God but praise their owne wit doing sacrifice to the works of their owne fingers After Dauid had complained to the Lord of the pride and crueltie of the wicked and very substantiallie proued those articles which he exhibited against them in the 12. verse he doth humbly sue vnto the Lord by praier that he would arise and shew by some gracious effects that he hath the poore in remembrance which doe commit themselues vnto him and namely by breaking the arme that is the power of the wicked which they abused to mischiefe and wronge And at length as one hauing obtained his request hee concludeth this Psalme with a holy gratulation or thanksgiuing vnto the Lord for that by his spirit he did assure him of some remedie by taking a iudiciall hearing of the matter on both sides whereby we are taught to pray for Gods poore distressed people as for our selues as also to be as thankfull to God for his mercies toward them as if they had beene bestowed vpon our selues and in so doing shall we trie whether we be fellow feeling members of the bodie of Christ or dead and rotten members such as are cut of from the bodie and liue not by the life of God that is in Iesus Christ. Lord thou hast heard c. Heere Dauid acknowledgeth the goodnes of God towards his poore helplesse seruants two waies first generally in the 17 verse saying Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore then particularly amplifying this goodnes of God first by setting downe the efficient cause of the poore mans desire in these words Thou preparest their heart then by noting the formall cause of that readines and willingnes which is in God to heare their desire in these words Thou bendest thine eare vnto them and then by the finall cause of this goodnes in vers 18. that is double first in respect of the poore and oppressed that they may haue iustice and right secondly in respect of their oppressors who are called in contempt the man of earth that they may be no more cause of terrour to the godly The first thing heere to be noted is how Dauid changeth his note for before he said Lord thou hast hid thy selfe but now he saith Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore that is thou hast shewed thy selfe in the robes of Iustice and iudgement Dauid here was like one that during the battaile could not tell what to make of the matter but after the encounter is past like a valiant conquerer he striketh vp and maketh forward in triumph saying The Lord is King for euer and euer the heathen are destroyed out of thy sight Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore thou preparest their heart thou bendest thine eare To iudge the fatherlesse and the poore that the man of earth cause to feare no more And heere we see that verified which is in Psal. 126. 5. 6. They that sowe in teares shall reape in ioy And that which is in our prouerbe A harde beginning maketh a good ending for one woulde haue thought by the beginning of this Psalme that he shoulde neuer haue obtained so happy an end for thus he be ginneth Why dost thou stand farre off O Lord and hidest thy selfe in time of affliction that is why haue we not Iustice executed but he endeth as you heare Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore c. which is as much as can be desired Such a blessed and ioyfull end will God sende vnto all his poore afflicted seruants when he hath well humbled them and throughly exercised them with the buffetings of Sathan and stung them to the very heart with the sence and feeling of their sinnes and affrighted them with a terrible shew of an angrie wrathfull countenance all which the Lord wil do against his dere childrē First to let thē feele know what they haue are of themselues secondlie to make them acquainted with sathans mallice that they take heed how they either obey him or beleue him againe thirdly to make the greatnes of his loue and gracious mercy more knowen in deliuering them at the last for by the want of a benefit we know what a benefite is worth and therefore ioy restored is more acceptable then ioy continued Psal. 51. 12. And lastly to make them fit instruments for the conuersion and strengthning of those that are or shal be in the like case as Christ said to Peter Sathan hath desired to sift you as wheat is sifted but I haue praied for thee that thy faith may not faile Therfore when thou art conuerted strengthen thy brethren But in the meane time it goeth hard for any feeling that the afflicted soule hath of any cōfort in himselfe Oh I cannot feele the loue of God in my heart I cannot find Gods spirit in my hart my heart is not grieued for my sin I cannot pray I take no delight in the word c. Oh that I could pray that I could beleeue that I could feele Gods mercy in assuring my heart of the forgiuenes of my sins but I haue abused his mercy and offended his Maiestie and therefore I am cast out of his sight there is no mercy for me I am damned and shall goe to hell c. And thus the poore soul etaketh on during the winter time of afflictions and temptations but soft a while who telleth thee that thou art cast out of Gods sight that thou art a reprobate c. Againe who told thee that thou wantest faith and repentance other graces of the spirit Againe who is it or what is it that doth so earnestly thirst after those excellent graces of faith of repentance of the forgiuenes of sinnes c. Surely in this Tragedy be three actors and euery one doth his part and here is wisedome to discerne on from the other here is thy owne conscience accusing Sathan accusing Gods law accusing Thy conscience sheweth thee thy wants Gods spirit sheweth thee thy wants Sathan sheweth thee thy wants but that which God doth in loue Sathan doth in malice that which God doth to humble thee sathā doth to destroy thee thou saist thou canst not repent thou canst not beleeue thou canst not pray Oh sweet mercie of God that for the wicked doe not so much as know their wantes thou art sorie that thou canst not repent that thou canst not beleeue c. Oh what better repentance then to bewaile thy impenitencie what greater griefe then that which ariseth for no griefe for sinne What is this but sorrowe it selfe for sinne thou wouldest pray thou wouldest beleeue stedfastly who wrought that hunger and thirst in thee not flesh and blood not Sathan therefore it must needs be Gods spirit content thy selfe thou shalt be satisfied and take that desire of grace for grace it selfe and a pledge of further grace to be receiued hereafter Thou saist thou feelest not Gods loue in thee and therefore he loueth thee not but doe
and that was but onely during the tempest but when they in the ship were afraid of sinking they cried Saue vs Master we perish else and then he awaked and rebuked the winds so Christ may seeme to sleep in thee during the time of tempestuous temptations but whensoeuer thou art in any danger he is awake to saue thee and in the end will rebuke Sathan and tread him vnder thy feete that Christs spirit is in thee thou maiest perceiue by the voyce of the Church that is in thy case In my bed by night saith the Church I sought him whom my soule loueth but could not finde him so thou seeekest him whom thy soule loueth but canst not finde him that is thou seekest him whom thou hast with thee for there is in thee the loue of Christ which cannot come but from Christ himselfe now the very loue of Christ in thy heart though it be but weake yet is a certaine argument of Christs sanctifying spirit in thee for though the reprobate may in some sort slauishly tremble at the iudgements of God and for some carnall respect ioye in the things of God for a time yet there is not in them a loue of God in Christ Iesus but with their seruile feare is ioyned also a deadly hatred of the Lord as of their mortall enemie Againe if thou feele not as yet the gracious presence of Gods spirit in thee as thou wouldest yet vse the holy means that God hath appointed for the conuersion confirmation of his children frequent the word preached read in the scriptures labours of the godly learned vse praier conference and meditatiō so wait on God who is thy present helpe and thy God but thou saist thou canst not heare with delight thou canst take no pleasure in reading of good books nor hearing of them redd vnto thee thou canst not brooke conference and praier thou doest distast them all yet I say vse them still as a good man taketh meate and drinke and phisicke though it be against the stomacke and cast vp all againe yet he desireth to digest it and so by often taking at last doth gather strength and take that willingly with hope which before hee receiued against his will with a kind of loathing So thy sicke soule by often vsing the holy meanes that God hath appointed at last through his blessing will strengthen thee and make thee to vse them of loue desire which now thou doest but vnchearfully and with a certaine kind of loathing There is a defect in the stomacke or some other part of the body which will not suffer wholsome meate to be digested So in the inward man the defect may be in the vnderstanding which may be darke or in the memory which may be brittle or in the vtterance which may be slowe or in thy faith which may be weak or in thy repentance which may be imperfect or in thy loue which may be small or in thy zeale which may be bitter or colde or in thy minde which may be earthly or in thy affections which may be vnrulie or in thy whole man which may be lumpish heauie and vntoward to good things yet in all these remaine a double comfort First these graces are not counterfet but in trueth are such as they seeme to be thou vnderstandest aright thou vtterest the trueth though but slowly thou remembrest the best things and beleeuest the word and repentest in trueth with hatred of thy sins and thou louest God and his word for themselues sake againe so much as thou vnderstandest and knowest and remembrest beleeuest louest thou also affectest embracest in heart desirest to grow in them to practise them to the praise of God and therfore still hope and wait on God for though God seeme now to thy soule as if he had no care of thee yet he doth care for thee and thou shalt one day ioyfully sing as Dauid doth heere Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore c. Lord thou hast heard c. The Lord doth heare all mens desires and knoweth all their thoughtes long before but he is said to heare the desires of his children after a more speciall and gracious manner because he doth in mercy both fauour their sutes and grant their requests so this word of hearing is to be vnderstood somtime in the scripture as where Dauid saith If I regard wickednes in my heart the Lord will not heare me that is the Lord will not grant me my desire And so is it taken also sometime amongest vs in our common manner of speaking as when we doe not fauour a mans suite we use to say I heare you not This is that which the children of God doe most groane and long for in praier namely to pray so that the Lord may heare them that is may afford them a gracions hearing which if they may be assured of then are their hearts filled with ioy whatsoeuer happeneth to them in the world And al their feare is least their sins and sinful praiers should stop the eares not of the Lord simplie but of his grace and fauour against them To that end doe they come before the Lord in all humilitie feare and reuerence striuing sighing and groaning and troubled in spirit And to this end the Lord oftentimes seemeth vnto his children as one that is deafe he maketh them no answere but takes away from them for the time all feeling of comfort in praier to that ende that when he doth speake peace vnto their harts they may know what a mercy they haue receiued from his Maiestie But wicked hypocrites regard not so much whether the Lord doth heare thē or no but whether men do heare them that is all their care they pray to be seene of men and to be heard of men onelie labouring with their lips but without anie strife of the heart They pompe it they chant it they howle it and throate it to please themselues and others but whether all that paines of theirs be accepted with God they neuer so much as once thinke So that when they haue done their stint and taske they may saie as the harlot said of whom Salomon speaketh To daie I had peace-offerings I haue payed my vowes and so leaue for that matter it is no matter whether they be receiued or no she hath paid them so saith the Hipocrit I haue said all my praiers to day I haue done al my deuotion there leaue for that matter but the poore child of God whose soule groaneth vnder the buthen of his sins doth not so much boast of the saying of his praiers as he doth of Gods mercy in hearing his praiers Lord I thank thee saith the Pharisie that I fast and praie so often in a weeke but Lord be mercifull to me saith the Publican Lord I praied in thy temple saith the one as the wicked in the Gospell Lord we haue heard thee preach in our streets
DAVIDS Thanksgiuing for the Arraignement of the Man of Earth set forth in two Sermons by W. B. The first Sermon sheweth the manner of Dauids thanksgiuing and containeth many comfortable points necessarie for afflicted consciences The second Sermon setteth forth the matter it selfe for which Dauid giueth thanks and that is The arraignement of the Man of Earth VVherin is entreated of these points follovving ver 2. 1 Of the parties betweene whom the controuersie dependeth 2 Of the parties before whom it is tried 3 Of the persons by whom it is tried 4 Of the action it selfe that is tried 5 Of the verdict of the Iurie 6 Of the court of conscience with a description of the same 7 Of the verdict of the court of conscience 8 Of the sentence of the Iudge 9 Of the execution of the sentence Imprinted at London by Richard Bradocke for I. B. and are to be sold at her shop at the great North doore of S. Paules at the signe of the Bible 1598. To the Right Honourable Sir William Periam Knight Lord chiefe Baron of her Maiesties Exchequer grace mercie and peace RIght Honourable the importunate desire of diuers wel affected Christians which heard these sermons in London and chiefelie of some that haue beene humbled with affliction of conscience hath preuailed with me for the penning publishing of the same which through the blessing of God may bring cōfort profit to more then to those that heard them In regard of many honourable fauours and good encouragements receiued from your Lordship in the worke of my ministerie where I dwell I haue presumed to offer this my mite vnto you as a poore testimonie of a minde willing to be thankefull if it were in my power which both for the matter that is handled therein as also for the manner of handling I deemed of right to belong chiefelie vnto your Lordship which together with my good meaning herein if it shall please you which I humblie craue to construe and accept in good part I shal be not a little encouraged to take more paines in greater matters then these come to Thus crauing pardon for my boldnes I humblie take my leaue commending you to the aboundant and gracious blessing of God 1598. Nouember 8. Your Lordships to commaund William Burton Dauids thankfulnes for the arrainement of the man of Earth PSAL. 10. 17. 18. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the poore thou preparest their heart thou bendest thine eare vnto them To iudge the fatherlesse and poore that the man of earth cause to feare no more THis tenth Psalme doth most liuely describe vnto vs a corrupt peruerse state of a miserable commōwealth groning and fainting vnder the intollerable burthens of manifold oppressions and extreame iniuries heaped vpon her by the mightie and proud Nimrods of that time by cruell and craftie worldlings by godlesse blasphemous Athists by secure and carnall Epicures by loose and lawlesse Belials which in Dauids time like Bees swarmed in euerie Countrey Citie in euery Towne and Village and came about the poore seruants of God daily howerlie as thicke as hailestones in Aegypt euen a right picture of that wherin we now liue which made that princely Prophet and propheticall prince Dauid as a man amazed at such a forelorne sight and pitifull complaining that was on euerie side to speake farre otherwise of the Lord then he is indeed and in a kind of quarrelling manner to expostulate the matter with the Lord after the manner of man saying Why standest thou farr of O Lord hidest thy selfe in due time euē in affliction euen while the wicked with pride doth persecute the poore Greatlie no doubt did iniquitie preuaile strong was the temptation yea to great boldnes and courage were the wicked growen when it seemed to Dauid as if the Lord were carelesse in gouerning the world and had forgotten to releeue his poore distressed people or call the wicked to account but seemed either to let thē do euen what they listed without controlment which God forbid we should once imagine but yet in the time of afflictiō temptation such is the weaknes of faith euē in the verie regenerate that they cōceiue somtime of God and his works otherwise then becōmeth thē or then beseemeth the maiestie of God the reason hereof is because they be for the time as men that are buffeted and astonied with blowes to whose sence the ground seemeth to turne round when indeed there is no such matter but the turning and alteration is in themselues and therfore the temptations of the regenerate are called by Paule the buffetings of Sathan 2. Cor. 12. 7. And yet notwithstanding though at a blush they may seeme to iumpe with the wicked who doe alwaies harbour within them most base and vnworthy conceipts of the most high who filleth Heauen and earth with his all seeing and incomprehensible presence with whom is neither change nor shew of change yet between the godly and the wicked there is alwaies this double differēce First in the greatest afflictions and weaknes of faith wherwith the godly are exercised there is yet some euidence of Gods sanctifying spirit in them supporting them from finall and desperate falling away from the grace of God though it be more then they alwaies feele in themselues for though Dauid complaineth in the beginning of this Psalme of Gods long absence yet he is certainly perswaded of his presence to him or else he had praied in vaine And as earthlie Fathers haue a secret affection to their childrē more then their children do alwaies perceiue so God hath a secret hand in his children to vphold them from falling away more then they alwaies doe feele which feeling they want somtime to humble them and to make them more earnest in prayer and more carefull to keepe the fauor of God when they haue it And somtime the Lord bestoweth secret fauours vpon his children more then they know of as Iosephs brethren had euery man his money in his sacke by the waie which was more thē they knew til they came their Inne Gen. 42. 27. But with the wicked it is not so for God hath left them to themselues giuing them ouer to a reprobate sence that they may wax worse worse deceiuing and beeing deceiued there is no secret hand of Gods grace in them that can be perceiued either of themselues or of others for them Another difference is this when the heat of affliction and strength of temptation is allaied in the godly and they come to themselues againe as men doe that haue beene beaten and buffeted they recall their errour and correct their former crazed opinions giuing to God afterward that honour that is due vnto him but the wicked after they be a little eased and released of their paine doe turne againe to their former vomit neuer once dreaming that they either thought or spake or did any thing amisse or against the glorie of
To sit in iudgment vpon the poore mans case So that when God doth proceede against the wicked it is in iudgement And though the poore commit his cause vnto God yet it shal be iudged and without a iudiciall proceeding shall nothing be done for God is no acaccepter of persons as men be though he loueth the godly yet they shall stand to their triall and though he hateth the wicked yet they shall haue their triall all shall be iudged and all wronges shall be righted by iudgement therfore it is saide in the Psalme The Lord shall iudge the people righteously This maketh the godly so willingly to appeale vnto God saying as Sarai said to Abraham The Lord be Iudge betweene me and thee God hath erected iudgement feates on earth vpon whom he hath set Princes and rulers and graced them with his owne name and sittes amongst them to make them to be honoured and regarded And their iudgments are or should be Gods iudgements but oftentimes through corruption good matters are borne downe bad matters are borne vp we see the complaint of Amos proue too true They turne iudgement to wormewood saith hee and leaue of righteousnes And that also of Esay By conceiuing and vttering out of the heart false matters iudgement is turned backe and iustice standeth farre of for trueth is fallen in the streete iniquitie cannot enter yea trueth faileth saith the Prophet and he that refraineth from euill maketh himselfe a pray But what was there no remedie how did the Lotd take this geare marke what followeth when the Lord saw it it displeased him that there was no iudgement And when he saw that there was no man he wondred that none would offer himselfe But is that all verily no. Therefore his arme did saue it that is his power did rescue the praie and his righteousnes it selfe did sustaine it that is he himselfe tooke the matter in hand For he put on righteousnes as an habergeon and an helmet of saluation vpon his head as if he were to goe amongst his enemies He put on the garments of vengeance for a cloathing was clad with zeale as with a cloak as to recompence and to requite the furie of the aduersaries he will fully repaie the Ilands So shall they feare the name of the Lord from the West and his glorie from the rising of the sunne for the enemie shall come like a floode but the spirit of the Lord shall chase him away And this is the godly poore mans comfort Therefore saith the Psalmist Let the people be glad and reioyce for thou shalt iudge the folke righteously and gouerne the nations of the world And Paule saith It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you And to you which are troubled rest with vs when the Lord Shall shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels And in his first Epistle speaking of the same matter in other wordes he concludeth thus Comfort your selues one another with these words And heere Dauid reioyceth and praiseth God for that he will iudge the poore and fatherlesse Iustice and equitie in the world and from the world are two of the hardest the dearest the rarest iewels that cā be gottē the poore do desire thē God hath granted their desire to iudge the fatherles the poore that the mā of earth cause to feare no more And here now we see that verified which is in Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in teares shall reape in ioy And that which we haue in a prouerbe A hard beginning maketh a good ending for one woulde haue thought by Dauids beginning of this Psalme that he should not haue made so good an end for thus he beginneth Why doest thou hide thy selfe aad stand a farr off O Lord in time of affliction That is Why haue we not iustice but he endeth as you heare Lord thou hast hearde the desire of the poore to iudge which is as much as can be desired But let vs reason a little with Dauid abou this matter How is it that thou beginning so rudely doest speed so well in the end If the God of heauen should haue dealt with thee Dauid as the Gods of the earth doe with their suters it were a wonder that euer thou shouldest finde so much fauour for though thy matter were good yet thou mightest haue marred it in the handling thou diddest vtter one speach that was inough to haue spilled all Why doest thou hide thy selfe c. What an vnreuerent rash and vnaduised speach was this to vtter to the Lord of Heauen and Earth would the Gods of the earth haue takē such a speach at thy hand or at any poore mans hand No Dauid no many haue sustained great wrong by wicked men and haue had good causes that for such a word yea for a lesse offence then thine haue bene very hardly dealt withal whē they haue but craued iustice c. Now thy fault is greater and God is a seuere God it is to be maruailed then how thou diddest escape and speede so well as thou diddest It is true indeed saith Dauid I confesse my frailtie and my fault to be great and so must they also that speake rashly before Gods Magistrates but if the Lord should narrowly marke euery word that is spoken or euery thing that is done amisse as men doe who coulde stand before him No the Lord knoweth whereof we be made and considereth in mercy that through extreame heate of passionate affections and weaknes of faith his children be caried many times beyond themselues but vpon their humble submission and vnfained repentance he freely forgiueth thē though men will not Yea the Lord in mercie doth put a difference betweene his seruants his enemies though men many times will not I recanted my opinion and sayde The Lord is king for euer and euer for all my rude beginning haue through Gods mercy obtained a good ending Praised be the Lord which hath hearde the desire of the poore to iudge the fatherlesse and the poore that the man of earth cause to feare no more A notable example for earthen Gods magistrates I meane to follow and not with bitternes and rigour to censure and in extremitie to prosecute euerie slip and aduantage of poore ministers and other honest men when they come to complaine before them but with loue words of graue and gracious counsell to heale or at least to couer the sore least the vncircumcised doe reioyce and triumph ouer their fathers and brethren as cursed Cham did at his fathers nakednes And so much for the bringing of the beginning and ending of Dauids petition together Nowe let vs heare a little more of the thing it selfe that the Lord hath granted and that is this that it will please his Maiestie to heare determine betweene his poore people on the one side and their cruell oppressors on the other side
Courte of conscience which doth finde him guiltie also of much more as namely of hypocrisie of vaineglorie of contēpt of Gods word of cōtempt of man and of diuers villanous practises done in secret which are knowen onely to God for Saint Iohn saith If our heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things And thus much for the triall of the man of earth Now let vs heare the sentence of the Iudge Man of earth saith the Iudge thou hast beene endited of diuers and sundrie enditements to the which thou hast pleaded not guiltie and yet notwithwanding being tried by the grand Iurie of the holy Prophets and men of God as also by the verdict of the Court of thy owne conscience hast beene conuicted and found guiltie of them all Therefore nowe what canst thou say for thy selfe why sentence of eternall death should not be pronounced against thee according to the lawe In earthlie iudgementes this question is put to two sortes of persons First such as are quitt by booke Secondly to such as cannot haue that benefit So likewise in this heauenly iudgement This question is propounded both to the elect as also to the reprobate To the elect it is said what canst thou say for thy selfe They staight waie condemne themselues as Dauid did of bloud-guiltinesse Psal. 51. as Iob did his children for blaspheming GOD in their mirth and feastinges as Peter did his fall from Christ euen with bitter teares and as Paule did who saide he was a chiefe sinner crying out O wretched man that I am c. and as the prodigall childe did Father I haue sinned against Heauen and against thee and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne but yet for them thus condemning and humbling themselues there is some comfort VVhat canst thou beleeue in me saith the Iudge and repent from the bottome of thy heart canst thou read thy name in the booke of life To which question euery one doth answere as he is prompted by the spirit of God I beleeue and repent but not of my selfe it is the gift of God I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe And with Zaccheus they promise restitution of goods ill gotten And with Dauid they pray Oh that my waies were so directed that I might keepe thy statutes alwaies VVell saith the Iudge then heare your sentence The Court doth award you this punishment you shall be crossed and afflicted in this world sometime in your bodies Sometimes in your goods sometimes in your children you shall also be stung with the hote iron of an afflicted and woūded cōsciēce you shal be whip ped scourged with venemous slaunderous tongues of wicked mē a great deale more thē this shall happen vnto you heere that you may not be damned with the wicked world so go your way and sin no more least a worse thing happen vnto you but before you can be quite discharged you must remēber to put in Death as a cōmon baile for your forth cōming whersoeuer you shall be called for and my owne sonne Iesus Christ as a speciall suertie for your debt and good behauiour and so paying your fees of obedience newnes of life carrying about you the remnants of sinne as shackles vpō the feete of your soule to humble you withall so long as you liue in this world performing these dueties you are discharged from the sentence of eternall condemnatiō for the law of the Gospell is that there shall be no condemnation to them that are in Christ which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit To which the godly doe answere as the Apostle did in the verie same case I thanke my God through Iesus Christ my Lord. And thus much for the sentence of the elect now let vs heare the sentence of the reprobate Call forth the reprobate man of earth saith the Lord. Man of earth what canst thou say for thy selfe why sentence of eternall death should not be pronounced against thee What canst thou beleue in Christ repēt for thy sins Yea Lord I beleeue that Christ died for sinners and for my part I am sorie that I must be damned Nay thou reprobate canst thou beleeue effectually that Christ died for thy sinnes and doest thou abhorre thy sinnes which were the cause of Christes death or hast thou any heartie desire so to doe for otherwise thou sayest no more then the Deuils doe who beleeue and tremble No Lord I know not what that meaneth It is true in deed for whē thou wert admonished to repent thou hardenest thine heart abusing my patience and making a custome of sinne which hath bred full hardnes of heart and impenitencie in thee and so hast heaped vp vnto thy selfe wrath against this day of wrath and reuealing of my righteous iudgement thou thoughtest also that thou haddest faith and repentance at commandement perswading thy selfe and others that all men may repent and beleeue if they will whē they will but now thou seest that thou wert deceiued Oh a Psalme of mercy Lord one Psalme of mercy I can read all the Psalmes of Dauid and say all the penitentiall Psalmes by heart I will goe to Church and say ouer the Lords prayer and my Pater noster too Lord I wil goe a pilgrimage and punish my bodie with whipping and fasting I haue heard thee preach in our parish Church and will doe againe when I can intend it Oh Lord I wil do any thing rather then goe to hell Ah thou reprobate saith the Lord who required all this at thy hands doest thou thinke to please me with thy wil-worship and spirituall whoredoms all that wil not serue thy turn thy name is not writtē in the book of life therfore thou canst not repent nor beleeue aright hast thou no more to say Yes Lord Others haue done as much as I And I hope to be saued as well as others And I haue heard some say that thou art full of mercy wouldest that all men should be saued Yea saith the Lord so hast thou and many moe abused my mercy bereaued me of iustice as much as in you lie like ignorant vnstable men peruerting my holy scriptures to your owne destructiō I wil haue mercy on whom I will haue mercy I will execute iudgement merciles vpon thee which shewedst no mercy to the poore fatherles do thee no wrong Therfore now heare thy finall sentence because thou hast abused thy arme that is the power wealth authority that I gaue thee hast not at any time loued me for my mercy nor feared me for my iudgmēt lo therfore thy arme shal be brokē thou shalt be depriued of all meanes wherby thou hast bin encouraged to do mischief and then thou shalt be no more cause of feare my people shall goe and liue without feare of thee Also thou shalt goe from hence to the place from whence
the Lord no iniurie measure not his grace by thy feeling he that tooke a rib out of mans side while he slept in such sorte that he felt it not can also put a secret hand of grace into thee to vphold thee while his spirit doth sleepe in thee and thou not feele it and for the proofe of that I say consider with me how often haue many beene tempted to mischiefe themselues and others yea and practised their owne destruction which yet are liuing and well from whence came this but from a secret hand of God within them that still plucked them as a praie out of the hands of their enenemie Some againe that I know haue bene afraid that they should speake blasphemie against God treason against the Queene and haue beene so tempted the runto that they haue held their mouthes with their hands least it should out and yet when they haue beene willed to vtter it they could not but cleane contrarie in stead of treason and blasphemie haue spoken all good in most heartie holy manner that might be both of God and of the Queene by which they haue perceiued confessed in the end to Gods great glory that these were illusions of sathan and that Gods spirit is stronger in them then the temptation whē they had suposed that God had cleane forsakē them Oh I am damned I am dāned thou criest who told thee so Surely it is the voyce of Sathan that would haue it so beleeue him not for he that is compounded all of lying and falshood cannot possibly suggest any trueth vnto thee Oh if I could feele some comfort in my soule I were well if I could pray from a feeling heart and beleeue effectually c. then I were wel Then I should hope that God would be mercifull vnto me but content thy selfe there is a time for all things saith Salomon a time to weepe and a time to reioyce so there is a time of affliction and a time of deliuerance out of temptatiō if that time were come that thou speakest of then were thy afflictiō at an end the tēmptation of no force not effect but now is the time of casting down of the tēpters forcible working but waite on God he is thy present helpe and thy God with patience possesse thy soule vntill the time be come for thy deliuerance and verely when Gods rods haue had their working to frame thee vnto God the time will come that thou shalt haue diluerance though now thou sayest with Dauid Lord why standest thou farre off and hidest thy face euen in the time of affliction yet after the conflict is ended which must be when God will and not when thou wilt thou shalt sing ioyfully triumphantly Lord thou hast heard the desire of thy poore seruant thou preparest thine heart thou bendest thine eare to helpe thy poore comfortlesse seruant that thy hellish enemie be no more cause of feare Againe that in time of thy spirituall conflict thy soule may hope for some more comfort strength in the ende then for the present thou feelest it shall not be amisse for thee to call to mind the former experience that thou hast had of Gods goodnes towards thee in time past whereby thou maist assure thy selfe that he wil be good vnto thee againe as Dauid said The Lord that hath deliuered me from the Beare and the Lion will also deliuer me from this vncircumcised philistime so say thou That God which deliuered mee from such a perill and gaue me strength against such and such temptations will one day deliuer me from this that God which once let me feele peace and ioy and comfort in Christ will surely giue me comfort againe when he seeth fit time For whom the lord loueth he loueth for euer And the gifts and calling of God are without repentance saith the Apostle Thy treasure is laide vp surely in Heauē saith Christ where neither mothes can eate it nor rust can corrupt it nor theeues can digg through and steale it away God doth not keep it from moths and from theeues to let the deuill deceiue thee of it no it is sure for euer where neither man nor Angell nor all the deuils in hell shall take it from thee no nor God himselfe for though we be vnfaithfull yet he is faithfull and cannot denie himselfe And where as thou criest out for it now saying thou canst not feele it in thy heart c. it is for that perhaps thou diddest not vse it as thou shouldest when thou haddest it before thou wert peraduēture a lazy professor of the Gospell or a proud hearer of the word or negligent in the worship of God both with thy selfe and thy familie or it may be thou diddest waxe proud of Gods graces and diddest not giue him his due honour or it may be thou diddest make some rash promise presuming vpon thy owne strength that thou wouldest do this or that or that thou wouldest neuer commit such and such a sinne againe And therfore the Lord to let thee know thy selfe like a most wise father hath for a time taken away his graces from thee and the feeling of all spirituall comfort and yet for all that loueth thee as his child And heerein the Lorde dealeth with thee but as thou wouldest deale with thy owne childe if thou hast anie when the childe abuseth anie thing that he delighteth in it is taken from him and laide vp till another time and he made beleeue that it is quite taken from him the childe woulde haue it alwaies in his sight but that may not be for diuers causes and in like manner dealeth the Lord with his children it sufficed Iacob to heare that his sonne Ioseph was aliue though he saw him not so it should suffice the afflicted conscience to know that Christ liueth in him though his spirituall eye be so dazeled that as yet he cannot see him yea there is a holy desire to see and feele Christ in thee as an earnest-penny though it be as in a bag sealed vp and in time it shal be deliuered thee yea though thou goest as a malefactor that is condemned goeth to execution out of all hope for life yet as some friend of his sueth out his pardon for him and deliuereth it him euen when he is on the ladder readie to be turned of to his greater ioy more then he expected euen to Christ Iesus hath sued out thy pardon and when thou thinkest there is no waie but one with thee and that is to hell euen when thou seemest to thy selfe to be past all hope of recouery then shall the spirit of Christ step vp in thy heart which now seemeth to be gone or to lie a sleepe and shall deliuer it vnto thee with this message of comfort Sonne be of good cheere thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And in the meane time know that Christ is not gone from thee but sleepeth in thee as he did in the ship