this hatred of Gods worde the foode of Gods shéepe they would be séene and none but they to loue and honour God but it is not so in their heartes for they haue a contempt of God as their fruites well declare And Christe saith They hate both him and his father yea and that without cause But thou Christian reader sée thou féede thy soule with no other meate then with the holesome pastures of Gods word what so euer the world shal say or doe Looke vppon this text of Saint Iohn When the comforter shall come whome I shall send from my father euen the spirit of trueth which doth proceede from the father he shall testifie and beare recorde of me Weigh that place and thinke wherefore the sonne of man referred him selfe to the witnesse of the holy Ghoste and ye shall knowe that it was for no vntruth that was in the authour being Christe or in the doctrine that he preached but only to make the disciples to be of good comfort and that they should not estéeme the Gospel he preached vnto them any thing the lesse although it had many aduersaries and enimies and was spoken against in maner euery where for against the furie and false iudgement of the world that cōtemned the Gospell they should haue the testimonie of the holy Ghoste to allowe and warrant the Gospell Let vs therfore pray to the heauenly shepheard that he will giue vs his holy spirit to testifie for the word of God the only foode of our soules that it is true that God saith and onely good that he appointeth to féede vs. And this we may be assured of that in this heauie and sorrowfull time there is nothing can testifie for the truth of Gods word and kéepe vs in the pleasant pasture thereof but the very spirite of God whiche we must set against all the tumults and daungers of the world For if we make this veritie of GOD subiect to the iudgement of the world our faith shall quaile and faint euery houre as mens iudgements varie Wherefore let vs pray to haue alwayes in vs the spirite of adoption whereby when our faith shall be assaulted we may cry Father father and the same helpe for the maintenaunce of trueth God promised by his holy Prophete Esaie saying This is my couenant with them saith the Lord my spirit which is in thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart from thy mouthe nor from the mouth of thy seede nor from the mouth of the seede of thy seede from hencefoorth vntill the world end Here doth the almightie God set foorth what a treasure and singular gift his worde is and that it shall not depart from his people vntill the worldes end And in these wordes is this parte of Dauids Psalme meruellously opened and set foorth It is the Lorde alone that feedeth and instructeth saith Esaie the Prophet It was not mans owne imagination and intention nor the wisedome and religion of his fathers what so euer they were but it was the Lord that spake and made the couenant with man and put his spirite in man to vnderstande the couenaunt and by his worde and none other worde he instructed man and saide that by this meanes all men should till the worldes ende féede and eate of Gods blessed promises For in his word he hath expressed and opened to euery man what he shal haue euen the remission of sinne the acceptation into his fatherly fauour grace to liue well in this life and at the end to be receiued into the euerlasting life Of these things the reader may knowe what mainteineth life euen the word of God as Christe saith If ye abide in me and my words abide in you aske what ye will and ye shall haue it He shall learne also that it is not Generall counsell Prouinciall counsell the determination and agréement of men that can be the authour of this foode but only God And as God is the only authour of this foode euen so is his holy spirite he that féedeth the poore simple soule of the Christian man with his blessed pasture and not the wisedome of man mens sacrifices or mens doings But as touching the foode of mans soule to be the only word of God I will if it be Gods blessed pleasure to whom in the bitter and painefull passion of Christe I commit my will with my life and death open vnto the shéepe and lambes of God at large in an other booke ¶ The third part of the Psalme Howe man is brought to the knowledge of life and saluation which part sheweth what man is of him selfe and howe he is brought into this life and to feede in the pleasant pastures of Gods worde THE THIRD VERSE He shall conuert my soule and bring me into the pathes of righteousnesse for his names sake MY soule erred and went astray from the right way of godly liuing but the Lord conuerted me from mine errors faultes of liuing and brought me to the obseruation of his holy lawes wherein is conteined all iustice trueth and godlinesse Here is to be noted what degrées and orders the Lord and heauenly shepheard doth vse in bringing his shéepe vnto the pasture of life First he conuerteth the man that is gone astray by his wicked wayes and sinnefull maner of liuing If he were an Infidel he bringeth him first to knowe féele and hate his infidelitie and afterwardes to a true faith If he be a persecuter he sheweth him first his tyrannie and afterward how to vse him selfe méekely If he be a sinful man that liueth cōtrarie to his knowledge profession he bringeth him first to the knowledge and hatred of his sinne and afterwards to the forgiuenes of the same As Christ our sauiour wonderfully teacheth in Saint Iohn where he saith The holy Ghost when he commeth shall rebuke the world of sinne iustice and iudgement By the which wordes he declareth that the faithfull of God can not profite in the Gospell of Christ neither loue nor exercise iustice and vertue except they be taught and made to féele the burthen and daunger of sinne and be brought to humble them selues as men that be of them selues nothing but sinne And therefore the lawe and threatenings of God be verie wholesome whose nature and propertie is to cite and call mens conscience vnto the iudgment of God and to wound the spirite of man with terrour and feare Wherefore Christe vseth a wonderfull way and teacheth the same vnto his Apostles that neither him selfe for that present time nor they in time to come could preach profitably the Gospell wherewith men are led into the swéete and pleasant fieldes of Gods promises by his word except they vse this order to leade them from sinne to iustice and from death to life And as iustice and life commeth by Christe shewed vnto vs in his bitter passion death and glorious resurrection
vnspeakable wisedome and iustice maketh them for their sinnes aliue and in securitie of conscience to goe to hell As Pharao whilest he followed the Israelites in persequution into the red sea soudenly was drewned Chore Dathan and Abiron whilest they were doing their sacrifices God killed them in opening the earth that swallowed them aliue downe into hell Nowe this inwarde discomfort although it eude not in ioye but onely in such as beléeue their sinnes to be forgiuen in the death and passion of Christ yet we sée by the examples of the scripture that both good and bad suffer and féele this that their spirite will take no comfort But nowe as concerning outward and externall discomfort which is felt as well of such as haue the word of God as such as haue not the word of God but only the lawe of nature As we may sée in the time of the lawe of nature how Noah shewed the discomfort of all men and the destruction of the world for sinne but this discomfort did not enter into the spirites of the hearers Christ complaineth of the same that the people had both discomfort and comfort preached vnto them and yet they receiued none of them both To whome saith Christ should I compare this generation It is like boyes that sit in the streates and cry vnto their fellowes and say We haue played vpon our tymbrels to you and you haue not daunsed we haue soung mourning songs vnto you and ye haue not wept God by his Prophete Esaie saith the same All the day long haue I extended foorth my hand vnto an vnfaithfull and intractable people Meaning that what so euer he threatened or gently offered vnto the Iewes it came no further then the outwarde eare Whereof both the Prophets and Christ him self gréeuously complaine in this sort They haue eares and heare not and they haue eyes and see not Saint Paule rebuketh men also that by the lawe of nature knewe good whereof they should haue reioyced and euill whereof they should haue lamented and yet did not And to leaue off the examples of our fathers mentioned in the scriptures we may sée the same by daily experience amongest our selues We reade in the booke of God we heare by preaching we knowe in our owne consciences the displeasure and anger of God against vs for our sinnes God outwardly sheweth vs the same with many horrible plagues as by sicknesse warre sedition scarsitie enimitie and hatred by the deliuerance and surrender of a whole realme to the vtter destruction thereof into the handes and rule of a straunger and by the deliuery and giuing ouer of Christian soules into the hands and rule of the Antichristian Pope and his wicked Cleargie and yet this discomfort commeth no further then our outward eare If Asaph the authour of this Psalme were amongest vs he would say His spirite would take no consolation And this is an horrible plague that wéekely this Psalme is read amongest the Popish Cleargie and yet it bringeth their spirites to no sorowe nor féeling of God displeasure Wherefore our owne experience teacheth that there is an inward and an outwarde discomfort in this Psalme and in the rest of Gods most holy word The one penitent sinners féele and by it amend their liues and the other some wicked men féele and yet despaire but of the most part of the world it is not felt at all Whereof commeth the contempt of God the loue of our selues and of the world and the losse of our sinfull soules in the world to come Let vs therefore marke the scripture that teacheth this discomfort and pray to God that as we sée it in the letter so we may féele it in the spirite Of the two maner of consolations it shall be saide in the next verse and of the brightnesse and darknesse also in the Psalme hereafter Nowe in the trouble of the spirite is an other thing to be considered whereof the text also maketh mention that is howe the discomfort of the spirite had continuaunce all the night Whereof is to be gathered the greatnesse of discomfort For as the night is a very image of death and the bed a very similitude of the sepulchre and graue euen so is the discomfort of the spirite in the night that will not suffer the body to take rest but to be vnquieted with it selfe The which vnquietnesse of the spirite is a very similitude and image of eternall discomfort in the world to come that both body and soule whiche were created first to inherite the heauenly blisse after the fall of Adam should rest by night as king Dauid saith and after this life for sinne vnforgiuen should for euer be disquieted in the vnquenchable fire of hell Here may we learne the circumstances and causes how the trouble of the Prophet Asaphes spirite was increased It was trouble ingendered by sinne the occasion onely of al mens miseries opened and reuealed vnto the conscience by the law condemned by iustice to eternall fire and it continued al night yea how much more the scripture declareth not In the which night the darknesse thereof represented vnto his eyes outwardly the horrour of hell prison and also his bed the graue and sepulchre wherein al flesh is clad after the spirite departeth The shéetes of mans flesh after this life be nothing but earth aboue and earth vnderneath as whilest it liueth it is clad with such vaine thinges as grow vpon the earth This whole night in discomfort of the spirit declareth two notable things First howe earnestly God is angrie in déede with sinne that putteth man to such long paine for it And the next howe gratious a God he is that will not yet suffer the discomforted spirite to despaire in his discomfort as it followeth meruellously in the next verse 3 When I am in heauinesse I wil thinke vpon God when my heart is vexed I will complaine Sela. Whilest Asaph was thus troubled in spirite he remembred the Lord and called vnto him for helpe First out of this verse it is to be considered that nothing can quiet the comfortlesse spirit but GOD alone But for as much as it séemeth by the partes of this Psalme that followeth that this verse came in by occasion rather then to shewe a full remedie for the Prophetes trouble I will not write what I thinke thereof but deferre the remedie against trouble to such other verses as follow bycause the Prophete saide before that his spirite could take no consolation and that a great many of troubles followe as the Psalme declareth It sheweth that he was not able to beare the troubles of the minde alone without the inuocation and helpe of God Wherefore before he expresseth by writing al his troubles he writeth also howe in the middest of them he did remember and put his trust in the Lord. Out of this we learne howe necessarie it is
many times the word of God in a Psalme worthie much reading and more marking of the thinges conteyned therein For he intreateth all the Psalme thorough that a godly life doeth consist in the obseruation of Gods lawes and therefore doth he so many times in the Psalme pray God to illuminate and indue his spirite and hearte with these two vertues Knowledge and Loue of his word wherewith he may both knowe howe to serue God and at all times to be acceptable vnto him And our sauiour Christ himselfe in Saint Luke saith vnto a woman Blessed be they that heare the word of God and kepe it And in S. Iohn Christ exhorteth all men to the reading and exercising of the Scripture For the ignorance of Gods word bringeth with it a murren and rott of the soule yet for the sinnes of the people God said He would sende a hunger and famine amongst men not a hunger of bread nor water but of hearing Gods word King Dauid therefore as one assured both of the Authour of life also of the foode wherewith the life is mainteyned stayeth himselfe with Gods benediction and fauour that he is assured God féedeth him with his word And he sheweth also that none is the authour of this word neither can any giue it but God alone For when the first fall of Adam and Eue by eating forbidden meates had poysoned infected both body and soule with sinne and Gods displeasure so that he was destitute both of Gods fauour wisedome none but God could tell him where remedie and help lay nor yet could any deliuer him the help but God For till God made promise that the séed of a woman should make whole and saue that which the diuel and man had made sicke and lost by reason of sinne and also made open the remedie vnto Adam and inclined his heart to beléeue the remedie Adam was dead in sinne and vtterly cast away Then the pittie of the heauenly shéepheard said He should notwithstanding in time be brought into the same pasture againe and none should deceiue him nor bring him any more out of the pastures of life But onely God gaue this meate which was his holy word and promise and also the mouth of fayth to eate these promises of Gods onely gift And the same appeareth throughout the whole Bible that onely God by sending of his worde and preachers brought knowledge of euerlasting life to the people that were in ignoraunce As Saint Paule sayth God before time spake vnto our fathers by the Prophets and in these latter dayes vnto vs by his sonne and after the ascension of his sonne by his Apostles and Euangelistes in so much that none of the Prophetes-euer spake of Gods worde that mainteined the life of the soule otherwise then they receiued it of the high shepheard almightie God as Saint Peter saith Prophesie came not by the wil of man but the holy men of God spake as they were taught by the holy Ghost So that God is the onely authour and founteine of his true word the foode of all mens soules In like manner he is the onely giuer of the same as he is the giuer of it and none but him selfe so none can eate it but such as haue the same deliuered vnto them by the holy Ghost So our Sauiour Christ likewise in the Gospell of Saint Iohn telleth Nichodemus that it was not possible to vnderstand and to knowe the grace of redemption except he were borne from aboue And when Saint Paule preached the worde of God at Philippos amongest the women by the water side the Lorde opened the heart of Lidia to vnderstande the things spoken of by Paule And when Christe preached among the Iewes and wrought wonderfull miracles yet they vnderstoode nothing neither were they anything the better And Christe sheweth the cause Proptereà vos non auditis quia ex Deo non estis that is to say Therefore ye heare not bicause ye be not of GOD. But the fault was not in God but in the obstinacie and frowardnesse of their owne heartes as ye may sée in Saint Matthewe Christ offered him selfe but yet the malice of man rebelled at all times Sainte Paule to the Corinthians wonderfully setteth foorth mans vnablenesse and saith The naturall man is not able to comprehend the thinges that be of God And in Saint Iohn Christ saith No man can come vnto him except the heauenly father drawe him for they must be all taught of God Nowe as the Prophete sawe these things for him selfe and his saluation in Gods worde euen so must euery Christian man take héede that he learne the same doctrine or else it were no commoditie to haue the scripture of God deliuered and taught vnto vs. And euery reader and hearer must learn of this Psalme that there is none other foode nor meate for the soule but Gods word And who so euer doe refuse it when it is offered or preached or when they knowe the truth therof doe yet of malice feare lucre and gaine of the world or any other way repugne it they be vnworthy of al mercy and forgiuenesse Let euery man and woman therefore examine their owne conscience without flattering of them selues and they shal find that the most part of this realme of England in the time of our holy and blessed king Edward the sixt were fed with this holy foode of Gods worde or else might haue bene fed with it For it was offered and sent vnto them as well by most godly statutes and lawes of Parleament as by many Noble men and vertuous learned Preachers If they fed not vpon it accordingly or now their téeth stand on edge and their stomachs be cloyed with it to their perill be it Thus Christ saith They haue nothing wherby iustly to excuse them selues of their sin And likewise he faith that Whosoeuer hateth him hateth also his father By which words it appeareth manifestly that no man can hate Christes doctrine but he must hate Christe him selfe and no man can hate Christe but he must also hate the father of heauen Wherefore it is expedient for euery man to marke such places For it was not Christes name nor Christes person that the Iewes hated so mortally Christe for but they hated him to death for his doctrine sake and it was Christes doctrine that condemned the world and shewed the life and learning of the worlde to be euill and could not abide the light of Gods worde and therefore in no case they could abide to heare of it as ye sée the like in his poore Preachers For his wordes sake they be lesse passed of then dogges or brute beastes for they be hated to death and more fauour doeth Barrabas the murtherer finde then Peter the preacher of Christe that would leade the flocke redéemed with Christes pretious bloud into the pastures of Gods word with the Prophete Dauid and yet in
holy name and be thankful For There is nothing more vnnaturall in man then forgetfulnesse of Gods great and innumerable giftes towards vs. To whom be all honour and praise world without end Amen ¶ AN EXPOSITION vppon the 77. Psalme made by the constant Martyr of Christe Maister IOHN HOOPER Bishop of Glocester and Worcester THE ARGVMENT WHen this Prophet Asaph being a man appointed to the seruice and teaching of Gods word vnto the people perceiued that such as were vnder his cure charge were many times troubled and brought into great heauinesse for the feare and dread they had conceiued of Gods most iust ire and straite punishment for sinne transgression of his holy lawes and in himselfe felte especially the burden of Gods displeasure against sinne intollerable hee receiued from the holy ghost the spirit of consolation what was the best remedie and helpe for euery troubled conscience to appease and quiet the poore spirite of man that knoweth and feeleth not onely that God is iustly angrie for sinne but also will straitly punish the iniquitie and abhomination of the same And when hee had learned himselfe by God how a troubled and desperate conscience might be quieted hee spake it to such as were aliue and with him and wrote it to all such as should come after him vntil the worldes end that troubled sinners might see their sinnes for giuen in the mercie of God and they themselues accepted as Gods most deare children into eternall friendship and endlesse ioyes of saluation ¶ The partes of the Psalme 1 In whome a man should put his trust and to whome he should resort in the dayes of sicknesse troubles and aduersitie 2 How a man should vse himselfe towards him in whom he putteth his trust in the time of trouble 3 What great and perillous dangers the man that is troubled shall suffer for the time of his trouble 4 Howe a man taketh consolation in the time of his trouble ¶ The two first verses of the Psalme conteyning the two first partes 1 I will crie vnto God with my voice euen vnto God will I crie with my voyce and he shall hearken vnto mee 2 In the time of my trouble I sought the Lord my hand I held vp all night and it was not wearie my soule refused comfort ¶ The first part ¶ In whom a man should put his trust and to whom he should resort in the dayes of sicknesse troubles and aduersitie 1 I will crie vnto God with my voice euen vnto God will I crie with my voice and hee shall hearken vnto mee FIrst out of this text it is to be noted that God onely is to be trusted vnto in the dayes of trouble as our Sauiour Christ exhorted in heauines and anguish of body and soule all people to resort vnto him saying Come vnto mee all ye that be laden and burthened and I will refreshe you And the same is spoken of God by Esaie the Prophet Ye that be a thirst come vnto the waters and ye that haue no monie come take it freely S. Iohn likewise in the midst among troubled and afflicted persons reciteth the words of Christ saying If any be drie let him come to me and drinke Hee that beleeueth on mee as the Scripture saith flouds of water of life shall flowe out of his bellie Of this knowledge and suretie in the soule of man that God is can and wil be an ease and remedie for the troubled conscience cōmeth iustice peace and ioy of the conscience Not that any man shalbe by and by without all feare trembling and dread of his sinnes of Gods iust iudgement against sinne but that this feare and trembling shal not come to desperation neither shall he be more afraide of his sinnes then comforted by Gods mercie and grace in Christ. Therefore saith our sauiour Christ Blessed be they that weepe for they shalbe comforted Blessed be they that hunger and thirst for iustice for they shalbe replenished In this that he saith Blessed be they that weepe He noteth such as do knowe and féele with sorrowe and heauines of conscience that they be sinners and the filthines of their sinnes maketh them sorrowful and heauie hearted yet shall they in Christ be comforted Againe the poore sensible féeling and troubled sinner doth wishe his sinnes away and would gladly haue vertue and iustice to rule and do altogether in him Gods holy will and pleasure This hunger and thirst saith Christ shalbe quenched for the merits of his owne death and passion as it shal not misse if men in their thirst hunger persequution and trouble doe knowe and vse onely God for their helpe and consolation as this Prophet did and teacheth vs to doe the same in this Psalme In this first part be two sorts of people condemned The one is such as plainely despaire and in their troubles neither looke for consolation nor yet beléeue that there is any consolation to be hoped for in Christ. The other is such as séeke consolation but not onely at Gods hand power but at the Saincts departed at witches coniurers hypocrites and the workes deuised and done by man The first sort be left comfortlesse because they séeke no consolation and the second sort find no comfort because they séeke it where it is not contrarie vnto God and his holie word Happie therefore is the troubled that séeketh consolation at Gods handes and no where els For he is as it is written by the Prophet Esaie the God alone that doth saue and none but hee But there be two manner of impedimentes that kéepe the Almightie God from the helping and comforting of people that be in trouble The one is ignorance of Gods nature and propertie towards the afflicted and the other is feare and dread whereas God is most iustly angrie for sinne lest that in his anger and iust punishment he will not be mercifull Of the first impediment whiche is ignorance is sprong into the world horrible blasphemie that neither séeketh helpe at Gods hand nor yet is thankful vnto God for any thing that God giueth but rendereth all things to such Gods and Saincts as he hath deuised out of his owne imagination or els learned as S. Peter saith out of the traditions of his Elders So that ignorance taketh away the honour of God also the saluation of them that be ignorant The remedie against this great impediment is onely the reading meditating hearing and learning of Gods holy word whiche is as a candle light in a darke place to kéepe and preserue a man from danger and peril And so saith king Dauid that It is a candle vnto his feete and a light vnto his stepps And in an other place of his Psalmes he saith The lawe of God is so perfect that it turneth soules vnto the Lord. Wherefore saith he it is the part of euery man that wil be vertuous and godly to
haue his desire and cogitations in the law of God both day and right And to preserue the people from this horrible impediment of ignorance God spake by his prophet Esaie these wordes My spirite which is in thee and my woordes which I put in thy mouth shall not depart from thy mouth and from the mouth of thy seede saith the Lord from henceforth for euermore And in the same Prophesie Christ prayeth the heauenly father to seale his word in his disciples wherby the daungerous impediment of mans saluation which is ignorance might be eschewed auoyded The same remedie against ignorance commandeth Almightie God also by Moses in Deut. and by S. Paul to the Ephesians whereas the fathers and the mothers be not bound themselues alone to knowe the lawe of God but also bound to teach it to their children that by ignorance they offend not God Of the second impediment whiche is feare and dred of Gods iustice commeth trembling and terror of the conscience and many times also the extremest euil of all euils very desperation that neuer looketh who can helpe neither yet trusteth to find any helpe But of these fruites of terror and feare and also of their remedies how they may be cured and holpen it shalbe shewed hereafter in the Psalme as it followeth whereas both terror of conscience and tranquillitie of the same be meruellously and diuinely set foorth Onely vntill I come to those pointes I doe note that this feare and terror of conscience in the faithfull be the very hunger and thirst that Christ saith shalbe quenched and they that féele them shalbe replenished with grace and consolation as the blessed Virgin the mother of Christ saith and they that féele them not shall departe emptie without grace And the cause of this terror and feare is the spirite of God that worketh the knowledge of our sinne by preaching reading or thinking of Gods Lawe that openeth and detecteth how wretched and sinnefull we be by nature in the sight of God But of this matter is better occasion ministred afterwardes in the Psalme then in this place ¶ The second part ¶ How a man should vse himselfe towards him in whome he putteth his trust in the time of trouble 2 In the time of my trouble I sought the Lord my hand I held vppe all night and it was not wearie my soule refused comfort IN this part is taught vs both by doctrine and by example howe we should vse our selues in the time of trouble When we know there is no helpe nor helper but God alone it is not ynough for a man to know that God can helpe but also we must beléeue constantly that he hath as prompt a will to helpe as a sufficient power able to helpe and then béeing assured that he both can and will helpe we must call vppon him for helpe according to his commaundement vnto vs Call vppon mee in the dayes of trouble c. But of this place we may marke and learne what an intollerable burthen and vnspeakeable sorrowe the terrour and feare of sinne is and how gréeuous a thing the sight and contemplation of Gods displeasure and iust iudgement is against euery sinner for his sinne and transgression of Gods most holy Law The text saith That the Prophete when he felt the displeasure of God against sinne cryed out with a lowde voyce vnto the Lord. Whereby we learne that the conscience of man admonished by the word of God of the filthinesse and abhomination of sinne bringeth all the bodie into a trembling and feare lest God should vse rather iustice and iustly punishe sinne then mercie and mercifully forgiue sinne And thus béeing made afrayde thoroughly of sinne the mind is occupied with sorrowfull and heauie cogitations and the tongue by vehemencie of the spirite brought into clamours and cryes As we may sée commonly by examples left vnto vs in the word of God that where sinne is throughly felt in the conscience the feeling sinner is not onely troubled within in spirite but also outwardly in all the members and partes of his bodie as it is to be séene most manifestly in king Dauid In what a sea of heauines was king Dauid in his conscience when he spake to his owne soule Why art thou so heauie and sorrowfull ô my soule and why dost thou thus trouble mee Againe How long wilt thou forget mee ô Lord for euer And in other Psalmes we may sée into what trembling and feare outwardly he was brought by the knowledge and féeling of his sinne In one place he saith The feare of his sinnes did not onely ouerlay his conscience but also crushed and in maner all to broke his bones And in another place His visage was all defaced with wéeping teares and so abundantly they gushed out of his eyes that he watered or rather ouerflowed his bed with them where he lay Into what horrible cryes and waylings many times he fell for feare of sinne this Psalme and many other doe declare The like horrour and feare also of the sight and féeling of sinne we sée to haue béene in Saint Paule when he cryed out vppon him selfe Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie subiect vnto death And Marie Nagdalene with the sight and féeling of Gods displeasure against her sinne made teares and wéepings enowe to washe the founteine of mercies féete Iesus Christ. But blessed is that conscience feared by the Lawe whose feare by the swéete promises of the Gospel is turned into mirth and blessed be those teares and wéepings that end in consolation and happie is that troubled bodie whose end is immortalitie in the resurrection of the iust Further as we sée here king Dauid a sinner for feare of Gods iudgement breake out into lowd cryes for helpe and preseruation the same anguish and trouble of minde and of bodie for feare of Gods punishment for sinne towardes man was likewise in Christ without sinne which said My soule is heauie vnto death and in such an agonie was his bodie that he burst out and swett both water and bloud So that of this second part first we learne that such as be truely vnseignedly brought to a knowledge féeling and repentance of their sinnes haue it with great heauines of minde terrour of conscience and trouble also of the bodie many times that no sicknesse nor troubles may be compared to the trouble of the conscience for feare of due and condigne punishment for the sinne perpetrated and committed against Gods lawes The second doctrine that we be taught out of this second part is to declare what difference there is betwéene the penitent Christian in aduersitie and the desperate person that looketh for no helpe or els the presumptuous person that contemneth helpe The penitent afflicted calleth vnto the Lord and although he finde his burden neuer so intollerable doe wéepe and
Also Lord if thou wilt thou canst deliuer me As the Prophete vseth here in this Psalme He called and cryed vpon the Lord all the night and attended patiently when God would helpe leaning altogether to his blessed will and pleasure to doe or not to doe as him best pleased ¶ The third part What great and perillous daungers the man that is troubled shall suffer for the time of his trouble 2 My soule refused comfort 3 When I am in heauinesse I will thinke vpon God when my heart is vexed I will complaine Sela. 4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so feeble I can not speake 5 I haue considered the dayes of olde and the yeres that be past 6 In the night I called to remembraunce my song and communed with mine owne heart and my spirite searched diligently 7 Will the Lord absent him selfe for euer and will he be no more intreated 8 Is his mercy cleane gone for euer And is his promise come vtterly to an end for euermore 9 Hath God forgotten to be gratious and will he shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure HEre in these verses it appareth what terrible and fearefull thinges a man that is in trouble shall suffer and be vexed withall And the first that the Prophete mentioneth is in the end of the second verse and it is this My soule refuseth comfort Of this aduersitie and anguishe of the soule we may learne many thinges First that as long as sinne appeareth not nor is felt the minde of man is quiet iocund and pleasant and the mirth and pleasure of the minde reioyceth the body and maketh it lustie and pleasant not féeling at all the breache of Gods commanundements neither passing any thing at all of sinne nor euill conuersation but rather delighting in things that displease God then in any vertue or honestie But when trouble sicknesse or death commeth then most commonly though men sée not the horrour of their sinnes to repent yet féele they the horrour thereof to desperation and that once felt in the soule all the ioyes of the worlde can not comfort the troubled person As Adam with all the solace of Paradise could not reioyce when his soule felt the abhomination of his offence towardes God Caine could neuer plucke vp merrie countenaunce for the cruell killing of his brother Abel Peter coulde not stint wéeping for his denyall of Christ vntill Christ looked vpon him Marie Magdalene could not put vp her head from vnder the table for shame of her sinne vntill Christe had forgiuen her nor the poore woman that was taken in adulterie vntil her offences were pardoned Neither yet could this Prophetes spirite take any consolation as long as his sinnes were felt and not pardoned Whereof followeth this saying A small trouble of conscience putteth away all ioy and mirthe of the world Wherefore it is wisedome and also the duetie of all Christian people to auoyde sinne and the enimitie of God which onely troubleth the conscience and to put the body to all paines possible yea and to death it selfe rather then to put the soule in daunger towardes God as Saint Paule writeth to Timothie his disciple and not without cause For as the spirite that contemneth God and féeleth for his contempt Gods displeasure can not take comfort but is full of anguish heauinesse inward and in the outward man full of paine and sorrowe so likewise shal the soule in the life to come inwardly féele vnspeakable grudgings and sorrowes and outwardly the vnquenchable and euerlasting fire of hell And here is to be noted that the very elect and dearest friendes of Christe be not frée from trouble and anguish of minde for their sinnes perpetrated committed against God But this is a consolation that the elect as they finde anxietie and anguish of minde for sinne in this life so in this life is the consciēce that is troubled by grace quieted that it may after this life finde eternall rest And it is a common order and ordinarie way whereby GOD vseth to bring the sinner to acknowledge and repent his sin and so from knowledge and repentaunce to the forgiuenesse of his sinne to shewe and set before the conscience of the sinner his sinne as the example of king Dauid and others do declare My sinne saith Dauid is alwayes before me As though he had said In case I coulde hide mine iniquitie from all the world yet can I not excuse it before God nor hide it from mine owne conscience And euery mans sinnes thus open before God and knowne and felt in his own conscience bringeth the soule into this discomfort and heauinesse that it refuseth all consolation and comfort as this Prophet Asaph sayth meruellously in this second verse of his Psalme There is to be noted out of this comfortlesse spirite of the Prophete Asaph an other most necessarie doctrine for euery Christian creture which is this that there is two manner of discomfortes or two sortes of heauinesse in the word of God that is appointed to leade vs in the time of this wretched life as there is in it also two manner of consolations There is two manner of brightnesse and clearnesse and two manner of darknesse and obscurenesse in it as it shall appeare in the treatise of this Psalme hereafter And bycause the diuersitie is not marked the worde of God doeth many times and in many places and persons no good at all There is a discomfort inwardly and a discomfort outwardly in the scripture The discomfort inwardly is when the sinneful man or woman séeketh and suffereth the same discomfort in his soule that the lawe of GOD doth open and proclame against him for his sinnes committed against God and his lawe so that as the lawe commaundeth after this sort Agite poenitentiam Repent ye so the man that is commaunded by the lawe to be sorie and heauie for his sinnes is sorrie and heauie in déede by the working of Gods spirite as we may sée in Adam what inward feare and discomfort he had when he heard the voyce of God after the doing of his sinne Caine the like Dauid the same with Peter Paule and others in the word of God This discomfort inwardly is felt of al Gods elect that be able to learne and knowe the nature of Gods lawe and the damnation and curse of God vpon sinne For this is a generall commaundement to all fleshe borne and conceiued in sinne Agite poenitentiam Repent ye It is also many times felt of suche as dye and liued wickedly As Saule and Iudas whose spirites in their discomforts refused al consolation and so dyed without comfort in great anguishe and perturbation of minde But that is not generall in all wicked and damned persons for many times they féele no discomfort nor heauinesse of spirite inwardly in this world but God of his
in time at the beginning of troubles and temptations to remember the Lord and to cal vnto him for mercie For the more temptations doe growe without present assistance of Gods grace the greater is the damnation and the more is the daunger thereof as we may sée in the examples of the scripture Adam fell into anxietie and discomfort of spirite and God immediately tolde him of his fault and by Gods grace his discomforted spirite was quieted in the promises of God Caine by the murther of his brother Abel felt the discomfort of the spirit and by neglecting of Gods calling dyed in the same Dauid being admonished by Gods grace found rest for his vnquieted spirite Saule in deferring the remedie of Gods grace died comfortlesse Peter at the beginning through Gods grace with one looke of Christe put away discomfort Iudas with contemning Christes admonitions dyed in horrible despaire Whereof we learne to beware as much as may be that temptations growe not so farre that Gods admonition or the remembraunce of Gods name be forgotten but that we doe in the middest of discomforts as Asaph the Prophet did remember and cal vpon the Lord for help There is also by this remēbraunce of God in the discomfort of the spirite to be noted what a vanitie all the world and worldly things be for man in time of trouble when God shal shew and reueale vnto man his sinnes This Asaph as we reade in the scripture was a man whom for his vertues and good qualities king Dauid appointed to be a Musician for the comfort of many vntill the building of the temple of Hierusalem Yet nowe as we sée he is not able to solace him selfe with his Musicke nor yet with any worldly thing but this onely comfort is in the Lord. And here the Prophete declareth the truth of Christes sentence written in S. Luke What doth it profite a man to winne all the worlde and to loose his owne soule What externall riches can comfort the inward spirite troubled with sinne and transgression of Gods lawe None at all doubtlesse as the scripture sheweth examples euery where Al king Dauids kingdome was not able to appease his troubled and discomforted spirite when he said to his troubled soule Why art thou so heauie and sad my soule and why doest thou trouble me Nowe this one thing more I will marke in this verse and no more bycause it is more fully vsed by the Prophete for the comfort of discomforted spirits in the verses that followe I sayde there was two kindes of consolations in the word of God The one outward in the face and lesson of the letter and the other inward in the vnderstanding and féeling of the spirite And of this diuision must great héede be taken For it is not euery man that readeth and heareth that Christe dyed for the remission of sinne that shall haue the consolation of the redemption promised in Christes bloud For we sée and reade God giue vs grace to learne it that Adam caused his sonnes to heare of his owne fall in Paradise and the redemption of his fal in the bloud of Christe to come as Abel his yonger sonne right wel perceiued yet did Caine hearing the same consolation perish in his sinne There was consolation and rest promised vnto all them that came out of Egypt but none tooke the benefite thereof but Iosua and Caleb There was in the outward letter promised consolation vnto all Abrahams children but none receiued the commoditie thereof but suche as in spirite followed the fayth of Abraham The scripture saith in the letter that GOD would all men to be saued yet we sée such as followe not the spirite offered be damned God by his worde in the time of holy and blessed King Edward the sixt offered consolation vnto all this realme yet none shall inioy it but suche as in their spirites haue learned kept and do followe the word of consolation So our Sauiour Christ in S. Matthew doth say Not euery man that calleth me Lord Lorde shall enter into the kingdome of God but he that followeth in Christ Gods commaundements There be a great many at this day as there were before our time that knowe and speake of such consolation as is conteined in the letter vtter barke of Gods worde but in their consciences they féele not in déede the consolation thereof As Iudas preached abroad with the rest of his companions consolation to the lost shéepe of the house of Israel but he shewed vnto others that he felt not him selfe So did the Phariseis when the scripture was read euery Saturday in their Synagogues shew that Messiah should come to redéeme the worlde yet they them selues for the most part felt not the consolation in déede that the scripture did testifie of Christ. Euen so at this present many reade this Psalme and daily almost in the letter whereof if it be in Englishe he that vnderstandeth not but the English toung séeth great consolation in the letter and also in the Prophete Asaph that vsed the Psalme yet when néede should be the inward consolation of the Psalme of many is nothing felt The cause is that either they vnderstand it not or else marke it not eyther they thinke as the Papistes doe teach that to say or sing the Psalme without vnderstanding and féeling of it in the spirite is sufficient for the worke it selfe and that it pleseth God Ex opere operato as they terme it It is too euident and also too horrible if it pleased God that men be contented only with the externall consolation conteined in the word of God For if they heare that Gods commaundements be true and full of consolation they be contented to heare of them in the letter or by speach and neuer learne thē or féele them by heart The like is in the Articles of our Christian religion They be thought to be true and godly and yet the most part that so iudge neyther learne them nor féele them in their conscience Wherefore they doe outwardly and inwardly as much idolatrie contrarie to their Créed by the commaundement of men as can be deuised for their consolation of faith is no more but such an outward knowledge as the most men hold withall without any proper iudgement or singular féeling of their owne spirites The same is likewise in prayer For in the externall letter there is so much consolation as may be but in the heart of him that prayeth is there no vnderstanding nor féeling of the consolatiō that outwardly is spoken and talked of Therefore marke this order of the Prophete Asaph He sayde that His spirite could take no consolation in all the night time whilest he helde vp his handes And as there is not only discomfort and vnquietnes spoken of but also felt not onely noted and written in the letter of y ◠Psalme but also throughly felt inwardly in the
spirite with heauinesse and anguish without comforte and consolation so in this verse is there consolation in the letter in the voice in the mouth mentioned of inwardly the same consolation felt in the spirite And as outwardly Gods displeasure troubled him so inwardly Gods holy name promises comforted him And this is to be noted least we should heare of consolation outwardly or reade it in the booke of the holy Bible and yet inwardly neyther féele nor knowe any consolation at all In the end of this verse is put this worde Sela. And it doth note vnto the Reader or Hearer what a miserable and comfortlesse thing man is in trouble if God be not present with him to help him It is also put as a spurre pricke for euery Christian man and woman to remember and call vpon God in the days of their troubles For as the Iewes say where so euer this word Sela is if doth admonish and stirr vp the Reader or Hearer to marke what was saide before it for it is a worde alwayes put after very notable sentences Then followeth the rest of suche paines troubles as this Prophet suffered whilest the Lord laide his crosse vpon him after this sort 4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so feeble I can not speake Before he saide his spirit could take no consolation which was a gréefe vnspeakable For no thought is able to comprehend the anguish of the mind much lesse is the toung able to expresse it But now he sheweth a further increase of discomfort and saith that The terrour of his mind was such that he was not only comfortlesse but the Lord also to the increase of sorrowe kept sléepe from him And as the greatnesse of Gods punishment suffered him not to sléepe so would it not permit him to speake but made him speachlesse such was the great punishment of God towardes him Here is the tyrannie and violence of sinne to be perceiued and séene which is first in this verse to be noted It taketh all mirthe from the spirite and bringeth in heauinesse and discomfort It taketh away sléep and placeth for it tediousnesse and sorowfull watch It taketh away also the speache of the tong and leaueth the man mute and speachlesse If sinne can do so painful things in the body and soule whilest they be yet conioyned together and there is hope of remission what can it doe when the one is in the earth and the other in hell separated or else both of them conioyned againe in the resurrection of the wicked where there is no hope of redemptiō but assuraunce of euerlasting paine Besides this it is to be noted in this verse conteyning the increase of the Prophetes heauinesse what a precious iewel man or woman hath that hath a quiet heart and peaceable conscience For where so euer they be there be all the members of man woman wholy bent vnto the seruice and honouring of God The eyes shall neuer be turned from their seruice neyther shall the toung ceasse if it be able to speake to sound foorth alwayes the glory of God As Dauid saith Mine eyes be alwayes towardes the Lord. Againe I lifted vp mine eyes vnto the Lord. As the eye of the handmaide attendeth vpon her Maistres so our eyes attend vpon the Lord. Againe Mine eyes Lord be not proud And in another Psalme he saith There should come neither sléepe ne slumber in his eyes vntil he had prouided a place for y e arke of God to rest in In case the spirite be troubled or in a contempt of Gods lawes not liking his holy deuises the eyes be eyther troubled with ouermuch watch as in this Psalme we sée or else bent to sée vanitie the lustes and concupiscence of the flesh and the world Wherefore Dauid prayed the Lord to turne his eyes that they looked not vpon vanitie For the eye of him that hath not a right spirit is insatiable And many times the eye wheras the spirit is without the fauour of God abhorreth Gods owne good giftes As the eyes of the Israelites lothed Manna in the desert saying Our eyes see nothing but Manna euen so the toung also of the godly spirited man will sound the glory of God as king Dauid vsed his toung and will not hinder it by naughtie speach If the spirite be voyde of Gods feare then doth it speake of malice falsly to slander the good as king Dauid doth declare or else for trēbling or quaking it can speake nothing at all as ye may perceiue by y e Prophet Asaph in this place He that will therfore consider accordingly the greatnesse of this feare in the spirite and howe it taketh away the office of euery member externall doubtlesse must labour to haue the spirite that Dauid prayeth in this sorte Cor mundum crea in me deus spiritum rectum innoua in visceribus meis Create in me a cleane hart O Lord and renue in me a right spirite In the which verse the Prophete prayeth first to haue such an heart as by faith in Christe may be cleane and purged from sinne and next to haue a certeine and sure spirite that doubteth nothing of Gods promises towardes him For such a spirite within the body of man or woman maketh the heart so ioyfull that no sorrow can molest it and it strengtheneth so euery member that they will be giuen to nothing so much as to the seruice of God But if the spirit be wicked doutlesse the outwarde members will serue nothing but iniquitie if it be troubled the outwarde members can not be quiet For as the soule giueth life to the body so doth the vertue of God in the soule drawe the outward partes of the body vnto the obedience of vertue And contrariwise the vice of the soule draweth the members of the body vnto the seruice of sinne and iniquitie And as the eares and eyes of man were made by God to be instruments to heare and sée Gods will and pleasure by them sith man fell in Paradise knowledge might come into the soule and spirit of man by hearing Gods word preached séeing his sacraments ministred so by them abused in hearing and seeing of sinne and abhomination there entreth into the soule much vile filthinesse and transgression The Prophete Asaph therefore doth admonish vs to beware that we bring not our spirites into discomfort by sinne and transgression of Gods lawes for if we do whether y e offence be done in the spirite by the euill that naturally is in it by originall sinne by the temptation of the diuell or by the meanes of any member of the body doubtlesse the trouble of the spirit shal not only take away the office of the members as ye sée in this place the speache of the toung and the closing of the eyes be taken away but at the length also God shall make the same body and the
himselfe for euer This may be vnderstood two maner of wayes For this English word euer hath two meanings in the Hebrue tonge Sometime it is taken for continuance and time euerlasting sometime for certeine yeres and the life of men If it be taken in this place for time euerlasting the sorrowes of the Prophete were the greater when he reuelued with his spirite that God iustly for sinne might cast him into euerlasting paines the remembraunce whereof is greater paine then the mortall death of the bodie If this word euer be taken for a certeine time and the life of man then meaneth the Prophet thus Will God as long as I liue absent himselfe And thus continue me in heauines of spirite and sorrowes as long as I liue Which sense soeuer be taken there be profitable thinges to be learned of it But I suppose the latter sense to be the better for diuers causes First in this that the Psalme conteineth the complaint and prayer of the Prophet a man of God that cannot be brought to this desperation that he should be cast away for euer from the fauour of God vnto eternall paines And the text that saith It is mine owne infirmitie and the right hand of the Lord can chaunge this doth beare with this latter sense and explanation For the words be of great weight and of meruellous wisedome and consolation and do declare that although the Prophete felt the iudgement of God against sinne and was in a meruellous terror feare with the horror and sight of his sinns yet the spirite of God did testifie with his spirit that he was the child of God and that it was a paine and punishment of the soule and body and not a desperation and thorough casting away and absenting of Gods mercie For the very electes of God be chosen so ordeined so preserued and kept that nothing is able to take them out of Gods hand For the godly men in the Scripture did reioyce with the assurance of Gods certein promise and did not presume to do euill as S. Paule in sundrie places doth giue testimonie Once to the Romanes where as he felt and perceiued the filthines of sinne the iust iudgement of God against the same as it appeareth by his wofull crie and complaint Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from this body subiect vnto death He felt as we may perceiue the heauie burden and weight of Gods displeasure and yet in the midst of terror and feare he stayed assuredly in the mercie of God through Christ. And the same he writeth also to the Corinthians to his disciple Timothie that his death was at hand that he knew although his quarell were neuer so good that he of himselfe was a sinner and by sinne worthie reiection casting away from God yet he said that Christ had in kéeping for him a crowne of iustice whiche he should assuredly receiue at the day of his death God is contented that his chosen people shall suffer and beare the burden and heauinesse of temptation and feare of euerlasting paine as Adam did first in Paradise Dauid many times Iob and others yea Christ himselfe that said his soule was heauie euen vnto death which made him sweat both water and bloud But these temptations and terrors shall neuer ouercome and cast away the person that hath his faith in Christ for none is able to take his shéepe out of his hand Yet God withdraweth his hand many times and suffereth his to be tempted and to be comfortlesse and as it were cleane ouerthrowen not that in déede their election can be altered or they themselues left comfortlesse vntill the end of their liues but for a time as ye may sée by Iob who spake as horrible words and as desperatly as might be Yet sée in the end of his booke and marke what a ioyfull outgoing his gréeuous temptations had What pitifull cryes were these of Christ our Sauiour vppon the crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet the end was Father into thy handes I commend my spirite It is written that we must enter into heauen by many troubles Now of all troubles the trouble of the minde and of the spirite is the greatest Who then can enter into heauen without such troubles Doubtlesse no man For the iudgement of God must begin at his house as Saint Pater saith That is to say None shall in this life more féele Gods displeasure for sinne in the spirite nor suffer more aduersitie in the bodie then such as be of Gods owne houshold and very electes Wherefore we be admonished in the troubles and sorrowes that this Prophete Asaph susteined in his soule that could not rest and in his bodie that could not sléepe nor speake that good men be not frée from aduersitie and that aduersities be they neuer so great shall not separate men from God for euer but for a time he punisheth sinne and hideth the consolation of God from vs As the scripture saith For a time a little while I haue forsaken thee but I will gather thee together in wonderfull mercies In a short time of my wrath I hidd my face a while from thee but I will haue mercie vppon thee for euer saith the Lord thy redeemer All men that shall profitably knowe and féele the certeintie of Gods promises in this life and enioy them in the life to come shall be troubled with some paine of doubtfulnes of them before he come to perfection For as by sinne death entered into the flesh and also the flesh is subiect vnto sicknesse and aduersitie so is there entered into the soule and powers thereof by reason of sinne great imperfection As the minde of all men is burdened with ignorance the heart with contumacie and the will with frowardnesse so that as they be before regeneration and knowledge of God in all godly matters starke blind very obstinate and naturally altogether froward euen so after regeneration and the knowledge of God they continually resist and fight against the spirite not onely of man in whome these powers dwell but also against the spirite of God that teacheth and leadeth the spirite of man to eternall saluation So that it is not man that is able to ouercome the wickednesse of his owne soule And therefore séeing life through grace dwelt in a bodie naturally full of sinne Saint Paule said I doe liue yet not I but Christ liueth in mee So this Prophete Asaphe séemeth in wordes to be starke dead from grace but it was not for euer for he felt the spirite of God that told him that such heauie and vngodly thoughtes of his spirit came of his owne infirmitie and that Gods right hand could alter and chaunge them And this is the difference betwéene the affliction of the godly and vngodly as it is
but the conscience is pricked and oppressed so muche with feare doubtfulnesse of Gods ire for sinne that he thinketh God can be mercifull vnto other but not vnto him And thus doth his knowlege for the time of temptation rather trouble him then ease him bicause his heart doth not or rather can not consent vnto the knowledge yet would he rather then his life he could consent vnto God loue God hate sinne be Gods altogether although he suffered for it al y e paines of the worlde I haue knowne in many good men and many good women this trouble and heauinesse of the spirit for the time as though God had cleane hid him self from the afflicted person and had cleane forsaken him yet at length the day of light from aboue and the comfort of the holy spirite hath appeared that lay couered vnder the veile and couert of bitter cogitations of Gods iust iudgements against sinne Therefore séeing that faith at al times hath not like strength in man I doe not speake to discomfort such as at all times finde not their faith as strong as Dauid did in this Psalme for I know in the holy Saints them selues it was not alwayes like but euen in them as in others And although we can not compare with them in all things in the perfection of their faith yet may they compare them selues with vs in the weakenesse of our faith as ye may sée by the scriptures In this Psalme and in many other ye shall perceiue that Dauid by the constancie and suretie he felt in the promises of God was so strong so ioyfull and comfortable in the middest of all daungers and troubles of death that he did not only contemne troubles and death but also desired death and to be dissolued out of this world as Saint Paule and others did At an other time ye shall perceiue him to be strong in faith but not so ioyful nor yet the troubles so easie vnto him but that he suffered great battell and conflict with his troubles and of the cause of all troubles sinne and transgression of Gods lawes as ye may sée in the sixt Psalme whereas he cryed out and saide Lord chasten me not in thy furie nor punishe me in thy wrath my soule is sore troubled but how long Lord wilt thou deferre help And of such troubled consciences with conflictes ye shall finde oftentimes in the booke of Psalmes and in the rest of Gods scriptures yet shall ye finde the end of the temptation to be ioyfull and comfortable to the weake man that was so sore troubled For although God suffer a long fight betwéene his poore souldier and the diuell yet he giueth the victorie to his seruant as ye may sée in king Dauid When he cryed out that both his body and soule was wearied with the crosse of Gods punishment yet he saide at the last Discedite à me operarij iniquitatis quoniam exaudiuit Dominus vocem fletus mei Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie for the Lorde hath heard the voyce of my weeping And in other of his Psalmes ye shall perceiue his faith more weake and his soule troubled with such anguish and sorrowe that it shal séeme there is no consolation in his soule nor any shewe of Gods carefulnesse towardes him In this state ye may sée him in the 13. Psalme where as a man in manner destitute of all consolation he maketh his complaint saying How long wilt thou forget me The same may ye read also in the 43. Psal. where he sheweth that he his most iust cause and the doctrine that he professed was like altogether to haue bene ouercome so that his spirite was in manner all comfortlesse Then he said to his owne soule Quare tristis es anima mea quare conturbas me Why art thou so heauie my soule why doest thou trouble mee Trust in the Lord c. And in the 42. Psalm he setteth foorth wonderfully the bitter fight and sorrowfull conflicte betwéene hope and desperation Wherin he complayneth also of his own soule that was so much discomforted and biddeth it trust in the lord Of the which two places ye may learne that no man had euer faith at all times like but sometimes more strong sometimes more weake as it pleased God to giue it Let no man therefore despaire although he finde weaknesse of faith for it shall make him to humble him selfe the more and to be the more diligent to pray to haue helpe when he perceiueth his owne weakenesse and doubtlesse at length the weake man by the strong GOD shal be brought to this point that he shal in al troubles aduersities say with the Prophet If I should goe through the shadowe and daungers of death I would not feare what troubles soeuer happen And he sheweth his good assurance in the text that followeth which is the sixt part of this holy and blessed Hymne ¶ The sixt part of the Psalme Whereby the troubles of Gods elect be-ouercome The fourth verse continued and the fift verse expounded For thou art with me thy rod and thy staffe comfort me Thou shalt prepare a table before me against thē that trouble me thou hast annoynted my head with oyle and my cup shall be full SEeing thou art with me at whose power and will all troubles goe and come I doubt not but to haue the victorie and ouerhand of them howe many and daungerous so euer they be for thy rod chasteneth me when I goe astray and thy staffe stayeth me when I should fall Two things most necessarie for me good Lord the one to call me from my fault and errour and the other to kéepe me in thy trueth and veritie What can be more blessed then to be susteined and kept from falling by the staffe and strength of the most highest And what can be more profitable then to be beaten with his merciful rod when we goe astray For He chasteneth as many as he loueth and beateth as many as he receiueth into his holy profession Notwithstanding whilest we be here in this life he féedeth vs with the swéete pastures of holsome herbes of his holy word vntill we come to eternall life and when we put off these bodies and come into heuen and knowe the blessed fruition and riches of his kingdome then shall we not only be his shéepe but also the guestes of his euerlasting banquet The which Lorde thou settest before all them that loue thée in this worlde and doest so annoynt and make glad our mindes with thine holy spirite that no aduersities nor troubles can make vs sorrie In this sixt part the prophet declareth the old saying amongest wise men Non minor est virtus quà m quaerere parta tueri that is to say It is no lesse maistrie to keepe the thing that is wonne then it was to winne it King Dauid perceiueth right well the same and therefore as before in the Psalme he said The Lorde turned his soule
fourth part repeateth more at large the declaration of the first and the second part THE fiue and sixe verses be worde for worde as the first the second were Onely there is left out in these two verses this word greatly for before he saide He should not greatly fall The which worde may be taken two wayes very comfortable of the reader and hearer if it be well marked and beléeued The first way is that the Prophet meaneth not that the people of God shal not fal for that is against the Scripture for The iust man falleth seuen times in the day Againe If we say we haue no sinne in vs we deceiue our selues and the trueth is not in vs. Nowe whereas sinne inseparably dwelleth as it doeth in all men whilest they liue vppon the earth there be faultes and falles before God of the mans part in whome this sinne dwelleth yet God of his mercy for the bloud and death of Christe doeth not account these inseparable sinnes to be falles but loueth the person preserueth him and will not impute nor lay any of those falles or faults vnto his charge but in Christe estéeme him iustified and cleane as though he were of him selfe so in déede And thus the Prophete saith that of Gods part and by our acceptation into his fauour through Christ the faithfull falleth not That is to say his sinne is not accounted damnable nor laide to his charge for Christes sake As Saint Paule writeth to the Romanes An other way it may be taken That a Christian hath testimonie in his spirit by the spirit of God that he is so elected chosen and ordeined of God to eternall saluation that what so euer the world the flesh the diuell or sinne shall doe yet standeth he assured of Gods election grace strength and fidelitie that he shall neuer fall to damnation but arise againe and be called from his falls what so euer they be And yet this most sure comfortable knowledge will not giue him licence nor libertie to sinne but rather kéep him in a feare and loue of the strong and mightie God in whose handes he is and kept from the great fall of eternall damnation from the which he was deliuered from the beginning with God So that ye may learne of this place what perseuerance is in the meditation contemplation of Gods most holy word and promises At the first they séeme vnto the fleshe things impossible as we may sée by Nichodemus who was as ignoraunt as could be at the beginning when he came first to schoole to Christ. But when a man hath bene exercised a while in it he féeleth more swéetnesse in the promises of God as we sée by this Prophete For after he had borne the crosse of affliction a little while and learned the nature of God howe mercifull he is to sinners he saide Although I fall yet it shall not be greatly But when he had tarried in the schoole of Christe and learned in déede what he was and howe that he was able to perfourme his mercy he saide plainly Whatsoeuer sinne the diuell the world the fleshe hell heauen or the earth would say against him he should not fall These two interpretations are to be noted For which so euer we vse we may finde comfort and vnspeakable consolation Now when he hath declared that he shal not fall into Gods eternal ire displeasure he sheweth how this certeintie of eternall saluation came vnto him and why God so mercifully and strongly hath warded and fenced him against all temptations and perilles of damnation It is saith he bicause God is his health That is to say One that hath not onely taken him from the sicknesse and daunger of sinne the tyrannie of the diuell and damnation of the lawe but also preserueth him in the same state that he fall not againe into the sicknesse and perill that he was deliuered from Whereof we learne that it is not mans labours nor mans workes that helpeth a sinner and saueth a damnable soule but it is the frée worke and vndeserued mercy of almightie God Wherfore we be taught that There is no health but in God alone Then saith the Prophete also that in God is his glorie Of the which worde he noteth two thinges The one touching God alone and the other touching God and him selfe The glorie that toucheth God alone is that this troubled Prophete pondered in the heauinesse and anguishe of his minde the number and strength of his enimies the diuel the flesh sinne the world and the bitter accusation of Gods lawes that truely accused and painfully grieued his conscience for sinne Of the other side in faith he considered howe the scripture declared that God was merciful euen vnto the greatest sinners of the worlde And he learned also by the word of God that GOD had made promise vnto sinners to be mercifull He considered further that god had many times vsed and practised his mercy towardes sinners And he founde likewise by the scripture that God to perfourme his mercy would not spare his owne dearely beloued sonne to redéeme man from his sinne with his own precious bloud and painfull death Thus weighing the strength of the diuell and sinne in the one part to damne and the strength of Gods mercy in Christe Iesus on the other part to saue and perceiuing the riches aboundance and strength of Gods mercy to be more auaylable to saue then all the power and strength of the diuell and sinne to damne for the great victory that God taketh ouer such strong enimies the Prophete triumpheth in the glorie of God ioyfully and thankefully extolling him for his mercy and power that hath broken the serpentes head and spoyled him of his prisoners So we vse to doe when any man by valiauntnesse defendeth vs from our enimies we extoll and magnifie him for his victorie and conquest This glorie gaue the Prophete Asaphe in this Psalme of God when by faith he sawe God conquering of hell sinne the diuell the accusation of the lawe desperation the fleshe and the world And the same glory giueth euery faithful creature vnto God at the end of the Lordes prayer when he saith For thine is the kingdome the power and the glorie By the which wordes we knowe that howe so euer the diuell and wicked people take vppon them to vsurpe by violence warre and tyrannie and liue neuer so princely in pompe and pride they be but vsurpers if they come to it wrongfully for the kingdome apperteineth vnto GOD. And howe so euer they extend their power in Gods sight they be no stronger then a brused réede or broken staffe for the power is Gods And what glorie so euer they seigne and flatter them selues to haue it is but withered haye and vile dust in the sight of God But nowe the Prophete by the eye of faith séeing this glorious triumphe strength and power
same members to rise againe at the generall resurrection and they shall suffer with the wicked spirite eternall paines Let this doctrine therefore teach all men to knowe and féele the crueltie of sinne that so painefully vnquieteth doth body and soule and think that if these grudgings discomforts terrours and feares be so great that death it selfe is more tollerable and easie to beare howe much more intollerable and vnspeakeable be the paines of hell which God hath ordeined for all impenitent sinners After this verse of trouble and anguish whereas we sée sléepe taken from the eyes and speach from the tongue followeth next how these great sorrowes were mollified and somewhat diminished 5 I haue considered the dayes of old and the yeres that be past 6 In the night I called to remembrance my song and communed with mine owne heart and my spirite searched diligently I did sayth the Prophet in this great discomfort and heauinesse consider with my selfe the times and worlds of old wherein the Lord had holpen and deliuered my fathers before my time from such troubles as I am in and also from greater And in the night while I was sléeplesse I remembred that many times I lauded and exalted the goodnes of God in my Psalms and Hymns giuing him thanks for his great mercie and goodnes vsed towards his Church at all times and in remembring Gods accustomed clemencie and pitie my spirite was much giuen to debate thinges Out of these two verses we may note diuers doctrines for our consolation in the dayes of our trouble And the first after my minde shalbe concerning the two brightnesse and the two darkenesse in the word of God The one brightnesse is in the letter outwardly and the other brightnesse is in the spirite and heart of the reader of the Scripture This brightnesse or claritie of the letter is this when by reading hearing or thinking of Gods word men learne and knowe that God made all thinges and that he preserueth all thinges and that Iesus Christ his onely sonne is the mediatour betwéene God and man and that he pacified Gods iust ire against man by his bitter death and passion Also he knoweth by the externall histories of the Scripture that GOD hath deliuered many times his people from dangers and perils in maner impossible to be holpen This claritie and brightnesse of the Scripture although it be necessarie yet it is not sufficient for if standeth alone in bare and naked knowledge whiche before God saueth no neither illuminateth the man that hath the knowledge in a sufficient claritie and brightnesse of faith and of Gods promises due in Christ vnto faith As we may sée how the children of Israel had the external claritie and brightnesse of Gods promises vnto Abraham Isahac and Iacob that they and their posteritie should inherite y e lande of Canaan that flowed with all plentie and aboundance yet notwithstanding such as came out of Egypt for the most part perished in the desart wildernesse The Phariseis and learned men amongest the Iewes had the clearenesse and brightnesse of Christes comming of the place he should be borne in and told in that part the trueth vnto Herod yet did they for all this knowledge and claritie abhorre Christ when he came and put him to death most wrongfully The people in like sort saw an external brightnesse in Christ that by his miracles and wonders they thought him worthie to be made a king and yet for all this they cryed out against him Crucifige eum crucifige eum Crucifie him crucifie him The diuel himselfe said he knewe who Christ was the sonne of the most highest and yet for all this knowledge and clearenesse shall he neuer be saued And Christ himselfe also perceiued that this external brightnesse was amongest a great many that called him Lord Lord Yet notwithstanding he said they should not enter into the ioyes of heauen So likewise be there very many at this present time that sée the claritie and brightnesse of Christ outwardly in the letter and yet follow it not here in liuing neither shall they haue the effect of their knowledge in the life to come for their clearenesse is onely knowledge without féeling or practise of the brightnes inwardly which deserueth more stripes then obscuritie or darkenesse doth There is another claritie or brightnes which is an inward vnderstanding and spirituall knowledge and sight of Gods trueth which no man hath but he that is possessed with the spirite of God that whatsoeuer he readeth in Gods word himselfe or heareth preached of other men he vnderstandeth it and consenteth vnto it gladly and willingly As for example God spake vnto Adam and his wordes made him afeard so that he trembled for feare Christ spake vnto Paule and he fell downe flatt and could not abide the peril of Christes voyce So that as the lawe rebuked sinne in the voice and letter it wrought also rebuke and discomfort in the hearts of Adam and Paul and made them afraid inwardly as the voice and letter was terrible outwardly Wherefore they had not onely an externall clearenesse of Gods hatred against sinne but also an internall sight and féeling of the same as the Scripture doth record The like is also in the promises of God when they be preached or read that promise remission of sinne The inward claritie and brightnesse of the same is to féele priuately euery man and woman in his owne conscience through faith in Christ that the same promises doe apperteine and belong vnto himselfe As the Prophet Abacuc saith The iust man liueth by his owne faith Also Christ said vnto the woman of Canaan that it was not good to cast the bread that apperteined to the children vnto dogges she said Yes Lord for the dogges do eate of the crumbes that fall from their maisters table And so doth Christ himselfe vse the brightnesse of his promises to Marie Magdalene Thy sinnes be forgiuen thee Applying the clearenesse of the letter vnto the inward comfort of her soule The same is likewise meruellously expressed in the common créede whereas euery man saith Hée beléeueth in God the father God the sonne and God the holy Ghost and that he beléeueth the remission of sinnes meaning that whosoeuer saith his créed should sée feele in his soule the claritie and brightnesse of his saluation that is conteined in the letter and wordes of the créede But this clearenesse is not séene of all men nor yet of the most part of men As Christ declareth Many be called and fewe chosen Many say Lord Lord and fewe doe the Lords will Therefore Christ saith meruellously concerning the claritie and brightnesse of Gods word inwardly in S. Luke Blessed be they that heare the word of God and keepe it By the which words he declareth that many heare and sée the outward light and trueth of Gods word but very fewe there
be that sée the inward light and profite thereof Of this is learned what the cause is that Christians beare the name of Christ and yet be not Christes in déede for because a great many be contented with the name and few do vnderstand what the name truly and verily conteineth in it And as there is in the Scripture this double brightnesse whereof the one lyeth in the letter and many sée what it meaneth by the externall word and the other lieth in the meaning of the letter and is perceiued onely by such as haue the spirit of God so is there two kindes and sortes of darkenesse and obscuritie in the Scripture the one in the letter and the other in the sense and taking of the letter The outward obscuritie is to be séen in such as contemne the word of God and wil not read it nor heare it As the Turkes and heathen and also the common sort that beare the name of Christe be christened in Christes name and outwardly be taken to be very Christians in déede and yet they know not so much as the letter of Christs lawes that prescribeth them what they should doe and what they should not doe And this obscuritie is a brutish beastly and externall darkenesse The other is obscuritie or darkenesse inwardly in the text For although the letter be well knowne and the sound thereof séemeth to be plaine yet the sense is not so common nor so manifest as the letter soundeth Wherevppon S. Paule bindeth all men in the vnderstanding of the letter vnto the Analogie and proportion of faith that no one place be taken contrarie to many places Whereof was gathered the abridgement of our common Créede accepted at all times and of all Christian men for an infallible trueth so that whosoeuer beléeued it was accompted a good Christian man And of this obscuritie of the Scripture in the sense and spirite is risen this troublesome contention about transubstantiation of bread and wine in the sacrament of Christes bodie and bloud For the vngodly sort would haue no substance of bread and wine to remaine in the Sacrament and yet a corporall presence of bodie and bloud contrarie not onely to the articles of our faith that telleth vs he is in heauen and shall abide there vntil he come to iudge the quick and the dead but also contrarie to many other places of the scripture And this is no new thing to haue and record the text and letter of the Scripture and yet lack the effect and the very consolation of the Scripture in déede For here in these two verses the Prophet Asaph doth record and remember Gods doings mercifully in time past and yet taketh no more consolation thereof then he findeth in the barke of the letter or in the rehearsall of the histories And the same he doth of his owne Psalmes and Hymnes wherof he maketh mention and yet by the same meane his spirite is brought into no further considerations of Gods trueth then it was before with much heauinesse and sorrow as the verses following do declare So that in the affliction of the spirit he could repeate and cal to his remembrance the truth how God had delt mercifully with his forefathers but felt not at that present the like mercie of God towardes himselfe neither could he sée nor féele for his consolation the ease and succour of Gods promises which he saw in others as all the electes of God at lengthe shall doubtlesse féele As it is said by the Prophet Sicut audiuimus sic vidimus As we haue heard so haue wee seene and at length as the Psalme saith he felt him selfe Whether he wrote the Psalme of his own sorrowes and troubles or of the sorrows and troubles of the Israelits it maketh no matter let euery man in that case vse his owne iudgment so that he mark the doctrine of the Psalme There is to be noted of these verses also this doctrine that what soeuer trouble y e spirit was brought vnto whatsoeuer watch had taken his eyes what soeuer vehemencie of disease had taken his speach from him yet vnder all these crosses he cursed not God nor grudged against his plagues but as a man contented gaue himselfe to record and to call to memorie how God was wont to be vnto men afflicted and tooke accompt how in times past he had spent his yeares and found that he had made certeine Psalmes or Hymnes to the glorie of God and to the praise of his holy name Of the which we learne not onely patience in the time of trouble and persequution but also how to spend our youth and transitorie life in doing or making some thinges that may be recordes and remembrances when we be gonne that we liued here to serue God and not to serue our selues And it is a great helpe and no small consolation for a man that is in trouble heauines to thinke that he in his life before sought the glorie of God that testimonie of conscience is more worth in the time of trouble then all other mens déedes for him Not in that his séeking Gods glorie setting foorth of the same can be his gage and raunsome before God but because it is a very testimonie that God once loued him and gaue him of his blessed spirite to indite something to Gods praise and honour And as godly Psalmes and vertuous Hymnes be testimonies of a vertuous spirite so be wanton and adulterous ballads records of a vicious and sinnefull spirite And as the remembrance of good vertuous workes in the time of sicknes and trouble be ioyful and comfortable so is the remembrance of wicked doinges sorrowful and painefull We be therefore taught by this Prophete to be circumspect and warie how we accumulate heape vppon our soules infidelitie and the wicked workes thereof for as they be the only cause of trouble so do they not onely worke trouble but also increase trou and augment the heauinesse of the spirit and paines of the body as is declared meruellously by the graue and profound sentences following Wherein he declareth what it was that his spirite searched so diligently for It was this 7 Will the Lord absent himselfe for euer and wil he be no more intreated 8 Is his mercie cleane gone for euer And is his promise come vtterly to an end for euermore 9 Hath God forgotten to be gratious And will he shutt vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure 10 And I said It is mine owne weakenes but the right hand of God can chaunge these thinges These verses declare what mindes and cogitations do happen to men that be in sicknes or trouble and how gréeuous they be vnto the patient Out of these verses first we sée a common rehearsall of the great terrour and feare of the féeling of Gods displeasure and anger towards the wofull spirite for sinne The first meditation of the sinnefull spirite was this Will the Lord absent
wonderfully sett foorth in the Psalme next before this sauing one where it is said There is a cuppe in the Lordes hand full of redd wine and hee powreth out of it but the wicked shall drinke the dregges thereof and the vngodly of the earth shall receiue the bottom of it The cuppe in the Scripture is taken many times for aduersitie whereof God filleth a quantitie and a certeine measure vnto all his electe and chosen seruauntes but the wicked shall drinke the bottome and all and neuer come to rest nor ease Out of this temptation we may learne how foolish and how impatient we be When God sendeth troubles we thinke such to be best at ease that want them whereas the Lords booke declareth that it is necessarie and also very expedient that we should haue them Againe there is to be noted how that the Prophet in the cogitations of his minde maketh no mention of the griefe of the bodie whereof he spake before at the beginning of his troubles For in the second and fourth verse he declareth how he held vp his handes all night cryed with his voyce vntill he was speachlesse and lay waking could not sléepe Of the which sorrowes now he maketh no rehearsall but saith his spirite was searching and inquisitiue Whether God would absent himselfe for euer with diuers like interrogatories of Gods nature as followe in the Psalme Whereof we learne the vilenesse of our owne nature and also the treason and subtiltie of the diuel For as long as we sinne we haue such delight and pleasure therin as though it were but a play to transgresse and breake Gods holy commaundementes But when sickenesse and trouble haue layed the wicked the bodie abedd and made it weake and féeble our conscience is waked by the Lawe of GOD and we put in such terrour and feare that nothing can quiet vs. Also as long as we doe sinne the diuel beareth vs in hande that God is so mercifull doe what we will that hée will not be angrie but when sicknesse or death inuadeth then turneth the diuel his tale and persuadeth with vs that GOD is onely extreme iust and nothing at all mercifull And this griefe of the minde is so sore and vehement that all the paines of the bodie séeme nothing in comparison thereof as we sée in this place by the holy Prophete Asaph that was very sore vnquieted in his bodie yet did his spirite make no accompt of it but still hée stayed and staggered trembling and quaking at the heauinesse and sorrowe of the spirite that could not féele for the time of his trouble any certeintie or cōsolation in the promises of God Of this we be admonished that whatsoeuer we haue if Gods fauour lacke we haue nothing able to reioyce vs. And of the other side if we lacke all thinges and haue assuredly Gods fauour there is nothing able to make vs heauie and sorowfull As we see king Saule hauing a noble kingdome and lacking the fauour of God was alwayes vnquieted Poore Dauid hauing the grace and fauour of God was quiet and contented with all thinges saying If God will he may restore mee if he will not his will be done The assurance of Gods promises made Paule glad to die and the mistrust desperation of Gods promises made Iudas wearie to liue The certeintie of Gods trueth made Saint Stéeuen quietly to die in the assurance of eternall life the vncerteintie and doubtfulnesse of Gods mercie caused Saule to die in the feare of eternall death Riches of this world be treasures muche estéemed and made of friendes and louers much sought for and warily kept and health of bodie highly regarded and preserued with much care yet if the soule be destitute of the assurance of Gods grace the rest séeme to be of no valure at all As we sée Saule in his kingdome with riches strength and friendship yet his minde vexed still an euill spirite and Gods spirite departed his sorrowes were incomparable So that we learne that not onely the goodes apperteyning to the body be nothing worthe whereas the spirite wanteth the grace of God but also whereas the spirite is troubled the goodes of the bodie be little felt and nothing passed of as we sée by this Prophet in this Psalme The other part of his cogitations in the time of his sicknesse was this Will hee be no more intreated This gréeuous temptation whether GOD would be intreated to forgiue sinne any more may haue two vnderstandings The one generally and the other particularly Generally in this sort whether God once offended will be mercifull and forgiue or not Particularly whether God whose nature is mercifull will forgiue the priuate man that séeketh by saith mercie as he hath in time past forgiuen al men that asked it with repentance in faith The first sense and taking of the text generally is meruellous wicked and blasphemous to thinke that God once offended with any man will neuer for giue againe Of this opinion was Caine when he said his sinnes were greater then they might be forgiuen and he thought God would be no more intreated because he iudged his fault greater then the mercie of God that forgiueth faultes And wheresoeuer this iudgement of the spirite is this sentence is verified God will be intreated no more And as euery man that is priuatly thus minded that his owne sinnes be greater then can be forgiuen euen so hath he the like minde and iudgement also of all other mens sinnes that be like vnto his thinking them to be greater then they may be forgiuen For he that despaireth of his owne faultes cannot thinke well that other mens faults as great as his owne be remissible As Iudas that hanged himselfe for betraying of Christe could not thinke well of Peter that denied Christ but rather iudged of Peter as he did of him selfe saying God will be intreated no more Of this wicked iudgment of Gods mercie Whether he will be intreated any more of a sinner after that he hath sinned I wil speake no more But they that lust to read how horrible a thing it is may haue many Psalmes that do declare it namely Psalme 10. and 73. In the one of them it is said by the wicked that God hath forgotten the earth and careth neither for the godly life of the godly and vertuous nor the vngodly life of the vngodly and wicked And in the other Psalme they make a doubt Whether there be any knowledge in God of man and of his life or not But these sortes of people be too horrible and blasphemous and not to be rehearsed or muche spoken of The other sense of this place that is more particular is the better sense for the argument and meaning of the Psalme that is to aske whether God will be intreated no more as touching the remission of his owne sinne or els whether God will be
faith hope and charitie as they be qualities in vs we should surely perish Therefor this place of the Prophete Asaph where he demaundeth this question Whether Gods mercy be gone for euer doth teach vs that of all thinges we should be most assured of this that onely mercy is the help of mans troubles and damnation But as I saide before there were two maner of clarities and brightnesse in the word of God so nowe I say there is two manner of mercies of God mentioned in the scripture The outwarde mercy is in the letter which men reade and sing euery day and speake and talke of but the other is inward When that men can not féele Gods mercy in their conscience as they heare it spoken of and as they reade it in the booke they be troubled and full of anguish and paine and as long as they be in this case without Gods mercy they can do nothing that pleseth GOD or content them selues But as soone as the spirite is assured and féeleth that GOD for his mercy doth forgiue and forget the iniquitie that the spirite and body haue committed and done against God it reioyceth and is so glad that it will doe nothing but that which pleseth and is acceptable vnto God and in Christ shall content and quiet his owne conscience As for example Adam before he inwardly felt the mercy of God promised in Christe to forgiue and remit his sinne and offence in what heauinesse was the poore man He hid him selfe and could not abide the voyce of the liuing God for he felt that his doings pleased neyther GOD nor him selfe But when grace had assured him of Gods mercy he fell in the spirit to quietnesse For where the spirite of God testifieth and beareth record with the spirite of man that he is the childe of God there is ioy and consolation with this ioyfull song and melodie Abba pater Father father So that where so euer this song is felt in the spirite there are suche ioyes as no toung can expresse as all the booke of Solomons ballads meruellously doe declare And wheras the mercy of God is not there is eyther abhomination of sinne and continuance therein without any feare or grudge of conscience at all or else such heauinesse of spirite that desperation vtterly quaileth and oppresseth the spirite for euer Yet shal the spirite soule of man féele this for a time while God hideth his mercifull face Is his mercy cleane gone for euer Which cogitations of the minde be full bitter and sorrowfull as all men of GOD doe knowe that haue felt them and as the Prophete declareth in the processe of his Psalme in this sorte And is his promise come vtterly to an end for euermore Hath God forgotten to be gratious And wil he shut vp his louing kindnes in displeasure These demaundes and questions of his owne minde and spirite that was troubled be no more in effect then troubles that he named before But in this that he calleth the trouble by so many names it declareth that his spirite was for the time so disquieted that the paines in maner could not well be named and expressed As it is to be séene always when the minde of man is brought into an excellencie and profoundnesse of mirth or sorrowe then it is so rauished with the vehemencie of them both that the toung is not able to expresse the inward ioy nor the inwarde sorrowe as it is to be séene as well in prophane writers as in the holy word of God Reade ye the 18. Psalme of king Dauid which he soung to the Lorde when he was quit and deliuered from all his enimies ye shall sée what shift and copie of wordes he vsed to name God to expresse what he thought of God in his heart and with what Metaphors he expresseth the strength of God that ouercame al his enimies the Psalme is to be read and marked Againe reade ye these Psalmes 42. 43. where ye shall perceiue the prayer of Dauid wherein is described a vehement agonie and most bitter battel betwéene faith and desperation and there mark what words he hath found out to expresse the sorrowes of his heart that was so sore put in doubt by desperation and weaknesse of faith The Harte saith he being wounded was neuer more desirous to come to the water then my soul desireth to come to thee ô God And at length when he can finde no more wordes to vtter the pensiuenesse of his heart he turneth his wordes inward to his owne soule and asketh why she is so heauie and sad Ye may sée also the very same ioyfull and sorrowfull spirites in the ballads of Solomon and in the lamentations of Ieremie the Prophete In the one it séemeth that the soule annexed vnto Christ is in such ioy as the tong can not expresse it and in the other for sinne the soule is afflicted in such sort that it can not tell how to expresse the heauinesse thereof There is to be considered also in these demaunds of the Prophete that he made to him selfe in his spirite as the text saith he reuolued the matter with his owne spirite this doctrine howe easie a thing it is to teach and comfort other men and howe hard a thing it is for a man to teach and comfort him selfe in the promises of God S. Paule found fault therewithall and saide to the Iewe Thou teachest an other man teachest not thy selfe And Iudas went foorth with the eleuen other of his fellowes to teach Gods mercy in Christ vnto the lost shéep of the house of Israel but he neither followed his own doctrine nor yet tooke any comfort of remission of sinnes in the promises of God but hanged himselfe desperately Wherefore it is very expedient for eueryman and woman that hath learned and doth knowe the truth of God to pray that they them selues may folowe the truth and for such as knowe and teach others the consolations of the scriptures of God that they may with knowledge of them féele them in déede and with speaking of them to others for their learning they may speake them to them selues for their owne edifying But doubtlesse it is an easie matter for a man to speake of comfort and consolation to others but a hard thing to féele it him selfe Vertue is soone spoken of to other mens instructions but the putting thereof in practise and vre is very hard yea not only in the scholer that is taught but also in the maister that instructeth Beware of despaire can euery man say but to eschue despaire in great conflictes of the minde is an harde matter Reade the booke of the Psalmes well and ye shall sée the experience thereof to be most certeine and true In the 62. Psalme ye shall haue this commaundement to all men Trust ye alwayes in him ye people yet when it came to the triall in him selfe ye may sée with what heauines and great trouble of
mind he came to y e trust in the Lord. Ye may learne by these Psalmes indited by king Dauid that easily he taught Gods religion and how men should put their trust in the Lord and yet how hard it was to do and practise the thing himselfe that he taught vnto others Asaph also declareth the same For in the 73. Psalme he teacheth what men should thinke and iudge in aduersitie that God would be good vnto Israel But in this Psalme he himselfe being vnder the rod and persequution of God is come to questioning and demaunding Will God absent him selfe for euer Will he be no more intreated Is his mercy cleane gone for euer with many other demaundes declaring vnspeakable troubles and difficulties of the minde before it be brought to a perfect consent and full agréement vnto the promises of God So that we sée the excellent Prophetes and most vertuous organes and instruments amongest sinfull men knewe it was an easie matter to speake of faith vertue and yet a very hard thing to practise true faith and to exercise vertuous liuing Saint Paule sheweth the same to the Romanes to be in him selfe For he had more adoe in Christ to get the victorie of sinne in him selfe then to speake of the victorie vnto others by mouth and more adoe to mortifie and kill the fleshe and to bring it in subiection to the spirite then to practise the death of the flesh in him selfe and to followe the spirit He spake and vttered with his mouth most godly doctrine to the destruction of sinne but with what prayers teares and clamours to God he did the same in him selfe read 2. Corinth 12. The olde saying is Knowledge is no burthen and in déede it is a thing easie to be borne but to put knowledge in experience the body and the soule shal finde paine and trouble And yet Christes wordes where he saith My yoke is light my burden easie be most true to such as haue wrestled with sinn and in Christ got the vpper hand To them I say the precepts of vertuous liuing be easie and swéete as long as the spirite of God beareth the ouer hande in them But when faith waxeth faint and the flesh strong then can not the spirit of God command nor desire any thing but both body and soule be muche offended with the hearing therof and more gréeued with the doing of it S. Peter likewise maketh mention of the same For when Christ bade him followe him meaning that he should dy also for the testimonie of his word he liked not that but asked Christe what Iohn should do being doutlesse in great perplexitie when Christ tolde him that he should suffer the paines of death But here are to be noted two things The one that as long as affliction is talked of generally other mens paines spoken of so long can euery man and woman heare of affliction yea and commend the persons that suffered affliction as we sée at this day All men be contented to heare of y e death of Christ of y e martyrdome of his Saints and of the affliction and imprisonment of his godly members but when the same or like should be experimented and practised by our selues we wil none of it we refuse it and we abhorre it yea so much that where Christ and those Saints whose names be most common and vsual in our mouths suffered the vilest death that could be deuised we will not suffer as much as the losse of a frend or the deceiueable goods of this vnstable and transitorie world so that in the generalitie we be very godly and can cōmend al godly martyrs and sufferers for Gods sake but alas in the particularitie we be very vngodly and will followe no martyr nor suffer at al. Also as long as we be without danger for Christes sake we can speake of great daungers and say that we will suffer all extremitie and crueltie but when it commeth to passe that an enimie to God and his worde shall say in déede Forsake thy religion or else thou shalt dy as Christ said vnto Peter When thou art old an other shall girde thée and leade thée whether thou wouldest not then a litle threatening of an other man stark quayleth this man that said he wold suffer al troubles as Peter said If he shuld loose his life he would not refuse his maister but when an other yea a poore maide but asked him Whether he were one of Christes seruants and made no mentiō at al of losse of life or goods he would not hazard him selfe to beare so much as the name of Christes disciple Thus we sée the vilenesse frailtie of our owne nature how weake we be to suffer in déede when of necessitie we must beare the crosse and can by no means auoyd it How troublesome also it is both to body and soule this Psalme place of the scripture declareth and therfore in the end of these temptations is put Sela. A worde that maketh as it were an outcry against the corrupt nature of man for sin As S. Paule said I know that there dwelleth in my flesh no good thing To admonishe therefore man thereof in déede and to shewe him his owne damnation the word is put there to cause the reader or hearer of the place to marke and bewaile the wretchednesse thereof As the Prophete him selfe doth in the next verse ¶ The fourth part Howe a man taketh consolation in the time of his trouble 10 And I said This is my infirmitie but these things the right hand of God can chaunge HEre is life and death and the occasions of both meruellously set foorth He said that it was his infirmitie that caused him to question doubt of Gods mercy Wherein he hath disburdened God and charged him selfe with sinne and doubtfulnesse And so much al men sée and find in them selues that damnation is of our selues and saluation onely of God There is also to be noted in thi◠infirmitie y t it occupieth not only the body but also the soul. For he saith These cogitations and questions as touching the doubtfulnesse of Gods mercy were the deuises and actes of his mind so that both his body and soule were comfortlesse And good cause why for in both of them were sinne and abhomination against God And of these two partes of man the body the spirit came these dubitations of God and of his promises The which fruites of corruption ingender except sinne be forgiuen eternall death And here is the wisedome of the fleshe séene to be very enimitie vnto God working continually the breach of Gods commaundements and the destruction of mans saluation as much as lyeth in it But in the second part of the verse is life the occasion thereof which is a sure trust that God can remoue despaire put in place therof faith hope sure confidence And the
more comfort then the first part hath discomfort And it is a plaine doctrine that although y e sinnes of man be many horrible yet be they fewer and lesse in estimation many thousande foldes then Gods mercies Death is declared in the first part of the verse in this that mans infirmitie is not onely sinful in body soule but also doutful of Gods mercy holy promises Yet in the second part by grace is set foorth life and cleane deliuerance from the tyrannie of the diuel the seruitude of sinne the accusation of the lawe and the infirmitie of nature by the strong and mightie power of God whose mercy in Christ is alwayes ready to helpe poore afflicted and troubled sinners After this confession of sinne and the great confidence that the prophet had in God for his mightie power and mercies sake that was both able by power and redy with will to help and remedie this troubled spirite and great aduersities of the Prophet he goeth foorth in the consolation taketh yet more and more of Gods benefites vsed in times towardes such as were afflicted after this sort 11 I will remember the workes of the Lord and call to my minde thy wonders of olde time 12 I will thinke also of thy workes and my talking shall be of thy doings 13 Thy way ô God is holy who is so great a God as our God 14 Thou art the God that doth wonders and hast declared thy power amongest people 15 Thou hast mightily deliuered thy people euen the sonnes of Iacob and Ioseph Sela. 16 The waters saw thee ô God the waters saw thee and were afraid the deapthes also were troubled 17 The cloudes powred out water the ayre thundered and thine arrowes went abroad 18 The voyce of thy thunder was heard round about the lightenings shone vpon the gound the earth was moued and shooke withall 19 Thy way is in the sea and thy pathes in the great waters and thy footsteps are not knowne 20 Thou leadest thy people like shepe by the hand of Moses and Aaron Of these meanes howe men take consolation in aduersitie that the Prophet nowe maketh mention of first we learne what difference is betwéene the consideration of Gods works aduisedly by faith the consideration of Gods workes rashly without faith The which diuersitie is to be séen in this Prophet For the one part as touching the remembring of Gods workes out of faith and in faith he spake before in the second verse and in the fourth verse how that he considered the workes and old doings of the Lord when he was troubled But as ye haue heard because his spirite was in a doubtfulnesse and mamering vppon the certeintie of Gods doinges he felt no consolation thereof but much heauinesse and anguish of minde For those demaundes Will God absent himselfe for euer Will he be no more mercifull and such like heauie and doubtfull complaintes could neuer procéed but from a sorrowful and much troubled conscience But now after that Gods spirit hath wrought in his spirit this assurance and iudgment that God can in him chaunge the conditions of his miseries as ye may sée he maketh no more complaint of doubtfulnesse neither remembreth any more the fearefulnesse of his conscience but goeth foorth with repetition and rehearsall of all thinges comfortably how that God in time past holpe troubled spirites and afflicted personages that put their trust in him So that of this we learne that whosoeuer hath a sure faith in God taketh consolation of Gods word and workes And such as haue not first true faith in God cannot in the spirite receiue comfort of Gods word or workes Outwardly men may meruel at God and his worker but inwardly it easeth not the heauinesse nor yet quieteth the grudge of conscience Wherefore it behoueth vs all that we pray earnestly vnto GOD to giue vs faith to beléeue his word and workes when we heare read or sée them For the word and workes of God do nothing comfort the vnfaithfull as we may sée by the Scripture where God saith He stretched foorth his hand al day long to a people that beléeued not for such as haue eares heare not eyes sée not be rather the worse for Gods word workes then the better Ye shal sée where the spirite of Dauid was replenished with faith he was in assured and ascerteined of Gods present helpe that he said he would not feare although a thousand men inuironed and compassed him round about No he would not feare thoughe he should walk in the shadow of death At another time when faith quailed and waxed faint he was trembling in his spirite and fearefull in his bodie as we may sée when he felt his spirite waxe faint he said My soule is troubled very sore and my bones be weakened And in other of his Psalmes he sheweth that his soule was very heauie and comfortlesse and could take no consolation Also when the spirite is assured of Gods grace then the eyes cannot looke vppon any worke of God but the mind taketh by the contemplation and sight thereof vnspeakeable consolation As Dauid declareth in his Psalmes and saith He would sée the heauens the workes of Gods fingers and would marke how one day was an induction to an other and how the heauens praised the Lord. At an other time when the consolation and life of the spirit was ouer whelmed with troubles he could not sée at all with his eyes but cryed and complained that he was starke blinde And also in that meruellous Psalme in number 88. whereas prayer is made to be deliuered from the horrour and féeling of sinne the Prophet saith that his eyes waxed dimme and blinde The same is to be séene likewise in the crosses and afflictions that God sendeth As long as true faith and confidence remaineth in the heart all troubles be wellcome and thankfully taken as we read When Iob had newes that his goods and chidren were taken from him in manner soudeinly he most patiently said God gaue them and God hath taken them away as God would so it is done But when faith quailed and the spirite was troubled then followed these impatient wordes I would my sinne were layed in one balance and my paine in an other As though God had layed more vppon him then he had deserued When the spirit was quieted for all his pouertie and nakednesse he reioyced and was contented with his birth and comming into the world and also with the state in the world appointed vnto him by God saying Naked I came out of my mothers bellie and naked I shall depart hence againe But when faith fainted then came out these woordes The day the night and the time be cursed wherein I was borne With many more horrible wordes as the text declareth So that we sée whereas Gods spirite wanteth there is no learning nor consolation to be
the prophet remember the works of the Lord and that of olde time or from the beginning The second I wil think also of al the works of the Lord c. In this that the Prophet sayeth He will remember the workes of the Lorde of olde time or from the beginning we learne that it is expedient to know or at the least way not to be ignorant of any booke in the scripture For where as we finde not consolation in the one we may finde it in the other And where he sayth He wil remember all y e works of the Lord meaning as many as the scripture maketh mention of we be instructed that we cannot sée these works for our erudition neither yet giue y e almightie God thanks except we learne them from one of his bookes to the other And here is to be noted that séeing we be bounde to knowe and to be thankefull for all the workes of God conteined in the scripture we be muche in daunger as well for ignorance as vnthankefulnesse that we knowe not the principall workes of our owne creation or redemption We be therefore admonished to haue bookes to read the works of God and to be diligent to ask better learned then we be what Gods works doe meane As the children by Gods law vs bound to aske the parents the parents bound by the same to teach them then shall both fathers and children finde comfort and consolation against all temptations in the time of trouble and heauinesse As we sée this mans remedie by y e spirite of God riseth from recording meditating and speaking of Gods word and workes Here hath this Prophete meruellously opened howe a man in trouble commeth to consolation and comfort First that the spirite and heart of man must haue such strong fayth as may credite Gods power and also his good will and beléeue that God both can and will for his truethes sake helpe the troubled conscience Therefore Solomon giueth a godlie and necessarie commaundement Keepe thy heart with all circumspection for of it proceedeth life So did Dauid when the Prophet Nathan had made him afraide for the murder of Vrias and the adulterie with Bersaba his cōscience was in great anguishe and feare and among other thinges that he prayed for to God he desired that God would create and make him a newe heart that is to witte to giue him such a stedfast and burning fayth that in Christe his sinnefull heart might be purged And secondarily he prayeth to haue so right and sure a spirite that shoulde not doubt of Gods sauour towardes him Thirdly that God woulde alwayes preserue his holy spirite with the heart regenerated that from time to time the heart might be ruled in obedience towardes God Fourthly he prayeth to be lead with a willing spirite that quietly and patiently he may obey God in aduersities without impatience or grudge against God And where as this knowledge and féeling of the favour of God is in the spirite there followeth recording and remembrance of Gods works meditating and thinking vpon heauenly thinges and the tongue readie also to speake foorth the glory of God to Gods honour and praise and to the edifying of Gods people and congregation after this sorte 13 Thy way oh God is in holinesse who is so great a God as God euen our God Here is a consolation much worthie to be learned and receiued of all troubled men and it is this To vnderstande and perceiue that all the doinges and factes of Almightie God be righteous although many times the fleshe iudgeth and the tongue speaketh the contrarie that God should be too seuere and punishe too extremely As though he did it rather of a desire to punishe then to correct or amend the person punished As we sée by Iobs words that wished his sinnes layed in one balance and his punishment in another balance as though God punished more extreamely then iustly The same it séemeth king Dauid also felte when he sayde Howe long Lorde wilt thou forget me for euer With like bitter speaches in the scripture complayning of Gods iustice iudgement and seueritie The same we reade of Ieremie the Prophete He spake Gods word truely and yet there happened vnto him wonderfull great aduersities the terrour whereof made him curse the day that he was borne in And doubtlesse when he sayde Why haste thou deceiued mee Lorde he thought God was rather too extreame then iust in his punishment to afflicte him in aduersitie and to suffer Passur the high Priest and his enimie to be in quiet and tranquillitie This prophet Asaph was before in great trouble as ye heard and especially of the minde that self not a sure trust and confidence in Gods mercie and thought of al extremities that to be as it is in déed the greatest a minde desperate and doubtfull of Gods mercie yet nowe he saith God is holie in his way and all that he doeth is right and iust We learne hereby that the potte can not say to the Potter Why hast thou made me after this sorte Neither may the mortall man in whom is nothing but sinne quarel with the Lord and say What layest thou vpon me But thinke that although he had made vs both blinde lame and as deformed as monsters yet had he made vs better then euer we deserued And in case he layd all the troubles of the world vppon one man yet are they lesse then one sinne of man doeth deserue Thus hath the Prophet learned nowe and felt and sayth The doinges of God be holie and right and there is none to be compared vnto him and sheweth the cause why none is to be compared vnto God In the declaration whereof he continueth seuen verses and so maketh an ende of the Psalme The first cause why he sayeth none is to be compared vnto God is this 14 Thou art the Lord that doth wonders and hast declared thy power amongest people Firste he noteth generally that God is the doer of wonders and miracles and afterwardes he sheweth wherein God hath wrought these miracles Of this we learne thrée doctrines The one that some men knowe generally that God worketh all thinges meruellously The second that other some knowe that God worketh in some men meruellously The third that other also knowe that God worketh in themselues meruellously Of the first sort be such as know by Gods works generally that God hath and doth dispose all things vpon the earth and nothing hath his beginning nor being but of God of whome Saint Paule speaketh to the Romanes that by Gods workes they knewe God and yet glorified him not Of the seconde sorte be suche as more particularly knowe and speake of Gods miracles as suche be that reade how God of his singular fauour preserued Noah his familie and drowned all the world besides how he brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and deliuered the people from
the captiuitie of Babylon with such like and yet when they be in troubles themselues these meruellous workes and mercies shewed vnto others cannot comfort themselues Of the thirde sorte be suche as knowe generally the meruellous workes of God and perceiue that in some God is particularly mercifull and from some he findeth it in him selfe singularly the mercie of GOD and from the remembraunce of Gods benefites vnto others he findeth in him selfe the working of Gods mercie and findeth in his conscience such comfort in déede that he remembreth others before him that had of Gods mercies in their time of troubles The moste parte of men consider generally that God is the worker of miracles the common sorte of Christians consider that God hath wrought miracles particularly vpon others but the verie elects and Christians in déede sée the miracles of God wrought particularly vpon others and take consolation singularly of Gods mercies themselues As we sée this Prophete meruellously declareth Gods wonders putteth the generall working of Gods miracles betwéene a singular working of wonders and a particular working of wonders The generalitie is this Thou art God that doth wonders and hast declared thy power amongst people The singularitie and particularitie of Gods working of wonders is the one before and the other behinde The singularitie is in this that he perceiued that is was his owne infirmitie that made him doubt of Gods promises yet Gods singular grace made him singularly féele perceiue that God singularly would be good vnto him The particularitie is in this that he saith With Gods right hand God deliuered the posteritie of Iacob and Ioseph from the seruitude of Egypt c. The way to consider the meruellous works of God is a profitable consideration sight of them as wel to know them as to be y e better for them For there is no man can take commoditie or profite by Gods goodnesse shewed vnto a multitude except he singularly receiue gaine therby him selfe As we sée when a whole multitude was fed meruellously with a fewe loaues and fewer fishes almoste fiue thousande people he taught the consolation and health of mans soule in his owne bloude but none was the better for it but suche as beléeued euerie man for him selfe that which Christ spake The miracles and mercifull helpe of Christe vnto others had nothing profited the poore woman of Canaan excepte she her selfe had bene partaker of the same And as it is in the workes of God that doe comfort the man afflicted so is it in the workes of God that bring men into heauinesse and sorrowe for sinne Generally the worde of God rebuketh sinne and calleth sinners to repentaunce particularly it sheweth vnto vs howe that Dauid Peter Marie Magdalen and others repented But to vs those sorrowes and repentaunce do no good except we euery man singularly repent and be sorrowfull for his sinnes For it is not another mans sicknesse that maketh me sicke nor another mans health that maketh me whole no more is any other mans repentance my repentance or any other mans fayth my fayth but I must repent I must beléeue my selfe to féele sorrowfulnesse for sinne by the law remission therof by faith in Christ. So that euerie priuate man must be in repentaunce sorrie with the true repentaunt sorrie and faithfull with the true faithfull For as God himselfe is towardes man so be all his workes and promises For looke to whom God is mercifull to the same be all his promises comfortable and to whom God is seuere and rigorous to the same Gods threateninges be terrible and his iustice fearefull As king Dauid sayeth With the holie thou wilt be holie and with the innocent thou wilt bee innocent with the chosen thou wilt be chosen and with the peruerse thou wilt be peruerse Such as followe vertue and godlinesse God increaseth with gifts and benefits such as haue wicked manners and by false doctrine decline from the truth in those God is seuere sharp And except such persons repent God wil spoyle them from all iudgement of trueth and being blinde and destitute of knowledge permitte them to the power and dominion of most filthy lustes and abhominable desires So that such as would not loue the beautie excellencie of vertue shal tumble wallowe themselues like swine in the filth vomit of sinne of the which abhominations and iust iudgements of God Saint Paule speaketh in the Epistle to the Romanes For this is to be noted looke as euerie man is euen so he thinketh of God And as the good and godlie man thinketh well of God so doeth he euill and wicked man thinke euill of God Some thincke that man and all worldly thinges be ruled and gouerned by God with greate iustice and inscrutable wisedome with all mercie and fauour Others thinke that GOD ruleth not this world and worldly things and in case they thinke he doe yet do they condemne his administration and rule of iniustice and parcialitie because God doeth as it pleaseth himselfe and not as man would haue him doe And vpon these diuersities of iudgements in mens mindes God is to the godly mercifull and to the vngodly seuere and rigorous If the spirite of man iudge truely and godly of him by and by the spirite of man shall perceiue and féele the heauenly influence of Gods spirite stirring and impelling his spirit to all vertue and goodnesse If the spirite of man be destitute of spirite of God and iudge peruersly and wickedly the spirits of man shall féele the lacke of Gods spirite and true iudgement to blind the eyes of his mind cast him self into al abhomination sinne as the iniquitie of the man iustly hath deserued Of the which thing cōmeth this that as the vertue godlinesse of godly men daily increaseth euen so doeth the iniquitie and abhomination of the vngodly also increase And looke what place and preeminence God obteineth with any man in the same place and preeminence is the man with God And suche as doe godlie after Gods worde honour and reuerence the almightie God iudging aright of Gods might and prouidence they giue moste humble thankes vnto the mercie of God that alone and none but he can teach or instruct the mind of man in true knowledge nor incline his will to godlie doings nor inflame the soule with all her powers to the desire and feruent loue of godlinesse and vertue As we sée by this prophete Asaph in this place that as long as his spirite wanted the helpe of Gods spirite it iudged doubtfully of Gods mercie and promises but when the spirite of God had exiled and banished doubtfulnesse and placed this strong fortresse of confidence The right hande of GOD can chaunge this my wofull and miserable estate with the iudgement and féeling thereof he was rapte and stricken with a meruellous loue of Gods wonders and repeated
the children of Israel is mentioned as it is in this Psalme The doctrine touching man in this verse is a declaration of mans obstinacie and stubbernesse The insensible creature the water that lacketh both life and reason at euery commandement be as the Lord their maker commaundeth them to be With euery tempest they be troubled and with euery calme so plaine and quiet that it séemeth rather a stablished land then a variable sea But let God send his word vnto man and the contentes thereof threaten the tempest of all tempestes eternall death hell fire and Gods euerlasting displeasure yet man will not heare nor sée them nor yet be moued any thing at all Or let God gently and fauourably offer his mercies vnto man and by his word exhort him neuer so much to repentance it is for the most part in vaine Therefore God by his Prophets Moses and Esaie called Heauen and Earth to witnesse against mans stubbernesse and hardnesse of heart There is also out of this trouble of the water this doctrine to be learned how to receiue consolation and how to learne feare by the creatures of God that beare no life and yet be thus troubled Consolation in this sort When the penitent man that suffereth affliction and trouble séeth vnsensible thinges moued and vnquieted that neuer offended he shal iudge the lesse wonder at his owne trouble When he séeth that a sinner and wretched offender of God is punished he shal learne feare When he séeth God doth punish his creatures that neuer offended for the sinne of man what punishment is man worthie to haue that is nothing but sinne it selfe And what feare should this bring into Christian mens consciences to knowe that no creature deserueth punishment no creature disobeyeth God but the diuel and man Oh what man or woman can with faith looke vpon the least flowers of the field and not hate himselfe In Summer time when men shall sée the medowes and gardens so meruellously apparelled with flowers of euery colour so that he shall not be able to discerne whether their beautie better please the eye or their swéete sauour the nose what may they learne in thinking of themselues as the trueth is that there is nothing in them but filth and sin that most heynously stincke before the face of God And when man shal perceiue that flowers vade and loose both beautie to the eye and swéete sauor to the nose that neuer transgressed what may miserable man thinke he is worthie to loose y t is nothing but sinne and euer offendeth Againe when man shal perceiue that God thus meruellously after long Winter and great stormes doth raise out of the vile earth so beautifull flowers plantes and trées what consolation may the man take that hath his faith in Christ to thinke that all his sinnes in his precious bloud be forgiuen and after long persequution cruel death he shall come to eternall life After this sort did the Prophet consider the workes of God the troubles of his creatures receiued great consolation therby In the end of this verse the Prophete sayth The deapthes were troubled In the which words he hath aptly shewed the mightie power of God and perceiueth how the record of Gods fact may be his consolation In this that he saith The deapths were troubled there be diuers vnderstandings If the meane of the seas when they are troublesome tempestuous by soule weather he speaketh rather after the iudgement of such as suffer the trouble and peril of the waues that thinke at one time they fall to the bottome of the sea at an other time they be rather vpon high mounteins then vpon the waters the rages thereof be so extreme yet in déede the bottome of the seas be not felt neither doth the shippe that is saued descend so farre but the tempestes be so sore that it séemeth to the sufferers thereof that no extremitie can be more In this sense it serueth meruellously the Prophetes purpose For as they that endure the tempestes of the sea thinke there could be no more extremitie then they susteine so doe they that suffer the tempest of mistrust and despaire for a time of the conscience thinke they could endure no more extremitie of conscience whereas in déede if God should suffer them to féele the extremitie it were eternall death as the extremitie of the sea in tempestes is shipwracke and losse of man and goods But if it be vnderstoode as if standeth in the letter then hath the Prophet relation to the mightie hand of GOD that brake the red sea euen vnto the very bottome and also the water of Iordane that his people might haue both a nighe way a safe way a glorious way towards the land that the Lorde had promised them And then in this sense we learne that although water and winde with all troubles else couer the face of the earth in the bottome of the sea and is not possible to come to the vse of man euen so the troublesome temptations and great terror of Gods wrath against sinne couereth the soule of man that vnto the iudgement of the flesh it shall neuer come to haue the vse and fruition of Gods holy fauour againe But nowe as we sée by miracle God maketh drie the deapthe of horrible seas and turneth the bottome of them to the vse of man so doeth he in the bloud of Christ by the operation of the holy ghost drie vp and cleane lade out the ponds and déep seas of mistrust heuines out of the soule and turneth the soule it selfe to the vse of his owne honour in the ioyes euerlasting And as the water couereth the beautie of the land so do sinne temptation couer the image and beautie of mans soule in this life But as with a worde God can remedie the one so with the least of his mercies he can redresse the other And for the better experience and more certeintie thereof we sée it proued by this prophete Asaph in this place For the ground was neuer more ouerwhelmed with water nor the bright Sunne with dimmie cloudes then was this poore Prophetes spirite with heauinesse and sorrowe of sinne and temptations Therefore he féeleth howe God easeth the heart and recordeth howe he banished floudes and waters to make his people a way to rest and tranquillitie 17 The clouds powred out water the aire thundered and thine arrowes went abroad The Prophete remembreth the meruellous invndation and drowning of the worlde in the dayes of Noah that drowned all the world for sinne sauing such as were in the Arke or Ship with Noah And he remembreth also the horrible thunder that was heard of the people when God gaue his lawe vnto them vpon mount Synai Likewise he calleth to remembrance the plagues of Egypt wherewithall God punished Pharao his people and the whole land which paines and plagues he
pastures of Gods word 19. B. 4 Wherefore man is brought to life and saluation 23. B. 5 What trouble may happen to such as God giueth life and saluation vnto 25. B. 6 Whereby the troubles of Gods elect be ouercome 31. A. 7 What the end of Gods troubled people shall be 41. B. ⧠The Argument of the 62 Psalme 43. A. ¶ Of this Psalme there are two generall partes and sixe particular ibid. A. B. ¶ The first generall part conteyning foure particular partes 1 How that the fauour of God and his helpe is able to remedie all aduersities 43. A. ¶ The second generall part conteyning two particular partes 2 How that the fauour of man and his helpe is able to redresse no aduersities 43. A. ¶ A breefe paraphrase vppon the whole Psalme 44. B. ¶ The sixe particular partes as they followe in their order and place 1 What is to be done by the Christian man that is afflicted 45. A. 2 Why the troubled person seeketh health of God 51. A. 3 How the persequuters of the innocent shall soudenly perishe 58. A. 4 Why trouble is patiently to be borne and faithfully to be beleeued that God can and will remedie it 63. B. 5 How mans power is not to be trusted vnto 66. B. 6 How that God hath promised to helpe the afflicted 69. A. ⧠The Argument of the 73. Psalme 70. A. ¶ A Paraphrase vppon the whole Psalme Fol. 70. 71. 72. 73. ¶ Of this Psalme there are eight partes 74. 1 That God loueth the good although he punisheth them 75. A. 2 How weake and fraile a thing the nature of man is 77. B 3 Wherein the felicitie of wicked men consisteth c. 80. A 4 How fraile brittle and weake a thing man is c. 84. B 5 How some men repeat their well doings c. 85 A 6 How greate a daunger it is temerously to iudge of God c. 85. B 7 That mans reason is but ignorant and beastlie in considering of Gods workes c. 86. A 8 The multitude number of Gods consolations c. 86. B ⧠The Argument of the 77. Psalme 87 A. ¶ Of this Psalme there are foure partes 87. A B. 1 In whome a man shoulde put his trust and to whome he should resorte in the dayes of sickenesse troubles and aduersities 87. B. 2 How a man should vse him selfe towardes him in whome he putteth his trust in the time of trouble 89. B 3 What great and perillous daungers the man that is troubled shall suffer for the time of his trouble 93. A 4 How a man taketh consolation in the time of his trouble 113. B ¶ Other pointes of Christian doctrine are referred to the consideration of the reader FINIS Constancie continuance required in the professours of the trueth An abridgment of Bishoppe Hoopers life and death trulie gathered in circuÌ„stances Bishop Hooper in estimation with King Edward y e sixt Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester Bishop Hoopers professed enimie If Christe the heade haue bene persecuted euen to the death the members must needes bee subiect to affliction 2. Cor. 5. The laying down of his life for the Gospels sake deserueth be liefe and reuerence Or The Lorde is my shepheard as saith the common and the Geneua translation Esaie 40. 11. Ezech. 34. Iere. 31. Iohn 10. Ezech. 34. Iohn 10. Ioh. 10. 4. 6 Psal. 119. Esaie 53. Matth. 9. 1. Pet. 2. 2. 3. Reg 22. Esaie 28. Esaie 29 2. Thes. 2. Iohn 4. 6. 3. Rom. 1. Esaie 30. Iohn 7. What is to bee noted out of this part of the psalme Rom. 19. Psal. 91. The assuraunce of Gods defence and comfort in troubles must bee lerned out of Gods word Psal. 25. Psal. 144. Psalm 25. 128. The inwarde and spirituall comforte treasurie and riches which this doctrine bringeth 1. Peter 4. Matth. 10. Iohn 20. Actes 20. Ieremi 3. Ezech. 34. 2. Reg. 57. Mich. 5. Iohn 10. Psalm 74. 79. 95. Ieremi 3. â—â— Ezech. 34. Ioel. 1. Matth. 4. Psalme 60. 73. 7. Apoc. 7. Esaie 55. Ioan. 4. Matth. 4. We can no more liue in GOD without GODS word then in the worlde without worldly foode Iohn 6. Psalm 119. Luke 11. Iohn 5. And yet our blinde guids say that ignoraunce is the mother of godlines Amos. 8. Iohn 10. Ephes. 2. Heb. 1. Matth. 28. 2. Pet. 1. Iames. 1. Iohn 5. Actes 16. Iohn 8. Matth. 23. 1. Cor. 2. Iohn 6. Iohn 15. Iohn 3. Mark whithe preachers of God are contemned of the world Psal. 35. Iohn 15. Iohn 15. Esaie 59. What thinges we receiue by feeding vppon Gods promises in this life Matth. 4. Psal. 19. 119 2. Tim. 3. Heb. 1. 1. Pet. 1. Gala. 1. Iohn 6. Esaie 54. Iohn 15. Iohn 16. The conscieÌ„ce that feeleth the sting of death by sinn thirsteth for life Luke 15. Psalme 24. Psalme 1. Matth. 5. Woefull are these dayes wheÌ„ in so cleare lighte of the trueth the professours therof are so faithlesse and fruitlesse Esaie 65. Rom. 10. Luke 12. GOD requireth not only a compt of that hath beene receiued but of that might haue bene receiued Matth. 11. Luke 12 1. Cor 4. 1. Cor. 1. Psalm 32. Rom. 4. Psalme 32. Matth. 5. Luke 1. Psal. 32. The wicked make the Gospel of peace an occasion of discord Luke 12. Iohn 7. 8. 9. 10. 16. The crosse is the sure badge of Gods children Iohn 16. Zachar. 11. Matth. 16. Iohn 18. Matth. 27 Marke 15 Luke 23. Iohn 19. Matth. 27. A doctrine of Gods prouideÌ„ce most comfortable to all his afflicted Psalme 2. Psalme 29 The cause why there be so fewe sincere and true professours of the Gospel Psal. 37. Psal. 53. Here is thy coÌ„fort thou broken harted and afflicted of the Lord. Rom. 10. What it is to beleeue vnto righteousnes Faith sealed once in the heart with the assurance of Gods mercy can bee no more with out the fruite of wel doing then fire without heate 1. Cor. 11. WheÌ„ right knowlege assured sense of Gods mercie are ioyned together note what they worke Knowlege and talke without the feling of Gods fruitfull working spirit is not of God Matth. 7. Psal. 121. Gene. 22. The state of Gods children beaten downwith the sense horrour of sin and dread of gods iudgments The comfort of the afflicted euen when God seemeth to haue forsaken them Psal. 6. Psal. 6. Psal. 42. 43 Ephes. 6. 1. Pet. 5. 1. Iohn 5. Matth. 10. Psal. 120. Matth. 26. 2. Reg. 7. Prou. 10. Prou. 12. Psal. 119. Psal. 2. Apoc. 12. 4. Reg. 18. Esai 10. 14 28. 39 Ezech. 29. The frendship and familiaritie of God the heuenly shepheard towardes his sheepe 2. Reg. 9. Gen. 27. Luke 10 Luke 7. Psal. 45. Psal. 89. The work of the holi Ghoste in the hearts of the saith full 1. Pet. 2. Matth. 26. Psal. 16. What sinn bringeth a man vnto Iohn 17. It is not expedient that we be without troubles least we seeke our selues and forget god Psal. 120.
God GOD laughteth the intent of the wicked to scorne Psalme 2. So the wicked maye obteine their purpose they care not by what meanes Genesis 3. By what meanes the diuel deceiued Adam Dauid Absolon 3. Reg. 15. Elias Achab. 3. Reg. 18. Christ. The wicked sort of the world Matth. 27. Matth. 8. Mark 5. Luke 8. Paule Tertullus c. Actes 24. Whome God do exalt to say the truth the wicked condemne as heretiques Howe doe the wicked vse their lyes Three maner of wais doe lyes harme Iohn 8. Manifest lyes amōg the ignorant Example 1. Reg. 15. Num. 14. Moses Iosua Caleb Manifest lies in matters of religion Gene. 11. Exo. 6. 7. 8. 3. Reg. 16. 17. 18. Matth. 15. Amongest the papists defenders of idolatrie be proferred 2. Cor. 4. The vse of lyes amongest the faithfullesse Gene. 3. 4. Eue. Caine. 1. Reg. 17. Saule Absolon 3. Reg. 15. The diuell vseth lyes many wayes A perillous vse of lyes Esau. Gene. 27. Absolon 3. Reg. 15. Matth. 22. Note The amiable countenance of the papists in King Edwards dayes be turned nowe into firie faces Prou. 24. The people of god do fall 1 Iohn 1. The sinnes of the faithful be not imputed vnto them for Christes sake Rom. 8. Iustification Note Rom. 8. He that standeth fast of Gods election can not fall to damnation Nichodemus Iohn 3. The lōger a man is at schoole the more sweetnesse in learning doeth he feele Why shal not be godly fall Health The mercy of God and not manswork saueth a sinner Glorie Note The afflicted Christian that beleeueth the strengthe of Gods mercy to exceede the force of his enimies receiueth consolation Euery christiā giueth the glorie only vnto God Matth. 6. The Prophete by faith claimeth the glory of God to be his glory Note Consolatiō Psal. 103. Oh liuely faith Luke 17. Esai 29. Matth. 15. 1. Cor. 14. Exhortation What is the office of the pastor when he vnderstandeth the scriptures 1. Cor. 14. The office of Kinges and Magistrates Parentes and Maisters No truste in fleshe bloud Note As man isIf we say we haue no sinne in vs so is his helpe Note diligently The Israelites vsed the Egyptians for helpe An inferiour medicine to the disease can not cure the patiēt Iere. 17. What doth come of the trust in man Two euils Gal. 6. A goodly explanatiō of Paules words god forbid that I should glory in c. Man more vaine then vanitie Why man is more vaine then vanitie Who so trusteth in any thing sauing in God doeth dishonour God Wrong done vnto God Ose. 2. Iere. 44. What doth he that be leeueth any doctrin besides gods word Wrong done vnto man Why riches are giuen vnto man Gene. 4. Iob. 33. Note Genesis 4. Abel in Hebrue in English in Vanitie How God doth reward euery man after his workes Psalm 37. Matth. 26. 1. Tim. 1. 2. Tim. 4. 1. Iohn 2. 1. Cor. 3. Heb. 11. Matth. 10. Iames. 2. Gen. 12. 15. 17. 22. Rom. 4. Matth. 7. Matth. 5. Luke 6. Apoc. 3. Prouerb 3. Heb. 11. Psal. 37. 73. Abac. 2. Matth. 6. Colos. 3. 1. Cor. 15. Matth. 25. Cantic 4. Iohn 17. Ephes. 2. Matth. 19. Rom. 8. Luke 23. Psalm 119. Apoc. 6. 27 22. Esaie 54. Ose. 1. Heb. 12. Esaie 53. Rom. 3. Exod. 14. Gene. 10. 1. Reg. 28. Trip. Hist. Exod. 5. 1. Reg. 28. Trip. Hist. Psalm 119. Carion Iob. 1. 2. Ioh. 16. Gal. 5. Col. 1. 1. Thes. 1. Heb. 12. Iames. 1. 1. Iohn 1. Psalm 119. Deut. 4. 2. Reg. 22. Neh. 9. Psalme 18. 91 118. Rom. 5. 12. 1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 1. Matth. 20. Gene. 3. Gene. 3. Iohn 8. Gene. 20. Iudith 13. Iudith 7. Hester 4. Psal. 94. Gene. 3. Gene. 4. 21. 27. Num. 16. Num. 12. Gene. 38. 1. Reg. 19. Mat. 14. 27 Matth. 20. Iohn 21. Iohn 16. Psal. 2◠Iohn 17. Matth. 19. Psal. 94. Psal. 112. Psal. 1. Psal. 119. Matth. 5. Matth. 10. Matth. 16. Exod. 14. Dan. 3. Philip. 3. Hebr. 11. 3. Reg. 1 Matth. 17. Luke 6. ◠Tim. 6. Luke 6. 3. Reg. 25. Dan. 4. Exod. 32. Deut. 40. Psal. 92. Esai 40. Matth. 6 1. Pet. 1 Eccle. 3. 4. 5. 3. Reg. 8. 1. Tim. 6. Luke 12. Matth. 6. That is to say Death Eccle. 41. Gene. 3. Gene. 4. Num. 17. 2. Reg. 11. Matth. 26. Hebr. 11. Exod. 3. Matth. 14. Iohn 7. 8. 9 1. Cor. 1. Rom. 1. Matth. 7. Iere. 20. Iohn 16. Psalm 83. and 31. Rom. 8. Matth. 11. Esaie 55. Iohn 7. Esaie 18. Rom. 5. 14. Matth. 5. Of those that weepe mourne who be blessed Two sons of people condemned Esaie 45. Two impediments keepe God from helping the troubled 1. Ignorance 2. Feare of Gods iustice Of ignoraunce is sprong horrible blasphemie 1. Peter 1. The remedie against ignorance 2 Peter 1. Psalm 119. Psalme 1. Esaie 59. Esaie 8. Deut. 6. Ephes. 6. What cōmeth of the feare of Gods iustice Matth. 5. Luke 1. Rom. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. Gods spirite worketh the knowlege of sinne by preaching of the law How we should vse our selues in the time of trouble Psalm 50. 15. The feare and terror of sinne is an intollerable butthen The conscience being admonished of the filthines of sin bringeth the body into a trēbling and feare What ensueth after the feare of conscience for sinne Psalm 42. Psalm 38. Psalme 6. Psalm 77. Rom. 7. Note Psalm 126. Matth. 5. 1. Cor. 15. Matth. 26. No trouble to the trouble of cōscience Differēce betweene the penitent desperate and contemptuous man The penitent man The desperat man The contemptuous man Note The Christian afflicted The wicked afflicted Note Gods nature and mans differ much Man for the most parte is vnstable followeth religion as the world fauoureth Idols set vp againe in Queene Maries time How long mans loue continueth towardes man God loueth and helpeth the poore afflicted Psalm 77. Consolation Psalme 91. God hateth not the troubled for his trouble but for his sinne Man hateth man for trouble and not for sinne Continuance in prayer Patient expectation Matth. 6. 8 As long as sinn is not felt man is iocund pleasant 2. Samu. 1. Rom. 8. Act. 9. When the horrour of a mans sin is felt to desperatiō no worldly ioyes cā comfort the afflicted person Gene. 3. 4. Note Matth. 26. Luke 7. Iohn 8. Psal. 77. 1. Tim. ◠Esai 66. Apoc. 14. The dearest frends of Christe be not voyde of trouble anguish of minde for their sins Consolation An ordinari way that God vseth to call sinners to repentaunce and from repentance to forgiuenesse Psal. 51. Two maner of discomforts An inward discomforte Matth. 3. Mark 1. Gene. 3. 4. 2. Samu. 11 Matth. 27. Act. 9. Matth. 3. Mark 1. Saule and Iudas 1. Samu. 31. Matth. 27. Mark 14. Pharao Exod. 14. Num. 16. Rom. 3. 5. Outward discomfort Gene. 5. 6. Matth. 11. Luke 7. Esai 65. Esai 53. 6. Matth. 13. Iohn 12. Rom. 11. Rom. 1. Sinne not felt bringeth the cōtempt of
God c. Vnquietnes of the spirite is a veri image of eternall death Psal. 104. The cause of al trouble is sin Psal. 39. Rom. 5. 7. 8 The night representeth hell prison The bed representeth the graue The sheets of mans fleshe is earth Two thinges to be noted No cōfort to the afflicted but GOD alone Gene. 3. Note Gene. 4. 2. Samu. 12 1. Samu. 31 Matth. 27. What maner of mā Asaph was 1. Paral. 6. Luke 9. Note Psal. 42. 43 Two kindes of consolations in the worde of God Gene. 4. Who be the childrē of Abraham Consolation offered vnto England in K. Edwardes dayes Iudas Phariseis Prayer Man in trouble without Gods presence is miserable Note What sinn worketh in man A peaceable conscience precious iuel Psal. 25. 121. Psa. 123. 131 Psal. 132. Psal. 119. Prou. 17. Num. 11. Psal. 35. 39. 71. Psal. 6. 12. 14. 140. Psal. 51. Note Rom. 7. 8. 12. Vnto what vse the eys eares of man were created Rom. 10. Iacob 19. 1. Cor. 15. Esaie 66. Matth. 25. Consolation in trouble Gene. 12. 13. 15. 16. 17 Num. 14. Mich. 5. Matth. 2. Matth. 27. Mark 15. Luke 20. Iohn 19. Iohn 6. Luke 4. Matth 7. Luke 12. Genes 3. Actes 9. Abacuc 2. Rom. 1. Matth. 15. Luke 7. Matt. 20. 7. Luke 11. The inward obscuritie Matth. 26. Marke 14. Luke 12. 1. Cor. 10. 11. Actes 3. Coloss. 3. Psalm 48. The troubled spirite is ouerwhelmed with greeuous cogitations The remēbrance of Gods iustice for sinne is greater paine then the death of the bodie Rom. 8. A godly consolation Iohn 6. 10. Rom. 7. 2. Cor. 15. 2. Tim. 4. Genes 3. Psalm 42. 43. Iob 3. Matth. 26. Nothing can hurt him that is in Christ Iohn 6. Note Iob. 3. 42. Matth. 27. Marke 15. Luke 22. Iohn 19. Psalm 34. Actes 14. The trouble of the minde is the greatest 1. Peter 4. Prouer. 12. Heb. 12. God hideth his consolation for a time to trie vs. Esaie 54. Genes 3. Rom. 5. Rom. 7. 8. Ephes. 2. Psalm 53. Rom. 8. Iohn 3. Phil. 1. 2. Galath 2. Psalm 77. Psalm 75. Matth. 26. Marke 14. Esaie 66. Matth. 25. Prouerb 3 Apoca. 3. Heb. 12. The Prophet maketh no mention of the griefe of the body Note Rom. 7. Gal. 2. 3. 1. Reg. 16. 1. Reg. 24. 2. Reg. 16. 15. 2. Tim. 4. Matth. 26. Actes 7. 1. Reg. 31. 1. Reg. 16. Genes 4. A wicked iudgment Matth. 27. 26. Psalme 10 and 73. A whole man can giue good counsel to the sicke but being sicke himselfe cannot apply the same to his comfort 1. Cor. 3. Rom. 1. Matth. 10. 28. Act. 16. Prou. 21. When we heare or reade gods promises wee ought to pray Mark 9. Luke 17. 2. Tim. 3. 1. Reg. 15. Luke 18. Exod. 34. Deut. 5. 7. Psal. 33. 51. 56. 85. Psal. 130. 143. Matth. 14. Note Two maner of mercies mentioned in the scripture Gene. 3. Rom. 8. Psal. 18. Psal. 42. 43 Rom. 2. Mat. 10. 27 Psal. 62. Psal. 41. 43 Psal. 73. 77 Rom. 8. 2. Cor. 12. Rom. 12. 8. 2. Cor. 6. Gala. 5. Ephes. 5. Matth. 11. To such as haue wrestled with sin and in Christ got the vpper hand Gods preceptes be easie sweete Rom. 7. Iohn 21. We can praise other men for wel doing but we be loth to put it in experience our selues Iohn 21. Matth. 26. Rom. 7. Osee. 13. Rom. 8. The occasion of mans help is Gods right hand Prou. 18. True confession of sinne is in manner an induction to the remission thereof Psal. 74. Psal. 32. Rom. 7. 1. Samu. 15. 2. Samu. 12 Matt. 5. 18. Iacob 5. Luke 7. Matth. 27. Mark 15. 1. Samu. 15. Psal. 77. Psal. 32. Luke 18. Sual wold haue Samuel to beare his sinne 1. Samu. 31. Matth. 9. Luke 5. Mark 2. 2. Samu. 12 Psal 51. 2 Samu. 12. Esai 63. Ecclesi 9. 3. Reg. 8. Papisticall confession 1. Samu. 15 Oh blasphemie 1. Iohn 1. Psal. 130. Esai 1. Ezech. 18. 1. Iohn 1. Exhortation to prayer Esaie 65. Rom. 10. Esaie 6. Iohn 12. Psalme 3. Psalme 23. Psal. 6. 38. Psal. 42. 43 Psal. 8. 19. 148. Psal. 38. Psalme 88 Iob. 1. 2. Iob. 6. Iob. 2. Iob. 3. Esaie 29. Matth. 15. Rom. 10. Three sortes of people cōdemned Note well Esaie 56. Nichodemes Matth. 10. Wherein doth our profession consist We ought not to be ignorant of any booke in the scripture Deut. 4. 6. 31. Prouerb 4 Psalm 51. Consolation Iob. 6. Psalme 13. Ierem. 20. Passur Ierem. 19. Rom. 9. Potter God is the doer of wonders Three doctrines Rom. 1. Genes 7. Exod. 14. Note The true Christians take consolation themselues of gods miracles wrought vppon others Iacob and Ioseph Iohn 6. Euery man must beleeue for himselfe Matth. 15. Repentance Notable doctrine Note Psalme 18. To whom God is mercifull and to whome seuere Rom. ◠A wicked iudgment of Gods doinges Oh horrible blindnesse Lokewhat preeminence God obteineth of man the same place hath man with God A stronge fortresse Two consolations Whome God loued he always corrected Euery Christian member hath an Egypt and a Babylon The greatest consolation in trouble From the greater to the lesser Sela. Vnto insensible thinges be attributed sensible qualities Three doctrines The first doctrine touching God Gene. 1. Time The second doctrine touching the insensible creature Psal. 29. Psal. 77. Psal. 114. The third doctrine touching man Oh rebellion of man Insensible creatures shall be a condemnation vnto man Marke most diligently The diuell man be only disobedient vnto God Oh take heed miserable man Consolation Deapthes A goodly similitude Exod. 14. Iosua 3. Oh the mercifull goodnesse of God towards man inscrutable Noah Gene. 7. Exod. 19. Note Exod. 5. 6. 7 8. 9. 10. 11. God punisheth iustly for sin Exod. 19. God is no tyrant Psal. 51. 10. 119. God alwayes preserueth pemitent sinners Rom. 8. Hebr. 6. 10. The Israelites were conducted by God through the red sea Pharao his were drowned Exo. 14. Psalm 121. 125. 13. 46. 54. 71. The best is not able of himself to resist temptations Sheephearde They that doe thinges at Gods commaundement can take no harme Math. 14. Math. 16. Num. 14. Such as be ministers of the Church ought to attend only vppon the voyce of God 2. Cor. 11.