of God this name Iehovah first it importeth the eternitie of Gods essence in himselfe that he is yesterday and to day and the same for euer which was which is and which is to come Secondly it noteth the existence and perfection of all things in God as from whom all creatures in the world haue their life motion and being God is the being of all his creatures not that they are the same that he is but because of him and in him and by him are all things Thirdly it is the Memoriall of God vnto all ages as himselfe calls it Exod. 3.15 The Memoriall of his faithfulnes his truth and his constancie in the performance of his promises And therefore whensoeuer in any of the Prophets God promiseth or threatneth any great matter to assure vs of the most certaine euent of such his promise or threatning he adds vnto it his name Iehovah as here in my text Thus saith Iehovah Iehovah The strength of Israel who is not as man that he should lye nor as the sonne of man that he should repent Wicked Balaam is driuen to confesse as much Num. 23.19 and there proceedeth by way of question Hath the Lord said and shall he not doe it Hath he spoken and shall he not accomplish it Samuel with boldnes tells Saul 1. Sam. 15.29 that the Lord who is the strength of Israel will not lye nor repent and he giues this reason of it For he is not a man that he should repent All his words yea all the titles of all his words are Yea and Amen so firmely ratified that they cannot be altered so standing immutable that they cannot be changed Our Sauiour Christ giues record herevnto Matth. 24.35 Coelum terra praeteribunt Heauen and Earth shall passe away but Gods words they shall not passe away The grasse withereth saith the Prophet Esay cap. 40.8 The grasse withereth and the flower fadeth but the word of our God shall stand for euer Thus are we by this name Iehovah led to the consideration of the truth of God Gods truth is his essentiall proprietie whereby he is most free from all shew or shadow of falshood This his truth is eminent in himselfe in his workes and in his words In himselfe two manner of wayes 1. In respect of his essence whereby he truly is 2. Forasmuch as he is the Idea type and patterne of all the truth that is in any creature Now concerning the workes of God they all are Truth whether they be Internall or Externall His Internall workes are either personall or essentiall and both nothing but truth For his personall workes the Father doth truly beget the Sonne the Sonne is truly begotten of the Father and the holy Ghost doth truly proceed from the Father and the Sonne the like must we say of his essentiall workes Whatsoeuer God hath decreed he hath truly decreed it and doth truly execute it Besides these Internall workes of God some workes of his are called in the Schooles Externall Such are the creation of the world the conseruation of the same the gouernment of the Church the couenant with the faithfull and the like in all which most constant is the truth of God As the truth of God is eminent in himselfe and in his workes so also is it eminent in his words This hath but now bin prooued vnto you by the confession of Balaam by the asseueration of Samuel by the record of the Prophet Esay and of our Sauiour Iesus Christ I shut vp this doctrine of the truth of God with the words of the blessed Apostle S. Paul Rom. 3.3 Let God be true and euery man a lyar Now let vs see what vses may be made of this doctrine Is it true Is God truth in himselfe in his works and in his words Hereby may euery childe of God among vs be well assured that our faith in God the Father in Christ his Sonne and in the holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Sonne is most true and most certaine and cannot by any meanes be deceiued it selfe or deceiue vs For it is grounded and supported vpon and by the words of him who onely is the true God yea truth it selfe who hath truly sayd concerning vs and all other who beleeue in Christ that he hath c Rom. 8.37 loued vs * Ephes 1.4 before the foundation of the world hath chosen vs to eternall life for our better atteining whereof he hath d Rom. 8.3 sent into the world his owne Sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh e Galat. 4.4 made of a woman and made vnder the Law that by his f 1. Iohn 1.7 bloud we might be clensed from all sinne and g Rom. 5.9 iustifyed in the sight of God that by his holy spirit we might be h 1. Pet. 1.3 regenerated gouerned defended from our enemies and at that great day the day of the resurrection of all flesh we may both bodie and soule be brought into the full possession of eternall life Which being so what remaineth on our parts but that we abide constantly in our holy faith and perseuere therein euen vnto the end Without perseuerance our faith will not auaile vs. For not euery one but such onely as are marked in their foreheads with the letter Tau with the note of perfection and perseuerance shall enter the inheritance of the blessed Ezech. 9 4. And not euery one but he onely that endureth to the end shall be saued Matth. 10.22 And not euery one but he onely which is faithfull vnto death shall receiue the crowne of life Reuel 2.10 Let the dog returne to his vomit and the washed sow to her wallowing in the mire as the Prouerbs are 2. Pet. 2.22 But let vs hold fast our holy faith till it shall please God to call vs to make our finall account how we haue spent the dayes of our Pilgrimage in this present world So shall he that is holy and true who hath i Reuel 3.7 the key of Dauid which openeth and no man shutteth which shutteth and no man openeth open vnto vs the gates of Ierusalem which is aboue and giue vs full fruition of euerlasting happinesse Thus haue you the first vse of my first doctrine touching the truth of God My doctrine was God is truth in himselfe in his workes and in his words The first vse concerneth our faith in Christ and our perseuerance therein A second followeth It appertaineth to thankesgiuing For if our saluation and eternall life doe depend vpon the knowledge of the heauenly truth and God brings none to the knowledge of this truth but his elect and chosen people how great thankes ought we to giue vnto God not onely for choosing vs but also for making it knowne vnto vs by the reuelation of his truth that we are his chosen people For he hath not onely imprinted in the vs image of that truth which is eternall in himselfe but also daily bringeth vs to such a measure
much he is able to doe without the grace of God This their opinion is erroneous The truth is that S. Paul in the place alledged speaketh not of any other but of himselfe not as he was in Pharisaisme vnder the law but as he was now when he wrote this Epistle in the state of grace a man regenerate This great combate in S. Paul now regenerate betweene the Å¿ â—â—m 7.23 law of his minde and the law of his members betweene the t Vers 22.25 law of God and the law of sinne betweene the u Vers 22. inward man and the outward betweene the x Vers 18. flesh and spirit doth clearely shew that the holiest man liuing hath a tincture of disobedience against the Lord his God This is the second kind of disobedience which I noted to be in man as he is in the state of regeneration and serueth for the illustration of my propounded doctrine which was Disobedience against Gods holy lawes and commaundements is a sinne which the Lord requireth to be eschewed by euery child of his Disobedience not onely that which is in euery man that is yet in the state of corruption but that other too which is incident to the truely regenerate is a sinne carefully to be eschewed by euery child of God Euery child of God should be vnwilling to displease God and what can more displease him then disobedience Disobedience Gods curse is vpon it The curse is Psal 119 21. Maledicti qui declinant a mandatis tuis cursed are they that doe erre from thy commaundements Maledicti a Deo scilicet Cursed of God are all they of what estate or condition soeuer they are that doe erre in their life and conuersation from his commaundements which he hath prescribed as footsteps and paths for men to tread in Cursed are they that doe erre he saith not they that haue erred for they that haue erred may haue repented but cursed are they that doe erre from thy commaundements And here by erring we vnderstand not euery offence indifferently but an vnbridled licence to offend we vnderstand not euery slip but a falling away from God We vnderstand not euery disobedience of ignorance or infirmity but the disobedience of pride and presumption Maledicti Cursed are they that doe erre from thy commandements The like Curse is Deut. 27.26 Maledictus qui non permanet in sermonibus legis huius nec eos opere perficit Cursed be he that continueth not in the words of this law to doe them It is cited by S. Paul Gal. 3.10 Cursed is euery one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Booke of the law to doe them In both places the end of the Law is poynted at It is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not so much contemplation as action for the Law was giuen not onely to be knowne but also to be performed and therefore Rom. 2.13 it is auouched that not the hearers of the Law are righteous before God but the doers of the Law shall be iustified The couenant of the Law requireth from vs absolute obedience In this obedience these things must concurre according to the tenor of the Law 1. It must be performed by our selues for the law reueales not the Mediator 2. It must be inward as well as outward 3. It must be perfect in parts and degrees 4. It must be constant and continuall from the first moment of our conception without the least interruption through the whole course of our liues The least thought dissonant to the law inuolues vs in disobedience and layes vs open to the Curse Maledictus Cursed be he that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them Vae vobis is no better then a Curse and that shall you find denounced to the disobedient Ecclus. 41.8 Vae vobis impij Viri qui dereliquistis legem Altissimi scilicet per inobedientiam sayth Antoninus Sum. part 2. Tit. 4. cap. 2. Woe be vnto you vngodly men which haue forsaken the law of the most high God through your disobedience Vae vobis woe be vnto you And why so The reason is added For if you increase it shall be to your destruction And if you be borne you shall be borne to a curse and if you die a curse shall be your portion Vae vobis woe be vnto you ye vngodly men which haue forsaken the law of the most high God through your disobedience Is disobedience thus cursed Then must it be punished For as Dicere Dei is facere so Maledicere Dei is malum poenae facere If God saith a thing he doth it and if he curseth he punisheth He curseth disobedience and therefore he punisheth disobedience He punisheth it sayth Antoninus three manner of wayes First per afflictionem corporis by afflicting man in his bodie Secondly per impugnationem orbis by setting the whole world against man and Thirdly per privationem numinis by depriuing him of the vision of God First God punisheth disobedience by laying affliction vpon man in his bodie For the disobedience of Adam he sayth vnto Adam Gen. 3.17 Maledicta terra in opere tuo Cursed be the earth for thy worke for the worke of thy transgression for thy sinne for thy sake Cursed be the earth of thy bodie for thy bodie is but earth cursed shall it be and many waies afflicted Thornes and Thistles diuerse passions and infirmities shall it bring forth vnto thee All the euils of punishment whereto these weake bodies of ours are subiect hunger and thirst and heate and cold and trauaile and trouble and misery and calamitie and weakenesse and diseases yea and death too together with that neuer-ceasing rebellion of the flesh against the Spirit called in Scripture the Concupiscence of the flesh whâ—ch cleaueth fast vnto vs all our life long and is the fountaine and root of all our euill deeds all these are vpon vs for disobedience Secondly God punisheth disobedience by setting the whole world against man For as it is Wisd 5.21 Pugnabit cum illo orbis terrarum contra insensatos The world shall fight with him against the vnwise the world shall take part with God against the disobedient The world that is all the creatures in the world whereof we read vers 18. Armabit creaturam ad vltionem inimicorum The Lord he shall take to him his iealousie for compleat Armour and make the y Wisd 5.17 creature his weapon for the reuenge of his enemies Where by the creature I vnderstand z Lorinus vniuersitatem creaturarum the vniuersitie of Creatures all the Creatures in the world orbem terrarum euen the whole world of Creatures God shall make the creature his weapon for the reuenge of his enemies and the world shall fight with him against the vnwise The thunderbolt is his weapon against the disobedient vers 21. Then shall the right ayming thunder-bolts goe abroad and from the clouds
Philistines had offended but once or a second time I should haue beene fauourable vnto them and should haue recalled them into the right way that so they might be conuerted and escape my punishments but now whereas they doe daily heape transgression vpon transgression and find no end of sinning I haue hardned my face against them and will not suffer them to be conuerted but indurate and obstinate as they are I will vtterly destroy them For three transgressions of Azzah and for foure The doctrine is Many sinnes doe plucke downe from heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners See my sixth Serm. on Hos 10. God is of pure eies and beholdeth not iniquity he hath laid righteousnesse to the rule and weighed his iustice in a ballance The sentence is passed forth and must stand vncontroulable euen as long as Sun Moone Tribulation and anguish vpon euery soule that doth euill the soule that sinneth it shall bee punished God makes it good by an oath Deut. 32.41 that he will what his glittering sword his hand shall take hold on iudgement to execute vengeance vpon sinners His soule hateth and abhorreth sin his Law curseth and condemneth sin his hand smiteth and scourgeth sin Sin was his motiue to cast downe Angels into Hell to thrust Adam out of Paradise to turne Cities into ashes to ruinate nations to torment his owne bowels in the similitude of sinfull flesh Because of sinne he drowned the old world and because of sinne ere long will burne this Thus doe many sins plucke downe from heauen the more certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners One vse of this doctrine is to teach vs heedfulnesse in all our waies that we doe not by our many sinnes prouoke Almighty God to high displeasure A second vse it to moue vs to a serious contemplation of the wonderfull patience of Almighty God who did so graciously forbeare these Philistines of Azzah till by three and foure transgressions by their many sins they had prouoked him to indignation It 's true our God is a good God a gracious God a mercifull God a God of wonderfull patience yet may not wee thereby take encouragement to goe on in our euill doings See my sixth Lecture pag. 70. The Lord who punished his Angels in Heauen for one breach Adam for one morsell Miriam for one slander Moses for one angry word Achan for one sacrilege Ezechias for once shewing his treasures to the Embassadors of Babel Iosias for once going to warre without asking counsell of the Lord and Ananias with his wife Sapphira for once lying to the holy Ghost out of doubt will not spare vs if wee shall persist to make a trade of sinning day after day heaping iniquity vpon iniquity to the fulfilling of our sinnes If so we doe it shall be with vs as the Apostle speaketh 1 Thes 2.16 The wrath of God must come on vs to the vtmost Now therefore as the Elect of God holy and beloued let vs walke in loue euen as Christ hath loued vs. As for the works of the flesh cast we them far from vs adultery fornication vncleannesse wantonnes hatred debate emulation wrath contentions enuy drunkennes gluttony and such like for which the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience let them not once be named among vs as it becommeth Saints But the fruits of the Spirit let vs wholly delight in them hauing laid vp in the treasury of our memories this lesson Three transgressions and soure Many sinnes doe pluck downe from heauen the most certaine wrath and vengeance of God vpon the sinners It followeth Because they carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom These words are the third part of this Prophecie and do containe that same grieuous sin by which God was prouoked to come against the men of Azzah and the rest of the Philistines in iudgement the sinne of cruelty rigour vnmercifulnesse hardnesse of heart They carried away prisoners the whole captiuity to shut them vp in Edom Here the abstract is put for the concrete captiuity for captiues or persons in captiuity as Psal 68.18 Thou hast led captiuity captiue The whole captiuity It 's well translated for the sense the word in the originall signifieth absolute perfect and compleat By this whole captiuity the holy Spirit meaneth an absolute perfect and compleat captiuity meram captiuitatem apertam atque manifestam saith Arias Montanus a captiuity indeed open and manifest such a captiuity saith Caluin as wherein they spared not either women or children or the aged they tooke no pity no compassion vpon either sex or age but all of all sorts male and female young and old they carried away prisoners What was their end and purpose in so doing Euen to shut them vp in Edom that is to sell them for bondslaues vnto the Idumaeans In Edom Esau Iacobs brother and Isaacks son by his wife a Gen. 25.21 Rebâ—kah for selling his birthright for a messe of b Vers 30. red broth was surnamed Edom and of him lineally descended the Edomites or Idumaeans Gen. 36.43 Of this posterity of Esau or Edom the land which they inhabited was called the land of Edom or Idumaea and it was a southerne prouince of the land of promise diuided as c Theatr. Terra Sancta Adriehom and d Obseruat lib. 14. cap. 13. Drusius haue obserued out of Iosephus his fifth book of the Iewish antiquities into two parts Idumaeam Superiorem and Inferiorem the higher and the lower Idumaea The higher wherein were two of the cities mentioned in my Text Gaza and Askelon in the diuision of the land of Canaan fell to the lot of the Tribe of Iudah The lower Idumaea commonly known by the name of Idumaea fell to the lot of the Tribe of Simeon and this lower Idumaea I take to be the Idumaea in my Text. Esau pursued Iacob with a deadly hate so did the posterity of Esau the posterity of Iacob the Edomites were euermore most maliciously bent against the Israelites Here then appeareth the hainousnes of that sin wherwith the Philistines are charged It was the sin of cruelty in a very high degree It is a cruell deed to carry away any one from his natiue Country but him that is so carried away to sell to his mortall enemy this is a cruelty than which there cannot be a greater Such was the sin of those Philistines the inhabitants of Azzah They sold whether the Iewes or the Israelites the posterity of Iacob and seruants of the liuing God to their professed enemies the Edomites with this policy that being carried farre from their owne country they should liue in eternall slauery and bondage without hope euer to returne home againe This very crime of cruelty is in the Prophecie of Ioel also Ch. 3.6 laid to the charge of these Philistines The children of Iudah and the children of Ierusalem haue ye sold to the Grecians
great thunder with lightning from heauen in the presence of all the people of God 6. This Law is of all lawes most neccssarie Necessarie for the preseruing and maintayning of discipline both in and without the Church Necessarie to convict man of sinne and to disrobe him of that pride which makes him to presume of his owne naturall strength Necessarie to represse and keepe vnder the obstinate and selfe-willed sinner with feare of punishments Necessarie to informe and instruct the regenerate in the true seruice and worship of God This law of the Lord so far surpassing all other lawes for the excellencie thereof these inhabitants of Iudah did despise they contemned it You see the sinne here laid vnto their charge Contempt of the law of the Lord. They haue despised the law of the Lord. The doctrine arising hence is The contempt of the law of the Lord is a very grieuous sinne This truth will be plaine if you will consider what punishments God in his holy word threatneth and layeth vpon the despisers or contemners of his Sacred Maiestie of his ceremonies of his commandements of his holy word Such despisers or contemners are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 3.32 The Lord will despise them 1. Sam. 2.30 The Lord will scorne them Prov. 3.34 The Lord will bring vpon them terrors consumptions burning agues and sorrow of heart Levit. 26.15 The Lord will send a fire vpon them to deuoure them Amos 2.5 and hauing so done He will laugh at their destruction Prov. 1.26 For this contempt Pharaohs chariots his chosen Captaines and his hoste were couered in the deepe they sanke to the bottome of the Sea as a stone they were all drowned Exod. 15.4 5. For this contempt Saul was reiected from being King ouer Israel he became his owne executioner he fell vpon his owne sword 1. Sam. 31.4 For this contempt Salomons kingdome was i 1. King 11.11 12. to be rent from him and to be giuen to his seruant it was accomplished in his sonnes dayes in the dayes of Rehoboā the Israelites made vnto themselues a new King euen Ieroboam sonne of Nebat 1. Kings 12.20 What was it but this contempt that brought k 2. Chr. 28.13 ruine to the state of Ahaz What but this contempt hath brought to nought many ancient and flourishing kingdomes and nations What else hath laid their honor in the dust Infinite should I be would I produce all that is deliuered in the Sacred Scriptures concerning this contempt of the Lord and his holy lawes The litle which I haue already brought out of that invaluable treasurie may serue for the establishment of my propounded doctrine namely that The contempt of the law of the Lord is a very grieuous sinne You see the doctrine Let vs now make some vse of it to our selues Is it true beloued Is it a grieuous sinne to despise the law of the Lord Let this be a motiue to vs to gage the very depth and bottome of our hearts there to see whether we haue sinned this sinne whether we haue carried our selues contemptuously towards the law of the Lord. Can we say concerning this law of the Lord as that sweet singer of Israel that holy man of God King Dauid once said that we haue not l Psal 119.61 forgotten it that we haue not m vers 51. declined from it that we haue n vers 55. kept it that we o vers 113. loue it we p vers 70 174 delight in it our q vers 97. meditation is in it all the day that its better vnto vs then r vers 72. thousands of gold and siluer Can we thus truely say Then doubtlesse are we free from this sinne of Contempt of the law of the Lord. But if we wilfully breake the law of the Lord if we haue no feare nor feeling of the iudgements threatned in that his holy law if we runne on securely in our vngodly courses if we prostitute our selues to all vncleannesse if we be filled with ſ Rom. 1.29 vnrighteousnesse fornication wickednesse couetousnesse maliciousnes if we be puft vp with error murther debate deceit malignitie if wee walke according to the t Ephes 2 2. course of the world in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of our flesh taking delight in doing the u Galat. 5.19 workes of the flesh then are we out of doubt guilty of this sinne of despising the law of the Lord. Wherefore let vs let euery one of vs enter into the closet of our own hearts examine we our selues how we haue heretofore stood and how we do now stand affected to the law of the Lord. Iudge we our selues that we be not iudged of the Lord condemne we our selues that we be not condemned of the Lord. If we finde our selues hitherto to haue bin x 2. Tim. 2.26 intangled in the snares of Satan to haue fashioned our selues to the manners of this sinfull world to haue spent our dayes in vanities and our nights vpon the beds of wantonnesse without any due regard of Gods holy lawes enacted in the high Court of Heauen to the contrary our best way will be to betake our selues to the throne of mercy there to begge of Him that sitteth vpon the throne the grace of vnfeined repentance that sorrowing with a godly sorrow for our sinnes past for our rebellion and disobedience to the law of the Lord expressed in the wicked conuersation of our fore-passed liues we may now at length become new creatures creatures of new hearts and new spirits resoluing for the time to come to yeeld all obedience to the Law of the Lord to frequent his Sanctuarie where this law is vsually read and expounded to vs that God thereby may bee glorified and our soules saued Thus farre of the sinne of Iudah as it is expressed in the first branch of this third part of my text They haue despised the law of the Lord. The doctrine grounded thereupon was this The contempt of the law of the Lord is a very grieuous sinne The vse made thereof vnto our selues was to stirre vp in vs a desire of conforming our obedience to this law of the Lord. The sinne of Iudah is further expressed in the next clause They haue not kept his Commandements Commandements The word in the originall and Hebrew fountaine is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word repeated Psal 119. two and twenty times The Septuagint translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vulgar Latin and S. Hierome mandata iust as we do mandates or commandements Tremellius and Iunius haue statuta statutes some haue Ceremonias Ceremonies which soeuer of these translations we receiue it will be consonant to the analogie of faith and the precedent clause For whosoeuer despiseth the law of the Lord he obserueth not his ceremonies he keepeth not his statutes he keepeth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his mandats or commandements So this clause is but an exposition of the former
of actuall sinne Sometimes it s so Then it is so when a man for some particular offence is more and more blinded and depriued of the knowledge of God and his truth So God punished the Gentiles with ignorance Rom. 1.24 Because when they knew God they glorified him not as God therefore God gaue them vp to vncleannesse through the lusts of their owne hearts to dishonour their owne bodies betweene themselues So they became vaine in their imaginations and professing themselues wise they became fooles And so God punished the wicked among the Thessalonians 2 Thes 2.10 Because they receiued not the truth that they might be saued therefore God did send them strong delusions that they should beleeue lies Thus is ignorance the punishment also of actuall sin And now is the first branch of my position cleare Ignorance is a punishment of sinne euermore of Originall and sometimes of Actuall sinne The next branch is Our ignorance of God and his truth is a cause of sinne Aquin. 1. 2. q. 76. art 1. Ignorance is a cause of sinne For whosoeuer knoweth not God he cannot worship God he cannot but serue strange Gods We see that in the Galatians chap. 4.8 who therefore did seruice to them who by nature were not Gods because they knew not the true God Rom. 3.11 The like collection is made from some words in the fourteenth Psalme that therefore men seeke not God because they know him not There is none that vnderstandeth there is none that seeketh God In both places Saint Paul makes Ignorance to be the mother of superstition and idolatry Men know not God therefore they seeke not God â—quin 1. 2. qu. 84. art 1. 2. but serue strange Gods Thus is ignorance a cause of sinne I say a cause of sinne as one sinne may bee a cause of another And one sinne may be a cause of another diuers waies 1 One sinne is the cause of another in as much as for a sinne committed the grace and presence of the Holy Spirit leaueth and forsaketh vs. It being departed we cannot but runne into foule and filthy sinnes If our stay by which alone we are supported in the way of godlinesse be taken from vs how shall we stand 2 One sinne is the cause of another in as much as God punisheth sinne with sinne as when God gaue vp the Gentiles to their owne hearts lusts to vncleannesse to defile their owne bodies betweene themselues Rom. 1.24 as euen now you heard 3 One sinne is the cause of another in as much as by committing of any sinne we are drawne on againe to doe the like and to ingeminate and double action vpon action vntill at length we make the sinne habituall vnto vs. 4 One sinne is the cause of another in as much as it cannot be that a sinne should be committed without attendants In which sense the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.10 saith of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saith that Couetousnesse or the loue of money is the root of all euill They that will be rich saith he fall into tentation and snares and into many foolish and noisome lusts which draw men into perdition and destruction for the loue of money is the root of all euill which while some lusted after they erred from the faith and pierced themselues thorow with many sorrowes 5 One sinne is the cause of another in as much as for one the other is committed Pilat for ambition condemned Christ Iudas for money betrayed his Master and Balaam for a like reward cursed Gods people So many waies may one sinne be said to be the cause of another Now our ignorance of God is a cause of sinne the fourth way namely as it is not without attendants You heard euen now that Paul makes it to be the mother of superstition and idolatry I may say it is the mother of all heresies and errors To this purpose Saint Hierome in a proeme of his to the Virgin Eustochium before his Commentaries vpon Esay saith that the ignorance of the Scriptures is the ignorance of Christ If 1 Cor. 1.24 saith he according to the Apostle Paul Christ be the power of God and the wisdome of God and hee that knoweth not the Scriptures knoweth not the power of God nor his wisdome Ignoratio Scripturarum ignoratio Christi est the ignorance of the Scriptures is the ignorance of Christ It is so worthy a saying that it is put into the body of the Canon Law Dist 38. C. Si iuxta Thus much for the second branch of my position wherein I affirmed that Ignorance is a cause of sinne The third branch is Our ignorance of God and his truth is in it selfe sinne Here the Schoolemen doe distinguish Aquin. 1. 2. qu. 76. Art 2. Lombard Sent. lib. 2. dist 22. c. est autem There is one kinde of ignorance in such men as may know and will not another in such as may know and care not a third in such as would know but cannot The first is an ignorance by wilfulnesse the second by negligence the third by necessity The first and second they hold for sinnes the third they excuse yea they deny it to be a sinne To their iudgement concerning the two former kinds we giue our assent It is a malicious sinne a sinne of commission a very heynous sinne when men may know and will not It is a negligent sinne a sinne of omission yet a grieuous sinne when men may know and care not But their opinion touching the third kinde we allow not What if a man would know and cannot is he therefore simply and absolutely excused No he is not It s a truth and all the powers of Hell shall not be able to preuaile against it whosoeuer knoweth not what he ought to know by the Law of God he is holden in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he transgresseth the Law of God And euery transgression of the Law of God is sinne This truth is sealed by the holy Spirit in the mouth of Saint Iohn 1 Epist chap. 3.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euery transgression of the Law is sin The Text of Scripture which they alleage for their opinion is Ioh. 15.22 There saith Christ If I had not come and spoken vnto them they should not haue had sinne but now haue they no cloake for their sinne My answer is These words make nothing for them For Christ by saying so doth not absolutely excuse the Iewes from sinne vpon the condition that they had not beene able to haue heard Christ The excuse which Christ fitteth to them serues onely to excuse them from the greatnesse and grieuousnesse of sinne as if he had thus said If I had not come and spoken vnto them they should not haue had sin sin that is so grieuous sinne as now they haue since they haue heard me and yet doe continue in their obstinacy refusing to giue assent to the truth which I haue told them from my
to wisdom It should moue vs b Hereof I spake in a Sermon vpon Hebr. 10.30 to beware of those crying sinnes vsually committed against the first table that we prouoke not Gods vengeance against vs by Idolatrie in worshiping the creature aboue the creator blessed for euer by tempting God in making triall whether his word be true or not by murmuring against God in laying iniustice to his charge quod bonis male fit malis bene for afflicting the godly when the wicked liue at ease by rebellion and contumacie in taking counsell together against the Lord against his Christ by blasphemy in doing despite to the Spirit of grace It may moue vs also to beware of those other sins crying sins too vsually committed against the second table that we prouoke not Gods vengeance against vs by dishonouring our parents and such as God hath put in place of gouernment aboue vs by grieuing our children and such as are by vs to be gouerned by oppressing the fatherlesse and the poore by giuing our selues ouer vnto filthy lusts Beloued in the Lord let vs not forget this though God bee good gracious mercifull and long suffering yet is hee also a iust God God the auenger and punisher Here we see he resolueth to send a fire into the house of Hazael which is the second thing to be considered How God punisheth By fire I will send a fire c. Albeit sometime God himselfe doth by himselfe immediately execute his vengeance vpon the wicked as when he smote all the first borne of Egypt Exod. 12.29 and Nabal 1. Sam. 25.38 and Vzzah 2. Sam 6.7 yet many times he doth it by his instruments c Wigand Syntagm Vet. Test Instrumenta sunt tota creatura Dei All the creatures of God are ready at his command to be the executioners of his vengeance Among the rest and in the first ranke is fire God sent a fire to lay wast Sodom and Gomorah and their sister cities Gen. 19.24 to eate vp Nadab and Abihu Leuit 10.2 to cut of the two hundred and fifty men that were in the rebellion of Korah Num. 16.35 to deuoure two captaines twise fifty men 2. King 1.10 12. I will not load your memories with multitude of examples for this point My text telleth you that fire Gods creature becommeth Gods instrument executioner of his vengeance I will send a fire into the house of Hazael and it shall deuoure the palaces of Benhadad By fire in this place the learned d Lyranus Drusius Ar. Montanus Mercer Caluin Gualter expositors doe vnderstand not only naturall fire but also the sword and pestilence and famine quod libet genus consumptionis euery kind of consumptiō euery scourge wherewith God punisheth the wicked and disobedient be it haile or thunder or sicknes or any other of Gods messengers So farre is the signification of fire though not in the naturall yet in the Metaphorical vnderstanding extended The doctrine which from hence I gather is As is the fire so are all other creatures at the Lords commandement to bee imployed by him in the punishment of the wicked This truth well appeareth by that which I euen now repeated out of Eccles 39. whence you heard that some spirits are created for vengeance as also are fire and haile and famine and death and the teeth of wild beasts and the scorpions and the serpents and the sword yea that the principall things for the whole vse of mans life as water and fire and yron and salt and meale wheat and hony and milke and the bloud of the grape and oile cloathing are all for euill vnto the wicked If that proofe because the booke whence it is taken is Apocryphall like you not giue care I pray you while I proue it out of Canonicall Scripture The doctrine to be proued is Fire and all other creatures are at the Lords commandement to be imploied by him in the punishment of the wicked I proue it by the seruice of Angels and other creatures 2 King 19.35 we read of an hundred fourscore and fiue thousand in the camp of Ashur slaine by an Angell of the Lord. The thing is related also Esay 37.36 This ministerie of Gods Angels Dauid acknowledgeth Psal 35.5 6. where his prayer against his enemies is that the Angell of the Lord might scatter and persecute them 1. Sam. 7.10 we read that the Lord did thunder a great thunder vpon the Philistines Ezech. 14. wee read how the Lord punisheth a sinfull land with his e Ezech. 14.21 foure sore iudgements the sword pestilence famine and noysome beasts The story of Gods visitation vpon Pharaoh and the Egyptians in Exod. chap. 8 9. and 10. is fit for my purpose You shall there find that frogs lice flies grashoppers thunder haile lightning murraine botches sores did instrumentally auenge God vpon man and beast in Egypt Adde hereto what you read Psal 148.8 fire and haile and snow and vapours and stormy winds doe execute Gods commandement Thus is my doctrine proued As is the fire so are all other creatures at the Lords commandement to be imployed by him in the punishment of the wicked The vse of this doctrine is to teach vs how to behaue our selues at such times as God shall visit vs with his rod of correction how to carry our selues in all our afflictions We must not so much looke to the instruments as to the Lord that smiteth by them Here set we before our eyes holy King Dauid His patience be it the patterne of our Christian imitation When Shimei a man of the family of the house of Saul came out against him cast stones at him and railed vpon him calling him to his face a man of blood and a man of Belial a murtherer and a wicked man the good King did not as he was wished to doe he took not away the murtherers life but had respect to the primus motor euen Almighty God the first mouer of this his affliction Shimei he knew was but the instrument And therefore thus saith he to Abischai 2. Sam. 16.10 He curseth because the Lord had bidden him curse Dauid and who dare then say wherefore hast thou done so Suffer him to curse for the Lord hath bidden him Here also set we before our eies holy Iob. His patience be it the patterne of our Christian imitation The losse of all his substance his children by the Sabeans Chaldeans fire from heauen and a great wind from beyond the wildernesse could not turne away his eies from the God of heauen to those second causes They he knew were but the instruments And therefore possessing his soule in patience he said Iob. 1.21 Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither the Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord. To these instances of Dauid and Iob adde one more that of the blessed Apostles Peter Iohn the rest Act. 4.27
Corruption it selfe as a father made Iob fit for his graue and death which of him was more wished then life as Origen and Olympiodor haue well obserued And hence it is that blessed Paul liuing in this world and vsing it as if he vsed it not for he had his conuersation in heauen and had a true and liuely taste of the ioyes of the world to come desired to be dissolued and to be with Christ and this hee was well assured was best of all for him Phil. 1.23 Thus farre beloued haue I ledde you by occasion of these words Moab shall dye vpon which I grounded this generall doctrine All must once dye In the illustration whereof I signified that of euils death was the most terrible To arme your Christian soules against the terrour or feare of death I told you that death is to be considered in a double respect either as it is in its owne nature or as it is changed qualified by the death of Christ in the first respect it is very fearefull to the naturall man in the latter it is very welcome to the resolued Christian I further added that there are two sorts of men obnoxious vnto death the one sort doe liue in sinne and dye without repentance the other with vnfained repentance and true faith in Christ doe leaue this world to the first sort death is very terrible to the latter it is a very welcome guest Now proceed we to examine the manner of Moabs death Moab shall dye with tumult with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet In tumultu with a tumult so some do reade Vatablus Caluin Mercer Gualter in strepitu with a noyse so Iunius and Drusius in sonitu with a sound so Brentius and the author of the vulgar Latine The 70. haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Moab shall dye through imbecillity or weakenes The word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifieth a sound a tumult an inundation or multitude of waters which ouerrunne their bankes with violence and roaring The meaning of the world is that Moab should die a death strange and extraordinary which is more specified in the next word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With shouting This very word we met with within the 14. verse of the first Chapter where it is brought to set forth the terrour of that iudgement which God would bring vpon the Ammonites The word I expounded in my 20. Sermon on the first Chapter and shewed out of diuers Authorss that it signifieth a sound a cry a great cry a vociferation a shoute such as Souldiers doe make when on a suddaine they surprize a City To make good this exposition it is added With the sound of a trumpet The vse of trumpets in warre hath beene very ancient The vse of them is commanded to the children of Israel Num. 10.9 When ye goe to warre against the enemie yee shall blow a larme with the trumpets After they were vsed in the battle against Iericho Iosh 6.5 Ioshua saith to the people When yee heare the sound of the trumpet ye shall all shout with a great shout and the wall of Iericho shall fall downe flat To this vse Ezechiel alludeth Chap. 7.14 They haue blowne the trumpet and prepared all but none goeth to the battell And S. Paul speaks of it 1. Corinth 14.8 If the trumpet giue an vncertaine sound who shall prepare himselfe to battle The Prophet Zephanie also hath respect vnto it Chap. 2.16 where he calls the great day of the Lord a day of the trumpet and a larme against the strong Cities and against the high towers From this ancient vse of trumpets we may gather the meaning of our Prophet in this place Moab shall dye with a tumult with a shouting and with the sound of a trumpet Moab that is the Moabites the people of Moab shall dye shall depart this life and leaue this world not quietly and peaceably in their beds but with a tumult with a shouting and with the sound of a trumpet euen in warre or as the phrase is in the 14. verse of the 1. chapter in the day of battaile The doctrine arising hence is this Warre one of the executioners of Gods vengeance is euermore sent vpon a Land for the sinnes of the people That warre is one of the executioners of Gods vengeance its plaine in Ezech. 14.21 There God himself makes it one of his foure sore iudgements The foure are the sword famine the noysome beast and the pestilence the first is the sword an instrument for warre for warre it selfe These foure are likewise couched togither in Ezech. 5.17 where thus saith the Lord against Ierusalem I will send vpon you famine and euill beasts and they shall spoyle thee and pestilence and bloud shall through thee and I will bring thee sword vpon thee I the Lord haue spoken it I will bring the sword vpon thee the sword that is warre an instrument of warre for warre it selfe as in the former place These two places of Ezechiel to omit many other as pregnant here and there dispersed throughout the sacred Volumes of Gods eternall word these two doe speake plainely that warre is one of the executioners of Gods vengeance That it is sent vpon a Land for the sinnes of the people I made it plaine vnto you by like euidence of holy Writ in my 20. Sermon vpon the former chapter My proofes were taken from Levit. 26.25 Deut. 28.49 Ierem. 5.15 Whence I inferred that warre and all the euills of warre are from the Lord that warre is one of the accomplishments of Gods iudgements that warre is sent by God vpon a Land for the sinnes of a people So goeth my doctrine Warre one of the executioners of Gods vengeance is euermore sent vpon a Land for the sinnes of the people The Vse of this Doctrine is to raise vs vp to the admiration of the wonderfull patience of Almighty God We grieue the Holy Spirit of that sacred Maiestie with our manifold and daily sinnes our sinnes of omission our sins of infirmitie and our sinnes of presumption our sinnes of ignorance and our sinnes of wilfulnesse our strife variance and debate our vsurie oppression and cruelty our vncleannesse wantonnes and drunkennes our sins multiply as the sands of the Sea they haue pressed into Gods presence to fetch downe his vengeance vpon vs. Behold looke about you and admire his exceeding great patience The loud crying of our sinnes hath not yet vrged the Lord so farre as to make him come against vs with his sorest iudgement of warre He hath out of his fatherly loue ouer vs mildely chastized vs. Not long since hee brake the staffe of our bread and sent among vs a dearth and scarcitie yet haue wee not returned vnto him Not long since he commanded his armies of waters to issue from out their channell and to ouer runne man and beast for many miles within this land yet haue we not returned vnto him Not long since he
32.41 that hee will whet his glittering sword and his hand shall take hold on iudgement to execute vengeance for sinne His soule hateth and abhorreth sinne his law curseth and condemneth sinne his hand smiteth and scourgeth sinne Sinne was his motiue to cast Angels out of Heauen to thrust Adam out of Paradise to turne Cities into ashes to ruinate Nations to torment his owne bowels in the similitude of sinnefull flesh Sinne made him heretofore to drowne the olde world and sinne will make him hereafter to burne this So true is my doctrine Many sinnes doe prouoke Almighty God to lay his punishments vpon vs. Let vs now make some vse of this doctrine Doe many sinnes cause Almighty God to punish vs First we are hence taught at what time soeuer God shall lay his rod vpon vs to seeke the true cause thereof in our selues Malorum omnium nostrorum causa peccatum est saith S. Austin Serm. 139. de Tempore The cause of all euill is within vs it is sinne within vs. It is impiety to imagine that God will punish vs without a cause Non pateremur nisi mereremur saith that good Father We should not vndergoe any crosse or disturbance vnlesse wee deserued it Wherefore let vs euery one of vs in particular when God commeth neere to vs in iudgement to touch either our estates with want or our callings with disgrace or our bodies with sicknes or our soules with heauines let vs haue recourse to the sinnes within vs which haue deserued this and turne we to the Lord our God Water teares sorrow repentance will better satisfie him pacifie him mooue him alter him then whatsoeuer vengeance or plagues or bloud or death Let vs enter into a due consideration of our corruptions our transgressions our sinnes wherewith as with a heauy burden wee are laden and returne wee to the Lord our God adulterers murtherers idolaters the sacrilegious the ambitious the couetous drunkards railers lyars the blasphemous swearers forswearers all who by any their euill wayes prouoke God to the execution of his iustice must take part in this conuersion Let no man draw backe let not the heinousnesse of our fore-passed sinnes deterre vs or keepe vs from so holy a course I dare affirme with S. Austin Serm. 181. de Tempore Non nocent peccata praeterita si non placent praesentia Sinnes past hurt not if sins present please not Let vs euen now at this present in detestation of sinne resolue to sinne willingly no more and our sinnes past shall neuer hurt vs. O let not this vse slip out of our minds When God his heauy hand is vpon vs in any crosse or tribulation seeke wee out the cause of it in our selues in our sinnes A second vse followeth and it is to stirre vs vp to a serious contemplation of the wonderfull patience of Almighty God who did so graciously forbeare those inhabitants of Iudah till by their three transgressions and by their foure they had prouoked God vnto displeasure The holy Scriptures are frequent in proclaiming God to be mercifull and gracious and long-suffering and of great goodnesse Hee cryeth to the foolish Prou. 1.22 O ye foolish how long will ye loue foolishnesse He cryeth to the faithlesse Math. 17.17 O generation faithlesse and crooked how long now shall I suffer you He cryeth to Ierusalem Matth. 23.37 O Ierusalem Ierusalem how often What could the Lord haue done more vnto his vineyard then he had done vnto it He dressed it with the best and kindliest husbandry that his heart could inuent as appeareth Esa 5.2 Such carefull dressing could not but deserue fruit This fruit he required not at the first houre but tarried for it the full time euen till the autumne and time of vintage if then it failed did it not deserue to be eaten vp Looke into the 13. of Luke vers 6. There shall you see the Lord wayting three yeeres for the fruit of his fig-tree yea and content that digging and dunging and expectation a fourth yeere may bee bestowed vpon it Doubtlesse God is mercifull and gracious and long suffering and of great goodnesse Heereof Beloued we haue great experience We haue our three transgressions and our foure too as Iudah had Our manifold sinnes our sins of omission and our sinnes of commission our sinnes of ignorance and our sinnes of wilfulnesse our sinnes of infirmity and our sinnes of presumption doe they not day by day impudently and sawcily presse into the presence of Gods Maiesty to procure his vengeance against vs And yet wee must needes confesse it God is good and patient towards vs. Beloued let vs not abuse so great goodnes and patience of our God Though some fall seauen times a day and rise againe though to some sinners it pleaseth God to iterate his sufferance as vpon vs hither to he hath done yet should not we herevpon presume to iterate our misdoings For we well know that Almighty God punished his p Ioh. 8.44 Iâ—d 6. 2 Pet. 2.4 Angels in heauen for one breach q Gen. 3.17 Adam for one morsell r Num. 12.10 Miriam for one slander Å¿ Deut. 32.52 Moses for one angry word t Iosh 7.24 25. Achan for one sacrilege u Esai 35.2 Ezechias for once shewing his treasures to the Embassadors of Babel x 2. ChroÌ„ 35.22 Iosias for once going to warre without asking counsell of the Lord and y Act. 5.5 c. Ananias and Saphira for once lying to the Holy Ghost God is now as able as euer he was euen for one transgression to cut vs of but if he patiently forbeare vs till by three and foure transgressions by our many sinnes we grieue the Holy Spirit of that Sacred Maiestie shall we thinke as some impiously doe that God takes no notice of the sinnes which we commit or cares not for them Far let all such conceit be from any Christian heart Let vs rather confesse the truth that God by such his forbearance doth lead vs to repentance for as much as it is impossible that God should be and not see should see and not regard should regard and not punish should punish and not proportion his punishments to our sinnes I grant that the iustice of God goeth on 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 slowly and in order but for the most part it recompenseth the slacknes of iudgement with the heauinesse thereof It keepes the rule full well to render for ripe sinnes ripe plagues for great sinnes great plagues for grieuous sins grieuous plagues The rule in the Scholes is thus deliuered Culpam poena sequitur euery sinne hath a due punishment attending it God is without exception iust and therefore Grauitas supplicij grauitatem peccati denotat grieuous punishments wheresoeuer God shall lay them doe argue grieuous sins of those places and persons Let no man then that groaneth vnder any crosse affliction or tribulation complaine of his hard hap or ill fortune all such visitations are from God and for our
the Iewes for their prerogatiue nor Ierusalem for her goodly buildings From this vnpartialitie of God in his workes of iustice my proposition stands good Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Will you a reason hereof It is because the Lord takes impietie for impietie wheresoeuer he finds it and for such doth punish it And he finds it euery where For the eyes of the Lord Å¿ 2. Chrâ—n 16.9 runne to and fro throughout the whole earth and are in t Prâ—u 15.3 euery place to behold as well the euill as the good His eyes are u Iere. 16.17 vpon all our wayes he seeth x Iob 34.21 all our goings he y Iob 31.4 counteth all our steps no iniquitie is z Iere. 16.17 hid from him This doth the Prophet Ieremie Chap. 32.19 wall expresse Thine eyes O Lord are open vpon all the wayes of the sonnes of men to giue euery one acccording to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings This the very Ethnickes guided onely by Natures light haue acknowledged Sybilla in her Oracles could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Almightie and inuisible God he onely seeth all things Hesiod could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath an All-seeing eye Plautus could say a Capte ivi Est profecto Deus qui quae nos gerimus auditque videt Doubtlesse there is a God who both heareth and seeth whatsoeuer we doe And b Metamorph. lib. 13. Ovid could say Aspiciunt oculis superi mortalia iustâ—s There is a God aboue who hath iust eyes beholdeth all the doings of mortall men c Thales interregatus an furta â—â—mâ—â—um Deos fallerent Nec cogiâ—ata â—nqâ—it Valer. Mar. lib. 7 cap. 2. Dioge Laert. lib. 1. in Thal s. Thales of Miletum the wisest of the seauen being asked whether mens euill deeds could be kept close from God! No sayd he nor their euill thoughts The Hieroglyphicke the mysticall or aenigmaticall letter whereby the Egyptians would haue God to be vnderstood was an eye And why so But as d Hierâ—glyph lib. 33. Pierius saith because Deus ille optimus maximus the great God of Heauen is mundi oculus the eye of the world It may be such was the conceit of that auncient e Augustin Father who sayd of God that he was totus oculus wholy an eye He giues his reason quia omnia videt because hee seeth all things All things are to the eies of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 naked and opened seene as well within as without So saith the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews chap. 4.13 All the impieties of man in deed word or thought are manifest vnto the Lord he seeth them all and for impieties will punish them Well saith f De constantiâ lib. 2. cap. 16. Lypsius Culpae comes iustissimè poena semper est Paine is alwayes the companion of a fault And g Jbid. cap. 14. againe Cognatum immo innatum omni sceleri sceleris supplicium Euery wickednesse brings a punishment with it As the worke is so is the pay if the one be readie the other is present h Lipsius de constant lib. 2 c. 13. Neuer did any man foster within his breast a crime but vengeance was vpon his backe for it If there be impietie there cannot be impunitie Witnesse the blessed Apostle S. Iames chap. 1.15 Sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death And S. Paul Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death Many are the texts of holy Scripture which I might alledge to this purpose I will for this present trouble you but with one It is Psal 34.16 The face of the Lord is against them that doe euill to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth From these now-touched considerations first that Almightie God in iudgement accepteth no persons then that his Al-seeing eye beholdeth whatsoeuer impietie is done not onely in our workes and words but also in our most retyred thoughts thirdly that in iustice euery impietie is to receiue a due punishment from these considerations my position stands firme and vnmoueable Whosoeuer doe imitate the Heathen in their impieties they are in the Lords account no better then the Heathen and shall be punished as the Heathen Here let all good Christians be admonished with their greatest carefulnesse to looke vnto their wayes that they walke not in the by-pathes of sinne to imitate the Heathen in their impieties Qui attrahit ad se culpam non potest effugere poenam sayth i Comment in Hebr. 12. Hugo Cardinalis Thinke not that thy prerogatiue of being a Christian can be a shield vnto thee Christianus k August enchir ad Laurent ca. 5. nomine non opere A Christian in name not in deed may be called a Christian but is no Christian l Bernard Sentent Christianus as he is haeres nominis Christi so must he be imitator sanctitatis A Christian is heire to the name of Christ and therefore must be a follower of Christ in holinesse A Christian sayth S. Austine if he be the Author of the Booke m Lib. 1. cap. 6. de vita Christianâ A Christian is a name of iustice of goodnesse of integritie of patience of chastitie of prudence of humilitie of courtesie of innocencie of pietie A Christian is he who is a follower of Christ who is holy innocent vndefiled vnspotted in whose brest there is no wickednesse who hurts no man but helpeth all He that can truely say I hate not mine enemies I doe good to them that hurt me I pray for them that persecute me I doe wrong to no body I liue iustly with all men hic Christianus est he is a Christian But if in the profession of Christianitie a man liues the life of a Heathen the name of a Christian shall doe him no pleasure If he take delight in the n Galat. 5.19 workes of the flesh in adulterie fornication vncleannesse laciuiousnesse drunkennesse hatred variance wrath strife or any like sinne God will forsake him the holy Angels will flie him the blessed Saints will detest him the Reprobate shall bee his companie the Deuils his fellowes hell his inheritance his soule a nest of scorpions his bodie a dungeon of foule spirits and at last both bodie and soule shal eternally burne in fire vnquencheable Wherefore dearely beloued suffer a word of exhortation o Ecclus. 21.1.2.3 Haue you sinned Doe so no more Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent For if you come too neere it it will bite you the teeth thereof are as the teeth of a Lyon slaying the soules of men So sayth Ecclus chap. 21.2 Flee from sinne as from the face of a Serpent Sinne It s like a leauen that will leauen the whole lumpe It s like a scab that will infect the whole flocke It s like
the poore whatsoeuer he be The commandement concerning him is Levit. 25.35 If thy brother be waxen poore and fallen into decay with thee then thou shalt relieue him yea though he be a stranger or a soiourner It is repeated Deut. 15.7 If there be among you a poore man thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from him But f Deut. 15.11 Matth. 5.42 Luc. 6.34 thou shalt open thine hand wide vnto him and shalt lend him g vers 8. sufficient for his neede Such is the commandement Doe men regard it Doe they not rather harden their hearts and shut their hands against the poore Do they not h Prou. 22.22 rob them i Ezech. 22.29 vexe them k Amos 4.1 oppresse them crush them Doe they not euen now as bad as the Israeliâ—es in my text did Do they not sell the poore for siluer for shoes for a trifle Doe they not euen now pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore If they doe so the Lord is ready to doe them right and to punish such as oppresse them For so much God vndertaketh Amos 4.2 where to such as oppresse the poore and crush the needie the Lord God hath sworne by his holinesse that loe the dayes shall come vpon them wherein he will take them away with hookes and their posteritie with fish-hookes This Salomon by the spirit full well knew and therefore Prou. 22.22 aduising vs not to robbe the poore brings this for a motiue vers 23. The Lord will plead the cause of the poore and will spoyle the soule of those that spoyle them And chap. 23.11 disswading vs from wronging of the poore he brings the like motiue Their redeemer is mighty hee shall plead their cause with you You see now God pleadeth the cause of the poore whatsoeuer he be But against whom doth he plead it My doctrine saith the Cruell the Couetous and Oppressors These are they whom the holy Spirit in this place taxeth Their cruelty and couetousnes were touched vers the 6. They sold the righteous the poore This was Cruelty They sold them for siluer and for shoes this was Couetousnesse Those two Cruelty and Couetousnes ioyned togither make Oppression which is the sinne reproued in the beginning of this 7. verse They pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore With these the Cruell the Couetous and Oppressors the Lord hath a l Hos 4.1 controuersie against these hee m Micah 6.2 pleadeth First He pleadeth against the Cruell Against the Chaldeans Esai 47.5 6. Sit thou silent and get thee into darknes O daughter of the Chaldeans thou shalt be no more called the Lady of kingdomes For thou didst shew my people no mercy thou hast very heauily laid the yoke vpon them Secondly He pleadeth against the Couetous Against the men of Iudah Esai 3.14 15. Yee haue eaten vp the vineyard the spoyle of the poore is in your houses What meane ye that ye beat my people to peeces and grinde the faces of the poore Thirdly He pleadeth against the Oppressors Against the heads of Israel Micah 3.3 Ye eat the flesh of my people and flay their skin from off them yee breake their bones and chop them in pieces as for the pot as flesh within the cauldron Thus far of the doctrine God pleadeth the cause of the poore against the cruell the couetous and oppressors Now let vs see what benefit we may make hereof vnto our selues for our further instruction and the amendment of our liues First Doth God plead the cause of the poore against the cruell the couetous oppressors This may serue to reproue the cruel the couetous the oppressors of this age With vs now it is as once it was with the state of Israel Cruelty and Couetousnesse much worse then nettles and brambles haue ouer-run our land These two Cruelty and Couetousnesse that boundlesse this vnsatiable like the two daughters of the horsleech Prov. 30.15 haue bin so long vsed to cry Giue Giue that they will neuer be brought to say It is enough The first borne of these two Cruelty and Couetousnes is Oppression that loud-crying sinne vnder which this our land in euery corner almost groneth and shee hath her mates too Vsurie and Extortion All these Crueltie Couetousnesse Oppression Vsurie and Extortion walke hand in hand and seeke about like that n 1. Pet. 5.8 roaring Lyon the Deuill of whom they are begotten whom they may deuoure Many God knowes they haue deuoured already but that contents them not Dearely beloued how shall I worke in you a loathing a detestation of these foule sins Can I do it better then by setting before your eyes the deformitie and vglines of the men in whom they raigne And who are they will you haue their character and picture It is drawne by Salomon Prou. 30.14 There is saith he a generation a generation of men whose teeth are as swords and their o Iob 29.17 iawes as kniues to deuoure the poore from off the earth and the needie from among men They are as Dauids Lyons Psal 57.4 Their teeth are speares and arrowes and their tongue a sharpe sword They are as the kine of Bashan Amos 4.1 Oppressors of the poore crushers of the needy See you not in the shape of men Monsters Kine Lyons with teeth like speares and arrowes with iawes like kniues with tongues like swords Will you yet conuerse with them will you haue any further fellowship any further acquaintance with them You will say How shall we shun them vnlesse we more particularly know who they are Behold therefore a Catalogue of them out of a p Râ—inold vpon Obadiah pag. 84. learned and iudicious Diuine They are such as eat and deuoure vs vp with Vsurie such as spoile vs by monopolies by engrossing by false wares by subtile bargainâ—s such as wrong vs by enclosing of Commons such as wring vs by enhaunsing of rents such as rob the Church in pulling away the maintenance of the Ministers thereof in possessing their right in appropriating or deteining their tithes such as thrust husbandmen out of their liuings in their steed place a shepheard with his dog such as ioyne q Esa 5.8 house to house land to land liuing to liuing as though they meant aloâ—e to liue vpon the earth These are they whose character and picture I but now shewed vnto you men will you call them men nay monsters of men kine of Bashan Lyons whose teeth iawes and tongues are as speares and arrowes and kniues and swords to eate deuoure the needy and the poore These are they whom you commonly call deuouring Caterpillers greedie Cormâ—rants cruell Cambals and not amisse So vnsatiable are they and such merci-lesse man-eaters hated of all good people and r Psal 5.6 abhorred of God What can be the end of these men Shall not the day come wherein dogs shall licke their bloud as once
In our now-sacrifices we need not garlands of Vervim nor the inwards of beasts nor turffs of earth but such things onely as proceed from the inner man righteousnesse patience faith innocencie chastitie abstinence such are the sacrifices to be offered vp vpon Gods holy Altar placed in our hearts In the Chapter following Chap. 25. his obseruation is that there are two things to be offered vp vnto God donum sacrificium a gift and a sacrifice the one perpetuall the other temporall According to some the gift is whatsoeuer is made of gold siluer purple or silke and the sacrifice is a beast slaine or whatsoeuer is burnt vpon the Altar But God hath no vse of these These are subiect to corruption but God is incorrupt Wee must therefore offer both gift and sacrifice in a spirituall manner so shall God haue vse of both Our gift must be integritas animi the vprightnesse of our minde our sacrifice laus hymnus prayse and thankesgiuing That I may conclude Beloued brethren let me sum vp together the Euangelicall sacrifices which the giuer of the new law requireth of vs. A broken spirit obedience to the will of God loue towards God and man iudgement iustice mercie prayer thankesgiuing almes-deedes our bodies and our soules these are the Euangelicall sacrifices the sacrifices of Christianitie to be offered vp vnto the Lord vpon the Altar of a faithfull heart A faithfull heart I say For if the heart be vnfaithfull the sacrifices will not be acceptable they will not be esteemed aboue the sorceries of Simon Magus Call them not sacrifices they are sacriledges if the heart be vnfaithfull But let the heart be faithfull and the sacrifices which it offereth vp will be as the beneficence was Phil. 4.18 which the Philippians sent by Epaphroditus vnto Paul they will be odours of a sweete smell acceptable sacrifices and well pleasing vnto God Neither did that precious oyntment that ranne downe Aarons beard Psal 133.2 nor that that the woman powred vpon Christs head Mat. 26.7 nor that sweete incense Exod. 25.6 nor that wine of Lebanon Hos 14.7 yeeld so pleasant a sauour as doe the sacrifices of Christianitie that ascend from a faithfull heart O! the sweete sauour of a good life that springs and sprouts from a true beliefe farre surpasseth all other sweets in the world O! Let our sacrifices be such Let them spring from a true beliefe let them proceede from a faithfull heart so shall our minds when we thinke on God and our wils when we obey God and our soules when we loue God our tongues when we prayse God and our feete when wee walke with God and whatsoeuer else we haue when we vse it for the glory of God be an odour of a sweet smell an acceptable sacrifice and well pleasing vnto God I end Vouchsafe we beseech thee most mercifull Father so throughly to sanctifie vs with thine holy Spirit that all our sacrifices our preaching our hearing our prayers our prayses our thankesgiuings our deeds of mercie and pittie and charitie may euer be acceptable in thy sight Graunt this deare Father for thy best beloued Sonne Iesus Christ his sake to whom with thee in the vnitie of the holy Spirit be all prayse and power might and maiestie dignitie and dominion for euermore Amen THE XII LECTVRE AMOS 2.8 And they drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their God THis is the last branch in the enumeration of the sinnes of the Israelites It concerneth the Iudges of Israel and the Rulers of that state them principally It is appliable to others also to the richer sort The words are a reproofe of the grosse superstition of that people They thought their dutie touching the seruice of God well discharged so they repaired to their temples Such holy places they thought were of themselues sufficient to clense them albeit they should euen there betake themselues to inordinate eating to vnmeasurable drinking to infamous luxurie yea to euery kinde of villanie For my more plaine proceeding in the handling of the words of this text will you be pleased to note in them First the action for which the Israelites are here reproued it is a drinking of wine They drinke wine Secondly whose wine it is they drinke It s not their owne its vinum damnatorum it 's the wine of the condemned They drinke the wine of the condemned Thirdly where they drinke it They drinke it not at home which were more tolerable but in domo deorum suorum in the house of their Gods They drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their Gods The first convinceth them of riot and excesse They drinke wine immoderately They are so giuen to it that they absteine not euen then when they are in their temples and would seeme most religious For they drinke it in the house of their Gods The second convinceth them of oppression The wine they drinke is vinum damnatorum it is the wine of the condemned it is vinum mulctatorum the wine of such as they haue fined or mulcted wine bought with the money of them whom they haue in their vnrighteous iudgments spoyled of their goods The third conuinceth them of idolatry They drinke their wine in the house of their Gods not in the Temple at Ierusalem that once glorious Temple of the true and liuing God but in the temple of their gods in Dan and Bethel and other places before their golden calues and other their Idols They drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their Gods First They drinke wine Wine Why might they not Is it not one of the good a 1. Tim. 4.4 creatures of God that may well be vsed with thanksgiuing God himselfe giues it to the obedient to them that loue and serue him Deut. 11.14 I will giue you the raine of your land in due season the first raine and the latter raine that thou maist gather in thy corne and thy wine and thine oyle That thou maist gather in thy wine Christ his miraculous turning of water into wine at the marriage of Cana in Galilee Ioh. 2.11 is euidence enough that he allowed the drinking of wine Yea himselfe dranke wine Else the people would neuer haue called him a wine-bibber as it appeareth they did Matth. 11.19 S Paul 1. Tim. 5.23 wisheth Timothie no longer to drinke water but to vse a little wine for his stomackes sake Wine hath its praises in the Scripture It makes glad the heart of man Psal 104.15 It cheareth God and man Iudg. 9.13 How then is it that the Israelites are here reproued for drinking wine I answer not for drinking wine but for the abuse in drinking are the Israelites here reproued It is with wine as it is with euery other good creature of God It may he abused Wine is abused when men are drunken with it This abuse of wine S. Paul desirous either to preuent or to reforme in the Ephesians thus speaketh to the Ephesians
man Thus far of the second generall part whose wine it was that these Israelites did drinke It was the wine of the condemned I can but salute the third it noteth the place where the Israelites dranke their wine it was in domo deorum suorum in the house of their Gods They drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their Gods In the house of their Gods The Septuagint haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the house of their God So readeth the author of the Vulgar Latine So Luther and Calvin and Munster and Castalio and Gualter and so our new English The reading I disallow not Yet because the Israelites the ten tribes of Israel they to whom this prophesie of Amos was directed went not now vp to Ierusalem to the Temple there there to worship the true and liuing God but had Temples of their owne Temples in Dan in Bethel in other places to which they repaired for the worship of their golden calues and Baal and other their Idols I rather read and the Hebrew text will well beare it in the house of their Gods Mercer so readeth it so doth Vatablus so Drusius so Tremellius and Iunius Ionathan the Chaldee Paraphrast he reads In the house of their Idols He hath respect to the purpose of the Holy Ghost His purpose in this place is to taxe the Israelites for their superstition for their idolatrie for their riot and excesse in spending their goods gotten by the oppression of the poore in the houses Temples or Churches of their Idol Gods The doctrine we may take from hence is this Goods gotten vnlawfully are not fit to be employed in the seruice of God No nor in the seruice of Idols Not in the seruice of God They are reiected by Ecclesiasticus chap. 34.18 He that sacrificeth of a thing wrongfully gotten his offering is ridiculous Ridiculous And will you thinke a ridiculous offering fit for Gods seruice In the 20. vers of the same Chapter Ecclesiasticus saith further Who so bringeth an offering of the goods of the poore doth as one that killeth the sonne before the fathers eyes Can a father be pleased to haue his sonne slaine before his eyes You will say no. No more will it be pleasing to God to haue an offering of ill gotten goods presented to him Salomon Prov. 15.8 saith The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. He saith it againe chap. 21.27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination It s true Whatsoeuer Sacrifice the wicked man offereth to the Lord be it offered neuer so solemnly neuer so sumptuously it will be an abomination to the Lord the Lord will abhor it he will detest it Much more will he abhor and detest any offering that shall be made of goods ill gotten of the goods of the poore Of such sacrificers he saith in Esay chap. 66.3 He that killeth an oxe is as if he slue a man he that sacrificeth a lambe as he that cut off a dogs neck he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swines flesh he that burneth incense as if he blessed an Idol You acknowledge the truth of the first part of my doctrine Goods gotten vnlawfully are not fit to be employed in the seruice of God But may they be employed in the seruice of Idols No they may not My reason is The Idolater hauing no perfect knowledge of the true and liuing God takes his Idol to be his God and worshippeth him as God Now â—en worship him amisse if carelesly if with goods of opprâ—â—â— with ill-gotten goods he dishonoureth the true and liuing God and the true and liuing God will be the auenger of such dishonour done vnto him This is the very reason why our Prophet here reproueth the Israelites for bringing into the Temples of their Idols their ill-gotten goods the wine of the condemned They thought thereby to do seruice not so much to their Idols as to the great God of Heauen whom by their Idols they represented Thus haue you my whole doctrine established Goods gotten vnlawfully are not fit to be employed in the seruice of God No nor in the seruice of Idols 1. This may serue to admonish such as shall hereafter found Colleges build Hospitals erect Scholes ordaine Aniuersaries that they endow them not that they enrich them not with lands and possessions purchased with ill-gotten treasure 2. Here is a lesson for all such as haue heaped vp vnto themselues abundance of wealth by oppression by extortion by vsury by deceit or otherwise vnlawfully Such may here be put in minde to make actuall restitution in their life time Happily they will by their last Will and Testament bequeath part of their ill-gotten wealth to the Church and part to the poore and will leaue but a portion to their heires A poore shift Can they thinke that God will be so mocked He will not What remaineth then but that euery one who hath increased his substance by wrong doe while he is liuing make actuall restitution Zacheus the Publican professeth vnto Christ Luk. 19.8 Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I giue to the poore and if I haue taken any thing from any man by forged cavillation I restore him foure-fold Zacheus of Iericho he being converted to Christianitie was content to restore foure-fold It is a good consequent they are scarse halfe Christians that will not restore the principall Thou wilt say what neede restitution I will repent for my oppressing sinnes and God is gracious he neuer turnes away the sinner that repenteth Take heede deceiue not thy selfe if thou be able to make actuall restitution and doest it not poenitentia non agitur sed fingitur S. Austine tells thee so Ep. 54. which is to Macedonius Thy repentance is no repentance thou doest but feigne repentance It will neuer procure thee pardon for thy sinne Make thou therefore actuall restitution Thus far of the 8. verse THE XIII LECTVRE AMOS 2.9.10.11 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them whose height was like the height of the Cedars and he was strong as the Okes yet I destroyed his fruit from aboue and his rootes from beneath Also I brought you vp from the land of Egypt and led you fortie yeares through the wildernesse to possesse the land of the Amorite And I raised vp of your sonnes for Prophets and of your yong men for Nazarites Is it not euen thus O yee children of Israel saith the Lord MY meditations haue beene heretofore fiue times exercised in discoursing vnto you of the sinnes wherewith the people of Israel in the precedent verses stand charged Their sinnes were Couetousnesse Crueltie Oppression False dealing Filthie lusts Incest Idolatrie Riot and Excesse Grosse and palpable enormities My endeuour was by the sword of the Spirit the word of God to arme you against them that yee giue them no passage no not a little that yee suffer them not by any meanes to haue dominion ouer you From their sinnes we come to their Blessings
m Geverharl Elmenhorst com ad Minutium Felicem pag. 41. Salisberiensis in his first Booke de nugis cvrial cap. 10. call Egypt Matrem superstitionis the mother of superstition For as n Tom. 5. pag. 170. c. S. Hierome in his Comment vpon Esay 45. witnesseth Neuer was there any Nation so giuen to Idolatrie or worshipped such a number of monsters as Egypt did This notorious superstition and Idolatrie of the Egyptians so much spoken of by Christian writers and others is also in the sacred volumes of Holy writ censured and controlled In Exod. 12.12 the meanacing of the Lord is against them Against all the Gods of Egypt I will execute iudgment I the Lord. The gods of Egypt that is the Images and the Idoles which the Egyptians adored and worshipped Concerning which o De quadraginta duabus mansionibus Mans 2 Tom. 3. pag. 42. S. Hierome in an Epistle of his to Fabiola reporteth out of the Hebrew writers that in very same night the Children of Israel departed out of Egypt all the Temples of Egypt were ouerthrowne siue terrae motu siue iactu fulminum either with earth quakes or thunderbolts These Hebrew writers say further eâdem nocte lignea idola putrefacta fuisse metallica resoluta fusa lapidea comminuta that in the same night all the wooden Images were rotten all the mettall Images were dissolued and moulten all the stone Images were broken If so it were it was doubtlesse a great worke a great iudgement of God vpon those Egyptian monsters In Esay 19.1 their confusion is againe foretold Behold saith the Prophet the Lord rideth vpon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt and the Idoles of Egypt shall moue at his presence and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it Where the Idoles of Egypt are the heart of Egypt They are called the heart of Egypt because the heart of the Egyptians did wholy depend vpon them for reliefe and succour The Lord rideth vpon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt and the Idoles of Egypt shall moue at his presence and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it The Idols of Egypt shall moue and melt at the presence of the Lord. In Ierem. 43.13 their desolation is likewise denounced There the Lord threatneth to send Nabuchadnezzar the K. of Babylon his seruant into Egypt What shall he doe there He shall breake the Images of Bethshemesh that is in the land of Egypt and the houses of the Gods of the Egyptians shall be burnt with fire Thus you see it confirmed not onely by Christian writers and others but also by the sacred volumes of holy Scripture that the Egyptians were a superstitious and an Idolatrous people Superstitious were they and Idolatrous Happie then wast thou O Israell that the Lord brought thee vp from the land of Egypt Liue in Egypt thou couldst not with a good conscience nor would the Egyptians willingly suffer thee to worship God otherwise then themselues did To haue worshipped as they did must needs haue beene a Hell vnto thy soule and to haue done otherwise must needs haue brought certaine daunger to thine outward estate Acknowledge it therefore for a great benefit and blessing of God vpon thee that he brought thee vp from the land of Egypt God in reckoning vp this fauour of his his bringing vp Israel out of the land of Egypt teacheth vs what an intollerable thing it is to liue among Idolaters and what a speciall fauour it is to be deliuered from amongst them And this should stir vs vp to a thankfull recognition of Gods goodnesse towards vs who hath deliuered the Church wherein we liue from the Babylonish and Romish Idolatrie wherein our auncestors were nus-led and trained vp to worship and adore not the true and liuing God but Angels and Saints damned â—â—â—les it may be silver and gold stocks and stones Images and Idoles and what not From such grosse and palpable Idolatry we are by Gods goodnesse deliuered and now doe as a long time we haue done enioy the bright Sunne-shine of the p 1. Tim. 1 11. glorious Gospell of the blessed God our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Being now deliuered from the q Colos 1.13 power of darknesse vnder Antichrist and translated into the light of Christs Gospell Let it be our daily care for it is our dutie to walke worthy the light h Ephes 5.8 as children of light to walke in truth Ep. 3. Ioh. ver 3. to walke in loue Colos 5.2 to walke in newnesse of life Rom. 6.4 to walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 If we walke after the flesh we shall mind the things of the flesh we shall be carnally minded and our end shall be death but if we walke after the spirit we shall mind the things of the spirit we shall be spiritually minded and our end shall be life and peace The choise is not difficult Life is better then death If you chuse life you must abandon and forsake the i Gal. 5.19 workes of the flesh which cause death Adulterie fornication vncleannesse lasciuiousnesse k Vers 20. hatred variance emulations wrath strife l Vers 21. envyings murthers drunkennesse revellings vsurie extortion oppression and such like are workes of the flesh and doe shut you out from life Yet may life be yours if you will be m Vers 18. led by the spirit n Vers 22. Loue ioy peace long suffering gentlâ—nesse goodnesse fayth meeknesse temperance are the fruit of the spirit Let these dwell among you and life shall be yours The God of life shall giue it you Hitherto you haue the first respect why it was beneficiall good for the people of Israel that they were brought vp from the land of Egypt It was good for them because the people of the land were superstitious and idolatrous and among such there is no good liuing The other respect now followeth It was beneficiall and good for the people of Israel that they were brought vp from the land of Egypt because the people of the land were full of crueltie and held Israel in subiection and seruitude Egypt was long a harbour to the Israelites but at length it prooued a Gaole vnto them The posteritie of Iacob finds too late what it was for their forefathers to sell Iacob a slaue into Egypt There arose vp a new Pharaoh a new king ouer Egypt he knew not Ioseph Then then were the Israelites contemned as drudges o Exod. 1.11 Task masters must be set ouer them to afflict them with their burdens Why so How had they offended They prospered too fast For thus sayth Pharaoh to his people Exod. 1.9 Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier then we Come on let vs deale wisely with them lest they multiplie and it come to passe that when there falleth out any warre they ioyne also v to our enemies and fight
saith another by true faith by sincere affection by godly and deuout prayers Such are the feete such the paces of our hearts by which if we are contrite broken and sorrowfull in spirit for our sinnes already past and are carefull to preuent all occasion of sinne hereafter we draw nigh to God yea we haue accesse vnto him To haue accesse to God we are invited Psal 34.5 Accedite ad cum illuminamini facies vestrae non confundentur Let your accesse be to God and be lightned and your faces shall not be confounded And this accesse to God according to S. Austine vpon Psal 145.16 is to be animo non vehiculo affectibus non pedibus with the minde not with a chariot with our affections not with our feete So the same Father vpon the 59 Psalme Our accesse to God must be non gressu pedum non subvectione vehiculorum non celeritate animalium non elevatione pennarum not by running with our feete not by hurrying in a coach not by riding vpon the swiftest of horses not by mounting vp with feathered wings sed puritate affectuum probitate sanctorum morum but with puritie of affections and sanctitie of behauiour This our accesse vnto God is nothing else then our comming vnto God The invitation to come vnto him is generall Matth. 11.28 It is there made by our Lord Å¿ Rom. 1.3 7. Iesus Christ our t Matth. 1.21 Sauiour and u Galat. 3.13 Redeemer the x Revel 17.14 Lord of Lords and King of Kings the head of all principalitie and power the ioy and crowne of all Saints the assured trust and certaine y Colâ—ss 1.27 hope of all the faithfull and it s made vnto all Come vnto me all yee that labour and are heauy laden and I will giue you rest Come Come vnto me Quibus gressibus ad semetipsam nos veritas vocat Christ the Truth calls vs but how shall we come vnto him Quibus gressibus by what steps or paces Gregorie frames the question Moral lib. 21. cap. 4. and there giues this answer Ad se quippe venire nos Dominus praecipit nimirùm non gressibus corporis sed profectibus cordis its true the Lord commands vs to come vnto him not with the motion of our bodies but with the proceedings of our hearts Thus I haue made plaine vnto you what it is Ad Deum fugere to flee to God It s nothing else then Deo appropinquare ad Deum accedere ad Deum venire to draw nigh to God to approch vnto him to come vnto him but whether we flee or draw nigh or approch or come vnto him the vnderstanding of all must be spirituall Our wings our charriots our coaches our feete wherewith we are to flie to draw nigh to approch to come to God are all spirituall And what are they They are contrition faith and obedience With these we approch we draw nigh we flie we come to God Vt miseri ad misericordiam vt nudi ad divitem vt famelici ad panem vt infirmi ad medicum vt serui ad dominum vt discipuli ad magistrum vt caeci ad lumen vt frigidi ad ignem as the wretched to the mercifull as the naked to the rich as the hunger-staruen to bread as the sicke to the Physition as the seruant to his Lord as the scholar to his Master as the blinde to the light as the cold to the fire so Hugo Cardinalis vpon the 4th of S. Iames. Now with these three Contrition Faith and Obedience the inseparable companions of true and vnfeigned Repentance let vs make haste to God and flie we with all speede from the wolfe to the shepheard from death to life from our sinnes to our Sauiour from the paths of Hell full of all darknesse and horror to the way of Heauen full of all true ioy and pleasure So will God draw nigh to vs Liberando ab angustijs gratiam dando de virtute ad virtutem promovendo saith the same Hugo he will free vs from distresse will giue vs of his grace and will promote vs from vertue to vertue Thus shall it be with vs if with the affection of the spouse in the Canticles we call vpon the Lord. Her affection is seene Chap. 1.4 Draw me saith she and we will runne after thee Say we with like affection Lord draw vs and we will runne after thee Draw vs and we will runne That we may begin zealously to runne after God we haue neede to be drawne and that with great force For vnlesse he draw vs we cannot z Joh. 6.44 come to him we cannot follow him But if he once draw Lo then we hasten then we runne then we wax hot Wherefore let the Lord draw vs let him pull vs out from the bondage of our sinnes let him deliuer vs from this wicked world let him powerfully incline our wills and affections towards him let him giue vs strength to cleaue vnto him and then we and all the faithfull will at once with speed and earnestnesse flie vnto him draw nigh vnto him haue our accesse vnto him and come vnto him Hitherto of the first branch of this fourteenth verse expressing the first of the seauen miseries here foretold to betide the Israelites that the flight should perish from the swift Now followeth the second and it concerneth their strong men And the strong shall not strengthen his force THE strong 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He in whom is strength strength not of minde but of bodie he shall not strengthen his force though he be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very strong and Iustie yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall not reteine his force so daunted shall he be in heart and his courage so abated that he shall not dare for his owne defence to vse the strength he hath He shall be as if he had no strength at all The lesson to be taken hence is When God meanes to punish a mans strength will not helpe him It will not For as it is in the song of Hannah the mother of Samuel 1. Sam. 2.9 By strength shall no man preuaile No man against God For God is Almightie He remoueth the mountaines and they know not He ouercommeth them in his anger He shaketh the Earth out of her place and the pillars thereof tremble He commands the Sunne and it riseth not and sealeth vp the Starres He alone spreadeth out the Heauens and treadeth vpon the waues of the Sea He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleâ—ades and the chambers of the South He doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number He is the Almightie Who euer hath hardned himselfe against him and hath prospered So deuout Iob chap. 9 4. It is as if he had thus briâ—fly argued God is Almighty and therefore there is no contending against him no withstanding him by any strength of man Here may the strong be admonished that they glory not in their strength
Sea of the plaine and had taken b Veâ—s 28. Damascus and Hamath Then the people of Israel growne insolent with victories and rich with spoiles became lasciuient and wanton and spurned at the preaching of the Word of God It was now high time for Amos to bestirre himselfe and to remember them of the fickle estate wherein now they were Hee was their Prophet peculiarly sent to them from God and it lay vpon him to call vpon them He doth it in this his second Sermon The parts are three 1 An Exordium or an entrance into the Sermon vers 1. 2 A Proposition containing the summe of that whereof he admonisheth them vers 2. 3 An Enarration a Declaration an Exposition or an Expolition of the matter in hand from the third vers to the end of the Chapter We are to beginne with the Exordium or entrance to the Sermon It is an inuitation to attention and containeth certaine arguments of perswasion Three they are all of weight and in themselues auaileable The first is taken from the authority of the Word to the hearing whereof they are inuited It is Verbum Iehouae the Word of Iohouah the onely true and euerliuing God Heare this Word non meum somnium not any dreame of mine not my word nor the word of any mortall wight but the Word of the Lord Heare this Word that the Lord hath spoken The second is taken from the quality of the parties inuited They are Flij Israel the children of Israel By this compellation they are put in minde of their stocke and linage that they were sprung from and came out of the loines of Iacob whose name was changed to c Gen. 32.28 35.10 Israel whereby they may well be admonished either to insist in the steps of that holy Patriarch or like disobedient and degenerate children to expect punishment from the Lord Heare this Word that the Lord hath spoken against you O children of Israel The third is taken from the memory of their greatest deliuerance their deliuerance out of Aegypt By this benefit had there beene nothing else were the Israelites deepely obliged to giue eare to the Word of the Lord their Redeemer and deliuerer Heare this Word that the Lord hath spoken against you O children of Israel against the whole family which I brought vp from the land of Aegypt saying In the handling of these words I purpose to hold this course first to expound the words and then to obserue out of them such instructions as they naturally offer vnto vs and may be for our good Heare this Word that the Lord speaketh against you Heare Listen vnto it not onely with the outward sense of your eares but yeeld vnto it also willing assent in your minds Heare it interiori auditu so Albertus Magnus expounds it Heare with your inward hearing In the phrase of the Gospell it is Audite intelligite Matth. 15.10 Heare and vnderstand Heare this Word This word is with Castalio dictum a saying with Albertus it is something signified by voice which remaineth in the heart of the hearer after the voice is gone It may bee the decree of God and his ordinance touching that he will doe vnto Israel and so Ionathan in his Chaldee paraphrase seemes to take it Heare this Word that the Lord hath decreed In the Vulgar Latine I read Audite verbum quod locutus est Dominus Heare the Word that the Lord hath spoken Our now English is right Heare this Word that the Lord hath spoken Hath spoken To or against whom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hhalâ—eâ—m To you or against you so Drusius The originall is Super vos ouer you or vpon you Drusius well renders it to you or against you and Petrus Lusitanus not amisse contra vos vel de vobis against you or concerning you You children of Israel The Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Benei Iischrael sonnes of Israel Children of Israel or sonnes of Israel the Israelites are meant Each phrase may be paralleld in the Greeke tongue First the children of Israel for the Israelites So speake the Greekes d Herod l. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the children of the Aethiopians for Aethiopians themselues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the children of Philosophers for Philosophers themselues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the children of Physitians for Physitians themselues Againe the sonnes of Israel for the Israelites And so speake the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sonnes of the Grecians for the Grecians themselues It s very frequent in e Jliad 162.237 240.276.368 c. Homer I meet with one place in the Greeke Bible wherewith I will for the present content my selfe It is Ioel 3 6. The words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sonnes of Iuda and the sonnes of Ierusalem ye sold to the sonnes of the Grecians where the sonnes of Iuda are put for the people of Iuda and the sonnes of Ierusalem for the inhabitants of Ierusalem and the sonnes of the Grecians for the Grecians themselues iust as it is here the sonnes of Israel for the Israelites themselues Sonnes of Israel It is an Hebrew Prouerbe f Drusius Adag Hebruir Druuia 2 8. ex R. Heuna Filij filiorum cece sunt vt filij Sonnes sonnes behold they are as sonnes You may vnderstand thus The sonnes of sonnes are accounted of as sonnes or they are truly sonnes sonnes not in name only but in very deed In the name of sonne sometime the Nephew is to be vnderstood So it is Haggai 1.1 Zerubbabel is there called the sonne of Shealtiel whose sonne hee was not but Nephew for hee was sonne of g Chron. 3.19 Pedaiah and Pedaiah sonne of Schealtiel And so is it Ezra 5.1 Zechariah the Prophet is there called the sonne of Iddo whose sonne he was not but Nephew for he was the sonne of Barachiah and h Zachar. 1.1 Barachiah the sonne of Iddo Now as a sonne is sometimes put for a Nephew so are sonnes for a posterity So in my Text the sonnes of Israel are put for the posterity of Israel The sonnes of Israel Secundum carnem non secunduÌ„ spiritum as Petrus à Figuciro speaketh the sonnes of Israel after the flesh not after the spirit Sonnes of Israel such as were lineally descended from the loines of Iacob who was surnamed Israel These sonnes or children of Israel are here further described to be that whole family which the Lord brought vp from the land of Aegypt Heare this Word that the Lord hath spoken against you O children of Israel against the whole family which I brought vp from the land of Aegypt Against the whole family The Hebrew word here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mischpachah and signifieth a family So it s translated by Brentius and Caluin and Drusius and Gualter and Iunius and Piscator and so is it in our newest English against the whole family A family to speake properly is of them that are contained in one and the same
of this scruple here respecteth the intention of the fowler not his labour nor the euent therof The fowler laies his snares sets his ginnes spreads his nets with an intent with a minde to catch somewhat though sometime it may fall out he catcheth nothing Petrus Lusitanus here obserueth it to bee the custome of fowlers non facilè laqueos amouere not willing to remoue their snares till they catch somewhat The like doth Mercerus Haud saue id moris est surely it s not the custome that a fowler should take vp his snares if hee haue taken nothing So doth Drusius Non tollitur A snare is not taken vp before somewhat be catched Non tollitur that is non tolls solet communiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commonly and for the most part a snare vseth nor to be taken vp till somewhat bee catched And so saith Carthusian A net spread to catch birds is not taken vp till some be catched Hoc communiter ita est so commonly it falls out It is now easie to giue answer to the interrogation The interrogation is Shall one a man a fowler take vp his snare from the ground and haue taken nothing at all The answer is Surely no. Commonly and for the most part he doth it not hee vseth not it s not his custome to take vp his snare from the ground if he haue taken nothing at all The reading is cleered the interrogation is answered and now let vs see whereto this similitude taken from this custome of the fowler is appliable It may serue as in my former Lecture I signified for the illustration of the certainty the stability and the efficacy of the iudgements of God which he threatneth to bring vpon the wicked for their sins thus A fowler vseth not to take vp his snares till he hath catched somewhat no more is it Gods vse when he maketh shew of his iudgements to withdraw his hand till he hath put them in execution God giues not forth his threats in vaine nor gathers he vp his nets nor takes he vp his snares till he hath taken what he would till he hath effected what he threatned by his Prophets The summe of all is Verbum Dei non cadere fine efficacia The word of God falleth not without its efficacy what he speaketh that he doth Such is the application of this present similitude Saint Hierome applies it aâ— he doth the former Hee applies it to such as liue in discord and variance Their punishment it is vt capiantur laqueo to be taken in a snare in a snare that is placed not in the aire but on the ground from which whosoeuer is deliuered good cause hath he to reioyce and to say as it is Psal 124.7 Our soule is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken and we are deliuered This is contritus ille laqueus that same broken snare whereof the Apostle speaketh Rom. 16.20 Deus conteret Satanam sub pedibus vestris velociter God shall bruise he shall breake Satan vnder your feet shortly And hitherto he bringeth that Psa 140.5 Iuxta simitam scandulum posuerunt mihi they haue spred a net for me by the way-side By the way side haue they done it For they are not able any other way to deceiue the simple then by propounding vnto them the name of Christ Vt dum putamus nos Christum inuenire pergamus ad Antichristum the while we thinke we are in the way to finde out Christ we goe on the high way to Antichrist Thus hath Saint Hierome applied this similitude and he is followed by Strabus Fuldensis the Author of the ordinary Glosse The doctrine which that good Father would from hence commend vnto vs is this Discordiae poena in laqueum incidere It is the punishment of discord to fall into a snare I thus explicate it The man that liues in discord and variance shall fall into such calamities out of which there is no escaping for him as there is no escaping for a bird out of a snare Must calamity bee the guerdon the recompence of the man that liueth in discord and variance It must needs be so The foulenesse the leprosie of this sinne will nor suffer it to be otherwise How foule and leprous this sinne is it may appeare first by the detestation wherein God holdeth it Six things there are which the Lord hateth yea the seuenth his soule abhorreth A proud looke a dissembling tongue hands that shed innocent bloud an heart that deuiseth wicked imaginations feet that be swift in running to mischiefe a false witnesse that speaketh lies These are the six which the Lord hateth the seuenth which his soule abhorreth is Hee that soweth discord among brethren Prou. 6.16 And no maruell is it that hee should with his soule abhorre such a one Non enim est dissentionis Deus sed pacis as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 14.33 For God he is not a God of tumult of vnquietnesse of conjusion of dissention of discord but a God of peace Againe this sinne appeareth to be very foule and leprous in that it excludeth from the Kingdome of Heauen That it doth so Saint Paul proueth Gal. 5.19 because it is a worke of the flesh among which he numbreth hatred variance emulation wrath strife and seditions and concludeth that they which doe such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God A third way to finde out the foulnesse and leprosie of this sinne is to take a view of the appellations which in holy Scripture are giuen to this kinde of sinner He is carnall he is froward he is proud he is foolish First he is Carnall Saint Paul auoucheth it 1 Cor. 3.3 Ye are yet carnall For whereas there is among you enuying and strife and diuisions are ye not carnall and walke as men Are ye not carnall Deny it not For you are carnall and ye walke as men You are carnall you follow the force and prouocation of your flesh your sensuality your concupiscence and ye walke as men Ye walke not after God not after the Spirit 1 Pet. 4.6 Rom. 8.4 Gal. 5.16 Colos 1.10 not in the Spirit not worthy of the Lord not worthy of the Gospell as long as there is among you eâ—uying and strife and diuisions Secondly the sinner in this kinde is froward So doth Salomon stile him Pâ—ou 16.28 A froward man soweth strife This froward man in the Hebrew Vir peruersitatum A man of frowardnesses a man giuen altogether to frowardnesse soweth strife betweene man and man betweene neighbour and neighbour and is a very batemaker Wil you a fuller description of him you may haue it Prou. 6.12 There shall you find him to be a naughty person a wicked man one that waketh with a froward mouth that winketh with his eyes that speaketh with his feet that teacheth with his fingers that hath frowardnesse in his heart that continually deuiseth mischiefe that soweth discord Beleeue it it is a sure
marke of a naughty a wicked a froward man to be the Author of contentions and strife Thirdly this kinde of sinner is a proud man For as it is Prou. 13.10 Onely by pride commeth contention Onely by pride The meaning is not that pride is the onely cause of contention but one of the chiefest So is that place by some expounded But well may it without glosse or exposition passe for a truth that onely by pride commeth contention if Saint Augustine in his booke de Nat. Grat. against the Pelagians bee not deceiued Out of the 26. Chapter of that booke I thus frame his argument Euery contempt of God is pride but euery sinne is a contempt of God Therefore euery sinne is pride according to that of Ecclesiasticus chap. 10.15 Initium omnis peccati est superâ—â—a The beginning of euery sinne is pride Now if euery sinne if the beginning of euery sinne be pride then certaine it is that contention variance strife debate and the like are all from pride Fourthly the sinner in this kinde is a foole For a foole he is taken Prou. 18.6 Where it is said Labia stulti miscent se rixis A fooles lips are euer brawling The words which a foole vttereth with his lips haue alwaies strife annexed vnto them as an inseparable companion Thus you see the account wherein the Spirit of God holdeth brawlers make-bates and sowers of discord in that it stileth them carnall and froward and proud and foolish It was the third way I propounded to finde out the foulnesse and leprosie of this sinne There is yet a fourth way and that is by the effects thereof as Busaeus the Iesuite in his Panary hath obserued One effect thereof is to increase our sinnes Well then doth Ecclesiasticus exhort vs to abstaine from strife His exhortation is Chap. 28.8 Abstaine from strife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thou shalt diminish thy sinnes If by abstaining from strife we diminish our sinnes then surely by liuing in strife we increase our sinnes A second effect of strife he maketh to be the subuersion of the hearers according to that charge which Paul giueth to Timothy 2 Epist 2.14 Charge them before the Lord that they striue not about words to no profit but to the subuerting of the hearers A third effect is that it disturbeth the quietnesse euen of a wise man saith Salomon Prou. 29.9 A wise man if he contend with a foolish man there is no quietnesse for him A fourth effect is that it bringeth ruine destruction and desolation not onely to houses or families but to Cities also yea to Countries yea to Kingdomes This our Sauiour Christ sheweth by a prouerbiall saying Mat. 12.25 The saying is Euery Kingdom diuided against it selfe is brought to desolation and euery City or house diuided against it selfe shall not stand Such Beloued are the effects of this sinne of discord and may well discouer vnto you the foulnesse and leprosie of it For if it increase our sinnes if it be the subuersion of those that heare vs if it disturbe our quietnesse if it bring ruine destruction and desolation to all estates then surely it is a soule and a leprous sinne And thus haue I led you in foure seuerall pathes to finde out the foulnesse and leprosie of this sinne The first was by Gods detestation of it His soule abhorreth it The second was by the gates of Heauen fast shut against it They that sinne this sinne shall not inherit the Kingdome of God The third was by the titles giuen to those sinners they are carnall and froward and proud and foolish The fourth was by the effects which this sinne produceth it increaseth our faults it subuerteth our hearers it disturbeth our quietnesse it brings desolation vpon all vpon family vpon nation vpon Kingdome You now see the foulnesse you see the leprosie of this sin and will yeeld your assents to the truth of my propounded doctrine which was The man that liueth in discord and variance shall fall into such calamities out of which there is no escaping for him as there is no escaping for a bird out of a snare Is it thus Beloued Must the man that liues in discord and variance fall into calamities out of which there is no escaping for him Must he Our best way then will be euer to beare about with vs that same Antidote or preseruatiue which Saint Ambrose hath prescribed Offic. lib. 1. cap. 21. Caueatur iracundia aut si pracaueri non potest cohibeatur Take heed of wrath beware of discord or if thou canst not before hand prouide against it keepe it short bridle it But first Caueatur Beware or take heed of it This is the counsell which Paul giueth in his first booke concerning the remedy of loue Principijs obsta serò medicina paratur Cum mala per longas inualuere moras Withstand beginnings thy medicines may come too late if thy disease be grown strong And this is the third remedy prescribed by Busaeus against this malady Resiste contentionum principijs Resist the beginnings of discord If thou bee to talke with any man keepe vnder the first motions of thy minde that they breake not forth into indignation and so thou giue the occasion of discord Discord is a Serpent This serpent like Goliah must bee smote dead in the a 1 Sam. 17.49 forehead he must be crushed in the head lest if he get in the head as he did into b 2 Cor. 11.3 Eue he bring in the whole body and when sinne is finished hee leaue from his taile the c 1 Cor. 15.55 sting of death in our soules Discord is a Cockatrice This Cockatrice must be crushed in the d Esay 59.5 Egge If we suffer it to be hatched and to grow a Basiliske it will be our poyson Discord is a Fox We must take this Fox e Cant. 2.15 this little Fox before he doe any hurt If we let him grow till he be great then like f Luk. 13.32 Herod the Fox he will become bloud-thirsty and rauenous or like Samsons g Iudg. 15.4 Foxes he will set all on fire Discord is as Leauen whereof it is said h 1 Cor. 5.6 Gal. 5.9 Paullulò fermenti tota massa fermentatur If we purge not out this little leauen it will sowre the whole lumpe Discord is i Num. 3.18 19 Aqua amaritudinis We must giue this water of bitternesse no passage k Eccles 25.25 no not a little lest like that in l Cap. 47.3 4 c. Ezechiel it grow from the anckles to the knees and from the knees to the loines and proue a riuer that cannot bee passed ouer without drowning Discord is Paruulus Babylonis Wee must betimes take this youngling of Babylon and m Psal 137.9 dash him against the stones lest after growth he should cry against vs downe with them downe with them euen vnto the ground Thus and thus are we to deale with this youngling