more than the glorie of God because he did not more seuerely and more zealously rebuke his sons and in that there wanted in him that feruencie of spirit whreby he should haue cut off his sonnes from their office wherefore the hand of God did cut off his life and depriued all his posteritie of the Priesthood Although this good man was offended and grieued with the euils of his sonnes yet his coldnes in zeale brought â—pon him this plague Elias whose zeale as much pleased the Lord as the coldnes of Elie displeased him was of a feruent spirit for when the Lord asked him where he had been he answered I haue beene zealous for the Lord God of Hosts sake and when he complained that he could finde none which had not bowed vnto Baal the Lord vouchsafeth to comfort him and telleth him there be 7000. which neuer bowed their knees to him Well because he continued zealous in beating downe Idolatrie the Lord came downe visibly with a firie Chariot and fetched Eliah from earth to heauen We need not here speake of the great zeale of Moses Phinees and other of the seruants of God We see and know the cause of this loue in the man of God was the purenesse of the word We heard in the first verse that the iudgements of the Lord were righteous we haue heard in the second verse that the testimonies of the Lord contained a speciall righteousnesse wee shall heare in the sixt verse that the righteousnesse of the Lord is an euerlasting righteousnesse wee may see in the seuenth verse that it made him delight in trouble and in the eight verse that the righteousnesse of the Lord is euerlasting Wherefore doth hee this as we haue alreadie said to strengthen his Faith for after hee had said that the riuers of teares through zeale and griefe burst out of his eyes hee addeth and rehearseth these things What shall we say they are vaine repititions Nay we know the holy Ghost reproueth them Math. 6. We see then that in so oft commending the word of God the Prophet sheweth to vs our vnbeliefe which he felt so much in himselfe When do idle repetitions so much displease the Lord Surely when our tongues walke idlie and in our prayers wee speake we know not what But when a mans heart is full of sorrow and fraught with griefe of his sinnes or earnestly longeth after a thing then let vs crie Lord haue mercie vpon mee then let vs powre out our spirits say Sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me Lord I belieue helpe my vnbeliefe Thus when the heart is loth to bee ouercome of vnbeliefe and when it desireth to shewe forth his sorrow or when Gods children would exercise their Faith or feele in themselues any rare ioy which they would gladly expresse then they vse manie repetitions as wee may see both in the booke of Chronicles and the Psalmes Praise yee the Lorde because hee is good for his mercie endureth for euer where wee shall see in 26. verses this still repeated for his mercie endureth for euer What shall wee say now that here is any needlesse repetition No well we see here then that wee must not speake simplie against repetitions but in great wisedome of the Spirit because the heart of the godly cannot satisfie it selfe with Faith and feeling of Gods promises vnlesse it breaketh foorth as a fire into many speeches Hereby we know now that the man of God here expresseth his faith we are to learne that without some liuely feeling of faith of ioy or of griefe we are not to vse oft repetitions vnlesse happily they be vsed to stirre vs vp the more to these or such like So cried the woman of Canaan O Sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me and being rebuked she still cried O Sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me We would thinke it somewhat strange and as a great matter to see a poore body shoote out so many prayers at once when they speake out of the abundance of their heart which is stuffed with so many griefes and troubles Thy word saith the Prophet is proued true it hath no changeable goodnesse but hath in it an euerlasting righteousnes seruing for all ages for all persons and for all times Mens opinions faile the wisedome strength and authoritie of man in time hath an end but this Word is exceeding large and neuer hath end Thy word is proued pure Many would thinke this to be but a small commendation for the word of God but come to a man when his minde is much troubled and tell him of the word and what purenesse what comfort will he finde in it Surely he will be as one that hath no taste in it and as one that feeleth no more sweetnesse than a sicke man doth taste in a chip And notwithstanding all that the word shall doe to him he will still follow his owne waies and goe on forward in the deuices of his owne head Doe men then feele such infinite comfort in the word so much is their comfort as is their faith and so little is their faith as little is their comfort Looke into Gods children how greatly they lament their vnbeleefe looke into Dauid looke on Iob looke on the late and blessed Martyr of God Bradford who almost in all his bookes and in euery meditation complaineth of his vnbeleefe notwithstanding that he was a man so rich in the graces of God so throughly mortified to the world so stayed in faith and yet the neerer he came daily to Christ the more he stil crieth against vnbeleefe Wherefore Paul seeing this to be a common disease among all men saith This is a faithfull thing and worthie of all men to be remembred That Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners this is a faithfull saying with such like speeches which the Apostle vseth as preparatiues to stirre vp our faith The purenesse of the word is mentioned of the Prophet when after he had lamented the miserable ellate of the godly and the great decay of godlinesse he crieth out to the Lord speedily to assist his children saying Helpe Lord Psal. 12. 4 for there is not a godly man leâ—â— c. and by and by he addeth verse 6. The wordes of the Lord are pure words as the siluer tried in a furnace of earth fined seuen fold If we should imagine the purest siluer that is often tried and serueth in the court for Princes euen so pure must we beleeue the word of God to be which not seuen times alone but seuentie times seuen times hath beene tried in the fire of aduersitie and still hath remained most pure and neuer could any corruption bâ— found in it Wee haue seene good men as it were confounded and yet comforted and being tried are found to be pure The meaning of the man of God in that place is trie the word as you doe trie the purest mettals with persecution with torment with contempt or howsoeuer I
stay their talke and to lay their hands on their mouths And yet here we must beware of their hastie zeale who will not sticke to charge the children of God to be without zeale if presently and abruptly they rush not into an open reprehension of men that are mightie in authority as though no regard of place time and persons were to be had which opinion many by weaknes of iudgement defending finde neither fruit in others nor comfort in their owne consciences when they do admonish in that presumptuous manner for that hunting after feruentnes without the spirit of meeknes and casting off all consideration of a godly oportunitie they rather exasperate than humble the parties admonished and they themselues rather depart with confusion and shame for such posting on without warrant of wisedome and not according to knowledge than with comfort of heart for any dutie done Neither am I here ignorant how great daunger of trouble of minde commeth to many in that they being so curious obseruers and waiters of oportunitie doe for some ease of the flesh vnder the cloake of this wisedome altogether leaue off that godly dutie Wherefore as we affirme that wisedome and loue mixed together doe deepely enter into the most prefract and prodigious spirits so we mislike their fearefull delay of dutie who hauing a meane occasion offered them from the Lord doe not earnestly puâ—â—ue the quarrell of the Lord and earnestly rebuke sinne though in some higher personaâ—â—es Out of this may issue another fruit of right zeale namely when we are zealous in their behalfe who can neuer recompence vs againe for flesh and blood will easily admit to rebuke the iniuries and reuenge the oppressions vsed to men of credit and abilitie because it is a warie wisedome to patronage them in lesser things who can be our patrons againe in greater things Thus Iob deliuered the poore that cried the fatherlesse him that had none to helpe him he was the eyes to the blinde the foote to the lame at whose hands no hope of reward was to be looked for But to draw to the last and most glorious propertie this thing in zeale is most commendable when we are humbled in our owne soules for those sinnes which we espie and censure in others euen as though we our selues for want of instruction or prayer were in some sort guiltie of their sinnes If this rule were receiued in iudgement and â—uerenced in practise of Ministers Magistrates and masters when they are to admonish their inferiours of sinne it is sure it would breede in them great conscience and religion Alas wee see many who can mangle and martyr a man for some offence who neuer learned for consâ—nce sake to mourne for those infirmities which so bitterly he would iâ—ueigh against in others Let vs consider this in ministers how the Apostle saith to the Corinthians I feare leâ—â—t when I come mâ— God aâ—â—ase me among you and I shall beâ—aile many of them which haue â—â—â—ned alreadie c. Which no doubt he did as thinking that he did not duty enough but that there was euen some cause of griefe in himselfe Did the Apostle who had so little or no cause so to doe thus lament and suspect himselfe as though hee had not vsed all good meanes or with the meanes good affections and should the ministers of our time whose gifts and paines are fâ—rre inferiour nothing bee moued for the sinnes of them for whom they ought to care and mourne Well I hope that euen at this day there are some that feare they haue not in preaching publikely opened al the mysteries of God to them they thinke they haue failed in priuate admonition they suspect themselues of want of praying for them they are readie to accuse themselues that they haue not walked so wisely and warily in vsing their libertie before them or that their life hath not yeelded that example of godlinesse to them as they ought to haue done And so in the whole discourse almost of the sinnes of the seuerall Churches the holy Ghost runneth on in this tenour that whatsoeuer is spoken of the Church is spoken to the Angels that is to the ministers of the Church who are said to haue this or that sinne which indeede was in the people In the Primitiue Church when the credit of the Apostles was called into question they might seeme to haue been much troubled about the matter but they were much humbled by it they examined them selues they accused themselues and afterward they instituted a new ministerie But doth not this dutie as deepely charge Ministers and Masters to mourne for the sinnes of their people Yes doubtles and for good reason For if they will confesse that they must reioyce in the good things that befall their children and families they must also lament the euils which betide them so long as they are vnder their tuition and gouernment FINIS OF A GOOD NAME THE FOVRTH SERMON Prouerbs 22. verse 1. A good name is to be desired aboue great riches and louing fauour aboue siluer and gold ALl that is to be desired of a man is this that hee bee vertuous godly and truly religious This because it is in it selfe most excellent and most contrarie to our nature therefore the Scripture vseth many arguments and reasons to perswade vs thereunto as in this place where the Wise man would stirre vs vp to the loue of vertue by setting before our eyes two principall effects and fruits which we may receiue by it The first of these is a good name the second is louing fauour both which as they doe proceede from vertue and godlines so they doe maintaine and increase one another For as a man findeth much fauour with those that doe speake and report well of him so those that will shew a man louing fauour will or at least ought to shewe it in this that they may willingly affoord him a good report Now both these are preferred before great riches both these are accounted better than gold and much siluer and surely whosoeuer is truly wise will make this account of them whosoeuer doth rightly knowe to discerne what is good he will first and especially labour for them for a good name doth commend vs to God and to his holy Angels in whose eyes those vertues whereof a good name doth arise are most acceptable But riches are not able to doe this no the abundance of siluer and golde is often an occasion of sinne whereby we are most out of the fauour of God Againe whereas riches especially if they be euill gotten do cause men many times to hate vs this good name and louing fauour doth win the hearts of many yea it doth sometimes cause our enemies to be at peace with vs. And this euer hath been and euer will be most certaine and true whether we looke to prosperitie or aduersitie whether we looke to the common callings of this ciuill
conceale a sinne in vs nor againe to mistrust him too much that will not willingly be admonished at the first For as a furious or a phreneticall braine can by no meanes away with him that shall lay any hands vpon him though it were for his profit so so long as we be in impatiencie we shall suffer no man to speake vnto vs though it be for our good but the lâ—thargie of our minde being cured we marueile at our former impatiencie and are ready to shew our selues thankful vnto him that would haue a care to draw vs out of such a sinne Regeneration 1 AS good natures doe not helpe of necessitie to regeneration so euill natures cannot hinder Gods purpose in calling if the meanes with his mercie and blessing be purely and painfully vsed Repentance 1 SAthan vnder the colour of repentance bringeth many into an extreame sadnes and strictnesse in vsing the creatures of God Again vnder pretence of Christian libertie and deliuering of men from extreame griefes he allureth them to an immoderate and an vnsanctified mirth and intemperate vse of the creatures of God so blinding iudgement he afterward corrupteth affection 2 One complaining vnto him for the not feeling of his corruption which did sometime enbolden him to sinne and to adde one sinne to another as to shuffle a little sinne vnder the pretence of a great sinne and to deferre the sorrowing of one sinne vntill the more generall accounting time when we should sorrow for more and many sinnes his temptation touching him on this manner Why fearest thou to commit this one sin and this little sinne which is as pardonable by repeÌ„tance as the former sinnes which are more in number and greater than this seeing thou maist repent for this sinne when thou repentâ—st for them all He made this answere In such a temptation because Sathan is very neere we are to tremble vnder the hand of God to feare our selues to striue in prayer and to mourne for the temptation whereby Satan would cause vs after not to dispute with it and we be to suspect our selues to be rather readie to adde sinne to sinne than to repent of any sinne howsoeuer Sathan would blind vs with a kind of repenting and we must stay vpon the power and helpe of God in Iesus Christ. Reproches 1 HE said although he was subiect to many and grieuous reproches yet two things did euer comfort him the one that his heart was well and not euill affected to any man secondly that going alone he could humble himselfe and pray to God that the authors of such reproches might be pardoned Riches 1 SOmetimes good outward gifts hurt the beholders when they hurt not the possessors as we may see in the beautie of Sara and Ioseph which thing ought to humble vs in the desire of outward things and to make vs thankfull for a mediocritie 2 It is a iust iudgement that earthly riches doe deceiue our hearts when heauenly riches doe not delight vs that the outward things should carrie vs away when heauenly things cannot so much preuaile with vs. Well howsoeuer gold or siluer goe here on earth for the greatest riches before men godlines is the greatest riches before God and Angels in heauen Sacraments 1 AS Isaaks intent being to blesse Esau hindered not the will of God in blessing of Iacob so the corrupt intent of the Minister doth not hinder the blessing of God in the Sacraments it being Gods owne ordinance 2 After one had asked his aduice for sitting or kneeling at the Lords table he said As for such things let vs labour what we may to doe as much as we can for the peaceof the Church Securitie 1 SEcuritie is a forerunner of some grosse sinne or of some great crosse 2 We must ouercome our vnwillingnes sluggishnes betimes in good things and preuent delayes at the first because it is certaine the longer we delay the worse 3 There is a great corruption in our natures which makes vs most dull when we haue most meanes This ariseth either because when we haue the publike meanes more plentifully we vse the priuate more sparingly or because we doe not so much esteeme of the meanes ordinarily administred as we doe when they are lesse familiar vnto vs or if the Lord seeing vs too immoderatly desire the place where we are denieth vs the benefits and fruites of the place to correct our desire or for that we promised to our selues too large a hope of freedome from many euils by the meanes of the word therefore it pleaseth the Lord to proue vnto vs that they are nothing vnto vs without the blessing of his holy spirit Or this may arise from the temptation of Sathan who because he would make vs discontent with our present estate and calling and to hunt after new therefore he sheweth vs all the inconueniences of the place present and hides all the profits and shewes vs all the profits of the place where we haue beene or shall be and hides all the inconueniences Or because when we were the best in a whole towne and saw nothing in others but corruption we pleased our selues and prouoked our selues more to good things and being among many good men we make not so much of our goodnes and grow something secure and trust too much in the goodnesse of the place persons Or in that we like of our selues well when we are teaching and instructing others and are more impatient of silence in our selues and to be instructed of others Or because we would still be getting praise by bringing out but we are loth to store vp treasures both new and old for time to come when as yet there is a time of both Or we more see this because the last complaint seemeth the greatest though indeed we haue suffered as euill euen as a man thinketh his sicknes present to be sorer than any sicknes past The onely remedie against this dulnes is continually by prayer and by vsing the meanes to striue against it Singing 1 HE wished all men that would sing that in singing they euer sing with affection and feeling or else haue a mourning in their hart that they cannot doe so Coloss. 3. 17. Ephes 5. Sinne. 1 Iâ— we goe on still in sinne God will goe on still in iudgement but if our hearts relent from sinne God will release his sentence of punishment 2 To a Courtier complaining of the occasions of euill he said Though you haue occasions of sinne offered yet the cause of sinne is still in your selfe 3 Because God worketh the sense of sinne by degrees in his children he suspected them who at euery sinne named would shew themselues forthwith troubled 4 Sinne is such a canker that it spreadeth secretly and there is such a chaine of sinnes that he that yeeldeth to one draweth on another grant a little one and a great
a surgeon to shew vs our sinnes than a sergeant to arrest vs to perpetuall imprisonment for our sinnes 3 Sathan hath two waies to buffet vs first he moueth to despaire shewing vs how such men did abide trouble but they were rare men of rare faith of rare feeling of rare patience God hath not called vs to that measure of grace we are vnworthie by reason of our sinnes to hope for the like faith or fruites of faith His other temptation sauours of pride when he will make vs equall in dignitie with the highest of Gods Saints but vnequall in dutie with them then he will perswade that God is as good and as strong to vs as he hath been to others but he keeps vs from vsing those waies and meanes whereby others haue and we ought to haue this goodnesse and power of God conueyed into vs. Wherefore as we must not distrâ—st God that we shall obtaine the like mercie with others if we vse the like meanes so we must not be so bold as to dreame that euer we shall haue the like fauour with them vnlesse we labour for the like faith with them the like faith I say though not in quantitie â—â—â—â— qualitie and that by vse of the meanes 4 Vnto one that said he was possest of a Diuell he answered as hoping that he was the childe of God and rather deluded than so afflicted True it is that as much as lieth in you you haue giueâ— ouer your selfe vnto the Diuell but it is not in your power to giue ouer your selfe vnto him neither is it in his iurisdiction to possesse you Superstition 1 MAny hauing escaped out of the gulfe of superstition are too deepe plunged in prophanenes Strange corrections 1 VNto a very godly man whose onely sonne was drowned and therfore came vnto him in great anguish of minde and asked whether such strange corrections were not alwaies tokens of strange sinnes He answered That albeit God did seuerely correct sinne in it yet it was not necessarie that God should chiefly respect the punishment of sinne in this thing as might appeare in the like dealing with Iob and other of his children Eccl. 9. Such things happen oftner to the good c. Howbeit said he God might correct your securitie herein which either brings some sinne or crosse or God might correct your immoderate loue of him or your vnthankfulnes for what measure he was reformed or your not praying for him or the Lord might take away this consolation and withdraw wholie your minde from the world and more throughly sanctifie you to himselfe Or he might preuent some worldlinesse which you might haue fallen into or some sinne which your sonne might haue fallen into which would haue been a sorer trouble than his death and therefore you must stay your selfe on the loue of God in all Saluation 1 THat man is blest whom God hath from all beginnings chosen to eternall life To whom God hath giuen his Christ as a perfect redeemer In whoÌ„ he hath sealed the assurance of â—l those things by his holy spirit to whom he hath giuen his word in whom the word and spirit haue begot faith by whose power faith hath begotten ioyes in heauenly things in whom ioy hath wrought a sincere heart to please God in whom sinceritie is accompanied with loue vnfained to the Lord and his Saints loue ioyned with a care to obey the commandements this care breeding a reuerent feare to please God in whom this godly feare rebuketh sinne thâ— rebuking of sin worketh a mourning spirit in whom a mourning spirit begetteth true meekenes this meekenes of minde causing vs to hunger after Christ. So as feeling his owne miserie he is taught to shew mercie vnto others and so sheweth mercie as it is with the bowels of compassion whose heart God so gouerning that all outward benefits turne to his blessing as seales of the fauour of God vnto whom all crosses being sanctified in Christ turne to his good who finally in this faith and fruites of faith meekely and patiently possessing his soule waiteth and looketh assuredly for the glorious kingdome of God after this life This is the golden chaine of vndoubted blessednesse whose linckes are so fastened the one in the other that wheresoeuer any of them be wanting there is a breach and weakenes made in the whole To make speede to good things 1 AS it is a fearefull thing to hasten to doe euill and to linger to an euill thing is an holy lingring so it is a blessed thing to hasten to godlinesse and to make speede to a good thing is a hastines very godly Psal. 42. Psal. 95. Elisha must not salute any body in the way the Apostles must not commune with any in their iourney and why They must make haste to doe the will of God It is profitable to make haste to heauen but it is no wisedome to make haste to hell and yet to doe well we finde a Lion in the streetes but to doe euil nothing can stay vs He that euil come to heauen must make haste for the kingdome of God must be taken violently he must be like those wise virgins not lingeâ—ing to get oyle nor delaying â—o furnish themselues with the graces of God against the comming of Christ. Sleepe 1 BEcause great naturall and worldly sorrow and ioy will cause a man to breake his sleepe at midnight he â—ould trie himselfe whether sorrow for sinne and ioy in saluation had caused him to doe the like Sermons 1 MAny men may be said to be Sermon-sick as there are some said to be Sea-sick for as they that are Sea-sicke for the time of their seafaring so long as they be on the water are feeble stomacked faint hearâ—ed euer readie to die and yet arriuing on the land being gotten out of the ship and hauing paused some little time doe begin to forget their late troubles and to recouer their former strength againe So many so long as they are in the Church hearing and are tossed by the power of the word their hearts are sicke their consciences melt they are much troubled but when once the voyce ceaseth and they are out of the Church doores and haue acquainted themselues with the aire of the world they forget what they heard and wherewith they were moued and so retire to their former life againe Schisme 1 ALthough it is sure that a good man shall not finally fall in the maine points of his saluation yet hee may be seduced in some lesse matters but for all that in the end he shall escape but the seducer shall surely be punished For a well meaning man found in faith and yet a nouice in Christ may be carried to like some solemne superstitions and poâ—pous ceremonies in the worship of God Againe a man careful and right in the substance of saluation for
the second time And as we must not flatter our selues in euery motion as though we were sealed most surely so one sparke of pure zeale doth fire out the diuell and his whole traine Surely we must doe as much for our God as the wicked for the diuell that is we must be swept of all corruptions and garnished with all graces of God his spirit that the Lord may delight in his hold in vs euen as the wicked gratifie their Prince of darknes with sweeping cleane away the graces of God and furnishing euery roome with some loathsome sinne or other 28 The neerer Christ his comming was the cleerer was the Law Moses saw it cleerer than the Patriarches the Prophets saw it more cleerely than Moses Iohn Baptist more euidently than the Prophets Christ Iesus more spiritually than they all did see into it and taught it not as a teacher of any new doctrine which the grosse Pharises dwelling on the literall sense did thinke but as a confirmer and more diuine reader of the Law than euer had beene in any age before which thing we must needes beleeue For if Christ be the Fathers Counseller then is he wonderfull and why is he so wonderfull but because his doctrine is a mysterie if his doctrine be a mysterie no maruell though so many see not into it In this spritual interpreter the Fathers Counseller whose name is Wonderfull must we beleeue 29 There is no striuing in sinne but in God his iudgement and wrath and therefore it is vsuall with the Lord to checke sinne sooner in his owne children than in the wicked and to rebuke it sorer in his children regenerate than in them that are not renewed and to withstand more seuerely sin in his children renewed and hauing more plentifull meanes than in the regenerate not hauing so great a measure of the meanes 30 We must labour to haue the feare of God before our eyes alwaies Beleeue we cannot alwaies reioyce in God we cannot alwaies faith is often faint loue is little ioy is dead feeling is fallen asleepe yet if we continue in the feare of God fearing our selues for the absence of these things it will be a meane to recouer them all againe For this iealousie of our selues least we should displease God will driue vs to such an examination of our owne hearts as we seeing these wants we are constrained to mourne vntill the graces of God shine to vs againe but if this feare be once gone yea though we had those other gifts yet will they decay and we shall fall into so deepe a peace with our sinnes that though we slip very grossely we will neuer suspect our selues for any thing 31 That man is truly blessed whom God hath from all beginnings chosen to whom God hath giuen his Christ as a perfit Redeemer in whom he hath sealed vp the assurance of these things by his holy spirit to whom he hath giuen his word in whom the word and spirit haue begot faith by whose power Faith hath begotten ioyes in heauenly things in whom ioy hath wrought a sincere heart to please God in whom sinceritâ—e is accompanied with loue vnfained to the Lord and his Saints loue ioyned with a care to obey his commaundemens this care breeding a reuerend feare to displease God in whome this godly feare rebuketh sinne the rebuking of sinne worketh a mourning spirit in whom a mourning spirit begetteth true meekenes this meekenesse of minde causing vs to hunger after Christ so as feeling his owne miserie he is taught to shew mercie vnto others and so sheweth mercie as it is with the bowels of compassion whose heart God so gouerning all outward benefites turne to his blessing as seales of the fauour of God vnto whome all crosses being sanctified in Christ turne to his good who finally in this faith and fruites of faith meekely and patiently possessing his soule waites and looketh assuredly for the glorious kingdome of God after this life This is the golden chaine of the vndoubted blessednes whose linkes doe so coherently ioyne together that wheresoeuer aâ—â—â— of the least is wanting there is a breach and weaknes made in the whole 32 Great is the power and mightie is the force of the feare of God that is when wee haue a sure perswasion we are still in the presence of the God of all glorious Maiestie not sparing the least sinne vnrepented and yet in the sight of a most gracious Father not punishing the greatest sinne repented of First we consider this Maiestie and glory and are driuen to seeke comfort in Christ Secondly when we remember through Christ the seate of Maiestie to be turned into a seate of mercie and the throne of glorie to be made a throne of grace our feare is corrected tempered and mittigated least it should be excessiue that is rather hindering the certaintie of faith than repressing the securitie of the flesh For so exquisite is God his iustice so great is his glorie so bright is his Maiestie that without the view of his fauour we could not abide it Neither doth this faith in God his mercie abolish but correct the feare of his Maiestie Againe sure it is so long as we haue this feare before our eyes howsoeuer we may of ignorance or infirmitie sinne yet we shall neuer sinne presumptuously or if forgetting our selues we slip suddenly we shal not lie long in our sin but this feare of God will soone draw vs out and recouer vs. 33 The cause why oft our hearts want libertie and comfort in prayer is because our consciences tell vs that we haue beene vnthankful for the former benefits And therefore we must be thankfull as we are readie to craue For therefore is the Church often afflicted that it may often pray that often praying it may pull downe many benefits froÌ„ the Lord that pulling downe many benefits from God it may returne many praises vnto him In this dutie the godly differ from others for though others haue the outward benefits yet hauing no feeling of the fauour of God in them they cannot hartily praise him for them Another cause why our prayers are feeble is because our faith is faint but God can as well denie himselfe and cast downe his throne from heauen as denie to heare vs crying in faith which if we were perswaded of we should haue more heart in prayer yea euery little want would set vs a worke in it It is not a particular practise of God at one speciall time to receiue our prayers as it was of certaine Princes once in the yeere sitting in the gate to accept freely the bils of request preferred vnto them but it is an vnchangeable nature in God so as no sooner than he can cease to be a God can he cease to heare our requests Wherefore if our faith be weake in the assurance of our sinnes pardoned we must know that the Lord hauing chosen vs though our iniquities be as black as the
fond song Christ was thought to cast out diuels by the power of the diuell Iohn Baptist was thought but a melancholike man Iehu being threatned called the Prophet a mad braine for so they iudged of the Prophets digressing somewhat from the set order and compositions of words and precepts of their art So that the graces of God seeme often to men to be cleane contrarie If this hath been alwayes the iudgement of the world that because they could no longer heare men or further see into things than either reason or art did guide them they thought the Prophets and Apostles railing spirits and barren soiles wee must not thinke it a new thing And hearers are here greatly to be circumspect that they thinke not so basely of men zealous in gifts of the spirit as that they should account them mad melancholike or cholerike men and such as either would hurt themselues or doe some hurt to others but rather reuerently acknowledge that there is a secret and mightie power of the Spirit which the Lord often conueieth into the hearts of the godly Men can for the most part well away with an ordinary course in preaching and so long as it fals into an oratorie stile and iust proportion of words or so long as a man sheweth a wittie inuention and comely composing of the matter but if a man presse into the consciences of men and with some vehemencie speake against their familiar sinnes straight way they say surely this kind of teaching bewrayeth him to be brainesick And that we may be the more wearie herein let vs consider who they were that inueyed thus against the Apostles were they not men out of euery natioÌ„ fearing God and such as were somewhat religious yes surely And who nowadayes will sooner and sorer open their mouthes against zealous preachers than men claborate in arte and skilful in precepts who not being able by reason to see into this vehemencie iudge them that vse it too austerely Wherefore as this must correct iudgement in hearers least they iustly offend God in being vniustly offended at them that are zealous for the Lord of hoasts sake so also it must teach the Ministers of the word patience if sometimes they be wrongly coÌ„strued so recompence their furie with meekenes as the Lord may humble their aduersaries the more euen by their meeke dealing of whom they thought so hardly which vndoubtedly oftentimes is most effectuall euen to breake the hearts euen of the most obstinate gainesayers And it cannot be gainesayd that these men seeing the Apostles meekenes were farre more wonne and sooner humbled than if he should haue breathed out furious speeches and so haue ceased from his holy busines And we shall see by experience that men thinking one to be curious singular or precise after the Lord hath sanctified some crosse vpon them and humbled them in some measure vnderneath his hand they are more humbled at the meekenes and long suffering of him whom they offended than by any other meanes because they then perceiue they haue resisted the grace of God and persecuted the gifts of God in him In the last dayes That is when Christ should be manifested in the flesh preached vnto the Gentiles belieued on in the world and receiued vp in glorie shall these gifts of the spirit abound It is called the last day because of the stabilitie of the Church and perfection of the word in that in it wee looke for none other doctrine vntill Christ come in iudgement 1. Corin. 10. 11. After that the Apostle had feared the Corinthians with the example of the Iewes he commeth â—o applie his doctrine in this manner Now all these things came vnto them for ensamples and were written to admonish vs vpon whom the endes of the world are come As if he should say these things seemed not to serue for them alone but for vs in the last daies And Heb 1. â— it is plainly in euident phrase said At sundry times and in diuers manners God spake in old â—imâ— to our fathers by the Prophets in these last dayes he hath spoken to vs by his Sonne c. All which places in sense at the least agree with this place together with that Galath 4. 4. where it is called the fulnes of time For the estate of the people before Christ his comming was childish and paedagogicall and therefore men looked as Iohns Disciples for another that should come and the Samaritanes had this generall principle among them That the Messiah when he came would restore all things and set them in order Whereby we must learne not to looke for any new doctrine or reuelations of men Christ himselfe is come and hath made things perfit Christ the prince of Prophets whom they looked for is manifest in the flesh by how much the Prophets were neerer him by so much they had the clearer sight of him the further they were from him the dimmer was their knowledge of him The Lord himselfe hath spoken the booke is now shut vp with a complet conclusion if any man shall diminish of the words of it God shall take away his part out of the booke of life if any man shall adde vnto it God shall adde vnto him the plagues threatned in the booke And therefore all Heretikes Papists and Turks wil not stick to agree in this common errour The Turke though he doth not denie Christ and the scripture but giues them their time and place yet will haue a way for his Mahomet who must expound the word to him as he please The Papist in plaine tearmes dares not denie Christ and his Gospell yet can he not see all sufficiencie therein but complaining of some defect he looketh to vnwritten verities and leaneth to old traditions to be giuen to the Church therefore he will haue the Pope to be Christ his vicar and looke whatsoeuer their Synodes do conclude that must be established as a catholike trueth measuring the scriptures by their traditions and not their traditions by the scriptures The damnable Familie of loue make the word which is a thing fearefull to bee thought much more to be spoken of but a nose of waxe or a shipmans hose and yet they will haue their H. N. who is the eight person and the last man who must bee ioyned with the Gospell and so farre forth as hee with other gray-headed and illuminate elders do interpret the Scriptures they will agree We now against these and all other heretikes confessing the scriptures of God to be perfect and absolute to saluation ioyne none other thing with them but say that wee liue in the last dayes wherein Christ left the fulnes of doctrine of prayer of Sacraments and discipline to the Church by his Apostles and therefore we minde no reuelation Mahometicall interpretation nor traditions of men but though an Angell come from heauen bring an vnwritten veritie varying from the trueth of God his word we vtterly reiect him Neither as running too
he is not too much grieued But if we haue not God his spirit surely we belong not to God For haue we wit wisedome health power wealth authoritie credit friends or any such thing and yet haue not receiued the spirit of God what are we but a more fit substance or subiect whereupon Sathan may frame the worke of sinne It is not the poore sillie or simple people that be the maine instruments which the diuell doth vse in his greatest affaires to doe hurt but the wise politique rich and mightie men of the world Contrariwise if with these good gifts we haue the spirit of God what great good may we doe in Church or Common-wealth If besides the beautie of God his spirit we haue the flowers of outward things what a singular ornament is this to our garland What shall I say more In affliction the spirit sheweth vs the hand of God both humbling and comforting vs reuealeth our sinnes worketh in vs the contempt of this life the desire of the life to come and so sanctifieth our crosse by wisedome repentance and patience Seeing then these are the effects of God his spirit that it feoffeth vs by faith into euerlasting inheritance it assureth vs of all our rich treasures in Iesus Christ seeing it sanctifieth all inward gifts seasoneth the vse of all outward things briefly seeing with it all things seeming miserable are most blessed and without it all things seeming happie are most miserable it followeth that of all gifts the holy Ghost is the most excellēt Howbeit one thing here is to be added that we may wholy separate our selues from the Anabaptists we speake of the Spirit as he sheweth his force in vs and worketh in vs by the ministerie of the word which two worke together and therefore it is said Ioh. 6. My words are spirit and life For without the Spirit the word is as the bright Sunne to a blind man who not for fault of a pure obiect but for want of sense is not able to discerne the cleerest thing in the world and therfore the Prophet Dauid Psal. 119 saith Open mine eyes O Lord that I may see the wonders of thy law True it is the Sunne is bright but what is that to a blinde man True it is the word is glorious but what is that to a man without the spirit of God For so farre we profit by the word as we receiue the power of it by the inward ministerie of the Spirit we must trie the spirits by the word and we shall then know that we haue receiued the spirit of God when he giueth vs the pure vnderstanding the carefull receiuing and zealous practising of the same Carnall men and our late Anabaptists be but boasters of themselues in terming themselues spiritual men we are not taught so to bragge of the Spirit or any worke thereof but as it is warranted vnto vs by the written word we confesse that blinde is our minde and that we cannot profit by the word but by God his spirit we looke not for the spirit in our phantasie but for the spirit which worketh by the word which spirit spake by Abraham by the Patriarches by Moses and the Prophets by Paul and the Apostles and by our Sauiour Christ himselfe Seeing the spirit of God is so high a thing we are here to complaine why we hunt after life profit and pleasure and haue so small care to obtaine God his good spirit which is so pretious It is a great fault to fansie so much the things of this world and so little to esteeme this And here not of a set treatise but by the way we will speake of the last part of our diuision that is of the meane how to attaine to these graces of the Spirit We know rich men can for their increase frequent faires ambitious men can get preferment carnall men will watch their opportunities and euery man in his kinde knoweth how to prouide best for his profit and pleasure Our way goeth on the other hand and heth in the carefull hearing of the word the feruent vse of prayer the reuerent fruitfull resorting to the Sacraments and most holy submitting of ourselues to the discipline of the Lord in frequenting the companie of God his children and in waining our selues from the world by all which meanes the spirit may haue a more voluntarie free and perfect worke in and vpon vs. And although all these things are not particularly here set downe yet marke here is named the most proper meane pointing at all the rest and this as ye see is prayer by the which the Lord conueigheth his spirit into vs to make all the other meanes more pleasant profitable to vs. Why then are not so many sermons now adaies more effectuall when one or two sermons touched these people so powerfully Surely God his spirit worketh not in vs as he wrought in them Why when any be conuerted doe so few turne to the Lord when as the Lord drew so many of these men at once to himselfe Because we are drawne away too much of our owne flesh and taste not the sweetnes of God his spirit as they did But can a man pray for faith and God his spirit which as yet hath neither faith nor the spirit of God Whatsoeuer good gift we haue it is certaine we haue it by faith and God his spirit in some measure in vs and then we may pray for the increase of them in vs. For it is God his spirit that prayeth in vs Rom 8 True it is that many haue receiued God his Spirit before they feele it and faith before they see it and by this meanes they pray to receiue faith and the spirit of God as they thinke or rather the increase of both thinke I because they haue receiued them before for els could they neuer truly haue prayed But they then that are called owe this dutie to Ministers that they must pray for thē euen as Preachers must pray for them Thus we shall see the prayers of the Church Psalm 67. The Pastor for the people the people for the Pastor must make prayers supplications Generally all must so let their light shine before men so watch in prayer that others seeing our godly life may say oh what a people in wisedome true godlines is this it is a good and an happie thing to ioyne our selues to them what zeale what humilitie what plentifull fruits of faith are here blessed are the people that haue such a Pastor blessed is the Pastor that hath such a people And here let vs remember how the Apostles did not onely pray for the increase of God his spirit in themselues but for the beginnings of it in others which as yet had not receiued it teaching vs thereby what is our dutie to wit that we rest not in our owne priuate feelings or in praying for the increase of them but that we pray that others may taste of the like ioyes as we
the secret counsel of the Lord herein we must know that neither the promise of the Lord is so vniuersall that euery particular childe of a faithfull man should be within the couenant for if of many there be but one blessed the promise is performed Yea which more is though that a faithfull man haue neuer a good childe yet if vnto the thousand generation there be but one good the couenant is not broken Neither must wee tie the Lords worke so much to man that a good man may not haue an euil sonne seeing though the Lord visit not his sinnes yet hee may visit the sinnes of some of the forefathers to the third and fourth generation going before To the second I say that an euill father hauing a good child though the Lord shew not mercie to that particular man therein yet he may remember his promise to some of the forefathers in the thousand generation going before And though that an euill man haue no cursed child yet the curse may be accomplished in the third and fourth generation following Wherefore not speaking of election or reprobation which we leaue onely to the Lord to make good or bad according to the good pleasure of his owne will I exhort parents to vse the ordinarie meanes to bring vp their childreÌ„ so as they either by some good tokens may see them the children of God and heires of the couenant or at the least be comforted in their owne consciences if the Lord refuse their children for some cause vnknowne in that to their abilitie they haue vsed all good meanes to bring them vp well and offered them to God And if parents haue cause to be grieued when thus trauailing in good education they cannot see good in their children how much more cause of griefe may they haue when they haue vsed no labour at all to bring them vp in the feare of the Lord and yet many will be grieued for the one that will not be grieued for the other Wherefore let vs learne if we will conueigh Gods blessings to our posterities to vse all holy duties thereunto and on the contrarie if we will be loath to conueigh Gods iudgements to our children let vs carefully auoide all meanes that leade vnto them And surely as it is a blessed thing in the houre of death with Simâ—on to depart in peace leauing our wife children and seruants spouses to Christ children to God and seruants to the Lord so in death no one thing will be more grieuous to a man than the Lords hauing giuen him the charge and dignitie of so many soules to be furthered to saluation that his owne tormented conscience shall presse him how in as much as he could he hath helped them forward to their damnation and so which is more fearefull he shall haue them spuing and foming out in his face continual curses in hell accusing him for euer to be the murtherer of their soules Howbeit I doe not exempt children from all blame so charging the parents as though the children were free from all guiltinesse herein for I am not ignorant that as in the time of Ezekiel so in our dayes youth is readie enough to take vp this Prouerbe The fathers haue eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge But I affirme that though the occasion be offered of such wicked parents yet the cause of destruction is still in the children themselues And besides that it is sure that the soule which hath sinned shall die the death Seeing also there be some yong men who notwithstanding the great prophanenes of the most the manifold corruptions offered abroade the vngodly examples abounding at home are so mightily preserued by the seede of grace that they escape safely in an holy course of life lamenting when they see the least occasion of euill reioycing in the least occasion of good things the rest who please themselues and hope to shelter their sinnes vnder their parents defaults are plainely left without excuse and are iustly guiltie of the blood of their owne soules Labour therefore ye yong men to wipe away the teares of griefe from your fathers eyes and stay the sorrowfull spirits of your tender mothers and consider with your selues if you haue any good nature in you and haue not buried the vse of common reason what a shame it is to be a shame vnto your fathers to whom ye ought to be a glorie and thinke ye wanton wits that haue not cast off all naturall affections what a contempt it is to be a contempt vnto your mother to whom ye haue offered as it were a despightfull violence in that ye are as it were a corrosiue vnto her heart when as ye should haue bin a Crowne vnto her head The end of al this briefly is thus much that parents hauing children not walking either in knowledge or in a good conscience must make some vse of so iust a cause of griefe examining themselues and accusing their owne soules before the Lord either for that their meeting was prophane to so holy an estate or brutish because they desired rather a seede like vnto themselues in flesh and blood than such as might be like to Christ by grace and new birth or that they begat their of spring as meere naturall or very carnall men or because they either prophanely neglected al educatioÌ„ or monstrously misliked that in their children which they liked in themselues and punished in them their owne corrupt precepts or for that they suffered iniuriously their children to doe euill vnto others which they could not suffer them to doe vnto themselues or vntaught that at home which was taught abroad or in that they doe lie in some sinne vnrepented of or else because they neuer made conscience to bring their posteritie within the couenant of saluation but still loued their flesh in their children not their soules And children must here also learne that it is one speciall propertie of a liberall and ingenuous nature to be carefull so to liue that in time they may bee a glorie to their fathers and a ioy to their mothers which the Lord grant to vs all for his glorie and our euerlasting comfort through Iesus Christ our Lord and onely Sauiour FINIS OF REPENTANCE AND TRVE SORROVV FOR SIN THE SEVENTH SERMON Acts 2. vers 37. 38. Now when they heard it they were pricked in their hearts and saide vnto Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe Then Peter saide vnto them Amend your liues and bee baptized euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes c. IN this portion of the holy booke of God is set downe to vs an effect or rather a fruite of Peter his sermon which hee made for the answering of the slanderous reports of the Iewes at what time they sawe the wonderfull gifts of God sent downe vpon the Apostles In which Sermon the Apostle had pricked their consciences with shewing
be deepelier humbled and â—raue more earnestly the pardon of that and other sins For as the beggar is alwaies mending and peecing his garment where he findes a breach so the penitent beleeuing hart must alwaies be exercised in repairing it selfe where it findes a want Againe oft times this triall serues to quicken and reuiue the hidden graces of the heart that men may be thankfull for them and feele an increase of them in the heart The good husbaÌ„d man cuts the braunches of the Vine not that he hath a purpose to destroy theÌ„ but to make them beare more fruit In the Canticles wheÌ„ Christ left his spouse then she riseth out of her bed she opens the dore her hands drop myrrhe on the barre of the doore then further she seekes and cals for him and praiseth him more then euer before Dauid testifieth the like of himselfe In my prosperitie I said I shall neuer be mooued c. but thou didst hide thy face I was troubled TheÌ„ cried I to thee O Lord prayed to my Lord. Lastly men that liue in the Church being for a time left of God become so impeniteÌ„t as that they must be giuen vp to Satan yet for no other cause but that the flesh may be killed and the spirit made aliue in the day of the Lord. The third end is the preuenting of sin to come This appeareth in Paul Least saith he I should be exalted out of measure through the aboundance of reuelations there was giuen vnto me a pricke in the flesh the messenger of Sathan to buffet me because I should not be exalted out of measure In the former times when the Lord among many other had set out Craâ—â—er for the maintenance of his blessed truth against his Gods enemies he left him for a while to fall from his religion to make a dangerous recantation but so as therby he preuented many sins and prepared him to a glorious martyrdome As some of his owne words may testifie which he spake a little before his ende And now saith he I come to the great thing that so much troubleth my conscience more then any thing that euer I did or said in all my life that is the setting abroad of a writing contrary to the truth which now here I renounce as things written with my hand contrary to the truth which I thought in my heart that for feare of death to saue my life c. And for as much as my hand offended writing contrary to my heart my hand shall be first punished therfore for may I come to the fire it shall be first burned Answerably wheÌ„ he was at the fire first he burnt his right hand which subscribed his body suffered the flame with such constancie and steadfastnes as he neuer almost mooued his eyes lift vp to heauen often he repeated his vnworthie right hand Thus death which he most feared he most desired that he might take reuenge of himselfe for his sinne The vse that all good Christian hearts are to make of these desertions is manifold First if they haue outward rest and walke in the feare of God and be filled with the ioy of the holy Ghost let them not be high minded but feare least a forsaking follow Secondly if in any temptation they iudge themselues forsaken let them coÌ„sider this wonderfull worke of spirituall desertions which God exerciseth vpon his owne childreÌ„ very vsually then it may please the Lord they shal find it to be restoratiue against many a quame and swound of spirit conscience into which otherwise they would certainly fall Thirdly seeing God for their triall doth often withdraw himselfe from them let them again draw neere to God presse vnto him euen as a man that shiuers of an ague is always creeping to the fire If it be demanded how a man should come neere G O D the answer is by the vse of his word and praier For by his word he speakes to thee by prayer thou speakest to him Lastly seeing by desertions God will take experience of his seruants let euery man triâ— and search his waies and euer bâ— turning his feete to the waies of Gods commâ—ndements let him indeuour to keepe a good conscience before God and before all men that so he may with Dauid say Iudge me O Lord for I haue walked in mine innocencie my trust hath beene alwaies in the Lord I shall not sâ—ide prooue me O Lord and trie me examine my raines and my heart Vers. 9. Wherewithall shall a young man redresse his waies in taking heede thereto according to thy word FIrst of all be perswaded that the word of God is that onely rule whereby the whole life of euerie man and that in euerie thing must be ordered euen the life of a young man who hath most reasons for himselfe why hee should bee excused as he is most disordered Vers. 10. With mine whole heart haue I sought thee let mee not wander from thy commaundements THen vpon this perswasion giue your selfe vnfainedly to the reading and heating of God his word as the meanes whereby God hath appointed to teach you and pray to God in the carefull vse of those meanes for his holy spirit that thereby you might come to the true vnderstanding of his word Vers. 11. I haue hid thy promise in mine heart that I might not sinne against thee THat which you haue thus learned let it not onely swimme aloft in your braine but let it be deeply setled and grauen in your heart as a treasure labouring to frame all your affections according to it otherwise if thou knowe neâ—er so much it will notkeepe you from sinning against God Vers. 12. Blessed art thou O Lord teach me thy statutes YOu thus profiting giue thankes to God alwaies for that which you haue learned be it neuer so little it is more than many in the world doe know yet content not yourselfe with it as though you had sufficient but pray vnto him to be further inlightned because it is lesse than many other doe and yourselfe ought to know Vers. 13. With my lips haue I declared all the iudgements of thy mouth BVt aboue all be careful to talke of that to others which you do daily learne yourselfe and out of the abundance of your heart speake of good things vnto men Vers. 14. I haue had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies as in all riches THat you may doe all these things labour to haue a ioy in the word and in all the exercises of it more than in any worldly thing and to be occupied in these things with greatest delight for in what soeuer we take greatest delight that will stick fastest in vs. Vers. 15. I will meditate in thy precepts and consider thy waies LAst of all meditate and consider of that with yourselfe which you haue learned and muse vpon it alone not contenting yourselfe with the generall rules but labouring in
pleaseth God but that which proceedeth out of an honest hart a good conscience and faith vnfained ¶ Verse 35. Direct me in the path of thy commandements for therein is my delight STill Dauid sees the necessitie of walking in Gods way and his owne pronenes to runne out of that way therefore he desires direction from the Lord that as he had giuen him a desire so he would enable him to performe Questionles we are of our selues readie enough like vnbrideled horses in the wayes of this world to runne our selues euen out of breath and we haue many occasions heere to spurre vs on onely the Lord can keepe vs in this path therefore must wee pray for his direction which if we once obtaine wee shall not wander either in iudgement or practise out of the right path For therein is my delight I take pleasure in nothing more then hauing a right vnderstanding of the Lawe to performe obedience to thee according to the same Of this delight we shall speake verse 92. In the meane time note that Dauid in this was a type of Christ to whom it was meate and drinke to doe the will of his Father which sent him Ioh. 5. ¶ Verse 36. Incline mine heart vnto thy testimonies and not vnto couetousnes IN the 3. former verses are three petitions concerning Gods way In the first he desireth instruction teach me in the second apprehension giue me vnderstanding in the third direction direct me But because he sawe many stumbling blocks in this way some offered to his heart as couetousnes others to his eyes as vanitie in this and the next verse he desireth the remouall of them both Incline mine heart to thy testimonies Who now can thinke that mans heart can of it owne accord be carried on to knowledge of Gods will reuealed in his word and of it selfe practise the same when he shall but consider this prayer of Dauid who though he was a man according to Gods owne heart yet durst not presume vpon his owne heart with this gracious inclination from the Lord. The most excellent wits that euer haue beene or shal be will proue in the ende great instruments of Sathan and false witnesses against these testimonies of God vnlesse it please him to refine them by his spirit and incline their hearts to his testimonies And not vnto couetousnes I take it that praying against this one sinne he prayeth against all other sinnes as pride malice Luxurie lust c. But this one is heere named because as the Apostle saith it is the roote of all euill For as there is no braunch of a tree but it is nourished by the roote no streame of a riuer but hath his currant from the spring no veyne in the body but hath his blood from the liuer so is there no one sinne no not the life of man which haâ—â— not life and liuelihood from this one sinne 1. It is as I may say the â—other sinne breeding and bringing vp all the rest Like mother like daughters all bad but couetousnes is the worst of all Yet I know not how it commeth to passe that men are now a daies called good men not of their goodnes but of their goods he is the best man that hath the best purse monie is the man yea the whole man From the peeres to the pesant all are enamoured with Ladie Lucre. But why should they be so is wealth any thing else but thicke clay is it not a part of that refined earth which man ought to treade vnder his feete when in the infancie of the Church possessions were sold the money was laid at the Apostles feete Acts. 4. to signifie as some thinke that we must rather trample vpon and contemne this trash then to haue ouer great admiration of it Alas why should we labour so after things temporall that they hinder vs from getting things eternall what will it profit a man to get the whole world and in the end loose his owne soule shall we preferre monie before God before heauen before our owne soules can it giue satisfaction to vs No it cannot Mans heart indeede is so little of it selfe that it will scant giue a kite her breakefast yet is the desire thereof so infinite that the whole world cannot satisfie it Are we the better because we are rich no more then the horse is for his gaye trappings Can we carrie them away with vs nay we brought nothing into this world and it is certaine we shall carrie nothing out The sumpter horse may carrie all the day treasure on his backe but at night it is taken from him and he carrieth nothing into the stable but often times a galled backe by reason of his burden Dauid saith if riches encrease set not your heart vpon them Salomon saith he that trusteth in his riches shall fall Christ saith it is harder for a rich man to enter into heauen then for a camell to goe through a needles eye Paul saith they that will be rich fall into many temptations and snares and therefore chargeth Timothie to charge rich men that they trust not in vncertaine riches I say then with our Sauiour Christ take heede and beware of couetousnes and that you may pray euer with this blessed Prophet Incline mine heart to thy statutes and not vnto couetousnesse ¶ Verse 37. Turne away mine eyes from regarding vanitie and quicken me in thy way HEre he prayeth against the vanitie of the eye which in truth is a vanitie of vanities Thus Vanitie seduced Heuah entangled Gods children corrupted Dinah endangered Sarah enchaunted Dauid allured Achan and by these windowes many sinnes enter into the soule Reade in this booke that godly chapter of the gouernement of the eyes and in an other booke the vanitie of the eye and with Iob make a couenant with your eyes and with Dauid pray turne away mine eyes c. and you shall looke better all the dayes of your life It were better to haue none eye then either a wanton or a wicked eye If such an eye offend thee pluck it out And quicken me in thy way he considers his owne deadnes and dulnes of spirit and he desires God to quicken him in his way this pronoune thy is very emphaticall opposing Gods way to mans way The Lord is righteous in all his wayes Psal. 1. 45. 18. all the waies of God are mercie and truth Psal. 25. The waies of men are altogether vanitie and leade to death and destruction Onely this way giueth sound comfort to the soule of man Truth it is that the wayes of men are pleasant for a time but the issues thereof are the wayes of death The wayes of God are difficult and dangerous but at the last they will bring thee to heauen ¶ Vers. 38. Stablish thy promise to thy seruant because be feareth thee WHat doth the Prophet in this verse hee confesseth himselfe to be Gods seruant An honorable seruice it is to serue God an argumeÌ„t of his
iudgements For as wee cannot learne the one without obseruing of Gods mercie so wee cannot attaine to the other without marking his vengeance We must see alwayes by the peculiar teaching of Gods spirit how the Lord punisheth in iustice and yet in mercie in wrath and yet in loue in rigour and hatred of our sinne humbling vs with one hand in pittie and compassion to our saluation comforting vs with the other hand Wee see then how the Prophet prayeth both to see them and to marke them wee neede teach this often because wee dreame so much of fatall necessitie and of the connexions of naturall causes or else because we cannot discerne betweene the crosses of the godly and the vngodly so that as the wise man saith Eccl 9. 2. All things come alike to all men and the same condition is to the iust and to the wicked to the good and to the pure and to the polluted and to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner hee that sweareth as hee that feareth or reuerenceth an oath This is then a singular gift of God to discerne how by the selfe-same meanes the Lord both humbleth the good and ouerthroweth the wicked The meaning then of the man of God briefly is O Lord giue me a right iudgement in thy iudgements that I may see how thou sauest thy children and punishest thine enemies otherwise I shall neuer discerue this Accept the free offerings c. We must marke how these things are ioyned together this is the thing for which I sacrifice the thing I wish I desire and pray for and therefore O Lord accept it The man of God alludeth here to sacrifices and sheweth that the Lord is delighted with no sacrifice more than with prayer and thankes-giuing For all other sacrifices in the time of the law as the slaying of goates killing of bullocks tended to these two as appeareth Psal. 50. 14. Offer unto God praise and pay thy vow to the most high and in the 22. vers Hee that offereth vnto mee praise shall glorifie me c. In which places the Lord sheweth that he had ordained the other sacrifices as temporal means to the eternall vse of thanksgiuing for so the Lord dealt with them as with children leading them as it were by the hand by temporal things to eternal Psal. 14 1. 2. the Prophet saith Let my prayer be directed in thy sight as incense and the lifting vp of mine hand as an euening sacrifice Where hee sheweth alluding to the sacrifices that as a sweet smell is pleasant vnto man so is the sacrifice of prayer fragrant vnto the Lord. This is the sacrifice euery day to be offered mentioned in Malachie 1. 11 where the Prophet or rather the Lord rebuking the Priests for their corrupt offerings saith From the rising vp of the Sunne to the going downe of the same my Name is great among the Gentiles in euery place incense shal be offered vnto my Name and a pure offering c. Here by the Altar and sacrifice the Prophet meaneth the spirituall seruice of God which should be vnder the gospel when an end should be made to all the legall ceremonies by Christs only sacrifice Therefore Heb. 13. 15. Let vs by him offer the sacrifice of praise alwayes to God that is the fruite of our lips which confesse his Name c. It is good to note this praise and thanksgiuing which as it is the end of sacrifices which being ioyned with doing good is the onely offering left to Christians and only is pleasing vnto God For as our fathers might know that their sacrifices were not accepted but as the Lord shewed fauour so our prayer is not accepted but as the Lord in free mercie doth graciously receiue it Wherefore it is said Gen. 4. The Lord hath regard to Abel his oblation that is he accepted fauourably the sacrifice of Abel Thus wee also vse to deale in our suites to noble persons if it please you to accept my seruice or if you will vouchsafe to receiue my suite and to consider of my supplication so here the man of God saith in effect Looke vpon this my prayer with a pittifull eye a merciful countenance We are then to knowe how wee by our prayers get no credit with the Lord but the Lord giueth credit to our prayers If then God be not delighted with our prayers which are our best things how much lesse then wil he be pleased with other things The Papists then are carnall and as our Sauiour Christ said of Peter whom they follow in faults and not in graces they sauour not of the things of the spirit Well we are to learne that if God so dealeth in our prayers he will so deale in all other things which are the better by them The free will offering c. We are here also taught to giue vnto the Lord a free offering for hee loueth a cheerefull giuer and cannot abide vs to come vnto him by constraint The Lord in the old time would haue the fattest of the flocks the purest and why because he would thereby trie his people whether his people would offer cheerfully and willingly or no by so much it was vnto him more acceptable by how much it was offred more freely So Abel Gen 4 offred of the fat of the flock that is of the best A mans sacrifice may be refused because of his corruption in him and there is no grace in man without Faith in Christ which may stād him in steed to make his sacrifice acceptable before God We must thē pray vnto God that we may offer our praiers freely that they may not be customable but that there may be in vs a lust a spirit a desire to pray remēbring this saying of the Prophet accept the free will offering of my lippes His meaning then of his words briefly is this much I do not this O Lord constrainedly or against my will but with a free good will and cheerefull heart I make my prayer vnto thee We see then our dulnes and wearines in our prayer which we must bewaile in our selues as that which hindreth vs from the fauour of God Would we deale so with a Prince as to offer vnto him the euill things as saith Malachie chapt 1. 8. And if yee offer the blinde for sacrifice is it not euill and if yee offer the lame and sicke is it not euill offer it now vnto thy Prince will hee be content with thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of hosts If we had a supplication to our Prince would we come so sluggishly so vnreuerently so carelesly as we come to pray not remembring his Maiestie neither feeling our wants nor desiring our requests nor fearing the repulse would wee not shake off all this sluggishnesse and deadnes then let vs translate this to the seeing of GOD by Faith and comming before his presence by
humble they feare themselues they seeke the Lord by prayer and are desirous to be established in the promises of God they are as strong as Mount Sion which cannot be remoued but remaineth for euer Psalme 125.1 Though then we be weake yet our Christ is strong though we haue many enemies yet the Lord hath promised to be our staie against them all Let vs knowe that perseuerance is as well the gift of God as to come at first to God We know what a free gift of God it was that we came to him Hee sought vs when we desired him not he found vs when we sought him not We see how before our calling we closed our eyes and would not see him we stopt our eares and would not heare him we drew backe and refused to goe to him and the Lord was faine to draw vs out so that our beginning came of God who reformed our iudgements and renewed our affections now to be established in seeing hearing and willingly drawing neere vnto God is his onely gift also Well we must be afraide of our selues and suspect our selues For why doe we slip often into such grosse sinnes why are we carried away with our owne affections why doe so many good motions die and perish in vs but only because of our securitie we are not careful to please God we are not afraide to offend God Well if we see that securitie hath bene the cause of our woe let vs labour to be carefull which is the cause of our good if securitie hath bene the cause we feared not let vs now be carefull that we may be afraide of our frailtie and trust in Gods word Otherwise if we be quiet with our selues and yeeld to presumption God will suffer vs to fall This is the cause why our sinnes breake out often to Gods dishonour and to the griefe of our owne consciences because we doe not more carefully to looke our thoughts and watch ouer our words It is added in this verse that I may liue So he saith Portion 10.4 Let thy tender mercies come vnto me that I may liue We see heere that the children of God thinke they haue no life if they liue not in Gods life For if we thinke we are aliue because we see so doe the bruit beasts if we thinke we are aliue because we heare so do the cattell if we thinke we are aliue because we eate and drinke or sleepe so do beasts if we thinke we liue because we doe reason and conferre so doe the Heathen The life of Gods children is the death of sinne for where sinne is aliue there that part is dead vnto God Art thou then giuen to malice to swearing to cursing to breaking of the Sabbath to adultery to filthines to stealing or slandring surely then art thou dead and if God should take away thy life from thee whilest thou art in this estate thy soule should goe sooner to hell than thy bodie to the graue We now see that Gods children finding themselues dull and slowe to good things when they cannot either reioyce in the promises of God or finde their inward man delighted with the law of God thinke themselues to be dead The Prophets meaning is this I am euen as a lumpe of flesh I am like an image or like an idoll of Gods childe I beare the face of his childe but I am as dead and as a blocke or a stocke or an idoll For as an idoll hath eyes and seeth not eares and heareth not mouth and speaketh not feete and goeth not euen so haue I eyes but I see not the glorie of my God I haue eares but I heare not the word of God I haue a mouth but I shewe not forth the iudgements of God I haue feete but I walke not in the law of my God The iust shall liue by faith Hab. 2. Rom. 1. Now I liue no more but Christ liueth in me saith the Apostle Oh that men would consider this that they are dead otherwise than their life is hidden in the promise and they haue no life but in Christ and from his spirit If the Prophet sayd this of himselfe where is the faith of our protestants where is the life of the godly where is their hope of a better life where is their practise of repentance where is the peace of conscience that passeth all vnderstanding where is the ioy of ChristiaÌ„s where is the care of mortification where is the quicknesse of sanctification where are all these become They are sewe and dead to good workes they liue in sinne they be but Christians in name they are very idols There is no life but in the word which we must finde by experience in our selues When Gods children finde this life of God in them then are they merrie and glad but when they feele that God withdraweth his spirit from them then they see how they are dead dull and carelesse as they were wont to be before they were regenerate Shall not this make vs more carefull and zealous of good workes and to be more iealous of our selues Let vs consider this that it is a ioy to haue a life and that euen the life of God the life of Angels the life of Christ when we contemne this life when wee are zealous of good workes when we feele spirituall ioyes when wee looke for a crowne of glorie when we labour to be renewed to the image of Christ. This is an heauenly life and though we will sweate and eate and drinke this is common with the beasts of the field and hauing no experience of faith in vs wee are either dangerously sicke or altogether dead If wee thinke it an hard matter to restore nature in a consumption how hard a thing is it to restore grace and saluation in a consumption of the soule If wee are without hope when a man is in a languishing disease when he hath no delight to eate when hee cannot brooke his meate and his sleepe is gone from him hee cannot labour and Physitians dare not meddle with him what hope is there when we are in such a consumption that the woâ—d which we heare doth vs no good the Sacraments which wee receiue doe vs no comfort prayer doth vs no good and when we cannot abide to labour in good workes surely it is a token we are almost languished to death if wee be not already dead wee are in extreame danger The Lord indeede is gracious and would not our death but if wee bee consuming and see it not if Gods life be going from vs and Sathans life is comming to vs if Gods graces be languishing in vs surely we are as dead Let vs then search our owne corruptione that we may see how neare we are to life or how neare wee are to death whether wee growe or consume whether for the one wee are to feare and pray to God or for the other to reioyce and praise God Thus we haue heard that the faith
vs if we like idolatrie idolaters will be acquainted with vs if we wil walke carefully our selues and will not rebuke the sinnes of the world or desire the dreames of heresies happily we shall passe scot-free but when we hate the world the world will hate vs because though we be in the world we are not of the world Iohn 15. If we proclaime warre with heresies heretikes will condemne vs if we taunt and rebuke the sinnes and cold profession of worldlings they will soone put vs to silence For it may be they will be content that we should be Momes and doe well and not rebuke them but when we pull at their sins by the eares and lay violent hands on their cold profession then we shall see the enmitie betweene the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman Thus we see so long as we will shake hands with the world the flesh and the diuell we shall be quiet enough but all our perils and dangers are in resisting them For all must haue these troubles that make their choise but all make not this choise therefore are so quiet all must suffer persecution that will liue godly in Christ Iesus but so few suffer because so few liue godly in Christ Iesus We may now conclude that all our conflicts are in new birth not that we haue more troubles temptatiōs in regeneration than in old birth but because we were so sowsed and brawned in them that we saw them not so much as we afterward do being enlightned with Gods spirit Why do the wicked then say of vs Oh these are new Professours ne◠fangled these men had need haue a new world surely because there is no argument with the worldlings and Gods children But all these troubles are to make vs more zealous in our choise True it is the Lord dealeth fauourably with vs in the beginning as a father dandleth his childrē as the Bridegroome vseth the children of the marriage but we are growne and are past children in knowledge and profession he thinketh it meete we should be purged as gold seuen times in the furnace Psal. 12 He thinketh we must be pruned to bring forth fruit more aboundantly Ioh. 15. If we dally then with our sinnes as truly as God hath sworne our saluation and it is most sure we shall be saued so hath he ordained meanes for so many as shall be saued as his word Prayer the Sacraments and discipline which when they doe not preuaile with vs yet hath he sanctified another meane that is affliction wherewith he wil rather humble vs than we should leese our saluation that when prayer cannot helpe vs when the word doth not instruct vs when the Sacraments doe not confirme vs when discipline doth not awe vs we should taste of this last remedie his fatherly correction Here we see deliberation did put the reasons in the ballance and election made the choise and Gods children comparing and examining the loue of the world with the loue of God though they be made of the same mould that others are made of yet seeing the iudgement of God on both parts they ponder the reasons of one side and the reasons of another side and after long deliberation they forsake that glory riches and dignitie which the world doth offer and taketh that which the Lord in mercy bestoweth on them But the wicked goe indeed so far as they see the good but to their condemnation for light comming into the world they refused it and though with Balaam sometimes they desire to die the death of the children of God yet they blot out these motions forsaking the word they follow error farsaking God they follow the diuell forsaking the Church they cleaue to the world so iust is their cōdēnation for burying the light of God his spirit Vers. 174. I haue longed for thy saluation O Lord and thy law is my delight THe man of God goeth on forward in shewing his vnfained affection to the word and therefore here he sheweth both how he longed for it and also how in the meane time he slayeth himselfe It might seeme a general speech of lesse importance which he vseth here for who is so farre gone and hath so small hope of recouerie that cannot say he longeth for his saluation for we reade that euen Balaam desired to be saued and the most wicked in their life time will haue many wishes of their saluation What notable thing then is there here in the man of God true it is that the Lord wringeth out thus much often euen out of the mouth of the wicked vnto whom he imparteth so much of his right and goodnes that they see what they should do desire but yet in truth they do it not in that their desire is so short and slender When we see then that all their wishing and praying commeth to nothing it is sure they are but hypocrites Againe they will say they long for saluation but they will not vse the meanes thereunto as if one should say he longed for bread and pray daily giue vs this day our daily bread and yet they will either walke in no calling or else get it by fraude rapine not staying themselues at al on Gods prouidence but they long rather for other things ioyned with Gods glory than for God his will howsoeuer in the meane season they make the help of God their pretence so it is in the spirituall estate of the soule for although Idolaters heretikes and hypocrites say that they long for their saluation yet they long indeed for their profit pleasure glorie and self-loue For if they longed for that saluation which is of God they would not so follow their owne dreames reuelations and superstitions but vse those meanes of the word which the Lord himselfe hath appointed As for prophane Professours they will indeed say as much as the other but bring them to the word to prayer to the Sacraments and to discipline yee shall see they haue no sound longing but are carried away with the desires of their owne flesh and blood Wherfore we see how this longing of the man of God differeth from the longing of other men as we may see by the sequels for my delight is in thy word Where wee see that as he longed after saluation so hee delighted in the meanes thereunto And here as we often shewed before the lawe is taken for that generall thing of the whole word of God and not for the particular thing of the morall lawe which consisteth in bidding and forbidding in promises to the obedient and threatnings to the disobedient And that the true longing is no newe thing in him but appertaineth to all men we may see in the first Psalme where he is said to be blessed who seuereth himselfe from the wicked in thought word and deed both in religion manners and giueth himselfe to meditate continually in the word Now if we will trie our selues whether
The word saith God is merciful prayer findeth by practise that God is mercifull The word speaketh of the maiesty power and goodnes of God praier obtaineth the exprience of the maiesty power and goodnes of God If a man commeth to knowledge faith and comforts by hearing it is rather an infusion from God into man than an action proceeding from a man to God but if we tast of the power of these things by praier as there is an infusion from God as the author so there is an action from man as the agent instrument This gift of praier is also a nurse of repentance because our praiers looke with bloody cheekes as ready to blush when with guiltie consciences we come before the Lord. If we should haue a suite to a prince we would be loth he should haue a iust complaint of our rebellion to lay against vs for feare of repulse or of a worse thing we would not willingly haue our accuser stand before him wheÌ„ we are suters vnto him much more are we to feare our hypocrisie if we presume in wilful disobedience to pray vnto the prince of the spirits and searcher of all mens hearts And if we can be bold to pray in the hypocrisie of our hearts to such a God we must needs either be abashed without comfort or astonied without feeling we shall find our praiers either accused or accursed or both 5 Although there was but a weake faith in Moses when he prayed yea though it seemed rather to be an expostulation than a prayer Exod. 5. 22. 23. yet the Lord respected his faith and pardoned his infirmitie Exod. 6. 1. 2. 3. c. So great is the Lord in mercy and readie to heare those that call vpon him though in weaknes which may not onely serue to moue vs to pray but also assure vs that the Lord will heare vs. 6 If any would know a true faith then trye it by one speciall fruit thereof if our faith moueth vs to prayer it is true and so much faith so much prayer which will take away doubting and confirme vs more in Gods goodnes Where are confuted those which say if Gods prouidence rule ouer all what needeth praier For then had Moses and the children of Israel prayed in vaine and Dauid saith Psal. 34. The Lords care is open to our prayers But if the promises of God whereon our faith is grounded make vs to refraine prayer from the Lord it is manifest we are too secure and carnally minded we are to feare that our faith is false 7 In that the Lord heard Moses in prayer wee may asluâ—e our selues that hee will also heare vs for from a particular example may be gathered a generall doctrine as is euident by the like gathering of Iam. 5. of the prayer of Eliah so that we shall either haue that we couet or else some spirituall recompence onely this let vs care for that we be righteous faithfull and continue in prayer and then shall we haue comfort in our selues For reading getteth knowledge but prayer is that that getteth feeling and experience 8 Notwithstanding the Lord had promised by the mouth of Moses that hee would giue deliuerance to the Israelites yet hee ceaseth not although hee was surely perswaded that the Lord would performe his promise to pray for the same and that in most hartie and seruent affection euen so did Eliah when he prayed for raine which hee knew would certainely be which teacheth vs first that Gods promises doe not make such as feare him to be carelesse but carefull to vse the meanes Secondly that faith will alwaies shew it selfe in prayer the stronger faith is the more vehement shall be our praier It is said that Moses cried and yet he did not speake a word so the holy woman Hannah 1. Sam. 1. 5. prayed in the very bitternes of her spirit yet vttered not a word which teacheth vs that the hartie prayer onely pearceth the cloudes and is heard of God and the voice is no further heard than the vehemencie of the spirit doth cause it For as the bullet out of the Gunne or an arrow out of a bow so out of the abundance of our heart must our prayers proceede Therfore the voice may be vsed in priuate prayers to stirre vp the affections and to keepe the minde from wandering and in publicke prayers because God will bee glorified in soule and bodie and that others may be edified but both publikely and priuately it is the heart onely that is accepted 9 The refuge of Moses was by prayer to flie vnto the Lord and this is the manner and dealing of all the deare children of God not to keepe close their griefe within themselues but by prayer to make it knowne vnto their God that in him they may finde helpe If wee then when griefe oppresseth vs can pray vnto the Lord and make knowne our requests vnto him we may haue hope that in his good time he will deliuer vs but if our griefe doe so trouble vs that it causeth vs to fret so that we can seeke no helpe for it or else doe in our owne strength fight against it there is small hope of our deliuerance 10 Moses praved sometime very vnperfectly and yet then the Lord heard him which teacheth vs that the Lord doth greatly like of prayer yea though it bee after a stuttering manner as Hannah praied in the Temple or if it he but a chattering as Ezechias prayed in his sickenes yet if it be in the bitternes of the soule and in the vprightnes of the heart the Lord doth like of it very well It is not the fine words nor the well framed sentences that he delighteth in he is then wel pleased with our praiers wheÌ„ in the vprightnes of our hearts wee offer them vp vnto him and when the Spirit by working vnspeakeable grones in our hearts doth make our requests known vnto God Onely let vs looke for the perfection of our praiers in Christ let vs still rebuke our selues and stirre vp our hearts to gather confidence that we may come more cheerefully vnto praiers as Dauid did saying Why art thou so heauie O my soule And then may we be sure that such praiers are very well pleasing in his sight And here there appeareth a special difference between the vnbeleeuing Israelites and the faith of Moses they looked on the drie earth and vnto Moses where they could haue small hope of redresse but they forgot the Lord therefore they murmured when they should haue prayed Contrariwise Moses forgot them and so escaped murmuring he looked vnto the Lord and so fel to prayer This is a certaine note of true faith when at the first time that trouble doth oppresse vs wee can yet powre out our complaints into the Lords bosome and by prayer looke for helpe from aboue And although we can find no fruit of our prayers yea though we thinke that our praiers
The Scripture in this point is plentifull Who can say his heart is cleane There is none that doth good no not one all are sicke either of the couetous dropsie or ambitious feuer of the itch of concupiscence He that hath not the fit on him may start vp and looke to his neighbour All our health is a perillous disease our righteousnesse is as a rag stained with the flowers of a woman If none be voide if many sinnes lie hidde in vs for who can tell how oft he offendeth who can say he is not crased if our cleannesse be filthie if our light be darknesse if our health be sicknesse how filthie is our filthinesse how darke is our darknesse howsoeuer is our sicknesse And how truly is our body called abody of death If then we had any hope of our recouery it would make vs look for our Physition Christ. CHAP. LXIII Of Physicke and Diet Sicknesse and Health IN that Christ doth vouchsafe to bee called our Physition and to bee so it doth greatly commend vnto vs his kindnesse vnspeakable and mercie vnmeasurable that hee would come downe from heauen from his throne of glorie to become a Physition to heale our desperate diseases More that hee is no common leach but such a one as wee may safely put our liues into his hand it wil appeare easily if we consider the properties of an expert Physition in whom these three are chiefly to be considered and required First a sense of the infirmitie wherby in looking wel ouer vs we may know the disease the more throughly Such a one was Christ Esay 53. He had good cause to know our infirmities he needed not that any should counsaile him he knew what was in man Secondly a very readie and willing minde to heale them and take paines with them that are diseased This also was in our Sauiour Esay 64. The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me in that hee hath annointed me that I was willing to heale the broken hearted preach forth the acceptable yeere of the Lord. Thirdly a facultie and facilitie in healing This also was in full measure in him He went about saith Matthew doing good healing euery disease and maladie among the people which may far more fitly by way of a Metaphor be translated vnto the soule where after a more singular way he worketh great masteries and doth great cures This is the comfort of all comforts to the groaning soule to haue a pitifull a willing and a skilfull Physition to looke vpon them and take them in hand 2 When sicknes or any affliction is vpon vs wee must take heede that wee indent not with the Lord but learne presently to liue righteously and to profit by whatsoeuer is laid vpon vs though we see not present release For if the crosse onely humble vs and wee be not humbled in heart what shall we be when the crosse is gone Therefore let vs see the Lord and bee humbled because it is his doing and with our whole heart subscribe thereunto and let the Lord remoue it in his time so that we presently profit by it 3 A certaine man who had bin three yeeres pained with a grieuous disease and finding no remedie by Physick wished many times to die and yet when he had better considered he humbled himselfe and said with his heart If this lie on me all my life yet wil I serue the Lord which done he found present ease and was not troubled therewith afterward Also when men are fallen into the hands of the Magistrate or of the discipline of the Church they will shew great repentance for the time But when the time of their examination and course of Iustice is past then also is their pietie past they are neuer the better which sheweth that they were not truly humbled neither receiued any profit by their present correction But let vs learne to profit by both namely by the immediate or mediate haÌ„d of God vpon vs and know that if the Lord forgiue our sinnes they shall be forgotten of men and if we shame our selues and be truly humbled vnder his hand for them then the Lord will take away our shame and whatsoeuer affliction in his due time 4 If wee promise amendment in the time of our trouble and yet followe it not in the time of prosperitie it is for hardnesse of heart For Pharaoh his example is for to feare we must not put it off for time to come but presently learne to amend our liues otherwise the Lord may deale with vs as he did with him 5 When sicknes or any other trouble doth afflict vs if we would know whether it proceed from the fauour loue of God towards vs let vs learne to see it in the example of the theefe on the crosse who fled vnto God profited by the crosse and would that others also should so do for if we can in trouble flie to God not to witches and profit by our crosse which in it nature is able to make vs worse whereunto also Sathan will set to his hand if wee desire to amend our life and that others also should amend by our example by these fruites we may see that our sicknes is sanctified in Christ and all other our troubles are also sanctified in him For God would not haue receiued vs so graciously in the sacrifice of his sonne Christ if he ment to destroy vs he hath giuen vs so many pledges of his loue So we may reason with our soules as Manoalâ—s wife did with her husband ludg 12. 23. 5 Seeing God created all things nothing hath vertue in it but as God giueth it and when it pleaseth him he taketh it away Our father Adam liued with hearbs and yet should haue liued for euer but we haue many other things for our nourishment and yet liue not Again our fathers before the flood liued longer than we do yet had not so many â—â—shes as we haue The children of Israel liued fortie yeeres with Manna and Moses and Elia liued fortie daies without meate all these teach vs that man liueth not by bread onely and that the want of the creatures doth not necessarily cast vs into diseases but that it is our siâ—â—â—e which casteth vs into them Meate doth not nourish vs Physick doth not heale vs and the creatures doe not strengthen vs but the Lord doth all in all as it pleaseth him to trie his children or to punish the wicked 6 In corporall blessings if we haue not the spirit to teach vs that by the word and by prayer they are sanctified vnto our vse if we cannot receiue euen euery morsel of meate at Gods hands as tokens and pledges of his fauour surely we shall either at the last be brought to loathe them or to set our hearts too much vpon them so that the Lord shall be constrained to take them from vs to make them â—ot melt and stinke so that we shall not finde
may stay Gods children for a time that they looke not to God nor to their sin yet if the punishment be long vpon them then they lift vp their eyes vnto God Psal. 30. 2 As when a man brought into the iayle conueying him out by bribing the iaylour purchaseth to himselfe greater punishment if after he be taken yet suing to the prince for pardon getteth it and scapeth cleerely so if a man be healed by a witch or wizard which is vnlawfull he deserueth a greater euill if the Lord visit him wherefore let such speedily repent but if we be healed by the Lord and the meanes he hath ordained then wee freely escape and may be thankfull 3 The wise men of Aegypt could not doe as Moses and Aaron in the small creatures where we shall note that witches cannot hurt further than the Lord wil as the diuels paces are also limited and they cannot hurt when nor where they wil but as the Lord is displeased as Balaam confessed And Ahab was not deceiued before the Lord gaue the spirit leaue that so the hypocrisie of men which receiue not the truth in loue may bee detected yea the Lord may afflict his children for a time hereby for to let them see their vnbeliefe and to stay their faith 4 Many not knowing their owne infirmities rashly vow and promise liberally as whores and theeues and therefore anon after returne to their vomit But the children of God knowing their owne weakenes are afraid to make large promises and yet stand more strongly afterwards against sinne CHAP. LXXIII Of the word of God and of the confirmation thereof by wonders THe Lord being about to giue his lawe vnto the Israelites by the ministerie of Moses his seruant doth aforehand warne Moses therof this he telleth him that he wil be seen of him in a darke clowd Of this the Lords strange and wonderfull appearing there are two ends or causes the first was that hee might get more credit to his law and also to Moses the Minister of the law The second was to shew Moses his weakenes infirmitie whereby he might be humbled And for the first wee see that when the Lord would bring to passe any mighty workes he did withall shew such mightie signes as made his works with reuerence to bee receiued and those whom in his businesse hee had appointed Ministers to bee well accepted In the day of Elias when the law had lost credit in the hearts of men and was little or nothing at all regarded then did the Lord wonderfully worke by his seruant Elias and did great things by his hands that credit might once againe bee wonne vnto his law And when hee brought his sonne into the world by whom he would publish the Gospell euen the sauing health of all men such works were shewed as had not beene from the beginnings and such wonders were wrought as made all men amazed at such time as these more than ordinarie mercies were brought and offered vnto the world whereunto these extraordinarie works were coupled and adioyned and therefore such works cannot ordinarily be looked for because they were neuer ordinarie For if such works and signes and wonders should now be looked for and if we should attend vnto them and beleeue them the Lord would then haue warranted them to vs by his word and then hee would haue foretold vs that such things should after come to passe And hath he done this No no hee hath taught vs another lesson and cleane contrarily hath he admonished vs when he biddeth vs beware of false Prophets which come to vs in sheepes clothing and would purchase credit to themselues by lying signes and wonders Seeing therefore that there shall be many such false Prophets especially in the latter daies which shall be sent abroad euen into all places effectually to delude those that haue not receiued the truth in loue And againe seeing the Lord is not bound to meanes but hee will worke when and where and how it pleaseth him that we may wisely iudge of them and discerne the spirit of error from the spirit of Truth and life it shal be profitable for vs to set downe some true notes of those wonders which are set out to vs in the Word if by cōparing them together it may appeare when and how farre they must be receiued and contrarilie when we may and ought to refuse them The first note or difference is in the works themselues the other is in the persons by whose ministery they are wrought for the works themselues which God hath extraordinarily wrought there hath euermore such Maiestie appeared in them that the finger of God might be so plainly seene that all men yea euen wicked sorcerers haue bene brought and forced to acknowledge the same and though the Diuell can turne himselfe into an Angell of Light and his ministers make a shewe as though they were indeede the ministers of righteousnes yet let them worke what they will and say what they can neither their workes nor wordes shall beare such an apparant shewe of Maiestie as the workes of God haue euer done Euery man therefore may plainely see God in his workes and none shall bee deceiued by the othes but those that loue to belieue lyes and are willing to deceiue themselues whome God doth iustlie giue ouer to bee deceiued and to fall from Faith because they loued not to abide and stand stedfast therein For as an Ape of all other liuing things most like a man in shape yet most vnlike of all others in qualitie and condition can deceiue none but euery one will easily know an Ape from a man vnlesse they be fooles or children or such as will bee willingly ignorant so betweene the workes of God and the lying wonders of the Diuell there are so cleare notes of difference that all may easily discerne them but those that shut their eyes that they may not see and harden their harts that they cannot vnderstand The children of God do receiue such wisdome from aboue and such knowledge doth the Lord in mercie bestow vpon them that they are able to discerne the spirits to trie their workes whether they be of God or no and to seuer true doctrine from the false And albeit the Lord sometimes correcting them for their sinnes doe suffer them for a while to bee deceiued and that they might hate falsehood the more doth let them a little bee deluded therewith yet because the Truth of God it cannot faile not an haire of their heads perish it is impossible that they should for euer fall away it is impossible that they should finallie be deceiued and become open enemies of the Trueth or obstinate maintainers of a lye Secondly the Lord did neuer raise vp such extraordinary worke-men or shewe such extraordinarie workes but it was either to confirme the doctrine that had bene taught to get further credite vnto it or else to make it more cleere