warie how we walk in the way of that roaring Lyon which goeth about continually seeking whom he may devoure But here remaineth a great scruple Was not David circumcised and hath not that Sacrament according to the intention of Gods holy ordinance this proper effect to remove and purge originall sinne And now in the time of the Gospell is not Baptisme the laver of our new birth doth it not wash away originall sinne Why then doth David yet complaine of it or why do we who are baptised stand daily yet in jeopardie of it To cleare this point we resolve that since the fall of man his infirmitie hath ever beene such as all the meanes of grace ordained by God have fallen short of working their full and perfect effect upon us in this life The word teacheth us and yet so long as we live here we know but in part The word begetteth faith yet so weak and so imperfect is our faith that Christ biddeth us to pray to God to encrease our faith The word of the Gospell is the power of God to salvation yet he doth magnifie his power in our weaknesse Our hope is imperfect for it is mingled with feare Our joy is not complete for we rejoyce in trembling The Sacraments of Circumcision and Baptisme were ordained against originall sinne yet for want not of efficacie in the gift but of capacity in the receivers thereof they fall short of the full effect here It is therefore farre from us to limit God by his ordinances to binde him to passe his graces no way but by them As farre is it from us to extend the force of his ordinance to that latitude that which way so ever his outward ordinance goeth his grace must necessarily follow the same We go in a middle way betweene these two extremes affirming that according to the good pleasure of his will so the Sacraments of our regeneration do work their effect more or lesse in his Church For my own judgement I have beleeved and taught that Baptisme doth so purge away original sinne as it doth regenerate us It worketh the same work at once the killing of sinne and the life of Christ in us As we perceive our regeneration imperfect so we must confesse our mortification imperfect Therefore after Baptisme there remaineth yet a â—ome of our originall sinne because Christ hath not the intire possession of us And yet there is a seed of grace because Christ dwelleth in us Both these seeds grow in us till the harvest Yet as Jacob and Esau they strive in the same wombe for the flesh lusteth the spirit sigheth and groaneth the flesh striveth against the spirit the spirit is contrary to the flesh From the seed of the flesh which we call originall sinne all our evill thoughts words and works do proceed From the seed of the spirit arise all good motions whereby we resist the flesh And if any of Gods people be overtaken with offence he is not straitway as a limbe cut off from the body but as a bone out of joynt for the time It is not a laxation from the bodie but a laxation in the body It is the Apostles word you that are spirituall restore such a one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put him in joynt againe So we denie not the grace of Circumcision or Baptisme we do not weaken the power of Gods ordinance but we allow it the efficacie of congruitie with the subject For it filleth secundum capacitatem vasis according to the capability of the vessell when God enlargeth our heart we shall receive his gifts more fully You now see how much cause David had to complain of his originall sinne as the seed remaining in him from whence these great offences grow I conceive the proper use of this point to be this To stirre us up by Davids example upon all occasions by our fallings into any sinne to look back upon this root of sinne in us that we may put the strength of our measure of grace to it to grubbe it It is such as that if there remain but a threed of it in our ground by the sent of water it will take in sap and gather strength and put forth and grow up as a plant as Job saith Therefore we know our spirituall growth in grace by the withering of this old man and the vegetation of the new man in us The Prophet here in the from of this confession setteth an Ecce Behold which may be directed two wayes 1 For he may divert his speech from God to whom his addresse is to the Church and to his fellow-members of that body as partners with him of the same nature of the same infirmitie See whence these â—oule evils came even from the sinne that came with me Peccatum oriens from the sinne that abideth in me Peccatum habitans from the sinne that encircleth me Peccatum circumstans from the sinne that defileth me Peccatum commâ—culans That every one of us may look to that breeder and keep it from teeming in us or if lust do conceive and bring forth sinne then to take the little ones and dash them against the stones We do not enough study this point we do not behold and see into it as we should to look for no good out of this Nazareth to confesse our weake and wicked beginnings of nature to amend by culture and industry our barren soyle impregnant of any good fruits To plough up the fallow grounds of our hearts with discipline and mortification to sowe them with the precious seed of the Word Leaving them to the clouds of grace to raine upon them and to the Sonne of righteousnes to shine on them Eliâ—hs faith will open heaven for that raine Joshuahs prayer will make that Sonne stand still 2 Behold to God he may desire him to consider in his mercie that this mother-sinne came with him it was a corruption of his nature before he had either appetite or sense or will to embrace it yea that corrupted all these and reason it selfe and the conscience that defiled all I deny not but that it was sinne at first in the conception but David doth not say Formatus sum iniquus or Conceptus iniquus but In iniquitate I am not formed or conceived wicked but in wickednesse The matter that I was made of was unsound and unholy for David was not David till his reasonable soul was infused then was he sinfull So that I conceive this behold urged to God to move compassion in him that seeing he could not help it that he was so framed and surely God is mercifull to that sinne in us therefore David saith of him Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are dust Therefore this Ecce behold to God doth move him to compassion of his most miserable condition in regard of the corruption and frailty of his frame and composition But
ponderant Elements in their places are not heavy But take him from his sinne a little and set them within an optique distance that he may see them he will both see the in numberablenesse and feel the heavinesse of them We beleeve a day of judgement designed and ordained of God for a severe audit of all our sinnes We are in that day judged by both these books of Gods remembrance and of our own conscience For so we shall be our own judges and there can be no hope for such as have these books opened against them God cannot forget Our conscience cannot but accuse so that we are all children of wrath and in a state of condemnation The judge may say Quid opus est testibus What need of witnesses for the least one of these legions of sinnes that we are guilty of hath weight enough to weigh us down to the bottome of hell All these will make the pit shut her mouth upon us 2. But against this David doth shew comfort when he prayeth to have his transgressions blotted out of Gods book For this sheweth that there is a way out of the danger of the vengeance to come The book wherein all our debts are recorded may be crost and the offences may be blotted out The way is 1. The justice of God must be satisfied our debt paied for God can neither falsifie his truth who hath threatned sinne with vengeance nor satisfie and silence his justice without it So that we must finde Iesus Christ in this prayer without whom there is no acceptance to God for a sinner for our life is hid with God in Christ we appeare in our selves no other but dead in trespasses and sinnes But Christ is our life and the loving kindnesse that David prayeth for here is that wherewith God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne that we might not perish but have everlasting life And the tender mercies which he craveth are those of which Zachary doth speak Through the tender mercie of our God whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us To give light to them that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Here is Via lactea the milkie way the very way of salvation for the tender mercies of God give not onely light of comfort to cheare our hearts but light of direction also to guide our wayes and that is the blotting away our repented sinnes 2. Another phrase followeth which sheweth how this foule record may be blotted out of Gods Tables VERSE 2. Wash me throughly from mine Iniquitie THis shews that Iniquitie is a foule and defiling blemish and needeth washing So foule as no washing will do it but Lava tu wash thou So foule as it will need his washing throughly 1. Lava Wash His calling for so much mercy sheweth his fear of iniquitie his calling for all this washing sheweth his shame of it He doth not desire to have it hidden from sight but quite removed Not removed onely from the book of Gods remembrance but washt out of the book of his own conscience also Sinne is of that foule nature that it defileth the conscience of a man and maketh him uncleane I think no man will denie but David notwithstanding this sinne was a regenerate man For even this Psalme which confesseth this uncleannesâ—e in him is part of holy Scripture and the penne-men of Scripture were all holy and wrote as they were guided by the Spirit of God He seeth and confesseth a pollution and would faine be quit of it Yet some of late have so cleared a regenerate man from all sinne that they say God can finde no sinne at all in them It is true that God seeth no iniquitie in his elect to condemne them for it for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus But then they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit But if any of the elect turn out of the way for a time to walk after the flesh as David here did he seeth that sinne he hateth it he punisheth them for it and till he hath washt them from it they remain defiled with it Therefore they pray to be washt Naaman for a leprosie in the body must wash in Iordane Sinne is the leprosie of the soul and as the bodily leprosie did defile the person that had it the clothes that he wore the bed that he lay upon the very wals of the house where he remained that all must be purged and it cast him that had it out of the camp So the leprosie of sinne maketh all things unclean within and without us that we do but touch Whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean This is the cause of the groning of the creature for though it hath gone the way of the creation from the beginning yet it is become subject to vanitie by the pollution of our sinnes and our iniquitie reacheth to the heavens it defileth the celestiall bodies above us and the earth beneath us because these have been aiding and assisting to us in our sinnes not of any evill disposition in themselues but by our abuse of them to Gods dishonour All this presseth a necessitie of our continuall washing both for the defiling which is within us and for the pollution that cometh from us We must hate the garment that is spotted with the flesh This made David desire to be washt throughly Multiplica lavare multiply to wash some do render it others Amplius lava wash me more as Peter Not my feet onely but my hands and my head Naaman must wash seven times in Iordane to put off his bodily leprosie Sinne which is the leprosie of the soul cleaveth so close to us that we had need of an often and a scouring lather to rinse our defiled souls For as to the pure all things are pure So to them that are defiled is nothing pure but even their minde and conscience is defiled There is nothing that nourisheth sinne more in us then an opinion of an easinesse to repent when we will to put it off Beloved diseases are never so painfull to us as when we are put to it to take much physick for them For for the time the physick is more painfull then the disease violent purgings strong vomits languishing sweats bleeding bitter pils and potions unpleasing dyet yet great diseases ask a suffering of all these for health But in a dangerous disease we call upon our Physitian not to spare us so he recover us Ths is it in the state of our diseased souls we must take strong physick to remove violent and dangerous diseases David describing his sinne saith My wounds stink and are corrupt Do you know the pain of washing such wounds Do you not perceive the necessity of it There is no dallying in such cases lest our negligence make the maladie gangren and prove immedicable It will ask sharp
letter that which weakeneth the power of our Baptisme and maketh the Lords Supper an eating and drinking of judgement that which maketh all our praises of God a sacrifice of fooles that which turneth all our prayers into sinne and transformeth the grace of God into wantonnesse is We either hide our sinne out of sight cautè closely wherein we may deceive the world but we cannot shut up the eye of God or benight the light of our own conscience Or we plead Non est factum not our deed against two witnesses at least one in heaven another in our own bosomes Or we put on some honest names upon our dishonest carriages calling wantonnesse recreation and prosecution of revenge a standing upon our credit and a maintenance of honour Or we face out our sinnes with societie as drunkards plead they do no other then is done in Court in City in Countrey and amongst all sorts and degrees of men these times adde women too for many will not sit out in a fashion And if we reprove such they regest that some of our selves are good fellows too Here the proverbe failes The more the merrier when they go in the wayes of death Or we devolue our fault upon others as Adam Mulier quam dedisti the woman which thou gavest me It falleth upon God Vinum quod dedisti inebriat vestes quas dedisti superbum me cibus gulosum c. The wine which thou hast given me makes me drunken the clothes thou hast given me make me proud thy meat gluttonous c. Some proceed further the full growth of impudence and impenitencie justifying their sinnes and calling evill good and good evill treading under foot the bloud of the covenant as an unholy thing raging waves of the Sea foming out their own shame wandring starres for whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever whose condemnation sleepeth not Beloved your reason and judgement and common understanding doth call swearing blasphemie It calleth doing that which you would not suffer injury It calleth immoderate eating gluttony intemperate drinking drunkennesse It calleth unlawfull copulations adulterie and fornication By the light of nature and of Religion we abhorre the denomination of these sinnes who is willing to be called a blasphemer an oppressour a glutton a drunkard If the names of these sinnes be shamefull make conscience of the sinnes themselves For it was ever in fashion in the world and will be that they which do wickedly and foolishly shall be called wicked and foolish persons I conclude with Joshuahs speech to Achan My sonne give I pray thee glorie to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him tell now what thou hast done and hide it not He that hideth his sinne shall not prosper shame and feare are the two great hinderances of confession they are also the rods of sinne These should rather move us to confession and repentance for repentance removeth them both ut ante And my sinne is ever before me 2 Here is a great motive to confession for David found his sinne troublesome to him Sinne is taken commonly for the fault and so our fault alwayes in sight bringeth shame Sinne is also taken sometimes for the punishment and that in our sight alwayes bringeth fear It must needs be combersome to have these two roddes alwayes lashing of us shame and fear Sinne is also said to be before us 1 Either in the eye of understanding and judgement and reason knowing and disliking it 2 Or in the eye of our conscience pleading guilty to it And this is ever so till our repentance and Gods pardon hath removed it Our first parents in paradise did see the forbidden fruit 1 That it was good for food 2 It was a desire to the eyes 3 To be desired to make one wise They considered not that the eating of it was against the commandment that it was certain death to eat of it I he sinne was not before them In every temptation to evill and commission of evill there is a pleasure that offereth it self to the eye upon that our yeelding weaknesse fastneth That is ever before us to put us into sinne and when we have done it that is before us to keep us from repentance That was it that corrupted Davids holinesse at first to sinne and that held him so long impenitent But when God had awaked him by his Prophet then the pleasure of finne ceased and the shame and fear and sorrow of it succeeded then was his sinne ever before him The words of Davids complaint weigh heavy if we take the full weight of every one of them they amount to a talent of lead and we may call them The Burthen of David 1 Here is sinne 2 My sinne 3 Coram in sight 4 Coram me before me 5 Semper ever 1 His complaint is of sinne All sinnes are not alike deadly nor all of equall provocation There be different magnitudes of sinne one sinne differeth from another in qualitie Some more offensive then other to God to man to our selves Some in quantity of number hath more sinnes retaining to it then others have for no sinne doth ever go alone Some in quantitie of dimension greater then other more provoking Some in quantitie of weight heavier and more incurving and slooping towards and immerging deeper into the gulf of perdition Some in quantitie of measure more filling and more heaped up more pressing down more running over Some in the seed of concupiscence some in the root of delight some in the blade of consent some in the eare of perpetration some in the full growth and ripenesse of custome some shedding self-sowing by defence and justification of it and by publique profession and maintenance When Sathan would strike us with a fiery dart he will shew us our sinne at the worst In confession of sinnes to God we must consider that we are in his eye to whom all things are manifest from whom no thing can be concealed and therefore there is no slubbering or mincing our confession We must confesse all as we desire to be made clean from all let us be as particular as we can in the enumeration of our sinnes And because our memorie may fail us in particularities let us help it with opening before God our Corpus peccati body of sinne So I understand here my sinne that is Corpus peccati the body of sinne in the grosse summe is ever before me David doth come to particular sinnes after in his confession This peccatum sinne is that corruption of nature which is ever striving against the Law that flesh which is ever rebelling against the Spirit that old man which is corrupt according to the deceiveable lusts of the flesh The bed of sinne in us the stool of wickednesse the throne of Sathan the remnants of sinne which abide even in the regenerate upon which S. Paul complaineth so much I know that in me that is in my flesh is
and purged doth seeme to declare in him 1 A Conscience sensible of his pollution and weary of it 2 Aâ—ervency of spirit breathing importunity with God in strong cryes and supplications to remove the annoyance of it 1 A conscience throughly touched with sense and remorse of his sinne for he hath beene earnest with God already in this Psalme before for this and hath begd of God to blot out his iniquities that they might not remaine upon record against him to wash him throughly and cleanse him from his sinne and now he reneweth and re-enforceth his petition to the same purpose The reason I conceive to be because he hath now beene deepe in the confession of his sinne and in contemplation of the holinesse and purity of God and of that integrity which he exacteth of us For if our thoughts could be at leiâ—are to thinke effectually of these things we should apply our desires more to the servcie of God and to the declining of evill wee should finde our sinnes sit blushing in our faces and bleeding in our wounded consciences The tendernesse of the heart would yearne at any offence done to him from whom we receive so much good and the terrour of his power who is able to doe us so much hurt and the shame of requiting him unthankfully who hath declared so much patience in our aberrations would worke upon us to love and feare and seeke him with all our hearts Now we may see in David an holy wearinesse of his evill wayes we may feele sinne a burthen oppressing him we may see it a pollution annoying him no rest in his bones because of his sinne Wee may also discerne some present effect of that wisedome which God had taught him which beginneth at the feare of God to eschew evill and doe good 2 Note the fervency of his spirit in this importunity of his strong supplications He that feeleth want of any thing good for him will not be said nay The unjust Iudge that feareth neither God nor man shall have no rest till he doe his poore petitioner justice The Disciples cannot still nor drive away the poore woman that petitioneth Christ for her distressed daughter The diseased of all sorts did pursue Christ for remedy The paralitique is let downe through the roofe of the house to be presented to Christ This teacheth us fervency in prayer for the fervent prayer of the just prevaileth with God It is the Apostles precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore he must be washt and purged till he may be cleane and he must be of Gods washing for who else can finde out all the secret conveiances of sinne who but he can sound the heart and search it to the bottome none but he can purge this temple of our bodies and whip out the defilers of it and make a denne of theeves an house of prayer againe 2 Yet more to shew his pollution he desireth to bee washt with hysope wherein he hath respect to the ceremoniall purgation used in the Law for the cleansing of a Leper Sinne is a leprosie and as the leprosie was purged with hysope dipt in bloud so must sinne bee purged with the sprinckling of bloud But the first mention that I reade of the use of hysope doth interpret this suit of David best for in the institution of the Passeover in the land of Egypt they were commanded to kill a Lambe and it is said And ye shall take a bunch of hysope and dip it in a bason in the bloud and ye shall strike on the upper dore post and on the two side posts with the bloud that is in the bason This sprinckling of bloud with a bunch of hysope was a type of the bloud of the Lambe without spot Christ Iesus used for 1 Purgation to remove the pollution of sinne 2 For propitiation to remove the punishment of sinne to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses and to establish safety there against all euill Saint Peter directeth his Epistle to the Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit and sprinckling of the bloud of Iesus Christ for if the bloud of Bulles and Goates and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe to God without spot Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God so that we may say of David in this Petition that hee is now come To Jesus the mediatour of the new Covenant and to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel Saint Augustine and Saint Gregory doe referre this Petition to the humility of Christ in his passion whereby wee are purged Surely Dauid had respect onely to the bloud of Christ for his purification from sinne for all the lotions and purgings of the old law did looke that way and were representations and types of that full purgation which was to be accomplished by the bloud of Iesus Christ for though temporava iatasunt the times are changed yet fides una faith is one and the same But give me leave to search somewhat deeper into this mystery for Davids last confession was of his originall sinne And this Petition following it so close calleth to my remembrance a Law of purgation of uncleannesse mentioned with hysope dipt in water to sprinckle the tent the vessels and the persons of such as were uncleane which I conceive to be a type of our Christian Baptisme which Christ instituted as a remedy against originall sinne and which the Apostle calleth the Laver of our new birth Cardinall Bellarmine was before me in this meditation Aperit unum ex occultis mysteriis divine sapientiâ— quòd videlicet tempore novi testamenti aspergendi essent homines aqua munda in Baptisme He opens one of the hidden mysteries of divine wisedome that in the time of the new Testament men were to be sprinckled with pure water in Baptisme Both wayes the bloud of Christ is the liquor of our purification and David so many yeares before the fulnesse of time in which he came actually to performe the worke of our redemption by the saerifice of his bloud did by faith apprehend both this remedy and the full effect of it for it was ever the way of our cleannesse since the fall of Adam and therefore Christ is called agnus occisus ab origine mundi the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world The grace of the holy Ghost inwardly purging the conscience from sinne by the application of the bloud of Christ was not perceptible by the sense and reason of man Therefore it pleased God in the law to relieve their weakenesse with externall types figures and representations Sacraments of strong signification to make these things more demonstrable The body of these is Christ and it is his onely bloud by which we are washed from
all sinne both originall and actuall A Sacrament of that purgation wee have in Baptisme which we receive once for all our life though it bee not barely the externall act that cleanseth us but the answer of a good conscience to God To this is added another Sacrament of nutrition by which we are invited to a spirituall feast of the body and bloud of Christ To which our preparation must be a putting on of holinesse But as Iehoshus the high Priest was first stripped out of his filthy raiment and then had cleane cloathes put on So must wee lay aside the old man corrupt with the deceiveable lusts of the flesh before we can be renewed in the spirit of our minde and put on the new man in righteousnesse and holinesse I herefore for our better preparation to this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ let me commend to you the holy example of David Let us beginne at a search and survey of our hearts for sinne even so deepe as our birth-sinne and originall uncleannesse Let us compare what we are in our inward parts with that which God desireth and the folly that possesseth us with the wisedome which God will give us if we aske it of him then shall we see what favour God hath done us in his holy Sacrament to offer us the benefit of his passion and the sprinkling of his bloud to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses This full example tendreth us all the ingredients in an holy preparation for Gods Table 1 Knowledge both of our disease and the remedy of it 2 Repentance of our sinnes as being sensible of the burthen and wearie of the annoyance of them 3 Faith depending upon God both for his tender mercies to pardon them and for his holy wisedome to prevent our relapsing after repentance into them 4 Charity to our brethren for David after promiseth to teach sinners and to direct them in good waies God can wash without hysope he can teach without the word he can cleanse without Baptisine he can nourish without the Lords Supper But having ordained outward types and signes and Sacraments and meanes for our purgation and nutrition David teacheth us hereto 5 To adde prayer to God not onely for the spirituall grace but for the outward meanes also Teach me by thy word wash me with thine hysope feed me with thy Supper So ought we to pray with David for the power of grace in the outward ordinance of God And that is the way to sanctifie our selves both to the Word and to the Sacrament There is nothing that doth more ineffectuate this blessed Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ to the receivers thereof then their uncleannesse for Pearles are not to be cast unto Swine And we must wash our hands in innocency before we compasse his altar Those corruptions which are within us in our heart are they that doe defile us for out of the heart proceed murthers adulteries drunkennesse strife and envying and these things pollute us These aske a great deale of hysope to sprinckle us with bloud to drench and steepe us in to fetch out the deep steines which they have made in our consciences These removed or our endeavour done to remove them wee may eate of this bread and drinke of this wine that he hath prepared 3 In resumption of this Petition we still see how weary David is of his filthinesse how ambitious of a purification For being yet in the stench and deformity and foulenesse of his sinnes he beleeveth that if he might be of Gods washing he should be whiter than snow Saint Paul biddethus desire the best gifts In things concerning this life wee have no warrant to desire above a competency Agur the wise sonne of Iakeh hath left us his prayer and it is part of our Canonicall Scripture Give me not riches give me not poverty feed mee with food convenient for me Christ hath limited our prayer for daily bread that is the necessaries of this life The Apostle biddeth if we have food and raiment to be therwith content but in the spirituall and eternall favours of God a greedinesse an ambition a covetousnes for the most and best highest of them doth best of all Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse There be degrees and measures of spirituall graces there be divers quantities of them As in the dye of sinne some are crimsin some scarlet so in the wash of repentance some attain to the whitenesse of wooll some of snow As David in the judging of himselfe findeth none so uncleane as he is so in his desire of purging he affecteth the whitest innocency They that have truely tasted the heavenly gift of holinesse here and the joyes of the life to come desire the uttermost of both and we cannot overdoe in coverousnesse of the one or ambition of the other But how doth David promise himselfe this whitenesse above snow Saint Augustine answereth that this innocency is but begun here it commeth not to any perfection in this life but his faith apprehendeth the complement of it hereafter 2 We may conceive in these sicuts these comparisons the fullest measure of innocency that wee are capable of here and hereafter 3 Or we may comfort our selves in dignatione divina in Gods approvement in whose gratious acceptation wee appeare so white because he accepteth us who calleth things that are not as if they were Or we may extend it to the full effect of the bloud of Christ which maketh a perfect work of our purification VERSE 8. Make mee to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce 2. HE prayeth for comfort against the terror of his conscience for his sin wherein 1 We have his griefe his bones broken 2 His suit fac me andire c. Make me to heare 1 In his griefe consider 1 The affliction it selfe bones broken 2 The author hereof Thou 2 In his Petition observe 1 Where he seeketh remedy of God 2 In what way by prayer 3 What is his suit to heare joy c. 4 What effect ut ossa gaudeant that the bones may rejoyce 1 His griefe therein 2 Of his affliction ossa confracta the bones broken This is a figurative speech whereby extreame affliction is often in Scripture expressed Sathan to God of Job Touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face It was Iobs complaint My bones were pierced in me in the night season David useth often to complaine of his bones as there is no rest in my bones because of my sinne his meaning is that the vexation of his conscience for his sinne is as painefull to him as the breaking of his bones How are we deceived in the temptation to sinne in the pleasute of sinne when we drinke it downe like water and hide it under our tongue if ever wee come to repentance of it it will be bitternesse in
that the purse hath saved the life yet that is but the price of intercession But the Kings pardon onely saveth life It is so in the state of our soules sinne is a capitall fault and the wages of it death and no way of escape from this just judgement but by Gods gratious and free pardon We cannot purchase a mediation at any rate to availe us without true and unfained repentance and then we have but one Mediatour to the Father and he must purchase our pardon with his bloud he must be wounded for our transgressions and we must be healed by his stripes and hee must dye for us that we may live in and by him Let Papists seeke heaven by their righteousnesse at their owne perill For my selfe I am so farre from trusting to any merits of our owne workes that I dare resolve that if the salvation of all mankinde had beene put to the plunge that Sodome was at with the other Cities to finde tenne righteous from Adam to the last man that shall stand upon the earth all mankinde must have perished for want of tenne such I dare adventure further in resolution that if the bringing one good worke before God done in all the generations of men performed without any tast or taint of sinne might save all mankinde I except none but Iesus Christ I doe beleeve that he that searched Jerusalem with candle and lanterne even his seven eyes which tunne to and fro through the whole earth cannot finde out one such good and perfect worke the caske distasteth the liquour who is he that doth good and sinneth not who doth good and sinneth not in the very good he hath done To make a worke perfectly holy is one thing to make it meritorious is another If no good work we doe can come from us holy it is not possible it should aske wages Our corruption of nature sprinckles every word worke and thought of ours with some graines more or lesse of our old Adam for as we consist of flesh and spirit ever conflicting there is of both in all we are or have it cannot bee otherwise for the imaginations of the thoughts of our heart are onely evill continually and from that neast these birds doe flye Adultery Fornication Strife c. But if wee could doe any worke holy and pure â—â—oâ—n blame yet there goeth more to it then holinesse to make it meritorious 1 It is required that we be able to doe it of our selves for no thankes to us for any good we doe if he land us the faculties and abilities of doing it 2 It is required that hee which deserveth should doe something for the benefit of him of whom he deserveth but our well-doing extendeth not to God 3 It is required that hee which meriteth doe his good worke out of his owne free will ex mero motu non ex debito meerely by his owne mooving not as of due debt For what we doe of duty we pay we doe not give 4 It is required that the reward bee proportionable to the worke for else whatsoever is more is gift not wages They that wrought all day deserved their penny they that came late had more gift then wages eternall life is too much reward for any service wee doe This putteth workes of supererogation quite out of countenance to name them is to shame them Micah 6. 6. Where withall shall I come before the Lord burnt offerings Calves of a yeare old Will the Lord bee pleased with thousands of rammes or with tenne thousand rivers of oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgressions the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee c. To doe justly to love mercy to walke humbly before thy God The way of repentance and crying God mercy is the way of humility we cannot pay our debt we cannot buy out our fault we have nothing to give our plea is miserere have mercy we can finde no way out of our sinnes but by Gods gratious and free pardon This is not so easie a favour obtained as many thinke for suppose the pardon were obtained and sealed for God have mercy yet there is no moment of our life in which we doe not forfeit it and therefore we must renew it continually When you pray say Pater noster dimitte nobis Our Father forgive us and semper orate pray alwayes Be sure to renew your pardon by repentance and prayer continually especially at such times when we come to the house of God to the Table of God now wash us throughly O Lord now O Lord have mercy upon us now purge us with hysope now hide thy face from our sinnes and blot on t all our iniquities Now make us heare joy and gladnesse which thou impartest to us in the Sacrament of thy sons passion Our Church service is holily accommodated to this for we beginne at the words wherein God maketh us heare of joy and we humble our selves to God in a contrite deploration of our sins O Lord heare us from heaven and when thou hearest shew mercy VERSE 10. Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me 4. HE prayeth for newnesse of life Here also he doubleth his petition and changeth the phrase 1 For his heart the seat of his affections 2 For the holy Ghost to sanctifie him throughout in his body soule and minde In the first observe 1 His suit is for the heart 2 He desireth that cleane 3 He wisheth it so by creation In the second 1 His suit is for the spirit 2 He would have that right 3 He would have it by renovation 1 For the heart there breed adulteries murthers and all other sinnes as Christ hath taught us and that was the neast of all his sinnes The message of God by Nathan descended into the secrets of his heart there he hid the word he saith before Thou requirest truth in the inward parts he found his heart no fit habitation for truth as it was It is our chiefest care to looke to the heart because Christ asketh that of us for himselfe My sonne give me thy heart The Church of the Iewes in tender care for the Church of the Gentiles complaineth We have a little sister and she hath no breasts what shall we doe for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for that is how shall wee doe for her when Christ shall be speake her for a Spouse for himselfe That should be our care every one for his heart wee have a foule and uncleane heart what shall we doe for it or how shall we answer when Christ saith My sonne give me thy heart Our care therefore must be for it to prepare it so that we may neither be ashamed nor afraid when Christ calleth for it to present him with it Here Salomon adviseth well Keep thy heart above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life This heart of ours hath many
enemies etiaÌ„ domestici ejus inimiciejus the enemies be homebred Iob amongst many other aberrations of men wherof he acquitteth himselfe saith if mine heart walked after mine eyes for when our eyes behold beauty as David did to lust we lose our heart by it Dinah is deflowred if she gad If our heart walk after our eare we may entertain wanton lascivious words which corrupt good manners calumnious and slandercus reports which deprave our neighbours dicterious and satanicall invectives which hurt their good name prophane and blasphemous words which dishonour the name of God If our heart walke after ouâ— tast wee may defile our bodies and soules with surfetting and drunkennesse to the distemper of our bodies the corruption of our soules the displeasing of God the defiling of our consciences the abuse of Gods good creatures unthankfully and the corrupting of others by our evill example So when Christ shall say to thee My sonne give me thy heart thou hast no heart to give him for whoredome wine and new wine take away the heart It is good for us to take into our consideration what is good and what the Lord requireth of us We see the fruit of it in David for having before considered that God requireth truth in the inward part he now becomes carefull of his inward parts and is an humble suter to God for his heart they that meditate not on these things lose their hearts 2 He desireth a cleane heart so he interpreteth his former petitions wash me cleanse me purge me with hysop me that is my heart there is a deepe steine in it of originall sinne there is a foule issue from thence of all other sins these make the conscience sicke of an infectious leprosie even to the second death these make our words and workes and our whole conversation noxious to our brethren obnoxious to the wrath of God The purging of the heart is the cleansing of the whole man for out of the abundance of the heart the tongue speaketh the eare heareth the eye seeth the foot walketh The heart ruleth and guideth all the rest of the man if the fountaine be cleare the streames that flow thence will bee pure and the waters sweet else they will be like the waters of Marab bitter waters Saint Augustine wonders at the folly of man be desireth every thing for himselfe good and of the best he loves cleane cloathing upon him he loves cleane feeding cleane lodging he is next to a bruit beast that is a sloven and yet few desire to have cleane hearts Cleane garners for your graine cleane warehouses for your commodities are desired Your heart is the granary for the pure seed of the word the warehouse for the rich commodity of Gods spirituall favours and graces if that be nastie and noysome stenched with our abominable sinnes tenanted by uncleane spirits Non est loâ—us in diversorio there is no roome in the Inne Though the Saviour of the world was borne in a Stable for want of a fitter roome his good spirit will not house it selfe in hearts that like Stables are fitter for bruit beasts than for the Sonne of God to be entertained there Beati mundi corde blessed are the pure in heart saith Christ S. Gr. upon that saith Si illum qui ab omni peccato mundus est in cordis nostri hospitio habere volumus oportet primò ut cor ab omni vitiorum sorde purgemus If we will have him in the Inne of our hearts which is pure from all sinne wee must first purge our hearts from the foulenesse of vices Our bodies be the temples of the holy Ghost our hearts the Chancell of the Church the Sanctum Sanctorum where the Arke of God is to be placed and where God should sit betweene the Cherubins He that defileth the house of God him will God destroy David asketh the question who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place he answereth He that hath cleane hands and a pure heart for no uncleane thing shall bee admitted to enter that holy place They that thinke well of this as much as they desire salvation with God in heaven so much will they strive with God by prayers to obtaine of him a cleane heart and an unstumbling conscience 3 He desireth this of God by way of creation crea in me create in me 1 He desireth this of God for hee onely is the purger of hearts who is the creator of them he takes it upon himselfe I will save you from all your uncleannesses we must goe out of our selves for this for so Ieremie confesseth O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe it is not in man that walketh to direct his steppes therefore helpe O God as before doe thou wash and cleanse and purge me with thy hysope and I shall be cleane if wee be of his washing we shall be whiter than snow 2 He requesteth this by way of creation to create is to make something of nothing Our hearts are so foule and corrupt that there is no repairing of them we must have nâ—w ones made of purpose to serve God with which God in wisedome knowing and in mercy pittying saith A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh 2 Petition 1 He desireth of God his spirit this is the spirit of sanctification This Saint Paul praied for the Thessalonians And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly or throughout The spirit of naturall life doth animate the body and maketh it fit for actions of life The spirit of God doth quicken us to actions thoughts and words which belong to holy life We are by nature dead in trespasses sins it is the good spirit of God by which we are new borne and without this we are the children of death for except ye be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven he that is so borne of this spirit hath a seed remaining in him 2 He desireth a right spirit the margent of the K. B. doth more naturally expresse the originall calling it a constant spirit For David had received the good spirit of God which so enlightened his understanding and so sanctified his affections and governed his whole conversation that he was a man after the heart of God But when he embraced that mischievous temptation which carried him away from the Word and Commandement of God and opened his eare to the perswasions of flesh and bloud then that good spirit forsooke him for a time and hee lay like a dead man insensible of his fault of his danger Therefore now returning to God by repentance he petitioneth God for a constant spirit that may abide ever with him to guide him that he may never
I beene holden vp from the wombe and resolveth to trust to that supportation I will goe in the strength of the Lord God Wee have many great examples in the best of Gods servants of falling into great sinnes Adam and Eve Noah Abraham Lot Isaack Iacob David Salomon Sampson Peter c. This feare shaketh David so that he craveth ayde of the good spirit for corroboration This is a singular marke of a just man so David describeth him he guideth his waies by discretion Surely he shall not be moved for ever his hart is fixed trusting in the Lord his heart is established We see here that the grace of repentance whereby weforsake sinne and turne to God and put our selves into the way of a new life will not serve unlesse the grace of confirmation doe establish us and keepe us from evill We are the Lords husbandry there is no end of that kinde of worke in the culture of ground there must bee breaking up of our fallow grounds stirring and plonghing till it be fit for seed There must be semination hrrowing to cover the seed There must be weeding of it and watering from heaven then an harvest then begin againe else Grandia saepe quibus mandavimus bordea sulcis Infelix lolium steriles dominantur avenae Often the furrowes where we sow good seeds Are overgrowne with cockle darnell weeds In the story of the widow that was so much in debt and her exactious creditours demanded her two sonnes for bondmen in satisfaction of the debt we reade that shee made her moane to Elisha he finding nothing in her house valuable but a small pot of oyle bade her borrow empty vessels and poure out and sell the oyle and pay the debt and said Live thou and thy children of the rest The Prophets care extended beyond the paiment of the debt to her maintenance In this miracle of Gods mercie here is a lively representation of his love to his elect For our sinnes doe make us debtors the justice of God is the creditour the graces of Gods spirit are the oyle he giveth of this plentifully to cleare the debt That is not all for this spirit which David here prayeth for he giveth for our after-maintenance that we grow not necessitous againe and renew our debt These two cares must not be parted the care of repentance and of a constant good life Christ joyned them together Ecce sanus factus es Behold thou art made whole and then noli amplius peccare sinne no more The corruption of nature is such even in the regenerate by the remaines of sinne that as tinder we are apt to take fire by the touch of the least sparke How then shall we bee fenced against the fiery darts of Sathan The grace of the spirit to beare off these and that which preserveth us from this fire is the shield of our faith for that establisheth our heart and moysteneth it so with the bloud of Iesus Christ that it cannot be apt to kindle suddenly And that faith doth David here request of God which is our best munition against these fiery assaults To shew what need every one of us hath to make this petition to our God for his confirming spirit 1 Let us see the miserable and unhappy condition of such as doe want this spirit 2 The singular benefit of such as have obtained it 1 Of the want we may all complaine of it for that want unheavened the Angels that kept not their first estate and turned the best of Gods creatures into divels and uncleane spirits the rebell and profest opposites of God and corrupters of man This want unparadised our first Parents and made them wofull spectacles of scorne Ecce homo factus est ut unus c. Behold the man is become like one of us What wanted in these two creatures to consummate the glory of their creation and to make their very making and happinesse but this free spirit of God to confirme and establish them It may be a wonder in reason and in religion why Almighty God did not accomplish his worke of creation by this addition of this spirit to the prevention of that misery that for want of it befell the creature and to the preservation of his owne worke from that malignity which followed sinne For hereby the creature became in it selfe corrupt and abhominable to the fellow creatures noxious and to God himselfe peccant and offensive all which had beene stayed by this one free spirit here desired I remember in the plea of God for his own full care of his people he urgeth that 1 He chose a fruitfull hill 2 He fenced it 3 He gathered out the stones 4 He planted it with the choisest Vine 5 He built a Tower in medio in the midst of it 6 He set up a Wine-presse in it and then he saith And now O inhabitants of Israell and men of Iudah judge I pray you betweene me and my Vineyard what could have beene done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it may we not heare his like complaint of Angels and man I created them in mine owne image I gave the one the fruition of heaven the other of Paradise the Angels saw my face Man was but a little lower than these Angels crowned with glory and honour invested in the dominion of his sublunarie creatures in the service of the very Angels and celestiall bodies What could have beene done more to these Angels and to man that I have not done in them may we not all answer Yes Lord thou mightest have given with these great favours thy free spirit to confirme and establish us in that happinesse and so we had beene alwaies as thou haddest made us In answer to this quere I could say who knoweth the minde of the Lord or who hath beene of his Councell we may step too farre having our shooes on our feet if we adventure to set our feet on holy ground the secrets of Gods will must be adored not searched God is not accountable to his creatures for his purposes or his actions With men the rule holds qui justè faciunt bis justi sunt they that doe justly are twise just but with God it is so that fecit omnia â—enè he hath done all things well and if he doe or say or decree or will any thing it is therefore just and good in high perfection because he doth it But you may take this for a put off and yet goe away unsatisfied Therefore seeing God calleth to the men of Iudah and inhabitants of Ierusalem to judge betweene him and his Vineyard I thinke we may boldly sit upon this cause and heare it indifferently God pleaded what could have beene done more clearing himselfe from all defectivenesse or failing on his part toward his creature Man replyeth one thing wanted even this spirit that David here desired I answer for God against all the world that that spirit was also given
that sinned are not capable of it The Angels that stand in their first estate never came to miserie and they stand by the providence and love of God But sinfull man maketh God called mercifull and he putteth him to his multitude of tender compassions This is the rock of our refuge our strong Citie of refuge against the pursuer it is our hiding place In nothing doth God comfort us more Therefore be ye merciful with this sicut Sicut pater vester coelestis as your heavenly Father There is nothing that flattereth sinne more and that giveth it growth and vegetation amongst us then the overweening of this mercie Every wicked man can say God hath multitude of tender compassions and his mercies are more then my sinnes it is true But what interest such a one may have in those mercies he little considereth For with the Lord is mercie that he may be feared and that a sinner may apply himself not to continue in his finne presuming upon it but for sake it beleeving it for he that confesseth and for saketh his sinne shall have this mercie Let us therefore begin with David at Confitebor contra me I will confesse against my self and say Peccavi contra Dominum I have sinned against the Lord with a conscience of our sinnes and a sense both of the pollution of them within our selues and of the provocation of Gods due displeasure against us for them Then it will be in season to call for mercie But if we over-weene our own integritie as some justiciaries do Sani non egent medico the whole need no Physitian or if we sinne on in confidence of mercy at last We shall finde that God sitteth in his throne and judgeth uprightly and that the ungodly shall not stand in judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous For the Lord knoweth the way of the just but the way of the ungodly shall perish 3. What effect he desireth of these mercies This is varied in phrase for he is passionate and exceeding earnest with God and plieth him with strong cries and supplications 1. To blot out his transgressions 2. To wash him throughly 3. To cleanse him 1. The blotting out of his transgressions hath reference to the books of God wherein all our transgressions are recorded 1. The book of Gods remembrance 2. The book of our conscience 1. The book of Gods remembrance God is a Seer and there is nothing hid from his eye and he doth consider the sonnes of men his eyes are upon all his wayes There is not a thought in our hearts but he knoweth it long before we our selues know it As he seeth so he remembreth and that we call his book of accounts wherein he recordeth all that is said done or thought that he may judge us according to all that is registred in that book whether it be good or evill He is said to blot us out of that book when our true repentance and his free pardon hath removed our iniquity from us Two Doctrines arise from hence 1. One of terrour all our sinnes are booked and kept upon record 2. Another of comfort they may be blotted out thence 1. Doctr. Knowing the terrour of the Lord we must be wariehow we sinne against him for though we love sinne he hateth it He is a God that loveth not wickednesse neither shall any evill dwell with him Though we sleight sinne and passe it over gainsomely and pleasantly yet he taketh it to heart and recordeth it that he may be able to set all our sinnes in order before us when time comes This is a black book and it will be a fearfull and shamefull thing to behold all our sinnes inventoried together All our idle words vain lascivious malitious false slanderous speeches all our loose thoughts all our vast and unlawfull desires all our ungodly works done all the good duties omitted all the evils we would have done all the imaginations of the thoughts of our hearts are not all these things written in his book We may conceive it by this David hath the honourable memory of walking in all the wayes of God alwayes save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittite That matter is recorded in this living book of holy Scripture so are many of the infirmities of his holy ones chiefly for terrour of his children that they might feare to sinne against him who keepeth so exact a score of all our transgressions These are called debts and God our creditour keeps his debt-book very perfect The Steward in the parable called his Masters debtors they could tell every man what he owed but who knoweth how often he hath offended We have no hope to pay these debts and therefore we desire mercy to blot them out of the book And if we look back upon the transgressions of our whole life we shall see need not onely of the loving kindnesse of the Lord but of the multitude of his tenderest compassions 2. Another book is the book of our Conscience this also keepeth a record against us It was called of old our inwit for though our appetite and witbe so corrupt that the deceivable lusts of the flesh do often transport us to Gods offence yet our understanding and reason and memorie informe our conscience of our sinnes and that booketh them This book is not so exactly kept as the other because 1. Many sinnes passe us which we are not aware of 2. Many thoughts words and works escape us which we think to be no sinnes our consciences not being rightly informed 3. Many sinnes our memory doth not retein which should give in evidence to our conscience against us 4. The conscience it self may be corrupted benummed seared and so many foule deeds may escape unrecorded Yet for all this if we had no other book opened against us to convince us of sinne but this This alone would call us guilty and expose us to wrath David sueth to have his transgressions blotted out of both these books For if the tender mercies of God should blot his book and the book of our conscience remaine against us we should live upon the rack in a perpetuall torture our spirit wounded within us It is well observed of Cardinall Bellarmine Sciebat David ex actione peccati relinqui in animâ— reatum mortis aeternae David knew that by the acting of sinne in his soul was left the guilt deserving eternall death You may discerne the convulsions and strong cramps of the soul for sinne in David There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne So long as we live in sinne we feele not the pain of it David for ten moneths found no great need of these mercies of God For a sinner during his impenitencie is as a man besides himself but reversus ad se returning to himself then he bethinketh in what case he stands before God Demersus in profundo drowned in the deep the Sea above him seems not heavy Elementa in loco non
our hearts are purged by that faith Verbum lavat non quia dicitur sed quia creditur The word washeth not because it is spoken but because it is beleeved 2 God washeth us by the water of baptisme which is therefore called the Laver of our new birth Which though it be received but once in our life as the Nicene Creed saith I beleeve one Baptisme for the remission of sinnes Yet it is available for our whole life and the vertue of it extendeth to our last gaspe thereof The Sacrament of Baptisme is for our new birth and as S. Augustine noteth As we are born once for our life so new born but once For the Lords Supper is renewed being for nutrition But the gift of God is without repentance David needed not a new circumcision after his fall his repentance renewed the vertue and power thereof 3 We are of Gods washing by the faith of Christ in his bloud which cleanseth us throughly from all sinnes That is the true and perfect lavatorie the fountain which God set open to the house of David and the inhabitants of Ierusalem that is to the whole Church of God for sinne and for uncleannesse For He gave himself for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquitie and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 3 Cleanse me See how fervent David is in his prayer he reneweth the same petition for his purification he hath but changed the phrase the suit is the same it was to be washt throughly but he expresseth it to the effect that he may be clean Sinne of all pollutions is the foulest it maketh uncleane eyes uncleane hands foule feet foule consciences A little washing of foule hands doth but foule them more we must wash till we be clean No unclean thing shall ever enter into the new Ierusalem So soone as the Angels had sinned they were cast out of Paradise aloft And so soone as Adam had sinned he was cast out of Paradise below So soone as Cain had sinned he was cast out of the presence of God and became a vagabond on the face of the earth The pure in heart shall see God who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart Therefore make me clean wonder not that David is so importunate with God for his full purgation from his sinne being so sensible of the danger of his impuritie For the reason why our uncleannesse remaineth upon us unpurged and we continue untroubled at it is we are not enough sensible of the foulnesse that defileth us or the danger that it brings along with it Some of us pretending holinesse can be well content and can pray to be washt but we affect not a perfect cleannesse We have some sinnes that bring in profit as usurie symonie bribery fraud lying perjurie and such like Some that put us forward in the world as ambition pride flatterie c. Some that give us pleasure and delight as adultery fornication immoderate eating and drinking chambering and wantonnesse c. Some that please our malitious disposition as revenge secret inâ—idiations cunning under minings satanicall libellings and wit-blasts c. David is for cleannesse he would have no remaine left upon his conscience of any unrepented sinne Wash me throughly and make me clean It is true penitence to forsake and abhorre sinne all kinde of sinne and to let no iniquitie have dominion over us We cannot so long as we live here put away sinne so that no remaines shall annoy us If we can quite the dominion of sinne that we suffer it not to reigne in our mort ll bodies this is our utter most And so long as sinne dwelleth in us not a received inmate but a violent intruder we shall finde that the Spirit of God will aid us so against it that as the Spirit in us doth daily grow with the increasing of God so the flesh will loose ground and the old Adam will grow weaker and weaker Our wounds which now stink and are corrupt through sinne will be so clean washt that there will be way made for healing of them up Medicus est offer ei mercedem Deus est offer ei sacrificium Is it a Physitian offer him a reward is it God offer him sacrifice The Prophet hath found out one alter in this Psalme Cor contritum a contrite heart VERSE 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sinne is ever before me 2 HIs confession wherein 1. He at large and in a generalitie confesseth his sinnes For I acknowledge my transgressions 2 He sheweth the motive to this confession a perpetuall sight of his sinnes 3 He considereth both the generalitie of his sinnes and this last speciall sinne in the offence by it given 4 He recounteth his originall sinne the fountain of his corruption 5 To aggravate his digression he compareth himself in a state of sinne with that condition which God exacteth of him and which he will hereafter work in him 1 His confession at large After a â—ight and sense of sinne in the work of repentance confession followeth 1 David confessed to Nathan sent of God to him to charge him with his sinne and that authoritie Christ left in his Church in the new Testament with the Priests therof Whosoever sinnes you remit they are remitted unto them absolution is not rightly administred but upon a faire evidence of a true and serious repentance Which must begin at confession and therefore the power of absolution doth suppose a duty of confession The abuse of confession in the Church of Rome hath gotten it an ill name some of them having many times corrupted it to their own ends to ransack the consciences of men and to romage the hearts of men to finde how they may serve their turns Yet was it an holy institution in the intendment thereof that a man should often survey all his thoughts and words and actions Censure them with griefe tremble at them with fear confesse them with shame cure them with good counsell expiate them with some revenge extinguish them with full purpose of amendment of life and establish their hearts with some healing comforts from the holy Word of God administred as cordials from our souls Physitians But as Auricular Confession hath been sometimes practised it is a kinde of encouragement to sinne for beleeving as some do that their confession and penance and absolution doth wash them throughly from all their iniquities and cleanse them from all sinne They spare not to commit all kindes of sinne in trust of this remedie making the remedie of sinne a provocation to sinne Like those mountebanks that in sight will wound themselves to shew the vertue of their salve and drink poyson in confidence of their antidote Penances also have been sometimes so easie and perfunctorious as they may make a sport at sinne study it with deliberation practise it with
against himself for it Personall considerations do much aggravate or extenuate sinnes Sinnes of ignorant persons are nothing so defiling them and provoking God as sinnes of knowledge Sinnes of yonger persons in whom the passions of youth are more unruly and understanding and reason as yet but in the blade offend not so much as sinnes of aged persons whom time and experience should both informe and confirme in better wayes they have felt more comfort of the favour of God and seen more examples of the justice of God and have been longer taught in the word of God and where God soweth liberally he expecteth to reape plentifully Sinnes in poore persons who have received little at the hands of God displease him not so much as theirs whose cup doth overflow whose pathes are anointed with butter and their bellies filled with the treasures of his plenty Sinnes in inferiour persons not so offensive as in Magistrates and Princes and eminent persons whose examples may prove infectious to corrupt many Generally the same sinnes in the people are lesse then in the Minister Cujus in ore verbum vitae cujus in more should be vitaverbi In whose mouth is the Word of life in whose conversation the life of the word Therefore when David remembred his own person a King and an holy Prophet so much beholding to God for his high favours his heart did the more smite him for his trespasse And thus should the example work with us upon any temptation to sinne to consider with Joseph How should I do this great wickednesse and there take occasion to recount the favours of God to us the fruits of the earth the fruits of the wombe of our cattel our peace our health our daily bread our friends and all the comforts of life concluding thus God hath deserved better at my hands then so that I should give way to this temptation and so sinne against him whose loving kindnesse hath followed me all the daies of my life Should I blaspheme his Name by swearing in whose name is my help Should I prophane his Sabbath who hath allowed me six dayes for my work and this one for my rest and relaxation of all cares of life to attend his service Should I offend my neighbour whom God made in his own image for whom Christ shed his pretious bloud and for whom he taketh care as he doth for me that he may live in peace by me And as this in early consideration may prevent sinne so in a later consideration it may serve to hasten our repentance and to make it more serious when not withstanding so many reasons against it I have yeelded to a temptation and committed a sinne The more cause I had not to do it the more must my repentance be 2 The Commission Have done evill Sinnes of omission wherein God is neglected or our neighbour in duties of pietie or charitie give great offence You may see it in the sentence I was hungrie Et non pavistis me Ite maledicti and ye fed me not Go you cursed Sinnes of desire though not effected and perpetrated do more offend for as our good desires do stand for acts and receive rewards so our evill and unlawfull desires expresse the malignity of our corrupt dispositions and merit just vengeance Sathan doth corrupt the heart first and then out of the foule treasure of the heart proceed all kinds of evils Peccatum animae the sinne of the soul is the pollution of the soul and God seeth it David was an adulterer when his desire was first enflamed with lust but now it is done Vriahs wife is defiled Uriah is slain here is a sinne of commission Sinnes of this kinde which corrupt us and do hurt abroad cannot be recalled so long as sinne is but in desire it defileth at home onely but when it comes abroad into action it is a complete and full unrighteousnesse Therefore in repentance we must especially have care of such evils as are done by us which we cannot recall to repent them heartily and to wash them clean from our consciences for they cleavefast to us they scatter their poyson abroad And if sinnes of omission do smart so upon offenders and sinnes of desire how deep is the scarlet dye of sinnes of commission 3 The trespasse I have done evill Evill is a creation of our own for all that God made was exceeding good This we can do of our selves yet Sathan puts us on by his temptations Yet not under the name or shew of evill the delight and pleasure of the flesh seemed in the temptation like the forbidden fruit faire to the eye and pleasant in taste The evill we commit if we think of it will soon appeare like it self to our understanding and reason but especially to the Spirit of God in us But our appetite hath not the leasure to advise with these in general delight is good pleasure is the gift of God But if this be not regulated by the Canon of manners which is the holy law of God there may be a latent evill which we are loath to see for feare of depriving our selves of our desired delight But when lust hath conceived we see the birth of sinne quickly succeeding Then the pleasure is gone and nothing remaineth but the evill the guilt of sinne and the burthen of the conscience That is done and there remaineth behinde the sting of it anguishing the conscience or the custome of it searing the conscience Every evill we do is an injury to God and a contempt of his Law If God should for his pleasure scourge and torment us and make it his sport to heare our groanings and to see our teares who could challenge him for using his own creatures according to his own will but as a father he loveth us our paine his smart How is it then that we take pleasure in evill which God hateth and which so offendeth him that his soul abhorreth all them that work wickednesse It is a better way to be before hand with quid faciemus What shall we do good Master what good thing may I do to obtain everlasting life then to cry Quid feci what have I done Oh what evill have I done to deserve death Or as Job Peccavi quid faciam tibi I have sinned what shall I do unto thee The name of evill should loath us it is so foule and it should feare us it is so dangerous Therefore in all temptations to it it will be our wisedome and holinesse to abstract the pleasure of evill from the evill To part them and weigh them by themselves We shall finde the pleasures of sinne in weight lighter then vanity and in such firme conjunction with vexation of the spirit and for their lasting so short lived and so soone gone and leaving such a bitternesse in the soul behinde them that the very thought thereof in sad consideration will call such mirth madnesse and say to such pleasure What meanest thou Again evill weighed by
foule shame In the Apostles time it was a modest sinne he saith They that are drunke are drunke in the night Now day and night are both guilty of it it is a sinne in fashion meetings of purpose called and intended for it The farewels of friends parting the welcomes of friends returning the celebration of great Festivals as if Bacchus had washt us in the bloud of the grape from our sinnes But God will be justified in his sayings he will declare his justice in his severe punishment of this sinne here and if it be not sincerely repented he hath told us home what he will do No drunkard shall enter into the kingdome of heaven I should lay your sinne to my own charge if I should not let you know the terrour of the Lord in this case The defence of it by the societie of sinners aggravateth the sinne God hateth it so much the more Malum quo communius Sinne the more common the worse 2 He declareth his justice in the performance of his mercie to his elect For even in these examples in my text alledged 1 To Adam he shewed mercy who sinned having onely a Law for his obedience with a penalty threatned in case of disobedience but there was no promise a foot if he should trespasse that Commandment And that made Adam when he had sinned hide himself from the presence of God ashamed and afraid to come in sight But God in free favour did seek him out and before he called him to his answer for his sinne he reveiled mercie in the promised seed When he laid his curse upon the Serpent that tempted him and therefore ever since his time sinners have a way of grace opened in that promise and no sinnes if sorrowed for can evacuate the force of that promise it standeth good to all that truly and sincerely repent So as David saith In judgement he remembreth mercie There he did so in the very sentence of judgement upon the Serpent was the first revelation of mercie to man He had no Obligation of a former promise to binde him to it but it was a free and voluntarie tender of favour growing out of his own perfect and absolute goodnesse In the tender whereof he hath given us strong assurance that if in free favour he would do so much much rather when he had put us in securitie thereof by promise 2 The example of favour to Noah doth justifie God in his sayings for he shewed him much favour after his fatherly correction of his fault 1 In verifying his blessing upon his two sonnes Sem of whom Abraham came and the twelve Patriarches and David and Christ Iesus And to whose tents in the fulnesse of time he invited Japhet and brought in the fulnesse of the Gentiles 2 In accomplishing his curse upon his yongest sonne many yeares after by giving away their Land from them and rooting them out with a violent destruction This performed upon the repentance of Noah which thought it be not in expresse and full termes set forth in the storie yet we may take it so signified when Moses saith And Noah awoke from his wine that is not onely recovered after sleep to sober judgement but to a penitent recognition of his sinne And by the spirit of prophecie he was enlightned to looke into times to come and to foresee the future estate of his posteritie and by the spirit of supplication to desire God for his eldest sonne and by the spirit of faith to beleeve in the resolved goodnesse of God to his second sonne And in all the story of holy Scripture we finde that the sinnes of repentant men though chastened with some temporall roddes of affliction yet never failing of mercie Davids children that transgressed were threatned with the roddes of men but with reservation of favour not to take his mercie utterly from them as from Saul 2 We shall now see how David did beare himself in the wise consideration of these two things 1 When he confest his sinne whereby God was justified in his threatnings of judgement He declareth his own humble patience submitting himself to the holy hand of God q. d. I confesse all my sinnes this my horrible and crying sinne that the world may see thy justice in punishing me and my patience in bearing it Stripes were ordained of purpose for the backs of fools I am one of them and I put my self under thy punishing hand He is content that as he hath made himself an example of a grievous sinner so God should declare in and upon him an example of his severe justice and so be justified in his sayings If God did forbeare all other punishments of our sinne in our own persons in our house and familie in our goods in the necessaries of life in which kindes he ordinarily avengeth himself upon offenders yet if the sinner shall but truly repent him of his sinne repentance it self is a greater punishment then all these There is more in it when it is said of Peter that he went forth and wept bitterly then in the disciples Reliquimus omnia We have left all And Saint Paul felt more smart in the thorne in his flesh and the Angell of the Lord bufferring of him then in all his dangers by Sea and Land his stripes shipwracke imprisonment When our own consciences are upon torture our souls upon the rack when we judge and take vengeance upon our selves it is judgement without mercy We ever feare we underdo Therefore the conscience of his sinne doth beare witnesse to the justice of God and he findeth no fault with his punishment Surely murmurers that repine at the punishing hand of God and think much of his judgements enflame the anger of God more by their resisting his right hand which hath found them out If they went in Davids way to take a just dimension of their sinne and did confesse it contritely to God they would be content that he should declare his justice in their punishment and they would see that he would overcome if he came to be judged Speak thy conscience when thou abusest thy drink to drunkennesse if God punish thee with thirst hast not thou well deserved it If thy meat to surfet if thy strength to wantonnesse c. 2 He sheweth faith For notwithstanding these many and this foule great sinne he beleeveth that God will be justified in his sayings that is declared just in his gracious promises of mercie The sinnes of the elect cannot outgrow the mercies of God nor our offences make his truth faile David is so full of this faith that as he spendeth part of this Psalme in a deploration of his sinnes so he bestoweth also part of it in supplications whereby he declareth his faith VERSE 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquitie and in sinne did my mother conceive me 4. HE recounteth his originall sinne the corrupt fountaine of all his impurities he makes way to it with an Ecce for now he is at the
most orthodoxe Fathers of the Church in their own words For he citeth Ireneus Ciprian Reticius Olimpus Hispaâ— Hilar. Ambrose Innocentius Gregor Basil Magnus Chrysost and Jerome which is a full cloud of sacred witnesses of antiquity beleeving and teaching the same doctrine This upon the Text in hand Saint Augustine doth clearly avouch Nunquid David de adulterio natus erat quid est quod sie dicit nisi quia trahitur iniquitas ab Adam Nemo nasâ—itur nisi trahens poenam trabens meritum poenae Was David born in adultery Why speaks he so but because iniquity is drawn from Adam There is none born which draws not punishment drawing that which deserves punishment He urgeth the words of the Apostle Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum propago sumus corporis mortui The body is dead by reason of sinne We are the off-spring of a dead body Julian the Pelagian did urge against originall sinne the honourable state of Matrimony So Saint Augustine chargeth him Tu autem dicis nuptias sine dubio damâ—ari ab omni sit liberum obligatione peccati But thou sayest The condemning of marriage is no sinne But marriage was ordained and the blessing of propagation was given before the sinne of Adam And marriage is honourable among all men and the bed undefiled The sinne of Adam did not discommand marriage nor reverse the blessing of encrease And Saint Augustine upon this Psalme doth answer Opus hoc castum in conjuge non habet culpam sed origo peccati trahit secum debitam poenam Non enim maritus quia maritus mortalis non est aâ—t aliunde nisi peccato mortalis est Matrimoniall function is without fault but originall sinne draws with it the punishment due to it For the husband as a husband brings not death nor any way but by sinne God provided a remedy the seed of the woman against sinne and suffered humane infirmity to passe on that he might shew mercie where he pleased But you may demand what any spirit of contradiction can alledge against Davids disert confession of his formation and conception in sinne Our Anabaptists answer That it is a question whether his confession here intend himself or his mother It was a poore shift to busie our thoughts about such a question for why should David confesse any thing here concerning his mother If any why not both parents This confession must have coherence and correspondence with the former I acknowledge my wickednesse my sinne is ever before me But what if it concerne him Then thus he confesseth and desireth God to consider whereof he was made of dust weak flesh unable to resist the tempter when the Law came unto him through which weaknesse he was overcome This is that which we call originall sinne this Carentis justitiae wanting of righteousnesse this impotencie to all good acts this seed of corruption which is the teeming and pregnant spawne of all sinnes But they would have it that as Christ because he had our flesh and was made sinne yet was no sinner So David though confessing himself conceived in sinne was not by conception and birth a transgressour To which we answer 1 That the comparison is blasphemous between Christ and David for Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost David in the ordinary way of flesh 2 That we call not originall sinne transgression of the Law in origine for that is the definition of actuall sinne For originall sinne is defined 1 Est corruptio naturae à prima perfectione It is the corruption of nature from the first perfection 2 Est corruptio naturae hominis quae efficit ne vere obediamus legi Dei nec simus sine peccato It is the corruption of humane nature which makes us unable to obey Gods Law that we cannot be without sinne 3 Est ignorantia inmente concupiscentia in carne It is ignorance in the minde and concupiscence in the flesh 4 But the fullest is this It is an hereditarie corruption of nature which bringeth forth in us the works of the flesh and proneth us to all evils and thereby doth fasten upon us a guiltinesse whereby we are in desert and danger of the wrath of God And this is the sinne which David here confesseth which began with him in his very conception But they alledge that the words of David may have reference not to himself but to his mother Then we must understand him thus that David doth not confesse sinne as a fault but as a punishment and so it hath regard to curse I will multiply the sorrows of thy conceptions So he onely meaneth his mothers punishment for the fall and his weaknesse through the fall That weaknesse we call originall sinne But why David in his repentance should repent his mothers punishment we cannot so well discerne for true repentance hath respect not to the punishment deserved but to the sinne deserving it Therefore these poore flashes of humane wisedome which is carnall sensuall and diabolicall cannot elude the evidence of truth that David bewailing his sinne doth repaire to the root of it in his conception confessing the first seminarie of this weaknesse to begin there But our Anabaptists urge further that if the matter of which David was made was tainted with sinne Then was also the matter of which Christ was made tainted with sinne for he was conceived in the wombe of a mother We reply That he was conceived by the holy Ghost and it was an holy thing that was born in his mother so the Angel saith to her They reply that then Christ was not true man for he was not born of the substance of his mother We answer That Christ was born of the very substance of Mary and that in his miraculous generation by the holy Ghost the substance was not changed but the qualitie of it For when David prayeth after for a new heart he doth not desire to have the substance of his heart changed but the qualitie thereof that of a sinfull and unclean heart it may be made a pure and holy heart a fit Temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in Thus I hope I have to any sober judgement cleared both our received doctrine of originall sinne and the interpretation of my Text against these old and new Pelagians and so the confession of David standeth good that beside his actuall transgressions of the Law he standeth guilty before God of originall uncleannesse from which corrupt fountain all his streames of actuall iniquities do derive I will now fortifie this doctrine with plain demonstrations of the truth from the Scripture 1 Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom all have sinned Neverthelesse death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after Adams transgression Saint Augustine understandeth this sinne to be that originall sinne that David here complaineth of for
Adams was actuall and death reigneth not but where sinne reigneth The same Apostle finding in his understanding enlightned and in his zeale inflamed and in his will rectified by the Spirit of God good motions to serve God uprightly yet those discouraged and ineffectualled in him often he chargeth all this upon his corrupt nature which he calleth Peccatum inhabitans Sinne dwelling in him Vers 20. Lexmembrorum the law of his members Vers 23. Corpus mortis the body of death Vers 24. The flesh Vers 25. With my minde I serve the Law of God with my flesh the law of sinne This the Author to the Hebrews doth call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sinne that doth so easily beset and inviron us For this little Infants unborne and new borne are subject unto death and to charge death without a charge of sinne would call the judge of all the world unjust That there is originall sinne and that David here complaineth of it we have made it cleare Now observe that David in his repentance to make it full doth apply all his sinnes to the multitude of Gods tender compassions For a full confession maketh way to a full absolution When Jeremiah advise thus to search and try our wayes first and then to turn to the Lord he intendeth that we must examine our hearts in this search to the bottome and go so farre back in this inquisition as to the mother sinne the primitive and originall masse of corruption which empoysoneth our nature which cancreth our manners and in time gangreneth our whole conversation mortally to the very dominion of sinne David doth so for here he looketh back so farre as to his first conception and diggeth so deep as the root of his sinne For he chargeth all his transgressions upon this beginning of sinne which indeed in all the children of Adam is not onely a naturall pollution defiling us but it is a corrupt seed shooting out in time into a blade and bearing a full eare of actuall prevarications Therefore no man knoweth his own heart and let no man be so bold of his own strength to promise resistance to such temptations as have corrupted others It is the Apostles good counsell Brethren if any man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse considering thy self lest thou also be tempted In which words The considering of thy self is no other then the wise remembrance of thy originall corruption for there is tinder in thee apt to take fire from a little spark There is in Sathan both cunning and malice enough with his temptations to strike this fire The Apostle useth a fit word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 si anticipetur for sometimes we are by sensuall motives perswaded and by semblance of good deceived or by entisements of pleasure or profit allured to evill When the Serpent as with Eve disputeth with us and corrupteth our judgement darkeneth our reason blindeth benummeth or deadeth our conscience and so we not onely take but gather and give the forbidden fruit Sometimes Sathan catcheth us by surprise and with a sudden temptation having all opportunities for sinne to friend he overtaketh us and embarketh us in some trespasse before we have leasure to advise our selves So was Troy taken at last by a cunning stratageme Victâ—mque quamvis videat Vix or edit sibi potuisse vinci She saw her self orecome by foes Yet scarse beleeves she what she knows Thus was David here caught he was at leasure in peace in glory and power at ease his mind now quiet his breasts full of milk his bones of marrow and walking on the leads of his house his eye no sooner was fastened on the beauty but his heart was fired with lust after Vriahs wife he enquired of her sent for her defiled her prevented and surprized with a sudden temptation This he imputeth to his naturall corruption by his originall and birth sinne So some that have ever made conscience of an oath yet upon a sudden passion sometimes rap out a fearfull oath to Gods great dishonour and their foule offence So some that make conscience of giving Suum cuique to every one his own yet upon an opportunitie offering them anothers goods upon faire termes of likely secrecie have robbed a neighbour I have upon like occasion given examples of this work of corrupt nature in the sonnes of men in Hazael who brought a present from Benhadad to Elisha to demand whether his master should dye of that disease The man of God looked Hazael so stedfastly in the face that Hazael was out of countenance but the man of God wept And when Hazael demanded why weepeth my Lord He answered Because I see the evill that thou wilt do to the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their yong men wilt thou destroy with the sword and wilt dash their children and wilt rip up their women with childe And Hazael said But whâ—t is thy servant a dogge that he should do this great thing Yet presently he returned to his master brought him comfort of his recovery and on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipt it in water and spread it on his face that he dyed He reigned in his stead and did like a dogge all that evill c. When Christ said one of his twelve should betray him Judas was one of them that demanded with the rest Nunquid ego Domine Is it I Lord But a sudden temptation surprised him Then entred Sathan into Judas Iscariot And he went his way and communed with the chiefe Priests and Captains how he might betray him unto them Most memorable is the example of Peter whom Christ forewarned of his denyall of him A thing so farre from Peters heart that he took it ill to be so charged he protested against it and vowed to dye with him or for him rather then he would deny him Yet being in the high Priests Hall when Christ was ill used there for feare of his own skinne he denyed and forswore him thrice This body of sinne we do all alwayes beare about us and therefore we passe the time of our so journing here with feare for which of us may not be thus surprised For there is no kinde of sinne which our heart abhorreth most but we are in danger of it by reason of our naturall corruption wherefore Christ taught us to pray Et ne nos inducas in tentationem And leade us not into temptation Therefore a wise man feareth and departeth from evill but a foole rageth and is confident Folly is rash and goeth on inconsiderately and trusteth to his own strength We live in perpetuall danger by reason of this naturall corruption for the Spirit hath his eclipse and often upon our grieving him leaveth us in our own wayes that we may see our naturall impotencie to that which the Law requireth of us and be so much the more
our fault is that we do not husband our talent of Gods grace and of Christs merits to our amendment of nature and to the expurgation of our sinne Yet for Infants that have no sinne but that to answer for in the ordinary way of Gods favour I make no question of their salvation by Baptisme for so the Apostle Baptisme saveth us Yet the want of the outward Sacrament which cannot be charged upon little Infants doth not deprive them of the favour of God because the covenant is not limited by the signe of it The promise which is the soul and life of the Sacrament is past to you and to your children The Church of Rome denyeth unbaptised infants a place in heaven and they have built them a Limbus an upper-roome above hell where they place them but they cannot agree upon their estate there Some of their learned depriving them of the fruition of heaven but allowing them life everlasting without paine and with some measure of happinesse Others allow them an earthly paradise of naturall felicity for ever Thomas and others that they are deprived of the sight of God and have no poenam sensus paine of sense inward or outward Driedo and others affirme both poenam damni sensus paine of losse and sense But Saint Augustine saith he could never reade in Scripture of more then two places heaven for the saved and hell from that distanced very farre off for the damned Locum tertium non reperio I finde no third place We confesse that originall sinne without Christ is mortall but Christ became man and was born of a Virgin and became an Infant for Infants to preserve them from hell and we beleeve charitably and comfortably of them that he receiveth such to himself The conclusion of this point is that seeing we are thus born filii ira the children of wrath we should make it the exercise of our whole life to strive against this naturall corruption and to weaken the force of the flesh all we can by mortifying the deeds thereof and to grow daily in wisedome and knowledge and faith and obedience perfect throughly perfect to all good works making our election and calling sure in our owne consciences to the establishing of our hearts till we grow up to be perfect men in Christ Iesus for if we mortifie the deedes of the flesh by the spirit we shall live VERSE 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make mee to know wisedome 5. TO aggravate his owne digression hee compareth himselfe in this state of transgression with that condition which God exacteth of us and which he will hereafter worke in him In which words we have 1 Davids feare 2 Davids faith 1 Davids feare He confesseth his transgressions and iniquities and sinnes and would very faine be quit of them because he findeth them so contrary to the holinesse and pure perfection of the divine nature for David had lived in the open profession and practise of religion he had established both religion and Courts of Iustice in Ierusalem yet secretly his corrupt heart had embraced a temptation to sinne and he had effected it whereby he had displeased God for God is not pleased with an out-side and semblance of religion which may passe currant with men who see no deeper than the shew he is a searcher of hearts and desireth not a seeming and shew but truth and that not in a face of holinesse in an outward profession but in the inward parts 2 Davids faith that notwithstanding this his grievous declination from the wayes of God yet God in his mercy will repaire him againe and make him to know wisedome in his hidden part that is in his understanding and in his heart Thus we must understand this text following our new translation but former translations doe alter the sense and change the matter of this verse The vulgar Latine the Spanish the Italian the French the old English the Geneva reading Junius Pagnine Calvine and generally all the translations that I have read and Comments Saint Augustine Lâ—dolphus Saint Ambrose Saint Gregory Cardinall Bellarmine c. doe all reade one way Thou hast made me to understand wisedome secretly Which doth also adde weight to the burthen of his sinne for seeing God requireth truth in the inward parts and had secretly informed him with wisedome to know so much and to direct him in the way of obedience This maketh Davids sinne greater who not onely transgressed Gods Commandement but sinned against the knowledge and wisedome which God gave him against it onely Montanus his interlineare readeth it in the future whom our translators of the Kings Bible have followed the originall doth beare it well and I choose rather to see David in faith then in feare and therefore I embrace our reading wherein David beleeves that God will make him wiser hereafter 1 Concerning his feare he had cause to mistrust himselfe when his conscience accused him of hypocrisie for having maintained an outward expressure of religion his heart proved false to God and his eye walked in wrong waies and misguided his heart God who looketh not onely upon our outward man but upon the heart soone found him out and saw the abhominations there for he is searcher of hearts and reines There is not a better rule to manage either our conversation or our faith or our repentance by then this to consider what God requireth of us and wherein he delighteth Micah the Lords Prophet saith He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord doth require of thee Hee is our Lord and it is fit that we take notice of his will and what he requireth he will shew us nothing but good the old way the good way that walking in it we may finde rest for our soules He desireth our eares to his word Let him that hath eares to heare heare what the spirit speaketh c. He desireth the eyes of our body that we keepe them from beholding vanity that we liâ—t them up to the hils unde auxilium whence commeth our helpe He requireth the lifting up of our hands in prayer the stretching out of our hands in almes in good workes in labour in our callings in subvention and supportation of the weake in taking up such as are fallen He requireth our tongues in voce laudiâ— in the voyce of thankesgiving wee must make his praise to be heard In prayers and supplications with strong cries He requireth our feete to tread in his Courts to stand in the gates of Ierusalem and cave pedi take heed to thy foot He requireth our knee for he hath sworne in holinesse â—gressum est verbum c. the word is gone forth Every knee shall bow to me O come let us worship and fall downe and kneele before the Lord but all these are formes which an hypocrite may put on and personate and act and who can say but he is religious and feareth
the latter end it will not be a luxation of our bones putting them out of joynt but a breaking literally this must not be understood of the breaking of bones neither the contrary spoken also by David Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him our of them all He keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken for wee know that not onely alive but dead the bones of the Lords servants have beene violated their dead bones lye scattered like chippes of wood at the mouth of the grave By bones the strength of the body the inward strength and vigour of the soule is meant And the conscience of sinne and the terrour of judgement doth breake the heart of a true penitent so long as he beholdeth his sinne deserving his death his judge ready to pronounce the sentence of it hell open to receive him for it and the evill Angels Gods executioners at hand to hurry him to it Here is extremity of anguish even anima doloris dolor animae the soule of sorrow the sorrow of the soule enough to make a man goe weeping all the day long I beseech you lay this example to heart David that walked with an upright heart and the holy Ghost hath testified him unblameable save onely in this matter of Vriah the Hittite Yet see how he afflicteth himselfe for all his other transgressions which were not laid to his charge his conscience forgiveth him nothing No question but David had many infirmities and many other aberrations some upon record yet they were all by his repentance and the favour of God past over yet they upbrayd him now all of them come upon him like a breach of waters with so fierce irruption and so deluging inundation that they steepe him in deepe waters and cover him all over with affliction The reason is as in sinne the fault he that breaketh the least Commandement and repaireth not himselfe by repentance is guilty of the whole law so in transgressions he that repenteth of all the sinnes he hath done and hath his pardon under seale by the next offence is lyable to all the evidence againe of his former sinnes he cancelleth and forfeiteth his pardon for pardon ever bindeth to good behaviour This breakes the bones of David to have all this weight upon him 2 The author of this Thou hast broken God in favour to his children doth afflict them for sinne and the very phrase of breaking his bones though it expresse extremity of misery and paine yet it hath hope in it for broken bones by acunning hand may be set againe and returne to their former use and strength so that a conscience distrest for sinnes is not out of hope yet upon that hope no wise man will adventure upon sinne saying though I am wounded yet I may be healed againe though I am broken I may be repaired for let him consider 1 Who breakes his bones Thou he that made us our bones and put them in their severall places and tyed them together with ligaments and covered them with flesh he that keepeth all our bones from breaking it must be a great matter that must move him to breake the bones of any of us The God of all consolation that comforteth us in all our distresses when he commeth to distresse us this makes affliction weigh heavy It was Iobs vexation The arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God doe set themselves in array against mee He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth mee with bitternesse What greater sorrow can be then to have God in opposition 2 The paine of the affliction exprest so feelingly in the breaking of bones which as is said is the anguish of the soule for sinne and feare of the consuming fire of Gods wrath and the tempest as Iob cals it of anger 3. The paine of setting these bones againe for though bones dislocate may be put in joynt and though bones broken may be set againe yet this is not done without paine and great extremity to the Patient Repentance setteth all our broken pained bones it recovereth the soule from the anguish thereof but hee that once feeleth the smart of a true repentance will say the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season are as hard a bargaine as ever he made and as deare bought they cost teares which are sanguis vulner aticordis the bloud of a wounded heart they cost sighes and grones which cannot be exprest they cost watching fasting taming of the body to bring it in subjection even to the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof Therefore let no man adventure his bones in hope of setting them againe But how did God breake the bones of David here 1 Outwardly by his word sent in the ministerie of Nathan the Prophet for the word and voyce of God is a two edged sword This was all the strength by which Jeremie was sent forth by God on that great businesse over nations and over kingdomes to root out to pull downe and to destroy and to throw downe Behold I have put my words in thy mouth This is the sword of the spirit and though our doctrine drop as the raine gently and easily if we drinke it in and become fruitfull by it yet when our sinnes doe overgrow we shall finde it a sharpe Conlter to rend the fallow grounds of our hearts we shall finde it a rod of iron to breake our soules in pieces and this word runneth very swiftly it is gladius versatilis a sword that turneth every way 2 But it is a dead letter and draweth no bloud till it come to the conscience for so long as it beateth the eare and ayre onely and worketh no further than the understanding there is no great cumber with it as wee see in those who daily heare their swearing and drunkennesse reproved in the house of God and threatned with losse and deprivation of the kingdome of God it worketh not upon them but when Nathan comes home to their consciences tu es homo thou art the man God hath sent mee to thee to charge thee with this sinne and to tell thee hee is angry and is whetting his sword to cut thee off for it this breaketh and shattereth the bones and though our publike ministery doe not descend to such particulars as tu es homo thou art the man and our private reproofes are subject to ill constructiou yet a plaine dealing death bed will roare it in our eares of our inward man Tu es homo thou art the man thou hast lived a blasphemer of the name of God a glutton a drunkard c. This fils the soules of many dying persons with so much bitternesse that when the sorrowes of death are upon them and the judgement of their whole life in sight the conscience of their sinnes doth make their soules much sicker then their bodies One of
these in this distresse can tell you whether this be not a breaking of their bones Let the Word therefore work upon us and let every hearer when he heareth his sinne reproved take the reproofe to him and prevent an accusation tu es homo thou art the man with a confession Me me ad sum qui feci I I have done it So breaking our bones with remorse and contrition wee shall save them from his breaking we shall reserve them to his healing and binding up I conclude this point in the words of our Saviour He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day 2 Davids suit wherein 1 Where he seeketh remedy it is from God the hand that â—â—oke his bones can set them againe no other hand can doe it Come let us returne to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up David knoweth that God hath a multitude of tender compassions he layd that foundation of his faith repentance and prayer Verse 2. Whom have I in heaven but thee there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever David had good friends in heaven Abraham the father of the faithfull Isaac the seed promised Iacob that wrastled with God and prevailed yet he seeketh to none of these and I never read in either Testament of any one that had any suit to Abraham but the rich man in hell To countenance the use of invocation of Saints yet that hath no life in it to encourage any such mediation All the booke of God through the addresse of prayers hath beene onely to God and he hath revealed so open a way of accesse to him that wee need not goe so farre about for David saith He also will heare their prayers and will helpe them David was put to it to try all the wayes of comfort and hee used no other invocation The sorrowes of death compassed me the paines of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow then called I upon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soule God maketh this good use of our sinnes to bring us to him and sinne never undoeth us till it driveth us away from God to seeke help elsewhere You see what good successe the richman had with Abraham he could not get a drop of cold water he was sent to Moses and the Prophets for his brethren They sought no helpe any where but immediately in God he hath healing under his wings wings are the emblemes of speed he is swift to heare our complaints to heale our sores He healeth all our infirmities and forgiveth us all our sinnes 2 How he seeketh remedy by prayer he doth not come pharisaically to God to justifie himselfe by his former conscionable living he doth not â—lledge how he hath walked and done that which is right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the daies of his life save onely in this thing All our former holinesse will not beare us out in any one sinne but when we fall we cause all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in the sinne that he hath sinned in them shal he dye rather our sinne is aggravated thereby therefore the way of prayer is the way of remedy Let us seeke the face and favour of God so by confession deprecation and supplication The fountaine is deepe but we have wherewith to draw up the waters thereof our prayer is a bucket that will not come up empty The Apostle biddeth semper orate pray alwayes Christ biddeth aske seeke knocke This the Prophet calleth buying without money when we have all good things for asking The Church of Rome hath not a worse barre to keepe her children from God and other men from their communion then by teaching them to say prayers in a strange tongue for all such petitioners have their answer nescitis quid petatis ye know not what ye aske our understanding our affections our faith our hope all must be exercised in our prayers 3 What is his suit Make me to heare joy and gladnesse We may demand why David doth desire this now seeing he had no sooner confest his sinne but Nathan pronounced his absolution he heard joy in his pardon he heard gladnesse in the remedy of his punishment non morieris thou shalt not dye 1 David had heard this comfort from Nathan yet hee desireth further assurance of it from the spirit of God for in so sudden joyes we are not our owne men so are wee transported with the gladnesse thereof When thou broughtest againe the captivity of Sion we were like to them that dreame Our foule sinnes doe make us feare that it is too good to be true 2 He desireth more of this comfort more joy and more gladnesse The joy of sinne and delight of sense doth much hinder repentance the joy of the holy Ghost doth crown repentance 3 David openeth himselfe in his phrase of Petition he doth not say give me joy and gladnesse but make me heare for the vessell of his heart was not yet capable of the joy that was now tendred to him griefe and anguish had filled it he prayeth therefore for capacity to receive this gladnesse Five notes grow upon this point 1 When he had heard already he desireth to heare more they that have once tasted of this joy are never satisfied but cry alwaies give give till they come to the fulnesse and fatnesse of Gods house 2 See what a distressed man a sinner is Enosh he is â—â— fraid he shall never have joy enough â—â—◠〈◊〉 prayeth here for double joy joy and gladnesse joy in his pardon of sin gladnesse in his favour 3 See how long the conscience of a sinner is tost like to the sea after the winde is laid 4 Observe how he would have his joy come to him ex auditu fac me audire by hearing make me to heare for ex auditu fides faith comes by hearing he lost his joy by harkening to the voyce of the Serpent 5 It will not come so except God make him heare fac me aâ—dire make me to heare he must say ephata to our eare that we may not onely receive the sound of comfort in our eare but sound comfort in our heart If the foure windes should breath nothing but joy and gladnesse and all the Prophets and Angelâ— of God should like Ababs Prophets prophecie good to us unlesse God by his spirit did suggest to our spirits this joy wee were still in evill taking for till our spirit witnesse with Gods spirit wee have no joy He desireth assurance in his faith 4 The
fall againe for they that are led by the spirit of God are the sonnes of God therefore David petitioneth God here for a constant spirit such as may give him wisedome to resent a temptation and holinesse to hate it faith to resist and fortitude to overcome it 3 He desireth it by way of renovation the Apostles counsell is but be you transformed by the renewing of your minde Little or no externall difference doth appeare for the time betweene one elect and a reprobate David being guilty to himselfe of this desertion desireth the stirring up of the gift of the holy Ghost and renewing of the power thereof within him Vide ordinem primò cor munduns secundò spiritum rectum requirit prius enim omnis à corde vitiorum foeditas eliminanda est ut omne quod agitur aut dicitur expurae intentionis origine emanet consider the order first he desireth a cleane heart secondly a right spirit For first the foulenesse of sinne is to be taken from the heart that whatsoever is done or spoken may flow from the fountaine of a pure intention for the holy Ghost will not dwell in an uncleane heart but when wee have purged our consciences from dead workes he saith Here will I dwell for ever for I have a delight herein There be two faculties in the soule of man first understanding secondly will The understanding in a regenerate man may be darkened for a time and he falling into sinne may be beside himselfe for sinne is a kinde of madnesse the worst kinde It is said of the prodigall in his great famine reversus ad se returning to himselfe he said Ibo ad patremmeum I will goe to my Father The will may be corrupted by a strong temptation and so way made for the perpetration of sinne Sometimes the understanding breakes forth like lightening and discerneth the fault to convince the will of sinne This wee call the conscience which is awaked of purpose to detect and chide our sinfull aberrations But when God hath sufficiently expressed to us our weakenesse and pâ—one disposition to evill and his owne long suffering and patience he stirreth up his gift in us or in Saint Pauls phrase he revealeth Iesus Christ in us and this we call renewing of the spirit this cleareth our understanding and reformeth our will and mends all The petitions of David for holinesse of life thus opened 1 We observe the manner how David desireth to be repaired being by sinne so ruined 1 In his understanding in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisedome for repentance must beginne in intellectu recto in the understanding rightly informed this is our light and if we walke without this wee know not whither we goe The haughty policy of Rome to keep her children darke doth hinder both the finding of the good way and the going on in it so our ingression and progression both hindered we seek heaven darkelings God hath sent wisedome abroad to utter her voyce to call an audience to instruct men in the waies of life to escape the pathes of death Christ is made to us of God wisedome 2 He desireth of God the pardon of his sinnes which is no other but justification before him This is the washing and purging and blotting out of iniquities by him desired for wisedome to know our sinnes without justification by faith which apprehendeth the pardon of them were the broad way to despaire but being justified by faith we have peace with God and peace also in our owne consciences Christ is made unto us justification David leaves not here but 3 He desireth in this text the spirit of sanctification by which he may be renewed to holinesse to all pleasing of God And this is Christ also made to us for whom God justifieth them he sanctifieth Some have confounded these two graces of justification and sanctification and so commedled them as if they were all one and the same grace For the clearing whereof and to declare the difference betweene them understand 1 We are sinners and by faith in Christ we are justified and so the debt of our sinne discharged this is by the inherent righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us and it is the proper worke of the second person 2 By the holy Ghost applying this righteousnesse to us we are sanctified to rewnesse of life The first saveth us from hell the second seasoneth us for heaven David therefore addeth this suit for sanctification that being cleansed throughly from sinne he may become a new creature I may abridge all our learning in the schoole of Christ to this one lesson and comprehend totum hominis the whole of man in this short compend of dutie as the Apostle doth Circumcision profiteth nothing uncircumcision hindereth nothing all that God requireth of us is that wee be new creatures leaving off and laying aside the old man and renewed in spiritu mentis in the spirit of our mindes wee are never complete penitents till we have this spirit of sanctification in some measure It is the hardest worke that is accomplished in us because our naturall corruption and the manifold temptations amongst which we live and the sensuall delight which we take in sinne doe sow our hearts all over with tares and leave no roome for better seed To root out these is one labour to proseminate grace is another yet we neglect the labour of our sanctification as if it were a worke which we could doe at a very short warning and too many doe leave it to their death beds And another impediment is that many upon some good motions of the spirit some flashes of piety and scintillations of zeale doe overweene their possession of this spirit Me thinkes if they did examine their hearts by this text here is enough in it to reveale any man to himselfe and to tell him si habeat hunc spiritum if he hath this spirit 1 Let him examine his heart and spirit within him to see if there be truth there wisedom for many faire seemings and outsides of godlinesse are put on whereby we deceive others and flatter our selves quite out of the way of salvation therefore try if all be sound and sincere within 2 Let him enquire of this heart si cor novum if it bee a new heart we may soone know that si canticum novum si novitas vitae if there be a new song if newnesse of life It is not a new dresting and trimming up of the old heart in a new fashion that will serve it must be all new and that may be discerned in our thoughts in our words in ouâ— workes and wayes for if we abhorre and forsake our former sinnes and embrace better courses this makes faith of a good change 3 If it be a constant spirit that holdeth out to the end cheerefully and unweariedly we may conclude comfortably that our old heart is gone and we have a new in place thereof VERSE 11. Cast me not
away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted unto thee HEre he petitioneth for a constant course of Gods favour for hereafter wherein 1. Deprecatur he prays against v. 1â— 2. Supplicat prayes for Verse 12. 3. Promittit promiseth Verse 13. 1 Deprecatur prayes against 2. 1 Gods casting him away from his presence 2 Gods taking his holy spirit c. 1 Cast me not away from thy presence Our sinnes deserve that God should deny us to come before him for why should the children of darkenesse presse to the light or the children of death to him in whose presence is life Our first Parents soone found how unfit they were for the presence of God and therefore so soone as they had sinned of their owne accord they fled from the presence of God and hid themselves When Cain had done that murther upon Abel his brother it was Gods just punishment a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be And he was sensible of it Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face shall I be hid And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight This is excommunicatio major the greater excommunication When Pharaoh was exasperate against Moses he said Get thee from me take heed to thy selfe see my face no more When David heard how Absolon had slaine Amnon hee was moved like a father for the death of a sonne more that hee suffered that griefe from a sonne yet when the strong fit was off he could not but returne to his fatherly affection to Absolon yet neither his owne naturall inclination or the perswasions of Ioab by the woman of Tekoah did yet readmit him to the Kings presence The King said let him returne to his house and let him not see my face Much more sorrowfull is the punishment of exile from the face of God for David preferreth the presence of God before all other good whatsoever Many say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Christ is the light of Gods countenance a light to lighten the Gentiles God to Moses My presence shall goe with thee and I will give thee rest Christ is called the Angell of his face So David prayeth that Christ may not faile him and that he would not in respect of his sinnes deprive him of the comfort of his Redeemer Saint Gregory saith he prayeth here against Cains sinne of despaire for A facie dei projicitur cui spes veniâ— post peccatumnegatur Hee is cast from the sight of God to whom hope of pardon after sinne committed is denyed Augustine hath a good note here prius dixit averte faciem à peccatis meis first he said turne thy face from my sinnes but here ne projicias me à facie tuâ Cujus facieÌ„ timet ejus faciem invocat Cast me not from thy face whose face he feares his face he desires to see It was Abrahams prayer O that Ishmael might live in thy face or before thee â—he would aske no more of him They that walke uprightly and conscionably before God are not cannot be ashamed to behold his face As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnesse I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse 1 Here in the righteousnesse of Christ I shall see thee but hereafter I shall fully enjoy thee when after I have borne the image of the earthy I shall beare the image of the heavenly 2 Take not thy holy spirit from me Christ calleth this spirit a Comforter David had need of him now in distresse because of his sinnes This spirit he promised a guide to leade us in the way of all truth David had need of him for seeing God loveth truth in the inward parts and hee had gone in false waies he needeth this guide to guide his feet in the wayes of peace When David hearkened to the voyce of temptation and his eye did walke after his heart then did God withdraw his spirit from him and left him to goe alone He findeth the want of that faithfull guide of his waies and prayeth O take not thy holy spirit from mee David had a double portion of Gods holy spirit for hee had 1 The spirit of holinesse to direct and guide his life and conversation as a private man and by that hee became a man after Gods owne heart 2 He had the spirit in plentifull measure in regard of his office and place and that also was double for 1 Juveni Davidem servum meumâ— oleo sancto meo uâ—xi eum I have found David my servant with my holy oyle have I annoynted him he had not onely Samuels externall unction but God gave him a spirit fit for a King to goe in and out before his people Else how could the yongest sonne of Ishai bred abroad in the field and taken from following the ewes great with lambe have beene fit to have come from managing a sheepe-hooke amongst his fathers cattell to have managed a Scepter in Israell the Lords inheritance And wee have example hereof in Saul his predecessor of whom we reade that when hee parted from Samuel who annointed him King God gave him another heart for so Samuel had told him that the spirit of the Lord should come upon him and hee should be turned into another man Hee that called him to be a King accommodated him for government Thus did God also deale with David Then Samuel took an horne of oyle and annointed him in the middest of his brethren and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward So that he not onely was sanctified in further measure as a private man but was indued with heroicall graces fit for a Prince And it is said after this that 1 He walked wisely 2 He governed prudently 2 David was a Prophet also of the Lord herein not inferiour to Saul for it is said of him that he prophecied and it was a wonder Etiam Saulinter Prophetas Is Saul also amongst the Prophets David is called the sweet singer of Israell and we have many of his holy Psalmes whereof the Church of God maketh singular use No question but the sinne of David had much weakened the power of the holy spirit in him all these waies and he seemed now to himselfe as a man divested of these graces in such sort as was grievous to him besides he had the fearefull example of Saul his predecestor of whom it is said But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him Now charged with the conscience of his sinne and peradventure comparing his sinne with Sauls he feared the like punishment Saul
departed from the word of the Lord in sparing the life of an enemy David in taking away the life of a friend Had he not cause to feare at least an equality in his punishment whom he had exceeded in his sinne no question but God giveth his graces with his holy callings and we hazard the withdrawing of them from us when we embrace sinne Wee finde examples too frequent in all sorts of men that they doe lose by their falling into sinne the graces of God which commonly doe follow their lawfull callings When Kings leave good counsell and embrace enemies of their state to the grievance and vexation of the Common-wealth on when they turne sensuall and attend onely their loose delights God taketh from them the spirit of government When Ministers study nothing but riches or honour or follow pleasures God taketh from them the spirit of prophecie In ordinary mechanicall and manuall professions many excellently able in their way perish and drowne their abilities in idlenesse in gaming in drinking c. Yet when any of these come againe to themselves and refraine these evill courses the spirit of God returneth againe to them and they doe well Saul had many graces of the spirit but the maine hee wanted and the other he lost and that example putteth David into this suite Spiritum sanctum tuum ne ausera◠take not thy holy spirit from me VERSE 12. 2. SUpplicat he prayeth for herein also hee is double and desireth two things first restitution secondly confirmation 1 His restauration Restore to me the joy of thy salvation he meaneth that inward spirituall joy which before he had in the faith of his salvation For having fallen so foully and thereby deserved so ill at the hands of God hee was jealous of himselfe that he had lost the favour of God and the salvation of his soule The word in the originall hath Jesus in it The joy of thy Iesus for he beleeved that Iesus the Saviour should come of his seed That was joy to him and his sinne did shake his faith therein ne Deus ei offensus subtraheret quod pacatus promiserat formidavit hee feared lest God offended should withdraw that which being pleased he had promised So before him Saint Augustine understood David Redde exultationem salutaris tui i. Christi quis enim sine illo sanari potuit nam in principio erat verbum tempora variata sunt non fides restore the joy of thy salvation that is of Christ For who can bee saved without him the times are changed not faith Our observations from hence are 1 That Davids joy was in making sure of his salvation he had now made experience of a carnall and sensuall joy he findeth it loathsome and defiling and the end bitternesse therefore he returnes to the pursuit of that joy So in a better minde the Church said I will goe and return to my first love for then it was better with me than now The truth is there is no such joy here as in the favour of our God and the faith of our salvation with him David once said Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corne and wine and oyle increased This is our summum bonum our chiefe good and upon our deathbeds we hearken to them that speake comforts to us of our salvation when we must part with all here But the Apostle would have it the maine care and businesse of our whole life to worke out our salvation with feare and to make our election sure As the Sea-man regardeth so the businesse within boord as alwaies observing the way of his ship and also looking to his Chart and Compasse for the accomplishing of his voyage In the comforts and joyes of life in things temporall we ever hope that to morrow will be better than to day and when that comes we fall short still Deterior semper posterior dies seldome comes a better But for the joy of our salvation the more we taste of it the more we thirst after it and as we grow in grace we increase in spirituall joy and as our tast so our desire of eternall life doth increase that we thinke long till we appeare before our God in Sion 2 Sinne depriveth us of this joy for when our conscience accuseth us of having done that which displeaseth our God how can we hope that he who is not the God of our obedience should be the God of our salvation Sinne is a thing so hatefull to God that his soule abhorreth it Adam the first sinner hid himselfe Caine beleeved himselfe banisht from the presence of the Lord. The spirit of God departed from Saul sinne turneth our prayers into it selfe If I regard wickednesse in my heart Dominus non exaudiet me the Lord will not heare me sinne turnes our praises of God into the sacrifice of fooles There can be no peace to the sinner so long as we continue in a state of sinne without search of Gods gratious pardon wee are in the deepe pit if we then despaire the pit shutteth its mouth upon us if yet we hope there is no health in our bones because of our sinne till God hath sealed our pardon and that his spirit doe witnesse with ours that wee are in his favour Doe not our owne corruptions and the evill counsels of the ungodly and the temptations of Sathan worke strongly upon us when they prevaile against the joy of our salvation We under value that joy very basely when we change it for any other that holds out in number weight and measure that filleth the measure full and presseth it downe and maketh it runne over Dic animae meae salus tua sum say to my soule I am thy salvation let mee have thy word for that and then as Saint Augustine saith hic ure hic seca here burne here cut me we shall not feare them that kill the body for if wee had all the joyes of the world we could hold them but during this life this joy survives our death Satietie of other joyes breeds surfet of this thirst beati qui esuriunt c. blessed are they that hunger c. Whereas David desireth to be restored to this joy we see our evill condition we cannot tell when we be well when we have joy the best and truest joy that can be we part with it for vanitie of vanities and when we feele the want of it we complaine It is the weakenesse of our judgement we cannot value good things so priceably in the possession of them as in the subduction Carendo magis quà m fruendo by wanting more then enjoying is an old rule of our imperfect reason Godlinesse should ever be joyned with contentednesse and our desires should be limited to our enjoyings when wee affect any thing beyond Gods allowance we are often abated in the allowance and our vast and unlawfull desires are corrected by withdrawing from us the good that
we possesse When provender pricketh us the way to checke our wantonnesse is to set us a while at a leane manger and to take from us the good which we cannot tell well how to value at the true price It was the sinne first of the Angels then of man they kept not their first estate neither were content with the joy of their creation The Angels affected to be like God in omnipotencie and became divels Man affected to be like God in his omniscience and turned sinner they lost heaven by it he Paradise When they bethought themselves it is no question but they would have beene both glad to have beene where they were and would then have beene content with it I remember Iob in his extreame affliction remembring times past and complaining in the bitternesse of his engrieved soule O that I were as in moneths past in the daies when God preserved me When his candle shined upon my head and when by his light I walked through darkenesse When I washed my steppes with butter and the rocke poured me out rivers of water It were great wisedome in us to know when we are well and keepe us so 4 This petition putteth us in comfort that though by our folly wee have provoked God to take away our joy from us in his just judgement yet it is not so lost but there is hope left of restoring it againe to us for else Davids suit were cold And truely God is so full of compassion so free from passion so open handed to give so loth to take away so ready to forgive and so easily perswaded to restore what we have forfeited into his hands by our sinne that wee may comfort our soules with hope even when our joy is gone that he will not continue long in his anger but will returne to us and visite us with his favour That is it which maketh the divels so spightfull and malitious to man so rebellious to God they have no hope nor meanes left to restore them to the joy that they have lost because they being in fulnesse of grace and intellectuall light did corrupt themselves and were their owne tempters But man being overtaken with the surprize of a sudden temptation when being good he suspected no evill fell from the obedience but not from the pitty of God he fell from the possession but not from the restitution of his joy The time of our life is called spatium poenitendi a season for us to worke our repaire A lamentable change it is that sinne hath wrought in us that man created in the image of God in holinesse and righteousnesse should now spend all the dayes of his appointed time here in recovering some measure of that joy of his creation and when he hath attained to it insome degree may lose it by sinne and be to beginue againe The way to recover it is here opened in this example repentance faith and prayer Repentance to remove sinne faith to apprehend mercy and grace prayer to obtaine these of God and to sanctifie them to us In this way David sought the recovery of the joy of his salvation 2 His suit is for confirmation Uphold mee with thy free spirit some reade spiritu principall with thy chiefe spirit as desiring a full measure of the holy Ghost so the Apostle biddeth us to desire the best gifts of all for wee shall have need of them all against our owne corruptions and the manifold temptations of Sathan But the Prophets phrase of a free spirit doth well expresse the holy Ghost which hee desireth for Christ calleth him the spirit of truth and promiseth that he shall leade us into all truth And he saith The truth shall make you free David had lived in the chaines and bonds of iniquity a long time and his repentance had recovered him againe to liberty and now he desireth to be confirmed and established in that liberty Christ directeth our prayers so for after dimitte nobis forgive us we pray ne inducas leade us not which is for confirmation that we doe no more so Such is the corruption of our nature that we have cause to feare our selves for all sinnes For what sinne hath any man committed but wee may fall into the like seeing our originall corruption yet remaining in us is the seed of all sinne and our naturall impotencie to all good disableth us to resist and the perpetuall watch that our enemie doth keepe upon us to take advantage of us doth facilitate his temptations to our hurt And we see great examples of men falling into sinnes which their hearts have abhorred to thinke of being by surprize overtaken as adulterie murther theft and such like opportunity the pandor of sinne inviting thereto And what sinne have we ever committed and be wailed and repented but we may relapse into the same and double the transgression and the anger of God thereby This petition of David doth declare that wee have no strength of our selves either to abstaine from new sinnes or to keepe us from relapse into our former sinnes without the holy Ghost whose office is 1 To shew us the right way and to put us into it 2 To underprop and support us in the same that we fall not For from our naturall propension to evill proceedeth an easie sequence of our owne corrupt inclinations and a ready harkening to Sathans subtile temptations against which we need corroboration from the spirit of God Amongst all the sinnes that defile our conscience and corrupt our manners and displease God and hazard our soules those are most dangerous which bring with them the most sensuall delight for these have a sweetnesse and lushiousnesse which maketh them for the time very tastfull and delectable and when the bitternesse of repentance is over Sathan will renew to us the remembrance of the pleasure that we had in them and there by â—â—-engage us often in the fresh persuit of them We are as little children that cannot goe alone wee need a stronger arme to carry us a loving bosome to hugge us a 〈◊〉 â—and to supportus In all these things our God relieveth us 1 For the arme of God that shoreth us up so hee promised David with whom my hand shall be established mine arme also shall strengthen him 2 God said to Moses of his Israell Carry them in thy besome as a nursing father carrieth a sucking childe unto the land that God sware to give their fathers Moses was but a figure and type of a greater and more tender shepheard of whom I say prophecied saying He shall feed his flocke like a shepheard be shall gather the Lambes with his arme he shall carry them in his bosome and shall gently leade those that are with yong 3 I taught Ephraim also to goe leading them by the armes Thus the grace of corroboration is described by which we are not left to our selves but supported in our waies therefore David saith By thee have
to Angels and to man And to make them complete creatures images of himselfe he gave them free will to continue their own happy condition for their own good or to forsake it to their ruine They both by their owne fault forfeited their present estate and by affecting more of the glory of God than hee had communicated them lost that which they had and so this good spirit did forsake them But it is replyed if they had this good spirit why did it not confirme them in their estate that they might not fall I answer man had not beene led by this spirit but forced and necessitated if this spirit had limited him it had beene a spirit of compulsion not of confirmation Man was not content with the state of his creation the Angels were not content they resisted they grieved this spirit The Angels therefore having sinned never found a Mediatour to relieve them because it is plaine that their trespasse was against the holy Ghost For man he had this spirit also but he hearkened to the voyce of his wife against this spirit Let me adde also that after the fall of man Christ was promised Where God giveth or offereth his Sonne he offereth his spirit also these are tendred to all universally Grace is offered Christ promised the Holy Ghost to teach to leade to comfort to confirme we have all the meanes of grace that may be to put this talent to use and we may charge our perdition upon our selves if we miscarry For in the creation when we were yet but in matter rudis indigestaque moles unfashioned formelesse if God had made us crooked lame deformed disproportioned or any way ill featured we had suffered no shame of it for he made us and not we our selves Thy hands have made mee and fashioned me But God doth not now worke upon us as hee then did upon earth a dead and â—ensâ—lâ—sse element We haue vitall animall intellectuall parts and faculties we doâ— know the want â—â— tâ—is spirit we know where it may be had it is spiritus Dei the spirit of God we know how potentâ—â—â— to them that aske shall be given wee know how he must be used not grieved and if we have it not or be not confirmed it is our fault We see in the story of the Bible and in continuall experience in others and feele it in ourselves how many defections in us and desâ—rtions of God doe â—ollow the want of this confirming spirit to establish us For what is it that maketh the often relapsâ—â— into the sâ—â—e sinnes for which wee have so often cryed God mercy â—â— wanton against defiling his body after repentance thâ— drunkard like a dogge returning againe to his vomit the covetous like a swine to his mire for so basely and contemptibly are such relapses resembled by the spirit of God Many whose consciences within them convince them touched with the sword of Gods spirit the word of God and with the reproofe of their friends and the shame of the world are heartily sorry for these sinnes and bewaile them with teares and aske God forgivenesse for them and purpose and promise never to returne to them yet for want of this spirit to confirm them relapse and make their latter end worse than their beginning 2 On the contrary those who have this spirit are proofe against temptations all the sinnes in example all the evill counsels of the old world cannot infect or corrupt Noah all Sodome cannot taint Lot Josephs Mistresse cannot allure Joseph Daniel cannot be tempted to â—ate of the Kings delicates yet at some other time this spirit may leave even some of these to themselves and then they shew by what strength they were kept from falling and knowing their owne weakenesse they doe more earnestly desire as David here â—c tollas spiritum take not away thy spirit and confirma me strengthen me We see Davids good example praying to him that is able to keepe us that wee fall not and desiring him who hath begun a good worke in us to perfect it to the end This spirit is oyle in our lampes to keepe them light against the bridegroome commeth It is a wedding garment to admit us guests to his bridall feast They that truely and unfainedly repent will more desire this spirit for it is but halfe a repentance plangere commissa to bewaile sinnes committed this accomplisheth it in keeping us â—â— committamus plangenda that we commit not sinnes to be bewailed VERSE 13. 3 PRomittit he promiseth Then will I teach transgressors thy wayes and sinners shall be converted unto thee This was Peters charge tâ— cum conversus fueris confirma fratres when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren In this verse first promittit he promises secondly prophetat he prophecies or I promittit Deo quid pro eo facturus est he promiseth to God what hee will doe for him secondly promittit vicino quod â—i he promises to his neighbour what he will doe for him thirdly promittit sibi successum he promises successe to himselfe 1 Promittit Deo hee promises to God David had done God wrong to scandalize religion and by his evill example to corrupt many for great and eminent persons sinne infectiously their iniquities are catching He now promiseth that he will make amends to God in becomming a teacher to convert others to righteousnesse exemplo consilio authoritate regia prophetica by example counsell authority royall propheticall For as we are accountable to God for such sinnes as are done in others by our occasion so we doe owe God a dutie of endeavour to keepe others as neare him and draw as many to him as we may 2 Promittit vicino he promiseth to his neighbour He is sensible how farre his corrupt life hath extended to corrupt others he oweth them an amends also and promiseth himselfe a teacher of them This is one of the fullest expressions of pious charity that we can make one to another to communicate to each other the knowledge of salvation and the way to it and to put one another in that way and to put them on with cheerefulnesse to runne in it 3 Promittit sibi he promiseth to himselfe He is confident that he shall have good successe in this way and holy course and that sinners shall turne for the example of repentance in so potent a King cannot but worke strongly upon such as he shall undertake to teach Our lesson from this example is in sight for when God hath wrought a good worke upon us in turning us from sinne to true repentance it is our duty to labour the conversion of other sinners to God A perfect convert is the best teacher of the wayes of God that can be for he knowes these three things which will most move to conversion 1 He knowes the foulenesse the foolishnesse the burthen and vexation of sinne he hath seene the danger of it and hath by wofull experience found how uncomfortable a
thing it is to live in the displeasure of God and to be deprived of the comfort of the holy Ghost He feeles how the conscience is oppressed with sinne and how wee are made to remember all our evill wayes from the first sinne We see all this in David for the filthinesse of his sinne he doth earnestly desire to be washed and washed cleane washed with hysope that he may be whiter than snow For the burthen of sinne it lay so heavy upon him that he desireth to be made to heare of joy and gladnesse for his sinne and the feare of Gods judgements had broken his bones For the departure of God from him he was so sensible of it that he prayeth the spirit of God not to depart from him For his former sinnes they all lay upon his oppressed conscience that he remembred them from his conception and birth and he saw the danger of temptations and therefore desireth the confirming spirit of God to keep him from falling into new or relapsing into old sinnes 2 A true Convert knoweth the bitternesse of true repentance he that hath kept an ill dyet and thereby lost his health and is put to it to sweate to purge to bleed to abstaine from all toothsome and pleasing eates and is kept to a dyet and enforced to live medicé miseré in physicke in misery for the time till his health be repaired such a one will give warning to others to abstaine from such things as hazard our health He can tell how deare it doth cost the purse how much it restraineth a mans liberty what paines he suffereth in his body how much his minde is disquieted in his bodily distemperatures and all to repaire what some ill dyet hath corrupted in his body So is it with the true Convert he can relate the bitternesse of repentance which is the soules physicke for sinne there is nothing in the world so smarting and a king as true repentance is In the generality of men the most presume upon this remedy they sinne on and flatter themselves that a miserere have mercy at last will set all to rights It is true that repentance doth amend all it purgeth us and restoreth us to the favour of God but they consider not the bitternesse thereof for the soules of the penitent are heavy within them even to death their eyes runne rivers of waters their throats are hoarse with roring and crying for mercy their teares are their drinke day and night they have sighes and grones which cannot be exprest The sorrowes of hell so David doth call them doe compasse them round about they call upon God and he will not heare them they doe seeke him and he will not presently be found like Mariners in a storme their cunning is gone they are at their wits end Sometimes they cry quid feci what have I done and remember all their sinnes Sathan then comes in to helpe their memory upbrayding them with those very sinnes to which he enticed them with a non est salus tiâ—i in Deo tuâ— there is no safety for thee in thy God God saith but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thee The word of God scourgeth us that when wee heare it preached and finde our owne sinnes detected and threatned we thinke the Sermon intended against us The contrary good life of others walking in good wayes reprovesth us and cryeth shame on us that we have not done as they doe that we might have had peace but especially our conscience within us is a thousand witnesses against us and is a record written within and without like Ezekiels scrowle with lamentations mourning and woe sometimes we cry like Saint Peters auditours quid faciemus what shall wee doe or as Iob quid faciam tibi what shall I doe unto thee hide our selves from God wee cannot we cannot goe out of the reach of that right hand which findeth out all his enemies excuse our selves we cannot for who can answer God one for a thousand his spirit searcheth hearts and reines nothing is hid from the eye of his jealousie He is wise to discerne holy to hate just to punish A soule thus anguished and embittered with remorse of sinne is emblemed in Prometheus his Vulture ever feeding upon the heart wretched man that I am who shall deliver me David hath many very excellent expressures of penitentiall fits which doe lively set forth the paine that true repentance doth put a man to but one amongst the rest to my opinion doth render it in the heighth of bitternesse and makes it a non ficut no such I remembred God and was troubled for what refuge hath a sinner but God and what comfort can a sorrowfull soule have but in him yet sinne is so contrary to him that a guilty soule cannot thinke upon him but as an enemy You see it in the first sinners the first thing they did after they had sinned was to flye away from the presence of God Let a true Convert tell sinners all this and see what joy they can take in sinne when it is like to cost them all this breaking of the heart confusion of face confession of mouth confession of soule A true penitent must keepe a session within himselfe he must give in evidence against himselfe his conscience must accuse him his memory must beare witnesse against him he must judge himselfe that he be not judged of the Lord he must after sentence be avenged on himselfe by a voluntary penance afflicting his soule chastening his body restraining it from pleasures humbling it with fasting wearying it with labour weakening it with watching and by all means bringing it into subjection Beloved sit downe and cast up the cost and paine of this spirituall physicke for a sinne-sicke soule and if there be any of you that hath past this course of physicke and kept you to it without shrinking or shifting from it I dare say such a one can say Nocet empta dolore voluptas Pleasure hurts that 's bought with pain and docet teaches too he will scarce eate of the forbidden fruit it is faire to the eye it is delicious in taste But it is the dearest bargaine that ever we bought a momentany short delight with many weary dayes nights of penitential remorse anguish of soule 3 None so fit as true Converts to teach transgressors the sweet benefit of reconciliation to God the comfort of the holy Ghost and the peace of conscience Such perceive the difference betweene the bondage of sinne and the freedome of the spirit They know what it is to lose the cheerfull light of Gods gratious countenance they can say that in his favour is life light and delight As their longing desire was great to come and appeare before God and as they thirsted after the full river of his pleasures so the recovery of that joy over-joyeth them When thou turnedst againe the captivity of Sion wee were like those that dreame Our mouthes
waies to the waies of God I deny not but Scribes and Pharises in Moses chaire may teach well who live ungodly and being unconverted themselves may be instruments of the conversion of others But this is done by no vertue or grace in them but by the power of Gods ordinance in their calling for grace followeth the calling sometimes where it forsaketh the person Lastly we see the way to recover transgressors which is by teaching them the waies of God Transgressors are such as goe out of the way ambulant in via non bona they walke in the way which is not good and nature is no good guide for corrupt nature is like to the earth under the curse it bringeth forth nothing but brambles and thornes teaching is the culture of it The reproofe of sinne from the law breaketh up the ground doctrine soweth the good seed exhortation and continuall inculcation in season and out of season doth water it the sonne of righteousnesse shineth on it and giveth it vegetation Therefore so many as have any desire to know the waies of God let them hearken to teaching The word is given to profit withall and it is a singular blessing of God to that place where teaching of the waies of God is plenteous and where the way of obedience and salvation is declared else all we like sheepe shall goe astray and walke in crooked pathes God in wisedome knowing how usefull this would be in his Church to have some to instruct and teach others his waies began himselfe to furnish the first beginners of the world with abilities for this purpose for the state of innocency needed no other than its owne light to shew it the right way After the fall yet the remaines of intellectuall light holpen with speciall grace in the fathers served for bookes and lawes and rules of good life all the first age of the world Then the Preacher of Righteousnesse survived to see and begin a new world his sonne Sem of likelihood that Melchizedeck King of Salem so famous for a King and Priest to Abraham Abraham God knew would teach his children Moses first received the Law from God he was assisted by the holy Prophets till Christ hunc audite heare him Then he sent Goeye into all the world teach and he established the Evangelicall Priesthood in the Church yet if all converts did joyne with them the great harvest could not want labourers 2 Prophetat impiieonv ertentur adte He prophesies and the wicked shall be converted unto thee This is finis praedicationis the end of Preaching the word is given to profit Haec utilitas this is profit omnes sicut oves aberravimus reduces ad ovile we have gone astray like sheep thou shalt bring us backe to the sheepefold Opus 1 arduum 2 gratum a worke 1 hard 2 acceptable 1 arduum hard Much more then creation there his dixit said was fecit did to make man of earth was opus verbi the work of his word rather verbum opus the word his worke To recover man from Sathan it was fortitudo brachii the strength of his arme verbum factum factumcaro the word made made flesh for it is more easie to make a convert a Saint than to make a sinner a convert In the creation of man no repugnancie of the matter in the conversioÌ„ of a sinner a new creation nay reluctation In the creation God infused the body received the spirit of life and we became templum spiritus the temple of the holy Ghost Sed cum domus creationis facta esset spelunca latronum but when the house of creation became a denne of theeves When man had lost his holinesse and righteousnesse beside the privation of grace there came in also a corrupt habit of perverse opposition to God so that when God offereth grace man refuseth it and is loath to admit the holy Ghost a guest When we doe receive him we often grieve sometimes quench him naturalis homo non potest percipere non vulâ— recipere non potest retinere the naturall man cannot perceive will not receive cannot retaine We are ill husbands of this talent the Sonne came to call sinners Sathan hath got the hand of us for we would not be converted his temptation not onely corrupted our manners it also empoysoneth our affections Christ on earth declared his power by sea and land yet his brethren the Iewes nor by miracles nor by example nor by doctrine would be converted Facilius est rempublicaÌ„ novam constituere quà m depravatam corrigere It is easier to make a new Common-wealth than to amend that which is corrupted All the imaginations onely evill querela patris filii non vultis venire ad me the complaint of a father children you will not come unto me quoties ego vos ad me noluistis as often as I would have gathered you unto me you would not Venite omnes ad me come ye all unto me venientem non cjiciam foras him that comes unto me I will not cast forth 2 Gratum acceptable first in subjecto in the subject for licet maligna natur a patiatur jugum though depraved nature beare the yoke yet man once converted would not for all the world be as he was There is great difference betweene the pleasure of sinne and gaudium spiritus the joy of the spirit The one a luscious and surfetting sweetnesse which killeth appetite and is but for a season the other hath a pleasant mixture of delight and desire rejoyceth with joy unspeakeable and glorious it is ever in growth and vegetation crescit incremento Dei increaseth with the increase of God Ovis redux nollet esse iterum in deserto nec prâ—digus extra patris domum the sheepe brought backe would not be againe in the desert neither the Prodigall out of his fathers house Latro in cruce conversus regnum cogitat the thiefe on the Crosse converted thinkes upon the kingdome of God I have gone astray like a lost sheepe seeke thy servant 2 Gratum in Ecclesia i militanti acceptable in the Church militant 1 This mends their companies I am a companion of all them c. Away from me ye wicked c. 2 It comforts their griefe it addeth voyces to the convert Sinne is the sorrow of the Church Mine eyes gush c. I saw the transgressors and was grieved 2 In triumphanti in the triumphant 1 Inter Angelos hi nos diligunt amongst the Angels they love us these are ministring spirits our guard 2 Inter sanctos coelestes animas quer an sciant amongst the Saints Qu. Doe the Saints know one another in heaven Romanists say in Deo tanquam in speculo vident omnia in God as in a glasse they see all things For the contents of the beatificall vision I dare not number or esteeme them Saint Augustine They may have intelligence from earth by the soules that goe hence this doe I beleeve and teach 1 That their
God is above his law his lawes binde him not neither is his truth or justice prejudiced or any way blemished by his dispensation and indulgences and maintenance of his prerogative His revealed will holdeth in the generall but limiteth him not he will shew mercy on whom he will Neither is he bound to his owne ordained meanes of grace but he can save without them and no doubt he doth also therefore though sinne deserve hell fire yet he may forgive this punishment where he will without violence to his law which much encourageth our turning to God for though it come to a decree yet before the decree come forth it may by repentance be delayed in the very egression the childe may come to birth and no strength to bring it forth And howsoever we finde no way of salvation without the Church nor meanes of grace without Iesus Christ yet let me tell you I dare not say that all those morall heathen who lived in the light of nature onely yet by the law written in their hearts did conscionably performe that which that law did command were certainely damned I will shew you what hope may be There was a law given to Adam poena â—ors punishment death When Adam sinned hee saw nothing but death before him he had no hope of favour God had reserved an unrevealed meanes of mercy in his owne secret wisedome and will It was not a contradiction to the will revealed but a gratious dispensation to declare him all in all Now seeing it is so excellent and so beneficiall a duty to turne to the Lord consider that God hath concluded us all under sinne and that must be the lesson of us all to turne to him What then is required to a perfect conversion to God 1 A search of our hearts for sinne comparing our waies with the rule which is the law of God This is that the just man doth when he meditateth on the law of God day and night for that meditation serveth 1 For information of the judgement quomodo ambulandum how we are to walke 2 For search of our conscience quid feci what have I done 3 For full resolution quid merâ—i what have I deserved 2 Vpon this followeth percussio cordis the smiting of the heart a true sorrow and penitentiall deploration and confession of sinne for he that confesseth shall finde mercy 3 A present holy and constant reformation of life to the uttermost of our power and desire with care and feare for the future all this David here promiseth in peccatores convertentur ad te sinners shall be converted unto thee But how shall this be unto me 4 The Authour of this Here David is modest he beginneth with docebo vias I will teach thy wayes but he saith not et convertam and I will turne he will not take that upon him nor convertent se they will turne themselves he will not promise so much for them Convertentur they shall be turned it must be Gods owne worke turne us and we shall be turned Christ hath delivered us from the extreme rigour and exaction of the law and by the good favour of God it will now suffice that we labour our conversion to God using the meanes by him ordained to that purpose and cherishing in ourselves the good motions of Gods Spirit abstaining from sinne all that we can and declining the occasions thereof and when we finde our selves falling away from him to take our selves in the manner and speedily to cry God mercy for it and to be more warie hereafter by taking heed to our words and thoughts and waies that we may doe no more so If you desire to know whether you doe abide in him or not 1 Examine your selves by the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse in your selves for Christ saith He that abideth in me and I in him he bringeth forth much fruit 2 You shall know it by your zeale in prayer and the successe thereof for if you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall aske what you will and it shall be done unto you 3 By your following the example of Christ in walking as he walked for as the merit of his obedience serveth for our justification so the example of his holinesse advanceth our sanctification for he hath said discite à me learne of me he is a Doctor as Bernard saith Cujus in â—re verbum vitae cujus in more vita verbi in whose presence is the word of life in whose conversation is the life of the word His love his patience his meekenesse and humility his obedience to his father are all exemplarie and Blessed is the servant whom his Master when he commeth shall finde so doing Where we affect and endeavour this way he is assistant to us and will not faile either in the worke to ayd it or in the reward to crowne it VERSE 14. Deliver me from bloud-guiltinesse O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 6 HE supplicateth in particular for pardon of his late great sinne of bloud in the murther of Uriah 1 Orat he prayes 2 promittit promises In the petition observe 1 Quid petit libera me â— sanguine what he prayes for Deliver me from bloud 2 A quo Deus Deus salut is meae from whom he askes O God thou God of my salvation 1 Quid petit what he asketh here we are directed in our pursuit of pardon to search our consciences for sinne and to crave speciall pardon for such sinnes in particular as doe most disquiet our conscience and offend God and scandall our profession of religion abroad and grieve the Church of God at home Such was this notorious sinne of David the crying sinne of murther the murther of a loyall faithfull servant Though all sinnes are mortall yet they are not all of equall magnitude the circumstances of persons time occasion place motives and such like doe either aggravate or extenuate them This murther of Davids hath full weight a King appointed by God to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shepheard of the people to be the butcher of a subject a preserver of men to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a destroyer He on whose head God had poured his holy oyle to rent gall and wormewood to any subject to turne tyrant A Prophet of the Lord appointed to guide others in the way of life to become a plotter of death This bloudy execution done on a subject so ready to expose his life in defence of his Soveraigne so deserving honourable reward so receiving dishonourable injustice And this to revenge an honest good affection to his Master and to make way for a marriage to conceale a shamefull adulterie a former injurie done also to him in defiling his Subjects bed Some sinnes affected with strong desire and committed with sensuall delight doe charge the conscience after the glosse of their faire seeming is worne off
with great anguish and remorse that our soules grone under the heavy burthen of them These would not be foulded up in a generall confession but offered in particular and single presentation to the throne of mercy For the better satisfaction of the divine Majestie who is pleased with a broken and contrite heart as it after followeth for the better quieting of the conscience at home within us which hath no other way to exonerate itselfe but by a penitentiall and remorsefull selfe accusation and this I before taught from Davids former confession I have done this evill in thy sight as before in his confession he did particularly acknowledge this â—inne so here in his supplication for pardon he mentioneth it by name and cryes God mercy for it Some sinnes doe but hang on and these are easily shaken off but some cleave so close and sticke so fast that they aske more care and labour and paine to remove them And generally the sinnes that most please flesh and bloud doe most offend God It seemeth that David fell into the recovering of it And for some sinnes he desired onely that they might be blotted out which alludeth to the dash of a penne and soone dâ—ne But some fouled him so that they needed washing throughly Some must be washed with bysope a lather of bloud to fetch out the steines which they left in the conscience sinnes of a deepe scarlet tincture of a crimson dye There is a great difference to be put betweene our common infirmities of nature from our ordinarie temptations and some speciall sinne into which we fall by a sudden surprize of Sathan The Apostle seemeth to referre to some such sinne saying Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be prevented before he could advise wisely with the word or the spirit of God And many of us are so caught ere we were aware in sinnes which our christian and religious hearts doe abhorre Thus many that abhorre drunkennesse are sometimes in over-merry company overtaken to their great after-griefe Observe it the first example in all the Booke of God of drunkennesse was Noah whom God onely found righteous in the old world It was the first sinne that we doe reade of after the floud the world hath beene sicke of it ever since The first sinne that Lot fell into after his deliverie from Sodome in both sharpely punished for Vinegar is the daughter of Wine the end of it is sharpe In such a case when a profest sober man is so overtaken with wine when an opportunity hath corrupted any mans conscience and defiled his soule for gaine or pleasure or revenge to commit evill Let him in his suit for his pardon crave a speciall quictus est against that sinne Let him not esteeme it the lesse because he never but once committed it rather let him take dimension of the magnitude of it and the danger attending it and in especiall make his peace with God for that Here I save my selfe a labour which you reflecting your eyes upon your own hearts for disquisition and scrutiny to search if there have beene in any of you any such overtakings of sinne to seeke your peace with God for them in especiall Despise not neglect not this necessary exhortation to make use of it in time to make your peace with God for the more offensive sinnes for if you neglect them and have not the pardon of them under seale you will finde them like some ill dyet to thanke you hereafter and upbraid you Sathan knowes his seasons for it and husbands them to our greatest vexation two seasons specially I When any extraordinary trouble commeth upon us otherwise per adventure undeserved of us for some sinnes escape a present vengeance and are reserved for a future judgement as Joseyhs brethren sold him abused their father with a cunning collusion and their hearts did not once smite them for it that we reade Twenty three yeares after when the famine forced them to seeke bread in Egypt and their brother Ioseph then to them unknowne being the Vicâ—roy of Egypt received them very harsâ—ly heare the story And they said one to another we are verilâ— guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule when he besought us and we would not heare therefore is this distresse come upon us Observe the brethren of Ioseph now in trouble innocent and cleare from the crime charged upon them of comming as spies yet knowing that God never punisheth but where he findeth sin their consciences accuse them of an old sinne yet owing for to God At one time God touched all their hearts with remorse of that sinne They were all in distresse pares in poena alike in punishment and therefore they remember the transgression wherein they were pares in culpa alike in fault Observe also how they frâ—me the enditement against themselves for if all the Prophets whom God did ever send to tell the house of Jacob their sinnes had laid the inditement against them if Sathan the great accuser of the Brethren â—ad put in the information against them none of them all giving their best diligence or the worst of malice could have prest or exprest their fault to a more full accusation than the voyce of their own guilty consciences enforced it against themselves for without extenuation or excuse they plead all guilty with a strong asseveration We are verily guilty not one or more but we all we not as accessaries but all principals all we guiltie The person wronged aggravateth the fault it was not concerning a stranger in bloud or nation whom yet the communion of charity did binde to entreat justly and friendly nor concerning a countryman of ours whom the law of compatriots doth bid us â—ender nor concerning an enemy whom religion commandeth to use favourably and it is the exaltation of charity to requite his evill with goodnesse But concerning a brother one that called every one of them brother the sonne of the same Jacob the father of them all Would not this have served no they declare they aggravate and engrieve the trespasse 1 He was a brother in anguish enemies recover tendernesse and softnesse to enemies in anguish cruelty resumes humanity in distresse 2 Here was anguish of the soule amaritudo animae that is the soule of anguish for Ioseph had many vexations for them that wronged him who unthankefully requited his painefull and loving search for them to see how they did and what they wanted For their unnaturall unkindenesse to himselfe and their loving father who sent him to them for the danger he was in of his life death is fearefull 3 We saw it to heare of anguish any where moves compassion to heare of a brothers anguish akes an heart of flesh but to see it present and in the strength of the fit this were enough to soften an hard heart to thaw a froâ—en heart to melt an heart of brasse or iron A
of God 3 A wandring unsetled life 4 Terrour of conscience Observe the effect upon himselfe for 1 He repineth at the justice of God for inflicting too much punishment 2 He despaireth of the mercy of God he neither hopeth nor asketh Gods pardon 3 He lookes for retaliation whosoever meeteth me will kill me he holdeth himselfe now no better than a man of death The reason why God declared himselfe so soon so quick so sharp an avenger of murther is because hee is author of life and conserver of it Iob giveth him that title the preserver of men and he cannot beare it that hee taking care of all to preserve their lives men should unsive one the other In the plantation of Paradise he set in the middest of the Garden a tree of life not onely a Sacrament but an instrument of life It was one of his quarrels with the old world For the earth is full of violence because of men Therefore when he renewed the world after the floud hee exprest his care of mans life Surely the bloud of your lives will I require at the hand of every beast will I require it and at the hand of every man and at the hand of every mans brother will I require the life of man Whosoever sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed for in the image of God made he man Cains conscience thought this just when he said whosoever meeteth me wil kill me This was after established for a law whosoever killeth any person the murtherer shall be put to death Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murtherer which is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death he giveth two reasons of this severe law 1 For bloud defileth the land and the land cannot bee cleansed of the bloud that was shed therein but by the bloud of him that shed it The Iewish Doctors interpret this law thus The avenger of bloud cannot pardon wilfull murther because the bloud shed is not the possession of the avenger of bloud i. e. of the Magistrate but it belongeth to God 2 For I the Lord dwell among the children of Israell This agreeth well with their exposition of the Law God taketh this into his owne judicature his peremptory law must stand Salomons doome is A man that doth violence to any mans person to bloud shall flye to the pit let no man stay him God unpriviledgeth him Thou shalt take him from mine Altar that he may dye In overt acts of murther this law is cleare and just There be covert acts as when our hand is not the actor but our instigation and proxie as in Naboths case whom Ahab murthered by a coloured processe and in Davids case here Consent and approbation in the Court of conscience extendeth so farre as drawing in a party as principall So Paul confest that he slew Stephen who saâ—e by and kept the garments of them that stoned him Yet God favoured the lives of such as by misadventure without malice which our law calleth Chance-medly had shed bloud he priviledged Cities of refuge for them to flye unto where they continued till the death of the high Priest then they had liberty Which shewed that involuntary murther needed the expiation of the death of Christ our high Priest For shedding of bloud in our owne defence for preservation of our lives in an assault nature reason religion and the lawes under which we live doe all excuse it Yet there ought to be a tendernesse in us to favour life as much as may be because the law of God is so expresse proximum ut teipsum love thy neighbour as thy selfe but wilfull murther is my Text. Davids fault was no lesse and against the vengeance of that sin he here prayeth For engagements to duels which in point of honour do often inflame great spirits to bloudy executions Let us wisely weigh the matter and we shall finde manifest injurie maintained on one side professed revenge on the other both naught The heinousnesse of this sinne of bloud thus detected in culpa poena in the fault and punishment Our use of this point is 1 A caution ne fiat let it not be 2 A remedy post factum when it is The first I confesse is not in my Text yet seeing how heavy this sinne lay upon the conscience of David we may deduce this use of it knowing the terrour of the Lord to admonish all men to looke to the law non occides thou shalt not kill For these things are written for our learning as the Apostle applyeth the commemoration of the old sinnes of Gods people to them to whom he wrote Not to lust after evill things not to be idolaters not to commit fornication not to tempt Christ not to murmure as they did so we may admonish not to shed bloud as many have done Take heed of murther I may use the words of Gamaliel Lest haply ye be found even to fight against God for it is against God 1 In his law not occides thou shalt not kill 2 In his image for man is so 3 In his Magistrate who beareth not the sword in vaine he weareth it as a defender of thy life and as an avenger of thy bloud 2 For remedy post factum after the sinne committed David was a King and in no danger of temporall lawes to avenge the bloud by him shed and it was carried so cunningly as he appeared not to it But had Zimri peace who slew his Master or had David any peace who slew his servant he repaireth to God by holy devotion and prayer to be delivered from blouds for this bloud had defiled him If bloud doe make the land uncleane in which it is committed it doth much more defile the person guilty of it till it be avenged And surely now we come to the reason why David doth not before pray Lord forgive remit or pardon but wash wash throughly make mee cleane wash me with hysope blot out all my sinnes For bloud defileth it is no ordinary pollution it is a foule steine it will not easily out it is a crimosin a scarlet dye No man can ever wash out that tincture no man can pardon that sinne We may say as our Saviour doth with men this is impossible but with God all things are possible hee must be sought by prayer libera me deliver me The words of Davids petitioâ— libera me Deus deliveâ—â—e O Lord doe shew that David is in durance for this is â—â—x Captivi the voyce of a captive He is in laqueo diaboli in the snare of the divell so the Apostle calleth the guilt of sin and before hee calleth it the condemnation of the divell The divell hath his snares like a cunning fowler as well as his pawes being a roaring Lyon he maketh snares of our owne sinnes to hold us fast and David himselfe saith of God Vpon the wicked
and brought him no presents They are called men of Belial i. sine jugo without a yoke But of Moab it is said when David had subdued them and they came under his yoke The Moabites became Davids servants an◠brought gifts In the short story of the old World little is recorded of the acts of those persons who lived then Yet this is of the two first brethren before any Law exprest for it In processe of time it came to passe that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought of the first-lings of his flocke and of the fat therof No question instructed by Adam and by him exampled to it and seasoned with that axiome of nature that God must have gifts from us Aristotle that great Naturalist doth maintaine that gifts are of good use for conservation of friendship Every good and perfect gift commeth to us from God Thankfull gifts returned from us to him conserve his friendship The Athenians who worshipped an unknowne God yet had an altar in the street for oblations and sacrifices to be offered to him Not David onely saith Quid retribuam Domino What shall I render unto the Lord But the people who had perverted their wayes by many revolts from God do bethink themselves Wherwith shall I come before the Lord and bow my selfe before the high God Here is not care taken how to shift the charge and to doe it as cheape as may be Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings with calves of a yeare old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oile Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soule Here are gratulatory and propitiatory and expiatory sacrifices studied to remunerate and to reconcile God It is true that God hath no need of us or our gifts If he were hungry hee would not make his moan to us Yet these tenders of our thankfull duty to him doe acknowledge our love and humble subjection to his government and confesse him Lord of all that we possesse and stoop all that we have to his power and will How glad are wee when our Prince will receive graciously any such present as wee are able to bring him More should it concern us in duty to present our God with our gifts and more cause have we of joy if hee doe accept our persons in them And seeing wee cannot adde any thing to him by any present that we can tender to him for our wel-doing extendeth not to him yet wee may at second hand do him honour in his house by adorning that in his Saints by feeding their hunger clothing their nakednesse healing their sicknesse And with such sacrifices God is well pleased Now that wee have seen in Davids overture what is the most acceptable tender wee can make to God and that a broken spirit and a contrite heart are called the sacrifices of God Wee behold the absolute necessity of these Sacrifices For God must have his due And they be no better then sonnes of Belial that deny him his due herein If wee fall short herein God will lay Felony to our charge You have robbed mee Will a man rob God but ye say wherin have wee robbed thee in tithes and offerings Ye are cursed with a curse for yee have robbed me even this whole Nation God requireth of you broken spirits and contrite hearts and you with-hold them from him You will not endure the smart and paine of contrition The losse of your vain fancies and imaginations The crossing of your sensuall and carnall delights and desires the disquieting of the body of sinne your separation from the World The mortification of your earthly mēhers the crucifying of your old man The bringing of your body into subjection Caro sanguis flesh and bloud cry Durus est hic sermo It is an hard saying And when God demandeth all we have of us as Benhadad of Aram did of Ahab King of Israel wee put him off with this answer This thing I may not do But remember the necessity of this Sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart For these are Sacrifices to God such as God exacteth of all and without which there is no appearing in his presence Let no man appeare before me empty is his Law and we have no fulnesse but in this Sacrifice How unkindly doe wee take it at the hands of God when we cry unto him and he heareth us not at least as one that did not vouchsafe us the hearing hee doth not grant our requests Yet hee may say of every one of us of some twenty of some forty of others sixty yeers long and more have I been grieved with this generation That is the shame and it threatneth to be the sorrow of our unthankfull Land God hath not his due amongst us though he give us rain and fruitfull seasons Corne and Wine and Oile all the necessaries of life Wee give him not the sacrifices of our broken spirits and contrite hearts which are the sacrifices of God We come off liberally to men to purchase their favour and mediation in our suits and bribes given to men have robbed God of the Sacrifices due to him Let us lay it to heart I reade of the Sybarites a people effeminate and vaine in their sensuall delights that they had a prophecy that their City should subsist till their gods were in lesse estimation then men It fell out that a slave obtaining no mercy at the hands of his Master for the gods take fled to the monument of his Masters Ancestors and for their sakes implored and obtained pardon When Amyris a Philosopher living there heard of this that men were more regarded then their gods hee looked for a ruine to come upon the City fled away from it Shortly after the Crotonians their adversaries subdued them and fulfilled that Prophecy Wee may take home this example to our times and apply it to those with whom God is neglected and men regarded more then God Their voluptuous and Sybariticall life hath opened a way to the indignation of God And they have no way to helpe it but with a full Sacrifice of broken spirits and contrite hearts We need not with the fearfull Philosopher quit our Country forsake our habitations let us remove our crying sins by which God is dishonoured and there will be peace within our walls and prosperity within our Palaces And the eyes of them that desire to see us in the dust shall faile and the ruines of our hearts shall repaire the ruines of our temporall Felicitie 2 This title expresseth the excellency of these Sacrifices they be Sacrifices of God For there be Sacrificia stultorum the Sacrifices of Fooles Be more neere to heare then to offer the Sacrifice of fools they know not that they do evill Cains was not the Sacrifice of God
for his works were evill The foolish Israelites did offer their sonnes and daughters unto Devils Many of the Heathen were so transported with superstition and reverence of their false gods that they spared not to offer up their children in burnt Sacrifices to them They have burned their sonnes and daughters with fire to their gods Israel hath warning not to do so Yet they took no warning For not onelâ— the King of Moab did this For hee offered his sonne the heire of his kingdome for a burnt-offering upon the wall But Ahaz King of Judah made his sonne to passe through the fire And wee finds it one of the provocations which incensed the Lord against Israel to give them into deportation Some thinke that this evill custome grew out of the Commandement given to Abraham to offer his Sonne From whence was concluded that the greatest expressure of obedience put upon him did teach it the exaltation and fulnesse of zeale in them that could find in their hearts to offer up their beloved children in sacrifice Therfore in the consultation before urged in Micah for the means of reconciliation to God this was one Shall I give the fruit of my body for the sin of my soule But Abraham did not kill his sonne hee would have done it by vertue of Gods speciall Commandement and God approved his willing obedience but held his hand from the act For he will have mercy and not sacrifice I denâ— not but there is a strong demonstration of servent zeale in those that can afford to God such Sacrifices But that which he requireth is more excellent and toucheth us much more neer the quick as S. Austine In to habes quod occidas noli extrà thura quâ—rere Thou hast what thou mayst kill in thy selfe seeke not Frankincenâ—e without thy selfe This breaking of the heart and contrition of the spirit is a sacrifice for God Have wee not heard of some whom the conscience of sinne hath so afflicted as they have not thought themselves worthy of any more life but have died by their own hand These courses are desperate and damnable that is not it which God requireth of them hee doth not desire our bodies a dead sacrifice I beseech you brethren that you give up your bodies a living Sacrifice This is his will Ut perâ—ant crimina non homines that the faults perish not the men We shall find that a work of more sorrow and af-fliction then to kill the body Wee have full examples in the books of time of many that have made nothing of it to die by their own hand But it is a Sacrifice onely for God to destroy the body of sin in our selves and to preserve life for Gods better service For our sinnes be deerer to us then our children then our life then our good name which should be valued more then life then our precious soules Doth not the drunkard preferre his drunkennesse before his health who knoweth that drunkennesse destroyeth health Doth not the covetous man love his wedge and heape more then Heaven Doth not the Wanton undo his body his posterity his very soule for the fulfilling of his lust Do not all sinners â—ell Heaven and eternall life for the feeding and fewelling of their darling sinnes Of all the lessons that wee are taught in the house of God none is so hard to learn none so uneasie to practise as the doctrine of Repentance Men are either transported with gluttony and drunkennesse and all they can get goeth that way their bellie is their God and they make all these means Sacrifices to that devouring Idoll If they feed the hungry and quench the thirst of their brethren their meats and drinks are sacrifices to God Especially when wee deny them to our selves to relieve such or we are transported with pride and our back is our god and Fashion is our Idoll and wee consume all in vain adornings of our houses of clay hanging them with the costly garish trappings of vanity If wee give one of our coâ—â—â— to cover the nakednesse of our brethren and spare our wooll to keep them warm that their souls may blesse us for it this garment so bestowed is a sacrifice to God Or we are transported with ambition and all our study is how to rise higher our cares and desires and our wealth are all sacrifices to that Idoll of Ambition but if we raise the poor out of the dust take him up from the ground it is sacrificium Deo a sacrifice to God Was Sauls a sacrifice to God when against Gods Commandement he spared the best of the spoile of Amalek to offer it to God Is not obedience better then sacrifice Doth the Church of Rome offer God a sacrifice when she presenteth the Shrines of the dead and the Images of our Lady and the Saints with rich gifts They did so who kneaded their dough and made cakes to offer them to the Queen of Heaven and powred out drink-offerings to other gods Be there not many that sacrifice to their not and burne incense to their drag because by them their portion is fat and their â—eâ—â— plenteous These make themselves their owne Idols and kisse their owne hands and thank their owne wits for all the good that commeth to them they never look up so high as God to give him thanks for any thing But when all is done this onely is a sacrifice to God when wee break our hearts and spirits and grinde them with sincere contrition for sin destroying the nest wherin lust teemeth her brood of iniquity This putteth away the leaven which sowreth all our actions and devotions and turneth our very prayers into sin The excellency of this sacrifice will more cleerly appeare in the following portion of my text These broken-hearted persons are such as God delighteth to dwell with that he may revive the spirit of contrite ones To such onely is the Gospel sent Hee hath sent me to binde up the broken-hearted These be mourners they not onely bewaile their own sins but their eyes do run rivers of waters for those that â—â—ep not the Law They are grieved for transgressours One of these is health to a City all fare the better for him Loâ—s righteous soule was vexed with the ungodlinesse of Sodome God warned him out his Angell pulled him out and he desiring a place to retire to the Angell hastned him thither saying Haste thee escape thither for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither These mourners are priviledged from the fury of Gods destroying Angell his marke is upon them they must be spared in the day of Gods visitation Come not neere any man upon whom is the mark They have eyes pickled in their teares they have voyces hoarse with crying upon God for mercy they have soules cloven to the pavement they have soules heavy unto death their countenance is cast down Their Harps are turned into mourning and their organs into
cut saile But to stemme the tyde of nature asketh more it comes to Hic labor hoc opus est This is pains-taking with a witnesse and requireth Multa tulit fecitque even to sudavit alsit Hee suffered much and sweat endured cold and heat Me thinks I heare the Master of the Vineyard say to us Quid statis hîc otiosi Why stand you here idle How easily did God make man and a paradise for man But for his Vineyard we read of digging and fencing and building and weeding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thinke on it A fourth impediment our tendernesse of our selves Every man is his own Satan and saith parce tibi spare thy selfe No man ever hated his own flesh All the work of mortification which belongeth to the breaking of the heart is very grievous to flesh and bloud For behold this thing that ye have been godly sorrie 1 What carefulnesse it hath wrought in you 2 Yea what cleering of your selves 3 Yea what indignation 4 Yea what feare 5 What vehement desire 6 What zeale 7 What revenge Here is a great burthen to be born and here is a crosse that flesh and bloud hath no heart to take up 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 study this word doth comprehend 1 Great inward carefulnesse to please God in absteining from sin 2 Earnest endevour to doe that which may be acceptable in Gods sight 3 Speed and cheerfull expedition to accomplish this We need go no further in this duty then that care that we take for our temporali good let our soules be as precious in our sight as our bodies are and let us do as much for God as for the World So the Apostle As you have given your members servants to unrighteousnesse c. 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this signifieth defence to plead our cause with God not in the Court of justice for our merits will not justifie us but in the Court of mercy for our true Repentance will exonerate us 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sorrow of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 valdè greatly and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onus We must groan under the burthen of sin for Repentance doth not satisfie of it self and our excuse and defence of our selves doth not take away our just vexation of our selves for our sins Considering 1 Who we are 2 Against whom we sin 3 How much and long 4 For how small gain 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feare this extendeth both to 1 The judgment following our sins committed 2 The conscience of our fraile condition and propension to sin which must make us fearful of Relapses and temptations to new sins 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vehement desire the indignation before mentioned and the feare serve to pluck us back this desire is a spur to put us on Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Here sin beginneth at a vehement desire of evill and this must be changed the same earnestnesse reteined onely the object therof better chosen 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 zeale this is that fire from heaven which consumeth the light crash of our vanities and enflameth the desire before named this carries up our prayers and almes and all our good affections and operations as high as heaven This breedeth in us an holy emulation of our brethren whereby we strive to exceed one another in the duties of Religion The Apostle would have us servent in spirit 7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe-revenge this is judging and punishing our selves that we may escape the hand of God Castâ—gâ— corpus â—ncum I chasten my body This is done by watching fasting and depriving our selves of the pleasures of sinne God who cannot endure us to revenge our owne quarrell against others likes our revenge taken against our selves The true penitent doth afflict his soule and is all bitternesse of heart for sinne he taketh up his crosse and followeth Christ This amounteth to a great deale more then Lord have mercy upon us And it is so much that when we come to examine whether our hearts be truly broken we shall very few of us finde this worke done for feare of the griefe and paine that are in true repentance For it is truth that there is no such affliction in the world as a true breaking of the heart is 5 Impediment the cares of life These breake the heart the wrong way for we have many feares which much disquieâ—us 1 From our selves lest our own improvidence should undo us if we should take so much time from our necessarie businesses as the duties of Religion do exact this makes many keepe home when they should be at Church and the world will not give them leave to serve God 2. From our brethren for every man commonly is so much for himselfe as abateth the help we should have one from another And so many lye in secret await to mend their owne heaps by lessening and impairing their neighbours that a curious warmesse is necessarie And this it is that maketh our life a continuall watch to save our owne from the injury of men of Christians There is a contentious sort of men that are ever vexing their brethren with molestation of suits There be base people that are prying what they may pilfer And there are cunning cheaters that practise upon their brethren by frauds The truth is here is enough for us all for the earth God hath given to the children of men If they that have most of it would know that their full cups should overflow to the use of their brethren and would so dispose the over-measure there could be no want God is much displeased 1. Because we generally do want the faith of his providence not caring for him onely and casting all our other cares upon him 2. Because we walk inordinately for we should first seeke the kingdome of God and then all these things 3 Because we distract our hearts with immoderate care as if God had set us here to feed our selves Christ disswadeth and forbiddeth this 4. Because often enough doth not content us we do love to have to look upon 5 Because in the use of these outward things many take more then their share wasting and consuming more then needs There may be found for use enough which waste will soone consume Christ chose a poore condition of life such as required other mens charitie to relieve it The bagge that Judas bore was not of rents but of almes he sent to a fish in the sea for money to pay tribute He fed many by his miraculous power he shewed his power upon himselfe rather in fasting then in feasting himselfe Yet having nothing his followers could confesse they wanted nothing 1 I confesse that too much love of the world and the iches thereof 2 And too many wayes for expense pride gluttonie drunkennesse ambition contention luxurie spend apace 3 But the poore do harden the hearts of the rich against them 1 By their
idlenesse 2 By their dishonesty and falshood 3 By their waste 4 By their unthankfulnesse To settle the heart against this distraction of cares 1 Thinke how these cares came first in â— for God placed man in a Paradise in full possession of all things necessarie for him sinne shut him out thence and lodged him where Luctus ultrices posuere cubilia curae Sorrow and care residents are Let us labour by repentance to remove sinne and cares will give way presently 2 Let us see how farre by the sentence of the Iudge upon man our â—â—re is extended We shall finde that the tartnesse and acrimonie of the sentence is sweetned with a blessing for in judgement God remembreth mercie The sentence is In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eate bread till thou returne to the ground Here is 1 In sudore in sweat this sweat that cometh of labour and exercise is wholsome and preserveth health labour is now enjoyned Qui non laborat ne manducet He that labours not let him not eate This is no such great affliction for we can be well content to sweat at our pleasures 2 In sudore Faciei in the sweat of thy face he saith not In angore cordis in sorrow of thy heart Omni custodia custodi cortuum With all keeping keepe thy heart Mi fili praebe mihâ— cor My son give me thy heart Christ ne turbetur cor vestrum let not your heart be troubled 3 Vescêris thou shalt be fed if we go not further A small matter may serve for food Nature is no great demander here is no gluttonous waste allowed 4 Pane with bread this is all we may aske of God Panem nostrum Our bread And no further should our care streine then the necessaries of life and no other way then in the way of our calling 5 Donec untill for we shall not be alwayes drudges to the flesh we have our donec untill and then all the cares of life determine They that will studie and labour for bread for posteritie may overdoe Fathers are allowed to lav up for their children but let them take heed they cast them more upon Gods providence then their owne provisions for them lest God blow upon them You may observe it that commonly such as rise to wealth from low beginnings are commonly most carefull to heape up for their children None trust God lesse then they and no estates are sooner blasted then theirs God never intended when he placed us in the world to make us for the world he set our face a better way Many have found the cares of this world such hinderances to repentance of sinnes such encreasers rather of sinne such remora's to godly life that they have freely abandoned the world and embraced a necessitous poverty rather then they would teare themselves with these thornes 3 The acceptation of this sacrifice with God O God thou wilt not despise There are none more despised in the world amongst the braves and gallants of the earth then those who go mourning all the day long for their sinnes But O God thou wilt not despise such How many great adulteries murthers and soule sinnes have beene committed by Kings and great persons But what say the books of time or what can our observation of our time testifie of broken and contrite hearts for them Our comfort is if grace do so farre prevaile against corrupt nature to sanctifie it to true repentance God will accept it we shall do well to see some examples of broken hearts and how they have beene accepted with God 1 Of Solomon who after his surfeit of all temporall pleasures made a whole booke of recantation and repentance wherein he calleth all those pleasures of life which had carried him away from God Vanitie and Vexation of spirit vanitie of vanities and concluded that the end of all things is to feare God and keep his Commandments How God accepted him we need no other proofe then that book of the Preacher received into the Canon of holy Scripture 2 Of Manasseh king of Judah for his sinnes were high growne and like an harvest of corne yellow for the sickle of divine vengeance He did evill in the sight of the Lord like to the abhominations of the heathen What his Father Hezechiah had done to remove idolatry he undid built up againe the abhominations which he had ruined He made his children passe through the fire he used witchcraft erected an Idoll in Gods house wrought much evill in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger A greater sinner I read not of theÌ„ Manasseh was And when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his Fathers and prayed unto him and he was entreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him againe to Jerusalem where he brought forth fruits worthy of Repentance For he fortified the City of God he removed the Idols which he had set up and he repaired the Altar of the Lord and offered peace-offerings thereon 3 Of Mary Magdaleno the sinner whose broken and contrite heart had comfort in the pardon of her sinnes and Christs first appearance to her 4 Of the poore Publicane who came his owne accuâ—er into the Temple and went away justified more then the proud Pharisee 5 Of Simon Peter upon whom Christ looked and that looke sent him forth to weepe bitterly And his Master forgave him and imployed him in his Church Such is the unlimited loving-kindnesse of God to broken hearts For Christ was sent of purpose to binde up the broken-hearted The Apostle saith that there is breadth and length depth and height in the love of God 1 For breadth The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. 2 For length His mercie is for them that feare him from generation to generation 3 For depth Where sinne aboundeth grace superaboundeth 4 For height Thy mercies are exalted above the heavens 1 In breadth like the garment of Sem and Japhet which covered their Fathers nakednesse 2 In length like the ladder of Jacob whose foot on earth whose top reached heaven 3 In depth like the Red-sea which swallowed Pharaoh and his hosts 4 In height like the ascension of Christ into heaven seene till a cloud involved him For our God is gentle milde and gracious and passeth by offences Let Jacob repent and he seeth no iniquitie in him Gods pardon healeth broken hearts for it removeth sinne In those dayes saith the Lord the iniquitie of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sinnes of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Sinners converted joy him how welcome was the Prodigall to his Father he had not so much as a chiding for all his loosenesse and waste There is joy in heaven over every convert David hath done for himselfe here he endeth his suit for himselfe By this
shutting up of Davids penitentiall supplication in a broken and contrite heart I conclude 1 That in an arraignement for sinne there is no plea of good workes David had the conscience within him and the testimony without him of God and the Church that he had served the Lord and had walked in all the wayes of the Lord with all his heart save onely in this matter Yet this one matter cannot be answered without the exact fulnesse of repentance Here is no setting off of any sinne for some singular good worke before done The sinne that he hath committed doth extinguish the light of all his former righteousnesse as if it had never beene But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquitie all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned The Pharisâ—e might have past with us for a devout and an holy man if Christ had not detested him 1 He went up to the Temple to pray which was an exercise of devotion 2 I here he prayed with himselfe though in a publike place he had a private prayer here was no vaine ostentation in sight 3 He rejoyced in two things which have reference to the two duties of Repentance 1 Cease to do evill for he saith I am not as other men extortioners unjust adulterers nor as this Publicane not like them in their sinnes But I thanke thee for it 2 Learne to do well I fast twice I give tythes c but we referre this also to I thanke thee The Publicane had another bearing which became humble repentance well But the Pharisee for any thing I can discerne might have past for an holy man if Christ himselfe had not detected him I tell you this man went downe to his house Yet observe the Text He went justified more then the other the other not altogether unjustified 2 This directeth me in the deduction of a second conclusion that a broken and a contrite heart for sinne is as safe rest for the soule as the conscience of a good life This appeareth in the direction betweene the state of our innocent creation and our costly redemption For our creation set us in a way of happinesse rather in possession and fruition of happinesse but such as might be lost but our redemption bought us a never-withering crowne of glory Our holinesse of life may be corrupted as Davids was but our contrite and broken spirit none can heale but God onely and because it is his sacrifice he will not despise it In all the examples of repentance above-mentioned we see how firmly the Penitents stood upon that ground for that put away all their former sinnes and established them in the good favour of God Therefore David having this sacrifice ready and now tendring the same to his God doth cease further solliciting of God for himselfe and beginneth as one fully reconciled to God to sollicite him in the behalfe of his Church as followeth From whence we draw this exhortation Let us all labour our repentance as the most needfull worke of all We must charge all our afflictions upon our sinnes and we have but this one way left to repaire us to redeeme the favour of our God to us even our repentance One joynt sacrifice of broken hearts and whole hecatombes of contrite spirits would mend all that 's amisse Let us therefore commence a just warre against our owne corruptions and sinnes it is not enough to conquer the weake Island to destroy the vines the fewell of our drunkennesse to possesse the towns and villages the habitations of sinne in the outward members of the body There is in every one of us a strong Fort an hard and stonie heart fortified against all piety and holinesse where Sathan as a strong armed man holdeth possession this Fort and strong hold this propugnacle of sinne this heart must be broken Let us bend all our batterie against that and see to it that the world the flesh the devill may not supply it and then the day is ours and to him that overcometh shall be given a crowne of life Nothing overcometh this Fort of sinne in our hearts nothing breaketh them so soone as 1 A good watch kept that they may take no rest 2 Fasting to sterve the body of sinne 3 Weeping to open the sluces and drowne it with our teares 4 Praying for our Amaleth within us cannot stand if our soules like Moses hold up their hands in prayer to the God of our lives 5 An holy implacable furie against it never to give over the assault till we have brought it to subjection This fort thus conquered the Island is ours VERSE 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Ierusalem HEre beginneth the second part of this Psalme containing the prayer of David for the Church From the sequence of this prayer observe When we have by true repentance made our peace with God for our selves we have accesse with boldnesse to the throne of grace to put up petitions to God The Reason is Our sinnes do separate our God and us So Isaiah But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare David confesseth If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me God treating with a sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquitie sheweth them the way into his favour 1 Wash you make you cleane 2 Come now let us reason together saith the Lord. David confesseth because of his iniquities which are an heavy burthen to him I am troubled I am bowed down greatly When we should lift up our heads our eyes our hands to God our sins confound us with shame wee â—ile from the presence of God they shake us with feare wee are afraid of his judgements But true Repentance doth wash us so clean and reconcileth us so perfectly to our God that wee dare come in fight we dare present God with our requests We sâ—cke the face of God when we ayle any thing every griefe of our persons or of the state in which wee live sendeth us presently to God for remedy In affliction wee seeks God early We secke him but we finde him not alwayes we aske of him but hee granteth not our requests wee cry lowd to him but he heareth us not and we take it ill to be denied to be delayed Saint James gives us the reason Ye aske and receive not because you aske amisse There is mors in olla death in the pot there is sinne in the heart our fountain is impoysoned the waters of it are corrupt Hose directeth a speeding way ô Israel returne to the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thy iniquitie Take with you words and turn to the Lord say unto him Take away all inquity and give good so will we render the calves of our lips In this course of removing our sin first we