dishonour and their foule offence So some that make conscience of giving Suum cuique to every one his own yet upon an opportunitie offering them anothers goods upon faire termes of likely secrecie have robbed a neighbour I have upon like occasion given examples of this work of corrupt nature in the sonnes of men in Hazael who brought a present from Benhadad to Elisha to demand whether his master should dye of that disease The man of God looked Hazael so stedfastly in the face that Hazael was out of countenance but the man of God wept And when Hazael demanded why weepeth my Lord He answered Because I see the evill that thou wilt do to the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their yong men wilt thou destroy with the sword and wilt dash their children and wilt rip up their women with childe And Hazael said But whâ—t is thy servant a dogge that he should do this great thing Yet presently he returned to his master brought him comfort of his recovery and on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipt it in water and spread it on his face that he dyed He reigned in his stead and did like a dogge all that evill c. When Christ said one of his twelve should betray him Judas was one of them that demanded with the rest Nunquid ego Domine Is it I Lord But a sudden temptation surprised him Then entred Sathan into Judas Iscariot And he went his way and communed with the chiefe Priests and Captains how he might betray him unto them Most memorable is the example of Peter whom Christ forewarned of his denyall of him A thing so farre from Peters heart that he took it ill to be so charged he protested against it and vowed to dye with him or for him rather then he would deny him Yet being in the high Priests Hall when Christ was ill used there for feare of his own skinne he denyed and forswore him thrice This body of sinne we do all alwayes beare about us and therefore we passe the time of our so journing here with feare for which of us may not be thus surprised For there is no kinde of sinne which our heart abhorreth most but we are in danger of it by reason of our naturall corruption wherefore Christ taught us to pray Et ne nos inducas in tentationem And leade us not into temptation Therefore a wise man feareth and departeth from evill but a foole rageth and is confident Folly is rash and goeth on inconsiderately and trusteth to his own strength We live in perpetuall danger by reason of this naturall corruption for the Spirit hath his eclipse and often upon our grieving him leaveth us in our own wayes that we may see our naturall impotencie to that which the Law requireth of us and be so much the more
warie how we walk in the way of that roaring Lyon which goeth about continually seeking whom he may devoure But here remaineth a great scruple Was not David circumcised and hath not that Sacrament according to the intention of Gods holy ordinance this proper effect to remove and purge originall sinne And now in the time of the Gospell is not Baptisme the laver of our new birth doth it not wash away originall sinne Why then doth David yet complaine of it or why do we who are baptised stand daily yet in jeopardie of it To cleare this point we resolve that since the fall of man his infirmitie hath ever beene such as all the meanes of grace ordained by God have fallen short of working their full and perfect effect upon us in this life The word teacheth us and yet so long as we live here we know but in part The word begetteth faith yet so weak and so imperfect is our faith that Christ biddeth us to pray to God to encrease our faith The word of the Gospell is the power of God to salvation yet he doth magnifie his power in our weaknesse Our hope is imperfect for it is mingled with feare Our joy is not complete for we rejoyce in trembling The Sacraments of Circumcision and Baptisme were ordained against originall sinne yet for want not of efficacie in the gift but of capacity in the receivers thereof they fall short of the full effect here It is therefore farre from us to limit God by his ordinances to binde him to passe his graces no way but by them As farre is it from us to extend the force of his ordinance to that latitude that which way so ever his outward ordinance goeth his grace must necessarily follow the same We go in a middle way betweene these two extremes affirming that according to the good pleasure of his will so the Sacraments of our regeneration do work their effect more or lesse in his Church For my own judgement I have beleeved and taught that Baptisme doth so purge away original sinne as it doth regenerate us It worketh the same work at once the killing of sinne and the life of Christ in us As we perceive our regeneration imperfect so we must confesse our mortification imperfect Therefore after Baptisme there remaineth yet a â—ome of our originall sinne because Christ hath not the intire possession of us And yet there is a seed of grace because Christ dwelleth in us Both these seeds grow in us till the harvest Yet as Jacob and Esau they strive in the same wombe for the flesh lusteth the spirit sigheth and groaneth the flesh striveth against the spirit the spirit is contrary to the flesh From the seed of the flesh which we call originall sinne all our evill thoughts words and works do proceed From the seed of the spirit arise all good motions whereby we resist the flesh And if any of Gods people be overtaken with offence he is not straitway as a limbe cut off from the body but as a bone out of joynt for the time It is not a laxation from the bodie but a laxation in the body It is the Apostles word you that are spirituall restore such a one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put him in joynt againe So we denie not the grace of Circumcision or Baptisme we do not weaken the power of Gods ordinance but we allow it the efficacie of congruitie with the subject For it filleth secundum capacitatem vasis according to the capability of the vessell when God enlargeth our heart we shall receive his gifts more fully You now see how much cause David had to complain of his originall sinne as the seed remaining in him from whence these great offences grow I conceive the proper use of this point to be this To stirre us up by Davids example upon all occasions by our fallings into any sinne to look back upon this root of sinne in us that we may put the strength of our measure of grace to it to grubbe it It is such as that if there remain but a threed of it in our ground by the sent of water it will take in sap and gather strength and put forth and grow up as a plant as Job saith Therefore we know our spirituall growth in grace by the withering of this old man and the vegetation of the new man in us The Prophet here in the from of this confession setteth an Ecce Behold which may be directed two wayes 1 For he may divert his speech from God to whom his addresse is to the Church and to his fellow-members of that body as partners with him of the same nature of the same infirmitie See whence these â—oule evils came even from the sinne that came with me Peccatum oriens from the sinne that abideth in me Peccatum habitans from the sinne that encircleth me Peccatum circumstans from the sinne that defileth me Peccatum commâ—culans That every one of us may look to that breeder and keep it from teeming in us or if lust do conceive and bring forth sinne then to take the little ones and dash them against the stones We do not enough study this point we do not behold and see into it as we should to look for no good out of this Nazareth to confesse our weake and wicked beginnings of nature to amend by culture and industry our barren soyle impregnant of any good fruits To plough up the fallow grounds of our hearts with discipline and mortification to sowe them with the precious seed of the Word Leaving them to the clouds of grace to raine upon them and to the Sonne of righteousnes to shine on them Eliâ—hs faith will open heaven for that raine Joshuahs prayer will make that Sonne stand still 2 Behold to God he may desire him to consider in his mercie that this mother-sinne came with him it was a corruption of his nature before he had either appetite or sense or will to embrace it yea that corrupted all these and reason it selfe and the conscience that defiled all I deny not but that it was sinne at first in the conception but David doth not say Formatus sum iniquus or Conceptus iniquus but In iniquitate I am not formed or conceived wicked but in wickednesse The matter that I was made of was unsound and unholy for David was not David till his reasonable soul was infused then was he sinfull So that I conceive this behold urged to God to move compassion in him that seeing he could not help it that he was so framed and surely God is mercifull to that sinne in us therefore David saith of him Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are dust Therefore this Ecce behold to God doth move him to compassion of his most miserable condition in regard of the corruption and frailty of his frame and composition But
our fault is that we do not husband our talent of Gods grace and of Christs merits to our amendment of nature and to the expurgation of our sinne Yet for Infants that have no sinne but that to answer for in the ordinary way of Gods favour I make no question of their salvation by Baptisme for so the Apostle Baptisme saveth us Yet the want of the outward Sacrament which cannot be charged upon little Infants doth not deprive them of the favour of God because the covenant is not limited by the signe of it The promise which is the soul and life of the Sacrament is past to you and to your children The Church of Rome denyeth unbaptised infants a place in heaven and they have built them a Limbus an upper-roome above hell where they place them but they cannot agree upon their estate there Some of their learned depriving them of the fruition of heaven but allowing them life everlasting without paine and with some measure of happinesse Others allow them an earthly paradise of naturall felicity for ever Thomas and others that they are deprived of the sight of God and have no poenam sensus paine of sense inward or outward Driedo and others affirme both poenam damni sensus paine of losse and sense But Saint Augustine saith he could never reade in Scripture of more then two places heaven for the saved and hell from that distanced very farre off for the damned Locum tertium non reperio I finde no third place We confesse that originall sinne without Christ is mortall but Christ became man and was born of a Virgin and became an Infant for Infants to preserve them from hell and we beleeve charitably and comfortably of them that he receiveth such to himself The conclusion of this point is that seeing we are thus born filii ira the children of wrath we should make it the exercise of our whole life to strive against this naturall corruption and to weaken the force of the flesh all we can by mortifying the deeds thereof and to grow daily in wisedome and knowledge and faith and obedience perfect throughly perfect to all good works making our election and calling sure in our owne consciences to the establishing of our hearts till we grow up to be perfect men in Christ Iesus for if we mortifie the deedes of the flesh by the spirit we shall live VERSE 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make mee to know wisedome 5. TO aggravate his owne digression hee compareth himselfe in this state of transgression with that condition which God exacteth of us and which he will hereafter worke in him In which words we have 1 Davids feare 2 Davids faith 1 Davids feare He confesseth his transgressions and iniquities and sinnes and would very faine be quit of them because he findeth them so contrary to the holinesse and pure perfection of the divine nature for David had lived in the open profession and practise of religion he had established both religion and Courts of Iustice in Ierusalem yet secretly his corrupt heart had embraced a temptation to sinne and he had effected it whereby he had displeased God for God is not pleased with an out-side and semblance of religion which may passe currant with men who see no deeper than the shew he is a searcher of hearts and desireth not a seeming and shew but truth and that not in a face of holinesse in an outward profession but in the inward parts 2 Davids faith that notwithstanding this his grievous declination from the wayes of God yet God in his mercy will repaire him againe and make him to know wisedome in his hidden part that is in his understanding and in his heart Thus we must understand this text following our new translation but former translations doe alter the sense and change the matter of this verse The vulgar Latine the Spanish the Italian the French the old English the Geneva reading Junius Pagnine Calvine and generally all the translations that I have read and Comments Saint Augustine Lâ—dolphus Saint Ambrose Saint Gregory Cardinall Bellarmine c. doe all reade one way Thou hast made me to understand wisedome secretly Which doth also adde weight to the burthen of his sinne for seeing God requireth truth in the inward parts and had secretly informed him with wisedome to know so much and to direct him in the way of obedience This maketh Davids sinne greater who not onely transgressed Gods Commandement but sinned against the knowledge and wisedome which God gave him against it onely Montanus his interlineare readeth it in the future whom our translators of the Kings Bible have followed the originall doth beare it well and I choose rather to see David in faith then in feare and therefore I embrace our reading wherein David beleeves that God will make him wiser hereafter 1 Concerning his feare he had cause to mistrust himselfe when his conscience accused him of hypocrisie for having maintained an outward expressure of religion his heart proved false to God and his eye walked in wrong waies and misguided his heart God who looketh not onely upon our outward man but upon the heart soone found him out and saw the abhominations there for he is searcher of hearts and reines There is not a better rule to manage either our conversation or our faith or our repentance by then this to consider what God requireth of us and wherein he delighteth Micah the Lords Prophet saith He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord doth require of thee Hee is our Lord and it is fit that we take notice of his will and what he requireth he will shew us nothing but good the old way the good way that walking in it we may finde rest for our soules He desireth our eares to his word Let him that hath eares to heare heare what the spirit speaketh c. He desireth the eyes of our body that we keepe them from beholding vanity that we liâ—t them up to the hils unde auxilium whence commeth our helpe He requireth the lifting up of our hands in prayer the stretching out of our hands in almes in good workes in labour in our callings in subvention and supportation of the weake in taking up such as are fallen He requireth our tongues in voce laudiâ— in the voyce of thankesgiving wee must make his praise to be heard In prayers and supplications with strong cries He requireth our feete to tread in his Courts to stand in the gates of Ierusalem and cave pedi take heed to thy foot He requireth our knee for he hath sworne in holinesse â—gressum est verbum c. the word is gone forth Every knee shall bow to me O come let us worship and fall downe and kneele before the Lord but all these are formes which an hypocrite may put on and personate and act and who can say but he is religious and feareth
God This vernish and guilding may deceive men and all is not gold that glisters therefore to regulate our faith and manners our best rule is to compose our selves not to the eye of man but to the eye of God for what need we feare the judgement of man With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of mans judgement It was the praise of Noah Thee onely have I found righteous before me Righteousnesse before God is that which in my Text is called truth in the inward parts sineeritas cordis purity of heart My sonne give me thy heart This is the difference betweene true and false religion In false religions it is enough to present the service of the outward man the heart is not required But true religion layeth the ground of devotion in the inward man according to the first commandement of the Law with all the heart and soule and then with all the strength This Christ calleth facâ—re veritatem to performe our service to God sincerely Those gods that cannot discerne the inward parts neither can distinguish betweene sincerity and hypocrisie may be easily put off with any formall service But the eye that seeth profunda cordis the depth of the heart searcheth in abscondito the hidden part must not be dallied with David could say If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me Two things here arise doctrinall 1 That God searcheth so deepe as our inward parts 2 That he requireth sincere service from them 1 O Gods search It were no matter for more then shew if Gods search went no further then our outward man I here were those that spoke him faire and fâ—attered him with their mouthes but their heart was not upright toward him neither were they faithfull in his covenant he detected them for so hee put difference betweene the sacrifices of Caine and Abel betweene the prayers of the Pharisee and the Publican This people honoureth me with their lippes but their heart c. By Davids rule it must be so he that formed the eye should not he see he that made the eare should not hee heare he that framed the heart should not he search the heart Such as our hearts are such is our service and so accepted 2 He requireth in this heart truth for onely such hearts are like a field which the Lord hath blessed they are onely the good ground for the seed of the word who receive it into an honest and good heart There is not a more foolish sinne in the world than that of hypocrisie for it serves our turnes onely with a shew of goodnesse Which convinceth the conscience as Chrysostome saith Si bonum est bonum ad parere melius est bonum esse If iâ— be good to seeme much more to be good It serveth our turn onely with men such as daily are taken away from us and we dye from amongst them but God remaineth ever with us to behold all our waies And when we goe hence we remove to the judgement seate of God So the benefit of hypocrisie is soone lost the joy of hypocrites perisheth but the guilt and punishment thereof abideth for ever The last reward of hypocrisie is deadly for all the wicked are threatned to have their portion with hypocrites The phrase is varied thus with the divell and his Angels There was a divination in use amongst the Romans by opening of beasts and looking upon their inwards Aruspices Soothsayers God hath ever used that kinde of inspection to distinguish seeming from being his servants And therefore we knowing how patent our hearts and waies are to the all-seeing eyes of God ought to purge our consciences from dead workes to serve the living God Our inwards are that Temple of the holy Ghost there Christ standeth at the dore and knocketh and would faine come in to abide with us Let not Gods house of praier be made spelunca latronum a den of theeves We confesse that we have not in our selves either wisedome or goodnesse sufficient to plant truth within us and to purge this temple Christ must make the whip and scourge out the defilers thereof But seeing God delighteth in truth and sincerity this I dare say there is not a sinne to which our free-will may extend and against which our owne naturall strength may serve us better then against hypocrisie For though it be not in the power of my free-will to embrace truth yet I may choose whether I will be an hypocrite I may appeare as I am This maketh the sinne of hypocrisie so damnable because I may eschew it if I wil. And knowing how contrary it is to the pure and holy divine nature how unworthy of GODS creature how provoking to GOD our sinne is the greater It is our wisedome to observe what God desireth and to apply our selves wholy to the fulfilling thereof Wee would have him deale so with us and when we doe onely affect his favours in desire before wee come to be petitioners to him He heareth the desires of the poore Alas what benefit is the truth of our inward parts to him he desireth it for us that we may be holy and so we shall come to see the face of God for without holinesse no man shall see God I have set God alwaies before me saith David that is the way of true holinesse For comparing our selves with him we shall see our owne impurity the better Iob did so I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee therefore I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes David now in the way of repentance taketh God into his sight and considereth what hee requireth and findeth his sinne so much the greater by how much he hath failed of that which God desireth If we come not to this of our selves God sendeth his Prophets to us to tell us of it and to put it home to us as he did to his owne people For ye dissembled in your hearts when you sent mee to Almighty God saying Pray for us unto the Lord our God and according to all that the Lord our God shall say so declare unto us and we will doe it And now I have this day declared it to you but you have not obeyed the voyce of the Lord your God nor any thing for the which the Lord hath sent me unto you Now therefore know certainely that ye shall dye c. They bee great losers by it at last for they live in feare of being detected and layd open whereas he that liveth uprightly walketh boldly The righteous is bold as a Lyon And they dye damnably for when they are stript out of their borrowings and appeare naked in the sight of Gods pure eyes they have the reward of hypocrites Yet they abuse this Text who because God desireth truth in the inward parts care not how they outwardly carry themselves Some such there
have beene who because Nicodemus came to Christ by night and yet went in the common way of the Priests and Scribes in open conversation have therefore resolved that if they bee true to God and his religion in their inward parts it is no matter though they joyne with all people where they come in outward duties of the religion of the place where they live Amongst the tenants of Gods holy Tabernacle they are reckoned who speake truth in their hearts here is truth and as the heart is the feat of it so the tongue voyceth it here is but one truth in both for there is a double conformity required in speaking of truth 1 Of the speech with the minde to speake as we thinke 2 Of the minde with the thing it selfe that wee embrace truth in our minde as the thing is Saint Augustine saith it is not Davids meaning that in corde loquamur veritatem ore mendacium in heart we speake truth and lye with our mouthes Therefore David calleth such as have this truth in their inward parts such as walke uprightly and the vertue here required of us is integrity and sincerity And it is an unfained desire in the servants of God to approve themselves such as they seeme As this hath reference to God it is free from hypocrisie as to men it is voyd of guile This vertue is rewarded with grace and glory Regula signorum the rule of signes 1 The upright is sound in his conscience before God The hypocrites care is ut videatur that he seeme 2 The upright are most carefull of the Commandements of God the hypocrite is more observant of the commandements of men 3 The sincere man loves religion for it selfe the hypocrite for other ends 4 The upright hateth sinne in himselfe the hypocrite in others 5 One makes conscience of all the other but of some sinnes 6 The upright love the best and most righteous but despise the wicked the hypocrite despiseth and hateth all that are better than he 7 The care of the upright is for the greater duties of the law but the hypocrite is for Mint and Cummin Nullus in magnis magnus in minimis nothing in great things great in nothing 8 The upright is humble the hypocrite proud He that lifteth up himselfe his soule is not upright in him 9 The upright is bold as a Lyon the hypocrite flyeth nemine persequente when no man followes 10 The upright is never removed he persevereth to the end but the hypocrite is as the morning cloud and as the morning dew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his profession for a time 11 The upright joyne duties of piety and charity the hypocrite parteth them shew of religion none of charity no truth in the inward parts 2 Davids faith And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisedome 1 Here is the way found to amend all by knowing wisedome 2 Here is the seate of this knowledge and wisedome in the hidden part 3 Here is Davids confidence that God will make him know 1 Know wisedome sinne makes us fooles for all sinne is folly all sinners fooles Take heed you walke circumspectly not as fooles but as wise Can there be a greater folly then to leave the fountaine of living water and to make our selves cisternes that hold no water sinne is departing from God it is an evill heart of unbeliefe that doth so We have warning of it Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe to depart from the living God for God saith If any man draw backe my soule shall have no pleasure in him Where are we then yet are wee in the presence and within the verge of the power of God within the sight of his eye within the reach of his right hand and his right hand will soone finde out all his enemies It is Davids saying when he fled from the face and furie of his rebell sonne Absolon if God thus say I have no delight in thee here am I let him doe to me as it seemeth good unto him he must tarry by it there is no slying from his hand It is our folly then by sinne to depart from him who hath us alwaies in his sight and power 2 It is our folly to sinne and offend him to whom we must resort for all good things For in him we live move and have our being every good and perfect gift comes from him of him we have our daily bread he formed us in the wombe he tooke us thence on him wee depend from our mothers breast and if by sinne we goe away from him by repentance wee must returne to him with shame enough as she did who said I will goe and returne to my first husband for then it was better with me than now God knowes that our necessities will force us to him againe and he mendeth our pace with his rod. I will goe and returne to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seeke my face in their affliction they will seeke me early 3 It is folly to sinne and thereby to hazard the losse of those things which we affect most here such as concerne our temporall welfare for we hold the things of this world by no other tenâ—re but of his good pleasure To hazard the losse of grace here and glory hereafter for onely godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come the knowledge of wisedome doth helpe all but that is not sapientia carnis the wisedome of the flesh or saeculi hujus of this world which is carnall sensuall and divellish this is foolishnesse with God and befooleth us It is wisedome to salvation the wisedome of God it growes not in us it is infuâ—ed into us and the Apostle calleth it wisedome from above Hee describeth it by the effects which it worketh in them that have it 1 It is pure for it maketh us so the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth chast to which Saint Paul alludeth I have prepared you for an husband to present you a chast Virgin to Christ Christ is our high Priest and in the law it was ordained that the high Priest should marry a Virgin not a widow or a divorced woman or prophane or an harlot not a widow because he could not have her first love not a divorced woman because she had forsaken her first love not a prophane person because she could not yeeld him holy love not an harlot from whom hee could neither expect first honest or onely love so that if we desire to be espowsed to Christ wee must be pure able to yeeld him our first our holy our onely love and the wisedome which is from above worketh this effect 1 Puritatem scientiae the purity of science 2 Conscientiae the purity of conscience 1 Scientiae of science or knowledge against 1 Vanitie which affecteth idle and unprofitable studies 2 Selfe
opinion which advanceth heresie and schisme 3 Curiositie which doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and would know supra id quod scriptum est above that which is written 2 Conscientiae of conscience And herein I endeavour alwaies to have a cleare conscience before God and toward men This wisedome will repaire such a delinquent as David is and making him as he after desireth whiter than snow Saint Iames addeth other effects of wisedome it is peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality without hypocrisie I content me with the first and last for David having defiled his inward parts with sinne hopes for remedy from this wisedome to purge his conscience from dead workes and having trespassed in hypocrisie seeming outwardly religious yet having so much inward uncâ—eannesse he hopeth for remedy from this wisedome to remove his hypocrisie and in stead thereof to plant integrity and sincerity in him To relieve man after his fall Christ was sent who was made to us of God wisedome and he is that wisedome which in Salomons Proverbs lifteth up her voyce and offereth to instruct all the fooles of the earth in knowledge to righteousnesse I doubt not but the faith of David did here looke so farre as to this wisedome the holy sonne of God for hee saith Thou shalt make me to know wisedome 1 Thou shalt make me to know my Redeemer whose wisedome shall both open me a way out of the danger I am now in shall direct me in a course of repentance of what is past and amendment of life for the time to come For this is life eternall to know thee and him thou hast sent So we must understand David here for non est aliud nomen there is no other name there is no other wisedome in the world that can recover us from the folly and frenzie of sinne but Christ Iesus onely It is our way when we have fallen by any transgression to advise with this wisedome and to rest therein for hee that is our wisedome to shew us the right way and to guide us in it is also our righteousnesse whereby wee appeare just in the sight of God so that nothing can be laid to our charge and he is also our sanctification by which we are holy in our selves and doe so appeare before men he is also our redemption whereby wee are cleared both from the guilt of sinne and the deserved punishment therof So that in repentance we must looke unto this Iesus the author and finisher of our faith Know him for hee must beare all our iniquities and in his name onely must the horne of our salvation be exalted 2 The seate of this wisedome in the hidden part Saint Augustine readeth this otherwise occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi thou hast shewne me the secrets of thy wisedome and he hath a comfortable observation upon it The secret of Gods wisedome is his secret purpose to shew mercy to such as truely repent Great sinnes threaten great wrath many heavy judgmeÌ„ts are menaced to notorious offenders yet God revealeth to them the secrets of his wisedome when he letteth them know that he can make their crimsin and scarlet sinnes as white as wooll and snow Vpon what hope else did Niniveh repent hearing Gods peremptory judgement Niniveh destruetur Niniveh shall be destroyed the time also limited but GOD made manifest the secret of his wisedome to her But I follow our owne reading and finde the seat of this wisedome prepared in the hidden part David meaneth here the same place where he had hid his sin and that is in prosundo cordis in the depth of his heart Saint Peter calleth this seate The hid man of the heart Here David hid the word of God that he might not sinne against God And when hee resigned this secret place to lust and uncleane desires and banished this wisedome thence he fell downe right This is the place before mentioned where God desireth truth in the inward parts These are secret parts 1. To the eye and search of the world without us for that cannot ransacke and romage the conscience Some overtures may be made thereof we say ex vultu virum we know a man by his face and vultus index animi the face shewes the minde trees be knowne by their fruits our words our workes our gestures our pennes do give some testimony of the heart our company also But God hath reserved the inquisition and judicature of the heart by speciall appropriation to his owne prerogative royall Deepe is the heart of man and no man can sound it 2 This is called a secret part in respect of our selves for no man knoweth the depth of his owne heart wherein there is closely couched as you have heard a seed of unrighteousnesse our remaine of originall sinne which spawneth and issueth many transgressions yet there may be hidden there also a seed of grace which may put forth in time and bring forth fruit to life 2 Great examples of the secrecie of these parts to our selves 1 In Iudas one of the holy College of the twelve for neither was he suspected by others neither did he in himselfe discerne that seed of evill which lay long concealed in his hidden and secret part which after brought forth treason 2 Another in Saint Paul who living long a cruell enemy of the Church when Christ was once revealed in him he became both a vessell to carry pretious treasure into the Church and a patient sufferer for that truth which before he had persecuted Here is the hope of David that he shall now obtaine wisedome of God in this secret of his heart And this accomplisheth repentance when we set our inward parts to rights for the corruption of these is the generation of all kindes of sinnes Wisedome asketh this seat of us My sonne give me thy heart and if we keepe it for wisedome it is fortified against all temptations The heart of man is the little Citie and Sathan is the great king that besiegeth it and buildeth bulwarkes against it wisedome is that poore man that saveth this City and removeth yea destroyeth the enemy of it Wisedome when it doth no more but swimme in the fancy and float in the braine rather swelleth then fatteneth us but when it possesseth the heart which is the seat of affections it then commandeth all for then the eye the eare the tongue the hand be all set aworke and all those parts which were before the weapons of unrighteousnesse to commit unrighteousnesse turne their service another way to the worke of truth to please God It is the happinesse of Gods Saints to store this wisedome in this hold of the heart This is that bonus thesaurus cordis good treasure of the heart that Christ speakes of And when Salomon saith omni custodia custodicor tuum keep thy heart diligently he meaneth that we should freight it with this wisedome For our adversary besides his profest
hostility wherin he proclaims open war against the Church of God hath his secret insinuations by which he windeth himselfe into the hearts of men So he entred into the heart of Iudas and Saint Peter saith to Simon Magus Thy heart is not right in the sight of God Sathan had beene secretly working upon his heart into which he had infused some gall of bitternesse Against this Davids receipt was Absconds in corde sermonem tuum ut non peccarem contra te I have hid thy word in my heart that I might not sinne against thee When he let that word goe Sathan came in and sowed the seeds of lust Intravit mors per feâ—esâ—ras Death came in at the windowes he let it in by his eyes for no sooner did his eye looke but his heart did lust and then all his parts proved instruments of sinne and traitours to the spirit of God that was in him This setteth us a worke to furnish our secret part with wisedome for so it will be a fortification against open warre and a privy coat against a sudden stabbe of temptation This wisedome though thus secretly stored cannot be concealed but it will speake in the tongue the language of Canaan For ext of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh It will be seene in the face for the wise doe set their faces toward Ierusalem and you may see by their lookes which way they are bound all their workes and whole conversation will taste of it The greatest hinderance to good conversation to good workes and to repentance of our evill waies is the unsoundnesse and rottennesse of our secret part that is 1 Vanity in our understanding when wee busie our thoughts and exercise our wits either onely in the things which concerne this life what we shall eat what we shall drinke where with we shall be cloathed for which the heathens take care who know no God to take that care for them or when we spend our braines in impertinent disquisitions studying genealogies and intricating our thoughts in vaine questions which are not worthy our study 2 Our inward part is mortally diseassed by corruption of our will when wee live in a perpetuall pursuit of our owne desires and goe in the way that seemeth good in our owne eyes for so the strength of sinne is the law and the more we are restrained the more we strive both against the Commandement that biddeth and forbiddeth and against the word of exhortation that putteth the Commandement upon the conscience And against those good motions of the spirit of God and of his good Angels which continually labour to compose us to obedience The way to heale all this is by wisedome in this secret part for that will teach 1 For the world there is no cause to care for the Lord careth for us and for impertinent studies the word will shew us unum necessarium the one thing needfull against the vanity of minde 2 For our will this wisedome will correct it and teach it subjection to the will of God whose will is our best friend for by that we were chosen created redeemed saved fiat voluntas tua thy will be done 3 Davids faith Thou wilt make me to know The naturall man doth not perceive the things of the spirit of God neither can he They that are born sinners are born fooles darkened in their understandings and hardened in their hearts the light that is in them is darkenesse and therefore quâ—ntâ— tenebrâ— how great darknesse Therefore they must be made to know wisedome and none but God can doe it he teacheth man knowledge and David beleeveth that he will doe it Christ saith All shall be taught of God for he offereth himselfe a teacher to all Wisedome cryeth in the streets and uttereth her voyce in the high wayes and calleth the simple and ignorant to her schoole to be taught Wisedome hath many auditors few proficients many truants that come not to schoole many dull and indocile that learne little but David beleeveth two things 1 That God will teach him 2 That he will make him know our apprehensions are often more quicke to conceive wisedome then either our memories to retaine it or our affections to embrace it We are never said truely to know wisedome till wee know the want of it the giver of it the value of it and the right use of it Seneca could teach his schollars that the inquisition and posing of students in Philosophy is Non quantum in philosophia sed quantum in vita profecerint Not what profit they have received in philosophy but how much in their lives The way of furnishing us with this wisedome is 1 By the Word working upon our understandings for that giveth light to the simple 2 By the spirit stirring up our spirits and setting them aworke If any man love God he is taught of God David now repenting and returning to himselfe hath faith in the goodnesse of God that he will give him this wisedome to repaire him which sheweth that our wisedome may for a time be lost for David had it before and guided all his former waies with discretion but being overtaken with this temptation he committed folly wisedome for a time departed from him his understanding was darkened his heart was hardened sinne had possessed his inward and secret part the hid man of the heart So that he is now to learne wisedome againe and so is cast much behind hand And make him to know it in his hidden part Great comfort here is given to the true penitent for his sincere repentance removeth both sinne and punishment and quickeneth the graces of God in him so that though he stumble he cannot fall quia Dominus supponis manum because the Lord putteth under his hand his faith layeth hold upon that hand and keeps him upright VERSE 7. Purge me with hysope and I shall be cleane wash mee and I shall be whiter than snow 3. HE returneth againe to supplications and he hath many suits to God 1 For his purgation from the pollution of his sinne Verse 7. 2 For comfort against his sinnes and the punishment of them Verse 8. 3 For pardon of them Verse 9. 4 For newnesse of life Verse 10. 5 For a constant course of the grace and favour of God Verse 11. 12. 13. 6 For particular pardon of his last great sinne Verse 14. 7 For ability to performe the service of Gods holy worship Verse 15. 16. 17. 1 For purgation from sinne hee doubleth his request here as in an important businesse dearely concerning him for 1 He findeth himselfe so foule with his sinnes as he needeth washing and purging and he needeth Gods washing 2 To shew yet his pollution more he presseth to bee washt with hysope 3 To shew what innocency and purity he affecteth he first desireth to be made cleane he resumeth the suit and expresseth his desires in full measure he would be whiter than snow 1 His importunity to be washt
and purged doth seeme to declare in him 1 A Conscience sensible of his pollution and weary of it 2 Aâ—ervency of spirit breathing importunity with God in strong cryes and supplications to remove the annoyance of it 1 A conscience throughly touched with sense and remorse of his sinne for he hath beene earnest with God already in this Psalme before for this and hath begd of God to blot out his iniquities that they might not remaine upon record against him to wash him throughly and cleanse him from his sinne and now he reneweth and re-enforceth his petition to the same purpose The reason I conceive to be because he hath now beene deepe in the confession of his sinne and in contemplation of the holinesse and purity of God and of that integrity which he exacteth of us For if our thoughts could be at leiâ—are to thinke effectually of these things we should apply our desires more to the servcie of God and to the declining of evill wee should finde our sinnes sit blushing in our faces and bleeding in our wounded consciences The tendernesse of the heart would yearne at any offence done to him from whom we receive so much good and the terrour of his power who is able to doe us so much hurt and the shame of requiting him unthankfully who hath declared so much patience in our aberrations would worke upon us to love and feare and seeke him with all our hearts Now we may see in David an holy wearinesse of his evill wayes we may feele sinne a burthen oppressing him we may see it a pollution annoying him no rest in his bones because of his sinne Wee may also discerne some present effect of that wisedome which God had taught him which beginneth at the feare of God to eschew evill and doe good 2 Note the fervency of his spirit in this importunity of his strong supplications He that feeleth want of any thing good for him will not be said nay The unjust Iudge that feareth neither God nor man shall have no rest till he doe his poore petitioner justice The Disciples cannot still nor drive away the poore woman that petitioneth Christ for her distressed daughter The diseased of all sorts did pursue Christ for remedy The paralitique is let downe through the roofe of the house to be presented to Christ This teacheth us fervency in prayer for the fervent prayer of the just prevaileth with God It is the Apostles precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore he must be washt and purged till he may be cleane and he must be of Gods washing for who else can finde out all the secret conveiances of sinne who but he can sound the heart and search it to the bottome none but he can purge this temple of our bodies and whip out the defilers of it and make a denne of theeves an house of prayer againe 2 Yet more to shew his pollution he desireth to bee washt with hysope wherein he hath respect to the ceremoniall purgation used in the Law for the cleansing of a Leper Sinne is a leprosie and as the leprosie was purged with hysope dipt in bloud so must sinne bee purged with the sprinckling of bloud But the first mention that I reade of the use of hysope doth interpret this suit of David best for in the institution of the Passeover in the land of Egypt they were commanded to kill a Lambe and it is said And ye shall take a bunch of hysope and dip it in a bason in the bloud and ye shall strike on the upper dore post and on the two side posts with the bloud that is in the bason This sprinckling of bloud with a bunch of hysope was a type of the bloud of the Lambe without spot Christ Iesus used for 1 Purgation to remove the pollution of sinne 2 For propitiation to remove the punishment of sinne to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses and to establish safety there against all euill Saint Peter directeth his Epistle to the Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit and sprinckling of the bloud of Iesus Christ for if the bloud of Bulles and Goates and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe to God without spot Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God so that we may say of David in this Petition that hee is now come To Jesus the mediatour of the new Covenant and to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel Saint Augustine and Saint Gregory doe referre this Petition to the humility of Christ in his passion whereby wee are purged Surely Dauid had respect onely to the bloud of Christ for his purification from sinne for all the lotions and purgings of the old law did looke that way and were representations and types of that full purgation which was to be accomplished by the bloud of Iesus Christ for though temporava iatasunt the times are changed yet fides una faith is one and the same But give me leave to search somewhat deeper into this mystery for Davids last confession was of his originall sinne And this Petition following it so close calleth to my remembrance a Law of purgation of uncleannesse mentioned with hysope dipt in water to sprinckle the tent the vessels and the persons of such as were uncleane which I conceive to be a type of our Christian Baptisme which Christ instituted as a remedy against originall sinne and which the Apostle calleth the Laver of our new birth Cardinall Bellarmine was before me in this meditation Aperit unum ex occultis mysteriis divine sapientiâ— quòd videlicet tempore novi testamenti aspergendi essent homines aqua munda in Baptisme He opens one of the hidden mysteries of divine wisedome that in the time of the new Testament men were to be sprinckled with pure water in Baptisme Both wayes the bloud of Christ is the liquor of our purification and David so many yeares before the fulnesse of time in which he came actually to performe the worke of our redemption by the saerifice of his bloud did by faith apprehend both this remedy and the full effect of it for it was ever the way of our cleannesse since the fall of Adam and therefore Christ is called agnus occisus ab origine mundi the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world The grace of the holy Ghost inwardly purging the conscience from sinne by the application of the bloud of Christ was not perceptible by the sense and reason of man Therefore it pleased God in the law to relieve their weakenesse with externall types figures and representations Sacraments of strong signification to make these things more demonstrable The body of these is Christ and it is his onely bloud by which we are washed from
all sinne both originall and actuall A Sacrament of that purgation wee have in Baptisme which we receive once for all our life though it bee not barely the externall act that cleanseth us but the answer of a good conscience to God To this is added another Sacrament of nutrition by which we are invited to a spirituall feast of the body and bloud of Christ To which our preparation must be a putting on of holinesse But as Iehoshus the high Priest was first stripped out of his filthy raiment and then had cleane cloathes put on So must wee lay aside the old man corrupt with the deceiveable lusts of the flesh before we can be renewed in the spirit of our minde and put on the new man in righteousnesse and holinesse I herefore for our better preparation to this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ let me commend to you the holy example of David Let us beginne at a search and survey of our hearts for sinne even so deepe as our birth-sinne and originall uncleannesse Let us compare what we are in our inward parts with that which God desireth and the folly that possesseth us with the wisedome which God will give us if we aske it of him then shall we see what favour God hath done us in his holy Sacrament to offer us the benefit of his passion and the sprinkling of his bloud to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses This full example tendreth us all the ingredients in an holy preparation for Gods Table 1 Knowledge both of our disease and the remedy of it 2 Repentance of our sinnes as being sensible of the burthen and wearie of the annoyance of them 3 Faith depending upon God both for his tender mercies to pardon them and for his holy wisedome to prevent our relapsing after repentance into them 4 Charity to our brethren for David after promiseth to teach sinners and to direct them in good waies God can wash without hysope he can teach without the word he can cleanse without Baptisine he can nourish without the Lords Supper But having ordained outward types and signes and Sacraments and meanes for our purgation and nutrition David teacheth us hereto 5 To adde prayer to God not onely for the spirituall grace but for the outward meanes also Teach me by thy word wash me with thine hysope feed me with thy Supper So ought we to pray with David for the power of grace in the outward ordinance of God And that is the way to sanctifie our selves both to the Word and to the Sacrament There is nothing that doth more ineffectuate this blessed Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ to the receivers thereof then their uncleannesse for Pearles are not to be cast unto Swine And we must wash our hands in innocency before we compasse his altar Those corruptions which are within us in our heart are they that doe defile us for out of the heart proceed murthers adulteries drunkennesse strife and envying and these things pollute us These aske a great deale of hysope to sprinckle us with bloud to drench and steepe us in to fetch out the deep steines which they have made in our consciences These removed or our endeavour done to remove them wee may eate of this bread and drinke of this wine that he hath prepared 3 In resumption of this Petition we still see how weary David is of his filthinesse how ambitious of a purification For being yet in the stench and deformity and foulenesse of his sinnes he beleeveth that if he might be of Gods washing he should be whiter than snow Saint Paul biddethus desire the best gifts In things concerning this life wee have no warrant to desire above a competency Agur the wise sonne of Iakeh hath left us his prayer and it is part of our Canonicall Scripture Give me not riches give me not poverty feed mee with food convenient for me Christ hath limited our prayer for daily bread that is the necessaries of this life The Apostle biddeth if we have food and raiment to be therwith content but in the spirituall and eternall favours of God a greedinesse an ambition a covetousnes for the most and best highest of them doth best of all Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse There be degrees and measures of spirituall graces there be divers quantities of them As in the dye of sinne some are crimsin some scarlet so in the wash of repentance some attain to the whitenesse of wooll some of snow As David in the judging of himselfe findeth none so uncleane as he is so in his desire of purging he affecteth the whitest innocency They that have truely tasted the heavenly gift of holinesse here and the joyes of the life to come desire the uttermost of both and we cannot overdoe in coverousnesse of the one or ambition of the other But how doth David promise himselfe this whitenesse above snow Saint Augustine answereth that this innocency is but begun here it commeth not to any perfection in this life but his faith apprehendeth the complement of it hereafter 2 We may conceive in these sicuts these comparisons the fullest measure of innocency that wee are capable of here and hereafter 3 Or we may comfort our selves in dignatione divina in Gods approvement in whose gratious acceptation wee appeare so white because he accepteth us who calleth things that are not as if they were Or we may extend it to the full effect of the bloud of Christ which maketh a perfect work of our purification VERSE 8. Make mee to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce 2. HE prayeth for comfort against the terror of his conscience for his sin wherein 1 We have his griefe his bones broken 2 His suit fac me andire c. Make me to heare 1 In his griefe consider 1 The affliction it selfe bones broken 2 The author hereof Thou 2 In his Petition observe 1 Where he seeketh remedy of God 2 In what way by prayer 3 What is his suit to heare joy c. 4 What effect ut ossa gaudeant that the bones may rejoyce 1 His griefe therein 2 Of his affliction ossa confracta the bones broken This is a figurative speech whereby extreame affliction is often in Scripture expressed Sathan to God of Job Touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face It was Iobs complaint My bones were pierced in me in the night season David useth often to complaine of his bones as there is no rest in my bones because of my sinne his meaning is that the vexation of his conscience for his sinne is as painefull to him as the breaking of his bones How are we deceived in the temptation to sinne in the pleasute of sinne when we drinke it downe like water and hide it under our tongue if ever wee come to repentance of it it will be bitternesse in
the latter end it will not be a luxation of our bones putting them out of joynt but a breaking literally this must not be understood of the breaking of bones neither the contrary spoken also by David Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him our of them all He keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken for wee know that not onely alive but dead the bones of the Lords servants have beene violated their dead bones lye scattered like chippes of wood at the mouth of the grave By bones the strength of the body the inward strength and vigour of the soule is meant And the conscience of sinne and the terrour of judgement doth breake the heart of a true penitent so long as he beholdeth his sinne deserving his death his judge ready to pronounce the sentence of it hell open to receive him for it and the evill Angels Gods executioners at hand to hurry him to it Here is extremity of anguish even anima doloris dolor animae the soule of sorrow the sorrow of the soule enough to make a man goe weeping all the day long I beseech you lay this example to heart David that walked with an upright heart and the holy Ghost hath testified him unblameable save onely in this matter of Vriah the Hittite Yet see how he afflicteth himselfe for all his other transgressions which were not laid to his charge his conscience forgiveth him nothing No question but David had many infirmities and many other aberrations some upon record yet they were all by his repentance and the favour of God past over yet they upbrayd him now all of them come upon him like a breach of waters with so fierce irruption and so deluging inundation that they steepe him in deepe waters and cover him all over with affliction The reason is as in sinne the fault he that breaketh the least Commandement and repaireth not himselfe by repentance is guilty of the whole law so in transgressions he that repenteth of all the sinnes he hath done and hath his pardon under seale by the next offence is lyable to all the evidence againe of his former sinnes he cancelleth and forfeiteth his pardon for pardon ever bindeth to good behaviour This breakes the bones of David to have all this weight upon him 2 The author of this Thou hast broken God in favour to his children doth afflict them for sinne and the very phrase of breaking his bones though it expresse extremity of misery and paine yet it hath hope in it for broken bones by acunning hand may be set againe and returne to their former use and strength so that a conscience distrest for sinnes is not out of hope yet upon that hope no wise man will adventure upon sinne saying though I am wounded yet I may be healed againe though I am broken I may be repaired for let him consider 1 Who breakes his bones Thou he that made us our bones and put them in their severall places and tyed them together with ligaments and covered them with flesh he that keepeth all our bones from breaking it must be a great matter that must move him to breake the bones of any of us The God of all consolation that comforteth us in all our distresses when he commeth to distresse us this makes affliction weigh heavy It was Iobs vexation The arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God doe set themselves in array against mee He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth mee with bitternesse What greater sorrow can be then to have God in opposition 2 The paine of the affliction exprest so feelingly in the breaking of bones which as is said is the anguish of the soule for sinne and feare of the consuming fire of Gods wrath and the tempest as Iob cals it of anger 3. The paine of setting these bones againe for though bones dislocate may be put in joynt and though bones broken may be set againe yet this is not done without paine and great extremity to the Patient Repentance setteth all our broken pained bones it recovereth the soule from the anguish thereof but hee that once feeleth the smart of a true repentance will say the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season are as hard a bargaine as ever he made and as deare bought they cost teares which are sanguis vulner aticordis the bloud of a wounded heart they cost sighes and grones which cannot be exprest they cost watching fasting taming of the body to bring it in subjection even to the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof Therefore let no man adventure his bones in hope of setting them againe But how did God breake the bones of David here 1 Outwardly by his word sent in the ministerie of Nathan the Prophet for the word and voyce of God is a two edged sword This was all the strength by which Jeremie was sent forth by God on that great businesse over nations and over kingdomes to root out to pull downe and to destroy and to throw downe Behold I have put my words in thy mouth This is the sword of the spirit and though our doctrine drop as the raine gently and easily if we drinke it in and become fruitfull by it yet when our sinnes doe overgrow we shall finde it a sharpe Conlter to rend the fallow grounds of our hearts we shall finde it a rod of iron to breake our soules in pieces and this word runneth very swiftly it is gladius versatilis a sword that turneth every way 2 But it is a dead letter and draweth no bloud till it come to the conscience for so long as it beateth the eare and ayre onely and worketh no further than the understanding there is no great cumber with it as wee see in those who daily heare their swearing and drunkennesse reproved in the house of God and threatned with losse and deprivation of the kingdome of God it worketh not upon them but when Nathan comes home to their consciences tu es homo thou art the man God hath sent mee to thee to charge thee with this sinne and to tell thee hee is angry and is whetting his sword to cut thee off for it this breaketh and shattereth the bones and though our publike ministery doe not descend to such particulars as tu es homo thou art the man and our private reproofes are subject to ill constructiou yet a plaine dealing death bed will roare it in our eares of our inward man Tu es homo thou art the man thou hast lived a blasphemer of the name of God a glutton a drunkard c. This fils the soules of many dying persons with so much bitternesse that when the sorrowes of death are upon them and the judgement of their whole life in sight the conscience of their sinnes doth make their soules much sicker then their bodies One of
such way to blot our misdeeds out of Gods booke of remembrance as this to publish our owne faults and our repentance of them as David here doth From the whole petition we gather one substance of request which is that God would forgive him all his sinnes which petition is grounded upon an Article of faith the tenth in our Apostles Creed Forgivenesse of sinnes It is also the fifth Petition in the Lords Prayer dimitte nobis debita nostra Forgive us our trespasses David saith Credidi proptereà locâ—tâ—â— sum I beleeved and therefore I spake If we beleeve the Article we may move God in the Petition It is as great an honour to God to be a forgiver as to be a giver Amongst our selves we know that it is one of the hardest taskes of our religion to forgive an injurie Our hearts rise against them that doe it our bloud boyles our countenance falleth it is much more easie to winne us to give gifts to our brethren then to forgive injuries yet we are never out of that Petition to God and in our daily prayer as we aske bread for the day so we aske forgivenesse because our soule needeth pardon as much as our body needeth food I may say much more for wee may goe in the strength of one meale some houres but there is no moment of our life which doth not need to cry God mercy and to aske his pardon for our sinne The necessitie whereof is such that our Saviour taketh advantage of it to establish our charity to our brethren that way That wee might begge no pardon for our selves but with a Sicut â—os dimittimus As we forgive The phrases used in Scripture in petition of Gods pardon are much varied Christ biddeth us say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put them away which Isay doth render thus Thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe Micah is more full in this expressure He will turne again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sinnes into the depths of the sea This David doth call washing cleansing purging hiding Gods face from them and blotting out All meete in one full point of gratious pardon for all these phrases desire an absolute totall and finall remove of our sinnes both from the displeasure of God and from both the annoyance and the punishment of our selves And we can have no peace in our conscience till we be comfortably perswaded hereof Sinnes are called debts Agree with thine adversarie for feare of the Prison thou shalt not come out thence till thou hast paid the utmost farthing blessed is the man whose unrighteousnesse is forgiven I his text teacheth that we must strive and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contend with God by our prayers for the forgivenes of our sinnes Observe the contents of the Lords Prayer in which would all our lawfull petitions are cast and by which modell the whole building of our supplications is erected The three first Petitions respect the glory of God The latter regardeth our good in two things 1 In our esse our being Give us bread that is let us live we pray for supportation of our being 2 Our bene esse our well being and that consisteth in these three things mainly 1 In the pardon of our sinnes past Et dimitte and forgive 2 In the prevention of temptations to come et ne nos inducas and leade us not 3 In deliverance from punishment and from the power of Sathan Which three Petitions have respect to our sinne so important is our suit for pardon that Christ beginnes our bene esse well being at dimitte forgive Doe but observe your selves how importunate you are with God for ease and health when you are sicke your mouth is full of miserere mei Deus have mercy on mee O God You call upon all that visite you to comfort you with their prayers you send to Church to crave ayde of the congregation you give God no rest How is it that in your sinnes the mortall diseases of your soules you are not thus earnest with God for his pardon which is the onely physicke for a diseased soule David saith God healeth all our infirmities and he sheweth how hee pardoneth all our sinnes therefore the way of cure in all griefes of the body is to heale the soule first so David Sana animam meam c. Heale my soule c. How came it sicke quia peccavi contrate because I have sinned against thee Christ usually in his cures began his healing there fili dimittuntur tibi peccata tua sonne thy sinnes are forgiven thee But the reason why we are so importunate for our body so slight and negligent for our soule is this wee feele the aking and smart the convulsions and crampes the cold shakings the fiery inflammations the trembling palsies the griping and grating collickes and other afflicting diseases which cruciate the body we are not so sensible of the spirituall disease of sinne till we come to remove it by repentance then all other griefes fall short of the griefe of sinne that is a breaking of the bones as before it is exprest Surely if I were limited to one petition and no more for my selfe I would choose this before any Dele omnes iniquitates meas blot out all mine iniquities for there is nothing can be ill with him that hath no iniquity to answer for his soule shall dwell at ease I therefore presse the doctrinall example of David Let us never leave begging of God the pardon of our sinne I will not streine my selfe to multiply reasons of this doctrine that were to follow the new fashion of preaching for we also are at our fashions One maine reason hereof may serve There is nothing so much displeaseth God nothing so much endangereth this life and that which is to come as sinne This I thinke no man will refuse to put for granted Then I say there is no way to be found out of this danger of our sinne but by Gods pardon Come to the Court of justice the law condemneth us Cursed is every one that confirmeth not all the words of the law to doe them Come to the judgement of most voyces all the people shall say Amen for who will blesse where God curseth Come to the Court of Conscience our owne heart condemneth and smiteth us for our sinne is ever before us What have poore sinners then to say for themselves why death should not be the wages of sinne The fault is capitall here is no escape from the justice of the Law but by the Kings gratious pardon In our Ecclesiasticall Courts we have power in the discretion of the Iudge in causes criminall commutare poenam to change the punishment to let offendors buy out a shame of publique disgrace with some pecuniary mulct to be employed in pios usus in religious uses If in causes capitall there have beene Commutatio paenae change of punishment and
that the purse hath saved the life yet that is but the price of intercession But the Kings pardon onely saveth life It is so in the state of our soules sinne is a capitall fault and the wages of it death and no way of escape from this just judgement but by Gods gratious and free pardon We cannot purchase a mediation at any rate to availe us without true and unfained repentance and then we have but one Mediatour to the Father and he must purchase our pardon with his bloud he must be wounded for our transgressions and we must be healed by his stripes and hee must dye for us that we may live in and by him Let Papists seeke heaven by their righteousnesse at their owne perill For my selfe I am so farre from trusting to any merits of our owne workes that I dare resolve that if the salvation of all mankinde had beene put to the plunge that Sodome was at with the other Cities to finde tenne righteous from Adam to the last man that shall stand upon the earth all mankinde must have perished for want of tenne such I dare adventure further in resolution that if the bringing one good worke before God done in all the generations of men performed without any tast or taint of sinne might save all mankinde I except none but Iesus Christ I doe beleeve that he that searched Jerusalem with candle and lanterne even his seven eyes which tunne to and fro through the whole earth cannot finde out one such good and perfect worke the caske distasteth the liquour who is he that doth good and sinneth not who doth good and sinneth not in the very good he hath done To make a worke perfectly holy is one thing to make it meritorious is another If no good work we doe can come from us holy it is not possible it should aske wages Our corruption of nature sprinckles every word worke and thought of ours with some graines more or lesse of our old Adam for as we consist of flesh and spirit ever conflicting there is of both in all we are or have it cannot bee otherwise for the imaginations of the thoughts of our heart are onely evill continually and from that neast these birds doe flye Adultery Fornication Strife c. But if wee could doe any worke holy and pure â—â—oâ—n blame yet there goeth more to it then holinesse to make it meritorious 1 It is required that we be able to doe it of our selves for no thankes to us for any good we doe if he land us the faculties and abilities of doing it 2 It is required that hee which deserveth should doe something for the benefit of him of whom he deserveth but our well-doing extendeth not to God 3 It is required that hee which meriteth doe his good worke out of his owne free will ex mero motu non ex debito meerely by his owne mooving not as of due debt For what we doe of duty we pay we doe not give 4 It is required that the reward bee proportionable to the worke for else whatsoever is more is gift not wages They that wrought all day deserved their penny they that came late had more gift then wages eternall life is too much reward for any service wee doe This putteth workes of supererogation quite out of countenance to name them is to shame them Micah 6. 6. Where withall shall I come before the Lord burnt offerings Calves of a yeare old Will the Lord bee pleased with thousands of rammes or with tenne thousand rivers of oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgressions the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee c. To doe justly to love mercy to walke humbly before thy God The way of repentance and crying God mercy is the way of humility we cannot pay our debt we cannot buy out our fault we have nothing to give our plea is miserere have mercy we can finde no way out of our sinnes but by Gods gratious and free pardon This is not so easie a favour obtained as many thinke for suppose the pardon were obtained and sealed for God have mercy yet there is no moment of our life in which we doe not forfeit it and therefore we must renew it continually When you pray say Pater noster dimitte nobis Our Father forgive us and semper orate pray alwayes Be sure to renew your pardon by repentance and prayer continually especially at such times when we come to the house of God to the Table of God now wash us throughly O Lord now O Lord have mercy upon us now purge us with hysope now hide thy face from our sinnes and blot on t all our iniquities Now make us heare joy and gladnesse which thou impartest to us in the Sacrament of thy sons passion Our Church service is holily accommodated to this for we beginne at the words wherein God maketh us heare of joy and we humble our selves to God in a contrite deploration of our sins O Lord heare us from heaven and when thou hearest shew mercy VERSE 10. Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me 4. HE prayeth for newnesse of life Here also he doubleth his petition and changeth the phrase 1 For his heart the seat of his affections 2 For the holy Ghost to sanctifie him throughout in his body soule and minde In the first observe 1 His suit is for the heart 2 He desireth that cleane 3 He wisheth it so by creation In the second 1 His suit is for the spirit 2 He would have that right 3 He would have it by renovation 1 For the heart there breed adulteries murthers and all other sinnes as Christ hath taught us and that was the neast of all his sinnes The message of God by Nathan descended into the secrets of his heart there he hid the word he saith before Thou requirest truth in the inward parts he found his heart no fit habitation for truth as it was It is our chiefest care to looke to the heart because Christ asketh that of us for himselfe My sonne give me thy heart The Church of the Iewes in tender care for the Church of the Gentiles complaineth We have a little sister and she hath no breasts what shall we doe for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for that is how shall wee doe for her when Christ shall be speake her for a Spouse for himselfe That should be our care every one for his heart wee have a foule and uncleane heart what shall we doe for it or how shall we answer when Christ saith My sonne give me thy heart Our care therefore must be for it to prepare it so that we may neither be ashamed nor afraid when Christ calleth for it to present him with it Here Salomon adviseth well Keep thy heart above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life This heart of ours hath many
fall againe for they that are led by the spirit of God are the sonnes of God therefore David petitioneth God here for a constant spirit such as may give him wisedome to resent a temptation and holinesse to hate it faith to resist and fortitude to overcome it 3 He desireth it by way of renovation the Apostles counsell is but be you transformed by the renewing of your minde Little or no externall difference doth appeare for the time betweene one elect and a reprobate David being guilty to himselfe of this desertion desireth the stirring up of the gift of the holy Ghost and renewing of the power thereof within him Vide ordinem primò cor munduns secundò spiritum rectum requirit prius enim omnis à corde vitiorum foeditas eliminanda est ut omne quod agitur aut dicitur expurae intentionis origine emanet consider the order first he desireth a cleane heart secondly a right spirit For first the foulenesse of sinne is to be taken from the heart that whatsoever is done or spoken may flow from the fountaine of a pure intention for the holy Ghost will not dwell in an uncleane heart but when wee have purged our consciences from dead workes he saith Here will I dwell for ever for I have a delight herein There be two faculties in the soule of man first understanding secondly will The understanding in a regenerate man may be darkened for a time and he falling into sinne may be beside himselfe for sinne is a kinde of madnesse the worst kinde It is said of the prodigall in his great famine reversus ad se returning to himselfe he said Ibo ad patremmeum I will goe to my Father The will may be corrupted by a strong temptation and so way made for the perpetration of sinne Sometimes the understanding breakes forth like lightening and discerneth the fault to convince the will of sinne This wee call the conscience which is awaked of purpose to detect and chide our sinfull aberrations But when God hath sufficiently expressed to us our weakenesse and pâ—one disposition to evill and his owne long suffering and patience he stirreth up his gift in us or in Saint Pauls phrase he revealeth Iesus Christ in us and this we call renewing of the spirit this cleareth our understanding and reformeth our will and mends all The petitions of David for holinesse of life thus opened 1 We observe the manner how David desireth to be repaired being by sinne so ruined 1 In his understanding in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisedome for repentance must beginne in intellectu recto in the understanding rightly informed this is our light and if we walke without this wee know not whither we goe The haughty policy of Rome to keep her children darke doth hinder both the finding of the good way and the going on in it so our ingression and progression both hindered we seek heaven darkelings God hath sent wisedome abroad to utter her voyce to call an audience to instruct men in the waies of life to escape the pathes of death Christ is made to us of God wisedome 2 He desireth of God the pardon of his sinnes which is no other but justification before him This is the washing and purging and blotting out of iniquities by him desired for wisedome to know our sinnes without justification by faith which apprehendeth the pardon of them were the broad way to despaire but being justified by faith we have peace with God and peace also in our owne consciences Christ is made unto us justification David leaves not here but 3 He desireth in this text the spirit of sanctification by which he may be renewed to holinesse to all pleasing of God And this is Christ also made to us for whom God justifieth them he sanctifieth Some have confounded these two graces of justification and sanctification and so commedled them as if they were all one and the same grace For the clearing whereof and to declare the difference betweene them understand 1 We are sinners and by faith in Christ we are justified and so the debt of our sinne discharged this is by the inherent righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us and it is the proper worke of the second person 2 By the holy Ghost applying this righteousnesse to us we are sanctified to rewnesse of life The first saveth us from hell the second seasoneth us for heaven David therefore addeth this suit for sanctification that being cleansed throughly from sinne he may become a new creature I may abridge all our learning in the schoole of Christ to this one lesson and comprehend totum hominis the whole of man in this short compend of dutie as the Apostle doth Circumcision profiteth nothing uncircumcision hindereth nothing all that God requireth of us is that wee be new creatures leaving off and laying aside the old man and renewed in spiritu mentis in the spirit of our mindes wee are never complete penitents till we have this spirit of sanctification in some measure It is the hardest worke that is accomplished in us because our naturall corruption and the manifold temptations amongst which we live and the sensuall delight which we take in sinne doe sow our hearts all over with tares and leave no roome for better seed To root out these is one labour to proseminate grace is another yet we neglect the labour of our sanctification as if it were a worke which we could doe at a very short warning and too many doe leave it to their death beds And another impediment is that many upon some good motions of the spirit some flashes of piety and scintillations of zeale doe overweene their possession of this spirit Me thinkes if they did examine their hearts by this text here is enough in it to reveale any man to himselfe and to tell him si habeat hunc spiritum if he hath this spirit 1 Let him examine his heart and spirit within him to see if there be truth there wisedom for many faire seemings and outsides of godlinesse are put on whereby we deceive others and flatter our selves quite out of the way of salvation therefore try if all be sound and sincere within 2 Let him enquire of this heart si cor novum if it bee a new heart we may soone know that si canticum novum si novitas vitae if there be a new song if newnesse of life It is not a new dresting and trimming up of the old heart in a new fashion that will serve it must be all new and that may be discerned in our thoughts in our words in ouâ— workes and wayes for if we abhorre and forsake our former sinnes and embrace better courses this makes faith of a good change 3 If it be a constant spirit that holdeth out to the end cheerefully and unweariedly we may conclude comfortably that our old heart is gone and we have a new in place thereof VERSE 11. Cast me not
we possesse When provender pricketh us the way to checke our wantonnesse is to set us a while at a leane manger and to take from us the good which we cannot tell well how to value at the true price It was the sinne first of the Angels then of man they kept not their first estate neither were content with the joy of their creation The Angels affected to be like God in omnipotencie and became divels Man affected to be like God in his omniscience and turned sinner they lost heaven by it he Paradise When they bethought themselves it is no question but they would have beene both glad to have beene where they were and would then have beene content with it I remember Iob in his extreame affliction remembring times past and complaining in the bitternesse of his engrieved soule O that I were as in moneths past in the daies when God preserved me When his candle shined upon my head and when by his light I walked through darkenesse When I washed my steppes with butter and the rocke poured me out rivers of water It were great wisedome in us to know when we are well and keepe us so 4 This petition putteth us in comfort that though by our folly wee have provoked God to take away our joy from us in his just judgement yet it is not so lost but there is hope left of restoring it againe to us for else Davids suit were cold And truely God is so full of compassion so free from passion so open handed to give so loth to take away so ready to forgive and so easily perswaded to restore what we have forfeited into his hands by our sinne that wee may comfort our soules with hope even when our joy is gone that he will not continue long in his anger but will returne to us and visite us with his favour That is it which maketh the divels so spightfull and malitious to man so rebellious to God they have no hope nor meanes left to restore them to the joy that they have lost because they being in fulnesse of grace and intellectuall light did corrupt themselves and were their owne tempters But man being overtaken with the surprize of a sudden temptation when being good he suspected no evill fell from the obedience but not from the pitty of God he fell from the possession but not from the restitution of his joy The time of our life is called spatium poenitendi a season for us to worke our repaire A lamentable change it is that sinne hath wrought in us that man created in the image of God in holinesse and righteousnesse should now spend all the dayes of his appointed time here in recovering some measure of that joy of his creation and when he hath attained to it insome degree may lose it by sinne and be to beginue againe The way to recover it is here opened in this example repentance faith and prayer Repentance to remove sinne faith to apprehend mercy and grace prayer to obtaine these of God and to sanctifie them to us In this way David sought the recovery of the joy of his salvation 2 His suit is for confirmation Uphold mee with thy free spirit some reade spiritu principall with thy chiefe spirit as desiring a full measure of the holy Ghost so the Apostle biddeth us to desire the best gifts of all for wee shall have need of them all against our owne corruptions and the manifold temptations of Sathan But the Prophets phrase of a free spirit doth well expresse the holy Ghost which hee desireth for Christ calleth him the spirit of truth and promiseth that he shall leade us into all truth And he saith The truth shall make you free David had lived in the chaines and bonds of iniquity a long time and his repentance had recovered him againe to liberty and now he desireth to be confirmed and established in that liberty Christ directeth our prayers so for after dimitte nobis forgive us we pray ne inducas leade us not which is for confirmation that we doe no more so Such is the corruption of our nature that we have cause to feare our selves for all sinnes For what sinne hath any man committed but wee may fall into the like seeing our originall corruption yet remaining in us is the seed of all sinne and our naturall impotencie to all good disableth us to resist and the perpetuall watch that our enemie doth keepe upon us to take advantage of us doth facilitate his temptations to our hurt And we see great examples of men falling into sinnes which their hearts have abhorred to thinke of being by surprize overtaken as adulterie murther theft and such like opportunity the pandor of sinne inviting thereto And what sinne have we ever committed and be wailed and repented but we may relapse into the same and double the transgression and the anger of God thereby This petition of David doth declare that wee have no strength of our selves either to abstaine from new sinnes or to keepe us from relapse into our former sinnes without the holy Ghost whose office is 1 To shew us the right way and to put us into it 2 To underprop and support us in the same that we fall not For from our naturall propension to evill proceedeth an easie sequence of our owne corrupt inclinations and a ready harkening to Sathans subtile temptations against which we need corroboration from the spirit of God Amongst all the sinnes that defile our conscience and corrupt our manners and displease God and hazard our soules those are most dangerous which bring with them the most sensuall delight for these have a sweetnesse and lushiousnesse which maketh them for the time very tastfull and delectable and when the bitternesse of repentance is over Sathan will renew to us the remembrance of the pleasure that we had in them and there by â—â—-engage us often in the fresh persuit of them We are as little children that cannot goe alone wee need a stronger arme to carry us a loving bosome to hugge us a 〈◊〉 â—and to supportus In all these things our God relieveth us 1 For the arme of God that shoreth us up so hee promised David with whom my hand shall be established mine arme also shall strengthen him 2 God said to Moses of his Israell Carry them in thy besome as a nursing father carrieth a sucking childe unto the land that God sware to give their fathers Moses was but a figure and type of a greater and more tender shepheard of whom I say prophecied saying He shall feed his flocke like a shepheard be shall gather the Lambes with his arme he shall carry them in his bosome and shall gently leade those that are with yong 3 I taught Ephraim also to goe leading them by the armes Thus the grace of corroboration is described by which we are not left to our selves but supported in our waies therefore David saith By thee have
thing it is to live in the displeasure of God and to be deprived of the comfort of the holy Ghost He feeles how the conscience is oppressed with sinne and how wee are made to remember all our evill wayes from the first sinne We see all this in David for the filthinesse of his sinne he doth earnestly desire to be washed and washed cleane washed with hysope that he may be whiter than snow For the burthen of sinne it lay so heavy upon him that he desireth to be made to heare of joy and gladnesse for his sinne and the feare of Gods judgements had broken his bones For the departure of God from him he was so sensible of it that he prayeth the spirit of God not to depart from him For his former sinnes they all lay upon his oppressed conscience that he remembred them from his conception and birth and he saw the danger of temptations and therefore desireth the confirming spirit of God to keep him from falling into new or relapsing into old sinnes 2 A true Convert knoweth the bitternesse of true repentance he that hath kept an ill dyet and thereby lost his health and is put to it to sweate to purge to bleed to abstaine from all toothsome and pleasing eates and is kept to a dyet and enforced to live medicé miseré in physicke in misery for the time till his health be repaired such a one will give warning to others to abstaine from such things as hazard our health He can tell how deare it doth cost the purse how much it restraineth a mans liberty what paines he suffereth in his body how much his minde is disquieted in his bodily distemperatures and all to repaire what some ill dyet hath corrupted in his body So is it with the true Convert he can relate the bitternesse of repentance which is the soules physicke for sinne there is nothing in the world so smarting and a king as true repentance is In the generality of men the most presume upon this remedy they sinne on and flatter themselves that a miserere have mercy at last will set all to rights It is true that repentance doth amend all it purgeth us and restoreth us to the favour of God but they consider not the bitternesse thereof for the soules of the penitent are heavy within them even to death their eyes runne rivers of waters their throats are hoarse with roring and crying for mercy their teares are their drinke day and night they have sighes and grones which cannot be exprest The sorrowes of hell so David doth call them doe compasse them round about they call upon God and he will not heare them they doe seeke him and he will not presently be found like Mariners in a storme their cunning is gone they are at their wits end Sometimes they cry quid feci what have I done and remember all their sinnes Sathan then comes in to helpe their memory upbrayding them with those very sinnes to which he enticed them with a non est salus tiâ—i in Deo tuâ— there is no safety for thee in thy God God saith but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thee The word of God scourgeth us that when wee heare it preached and finde our owne sinnes detected and threatned we thinke the Sermon intended against us The contrary good life of others walking in good wayes reprovesth us and cryeth shame on us that we have not done as they doe that we might have had peace but especially our conscience within us is a thousand witnesses against us and is a record written within and without like Ezekiels scrowle with lamentations mourning and woe sometimes we cry like Saint Peters auditours quid faciemus what shall wee doe or as Iob quid faciam tibi what shall I doe unto thee hide our selves from God wee cannot we cannot goe out of the reach of that right hand which findeth out all his enemies excuse our selves we cannot for who can answer God one for a thousand his spirit searcheth hearts and reines nothing is hid from the eye of his jealousie He is wise to discerne holy to hate just to punish A soule thus anguished and embittered with remorse of sinne is emblemed in Prometheus his Vulture ever feeding upon the heart wretched man that I am who shall deliver me David hath many very excellent expressures of penitentiall fits which doe lively set forth the paine that true repentance doth put a man to but one amongst the rest to my opinion doth render it in the heighth of bitternesse and makes it a non ficut no such I remembred God and was troubled for what refuge hath a sinner but God and what comfort can a sorrowfull soule have but in him yet sinne is so contrary to him that a guilty soule cannot thinke upon him but as an enemy You see it in the first sinners the first thing they did after they had sinned was to flye away from the presence of God Let a true Convert tell sinners all this and see what joy they can take in sinne when it is like to cost them all this breaking of the heart confusion of face confession of mouth confession of soule A true penitent must keepe a session within himselfe he must give in evidence against himselfe his conscience must accuse him his memory must beare witnesse against him he must judge himselfe that he be not judged of the Lord he must after sentence be avenged on himselfe by a voluntary penance afflicting his soule chastening his body restraining it from pleasures humbling it with fasting wearying it with labour weakening it with watching and by all means bringing it into subjection Beloved sit downe and cast up the cost and paine of this spirituall physicke for a sinne-sicke soule and if there be any of you that hath past this course of physicke and kept you to it without shrinking or shifting from it I dare say such a one can say Nocet empta dolore voluptas Pleasure hurts that 's bought with pain and docet teaches too he will scarce eate of the forbidden fruit it is faire to the eye it is delicious in taste But it is the dearest bargaine that ever we bought a momentany short delight with many weary dayes nights of penitential remorse anguish of soule 3 None so fit as true Converts to teach transgressors the sweet benefit of reconciliation to God the comfort of the holy Ghost and the peace of conscience Such perceive the difference betweene the bondage of sinne and the freedome of the spirit They know what it is to lose the cheerfull light of Gods gratious countenance they can say that in his favour is life light and delight As their longing desire was great to come and appeare before God and as they thirsted after the full river of his pleasures so the recovery of that joy over-joyeth them When thou turnedst againe the captivity of Sion wee were like those that dreame Our mouthes
joy and gladnesse when my broken bones rejoyce c. These words doe further afford a very cleare description of repentance which is the conversion of a sinner to God Et peccatores ad te convertentur and sinners shall be converted unto thee 1 The subject wrought upon sinners 2 The worke to turne them 3 The object to which they are inclined God 4 The author of this conversion 1 The subject Sinners a very crosse unto ward piece to worke on Creation made us Saints our fall transformed us to divels and originally we are no better than the children of darkenesse blinde to all that may please God children of weakenesse unable to performe any good service to God filii irâ— ad pâ—â—am sonnes of wrath fitted for punishment so the name of sinner doth containe 1 A totall corruption of nature deserving 2 A necessary obligation ad poenam to punishment In the one there is pudor maleficii the shame of evill doing in the other is terror judicii the terror of judgement Take a sinner as he is in himselfe without grace sanctifying him and mercy pardoning him he is the vilest and unworthiest of all the creatures that God made in whom the image of God is blemished and almost utterly defaced The Angels that stand in integrity are as they were made and they doe his will who made them The celestiall bodies keepe their places and doe the service for which they are made The Sunne knowes his rising and the Moone her going down The Sunne goeth forth as a Bridegroome and as a Gyant to his race as if these heavenly bodies had reason to doe their makers will so are they guided evermore by the law of their creation The earth and the bruit creatures in their kinde follow the rule of that first law onely divels and men resist it and goe their owne waies to Gods dishonour and their owne hurt The divels in malice to God and in envy to man ever labouring to pervert the waies of God Sinners goe in their owne crooked waies yea they runne violently in them as an hot and fierce horse into the battell Such are we all naturally conceived in sinne and borne in iniquity and after drawing sinne to us with the cords of vanity For our naturall corruption first defiling us and the example of evill infecting us and the temptations of Sathan instigating us and the sweetnesse of the pleasure of sinne enticing us and the custome of sinne hardening us we become abhominable and to every good worke reprobate Miserable men that we are who shall deliver us from this body of death And that which maketh our misery most miserable is Israell doth not know My people doe not consider have ye no regard all ye that worke iniquity No they have no regard Let a man ayle any thing in his health by sicknesse or sorenesse he feeles it he complaines of it he seeketh for remedy so Ieremie My bowels my bowels I am pained at the very heart Ezec bias boile Asaes gowt make them very full of griefe Let a man ayle any thing in his estate he is very sensible the poore widow makes great moane to Elisha being in debt Helpe O Lord the King cryes the woman of Samaria in the famine thereof Onely the sinner whose soule is divested of grace habited in sinne in hazard of hell neither feeleth the want nor feareth the danger neither complaineth of what it is nor seeketh remedy David himselfe who had tasted and drunke deepe of the spirituall favours of God lyeth tenne moneths together wallowing in the mire of uncleannesse sleeping in the deep and dead sleepe of sinne and not thinking upon a recoverie A sinner during the time of his impenitencie stands suspended from the holy temple of God which is excommunicatio minor the lesser excommunication The faithfull cry Away from me ye transgressors and God himselfe hideth his face from him There is not amongst vegetables a bramble a thistle things unvalued noxious There are not amongst the animate creatures of the earth not the least of the winged flies in the ayre or the creeping wormes on earth which the unheedy foot of man or beast compoundeth with the earth it goes on but it hath more of God in it than a sinner hath during his impenitencie These are as he made them but a sinner not returning to God hath lost himselfe and Gods image in him is defaced All other creatures stand to health in their owne natures man is diseased morbus est he is all disease It is worth the noting that God corrupted not the nature of any creature to punish the sinne of man he would not lose the glory of omnia bene fecit he did make all well In wrath he remembred mercy for those creatures that are the curse of the earth brambles thistles and thornes are also of singular vertue and use for the good of man onely he used these for roddes to scourge man This it is to be a sinner and such as these was David and upon such he promiseth to worke 2 Opus convertentur the worke shall be converted This is repentance begunne for the impenitent goeth on still in his wickednesse he goeth of himselfe for we may goe downe the hill easily nostro pondere ferimur we are carried with our owne weight The faster and the further we goe in a wrong way the more we erre it is not profectus a going on but aberratio wandring All we like sheep have gone astray errabundâ— vestigia our footsteps are wandring A travailer that regardeth his way and heedeth his journey is still asking the way Therefore the Prophet alluding hereunto biddeth us from the Lord thus saith the Lord Stand upon the waies and behold and aske for the old way which is the good way and walke therein and you shall finde rest for your soules It is no losse of time noâ— hinderance to our speed to stand upon the waies to aske for the good way for they that goe out of that way finde no rest God hath left us certaine guides of our way his word and his spirit let us aske of them the way they will direct us aright Aske the Patriarkes the Prophets the Converts of all times the Sonne of God and his holy Apostles they have gone this way themselves and knew it perfectly these will say haec est via ambulate in â—â— this is the way walke ye in it turne not to the right hand nor to the left keepe on forth right for that is the way of true wisedome They that keepe the right way must take heed of turning Remember Lots wife doe not so much as looke backe but let them that either doe know they goe wrong or doubt whether they goe right stand upon the waies and behold let them looke about them and see if by their owne judgement they can direct themselves but let them not trust that too farre let them also aske for the good way for there is
God is above his law his lawes binde him not neither is his truth or justice prejudiced or any way blemished by his dispensation and indulgences and maintenance of his prerogative His revealed will holdeth in the generall but limiteth him not he will shew mercy on whom he will Neither is he bound to his owne ordained meanes of grace but he can save without them and no doubt he doth also therefore though sinne deserve hell fire yet he may forgive this punishment where he will without violence to his law which much encourageth our turning to God for though it come to a decree yet before the decree come forth it may by repentance be delayed in the very egression the childe may come to birth and no strength to bring it forth And howsoever we finde no way of salvation without the Church nor meanes of grace without Iesus Christ yet let me tell you I dare not say that all those morall heathen who lived in the light of nature onely yet by the law written in their hearts did conscionably performe that which that law did command were certainely damned I will shew you what hope may be There was a law given to Adam poena â—ors punishment death When Adam sinned hee saw nothing but death before him he had no hope of favour God had reserved an unrevealed meanes of mercy in his owne secret wisedome and will It was not a contradiction to the will revealed but a gratious dispensation to declare him all in all Now seeing it is so excellent and so beneficiall a duty to turne to the Lord consider that God hath concluded us all under sinne and that must be the lesson of us all to turne to him What then is required to a perfect conversion to God 1 A search of our hearts for sinne comparing our waies with the rule which is the law of God This is that the just man doth when he meditateth on the law of God day and night for that meditation serveth 1 For information of the judgement quomodo ambulandum how we are to walke 2 For search of our conscience quid feci what have I done 3 For full resolution quid merâ—i what have I deserved 2 Vpon this followeth percussio cordis the smiting of the heart a true sorrow and penitentiall deploration and confession of sinne for he that confesseth shall finde mercy 3 A present holy and constant reformation of life to the uttermost of our power and desire with care and feare for the future all this David here promiseth in peccatores convertentur ad te sinners shall be converted unto thee But how shall this be unto me 4 The Authour of this Here David is modest he beginneth with docebo vias I will teach thy wayes but he saith not et convertam and I will turne he will not take that upon him nor convertent se they will turne themselves he will not promise so much for them Convertentur they shall be turned it must be Gods owne worke turne us and we shall be turned Christ hath delivered us from the extreme rigour and exaction of the law and by the good favour of God it will now suffice that we labour our conversion to God using the meanes by him ordained to that purpose and cherishing in ourselves the good motions of Gods Spirit abstaining from sinne all that we can and declining the occasions thereof and when we finde our selves falling away from him to take our selves in the manner and speedily to cry God mercy for it and to be more warie hereafter by taking heed to our words and thoughts and waies that we may doe no more so If you desire to know whether you doe abide in him or not 1 Examine your selves by the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse in your selves for Christ saith He that abideth in me and I in him he bringeth forth much fruit 2 You shall know it by your zeale in prayer and the successe thereof for if you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall aske what you will and it shall be done unto you 3 By your following the example of Christ in walking as he walked for as the merit of his obedience serveth for our justification so the example of his holinesse advanceth our sanctification for he hath said discite à me learne of me he is a Doctor as Bernard saith Cujus in â—re verbum vitae cujus in more vita verbi in whose presence is the word of life in whose conversation is the life of the word His love his patience his meekenesse and humility his obedience to his father are all exemplarie and Blessed is the servant whom his Master when he commeth shall finde so doing Where we affect and endeavour this way he is assistant to us and will not faile either in the worke to ayd it or in the reward to crowne it VERSE 14. Deliver me from bloud-guiltinesse O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 6 HE supplicateth in particular for pardon of his late great sinne of bloud in the murther of Uriah 1 Orat he prayes 2 promittit promises In the petition observe 1 Quid petit libera me â— sanguine what he prayes for Deliver me from bloud 2 A quo Deus Deus salut is meae from whom he askes O God thou God of my salvation 1 Quid petit what he asketh here we are directed in our pursuit of pardon to search our consciences for sinne and to crave speciall pardon for such sinnes in particular as doe most disquiet our conscience and offend God and scandall our profession of religion abroad and grieve the Church of God at home Such was this notorious sinne of David the crying sinne of murther the murther of a loyall faithfull servant Though all sinnes are mortall yet they are not all of equall magnitude the circumstances of persons time occasion place motives and such like doe either aggravate or extenuate them This murther of Davids hath full weight a King appointed by God to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shepheard of the people to be the butcher of a subject a preserver of men to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a destroyer He on whose head God had poured his holy oyle to rent gall and wormewood to any subject to turne tyrant A Prophet of the Lord appointed to guide others in the way of life to become a plotter of death This bloudy execution done on a subject so ready to expose his life in defence of his Soveraigne so deserving honourable reward so receiving dishonourable injustice And this to revenge an honest good affection to his Master and to make way for a marriage to conceale a shamefull adulterie a former injurie done also to him in defiling his Subjects bed Some sinnes affected with strong desire and committed with sensuall delight doe charge the conscience after the glosse of their faire seeming is worne off
with great anguish and remorse that our soules grone under the heavy burthen of them These would not be foulded up in a generall confession but offered in particular and single presentation to the throne of mercy For the better satisfaction of the divine Majestie who is pleased with a broken and contrite heart as it after followeth for the better quieting of the conscience at home within us which hath no other way to exonerate itselfe but by a penitentiall and remorsefull selfe accusation and this I before taught from Davids former confession I have done this evill in thy sight as before in his confession he did particularly acknowledge this â—inne so here in his supplication for pardon he mentioneth it by name and cryes God mercy for it Some sinnes doe but hang on and these are easily shaken off but some cleave so close and sticke so fast that they aske more care and labour and paine to remove them And generally the sinnes that most please flesh and bloud doe most offend God It seemeth that David fell into the recovering of it And for some sinnes he desired onely that they might be blotted out which alludeth to the dash of a penne and soone dâ—ne But some fouled him so that they needed washing throughly Some must be washed with bysope a lather of bloud to fetch out the steines which they left in the conscience sinnes of a deepe scarlet tincture of a crimson dye There is a great difference to be put betweene our common infirmities of nature from our ordinarie temptations and some speciall sinne into which we fall by a sudden surprize of Sathan The Apostle seemeth to referre to some such sinne saying Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be prevented before he could advise wisely with the word or the spirit of God And many of us are so caught ere we were aware in sinnes which our christian and religious hearts doe abhorre Thus many that abhorre drunkennesse are sometimes in over-merry company overtaken to their great after-griefe Observe it the first example in all the Booke of God of drunkennesse was Noah whom God onely found righteous in the old world It was the first sinne that we doe reade of after the floud the world hath beene sicke of it ever since The first sinne that Lot fell into after his deliverie from Sodome in both sharpely punished for Vinegar is the daughter of Wine the end of it is sharpe In such a case when a profest sober man is so overtaken with wine when an opportunity hath corrupted any mans conscience and defiled his soule for gaine or pleasure or revenge to commit evill Let him in his suit for his pardon crave a speciall quictus est against that sinne Let him not esteeme it the lesse because he never but once committed it rather let him take dimension of the magnitude of it and the danger attending it and in especiall make his peace with God for that Here I save my selfe a labour which you reflecting your eyes upon your own hearts for disquisition and scrutiny to search if there have beene in any of you any such overtakings of sinne to seeke your peace with God for them in especiall Despise not neglect not this necessary exhortation to make use of it in time to make your peace with God for the more offensive sinnes for if you neglect them and have not the pardon of them under seale you will finde them like some ill dyet to thanke you hereafter and upbraid you Sathan knowes his seasons for it and husbands them to our greatest vexation two seasons specially I When any extraordinary trouble commeth upon us otherwise per adventure undeserved of us for some sinnes escape a present vengeance and are reserved for a future judgement as Joseyhs brethren sold him abused their father with a cunning collusion and their hearts did not once smite them for it that we reade Twenty three yeares after when the famine forced them to seeke bread in Egypt and their brother Ioseph then to them unknowne being the Vicâ—roy of Egypt received them very harsâ—ly heare the story And they said one to another we are verilâ— guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule when he besought us and we would not heare therefore is this distresse come upon us Observe the brethren of Ioseph now in trouble innocent and cleare from the crime charged upon them of comming as spies yet knowing that God never punisheth but where he findeth sin their consciences accuse them of an old sinne yet owing for to God At one time God touched all their hearts with remorse of that sinne They were all in distresse pares in poena alike in punishment and therefore they remember the transgression wherein they were pares in culpa alike in fault Observe also how they frâ—me the enditement against themselves for if all the Prophets whom God did ever send to tell the house of Jacob their sinnes had laid the inditement against them if Sathan the great accuser of the Brethren â—ad put in the information against them none of them all giving their best diligence or the worst of malice could have prest or exprest their fault to a more full accusation than the voyce of their own guilty consciences enforced it against themselves for without extenuation or excuse they plead all guilty with a strong asseveration We are verily guilty not one or more but we all we not as accessaries but all principals all we guiltie The person wronged aggravateth the fault it was not concerning a stranger in bloud or nation whom yet the communion of charity did binde to entreat justly and friendly nor concerning a countryman of ours whom the law of compatriots doth bid us â—ender nor concerning an enemy whom religion commandeth to use favourably and it is the exaltation of charity to requite his evill with goodnesse But concerning a brother one that called every one of them brother the sonne of the same Jacob the father of them all Would not this have served no they declare they aggravate and engrieve the trespasse 1 He was a brother in anguish enemies recover tendernesse and softnesse to enemies in anguish cruelty resumes humanity in distresse 2 Here was anguish of the soule amaritudo animae that is the soule of anguish for Ioseph had many vexations for them that wronged him who unthankefully requited his painefull and loving search for them to see how they did and what they wanted For their unnaturall unkindenesse to himselfe and their loving father who sent him to them for the danger he was in of his life death is fearefull 3 We saw it to heare of anguish any where moves compassion to heare of a brothers anguish akes an heart of flesh but to see it present and in the strength of the fit this were enough to soften an hard heart to thaw a froâ—en heart to melt an heart of brasse or iron A
the prayses of God with cheerfull intention 2 For himselfe Having received such a benefit hee cannot contain himselfe this new wine of spirituall joy which filleth his vessell must have a vent All passions are lowd Anger chides lowd sorrow cries lowd feare shrieks lowd and joy sings lowd So hee expresseth the vehemencie of his affection for to whom much is forgiven they love much 3 For others Iron whetteth iron examples of 〈◊〉 and devotion affect much and therfore solemne and publique Assemblies doe generally tender the best service to Gâ—â—â—â—câ—â—â—e 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—oketh another â—n◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—ong the Prophets A conâ—â—ieâ—câ—â—â—ce discharged from the burthen and annoyance of sin cannot containe it selfe O 〈◊〉 and I will will you 〈◊〉 5 Justitiam Righteousnesse Here is a Quere why 〈…〉 of the righteousnesse of God for righteousnesse is evere and punisheth according to the rigour of the Laâ—â— 1 We answer that God hath promised 〈◊〉 pardon and it is just with him to performe his promise True repentance h◠〈◊〉 had veâ—â—â—e enough against â—â—â—e to remove it Forty dayes repentance in Niniveh did 〈◊〉 from the sins of soâ—ty and many more years of sin These be the â—â—gons of wine out of Christs own Cellar the comfort that we have of Gods promise and the effect that we feele of our true and unfeined repentance 2 We may discâ—â—ne by his former petition Purgome with Bysop that he had respect to the sacrifice of Christ and the expiation by his bloud and there hee might challenge the righteousnesse of God for it is just sâ—mel punire peccatum once to punish sin it smarted in Christ c. 3 The full solution is by righteousnesse here is understood the whole comprehension of all the attributes of God for so the word is used often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So it is used often even to this purpose and for thy righteousnesse sake bring my soule out of trouble Christ lo calleth him O righteous Father The pardon of our sins setteth us in a state of innocencie which maketh the righteousnesse of God our song 6 Tuam thine We sing Gods righteousnesse not our own David had no righteousnesse of his own worth a song none of us have Our righteousnesse never came into fashion all the old testament through the best of Gods Saints have felt the want of it and complained heavily of their poverty that way Wee are well apaid that Christ is made to us of God wisdome to beleeve and know the truth and righteousnesse to justifie us in the sight of our God and sanctification to purge us in some measure from our unrighteousnesse and redemption to save us from the dominion of sin and the curse of the Law So David I will go forth in the strength of the Lord and will make mention of thy righteousnesse onely Rejoyce in the Lord yee righteous let them rejoyce whom he hath delivered whom he hath called whom he hath justified This righteousnesse of God in Christ shall stop the mouth of accusation Who shall lay any thing to the charge c. It is God that justifieth Mercy is that which provideth the remedy for our sins but righteousnesse doth exact the debt to the utmost farthing Christ is our raâ—some and then righteousnesse giveth us the reward of our faith even the salvation of our souls VERSE 15. O Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise DAvid having made a large promise in the former Verse Lingua mea cantabit my tongue shall sing bethinketh himself of his naturall impotencie to this service he addeth this petition for Gods help then reneweth his former promise In the former he professeth that his spirit is willing here he confesseth that his flesh is weak To make good his former promise hee craves aid of God here and then reneweth his promise Et os meum annunciabit c. And my mouth shall shew forth c. This Versicle the Church hath chosen to begin divine Service and hath placed it in the next place after the Confession and Absolution as David did in this Psalme for when our sins are removed by our repentance Gods pardon then not till then wee are fit for prayer and prayse The words contain 1 A Prayer 2 A promise 1 The prayer Domine labia mea c. Lord open thou my lips There is a season for all things under the Sun a time to open and a time to shut our lips David saith I will keep my mouth with a bridle I was dumbe with silence I held my peace even from good Yet here he desireth to have his lips opened but hee would have them of Gods opening not his own Hactenus os meum ego aperui ideâ— in vaniloquio peccatum contraxi nunc ui tu aperias defidero quia nihil nisiquod tu suggesâ—erisloqui concupisco I have hither to opened my mouth and therfore in vain-speaking I have sinned now I desire thee to open it for I desire to speak nothing but what thou shalt put in my mouth There is a door of utterance which none but God doth open he keepeth the key he openeth and no man shutteth he shutteth and no man openeth Saint Paul desireth the prayers of the Colossians for us that God would open to us a door of utterance to speake the mystery of Christ That I may make it manifest as I ought to speak For we cannot open this door our selves to speak as we ought to speak Saint Ambrose saith seeing God saith to the wicked Quare tu enarras c Claudit Deus os peccatoris Why dost thou preach c. hee shuts the mouth of the sinner Cujus os Deus aperit hunc peccati absolvit reatu Whose mouth God opens he frees from the guilt of sin Justos decet laudatio Prayse becommeth the upright Non est speciosa laus in ore peccatoris Prayse is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner Weigh thy words in a ballance and make a doore and bar for thy mouth The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season If unseasonable speaking to men may make anger wee have more cause to beware wee speake not to God out of time And if God open our lips we are out of that feare for as he openeth our mouthes to speak so his spirit giveth utterance Saint Gregory is very full in this point and saith illius os Deus aperit qui attendit his mouth he opens who observes 1 Quid. what 2 Quando when 3 Ubi where 4 Câ—â— loquatur to whom hee speaks 1 Quid What We must speake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in corde the truth in our hearts Our speech seasoned with sâ—lt It must tend to ediâ—ying The heart of the wise guideth his mouth wisely 2 Quandâ— When. How good is a word in due season A word spoken in season is like apples of
hee desireth pardon then hee promiseth prayse Junuens quòd illi soli possunt percipere dulcedinem laudis qui peccatorum impetraverint remissionem Implying that they alone can taste the sweetnesse of prayse who have obtained remission of sins Another note hee hath that the wicked do not prayse God ore suo with their own mouth for such as have enslaved themselves to the Devill by sin and as the Apostle saith have made their members servants of sinne they have no mouthes nor tongues nor eyes nor hands of their own We cannot call it os nostrum our mouth except we recover it from the service of Satan God is not praysed but dishonoured in such mouthes Saint Augustine observeth a good argument for discourse well chosen by David to set his tongue a worke the prayse of God here a man may begin and never want matter to magnifie the name of the Lord for his name onely his excellent and his prayse is above heaven and earth Saint Augustine applâ—eth this text to the present occasion and nameth three favours shewed to David all well deserving this prayse 1 Quia ut confiterer monitus sum Because I am admonished to confesse my sin 2 Quia peccaâ—s non derelictus sum Because sinning I am not forsaken 3 Quia ut securus essem mundatus sum Because I am clensed that I may be secure These are all worthy of our prayse of God all our life 's through 4 Saint Augustine saith of God Nec melior est si laudaveris nec deterior si vituperaveris He is neither better if thou prayse him nor worse if thou disprayse him He is so selâ—sufficient as nothing can be added to him to make him greater nothing can be abated to make him lesse then he is Justos decet laudatio Prayse becomes the upright it becometh us well and it exerciseth our love and duty and zeale and inciteth others by our example to give the Lord the honour due to his name Origen and Ambrose both observe that the onely way to magnifie and prayse the name of the Lord iâ— to renew his image in us by repentance and good life in holinesse and righteousnesse before him for so he may appear greater in us though he cannot be made greater by us for hee is Optimus Maximus the Best and the Greatest So Augustine Quimaledicit domino ipse minuitur qui benedicit ipse augetur Hee that speakes evill of the Lord he himselfe is diminished hee that blesseth him is himselfe increased The more wee prayse him the more we grow from grace to grace How can we employ our tongues better then in speaking his prayse by whom we speak The Creeple that was repaired by the ministery of Peter and John leaping up stood and walked and entred with them into the Temple walking and leaping and praysing God Then are the favours of God sowne in good ground when they come up again in prayse and thanksgiving This is an heavenly negotiation the importation of Gods mercies and blessings the exportation of Gods due prayses and our hearty thanks-givings Annunciabit shall shew forth is another note for so David professeth I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart I have declared thy faithfulnesse and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindnes and thy truth from the great Congregation David was a publike person both sicut Rex as a King sicut Propheta as a Prophet and he had given publike offence to the Church by his sin to the State by defiling his Land with bloud and killing a faithfull servant of State hee had cause to declare the prayse of God openly for his pardon and reconciliation The heart is the secret temple of Gods prayse but zeale and devotion if it be sincere cannot contain it selfe So David My heart was hote within me while I was musing the fire burned then spake I with my tongue A good man hath bonum thesaurum cordis a good treasure of his heart and from thence profert bona he bringeth forth good things he doth not alwayes hide them there that I may speake wisely that I may speake heartily that I may speake seasonably that I may speake openly of thy prayse Domine labia mea aperias Lord open thou my lips Laudemtuam thy prayse not meam mine Cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherin is hee to be praysed Great persons are unhappy in that they have too many flatterers to prayse them beyond measure which breeds that disease of greatnesse which is called tumor cordis the swelling of the heart Let them be never so faulty they shall be praysed whilest they live for feare or flattery David teacheth all the Church here and very often in his Psalmes where to bestow prayse even upon God where there can be no feare of over-doing Yet we justly prayse David the holy Ghost doth so saying that he served the Lord and walked before him recto corde with an upright heart Save onely herein Wee prayse his open confession his humiliation his deprecation his supplication his full repentance For our selves if wee look about us well wee shall see great cause to prayse the name of the Lord. But if wee look well into our selves we shall discern a great unfitnesse and weaknesse in us to do it If thy soule would prayse the Lord forget not all his benefits Recount with thy selfe what he hath done for the Church for the State in which thou livest for thy self in thy own person in thy parents in thy children in thy soule in thy body in temporall in eternall favours corporall and spirituall When thou hast cast up the account of thy debts and seest how much prayse is due to God how unable thou art to pay this debt here is thy remedy Domine labia nostra aperies Lord open thou my lips c. This in my text affordeth one note more for this fitting of us to Gods service exacteth of us performance of duty If God open our lips our mouthes must shew forth his prayse Else we shall prove ill husbands of Gods spirituall talent There is no such spirituall thriving in the graces of God as by a present employing using of them Apeâ—ies thou shalt open annunciabit it shal shew forth Lose no time here is no full point at Domine labâ—a mea aperies Lord open thou my lips the promise treadeth on the heel of the prayer and the mouth must no sooner be opened but the prayse of God must be presently declared Wee are in haste with God when we want any thing O Lord make no long tarrying Do as thou wouldest be done to when the clock is wound up the wheels are presently in motion to make the clock strike We have every day fresh matter of prayse to open our mouthes Let the hearts therefore of them rejoyce that feare the Lord Rumpantur ilia Codrâ— With envy thrice accurst Let
it I would give it thee to perswade you to hold nothing you have too precious or deare for God Superstition might over-do in the menaging this principle but true judgement and truth it selfe have established it When the willing hearts of the people brought more then was needfull to the Sanctuary of God curious superstition could have found vent for it all in costly adornments Moses in wisdome set a non plus to their offerings There is a satis an enough in them also And though our willing mindes would tender the whole heap to the service of God our well guided wisdome will remember what is holy and what is comely 2 Gods distaste of this kind of service non desideras non delectaris thou desirest not thou art not delighted with You may demand how this may be Seeing there is so expresse Commandement in the Ceremoniall Law for sacrifices Scriptures require wise Readers else they may be perverted to the Readers destruction as the Apostle saith 1 Then we answer that all the negative propositions in Scripture are not to be understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their full and peremptory sense Some do include a comparative relation and do intimate the manner and measure of the thing denied Let no man thinke that David doth contradict the expresse law of sacrifices that were to walke contrary to God yea David were contrary to himself if he should absolutely and in peremptory sense deny Gods requiring or his performing sacrifices to God For we all know that David lived in a time wherin sacrifices were in season and himself concludeth this Psalme after this manner thus saying Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousnesse with burnt offering and whole burnt offering then shall they offer bullocks upon thin◠altar Therfore the words of my text are not true in a peremptory but a qualified sense Wee must take heed that we do not set Scripture against Scripture there is no strife of tongus in Gods tabernacle When God saith I will have mercy and not sacrifice he doth not peremptorily deny sacrifice but hee sheweth which of these two do best please him Both but rather mercy then sacrifice For sacrifices be oblations alien◠carnis of anothers flesh but mercy is an oblation nostri cordis of our own heart Therfore Christ saith Go and learn what that means For we must notpress the letter but the meaning of the H. Ghost in that saying So in the words following I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance he came to call the righteous such as were already setled his and to confirm them and to make their calling more effectuall but his chiefe businesse was to call sinners to conversion So when wisdome saith Receive my instruction and not silver he doth not interdict the use and receit of silver but desireth that we should rather give our hearts desires to affect wisdome then riches The following words cleer it and knowledg rather then choice gold and so Christ saith When thou makest a dinner or supper call not thy friends nor thy brethren neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbours but the poore the maime◠the lame the blind Christ directly forbiddeth not the invitation of our friends we have many examples in Scripture to the contrary but he directeth hospitality to the exercise of mercy So Saint Paul He sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospell He doth not directly deny his mission to that for it is his commission Ite praedicate baptizantes Go and preach baptizing And he did not transgresse his instructions when he baptized Crispus and Gaius and the houshold of Stephanas But the chief use of his ministery was preaching the Gospell These examples cleere my text that sacrifice and offerings by fire were not peremptorily refused by God from David but that these outward services which might be performed by Hypocrites were no amends for Davids great and provoking sinne there was somewhat else rather to be done which God would accept better which is set down in the next Verse And we must apply our selves to such srevice as will best please our God 2 Let us consider David as a Prophet of the Lord and this Psalme published for the perpetuall use of the Church and so it hath regard rather to that kinde of service which should ever continue in the Church then to the Ceremonies of the present Law which in Christ should end And so we may say in peremptory sense that God desired not delighted not in sacrifice And referring these words to the time of the Gospel they hold in fulnesse of sense For this we have good warrant sacrifice and offering thou diddest not desire burnt offering and sin-offering hast thou not required Then said I Lo I come c. This hath propheticall reference to the time of the Gospell to the comming of Christ 4 These sacrifices offered according to the Law were the ordinance of God yet the authour saith It is not possible that the bloud of Buls Goats should take away sins 5 Wherfore when he commeth into the world he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but Corpus aptâsti mihi A body hast thou fitted for me 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifice for sin thou hast had no pleasure Then said I Lo I come He taketh away the first that hee may establish the second This cleareth the place well for the words having reference to Christ the onely true and sufficient sacrifice for sin we may say with David non desideras non delectaris thou requirest not thou art not delighted with So distingue tempora distinguish the times and all is well 3 The service of God required both an outward and inward man outward and inward acts of Religion both imposed by the Law The outward service without the inward God desired not The outward served onely to expresse the inward When the outward goeth alone God goeth beyond non desidero non delector I desire not I am not delighted to an hatred and abomination thereof as to the Jews To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me I am full c. When you come Quis requisivit Who hath required them Bring no more vain oblations incense is abomination unto me New Moons Sabbaths solemne assemblies I cannot away with it it is iniquity My soule hateth them they are a trouble to mee I am weary to beare them When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes when you pray I will not heare They that come to reconcile themselves to God for sin must not thinke that God is taken with these outward things In the first sacrifices that we read of in the Bible Cain was refused Abel was accepted For God looked not quid in manu what in the hand but qu◠corde with what heart So David must be understood here that God desired
kind of Sacrifices God would rather have then burnt Offerings This is such a sacrifice as will never be out of fashion When hee comes of whom it is written in the volume of the booke and when all the sacrificeâ— of the Ceremoniâ—â— law cease as shadows of things to come giving place to the true substance and body of them then this kinde of sacrifice will last in season and fashion to the Worlds end This is the sacrifice which God accepteâ—â— in and for it selfe Such as the Apostle calleth of I beseeth you brethren by the 〈◊〉 of God 〈…〉 your 〈◊〉 a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service Consider here 1 The matter and substance of this Sacrifice a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart 2 The necessity of this sacrifice enforced from hence it is the sacrifice of God 3 The acceptation here of with God O God thou wilt not despise 1 Of the matter 1 Here is a double subject 1 The spirit 2 The heart 2 Here heare the work which must be wrought upon this subject 1 Breaking a broken spirit 2 Conâ—â—ition a broken and contrite heart 1 The Spirit 1 By the spirit it sometimes is meant in Scripture the holy Ghost in the regenerate man wherby he is sanctified in some measure This Spirit was in Christ in plenitudine in fulnesse and herewith he sanctified himselfe for our skes Of this Saint Iohn speaketh when he saith God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him 2 Sometimes the name of spirit is given to the breath of man So God breathed into Adam the breath of life 3 Sometime it is taken for the reasonable soul of man which actuateth and animaâ—eth the body and man thereby is anima vivens a living foule spiritus revertitur ad Deum qui dedit The spirit returns to God that gave it 4 Somtime â—â— is taken for the intellectuall part of man which we call the minde So the Apostle For what â—â—n knoweth the things of man save the spirit of â—â—in that is â—n him So I take it here This is the understanding and discuâ—sâ—ve power in man wherby hee comprehendeth the knowledge of things This spirit of it self is not capable of divine knowledge that is supernaturall Animal is hoâ—â— non percipiâ— quâ— sunt Dei nâ—que potest the naturall man understandeth noâ— the things of God neither can â—e For they are spiritually discerned that â—â— by the help of a nobleâ— and more excellent spirit then his is even the Spirit of God These divine mysteries are foolishnesse to the spirit of man For this spirit judgeth by sense and naturall reason and is blinde to behold things invisble which are the object of a regenerate mans spirit The eye of the naturall spirit seeth things present onely the eye of the spirit regenerate videt futura sees things to come 2 The heart The heart is the proper seat of our affections there dwell our hope and joy and love and desire our griefe and feare c. It is the saurus cordis the treasure of the hart if it do hold good things it is bonus the saurus a good treasure if it be the nest wherin Concupiscence hatcheth heâ— yong Then out of the heart come adulteries murthers c. The name of heart is often in Scripture extended to both these both understanding and affections here they be distinguished to make sure worke that both of them may be wrought upon in the oblation of this sacrifice So the name of spirit doth include the whole inward man yet it is here named single in his more peculiar sense Examples we have of both 1 Of the heart God saith The imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth Where hee understandeth not onely projections casting about but desires wishing and purposes resolving this or thaâ—â— wherin the whole inward man is contained 2 For the spirit so Malachie Therefore take heed to your spirit where the whole inward man is meant The subject then of this passion is the whole man for the passions of the spirit and heart do afflict the body and make a sacrifice of that also to God So here is nothing of man left out Sicut delictum it â— pâ—â—itenâ—iâ— As there is a fault so there must be repentance where the fault stained repentance â—â—â—st wash God loveth not unrighteousnesse neither shall any evil dwell with him from iniquitâ—â— cordis the iniquity of the heart to iniquitâ—â— calcanâ—i the iniquitie of the heele 2 How this subject must â—e wrought upon Here are two words used 1 To the spirit breaking 2 To the heart breaking and contrition 1 Of breaking The word signifieth such a breaking as commeth of smiting which lameth and maketh the body unable to performe the offices thereof Or such as threshing which quasheth and breaketh the straw 2 Contrition That is a word of more force and betokeneth grinding These words are used to expresse the mortification of the inward man David spake before of Gods breaking his bones which is used to declare 1 The inward vexation of the soule for sin and feare of the indignation of God due for it 2 The outward afflictions which God doth put upon sinners to bring them to repentance Gods breaking of us thus is not enough to make us a sacrifice to God We must also thresh and smite and grinde our owne spirits and hearts by a serious and unfeined and full repentance and then our spirit and our heart is a sacrifice acceptable to God 1 For the breaking of the spirit that is performed when wee take away by strong hand our intellectuall powers and faculties from all impertinent and vain speculations and studies when wee bestow them all in the search of that excellent knowledge of Christ crucified who is our way to heaven So the Apostle esteemed to know nothing else 1 Knowledge puffeth up it is windy and swelling in many This bladder must be prickt and such as over-ween their knowledge must be taught to know that they yet know nothing sicut opâ—rtet as they ought Augustine amongst the hereticks in his time notorious nameth the Gâ—ostiâ—i who took upon them singular knowledge The wise sonne of Iâ—kâ—h did not finde this in himselfe for he said Surely I am more bruâ—ish then any man and have not the understanding of a man I neither 〈◊〉 wisdome nor have the knowledge of the holy If wee cannot be sensible of our defect this way but will needs over-esteeme our knowledge the Prophet thresheth and breaketh such spirits with this universall elogie Every man is brutish by his knowledge when God looked down from heaven he found non est intelligent there is none that understandeth Wisdome had much adoe shee called for audience in the street on house-tops much and lowd shee cried for audience Yet they that think they know som what more then their neighbours exalt themselves This spirit must be broken â—in us The Devils
the voice of them that weep Their whole bodies and mindes and soules are living sacrifices holy unto God and therefore acceptable for so it followeth God will not despise them Here ariseth a Quaere Now wee have seene the excellency and necessity of these sacrifices What hindereth that wee doe not offer them up to God continually We do bear about us a body of sin and in it these hinderances of this excellent and holy service 1 An over-bold presumption of the favour and remisnesse of God in putting us to this pain 2 An over-delight in our works of darknesse and the forbidden pleasures of life 3 A naturall slothfulnesse in doing such things as carry with them painfulnesse in the doing of them 4 A naturall tendernesse of our selves whereby wee do favour our own flesh and cannot put it to griefe 5 The cares of life I Presumption on the favour of God to us We think the word more severe and the killing letter of it more cutting then it need to be and the minister of this word more harsh then is cause We confesse that for terrour these things are set down and the Ministers must threaten us with heavy judgement if our hearts be not broken But it is God who is veiled in the parable of that Master to whom his servant deep in his debt came and besought him for favour and hee forgave him all the debt So we confesse that this sacrifice of broken hearts is a due debt but our Master is so gracious and pitifull to forgive it all There be many fair spoken texts that seem to nourish this presumption in us As a father hath compassion of his children so hath the Lord compassion but it is on them that fear him not on them that presume on him And the parable of that father of the prodigall who did not so much as chide his unthrifty son but met him afarre off fell on his neck welcomed him with a kisse and feasted and clothed him doth expresse a great tendernesse But let no man presume upon that for that sonne came home with a broken hart Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee Non sumdignus vocari fac me unum ex mercenariis tuis I am not worthy to be called and make me one of thy hyred servants His father was sensible of his contrition hee was lost by his sin and found in his repentance he was dead by the wound of his own conscience and made alive by his fathers favourable pardon receiving him againe to his grace And the servant to whom his master forgave all his debt was put to his miserere have mercy his master saw his heart broken with the grief of his debt and heard his willing protestation to pay all and received his humble supplication for mercie God is a loving Father but not indulgent he loveth not so but that he chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom hee receiveth for â—ods are for the backs of fools Iudgment beginneth at the house of God and the righteous are hardly saved Saint Peter would put any man out of heart to presume too much upon the favour of God for by three great examples he declareth the severe justice of God against sin For if God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of darknesse to be reserved unto judgment And spared not the old world bringing in the floud upon the world of the ungodly â—urning the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished 2. Peter 2. 4. Presumption doth make an Idole of God for it advanceth the mercy of God against his holinesse which hateth sinne against his truth which threatneth sinne against his justice which punisheth sinne Presumption crucifieth againe the Lord Iesus and layeth on more stripes upon him Presumption resisteth grieveth quencheth the holy Ghost by whom wee are sealed to the day of Redemption and so boldly trespasseth the whole Trinity I need not urge any other evidence against presumption on the favour of God then his severity against his own Son Misit dedit non pepercit non fuit dolor sicut He sent he gave he spared him not there was no sorrow like unto his And was this to quite us from all passion No if wee suffer with him wee shall also reigne with him hee did not drinke of a sponge of vineger and gall Transeat calix Let this cup passe from me Hee began the health of his Spouse the Church all the faithfull must doe him right they owe him a pledge Some are put to it to suffer for him none are exempt from suffering with him This is the least and easiest plunge wee can be put to to break our hearts with contrition for our own sins ò mihi tum quà m molliter ossa quiescent ô then my bones shall take their sweet repose When I can tender to my God a broken heart no laceration no dissipation of it can so unfashion it but that he can put it together again like the dry bones in Ezech. Vision and say unto it live In our mortification it dieth a naturall heart in our first resurrection it riseth againe a spirituall heart I conclude with Davids suite O keepe thy servant from presumptuous sins that they have no dominion over me so shall I be innocent from the great offence 2 A second impediment to the sacrifice of a broken heart is an over-delight that we take in the vain pleasures of life God was pleased to make a singular triall of two men in two contrary wayes for example of others 1 Hee made tryall of his servant Job by afflictions they came upon him suddenly and they came thick In all the things wherin he had blessed Job above most men he afflicted him beyond example In his honor autority he tryed him with disgrace and contempt In a fair posterity he tried him with orbitie In his abundance of riches he tryed him with poverty In his friends with paucity he had few left and they proved grievous to him In his health he afflicted his body with painfull and lothsome diseases and sores Yet you have heard of the patience of Job saith the Apostle hee came off faire In all this Iob sinned not neither did hee charge God foolishly 2 His servant Solomon he tryed with honour riches and power with victory over his enemies and the cup of temporall pleasures of life he made to over-flow never did any man on earth drinke so deep of that cup. In this tryall Solomon miscarried pleasures stole away his heart Solomon lost his integrity his wisdome wherin he excelled all that were before him was benighted in him the salt in him was infatuate Such power have worldly pleasures against wisdome See his Ecclesiastes
shall make way into the favour of God Gods people lost their costs and labour in their Sacrifices and solemne worship of God and nausâ—ated the soule of God with them because of their iniquities These returne our prayers empty handed from God yea these do turn our prayers into sin When the Prodigall sonne returneth penitent to his father all is for given and forgotten and his father now rejoyceth more in him then he did before He was al rags he needed not to aske raiment his father called for it stolam primaÌ„ the best robe he came home hungry hee demaÌ„ded not food his ambition was but bread the fat Calf was killed for him he was received with musique and dancing The bent of the Parable and the other two of the lost sheep and the lost groat is to shew that repentance putteth us into a better state of favour then we had before For where sinne aboundeth grace doth superabound I may give two reasons of it I Here God taketh occasion to open the bowels of his tender compassion and to declare his mercy which is over all his works 2 True Repentance is an act of so much anguish and bitternesse it is for the time a frying in the flames of hell that no man would have the heart to undergoe the torments of it if he did not by the cleere eye of faith looke beyond it to the joy and comfort of Gods recovered favour The point teacheth its own use for if we would have any audience with God for our selves or our brethren we must first present God with a Sacrifice of contrite and broken hearts and then God will meet us upon our way to him and prevent us with his free favours Surely goodnesse and mercie shall follow us all the dayes of our life There is no service to the service of the King The Lord is our King of old let it be our glory and our fence that we are the servants of the living God All Gods enemies will be daunted at the sight of us and the feare of us will be upon all the Nations of the World And as all Nations feared the face of Israel because God had led them through the Red Sea and given them victory all the way c. So will they say Let us flie from the face of this people Is not this the Nation that under the Rule of a Virgin Queen expelled superstitious Religion out of their Land That to a people that sate in darknesse and in the shadow of death a great light shined even the cleer light of the holy Gospel Is not this the state against which so many damnable treasons were plotted under a Womans government and all were by the singular favour of God happily but wondrously defeated Is not this the Nation for whom God himselfe fought against Sisera and Iabin the winds and the Seas fought against the supposed invincible Armado of Spain nothing more verifying the prediction Octogâ—simus octavus mirabilis annus 1558 a yeer which wonder at we might Is not this the Nation whom God preserved from the powder treason the bloudiest the closest stratageme that ever was contrived and ripened even to the season of dismall execution All these favours wee have had our many crying sins have lost us this glory this defence our repentance may yet recover our God to us and restore us to his favour and replant us in our former strength Nothing but repentance can call us again the servants of the living God and that were our safety There is a certaine Majesty and power in the faces of Gods servants to daunt the courage of Gods enemies when God pleaseth to have it so It was a bold resolution of Iaddus but suggested by Almighty God in a dreame When Alexander set on toward Ierusalem to conquer it and all his people followed him with expectation of all that force and fury could worke against their City Iaddus the high Priest and all the Priests of the Lord came forth to meete him in their Sacerdotall Vestments followed by the people in white garments The chiefe Priest carrying the name of God on his Mitre Alexander durst not lift up his hand against that name hee fell downe and worshipped it The reverence of the servants of the living God awed him and softened him to such good respect as caused all hostilitie to cease and produced gracious favours from him For God can make them that leaâ— his children captive to pittie them This state we may gain by Repentance and being the knowne servants of the living God the feare of us will be upon all the Nations of the earth This shall be a greater safety to us then our Armes and Fortifications then our Walls of stone ashoare of wood at Sea It is the voice of joy in the tabernacles of the righteous The Lord of hosts is with us the God of Iacob is our refuge We have a sure word for it For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his eares are open to their prayers but the face of God is against them that do evill And who is he that will harme you if ye be followers of that that is good 2 Observe his prayer here is for the Church for wee must enquire why he addresseth his prayer next after his Repentance for the state of the Church I conceive the reason this David being an eminent person a mighty King and an holy Prophet had by his great sinne done wrong to the state of the Church of God and therefore after his peace made with God by repentance he pleadeth the cause of the Church with God by petition Sin generally is of a contagious nature the first sin brought a curse upon the whole earth And Hagge hath told us that the sinne of the Iewes in their neglect of building Gods House did bring upon their land barrennesse unfruitfulnesse upon their trees their wages did not prosper for the works of their hands nothing thrived with them But especially the wickednesse of their Kings did ever bring great evill upon the Church and Common-wealth Rehoboams sin rent the Kingdome and lost the Church ten Tribes at once and divided the State into two Kingdomes The Kings of Israel and of Iudah were the ruine of their Kingdomes And Davids sin crimsoned his house with bloud The pollution of Thamar the death of Amnon the Rebellion of Absolon as these were the great sorrows of David s they were the disquiet and vexation of the whole State and these were the effects and fruits of Davids sinne Therefore David doth well to repaire the ruines of Sion by his prayers to solicite the peace of the Church which his sin had so much endangered In the later end of his Reigne hee displeased God in the numbring of his people and the whole Kingdome suffered for it God sent â— pestilence amongst the people which in three dayes consumed of that great number threescore and ten thousand plectuntur
idlenesse 2 By their dishonesty and falshood 3 By their waste 4 By their unthankfulnesse To settle the heart against this distraction of cares 1 Thinke how these cares came first in â— for God placed man in a Paradise in full possession of all things necessarie for him sinne shut him out thence and lodged him where Luctus ultrices posuere cubilia curae Sorrow and care residents are Let us labour by repentance to remove sinne and cares will give way presently 2 Let us see how farre by the sentence of the Iudge upon man our â—â—re is extended We shall finde that the tartnesse and acrimonie of the sentence is sweetned with a blessing for in judgement God remembreth mercie The sentence is In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eate bread till thou returne to the ground Here is 1 In sudore in sweat this sweat that cometh of labour and exercise is wholsome and preserveth health labour is now enjoyned Qui non laborat ne manducet He that labours not let him not eate This is no such great affliction for we can be well content to sweat at our pleasures 2 In sudore Faciei in the sweat of thy face he saith not In angore cordis in sorrow of thy heart Omni custodia custodi cortuum With all keeping keepe thy heart Mi fili praebe mihâ— cor My son give me thy heart Christ ne turbetur cor vestrum let not your heart be troubled 3 Vescêris thou shalt be fed if we go not further A small matter may serve for food Nature is no great demander here is no gluttonous waste allowed 4 Pane with bread this is all we may aske of God Panem nostrum Our bread And no further should our care streine then the necessaries of life and no other way then in the way of our calling 5 Donec untill for we shall not be alwayes drudges to the flesh we have our donec untill and then all the cares of life determine They that will studie and labour for bread for posteritie may overdoe Fathers are allowed to lav up for their children but let them take heed they cast them more upon Gods providence then their owne provisions for them lest God blow upon them You may observe it that commonly such as rise to wealth from low beginnings are commonly most carefull to heape up for their children None trust God lesse then they and no estates are sooner blasted then theirs God never intended when he placed us in the world to make us for the world he set our face a better way Many have found the cares of this world such hinderances to repentance of sinnes such encreasers rather of sinne such remora's to godly life that they have freely abandoned the world and embraced a necessitous poverty rather then they would teare themselves with these thornes 3 The acceptation of this sacrifice with God O God thou wilt not despise There are none more despised in the world amongst the braves and gallants of the earth then those who go mourning all the day long for their sinnes But O God thou wilt not despise such How many great adulteries murthers and soule sinnes have beene committed by Kings and great persons But what say the books of time or what can our observation of our time testifie of broken and contrite hearts for them Our comfort is if grace do so farre prevaile against corrupt nature to sanctifie it to true repentance God will accept it we shall do well to see some examples of broken hearts and how they have beene accepted with God 1 Of Solomon who after his surfeit of all temporall pleasures made a whole booke of recantation and repentance wherein he calleth all those pleasures of life which had carried him away from God Vanitie and Vexation of spirit vanitie of vanities and concluded that the end of all things is to feare God and keep his Commandments How God accepted him we need no other proofe then that book of the Preacher received into the Canon of holy Scripture 2 Of Manasseh king of Judah for his sinnes were high growne and like an harvest of corne yellow for the sickle of divine vengeance He did evill in the sight of the Lord like to the abhominations of the heathen What his Father Hezechiah had done to remove idolatry he undid built up againe the abhominations which he had ruined He made his children passe through the fire he used witchcraft erected an Idoll in Gods house wrought much evill in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger A greater sinner I read not of theÌ„ Manasseh was And when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his Fathers and prayed unto him and he was entreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him againe to Jerusalem where he brought forth fruits worthy of Repentance For he fortified the City of God he removed the Idols which he had set up and he repaired the Altar of the Lord and offered peace-offerings thereon 3 Of Mary Magdaleno the sinner whose broken and contrite heart had comfort in the pardon of her sinnes and Christs first appearance to her 4 Of the poore Publicane who came his owne accuâ—er into the Temple and went away justified more then the proud Pharisee 5 Of Simon Peter upon whom Christ looked and that looke sent him forth to weepe bitterly And his Master forgave him and imployed him in his Church Such is the unlimited loving-kindnesse of God to broken hearts For Christ was sent of purpose to binde up the broken-hearted The Apostle saith that there is breadth and length depth and height in the love of God 1 For breadth The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. 2 For length His mercie is for them that feare him from generation to generation 3 For depth Where sinne aboundeth grace superaboundeth 4 For height Thy mercies are exalted above the heavens 1 In breadth like the garment of Sem and Japhet which covered their Fathers nakednesse 2 In length like the ladder of Jacob whose foot on earth whose top reached heaven 3 In depth like the Red-sea which swallowed Pharaoh and his hosts 4 In height like the ascension of Christ into heaven seene till a cloud involved him For our God is gentle milde and gracious and passeth by offences Let Jacob repent and he seeth no iniquitie in him Gods pardon healeth broken hearts for it removeth sinne In those dayes saith the Lord the iniquitie of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sinnes of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Sinners converted joy him how welcome was the Prodigall to his Father he had not so much as a chiding for all his loosenesse and waste There is joy in heaven over every convert David hath done for himselfe here he endeth his suit for himselfe By this