torment then despaire of remedie What is it for the sorrowes of death to compasse me about but as it were to besiege me and was it ever knowne where they once besieged that ever they did raise their siege Was it ever knowne where the paines of Hell did once take hold that ever they did let goe their hold and alas in this extremitie of distresse in this gulph of despaire what hope could David possibly have that ever hee should be delivered O my soule the hope of Abraham In spe contra spem credidit Hee beleeved against all credibilitie Hee hoped against all possibilitie against all possibilitie indeed in the course of nature against all credibilitie in the eye of Reason and therefore he makes his moane to one above the reach both of Nature and Reason Verse 4 O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soule a short Prayer for so great a suite and yet as short as it was it prevailed that if wee wondred before at the power of God wee may wonder now at the power of Prayer that can prevaile with God for obtaining of that which in Nature is impossible and to Reason seemes incredible There are many short Prayers recorded in the Scriptures of which we may note especially three This of David here O Lord deliver my soule and that of the Publican in the Gospell Lord be mercifull to me a sinner and that of the Thiefe upon the Crosse Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome All three short yet all three Prevalent that wee may know it is not the multiplicitie of words or the length of Prayers that prevailes with God but the fervencie of spirit and the devotion of the heart Yet lest it should be taken as a restraint of longer prayers and specially lest it should be a scandall to the Prayer which Christ taught us and is much longer we may observe withall that each of these prayers is but of one Petition in Christs Prayer For to say O Lord deliver my soule is no more nor fully so much as to say Deliver us from evill and to say Lord be mercifull to me a sinner is no more nor fully so much as to say Forgive us our trespasses and to say Lord remember mee when thou commest into thy Kingdome is no more nor so much as to say Thy kindome come But seeing David with his short Prayer prevailed with God to deliver his soule why should I despaire of the like successe of my prayers to be delivered from my troubles O my soule I should not despaire of the like successe as David had if I could but pray with the like spirit as David did O therefore thou great God that didst inspire Davids heart with a spirit of zeale which made his prayers not onely acceptable but effectuall vouchsafe also to kindle in my heart a fire of Devotion that my prayers may ascend unto thee like the sacrifice of Abell so acceptable that they may be accepted so accepted that they may be effectuall and may make mee able to sing this Allelujah of David I will love the Lord for he hath heard my voyce and my supplication And now O my soule me thinkes I see the Lord as it were inclining his eare unto me and I seeme to feele an accesse of force in my confidence Verse 5 of his goodnesse for indeed the Lord is gracious and righteous yea our God is mercifull Hee is gracious in hearing Hee is righteous in judging hee is mercifull in Pardoning and how then can I doubt of his will to helpe me Hee is righteous to reward according to deserts He is gracious to Reward above deserts Yea he is mercifull to reward without deserts and how then can I doubt of his Will to helpe mee Hee is gracious and this shews his bountie he is righteous and this shews his Justice Yea hee is mercifull and this shews his love and how then can I doubt of his Will to helpe mee If hee were not gracious I could not hope he would heare me If he were not righteous I could not depend upon his Promise If hee were not Mercifull I could not expect his Pardon but now that he is gracious and righteous yea and mercifull too how can I doubt of his Will to helpe me But are there no others that are gracious and righteous and mercifull as well as Hee Are not the Saints and Angels in Heaven They are so no doubt but not as well as hee God forbid wee should once have such a thought They are Gracious and Righteous and Mercifull by participation onely and onely by having as it were some beames imparted to them but to bee gracious as the Fountaine of Grace to be Righteous as the Sunne of Righteousnesse to be Mercifull as the Authour of Mercie there is none there is none at all neither Saint nor Angell that is so but onely God and therefore of Gods Power and Will to helpe me of his and of his onely I can onely be assured And if I erre in simplicitie yet the Lord preserveth the simple he takes Verse 6 not advantage of errours where there is a good intention yet not a good intention onely where the truth is manifest and revealed for then should Uzzah have beene preserved but in matters obscure and not plainly revealed there to serve God in simplicitie of heart this falls within the compasse of Gods mercy and such he takes into his Protection He gives them perhaps some resentment of their errours by worldly crosses but yet hee denyes them not his assistance and this I can speake of my owne experience For I was brought low and yet hee helped me I was brought low and in trouble by the just provocation of my sinnes but because I sinned not in presumption but in simplicitie at least by infirmitie the Lord hath had mercy on me and preserved me Or I was brought low and hee helped mee for then is the time of helpe when we are brought low and therefore God who doth all things in due time when I was brought low then he helped me Wherefore O my soule let it never trouble thee how low soever thou bee brought for when thy state is at the lowest then is Gods assistance at the neerest that we may truly say Gods wayes are not as the wayes of the world for in the world when a man is once brought low he is commonly trampled upon and nothing is heard then but downe with him downe to the ground but with God it is otherwise for his propertie is to raise up them that fall and when they are brought low then to helpe them That it is no such hard case for a man to bee brought low may I not rather say his case is happy for is it not better to be brought low and have God to helpe him then to be set aloft and left to helpe himselfe At least O my Body this may bee a comfort to thee for thou art sure to bee brought low as low
then things themselves we see nothing now but colours and colours are deceitfull and no trusting to them the light I hope for is to see as I am seene a sight not subject to either dimnesse or dazeling a sight that discerneth not onely colours but substances and is not the hope of such a sight a comfortable Ingredient to keepe from fainting But yet what good is it to see goodnesse for we see many good things which yet wee are never the better for seeing But is it not true here Videte gustate for such our seeing shall be Vidchimus gustavimus our seeing shall be a tasting our tasting an enjoying and enjoying is not properly of any thing but in which there is joy and where there is joy must there not needs be comfort But yet what more goodnesse of God can wee hope to see hereafter then now for can there bee a greater goodnesse of God to bee seene then this that hee makes the Sunne to shine the raine to fall upon both just and unjust Wee see indeed now a great goodnesse of God but wee see it mingled with much badnesse of men and may I not say with some badnesse of his too for is there any evill in the Citie and God hath not done it but the goodnesse of God which I hope to see is a goodnesse like to garbled spice without any mixture at all of refuse stuffe amongst it a goodnesse not mingled with either evill of men or evill to men but pure and Impermixt as God himselfe is The goodnesse of God which we see now is a goodnesse in effects but there is a goodnesse in God which is as the cause Not as having goodnesse but as being goodnesse Not onely as imparting it selfe to us but as communicating it selfe with us and this goodnesse wee shall then see though now we cannot Have Philosophers conceived that if vertue could be seene with the eyes Mirabiles excitaret amores sui It would stirre up in us a wonderfull love and will not the goodnesse of God when seene with our eyes stirre up in our hearts a wonderfull joy and is not the hope of such a joy a strong Cordiall to keepe from fainting But why in the land of the living for is not the world in which wee now live the land of the living Are there not in the water living fishes in the Ayre living Birds On the Earth living Trees living Beasts living Men and what can be thought of more then these to make a Land of the living Alas what Land of the living is this in which there are more dead then living more under ground then are above it where the earth is fuller of graves then houses where life lyes trembling under the hand of Death and where Death hath power to tyrannize over life No my soule there onely is the Land of the living where there are none but the living where there is a Church not Militant but Triumphant a Church indeed but no Church-yard because none dead nor none that can dye where life is not passive nor Death active where Life sits crowned and where Death is swallowed up in victorie And now make up a Compound of these Ingredients Take first a Hope of seeing which is enjoying then the goodnesse of God not a qualitie but a substance then the Land of the living where there is no dying and now say if such a Cordial must not needs be strong of necessitie be effectuall to keepe from fainting O therefore my soule bee sure to provide thee good store of this Cordiall that if at any time thou be oppressed with either multitude or malice if at any time false witnesses bee risen up against thee if enemies at any time come upon thee to eat up thy flesh thou maist have this Cordiall in a readinesse and be able to say Doe the worst you can I feare you not for I beleeve to see the goodnesse of God in the Land of the living This not onely will keepe thee from fainting but wil fill thy spirits with extasie of joy for it is grounded upon a principle of comfort delivered by Saint Paul The afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed And what is this glory but to see the goodnesse of God and where to be revealed but in the Land of the living But all this yet is but the hope of a Cordiall at most but a Cordiall of hope but when will the Cordiall it selfe that is hoped for bee had May I not stay so long waiting for it that I may be weary with waiting and faint with wearinesse and then the Cordiall will come too late No my soule Waite on the Verse 14 Lord be of good courage and he shall give thee strength for as none is so worthy to be waited on as God so nothing is so worthy to be waited for as this Cordiall and never feare wearinesse by long waiting for it so long as thou waitest upon God for it for God that gives power to the Cordiall to keepe thee from fainting will give power to thy waiting to keepe it from wearinesse Onely bee sure to have a good heart and God will not faile to supply it with spirits Doe thou but onely bring wood to the Sacrifice and God will send fire from Heaven to kindle it But how happens it that David should give so good counsell to others and yet follow it so ill himselfe for hee confesseth of himselfe in another place that hee is dejected and bowed downe and can it stand with courage to be dejected But is it not that to be dejected is a Passive infirmitie to be couragious an Active vertue and there is no contradiction to bee Passively weake and Actively strong both at once Or is it not indeed rather that when he confesseth himsele to be dejected hee lookes upon his sinne and sinne will deject any that hath but eyes and is able to see it but when he counsells to be couragious hee lookes upon God and God is ready to give strength to any that hath but a heart and is able to take it As therefore I said before so I say againe Waite on the Lord which can never be too much taught because never enough be learned never be too much said because never be enough done THE THIRTIETH PSALME OF DAVID 1I Will extoll thee O Lord for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoyce over me 2 O Lord my God I cryed unto thee and thou hast healed mee 3 O Lord thou hast brought up my soule from the grave thou hast kept mee alive that I should not goe downe to the pit 4 Sing unto the Lord all yee Saints of his and give thankes at the remembrance of his holinesse 5 For his anger endureth but a moment weeping may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning 6 And in my prosperity I said I shall never be moved 7 Lord by thy favour thou hast
and not onely that I but that my glory may sing them and alas what glory have I doth not all glory belong to God Indeed so it is my glory then sings his Prayses when I ascribe to him all praise and glory my glory then sings his prayses when I praise him with all I have to glory in with all the faculties and powers of my soule and body those especially in which I was made after his Image for this is my Glory If this then bee the end that God intends shall I be so ungratefull to crosse his intentions if hee have given mee a Tongue and a Voyce to serve him shall I hold my peace and be silent in his service if he have turned my Mourning into Dauncing shall I bee sullen and slow to sing his Prayses Alas my Dauncing can never be kindly without Musick and what musick so fit for it as singing and what singing so fit as to the Ditty of his Prayses O my soule seeing God hath procured thee libertie to Daunce thou mayst well afford to find the musick and yet neither my Dauncing shall hearken to the musicke nor my singing shall looke toward the Dauncing but my Singing and my Dauncing both shall bee addressed and directed to God alone Shall my heart be so set upon my joy as to make me forget the Authour of my joy No O God my joy hath so sure a foundation that I can never be unmindfull of the Founder I will give thankes to thee O Lord my God for ever Not for a time which will cease Not as long as the Sunne and Moone endure which shall not alwayes endure not as long as I have breath in my body No my soule but as long as thou thy selfe hast Being which being breathed into mee by God shall never cease shall alwayes endure shall be forever When I extolled God I had relation to his Omnipotencie when I sung his Prayses to his Mercie and now that I give him thankes for ever to his Eternitie that now I may conclude and say O Almightie most Mercifull and ever-living God to thee be ascribed all Honour Prayse and Glory world without end THE THIRTIE FOVRTH PSALME OF DAVID 1I Will blesse the Lord at all times his Prayse shall continually bee in my mouth 2 My soule shall make her boast in the Lord The humble shall heare thereof and be glad 3 O magnifie the Lord with mee and let us exalt his Name together 4 I sought the Lord and hee heard me and delivered me from all my feares 5 They looked unto him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed 6 The poore man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles 7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that feare him and delivereth them 8 O tast and see how good the Lord is Blessed is the man that trusteth in him 9 O feare the Lord yee his Saints for there is no want to them that feare him 10 The young Lyons doe lacke and suffer hunger but they that seeke the Lord shall not want any good thing 11 Come yee children hearken unto me and I will teach you the feare of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life and loveth many dayes that he may see good 13 Keepe thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile 14 Depart from evil and doe good seeke peace and pursue it 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open to their cry 16 The face of the Lord is against them that doe evil to cut off their remembrance from the earth 17 The righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all 20 Hee keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken 21 Evill shall slay the wicked and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate 22 The Lord redeemeth the soule of his servants and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate MEDITATIONS VPON THE XXXIV PSALME OF DAVID ALas what a Vow is this that Verse 1 David makes here a Vow which hee is sure before hand he cannot keepe for is it possible for any man to blesse God at all times Is there not a time of paine and miserie in which Jobs Wife perswaded him to curse God and dye and can cursing of God stand with blessing of God O my soule I take not my measure of blessing God from the last of that wicked Woman it is not paine it is not miserie it is not extremitie of paine or miserie that shall make mee to breake my Vow in blessing of God but if it be thought so great a matter to blesse God inmisery I will stretch my Vow yet further for I will blesse him for miserie and I may truly say if it were not for paine and misery I should want one speciall Motive for blessing of God But yet there is a time of sleepe which is a tribute due to Nature and is it possible to pay the tribute of sleepe to Nature and the tribute of blessing to God both at once If then sleepe be of necessitie so oftentimes how can blessing of God be performed at all times O my soule when our waking is terminated with blessing of God that blessing is in force till we wake againe for as in what place the tree falleth there it lyeth so in what state the Soule goes to rest in that state it resteth If my soule say to God I will lay mee downe to sleepe for it is Thou Lord onely that sustainest me my soule shall have it returned from God Thus the Lord giveth his beloved sleepe But if thus perhaps be made good the continuance of Blessing God yet in what consists the worke of blessing him Is it onely in Thought or onely in a good intention No my soule his praise shall continually bee in my mouth for though the heart indeed bee the Fountaine of blessing him yet out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and therefore it shall not be cloystered up in the Cells of silence but it shall have vent and bee brought into the light that if it bee not said that men seeing my good workes it may at least be said that men hearing my good words may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven But doe I not by this fall againe upon my old difficultie for if it seemed impossible before to blesse God at all times may it not justly seeme as impossible now that his Praise should continually be in my mouth It may perhaps be true of the Angels in whose mouthes wee know of nothing there is continually but Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbath but to be verefied of the mouthes of men seemes a thing impossible for is
good things God never bestowes upon the wicked never with-holds from the godly and are all cast up in one summe where it is said Beati mundo corde quoniam ipsi videbunt Deum Blessed are the pure of Heart and such are onely they that walke uprightly for they shall see God But is walking uprightly such a matter with God that it should be so rewarded Is it not more pleasing to God to see us goe stooping then walking upright seeing stooping is the gate of Humilitie then which there is nothing to God more pleasing It is no doubt a hard matter to stoope and goe upright both at once yet both must be done and both indeed are done are done at once by every one that is godly but when I say they are done both at once I meane not of the body I know two such postures in the Body both at once are impossible but the Soule can doe it the Soule can stoope and goe upright both at once for then doth the Soule walke upright before God when it stoopes in humilitie before God and men And what remaines now for David to doe but to bring in the conclusion upon the Premisses seeing the Lord of Hosts though his Name be dreadfull yet his Nature is lovely seeing he is a Sunne to cherish and a Shield to Defend seeing he gives Grace and Glory and with-holds no good thing from them that walke uprightly Therefore blessed are all they that put their trust in him And what remaines now for us to doe but to receive this Conclusion of David as an absolute Demonstration and thereupon to walke uprightly and to put our whole trust and confidence in God through the merits of his Son Christ Jesus for then we are sure wee are in a sure way of attaining to Blessednesse to Eternall blessednesse that after this we may leave our wondring yet continue our Admiring How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord God of Hosts THE HVNDRED AND THIRD PSALME OF DAVID 1BLesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within me blesse his holy Name 2 Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy infirmities 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things and renueth thy youth like the Eagles 6 The Lord executeth Righteousnesse and Iudgement for all that are oppressed 7 Hee made knowne his wayes unto Moses his Acts to the children of Israel 8 The Lord is mercifull and gracious slow to anger and ful of compassion 9 Hee wil not alwayes chide neither wil hee keepe his anger for ever 10 Hee hath not dealt with us after our sinnes nor rewarded us according to our iniquities 11 For as high as the heaven is above the earth so great is his mercy toward them that feare him 12 As farre as the East is from the West so farre hath hee removed our transgressions from us 13 Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him 14 For he considereth whereof we are framed he remembers that we are but dust 15 As for man his dayes are as grasse as a flowre of the field so he flourisheth 16 For the wind passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more 17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting toward them that feare him and his righteousnesse unto childrens children 18 To such as keepe his Covenant and remember his Commandements to doe them 19 The Lord hath prepared his Throne in heaven and his kingdome ruleth over all 20 Blesse the Lord ye his Angels that excell in strength that doe his Commandements hearkening unto the voyce of his Word 21 Blesse the Lord all yee his Hosts Ye Ministers of his that doe his pleasure 22 Blesse the Lord all his workes in all places of his Dominion Blesse the Lord O my soule MEDITATIONS VPON THE CIII PSALME OF DAVID BLesse the Lord O my Verse 1 Soule O how well they are fitted for what worke so fit for my Soule as this Who so fit for this worke as my soule My body God knowes is grosse and heavie and very unfit for so sublime a worke No my soule it is Thou must doe it and indeed what hast thou else to doe it is the very worke for which thou wert made and O that thou wert as fit to doe the worke as the worke is fit for thee to to doe But alas I feare that by comming into this Body of earth thou art become in a manner earthy at least hast lost a great part of thy abilities and wilt never be able to goe thorow with this great worke thy selfe alone If to Blesse the Lord were no more but to say Lord Lord like to them that cryed The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord then my tongue alone would bee sufficient for it and I should not need to trouble any other about it but to Blesse the Lord is an eminent worke and requires not onely Many but very able Agents to performe it and therefore my Soule when thou goest about it goe not alone but Take with thee all that is within mee all the forces in my whole Magazine whether it be my Heart or my Spirits whether my Will or my Affections whether my Understanding or my Memory take them all with thee and Blesse the Lord. And of them all make use first of my Memorie Verse 2 Forget not all his Benefits for to remember his Benefits is indeed a principall part of Blessing him And the sooner thou goest about it the better thou art likely to performe it for forgetfulnesse is a thing that growes soone upon us and nothing sooner then forgetting of benefits our Memories are very apt to retaine Injuries but very unapt for retaining of Benefits For as long as we remember a Benefit we seeme to stand upon the rack of an Obligation to requite it and who is not willing to come off a Rack by any meanes he can and then rather by forgetting a Benefit then by requiting it and perhaps wee thinke it a kind of payment if we can but forget wee owe it But O my Soule consider that God expects no Retaliation of us he lookes for no requiting at our hands Alas He knowes we are not able He takes it in good part if but onely we remember his Benefits and should we not bee most ungratefull they being so great and so many as they are if we should not afford him so much as the remembring them But as to forget all his benefits were a wonderfull forgetfulnesse so to forget none at all were as wonderfull a Memorie for what memorie can be so vast not to forget some when they be so many Indeed so many that they cannot be numbred And what then O my Soule wilt thou doe in this case if thou canst not choose