and our wonder at him but such was our pride he gained our envy of him His Father whether because he was not resolved what calling to breed him to or for what other cause I know not after that hee had with credit proceeded Bachelour of Arts hee took him home where he abode some good time yet applying himselfe unto his studies While hee remained at home with his Father hee married the Daughter of one Master George Hunt the sonne of that tryed and prepared Martyr Iohn Hunt mentioned in the Book of Martyrs who was condemned to be burnt for Religion but was saved from the execution thereof by the death of Queene Mary This Master George Hunt was bred up in the Famous fâ—ee Schoole of the Marchant-Taylers in London and afterward by the incouragement of Master D. Humfry by occasion of a visit of that Schoole and by the furtherance of M George and Mr. Iohn Kingsmells and by the exhibitions of Bishop Pilkinton all which for their honour sake I name he was called unto and mainetained in that worthy Foundation of good Learning Magdalen Colledge in Oxford till hee was Fellow of that House where hee continued till hee had borne the offices of Deane of Arts and Deane of Divinity Afterwards by the meanes of those worthy Master Kingsmells hee was preferred to the Church of Collingborn-ducis in the County of Wiles where for the space of fifty and one yeares and five moneths he lived a sound and constant Preacher of the Word and was of an unblameable and holy life even untill the oyle of his radicall moysture was spent and the candle of his life of it selfe went out in a full and good old-age after a long and joyous expectation and longing for his blessed change which was in the eighty and third yeare and fift moneth of his age This Master George Hunt after that by importunity hee had got this his sonne in law to make tryall of his ability to preach he overperswaded him to intend the ministery And thereupon he entred himselfe into Edmund Hall in the famous Vniversity of Oxford and tooke his Degree of Master of Arts. Not long after hee entred into the Ministery and hee was presently called to be a Lecturer at Banbury which he commendably performed above the space of foure yeares and then was called to be Vicar of the same Church which office hee faithfully discharged neare thirty years till he died The abilities wherewith God had indued him for his work of the Ministery were more then ordinary For hee was of a quicke understanding of a cleare and deepe Iudgement of a most firme memory and of a lively spirit Hee was naturally eloquent a master of his words having words at will Hee had a most able body and sound lunges and till some yeares before his death he had a most strong and audible voice And according as his matter in hand and his auditory needed he was both a terrible Boanerges a sonne of Thunder and also a Barnabas a sonne of sweet consolation And which was the crowne of all God gave him an heart to seek him and to aime at the saving of the soules of all that heard him His speech and preaching was not with entising words of mans wisedome but in demonstration of the spirit and of power He was an Apollos not onely eloquent but withall mighty in the Scriptures He like some of the Ancient Fathers was as occasions fell out sometimes an every dayes Preacher He preached ordinarily in his owne Church twise each Lords-Day and catechized for above halfe an houre before evening Prayer examining and instructing the youth and once a weeke he preached the ordinary Lecture Hee was much against all such preaching as was light vaine scenicall impertinent raw and indigested His preaching was plaine but as much according to the Scripture and also to the rules of Art and of right Reason as any that ever I heard or have heard of In conference he hath told me what hee aimed at and what use he made of the Arts and what rules hee set to himselfe in the studying of his Sermons which was as followeth That he might better understand his Text hee made use of his Grammer learning in Greeke and Hebrew in which tongues the Scripture is written Also hee would use the helpe of Rhetoricke to discover to him what formes of speech in his Text was to be taken in their primary and proper signification and what was elegantly cloathed and wrapped up in tropes and figures that hee might unfold them and see their naked meaning Then well weighing and considering the context hee would by the helpe of Logicke finde out the scope of the Holy Ghost in that Scripture Hee would endeavour when he began to enter upon the preaching of any Chapter to Analise and take the Chapter into its severall branches and parts Then he would if it were a doctrinall Text note the Doctrine as it lay in the Text and so prosecute it Or if the Text consisted of illustrations or circumstances of some principall truth there prosecuted hee would then gather from some notable part or branch of his Text an apt Doctrine or Divine Truth which should so immediately follow that the Truth observed in the Text should be the argument or middle terme wherby in a simple Sillogisme he could conclude his Doctrine Next hee would seeke for apt proofes out of Scripture to confirme it Fewer or more as hee thought best which done because other arguments according to Scripture and right Reason are forcible to convince and confirme reasonable men in any truth hee would find out Reasons of his Doctrine but he aimed that they should bee strong Arguments or middle termes by which hee might likewise Sillogistially conclude his said Doctrine Then according to the nature of the Doctrine and the need and aptnesse of his Auditory hee would as from an infallible consequent of his Doctrine by way of Application confirme some profitable Truth which yet by some might happily bee questioned or else convince men of some errour or reproove some vice or exhort to some Dutie or resolve some doubt or case of conscience or comfort such as needed Consolation In all which sorts of Applications hee did make use of more or fewer of them as there might bee cause and hee would bee carefull that his Doctrine should bee the Argument or middle terme whereby hee might sillogistically conclude the maine Proposition of any of his said uses And if the reproofe or exhortation did need pressing home upon the conscience then hee would study to enlarge his Speech shewing motives to induce to such a duty and allso disswasives from such a vice taking his Arguments from dutie to God decency or shamefullnesse pleasure or paine gaine or losse And here again he would use the help of Rhetorick but all for the most part in a concealed way without all affectation And sometimes he would shew the effectuall meanes of attaining of the Grace and
sorrow for sinne And let those children that are yet unmarried take heed of intangling their affections without the privity of Parents or of seeking to draw the affections of one another untill such consent have gone before for feare they make this duty very difficult unto them or thrust themselves out of the way of duty and obedience by their headstrong passions So much of Ishmaels good deeds now of his bad First at some 15. or 16. yeares he mocked Isaac this mocking was a degree of persecution and a fault in him I cannot conceive that he did it out of any dislike of Isaacs piety who being but a new weaned childe could not discover any piety unto him at least any such act of piety as should stirre up disdaine and derision but seeing such a great gladnesse and a merry feast at the weaning of Isaac he made a sport of him as it were disdaining that Isaac should seeme to thrust him out of the inheritance Now it is a great sinne to mocke any one out of envy and scorne that they should be preferred before them Mocking shewes a great deale of pride in him that useth it nothing but overvaluing of our selves makes us undervalew others Mocking is a tedious thing to suffer the good esteeme wee have of our selves and those that are neere unto us makes the contrary carriage of others unsufferable therefore is mocking a great offence Take heed I pray you of using it toward your bretheren or neighbours It is an act that tendeth strongly to provoke and we must not provoke one another It is then most loathsome when it comes from envy and malice make not a may game at your bretheren floute them not breake not jests upon them this jesting is that which S. Paul forbids especially laugh not at their miseries and at their sinnes but most of all mocke not at them for well doing Mocking is any carriage by which a man expresseth his contempt of another and seekes to make him also contemptible and despicable unto others He that can set light by a man for goodnesse sake which should procure honour how blind a minde how perverse a judgement hath he Be penitent if your folly have carried you to such a sinne and now bridle your selves from such ill carriage hath not God shewed his dislike of it sufficiently by punishing it in Ishmael with banishment out of Abrahams house Another fault of Ishmael is that which was foretold of him that he was a wilde man a kind of Asse-colt that would not be subject to any almost nor ruled by any This is a grievous fault indeed when he that hath the face shape and faculties of a man and should have wisedome to submit himselfe to such as have authority over him will yet know no governour submit to no authority be kept within no boundes but leape over hedge and ditch as it were and runne about after his owne fancy and live as he lists himselfe that is to say will evertake upon him the qualities of a wild Asse-colt to man-ward will never carry himselfe as a sheepe dutifully to God-ward Beware of being such wild fellowes that now follow their owne humours and care not what trickes they play not heeding any admonition or any reason If any of you have shewed your selves such formerly bewaile it before God pray him to pardon you pray him to turne you by shewing you your sinnes and miserable estate by nature and pray him to make you at length to learne to take the yoake of obedience and cast of all wilde courses live like men not like wilde Asses The wilde Asse runnes up and downe in the wildernesse and will not be led nor driven but will be where her fancy carryes her Be not you such but let the directions and admonitions of your parents and governours like bounds keepe you within compasse He that will live wildly shall surely procure a world of miseries to himselfe at last hardship shall tame him whom nothing else will tame or else at the end of his wilde race he shall stake himselfe as it were upon the vengeance of God and eternall death Yet another fault Every mans hand was against him and his against every man The meaning is he was a quarrelsome fellow still brawling and falling out one that would easily take and give matter of strife and debate apt to speake and doe that which would give distaste to others and apt to distaste the things that others said and did to him so as to make it the matter of a fray or grudge or both This is the fault that is described in these words Now a sore sinne it is that makes a man troublesome to himselfe and all his neighbours and causeth his life to be like the life of a Cocke of the game that is still bloudy with the bloud of others and himselfe I pray you examine your selves whether you be not such froward contentious men still in suite in contestation in opposition with some or other that will take no shew of wrong but will doe enough that cannot long keepe out of some brabling matter If it be a legall kind of quarrelling it is a signe of much folly much pride or both much more if it be a kind of martiall quarrelling that tends to stroakes and bloudshed Repent repent of this evill humour and seeke to God to give you a meeke and quiet spirit able to beare and forbeare able to shew kindnesse and to passe by unkindnesse for surely it is a kind of diabolicall life to live so unquietly and it will cause Gods hand to be stretched out against him whose hand is against every body And these are Ishmaels faults Now his benefits are First deliverance from two great dangers one before hee was borne when his mother was taking a course to undoe both her selfe and him God was so favourable to both as to meete her in the way and turne her backe from her wandering that returning home againe Ishmael might be borne in Abrahams house and by him brought up in all good order till his 17. yeere or thereabouts A great benefit it was and the foundation of his future worldly greatnesse This mercy must be confessed if God have prevented danger from us whilest we were in our mothers wombes and it were fit that Parents should acquaint their children with such mercies that they might learne to inlarge their thankesgiving by mentioning of them also We cannot shew our selves too exact and diligent in reckoning with God for his benefits Secondly God himselfe vouchsafed to meete him againe when he was banished and to provide water for him and refresh him when he was now ready to die for thirst How great was Gods care of him that sent an Angell to open his Mothers eyes and cause her to see a Well neere hand which either griefe of minde or weakenesse of sight thorough faintnesse had disabled her from seeing or else made a Well for the
closing the flesh in steed of it and framed it into the body of a Woman in which also he placed a reasonable soule Concerning this Creation of Man you must first informe your selves of the necessity of it It must needs be granted by force of reason that there must be some first man seeing otherwise there must be infinite men because a number without beginning must be also without end in as much as there is the same reason of both that which caused men without beginning did cause them necessarily and therefore it must cause them for ever now all reason agrees to this truth that there cannot be an infinite number seeing to a number still one at least may be added I meane it of actuall numbers and actuall infinitenesse so wee reason thus either an infinite number of men or some first man and woman not the former therfore the latter And if there must be a first man and woman either they came by chance and without any maker which is so absurd that no man can choose but hisse it out or else they were made by some agent or matter that had a being before them and if so then either as Heathen Theologie tels they grew out of the mudde as frogges doe in some Countries or else were formed by God as our Theologie teacheth and let every man that hath his right wits about him judge in himselfe whether of these twaine is more agreeable to reason and more likely to be true So man was created by God now about his Creation the time and matter of it is to be noted For first man was not created till the sixth day when a fit place for him to dwell in and all necessary furniture for the place and all needfull servants and attendants were before provided for his use God saw it not fit to bring man into the world before it was garnished and stored with all contents usefull for him And then man was made in the first place and woman after him to shew that man is the superiour in nature woman was made for man and not man for woman therefore was man made first and woman after and so doth the Apostle reason in two places where he handles the difference of Sexes 1 Cor. 11.8 9. 1 Tim. 2.13 So you have this cleared how man came into the world and how woman but you must observe more particularly the different matter of which they were made and the parts of which they consist Man had a body and that was made of the dust of the earth to teach him Humility but he had also a soule and that was breathed into his nostrils that is infused by God wonderfully and immediately put into mans body it is called a breath of life and after a soule of life that is a soule which procured breathing and living nothing is harder for a man to conceive of then the nature of his owne soule next the nature of God and Angels for the former is much more hard to comprehend the latter equally difficult at least and it should be unto us a matter of great abasement that wee cannot tell what to make of our selves that is of our soules that it is we know by the effects it workes in the body and the absence of these effects and the following of contrary effects when it is departed from the body and this is all we know in a manner onely we may gather by discourse that it is a substance incorporeall because it selfe doth informe the body and one body cannot in reason be fit to informe another The Scripture also tells us certainely that it is an immortall substance which must returne to God that gave it and reason subscribes to this truth because finding the soule a thing simple it cannot conceive how it should be corrupted O how ignorant are we and what cause have we to be puffed up with conceit of our knowledge seeing so much blindnesse doth now possesse our mindes that in a manner all we have to say of our owne soules and spirits the best part of us is this that we cannot tell what to say As for Evah shee also consisted of a body and that was made not of earth but of a bone of her husband to instruct her and him both of their duty that shee should acknowledge her subjection unto him as being taken out of him and helpefull to him as being made of a rib an helpfull bone in his side and to instruct him that he should account her deare unto him and make precious reckoning of her using her as in a manner his equall as being a peece of himselfe and extracted from his own side Now a woman also hath a soule an immortall spirit to make her a living and a reasonable creature for where sin is found there is a reasonable soule because none other is capable of knowing and consequently transgressing a law made by God but woman was in the Transgression that is shee sinned and sinned first before Adam therefore shee had a soule and a reasonable soule and they seeme to have beene wilfully blinde that whether out of the silence of God in not mentioning the breathing of a soule into Evah or upon what other mad conceit would needs make themselves and others beleeve that women had no soules I conceive it was the device of some brutish and sensuall man that by instilling this most absurd conceit into that Sexe would faine draw them to commit all licentiousnesse with boldnesse for if they have no soules it could be no fault in them more then in the bruit creatures to give over themselves to all sensuality and libidinousnesse You have heard Mans beginning know now his life and herein consider his behaviour and the things that befell him his behaviour bad good indifferent doubtfull Their bad carriage stands in two things Their first sinne whereby they fell and their following sinnes which they added after their fall The first sinne was the eating of the forbidden fruit for you shall have it recorded that the Lord having placed Adam in a garden to dresse and keepe it spake to him in this wise Of all the trees of the garden thou maist eating eate that is thou maist lawfully and with mine allowance eate it was at his choice to eate of what kind he pleased and if it seemed good unto him to forbeare eating of any he might forbeare then followes a prohibition of one kind of fruit viz. of the tree of knowledge of good and evill which is in the midst of the garden thou maist not eate that is you shall not lawfully do it in regard of naturall power he had ability to eate and not eate of that as of any other but God did take away from him the morall liberty of eating of it and by his authority saw good to abridge his liberty and this alone to make it appeare to Adam that he was an absolute and a
his name And this seemeth the rather to be the meaning because there is little reason to thinke that Adam and Seth did not long before this apply themselves to the carefull worshipping of God in their assemblies and to take all good meanes to save themselves from the corruption of the Kaynites Or it may be rendered then it was begun to call by the name of Lord that is men began then to have that name given them of the sons of God and this I like best of all the three because in the beginning of the sixt Chapter which continues the story and the fift Chapter is but a digression put in to shew the age of the world at the floud it is said the sonnes of God saw the daughters of the sonnes of men Whereby it is apparent that to the men that professed true religion with Adam and Seth the name of the sonnes of God was given and to the rest the name of the sonnes of men The professors of the true religion were called sonnes of God that did worship the true God after the manner that God taught by Adam The other were called sonnes of men that gave themselves over to worldlinesse and vanity and prophanenesse for my part I suppose that before the floud there was no Idolatry because the Holy Ghost would not have omitted the taxing of that sinne as well as those it doth taxe if it had beene then used in the world But let us take the words to meane then it was begun to call on the name of the Lord and then it shall be added as a commendation of Seth that in his daies religion began to flourish more then ever before by his diligence joyning with his Father Adam much more respect was had to piety and greater numbers of men imbraced the profession of piety And this ought to be the care of every good man to further the progresse of true religion and to cause the name of God to be faithfully called upon of many Now of the rest of Adams seed there is a Catalogue made in the fifth Chapter of all the ancient Fathers from the first man Adam to Noah in whose daies the floud fell out by which it appeares of what standing the world was when it was growne so corrupt that the Lord could no longer endure the manners of it And in this Catalogue the Holy Ghost takes this order 1. He shewes of what age every one was when he begat his eldest sonne How many yeares he lived after the birth of that sonne 3. How old he was when he died The number of the persons are in all ten Adam Seth Enoch Cainan Mahalaleel Iared Enoch Methuselah Lamech and Noah Adam at a hundred and thirty yeares begat Seth and after lived eight hundred yeares and had more children in that time and died aged nine hundred and thirty yeares Adam was in truth the eldest man all things considered for though Methuselah out-lived him thirty nine yeares for he was nine hundred sixty nine yeares and Adam but nine hundred and thirty yet Methuselah was borne an infant Adam was made a perfect man the first day and in those times a man was but a child at thirty nine yeares for no question they would give their mindes to marriage in that newnesse of the world paucity of men and plenty of ground so soone as they were fit for it So Adams perfect estate at the first countervailed the living of forty yeares and more Seth he lived a hundred and five yeares and begat Enos and living eight hundred and seven yeares begat divers more children and ended his daies at nine hundred and two Enos lived ninety yeares and begat Cainan c. as you may reade in the story Nothing is mentioned of any one but the length of his life the time when hee had his first sonne and that hee had more sonnes Onely of Henoch it is noted that he walked with God that is lived a most holy life and that he died not at all but was translated after hee had lived three hundred sixty five yeares The Lord shortned the daies of his pilgrimage and rewarded his singular piety with taking him up to Heaven soule and body immediately without dying He was changed without any separating of his spirit from his body and in him we have an example what should have beene the course that God would have taken with all men if man had continued in the state of innocency viz. he should not have died soule and body should never have departed one from the other but after a man had proceeded in godlinesse till hee had gotten so large a measure of it as in this life hee could for though Adam were perfect habitually yet not actually I meane though hee had an ability to attaine perfect knowledge of God and the creatures yet hee had not yet actually gotten all such knowledge as hee was to get both of God and of the creatures then should he have beene translated into Heaven to see God immediately and to know him better then in this life he could be knowne Sinne entring caused death had not that come in we should have gone to Heaven without death as this Henoch did Now out of all these things written concerning these Ancients the direct parents of our Lord wee gather this that death is common to all and how long soever a man lives at last hee must leave the world and therefore we learne two things principally First to prepare for death that whensoever it befalleth wee may change for the better not for the worse and this preparation for death must be not alone a little before it comes or at the houre of its approach but in the whole course of our life by beginning early to repent and continuing daily to turne and renew our repentance that so we may get an assurance of our being taken from earth to Heaven for he that begins unfaignedly to turne to God and so continues hee shall surely be saved and for the most part shall obtaine before his departure hence an assured apprehension of his salvation Therefore hee must as Henoch did walke with God in a continuall care of obeying him and labouring to hold fast a constant perswasion of his favour and love to him in his Sonne for it is testified of Enoch that he pleased God so that what in Genesis is called a walking with God that S. Paul calls pleasing of God and also that by faith he was translated that he should not see death even by his beleeving and resting upon Gods mercy for so it is said he beleeved that God was and was a rewarder of them that diligently seeke him which finding himselfe to do he resolved that God would reward him So must each of us walke with God constantly resolve and indeavour to please God in all things and retaine in our selves an assured peaswasion that God will graciously accept and reward us in Christ with giving us life eternall and
his Father as a sonne in the family and house-hold of his Father and bids him leave kindred and Fathers house and goe into a Countrey which God should shew him promising him large off-spring great blessings and that the promised and blessed seed should come of him for S. Paul saith that God preached the Gospell before to Abraham when he said in thee shall all Nations be blessed so that he was more largely instructed by God of remission of sinnes and salvation everlasting by one that was to be borne of him Now God caused him also to beleeve these promises so that he left his Fathers worship and obeyed God If any of us have had the Word of God preached in our eares and by name the promises of the Gospell and hath found his heart so affected with those promises and the true beliefe of them that it hath made him follow God in a holy conversation of life and leave his former sinnes travell towards the land of life that land which God had shewed him in the paths of righteousnesse and true holinesse this is effectuall calling happy and blessed is this man Rejoyce in this calling and blesse God for it more then for all earthly things whatsoever And if any of you be not as yet so called let him see his misery and now call upon God so to call him till he finde his prayers granted for if we turne to God he will turne to us and if we seeke to him for the performance of his gratious Covenant in putting his Spirit of Sanctification in our hearts he will not faile to doe it But a second spirituall blessing was 1. He gave him most gratious promises 2. He appeared to him many times to renew those promises 3. He entered into a Covenant with him and his seede after him 4. He gratiously accepted his prayers and after this life he saved his soule First he made him gracious promises Gen. 12.2 I will blesse thee and make thee a great Nation and thou shalt be a blessing and I will blesse them that blesse thee and will curse them that curse thee Againe he appeares to him to renew this blessing and these promises Gen. 13.4 promising him a large off-spring againe and the possession of the land of Canaan understood by Abraham to be a figure of an heavenly inheritance for he sought a Citie to come saith the Author to the Hebrewes Againe Chap. 15.1 and in the whole Chapter hee confirmeth the promise againe by another vision I am thy shield and thine exceeding great reward so to comfort him against the doubts which hee might have that the vanquished Kings might prepare an army and returne upon him and there also againe he renues the promise of giving him a sonne yea giving him a multitude of children after him and by a signe confirmes it to him Looke up to Heaven saith hee and count the Starres c. yea gave him faith to beleeve it and assures him that hee was justified and that hee accepted that faith of him for righteousnesse accounting him by meanes of that faith for the sake of him in whom hee beleeved as perfectly just as if hee had perfectly fulfilled the Law And yet more fully assuring him of his goodnesse by entring into a covenant with him in a vision and by sacrifice And in Chap. 17. hee renewes the same covenant with him againe and confirmeth it by the seale of circumcision and by changing his name assuring him also that he should have the sonne of the promise by his most beloved wife Sarah and telling him also what name hee should be called by Isaac from his laughing at the promise not by way of distrust and unbeleefe but of faithfull joy and gladnesse in it And in Chap. 18. hee appeareth unto him againe in forme of a man and tells him the particular time of the childs birth and acquaints him with his purpose concerning the overthrow of Sodom And last of all after he had offered Isaac hee appeares unto him againe and by an oath confirmes to him the former blessings Gen. 22.16 which hee had never done before This is a singular mercy to Abraham to give him so many promises to renew them so often to him and confirme them so strongly to him And you must looke whether God vouchsafe to shew himselfe thus to you even to bring home to your soules in the reading and hearing of his word and exercises of religion the gracious promises of his word giving you by his Spirit assurance that hee admittteth you into the covenant is your God pardons you blesseth you and will give you all needfull things for soule and body and make you partakers of eternall felicity All Gods servants that are the seed of Abraham have this holy communion with God in his word in prayer in his ordinances which Abraham had in these dreames and visions for to the Fathers God shewed himselfe by those meanes to us by these and Christ saith that his Father and hee will come and shew themselves unto those that love him and keepe his commandements and suppe with them O if you find this spirituall familiarity with God how happy are you If not truly earthly blessings are of no great valew they be common to good and bad And now seeke you seeke you these spirituall blessings Gods assuring you of pardon of sinne and appearing unto you more and more to confirme your faith in the promises of the Gospell and to make you assured of your eternall happinesse and that he is your God untill at length he do even as it were sweare it unto you and make you certaine of it And Bretheren be you incouraged to answer Gods call to repent to live holily to cast of your sinnes and become obedient as was Abraham for though perhaps you may not be so rich as he nor have so many childeren nor have so great outward favours yet will God be your God he will be your shield he will be your reward hee will blesse you in all things he will give you the inheritance of life eternall as sure as he did to Abraham he will heare and accept your prayers and he will bring you safe to the land of rest to Heaven that true rest where you shall have no more unquietnesse inward nor outward Into Abrahams bosome will he receive all those that be the true sonnes of Abraham Learne to esteeme of these spirituall blessings though perhaps they may be separated from the temporall God therefore alone divideth them because he sees you be not fit for both but would be hindered from injoying the one and growing in the one by the overfull enjoyment of the other But the better I say you shall surely have as well as Abraham God will more and more assure you of his favour and of his kingdome and shew himselfe more and more graciously unto you in confirming to you his comfortable promises more and more This is better then all
used due speede in fulfilling his oath for without more then necessary deferring hee addressed himselfe to the performance of his oath having thoroughly understood it for knowing his Masters will to be that he should fetch the woman and not bring Isaac backe againe thither and that if they would not give him a wife for Isaac without his owne comming then he should be free from the oath and withall being incouraged by Abrahams words that God would send his Angell before him and prosper his journey he made all good speede to take his journey about that weighty service and went unto Mesopotamia to dispatch it taking to that end ten Camells with all other things necessary seeing all his Masters estate was at his command Here learne that when you have sworne you must not delay the performance of it but so soone as shall be convenient and as you have power must settle to doe the thing sworne to All you that have sworne any lawfull and possible thing looke on Abrahams godly servant and be mindfull of your oathes consider the greatnesse of God to whom you are tied and put not off the worke from time to time seeke not needlesse delayes make not fearefull or sloathfull excuses but free your faith and pull your selves out of the danger of Gods displeasure by a conscionable fulfilling of your oathes The Pharisees could say thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe but fulfill thine oathes to God Let us shew our selves at least as wise and conscionable as a Pharisee could teach us to be But what if we perceive the oath to have beene of an unlawfull thing I answer then we must repent of our naughtinesse in taking it and so forbeare to add a second sinne in doing that which is unlawfull For it is impossible that an oath should be of more force to binde a man to a thing then Gods Commandement is to restraine him from it Nothing can have more force to binde conscience then Gods Commandement But what if it proove impossible I answer if that impossibility might have beene foreseene our rashnesse in not foreseeing it must be repented of but if it could not have beene foreseene we must rest our selves satisfied in this that our minde was faithfully to have fulfilled it if God had not cast in our way such an impediment but no hazard no cost no labour must stand betwixt us and the accomplishing of our oathes for David saith that a good man sweares to his hinderance and yet fulfills 'T were better for a man to be undone in the world or to loose this naturall life then to breake his oath for feare of losse or death So much of this mans conscionablenesse in regard of taking and keeping an oath Now see his vertuous carriage in the thing 1. His great diligence in the maine worke 2. His discretion 3. His piety and religiousnesse To begin with the last he served his Master religiously First he thanked God for his good successe 2. He prayed to God for good successe His prayer is Gen. 24.12 13 14. Wherein he besought God to cause him to meete with a fit wife for Isaac We must all learne specially servants for of such a one we speake now to commend our Masters businesses to God praying him to prosper us A good and godly servant when he imployeth himselfe in his Masters worke must shew himselfe to be Gods servant and to have faith in his providence trusting in his goodnesse and blessing more then in his owne ability Indeed such a particular begging of such and such occurrents to shew us Gods minde was peculiar to him and is not required of us for he did it by the peculiar inspiration of Gods Spirit but in generall to beg Gods assistacce that belongs to all good Servants You that would be counted godly servants have you thus sanctified your indeavours by prayer have you thus called on his name to guide and speed you if you have you have done well take comfort in it it is a testimony that you serve for conscience sake not as men-pleasers and that you serve the Lord in serving your Masters if you have not be humbled and lament it as a matter of prophanesse and a cause of many crosses and a meanes to make you proud of your selves if good successe attend you And now tread hereafter in the steps of this godly Servant Pray pray to him for his assistance and blessing upon your selves and the workes you take in hand for your Masters that so it may appeare you doe all in faith and obedience to God Againe this man finding that God did answer his requests blesseth God verse 26 27. Where is his reverent behaviour outwardly hee bowed and then the matter of his thankes he said blessed be the Lord you must learne with all humble behaviour of body and consequently of mind and with all sincerity and heartinesse to praise God for your good successe and so it will appeare that you ascribe all to God and not to your selves If you have beene thus thankfull it is an excellent thing in which you must take comfort nothing is a truer proofe of true goodnesse then a constant care to blesse and praise God for his perpetuall goodnesse in prospering us if not lament the want of it as a manifest proofe of pride and want of faith And now let us all learne to be particularly thankfull to God for particular benefits yea even such outward benefits much more for inward This is the way to continue to sanctifie and increase benefits God loveth thankfullnesse as men also doe If we improove his benefits to so good a purpose we shall not want them in due time onely see that your thankes be not alone verball You have seene his piety now his discretion shewes it selfe first in setting downe what a woman he would have for Isaac viz. a courteous and laborious woman one that came out to draw water and one that would respect a stranger and give him to drinke and his Camels also truly a woman courteous of disposition and of body strong and healthy and painefull is a fit woman to make a wife Againe he proceeds discreetly in his carriage to winne her and her Parents he gives her gifts and them also and truly relates the prosperous estate of his Master all which tend to perswade them to yeeld her and her selfe to give her selfe to Isaac for a wife So must every servant use discretion and prudence in his Masters affaires taking the best course he can to make them sort well in the end Another part of his good behaviour is care of his Camels to which he lookes to give water and provender in due time So should a good servant and every good man in his travells have a due care of his beasts and looke that they have things fit for them Yea first should hee looke to them unlesse necessity compell otherwise and then to himselfe not like to them
upon their consciences in that by their sinfulnesse they have even pulled misery upon themselves If you be well matched the comfort will be doubled when you shall perceive that it is a fruit of Gods goodnesse unto you in blessing your care of observing his commandements and directions and if a crosse come it will be far more easily borne when you have your parents and friends ready to comfort you and helpe you because you have followed their directions in bestowing your selves Thus you shall provide best for your own perpetuall welfare for that inordinate passion which is called love will soon be quenched like a fire of thornes and then it is not the fulfilling of irregular desires that will minister comfort unto you It is evident by experience that discord and dissention do quickly fall out betwixt them that followed passion rather then duty and discretion in placing themselves with a husband Now you shall be well able thus to perform your duty both to God and your Parents if you keep your selves owners of your own hearts and suffer not your unruly passions to make you slaves unto themselves and so to make your duty difficult and tedious He that keeps his feet and legs free from shackles and chains can easily go about any businesses that are needfull for him to do But whosoever will lade himself with irons and fetters shall finde it grievous to stir when it is requisite for him to go any whither Therefore shackle not you soules with the chaines of unruly affections that you may chearfully yeeld your selves to your parents disposall as both nature and religion do require at your hands Give not away your selves before hand commit not that vile Idolatry of making some one man a false god unto you and let not your hearts be inslaved to any one before your Parents have given you who have interest from God to dispose of you according to the rules of discretion for your own good For Parents looke to the constant good of their children in bestowing them but their own green heads do likely regard nothing else but the pleasing of their eye and fancies which likely doth end in misery and discontent And so you have seen Rebekkahs good carriage while she was a maiden living under the government of her Eather in his Family Now see how she carries her selfe afterwards 1. To God 2. To her husband 3. To her children 1. To God She joyned with her husband in prayer for children and therefore she had faith in God and trusted in him for issue not barely to the course of nature for it is said Gen. 25.21 Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because shee was barren shee was present with her husband and joyned her owne supplications with his for the obtaining of fruitfulnesse by him A good woman ought to bee prayerfull and both to unite her devotions to her husband and also to call upon God by her selfe alone See therefore you wives that you be ready to shew piety in the same kinde pray to God with your husbands yea pray to him for your selves husbands and children and for all good things The blessings are doubled that are gotten not alone by naturall endeavours but by fervent prayers unto God for this is a proofe that they be granted by God in favour and so they become tokens of his love to men and by that meanes are much more comfortable then of their own nature they could be Those wives therefore are too blame that scarce are willing to pray themselves or to joyne with their husbands but by their backwardnesse interrupt their praying together a thing condemned by S. Peter when it is procured by discontents falling out betwixt and consequently also by any other meanes Mend this fault O ye wives and you that are husbands if the fault have been in you mend it and see that you joyne together calling upon God If you have children yet there be enough of other things for which you ought to visite the Throne of grace The graces of Gods Spirit are much more desirable then the fruit of our bodies and I am sure that our hearts are all barren of such fruit and cannot be made fruitfull but by Gods Spirit working in our hearts and prayer will cause him to make a barren heart fruitfull as well as a barren wombe but without prayer the heart will never bring forth true grace Naturall benefits children and the like doe fall into the laps of men and women though they doe not seeke them from God by this exercise of prayer but spirituall blessings cannot be obtained by any other meanes if this be not also joyned to the meanes to sanctifie them You have therefore cause enough to pray together as well as Isaac and Rebekkah even though you have not barren bodies yea and if you have children yet it is requisite to crave Gods favourable blessing upon them without which they may prove afterwards the greatest crosses you have instead of the greatest comforts see therefore that you be not slack in this service of God Again Rebekkahs duty is seen in that she went to God to enquire when she found a more then ordinary striving in her wombe wee must all learne of her to keep our peace with God and to be alwaies ready to seeke to him if any thing befall us that puts us to feare or trouble as you see the people of God have done at all times It becomes the children of God still to enquire of him and seeke to him in all occurrents Indeed it pleaseth him to send such occasions unto us that by them we may be drawne nearer unto him and visit him more often and more cheerefully They therefore that are strangers to God and run any whether rather then to him for help and direction when troubles doe come unto them are much too blame themselves for profanenesse They acknowledge God alone in word but deny him in deed that are thus estranged from him Mend this fault now and that you may with more assurance run to God when crosses and cumbers befall you be sure to pray without ceasing and to keep your hearts in with him by calling upon him at all times It is a most happy thing to have the Throne of grace alwaies open to ones prayers and it is kept open by continuance and daily exercising ones selfe in this service If any say how shall we enquire of God now seeing we are now destitute of extraordinary Prophets by whose meanes we may seek unto him I answer we have his Word wee have his Name we have his Ministers and faithfull people to go unto and by those we may as sufficiently seek unto him as by any extraordinary Prophets Wherefore as Rebekkah feeling that busling in her wombe said why am I thus And went to enquire of God Gen. 25.22 So must we in all occasions of disquietment either of body or of minde thinke with our selves why is it thus with me