acknowledge the trueth of this namely that the state and condition of a man or woman wounded in spirit is not so hard or heauy so dangerous or deadlie as many times we take it or men make it to be But now let vs descende to the vses of it By all this wee may see howe much they are out of the way that iudge the disquiet and distressed estate of Gods people in this worlde either by God to bee layde vpon them for sinne which is false for God doth not alwayes punish his for their iniquities and there are many causes that may mooue the godly to mourne as well as for their owne sinnes for examples the mischiefes intended and practised against the Church the disorders and breaches of the common wealth the generall ouerflowing of sinne and iniquitie in others with sundry such like or els take it to be meer madnes in them or at least superfluitie and predominance and ouerruling of melancholie As for madnesse surely call it by what name you wil frensie lunacie or I cannot tell what it cannot be so for then it should goe and come according to the increase and waning of the Moone and should cause them affected therewith to be so vnorderly yea so vnruly as no man or matter almost should be able to holde or guide them But those that are in this way touched we know to bee for the most part in one estate and so farre from vnrulines that they are very meeke patient and ready to be guided hauing so profited vnder the hand of God and by the feeling of their owne vnworthinesse that if any come to them and handle them roughly in word or deed they beare it with quietnesse and say in some measure as the faithfull doe in the Prophet Micah J will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntill he plead my cause and execute iudgment for me at which time hee will bring mee foorth to the light I shal see his righteousnes And as for melancholy I will not deny indeede but that the conflict of conscience may be somewhat increased by abundance of that perillous humor And I thinke no man that knoweth what it meaneth and the conceits it worketh in them in whom it aboundeth will euer gainesay it But there is not all For if it were onely from thence why shoulde not all melancholike persons haue it in proportion according to the superaboundance of that humor in them But that is not so as dayly experience sheweth Or why should others and of other complexions also besides the melancholicke be sicke of this disease and that many times more dangerously then diuers of those that haue aboundance of melancholy bearing sway in them Surely God sheweth vs hereby not onely that their iudgement is corrupt that thus thinke but also that they are blinde and buzze out a word touching a matter that they haue small skill in and lesse experience of yea none at all Small skill because they knowe not the Scriptures nor the power of God without which indeede no man shall bee skilfully acquainted with these causes No experience because they neuer felte hell in their heartes or Gods wrath against men for sinne vnlesse it haue bin in them either as a flash of lightning for a while to make them without excuse or as a mighty fire and flame to torment them without ease that so they and the wicked that deny God heauen hell immortalitie of soule and all might see in themselues though they haue no comfort thereby but wonderfull terror rather how much they are seduced We say and we say truely that a blind man cānot discerne of colours And why so because he that must iudge thereof must both haue sight and wisedome One of these the blinde man lacketh if not both Yea we see many that notwithstanding they haue their eyes are not yet able for want of iudgement experience to discerne of the diuersitie of colours specially if so be they be mingled or compounded Hee that must determine rightly of this matter either as in regard of himselfe or as in respect of other men must haue more then the eyes of his head and more then the vnderstanding of his naturall heart for the naturall man perceiueth not the things that belong to the spirit of God neither indeed can he because they are spiritually discerned and he is carnall and sold vnder sinne Yea he must haue euen the eies of God and wisedome vnderstanding from aboue that is spirituall and such as he vouchsaueth to bestow onely vpon his owne children and to which also for their better incouragement of them in it of his owne mercy he promiseth a blessing in the 41. Psalme saying Blessed is he that iudgeth wisely of the poore the Lord shall deliuer him in the time of trouble The Lord wil keepe him and preserue him aliue hee shall bee blessed vpon the earth and thou wilt not deliuer him vnto the will of his enemies The Lord wil strengthen him vpon the bed of sorrow thou hast turned all his bed in his sicknes Wherefore when the afflicted person hath many times his griefes inlarged within him not onely by the sight and sense of his owne sinne and Gods wrath against the same but by this also that such a man and such a man thinketh so of him and sayth so of him wee may see hee hath in a readines and may easily answere euen for himselfe in this behalfe with the Apostle or as the Apostle did in another not much vnlike saying It is a small matter for me to be iudged of man or of mans daies the rather too because God hath not giuen iudgement vnto men but reserued it in his owne handes as who is best able euery way most rightly to pronounce Agayne hee may well and truely say thus to his owne soule they that so censure me are ignorant or vnexperienced or hard hearted or partiall and one way or another souly ouertaken and vnfitte to giue sentence they know not themselues or their owne estate howe shoulde they knowe mine We must stand or fall to the Lord and not vnto men With these such like are they to rayse vp their heartes and cheare their spirits against the blind vnexperienced rash yea vncharitable iudgement of other men hudled out thicke and threefold against them in the dayes of their affliction and sorrow And if in other cases of farre lighter waight the Apostle wil not haue vs to iudge one another but sharply reproueth it saying What art thou that iudgest another mans seruant He standeth or falleth to his owne Lord yea he shall be established for God is able to make him stand Shall we thinke hee woulde approue or beare so grosse a corruption and foule a fault as this No verely Let vs learne therefore to lay our hands euē vpon our hearts our mouths both not giue our selues libertie either to thinke euill of or to speake hardly of those
law and vnder the gospell all leading vs not onely vnto Christ but vnto all those sweete graces and heauenly comfortes that we receiue from him To omit to speake of the sacraments of the olde testament which yet notwithstanding were for substance and matter the same to the fathers that ours are to vs and to come to thē of the newe Testament yea and but to touch one of them onely namely the Lords supper What wonderfull and vnspeakeable comfort doth God in Christ offer vnto vs therein To say nothing of those that we receiue there the pledges of his death and bloud sheading and of all the graces that flow vnto vs therefrom as forgiuenesse of sinnes sanctified vse of the creatures reconciliation to God and sundry such like what a maruailous mercy is this that vnder those elements of bread and wine hee should seale vp in our hearts not onely the spirituall strength wee haue from him to die the death of sinne and to liue the life of righteousnesse thorow his power but also the heauenly comfort that he cōmunicateth vnto vs bread no more effectually or liuely strengthning our hearts nor wine more effectually making vs to be of cheerefull spirits than Christ partaken of by fayth filleth vs with all manner of heauenly and holy ioy And by arguments taken from priuation if I may so say wee may proue this point The comfort that we speake of is no where else to be sound therefore it must of necessitie be in him alone If we would looke to Angels and saints departed out of this life there is a double exception against them for first we are vncertaine of their good will and sounde affection towards vs as in this behalfe then we are sure they cannot afford vs that we desire as who neither haue that power in thēselues because it properly onely belongeth vnto the Lord and besides are sundred so farre from vs in respect of distance of place that they are not able to stretch out their ayd though they could helpe As for the rest of the creatures they are as farre vnable and weake for this worke as the other if not more The diuelles and damned spirits will rather do what they can to torment vs then yeeld any consolation Man and woman that liue with vs in the world are infirme and stand in neede as we our selues and not able in the greatnes of their distresse to comfort themselues much lesse vs vnreasonable creatures are tainted with our sinnes and sith the wicked enioy them in greater portion than we cannot yeelde consolation Our owne things that we haue in our owne power as our wiues our children and friendes either in hard heartednesse against vs will become miserable comforters vnto vs as Iobs wife and friendes were all the sort of them or else when we shal consider what iniuries and indignities we haue offered them will increase our sorrow And the like may wee say of our health wealth strength c. which beeing abused will cast downe rather then comfort But whither am I carried in confirmation of this point It is time as I take it to make vse of it and so to proceed to the handling and hearing of some other doctrines We may see by it as if it were in a cleare true looking glasse the miserable estate and wofull condition of all in the worlde that be without the knowledge and feeling of Christ I say both knowledge and feeling and I beseech you ioyne them both together for they cannot be sundred no more then the soule and the body because as all without the knowledge of him are vnder condemnation so many that know him yet feele him not in faith and obedience shall certainely perish For if that bee true which Christ himselfe sayth Ioh. 17. This is life eternall to know thee to bee the onely true God and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ then this by the contrary must needs be true also that those that knowe not God and him whom he hath sent Iesus Christ rest vnder eternall condemnation because Christ sayth hee that beleeueth in the name of the onely begotten Sonne of God shall not come into iudgement but hath passed out of death into life and againe he that beleeueth not is condemned already because he beleeueth not in the name of the onely Sonne of God By which we see what sentence to giue not only of the heathen and gentiles of whom the Apostle speaketh Ephes 2. that they were without God in the world neither yet of the Iewes Turks others who though they acknowledge God the Father yet obstinately deny and refuse the person of the sonne but also of many thousandes of Christians whereof some as hereticks deny his natures as the Anabaptistes who deny his humanitie and our popish aduersaries defacing his offices of Kingdome in erecting and exercising another gouernement thē he hath prescribed of priesthood in placing their dayly vnbloody sacrifice in stead of it of prophecie in bringing in new docirines and establishing traditions and other such trash and trumpery Other some againe knowing him but denying him thorow loose and lewd life of whom we may say as the Apostle saith of some other not much vnlike them that When they knew the power of godlines they denied it notwithstanding in their deeds and of whom also we may say though it bee to their terror as Christ sayth Luk. 12. He that knoweth the will of his master and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes And yet let no man thinke this a hard or hasty iudgement for heere wee speake not the wordes of our owne heart or mouth but of God and may in some measure in this behalfe say euen as Christ himselfe sayth Ioh. 12. I iudge no man but there is one that iudgeth such euen the word that he hath spoken it shall iudge them according to which when we iudge we cannot but iudge righteous iudgement because it being all and onely trueth it can giue no sentence saue according to the same But to drawe it more neere to our present purpose and occasion We may learn from hence what is the reason why so many distressed spirits ly as it were broiling in the flame fire of a troubled and disquieted he art Sure he either they know not Christ and the power of his grace and spirit and then no maruell though they boyle and broile indeed when they are touched with the sting of conscience for sinne and condemnation therfore For how can it be otherwise seeing there is neither forgiuenesse of sinnes nor ouercomming of condemnation nor any comfortable continuall feeling of any fauor but by him Or els they feele him not with his force and effect that way though they knowe their owne sinne the punishmentes due vnto them therefore with the manifold vnworthynesses they find in themselues hindring them from comfort and consolation As for the former sort I would wish them carefully painfully to labour
regard of cooling yea satisfiyng our spirituall drougth or as in respect of easing the griefes and burdens of our mindes which in deed shall be so much the better welcome vnto vs when God shall be pleased in mercy to vouchsaue vs the same by how much the burthens that we beare and the paines we indure are indeed grieuous and as wee may say and shall finde it too without grace and assistance from God vnbeareable In these outwarde matters the more that is promised the better we like and the more great and faithfull the party is that giueth vs his word the more constantly we assure our selues but if together with words we finde vndeceiueable accomplishment then is our ioy as a man may say at the toppe and full Marke these thinges here and then we shall see our comfort increased Where are more bountifull promises of truth and life then those that euery where soūd in the holy Scripture Doe not they reach to the good things of this life present and that which is to come especially Who more excellent than the Lorde that hath made them Who more great for power Who more certaine for good will Who more assured for fastnesse and fidelity than he Should not all these rayse vp our spirits in our selues that are fallen downe within vs and euen as it were cause vs in hope or vnder hope to beleeue against hope Which that we may the better perceiue in our selues and perswade our hearts of let vs a little insist or stand vpon the words He sayth and I will refresh you Who speaketh it He that eyther cannot or will not performe it no verely But Christ God and man in one person consisting yet notwithstanding of two seuerall and distinct natures the godhead and the manhood hath deliuered it that so we might be well assured as of his eternall power by reason of his godhead so of his infinite good will by reason of his humanitie and in both of them inseparably ioyned together from the time of his conception perswade our hearts for the faithfull accomplishment of this most gracious and sweete promise And wee must needes referre it to and vnderstand it of his whole person not onely because in him consisteth the fulnes of all goodnes as we haue heard yea euen the very fulnes of the godhead bodily but also because that deliuering this as the King Priest and Prophet of his Church and not accomplishing any of these offices in eyther of his distinct natures seuerally but in his whole person he must in his person needes both deliuer this sweete and comfortable promise and also effectually performe the same in the hearts of his saythfull people The word refresh is metaphoricall and well answereth indeede the tearmes before going of labouring and being heauy laden A man that laboureth sore woulde bee glad of ease who doubteth of that The party that hath a sore burthen on his backe would willingly be lighted Nature reason experience all teacheth the trueth of this How much more then hee that is pressed if not depressed with the sight of sinne with the beholding of his owne infirmities with the feeling and feare of Gods wrath against him for the same would be glad to find refreshing ease and comfort Which if it be offred and meant as here it is is excellent but if it be receyued and felt is so much the more notable by how much the soule is better then the body the griefes of the one more great then the other and therefore they being holpen and cured the mercy ministred and made effectuall and the comforts flowing therefrom farre surpassing all Wherein our Sauiour Christ surely offreth no more then what hee is able to performe nay then that which he will accomplish indeed so that wee labour by that eye of fayth which he hath bin pleased to vouchsaue vnto vs and that hand of fayth that he hath bestowed vpon vs stedfastly to looke vpon it to lay hold of it and to applie it to our owne soules because the promises of God though most holy heauenly excellent in themselues yet without fayth to feele and apply the same vnto our hearts they are as in regarde of men as if they were not at all And yet to say trueth and that indeede for the further inlarging of the comfort of distressed consciences wee are to marke that the word signifieth much more then refreshing though I deny not but that that considered as it commeth from God or in it owne selfe is a very singular grace And it shall both appeare and be so much the more gracious by how much all and euery one of vs are vnworthy of it yea most worthy of all discomfort iudgement both for the time present and all continuance But to the word I say it being compounded of a preposition or particle and a verbe that signifieth to finish ende or cease from our Sauiour noteth not onely refreshing from the paynes and pangues that we indure but putting an ende vnto all troubles and sorrowes that are vpon vs whether they be outward or inward which though it shal be principally yea onely and most absolutely performed in the life that is to be reueiled according to that of the spirit in the xiiii of the Reuelations Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord for they cease from their labors and their works follow them yet it is in manner and measure begunne here by fayth we stedfastly beleeue the full fruition of it and thorowe hope holde fast and with patience looke for the continuall enioying thereof And no doubt of it our Sauiour hath vsed so significant a word that he might the better prouide for and propounde comfort to the wounded spirit which as it is in anguish and griefe for the present distresse so doth it trouble and torment it selfe with this temptation that it seeth no ende of the miseries and calamities thereof But be not dismaied sayth Christ for the time shall come fayth Christ wherein I will wipe all teares from your eyes all griefe from your heartes all sorrowe from your soules and not onely stay there but giue you perpetuall rest with them that are sanctified and saued thorow me Hitherto we haue tranailed and I trust not vnprofitably chiefly in the exposition of the words interlacing now and then some things of comfort and consolation no whit I am sure strange from the meaning of Christ or improper or vnfitte for this present exercise and assembly Now it remayneth that before we go any further in the wordes of our text we doe from this verse gather some such good lessons as it doth afford vs for doctrine or consolatiō because this indeed may most properly be called the life of the word when men learne from the same good instructions and indeuour to make good and profitable vse thereof The first point of doctrine issuing out of this text is this that true and sound comfort for an afflicted conscience is no
that bee thus throwne downe and humbled vnder Gods mighty hand for that is presumptuous against the Lord and vncharitable towards men And another vse may be made of this point as in regard of the faithfull themselues who minding too much their owne sinnes and by meanes there of miserie and vnworthinesse in themselues iudgements from God against them for the same many times make their owne mouthes meanes to expresse fearefull thinges against their owne soules as for example no man in so wofull taking as I I feare I am a castaway or els why should I thus bee tormented And these thinges I doubt not but they deliuer from a heart that feeleth as much as the mouth expresseth Howbeit I say what art thou that takest the Lords office into thy hands and deliuerest these hard and heauie things and that not against other men which were indeed vncharitable but euen thine own selfe which is vnnaturall Tell me I pray thee May blindnes so farre preiudice mens iudgements that it shall hinder them from beholding their owne and other mens states and shall it not obscure thine owne also yea and that euen concerning thy selfe and touching thine owne present state But further knowe this O man that sometimes greatnes and continuance of griefes maketh the best of Gods Saintes to say as much against themselues as thou doest and yet for all that bee in neuer a whit the worse case Dauid in the xxii Psa crieth out My God my God why hast thou forsakē me And yet euen thē he was neare vnto God yea deare vnto him also or els he coulde not haue called vpon God and that in such particular maner applying him to himselfe as hee did neither would the Lord haue so graciously graunted him his requestes And why should not this be thy state rather than the state of a damned or reprobated wretch To vphold thy heart thou hast something euen the sanctified examples of the people of God but to depresse thee so aboue measure thou hast nothing but imagination and conceit either of that which is not in God or if it bee is not in him to that ende that thou supposest or els of that which is not in thy selfe or if it be is not in that measure and quantitie or to those ends that thou imaginest Besides I beseech you consider that it is one thing what men speake of themselues according to their present feeling either of sinne in their soules or the wrath of God against them therefore which many times may be more thā is eyther meete or true another what God is in his owne nature what he himselfe saith of them God is exceedingly good merciful and is not indeede bound to ratifie euery sentence of mans mind or mouth which he vttereth either against his owne soule or against others I hope no man is sure I am no man can be rightly perswaded that any particular person is more than the whole Church And yet God no otherwise approoueth the Churches iudgement to ratifie it in heauen than they on the earth bind according to his will And why should it be otherwise as in regard of particular persons Haue they better priuiledges than the whole Church hath if it bee so let them produce a lawe not of the twelue tables amongst the Romans but of the ten commandementes amongst the people of God or else there is no credit to be giuen O my brethren it fareth in the diseases of the minde as it doth in the sicknes of the body Many a man yea skilfull Physitions take them to be at deathes doore when God giueth afterwards long life On the other side some blesse themselues in their owne heartes and thinke all is well when death sodainely seizeth vpon them leadeth them to the graue and hell Remember I beseech you what was said before out of the 28. of the Prouerbs Blessed is the man sayth the Lorde there that feareth much continually This state and condition of ours whensoeuer or wheresoeuer it pleaseth God to exercise vs therewithall is a principall argument vnto vs that God woulde not haue vs perish with this wicked world hee by this as by other meanes thorow his grace making vs able thus to iudge our selues And indeede to haue such a fearefull and checking heart of our selues for sinne past or for feare to fall into it hereafter is one plaine difference betwixt the godly and vngodly who are seldome or neuer this way touched at the least with comfortable effect And therefore let the afflicted soule gather consolation to his conscience and correct his iudgement for surely that which he taketh to be bitter as gall or wormewood is by the Lord himselfe and not by the voyce of man to be proclaymed to bee sweete as hony or the hony combe The promise specified in the last wordes of this verse commeth nowe to bee looked into Out of which gracious and sweet promise we may learne two things One that the fulnes of all spirituall ioy and comfort is to be found in Iesus Christ and no where else which because it is the same that hath bin handled heretofore wee will but onely touch and put you in mind of it not standing vpon it because it is done already And indeede though the point be excellent and would be handled againe againe yet because the time passeth away we are to come to other points we will say no more Onely let the faithfull conscience looke well vnto it and prouide his comfort this way or else let him know he shall neuer be comforted indeede The other is this that if a man will find sound cōfort indeede he must be wel acquainted with the promises of the word This doctrin as others is both gathered out of this place cōfirmed by it as may appeare by this that our Sauior Christ is here so plentiful in the promises I will refresh you yee shall finde rest vnto your soules which course also he obserueth in many other places I wil haue mercy and not sacrifice and againe I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And most sweete is that in the third chapt of the Gospell according to S. Iohn God so loued the world that he hath giuen his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Neyther is this his practise onlie but the spirit also in all the writings of the old and new Testament is large this way and speciallie in that euangelicall prophet Isaiah as we may see by the manifold promises contayned therein and speciallie in three or foure chapters together as 53.54.55 c. But amongst the rest how comfortable is that of chapt 41. from whence euen vnto the end of his prophecie almost hee doth nothing els but publish promises and confolations amongst which howsoeuer hee doe sometimes intermingle terrour and threatning yet he doth it to no other onde but to make the mercies of God more