water troubles euery part of the water euen to the very banke But I speake not this as if any man hauing committed one sinne should in a desperate moode aduenture the committing of more because when he hath done all he can but be found guilty and so punished God forbid that any man should heare like Malchus with his left eare only But this is my drift if it were possible to deterre and affright the hearer from countenancing or giuing the least entertainment to the least sinne whatsoeuer or the least motion of that sinne As it was spoken in another case Ex pessimo genere ne catulus quidem educandus So I say in regard of the purity of God who can abide no sin and his iustice which may punish euery sin let vs not giue way to any sin And if God thus take account of one sinne let vs take heed of all sinne as being accomptable for in Gods sight One sinne a small sinne in mans iudgement may procure and prouoke God to send a heauy iudgement Secondly we may here obserue the impartiall hand of God may not Dauid be spared for a sinne true it is veniam laeso numine nullus habet Conijah if he offend though he were the Signet on Gods right hand Ier. 22.24 God will cut him off Neuer was any sinne committed but must be punished either in the sinner or in the Sauiour and though it be quoad aeternam poenam pardoned and punished in the Saniour yet it stands with the iustice of God temporally to punish a little sinne in a great Saint yea one onely sinne though in his owne children Dauid is noted but for one sinne before and for that one his one child borne in adulterie died Which kind of proceeding in almighty God though it may seeme harsh and bitter as the waters of Marah yet hence it doth receiue its dulcoration in that it proceeds from a blessed trinity of attributes in almighty God his iustice his holinesse his wisedome Iustice punishing one sinne his holinesse brooking no sinne his wisedome preuenting many sinnes all concurring in one act of punishing His Holinesse that holy holy holy Lord God of Sabaoth requires holy thoughts holy words holy actions and therefore any thing that is vnholy must needs grieue his holy spirit and that not only in Cain Saul Iudas Iulian c. vessels of wrath and sonnes of perdition but also in the vessels of honor the heyres of grace nay further taking indeed the matter more hainously at their hands As we reade of Caesar who of so many wounds giuen him at his death complained of none but of Brutus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thou my son So for Ierusalem to play the harlot the holy City become a cage of vncleant birds he will neuer endure As one good motion and inclination in the young Man made Christ begin to loue him Mat. 19. and the sparkes of goodnesse shining were wel-pleasing vnto him though the young man were not right So on the contrary one euill admitted and perpetrated by a child of God makes God in his holinesse dislike and distaste though not absolutely and finally the person yet the sinne by whomsoeuer committed nor can there bee any peace betwixt a righteous God and a wretched sinner His wisedome who seeing sinne the daughter of impunity and the fruitfull mother of such a damned brood doth principiis obstare killing this Cockatrice in the egge and preuenting this dangerous and farre-creeping fire before it run too farre and rage too sore dealing as a wise father with his child who breakes him of his vntoward disposition before it grow to a setled habit men are of that disposition which God complaines of Psal 50.15 These things hast thou done and I held my peace and thou thoughtst I was euen such a one as thy selfe and therefore it followes I will reprooue thee and set before thy face in order the things that thou hast done If hee should not aurem vellere and make his iudgements the remora's of sinne either the God of Iacob would be thought not to regard it or the reuenging arme to be shortened or else that God laying aside his holinesse did in part begin to approue those of which his soule hath said heretofore I hate them The least of which three gaps being layd open the Gadarens Swine ranne not so fast and headlong into the Sea as men would poast and precipitate themselues to the bottomlesse gulfe of Hell His Iustice who though he loue his Saints with an Eternall loue yet is not bound to the tolleration of the least nor the conniuencie at any sinne but on Gods part that he may declare his iustice and on their parts that they are Sonnes and not bastards Heb. 12.8 doth afflict correct and chastise them and though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a finall and destroying punishment be properly the portion of the wicked yet his iudgements 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for instruction and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for warning and example are no more often then iustly let loose vpon his owne Children and albeit God hath promised to spare them yet hee will but spare as a man doth his Sonne not to free from a fatherly correction but from scourges and whips which are onely for the backs of fooles and wounds which are for the hairie scalpes of such as goe on in their wickednesse Psal 68.21 So then his holinesse his iustice and his wisdome being the mouing causes of this action we must in such a case with Iob lay our hand vpon our mouth and with old Eli rest contented It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good Now if iudgement beginne at the house of God 1. Pet. 4.17.18 Psal 130.3 and if the righteous shall not be spared what shall become of them what shall be their end that obey not the Gospell of God Psal 116.15 If thou Lord be extreame to marke what is done amisse yea by thy Saints so deare and pretious in thine eyes yea the very apples of thine eyes Oh what a fearefull expectation is it of iudgement and fierce indignation Heb. 10.27 which shall destroy the aduersaries of God If Dauid fell into this great strait for one Sinne what shall be done to Edom Moab and Tyrus Amos 1.9.12 2.2 for three transgressions and for foure but fire a destroying fire which shall consume Teman of the Edomites Kerioth of the Moabites and the walls of Tyrus If Dauid be auenged seuen-fold surely the vngodly that drinke in sinne like water and draw iniquitie with cordes of vanity shall be auenged seuenty times seuen fold If this be done to a green tree what shall be done to a drie tree Consider and I beseech you againe consider and remember this you that forget God you whose liues are nothing but a continuall rebellion and grieuing of the spirit of God To you I speake quorum etiam laudabilis vita damnabilis est si
the Parable wherein the thornes are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now if these thorny and soule-wounding sin be remoued from the heart and affection and placed in the memory it will proue in some sort good to Gods children to haue sinned for hauing felt the chastisement by rods they will tremble to thinke vpon Scorpions and finding Sathan so cruelly tyrannizing vpon a small sinne so vnfaithfull in a little they will be loath to trust so bad a Counsellour or for a great matter commit their soules to so bad a Steward Can we thinke but Dauid was now growne more cautelous or that if he had againe his former freedome that Satan should againe so haue inueigled him Surely the bought wisedome of the Saints proues good if not the best Oh that we could be made so wise by our sins and the fruits of them as by one to auoid many by smaller to auoid greater by the pinch of a weesel to auoid the pawes of a Lyon 2 Tim. 2.7 Consider here what I say and the Lord giue vs vnderstanding in things Vse Salomon passing by the field of the Sluggard obserued nettles and thornes vpon the face of it and he learned instruction here is multiplicity of learning What came you hither to learne humility then behold what thou art without the preuenting grace of God or if charity iudge here of thy falling neighbour as subiect to infirmity or if further instruction Phil. 2.12 for the remainder of thy dayes learne here to walke wisely and worke out thy saluation with feare and trembling S. Paul 1 Cor. 1.20 glorying in Gods mercy and power demands Where now is the Scribe where now is the disputer of this world And hoping that I may glory likewise in the truth of this proposed and proued Theorem I demand where now is the Papist where the Pelagian what is become of the Saints perfection in this life This heresie was bred in North-Wales there was this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first hatcht afterward bred vp at West-Babylon Pestifero vomuit coluber sermone Britannus Whereunto I may adde Pestifero docuit coluber sermone Quirinus For the Church of Rome hauing lickt vp the vomit of this Arch-hereticke as the Poets are fained to haue done Homers haue spit forth the same againe to the infection of many a soule Grant we to the Church of Rome a thing which they can neuer euince that Peter was head of the Church as Pilate said to the Iewes Behold your King so say I to them Behold your Peter if his faults and falls were not like vnto other mens Surely the foundation of the Church being thus shaken and the vaile of the Temple rent asunder I may easily coniecture what betides the rest if the case goe thus with the greene tree what shall become of the dry tree What cost Peter so many teares what was the cause of this strait of Dauid was perfection then God is vniust No it was imperfection let God be iust and the Church of Rome a lyar Dangerous then and damnable is their opinion causing men so much to dreame of perfection that they neuer labour for it procul hinc If we maintaine the bond-woman wee must keepe her son if we maintaine perfection then also merits and not onely that but another monstrous bastard with sixe fingers on a hand workes of supererogation certainly for perfection of Romish Iesuites thus much and no more will I euer grant that they are perfect in the Popish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absolute Machiauilians absolute traytors monsters of men and matches for the Diuell I grant them also to be meritorious but for all the paines they haue taken in our English vineyard their wages haue beene such as that the Hangman hath beene their pay-master Gretserus Yea but the Pope saith Gretserus must needs be holy Si non sanctitate propriâ sanctitate tamen officii and so taller by head and shoulders then his fellowes But if deposition plucke this stoole from vnder him where lies his Holinesse then Sure their knowledge is no more then other mens all knowing but in part Indeed some Popes knowledge was not in part Alphons de Castro for Alphonsus de Castro affirmes that some of them knew nothing at all Their sanctification no more then others for though Alexander the sixt were holy by vertue of his office yet as he was Alexander he gaue his soule to the diuell and so by the Schoole-mens helpe was damned with a distinction Whatsoeuer the pride of the Church of Rome may conceiue or their insolency dare maintaine God let me euer be a member of that Church while I haue any being which though reformed in other things may seeme deformed in this that it acknowledgeth no particular member of it to be exempt from humane frailty and though not subiect to the dominion of sinne yet falling many times vnder sinnes vsurped gouernment and haue daily need to be renewed by repentance Holy Dauid though in the generall course of his life a man with whom God was wel pleased suo laborat naeuo and the best that liues may semel in anno nay septies in die fall into a great sinne and so by the iust iudgement of God into a great strait I conclude this Theorem with this corollary That if all the diuine and admirable gifts and graces of Gods holy Spirit as wisdome knowledge sanctification c. were doubled vpon the head of one man be he no more then a man may sinne of weaknesse though not of wickednesse and offend as grieuously though not so frequently as his brethren Thus haue we seene Dauids entrance into this strait now see we the nature of it and the manner how he apprehends it How Dauid apprehended it As all misery and sorrow of it selfe is grieuous vnto flesh and blood so some aboue the rest by the iust iudgement of God is more heauy and grieuous then other and doth more perplexe the mind of man Principally these two 1 For the matter if it be such as is intollerable 2 For the manner if it be such as is ineuitable Iaacobs seruice of seuen yeares for Rachel was ineuitable yet being but a seruice and such a seruice it was tolerable Israels seruitude in the iron fornace was intolerable yet in regard of Gods promise to visit them it proued euitable But the things here propounded to Dauid in their nature were 1. intolerable Famine Sword Pestilence Secondly God that propounded them makes them ineuitable Chuse one Dauid is onely left happy in this that though he cannot chuse but hee must haue one yet hee may chuse which one he will haue That we may the better apprehend the Strait of Dauid Apoc. 6. I will briefely open three Seales where wee shall see the three Furies which Gad the Seer presents to Dauid to take a hard and haplesse choise of either of them First comes Famine riding vpon a pale Horse killing with hunger and with death Sometimes
a wonderfull strait Had that wealth-famous Croesus had any more then an after-wit he had not in his extremity needed to cry Oh Solon Solon Had the Mariners beene ruled by Paul Acts 27.21 they had saued the wracke of their ship and the losse of the wheat As Martha said to Iesus Lord if thou hadst beene here my brother had not died so may I say of this and the like case had Prometheus beene there a wisedome to foresee and foresight to preuent neither would any men at other time or Dauid at this time haue fallen into this great strait Oh how the denunciation of Gods iudgements doth amaze and perplexe the soules of Gods seruants when they find no expiation or atonement for sinne Call me now no more Dauid beloued call me no more happy but hated What hard hap had Dauid that Gad the Seer was not a Pope If some Christian especially Antichristian Prince should haue the conscience to be troubled or wounded for such a sinne as this a Romish Bishop though neither Prophet nor Seer would haue taught him a tricke to haue auoided this strait Gad had no Commission to pardon but to tell Dauid of his sinne But now Omnia Romae vaenalia ipsa etiam venia est vaenalis Gad would not free Dauid for an Altar built in the flowre of Araunah the Iebusite Rome will nullifie a sinne and deifie a deuill for a contribution to a Iesuite and what Such a sinne as numbring the people Nay murder adultery incest rebellion and what not Surely then a Subsidie of Peter-pence throughout all the Land of Iudaea would haue freed them from this punishment If this be so that pradons are so frequent I must intreat his Holinesse to pardon me one thing namely in that I condemne and abhorre the sowre leauen of the Church of Rome and lest for want of iudgement and experience of their iugling my tongue may be thought no slaunder let any man with sounder iudgement and mature deliberation perpend their practices and hee shall ex vngue leonem make an easie coniecture that all their Religion is superstition their practices cleanly cosenage deepe hypocrisie and horrible abhomination My senses now tell me that many heare this and my Conscience tels me that I care not who hears it what is seated in my heart were it written in my forehead I vow that I haue lost the vse of that hand that should euer wipe it out and let my tongue cleaue to the roofe of my mouth if vpon iust occasion I spare or feare to tell the Church of Rome of their monstrous enormities and their strong delusions wherewith they fill the Popes coffers with gold their Clergy with glory and the vnderstanding world with wonder Durst Gad blesse when God did curse or pronounce peace when God proclaimed warre but this is the impiety of that man of sinne to exalt himselfe not onely as Lusifer to make his seat with the most high but to make his Apostolicall seat aboue Christ and to exalt himselfe aboue all that is called God Ego Rex meus argued in the proud Cardinall little pollicy but Ego Deus meus argues in that Romish Prelate but little piety If euer any man grow weary of that Christian liberty wherein Christ Iesus hath placed him I wish him no other seruitude then a Romish yoake or if any man will cancell his sense and reason so farre as to be ruled by them I dare pawne my hand that too much learning will neuer make him mad I conclude this point with a Tridentine phrase * Forma Tridentina Materia Angelicana Whosoeuer shall beleeue that the Pope of Rome hath any more power of pardoning sinnes but onely ministeriall that is where God hath first pardoned and giuen warrant by his word to haue it pronounced by the Minister Anathema esto The position is true according to our doctrine the conclusion shall bee theirs that made it I hope not for ours but rather for their owne vse Concerning the point thus much Fumo pereant qui fumum vendunt S. Peters keyes are now abused by popish pick locks if these men belong to God I beseech him pardon them effectually for pardoning so many for so much to so little purpose The third generall point How Dauid tooke it Quantapatiētia pertulit When Gad had brought this message to Dauid in the morning next his heart we cannot but thinke that he tooke it much to heart but yet he so demeaned himselfe that though the message was grieuous yet the messenger was welcome He deales not like the impious sonne of Nebat 1. Reg. 13.4.1 Reg. 22.8 to bid lay hands vpon the Prophet nor doth he hate him as Ahab did Michaiah because he prophecied euill and not good but considers him as the voice of a crier and the messenger of the high GOD not imputing so much to Gad as the troubling of Israel And though Dauid was not Timon-like to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as desirous to see misery and mortality amongst men yet he thought this word though harsh of it selfe to bee good as being the word of the Lord he neither can nor will challenge God as vniust nor the Prophet as vnfaithfull in his message but to shew himselfe a man after Gods owne heart in saying nothing hee seemes to consent vnto God as Eli did 1. Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good O iust God O faithfull Gad O patient Dauid Now could I wish that this patient spirit of Dauid were doubled vpon all the sinfull sonnes of this generation who are so farre from patient hearing of Gods iudgements denounced that their eares are grated if not stopt at the Rehearsall Sermon of their sinnes Surely if reprofe vexe them to the heart as it did Ahab tydings of iudgement will break their necks 1. Sam. 4.18 as it fared with olde Eli. Is it not from hence that men are of that impatient and gun powder humour because they loue not to heare of their faults Is it not hence that the Ministers of God are so much discouraged Is it not hence that like Ionah men had rather turne mariners then Ministers Without any further question hence comes impenitence euen from impatience hence custome and obduration in Sin hence in a word comes that which a religious soule cannot but see the Land deserueth to mourn for Some Seers are so choakt with a Church and a Steeple that they cannot of all other language pronounce Sinne in a Patron Some dare not aduenture to displease a great one yea whosoeuer shall dare like Tarquin to strike at the heads of the tallest poppies 1. Sam. 15. or like Samuel at the head of Agag at their greatest sin shal in the wise censure of some be thought to babble beside his Text or be enrolled in the blacke booke neuer to haue fauour at their hands A true Aristotelian will neuer wonder at the irregular motion of the