saluation onely belongs to the Lord let vs runne to him and seeke it at his hands who is onely able to performe and bring it to vs. Seeke it not at Saints but at the King of Saints In thee doe I trust There is described the powerfull instrument apprehending Gods mercies euen faith adorned with his chiefe quality Constancy crowneth all our vertuâ—â— constancy for all the day signifieth as much as continually for there is no vertue in man which can be responsable to God if it be not ioyned with constancie Ye must wait patiently beleeue confidently seeke knocke aske hold vp your hands without fainting strengthen your weake hands and feeble knees Gen. 32 2â— He abode with Iacob the heat of the day and the cold of the morning and shrinked not till the Lord came at last and we must abide to the end of the day of our life Many begin in the morning of their youth to seeke God who forsake him in the euening of their age The day hath a morning a noone and an euening-tide so hath our age a youth a middle age and a declining time blessed is he that perseuers to the end and till his later breath constantly depends on God and leaues him not for certainly that man shall haue the crowne of eternall glory VERSE 6. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies and thy louing kindnesse for they haue beene for euer IN the preceding words Dauid first prayed that God would deliuer him from shame and contempt next that hee woud teach him his wayes Doct. No assurance of the remission of sin till God put his law in our hearts and now he desires that God would haue mercy vpon him and pardon him his sinnes Marke by this his order in prayer how first hee desires that God would teach him his law and then that he would put away his sinne for we can neuer get assurance of the remission of our sinnes till God put his law in our heart After these dayes saith the Lord by Ieremy I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall teath no more euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying Know ye the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them sayes the Lord. For I will forgiue them their iniquity and remember their sinnes no more Which the Apostle to the Hebrewes reciteth word by word Doctr. Knowledge of sinne comes before remission of sinne For God first by his word and Spirit workes in the mind of a sinner a light and sight of his sinnes and in his heart a sorrow for it and then he putteth it away and forgiues it Therefore let vs try what sight and sense of sin the word of God hath wrought in vs that we haue a certificate to our conscience of the remission thereof Ps 107.20 He sendeth his word and healeth them He sent Nathan to Dauid and then pardoned him In these two verses he thrice repeateth the word remember not that there is any memory or forgetfulnesse in God as in man for time makes man to forget but God changeth no time absence makes vs forget but all things are present to him memory hath a seat in mans braine which being perturbed it fayles God is all memory But he is said to remember or forget How God is said to remember Gen. 8.1 and 19.29 Gen. 30.22 1 Sam. 1.19 when by visible tokens of doing he sheweth his fauour or displeasure to man As he remembred Noah when the flood diminished Abraham when he saued Lot and brought him out from Sodome Rachel when he made her conceiue and Anna when he granted vnto her her petition Thy tender mercies and louing kindnesse First he craues at God that he would remembe his mercies which is the first thing wee should seeke at God for if we get it as said Iacob wee get all things Gen. 33.11 Mercy against merit And hereby it is clearly seene that hee disclaimes all merits for albeit he fought the Lords battells gouerned his people by the word and sword in executing iustice prayed and praised God continually fasted and bestowed almes on the Saints Psal 16.2 Vse Of confutation of the Papists merits yet he confesseth they cannot extend to God which refureth and damneth the foolish Papists who pretend merits but commit murthers and adulteries and yet with open mouth they cry merits merits Hee amplifieth Gods mercies by three names mercies benignities goodnesse benignity twice repeated see how highly hee doth esteeme of Gods goodnesse when hee cannot finde termes sufficiently to expresse them A liuely representation of the Trinity But these three liuely represent vnto vs the Trinity the Father the fountaine of goodnesse yea goodnesse it selfe the Sonne mercie supplying our misery the holy Spirit benignity and bountifulnesse gratiously working and bestowing these things which the Father and Sonne giue The goodnesse of God is the fountaine begetting mercy and mercy bringeth forth benignity Let vs learne by this that whateuer commeth to vs must either come out of the fountaine of Gods mercy or else it is a curse not a benignity but a malignity Many say Who will shew vs any good thing Psal 4.6 but Dauid sayes Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance on me We should imitate the three properties of the Trinity These three properries of the Trinity all Christians should imitate the goodnesse of the Father the mercy of the Sonne and the bountifulnesse of the Spirit that in so doing they may haue society with the Father Son and Spirit I know thee to be a good man because thou art not cruell but mercifull I know thee to be mercifull in that thy hand is bountifull thou giues and distributes to the poore Psal 112.9 thy righteousnesse endureth for euer The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rachamim signifieth bowels which are the seats and places of the fatherly and motherly loue and therefore the children are called parentum viscera the bowels of the parents which phrase the Apostle writing to Philemon both in the 12. and 20. verse expoundeth spiritually Thou therefore receiue him that is mine owne bowels and in the 20. verse Comfort my bowels in the Lord. Esay 49.19 Can a mother forget her child c. yet the Lord cannot forget Israel Ps 103.13 And as the Father pitties his children so the Lord hath pitty on those that feare him So we see hereby how deare and neere we are to Gods very heart that we haue a place in his innermost affections Infinit miseries haue need of infinit mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 Gods mercies are eternall But when hee speakes of mercies and benignities he speakes in the plurall number because as our sinnes and miseries are infinit so we haue need of infinit comforts and pardons he is called the father of mercies For they
beginning of this Psalme And as farre as hee expresseth his corruption by aggrauating it by such degrees so farre hee doth shew forth his griefe for it and his sinceritie in repentance not hiding but acknowledging and confessing it that as the venom of sinne infected him so he labours to expell it and make no conditions of peace with it to discouer it to quit himselfe of it as his deadly enemie with whom hee will make no paction but make his complaint to God that hee is wearied of it But this seemeth strange that hee sayth hee made his sinne knowne to the Lord How man makes sin knowne to God to whom nothing is vnknowne for hee who foreknew we should sinne before we were can hee be ignorant of our sinne when wee doe it This is spoken after the manner of men So we are bidden shew our necessities to God not that hee is ignorant thereof but that he may prouide for them Psal 37. Gen 7.18 Gen 22. Deut. 13. Psal 26. And God is sayd to come downe and see the affaires of man So God sees mens doings with a most acurat and sharpe eye But he is sayd to know these sinnes which are explicat by vs when we confesse them vnto him that thereby we may be the more moued So God willeth not this for his sake but for our cause for this commemoration of our sinnes sharpeneth our prayers maketh vs more ready to prayer by our confession wee shew no new thing to God but we testifie we know that whereof wee were ignorant before Whence knowledge of sinne proceedeth A man learneth a great lesson if he learne to know his owne sinnes I know mine iniquitie sayth David This knowledge commeth by the law therefore we had neede to haue the law euer before our eyes as a mirrour in which if we looke it will perfectly let vs see all that wee haue done The great miserie which lyeth vpon this world is that they know not their sinne and therefore they cannot acknowledge it wherefore let vs beg from our gratious God that wee may see our sinne and talke with it that we may also finde grace after our acknowledgment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cognitum feci I made knowne Hee addeth another degree of his true repētance it was without hypocrisie for hee hid it not nor vsed any subterfuges colours excuses extenuations denyals or other shifts which the Deuill teacheth men to vse to preiudge them of mercie hee quiteth himselfe of all these and this is the second preparation to grace when men not onely come to a sight and acknowledgement of their sinnes but with all growes to a resolution that they will be content to deale with God so sincerelie that they will not hide their sin any more but they will be the greatest censurers of themselues Concerning the hidding and couering of our sinnes Note I spake in the beginning of the Psalme all wayes let vs assure our selues of this that while we obscure our selues we will neuer deale truely with God For I thought or said purposed and resolued to confesse heartily my sinne Doctr. A Christian resolution necessarie to repentance Luk 15. Exod 9.27 1 Sam 15. Gen 4.13 The same phrase the forlorne Sonne vsed I said I will goe home to my father which Christian resolution is necessary to repentance for otherwise men at starts and brads will now and then repent and haue feeling of their sinne confesse as Pharoah Saul Caine but it indureth not because they wanted a resolution Therefore let vs haue our meditations of our sinnes and resolutions to amend our liues for all the rest as lightenings will flie away as soone as they come a wise man doth his businesse aduisedly but a foole bableth forth what he knoweth not Therefore Salomon said and resolued Pro 15.8 The Sacrifice of Fooles is abomination to the Lord. Then I pray you be wise and resolue to doe well I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord. See now how he is not ashamed to confesse his sinne and breake out in an open Proclamation of the same For his knowledge of sinne banished his Hypocrisie that hee would not hide it and the last point of his resolution is to confesse it to God and the Prophet Nathan By this yee may clearely perceiue the degrees by which God worketh grace in a christian The degrees by which God worketh grace and the Diuell indurance in finnes as by the contrary the Deuill worketh induration in sinne For first the Deuill blinds man that hee should not see his sinne next hee teacheth him to couer his sinne and finally neuer to confesse his sinne But God by the contrary bringeth a man to the sight of sin to a discouering of sinne and last to a free confession of the same This confession of sinne is an vnfained profession to leaue it off Doctr. True repentance is voluntary It is not extorted as the confession of Caine who being punished with the furie of conscience said his burthen was greater then hee was able to beare Gen 4.13 neither of Iudas who also confessed he had slaine the innocent blood Mat 27.4 neither through extremitie of paine with Adonibezek professing he was iustly recompenced with that measure Iudg 1.7 wherewith hee had met others seuenty kings were vnder my table their thumbs and toes cut off as I haue done the Lord hath done to me Ionah 3.8 Neither with the Ninivites for feare of the present iudgement at the word of Ionas neither with Achab for the same cause 1 King 21.27 But Dauids confession commeth from an vnfained remorse and griefe for his sinnes and confidence in Gods mercies as being truly moued and hauing a sense and feeling of his owne miserie A man who hides his sinne as yee heard before will not prosper Pro 13.28.13 wherefore let our confession be simple and as we were not ashamed to sinne let vs not be ashamed to confesse out sinne When we haue sinned let vs not hide them as our first Parents hid themselues vnder bushes after they had sinned Gen 3.7.8 neither let vs make clothes of figge-tree-leafes to couer them as they did neither excuse our selues as they did but simplie confesse our sinne that we may be absolued if yee come before an earthlie Tribunall and confesse yee file your selues but before the heauenly tribunall your confession will absolue you Vnto the Lord. Against thee I haue sinned For what causes we should make confession to God therefore to thee onely I confesse and indeed great reason haue we so to doe For God onely knowes all our sinnes Secondly Hee is onely able to pardon them Lastly He is a secret confessor he will not preiudge our confessions and send word of them to the Pope or reueale them to our disgrace to the world It is great reason we should confesse our sinne before God and before men also if we haue
in our hearts to the Lord Col. 3 16. reiecting vaine idolatrous and profane ballads and sing spiritually vnto the Lord. When Nathan the Prophet came to him Dauid as is thought lay a yeare almost in this sinne asleep till God wakened him by Nathan Ionah 1.6 as he did Ionas by the Pilot. It is certaine we would sleep vnto death before we awake from sinne if God did not put vpon vs Man is lying asleepe till God waken him and stirre vs vp We are so benummed by the spirit of slumber and possessed by a lethargie that all our senses are stupified till Nathan come and awake vs. Next God sends him that which he praied for euen a faithful admonisher Psal 119. One Prophet cometh to another yea a greater then himselfe 1. King 13.18 not as the old Prophet came to the yong at Bethel to deceiue him but as a father to admonish his child There should be an holy freedome and libertie among Preachers Pastors should freely rebuke the vices one of another each one should freely rebuke another when they see them doing wrong One should not winke at an other as most part do and others being reproued rage mightily saying with Zidkiah When went the Spirit of the Lord out of me to thee 1. King 22.24 Esa 30.10 They rebuke the rebuker They say to the Prophet Prophecie not Obserue moreouer that Nathan cometh first to Dauid not Dauid to Nathan the Physitian to the patient not the patient to the Physitian Christ himselfe came to the sinners and Publicans and called them to repentance This is against the pride of some Mat. 9.13 Against the pride and lazinesse of Preachers and lazinesse of others who will not come or take the paines to visit weake Christians yea will scarce admit them to their presence when they come as though they were Princes Woe to their pride who come not to the sicke and heale not the broken as saith the Prophet but feed themselues with the fat of the sheepe Let none of higher gifts despise those of lower Acts 9.17 God vseth Nathan a Prophet inferiour to Dauid both in Prophecie wisedome and other gifts to be an instrument to warne Dauid Let none then of greater gifts despise those of lesser Ananias taught Paul and here Nathan Dauid After he had gone in to Bathsheba Albeit Dauid thought he had hid himselfe well enough yet God found him out by Nathan Adam hid himselfe among the bushes but God called to him Gen. 3.8 Where art thou Let vs not then dreame that God doth not see vs and whatsoeuer starting holes we seeke to hide our selues in The woman lighteth the candle Luk. 15.4 and findeth the lost pennie and our Shepheard will seeke his lost sheepe and bring it home againe No wither can we go from the all-seeing eye of God Gone in to Bathsheba As Dauid was an example of the frailtie of mans nature and Nathan of a faithfull Preacher so Dauid setteth down what euils do come of the beautie of women which is conioyned with impudencie and leuitie For if she had not washed her selfe naked before the pallace and consented so readily to the King Against the impudency of women that he should come in to her a filthy action spoken in cleane termes as Christians should do the like there had not bin such abhominable crimes committed She representeth many women in our days shamelesly haunting such places where they may giue occasion to meÌ„ to suit after theÌ„ Gen. 38 1â— as Tamar sitting by the high way when Iudah came by This doth not disgrace honest women but rather giueth them matter to glorifie God who hath not suffered them to be deborde in their filthy affections As the wise mariner seeing others by throwing themselues in danger suffer shipwrack Simil thanketh God who kept him from the like so honest women may praise God that he hath preserued their honestie which was not in their owne hand Beautie is not to be euill thought of being a benefit and blessing of God Beautie a blessing of God if not abused but the abuse of beautie by the tentation of the diuell and deceitfulnesse of our owne nature when Satan allureth vs to dishonour God and destroy that goodly peece of workmanship which God hath made vp in vs by that which should haue bin an instrument to prouoke vs to Gods seruice Pro. 31.30 Beautie is deâ—â—â—tfull Absoloms beautie deceiued him c. Sa. 14.15 and many with him haue beautie but haue no grace to vse it well Finally I see both the persons are noted by their names and not obscured wherein the Spirit of God in his word as in a true mirror and glasse representeth euery ones naturall face either in their beautie or in their blemishes So Iohn Baptist spoke particularly to Herod Math. 14.4 and the Prophets to their Princes They closed not vp their reproofes vnder generalities that they might interprete them any way which pleased them best but called blacke blacke sowre sowre and sweete whosoeuer sin openly ought opeÌ„ly to be rebuked sweete For particular applications to eminent persons is most requisite and those that sin openly should be openly rebuked that others may stand in awe Verse 1. Haue mercie vpon me O God according to thy louing kindnesse according to the multitude of thy compassions put away mine iniquities HAue mercie vpon me O God The thing he craueth most of God is mercie for God hath many qualities which are essentiall to him but none of them could do vs any good without his mercie his power would destroy vs his wisedome confound vs his iustice condemne vs his maiestie affright vs but all these by it turne to our good To beg for mercie is the first word of a supplicant The first word of the forâ—orne sonne to his father was Father Luk. 15.21 I haue sinned against heauen and against thee This Christ in his prayer hath taught vs to pray Math. 6.12 Forgiue vs our sinnes So in euery prayer we should begin at haue mercie vpon me O God We sin daily and vnlesse we offer vp at the doore of the Sanctuarie a sin-offering we cannot offer an offering of thanksgiuing and the sweete incense of praises Thus prayed the woman of Canaan saying Mat. 19.22 Haue mercie vpon me comprehending vnder that the cure of her daughter and the two blind men cried O Sonne of Dauid haue mercie Mat. 9.27 as also did many others The greatest comfort that Christians haue in their trouble is that they haue to do with a mercifull God and not rigorous nor one who wil chide with vs continually Psal 103.9 but one who is flow to anger readie to forgiue whose name is mercie whose nature is mercifull who hath promised to be mercifull who is the Father of mercies 2. Cor. 1.3 The earth is full of his mercies they are aboue the heauens and the clouds
iniquities are multiplied before vs. And yet we must take heed of the diuels craft who obscureth from many their sin so that they can neuer repent for that which they neuer see or feele And yet on the other hand he letteth some see the mountains of their sins and hugenesse of them that they see nothing else in God but his iustice thereby to leade them to despaire as he did with Iudas But we must not looke with such fixed eyes vpon our sins that we lift not vp our eyes to Gods mercie which is ready to pardon and to apply to-our heart all the sweete promises which we reade in the Scriptures so that as feare beareth vs downe faith may vphold vs that we fall not They must euer be before vs in this world and be purged by vnfained repentance not that our repentance can expiate them or pacifie Gods wrath or as the foolish Papists thinke that we can do penance for them For what satisfaction can thy humiliation do which is imperfect to satisfie the wrath of an infinite God Vnlesse his Son had intervened by his satisfaction Gods wrath could not haue bin appeased The more we repent for sin the more we are eased The more we remember our sin and lament for the same the more ease get we to our afflicted minds and consciences and the more sensibly shall we feele the mercie of God pardoning our offences Therefore we cannot be better exercised then in an humble confession of our sin and by bitter teares with Peter weepe for our offences which I pray God the Lord may worke in our hearts that we may find that blessing vpon vs which Christ pronounced Math. 5. Blessed are they who now mourne for they shall be comforted Verse 4. Against thee against thee only haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight that thou maist be iust when thou speakest and pure when thou iudgest THe ancients haue so far differed in expounding this verse some running forth on Allegories others on far sought interpretations that Lorinus the Iesuite numbreth twelue diuers interpretations hereof of which The diuers interpretations of this verse two are most agreeable to the words and meaning of the text The first expounds it this way Howsoeuer say they Dauid did wrong to Vriah yet it was hid from all men and onely knowne to God and these sins are onely done against God whereof none is witnesse but he only And surely albeit we would couer our sins from the sight of the world there is one witnesse whose sight we cannot flee Plato affirmeth that we should do nothing in secret whereof we would be ashamed in publik And Cicero Ne siquidem deos omnes celare possumus albeit we could keepe it secret from all the gods The other whereto I rather incline is thus Albeit say they Dauid had offended man yet it touched him more nigh at the heart the sin he did against God in breaking of his law For so Nathan said vnto him Why didst thou contemn the word of the Lord that thou shouldst do euill in his sight 2. Sa. 12.14 As though Dauid would say Though all the world would absolue me this is more then enough to me that I feele thee my iudge my conscience citeth me before thy tribunall Let vs haue our eyes and our senses fixed on God and not be deceiued with the vaine allurements of men who either extenuate or conniue and winke at our sins For God Nâ—tâ— as he is witnesse to our sins so is he sole and onely Iudge Admire the loue of God who can punish both soule and bodie in hell fire of whose wrath we should be more afraid then of all the kings or tyrants of the world As also we should be sorie that we haue offended so gracious a God who when he might haue damned vs yet hath pleased to pardon vs and taketh no other satisfaction at our hand but repentance for our sin and faith in his Son Iesus Christ Who will not giue vs to our enemies hand to be destroyed but will set vs free from prison out of his free loue Therefore O sinner in time be reconciled with thy Iudge and take no rest till thou haue suretie of his fauour Say with Dauid Peccaui I haue sinned 2. Sa. 12.13 and God shall say with Nathan Peccatatua remissa sunt thy sins are forgiuen Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight The ingemination of the word against thee signifieth the deepnesse of his feeling and griefe who is the more wounded the more he findeth the greatnesse of that maiestie and goodnes whom he hath offended So it were happie for vs that we could be deeply moued with a conscience of our sin that out of the deep places of a contrite heart we might redouble our sighs which would pierce that fatherly heart if we could shoot vp such arrowes to heauen but we laugh ouer the matter not remembring that our laughter shall be turned to mourning This also serueth to conuince such miscreant Atheists who can generally say God forgiue vs we are all sinners as it were excusing their sins when as they are neuer touched at the heart with a sorrow for them They feed their foolish humours with a cloake of the multitude that sinneth quasi patrocinium erroris sit multitudo peccantium as though the multitude of sinners should be a patrocinie and defence of errors saith Augustine Hell is spacious large enough hauing all the dimensions which will containe all the diuels and their children if they were more in number then they are That thou maist be iust when thou speakest and pure when thou iudgest By this it is cleare that the iustice of God shineth most in mens soules and his truth in their lies As though he would say Because I haue sinned so grieuously and haue committed such wickednesse that thou canst not be blamed of vnrighteousnesse though thou shouldst punish me most rigorously for I haue deserued worse then I haue suffered But because the Apostle Paul Rom. 3.4 would seeme to turne this text to another sense we shall reconcile them easily A reconcâ—liation betwixt this place and that of Rom. 3 4. For the Apostle seeing the Iewes to bring the testament and couenant of God in stander as though he had bin the cause of their ruine by casting that vpon themselues he freeth God of their fall But Dauid here vindicateth Gods iustice laying all the cause on himselfe Whereof we gather that if any euill come to man the cause of it is to be found in himselfe we need not cast it on God But out of this that Dauid confesseth God to be iust when he iudgeth we learne first that God as Abraham said is the iust Iudge of the world Gen. 18.25 and albeit he hath reserued a generall iudgement after this life God hath a particular iudgement in this world as Augustine saith yet he
not Blessed is that King who leaues behind him as great testimony of his conuersion to God as he hath giuen proofe of his defection from him And therefore let Kings learne of a King and Pastors of a Prophet that when they sin and become stumbling blocks to others they may repent and blot out the note of ignominie which through their sin they haue receiued by a true conuersion and open confession as the King of Niniueh Ionah 3.6 Ester 4.16.17 2 Chro. 33.12 Simil. Queene Hester Mordecay Manasses and here Dauid for their sinnes are more offensiue and greaâ—er than others for they make many to fall with them as the fall of a Cedar is the ruine of many inferiour trees If our sinnes be secret we are not bound to any auricular Confession Prou. 25.2 for Gods honour is to conceale a sin in doing otherwise we doe double wrong one by our sin to offend God another by our reuealing to dishonour our selues and offend the Church But if our sin be publike as was Dauids to deny colour 2 Sam. 11.4 or extenuate it wee sinne grieuously against God and our owne soules defrauding God of his glory and our soules of saluation But marke the truth of that sentence all things worke for the best to those that loue the Lord Rom. 8.28 for Dauids sin turnes to the glorie of God the comfort of the Church and his owne saluation Simil. so that as the dung and excrements of nature are profitable to fâ—tten the ground so is his sinne to better and make him more fruitfull to God Herein also is the mercy of God greatly to be admired that where sin did abound now grace doth superabound Rom. 5.20 for albeit Dauid did fall through the corruption of his nature in those hainous sinnes yet God magnifieth his compassions in his conuersion and in his vnfained repentance But hereby let not licentious libertines be prouoked by Dauids example to sin as commonly they abuse the falls of Gods children to be warrants to themselues and arguments by which they corroborate and strengthen themselues in their wickednes as Drunkards cast vp Noah Gen. 9.21 Gen. 19.33.35 2 Sam. 11.4 â—7 Act. 9 1 2. Mat. 26.74 Incestuous men Lot Adulterers Murtherers Dauid Persecutors Paul Apostates Peter c. But oh wretched men that ye are doe ye make the fals of the Saints allurements provoking you to sin where by the contrary they should bee as so many Beacons warning you that yee take heed Simil. lest yee fall vpon such rockes vpon which they were in hazard to haue beene drowned yea rather by their example yee ought to eschew such dangerous gulfes whereinto they were plunged and learne by their repentance to repent for sin for their sins are not so much to be obserued as their repentance Comparison But alas these desperate men take the instrument which should launce their wound to kill themselues therewith Dauid hath left behind him seuen Psalmes of Repentance according to the number of the seuen daies of the weeke that as each day we sinne and fall so we may haue one of these Psalmes as a sheepe-crooke to pull vs out of the ditch of sin Simil. Numb 35.13 These are as seuen Cities of refuge whereinto a sinner may flie for safegard when he findeth himselfe pursued by the auenger of blood for his sins Simil. or as seuen ports whereinto a Christian tossed with the waues of temptations may get safe harbour They are not to be misliked because they beare the number of seuen as though any magicall superstition were inclosed in that number for all the holy Fathers haue obserued that in all the 150. Psalmes of Dauid whereof some are instructions to a godly life others deprecations against his aduersaries many of them praises of Gods mercies others praiers for the Church these Seuen are left as witnesses of his vnfained repentance therefore they beare the name of penitentials Why called Penitentials à poenam tenendo because they beare in them the paine and griefe of his heart which he sustained for his sins Wee haue all sinned with Dauid let vs learne to repent with Dauid for the bloud of Christ wiâ—l not be effectuall to any but to a penitent sinner Now is the time when repentance may helpe thee for though as Augustine saith after this life it be perpetuall Augustine Gen. 27.38 it is in vaine euen as Esau mourned bitterly while there was no place left for the blessing so shalt thou doe if thou neglect the opportunity of repentance But that ye may learne to discerne Foure markes of Repentance 1 Mark The grouÌ„d of repentance Exod. 9.27 2 Sam. 12.13 whether ye haue obtained the gift of true repentance as Dauid did obserue these foure markes First what was the ground and first motiue which made you to repent your sinne if the plagues and scourges of God as they made Pharo to say I haue sinned Or the sweet voice of Gods word which moued Dauid to say I haue sinned If some paine shame or sicknesse hath made thee to repent it being remoued thou maist change but if the Word hath won thee thou art won indeed The Spouse in the Cantiâ—les was raised from the bed of sinne by the voice of her Beloued Cant. 5.5 Luk 22.61.62 Act. 2.41 Christ looked on Peter and he wept bitterly The word of God by Iohn conuerted the Souldiers by Peter three thousand Iewes and Paul by the voice of Christ why persecutest thou mee Act. 9 4. 2 Mark Sinceritie Simil. Next trie the sinceritie of thy Repentance whether thy heart hath greater griefe for sin than thy tongue vtters The Comoedians who play the siege of Troy can represent the dolefull habite teares and sorrow of Priamus and Hecube King and Queene of Troy but they are not in heart touched with their grief neither are they sensible of their sorrow 2 Sam. 14.2 The woman of Tecoah counterfeited her dole to Dauid for Absolon but felt none Such and no better is the repentance of Hypocrites they may weepe with Saul counterfeitly 1 Sam. 24.17 their heart not being truly touched which hypocrisie of theirs and fained repentance the Lord detests more then any sinne that a man can commit for a man sinning professeth himselfe to be the Deuils seruant but fainedly repenting hee professeth himselfe to be Gods seruant in the meane time keeping his heart to the Deuill and with Ananias and Saphira Act. â— 2 stealing back sacrilegiously that which he offred to God yea euen the best part his heart Thirdly 3 Mark Vniuersalitie 1. Sam. 15.9 trie the vniuersality of thy repentance for it must not be of one but of all sins ye must not spare Agag and the fat cattel with Saul and your principall most profitable and pleasant sins but if ye deny one deny all if ye refuse one refuse all if ye reiect one reiect all for as one rope was able
the name of Mercy includeth all things Who gets meâ—cy gets all things Gen. 33.11 according to that of Iacob to his brother Esau I haue gotten mercy and therefore I haue gotten all things Desirest thou any thing at Gods hands cry for mercy out of which fountaine all good things will spring to thee The blind men seeking their light cried Haue mercy vpon vs thou sonne of Dauid The Cananite Mat. 20.30 who had her daughter possessed cried Haue mercy vpon me If ye haue purchased the Kings pardon Mat. 15.22 Simil. then ye may enioy the priuiledges of his Kingdome if yee haue mercy yee haue all that God can giue you yee haue title to Christ to the heauens to all the creatures yea and are freed and deliuered from the prison of hell ArgumeÌ„ts to oâ—taine mercy For I am weake The arguments which he vseth that he may obtaine mercy are taken from his owne vnworthinesse and miserable estate For saith he I am weake This is the generall word vnder which bee comprehendeth all his paines Two sorts of paines and this hee explicates by the diuision of them in his bodily paines in these words My bones are sore troubled and his spirituall temptations in the beginning of the third verse My soule also is sore vexed The order of Gods curing is first to cure the spirituall diseases next the boddy paines But before I handle the argument marke the coherence of this second part of his sute with the former In the first hee craued mercie in this he craueth a cure and remedie for his corporall paines First hee desires to bee freed of the bonds of his sinnes then of his trouble This is the order of Gods curing that first he cures the spirituall diseases next the bodily paines Hezekiah first weeped for his sin turning him to the wall 2. King 20.2 c. and God for gaue it and then commanded Isaias to take a lumpe of drie figges and cure him Mark 2.5 c. And Christ said to the sicke man Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee A double mercy wheÌ„ God cures both spirituall and temporall discases a double iudgement to bee loosed from the bonds of sicknes and bound with the bonds of sinne and then arise and walke It is a double mercy when God hath first loosed the bonds of thy sin and then the bonds of thy disease and a double iudgement when hee hath loosed thee from the bonds of thy sicknesse and left thy soule bound with the chaines of sinne for then thou are reserued for a further iudgement That deliuery is onely profitable to thee when God hath freed thee from thy sinne and from such plagues as follow it Yee see out of these words that it is very lawfull to craue corporall health it being a benefit of God And at this time it is certaine Dauid was vnder some heauie sicknesse in body Doct. 4 as well as he was pressed down vnder the weight of Gods wrath for his sinne It is very lawfull to seek corporall health Dauid was here sick in body contrary to Bellarmin contrary to the iudgement of Bellarmine writing vpon the Title and Argument of this Psalme thinking it onely to bee the opinion of the Rabbines and their followers Albeit Loranus the Iesuit bee contrary to him writing vpon the third verse of this Psalme and produceth Lyranus Innocentius tertius Theodorus Antiochenus and Caietane who in this are all of one iudgement and opinion with vs. And why may they not agree together that a man being distressed in body and troubled in conscience may repent and mourne for them both The beginning of the two thirtieth Psalme sets downe his bodily paines which hee sustained in his flesh Strong men weakned by the power of sinne 1 Sam. 17.49 August Quem non vicit ferrum vicit libido Iudg. 15.15 and 16.21 Euils of Adulterie Whereupon ye may perceiue that albeit Dauid was a strong man yet sinne is able to cast him on his backe Hee ouercame Goliah yet sin ouercommeth him Lust vanquished him whom the sword could not ouercome Sinne debilitateth man and taketh all strength from him and so it befell to Sampson who smote a thousand Philistims and yet one Whore delâ—uered him bound to them Euery sinne weakneth man but especially the sinne of Adultery which doth enfeeble mans nature and abate his strength that it maketh him effeminate and womanly hearted Alexander the Great being bewitched with the pleasures of Drunkennesse and Whoredome sodainely made an end both of his life and conquest yea how many other heroicall spirits haue been wasted therewith Therfore learne all to abstaine there-from otherwise it wil bring you low waste your body conscience substance name and posterity Doctr. Weaknessâ— in man a meanes to preuaile with God But behold what Rethoricke hee vseth to moue God to cure him I am weake an argument taken from his weaknesse which indeed were a weake argument to moue any man to shew his fauour but is a strong argument to preuaile with God Simil. If a diseased person would come to a Physitian and onely lament the heauinesse of his sicknesse he would say God helpe thee Simil. or an oppressed person come to a Lawyer and shew him the estate of his action and aske his aduice he would answer that is a golden question Simil. or to a Merchant to craue rayment hee will elther haue present money or a suerty Simil. or to a Courtier for fauour you must haue your reward ready in your hand But comming before God the most forcible argument that yee can vse is your necessity pouerty teares misery vnworthinesse and confessing them to him it shall be an open doore to furnish all things that he hath to you for which cause the Spirit saith Prou. 9.4 All yee that are destitute of vnder standing come to me and euery one that thirsteth come to the waters Esay 55.1 c. and yee that haue no siluer come buy and eate come I say buy wine and milke without silver and without money And our Sauiour himselfe cried Mar. 11.28 Come vnto mee all yee that are weary and loaden with sinne and I will ease you Martha said to Christ Behold he whom thou louedst is sicke Iohn 11.3 that the mention of his sicknesse might haue moued him to reuiue her brother The teares of our miserie are forcible arrowes to pierce the heart of our heauenly Father Reas 1 to deliuer vs and pitie our hard case The beggers lay open their sores to the view of the world Simil. that the more they may moue men to pitie them So let vs deplore our miseries to God Luk. 10.33 that he with the pitifull Samaritan at the sight of our wounds may helpe vs in due time What thing he seeks wherefore O Lord heale me Dauid in the first verse of the Psalme desired that the Lord would not punish him in his heauy
displeasure and wrath and in the former part of this verse he asketh of God that he would haue mercy vpon him and forgiue him those sinnes that had prouoked his wrath and indignation against him and now in the latter part he desires that the Lord would heale him Euery one of these things were so necessarie to Dauid that lacking any one of them hee thought himselfe vnfortunate hee felt the wrath of God and therefore desired the same to be remoued he had offended and therefore desires mercy he was fallen into a most dangerous sicknesse and therefore desires corporall health Yee see here that the best of Gods children are subiect to diseases as well as others Doctr. The best of Gods children subiect to diseases GrauissimuÌ„ omnium tentationum non tentari The fruit of sinne Psal 41.1 Vse for seeing the root of sinne is in them and the fountaine of that sinning sin what other bud can it produce or what spring can flow therefrom but miserable destruction of our nature Therefore when we see good men heauily afflicted with diseases let vs remember that saying Blessed are those that iudge wisely of the poore and also bee carefull lest through our sins wee prouoke the Lord to powre the like vpon vs which if he doe as we iustly deserue then by prayer to runne vnto the Lord with Dauid and crie Lord heale me For my bones are sore vexed He sheweth how hee is made weake in both his parts his body in these words his soule in the next verse Doctr. Sin vndoes the whole man So sinne vndoes the whole man and euery part of him so that as the soule lusts and the body executes and practises the foule desires of the soule so both are punished hee who sinneth in both is punished in both Greatest paine in â—he bones Setting downe his bodily diseases he comprehendeth them vnder the trouble of his bones for as the greatest strength of man is in his bones so his greatest paine is the paine of the bones which exceedeth the paine of the flesh as experience in the tooth-ache or breaking any other bone teacheth for albeit the bones of themselues are senselesse yet not so the membrans and tunicles that compasse them Alwaies the Scriptures of God doe expresse both the greatest strength and ioy in Gods worship and the greatest paines and afflictions to the bones Psal 35.10 Psal 51.8 as all my bones shall say O Lord who is like thee and the bones which thou hast broken shall reioyce that is the whole strength of my body shall bee bent vpon thy seruice And againe Esay 38.13 Lam. 3.4 Psal 38.3 Psal 34.20 Psal 42.10 Lam. 1 13. Iob 20.21 Doct. Great mischief commeth of the euils of misgouerned health Iob 20.11 Esay 51.8 Simil. He hath bruised all my bones as a Lyon and all my bones are out of ioynt and there is no peace in my bones And God keepeth all their bones and while my bones are broken and send a fire in my bones and thy bones shall be filled with the sins of thy youth Obserue first out of this place what a misgouerned health bringeth to man it destroyeth our nature our pleasure becommeth our displeasure Our old bones inherit the sinnes of our youth which haue wasted and consumed vs as the moth doth the garment The poyson and venome of the Aspe is receiued with great sweetnesse but it ouercommeth the body by destroying man So is sinne Can there bee a rush growe without water or sicknesse where there is no sinne Iob. 8.11 Search downe to the bottome of thine heart and thou shalt finde the fountaine of the euill to be within thee that thou maist purge it by vnfained repentance Next consider Doctr. The bestremedie againd diseases is to goe vnto the Lord. 2 Kin. 20.2 Vse How God cures sin Simil. that as this his ficknesse comes from God so he turnes to him for remedie Diseases are Gods arrowes shot by his owne hand why should we not then with Ezekiah turne to the wall and mourne to him that he may helpe vs For so skilfully deales the Lord with vs that hee cures our sinnes by our diseases and visitations albeit they spring out of sinne as Physitians doe curing the sting of the Serpent by the ashes of the dead Serpent so by the bud and fruit of sinne he cures sinne and God is so infinitely wise that he applies that kinde of disease to his patient which is fittest for such a sinne And indeed as there be monstrous sins fallen forth in this ourage Monstrous sinnes produce vnwonted sicknesses which the former ages knew not so likewise hath the Lord punished them with vnwonted sicknesses vpon mens bodies whose nature Galen Hippocrates or the best Physitians haue neuer yet discouered And therfore the Lord remoue from vs these sinnes Cause of diseases 1. The contempt of the Gospel 2 Apostasie from Gods truth that he may take from vs these iudgements but namely the contempt of the Gospell Word and Sacraments for which many are tyed to the bed of sicknesse and this abominable Apostasie from Gods truth to Idolatrie which God is like to punish fearefully by desertion The word meaneth not onely a troubling but also a trembling Marke finally that the word according to the Originall signifieth not only a troubling or obstupifying but also a shaking or trembling of which the Poet saith Gelidusque per ima cuâ—urrit Ossatremor That is The cold trembling ran thorow the deepest bones This teacheth vs Vse The force of sin will shake our strongest parts that sinne can shake the strongest part we haue for if our bones were stones and mountaines yet if sinne sease on them it would shake them asunder VERSE 3. Vers 3 My soule also is sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thon delay Doctr. 1 NOw he expounds the other part of his sorrow which is a Spirituall disease the troubles of Conscience Spirituall trouble greater than temporall Reason farre greater yea and more importable than the other for as the soule is a more subtill and Spirituall substance beginner of all life and motion in man it must feele the selfe more when it is troubled and wounded I will therefore by the help of God intreat here about the trouble of Conscience and deduce it in all particulars that if it please God at any time to waken your conscience ye may haue remedie in time to pacifie it Doctr. Yokefellowes in sin yoke-fellowes in punishmeÌ„t My soule Yokefellowes in sinne are yokefellowes in paine the soule is punished for informing the body for performing and as both the informer and performer the cause and the instrument so shall the stirrer vp of sinne and executer be punished That man hath a soule But here appeares first that as a man hath a body so likewise hath he a soule and as the one is pained so likewise is the other And yet alas there are
these three things to obserue Doctr. An appointed time set by God for the end of our crosses First that there is an appointed time which God hath measured for the crosses of all his children before which time they shall not be deliuered and for which they must patiently attend not thinking to prescribe times to God for their deliuerie or limit the holy One of Israel Exo. 12.40 The Israelites remained in Aegypt till the complete number of 400 yeares were accomplished Ps 115.18 Ioseph was three yeares and more in the prison till the appointed time of his deliuerie came The Iewes remained 70. yeares in Babylon Dan. 9.2 Simil. So that euen as a Physitian appointeth certaine times to the Patient both wherein he must fast and be dieted and wherein he must take recreation So God knoweth the conuenient times both of our humiliation and exaltation The impatience â—f our nature vnder the crosse Next ye see the impatience of our nature in our miseries our flesh still rebelling against the Spirit which oftentimes forgetteth iâ— selfe so farre that it will enter in reasoning with God and quarrelling with him as we may reade of Iob Ionas c. and here also of David Thirdly albeit the Lord delay his comming to releene his Saints yet hath he great cause if wee could ponder it for when wee were in the heat of our sinnes many times he cryed by the mouth of his Prophets and Seruants Our iust recompeÌ„ce from God O fooles how long will you continue in your folly and we would not heare and therefore when we are in the heat of our pains thinking long yea euery day a year till we be deliuered let vs consider with our selues the just dealing of God with vs that as he cried and we would not heare so now we cry he will not heare VERSE 4. Returne ô Lord deliuer my soule saue me for thy mercies sake DAVID before hath vsed some arguments to moue the Lord to deliuer him from his present troubles the first whereof was taken from his infirmitie the next from Gods mercies hauing an obiect before them his miseries Now he goes forward in a repetition of his request desiring God to returne to him Returne ô Lord. These words presuppose that in his tentation God was alienated from him Simil. and went his way as when a Physitian goeth from his patient And againe that he had felt Gods presence sensibly before this his absence not that God indeed at any time vseth to absent himselfe from his elect but to their conception and iudgement he seemeth to do so when they feele not the tokens of his presence at some time for their humiliation as the Sunne goeth not out of the firmament Simil. suppose he be obscured by the clouds ouercasting or some other impediments naturall So albeit the clouds of our sinnes and miseries hide the faire shining face of God from vs yet he wil pierce thorow dissipate these clouds and shine clearly vpon vs in his owne appointed time How God is said to returne God is said to returne to vs not by change of place for he is in all places but by the dispensation of his gratious prouidence and a declaration of his new mercies and benefits toward vs. Such a returning God promised to Abraham Gen. 18.10 I will certainly come againe vnto thee according to the time of life and lo Sarah thy wife shall haue a sonne So he promised to returne to the Israelites to doe them good Ier. 32.40 and he will turne againe and haue compassion vpon vs and Ier. 12.15 returne vnto me Zach. 1.3 and I will returne vnto you And Iames the brother of our Lord Acts 15.16 bringeth further a sentence out of the 9 of Amos After these things I shall returne restore the Taberuacle of Dauid Therefore as Dauid hath lamented the absence of God in the former verse in this he desireth a signe of his presence to be giuen to him Herein stands our happinesse if God looke fauorably vpon vs for then all things prosper well in our hand But because I haue spoken largely of the presence and absence of God from the soule in my Booke on the seauen words which our Lord spake on the Crosse and namely vpon the fift word My God my God why hast thou forsaken me whither I referre the Reader who is desirous to vnderstand any more of this subiect Desperate dangers get comfortable remedies Deliuer my soule This clearly declareth that Dauid hath beene in some extreame dangers both of his spirituall and corporall enemies from which he could not be deliuered but by the mighty hand of God who behoued to doe violence to his enemies euen as Dauid himselfe deliuered his fathers sheepe from the clawes of the Lion 1 Sam. 17.34 and pawes of the Beare and smote them both So it is miraculous to consider in how desperate perils and dangers good men will be cast wherein no doubt they would perish if they were not supported by the mighty hand of God Doctr. Saluation onely belongeth to God Obserue farther that it lyeth not in the power of any man to deliuer himselfe for saluation onely belongeth to the Lord yea whether hee worke our deliuery mediately or immediatly alwaies he is to be praised The reason why Iehouah so often named I finde that the name of Iehouah is fiue times mentioned in this prayer which is emphatically done being a great testimony of the certainty of his knowledge that hee knew assuredly vpon whom he called not vpon an vnknowne God but vpon him who manifested himselfe to Moses vnder the name of Iehouah Exod. 6. whereby his faith was greatly strengthened hauing assurance of deliuery by him who onely is and giues being to others makes his promises to be extant and the sweet name of Iehouah is so comfortable to a Christian that in the middest of dangers yea at deaths doore Pauls defire Dauids conceâ—ing lice death reconciled it will not onely temper the bitternesse of afflâ—ctions but also quite take them away Saue me This ingemination of his praier to be deliuered from death would presuppose that Dauid was ouer-much afraid of death when as the faithfull should not loue this life ouermuch neither feare death aboue measure but ought to say with the Apostle Paul Phil. 1.23 I desire to be dissolued and be with Christ And again My life is not deare to me that I may finish my race with gladnesse as also when Agabus prophecied of his bonds the faithfull of Caesarea requesting him not to goe to Ierusalem answered Acts 21.13 What doe ye weeping and breaking my heart for I am not onely ready to be bound but also to dye at Ierusalem I answer Dauid desired the continuation of his life to settle the kingdome in Solomons person that the promises of God might be confirmed and that himselfe might haue longer space
thou hast had power with God thou shalt also preuaile with men VERSE 8. Away from me all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping Dauids â—iumph THe three last verses containe Dauids triumph against sin and sinfull men and now after his dangerous battell he gets a glorious victory and giueth out a plaine defiance and denounceth warre to the deuill and all his children whereby it is clearly seene that the spirituall battels of Christians howsoeuer they bee sharpe and soure in the beginning Doct. yet they haue a ioyfull and comfortable end They sow in teares A Christians comfort is at the end of the oÌ„flict Psal 126.5 Gen 32.26 Doct. Anhatred of sinne a marke of our victory against sinne 1 Cor. 6.14 but reape in toy The prayers of the Elect haue good and comfortable answers Iacob wrestled with the Angell and night but was blessed of him in the morning Next obserue that this is an vndoubted token that wee haue gotten victory ouer our owne sinnes when wee haue a detestation of sin in others and we separate our selues from the workers of iniquity For what society hath light with darknesse Wee must say euery one of vs Away from me I will haue no society with thee thou hast no society with God as all the members of the body that are bound by hid sinewes are conioyned by an vnspeakable loue amongst themselues but they haue no coniunction with any one that is cut away from them so doe all the children of God Away a word to deuils or dogees Doct. A Christian should flie the society of wicked meÌ„ euen as much as the company of de deuiâ—â— who are bound by the band and vnity of one Spirit loue and cleaue one to another but for the wicked their soule hath no delight in them Away from me This word Away is a word either to a deuill or to a dogge depart from me so that we should so flie the society of euill men as we would doe the deuill himselfe or wilde beasts And let Princes and great men learne of Dauid whom to choose to be their seruants Vse Teacheth Kings whose coÌ„panies to eschew Ps 101.6 7. and whom to banish out of their company Let their eyes be vpon the faithfull of the Land that they may dwell with them and let those that walke in a perfect way serue them let not deceitfull person dwell within their house nor hee that telleth lies remaine in their sight But alas it falleth out quite contrary Num. 12.14 Miriam hauing the leprosie was shut out of the Campe pestilentious men remoue to another place but senselesse and bruitish men seeing their house infected with sinne will so much the more entertaine benefit conuerse and esteeme the doers thereof All ye workers of iniquity What sort of sinners we should shunne Hee doth not simply reiect all sinners for then hee would haue had none with whom hee might conuerse yea hee would haue chased away his owne selfe but onely obstinate sinners such in whom sin reigneth such as make a sport of sin These the King cannot abide but puts them away from his company Simil. Leu. 13. and 12. So we must make a difference of sinners for as there was in the Law of Moses a curable Leprosie and a fretting the one discerned from the other Fretting Leprosie if it had fallen vpon a stone of the house it should be pulled out and cast away so obstinate and impenitent sinners and such as reioyce in their sinne should bee expelled from the society of all men specially Princes and Nobles and cut off as a noysome gangrene and the member possessed with Saint Anthonies fire lest they infect others All Doct. We ought not to partake with the sins of the greatest persons whatsoeuer Heb. 13.17 Dan. 3.16 Act. 4.19 20 this vniuersall particle excludes all persons without exception so that neither must we comport with the sinnes and iniquities of Princes and great men whom otherwise we are commanded to obey but in the Lord and in none of their wicked decrees as the three Children would not obey Nebuchadnezzar neither of Prophets Priests or Church gouernours as Peter and Iohn who refused the decrees of the Pharisies the Arch-priest and the rest of that rabulous order yea although they pretend visions as the Romane Church and their followers who hauing no warrant out of the holy Scriptures thinke their name to bee a sufficient warrant for all their edicts although they be altogether contrary to the word of God yea we must forsake our father mother brother and nearest friends and be not compartners of their iniquitie by obeying them For whether it be better to obey God or man iudge yee Acts 4.19 Mat 10.37 And hee that loueth father or mother better than him is not worthy of him Psal 45.10 Forget thine owne people saith the Spirit and thy fathers house so shall the King haue pleasure in thy beautie And so of necessity we must disclaime all sort of sinners and sins to the end we may embrace Christ Vse This directly conuinces such sort of people who will bee content yea glad to part with some sort of vices keeping in the meane time their predominant sin the idoll of their heart yea to detest the company of innumerable wicked persons yet wil not depart from some with whom they are combined by some particular league yea though they were excommunicate of whom it is imoyned to vs Either quit all â—ns or quit none not bid them good speed But yee must either quit all or keepe all and bid good night to the whole garisons of the deuils army or berake you to be a souldier with them Moreouer this vniuersall particle All sheweth vs that there is a great multitude that worke iniquity Mat. 7.13 Doct. The multitude of consenters to euill wil not warrant our coÌ„sciences 1. King 22.13 for euen as the way is broad which leadeth to perdition so there are many who walke therein therefore yee must not follow the multitude in euill Neither is that a sufficient argument for warranting of your conscience which the Gentleman said to Michaias All the Prophets haue said to the King Goe to Ramoth gilead let your words be as theirs But be answered What euer the Lord putteth in my mouth that will I speake And Iosua resolued well Although ye would all forsake the Lord yet I and my fathers house will serue him Ios 24.15 So the multitude of transgressors either in Churches or commonwealths will not warrant the conscience as I haue said but rather as I may say with Saint Ierome Multitudo peecantium est fortifiâ—atio erroriâ— A multitude of sinners is a strengthning of error Ye workers Sinners are workers indeed Doct. Sinnes be the workmen of the deuill Ioh 8.34 and sinne is a worke of the flesh but they are workmen to the deuill working in bricke and clâ—y
haue beene for euer A faire commendation of Gods mercies from the eternity thereof His mercies had no beginning as himselfe had none and shall haue no end From euerlasting to euerlasting thou art our God For as the Ocean and maine Sea Psal 100. Simil. can neuer be exhausted but it would furnish water to all the world if euery one should bring vessels to draw water there-from So if wee had faith and prayer to seeke grace from God he is all-sufficient in himselfe to furnish vs all which makes Dauid to cry in one Psalm tweÌ„ty and sixe times Psal 126. thy mercy endureth for euer Therefore we may build our faith on it as on a strong Rocke Mat. 1.6.18 that the gates of hell cannot preuaile against vs for euery thing earthly on which we repose is subiect to mutation and change All things change God onely immutable But herein is our comfort that he is an immutable God on whom wee depend and in whom we trust then as long as God stands our saluation cannot faile Woe to them who put their trust in any other following lying vanities Ionah 2.8 Psal 119. and forsaking mercies I haue seene an end of all perfection sayes Dauid but thy word is very large VERSE 7. Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my rebellions but according to thy kindnesse remember thou me euen for thy goodnesse sake O Lord. Doct. WheÌ„ God â—â—â—embers â—ercies he â—â—â—gets sin HE conioynes these two memorie of mercies and forgetfulnesse of sinnes the one destroyes the other when God remembers mercy hee forgets sinne when he remembers sinne he forgets mercy when God will plague the Whoore of Babel it is said He will remember her sinnes and in Hosea Hos 8.13 Now will hee remember their iniquity and visit their sinnes they shall returne to Aegypt Doctr. If sin had not beene Gods mercies had not beene knowne Rom. 8.28 He craued mercy before at God now hee let 's vs see the obiect of Gods mercy euen sin and here appeares the great wisedome of God who can turne all things to the best to those that loue him so that hee doth make their sinne which they did commit to manifest his glory and work their owne saluation All the properties of God his iustice and mercy excepted might haue beene knowne to the world by the creation his wisedome in framing the world so artificially his power in maintaining it his goodnesse in making man so excellent a creature but if sinne had not beene neither Gods mercy would haue beene manifested in pardoning it neither his iustice in punishing it Rom. 5.20 For where sinne abounded there mercy super abounds Remember not the sinnes of my youth Hee makes mention of his sinnes for when hee speakes to God who is most iust and righteous that he should remember his owne vnrighteousnesse as the brethren of Ioseph when they sought fauour of him they remembred the wrong they did to him as if one seeking the helpe of his friend he would confesse the faults he did against him Luk. 15.21 as the forlorne son did to his father So seeing sinne is the principall wall which diuides vs from God so that he doth not heare our prayers Dauid here taketh away this impediment Doct. We must confesse our sinne if we would be heard Therefore if wee would haue our prayers acceptable to God let vs begin at an humble begging of pardon and remission at which all our praiers should begin that hauing assurance of Gods fauour we may boldly sute what we please But if wee begin not our prayers at crauing pardon Simil. we become like foolish Physitians who neglect the causes of the disease and onely study to mitigate the present dolour and apply outward somentations for the curing thereof But how is it that Dauid specially nominates the transgressions of his youth Obiect did hee not commit other sinnes and are the sinnes of his age of no moment I answer Answ He doth not extenuate his present sinne by remembring the sinnes of his youth but rather aggrauates and aggredges the same while he repeats from his childhood how many wayes hee had kindled Gods wrath against him Confessing that he had heaped sinne vpon sinne and so by processe of time was loadned and ouercharged with it Next if God should deale with him by extreame rigour hee should not onely call to mind the faults which he did yesterday but whatsoeuer sinnes hee did from his youth The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 includes all the faults either of commission or omission which hee did Therefore so oft as the Lord terrifies vs with his iudgements Note let vs not onely remember our last offence but let our former transgressions make vs bee ashamed and bring new sobs and sighes in our heart Let old men call to minds their former offences which they did commit in their youth Saint Augustine in his confessions reckoneth out all the follies which he committed in his childhood infancy youth and age calling them to minde euen from the beginning Psal 51.5 for we are conceiued in sinne and a child of one day is not cleane before God As we grow in yeares ye grow in sinne as a Lyons whelpe is borne with a sauage nature and as it growes in age so the cruelty thereof increaseth so does man Solomon in the Prouerbs saith Pro. 30.19 It is hard to know the way of a young man with a maid So young men haue need of sure custody that their parents masters and Preachers should take heed diligently to them Saint Ambrose in a Sermon at the Funerall of the Emperour Valentinian the younger bringeth in that place of the Lamentations Blessed is the man who beares his yoake in his youth Lam. 3.27 God is mercifull to that youth whom he corrects Dauid he deplores the sinnes of his youth which were secret from the world and perchance to himselfe yet hee craues pardon for them Now the smallest sinnes trouble him which before were but sports to him and so it will befall to vs those offences now which we accompt no offences after we will esteem them great sinnes Prou. 6.3 now they are honey in the mouth but after in the belly they will be bitter as gall No time of mans life free of sin Ier. 2. Exod. 22.29 Simil. Note Ex. 23.10 There is no time of mans age which is free from sinne but the youth is not onely first but most subiect thereunto for a youth is like an vntamed Calfe like a wilde Asse which will be taken in her moneth The first borne should bee sacrificed to God the first fruits should be offered to him yea the beast if it had not beene redeemed the necke of it behoued to haue beene broken Thinke yee not that God hath more respect of the first fruits of our life then he hath of the first fruits of Bullocks Thou shalt consecrate thy beginnings to God
euen till Constantines dayes For if wee walke stubbornely against him hee will bring seuen times more Plagues vpon vs according to our sinnes And againe God by the continuance of his hand will hold vs in continuall exercise of grace Doctr. Continuance of troubles exerciseth our grace as of humilitie faith patience praier and repentance for as one hauing a precious Iewell in his hand so long as hee watcheth he is carefull to keepe it but being a sleepe it may ready fall out of his hand So God holds vs waking by continuall exercise Simil. that we may keepe the grace which we haue gotten The fire is kept in by often blowing which dieth out by discontinuance My moysture is turned into the drought of Summer Doctr. Body and soule iointly punished being yoke-fellowes in sinne The dolour of Dauid was not onely internall but also externall by sicknesse for as the body was an instrument of sinne it worthily and duely is punished and as they were yoake fellowes in sinning it is iust with God that they should be companions in sorrow It is no small matter when the body is diseased although the mind were well established but when both are vnquieted it is harder Pro 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie of the body but who can beare a troubled Spirit So that the Philosophers supposed that man to be happie who had mentem sanam in corpore sano a sounde minde in an whole body Then if we be whole let vs giue thakes to God and dedicate our liues to his seruice if we be sicke craue him pardon and mercie seeking reliefe at his hand repent our sinfull life Therefore I thinke that many in their best health are sicke because they abuse their health Many being whole are most diseased and many sicke are whole who turne to God and from their greatest sicknesse seeke medicine against their sinne Selah It is here added Bueherus first to show what a torment it is rightly to feele the burthen of sinne so that hee leaueth this pause or groane as we will doe at things wherewith we are greatly affected Next it declareth what weight this doctrine hath and of what consideration to rebuke vs who thinke so little of sin as we haue in all our dayes neuer mourned for it VERSE 5. Then I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee neither hid I mine iniquity for I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Selah DAvid hath hi herto propounded the the doctrine of the remission of sins and brought in his owne example for confirmation of the same We haue spoken already of his sorrow for his sinne now followeth the confession of the same before God which is a necessary part of repentance Doctr. Confession necessary part of repentance Then I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee Yee haue heard the estate of Dauid before his confession when the heauie hand of God was vpon him The Second part of his experience is set downe in this verse comprehending the feeling of Gods mercie the occasion whereof was the confession of his sinnes and the end the remission of the same The division of this verse The former hath these parts first the time then secondly the ground I thought or said will confesse thirdly the matter my sinne iniquitie and wickednesse fourthly the manner first in respect of God to thee secondly in respect of himselfe against my selfe The latter part And thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Selah Dauid ouer came hypocrisie This diligence in describing his confession so oft First That hee acknowledged his sin Secondly That hee would not hide his iniquitie but confesse his Apostasie to the Lord declareth hee hath gotten victorie ouer all Hypocrisie and obtained the holde of sinceritie and simplicitie God chooseth the most fit times to workegrace in vs. Simil. Then This circumstance argueth that first hee behoued to feele his sinne and the bitter panges inflicted vpon him because of it For when men are cast downe then is a most sit occasion for God to worke grace vpon them as when men are greatly extenuate by sicknesse it is a conuenient time for a Physitian to giue medicine And surely afflictions are necessarie preparations to grace For our nature is like fallow ground which if it be not broken vp by tentation Simil. it is in vaine to sowe seed vpon it To which purpose The vse of the conscience in man God placed the conscience in mans Soule to shew vnto him his wrongs to follow him apprehend him yea set vp a gibbet in his soule to which it adiudgeth him to the end it may bring him to himselfe to seeke pardon and mercie Simil. So yee see as God brought light out of darkenesse in the beginning of the world Gen 1.3 so he bringeth the ioy of his elect out of sorrow Simil And as by Christs death hee brought life to the world so hee killeth vs to make vs a liue Simil that we may take heart to vs and say after darknesse I shall see light And I know that this hand that is so heauie vpon me is vnder mine head to bring mee light out of this darknesse life out of that which for the present seemeth more bitter then death it selfe Hos 6.2 We see also here an infallible example of the frowardnesse of our owne nature Doctr. Force must reclaime the frowardnes of our nature which cannot be restrained without extreme dealing for Dauid is layd vpon the racke and almost stretched asunder and disioynted be fore hee can be brought to a sincere confession which should teach vs that wee should enter to an heartie mislike of our selues and to be displeased with our intractablenesse which hath moued God to heaue vs vp and cast vs downe againe For if wee would iudge our selues we would not prouoke him to such extreme dealing for he would not cōdemne vs but be a comforter in our agonies Yea Dauid in this teacheth vs to iudge wisely of the poore and those who are troubled in their Conscience for when men are so afflicted they are called mad Melancholike desperate assuring our selues that Gods dearest children are often rent in peeces all their tackles may be burst asunder their bruised barke left to the mercie of the winde and waues and yet come to a comfortable harbour and safelie arriue at shoare Moreouer these wicked sort of people are to be damned who with a Sardinian laughter reioyce in their sinne and sport themselues therewith yea boast of their mad humors when God in the meane time is bending his bowe at them I acknowledged my sinne neither hid I mine iniquitie Hee vseth three phrases to shew his confession I made it knowne I hid it not and I confessed it he in like manner to expresse his filthinesse vseth three termes wickednesse sinne and iniquitie as he did in the
we haue sinned in asking vs a King beside all other sinnes But a sincere heart seekes no starting holes or subterfuges but deales truely betwixt God and it selfe yea grace is at warre with all sinne especially with that which is nearest and dearest to man and will not spare to disgrace it by all meanes so that discovering the loath somnes thereof it maketh man willing to confesse it Ezra 9.6 Ezra sayth I am confounded and ashamed to lift vp mine eyes Thou shalt remember thy wayes Eze. 16.61 Act. 2.37 and be ashamed c. They were pricked in their hearts when they heard it God will haue his children like himselfe that as he esteemeth of sinne and as it is most oditious to him so we may account it odious and abominable and we can never hate and abhorre it overmuch Yea further when he maketh vs to aggravate our sinne he maketh vs so much the more to haue an earnest desire of mercy that when we haue seene sinne in an vgly visage we may see Gods grace more gladly laughing vpon vs with a merry countenance whereby we may the more glorifie him and accept of his mercie yea the more we confesse our debts to God and in humilitie craue forgiuenesse thereof the more he pitieth vs and the more we confesse our basenesse the more we magnifie the goodnesse of God pardoning the same The Lord will haue vs to confesse our sins that these being hewed from vs we may be more fit stones for his building Simil. And as the Carpenter taketh away chippes from the tree to make vp a goodly workemanship so will God haue our superfluous excrements cut off to make vs glorious ornaments to himselfe Against merits and superogation Gods superogation Mat. 18.27 Against Atheists This humble and penitent Confession of sinnes not onely damneth that divellish doctrine of merits and superogation or supererrogance when as the Master is sayd to forgiue all the debt But also convinceth such Atheists of our age who can well in grosse and generall termes say God forgiue vs we are all sinners and others who make a sport of sinne and others who will defend and patronize their sinne excusing the same and saying I am not alone I loue not to be singular it is the fashion of the world to whore and sweare and be drunke I hope God is not so strait laced as you are Yea many haue answered to my selfe You will not answere for our sinnes although I should haue beene partaker of them if I had not reprooved them They say to the Ministers as the Sodomites said to Lot Gen. 19.9 Shalt thou iudge and rule or as Corah and his confederates sayd to Moses and Aaron Num. 16.3 Yee take too much vpon you or as those in the second Psalme Psal 2.3 Let vs breake their bonds asunder And thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Doctr. Repentance and remission meet together In the former part Repentance and remission meet together in few words Davids true Repentance is liuely expressed Now in this part is set downe the remission of his sinnes and both are closed in one verse to let vs see that the one is not so soone done as the other meeteth David sayth 2 Sam. 12.13 I haue sinned and Nathan subioynes presently and thy sinnes are forgiven thee So this may encourage penitent sinners that God will not suspend or drift time with them but will presently what time soever a sinner repent him of his sinne put away his sinnes out of his remembrance Forgiuenesse meets repentance in the face as the father of the forlorne Sonne met him and kissed him Luk. 15.22 But how can Confession be sound Ob before sinne be pardoned it seemeth rather that Confession should follow the remission of sinne It is answered Ans that all Gods gifts are given at once for in the first act of grace there is a change of the whole soule for faith repentance loue to God men are given at once but in respect of vs and our apprehension or application one grace goeth before another Simil. for as the cracke of Thunder and the Lightning are both at one time but we see the one before we heare the other because our sight is more apprehensiue then our hearing So these graces are all wrought together by God yet in regard of vs and our sense pardon commeth after Confession albeit God in the beginning of our conversion giues vs the grace whereof we haue not the present feeling Simil. as a childe in the mothers wombe liues and moues yet knoweth not of his life and motion So Gods children scarse can acknowledge that which is within them The Lord forgaue not onely his sinne but the iniquitie of his sinne Dan. 12.2 as we say terra pulveris or caenum luti the dust of the earth or dirt of clay Note By this he would teach vs that albeit we be altogether sinfull yet God is altogether mercifull great is our sinne I grant but his mercy is farre greater Ps 10.11 as farre as the heaven is aboue the earth Next yee see that God onely pardoneth penitent sinners It is an idle doctrine to cause men to beleeue that Christs bloud is sufficient for all sorts of sinners whatsoever they doe for if it were so what needeth repentance faith the loue and feare of God c. Wee cannot haue these without their conditions for as the auncient sayth fides iustificat correlativè How faith iustifieth August We must merit God by faith and repentance for as Augustine sayth he that made thee without them doth not saue thee without them But Christ died for all all therefore must be saved for whom Christ died It is answered Christs death had beene able as Leo sayth to saue infinite worlds but we speake of the effectuall shedding of his bloud which was shed for many not for all for the remission of sinnes VERSE 6. Therefore shall euery one that is godly make his prayer vnto thee in a time when thou maiest be found surely in the flood of great waters they shall not come neere him Doctr. The godly shall reape the benefit of remission of sinne THis is the second part of the Psalme for hauing taught that the happinesse of man consisteth in the remission of his sinnes now he sheweth who shall reape the benefit of the same So this gift of God is not restricted onely to David but to all the godly as a cleare light shining abroad for the vtilitie of the whole Church We receiue gifts from God to impart them to others 1 Tim. 1.16 Hereby we may learne for what end God doth bestow his gifts vpon vs to wit that we may reach forth the fruit thereof to others So the Apostle sayth he found mercie that he might be an example to others As also we should looke to the examples going before vs. Aske the former ages sayth Iob Iob. 8.9
prayse God and our necessities but when we praise we haue our chiefe respect to God and his honour and the Lord he doth both for he worketh deliuerie of vs and thankfullnesse in vs Ab eo incipient ab eo desinent operatur velle et perficere They beginne of him they shall end of him he worketh to will and to perfit Iacob was deliuered by God Gen. 35. and hee said to him Goe vp to the God of Bethel Often christians are grieued at themselues that they know not how to performe a dutie to God for his blessings for which cause Dauid sayth What shal I render to the Lord c. Psal 116.12 I will take the cup of Saluation c. Compassest mee about This word importeth Doctr. As we are beseiged with troubles so are we compassed with deliueries that as wee are beseiged on euery side with troubles so wee are compassed with as many comforts and deliueries as our crosses grow daily so our consolations are augmented day by day Wee are on euerie side offended and on euerie side defended therefore wee ought on euery side sound Gods praises as Dauid sayth Psal 103.1 My soule praise the Lord and all that is within me With Songs of deliuerance This noteth the the greatnesse of his praises and what delight hee had in them that hee would not onely speake them but sing them This was verie familiar to the Iewes namely to Dauid to sing songs on Harps Viols Tabrets and all instruments of Musicke All my springs shall bee in thee Awake Viol c. The tears of Gods children end in ioy But first let vs obserue that the teares of Gods children end in ioy they sowe a precious seed with sorrow but they bring home sheaues of corne dancing In that hee will not be content onely with thankes but also will haue them conioyned with songs hee letteth vs see how high all the strings of his heart are bended that hee cannot containe himselfe for the mercies of God to his Church and for his manifold deliuerances for the same Many sing prayses to God with an halfe open mouth Many haue an halfe open mouth in singing prayses to God who are too ready to sing filthy Ballads to the dishonour of God and albeit they can sing alowde any filthy ballad in their house they make the meane I warrand you in the Church that scarce they can heare the sound of their owne voyce I thinke they be ashamed to proclaime and shew forth Gods prayses or they feare to deafen God by their lowde singing But David bended all his forces within and without to praise his God Neither doe wee approue those foolish songs of the Papists Against Popish singing who doe not only wearie the hearers but the Idoles themselues with their rowting and crying and that in an vnknowen Language Saint Basil sayth eos demum cantus recipiendos qui nos possunt efficere meliores Those Songs are to be receiued which may make vs better in old they sung as though they had beene speaking that men might rather vnderstaÌ„d their meaning then delight their eare by the instrument VERSE 8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt goe and I will guide thee with mine eye VERSE 9. Be not like an Horse or like a Mule which vnderstandeth not whose mouthes thou doest binde with bit and bridle lest they come neere thee VERSE 10. Many sorrowes shall come to the wicked but hee that trusteth in the Lord mercie shall compasse him NOw David after he hath gotten assurance of there mission of his sinnes described the vertues which flow from the same in these three verses The substance of these three verses giueth forth a worthy and Doctorall admonition to all sinners to take heed vnto themselues in the eight verse propounding himselfe to to be their Doctor in the ninth sharpely admonishing them that they become not brutish beasts in not giuing voluntar obedience till they be coacted and lastly in the 10. verse hee threateneth those that will not obey many sorrowes shall come to them Concerning the first part I spake in the Inscription of the Psalme yet somewhat I will adde Seeing it pleaseth Gods Spirit to repeate I am not grieued once or twise for your edification to repeate the same matter albeit not after the same maner for this is true Philosophie to teach repentance A King becommeth a Philosopher in the teaching of repentance and these are the fruiâ—s of true repentance He who hath ouercome sinne in himselfe will striue to ouercome it in others when wee will communicate our feelings to others for he who hath ouercome sinne in himselfe will studdie to banish it from others for repentance cannot be without charitie Some translate this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will make it knowne So I will make it euident to you if yee be ignorant Since I haue showne you the way yee your selues are blame worthie if yee will not follow it This is the zeale of the Lords glorie which is in the hearts of Gods children that it bursts forth as a vessel of new Wine as Elihu sayd Simil. Iob. 41. Luk. 13.21 as fire as oyle that giueth smell to all who are in the house as Leauen which leaueneth the whole batch as a light which inlighteneth the whole house Pro. 27.17 as yron sharpeneth yron so doth a Christian a Christian Andrew found Simon and brought him to Christ Philip found Nathaneel they brought others to Christ Ioh. 4. The Samaritan woman being called did also call the Samaritans to Christ Paul conuerted studied to conuert others Act. 9. Luk. 22.32 and Peter conuerted by our Sauiour was commanded to strengthen his brethren And if wee would consider how busied wicked men are to intise others to their sin Pro. 1.14 Goe wee shall haue a common purse cast in thy lot among vs and againe how wicked Proseâ—its goe by Sea and Land Note to make others of their profession Wee both Pastors others would be ashamed that we take no paines vpon â—ur selues to strengthen weake Christians and â—raw those who are without and confirme those who are within in the truth of God whereof our owne consciences are sufficiently perswaded Our coldnesse in this poynt hath neede to be kindled and let vs indeauour to amend it and bee more relaxe in our owne affaires and more bent in the cause of God The Lord waken vs also for Vt ingulent homines surgunt de nocte Latrones Theeues rise in the night to kill men tu vt te ipsum serues non expergisceris thou that thou maiest saue thy selfe doest not awake Math. 26.40.47 Iudas arose in the night to betray Christ while the Apostles were in a heauie sleepe and would not watch for him and themselues Such is the securitie of our nature that wee are not prouident for good things and the pronesse of the
Whether may not men lawfully reioyce in the blessings that God hath given them as a man in the Wife of his youth Parents in their children and in their temporall blessings I answere yea verily providing alway that God be the ground and end of their reioycing Ans that they reioyce in them as pledges of Gods mercie and loue them because they see them readie to serue God and that they regard more grace then nature in their wiues and children otherwise their preposterous affection turneth into sorrow and griefe 1 Sam. 4.17 18. as did the loue of Eli to his children who in the end smarted for it The Lord moderate our ioyes that they may be all in him and sanctifie our persons that they may be righteous and vpright that the loyes we receiue here may be entrances to the euerlasting ioyes we shall receiue in the kingdome of Heaven through Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS A GODLY AND FRVITFVL EXPOSITION ON THE xxxviij PSALME THis Psalme hath three parts to be considered First The diuision of the Psalme the title and superscription A Psalme for remembrance Secondly Dauids humble confession of his sinnes which brought forth such miseries on his body and mind which he regrateth throughout all the Psalme vntill the two last verses Thirdly a prayer to God for support and reliefe out of those troubles contained in the two last verses The title A Psalme for remembrance THe meaning of this title is that he would keepe it to be a memoriall and a memento of his miseries which because of his sinne he did sustaine at the making hereof For man by nature is forgetfull of his miseries Man remembreth his trouble no longer then whilst he is vnder it so that they passe as waters that are gone yea albeit they vrge him very vehemently while they are lying on him yet he presently forgetteth them when he getteth the smallest reliefe as men do the stormie blasts of Winter so soone as some few faire Sommer dayes do appeare Simil. This forgetfulnesse springeth out of that roote of ingratitude which is a capitall sin Forgetfulnes springeth of ingratitude Psal 103.2 Doctrine God who deliuereth vs must put vs in mind of our deliuerie Gen. 28.20 and therefore Dauid prayeth vnto the Lord that his benefits slip neuer out of his mind So that God who deliuereth vs out of our troubles must also furnish vs with memorie both to remember the deliuerie as also the troubles out of which he hath deliuered vs. Iacob made a vow at Bethel that if God went with him and would keepe him in the iourney which he went and would giue him bread to eate and clothes to put on c. then he should be his God But when he returned God put him in mind of his vow saying Arise go vp to Bethel and dwel there and make there an altar vnto God that appeared vnto thee when thou fleddest from Esau thy brother Gen. 35.1 And as it is naturall in vs to forget Gods benefits so is it as naturall in vs to remember euill Man remâ—bers euill too well If any hath offended vs in the smallest word that we keepe fresh in memorie Nam ira tardissimè senescit wrath slowly groweth old As the sieue retaineth and beareth aboue the clats and bran Simil. the grosse excrements of the corne and suffereth the good grain easily to passe thorows so doe wee easily retaine euill and forget good This superscription is not to be found in all the Psalmes except in this and in the seuentie Alwaies let vs pray vnto the Lord to furnish vs with a faithfull remembrance both of our sinnes prouoking him to wrath against vs and of his manifold mercies pardoning our manifold sinnes as also that we may forget the particular iniuries wrongs done vnto vs. The substance and vse of this Psalme In this 38 Psalme Dauid deploreth vnto God the violence of his sicknesse the malice of his aduersaries who seeming to pitie him mocked him by their craftie visitation exulcerating his wounds by their deceitfull dealing while he in the meane time in patience possessed his soule not making answer to their iniuries in the first twenty verses in the two last imploring Gods helpe for his deliuerance from them The vse of this Psalme This Psalme will be very pertinent for euery one who is outwardly or inwardly grieued for they haue this godly Prince and Prophet set down before them in that same case as Christ also whose type he was was acquainted with the like miseries and an high Priest who hauing tafted of all our dolours may more heartily compassionate vs in our afflictions The Papists think that this Psalme should be sung for those that are in Purgatorie Against the Papists songs for those in Purgatory which they themselues grant was not before Christs dayes but if they marked it rightly they would be ashamed of that assertion for it destroyeth all the grounds of their purgatoriall fire which some of themselues confesse from whom albeit Lorinuâ— the Iesuite and Bellarmine do not disassent yet they think it not meet to condemne the opinion of others who affirme the same lest thereby they should giue vs whom they call Heretikes cause of reioycing Whereby we may plainly perceiue how those two arch-heretikes detaine the truth of God in vnrighteousnesse 〈◊〉 1.18 commending and approuing the false wresting of the Scriptures yet not daring to condemne that as hereticall doctrine which they cannot proue to be canonicall and agreeable to the truth VERSE 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chastise me in thy wrath THere are 22 verses of this Psalme answering to the order of the Hebrew Alphabet This first verse is agreeable to the first verse of the sixt Psalme of which I haue written at length except only in the two Hebrew words Beappecha and Bekitspecha which are Synonyma and of one signification which two Psalmes Saint Basil conferring together findeth them to agree in many things as the diligent Reader by comparing them together may perceiue He also compareth a sinner to a sicke man Basil lib. 1. de staâ—u animae qui leuia ac mitia pharmaca desideret ferrim incisiones ignem deprecetur who desireth light and easie plaisters and again would be free of cuttings fire and extreme remedies To the foresaid place of the sixt Psalme lest I should seeme tedious in repetition I referre the Reader VERSE 2. For thine arrowes haue light vpon me and thine hand lyeth vpon me SAint Ierom translateth the Hebrew word Nichathu piercing me The arrowes of God are the calamities vexations whereby he was vnquieted in minde and bodie compared to arrowes frequently in the Scriptures as Deut. 32.23 I will bestow mine â—rrowes vpon them And in the 42 verse I wiâ— make mine arrowes drunke with blood And Iob 6.4 The arrowes of the Almightie are in me For God is compared to an archer whose hand is strong
his sins was taken from God himselfe and that great mercie whereto he is inclined The next from his great filthinesse vncleannesse whose misery was an obiect of Gods mercie desiring God to purge and cleanse him from the same Now followeth the third argument taken from â—is acknowledgement of his sin and true confession thereof As though he would say Lord I know I haue sinned I confesse my sin to thee therefore pardon me What force thinke ye this argument would haue in a guiltie mans mouth if he came before an earthly Iudge and would say I haue committed murder and adulterie I confesse it Surely the Iudge would answer Ex ore tuo te iudico I iudge thee according to thine owne confession as Dauid commanded him to be killed 2. Sa. 1.16 An humble acknowledgement of sinne a good argument to obtain pardon from God who reported that he had killed Saul But before the heauenly Tribunall such an argument hath onely force There is no meane to acquit vs from Gods iustice vnlesse we come to him humbly confessing our sin and accusing our selues for then he will pardon and excuse vs. Our condemning of our selues maketh him to absolue vs our remembrance of our sins maketh him to forget them and our repentance bringeth his pardon But how cometh it to passe that thus he lamenteth Obiect seeing before Nathan had assured him that his sins were forgotten and pardoned I answer the godly Solut. albeit they be perswaded of mercie yet for the loue they beare to God they cannot but be displeased with themselues so often as they remember how vnhappily they haue offended so gracious a maiestie The wicked forget the euils which they do remember the good which they haue done if they haue done any whereas the godly remember alwayes their sins 1. Cor. 15.9 1. Tim 1.13 but the wicked forget their sins most â—asiâ—y and if they haue done any shew of good they remember it continually The godly by the contrary forget their good and remember their sins and the euill which they haue done as the Apostle Paul saith I am the least of all the Apostles and not meete to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church And againe When before I was a blasphemer a persecuter and oppressor but I was received to mercie And againe Christ died for sinners among whom I am the chiefe They account themselues the least among the godly the greatest among sinners So it is good to vs to nourish a continuall remembrance of our owne sins that it may humble vs before God make God so much the more pitie vs that he seeth vs vnfainedly displeased with our selues that we haue offenâ—ed him by our many many sinâ— For I know my sinne The knowledge of his sin doubtlesse came by Gods word out of the mouth of Nathan For albeit by a generall notice hee knew hee had done wrong and the particular punctions of his conscience forced him to thinke so yet the true knowledge came neuer vnto him vntil God said by his Prophet Thou art the man So the word of God serueth vs to this vse that it openeth our blinde eyes to see what is euill in vs. And therefore wo to that people who haue not the word and faithfull Preachers who may let them see their sins For when they know not sin to be sin they die in their sins By the law saith the Apostle is the knowledge of sin Rom. 7.7 for if the law had not said Thou shalt not lust I would not think concupiscence to be sin Ye may see how great an euill is ignorance when mens eyes are blinded whom the god of this world hath blinded in so great a light The most part of the world couers their sin by translating the cause ouer vnto others as Adam vpon Euah Euah vpon the Serpent But the Scripture saith Gen. 3. Pro. 28.13 He that hideth his sin shall not prosper Non medioâ—re est saith Ambrose vt agnoscat peccatum suum vnusquisque It is not a small thing to euery one to know and acknowledge his sin So saith Dauid Delicta quis intelligit Who vnderstandeth his sin He who knoweth them may the sooner auoide them If any knew a danger he could easily flie from it and go by it Our Sauiour wept because they knew not the day of their visitation That a man may know his sin it is necessary he be admonished and rebuked and he who desireth to attaine this knowledge must be content to receiue rebukes kindly How to attaine to an acknowledgement of sinne He must resolue before God to shun the occasions of sin and such euill companie as allureth him to folly that he do call to mind what a gracious God he hath offended what good things he hath lost how many he hath offended by his example and to addresse himselfe henceforth to leade a holy and religious life according to Gods word The Philosophers thought it most necessary for euery man to know himselfe and in their precepts had this euer He who knoweth not himselfe can neuer know God Nosce teipsum Know thy selfe Then much more it becometh a Christian to know himselfe for otherwise he can neuer know God in any of his properties For if we know not our sin how shall we either know Gods iustice pursuing vs or his mercie pardoning vs. Oh that we knew our selues But Satan doth with vs as the Rauen doth with the Lambe Simil. it first pulleth forth the eyes then deuoureth it first he blindeth vs then we follow him Therefore we should labour vpon our soules that the darkned eye thereof may be cleare the dimnesse remoued Acts 9. the scales which lie vpon them as vpon Saint Paul may fall to the ground that seeing our selues and our nakednesse we may craue to be couered seeing our wounds we may desire to be cured As also it is the principall part and duty of Pastors to deale in their Sermons with people that they may see their sins Sonne of man saith the Lord to Ezekiel make knowne to Ierusalem their abhominations Pastors ought to exhort the people to a sight of their sin We flatter the people in their sin and vse conniuence to their wickednesse We are afraid and belike dare not light the candle of the word and bring it to them being lying in darknesse lest they put forth the candle or smite vs who by the light thereof let them see their misbehauiour And my sinne is euer before me When Satan doth present his baited hooke of sin to vs Satans policy in presenting the greatnes of our sins after we haue sinned to vs he neuer letteth vs see the hooke of Gods iudgements but euer the bait of pleâ—sure but when we haue swallowed the baite he neuer letteth vs see any comfort of Gods mercies but proposeth to vs a troubled conscience the flames of Gods wrath and the terrors of his iudgements as the Prophet saith Our
the holiest to an account he could finde them euen by their owne conscience guilty of iudgement Thus Christ reasoned with the Iewes taking an argument from their conscience Let him Ioh. 8.7 saith he who is without sinne among you cast the first stone at the woman taking in adulterie The papists confesse that the imperfection of our workes are supplied by Gods mercie but they diuide righteousnesse giuing Christ one part and taking to themselues another who doth not see how farre they erre from the Prophet Dauids confession Why establish they workes of supererogation which is a superlatiue folly if they cannot deserue more then may saue themselues It is a vaine thing to dreame either of satisfaction or satispassion Against merits that either a man can doe enough or suffer enough to satisfie God for his sinne Christ hath satisfied for vs all both the law by obedience and the iustice of God by his suffering who hath closed all vnder sinne that he may haue mercy on all Rom. 11.32 Bellarmine saith well on this place Vide Bellermin Psal 130. Offensio in Deum est infinita magnitudinis The offence done against God is of an infinite hudgenesse that we can neither condignely and worthily satisfie for them yea not acknowledge the grauitie and weight of them 2. How can a finite man make account for an infinite summe to such a God who knoweth the number of them and craueth so exact a reckoning But mercie is with thee that thou maiest be feared He being plunged in the deepthes of sinnes sorrowes is not able to reskew himselfe What he fâ—ndeth not in himselfe or others he sindeth In God Simil. till God relieued him The thing which he cannot finde in himselfe or in any other he seeketh it in God The earth is barren by nature an hard deud and cold element till it get life heate and moisture from heauen the same warmeth and quickeneth it and so it becommeth fruitfull euen so by nature there is neither light life nor grace in vs vntill God send them downe from heauen Wherefore then doe sinners seeke any releefe from beneath Iam. 2.17 Euery good gift commeth from the father of lights Let vs seeke it where it is to be found Luk. 24 5 Why seeke yee him that is liuing saith the Angell among the dead Why seeke we life in the dead world Mercy excludeth merit Rom. 3.28 Mercie excludeth all merits For grace and merits as Paule reasoneth doe fight ex diametro If we be saued by grace then merite is no merite if by merite then grace is no grace To ioyne those two grace and merite with these olde heretiques the Pelagians or with the Semipelagians arch-here-tique papists is great folly for they can no more agree together then fire and water of which of force the one will destroy the other 1. Iam. 5.2 Dagon and the Arke of God or the foote of Nebuchadnzars image composed of iron and clay Dan. 2.43 How mercie is said to be in God and with God Is with thee It is of him and from him as the author and God of all mercies it is in him as a fountaine to be found It is with him lying in his treasurie yea in a word it is himselfe beginning mids and end is ener mercie and compassion Are you in miserie stand you in neede of mercie ye know where to finde it euen in God and with God All the waies of the Lord are mercie and truth Psal 25.10 to them that walke vprightly If thou be sick thou knowest where to haue medicine without mony if poore where true riches are to be gotten if hungry wher food is The mercies of God supplie all the miseries of man There is no miserie in mans nature which may not be helped by Gods mercie and remission of thy sinnes This mercie as Augustine saith is to be found in the redemption of Christ blood That thou maiest be feared The consequent of this mercie is showen in the latter part of this verse that God may be feared But it seemeth very strange that mercy should beget feare Obiect where rather loue by it should be stirred vp in our hearts Solut. I answere the obteining of mercie begetteth both feare and loue a childish feare least we offend him a childish loue whereby to please him When the Apostle saith Charitas expellit timorem 1. Ioh. 4.18 loue expelleth feare he meaneth of a beastlie and slauish feare True loue and true feare are alwaies together Simil. but true loue and true feare may stand both together a child may feare to offend his louing father whom he loueth The end for which God offereth himselfe so peaceablie to man and so ready to graunt him mercie is that he may be feared If men were not assured to get mercie when they repent there could be no worshipping of God or godlinesse and if we had no esperance of grace why should we pray or vse diuine seruice in vaine The papists vnderstand not this ground for albeit they speake largely of the feare of God The papists are miserable comforters yet they keepe miserable soules in perplexitie denying that God will shew mercie vnto them calling it an high presumption that any should assure himselfe of Gods mercie what do they I pray you but build without a foundation for God can neuer be rightly worshipped vnles we haue an assurance of his mercie I wish that those Doctors who obscure the grace of God and teach mens righteousnesse could weigh this rightly Is it not a vaine thing in them to affirme that they would haue Gods seruice and worship aduanced themselues in the meane while obscuring Gods graces and mercies which should moue men most to worship him But the doctrine of grace say they maketh men secure and negligent of good workes Obiect it is true Solut. fleshly men will abuse Gods grace in wantonnesse but it is reasonable that for their peruersitie the glorie of God should be obscured and the elect and faithfull should be defrauded of their comfort Verse 5. I haue waited on the Lord my soule hath waited and I haue trusted in his word Verse 6. My soule waiteth on the Lord more then the morning watch watching for the morning IN these two verses Dauid declareth that out of the faith which he had of the remission of his sinnes sprang forth the hope which he had of the accomplishment both of his spirituall and temporall deliueries for faith must preceede Wherein faith and hope differ and hope must follow and attend vpon that which was beleeued faith and hope are both one in substance they differ in this that faith presently apprehendeth the promises of God and hope attendeth the receiuing of them If a king would giue his word Ex verbo Principis vpon the word of a king he would giue such a token to his subiects whereby he might be sure of that which he promised Simil.
countenance of God himselfe being a consuming fire and an euerlasting burning Deut. 4.24 Heb. 12.29 Deu. 32.22 A fire is kindled in my wrath saith the Lord and shall burne vnto the bottome of hell and shall consume the earth with her increase and set on fire the foundations of the mountaines c. Then since we will be loth to vnder-lie the wrath of a King ought we not to be carefull and circumspect that we come not vnder the danger of the highest wrath The anger of a mortall King reaches and extends to the bodies Differences betwixt the anger of a King of God goods and posteritie of the offenders but the anger of God reaches further euen to the soule The anger of a Prince is finite and will haue an end but Gods anger is infinite and endlesse as himselfe is Esay 30.33 The breath of his nostrils as a riuer of brimstone will kindle Topheth prepared for the King But woe will be to those that for feare of any earthly Prince or Monarch come vnder the indignation and wrath of God What sins God hates All sinnes offend God and prouoke him to anger but there are some pointed out by Scripture whereat he is more offended as Witchcraft Idolatrie Hypocrisie c yea those which seeme lesser sinnes to vs being multiplied and not repented for will also kindle him to anger yea more what euer sinne we commit God will be angry at it and offended therewith not that he câ—n receiue any euill by our euill doing more than he gets good by our well doing Why God hates sin but he is angry that we should vndoe his Image in vs and be cause of our owne damnation As a father is offended at his sonne not for any wrong comming to him but to see his owne image before his eyes and a part of his owne nature destroying it selfe Neither chastise me in thy wrath The duplication of the word anger and heat or furie sheweth vnto vs that Dauid apprehended deeply Gods indignation for there are many alas who doe thinke little of it but a heart afflicted and mortified will redouble the grieuance and thinke more and more of his Maiesties anger But it may be asked Obiect Esay 27.4 how God saith there is no anger with me and here Dauid craues to be exempted from his anger I answer He hath no fleshly anger Answer such as proceeds from rash iudgement or the corruption of man but he is angry and sins not when he is onely angry at sinne for it is certaine that God will be angry at nothing in his creatures but only sinne which bringeth man to destruction for as if a father saw a serpent in his childs bosome he would hate the serpent notwithstanding his loue to the boy Simil. So we are Gods children he loues that which he made of vs our body and soule and hates that which the deuill hath put in vs our sinne Gods anger differs from mans And as the anger of God differs from the anger of man the one being grounded vpon partiall affections of the corrupted heart which is offended at any thing which crosseth it the other being onely moued at finne So they differ in continuance for Gods wrath lasts but a moment Psal 53.8 slow he is to conceiue a wrath and ready to pardon But the anger of man on the contrary ariseth vpon the smallest motiues and it cannot cease till it be conuerted into malice as at last the serpent becommeth a fiery flying Dragon Simil. Therefore let vs imitate God in our anger obseruing that rule of the Apostle Be angry and sinne not Eph. 4.26 Let vs be angry at nothing but sinne in our selues and in others And againe Eph. 4.26 Let not the Sunne goe downe on our wrath In the meane time Let vs remember that there is nothing more terrible than the wrath of God And therefore let vs walke in feare and trembling before him who is able to kill both body and soule Are they not then desperate and miserable men who at euery word cry that the wrath of God be vpon them and the vengeance of God vpon their neighbours alas one day they shall feele the dint of that wrath when they shall be forced to cry O mountaines couer Reuel 6.16 and O hills hide vs from the face of that terrible Iudge VERSE 2. Vers 2 Haue mercy vpon me O Lord for I am weake O Lord heale me for my bones are vexed Doctr. 1 HAue mercy To flie and escape the anger of God No meanes to eschew Gods anger but to go to himselfe he sees no meanes in heauen or in earth and therefore he retires himselfe to God euen to him who wounded him that he might heale him He flies not with Adam to the bush Gen 3.8 1 Sam 28.8 Ionah 1.3 nor with Saul to the Witch or with Ionas to Tarshish but he appeales from an angry iust God to a mercifull God from himselfe to himselfe The woman who was damned by King Philip appealed from Philip being drunken to Philip being sober But Dauid appeales from one Vertue Iustice to another Mercy There may be appellation from the Tribunall of man to the Iustice seat of God Vse In the sense of Gods wrath seeke to him for mercy Psal 73.25 but when thou art indited before Gods Iustice whither or to whom wilt thou goe but to Himselfe and his Mercy-seat which is the highest and last place of appellation I haue none in Heauen but thee nor in earth by thee Doctr. 2 Next obserue what Dauid craues Mercy wherby we may perceiue that he was broght to a coÌ„sideration of his own misery A sense of misery iâ— a spurre to craue mercie or else he needed not to haue asked for mercy Then it is necessary that to the end we may the more effectually craue pardon euery one of vs first haue a sense and fâ—eling of our owne sin and miserie Vse Labour for a true â—â—nse of our miserie to make vs theâ— more earnest for mâ—â—y Ioh. â— 7 c The woman of Samaria sported herselfe with the offers of the waters of life which Christ Iesus offered her out of his owne blessed mouth vntill the time be obiected her sins to her then shee receiued them gladly communicated them to the whole Citie so did the Magdalen Peter Manasses Luke 7.37 Luk. 22.62 2 Chro. 33.12 Act 9.4 c. Paul and so haue and must all penitent sinners doe so necessarie a thing it is to feele our owne miseries that the mercies of God may be more welcome and sweet vnto vs. And therefore it is but an idle voyce when men call for Gods mercy not hauing the least remorse for their sinne Luk. 18.11 ark 2.17 Matth. 5.4 The Pharisee needed not Christ as the whole need not the Physitian God giue vs then the spirit of repentance that we may mourne to the end we
may be comforted As for the Mercy of God Gods mercies innumerable Eph. 3.18 to me to speake thereof it is impossible yea to expresse the height bredth depth and length thereof as impossible as if I should recken the number of the sand of the Sea yea all the creatures Angels and men if they would bend their wits they were not able to expresse the least part of the mercies of our God for they are finite creatures and he an infinite God whose mercies are innumerable and infinite yet according to my humane capacitie what I haue conceiued and doe beleeue of his mercy that I will deliuer to you And as I spake before of his wrath and anger that endureth but for a season Psal 136.1 c. Psal 145.9 I will intreat of his mercies which endure for euer and which are aboue all his workes himselfe also being stiled The Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 His mercies are either Generall or Speciall Foure sorts of mercies 1. Generall Temporall or Eternall His Generall mercies are those benefits which he bestowes vpon all mankinde as well elect as reprobate whereupon our Sauiour sheweth vnto vs That he maketh the Sunne to shine vpon the good and vpon the bad and thereupon he inferreth Mat. â— 4â— Be mercifull as your Father in heauen is mercifull So that these same Externall benefits are to the reprobate vnseene and vnfelt benefits and mercies The Speciall mercy is the remission of sinnes 2. Speciall which he bestoweth vpon his owne children allanerly Gen. 25.5 6 So that as Abraham gaue gifts to the children of the Concubines and reserued the heritage for Isaac his sonne and as Helcanah gaue to Peninnah a portion 1 Sam. 1.4 5 but vnto Anna a worthy portion So God giues riches to the wicked but only grace to his chosen children The Temporary mercy is the forgiuenesse whereby he pardons the sinnes of the reprobate 3. Temporarie mercies and out of his clemencie deferies their temporall punishments to make them the more inexcusable Iâ—â—ah 3.10 1 King 21.29 as he did to the Niniuites and to Achab. But that Sempiternall mercy is that whereof the Apostle speakes 4 Eternall That God who is rich in mercy for his great loue by which hee loued vs when wee were dead in sinnes Eph. 2.4 c. hath quickned vs in Iesus Christ to make manifest in the ages to come the riches of his grace This mercy flowes from himselfe Gods mercies vnchangeable and he extends it to whom he pleaseth and it is so sure and constant that he can denie himselfe as soone as he can alter his mercy towards any whom hee hath receiued vnder his fauour And this constancie of his mercy is a sure hold to which all troubled consciences may retire Vse 1 This should incourage all poore sinners to runne to him To encourage Gods poore afflicted children â—say 61.1 Reuel 3.18 Simil. where there is sure and perfect Physicke to be found innumerable riches to the poore eye-salue to the blinde c. Thinke yee that your sins are of greater weight than his mercies or that the gold of his goodnesse in thee cannot ouersway the drosse of thine owne sinfulnesse Hath not the Lord sworne that he delights not in the death of a sinner Ezec. 18.23 will he falsifie his word belie his promise Num. 23.19 or is he like man that he can repent Vse 2 And againe as this his mercy should inarme vs against despaire Against presumption vpon consideraon of Gods mercy so on the other part we should take heed that we presume not too farre by abusing his mercies and making them a couer for our wickednesse so that a false perswasion of mercy maketh vs liue as we please no no there is no mercy for an impenitent sinner The mercy of God should leade thee to repentance and thou on the head of it shouldest not entertaine and nourish thy sinne Vse 3 Further as thou hopest for mercy from God Be mercifull as God is Math. 9.13 so likewise giue thou mercy to others flowing from that mercy which thou hast receiued from God I will haue mercy saith the Lord and not sacrifice Therefore since it shall be an vndoubted token of thine election that thou hast receiued mercy from Gods hands try if thou findest thy selfe vnfainedly disposed to forgiue others whatsoeuer yea euen the greatest faults committed against you for that is the oyntment running downe Aarons beard to the hemme of his garment Psal 133.2 Against merits foure Reasons Moreouer yee see that Dauid doth not present his merits which might redeeme the filthinesse of his sinnes as the Papists thinke neither yet prayers Reas 1 praises alinesdeeds victory ouer Gods foes wherein hee was frequent but he leaueth them all as a broken reede Esay 36.6 to the which he could not well leane in the day of his spirituall temptation as he confesseth oftentimes in the Psalmes and hath his onely refuge to Gods mercy The merits of men alas what are they The best workes we doe are so full of imperfections that there is more drosse than gold in them Simil. What man would be content for good gold to receiue such coyne as is neere by altogether drosse and thinke yee God for his perfect Law which he gaue vs to obserue and doe will receiue our imperfect workes Reas 2 And albeit they were perfect yet are they not of vs Iames 1.17 August for all good gifts come from the Father of lights Cùm numero merita mea saith Augustine enumero dona tua When I number my merits I reckon thy gifts What haue we that we haue not receiued 1 Cor. 4.7 Why then glory we as though we had not receiued them Reas 3 Thirdly although our workes were perfect yet are we bound to doe them by vertue of our Creation Redemption Sanctification Preseruation and if bound to do them what deserue we then Reas 4 Finally he is an infinitly perfect God how then can we thinke our base deeds though they were our owne can merit for wee ought to doe good workes to serue Via regni non causa regnandi August Obiect not to deserue they are the way to the Kingdome not the cause thereof But how is it that Dauid sometimes protests of his innocencie and desires God to iudge him according to the innocency of it Psal 7.8 This is to be vnderstood of his innocencie before men Answ to whom he did no wrong as to Saul Psal 143.2 Absolon A hitophel Doeg c. But not before God in whose sight shall none that liueth be iustified if he enter into iudgement with them as Dauid confesseth What mad doctrine is it then Vse which teacheth men that there is any worthinesse in them Iob 4.18 15.15 since the heauens are not cleane before him yea he hath found folly in his Angels Doct. 3 Dauid vnder
is not in worse case with God but he maketh it to be like the poole of Bethesda Iohn 5.1 which being troubled by the Angell was a present remedie vnto such as were cast thereinto euen so the poole of the conscience being troubled God oftentimes cureth the man who is cast into that trouble and therefore no man ought to thinke the worse of any Christian who is thus handled The true trouble of Conscience is made by Gods goodnesse to his children Trouble of conscience a medicine to purge the soule from sin a singular medicine to purge their soule which is disquieted for euen as in the naturall constitution of mans body when the corrupt humours striue to extinguish the naturall power of his life and doe trouble his stomacke maruellously the Physitian to help nature for expelling of those humours giueth the Patient medicine which with great a doe molestation of the person in the end bringeth health So when sin and grace are combating in the conscience Simil. God out of that trouble maruellously bringeth and vnexpected health This trouble of conscience is not a mark of a reprobate Neither must men thinke trouble of Conscience to be a marke of a reprobate but rather of one whose conscience is so tender and thin-skinned and strait that it can abide nothing which separateth God from it like as a most louing wife who is so far addicted to please her husband that she can abide nothing no not in her very looke to offend him and that the change of his countenance is very death vnto her his absence hell so it is the greatest trouble that euer a man can feele in this world to be put vpon the racke of Gods anger yea and most represents the paine of hell which made Solomon say Pro. 18.14 But a troubled spirit who can beare There be many things which trouble the soule which is not the trouble of conscience Trouble of soule is not alwayes trouble of conscience for then properly the soule must be troubled with some spirituall cause for oftentimes because of its coniunction with the bodie it is affected with the miseries thereof and namely with these foure First the soule is pined pitifully with the care of these worldly things 4. Things which trouble the soule with their remedies which turmoyle her night and day that shee can get no rest for which cause our Sauiour calleth them thornie cares because they pricke men through the heart and so oft forewarneth men 1. Worldly cares Luk. 21.34 that they be not vexed therewith if these men who had this excessiue care were troubled in conscience I thinke the world would be full of them Indeed I thinke ouer-great care which is Auarice as it is the root of all euill so when thy conscience shall be once stirred it will become thy greatest torment so that thou shalt loath those riches which before thou louedst Remedie Marke of repentance Luk. 10.42 Therefore let all your care be drawne to seeke that onething how ye may serue and seeke God and eschew sinne which is one of the marks of true repentance The second thing which troubleth the Soule is Anger 2. Trouble Anger which is like a fire burning it vp which if it continue will consume it This is a most dangerous euill of which Iob saith Anger killeth the foole and Enuie the idiot Iob 5.2 For remedie against it it is best to embrace Dauids and Pauls exhortation Remedie Psal 4.5 Ephes 4.25 Be angry and sinne not and this yee may doe if all your anger be conuerted against sinne The third is Sorrow 3. Trouble Sorrow which is a passion wearying the Soule and pressing it downe contracted of some worldy losses of goods and children and yet this is not the trouble of which I speake Remedie But to remedie this it is good that all our sorrowes may be for sin and the offence done to God And lastly 4. Trouble Feare feare shakes the soule as an earth quake when it is afraid for any corporall danger Psal 53.5 Prou. 28.1 of whom it is said The wicked are smitten with feare and flee when none are pursuing them The remedie But to amend this it is requisite that our feares be reduced to this principall feare that we feare to offend God and this feare will free vs from all our feares The trouble of conscience then commeth only for sin How the trouble of conscience commeth and for the absence of God from the soule for when he is present it can see no sin his presence is as the Sun-beames chasing away the clouds of our sins but when he obscures himselfe then the soule sees her sinnes and perceiues and feeles him absent out of which two ariseth that which wee call the trouble of conscience which is a felt desertion of God What the trouble of conscience is wherein the creature by a spirituall eclipse seeth not the Creator in the mirror of the Gospell neither thinks that his promises appertaine to them neither findes God hearing their prayers neither feeles comfort in the Word and Sacraments neither findes God blessing him in his actions but as a man left to himselfe and a prey to the Deuill except God support him He sees the heauen as a fire aboue him and hell as an open gulfe beneath him men and Angels his enemies and the deuds his burials Behold in what a case this man is in Simil. euen as a childe left in the wildernesse by his parents to be a prey to wilde beasts so is a soule deserted of God But because I haue spoken at great length of the trouble of Conscience it selfe of her causes and ends of her diseases and remedies in my booke of Meditations on the seuen dayes I referre the Reader thereto not willing to vse any repetition But Lord how long Now yee haue heard both the corporall diseases of Dauid and spirituall that as his body and soule mutually sinned so both were mutually pained and both againe cured albeit not so soone as Dauid desired and therefore longing for the Lords presence he subioynes But Lord how long wilt thou delay A troubled heart hath abrupt speeches to God Which is an abrupt interrogation when through the vehemencie of his perturbation he curreth his speech which the Orators by a figure call Aposiopesis when men cannot vtter clearely and fully their minde through the greatnesse of their griefe The like whereof we haue in the 13 Psalme How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for euer and Psal 79.5 89.46 Lord how long wilt thou be angry for euer and Lord how long wilt thou hide thy selfe for euer Habak 1.2 O Lord how long shall I cry and thou wilt not heare And the soules that were vnder the Altar slaine for the testimonie of the truth cry Reuel 6.10 How long Lord holy and true c. Out of this we haue
that both soule and body meet together and praise him world without end Lawfull to craue continuance of our life Thirdly that it is lawfull to craue the continuance of our life to the end that wee may praise God Would we desire the continuance of our life that we may continue in sin God forbid Likewise wee may desire death not for being weary of temporall paine or feare of shame but with the Apostle that we may be dissolued and be with Christ and be freed of the burthen of sinne by our death Yet in both our desires let vs submit our selues to the good pleasure of God and say with our Sauiour Thy will be done not as I will Luke 22.42 but as thou wilt Fourthly wee see in his sicknesse he seekes the continuation of his life at Gods hands who hath the issues of death in his will and would teach vs 2 Chron 16.12 2 King 1.2 neyther with Aza to put our trust in the Physitians neyther with Ahaziah to goe aske counsell at Beelzebub but with good Hezekiah turne to the wall 2 Kin. 20.2 and beg the prorogation of our life with Dauid from God Difference betweene the deâ—re of the godly wicked Finally ve see what shall be the difference betweene the desire of the godly and the wicked in their contrary desires of the continuation of their life for the wicked being tyed to the bed of sicknesse craue longer life to the end they may enioy their riches longer and vse or rather abuse them in the meane time neuer conceiuing or nourishing an hope of celestiall good things But the godly that they may record fruitfully the praises of God in the congregation of the righteous and preach out his praises besides that the feare of death is in the reprobates because they see by it an end put to all their earthly felicities whereas the Elect of God feare it because by it they are drawne from among men with whom they might haue magnified the name of God If ye desire to reade any more of this subiect reade the forenamed booke of Meditations in the Meditation of death VERSE 6. I fainted in my mourning I cause my bed euery night to swimme and water my couch with my teares THis argument is taken from the person of the Supplicant which is set downe by hyperbolique Metaphors The greatnesse expressing his great wearinesse his teares and mourning his sobs and sighing The place the place wherin he mourned his bed the measure swimming and watering of the same the time all the night The time The adiuÌ„ct the adiunct thereof the dimnesse of his eyes vers 8. and the obiect of his sorrow his enemies or rather Gods enemies I fainted It may seeme a maruellous change in Dauid who was a man of such magnitude of minde to bee so farre deiected and cast downe whereas hee preuailed against Goliah against the Lyon and the Beare through fortitude and magnanimitie and now hee is sobbing sighing and weeping as a childe It is another thing to haue to doe with creatures than with the Creator But ye must vnderstand that he hath to doe with diuers persons when men and beasts are his opposites then hee is more then a conqueror but when hee hath to doe with God against whom he sinned then hee is lesse then nothing Contrition the first step of repentance First he saith as the word beares by all Interpreters he sighed or sobbed which is the first degree of repentance for inward contrition in the heart must precede all the outward signes of repentance and is most acceptable to God because it is secret and onely knowne to himselfe And herein shall a Christian try and discerne himselfe A perfect tryall of a reformed heart if there neuer passe a secret cogitation of his minde which is not accompanied with a sob vnto God Hezekiah said hee mourned like a Doue Isay 38.14 and chattered like a Swallow Moses spake nothing by his voyce Exo. 14.15 and the Lord said 1 Sam. 1.13 Why cryest thou Anna her lips moued but her voyce was not heard God regards not words but thoughts Doctr. Sobs and sighes are best sacrifices Next yee see that sobs and sighes are more acceptable to God than any seruice wee can doe to him and in these Dauid wearied himselfe for his sinnes taking such paines in chastising himselfe and as the Papists translate it he labored in his sobbing to humble both his soule and his body whereby wee should learne that this is the most profitable labour when we can worke vpon a rebellious heart to subdue all our affections to the obedience of God and mortification of the same Vse We should take paines with our hearts This should make vs ashamed that we can take paines vpon any thing but not vpon our owne heart we will weary our selues vpon any earthly vanitie or pleasure but we are wearied of the seruice of our God yea euen of the smallest point of repentance and humiliation before God We cannot spend our selues better since we must be spent vpon something than vpon that principall part of his seruice which hee liketh best that is in chastising of our body and mortification of our affections for it is said Isai 57.15 Vpon whom shall the Spirit of the Lord rest Vpon a contrite heart Therefore wo bee to those that weary themselues in the workes of sinne and adde drunkennes to thirst Vse Wo to such as weary theÌ„selues in the workes of sinne Isai â— 11 and can neuer be satisfied nor goe to their bed till they haue accomplished some wickednesse In my mourning First he sighed and sobbed for his sinne and now hee mourneth for the same Looke whereunto our follies tend The pleasures of sinne euer end in displeasure for which either we must of necessity mourne in this life or eternally in the life to come True it is that the reprobate as also naturall and vnregenerate men shall poure forth many thousand teares for the plagues and iudgements which God layeth vpon them which are but the fore-runners and beginnings of their euerlasting mourning in hell but the mourning of the Elect preuenteth many sorrowes which would befall them so Doctr. Mourning for sin will keep vs froÌ„ many other mournings Exo. 12.30 if wee haue grace to mourne for sinne it will keepe vs from many other mournings The Egyptians had an vniuersall mourning thorow all their houses at the slaughter of their first borne but if they had mourned for the wrong done to the Israelites they needed not to haue mourned for the plague that came vpon themselues The measure of the mourning I caused my bed swimme The measure of his mourning is expressed by the washing and swimming of his bed with teares which indeed is an hyperbolique speech and doth expresse vnto vs the vehemency and greatnesse of his griefe and that he did not esteeme light
of his sinne Note yea I may affirme neuer had man greater displeasure for so short a pleasure as had Dauid neyther was he in worse case with God but rather the multitude of his teares were as many seales of Gods fauour towards him and of the remission of his sinnes showers be better then dewes Vse yet it is sufficient if God at least hath bedewed our hearts hath giuen vs some signes of a penitent heart if wee haue not riuers of waters to poure forth with Dauid neyther fountaines flowing with the Magdalen Luke 7.38 Ieâ— 9.1 Luk 22 62. Let vs lament that we cannot mourne Mat 9.21 Iohn 20 27 Doctr. God regardeth not the quantity but quality of our repentance Doctr. The place of our sin should be the place of our repentance Gen 3.6 Luk. 22.44 Psal 4.4 Amos 6.4 nor wiâ—h Ieremy desire a fountaine to be in our head nor with Peter weepe bitrerly it will be sufficient if we lament that we cannot lament and mourne that we cannot mourne yea if we haue the smallest sobs of sorrow and teares of compunction it they be true and not counterfet they will make vs acceptable to God for as the woman with the bloudy issue that touched the hemme of Christs garment was no lesse welcome to Christ than Thomas who put his fingers in the print of the nailes So God looketh not at the quantity but the sincerity of thy repentance My bed The place of his sinne is the place of his repentance and so it should be yea when we behold the place where wee haue offended wee should be pricked in the heart and there againe craue him pardon As Adam sinned in the garden and Christ sweat bloudy teares in the garden Examine your hearts vpon your beds and conuert vnto the Lord and whereas yee haue stretched forth your selues vpon your bed to deuise euill things Repent there and make them Sanctuaries to God Sanctifie by teares euery place which ye haue polluted by sinne Vse And let vs seeke Christ Iesus in our bed with the Spouse in the Canticles who saith Cant. 3.1 In my bed by night I sought him whom my soule loued Euery night Doctr. One hours sinne may bring many nights of paine Vse So one houres sinne hath brought many nights paine it may bee done in one houre which cannot bee amended in all our life Learne therefore in time to be carefull and fall not into that ditch out of which hardly can ye bee freed How easie is it for a man to fall into a pit but with what difficultie is he deliuered there-from Beware therefore in time I pray you Adam fell in such a pit by one sinne out of which he could neuer release himselfe What shall I say to such of you as spend all the night in riot and drunkennesse and whoredome and cardes and such abhominable follies It is Gods iudgement if ye be brought to doe penance as many nights in the bed of sicknesse that your feet may be put in the stocks and yee bee tied to your bed by the cords of sicknesse as ye went away riotously with the wild Asâ—e Ier. 2.24 till ye were taken in your Moâ—eâ—h and yee be brought to repent in your bed wheâ—e ye would not at your boord and bee forced â—o learne a lesson in Babel where yee would not in Sâ—on As the night is secret Note so should the worke of thy repentance be Repent â—hou secretly that the Lord may reward thee openly Euery night Doctr. Repenâ—aÌ„â—e should bee constant Doctr. Teaâ—es good purgations to expell sin Marke here that repentance should be constant not one night but euery night And water my couch with my teares Teares are good purgations wherewith the Lord doth expell the noisome humours of our corruptions as the Physitian giueth medicine to purge the humours of his patient and albeit they seeme bitter and sower for the season yet afterward they bring forth most sweet and comfortable fruits of righteousnesse when it pleaseâ—h God to breake vp that fountaine in a mans heart and breake thorow the rocke of induration then that exercise of repentance and mouâ—ning is so delightfull to a Christian soule that there is no exercise of his religion which will content him and giue satisfaction to his poore soule if it be not sâ—asoned with some sorrow and mourning for his sinnes which made Saint Angustine to affirme in many places that it was nor pâ—ssible that repentance could bee for grieuous sinnes which was dry and not watred with many teares It is noâ— seemly to a King to weep for his owne priuate calamities leâ—t he might seeme to be cast downe from his courage but nothing more royall then to mourne for the offence of the King of Kings what force tears hâ—ue with God Finally ye shall marke in this place what force teares haue with God that they can blot out the multitude of iniquities For if Alexander being informed of many odious crimes giuen vp by Antipater against his mother answered that one mothers teare might blot many papers Simil. So must wee perswade our selues that we being the children of God albeit grieuous accusations be giuen against vs by our Anti-pater the deuill yet one teare of our repentance will blot out all these accusations VERSE 7. Mine eye is dimmed for despite and sunke in because of all mine enemies The fift argument from the multitude of his enemies MIne eyes are dimmed The fift argument from the multitude of his enemies that are troubling him when God is afflicting him and his extraordinary feare noted by a signe dimnesse of his eyes The eyes of man are made by God as two lights and windowes by which he might behold his wondrous workes and glorifie him in them and by which he might see to direct all his actions with men Psal 8.3 4. When I behold saith Danid the heauens the worke of thine hands he gathers this out of his sight the Moone and Starres which thou hast ordained What is man that thou art mindfull of him and the sonne of man that thou visitest him The Lord for this end hath planted the eyes but the deuill hath corrupted our soules that hee maketh them instruments of wickednesse in lusting by them euill things 2 Sam. 2.2 Dauid saw Bathseba The Israelites said of the golden Calfe Behold the gods which brought you out of Aegypt Exod. 32.4 a man sees the idoll he bowes downe to it he lusts after it he sees his neighbours wife and commits adulterie for as Christ saith Mat. 5.28 He that sees a woman and lusts after her hath committed adultery in his heart already Of which is said 2 Pet. 2.14 their eyes are full of adultery He sees his enemie with the eye of the Baâ—ilisque or Cocatrice to murther him Prou. 6.17 and this proud eye is one of the sixe things which the Lord abhorreth he seeth his neighbours goods to lust
after them as Achab did Naboths vineyard 1 King 21.1 2. Prou. 23.6 There is an euill eye of which Salomon saith Eat not the bread of a man that hath an euill eye he seeth finally to circumuent his neighbour of which also Salomon Pro. 10.10 Hee that winkes with his eye meditates deceit and so many make these eyes which God hath giuen them as it were two lighted candles to let them see to goe to hell and for this God hath requited them that seeing their minde was blinded by the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh 1 Ioh. 2.16 and the pride of life God hath sent sicknesse to debilitate these eyes which were so sharpe sighted in the deuils seruice and their lust now shall cause them want the necessary sight of their body Doctr. Sin blindes both soule and body Pro. 23.29 Sinne then blinds both body and soule To whom commeth woe blindnesse of eyes c. to him that sits long at wine In the sicknesse thy sight is so darkned that thou who sawest thy neighbours wife shalt now scarce know thy owne wise they shall be blind who looke thorow the windowes when God chastiseth man for his sinne The right vse of our eyes then he growâ—â—h pale and woe Out of this we haue some instructions Vse 1 First that seeing God hath giuen vs the siâ—hâ— of our eyes we should also make a couenant with them as Iob did That we beheld not a woman in vaine Iob 31.1 Next that wee may learne to looke vp to heauen and diligently ponder Gods workes with them for when they are not well occupied in readâ—ng beholding and pondering good things then the deuill will take occasion to abuse them other waies Thirdly that thou wouldst remember that hee who planted the eye Psal 94 16 Reu 1.14 sees most cleerâ—ly himselfe his eyes are like a flame of fire And finally when thou findest thine eyes dimme as thou must confesse the abuse of them so thou must pray to God that hee would â—lluminate the eyes of thy minde to see his â—â—e cy Mat 5.8 Doct. Christians can neuer lacke enemies for Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God Because of all mine enemies First yee see the Church and her true members neuer can want enemies either within or without aboue benâ—ath and about hâ—r yea how many children the deuill hath let a Christian perswade himselfe he hath as many aduersaries And the Lord raiseth vp enemies against him for great and necessary causes As fâ—rst to trâ—e their patience Secondly to exercise their armour wherewith hee hath furnished them to wit the shâ—eld of faith â—ph 6.16 Foâ— what cause God raiseth enemies â—gainst vs. the sword of the word the hâ—â—â—meâ— of saluation the brest plate of righteousnesse which a Christian must put to proofe bo h â—n defending himselfe and offending his enemies Thirdly hee raâ—seth vp enemies against him thaâ— hee being strictly pursued may draw neerer to himselfe by vnfamed repentance and true prayer as Dauid did in all his conflicts putting vp new supplications to God for his defence and deliuery Fourthly to correct their sinnes as the Israelites in Aegypt had Pharaoh Exod 1 2. Iudg. 2.3 in the wildernesse Moab in Palestina the Canannites whom God reserued and kept to bee prickes in their sides â—en 31.5 â—7 2. 39.17 Iacob had his owne Laban and Ioseph had Potiphars wife in Aegypt and at home his brethren Neither let any Christian dreame that immunity and security in any place of all the world Vse that he shall bee free of that fiery dragon Reu. 1â— 4 who doth pursue the child which the woman hath borne but let him prepare himselfe for some enemie one or moe who shall pursue him if thou be vnder the standard of the deuill he will not pursue thee but if thou be his aduersarie and fightest vnder the banner of Christ then be assured hee will bend his whole forces against thee Simil. The Pyrats who see an empty Barke swimming the sea passe by it but if shee be loaded with pretious wares then they will assault her So if a man haue no grace within him Satan passeth by him as not a conuenient prey for him but being loaded with graces as the loue of God his feare and such other spirituall vertues let him be perswaded that according as hee knowes what stuffe is in him so will not faile to rob him of them if in any case he may What is the cause of the enmity or why did Cain hate Abel because hee was righteous Gen. 4.5 The naturall hatred betweene the seed of the woman and the Serpent Gen. 3.15 the other iniust There is a naturall feude betwixt the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent which God hath put betweene them and albeit they haue neuer done them iniury yet they hate them deadly because their deuillish inclination is disposed cruelly against them What iniurie hath the Lambe done to the Lyon and yet it is set to kill it and thinketh the bloud thereof sweet The sweet singing bird what wrong doth it to the Eagle and yet she seekes to deuoure it So none are in danger but Gods children his birds his lambs and therefore they seeme most infortunate for as much as all bloody murtherers are set against them Vse 1 Art thou a Lambe the Wolfe is going about to deuoure thee but herein is thy comfort the Lord is thy Shepheard and he will protect thee Vse 2 But if thine enemies doe rise vp against thee first runne to God Counsels to a persecuted Christian search what sin thou hast done and repent it Next consider whether thou hast deserued their wrath be not persecuted as an euill doer but haue that within thee that thou maist say what haue I done Vse 3 Thirdly repay them not with euill If thou see thine enemie hungry giue him meat Rom. 12 20 if hee thirst giue him drinke for in so doing thou shalt heape coales of fire on his head Commit vengeance to God mine is vengeance saith the Lord Rom. 12.19 and I will repay it Vse 4 Finally comfort thy selfe in this thine enemies are Gods also hee will curse them that curse thee But in these enemies of Christ I marke the malice of euill men that when God is chastising a Christian for his sinne then they afflict that man as the Chaldeans did Iob Iob 1.17 The wicked adde vineger to our gall Mat. 12.20 they contrary to the practice of Christ breake a brussed reede Next Christians are not destitute of their passions but haue their owne griefes because they haue great enemies they feare but are not swallowed vp with feare for God comforts them Gen 18.2 and 32.28 Iacob was afraid of Esau his elder brother who went about to kill him but God sent him to Padan-aram and the Angell that wrestled with him said vnto him Because
enemies shall be confounded and sore vexed they shall be turned backe and put to shame suddenly THis is a Prophecie of the finall extirpation of his enemies Doctr. The Churches enemies will not prosper albeit it is to be vnderstood that Dauid was not of a vindicatiue spirit that he had malice against Simei Saul or Doeg for the particular wrongs hee receiued from them yet because they were enemies to Gods counsell in his promotion he triumpheth ouer them whereby by wee may learne to abandon our affections in our particular quarrels Doct. We ought in our own quartels to bee mercifull but sharpe in the quarels of God Numb 12.3 that wee may affirme before God and the world wee can be content to pardon whatsoeuer iniury done to our selues labor to be as vvas Moses the meekest man in the world in our own particular but most sharp in reuēging wrongs done to God It should teach Prince Preachers to imitate this Prince and Prophet to sharpen the edge of their sword tongue against Gods enemies namely these diuelish Iesuites and factions Papists to forget their own particulars against any so far as they may But in this his Prophesie it is most remarkable what shall be the end of all the enemies of Gods Church whatsoeuer they be either Kings Balaamites Baalites Iulians Turkes Papists they shall be confounded and ouerthrowne and shall be shamefull spectacles of the iudgement of God as Pharo Saul Achab Iezabel Herod Iulian there is no man breathing that sets him against that truth of God that shall escape shame in this world Let Persecutors learne by the examples of their Prodecessors eternal cōdemnation in the world to come without repētance But the examples of our Predecessors wil not learn this future age to be wise and therefore they shall inherit shame for a reward of their hostility against Gods Church except they repent But shame cannot befall Gods Children they shall neuer be ashamed for albeit they commit oftentimes things shamefull yet their repentance blots them away Suddenly Doct. Sudden Iudgemēts are the greatest are the greatest iudgemēts Dan. 5.30 Mat. 24.38 This is an amplification of their iudgement that it commeth suddenly vnlooked for as befell Beltazar for when God giueth men time to repent it is happy but when hee taketh them in their sinne then they are most miserable as those in the first world they were eating and drinking marying and giuing in mariage when the floud came The Lord help vs and keepe vs from such suddenties which may take vs in our sinnes but that we may be prepared with the fiue wise Virgins Mat 25.10 whensoeuer our Bridegroome shall come to call vs To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory world without end Amen FINIS A GODLY AND FRVITFVLL EXPOSItion on the twenty fifth Psalme the second of the PENITENTIALS DAVID being oppressed by his enemies The substance of this Psalm in this Psalme desires that God would deliuer him from shame and sinne the cause of all his euils that he would direct him to walke in his wayes as also confirmes himselfe by many arguments in the assurance of Gods goodnesse and finally praies for deliuery to himselfe and to the Church This Ode of Dauids is set downe in 22. Sections or Verses after the number and order of the Hebrew Alphabet at least very neere as are the 34.111.112.119 as also the Lamentations of Ieremiah and the 31. of the Prouerbes Those who seeke a reason of this let them reade S. Ierome Epist 155. in Lament Ieremiae and Euseb de praepar Euang. For he alludeth to the fignification of euery Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet which hath a spirituall meaning But in my iudgment these Psalmes are so framed for our memory that keeping in minde the Letters wee may the more easily remember the matter Man hath need of many helps For wee haue need of many helps to confirme our memory in goodnesse These Verses are called Acrostichi as were Sibyllaes verses of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a Fish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sedullius in like manner made an Hymne A Solis ortus cardine Beatus auctor seculi Castae parentis viscera c. As also Nazianzen I would not wish men to be too curious in the searching of the causes hereof but rather be diligent in the confirmation of their memories by these 22. Alphabeticall Letters The Diuision of the Psalme THis Psalme containeth a Prayer to the eight Verse a Confirmation to the eighteenth and a Conclusion petitory to the end In the first seuen Verses hee craueth three things at God First that hee may not be a shamed Secondly that hee may learne Gods wayes and be taught by him Thirdly that he may be deliuered from sinne Then there is contained a deprecation against sinne and shame and the meane by which he may escape them both that is by the word of God which may direct him in such a way wherein hee may not fall vnder shame and sinne Shame proceedeth of sinne There are two things which we may lawfully craue of God to eschew sinne shame sinne as the mother and cause shame as the daughter and effect And as we desire to flye them so especially wee should craue of God that onely meane by which wee may shunne them euen that we submit our selues to be gouerned by his word The word of God freeth man both of sinne and shame and frame all our actions therto by which we may perswade our selues that we shall escape both All pray Lord keepe vs from shame and sinne when as many contemne the meane by which they should bee preserued euen that blessed word of God VERSE 1. Vnto thee O Lord lift I vp my soule To whom God is Iehouah hee is also Elohim THe names which he giues God are Iehouah and Eloim the first taken from his nature the other from his power and he applyeth them to himselfe My strong Gods including the persons of the Trinitie He leadeth vs to God in our praiers Psal 73.23 Heb. 11.6 Whom haue I in heauen but thee Hee that commeth to God must beleeue that God is and that he is able to saue such as come to him God appeared in sundry names to others Exod. 6.3 but to Moses in his essentiall name Iehouah Claime first to his nature and next to his power Note First he must be thy God Iehouah and then thy strong God First he must loue thee and then hee will defend thee Ps 144.15 Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord. Those are foolish who seeks his protection not first hauing assurance of his loue If hee be to thee Iehouah then shall he also be to thee Eloim Three arguments to moue God to beare him The arguments by which he would moue God to heare him are taken from three persons First from
his owne person Secondly from the person of his aduersaries Thirdly from the person of the godly In his owne person first his prayer is signified by this circumscription I. From his owne person because hee beleeues in him I lift vp my soule to thee and his faith I trust in thee What is prayer but a lifting vp of the heart to God for the heart must first be affected and then it will frame all the members of the body and draw them vp with it Simil. As the Magnes drawes the Iron after it so will the soule draw the cold and lumpish flesh where it is where the soule is there is the body also and where the soule is there is the man Whereby it appeareth that there is no praier or spirituall seruice acceptable to God Doct. No spirinâ— all seruice but that which proceeds from the heart Pro. 23.26 Isay 29.13 but that which comes and is deriued from the heart My sonne giue me thy heart This people seeke mee with their lips but their heart is farre from me Yee are praying but your heart is as the eye of the foole euery where Sometime yee are thinking of the earth somtime of your pleasure sometime sleeping sometime yee know not what yee are thinking At preaching yee heare the voyce of a man speaking but say not Amen And sometime your voyce is repeating some idle and deafe sounds your heart no whit being moued but as a Parrat or Pye vttering incertaine sounds or a Bell Simil. sounding it knowes not what so are ye with your mouth praising God your heart being absented from him Faith only fixed on God Lifting vp of the heart presupposeth a former deiection Next his faith is not carried about hither and thither but only fixeth it selfe vpon God Thirdly the lifting vp of the heart presupposeth a former deiection of his soule The soule of man is pressed downe with sinne and with the cares of this world which as lead doth the net draweth it so downe that it cannot mount aboue till God send spirituall prayers as corke to the net to exalt it Simil. which arise out of faith as the flame doth out of the fire Heb. 12.1 and which must bee free of secular cares and all things pressing downe which sheweth vnto vs that worldlings can no more pray Simil. than a Moule is able to flie But Christians are as Eagles which mount vpward Seeing then the heart of man by nature is fixed to the earth Simil. and of it selfe is no more able to rise there-from Simil. then a stone which is fixed in the ground till God raise it by his power word and workmen it should be our principall petition to the Lord that it would please him to draw vs that we might runne after him that he would exalt and lift vp our hearts that we might raise them vp to heauen and not lie still in the puddle of this earth Here the future tense vsed for the present In the Hebrew it is I will lift vp by a common phrase vsing the future time for the present but he sayes not I lift vp my voice or my hands to thee which both he did for these are in vaine without the heart So Anna the mother of Samuel saies 1 Sam. 1.15 I poured foâ—â—h my heart in the sight of the Lord as a body without the soule VERSE 2. My God I trust in thee let me not be confounded let not mine enemies reioyce ouer me 2. Argument taken from the person of his aduersaries opposing his faith to their fury Mat 10.13 Psal 20.7 2 King 1.2 1 Sam. 28.8 THe second argument that hee vseth is taken from the person of his aduersaries who albeit they were furiously bent against him yet hee onely runneth to God without whose permission they were not able to cause one haire of his head fall to the ground Some seeke for the helpe of men some trust in horses and charioâ—s some goe to Beelzebub and deuils by wirches but let a true Christian with Daâ—id here haue his refuge to God Doct. Faith is the ground of prayer I trust in thee Here is faith the root and ground of prayer When Christ bestowed any benefit vpon his patients he asked them Doe ye beleeue and then answered Mark 9.23 Mat. 8.13 Simil. Be it to thee according to thy saith It is a naturall dependance that all creatures vse this argument to their superiors and masters As my trust is in you helpe me And should not we vse this same to our Lord and say My trust is in thee O Lord therefore hâ—lpe me He stands vpon the points of his honor will he then cast off his dependants Faith in God a stroÌ„g argumeÌ„t wherby God is moued to defend vs. Mark 9.23 24. No truly there is no stronger argument to moue God to defend thee then if thou alledge thy faith in him there is nothing impossible to him that beleeueth Let vs therefore craue the augmentation of our faith and say Lord increase our faith and then wee need not to doubt but God will giue vs all things His prayer is grounded vpon faith 1 Cor 4.13 Prayer grounded on faith Paul saith I beleeued therefore haue I spoken therefore such prayers as proceed of an incertaine faith are abhomination in the sight of the Lord and scorning of his Maiesty Doe yee not thinke Words without faith and feeling vnprofitable Doct. Shame the daughter of sinne that if wee conceiue words in our owne language if we want a feeling of them that they will bee acceptable to God no indeed but much lesse will they please him if in an vncouth language wee repeat vaine words we know not what Let me not be confounded Shame is the daughter of sinne and a condigne punishment for sinne Rom. 6 2â— What fruit had ye then in those things wherewith now ye are ashamed For the end of those things is death But no shame can befall to a Christian Qui credit non erubesces He that beleeueth shall not be a shamed Doct. RepentaÌ„ce blotteth out the memory of sinne Heb. 11.31 2 Pet. 2.7 for if hee fall in sinne it will by Gods blessing turne to the best to him and his repentance will blot out the memory of his sinne Rachabs faith hath blotted away the remembrance of her whoredome Dauids repentance and Manasses hath blotted out their sinnes Lots righteousnesse is remembred their sinne is not shamefull for God honoured them with such vertues as tooke away the filthinesse of their sinne Simil. If a gold ring should fall in the mire the price of the gold remaines and the dirt may soone be wiped away Albeit Iacobs thigh made him to halt Gen. 32.3 yet the strength of his armes who wrastled with the Angell his reuelations that he got and his holinesse made not that to bee thought a deformity in him Simil. Doct. The afflictions of Gods children are honorable
with Iosias 2 King 22.1 who in the morning of his life euen early began to seeke the Lord. We should in our life keepe such dyets as did Dauid in his prayers Psal 55.17 Morning noone-tide and at euen he sought the Lord. Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth Eccles 12.1 before the yeeres come wherein ye shall say I haue no pleasure Eccles 11.9 Be assured O young man yee shall come to iudgement Iob 20.11 yea thy old bones shall inherit the sinnes of thy youth To what sins youth is most inclined The sinnes of youth whereto they are most inclined are first pride and a contempt of their elders the vile doe contemne the honourable and youth despise age Such was the pride of Absolom 2 Sam. 18.9 whose punishment should terrifie all youths Next lust is naturall to them as the Prodigall child spent his time in riot and luxury Luke 15.14 Thirdly hypocrisie they can very well dissemble their doings and when with the Whore in the Prouerbes they are intending sinne then they pretend they were offering their peace offerings and with Absolom pretending their vowes in Hebron 2 Sam. 15.7 but intending to stirre vp rebellion And finally all youths are subiect to inconstancy they are compared to dreggy wine not setled Simil. so that experience hath taught vs to say It is lost which is done to them If thou hast escaped from iudgement in thy youth and hast passed the dangers thereof thou maist greatly praise God I read of a man Simil. who being drunke in the night passed a very narrow bridge which considering in the morning died incontinently so wee should admire when we remember what dangers we haue escaped If sins of his youth and ignorance be grieuous how much more those of knowledge Then if the sinnes of youth now trouble him in his age what doe ye thinke of the sins which ye doe against knowledge and conscience in your old age Should ye not confesse them and bee ashamed of them If a child blush it is thought good verecundia but if an old man blush it is thought euill because hee is bound to doe nothing whereof hee should be ashamed But many are like to the false Elders that lusted after Susanna and to them appertaineth shame and confusion for their example in courageth youngmen to doe wickedly Yea they are very rare who haue escaped the perils of youth either by one notable sinne or other Now Dauid of these his own sins doth make a speciall confession doth not infold himselfe vnder the mantle of generality A simple confession needfull albeit many are taught naturaly to dissemble their sins to excuse them to extenuate them or else to inuolue them vnder a common necessity of sinning but this will not please God vnlesse wee freely say with Dauid I haue sinned Simil. for as a Patient must needs discouer his sore and wound to the Physitian so must a sinner vncouer his sinne to God vvhich is an euident token of a penitent Moreouer hee desires not onely that God would forgiue his sinnes but more Doctr. When God forgiues sinne he forgets it that hee would forget them wherein God differeth from men men may forgiue but they will remember for malice and anger takes such impression in our hearts that it is hard to rase out the memory of our receiued iniuries although wee pardon them with our heart But God as hee remits so hee forgets Num. 23 2â— hee sees no iniquity in Iacob and because the children of God are imperfect and in this can neuer bee like to God so long as they carry about with them this sinning sinne as may be seene in Dauid 1 Kin. 2.8 who in his Testament remembred the iniury done to him by Simei to bee punished by Solomon although in his time hee did dissimulate it yet let this bee some comfort to vs that if the wicked motions of iniuries done to vs come in our minds let vs resist and controule them which shall bee sufficient before God Nor my rebellions Sinne and rebellion are conioyned 1 Sam. 15.23 Simil. Sinnes and rebellions are ioyned together the mother and her daughter sinne if it grow and increase it turneth into rebellion and disobedience which is like to the sinne of witchcraft and Idolatry and as a Serpent by eating a Serpent becommeth a Dragon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so sinne feeding vpon sinne becommeth at last rebellion There are degrees of sinne Nemo repente factus est turpissimus Dauid prayeth to God to forgiue him his secret sinnes and hee desires that God would keepe him from presumptuous sinnes slay sinne in the cradle if yee let it come to maturity it may turne into rebellion The word also imports ignorances which agreeth very well with this youth to declare that the sinnes of youth commonly springs forth from ignorance Youth is ignorant albeit it thâ—â—â—â—th it â—â—â—â—e wise for they are blind through lack of knowledge for they haue no naturall iudgement they lacke instruction they want experience and such like by nature wee are all borne fooles nature hath taught the beasts to know things profitable hurtfull to them The Swallow knoweth her time the Oxe his crib Isa 1.3 but man knoweth not his owner neither the time when hee shall turne to the Lord. And this ignorance makes youth to be rebellious to their parents whereof the Lord complaines by his Prophet Isa 1.2 I haue brought vp children saith the Lord and nourished them and they haue rebelled against me A profitable Lesson for Parents to train vp their children in vertue This shold teach Parents to remedy the ignorance of their youth by instruction that their minds being inlightned by the knowledge of God and learning they may feare God in the morning of their youth and haue the eyes of their vnderstanding opened to know the true God and feare him that it may bee fulfilled that is spoken by the Prophet Ioel 2.28 And in the last dayes I will poure out of my Spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie and your young men shall see visions We may complaine most iustly with that holy Father S. Augustine of the neglect of education of our youth where hee saith Gods iuft recompence to Parents O flores vere non frondium sed veprarum O truely they are flourishes not of branches but of briers and so the Lord doth recompence the Parents in their age that as they were negligent in training them vp in the knowledge of God so they become crosses to their Parents in their age Plutarch Among the Lacedemonians there was a Law that children were not obliged to maintaine their Parents in their age who were carelesse of their education in vertue when they were young Moreouer Doct. Sinnes of ignorance wil not excuse vs. let vs assure our selue that the sinnes of Ignorance will
his choyce of wisdome Luk. 10.42 Mary choosed the better part Paul thought all things to be dung in respect of the excellent knowledge of Christ Phil. 3.8 The Church of Laodicea was counselled to buy gold Apoc. 3.18 But all these their choyces were of God who put it in their hearts to choose good things Wisedome cryed in the streets that all that were destitute of vnderstanding should come to her Pro. 8.1 but the foole heard the voyce of the harlot Goe to our daliance Pro. 7.22 saith shee and hee went like a sheepe to the slaughter So by nature we choose the way to destruction Hos 13.9 Thy perdition is of thee O Israel thy saluation of me VERSE 13. His soule shall dwell at ease and his seede shall inherite the Land What the peace of conscience 〈◊〉 HIs soule shall dwell at ease The second promise and spirituall blessing the peace of conscience which is the tranquility of the soule flowing from the assurance of Gods fauour in Christ wrought by the holy Spirit This is that white stone in the Reuelation Reuel 2.17 wherein a name is written which none can read but hee that hath it Thy good life may bee a marke to others of thy saluation but thy inward peace is a token to thy selfe that howsoeuer thy outward man bee afflicted yet thy inward man hath that peace which passeth all naturall vnderstanding of which Christ saith My peace I giue you Ioh. 20.19 not as the world and hee commanded the Apostles to giue their peace The giuer of this peace is called the Prince of peace the wicked cry peace Ier. 8.11 when as sudden destruction is approaching as the trauell of a woman But there is no peace to the wicked Esa 48.22 saith my God they may sometimes lye in carelesse security not wakened by the sight of Gods iudgements but sleeping in the bottome of the Sea hauing no true rest for the worldlings haue three wormes which eate them vp care feare and dolour Care feare and griefe are three wormes which eate the worldlings care to conquest the things of this world so excessiuely that they are eaten vp by it feare lest it be taken from them and commonly God as hee threateneth by his word the thing they feare shall come on them and then followeth an excessiue sorrow for the losse of them they despaire and oftentimes are the cause of their owne death but the godly cast their care vpon the Lord they haue a reasonable care of their Familie but with measure they feare nothing but the offence of God all other feares are swallowed vp in the gulfe of that feare for they assure themselues that God will maintaine their Lot and finally at the losse of any creature the godly haue a naturall sorrow albeit not out of measure Iob. 1.21 but with Iob saying The Lord hath giuen and taken The third benefite And his seede shall inherit the Land The third blessing temporall he promiseth wealth to the posterity of the righteous that their daies shall be long in the Land that God hath giuen them First in this promise yee see the constancie of Gods fauor towards them that feare him their death doth not withdraw Gods loue from their posterity 2 Sam. 19.38 as Dauid after Barzillai went home remembred his kindnesse in intertaining Chimham and on Mephibosheth hee shewed the mercy of God for Ionathans sake 2 Sam. 9.3 Doctr. Gods loue dieth not with the Parents but reuiues in their posterity A note for Parents so Gods loue dies not with the Parents but reuiueth in their posterity as the Lord promised to Dauid 2 Sam. 7.12 Here is a promise to the godly who feare him of a sure and perpetuall maintenance to their posterity The consideration hereof should abate that excessiue care that Parents haue of their children whereas the best care they can haue of them is that they feare God themselues and labour to bring them vp in that feare Kings haue not such surety of the continuance of their crownes to their succession neither Noble-men of their Lands as â— godly man hath of Gods prouision Psal 37.25 I was young saith Dauid and now am old yet I neuer saw the iust man nor his seed to beg Moreouer we see that Lands are at the disposition of God Doct. All changes come of sinne who wil giue them to whom he pleaseth and altereth Dominions as the Monarchie of the Babylonians Persians Grecians and Romanes the cause of this alteration was their sin and doe we not see amongst our selues within these thirty yeares Example of our time many and strange alterations of Lands and houses translated from the right owners thereof to others neither of their name nor any way belonging to them Should not this teach vs all to feare God and make our houses as Sanctuaries to him left he be forced as he extirped the Canaanites for their sinnes to root vs out and sweepe vs away as with a besom VERSE 14. The secret of the Lord is reuealed to them that feare him and his couenant to giue them vnderstanding 4. Benefit and promise reuelation of his secretâ— THe fourth benefit which the Lord will bestow vpon the godly men he will if they feare him reueale to them his secrets First Doct. Gods word is a secret â—eu 5.5 ye see the word of God is called a secret a mystery and hid treasure a closed booke which none is able to loose but the Lambe For all the naturall wit of man is not able to attaine to the vnderstanding of the meanest Article of faith All things which we beleeue are aboue the compasse of reason or flat against it The Gospell commeth by reuelation The Gospell comes by reuelation Mat. 16.17 Blessed art thou Simon the Sonne of Ionah flesh and bloud hath not reuealed this to thee but my Father where he manifestly testifieth that the confession of Christ is a hid matter which must bee reuealed to vs by himselfe The wit of man can search the profundities of nature albeit it is not able to attaine to the hundreth part thereof as of Physicke Astronomy Geometry c. but it cannot scaâ—se vpon Diuinity without inspiration which must come from aboue It is no maruaile therefore that so few beleeue the word for faâ—â—h is not of all men it is the gift of God as iâ— is a secret so are they called his secret ones to whom he reuealeth it But men may thinke Obiect that it being a secret why should it be made common to all and God hath closed that booke Answer I answer vvith Augustine it is a flood on vvhich a Lambe may swimme and an Elephant may walke Mat. 13.11 To the children of God it is plaine to those it is giuen to vnderstand but to others they are parables Esay 6.9 That seeing they should not perceiue But to vvhom doth he
euer man or can hee be but he shall finde comfort and good in this booke of Psalmes For the Psalmes are an Epitome of the old Testament Simil. a mirrour or looking glasse of the grace of God a perfect Anatomie of the whole man Wherein are expressed all sort of documents both of the gracious promises of God to his owne children and his iustice against his aduersaries also of our faith in the promises of God of our infirmities our patience our constancie our deliuerie from our troubles and our thankesgiuing for the same finally of our duetifull obedience to God and care of his Church Dauid by his doctrine teacheth these to repent whom by his example he had taught to sinne A generall lesson for al persons This is a Didascalique Psalme wherein David teacheth sinners to repent by this doctrine Who teached them to sinne by his example This science is vniuersal and pertaineth to all men and which necessarily wee must all learne Princes Priests and people men and women children tradsemen and whatsoeuer they be mâ—st be put to this Schoole without which lesson all others are vnprofitable A marke of a true penitent sinâ—er But to the poynt This is a marke of a true peâ—itent when hee hath beene a stumbling blocke to others hee may be as carefull to raise them vp by his repentance as hee was hurtfull to them by his sinne and I neuer thinke that man truly penitent who is ashamed to teach sinners repentance by his owne particular proofe The Samaritan woman when shee was conuerted Ioh 4.29 left her bucket at the Well entred the City and sayd come forth yonder is a man who hath told mee all that I haue done Luk 22.32 and our Sauiour sayth to S. Peter when thou art conuerted strengthen thy brethren 1 Tim 1.14 S. Paul also after his conuersion is not ashamed to call himselfe chiefest of all sinners and to teach others to repent their sinnes happie and thrise happie is the man who can build as much as hee hath cast downe Let Princes be ashamed to sinne but not to repent Next hee is a King and yet not a shamed to be an example of repentance by which all kings and noblemen should learne to be ashamed of their sinne but neuer be ashamed to repent Theodosius the Emperour after the slaughter that his Souldiers made at Thessalonica came to S. Ambrose The example of Theodosius the Emperour and humbly fell downe on his face amongst the penitents saying that part of the Psalme Agglutinata est terrae anima mea Ps 44.25 my soule is glewed vnto the earth David an experimented teacher Thirdly David is an experimented doctor as I haue said in the former two Psalmes who hauing felt himselfe teacheth others The Pilot who hath Sailed the Sea can best teach others the art of Nauâ—gation Simil. a Captiane can direct an armie best who hath had proofe of the enemie himselfe So experience in Spirituall combates is of great worth and hee can best teach others to avoide sinne who hath ouercommed sinne in his owne person Learne to get remission of sinne The doctrine most necessarie for a Christian to learne is the remission of sinnes For although yee had learned all other sciences what could they auaile you without this For as one of the worthiest fathers sayes all sciences without this are vnprofitable What if thou thou were neuer so prudent in the lawes if thine owne conscience accuse thee and expert in Physicke if thine owne soule be sickly and know the power of the stars if thy sinne throw thee downe to the lowest hels yea albeit yee learned all the heads of Theologie and taught them vnto others yet they are nothing worth to thy selfe if thou hast not learned to repent thy sinnes and to haue perswasion of mercy for them Iam. 2.19 Mar. 5.12 The Deuils beleeue and they tremble the legion of Deuils which came from the possessed could pray to Christ that hee might licence them to enter into the heard of Swine they they could confesse and professe that Christ was the Son of God 2 Cor 7.14 the Deuill can change himselfe into an Angell of light Balaam can Prophecie and many shall say Numb 23. we haue done miracles in thy name Iudas can preach and many can speake eloquently thinking to adde to Pauls bands but one thing can they neuer doe euen assure themselues that their sinnes are forgiuen them This lesson none can learne but those who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught by God And this is the lesson that David teacheth al Christians who come to his Schoole which if they learne it is sufficient this is that one thing which is needfull I wish to God from mine heart Note that Pastors of Gods word would leane ostentation words of humane eloquenâ—e and the shew of learning and labour more to worke most vpon the hearts of the people a remorse for sinne and an assurance of mercie Et vt plactum populo non sibi plausum moâ—eant that they may moue a weeping among the people more then an applause to themselues VERSE I. Blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiuen and whose sinnes is couered BEfore I come to the particular parts of this excellent Psalme I must obserue wherein David doth place happinesse and felicitie He more then twentie times in the Psalmes d scribing who are happie accounteth thesee onely happie who are godly Sometimes in the cause Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord Psal 33.12 Psal 41.1 Psal 128.1 Psal 32.1 Blessednesse sometimes imputed to the causes sometimes to the effect sometimes to the meane sometimes in the effect Blessed is the man who iudgeth wisely of the poore sometimes in the meanes as blessed are those that feare God whose sinnes are forgiuen for as gold is alwaies gold whither it be in the mine where it grew or put forth to exchange or in the kings treasurie so godlinesse must be esteemed all one whither yee iudge it by the cause from which it had its beginning or from the effects thereof or from the meanes whereby it is intertained albeit euery one of those haue their owne place the one as the fountaine the other as the spring flowing therefro There is no man although neuer so vnhappie who doth not aspire and desire to be happie Wherein many put happines 2 Sam. 13.4.29 but they perceiue not wherein happinesse consisteth some put it in the pleasure of their flesh with Ammon but his sudden repentance in thrusting away his sister and his infortunate end shew that there is no happinesse in those filthie pleasures some place happinesse in riches with Crassus but finding the incertaintie thereof they wil be forced to cry Plutarchus O Solon Solon other place happinesse on honours as Absolom and Haman who were both exalted on trees 2 Sam. 18.9 Ester 7.10 But David albeit hauing riches honours and pleasures
second part of the Psalme wherein he setteth downe himselfe in two estates one before confession most miserable and as it were vpon the racke of Gods iustice inwardly and outwardly tormented the other after conuersion and confession that the Lord toke away not onely his sinne but also the punishment thereof this is the division and some of these three verses following first Dauid propoundes himselfe to be an example to vs that we may learne to put difference betwixt an obstinate sinner and a peintent sinner for our hardnesse of heart breedeth vnto vs infinite discontentments and miseries which vnfained repentance doth remoue and whereof by it we are eased He putteth himselfe to be an example For when I concealed my sinnes saith he I was tormented with innumerable dolours but when I reuealed it then I got ease Particular benefits should redound to the good of the whole Church Simil By this wee should learne that the particular benefits bestowed vpon any member of the Church should redounde to the common vtilitie of all the body as they who being conualesced from any deadly sickenesse or to speake with Nazianzen to those who are affected with the same disease as the Poet sayth Handignara mali miseris suaurrere disce But first we must consider who he is that fesseth himselfe to doe cure to our disease it is Dauid a King and Prophet and yet hee becommeth a Physitian to apply fomentations to our sicknesse And that which is more to be admired that hee may make vs more readie to receaue remedy he presenteth the cicatrices and marks of his wounds Satan who teacheth men to sin furnisheth him with cloakes to couer it And when I helde my tongue The silence of Dauid letreth vs see the craft of Satan who doth not sooner allure vs to sinne as he presenteth to vs excuses by which wee may couer our sinne as figgetree-leafe to hide our nakednesse sometime he biddeth vs deny sometime extenuate sometime defend our sinne and thus the couer is worse then the sinne He taught Dauid three engines to couer his adulterie Three wayes wher by Dauid thought to couer his sinne 2 Sam 7 8.13.15 first hee sent for Vriah thinking that he would have lien with his wife then hee caused him for the same end to be make drunken and thirdly to be put in the front of the battle to be slaine but the more he studied to obscure and hid that sin the more the Lord did to reueale it See what a thing it is for a man to obscure himselfe to God as though he saw him not but the more he studieth to obscure it the more the Lord will manifest it My bones consumed Doctr. Yee see by this how God sporteth not at the sinnes of his elect God winketh not at the sinnes of his children but outwardly doth deale with them more hardly and chastise them more rigorously then hee doth the reprobate His paines were partly externall partly internall his externall paines I call those that were caslen on his body this internall vpon his conscience And in the body there are torments and vexations seasing sometimes on the flesh which is lesse painfull sometimes on the bones which are more grieuous yea almost intollerable as experience teacheth and this is Gods iust recompence when we bestow our strength on sinne God abateth it and so weakeneth vs Iudg. 16. Samson spent his strength on Daliah and yee see to what weakenesse hee was brought Let vs therefore learne that God hath giuen vs bones and the strength thereof for another vse that is to serue him and to waste and be prodigall of them in the Diuels seruice Or when I roared By this hee would signifie that this prayers so long as they were not mixed with faith and repentance were no better then roaring that is then the crying of any brutish and vnteasonable creature for this is a Metaphor taken from Lyons caught in a snare as appeareth in the third of Amos where there is a seene difference betweene the faithfulls prayers A difference of prayers proceeding from faith and no faith and the faithlesse the sacrifice of the one is kindled from heauen and when hee powreth forth his spirit hee easeth his heart But with the Hypocrite in the day of visitation it fareth as with a beast that is sticked or haled with ropes which with roarings and strugling straines it selfe and with brutish raging doubleth the paine There is no doubt but when affliction lighteth vpon men who are tainted with hypocrisie the aire is beaten with many such roarings and men flutter like birds in the net when God hath caught them Simil. But all these senselesse prayers auaile them no more then if an Oxe should breake out of the slaughterhouse with the rope tyed about his horne and his tongue hanging out with much madnesse hauing receiued a knocke with the Axe Where by the contrary great is the excellencie of faithfull prayers Apoc. 8.3 yea the Angel doth ascend vp in the smooke of this Sacrifice whereas men who cannot confesse their sinne Note rage and roare desperatly Yet let vs not thinke but that the children of God are oftentimes brought so low Math. 26. that they are not able to vtter perfect prayers with their lippes but abruptly vtter halfe words to God as Christ himselfe did in the Garden and vpon the Crosse Isa 38.14 And Hezekiah chattered like a Swallow mourned like a Doue for it is well sayd Graues curoe tacent leues loquutur Weightâ—â— cares are silent and little speake Gods children doe find a combate in all their prayers Simil. as wee see greene wood smoaking long before it take fire Wee are therefore to put a difference betweene this and roaring because afflictions come so thicke vpon Gods children that scarce they can get licence to swallow their spittle Iob. 7.19 albeit in the meane time they haue a sweere sense of Gods grace and God putteth his owne arme betweene them and the graue that they should not bruise themselues with any fall Sinne maketh men both in their actions and passions like beasts Sinne maketh men like beasts and therefore if we desire not to roare with them let vs not follow beastly pleasures Sinne touchâ—th him at the heart Moreoure he letteth vs see how neerely yea at the verie heart hee was touched for sinne many seeme to be dolorâ—us and lament for their sinne but oftentimes it commeth to passe that their tongue only lament and their teares as we haue in a Prouerb soone drieth vp All the day He sheweth that his sorrow was continuall not as the dew of the morning all the day So his speech ascendeth the last word giuing power to the former A Gradation to be noted for it is no light sorrow which pierceth to the marrow to the bones next it must be grieuous which draweth out such roaring and vnaccustomable cryes and horrible like the roaring of a
publiquely offended Chrysost in Psal 50. I say not confesse to thy fellow servant who may reproach thee but to God who may heale thee This auricular Confession was not knowne in Davids time But did he not confesse himselfe to Nathan Ob It is to be vnderstood Ans that God revealed it first to Nathan extraordinarily and be told Dauid thereof first Thou art the man So that David finding his sinne was revealed why should he haue striven against God by concealing it But when God obscureth our sinnes from the world why should we round them in the care of any false Priest who not onely hath no warrant of God for his calling being the servant of the Deuill but maketh his advantage of our Confession and by it doth provoke vs to more sinnes and to commit filthinesse with himselfe as experience hath taught vs Against auricular confession as also doth reveale them to his Generall and he to the Pope against their owne oath of secrecie See if we be wise when we haue our God to confesse vs we iustly make our selues a prey to Sathan and detects our nakednesse to such who cannot onely cover vs but discover our follies and secrets to such who may make vs more shamefull and that is the iust iudgement of God to such as doe it and by so doing they intangle themselues and advance the kingdome of Antichrist Rohere he sayth he will confesse his sinne vnto God he hath great reason so to doe as also we haue to doe the like because God is the partie offended and none can forgiue vs our sinnes but he onely Who is like our God that passeth by the sinnes of his people What reason haue we to confesse a debt to him to whom we are addebted in nothing The Iewes who were blind in many things yet they said 1 Ioh. 1.9 God onely could forgiue sinnes If we coufesse our sins he is faithfull who will forgiue vs. And seeing confession is a part of divine worship Confession a part of Gods worship Esa 41.8 which the Lord will not communicate to any creature we were traytors to God to confesse our selues to any but to him because in so doing we derogate so much from his glory and substract from his honour so much as we giue to any other Confesse your sinnes therfore to the Lord your God and vse daily Confession as yee sinne daily Let no sinne passe the secretest cogitation of your hearts without a secret confession of your heart and as I haue said if ye become offensiue to the Gospell publiquely and God hath revealed that sinne repent it publiquely and honour God as much by your publique repentance as yee haue dishonoured him by your publique sinne Vpon such a publique repentance was the incestuous man received in againe 1 Cor. 5. it is sufficient that the same man was rebuked of many And in the Acts it is recorded of the beleevers of Ephesus Act. 19.18 They came and confessed their workes before the multitisde Privat confessioÌ„ when it should be made As for private Confession I thinke it also may be but not as the Popish auricular for in iniuries man doth to man as ofteÌ„ they fall out we ought to confesse our fault to the partie offended yea craue of him pardon so to be reconciled to him As we are commanded If thy brother trespasse against thee seaven times in a day Luk. 17.4 and seaven times in a day turne againe vnto thee saying it repenteth me thou shalt forgiue him And God sends Abimelech to Abraham Gen. 20.7 to be reconciled for detaining of his wife that he might obtaine his prayers And Iobs friends to Iob Iob. 41.8 to confesse their fault As also privately we may goe to the Minister Ioh. 5.16 and declare our griefe Confesse one to another We vrge no confession neither yet of all things neither at set times as at Easter but at all occasions let them powre forth their heart in any Christians bosome for their owne ease Doctr. Care not for shame if it be Gods honour Against my selfe This declareth vnto vs that whosoeuer will truely confesse his sinne must be his owne greatell enemy So Dauid shamed himselfe to all posteritie that Gods grace might be knowne for it is the nature of true confession to aggravate our sinnes and cast downe our selues The Prophet calleth himselfe a Beast before God 1 Tim. 1.13 S. Paul accused himselfe of blasphemie I abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes Iob. 42.6 Dan. 9.8 sayth Iob. Vnto vs appertaineth open shame c. S. Paul taking a view of his sinnes 1 Tim. 1.14 calleth himselfe the greatest of all sinners I am not worthy to looke vp to the heavens sayth the Publican Luk. 18. This trying of our selues is called a iudging for 1 Cor. 7.31 if we would iudge our selues we should not be condemned with the world In the course of iudgement there is araignment 1. Araignement when we summon our selues before the batre of Gods iudgement Examination by the Atturney 2. Examination sifting narrowly the poynts of our dittie So our conscience accuseth vs of all our sinnes Psal 50.3 3. Conviction and layeth them in order before vs. Conviction when we are forced to say with the penitent theefe we are iustly here Lastly 4. Execution Luk. 23.41 2 Cor. 7.11 execution and holy revenge whereby a Christian chastiseth his body and abandoneth his affections mortifying and subduing the corruptions of his owne nature Plutarch sayth Plutarch p. 422. when he writeth of Antalcides and Lysander when they were initiate they were commanded to confesse their faults and if any had beene found culpable they were to goe about the Altar and sing their owne disprayse Man himselfe is the cauâ—â— of all the evil that come to him If euery man would accuse himselfe of any danger that commeth to him we should not blame God albeit he be the author and director of all or the Devill who onely is the instrument or the starres who haue no power nor chance not fortune which are not all being guided by a Providence nor the infirmitie of our flesh and constitution of our body or counsell or example of other men These shifts we haue learned from Adam and Eue onely let vs blame our selues the cause of all My wickednesse He made mention in the beginning of this Psalme of his sinnes wickednesse and iniquitie as also he doth in many other Psalmes teaching vs hereby to aggravate not extenuate our sinne for grace worketh alike against all sinne Note He who hath grace to confesse one sinne aright by the same grace confesseth all Repent for all sinne So that it cannot be true repentance when wee can repent of one and leaue the rest vnrepented as did the Israelites in their conversion 1 Sam. 12.19 Pray for thy servants sayd they to Samuel that we die not for
1 Cor. 10.7 for our dayes vpon earth are as a shaddow and be not Idolaters as some of them were Therefore David being kindled doth kindle others Simil It is not possible that a cold coale can giue light but once kindled it will giue both light and heat He that doth not edifie his owne heart will be the more vnable to edifie others Paul sayes I beleeved Psal 40.10 2 Cor. 1.14 therefore I spake David becommeth an example to others of Gods mercie neither yet do we lacke examples both of his mercie and iustice But here we faile we cannot vse these examples neither make profit by them There ariseth here a question Ob since Dauid was an holy experimented Doctour taking vpon him to teach others must they be all like Dauid that is holy and truely religious who are able to teach others I answere Doe ye not thinke Ans that Balaams prophecies wrought good to the Church Simil May not a man with a leprous hand sow good seed which will fructifie May not a false Steward giue good bread to the children Iudas taught and wrought miracles and was not Saul among the Prophets 1 Sam 10.7 The Apostle Paul seeing many Preach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not purely but of envie and pride sayth Phil. 1.15.18 I reioyce Christ is Preached any manner of way Gaudet in re non in modo sayth one of the Fathers And why was Paul so carefull Lest while he preached salvation to others 1 Cor. 9.27 he should be a Reprobate himselfe if a man might not miscarrie himselfe Preaching Saluation to others The worke that the Hypocriticall Preacher doth shall not prosper to himselfe but I know no reason why it may not prosper to others as I haue showne you by the pretending similituds Simil. Let none refuse the kings almes because they get it from his Amner 1 King 16.6 Note Elias refused not his meat although a Rauen brought it for if thou finde it to be Gods word take it out of what so euer mouth This 6 verse hath two parts First the meanes which godly men will vse to bring them in Gods fauour They will pray vnto him in a time when he may be found Secondly The effect of their Prayer Surely in the floude of great waters they shall not come neere him In the former after the inference therefore is noted the person praying euery godly man next to whom hee prayes to thee thirdly the time when thou maiest be found Doctr. Remission of sinne belongeth to all Gods children Deut 29.29 In this inference Therefore Dauid giues vs to vnderstand that this worke of Gods mercie in the remission of his sinnes shall not die in himselfe but shall surviue for euer and refresh the godly of all ages Things shewed to vs belong to vs and our children Euerie one that is godly Here is the person who must pray the godlie and euery one of them The word Chasid in the owne language signifieth two things the first a gracious man who hath receiued fauour from God Isa 7.6 He that hath grace can pray for grace Pro 15.8 Secondly It signifieth one who sheweth mercy or a meeke man a mercifull man Wherein we obserue that onely hee that hath grace can pray for grace The sacrifice of the wicked is an abhomination to the Lord. Gen. 4.4 The Lord hath respect to the offering of Abel but not to Caines offering Hee sayth of the men of Iudah the inhabitants of Ierusalem that though they cry vnto him Ier. 11.11 he will not heare them c. Onely those can pray rightly who haue the Spirit to cry Abba Father which no reprobate hath Rom 8.15 but onely the godly God heareth not sinners Ioh 9.31 but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him heareth he Hee hath no promise to be heard therefore his prayer turneth vnto sinne Pro 28.9 and God will cast backe the dung of his Sacrifice vpon his face neither hath he fayth to beleeue Rom 14.23 and what so euer is without faith is sinne then the wicked are in a miserable estate who in all their life cannot pray they call not on the Lord. Psal 14.4 The Second signification is a meeke or mercifull man to declare that that prayer is in vaine which doth not proceede from a meeke and humble heart in thy selfe and mercifull to men and therefore in the praier which is prescribed to vs by our Lord we protest that wee are free from all hatred and doe heartilie forgiue such as offend vs. Who wold haue pardon of God let them forgiue others Which I wish to God we remembered so off as we pray for we haue daylie contentions and strife which no doubt interrupteth our praiers With what mouth can yee protest to God yee haue pardoned others when the hatred which yee haue locked vp in your heart accuseth you of a manifest lie before God Thou wouldest haue thy sinnes to be pardoned which thou committest against the eternall and omnipotent God and thou wilt not pardon the sinnes which are done against thee by a worme dust and ashes Then this is the way to right prayer that thou be bountifull mecke and mercifull Mat 10.16 The Scriptures calls Gods children Doues then they must be farre from the crueltie of the Hauke Shall pray this is the office and part of godly and meeke men to pray for praier hath great fruite and is profitable both to purchase things present and to come if any man be pressed by aduersitie in any Perâ—ill or danger sicknesse hunger Prayer profitable for al things or bee vrged by any calamitie what shall he doe pray If the memorie of his former sinnes sting his conscience if he be terrified with the feare of hell and eternall death Iam. 5.23 Let him pray for this is the onely hope and refuge of a Christian Chrys de oratione lib. 1. Yea as Chrysostome sayth it is the life of the soule and the soule would die without it What can affright vs if wee take our selfe to the hold of praier Exod. 14 21 Iosh 6 20. Exod 17.11 1 Kings 17.1 2 Chron 20 3. 2 Chron. 14 11. and 32.20 Prayer need full to all This diuided the red Sea cast downe Iericho ouerthrew Amalek closed and opened the heauens By this Ichosaphat ouercame Moab and Ammon Asa the Ethiopians Ezechias the Assyrians c. Let vs therefore runne to these weapons in all our troubles Prayer is necessary that it is required of what so euer age yong or old of what euer fexe men or women of what so euer cailing Princes Pastors and people so that who euer lacke this are not godly and by this a manifest difference is made betwixt the godly and vngodly Let each man try himselfe of what Spirit hee is and craue the spirit of prayer Vnto thee Now hee setteth downe the person to whom hee should
what Gods arrows are and wauereth not who hath a sharp eye foreseeing on what part his arrowes will light His arrowes are his afflictions his marke is the soules and bodies either of the elect or reprbate In this that God is the archer who shooteth at vs wee haue singular comfort that it is his hand who made vs Doctrine God who Woundeth 〈◊〉 must also steale vs â—gâ—ine 〈…〉 that also woundeth vs neither can any euill come from his hand for albeit he wound vs yet he wil cure vâ— againe Come let vs returne to the Lord saith the Prophet for he hath wounded vs and he will heale vs againe His sword cutteth with the one side and healeth with the other as the Poet speaketh of Achilles Ouid. lib. 1. de Trislib qui mihi vulnera fecit Solus Achilleo tollere more potest Gods arrowes are like Ionathans which he shot to Dauid in the fields 1. Sa. 20.36 in token of his loue God saith Saint Augustine Aug. conf 9. cap. 2. amat quos sagittat loueth those at whom he shooteth And Chrysostome calleth them Chrysâ—hom 3. in Ioh. lib. 10. cap. 6. Sagittae salutis Domini the arrowes of the Lords saluation Those arrowes commonly are either wicked men or diuels The diuers soâ—ts oâ— Gods arrowes whom God sendeth forth to afflict his owne children sharp as arrows light and swift as arrows and ready to do harme to Gods Saints or else sicknesse pouertie infamie and such other afflictions whereby our most gracious Father thinketh most fit to subdue our vile corruption all which albeit in their owne nature they are euill Nota. yet God can conuert turne them to the vtilitie and profit of his owne children Simil. As a Physitian can vse the most poisonable and venemous herbes to cure the most desperate diseases yea the flesh of the dead serpent to cure the wound gotten by the liuing serpent so God can conuert and turne the mischieuous machinations of our enemies to our saluation The marke and But at which the Lord shooteth here is Dauid And vseth the Lord to make his pastime to shoote at his owne Saints Obiect I answer Solut. How God is said to shoot at the godly and how at the wicked he shooteth both at the godly and wicked but vpon diuers intentions at the godly to waken them out of their sleepe and he will cure the wound which he maketh at the wicked for their vtter destruction he shooteth at their heart to kill them Are fixed in me By this he declareth that it is impossible to any creature visible or inuisible to pull forth that arrow which God shooteth The hand which shooteth it must also pull it forth Albeit the diuell the Caldeans and Sabeans plagued Iob and were arrowes shot by God as he confesseth Chap. 13. verse 14. and Chap. 19. verse 21. yet the Lords hand onely relieued him And thine hand lyâ—th on me This second comparison taken from the hand of a man signifieth that whatsoeuer trouble came to him he tooke it from Gods hand The sorts of Gods â—ands in â—â—e Scripâ—â—â—â—s His hand sometime is called the hand of creation as Psal 8.3 When I behold thâ—ne heaueâ—â— eueâ— the workes of thy fingers Sometime of deliuerie as when he deliuered his people ouâ— of Egypt by a strong hand Sometime of reuenge as Heb. 10.31 It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the lâ—uing God It hath also many other significations in the Scripture And so Dauid in his sicknesse setteth before his eyes the hand of God enarmed for the punishment of his sinne And whosoeuer he be that subsisteth and stayeth in the sense of his calamities he differeth nothing from a beast but this is wisdome and prudencie in a Christian to looke vp vnto him who smiteth him whereof Isay complaineth for the people turne not to him who sâ—itâ— them Lorinus the Iesuite maketh a ridiculous accommodation of this chastising hand of God in these words Isa â—3 A ridicules application made by Lorinus Per acâ—ommodationâ—m pratereâ— posset illud admitti vt confirmatio manus sit veluti impressio illa collophi quae sit ab Episcopo ei qui sacramcutum Confirmationis confert memoriae causa nam titulus Psalmi est in rememorationem that is Moreouer this might be admitted by applicatioÌ„ that the confirmation of the hand may be like to that impression of the blow which is made by the Bishops hand to whom he giueth the sacrament of Confirmation for memories cause for the title of the Psalme is in remembrance Indeed such a ridiculous exposition of the Scriptures and abuse thereof deserueth to be laughed at by children For if Dauid had not felt heauier blowes from the hand of God then the children doe from the Bishops I thinke he had no cause to complaine VERSE 3. There is nothing sound in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinne HE proceedeth in this third verse to exaggerate and amplifie the greatnesse of his griefe from the vniuersalitie thereof that his sicknesse was not layed on any one part of his bodie but vpon his whole flesh and vpon all his bones His flesh is his exteriour part his bones his interiour Albeit the vlcers and wounds of his flesh were very sensible to him and more horrible in the eyes of men who beheld them as those of Iob and Lazarus which he might haue apprehended deeply when as by them he was made contemptible in the eyes of mens yet his inward paine which was more felt then seene maketh him thus so pitifully to crie Wherein we haue these things to consider First that as all his membâ—rs agreed very well to the performance of his filthy lust Doctr. All his meÌ„bers sinned all are punished so euery one of them receiueth a condigne punishment And it is good for man that he should be thus chastised in this world for a little time rather then he should be reserued for euerlasting darknesse where euery member shall receiue eternall paine for their sinne For as sinne pleaseth nature so it destroyeth and consumeth nature Gods wrath cannot abâ—de sinne Secondly he marketh the cause of those punishments euen Gods wrath because of his sin For when those two meet together they are as fire and flax Gods wrath as fire Simil. will soone deuoure the stubble of our sins Thirdly obserue that Dauid maketh not Gods wrath the onely cause of his miseries and heauie sicknesse for that were to charge God of vnâ—ighteousnesse but he iustifieth God Siâ—ne 〈◊〉 God â—he â—â—le of 〈…〉 when he acknowledgeth that his own sin was the cause of all his euils And surely we can neuer giue sufficient honour to God except we free him of all 〈◊〉 of vniust dealing and acknowledge oâ—â— selues to be the caâ—â—es of ouâ— owne â—â—â—â—â—ies Finally I obserue out of this verse that the word in the
originall language mippene from the face is two times repeated both in speaking of Gods wrath and his owne owne sinnes that is for the sight of them both Wherein I perceiue a lesson worthy of consideration Doctrine God will not looke fauourably vpon vs vnles first we looke both vpon our owne sins and his anger at theÌ„ that is that we must haue a two-fold sight before we get the sight of Gods fauourable face First we must haue our owne sinnes before our eyes next we must see the countenance of an angrie God looking downe vpon vs with austere and heauie lookes because of them and then in the third roome we must beg Gods fauourable face to shine vpon vs. The Lord grant vs the right sight of all those three that as Iosephs brethren first saw his angrie countenance Gen. 42. and then his fauourable acceptation with the greater gladnesse so we may see what we haue deserued at Gods hand and so after may heare the voyce of ioy and gladnesse Psal 51.8 that the bones which he hath broken may reioyce again First we must heare the terrible thundering of mount Sinai then the ioyfull shouting of mount Sion VERSE 4. For mine iniquities are gone ouer mine head and as a heauie burden they are too heauie for me HAuing spoken before of the cause of his miserie which was his sinnes now he aggrauateth them in respect of their multitude comparing them to waters which had ouergone his head and in respect of the magnitude weight A mark of a truly penitent to aggrauatâ— his sinne Psa 138.18 comparing them to a burden which surely is a marke of a penitent sinner when he as was Dauid can be content to confesse his sinnes to be in number more then the sand of the sea or the haires of his head Why sins are compared to waters He compareth his sins to waters which albeit in the first entrie are shallow that scarce they will touch the ankles yet the further ye go into them they wil be deeper and will soone passe from your knee to your shoulders and ouergo your head Ezek. 47.1.2.3.4.5 and drowne you except God prouide a remedy as if a planke or boord be casten in whereupon taking hold you may easily escape the danger euen so we go from sin to sin and from lesse to greater vntill that many sinâ— meeting and concerning together ouergo vs and we filling the cup of our iniquitie be poisoned with the dregs thereof Therefore let vs take heed and turne back in time lest going forward contemning such warnings we become selfe-murderers of our owne soules We haue better waters thorough which we may go in safetie the waters of Siloah Esa 8.6 which run softly by which we may refresh our owne soules the blessed blood of Iesus Christ and the waters of Ezekiel Ezek. 47.12 which flow in the Sanctuarie that we may grow from grace to grace till we come to glorie Against auricular confession Out of this place is cleerly condemned that auricular confession by which men are bound vnder pâ—inâ— of condemnation to confesse euery particular sinne to the Priest which is impossâ—â—â—â— for them to do when as Dauid saith thâ—y are gone ouer mine head and againe Psal 19.12 Who can vnderstand his faults It is no maruell that he saith his sinnes haue gone ouer his head for in this one he committed many sins The persons against whom Dauid sinned and offended many persons He sinned against himselfe in defiling his owne bodie against Bathsheba against Vriah against those slaine with Vriah against his concubines against the bodie of the people by giuing them an euil exampleâ— and which was worst of all against God by making his Name to be blasphemed And as a weightie burthen they are too heauie for me The second comparison is taken from a burden weightier then lead Wherin sin is heauier then any bâ—rden heauier then sand And indeed sin is more weightie then any burden whatsoeuer for first it presseth downe both soule and body When Peter was chained in prison Act. â—2 in the night he had libertie with ioy to raise vp his soule to praise God Paul was in prison Act 16.25 but Gods word was not bound Next burdens are vpon some parts of the body not vpon all as manicles are on the hands fetters on the feete c. other members being free but sin and the bonds thereof are vpon euery member binding and pressing it downe so that it cannot do any seruice to Christ The eares are dull in heâ—ring the eyes full of adulterie Iob 24 1â— Psal 13.9 the mouth an open sepulchre the foote readie to shed blood c. Thirdly this is the greatest miserie that when all other burdens are felt we take thiâ— on with pleasure we vndergo it with delight without wearying and are as Issachar asses couching betweene two burdens Gen. 4 â— 1â— And surely I thinke we are worse then asses For when our burden groweth greatest we do not onely not groane vnder them but are glad to vnder go them the two burdens both of our conscience and of our bodies The Israelites groaned in Egypt vnder temporall burdens Ezod 2.13 and were heard the Iewes in Babylon Psal 147. and were relieued would God we could groane that so we might be helped I will not deny but Dauid may also meane in this text of the burden of afflictions seeing the originall word gnon signifieth pain and Cain vsed that selfesame word in the fourth of Genesis For three burdens are mentioned in the Scriptures Three fortâ— of burdâ—â—ns Mat. 11.28 of sin as Come vnto me all ye that are wearie and loaden with sin and I will ease you Of paine as Cast thy burden vpon the Lord. Psal 37.15 And of Gods benefits as Praised be God who daily loadneth vs with his benefits Psal 10.3 God he loadneth vs with his blessings both spirituall and temporall and we againe loaden him with our sins with which we are loadned our selues Ah sinfull nation Isa 1 4â— a people loaden with iniquitie And therefore God iustly must againe loaden vs with his corrections But it may be asked how this selfesame speech is spoken both by Cain a reprobate â—biec â— and Dauid an elect child of God I answer Solut. that sinne was alike heauie to them both but Dauid had a sight of Gods mercie in the midst of his sins which Cain did neuer see and therefore did not runne vnto God for reliefe as here Dauid doth Verse 5. My wounds are putrisied and corrupt because of my foolishnesses HE goeth further in the enumeration of â—is miseries which he setteth downe by the putrifaction and rotting of his wounds and confesseth the cause of them to be his owne foolishnesse Where first ye see Sin causeth putrifactioÌ„ and rottennesse Gen. 3.19 that sin bringeth putrifaction and rottennesse to mens flesh For as the
sinne of Adam receiued that sentence Dust thou art and to dust shalt thou returne againe so that curse ouertooke all his posteritie that they are subiect to putrifaction and rottennesse which not onely befalleth to them after their death but when they are yet aliue it seizeth on their nature For the sweete sauour there shall be stinke Isa 3.24 Yea commonly those that haue bin fed most delicately stink most filthily after their death Nota. Mollius delicatiusque nutrita corpora grauius elent mortua And it is seene by common experience that the fairest bodie hath the foulest corps Which Saint Ambrose confirming bringeth in an example of one who lasciuiously and libidinously hauing lyen in whoredom and feasting dayly after his death did so stinke that incense of diuers colours could not remoue the same A necessary lesson for belly pamperers A fearfull example to strike terror in the hearts of all such pamperers of their belly and who make so much of their flesh that they are carelesse of all other things Let them remember that they are as Saint Augustine saith in his Confessions esca vermium saccus stercorum a prey of wormes and a sack of dung But their chiefe rottennesse is worse then the rottennesse of Lazarus Ioh. 11.39 who stanke vpon the fourth day a type and figure of a sinner who being dead in sin his mouth becometh an open sepulchre and casteth forth such a stinking vnsauorie and pestilentious smell that it doth infect the very aire Because of my foolishnesse The originall version beareth from the face of my foolishnes as ye heard twise before He calleth it not foolishnesse to extenuate his sin as many hypocrites do who say they failed through ignorance but to declare that he was bereft of his wits and caried with a beastly appetite after his owne lusts Sin is properly called folly but it is spiritually folly A naturall foole lacketh the vse of reason A comparison betweene a naturall a spirituall foole Pro. 12.15 1. Cor. 1.18 1 Cor. 2.14 1. Cor. 1.26 a spirituall foole is not guided by grace A naturall foole thinketh himselfe wiser then any other so a spirituall foole thinketh himselfe wise in his owne conceit there is more hope of a foole then of him The wisedome of God is foolishnesse to men The naturall man perceiueth not the things that are of God Not many wise c. Thirdly the effects trie how a foole marreth all his matters so doth a sinner bring all miseries on his bodie soule estate posteritie and looke how they laugh at our folly for they thinke religion folly and a holy life and deuotion to be dotage so God doth laugh them to scorne and their wisedome is turned to folly He confoundeth the counsell of Achitophel 2. Sa. 17.29 And at the last day they shal say Behold these whō we thought fooles are like the Angels of God Verse 6. I am bowed and crooked very sores I go mourning all the day HE proceedeth in the enlarging of his extreme troubles wherewith he was oppressed so that it is a wonder to thinke how his faith could beare vp such a heape of euils And where he saith he was bowed and crooked he sheweth how farre he was humbled vnder the mightie hand of God 1. Pet. 5.6 And he seemeth to oppose his great deiection and down-casting to the proud pertinacie of many who striue so against God that none of his rods can humble them who albeit they be fearfully shaken and cast downe so that they are forced to bow their bodie yet their mind remaineth so obstinate as though they had sinewes of iron in their necks that they lift vp their hearts against God Therefore this circumstance of his crooking and bowing is an argument to moue God to pitie his case because he is not an obstinate sinner and one who is rebellious but one cast downe at the correction which he gat Doctrine There is no fitter remedy for vs to be deliuered then by hūbling our selues vnder the hand of God Whereby we are taught that there is no better remedie for vs then to cast off our pride and bow our selues vnder Gods hand yea the heauier that Gods hand be the more deiected should we be And therefore Dauid addeth he is crooked very sore The word in the originall meod signifying very greatly and vehemently sheweth vnto vs that his griefes and sorrowes were not common but extraordinarie and God vseth to make his children examples of his chastisements Nota. who made themselues examples of sin to the world I go mourning all the day The Hebrew word koder signifieth blacknesse as one that walketh in mourning clothes For the black colour is a token of grauitie and sadnesse But I am rather of the opinion that his meaning is of the blacknesse of his skin For we know that men whose heart is oppressed with dolour do lose their naturall colour as Dauid saith Psal 119. I am like a bottle in the smoke Sin changeth mans beauty into deformitie For we see that sinne deformeth and disgraceth men so that it turneth their fatnesse into leannesse and beautie into deformitie as the same Prophet saith in another place When God afflicteth man for sin Psal 39.12 th n he waxeth woe and wan and in the 22 Psal vers 15. My strength is dried vp like a potsheard A fearfull example is set downe by Ieremie in his Lamentations Chap. 4. ver 7 8. Her Nazarites were purer then the snow and whiter then the milke they were more ruddie in body then the red precious stones they were like polished Saphir now their visage is blacker then a coale they cannot know them in the streets their skin cleaueth to their bones it is withered like a stocke All the day The continuance of his paine amplifieth the same For if a man had some relaxation or breathing he might gather new strength for a new assault Iob complaineth of the like dealing for when he had bin vexed all the day he said My couch will giue me rest but thou affrayest me with visions Herein haue we to learne Iob 7.14 patiently to beare Gods corrections Beare patiently afflictions since God hath dealt more hardly with better then we are when now and then it pleaseth him to lay them vpon vs as sicknes pouertie infamie c. whereby others better then we haue bin more rigorously handled then we are Verse 7. For my reines are full of burning and there is nothing sound in my flesh TO moue God to pitie him he layeth open all his sores euē as a begger wil lay open to the view of all the people his wounds and sores to moue them to haue compassion on him The patient vnfoldeth his wounds to the Physitian Simil. so should we vnfold our griefes miseries and necessities to the Lord our God that he with the pitifull eye of the Samaritan Luk. 10.33 may close and cure them
In this verse he pointeth out his inward diseases in the former words My reines are full of burning and his outward in the latter words And there is no soundnesse in my flesh He was vniuersally tormented both within and without Should not this asswage our griefe when God visiteth vs in any one part of our bodie seeing Dauid was visited in them all The word Csihelim is diuersly expounded but I agree best with those that call it the reines vnder the loines and by a Metonymie the generatiue facultie For the strength of man is in the loiues and it is mentioned of the children who came out of the loines of Iacob and in the 35. of Genesis vers 11. Kings shall come out of thy loins And in Prouerb 31.17 she girdeth her loines with strength So that as Dauid gaue his strength to sin and that filthy act of adulterie so God punisheth those same parts which did offend his Maiestie Obserue Gods iustice against whorehunters And commonly God in his righteous iudgement recompenceth whore-hunters and harlots with filthy consumptions in those places whereby they took pleasure to offend God Therefore giue not your strength to sinne Rom. 6.13 nor your members to be weapons of iniquitie remembring that sentence of the learned Father Per quod quis peccat per idipsum punitur Man is punished by that selfe same thing by which he sinned Of the latter part of this verse is spoken before in the beginning of the third verse Verse 8. I am weakned and sore broken I roare for the very griefe of my heart Againe by diuers formes of speaking he expresseth the intolerable vehemencie of his paine that it rent and brayed him and forced him not to crie but to roare as a Lion See ye not such a weight of miserie which sinne bringeth on mans bodie and soule forcing God to disgrace his owne image that pleasant pourtraiture of mans bodie and soule which he builded vp for his glorie and to breake it downe and turne it into ashes and to deface that picture which he painted so gloriously and artificially that he taketh as much pleasure to pull it downe as did to reare it vp to cut downe his carued worke verse 1 to be angrie and chastise that child whom he loued so well verse 2 to shoote his arrowes at his spouse whom he kept in his bosome verse 3 to turne his hand which fed him to correct him to afflict that flesh which he cherished verse 4 to lay burdens on him whom he eased verse 5 to putrifie him whom he beautified verse 6 to bow him whom he straightened verse 7 and to turne his laughter into mourning verse 8 and his beautie into blacknes and deformitie his warming into burning his strength into weaknesse his manly speaking into beastly roaring Ye may see therefore how sinne can turne Gods good disposition towards vs into hard dealing his louing lookes into a frowning countenance Sin enfeebleth mans nature But where he saith he is weakned it is euident that sinne enfeebleth mans nature As we may cleerly perceiue in Samson and Dauid For when Goliah and all Dauids enemies were not able to ouercome him 1. Sam. 17. his owne sinne weakneth him And when Samson killed a thousand Philistins Iudg. 15.15 16.9.21 and no bands were able to keep him fast his owne sinne made him a slaue to the Philistims And in like maner he complaineth of his roaring as he did in the 22. Psal verse 1. So that as sinne changeth vs into beasts and through it we liue as beasts so in the end it will make vs to crie as beasts Then let vs liue as men subduing by reason our beastly passions and affections and like Christian men let vs ouercome the same by the Spirit of grace which is in Christ Iesus that we may speake to God as children crying Abba Father Rom. 8 15. Verse 9. Lord I powre my whole desire before thee and my sighing is not hid from thee THis desire is a desire of mercie and forgiuenesse and of his fauour and to walk innocently and holily before him For God looketh to the purpose of mans heart in repentance more then to the words of his outward confession For albeit Ezekiah chattered like a swallow and mourned like a done Esa 38.14 turning him to the wall yet the Lord said I heard thy prayers and saw thy teares This is the desire of mercie of which the Apostle Paul speaketh 2. Cor. 7.12 calling it epipthesis My whole desire By this he would shew that he parted not his thoughts betweene God and the diuell or his flesh and the world but keepeth a sound and a whole heart to God He would not deuide the child 1. Kiâ— 3.26 but keepe it altogether for God whereas the worldlings do farre otherwise Against by poeriâ—â— giuing their countenance outward shew of holinesse and repentance to the Lord and keeping that which is best to sinne Which sort of dealing the Lord euer did abhorre Esa 29.13 This people come to me with their lips but their heart is farre away from me Thirdly he taketh God to be witnesse who is onely cardiognostes the searcher of the heart And such should be our disposition in Gods seruice that albeit our heart be not so well disposed as it should be yet we may protest of the soundnesse thereof that it is not false or double And my sighing Yet againe he protesteth of his sinceritie and vprightnesse that in his heart there is no guile that not onely his purposes are vpright before God but also his sobs and sighs For sighs may be counterfet as the Hiena doth a mans voice and Crocodile doth teares In euery action of religion In Gods seruice vse always sinceâ—itie and vprightneâ— but especially in repentance we are to present our vprightnesse and sincerity before God that we do it from a single minde without counterfeit hypocrisie wherein albeit we may delude mon yet can we not mocke God who esteemeth our seruice by our intention and not by our action For men onely can iudge by our actions but God by our vpright intentions Verse 10. Mine heart panteth my strength faileth me and the light of mine eyes euen they are not mine owne WHen he hath protested of the sinceritie of his repentance hee falleth forth to his former passions that his heart is troubled confused circumagitate and caried about as it were giddie troubled with diuers cogitations and rolling about scarce knowing what he was doing The Hebrew word signifieth such an agitation which maketh him to wag and thereby breedeth such anxietie that he as destitute of all counsell knoweth not what he doth For when men are disquieted they turne them on all sides not knowing what to do first When the sorrow and dolour rageth the heart vseth to pant and leape insolently and therefore he saith that his heart panteth and goeth about as it were altogether inuerted but
faith setleth our heart and fixeth it on God This wagging error did shake Dauid so far that he remembred not himself albeit he leaned to the promises of God yet through humane fragilitie he wauered a little Gen. 7.18 Albeit the Arke of Noah was assured by Gods couenant not to be drowned yet it was tossed vehemently and Peter Mat. 14 30. albeit by faith he walked on the sea yet he sanke at the sight of the waues So let vs alwayes remember that there is no perfection in our faith Our faith hath its owne defects and our prayers their wauerings but that it hath the owne defects and infirmities yea in our prayers we haue our owne wauerings till God call vs home to himself And if we haue such agitations in our prayers in the time of our rest what maruell though we be disquieted in the time of our tentations as a ship in a tempest catied to and fro as Iob and Dauid that we keep not a constant course in trouble when we cannot do it in prosperitie My strength faileth me Behold what benefit man getteth by sinne euen debilitie and weaknesse we become through it a prey to our enemies And the light of mine eyes euen they are not mine owne The effect of the former is euident in the sight of his eyes which he said in the sixt Psalme were dimmed For his eies were instruments of sinne full of adulterie when he made not a couenant with them Vse therefore thine eyes rightly O man lest those who looke through the windowes Eccle. 12.3 grow dim before the time To whom cometh bleerdnesse of eyes Pro 23.29 30. c. saith Salomon and he answereth To those that look to the red wine and tarie long at wine to them that go and seeke mixed wine that is by art to make wine stronger and more pleasant Notâ— I like well of the iudgement of the Fathers who thinke that his teares had dazeled his sight And would to God that when our sight faileth it were by teares of true repentance that our consciences may beare vs witnesse that where sinne abounded by wantonnesse grace superabounded by sorrow Albeit it destroyeth nature it repaireth grace in vs. And is not that a good change in vs that when the eyes of our bodie do decay the eyes of our minde are renewed Christ saying vnto vs Luk. 18. Ephatha be opened I thinks also that when men spend their eyes vpon continuall reading of the Scriptures and holy writers Now to spend our eies rightly and thereby contract dimnesse and some also blindnesse they spend them in a good cause which too few do but rather spend nights and dayes in reading idle writings of prophane and fuperstitious men which prouoke them to wantonnesse or infect their minds with heresies Bernard writing vpon the Assumption of the blessed Virgin Ser. 5. bringeth in three things which impeach the light of the eye contracted humors blindnesse or any outward impediment as dust smoak What things take away the sight of the eyes c. For saith he the blindnesse is the ignorance of God the dust is the cares of the world the filthy humours are the abundance of sin which floweth in such measure that all the three stayeth our sight of Christ Age also and sicknesse dimmeth our eyes but sin doth dim them more then any other thing whatsoeuer That we may conclude this verse obserue the glorie of God in giuing light to our eyes Doctrine Gods great power manifested in making the eye in placing so great a light in so little an organ as the apple or pupill of the eye which is the least part of the eye yet all the light is closed within that that it may looke vp to the starres as a little star it selfe and from thence is retroflected or brought backe againe when as the beames of the Sunne neuer passe the mid region of the aire Whereby we are taught to admire his Maiesties worke in this little creature as also to vse this light rightly not abusing it in wantonnesse as those who haue their eies full of adulterie nor in malice hauing eyes of reuenge nor in couetousnesse Pro. 23.6 as those who haue an euill eye as I haue spoken before And finally let vs know that if his Maiestie hath closed within so little roome so great a light now If our eyes see so cleerly now being imperfect how cleerly shal they see being made perfect in heauen vnspeakable shall the brightnesse of that light be when we shal be glorified and our eyes perfected For when we cannot now behold the Sun then our eyes shall be brighter then the Sunne and see that euerlasting Trinitie and the Angels in eternall glorie Verse 11. My louers and my friends stand aside from my plague and my kinsmen stand a far off NOw he addeth some new circumstances to augment the heauinesse of his euill by which he might prouoke God to mercie namely that he was left alone by such whom either nature should haue bound to him as his brethren and kinsmen or of acquaintance as his familiars of whom Solomon said that a friend is nearer then a brother Pro. 18.24 This might haue come either through disdainfulnesse that they were ashamed of his crosses as is the custome almost of all men For in prosperitie when they see a man in a good case then they forge acquaintance on him A man in prosperitie hath many friends in aduersitie few or none they alledge they are of his kinred and blood and come of his house though they be not in any degree of his kinred but when he is distressed and in aduersitie though they were of his kinred they will be as Iobs friends and looke not seâ—en dayes onely Iob 2 13â— but seuen yeares a for on him and misknow him or for feare to purchase hatred for his cause Thus through feeblenesse they refuse him help and stand aside from his plague wherby they did greatly exaggerate his griefe in that when he flourished they followed him when he was troubled they did forsake him whereof he complaineth at another time Psal 142.4 Iob 6.15 Luk. 23.49 2. Tim. 4.16 I looke to the right hand and none knoweth me And Iob My brethron passed by me And when Christ was naked on the crosse his friends stood a farre off And Saint Paul saith In my first defence none was with me but all left me By which examples we shold be enarmed with patience Though all forsake vs God cleaueth to vs. though all forsake vs if God be with vs. For our God will not leaue vs or be ashamed of vs or be afraid to assist vs. Therefore also saith Dauid Psal 31 1â— 5â— â—3 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind I am like a broken vessell And in another place But it was thou O my companion my guide and my familiar which delighted to consult together and
so strictly vrged that he can get no relaxation of his euill being so incurable except he get a remedie froÌ„ God These would seeme to be the words of an impatient mind but we must not thinke that a Christian can keep a continual course but as Iob fell forth in bitter speeches so the best man in the world may do as much and more Therefore when men are thus passionate let vs not cast them off iudging them to be reprobates When he faith they are euer before him note the extremitie of his tentation that he hath no stay of his trouble but continually pressed therewith Should not we thank God that deales more mercifully with vs that notwithstanding of our sins doth not suffer vs to be ouerwhelmed with troubles for he is faithfull 1. Cor. 10.13 who will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that which we are able to beare Lorinus here bringeth in Purgatorie as though Dauid had not had purgatorie of afflictions in this lâ—fe but had need of another purgatorie in another life Verse 18. When I declare my paine and am sorie for my sinne Verse 19. Then mine enemies are aliue and are mightie and they that hate me wrongfully are many HEre the malice of his enemies is described from the circumstance of time when they vtter their malice in the highest degree when he is lowest in declaring both his sinne and the punishments thereof and being afflicted of God they afflict him and impeach his spirituall meditations Thus Satan taketh vs at the shot and at the pinch that when we haue to do with God specially and most particularly he then manifesteth his malice most against vs to interrupt our diuine seruice yea he goeth mad in furie when he seeth vs seruing God Satan abhorreth our repentance and confession of sin for there is no exercise which he doth more abhor then repentance and confession of our sinnes for in so doing we bid adieu to the diuell and acquit our selues from his camp Lorinus following Origen expoundeth this of auricular confession to the Priest yet he granteth that this place doth not conuince the vse of confession sacramentall which was not vnder the law neither the other which was made sometime to men yet he thinketh it fauoureth them both lest contadicting the Fathers he may seeme to fauour the heretikes who abhorre the sacramentall confession Mine enemies are aliue The miseries of Gods children inanimates their enemies and giues them new courage as though they got a new life and were reuiued when they heare the destruction of Gods children and yet they are in effect dead who delight in the dead works of sinne Non est viuere sed valere vita Si viuis animae si quid antiquà tibi Remanet vigoris pelle foemineos metus Eâ—â— inhospitalem caucasum mente indue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ardere but rather as Plato in Cratylo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viuere vnde Iupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The lust of the wicked is sinne Also I mark here what is the life of wicked men sinne and doing of wrong The diuel he delighteth to tempt men to sin and the wicked cannot sleep till they haue done some sin and neither can eate nor drinke with delight till they haue performed some mischiefe And they that hate me wrongfully are many An argument to perswade God to deliuer him is his innocencie that the wrongs he suffereth are causlesse For surely the Lord will not maintaine vs against our enemies if we haue iustly prouoked their anger Psal 5.4 For he is a God that loueth no iniquitie and no wickednesse dwelleth with him It is not his pleasure that we should be enuious neither wil our Christian profession admit it which is so far from doing wrong A mark of one truly religious he doth wrong to none that by the contrary it will be content patiently to endure iniuries Then if this be a note of true religion to do violence to none what religion thinke ye the Romanists haue who teach that it is sâ—ruice done to God 〈◊〉 murder Princes shed Christian and innocent blood it is a bloodie religion aâ—d the Diuell is the father of iâ— and Rome the mother which hatched it Flie from â—haâ— Babel that ye be not partakers of her iudgements Verse 20. They also that rewarded euill for good are mine adâ—â—rsaries because I â—oâ—â—ow goodnesse THis is a higher dâ—gree of iniquitie that not onely they harâ—d him without any cause or wrong done by him to any of them but also he had prouoked them by his benefiâ—s to loue him and yet they were so diuellishly disposed that as Iudas did recompence Christ so did they Dauid repaying him euill for the good things he had bestowed on them Three sorts of spirits 1. naturall There be three sorts of spirit a naturall when a man can do good for good and euil for euill which theeues Pagans Barbarians and the very beasts will do 2. celestiaâ—â— The second celestiall who can do good for euill to shew their conformitie and obedience to Christ their Master The third sort are infernall 3 diabolical possessed by the diuell who render euill for good who in our dayes abound too much whom God reserueth to eternall darknesse Were mine aduersaries or did calumniate From this commeth the name of the Diuell Satan an accuser of the brethren The wicked calumne always Gods children Gods children haue euer the diuels children set against them to accuse who if at any time they praise let vs suspect our selues lest we haue done any euil for which they do it As Antisthenes when he heard the people praise him said Quid inquit mali feci Plutarch What euil haue I committed Because I followed goodnesse This is the highest degree of their persecution to trouble him for religion and because he feared God So they hated God in him and persecuted God in him 21. Forsake me not O Lord be not thou far from me my God Verse 22. Haste thee to help me O my Lord my saluation THese two verses containe a prayer wherein he imploreth the help of God by a three-fold repetitionâ— euer he feareth desertion for sinne ingendreth this feare For if we were cast into the deepest dangers this will euer comfort vs if we be assured of the Lords presence heauen is hell to vs if he be not with vs Nota. hell is heauen to vs if he be there Haste thee to helpe me O my Lord my saluation Here is the weaknesse of our nature described that through our infirmitie we cannot waite the time of Gods deliuerie which maketh vs to crie hasten God will come if we patiently attend his coming But let vs learne patiently to attend his good leisure assuring our selues that he will come Come Lord Iesus and deliuer thy Church from all her miseries by thy glorious appearance O my Lord my saluation He attributeth those names to God Iehouah the name
of his essence and loue Elohim the name signifying his persons and power Adonai the name of his soueraigntie and greatnesse to teach vs that whē we come before him we may acknowledge what he is in nature and in persons What is deficient in vs is sufficient in God and what our qualities that our doubtfull faith may be vpholden vnder so many tempestuous assaults knowing whatsoeuer is deficient in vs is sufficient in him Those are as many props vpon which our faith is builded that the gates of hell cannot preuaile against vs. A GODLY AND FRVITFVL EXPOSITION ON THE LI. PSALME the fift of the Penitentials THis Psalme is most memorable amongst the seuen Penitentials so that Athanasius that learned and diuine Doctor instructeth Christiā virgins Tract de Virg. when they awake in the midst of the night to repeate the same and the ancient Church made great vse of it And iustly may it be called the sinners guide For as Dauid by his sinne led them to error so by this his repentance he leades them to grace This Psalme consisteth of a Title and Supplication The diuisiō of the Psalme The Title containes the argument substance and occasion of the Psalme The Supplication containeth sixteen arguments which he vseth to moue God to haue compassion on him and a prayer for the Church in the end The Title To him that excelleth on Neginoth A Psalme of Dauid when the Prophet Nathan came vnto him after he had gone in to Bathshebah The Title beares foure things 1. the Author and pen-man of this Psalme Dauid Gods Spirit no doubt being the inditer 2. To whom it was committed to be sung To the chiefe Musitian on Neginoth 3. At what time when Nathan had reprooued him 4. The occasion of the reproofe his going in to Bathshebah Dauid is not content verbally to vtter his repentance or to leaue it in the perishing books of the records of his kingdome His repentance is cōmitted to the eternal monument of Gods booke but he committeth it to the euerlasting momuments of Gods booke whereof one iote cannot perish but shall endure for euer in despight both of the Diuell and Antichrist the Pope his first borne A Psalme of Dauid He putteth to his name prefixing and subscribing it himselfe neither will suffer any to publish it but himself as he was not ashamed to sin he is not ashamed to repent as he was not ashamed to sin openly Let not those be ashamed to repent for sinne who haue not bin ashamed to sin Theodosius his repentance he is not ashamed publikly to declare his repentance Theodosius the Emperour is renowned in all the world for his humble repentance before Saint Ambrose after the slaughter at Thessalonica where in the place of the penitents he fell downe on his face and said Agglutinata est terra anima mea My soule is glued to the earth None are ashamed to sinne but all are ashamed to repent and so God powreth shame vpon many because they will not honour him whom they haue dishonored To the chiefe Musitian or to him that excelleth on Neginoth This same is the title of the 4. Psal Lāmenatzeah oftentimes in the Scriptures is taken for the Presidents who are chiefe in any thing as 2. Chron. 18. 34.18 The sweet◠singer of Israel giues it to a sweete singer I thinke it to be best translated To him that excelleth Neginoth was an instrument of musick vpon which they played So they did not only reade the Psalmes but also sing them yea so distinctly that the people easily might vnderstand them not so much addicted to the note or tune as to the matter Mat. 26 3◠as our Sauiour did sing after the Communion and Paul commandeth it Col. 3.16 Musicke is an Art very pleasant delectable and profitable to stirre vp the affections of man to Gods seruice The commodities of musick 2. Kin. 3.15 or to restraine the anger and perturbations of our nature as was in Elizeus who sought for a minstrell to appease him But first we haue to see that this excellent Psalme is committed to an excellent person who hath great cunning to put it forth to the vse of the Church teaching vs hereby that spirituall exercises are not to be put into the hands of ignorant dolts who haue no wisedome or skill to set forth the glorie of their God For the subiect being most glorious why should it be concredited to such as haue neither learning not wisdome And if that singing should haue so worthy instruments what do ye thinke of the preaching of the Gospell of which the Apostle saith Who can be sufficient for those things Happie then is that Church when learned men are promoted to good places whereby the word may be further aduanced And in a miserable case are those who are committed to the charge of ignorants Against ignorant and idle preachers idle bellies and such like who are vnfit to take the care of Gods people for whom they shall be countable to God at the great day and Gods vengeance shall be vpon them in this world Dauid he aduanceth musick very much as Solomon also after him 1. Chron. 15.16 and the Musicians were distributed into certaine classes and orders Col. 3.16 1 Cor. 14.15 The antiquitie and ancientie hereof maketh much for its commendation for God did inuent it This is a principall science and yet in hath few aduancers Mens deafned eares betoken their beastly ignorance who will not suffer themselues to be wakened and roused vp from their security and sleepe There are some good Christians chalenged Obiect who being of a melancholious nature are thought to abhorre all musicke and musicall instruments Solut. But men are deceiued herein if musicke be free of profanitie and superstition there is no good man of religion who cannot but like it well and delight greatly therein But the auarice of our age as it hath bin the decay of many sciences so likewise of this Nota. The Church being spoiled of her rents is not able to entertaine this science as it should be which God supply whē he thinketh time And this I say not that I do like either the profanitie of beastly men that in stead of heauenly songs sing bawdie ballads or of such superstitious Papists who sing and tune Latine words in their Masses thereby mocking God and making religion a sport But the abuse of that science I disallow the vse I allow and approue as most necessarie to Gods glorie And seeing it will be perpetuall in the heauens why should it not begin on earth There shall be a naturall not artificial song of which we shall sing for euer the song of Moses the seruant of God Apoc. 15.3 Let vs therefore begin on earth Nota. learne of our Gamma and enter into our Alphabet here that we may be perfect Musitians when we become perfect our selues in glorie Here let vs sing with grace
and defile their bodies with whoredome then as honest women to be obedient to their husbands and keep their bodies holy and cleane vessels Sinne is filthy to thinke of it filthy to spâ—ake of filthy to heare of filthy to do Sin altogether filthy in a word there is nothing in it but vilenesse What can we see in a botch but filth in a wound but filth and looke to sin nothing in it but sinne which is more filthy then if the filth of all worldly diseases were contâ—acted in one heape And therefoâ—e Dauid seeing his owne filthinesse craueth as God to be washed therefrom He desireth to be washed No element so fit to wash away filth as water which serueth for many vses but especially for that And as God hath appointed that element to take away our outward vncleannesse The blood of Christ a fit elemenâ— to wash away sin so he hath appointed his Sonnes blood to be the onely Iordan to wash and take away the leprosie of our sins This is the fountain of Dauid for remission of sins Vnlesse a man be borne againe by the Spirit and water Ioh. 3.5 he can not come to the kingdome of heauen which is our regeneration This was prefigured in the Leuiticall law when there was frequent washing The high Priest Aaron himselfe and the rest of the inferiour Priests presumed not to offer sacrifices till they were washed The vessels were in the Tabernacle and the great Sea for continuall purgations and washings not onely to prefigurate the fountaine of iustification by which all those who are consecrated to God must be once washed but also the Spirit of sanctification by which they must be sanctified And he that is once washed Daily sins haue need of daily purgations hath not need to be washed againe Yet our feete and affections must be daily washed We sinne daily and therefore haue need of daily purgation We contract daily guiltinesse for which we are commanded to pray daily Mat. 6.12 Forgiue vs our sinnes This is signified by the holy Sacrament of Baptisme wherewith God hath commanded vs to be washed assuring vs thereby of his fauour if we beleeue the remission of sins which the Apostle calleth lauacrum regenerationis Tit. 3.5 the lauer of regeneration Those who seeke to be washed by any other meane then this do as those qui luto lutum purgant as Erasmus hath in his Adagies wash one filth by another Against he Papists merits Simil. Those foolish Papists who thinke by their foule merits to cleanse their filthy sins do as those who hauing their clothes berayed by dirt take dirtie clothes to wipe the former dirt away whereby they make them filthier then before Yea their hypocrisie and superstition whereby they thinke to appease Gods wrath shall double their guiltinesse before God and man The word in the originall includeth a multiplication of washing whereby he acknowledgeth a multiplication in sinning and his earnestnesse that euery sin may haue some particular assurance of grace For this is the hungring and thirsting after spirituall graces that the heart cannot be satisfied till it be filled with them neither will be content of a bare crust and outward shew of pardon vnlesse the assurance thereof be doubled And cleanse me from my sinne The second similitude is taken from cleansing which is respectiue to the Leprosie vnder the Law Leuit. 13. for which God appointed purgations and cleansings Why sin so compared 〈◊〉 leprosie Sinne is compared to a leprosie Frst because it is hereditarie being in the blood so we are conceiued in sin and the more dangerous because by no naturall meanes it can be helped but by God alone Sin is from the descent of our parents we are conceiued therein Who can bring that which is cleane out of a thing vncleane Secondly as leprosie is ignominious and disgraceth man aboue all other diseases that men who are infected by the plague are not so much shunned as those that are leprous so sin disgraceth man The leprosie of Miriam made her to be separated from the campe Num. 12.14 and the leprosie of Vzza made him to be shut out of the Temple so sin depriueth vs of the societie of man Angels Thirdly Leprosie maketh mens flesh senslesse so sin maketh men insensible of the iudgements of God Fourthly Leprosie is incurable with men as are the frensie heresie iealousie God keepeth those cures to himselfe so sin can be purged by none but by gods owne cunning As Abanah and Pharpar riuers of Damascus 2 Kin. 5.12 were not of force to cure the leprosie of Naaman and leprous might haue died if according to the Prophets direction he had not washed himselfe in Iordan so are the merits of men or holinesse of Angels Apostles yea of the blessed virgin Marie so much set by by men vnprofitable to purge vs from our sinnes onely that blessed blood of Iesus will do the turne wherein if we be washed our flesh shall be as the flesh of a childe euen as though we had neuer sinned But to the end thou maâ—st be assured whether thou art clensed from this leprosie or no I will giue you some in allible tokens and markes whereof some are secret and onely knowne to thy selfe others are seene by others The secret marks be these First if thou art ashamed of those things which thou hast done Priuate tokens wherby thou maist know if thou be washed Rom. 6.21 Iob 42.6 What profit haue ye of those things saith the Apostle whereof now ye are ashamed and cannot remember them without blushing â—f thou abhorrest thy selfe when thou callest them to minde and repentest with Iob in dust and ashes Secondly if thou hast saith in Christs blood doest desire to be purged by these cleane and cleare waters not running to others or digging vnto thy selfe cisternes of rotten waters Externall notes wherby others may know if thou be washed The externall marke is sanctification of thy person being washed thou goest not to defile thee in the puddle And thy thankfulnesse to God 2 Kin. 5.15 as Naaman returned to Elisha and not onely offered a great reward vnto him but promised to be a worshipper of God all his dayes Be not like vnto the nine lepers who outwardly cured abode in the leprosie of sin of the two the worst and most dangerous Luk. 17.17 but with the tenth returne to Christ with thankfulnesse For if thou be vnthankfull to God and art not diligent and earnest to celebrate praises vnto him for his mercies it is an euident token thou art not yet cured Finally thou must go to the Priest and offer according to the law receiue the absolution froÌ„ Gods mouth out of the mouth of his seruants and shew thy thankfulnesse in obedience to God all thy life Verse 3. For I know mine iniquitie and my sinne is euer before me THe first argument which he vsed to moue God to pardon
â—et holinesse to the Lord be written on your brests Exo. 28.36 Leuit. 20.7 Holinesse becometh the house of God Be holy Many study to attain to knowledg but not to sanctification as I am holy For what fellowship can the most holy God haue with vncleane and profane people This miserable age studieth to attaine to knowledge but not to sanctification Let Atheists call you what they please studie you to puritie of liâ—e A true Christian will make more conscience of an idle word or filthy thought which wil arise in their hearts Nota. and will correct it more sharply then those leud miscreants will do for adultery and the worst actions they commit Verse 8. Make me to heare ioy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may reioyce HAuing craued before remission of sins now he beggeth the fruite which followes vpon the same that is ioy and gladnes which is one of the fruits of the kingdome of God and marks of Gods children Ioy proceedeth of sorrow This ioy which he suiteth must of necessiâ—ie presuppose a sorrow which he had for his sinne For as repentance can neuer want sorrow no more can remission want ioy So that ioy springeth out of the bitter goote of sorrow And the greater sorrow we haue the greater shall our ioy be The deeper thy griefe be the higher shall thy comfort be He doubleth ioy and gladnesse both of soule and bodie he will not be contented with some one or two consolations but wil haue them to be multiplied that as his tribulations did increase so his comforts in Christ Iesus might be enlargod As a Christian is the most sorowfull man in the world Of all men a Christian hath most cause to reioyce so there is none more glad then he For the cause of his ioy is greatest in respect his misery was greatest his deliuery greatest therefore his ioy greatest from hell and death is he freed to life in heauen is he brought What can make men more glad then this if he will beleeue No offers can satisfie the minde of a prisoner appointed to death vnlesse his remission be proclaimed and giuen him Simil. so all the ioyes in the world will not satisfie a conscience till he heare that his sins are forgiuen him Psal 4.8 This ioy Dauid compareth with the ioy of worldlings who reioyced in their corne and wine and saith that he had more ioy then they had and more peace of conscience This ioy eateth vp all false ioyes that men haue in sinne True ioy eateth vp false ioyes Exod. 7.12 as the rod of Aaron did the rods of the Egyptians For it is not possible that men can haue both ioy in God godlinesse and in sin for the one will euer quench the other as water doth fire All other ioyes wil alter whatsoeuer they be Nothing can alter this true ioy but nothing can take this ioy from vs. Not tribulation we reioyce in the midst of tribulation Not death no paine no hatred of men no persecution all these rather in crease it Acts 5.41 We reioyce with the Apostles that we are thought worthy to suffer for the word of God Why do worldlings call vs melancholious persons and too precise that we cannot do away with an idle word Ioh. 4.32 let be an idle action let them say what they please we say as Christ said to his disciples he had meate they knew not so we haue ioy that they know not of That which is thy ioy O hypocrite that is my sorrow I laugh with Democritus at that Democritus alwayes laughed Heraelitus alwayes weeped Iam. 5.1 for which thou weepest I weepe with Heraclitus at that whereat thou laughest Wo to them that laugh for they shall weepe Howle ye rich men saith the Apostle Make me to heare The person froÌ„ whom he seeketh this ioy is God make me to heare saith he whereby he would teach vs Doctrine Spirituall ioy proceedeth from God that this ioy cometh onely from God it is he who is the fountain of ioy and all pleasure for all good things come from aboue Naturall ioyes proceed from a naturall and fleshly fountain spirituall ioyes spring only from God so he who seeketh these ioyes beneath seeketh hot water vnder cold ice Can any good thing come out of Nazareth Ioh. 1 46. can any grace come from a gracelesse ground The instrument by which he seeketh ioy to be conueyed to him is the hearing of that word Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee There is none other ordinary meanes by which God will worke or euer hath wrought ioy to the troubled heart then by his word preached by the mouth of his seruants The word of God is the cause of this ioy Act. 16.14 and beleeued by Christians Faith commeth by hearing God opened the heart of Lydian He that hath eares to heare let him heare I haue giuen eyes and they do not perceiue eares to heare do not vnderstand their eares are heauie c. Preaching of the word is a necessary instrumeÌ„t by which spiritual gracesis coÌ„veied into our harts God craueth this ofteÌ„ in the old new Testanent that we should heare his voice And Dauid confesseth that God had prepared his eare Psal 40. God from heauen said This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3.17 heare him If then ye giue an obedient eare to Gods word ye may be assured of this ioy wrought in your hearts after yee haue beleeued the comfortable promises of saluation in Christs blood Against Atheists and Papists lothing the word What thinke ye then of Atheists who will not heare the word but for fashions sake calling those too holy who will heare two Sermons on one Sabbath or of Papists who will no wayes heare the word which may be the meanes of their conuersion Wo to the one and to the other And because they haue refused to heare him of whom they may receiue comfort and instruction therefore the Lord shall refuse to speake to them any longer vnlesse betimes they repent That the bones which thou hast broken may reioyce The effect which he hopeth to receiue of those glad tidings is a restitution of his first estate wherein he found himself wonderfully broken by his sin and affliction and hopeth to be restored by remission and pardon thereof Where he speaketh of the bones he would let vs to vnderstand that there is no strength of nature able to resist the stroke of Gods iustice No streÌ„gth in man able to resist the stroake of Godsiustice For if he begin to fight with vs we are vnable to resist The bones are very hard and the strength of man stands in them but if God bring the hammer of his wrath it shall be as iron and steele to crush them in peeces being but as potters vessels God cureth none but those whom he hath woun ded Man woundeth but
be deficient in the one thou disgracest all the workmanship Now. If thou hast in thy new birth the eyes of knowledge and lackest the bowels of mercie and art maimed of the hands of bountifulnesse or if thou be dumble and cannot praife God or deafe and cannot heare his word thou art not a perfect man A greater worke in the second birth then in the first Nota. A greater worke to raise vp a dead man in sin then to raise Lazarus out of his graue Blessed are they who are partakers of the first resurrection for the second death shall haue no power of them Reformation should begin at the heart Satan is an vncleane spirit As a flie is bred in filthinesse and leaueth euer filth behind it so doth the diuell defile euery place whereinto he commeth Our hearts are as open Tauernes ready to receiue all passengers Now hauing tried sinne and Satan to be so noisome to vs we should remoue them shut the doore of our hearts harbour them no longer yea if any vncleane thought arise let vs not entertaine it nor consent thereto lest it bring worse with it The subiect vpon which he must work is the heart the most noble part the most secret part which none can know but God the seate of all the affections by which man is ruled and led Reformation must begin at the heart A reformation which beginneth at the members and externall actions is neither true nor constant As if a man intending to dresse his garden and purge it from thistles and such like weeds would cut off the vpper part and leaue the roote which would spring vp again so if thou wouldst chastise thy bodie and let thine heart remaine luxurious it is nothing The heart is the fountaine wherefrom springeth all euill the root wherefrom all sinne groweth He speaketh not of the substance but of the affections and qualities of the heart No honest man will lodge in a filthy house Simil. or drinke or eate except the vessell be made cleane Pro. 4.23 and God cannot abide in a foule swinish heart Keepe thine heart diligently saith the Spirit Gen. 15.7 Since God then wil be thine hearts guest thou must guard it diligently that others enter not in neither leud cogitations but as Abraham chased away the foules from the sacrifice so we must chase away corrupt and euill cogitations from our soule as vagabonds should be expelled from the Kings pallace The heart in Latin is called cor Nota. noted by three letters to signifie as some thinke that it is the seate of the Trinitie and therefore the pourtraiture of the naturall heart is of three corners answerable to the same As a vessell of gold or siluer being through long vse wasted and broken Simil. is sent to the Goldsmiths to be renewed so our hearts worne by sinne must be sent to God that he may put them in the fire and cast them in a new mould and make them vp againe Alas that wee are carefull to renew euery thing clothes vessels and all onely carelesse to renew our hearts Many are carelesse of the best things Renew a right spirit within me He doubleth his suite concerning his soule as his principall desire There are many who desire earnestly at God for earthly things but few are serious in seeking that best thing a new soule Many are careful of the outward man and carelesse of the hid man of the heart that inner man The spirit is right when it is set vpon the right obiect which is God but when it declineth to the world or to sinne then it is wrong and goeth astray Dauid crauing first that he might be purged frō his filthinesse craueth now strength of God to his spirit that he may not wander againe but abide constant in the right way of Gods commandements For we must not onely pray for a renewing grace As we pray for renewing grace so pray for accompanying and following graces but for an accompanying grace and a following grace to keep vs in the way of Gods obedience The crooked and broken backed were not admitted to the Priesthood no more are crooked or peruerse soules meete for Gods kingdome Trie of what spirit ye are whether of a right or a crooked trie whether it be of God or not Euery mans wayes are right in his owne eyes but the Lord pondereth the hearts God must cast downe the old building and build vp in thee a new building for himselfe that thou maist be one of the stones of that new Ierusalem which shall be inhabited by God Verse 11. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me IN this verse he craueth two euils to be auerted from him one that he be not cast out from Gods presence the other that the holy Spirit be not taken from him God cast off Saul his predecessor 1. Sa. 16.15 and tooke his holy Spirit from him and gaue him ouer to be led by an euill spirit Dauid here craueth at God to be free of those two iudgements The chiefe thing which he seeketh after is Gods fauour from which nothing debarreth vs more then sinne If any Courtier for his ouersight were put out of his place as Pharaohs butler and out of the Kings sight Exod. 40.3 would they not thinke hard thereof till they recouer his fauour Wee haue sinned against God should we take any rest till we be restored to his fauour Seek Gods fauour Should we not be afraid to be exiled and cast forth from his fauorable countenance in whose presence is fulnesse of ioy Psal 16.12 The face and presence of God is as the Sunne which in Summer looking fauourably on the earth quickneth all creatures man beasts the earth whatsoeuer groweth the fishes of the sea and the birds of the aire and by his absence all are discouraged comfortlesse and lose their vigour so while we haue Gods fauour we are in good case◠we haue light heate comfort pleasure and all things if he hide his face all things goes wrong and therefore our Poet saith well Tu si me placido lumine videris Cedent continuo caetera prosperè Buch. Psal But do you think that God can cast away his elect child No verily God cānot absent him self foreuer totally and finally he will not do it he cannot do it though we our selues and others beholding our crosses may esteeme so The Sun may seeme not to shine Simil. whē it is cóuered with clouds although it be shining so God may seeme to leaue vs when he crosseth vs but it is not so With an euerlasting loue haue I loued thee He loued his owne who were in the world to the end he loued them Ioh. 16.27 The gifts of God are without repentance Rom. 11.29 Mat. 24.24 False Christs would deceiue the very elect if it were possible Againe Christ saith No man shall take them out of my hands
Rom. 8.30 And Paul Whom God predestinateth he calleth iustifieth and glorifieth therefore they cannot fall away finally Which is against that damnable doctrine of the Papists Against the Papists who thinke the elect may be reprobates which is repugnant to the whole Trinitie Against God Against Christ who thinke the elect may be reprobates This doctrine is iniurious to the whole Trinitie for the Father is greatly wronged in that he is thought to be impotent or inconstant who hath ordaned vs before the world to glorie that his work could be hindred or altered by any intervenient fault or sinne in vs as though he would or could not remoue and pardon it And our Sauiour getteth no lesse iniury by them that one of his members can perish and so he should haue a defectiue body For if any who once hath bin a member of his mysticall bodie fall away or be cut off of necessitie his bodie by want of that one member would be disgraced And the holy Spirit who is the pledge of our adoption Against the holy Spirit sealing vp Gods grace in our hearts and giuing vs that full perswasion of Gods promises causing vs to crie Abba Father Rom. 8.15 is greatly wronged when his work is accounted nothing of as friuolous light and vncertaine So to speake the truth the Papists do what in them lieth to disgrace the holy Trinitie and aduance Angels and men in plaine contempt of that glorious Godhead which we ought so much to aduance in our doctrine and writings This is a great comfort to vs The graces of the Spirit can not be taken away that the graces of the Spirit which we haue once gotten cannot be taken away againe For howsoeuer we do not feele them alike at all times yet we haue them sin may take away the feeling of grace but not the possession thereof Albeit God be angrie by correcting his best children yet whom he chastiseth he loueth Heb. 12.6 But Dauid saith Obiect Psa 69 â—0 Blot them out of the booke of life Solut. It is not to be thought that Dauid supposed they were written in the booke of life but because they seemed to feare God and were in the visible Church but not of her he prayeth that God would make it knowne they were neuer written in it And in praying that the holy Spirit may not be taken from him he doubteth yea he standeth in feare of the losse thereof Blessed is he that feareth continually He doubteth but doth not despaire The Spirit may be grieued by vs and so cease to worke in vs good things or to let vs feele good motions but he cannot go away for when he hath brought vs to our selues and letten vs feele our sins then he purgeth his dwelling place and maketh it more meete to worke in such diuine operations as it pleaseth him to inspire in vs. Verse 12. Restore to me the ioy of thy saluation and stablish me with thy free Spirit IN this 12 verse Dauid craueth another necessary gift and effect flowing from the remission of his sinnes to wit the ioy of his conscience For the kingdome of God standeth not in externall things â—om 14.17 as meate and drinke but in righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost saith the Apostle For being made righteous by Christ and peace made with God there ariseth a wonderfull tranquillitie in out consciences from which finally ariseth a ioy vnspeakable For all the ioyes of the earth could not make vs ioyfull vnlesse God were at one with him neither can all the troubles that can fall vpon our outward man discourage vs if we find the ioy of God in our hearts Nothing spoileth vs of this ioy and pleasure that we haue in God but onely sin Pleasure in sin taketh away our ioy in God For once delighting in sin we can haue no pleasure in Gods seruice for these two can neuer stand together Therefore we must loath sinne that we may reioyce in God Christians haue ioy and sorrow intermingled 2. Cor. 12.7 Next ye see the estate of a Christian is not alwayes one ioy and sorrow is intermingled he hath a Summer of ioyes and a Winter of griefes Saint Paul had the messenger of Satan to buffet him that he should not be exalted aboue measure with his great reuelations After a Christian hath mourned he will reioyce He who neuer sorrowed for sinne will neuer reioyce for grace He that neuer mourned for the affliction neuer reioyceth for the consolation of Ioseph Mourne with them that mourne and reioyce with them that reioyce saith the Spirit The substance and ground of this ioy is the saluation of God so God is the matter of it and this saluation is purchased by God onely Psal 3.8 Saluation is the Lords Whereby he letteth vs see that the first grace will not do the turne to vs of initiation but we haue need of the second grace of confirmation which is the accompanying and perseuering grace Stablish me This stablishing is to make vs sure whereby he would aduertise vs of our instabilitie and vnsurenesse if we were not yet supported Samson was strong in grace but being left to himselfe he fell Peter bragged presumptuously in his owne strength Though all the world would forsake thee Mat. 26.33 yet I will not yet being left to himselfe he fell according as Christ had prophecied Before the cocke crow twise thou shall denie me thrise Let vs now take heed vnto our selues the time is come to trie all Christians what is in them and I feare our weaknesse will appeare to the world to our shame and the dishonour of our profession And I neuer saw any who presumed aboue others of their owne strength Nota. but they haue proued the weakest souldiers who by Thrasonicall confidence in their wisedome holinesse constancie and other of their vertues bragged aboue their neighbours yea contemned them but in the end they proue cowards presuming in pride and falling with shame This is one of the most certaine markes of Gods Spirit that as he is free in himselfe so he giueth libertie and freedome to all his children whom he possesseth For where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie They are not bound with the chaines of sin they are not bound with mens traditions but they freely serue God as the children of the house are free The Romans were free men as citizens brag of their freemen and there is great difference between them and other free men that they may vse their trades of merchandize without controlement so is a Christian of all men the most free Our Sauiour said to Peter Who should pay tribute children or strangers But I pray you is a Christian who braggeth of the Spirit Mat. 17 2â— Obiect Solut. free to do what he pleaseth God forbid he is onely free to do Gods commandements and to
the conuersion of sinners The word can doe more then any thing Esa 53.1 Rom. 1.16 O the wonderful power of Gods word that it can do that which all the world could not do It is the arme of the Lord To whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed saith Isaias It is the power of God to saluation saith Paul No doctrine can worke faith in man but the worke whereto it perswadeth him not forceth him Conuersio presupposeth auersiō Conuersion presupposeth auersion The vse of the word is to conuert them that are auerted or peruerted as the shepheard bringeth home the wandring sheepe Which cleerly argueth the necessitie of the word and teachers thereof so profitable as without which sinners cannot be conuerted to God for no other instrument can conuert them and they cannot conuert themselues This teacheth Ministers to be diligent in their calling if they would shine as starres in heauen Dan. 12.3 they must labour to conuert sinners Verse 14. Deliuer me from blood O God which art the God of my saluation and my tongue shall sing ioyfully of thy righteousnesse HAuing before so often begged pardon for all his sinnes in generall he now particularly confesseth which of all his sins grieued him most The shedding of innocēt blud Dauids greatest sin which he setteth downe to be innocent blood and therefore he craueth to be deliuered from the burden of it from the terrors of an accusing conscience the cries which it sendeth vp to God This verse hath a petition and a promise In the petition two things 1. of whom he beggeth this petition 2. what he seeketh to be deliuered from blood O God the God of my saluation His doubling and repeating the name of God sheweth vnto vs that he taketh hold on God with both his hands and it declareth his vehemencie and earnestnesse in his suite at God that he might be deliuered from that blood And all his suites he directeth onely to God Foolish Papists God helpe you When he calleth him the God of his saluation he cleerly sheweth to vs that he hath no saluation either of his body or soule but onely of God who will not giue his glory either to man or Angell When he saith My saluation he applieth saluation to himself and doth not imply and infold his saluation in generalitie thinking it presumption to certifie himselfe of his saluation as the Papists say For what comfort can we haue in life or death We can haue no comfort vnles we be perswaded of Gods mercie Dauids petition if we be not perswaded of Gods mercie and fauour not that we presume of our merit but perswading vs of his maiesties constancie and truth Deliuer me from blood His petition is to be deliuered from blood◠both from the guiltinesse which he had contracted by his murder as from the terrors of his conscience as also from the punishment threatned by Nathan that blood should neuer depart from his house 2. Sa. 12.10 and finally from future blood that he neuer fell into it again as God deliuered him from the blood of Nabal by Abigail And this is a great deliuery 1. Sa. 25.33 that we do not euil as we ate commanded to pray Deliuer vs from euil Mat. 6.11 that we commit no sin and when we haue done euill it is a great deliuerance when God freeth vs of the guilt of it the condigne punishment But our greatest comfort is when we are kept from doing of it as Ioseph and Susanna and it is Gods greatest honour when we are deliuered from the punishment which we haue deserued for committing such euils From blood He both committed adultery and murder but he is more touched for the one then for the other Adultery is euil because it defileth and defaceth Gods image in man Murder worse then adultery but murder destroyeth his image And there is no sinne more odious in the sight of God then blood for which cause he banished Cain from his presence Gen. 4.14 Gen. 6.5 he destroyed the first world which was full of crueltie he remoued Saul from his kingdome 2. Sa. 21.1 who slue the Priests and the Gibeonites he remoued the Crowne from the house of Ahab and dogs licked his blood 1. Is◠22.38 Kings should pray with Dauid to keepe them frō the blood of innocents for blood shall be in their house Nota. And often those who liue in blood die in blood and make a bloodie testament according to that of the Poet Ad generum Cereris fine caedet sanguine Discedunt reges sicea morte tyranni The word in the originall is bloods in the plurall number Why called bloods in the plurall number For such is the atrocitie of that sin that one is weightier then a thousand weights of Lead So soon as it is shed so soone doth it defile the shedder as the purple dieth the cloth It seemeth well coloured when it is shed but within a litle time it becometh so thicke and black that a man would abhorre to behold it therefore it is called bloods Leu. 7.27 The Lord in the Leuiticall law forbad his people to eare any flesh with the blood Nota. that the detestation of beasts blood might make them so much the more to abhorre the blood of man wherein his life standeth Blood hath a crie Gen. 4.10 Gen. 4 10. The voice of thy brothers blood crieth Who so shedeth mans blood his blood shall be shed which is either by the iustice or by reuenge and repaiment The auengers of blood are admitted by the law Now mens hands are full and foule with blood The earth is drunken with blood In her wings there is found blood Polluted with blood Lam. 4.14 Bull of blood Ezek. 9.9.22.2.23.27 Blood hath touched blood Hos 4.2 Ioel complaineth of them Ioel 3.19 Mica 7.2 Nah. 3.1 Hab. 2.12 Mat. 23.35 that they shed innocent blood Micah Nahum and Habakuk pronounce a woe to them that shed innocent blood And Christ bringeth together all the blood shed from Abel to Zechariah Mat. 27.8 The Iewes bought Aceldema a field of blood Reu. 8.8 Their feete are swift to shed blood The third part of the sea shal be blood God will reuenge the blood of the Saints Innocent blood is hath bin shal be shed So I see from the beginning of the world to the end thereof innocent blood hath euer bin is and shall be shed but namely the blood of Gods dearest children Sanguine fundata est Ecclesia sanguine creuit leftblank sanguine finis crit Let vs then thinke it no vncouth thing when we see innocent blood shed so abundantly that the streets of Ierusalem are filled and like to be more filled with the blood of Gods Saints And my tongue shall sing ioyfully of thy righteousnesse He promiseth to be thankful vnto God for it becometh righteous men to be thankfull Psal 33.1 Sinne tooke away the
lips which are not employed in the seruice of God that made them to proclaime his praises and double woe to them who employ them to his dishonour for they shall say would God they had bin rather dumbe Nota. and could haue spoken nothing then to haue spoken to the dishonour of that Maiestie which made them Verse 16. For thou defirest no sacrifice though I would giue it thou delightst not in burnt offering NOw toward the end of the Psalme he is bursting forth in thankfulnesse setting downe the sacrifice which the Lord would not haue to wit externall sacrifices and declaring that which he would haue a contrite heart Sacrifices of olde comprehended all Gods worship For the burnt offerings and sinne offerings represented Christs blood The thanksgiuing offerings The vse of the legall sacrifices peace offerings the incense the thankfulnes of the Saints for his benefits and what of all these he was wearied with them when they were not mixed with faith and repentence Nazianzen saith Vna Dei est purùm gratissima victima pectus Then if God delight not in sacrifices which were commanded by himselfe Nota. what careth he for trifles inuented by men of which he can haue no pleasure His delight is not in outward sacrifices at any time if they be alone I will haue mercie saith he not sacrifice Hos 6.6 much lesse doth he respect the sacrifice of the Masse hauing no warrant in his word neither yet of our prayers and praises when we do but pretend religion not serue God vnfainedly Away with all our offerings if we offer not to him that which he craueth chiefly to wit a penitent heart Lorinus obserueth well Sacrificia non operari per se peccatorum remissionem posse sed tantum represent are praefiugare sacrificium illud vnicum redemptoris that is that the sacrifices of old could not worke by themselues remission of sinnes but onely did represent and prefigure the onely sacrifice of our Redeemer Then as he saith truly their sacrifices ex opere operato by the external working of them cannot giue remission of sins What reason then hath he to affirme that the Sacrament of the new Testament conferreth grace by the very externall giuing thereof Lorinus against him selfe seeing that same thing was prefigurated by their sacrifices which is represented by our Sacraments that is Christs blood both in Baptisme and in the Lords Supper Verse 17. The sacrifices of the Lord are a contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O God thou wilt not despise WHen he hath remoued that which God misliked and refused now he placeth that which God liketh and receiueth that is the sacrifice of a contrite spirit In the plurall number called sacrifices that is this one for all A broken heart is such a heart which is humbled through a sight and sense of sin What a broken heart is For it is needfull that as we haue worne our heart by sinne so our heart should be worne againe by repentance and sorrow for sinne and that we should take paines to subdue our hearts and all the thoughts thereof and bring them captiue to Gods obedience That is that poore spirit of which Matthew speaketh Mat. 5.3 Esa 66.2 Isaias speaketh of the spirit that trembleth at Gods word Why sacrifices in the plurall number This caused Dauid to put the word sacrifices in the plurall number that he might expresse the better that one contrite heart which is the sacrifice of repentance alone suffiseth for all legall sacrifices If he had said that a contrite heart is a sweet smelling sacrifice they might haue excepted the so are many others as the papists do mixe their works with the grace of God But Dauid excludeth purpossie all sacrifices and sheweth that what euer sacrifices God respecteth are comprehended vnder a penitent heart beleeuing in Christs bloud and seeking mercie for the same This sort of people are called mourners in Sion who mourne to God for their owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people who powre out their heart with their teares to God who doe lament for the affliction of Ioseph Oh what cause haue we to lament this day for our sinnes and to breake our hearts for the persecution of the Church in euery place Let our feasting be turned into fasting our laughter in teares Mourne with Ieremiah for the desolation of Sion Nota. A contrite and broken heart thou wilt not despise Here he encourageth the penitent sinner who may be affraied to appeare before the Tribunall of God in regard of the conscience of his sinne and be feared that God will not accept him howsoeuer he be humbled Him here he encourageth God will not despise a troubled heart yea rather he will like it and manifest his skill in healing and comforting it God liketh a troubled heart To which agree all those places in Isaias which comfort the Church those sweet inuitations of Christ to the laden and wearie to come vnto him and to those that were athirst and he that calleth vpon vs will not reiect and cast vs away The Lord is nigh to them that be of a contrite spirit Psal 144.8 Who speake to him in the bitternesse of their soule Iob. 10.1 Crying like the Dragon or Ostrich Mich. 1.8 Who cry wonderfull being ouercomed by the Elephants As Saint Ierome saieth who slay their affections and offer them as a sacrifice to God as the Magdalen Peter other Saints who forsake their former lusts and say with a certaine young man who being temped by an harlot and seeming to be ignorant who she was she said ego sum it is I he answered ego non sum it is not I for he was conuerted by repentance If thou would preuaile with God Pro. 23.26 giue him thine whole heart if thou doe any thing for God doe it with thine heart 2. Chro. 31 21 seeke him with thine whole heart loue him feare him pray to him turne to him Deut. 4.29 obey him with thine whole heart Deut. 10.12 Rom. 6.17 Ier. 32.40 Ioel. 2.12 Psal 119.145 Their heart is deuided saith the Lord of hoste now shall they perish Hos 10.2 God is one and vndeuided and craueth an heart one and whole in affection and rent onely by deiection nothing can breake God but a bâ—oken heart The string can bow the bowe the fire can temper and molifie the steele the goates bloud the adamant and the heart contrite can moue God saith Mantuan in these verses Virga recens Zephyris neruo curuabitur arcuâ— Igne chalybs adamas sangnine corde Deus Finallie obserue that albeit repentance doth make a contrite heart and as I said before we should take such paine on our contrition that we should not let any thought of our heart escape vnrepented mourned for yet the onely hammer which must burst our soules is the word of God The word of God bruseth the heart Simil. which bruseth
is at least once named shewing to vs hereby his earnest desire to take hold of God with both his hands He nameth him not onely Adonai but also Iah which two signifie his nature and power all the qualities of God must be conioyned and concurre together for vs All Gods qualities must concurre together for our good although he be Adonai yet if he be not also Iah we are vndone If thou straightly markest iniquitie Hauing craued attention in the preceeding verses he setteth forth his petition that God would not vse the extremitie of his iudgement but deale mercifully with him not crauing an account of his debt but freely pardoning him This petition he doth not propound in simple termes but inuolueth it in a reason by which God should be moued if thou saith he wouldest marke al mens iniquities thou wouldest condemn all but it seemeth not thine infinite goodnesse to destroy all flesh therefore I should not seeme to be ouer bold to seeke to be free of these gulfes of miseries whereinto my sinne hath throwne me headlongs In the first part of this verse I obserue these three things First that God is the marker Secondly that he marketh iniquities Thirdly that he marketh iniquities straightly If thou markest O Lord Here we see the phantasies of those controlled who sinne and say as the Psalmist saith of them tush God seeth not Psal 64.5 or regardeth not O foole he that made the eie Psal 94.9 cannot he see he that made the heart can he not discerne of the thoughts thereof and marke them where wilt thou go from the presence of the Lord God is said to obserue and marke mens sinnes when he taketh heed to punish them How God is said to mark mens sinnes and he passeth by the sinnes of his elect when he mindeth not to punish Non aduertit saith one of the Fathers quia non animaduertit he seeth them not because he punisht theÌ„ not Cum aduerethit euertit when he looketh to the sinners wickednesse he ouerthroweth them A Iudge looketh with an other eie on the faultes of his childe and the crime of rebells Simil. he feeth the one with a reuenging eie to punish them the other with a pitifull eie So God after he hath louingly chaftised his owne children he ouerseeth them and couereth them with the mantle of his sonne Baalam though a false Prophet saith most truly Nu. 23.21 The Lord seeth no sinne in lacob nor iniquitly in Israell If thou markest iniquitie The thing that God marketh is iniquitie The word iniquity is somtimes taken generally for any fault or offence against God our selues The significan of the word inquire or our neighbours sometimes especially for those sins which are directly against the first table and concerneth God immedialy or for the violation of the second table concerning our neighbour which toucheth God mediatlie as also for the sinne directly against our selues all of them both in respect of the number quantitie and qualitie are pointed out by Dauid vnder this word Let vs therefore whatsoeuer our iniquities be marke the same our selues and bewaile it and then God shall marke it as letters written on the sand Let vs be a Cato and Momus against our selues And howsoeuer the proud pharises of the world vaunt and brag of their integritie let vs with the publican cast downe our selues Luk. 18.13 knocke on our brestes and say God be mercifull to vs miserable sinners If thou straightly markest iniquitie The maner how he is said to marke is not lightly as many iudges doe but straightly euery circumstance God marketh stricklie euery word euery action yea euery thought Christ saith of euery idle word we must giue an account Mat. 12.36 he is a strict exacter with whom we haue to doe Therefore our dutie is to marke narrowly our owne actions yea euen our thoughts and our idle lookes which the papists account not a sinne these we must marke straightly that is dayly and hourly and driue them away Gen. 15.17 as Abraham did the foules from his sacrifice Who shall stand All of vs are sinking in the pit and filth of sinne with Ierimie Ier. 38.17 while Ebedmelech come and let downe coards to draw vs out None can stand before this God who findeth follie in the Angells Iob. 4.18 yea the Angells are not cleane before him and the Seraphimes couer their face and feete with winges Abraham saith What am I Gen. 18.27 dust and ashes Iob saith I will lay my hand vpon my mouth If I should iustifie my selfe Iob. 9.20 my cloathes would condemne me A man may see farre vnder the Sunne Simil. but he can not looke the Sunne in the face A man may be righteous before men not fal vnder danger of the kings lawes but who can stand before God This should teach vs in time to leaue off to sinne and offend him if we abuse his patience which should leade vs to repentance it is a signe we are not children Abuse not the patience of God but slaues for children will be verie loath to offend their louing fathers but and will feare to incurre their wrath Let vs remember that sentence of the wiseman albeit an Ethnike Furor fit laesa sapius patiâ—ntia patience often offended in the end turneth in furie and rage By this his example Dauid giueth a caueat to all the Church Let none come before God vnlesse they acknowledge their owne vnworthines that none should offer themselues in the sight of God without an humble confession of their vnworthinesse for God marketh straightly whosoeuer flattereth himselfe with an opinion of his owne holinesse deceiueth himselfe and is vnworthy to receiue the smallest relaxation at Gods hands Albeit he prayeth here as one man yet he prayeth here in the name of all the Church as though he would say from the first Adam to the last all are lost and damned if God would exact a straight account of them Therefore the holiest on the earth must acknowledge with Dauid his owne vnworthinesse and flee to Gods mercie as to a citie of refuge Although Dauid speaketh generally of all mankinde he doth not thinke thereby to extenuate his sinne but rather to amplifie and aggrauate it confessing himselfe to be in the common satalitie and naufragie of mankinde Many will say God forgiue vs we are all sinners as though the multitude of sinners could be a patron and excuse to their wickednesse No by the contrary when he hath acknowledged himselfe to be culpable he confesseth himselfe to be so much the more guilty of iudgement that of all mankinde there is not one who can escape eternall iudgement The more generall miserie is it is the greater Then if euery one would examine himselfe he would succumbe for the more generall that miserie is it is the greater This place then letteth vs see that no man can stand by his owne workes For if God would call
vp might be remembred as was said by the Angell to the Centurion Thy prayers and almesdeeds are come vp before God Act. 10.4 This frequent desire to be heard coÌ„meth not from diffidence and a distrust The more we hope to be heard the more we desire to be heard but from confidence for the more we trust to be heard the more we desire to be heard And this neglect of prayer that we suite seldome or neuer proceedeth from the ground of infidelitie because we beleeue God will not graunt if we suite Therefore knocke often beg earnestly wrestle by prayer with the Lord hold him at a continuall businesse vntill he graunt thy iust and lawfull petitions and out of doubt things lawfull in themselues that is what he hath commanded suited earnestlie with dependance vpon Gods pleasure shal be graunted vnto thee Doctr. He that caÌ„not pray can haue no companie with God My prayer and supplication Prayer is the life of religion and he that cannot pray can haue no company with God Dauid who was a man after Gods owne heart was euermore giuen to prayer morning euening and noone Dauid spent all his life in prayer yea in the midst of the night he arose and prayed vnto God he preuented the morning watches and the breake of day so that he spent all his life in prayer God be mercifull to vs who can not suffer to spend any time in prayer We spend many moneths vainly â—dlely and sinfully without wearing and the time is short which we bestow vpon prayer and yet we thinke it too long Against the too much neglect of prayer in these our timest we sleepe in the night and awake but alas what time thereof doe we spend on Gods seruice when ariseth any of vs to seeke God in the night when thinke we vpon him in the night season many cogitations come in our mind but we neuer thinke vpon God and in the day we beginne in the morning to seeke the world or our fleshly lusts but who seeketh the Lord early The rest of the day we put ouer and consume in pastime as though the Sunne were ordained for none other vse but to let vs see to goe to hell Pray then vnto the Lord that he may giue vnto you the spirit of prayer for as Saint Iames saith very well Iam. 4.2 Yee lacke because you aske not Answere me in thy truth and in thy righteousnes He buildeth his prayer vpon two groundes Goâ—s truth in his promises and his righteousnesse that he being a iust iudge of the world will neuer forsake the righteous 1. Cor. 1.30 in his sonne Iesus Christ who is made our righteousnesse Then God standes much by his word and as he is veritie so his word is yea and amen neither can he neither will he chang or alter his word hath he spoken it must be performed All men are liers Ps 116.17 they falsifie their promises there is no truth in this generation All sorts of men are changable but God who is truth it selfe cannot alter It is a great oath to a prince to sweare per verbum principis but it is possible as is often seene that they alter change Noblemen and Preachers yea all sorts of men are found to say and to gaine say but who euer heard that God promised being as I haue said veritie it selfe and violated one word of his promise since the foundaof the world neither euer shall Then we haue a good God both iust and true and I wish that we would imitate those vertues of our God For truth is exiled and righteosnesse is departed from the earth Verse 2. And enter not into iudgement with thy seruant for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustefied THis verse containeth a deprecation of Gods iudgement that he would not enter in a straight marking of his sinne He might haue pleaded his innocencie before men but when he commeth to that terrible tribunal of Gods iustice he submitteth himselfe crauing pardon for his trespasse and this generall rule should be obserued if we desire God to be fauorable to vs that we beg the remission of our sinnes For if Dauid could not plead his innocencie Beg for remission of sinne Iob. 15.16 what can any of vs doe who drinke in iniquitie as water who are altogether vncleane and filthie Let vs therefore confesse our wickednesse and make supplication to our iudge and lay our hands on our mouthes being vnable to plead our cause against the Lord. That ye may the better vnderstand this verse obserue First that there is a iudgement into which men must enter or else be absolued from the indicatorie Secondly by what name he stileth himselfe thy seruant Thirdly the argument Because no lauing shall be iustified in thy sight Of those in order 1. There is a iudge and a iudgement Men runne forward in sinne lasciuiously and without care but they remember not there is a iudgement wherein they shall be called to an accompt Reioyce saith Solomon O young man in the daies of thy youth but be sure thou shalt be brought to iudgement Eccl. 12.9 If the seruant remembred his accomptes would he mispend his Masters substance But the Diuell hath blinded mens eies and made them so forgetfull that they thinke not on their reckoning But the iudgement is more then the reckoning Albeit men for debt may lawfully be put in prison and his goods confiscat Gods iudgement more seuere then mans yet no law will take a mans life for debt but the spirituall tribunal is more terrible for if God enter once in iudgement with any man he will kill both body and soule God hath three iudgment seats There be three iudgement seates which God hath made vp for man one which he hath set vp in his conscience accusing him condemning him and punishing him the second is at the houre of his death then God putteth him to triall The third and last tribunall is after death wherein all shall appeare to render an accompt of their actions the bookes of their owne conscience shal be opened and none shal escape that indicatorie neither kings or preachers or people all must appeare and render an account of their thoughtes of their wordes of their actions That iudgement is peremptorie no excuse no subperseges or dilators Vse but away they must goe crying let the mountaines couer vs from the face of that iudge Luk. 23.30 Let princes then and noblemen perswade them selues that albeit they thinke no law can strike against them if they doe whatsoeuer pleaseth themselues God hath a throne and a iustice court before which they must needes appeare and receiue the definitiue sentence whereof oftentimes in this world they haue a feeling Nebuchadnezer may be a proofe for this Dan. 4 29. whom God for seuen yeares made a beast Herod Antiochus and infinite others 2. With thy seruant He was a Lord and a King of a
reueale it Doct. No true seruice without conscience To them that feare him and to these he giueth vnderstanding as in the 15. and 119 Psalme hee testifies By which I see there is no true seruice vvithout conscience and none can profit in the knowledge of the Scripture but such as feare God and the more they feare him the more they grow in knowledge True piety and godlinesse is the nourisher of knowledge for the feare of God is the beginning growth and perfection of all wisedome And therefore Athiests and prophane persons haue not learned Christ aright they are learning but doe neuer attaine to the power of godlinesse and his couenant to giue them vnderstanding His couenant is specially mentioned Doct. Gods couenant belongâ—â—th to such â—s feare him Iohn 6.33 because the Iewes brag of the couenant made to Abraham their Father But here he declareth to them that they haue no title â—o the couenant except they feare God The Iewes bragged that they were descended of Abraham but Christ sends them to their father the deuill because they follow his manners and are murtherers Therefore there is no part in the couenant to those who haue not the true feare of God VERSE 15. Mine eyes are euer towards the Lord for who will bring my feet out of the net NOw he doth apply the benefits of God which generally were propounded to the Church to himselfe as he began the Psalme so he ends it with a prayer for his deliuery from his enemies In this Verse hee perswades himselfe by faith that God will set him free for as saith the Text his eyes are euer towards the Lord that is he depended on God as the eye of the handmayd is towards her mistresse This he testifieth when he saith Psal 123. Psal 121. And I lift vp mine eyes to the mountaines my helpe commeth from thee O Lord for thou wilt deliuer me who trusts in thee Note Men may looke for helpe at the hands of men but in vaine But God will not frustrate the expectation of his owne which should make vs not to turne our eyes from him seeking helpe from Aegypt Wee cannot at one time looke vp to heauen downe to hell or the earth no more put our confidence in God and man Next ye see that if we desire to get deliuery we must in al our actions set him before our eies direct all our actions to glorifie God and edifie his Church Psal 16.8 I haue set the Lord alwayes before my face for he is at my right hand therefore I shall not slide Will God defend an vnrighteous man who asmeth not at Gods glory but his owne designes Note If thou haue him before thine eies then will he stand at thy right hand to maintaine thee He will bring my feet out of the net Comparison He compareth his estate to a bird insnared in the fowlers net for his enemies were fowlers their engins were nets himselfe was the poore bird circumuened The Churches enemies vsing subtilties to intrap her Gen. 3.1 Let Christians haue their conuersation in heauen God will breake the snare Acts 16.26 The Church hath many enemies but none are so crafty as these fowlers fraud and craft is a marke of Gods enemies they imitate their father the deuill who is a wily Serpent and more subtile then any beast of the field Thirdly let Christians be birds that as they haue their chiefe abode in the ayre so we may haue our conuersation in heauen as they fill the aire with their sounds so let vs praise God Fourthly Gods children may be ensnared but God will breake their nets and deliuer them as Paul Silas and Peter out of prison for that which seemes impossible to men is possible with God Man is as the bird escaped out of the snare of the fowler Psal 124. Simil. for as the bird compassed cannot deliuer it selfe no more can man escape their attempts by his owne strength but onely by Gods power VERSE 16. Turne thy face vnto me and haue mercy vpon me for I am desolate and poore Doct. Aduersity makes meÌ„ feare Gods absence Doct. Gods mercy the fountaine of all blessings Doct. Misery the obiect of Gods mercie Luk. 10.33 Simil. HE thinkes in aduersity that God turnes away his face whose presence to a creature is as the turning of the Sun vnto the earth He craueth mercy oftentimes in this Psalm acknowledging that to be the fountaine from which all blessings flow to him this argument is taken from God himselfe The next argument from his misery For I am desolate and poore This is the obiect of Gods mercy vpon vvhich it must worke as the vvounded Iew was an obiect of the Samaritans mercy How would Gods mercy be knowne if man had no misery How would the Physitians skill be tried if not by the patients diseases How would the liberality of Princes their iustice be notified but by the pouerty of their subiects and their distresses VERSE 17. The sorrowes of mine heart are enlarged draw me out of my troubles Doct. God multiplieses sorrowes because wee multiply sinnes THe sorrowes of mine heart are enlarged God hath many meanes to humble the sonnes of men and namely he turnes their ioy of sinne into sorrow the right sorrow whereof the Lord send vs. God multiplies sorrowes because we multiply sins Dauid found a cause of sorrow in euery thing he gat from God for his brethren enuied him 1 Sam. 17.28 and 18.9 2 Sam. 6.20 and 15.31 1 Sam. 23.12 and 26.1 and 29.4 his father in law Saul persecuted him his vvife mocked him his familiars and companions deceiued him his children pursued him the Ziphims and the Lords of Keilah betrayed him the Philistims reiected him The ioies which God propineth vs with are as so many roses but in the bottome of them are enclosed as many thornes to pricke vs Simil. 2 Cor. 12.7 As Paul was pricked with the messenger of Satan leâ—t he should haue beene exalted through the great reuelations So if we found not some discomfort in euery creature we should be bewitched with the delight thereof that we could not settle our affection on God And therefore God peppers euery pleasure and giues vs some soure sauce thereto Exod. 12.8 as he gaue soure hearbs to be eaten with the Paschal Lambe Draw me out of my troubles Doct. If the pleasures of this world were not painfull we would too much delight in them Psal 34 11 1 Sam. 17.34 Doct. The root of all our trouble is our owne sinne Simil. Pro. 20.17 Many are the tribulations of the righteous but the Lord will deliuer him out of them all God vseth to draw them by which hee would testifie that it is a work of Gods power to deliuer the innocent as Dauid deliuered his fathers sheepe from the Lyon and the Beare and the vessels out of the hands of a strong man VERSE 18. Looke vpon
mine afflictions and my trauell and forgiue all my sinnes THere he acknowledgeth the root of al his troubles to be sin for which he craueth mercy at God Ye may see here that sin toucheth him so neere the heart that he cannot find ease but in the remission thereof Sin is sweet in the mouth as honey but it is in the womb as grauell There is no venome in the affliction but sinne so being quit of sin he esteemes nothing of the affliction Sin is the noysome humour purge the humour and saue the patient The goodnes wisdome of God which maketh affliction a bitter water to eat vp the rust of sinne The affliction is not profitable which hath not made some diminution of sin When Gods anger was quenched Gen. 8.1 then the flouds were abated so as thy sin decreases thy affliction diminisheth daily VERSE 19. Behold mine enemies for they are many and they hate me with cruell hatred THis endeth as the sixt Psalme Doct. The subduing of sinne is the triumph ouer out enemies Acts 9.3 1 Sam. 31.4 for triumphing aboue sin his spirituall enemies he triumpheth aboue all his bodily foes he preuailes with God he preuaileth also with men He vseth no imprecations against them but that God would looke on them either mercifully to conuert them with Saul who was called Paul or to confound them as the first Saul who killed himselfe His enemies are described from their multitude number next frō their malice cruelty Alwayes Gods honor is so much the more greater that he is one for all his loue preuents their cruelty He complained of their craft before they had spred nets for him and the deuill who before was a Serpent and could not preuaile now becommeth a fiery flying Dragon Gen. 3.1 Apoc. 12.3 to deuoure the seed of the woman so craft disappointed becomes cruell he was first a Serpent yet he is more dangerous when he is a serpent cheaping Doct. Craft disappointed becomes cruelty Eph. 6.14 then when he is roaring as a Lyon when he roares he is heard far off and is eschewed but who can shun a Fox and a Serpent therefore craft is alwaies cruell Since then we haue to doe with malitious enemies and crafty deceitfull men let vs inarme vs against them by the brest plate of righteousnesse to strike by their darts and by patience to suffer their wrongs VERSE 20. Keepe my soule and deliuer me let me not be confounded for I trust in thee HE ends as Christ ended his life Doct. The soule is wel kept when God keepeth it Luk. 23.46 Mat. 6.19 In thy hand I commit my spirit By the soule he meaneth also the life for it is well kept when the Lord keepes it no earthly place so sure but the thiefe may come in or rust consume but if thy soule be bound vp in the bundle of life and treasured with God no violence or cōsumption can attain therunto And he vseth that same argument in the end which he did in the beginning For I trust in thee VERSE 21. Let mine vprightnesse and equity preserue me for mine hope is in thee LEt no man claime the patrocinie of God Doct. God will not patronize an vnrighteous cause 1 Sā 26.17 vnlesse he maintaine a righteous cause quarrell for what fellowship hath the Lord with the throne of iniquity This he speakes because of his enemies to whom he neuer did iniury and the more ingratefull were they yea these he benefited as Saul with whom in the field he pleaded his innocency when Saul said Psal 143.2 My son Dauid thou art more righteous then I. But when he came before God he cried Enter not in iudgement with thy seruant but recountering with men he braggeth of his innocency Our eyes are sharp sighted and bright enough to behold the earth but when we looke to the Sunne they will be dim For I trust in thee Ye see albeit he claimes to his innocency yet he retireth him to faith and hope in God Our righteousnesse is not such as that we can altogether stand by it there are some slips and faults in the best of our actions Note therfore we are forced to retire to God who can supply them all in his al-sufficiency VERSE 22. Deliuer Israel O God out of all his troubles THis last verse containeth a prayer for the Church Doct. Atrue note of a Christian to be affected with the state of the Church Psal 51.8 Doct. The Church subiect to infinit troubles so that hee is not contented to enioy any priuate benefit from God himselfe vnlesse the Church of God be partaker thereof whose welfare he promiseth to procure and desires others to pray for the peace of Ierusalem and this is a marke of a feeling member of Christ who remembreth not his owne sorrowes without regard of the tribulations of Gods Church Next ye see that the Church is subiect to infinite tribulations she is a Lillie among thorns Exod. 3.2 Mat. 14.24 Gen. 8.1 there must be a fire alway in that bush is no maruell to see the ship of the Disciples tossed in the seas and the Arke of Noah in the deluge but indeed it were a maruel to see the Church not persecuted Doct. God will in the end deliuer his Church Finally he prayes for deliuery to her letting vs see two things First that the Lord will compasse his Church with ioyfull deliuerances and not let the rod of the wicked lie alwayes on the backe of the righteous but as they haue many crosses Doct. The Churches deliuerance is Gods prerogatiue so they get many comforts from God Next God commonly takes that honour to himselfe to deliuer his Church when Princes persecute the same to their owne ruine and shame Let vs pray vnto our God to deliuer his Church in Europe this day which is fearfully assaulted by wicked men and to giue his Saints patience and perseuerance in the truth to the end Amen FINIS A GODLY AND FRVITFVLL EXPOSITION ON THE THIRTIE TWO PSALME THE THIRD OF THE PENETENTIALS THis is the third Psalme of Repentance the Title thereof is Davids Instruction 12. Psalmes are Psalmes of instruction shewing both the substance and matter of the same that is Instruction as also the writer thereof David There are many other Psalmes which beare this title especially the 42.44.45.52.53.54.55.74.78.89.142 For if yee would deuide the 150. Psalmes vnto classes yee shall find some instruction as these twelue others for consolation others of deprecations The Scriptures are profitable for all vses 2 Tim. 3.16 Simil. others of imprecations for the Scriptures of God are profitable for all vses to rebuke to comfort to instruct c. Amongst all this booke of the Psalmes especially is as an Apothecaries shop wherein yee shall finde all sorts of Drugs Cordiall to comfort our heart or Corrasiue to eate vp the cancer of our nature yea in what estate was
in his kingdome accompteth himselfe onely happie in this that his sinnes were pardoned Those earthly things are a weake foundation wherevpon to build Note should we expect happinesse of an vnhappie world The vanitie of the Philosophers concerning happinesse is to be put away Chrys in 1. Cor hom 4. of whom Chrysostome writeth they haue wouen Spiders webes by which they might maâ—re the minds of foolish men He who is a rebell to the king can enioy no benefites of his kingdome Simil. but when hee hath receiued the rod of peace and hath procured the kings fauour then hee is happie So although we had all the priuiledges of nature what will they be to vs if we haue not the fauour of God and assurance of the remission of our sinnes Blessed is he He giueth out this beatitude in the singular number The man as Habackuk also hath Hab 2.4 iustus ex fide sua viuet the iust man shall liue by his faith The Apostle Saint Paul sayth 2 Cor 4.13 I haue beleeued therefore I spake that wee may not infold our selues vnder the lap of generalitie and say with Athists and Papists Euery man must be assured of his Saluation wee will be saued as other men are for we beleeue as the Church beleeueth but euery man must haue a faith of his owne by which hee must be saued for albeit there be but one common Medicine applyed to all Christians who are penitent yet euery one of them must haue that applied to himselfe euen that Salue to cure his soare For medicaments must be personall we must haue our particular warrand in our pocket for our debts and not dreame that wee are free of debt when others are freed thereof There are three gradations or climaxes answerable to the three degrees of nature A threefold Gradation 1 Nature 2. grace 3. glory grace and glory The naturall estate of man is noted by sinne impietie and iniquitie grace by lightned of it couered not imputed glory blessed blessed Nature beginneth the worke and it is full of vanitie and it hath the roote of sinne which groweth in all our hearts that sinning sinne concupiscence that Originall corruption without which neuer man was borne except Christ Iesus Of this man esteemeth little albeit hee haue it in his house and the thiefe lying in his bosome This roote of sinne springeth vp in two branches impietie against God and iniquitie against man this monster with these two twinnes are euer found together they growe together and liue together a sinner vnrepenting is impious and irreligious toward God and profane and inequitable toward men When sinne reignes as a tyrant and hath taken any captiue to doe him seruice is it any maruaile that he rage against God by blasphemies and against man by iniuries The man possessed with Diuels who was amongst the graues threw stones at the passengers Math 8.28 as by the contrary hee who is holy and Sanctified is also godly and iust for these three cohere Pietie Iustice Sanctitie Sinne is neuer alone as neither commeth the iudgement of God alone one draweth another Math 22.13 they are linked together as a chaine of iron by which man is bounde and caried to vtter darkenesse if the Angel who came to Peter in prison doth not lose them Act 12.7 Psal 1.1 This Chapter is depainted in the first Psalme at the first verse for hee calleth them sinners wicked The degrees of sinne and scorners Peccatum peccatum trahit one sinne draweth on another for sinne groweth to wickednesse and wickednesse to scorning of all religion which is the extremitie and highest degree of all euill The deformitie of beasts we alow in our selues This further is to be noted that what deformitie we see and dislike in al the beasts they are found in one man Wee detest the the falshood of the Foxe and the subtiltie of the Serpent and yet man is falser then both we cannot abide to looke vpon a Dogge when hee licketh vp his vomit neither on a Sowe while she is wallowing in the puddle and our onely delight is to swallow vp sinne and feede on our owne filthinesse and when we haue beene clensed from it by repentance wee returne to it within a little time we abhorre the greedinesse of the Wolfe albeit sometimes hee can be satisfied and yet our couetous heart is insatiable The crueltie of the Lyon is odious vnto vs albeit it spareth the owne kinde but man as Athaliah rageth against his owne bloud 2 Chron 22.10 euerie beast hath one deformitie which is no sinne in it but a spectacle whereby man may hate that in himselfe which hee abhorreth in a beast but man hath all deformities Note hee is subtil then a Serpent more craftie One may haue all beasts properties then a Foxe more cruel then a Lyon more filthie then a Sow more greedie then a Wolfe c. Yea much differing from all these for all may be tamed I am 3.8 but the tongue of man cannot be tamed and if one member of man be worse then all beasts Note what thinke yee of the whole powers of mans nature Looke then what euill commeth of sinne it seemeth to be profitable and pleasant for the present as honey in the mouth Pro 20.17 but in the bellie it turneth in grauell and wormewood Iudas thought his wages sweete in receiuing them Math 27.3 but after cast that money backe in great sorrow Ammon was sicke for loue of his sister but when hee had fulfilled his lust 2 Sam. 13.15 he hated her more then before he had loued her Behold what Leprosies Phrensies Feuers Botches haue euer fallen vpon mans body as many sinnes as fountaines of them are pressing downe his soule which we should lament if wee were sensible of the smallest of them Whose wickednes is forgiuen This threefold repetition of the remission of Sinnes argues the necessitie of the perswasion of this doctrine for it is an article of our Creede which we must beleeue and for the which we are commanded to pray dayly hee hath promised it who is faithfull hee hath sworne and giuen the earnest of his Spirit to seale it We must not doubt with these doubting Doctors Doctr. We may be assured of the remission of sinne Eccles 9.1 Ob. whether wee shall obtaine mercie or not but wee may assure our selues of the remission of our sinnes They alledge that of Ecclesiastes No man knoweth either loue or hatred of all that is before him I Answere that place is to be vnder vnderstood thus Ans that externall things are not notes of Gods loue or hatred because they are common to good and euill This perswasion indeede wanteth not the owne doubtings wee doubt but we dispare not Whence doubts arise in Gods children these doubtings spring from the sense of our vnworthinesse not of Gods goodnesse But if a man be not assured of the