and our wonder at him but such was our pride he gained our envy of him His Father whether because he was not resolved what calling to breed him to or for what other cause I know not after that hee had with credit proceeded Bachelour of Arts hee took him home where he abode some good time yet applying himselfe unto his studies While hee remained at home with his Father hee married the Daughter of one Master George Hunt the sonne of that tryed and prepared Martyr Iohn Hunt mentioned in the Book of Martyrs who was condemned to be burnt for Religion but was saved from the execution thereof by the death of Queene Mary This Master George Hunt was bred up in the Famous fâ—ee Schoole of the Marchant-Taylers in London and afterward by the incouragement of Master D. Humfry by occasion of a visit of that Schoole and by the furtherance of M George and Mr. Iohn Kingsmells and by the exhibitions of Bishop Pilkinton all which for their honour sake I name he was called unto and mainetained in that worthy Foundation of good Learning Magdalen Colledge in Oxford till hee was Fellow of that House where hee continued till hee had borne the offices of Deane of Arts and Deane of Divinity Afterwards by the meanes of those worthy Master Kingsmells hee was preferred to the Church of Collingborn-ducis in the County of Wiles where for the space of fifty and one yeares and five moneths he lived a sound and constant Preacher of the Word and was of an unblameable and holy life even untill the oyle of his radicall moysture was spent and the candle of his life of it selfe went out in a full and good old-age after a long and joyous expectation and longing for his blessed change which was in the eighty and third yeare and fift moneth of his age This Master George Hunt after that by importunity hee had got this his sonne in law to make tryall of his ability to preach he overperswaded him to intend the ministery And thereupon he entred himselfe into Edmund Hall in the famous Vniversity of Oxford and tooke his Degree of Master of Arts. Not long after hee entred into the Ministery and hee was presently called to be a Lecturer at Banbury which he commendably performed above the space of foure yeares and then was called to be Vicar of the same Church which office hee faithfully discharged neare thirty years till he died The abilities wherewith God had indued him for his work of the Ministery were more then ordinary For hee was of a quicke understanding of a cleare and deepe Iudgement of a most firme memory and of a lively spirit Hee was naturally eloquent a master of his words having words at will Hee had a most able body and sound lunges and till some yeares before his death he had a most strong and audible voice And according as his matter in hand and his auditory needed he was both a terrible Boanerges a sonne of Thunder and also a Barnabas a sonne of sweet consolation And which was the crowne of all God gave him an heart to seek him and to aime at the saving of the soules of all that heard him His speech and preaching was not with entising words of mans wisedome but in demonstration of the spirit and of power He was an Apollos not onely eloquent but withall mighty in the Scriptures He like some of the Ancient Fathers was as occasions fell out sometimes an every dayes Preacher He preached ordinarily in his owne Church twise each Lords-Day and catechized for above halfe an houre before evening Prayer examining and instructing the youth and once a weeke he preached the ordinary Lecture Hee was much against all such preaching as was light vaine scenicall impertinent raw and indigested His preaching was plaine but as much according to the Scripture and also to the rules of Art and of right Reason as any that ever I heard or have heard of In conference he hath told me what hee aimed at and what use he made of the Arts and what rules hee set to himselfe in the studying of his Sermons which was as followeth That he might better understand his Text hee made use of his Grammer learning in Greeke and Hebrew in which tongues the Scripture is written Also hee would use the helpe of Rhetoricke to discover to him what formes of speech in his Text was to be taken in their primary and proper signification and what was elegantly cloathed and wrapped up in tropes and figures that hee might unfold them and see their naked meaning Then well weighing and considering the context hee would by the helpe of Logicke finde out the scope of the Holy Ghost in that Scripture Hee would endeavour when he began to enter upon the preaching of any Chapter to Analise and take the Chapter into its severall branches and parts Then he would if it were a doctrinall Text note the Doctrine as it lay in the Text and so prosecute it Or if the Text consisted of illustrations or circumstances of some principall truth there prosecuted hee would then gather from some notable part or branch of his Text an apt Doctrine or Divine Truth which should so immediately follow that the Truth observed in the Text should be the argument or middle terme wherby in a simple Sillogisme he could conclude his Doctrine Next hee would seeke for apt proofes out of Scripture to confirme it Fewer or more as hee thought best which done because other arguments according to Scripture and right Reason are forcible to convince and confirme reasonable men in any truth hee would find out Reasons of his Doctrine but he aimed that they should bee strong Arguments or middle termes by which hee might likewise Sillogistially conclude his said Doctrine Then according to the nature of the Doctrine and the need and aptnesse of his Auditory hee would as from an infallible consequent of his Doctrine by way of Application confirme some profitable Truth which yet by some might happily bee questioned or else convince men of some errour or reproove some vice or exhort to some Dutie or resolve some doubt or case of conscience or comfort such as needed Consolation In all which sorts of Applications hee did make use of more or fewer of them as there might bee cause and hee would bee carefull that his Doctrine should bee the Argument or middle terme whereby hee might sillogistically conclude the maine Proposition of any of his said uses And if the reproofe or exhortation did need pressing home upon the conscience then hee would study to enlarge his Speech shewing motives to induce to such a duty and allso disswasives from such a vice taking his Arguments from dutie to God decency or shamefullnesse pleasure or paine gaine or losse And here again he would use the help of Rhetorick but all for the most part in a concealed way without all affectation And sometimes he would shew the effectuall meanes of attaining of the Grace and
was to seeke Christ and that they had an aime to know God aright and to serve him in sincerity Notwithstanding all this good which according to the truth hath beene said of him it must be remembred that hee was a man and not without his imperfections and frailties For what man is he that liveth and sinneth not And as it is also said In many things we sin all It is usuall with God that men of the greatest parts and gifts should be exercised with some or other inordinate affection to bee mortified and some strong temptations to have some thorne in the flesh or some or other messenger of Satan as the Apostle had to buffet them Else they would be exalted above measure to the sleighting contemning and condemning of their Bretheren and other men would have too high an opinion of them halfe deifying them despising those vvho are no lesse holy but not so excellently gifted as they There was nothing which did more evidently discover truth of Gods grace in this man then that which was occasioned by his slips and strong temptations For these made him more watchfull over himselfe then otherwise hee would have bin It made him more humble and more to loath his originall corruption and sinfull nature and bewailingly to cry out with the Apostle O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this Death And that because hee was as other the deare servants of God are most sensible of the captivitie and bondage which sin would strive to hold him under sith that when he would doe well evill was present with him and made him sometimes to doe some things which in the bent of his soule he would not have done This served to make him more humble in himselfe more earnest in prayer to God and more pittifull towards others in whom this sinne remaineth and dwelleth even after conversion which as the Apostle saith is a weight and doth easily beset them to hinder them in their Christian race And this I am assured off that hee would be the first espier of those faults of his when the world could not nor did take notice of them having no peace in himselfe untill he had with all speed and earnestnesse sought and regained pardon and peace with God He may be a patterne to all in receiving admonition from any that should in love mind him of his fault Hee was glad when any of the righteous smote him and would take it well not from his Superiours onely but from his equalls and farre inferiours Hee had learned with David to blesse God that sent them and to blesse the advice to follow it and to blesse the party and thanke him that gave it Hee would intreate such as hee hath done me in particular not to be wanting to him in this Christian office of Love and hee would really shew more testimonies of his love to such afterwards then ever formerly which is a sure argument of uprightnesse A most reverend Divine who had knowne him from his infancy and had often conversed with him gave testimony of him to this effect unto me and others when lately he spake of him by occasion of the mentioning of his sicknesse His latter daies were his best daies for in the judgement of those who could judge spiritually hee grew exceedingly in humility and in spirituall and heavenly mindednesse his last works were his best works arguing him to be of Gods grafting and planted in the house of the Lord. Lastly hee had a most happy and comfortable successe of his conflicts against sinne For a good while before his sickenesse and death he did with Comfort and Joy make knowne to his dearest friend that God had given him victory against his greatest corruptions vvhich had for a long time kept him in continuall exercise About eight weekes before his death a great fit of inward and short coughing and extreame shortnesse of breath did cease upon him in so much that those who came about him feared that hee would presently have departed This fit beeing over much weakenesse continued yet hee preached divers times untill that his encreasing weakenesse did disable him In the time of his sickenesse and weakenesse hee gave heavenly and wholesome counsell to his people neighbours and friends that came to visit him giving particular advise to his wife children and servants respectively according to their place and condition as they oft came about him thus hee did oft so long as hee was able to speake unto them His Christian speeches that concerned all tended to this that they would be carefull to redeeme the time and to bee much in reading hearing and meditating of the Word of God That they would be much in Prayer much in brotherly love and communion of the Saints And that they would be carefull to hold fast that which he had taught them out of the Word of Truth And that while the light and meanes of Salvation was to be had they should not spare paines nor cost to enjoy them He was oft in his sickenesse upon the painefull racke or torture of inward snatchings and convulsions which sometimes left him but three or foure dayes before his death they returned and increased upon him all which hee bare exceeding patiently Hee was much in ejaculations and short prayers and lifting up his heart to God in the behalfe of the Church and State and for himselfe allso which hee was most frequent and earnest in a little before his death In the time when a brother of his not onely in the common bonds of Christianity but allso by alliance and a brother in the Ministery was praying with him and for him to this effect that if his time was not determined or expired that God would be pleased to restore him for the good of his Church or if otherwise that hee would put an end to his paine if he saw good at the hearing thereof hee lift up his eyes stedfastly towards Heaven and allso one of his hands hee being not able to lift up the other and in the close of that prayer gave up the ghost shutting downe his eyes himselfe as if hee were fallen into a sweet sleepe Hee lived much desired and died much lamented Thus a great a good and mercifull man a chariot and horse-man of Israell is by Gods owne hand fallen and taken away from the evill to come and is entred into peace and rest in his bed of everlasting pleasures and joyes enjoying the fruit of his Faith in Christ and of his walking with God in uprightnesse Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the death of the Saints though the wicked regard it not but are glad of their absence But the living indeed they must and they will lay it to heart and will prepare and long for their owne dissolution that they maybe more immediately gathered to Christ the Iudge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect expecting and waiting for a blessed Resurrection of themselves
causing us never to see the second death though we must not be freed from the first for that was the speciall priviledge of Enoch and Eliah and was never granted to any other that we read Labour therfore to hold fast in your soules a firme perswasion of Gods love to you in Christ and withall a firme purpose of pleasing him in all things Let sincere truth of obedience be joyned with a firme perswasion of Gods love and the firme perswasion of Gods love be joyned with a sincere indeavour of obedience then death shall never come amisse then you are alwaies ready for it So David faith I have hoped in thy salvation and done thy Commandements So then if we would be ready for God we must doe two things Turne to him and walke with him To turne is to begin to walke with God to walke with God is to continue to turne to him O ye that have not begun to turne doe it to day turne now call to mind your former evill waies to judge your selves for them to lament them to seeke of God in Christ forgivenesse of them and power against them and labour to rest your selves upon his goodnesse in Christ for pardon and helpe and so have you made your peace then keepe your peace by a constant indeavour to please God in holinesse of life and a constant renewing of your assured perswasion of his love O happy man he that can so fit himselfe for his latter end Brethren let the mention of the deaths of so many aged persons make you carefull to prepare for death you that be young doe it because death takes away young men as well as old and you that be old doe it because you may meete with it very suddenly and must needs meete with it afore it be long Againe you see these long-liv'd men here wrestling with the corruptions of the world and their owne some a longer time and some a shorter but all in comparison of our selves a great while The longest lived man for number of dayes was Methuselah who lived nine hundred sixty nine yeares but for perfection of life Adam who lived a perfect man nine hundred and thirty yeares The shortest lived of all the Patriarkes was Noahs Father Methuselahs Sonne Lamech for he lived seven hundred seventy and seven yeares and died the yeere before the floud a little before his Father Methuselah who lived till that very yeare that the floud came and drowned all and was taken away that he might not see the floud Now why did God lengthen out the daies of the Patriarkes I answer chiefely to maintaine the knowledge of God and true religion in the world that by the long life of one godly man the truth which then was not put in writing but by word of mouth delivered from man to man might be kept more pure and undefiled Adam lived till Methuselah was two hundred forty and three yeares old Methuselah lived till Sem the Sonne of Noah was one hundred yeares lacking two so that Sem talked with him that had talked with Adam who could acquaint him with all things concerning the creatures the fall and the promised seed out of his certaine knowledge and experience he had beene made of nothing he had seene all perfections and Methuselah could tell it to Sem and Sem lived to see Isaac borne and a Father So that Isaac might speake mouth to mouth with him that had spoken with him that had spoken with Adam the first man that ever was Was not this a notable confirmation of his Faith THE FIFTH EXAMPLE OF The Old World WEe have propounded particular Examples unto you hitherto as also the Scriptures have done Now following them wee must set before your eyes the Examples of an whole multitude even of an whole World full of men and women that gave themselves to worke wickednesse before the Lord. It is called in Scripture the old World and the world of ungodly In the space of a 1656. yeares the generation of mankind was growne to that height and exorbitancie of wickednesse that the patience of God could no longer endure them Now concerning this Old World we will shew you three things 1. Their sinnes 2. The goodnesse of God to them notwithstanding their sinnes 3. The severe punishment that fell upon them at the last and so will make use of all First for their sinnes the Holy Ghost sets them out in generall and more particularly In generall the sinne of man is said to be great and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was evill and onely evill and that continually Secondly it is said that all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth So their naughtinesse was remarkeable in these two respects it was exceeding hainous and grievous in that they committed great and fowle sinnes in great abundance with great wilfullnesse and gave themselves to add sinne to sinne doing nothing but plodding and contriving wickednesse and then all men gave themselves over to the same bad course you could not finde a man that made scarce a shew of goodnesse out of Noahs house When all consent together to sell over themselves to worke iniquity and grow past shame or feare running into most grievous and notorious sinnes with greedinesse and wilfullnesse this is very offensive to Almighty God and will certainely provoke his wrath to bring upon them some fearefull and heavie punishments Divers reasons may be thought of that caused this exceeding great growth of sinne in those times 1. The long life of men for let an unsanctified man continue long and he will grow more and more sinfull the longer he continues Sinne by frequent exercise growes more and more violent and head-strong So living a great space of time they grew above measure naught 2. They had strong and able bodies together with health and ability to enjoy the things of this life 3. They had great peace in regard they all lived under a paternall governement the agedst in the family still being acknowledged the governour of the family and they had all one language and so no great cause of controversie and one religion too it is like seeing the Patriarkes lived so long that they were immediately taught of God save that they degenerated to prophanenesse and the most became of no religion and so did not warre with the contrary little partie unlesse it were with jests scoffes and contumelies Long life great strength great peace begat great wickednesse But more particularly the Lord takes notice here of their 1. Unlawfull and carnall marriages 2. Of their violence and oppression And our Saviour telleth of their great worldlinesse that did sell over themselves to temporall dealings and cared nothing for better things and S. Peter tells of their obstinacy in sinning and their not beleeving nor regarding they were disobedient whilest the long suffering of God waited in the daies of Noah Yea our Saviour
that is good alone according to the common streyne is hollowly good wee must be pure of those faults which are allowed almost of all But let us consider the particular good things noted of Noah First S. Peter testifies of him that hee was a Preacher of righteousnesse meaning of that righteousnesse whereof hee was also an heire and practiser All you cannot be Preachers of righteousnesse by speciall office as Noah was this belongs alone to us Ministers and O that we could learne to be like Noah in our places continuing faithfully to teach men the will of God and call them to repentance and to true righteousnesse in Christ and good life in themselves Surely Noah had slender encouragement for we doe not reade of any one man that heeded his Preaching he if any other might complaine that his labour was in vaine and that his time and strength were spent to no purpose We that are Preachers must imitate him in a patient discharge of our duties what if God doe not vouchsafe to work with our labours to bring men to righteousnesse shall we be disheartned No no but following this good man continuing to doe Gods worke and looke for our reward from him And againe I call upon you for great thankfullnesse to God for that he hath set many Preachers of righteousnesse amongst you in this Kingdome and hath vouchsafed to hold mee in this office amongst you for these thirty yeares or thereabouts I have Preached righteousnesse among you according to that measure of knowledge and utterance that God hath vouchsafed mee O let mee have some better encouragement from you then Noah had from the old world and indeed I have had and I blesse God and I blesse those among you from whom I have had it Some of you have beene carefull hearers to the preaching of righteousnesse and have turned your feete into the paths of righteousnesse The Lord stablish you in those happy waies for ever And one thing now I beseech of you that you be suitors unto God to raise up to all the places that have not Preachers and to continue to them that have such as Noah was Preachers of righteousnesse which themselves also will practise especially I require you not to forget your selves in this towne but make it one part of your daily supplications to God to grant you a succession of Preachers of righteousnesse when my selfe must leave you God knowes when O Lord let there never want so long as this Towne and Church standeth a faithfull Preacher of righteousnesse to supply this roome in which I now stand amongst you this day But secondly Noah is commended for his faith By faith Noah saith the Author to the Hebrewes did c. you must all labour to get this same faith This is the grace of graces commended in Abel in Henoch before named and now in Noah without which we cannot possibly please God But what is this faith you will aske mee I answer I will shew the nature of faith unto you It is that grace by which a man assents to all that God speaketh for the authority sake of the speaker This is the nature of faith in generall Under it is comprehended that which is called justifying faith being an assent to the Promises of the Gospell or of the new Covenant upon the same ground This assent is double first generall to the word generally spoken and particular to a particular conclusion duely deducted thence concerning ones selfe And whosoever doth truly assent to the generall must needs assent to every particular concluded under the generall because the contradiction of an universall proposition is made by a particular contrary to it and the generall is accounted false if it may be denied or be denied of any particular for Example if I say all the twelve Apostles were godly men and another say one of them as Iudas was not a godly man though a eleven were good yet because this one was not so he hath shewed that proposition to be false Now then marke that faith yeelds a double assent First to the thing generally spoken Secondly to the particular conclusion contained therein and thence deduced and this assent must be grounded upon the bare authority of God the speaker in respect of his perfect and infallible truth because it judgeth him faithfull therefore it esteemes his words true not because it can see reason for things in his owne discourse and understanding This is faith for example God said to Noah there shall be a floud to drowne all the world there was no reason to thinke it should be so but God said so warning Noah of things not seene as yet as the Apostle speakes and therefore Noah was verily perswaded that there should come such a floud to destroy all mankinde Againe God promised Noah that if hee would build an Arke God would save him and all his family and all that would come with him into the Arke There was no naturall likelihood for this neither for in such a floud an Arke or the best ship in the world could not keepe men safe but that with the furie of the waters they would have beene dashed against some rocke or other and wracked yet God said so to Noah and he beleeved it for himselfe and his family This you see was Noah his faith And I call upon you to consider whether you have this faith or not Doe you assent to all the narratiions promises threats of Gods Word even because God the Author of it is true and doe you assent to the particular conclusion concerning your selves in that generall contained The Lord threateneth in his Word Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things doe you beleeve this generall and the particular that will follow from it but I have not continued c. therefore I am cursed Againe the Gospell saith all that doe not repent and beleeve shall be damned Doe you beleeve this and doe you beleeve the particular contained under this I doe not repent and beleeve the Gospell therefore I shall be damned or contrarily I doe repent and beleeve therefore I shall be saved Search what authority Gods Word hath with you if you deduct the particular from the generall in every point then you doe beleeve the generall els you do not And alas how manifest is it that most men have no faith but alone say they have as S. Iames speaketh and beguile their owne selves The threats of Gods Word and his promises are of no value with most men they doe not perswade themselves that any of those evills shall be performed against them which the Scripture denounceth against such sinners as they be nor that any of the promises shall be performed to those that performe the things contained in the promises If they see naturall likelihood of any good or evill they can be perswaded it will come but if there be no proofe but a bare promise or threat out of the
to that promise for God hath tied himselfe as well to all Abrahams sonnes even all the faithfull as well as to himselfe you see the profit of such association with good men Wherefore they must be reprooved that are imbittered against godly men and are enemies to those that love God hating men even for goodnesse sake and persecuting them for righteousnesse sake without doubt these provoke God to fight against them and to become an enemy unto them joyning in the quarrell of the Saints which indeed for his sake they have taken up against them It is an evill thing to be a foe to those that feare God and it shewes not alone an absence of goodnesse but also a great strength of wickednesse He is surely carried by Satan at his pleasure and a slave in a great degree to the Divell that cannot endure the image of God in a man And yet our Lord tells his servants that they shall be hated of all men for his names sake But now let every man learne of these three wise men to make choice of godly men for friends familiars and allies If a man be not himselfe a worshipper and servant of God yet let him at leastwise like and love those in whom goodnesse shineth The Centurian Iulius by being courteous and friendly to Paul who was then his prisoner gate his life and the life of his souldiers for a reward for God gave unto Paul all the prisoners that were in the ship with him So many blessings as a naturall man is capable of he shall assuredly obtaine from God by the prayers of his servants who cannot choose according to the precept of our Saviour but pray for their persecutors much more for their friends and favourers Now another good thing in these three brethren is this that according to their covenant and confederation they did affoord helpe to Abraham and joyned their strength with him to fight against the foure Kings for the recovering of Lot Abrahams Cousin and performed their part with so much courage that Abraham got the victory and wonne his brother and all the spoile of Sodome for which also Abraham was carefull that they should have a full reward in taking their part of the booty which himselfe forbare to take This Example must be followed of all good men when they have made a covenant they must so stand unto it and be ready to affoord such helpe and performe all such offices as by covenant they have obliged themselves unto Covenants and agreements must be duly kept though the things be such which come to be done as require labour cost and hazard for this is a practise of that excellent vertue of truth or fidelity then which nothing is more needfull for the common prosperity of humane societies for unlesse men may trust one anothers words what living can there be together in the world and without trustinesse in those that make promises there is no beleeving their promises and so the sinewes of the world are as it were cut asunder or cracked Therefore in the 15. Psalme it is indeed a signe of a godly man that when hee hath sworne in covenant or otherwise he will not change though it should fall out to be for his hurt Faith requires that the thing be done which hath beene spoken and how can hee challenge the name of a good man in whom faithfullnesse is not found or how should it be expected that hee will be faithfull with God whom hee never saw that is not faithfull to his neighbour whom hee sees daily Wherefore let every man compare himselfe with these civill righteous men and see whether himselfe hath carried himselfe as honestly and justly as the very light of nature instructed them to doe I meane whether he hath faithfully kept his covenants for how shall hee be able to justifie his right and interest unto the honourable name of a true Christian man that falleth short of those vertues which many of the Gentiles have carefully practised And if any mans heart accuse him of unfaithfullnesse and slipperinesse in this kinde let him humble himselfe and be much ashamed of it Should we not blush to see Heathens exceed us in good conversation and that our righteousnesse is not greater then that of the Pharisees who did at least equall the Heathen in righteous dealing Surely they shall never be admitted into the Kingdome of Heaven before whom the Gentiles have gone in good behaviour of life yet many there be professing to be Christians whose untrustinesse this way filleth the mouthes of all that deale with them with just and grievous complaints They be so possessed with selfe-love that when they have made a covenant promise or compact the least disadvantage will make them use the craftinesse of wit to winde themselves out and neglect their covenants They know how to tie others hard and leave themselves loose through the loosenesse of an evill conscience These are men that be guilty of neglecting justice judgement and faithfullnesse and if they streine never so much at gnats and swallow these camells our Saviour will be bold to intitle them as he doth the Pharisees and pronounce a woe against them saying Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites Learne now to be very sorrowfull if you have carried your selves more unrighteously in this kinde then the honester sort of those have done who lived out of the confines of the Church and be carefull to repent by their example that their goodnesse may not rise up in judgement against you and condemne you And resolve with your selves I pray you now to preferre your credit before any other thing in this earth and to put your selves upon losse and hazard rather then incurre the deserved reproach of men faithlesse and dishonest It is not wittie tricks and devices that will save you from reprehension before the Lord and your owne consciences and other men your name shall rot and stinke and become loathsome if you deale untrustily though you paint your evill deeds over with never so faire and trim excuses Wit is never more abused then when it is made a patron and a protectour for falsehood and evill dealing Be righteous therefore in this particular and put your selves in minde of your promises and covenants to keepe them you cannot but know that this is a duty your consciences require you to doe to others even as you desire that they should deale with you and therefore must needes condemne you for such falsitie which your selves with open mouth are ready to cry out against in others And so much for these three men Now for Ephron the Hittite he is named alone once Gen. 23.10 and in his carriage we observe three things deserving commendation and fit to be imitated by us First he salutes Abraham with honourable and courteous language saying my Lord heare mee and againe my Lord heare mee Secondly he was liberall and kinde to Abraham and offered freely to give him
it not to mee When the rich man refused to sell all and give to the poore upon an extraordinary command from him he lets him goe and admits him not to follow him nay by his words spoken immediately after it is as possible he excludeth him from Heaven for he must needs be understood of that rich man and such as he was Now if not giving of all upon an extraordinary occasion will shut a man out of the Kingdome then the not giving of some convenient quantity upon an ordinary occasion must needs procure the like punishment because the disobedience is equall in both cases The reason is first this is a flat disobedience to most expresse plaine and frequent Commandements There is scarce a duty of the second Table which God hath more plainely laid downe more often repeated more earnestly pressed then this of giving to the poore He therefore that liveth in perpetuall negligence of this dutie and either will not acknowledge it or will not practise it lives in a wilfull and constant rebellion against God Thinke not my Brethren that it sufficeth to proove a man upright if hee doe not live in a sinne of commission that is in the continuance and allowed doing of something forbidden by God Nay if he live in a sinne of omission i. e. in the continuall and allowed neglect of a duty commanded this is not to obey God in all things this shewes ones heart is not universally subject to God This prooveth that some vice hath dominion in him and that he loveth and respecteth something more then God which cannot stand with uprightnesse yea beloved this hypocrisie which is so much over-awed as it were by cleerenesse of knowledge that it scarce dares discover it selfe by taking boldnesse to commit sinnes of commission but knowes how to hold in with sinnes of omission and to give them allowance enough is so much the more dangerous by how much it is lesse discernable For hee seemeth to himselfe to have much to say for himselfe why this duty should not at this and this time binde him because no affirmative precept bindes to all times and so hee will shift it from himselfe in such manner as not to take notice that hee offendeth whence groweth the greatest perill of all Therefore know you that this unmercifullnesse to the poore as prooving that obedience is but partiall and so that the heart is not upright is sure a very great sinne But secondly it declareth that a man beleeveth not the promises of God and so that his faith is not unfained It is sure that as hee which obeyeth not all Gods Commandements obeyeth none so he that beleeveth not all his promises beleeveth none For if we submit to his truth because it is a perfect truth wee must grant that hee cannot lie nor be deceived in any thing and if wee build not our consenting to his words upon his truth that cannot be called faith at all Now God hath made so many so evident so full promises to those that are mercifull to the poore as no other duty almost can alledge for it selfe A promise throughly beleeved must needs produce obedience to the Commandement whereto it is annexed because every man is so truly desirous of his owne welfare that what hee doth stedfastly perswade himselfe will procure good unto him with the paines and cost for that hee will surely put himselfe to the paines and to the cost Hee theerefore that is not mercifull doth not beleeve these promises because hee doth not obey the Commandements to which they be joyned How then doth hee beleeve any other promise So we have prooved him by this argument to be voide of faith and is not that a great sinne which convinceth him to be void of faith in whom it is Further no man hath true charity that hath not a heart to confirme the hand of the poore for S. Iohn makes the conclusion thus Hee that loveth not his Brother whom hee hath seene how doth hee love God whom he hath not seene And hee doth but lie that saith hee loves a man unlesse he be ready to releeve him for S. Paul saith that love is bountifull wherefore S. Iohn is peremptory in this conconclusion saying He that hath this worlds goods and seeth his Brother hath neede and shutteth up his compassion against him how dwelleth the love God That therefore is a great offence which prooveth that a man hath either none or none but counterfeit charity I have shewed you what a grievous offence this is of the Sodomites afore I passe from it let mee shew unto you a necessary distinction of poore men Some are Gods poore as I may terme them some the Divels Gods poore are they whom his hand crossing them or some naturall meere indiscretion of their owne or abundance of charge want of worke or the like hath brought into and doth keepe in poverty The Divels poore are those whom idlenesse wastfullnesse and unthriftinesse doth make poore because either their hands refuse to labour or else they consume it all up superfluously when they have gotten it The former kinde of poore you ought to strengthen and the not strengthening of them is a sinne To strengthen the hands of the latter is to strengthen their sinne and therefore their hands must not be strengthened for S. Pauls Canon is against it He that will not labour shall not eate Now consider every man of himselfe may it not be justly said of you that you doe not strengthen the hands of the poore Are not a number of you in your owne consciences convinced or if you would not winke might bee convinced that you doe not strengthen the poore mans hands When have you with any willingnesse given to any poore man any reasonable quantity Yea how backward are a number of you to give any thing at all Here is such complaining amongst you of your being seised too much one and too much another that it is more then evident you have little will to part with your money to his purpose I know not what skill to use for the fastening of a reproofe upon a niggard I will not so much as strive to doe it therefore But I call upon each of your consciences to become a just and true Judge against you and to finde one your guiltinesse and to give you no quiet till it have made you confesse the fault and blame you for it But I call upon conscience in vaine I feare for the conscience of a niggard is alwaies a bad conscience so inthralled to the love of money that he will not want excuses to make himselfe thinke he need not do that duty by which he should lessen his heape But these excuses shall one day aggravate the sinne therefore whosoever is an offendor in neglecting this duty of strengthening the hands of the poore I pray you give your consciences leave to passe a right sentence upon you viz. that your faith love obedience
and such When in these things hee doth not as S. Paul biddeth equall himselfe with them of the lower sort but of the higher When though God have humbled his estate yet he maust still keepe up his port and by hooke or crooke make a shift to be as gallant as ever This prooves a proud heart for noe man would bestow so much garnishing upon himselfe if he did not count himselfe some body and did not desire to be so accounted of others Therefore Isaiah among other fruites of proude vanity speaketh of the many gewgawes of the women of his time by which they sought immoderately to set out themselves A number of you thinke your selves farre the better when you have set up your selves with a deale of gaudinesse such lace such ruffes so in the fashion If it be sutable to your place and meanes it is no great discredit but if above surely it is as great a discredit as can be for it is as if you should weare a paper upon your heads or backes in which were written in great letters as in some other crimes hath beene done Bee it knowne unto all men that here goes a proud man and a proud woman It is even a Proclamation of your pride and folly and a telling tales against your selves which I am sure you would not doe if you did well thinke of it yea it is more then that for it brings your names into question about your truth and if you be females about your honesty there is such a mans servant she is exceedingly sleeked up see what a wase-coate what a gowne what a ruffe what a dresse shee hath it might well beseeme a mans daughter that would give her a large portion what hath this wench to maintaine it Is her father able to doe much for her no well then I wish she get it by honest meanes I wish that either a false finger or an over-curteous lip do not helpe her to it I am afraid all is not well that she is so fine This is all the good this haughtinesse doth you and will you not leave it The Sodomites punishments First they were taken captives blesse God that you have not felt this misery Secondly God sent fire and brimstone and destroyed them all at once Ezek. 16.49 They were set forth for an example Iude. v. 7. Sodome was turned into ashes 2 Pet. 2.6 The ground is now turned into a salt sea called the Dead Sea no fish will live in it the bird that flee over fall downe dead Thirdly they were cast into the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Let us feare the sinnes of Sodome God is able to punish us in the same manner * ⎠* THE FIFTEENTH EXAMPLE OF ISAAC HItherto of Abraham and those that lived with him now we come to Isaac the sonne of Abraham not of his body so much as of his Faith for hee was the sonne of the promise the sonne of the free woman not of the bond-woman which was borne as S Paul saith not by the flesh nor by a meere naturall power but by promise by vertue of that gratious promise which God had made with him for this was a word of promise at that time I will come and Sarah shall have a sonne and in Isaac shall thy seede bee called and wee bretheren saith the Apostle as Isaac are sonnes of promise Now Isaac signifieth laughter or hee hath laughed or shall laugh a name given to him by God himselfe upon occasion of his Fathers laughter when he heard the promise not out of unbeleefe as Sarah once laughed but out of the joy which he conceived from the assured hope which hee had of the performance of the promise and because God filled both Abraham and Sarah with gladnesse and laughter at his birth when they were both olde and in course of nature were now past all possibility of having children Concerning Isaac we must shew his birth life and death For his birth he was borne in the hundreth yeere of his Father and the 90. of his mother His Father was Abraham his Mother Sarah both as good as dead but by faith they received strength to have a Sonne at that age For Faith will make a barren body fruitfull and also a barren heart In in his life consider First his Virtues and goodnesse Secondly his faults and weakenesses Thirdly his prosperity and benefits Lastly his afflictions and crosses For his Virtues in generall he was a true godly man and was endued with Faith without which no man can please God This Faith the Author to the Hebrewes taketh notice of in him saying By Faith Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau as concerning things to come This vertue of Faith is that by which a man beleeveth God in all that he speaketh barely by vertue of his truth and indeceiveable authority And as it apprehendeth the truth of all Gods word so particularly the truth of his promises and by name that great promise of remission of sinnes and salvation for the sake of Jesus Christ the true Messiah and promised seede in whom all spirituall blessings are conferred upon the sonnes of men for it is said in him shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Consider your selves therefore Bretheren whether you also have this same vertue of Faith in your hearts beleeving all that God speaketh to you because he speaketh it and specially all his promises and by name that principall promise of grace and salvation by Christ for without this Faith you cannot be the children of God If you have it not you are strangers from God and from the covenant of grace If you have it you are his sonnes and daughters justified before him and accepted in his sight through him the Beloved in whom the Father is well pleased And therefore labour to get it and to grow in it more and more that it may exceedingly abound in you as S. Paul saith it did in the Thessalonians But beware you deceive not your selves in a bare conceite of Faith saying you beleeve when indeed you doe not so but let your Faith be a working Faith approoving it selfe by love and by obedience that so you may indeed be the children of Abraham and children of promise as Isaac was and If you can thus approove your Faith then rejoyce in it above all things knowing that you are rich in Faith though you want all outward things for he that hath Faith hath God to bee his and that is sufficient to make him happy in the absence of all other things More particularly Isaacs Faith shewed it selfe by many excellent effects in regard of God For first he submitted himselfe to God to be offered on the Altar by his Father according to Gods commandement not making any resistance because his Father made it manifest unto him that God had given him a commandement so to offer him Hard it is to say whether the obedience of Abraham in being willing
preferment in Aegypt did not make him forget God and turne either an Aegyptian idolater or a wicked man but Joseph was Joseph still in all his tossings and tumblings of his estate if you be still good in all estates adverse and prosperous as JOSEPH was magnifie Gods grace that hath established you in every good word and work and confesse that you have stood by his power but if any have declined or back slided from his goodnesse let him see his misery and doe his first workes returning to God who calleth back-sliders and promises to heale their back-sliding So much for Iosephs spirituall benefits now for the naturall benefits And first in generall He was a prosperous man and God made all he did to prosper both in Putiphars house and in the Prison So God prospered David where ever hee went and Iob too for a while this brings contentment to a mans selfe and getteth him a good esteeme from others See therefore whether God vouchsafe you this mercy ascribe the praise of your prosperity to him and let this goodnesse allure you to love feare and obey him to seeke his honour and to doe all good with that prosperity of thine but if contrarily God crosseth any of you and sets himselfe against you so that nothing thrives with you see Gods hand that doth walke contrary to you and finde out the cause and turne this adversity into an occasion of the greatest prosperity There is a sanctified adversity as well as cursed prosperity labour to feare God and walke in uprightnesse before him and disesteeme earthly things And so much for his generall good estate more particularly First God delivered him out of sore heavy and grievous calamities and by his speciall providence and in a manner more then ordinary First when his Father sent him to his Brethren he lost himselfe wandring about and knew not where to go then God caused a man to meet him that it may seeme did know him and told him where he should finde his Brethren Secondly when his Brethren consulted to take away his life God raised up Reuben to deliver him and when they thought after to have dispatcht him the Merchants came by and so God took them off then when he was in bondage God inclined Putiphars heart towards him and his Masters likewise in the prison and lastly the Butler remembred him when he had long lien there and by that meanes God brought him out of the prison and advanced him to be chiefe Officer in Aegypt Thus you see strange and happy escapes out of misery so that Joseph might well have called God by the same title that his old Father Jacob did the God that delivered his soule out of all adversity as David also intitles him Hath God strangely also delivered you out of great miseries either from keeping them from falling upon you when in all likelihood they must have come or in helping you when your selves could see no way out if so acknowledge Gods Providence and goodnesse and forget not him in your good estate that remembred you in your low estate let those that are in misery learne to cast themselves upon God as Joseph did submit be patient trust in him The Lord in bringing his servants into calamities aymes at their bettering by them and his Glory in their deliverances learne patience therefore and confidence So you see how God pulled him out of evils Next consider what good things hee stored him withall for indeed he laded him with benefits as it is in the Psalme And to begin with the gifts of his mind First the Lord gave him that extraordinary gift of interpreting Dreames even from his childehood almost with which hee furnished Daniel too and made it a meanes of great preferment to them both You know how readily hee could tell the Butler and the Baker what was meant by three vine branches three dayes and the wringing of them into Pharaohs Cup and giving them into Pharaohs hand the restoring of him againe unto his office So in the Dream of the other servant of Pharaoh 3. Baskets are three dayes the eating of meat out of the highest by the foules upon his head signified the devouring of his flesh by birds after that Pharaoh had hanged him on the third day So for Pharaohs Dreames the number of the kine and eares of corne 7 and 7 signifying each seven yeeres the quality of the kine and eares full and good eares with fat fleshie and well favoured kine plentifull yeares thin blasted and empty eares with leane ill fleshed and ill favoured kine yeares of famine The eating up of the fat and goodly by the leane the utter forgetting of the past abundance by the following of the famine and the number of dreames Secondly the certainty and neere approaching of the things which was to bee surely and instantly fulfilled You see how apt these dreames were to signifie these things and when God gave to Joseph the spirit of interpretation how easie the interpretation is and how fit and handsome as it were all things sorting so reasonably for such a meaning Doubtlesse this interpretation by its owne clearenesse and fitnesse did carry the credit of truth with it Now at those times when God did please to make Dreames an ordinance of his for the revealing of things necessary it was a speciall favour of his to give the power of interpreting them too for what is a dreame if it be not interpreted but a meanes of perplexed thoughts and feares Now God that gave power to shew the meaning of Dreames when Dreames were his Ordinance is able also to give the gift of interpreting his Word unto men seeing the Word is now his Ordinance for the revealing of all truth to men needfull to salvation We must beseech God to powre gifts upon his servants now even to give unto his Ministers skill and will to become faithfull interpreters of his Word and if God do give to any an extraordinary gift this way let him be thankfull to God and use it for their good that need it Another gift of his mind was great wisedome and dexterity to mannage any businesse committed to his charge You see how hee dispatched matters in the great houshold of Putiphar so that they perceived that all things went well which could not have bin so if the person that ordered all had not had an excellent head to guide them and after when he was in prison by little and little his Master found out his excellent sufficiencies to doe any worke and therefore as the former master did so hee intrusted him with all And when from ordering a family he came to order the whole Kingdome of Aegypt he underwent that busie and toilesome work with so much discretion as gave the King and all his people content so that to Joseph Pharoah sent them and unto Joseph they gladly repaired It is a singular favour when God gives one as they