estate of death without Christ of necessitie they must dye in desperation For I will yet He maketh some place to hope in his soule from thence that he shall not be disappoynted of the thing hoped for but even as he hath hoped so shall it fall out vnto him I wil prayse him sayeth hee and the saluation of his face that is of all sortes That is his face in which is the sâ—cietie of joyes or that manifold salvation which is in his face and presence so to prayse is to publish David therefore promiseth that he will praise both God himselfe and also that so great a benefite of his life received from him or finally to praise the salvation of his face is to prayse publish the salvation which shall bee before him from whence in the laste verse he sayth that hee will prayse the salvation of his face that is the salvation which shall bee seene before him My God As he had first turned himselfe vnto his soule now hee turneth himselfe vnto his God and hee lifteth vp his eies sigheth as it were vnto him opening vp vnto him the sorrow of his soule and hee powreth out his carefulnesse and solicitude vppon his bosome Whosoever is indued with Gods holie Spirite This man sigheth vnto God in his affliction and sorrow But he who is indued with mans spirit onely that man wil never sigh vnto God for he supposeth God to be angrie with him especially then when there lyeth any affliction vppon him For he thinketh that that his whole miserie proceedeth from the wrath of God But hee who hath the Spirite of God that spirit I say of adoption by whome wee crie Abba Father This man commeth without feare vnto God because indeed that Spirite is alwaie with some feeling of Gods mercie and fatherlie loue Wherefore as a sonne who hath his Father well-willing vnto him in his sorrow he taketh his way straight to his father Even so the childe of GOD hee passeth in his sorrow and miserie to God his father and maketh his complaint vnto him 7 Therefore I remember of thee out of the Land of Iorden and of the Chermonites out of the little hill 8 Howsoeuer a deepe calleth vppon a deepe at the sound of those that are sent out by thee let al the breaking-in surges and thy vallies passe by me 9 In the day time Iehova will sende away his louing kindnes and in the night his song vnto me I wil continue in my praier vnto the strong God of my life 10 Saying vnto the strong God of my rocke why forgettest thou mee Wherefore go I in mourning apparrell because of the oppression of the enemies 11 They assaile my bones with a shorte sword my enemies reproching mee while they say vnto me daylie where is thy God THerefore He glorieth thereafter verie suddenly first against the places of his banishment whatsoever then against everie one of his most grievous afflictions This particle Therefore appeareth not to giue a reason of anie sentence going before in the texte Then hee begouth this sentence as it seemeth to me from some cutted off and sudden feeling of joye and of the presence of God as if he had said because of that joy and that rejoycing of the soule which I coÌ„ceiue of my God I remember of thee c. Of which thou learnest this how soone a man vseth to be changed that turneth himselfe vnto God for the presence of GOD is forcible to giue life vnto the creature that his face shineth no sooner but the creature beginneth to reviue againe although it bee never so dead When the Psalme speaketh of these grosse bruitish creatures Psalme 104. 29. 30. When thou hidest thy face they are troubled if thou take away their breath they returne to their dust Againe if thou sende foorth thy Spirite they are refreshed finally thou renewest the face of the earth How much more the reasonable creatures as wee call them and not onely the reasonable but the spirituall that is the creatures that are renewed by the Spirite of GOD which haue once felt howe mercifull the Lord is those creatures I saye depend vppon their God for it is necessary yea much more that their life and death depende from his face present absent Psal 4 7. 8 Lift vp sayth David Iehouah the light of thy couÌ„tenance vpoÌ„ vs and put more ioy in mine heart then at the time in which their cornes and wines were increased Of these therefore chiefely do I speake which are already accustomed with the countenance of God that vse to take some pleasure of his face For to speake of others they are not able earnestly to seeke that countenance of GOD in Christ Iesus For there is no desire of that thinge wee know not Also these haue not yet tasted how sweet that sight of God is in Iesus Christ I remember of thee as if he shuld say In every place where it happeneth me to be banished from all the bordours and coastes of Israell From the East where is the riuer of Iorden from the North where it is bounded by the mountaine of Chermon and Libanus froÌ„ the South where the hilly couÌ„try bouÌ„deth Iudaea He calleth these hillie countries by the name of a little Hill because they being compared with the Mountaine of Libanus and with Chermon which are situate vppon the North they are reckoned out onely among little Hilles Of this place thou perceivest that there is no place either of banishment or of imprisonment so vnpleasant and ougly of the selfe which is able to separat the children of God from the countenance of their God yea they glory in that presence of GOD which they possesse against any place whatsoever For this in which we driue over our life what ever it be it is nothing indeede But Gods presence is all things The word Of remembrance which he vseth is to bee marked For surely that remembrance was rather of Gods presence then the presence of God it self which was then without the Citie oâ— Ierusalem in which at that time was that visible presence of God The matter is so then when wee are banished from this outward ministerie of God in his Church yea in which wee chiefelie haue our God present Then surely we that ar the faithful are not said indeed so much to haue our GOD presente as to remember vppon his presence which was some-time with vs. Also this remembrance I graunt is joyfull sweete and acceptable notwithstanding it lacketh not some certaine displeasure heavines of the own yea in it there is a certaine matter of sorrow as we saw before in the fift verse Remembring these thinges sayth hee I power out my soule vppon my selfe I will saye some-what more This presence of GOD also which is in the ministerie of his worde it hath the owne dolour conioyned therewith because it is vnder hope Hope I grant is with joy and glorying from whence the Apostle remembreth
sight Last marke At what time doth David finally glory in that that he is the sonne of the handemaid of GOD that is borne of that mother which was in the covenante with GOD surely even then when therewith he acknowledgeth that hee is the servant of God It is profitable in deede to be borne of the Saints and of those Parents who are in Gods covenant so long as thou coÌ„tinuest in that covenant with God and art Gods servant for so that promise of GOD of long durable mercy which is made in the seconde command belongeth vnto thee I will haue mercy sayeth hee vpon the thousand generation of those that loue me and keepe my commandements But if thou make thy selfe vnworthie both of thy parents likewise of that covenant of God that shall nothing profite thee that thou art borne of the Saintes of parents that are confederat with God It profiteth thee nothing that thou art able to set downe thy pedigree in a certaine continuall race even vnto Abraham himself with whom the first covenante of God was made I will sacrifice to thee He repeateth that promise of thanksgiving which was set down before in the 13. verse Of the which because we haue spoken sufficiently ynough there we shall be the shorter therefore in opening of the same Only we shall adde this much to the things that wee haue spoken that fra once that stupiditie of our mind is shaken off and fra once we beginne to prayse God and to giue him thankes we are so carryed away by that Spirit of GOD that wee can scarce make an end of the praysing of God We are in deede but very slowlie stirred vppe to prayse God but being once stirred vp wee take such delight in prayer for a time and through that joye our heart doth boyle so that in a manner it is altogether powred out into the prayses of our God Wherfore to the end that we may praise God this deadly sopour of our mind is perpetually to be shakeÌ„ off and wee must endeavour that at no time so far as it is possible this our hart be altogether voyde of feeling either of our misery or of the mercy of God in Iesus Christ for of this two-folde feeling there aryseth a two-fold affection of the hart that is both of sorrow and of joye From sorrow speciallie arise petitions from joy arise giving of thanks which ar done in Christ Iesus To whom with the Father holy Spirite be all glory Amen The Argument of the CXXX Psalme It is a song of Doctrine written by some one of the Prophets It is composed of three partes First there is set downe a memoriall of prayers which hee had at sometime conceiued when he vvas in an extreame great danger vnto the 5. verse Then making a tranâ—ision he professeth that he hath yet his hope in the word of Iehova and that he dependeth vpon him vnto the 7. vers Thirdly hee recommendeth the same hope to Israell that is to the whole Church vnto the ende of the Psalme The CXXX Psalme 1 A most excellent song Out of the deapthes I cryed vnto thee ô Iehova saying 2 O lord harken to my voyce let thine eares be attent to the voice of my deprecations 3 If then shalt straightly marke iniquities ô Iah Lord Who could be able to stand 4 But with thee is forgiuenes that thou maist be reverently worshipped OVt of the deapthes The first parte of the Psalme The depths in this place are most deepe and terrible dangers for so are they called The metaphore or borrowed speech is taken from waters in which men are almost drowned Looke the Psal 69. 2. 3. c. This is out of all doubt that while any man sticketh in most deepe perrilles then hee powreth out from a moste hollowe and deepe hearte fervente prayers yea hee cryeth vppon the Lorde mightelie For so the Prophet speaketh of himselfe here Out of the deapthes I cryed vnto thee ô Iehova Thou seest then at what time the godly are exceeding grievouslie afflicted oppressed with the hande of God at that same time they vse earnestly to deale with their God and to haue their refuge chiefely vnto him with prayers and supplications For that the trueth of this proposition may be manifeste afflictiones worke in our hearts firste some feeling of our sinne and misery For vnlesse God exercised his owne after such waies as he knoweth moste meete surely they would never come to a sense of this common miserie of their nature then next when once the heart is prepared with some feeling of the owne misery Then the spirite of God which they call the Spirite of adoption toucheth the same with some sense of the mercy of God And to speake with the Apostle Rom 5 The loue of God is powred out into our hearts by the holy Spirite which is given vnto vs yea and that by Iesus Christ and by his death For surely the holy Spirite toucheth not our hart with any sense of the mercy of God in Christ Iesus vnlesse first they be prepared with some feeling of misery And then after that the holy Spirite hath powred out that loue of God into our hearts then wee conceiue in our minds that coÌ„fidence whereby wee draw neere and incalles vpon him For this is the Spirit which the Apostle calleth The Spirite of adoption by whom we cry Abba Father We crye sayeth hee because the Spirite of adoption through the feeling of the loue worketh that confidence in the heart that the heart being first enlarged then nexte the mouth wee may call God Father with a free and shrill voyce Therefore fra once the Spirite hath indewed our soules with a feiling of the loue of God we goe freely vnto God and praye vnto him For except there bee first some feeling of the loue of God certainely there can be no calling vppon his name Then thou seest that that is true which we spake at the beginning to wit the more grievouslie the godly ar afflicted in that respect the more fervent are their prayers We becaus we ar not drowned yet in those deapths therfore are not much touched with that sense with which wee ought long ago to haue bene touched either of our misery or of the mercy of God praye not so earnestly as it becommeth vs It were much better indeed to be afflicted with praiers theÌ„ to be in prosperity without praiers Saying ô Lord Hitherto he hath declared that in daunger hee calleth vppon GOD now hee setteth downe that forme of prayer which hee then vsed in calling vpon God Heare sayeth hee O Lorde my voyce Then hee doubleth the same petition Let thine eares bee attent to the c. This doubling and iterating of the same petition proceedeth from a vehement and two-folde affection as it were of the minde and grace of the holye Spirite For excepte by the grace of the Spirite the affection bee inlarged surely the mouth cannot bee inlarged
with their riches honours yea they shal remaine without ende in the darknes of the second death except they repent I recommend for this cause the more carefullie the remembrance and meditation of this thing because I see everie where very many bewitched with these vanitses before they judge them to be vaine thinges For the vnderstanding of this flesh is so grosse that it cannot but bee wise onely in grosse thinges For the Spirit of man is not able at anye time to comprehend those celestial spiritual things Therefore God must be prayed vnto that he would be present with vs who are in the middest as it were of those thinges with which the world is bewitched by his Spirit that he would lift vs vp aboue this world to behold not those things which ar sene but those things which are not seene For the thinges which are seene are all transitorious but the things which are not seene are immortall and are able to make vs immortal by Iesus Christ our Lorde To him be al glory and honour Amen THE ARGVMENT Of the LI. Psalme David hauing renewed battle against the Hummanites sitting idle at home seeing the faire wife of Vriah washing herselfe hee sendeth for her and having had to do with her he sendeth her away againe Hearing therafter that she had conceived by him he calleth her husband out of the hoste that the birth might be thought to be his Which thing because it tooke no effect having sent Vriah back againe to the campe with letters he commandeth Ioab to put him out to be slain by the enemies Which being done hee marieth his Widdow Thereafter vppon this occasion Nathan is sent by God who hauing proposed a Parable sought out narrowlie what was the Lawe He bringeth him to a conscience of his fact and denunceth parden to him repenting of the sinne Looke 2. Sam. 11. and 12. Chapters Thiâ— is then the Psalme in which Dauid repenting earnestlie craveth the remission of sinnes And it is composed of two sortes of petitiones First of a particular kinde of petition in which he craveth the pardon of his sinnes from the third verse to the twentie verse Then of a generall whereby hee craveth the weal of the whole Church in the twentie and twenty one verses The first sorte of petition is mixed with the owne causes For hee prayeth first and he adjoyneth the cause to the prayer from a simple and playne confession Secondly he prayeth and to the prayer he subjoyneth the second cause from the edifying of others At laste thirdly he prayeth and to the prayer hee subjoyneth the third cause from Gods owne glorie But let vs considder the thred of the Text. The LI. Psalme 1 A Psalme of Dauid committed to the maister of the Musick to be song 2 When the Prophet NATHAN came vnto him after that he had had to do with BATHSCHEBA 3 Haue mercy vppon me ô God according to thy louing kindnesse according to the largenesse of thy compassiones blot out my defections 4 Wash me much from mine iniquitie and clense me from my sinne 5 For I acknowledge my defections my sinne is continually layde open before mine eies 6 Against thee against thee alone haue I sinned and the thing which is thought evil in thy sight haue I done I acknowledge that thou maist be iustified in thy speeches that thou mayst bee pure when thou iudgest 7 Behold in iniquitie was I formed my mother nurished me in sinne 8 Behold in the reines thou delightest in the trueth and in the hid place hast thou made wisedome knowen vnto me 9 Purge me with Hyssope that I may be cleane wash me that I may wax whiter then the snow 10 Make me to heare ioy and gladnes let the bones which thou hast brused reioyce 11 Hide thine angry face away from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities 12 Create in me a cleane mind ô God renew a firme Spirit within me 13 Cast me not away from thy face and receiue not thine holy Spirite from me 14 Restore to me the ioy of thy salvation and vp-holde mee with the Spirite of freedome 15 I shall teache back-slyders thy waies that sinners may be converted vnto thee 16 Deliver me from bloud ô God the God of my saluation let my tongue sing thy reghteousnes 17 Thou wilt open my lippes ô Lord that my mouth may shewe foorth thy praise 18 For thou delightest not in sacrifice that I may giue thou wilt not haue a burnt offring 19 The sacrifices of God are ane broken spirite Thou despisest not ô God a broken and contriâ—e soule HAue mercy Having heard Nathans rebuke there is presently set vp in Davids soule the judgement seate of God as it were the judge and the conscience which before was cast vp in a dead sleepe being now awakened intendeth the accusation before that tribunall First it objecteth that most filthie crime of adulterie Then a moste cruel man-slaughter from hence arise horrors and terrours in the hart of the miserable man wherewith being troubled in deed he pretendeth not this or that excuse to his sinne as some vse to doe and hideth his sinne but giving place to his conscience and confessing the crime he turneth himselfe an humble suppliant vnto God Haue mercy vpon me sayth he ô God Surely there is no other sorrow so grieuous as this sorrowe of ane evill conscience which thing while the wicked feele firste they diligently travel to beware least the conscience once being caste vp into a dead sleepe bee awakened againe They very carefullie flie all admonitiones rebukes and threatnings out of the worde of God Then next if perhaps yea against their will the conscience be at last wakened vp then indeed they prepare not themselues presently to remoove the sinne as the matter of the troubled conscience But by all meanes they assay to mitigate that dolour of the conscience and to deceiue their owne conscience as it were by playing boording and finally giving libertie to all sorte of pleasure Indeede it may be that for a time they asswage their displeasure by vsing these deceitfull remedies and blunte the edge of their conscience But that peace is deceivable and the wounde bounde vppe so will at the length waxe greene and vnlesse sinne bee taken awaie in this presente life which they aboue all things desire to be covered it wil come to passe at last that the conâ—erence shaking off that deadly sopour shall awaken so that in time to come it shal never injoy again any kind of rest There is but only this one way of quieting asswaging that dolour of an evill conscience To wit if thou confesse thy sinne if thou flie to that throne of grace and mercy of God in Christ Iesus Psal 32. 1. â— And this is it which wee learne by Davids example in this Psalme For vpon this shall follow a certain vnspeakable peace in the minde yea passing all vnderstanding which being felt through
example Also the third that we in this place learne by his example that that desertion is exceeding doleful whereby he who is once left of God yea that by his most just judgâ—ment God to witte leaving him because of his sinne and being now forsaken left he remayneth in the paines which by his owne sinne he hath deserved Yet notwithstanding in the meane time neither is his minde enlightened by Gods Spirit nor his hart reformed But the more he leaneth thereto the more is he blinded and hardned For to such a man extreame destruction is appoynted vnlesse at last he repente Of this sorte of men that threatning of Iohn Baptist is to be vnderstood The axe is layde to the roote of the trees Math. 3. 10 Also that saying of PAVLE When they shall say peace 1 Thes 5 5 and all things quiet then suddaine destruction shall come vpon them Moreover it appeareth out of this example of DAVID that GOD leaveth not his owne by so sorrowfull a desertion For Dauid repented very soone at the threatning of Nathan For God when he afflicteth his owne he therewith illuminateth and changeth them also by his holy Spirite that repenting they may obteine remission of sinnes and may be restored to life Restore to me the ioy Yet he persisteth in the petition of the holy Spirite or of the presence of God by his Spirite as if hee should saye surely I haue felt O my GOD an exceeding great joy of thy salvation that is since the time thou becammest my salvation protectour and defender But now through mine own default that whole joy is broken off in the middest Therefore O God restore to me that wonted joy proceeding from thy presence The onelie comforte and solide joye of man aswell in life as in death is that hee is not in his owne power and left to himselfe but that hee is the Lordes and that hee hath him to be as it were his protectour and defender David when hee felt in experience Psal 2â— â— that God was no otherwaies his keeper then the sheepheard was to his sheep it cannot be spoken how great a ioye he conceived thereof which also bursted forth in these wordes Thy rode and thy sheep-crooke they haue comforted me This spirituall reioycing which commeth of the presence of God whosoever hath once tasted it this man wil not be content with the whole ioy of this world vnlesse surely he be therewith participant in some measure of that heavenly ioye also David verely had refused the whole comfort of this world and would haue nothing esteemed that his kingdome royall dignitie if that old and wonted ioye had not bene restored vnto him which arose from the presence of God by his owne holie Spirite But if wee would not provoke to wrath God present with vs neither yet would grieue his holy Spirit surely wee should haue that joy of the Spirite more solide and constant For from whence commeth that interruption thereof because we make defection from God Dauid had God present with him hee had the Spirite the comforter But after he had forsaken God by committing adultery and murther together he spoyled himselfe both of that presence of God and likewise of that solide comforte of his presence Men commonly with all the strength they haue provoke that holy Majesty of God to anger But it commeth to passe I cannot tell howe that in the meane time they appeare to themselues to liue at reste and with sufficient pleasure and delight themselues with a vaine dreame For as the Lorde saith there is no peace for the wicked I speak of the true peace for I would not call this stupidity a peace whereby it commeth to passe that neither they feele their own sinne nor yet the wrath of GOD which thing they in wofull experience shal learn some day when suddainly being awakned out of this dead drowsie sleepe they shall be forced to beholde that angry face terrible countenance And vphold me The self-same is the meaning of these words of the words preceeding for so at last wee feele God present his salvatioÌ„ gladnes arising thereof if we be vp-holden by his Spirite David is afraid of the affections of his mind least he be over-whelmed with them as by a certaine deluge He craveth therfore that GOD would susteine him by his Spirit For as if a great bosse be cast into the water presently the water running in into it it is drowned but if first it be blowen vp with wind the aire being inclosed before it be cast into the water it swimmeth in the superfice of the water So our mind if it remaine voyde of the Spirit of God it is drowned incontinent in the middest of the waues of our affections But if it bee replenished with the Spirite of God it is not possible that it can bee overcommed of the affectiones Let everie man take heede what minde hee hath whither it bee voyde and tume or rather full and replenished with the Spirit He calleth the Spirit the Spirite of freedomâ— or of liberty To the ende we may vnderstande the reason of the word it is to bee learned out of the 8. chap. to the Romanes that there is a two fold spirit or rather that there is a twofold effect of that one selfe same spirit of GOD. The Apostle calleth the former the Spirite of bondage to feare that is which at the preaching of the law toucheth vs with a sense of our sin misery for vnles the Spirite of God were effectuall in our hearts with the preaching of the law surely by the preching of the law alone wee should never be touched with an earnest sense of sin of our own misery this spirit ther fore maketh vs to know our sin misery and holdeth vs vnder feare of the wrath of God death coÌ„demnation and therefore it redacteth vs as it were vtterly to a servile estate For this was of old proper vnto servantes continually to feare punishment and vengeance at their maisters hands The Apostle calleth that other spirit the Spirit of adoption It is he who while the Gospel is preached maketh vs to know our deliverance from sinne and misery For we should never be so touched with the preaching of the Gospel vnlesse in the meane time the Spirite of God were powerfull in vs which maketh vs to know our deliverance from sinne and misery and that we feele in our heart that fatherlie affection of God toward vs and consequently leaveth a testimonie within vs that wee are the sonnes of God And if wee be sonnes that we are also delivered from sinne wrath and damnaton From thence it is called the Spirite of freedome or libertie because it witnesseth that in Christ wee are delivered from sinne and death There is also another cause why it is called so to witte because renewing our minde according to the image of GOD it maketh vs in the meane time freelie to serue God and
that we walke in the liberty of the Spirit For by nature there is no free-will But where the Spirite of God is there is libertie 2. Cor. 3. 17. sayeth PAVLE And this is that blessed Christian libertie wherby we are so delivered that we may serue God and not that wee should liue according to our owne will such as libertie as these Libertines Fpicures doe faine neither yet must wee thinke that we are forced to doe our duty by this Spirite but that willingly we are led For God loveth those that are willing as Dauid speaketh in an other place Neverthelesse in this life this libertie is but begunne onely which at last shal be perfited in that life to come But we must yet a little more diligently marke the word of freedome for it signifieth not any common liberty but a speciall noble freedome such as is the liberty of a Noble man or kings son Neither yet without cause this worde is applyed to the presente purpose For wee are the sonnes of a king that is indeed Noble the King of kings and the most hie God For whosoever is regenerated by his Spirit he is his sonne in Christ although otherwise if wee considder these prerogatiues among men hee be base borne notwithstanding hei noble and more noble then any King who hath onely the first nature and is not regenerated by the holy Spirit For the regenerate man to speake this with Peter is made participant of the most noble divine nature 2. Pet. 1. Iohn esteemed much of this noblenes when he said whosoever receiued the Worde that they haue gotten this dignitie Iohn 1 12 to be made the sons of GOD. Beholde hee calleth dignitie that estate to the which the Sonnes of GOD were lifted vppe which if men would some-what more diligentlie take heede to they would not trouble themselues with those thinges which the Apostle calleth Carnall as are kindred 2 Cor 5. â—iches honoures but would seeke rather the new Creature in Christ for olde thinges are paste awaie and all thinges are made newâ— And hitherto the petition hath bene two folde The first of remission of siâ—â—es The other of Regeneration Nowe followeth the common argumente of the craving of both from the edifying of our neighbours I shall teach back slyders thy waies sayeth hee As if hee should saye if I shall obtayne at thy handes the thing that I craue O God I shall be a Preacher of thy infinite and incomprehensible mercy to others Thy waies he sayeth not my waies such as were man slaughter adulterie c. For those then were DAVIDS waies which waies indeede men are skilfull ynough commonly to pretend to their evill deedes who seeke none other thing then liberty to sinne yea and that vnder some certain cloake when notwithstanding this example of life is not set before them by David that they should follow it yea but much rather the waies of God aâ— set before them that is his vnspeakable mercies toward sinners which also appeareth of that that where sinne abounded grace superabounded The waies of God by nature ar vnknowen to man and specially that way of infinite mercy in his owne Christ of the which natur indeed was not able ever at any time to suspect But after beside nature and against nature it was reveiled notwithstanding the conscience trembling through the feeling of sin and of the wrath of God so that a mid cloud as it were is cast in betuixt the sight thereof and the grace of God that it cannot but see very hardly For then such an huge heape of sinne aryseth that it taketh away by force the whole sight of the grace of GOD almost from it In the mean time infidelitie which proceedeth of nature perswadeth vs to despayre of the mercy of God Finally a thousand impediments ingire themselues which al maketh it to come to passe that we are blind at the light of that grace of God so that wee finde in experience howe hard a thing it is especially to a man who is touched with an earnest feeling of his sinne to haue before his eies that mercy of God in Christ For I speake of him who is touched with a sense of his sinne For others who while they sinne yea and sinne grievously indeede notwithstanding they feele not that their sinne in speech surely they promise to themselues the mercy of God in Christ nevertheles in very deed they feele it not For it is easie to any secure man and that sleepeth in his sinne in a dreame to promise all things to himselfe God therefore willing the weill of sinners in this so great a difficultie of feeling of grace hee would haue left vnto vs an example of that this mercy whereby moste grievous sinnes are pardoned such as was this example of Gods mercy in DAVID the more notable in this respect the more grievous that his sinnes were as manslaughter adultery c. Also they were the heavier in that selfe-same respect that hee was a King PAVLE the Apostle 1. Timoth. 1. Professeth indeede himselfe to bee the chiefest of all sinners to witte a Blasphemer a persecutor a man that did wrong Notwithstanding sayeth hee God for this cause had mercie vppon mee that hee might shewe first on mee all long suffering vnto the example of them which shall in time to come beleeue in him to everlasting life This way of bringing men vnto grace which is by experience by his own exaÌ„ple God wil haue without al dout every one whosoever haue felt at any time in experieÌ„ce his mercy to follow to coÌ„municate to others willingly that tast of grace which they theÌ„selues before haue felt which thing David promiseth to do in this place I wil teach back-sliders saieth he thy waies In this place thou shalt marke that the godly when God as it were taking holde of their hande lift vp themselues they stretch out their other hand as it were to lift vp others whereby they also may be participant of the same grace WheÌ„ Christ calleth vpon them they also at the same time cal others that they may come together vnto him according to that commandement of Christ vnto Peter When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren For true faith not only is careful for the self but chiefly this is the ende of the purpose thereof through a certain zeale of the glory of God to promoove the salvation of others to wit that other sinners may be turned vnto God repent For David respecteth this ende in teaching others that is the mercie of GOD towarde sinners that they also might repent being mooved to wit with that sense of the mercy of God toward theÌ„ Of the which that thinge appeareth that some taste of the mercy of GOD preceedeth turning vnto God that faith is the cause of Repentance For it cannot bee that men can be turned vnto God vnles they be allured with some â—eeling of his fatherlie loue Deliver me from blood
put their confidence in any of their owne deservings neither yet to vaunt of their own righteousnes before God as if they not onely by their righteousnes had recompensed the benefites of God toward them but also had deserved somewhat at Gods hand Wee are againe taught here that the acknowledging of our own weaknes poverty proceedeth froÌ„ diligent examining and weighing of the benefits of God Also from a consideration of our gifts whether they are able to answer to so many so great benefits of god wherfore so at last we shal feel how vnable yea that wear nothing if we wil weigh the benefits of God toward vs and our strength gifts together having compared them among themselues For it will so come to passe at length that having diligently considered that great inequality of the benefits of God of our strength we shal acknowledg how many how great in lacks there ar in vs how vnable wee are to repay the Lord again Wilt thou therefore from thine heart giue thanks vnto God and ascriue solidly altogether al the glory of his benefits to himself acknowledge how poore thou art in thy self how thou hast nothing to recompense the Lord withal now wilt thou know this thing examin diligently coÌ„pare the benefits of God thy giftes and strength among themselues And if we shuld proceed after this order in giving God thanks surely wee would give all the glory to God of his benefits more earnestly from the hart more effectually then we vse to do Again marke here in Dauid the token of a thankfull minde he voweth vnto God he repayeth his vow This thankfulnesse in promising the accomplishment of the promise is not to bee reckoned among the least of Gods benefits For it proceedeth from the speciall favour of God that wee are thankfull to GOD for the benefite receiued For wee are almost all more prone after some measure earnestly to craue Gods helpe to liue vnto him when we are pressed with any grievous perrill then wee are to giue thanks and to paye our vowes vnto God after that already the benefites of God are bestowed vppon vs. Notwithstanding the Prophete warneth that those two are to be joyned together with an inseparable knot Ps â—0 14. Sacrifice prayse vnto God and paye thy vowes to the most High and cal vppon me in the time of anguish I will deliver thee that thou mayest honour mee Surely I thinke that that man hath not sought any thing at God earnestly and with that heart with which it became him who after that he now hath obteined the same is vnmindfull of the benefite and of Thanksgiving For that selfe same spirite which teacheth vs to praye as is requisite and maketh intercession for vs with sighes that cannot bee expressed teacheth vs to giue thanks vnto God for the benefites received that with ane certaine vnspeakable joy gladnesse of heart Last it is marked here that this was the highest degree of thanksgiving that David promiseth here vnto his God For an exceeding great benefite requireth exceeding great thanksgiving Also passing great thanks are not these which are given to God secretly but those that are given publickly The whole Church of God looking on and hearing David if at any time he promiseth or offereth a chiefe duty vnto God hee professeth that hee is not able to offer or to promise a greater duty nor this then that he will prayse God in the publick congregation of his Church For the publick giving of Thanks is more then the private For while thou givest thankes publickly vnto God the whole people sayeth Amen And so they glorifie God together with thee From thence it is that God would haue his people togather together in one and to giue him thanks together in the Church to the end that the greater praise honour and glory may redounde vnto him Precious in the c. This is that forme of thanksgiving which hee setteth before him to bee followed First he recommendeth the Providence of God toward his owne aswell in their life as in their death Then hee confirmeth this providence of God from his own experience First therefore sayeth hee the death is precious Men do commonly thinke while they see the godly afflicted and exercised with sundrie calamities they thinke I say that God at that time taketh no thought of them whether they liue or die And from thence it is that the persecutors themselues thinking that God taketh a like litle care of their life death they wax the more fearce against theÌ„ as against as many vile and abject slaues David therefore opposeth to the perverse opinion of men in this place this excellent passage precious in the eiâ—s of Iehoua c. Whereby hee signifieth first that God many times permitteth not his owne to die but delivereth them very oft out of exceeding great dangers rescueth them as it were out of the very jawes of death Then next by this passage he signifyeth that if God at any time suffereth his owne to die that commeth not passe by Chaunce or Fortune but by the sure purpose of God Pilate after this manner spake vnto Christ even as if God had taken no resolute advise concerning his life or death Knowest thou not sayeth he that I haue power to crucifie thee yea also power to lowse thee Christ aunswereth him Thou shouldest haue no power at all over mee vnlesse it were given thee from aboue Thus much speaketh Christe Thirdly by this passage is signified that the croce death of the godly it self howsoeuer it be vile in the sight of men notwithstanding it is precious in the eies of GOD. Laste this sentence admonisheth that after the godlie are already dead and taken out of this life by the permission of God violence of the vngodly together GOD suffereth not their death to slip out of his remembrance at any time For seeing that is moste true that hee hath all the teares of his owne put vp in a bottle as it were and in register howe many they are howe much more will he haue the whole blood of the godly yea every particular drop also of their bloud kept close with him Yea surely before so much as any one drop of the blood of the godly should perish hee will command the earth it selfe which opening her owne mouth the time it was shed received it and drank it in he will command I say the very earth it self to keep it in her womb as it were vnto that day of the Lords visitation wherein he wil take a vengeance vpon all them whosoever haue persecuted the godly in this life After these foure divers fashions therefore to speake it it summarlie the death of the godlie is pretious in the sight of God first that he suffereth not his own oft to perish but delivereth them out of exceeding great dangers Then if he permitteth them to die that is not done rashly
through the mercy of God that is but to him who felt that benefite of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes For no man gloryfieth God vnlesse hee himselfe first be glorified of God also no man is glorified but hee who is already justified Wherefore the first effecte of forgiuenesse or pardoning of sinnes is sanctification or our glorifying And we when we are already glorified we glorifie our GOD not that hee hath neede of any of our glorifying which commeth from vs seeing his glory is perfite in the selfe But because our duty requireth the same yea and that for our owne weill For in this our happinesse consisteth not that wee our selues should be gloryfied but that we should rather glorifie for euer our God For to this end as we are created and redeemed 5 I haue waited on Iehova my soule hath waited yea I haue an expectation in his word 6 My soule is more diligent toward the Lord then of the watches toward the morning watching euen to the morning time I Haue waited The second part of the Psalme in which by a comparison made of his owne deed and of his by-past expectation hee proposeth and professeth that hee himselfe yet had his expectation in the worde of God because to witte from a patient awaiting hee had experience of the mercie and deliverance of God For patience causeth experience experience causeth hope of a greater deliverance and mercy then wee haue ever found at anie time in experience before For the experience of the Temporall deliverance causeth a hope of the everlasting deliverance and that hope shall never at any time mak vs ashamed For we shall obtain fargreater things in that other life then wee could haue hoped for in this present life looke concerning these thinges the 5. chap. of the Epist to the Rom. But let vs weigh the words somewhat more diligently I haue waited on Iehova sayeth hee Then he subjoyneth My soule hath waited As if he should say Not onely with the eie but with the minde moste entirely I haue waited for Iehova For it is the earnest desire of the minde which maketh God presente vnto vs. Also concerning the expectation of the godly looke Paule in the 8. chap. to the Rom. We sayeth hee that haue the first fruites of the Spirit sigh looking for our adoption Thou seest that the awaiting for the godly is with sighes which proceede from the heart for thereafter in the same chap. he declareth how much we profite in Gods sight by these inutterable sighes For God sayeth hee knoweth what is the meaning of the Spirit That is those sighes which proceede from our heart they presently touche the minde of God with a feeling because it is the Spirit of God himselfe which stirreth vp those sighes in our heart Wee may be touched indeede with a desire of any man which is absent when in the meane time hee is no waies touched with that desire of ours neither yet doe our sighes come into his minde for wee sigh not by his spirit but by our owne spirit But wee no sooner indeed sigh vnto God but hee is moved with our sighes For all these sighes proceede from his spirit Nowe this vnspeakable joye putteth vs in minde that he commoved with these sighes of oures which is felt at once with those inutterable sighes for this vnspeakable joy can proceede from no thing els then from some presence of God Yea I haue He sayth that he hath an expectation in the worde of God because so long as we walke by faith and not by sight wee depende vpon the worde of God and wee beholde God as it were in the mirrour of the Worde and not face to face and presently My soule c. He maketh his expectation cleare by a lesser comparison of those who watch and that indeed are occupied in continuall watchings to whome no man coms in their roome but they muste watch the whole night long Learne here with how great a care they waite vpon the Lord depend vppon him who haue once tasted howe gracious the Lord is For they are not so much forced by any necessity to that as they are allured by I knowe not what sweetnes Marke in this place what the estate of the godly in this life is they ar continually occupyed in watching looking for the comming of the Lord. For this present worlde is a perpetuall long lasting night vnto them if it bee compared with that world to come in the second comming of Christ with that morning which is so called Psal 49. 15. in which to witte that Sunne of righteousnesse Iesus Christ shall arise Mal. 3. 20. Also I graunt indeede that this worlde is a bright daye if it bee compared with that which preceeded the first comming of Christe From whence it is said The night saieth he is gone Ro. 15. â—1 1. Thes 5. 5. and the day approaches and We are all said to be the children of the light and the children of God but this preseÌ„t world being compared with the world to come and with that incomprehensible light which then shall be seene surely not without cause it shall rather haue the name of a Night then of a Day Also a watch-man is not so much bounde to watch be occupied coÌ„tinually vnto the morning time then every one of vs is bound to driue over this whol night in watching Of this ariseth that saying of Christ to his Disciples Watch for yee know not the houre in which the Lorde wil come Math. 24. 42. And even as those who watch in the night and are thus occupyed are wearied and fashed And therefore they long for nothing so much as for the Morning time at which time they may refreshe themselues with sleepe So wee that watch vnto that mourning time in which Christ shall come Wee are wearied and oppressed with the burthen of our sinne and misery so that many a time we are tyred of this life and from thence aryseth that vehemente desire of that morning time in which Christe will come VVho as sone as he commeth then indeede we shall enjoy that everlasting rest And as the Psal 23. 61. speaketh We shall be at reste in the house of Iehova so long as the time shall be of length and continue I speake of those who haue watched in this life For they who haue done nothing but sleeped in this life these shall be tormenetd with everlasting watching and paines 7 Let Israell haue an expectation in Iehova for with Iehova is loving kindnesse and exceeding much redemption is with him 4 And he himselfe will redeeme Israel from all his iniquities LEt Israell The thirde parte of the Psalme in which he recommedeth to Israel that is to the whole Church that selfe same awaiting that hee hath For hee who by awayting hath once felt in experience that mercy of God not onely he himself waiteth for God in time to come but he will haue all men together with him to waite