quis peregre profectus vidisset procul a patriâ desertam regionem de ea apud alios referret aliquanâ—o nâ—que ei crederetur quid afferre possâ—t nisi a testibus vel historia prâ—beâ— impossibile est ejus detur demonstrativa ratio Atque haec de necessi ate credendi Iâ— any man travelling into farre countries had seene farre from his countrey a desert region and should afterward make mention of it to others and they should not belâ—eve him what could he bring unlesse he could prove it by witnesse or history It is impossible a demonstrative reason should be given of it And thus farre of the necessity of beleeving In faith foure things to be noced Now for this word Beliefe note 4. things 1. The heathen themselves have set downe in every art oportet discentem credere a leâ—rner must beleeve whatsoever we first receive we receive it from our teachers This principle hath his ground Actio perfect in imperfecto recipitur primò imperfectè tum perfectè the action oâ— one perfect is received in one imperfect 1. imperfectly 2. perfectly Wood 1. warmeth tum habet imperfectum alienum calorem then it hath an imperfect and strange heate then it burneth habetque prorium sie discentes prius ab aliena recipâ—unt â—ide quam ipsi ad perfectioâ—em aspirent cognitionem and it hath its owne proper heat so learners first receive from the faith of others which they themselves bring to a more perfect knowledge Confirmed by Esay 7.9 Nisi credideritis non stabiliemini If ye will not beleeve surely ye shall not be established 2. After we have received by beliefe then may we seeke for it by demonstrations aut à priori aut à posteriore either from the former or from the latter to confirme our beliefe Ratio quia ut artium reliquarum ita religionis principia nobis innata habemus the reason is because as of other arts so have we also the principles of religion naturally bred in us The principles of Divinity alwaies agree with true reason truth disagreeth not with truth the principles of religion are not contrary for if we should never come to any certainety or knowledge Warrant that reason agreeth with religion Acts 17.24 c. The true worship of God proved by naturall reason True reason an helpe to faith and faith to it the uncorrupt judgement of man choaketh not religion Rom. 1.19 By the principles of nature we may come to that which may be known of God Acts 17.24 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That which may be knowne of God is manifest in them For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearely seene being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power and Godhead c. 1. De partibus animalium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if though in a small measure we attaine to the knowledge of the Gods that knowledge is worth all other knowledges If God had made contrariety it had then beene unpossible we should come to an end 3. When we have yeelded our selves to beliefe and have strengthened it by reason yet we must looke for an higher teacher and though faith be an unperfect way and we unperfect yet may we walke in it We are therefore to pray to God that by the inspiration of his spirit he would keepe us in this way Now this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divine inspiration is given to those in whom religion is sealed Arist in his metaph De iis quae supranaturam sunt soli Deo credendum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning those things which are above nature we must beleeve God above and his divine inspiration is to be sought with sacrificings 4. The meanes of contemning order in these three 4. Because this inspiration commeth not at the first we must wax perfect by little and little and be sure that we build on the rule and stay till it please him that will send it Festina lente Hasten leasurely No greater enemy to knowledge then to be a hasty beleever The avoyding of praepropera consilia overhastie counsels doth agree with Esay 28.16 qui crediderit ne festinet he that beleeveth shall not make hast A man therefore is not to ground of presumptions and presupposings but by little and little goe forward till he come to the rocke Therefore this part is spent 1. in receiving it i. beliefe 2. in seeking to strengthen it 3. in expecting of an higher teacher 4. that we be sure to proceed by little and little sed certo tramite but in a sure path The first daies station Foure degrees of Satans tentations what they be and how they depend each on other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Selfe-deity The third part 1. The first daies journey or the first station that a man is to goe is to beleeve that there is a God For preparation to this point note foure things they are Satans proceedings 1. Heresie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe-deity when as man was in the state of his first perfection it was impossible to perswade that either himselfe was God or to worship any creature as God or to beleeve that there were no God or to worship the divell as God Therefore the divell sought to put into mans mind that he himselfe was God Therefore he perswaded Adam that his eyes should be opened and that he should be like unto God Therefore as man departed from God by unbeliefe and presumption so was he to come to him by beliefe and humiliation but this opinion he left the same day for he was confuted so soone as he had eaten of the apple and after by hiding himselfe behind the bush Alexandri excepto in obsidione vulnere hic sanguis hominem esse denotat Claudii qui sibi se Deum esse persuasisset quoad audito tonitruin tentorium consugiens dixisset hic Deus est Claudius autem non est Deus That of Alexander is observable at a besieging having received a wound this blood saith he sheweth me to be a man And of Claudius who perswaded himselfe he was a God till hearing the thunder he fled into his tent and said This is God Satans way of bringing man to the ignorance of the true God Claudius is not God So you see that these who were given to this Heresie are soone confuted as Adam was 2. Because God Genes 4. was an helper to man after his fall as in making him garments the divell by a false conversion strooke this into the minds of his posterity that whatsoever did them good was to be worshiped as God ut ille 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A conceit of many Gods whatsoever nourisheth me that I count a God By this confounding the profit that came of the instrument with that which is of the principall and so were brought unto a great company of Gods into a
moment swept away with the besome of destruction we find Lament 3.22 that it is the mercy of God that we are non consumed And that the worke of the creation is not in vaine and then consequently as it is Esa 6.13 that a remnant there shall be and God will have a tenth part alwayes reserved to himselfe yet playner Luk. 12.32 That there shall be a little flocke pusillus grex but yet that our hope is that of those few we are If the Lord were sparing and pinching of his mercy there were a great impediment to our hope but when we read Esa 30.18 Expectat Dominus ut misereatur vestri the Lord waiteth that he may have mercy upon you this setteth our hope in better forwardnesse and so because that out of the gate of mercy all our hope commeth Faith is set on worke to consider the persons upon whom God will vouchsafe to bestow this hope Lament 3.29 he saith He will even thrust his face into the dust i. humble his soule If peradventure he may have hope Esay 66.2 Hope is given to them that 1. heare and rest not in ignorance and unbeliefe and 2 tremble at his words wherein feare is included and that are 3 poore in spirit wherein humility is forced of such God hath a care and so consequently the faith of the Law and the spirit of humility and feare having wrought this in the speciall promise in us we then come to be of the number of the hopers But much more when our faith findeth Psalm 17.7 the promise of God Shew thy marvellous loving kindnesse thou that art the saviour of them which put their trust in thee from such as resist thy right hand And Psal 34.21 Not one of them that trust in him shall perish or be destitute And Psal 91.14 when we heare him speake in his owne person Liberaho cum quia speravit in me I will deliver him because he hath hoped in mee When as the very act of hope shall have such a reward there is good incouragement to it there may be great expectation if it Now what it is to hope in God the Prophet sheweth it Psal 13.5 to hope in God it is to hope in his mercy for that is porta spoi Sperare in Deo quid the gate of hope There is no entrance to God but by it there is no issue of any good from him to us but by it so faith apprehending mercy hopeth and the rather because there is such plenty of mercie promised Psal 32.11 he that hopeth in the Lord shall have such plenty of mercy is that he shall be compassed about with it Object Quomodo fides precreate in nobis possit timorem spem own adversentur sibi Now if one demand how Faith begetteth in us both feare and hope two Contraries and doubt that it cannot belong to one man both to feare and hope in God But seeing the Holy Ghost hath so neerly kâ—â—t them together in divers places wee are not to doubt of it as Psalm 147.11 31.19 33.17 Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him and upon them that put their trust in his mercy Sol. Ps 147.11 But the Lords delight is in them that feare him and put their trust in his mercie So neither is the reason farre to seeke because faith breedeth feare in us in regard of our owne weaknesse Hope in regard of the mercy of God So they being non secundum idem are not contraries and may be both together in one subject in one soule of a just man For distinguishing between faith hope because there may seeme to be no difference betweene them though much might be said Reason yet this is sufficient that it is faith that beleeveth the promises The difference betwixt faith and hope and hope that expectat credita looketh for that that is beleeved the meaning is this A thing may be beleeved and not hoped for as hell it s a thing that every man beleeveth but none will hope for it and a thing may be hoped for and not beleeved So the gener all truth of God being the object of our Faith and that containing terrours bringeth forth feare and the matter of love and mercy in his promises bringeth forth hope so we see they are dislinguished ab objecto for one hath Gods truth for his object and the other his goodnesse The three vertues Faith Hope and Charity Bernard very well divideth them by attributing to each her speech faith saith reposita suâ—t bona good things there are that passe the conceit of mans heart Hope saith mihi illa servantur those good things are reserved for mee and Charitie saith curro ad illa and I do so runne to them that I may attaine them Thus out of the faith of the Gospell hope ariseth as feare out of the faith of the law and therefore hope is called of the Fathers the Izhaak of faith Thus we see the nature of hope Uses it hath two Vâ—us 1. Is in Heb. 6.19 when a man with feare of the wrath of God and the conscience bewraying his owne unworthinesse and in soule his crosses and terrors feeling them in some part to light on him in this life being tost up and downe Hopâ— our Anchor hope commeth to be his anker that when the ship of faith being tossed to and fro as Acts 27.29 the Apostles ship when it was bereft of her loading tacklings and all the ship being yet tossed of the waves when all else was gone they cast out the anker Hope our interim It is also called by some of the Fathers our Interim i. that which stayeth us in the meane time till the performance come when we are tost in humility and feare that that we first draw breath by is hope and giveth a certaine binding i. religion This anker must bee fastened in the inside of the vaile which is Christ and we tied to it by religion and thither we shall come being fastened there The 2. Use is not so much to stay us as toretaine Christ so they call it in their common precept Hope custâ—â— Christs that which retaineth Christ Custodi spem custodem Christi custodem dei that Heb. 10.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering we have a charge given us to take fast hold of it and as when we are in danger as when we are under the hands and wrath of God we are in the case of them that are ready to be drowned or to fall into a pit wee cast away gold and whatsoever we have in our hands and that that commeth first to hand yea if it be a bramble bush wee take fast hold of it which otherwise we could never touch such an use hath hope to us Let us therefore keepe fast as the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that it be not gotten from us
thing to seeke for prima the first things So being in any prima especially to seeke ante omnia primum that which was first before all Flato in his Epistles to Dionysius signifieth unto him that those Epistles that containe sound matters and that he would have him beleeve he beginneth with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God or with Gods helpe in the singular those that he would not have him to beleeve and that containe doubtfull matter with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods or with the helpe of the gods in the plurall making God the note of truth Seneca Varro Cic. de nat deorum and gods the note of falshood Zeno would say to his schollers Dicite plures discite unum say many learne one Sophocles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the truths there is one God Thus among themselves they muttered the truth howsoever for feare of punishment or because they would not trouble the Common-wealth they thought this errour of the multitude of gods very expedient to be suffered But because as Aug. 24. de civit Dei 4. in the latter daies in the Primitive Church the Philosophers were ashamed of the multitude of their gods and therefore said that they in the old time would never be so absurd as to worship divers gods but that those names were given in respect of the divers powers therefore we must goe farther with these Porphyrie No similitude can be made which can represent God 1. The Heathen did appoint diversity of gods 2. That they commanded the images to be made like to themselves if they shewed their images then they were circumscript therefore no Gods but men For God is infinite neither can be resembled by images Secondly Aug. the whole course of the religion of the Heathen seeketh no farther then the eye can lead them striketh no further then the skinne i. onely to the outward action They could not search into the raines no remedy they had for the restraining of the heart and mind as hypocrisie But nothing is more familiar in ours then the forbidding of concupiscence and restrayning of the heart 4. There is not one of them but doth require honour to be done unto him onely in respect of every particular benefit Origen cont Câ—llum But is content to have his honour in respect of some particular benefit Deus autem universale bonum but God is an universall good as the Scriptures themselves testisie whereas none of their gods can doe so much to him Againe whereas Cyrill against Iulian which made him almost stagger whereas the Heathen also confesse that by the sinne of the body the soule also is polluted at que adeo together to be punished there must needs be something to purge the soule as well as to cure the body the heart and mind is first to be purged then the â—ody and that religion that taketh away the pollution of the soule is not found in their religion for it cannot be purged by any expiation in all their liturgies Purgatio non potest perspici nisi per principium not by Frankincense for purging cannot be plainely understood but by the beginning nothing polluted before it be purged can recover its first happinesse It is demanded If then their Gods were no Gods it would be known what they were I ans 1. They were men 2. Wicked and beastly men That they were men Heathen gods but men There is none of their gods but his father and mother may be assigned and his kindred in Poets as in Hesiods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pedegree of the gods In Philosophy as Tullie de nat deorum Cyrill against Iulian Aug. de Civ Dei Euseb de prepar Evang. but best by Euemerus Missenius Cypr. de vanitate idolorum of the vanity of Idols Cyprian out of Haecataeus Alex. the great entering in private conference with Leo High Priest of Egypt received of him thus much as a great secret That the gods of the Grecians and other Nations came out of Egypt and all the Grecians gods and their religion came by Cecrops that brought all things he had from Egypt and by Cadmus a Phenician Phaenices autem Aegypti is omnia sua dona accepta referunt the Phenicians acknowledge to have received all their gifts from the Egyptians The Romanes had all theirs from the Grecians by Numa Pompilius he from Dardâ—nus and Aeneas Aeneas out of Syria and the gods of the Egyptians were but men and that they of those daies could assigne their progenies Vt Hermes Trismegistus to Aesclepius had his pedegree from Vranus and Mercurius his great grandfather which was accounted one of the Heathen gods Heathens gods wicked men That they were wicked men For religion is nothing else but a faculty to make us one perfectly in the life to come and in this life to frame our selves to Gods action in similitude But their Gods were full of rapes adulteries c. Concerning this matter you may read Euseb de praepa Evangel Cyrillus Josephus cont Appian Athanasius Origen Tertullian in apologetico Lactantius in his two first bookes If they were men how came they to be worshipped divinis honoribus How the Heathen gods being but men came to be worshipped with divine honors with divine honours at all How came the beasts to be worshipped as Gods The waies are many but they may be reduced to these three two of the deifying of men one of beasts After the flood a generall revolting from religion and that that did them good they worshipped as God Now by reason of the slymes and mud there grew many Serpents and many monsters at the last the beasts greatly multiplyed And thirdly there increased a sort of beastly men given to Epicurisine Against these three those that opposed themselves both in regard of the good received by them and to stirre up others to doe the like they worshipped them with divine honours Another way was this Porphyrie saith that Ninus in honour of Belus his father having obtained the Monarchy erected an Image for his love of the dead This Image because he would have it no lesse esteemed of others then of himselfe made it a sanctuary so that if any malefactor or any that was in debt had fled to it he was safe and freed from his debt So by this divers having received benefit partly to be thankefull for their benefit received partly to doe Ninus a pleasure then living and bearing rule they solemnized it with hymnes and with feasts instituted certaine daies for the solemnising of it hanged it about with garlands baecque virtutis ergô facta sunt celebrandae illustrium hominum mortuorum incitandae posterorum these things were done for vertues sake to extoll famous men dead and to the encouragement of the posterity After the cause of this celebration being forgot they began to make prayers unto it first in verse accounting it a light thing to sing Hymnes unto it in verse after in prose And this was
also have observed and may be reduced to these six First as the Jewes say in every Commandement there is praeceptum faciens an affirmative precept and praeceptum non faciens a precept negative if the Commandement be affirmative it implieth also his negative and contrarily according to the rule of Logicke à contrariis taken from contraries Si hoc sit faciendum ejus contrarium fugiendum if this be to be done then his contrarie is to be shunned Psalm 34.14 Fuge malum fac bonum Eschew evill and doe good the practise of this rule The affirmatives of the law are but two namely the fourth and fifth Commandements These the Rabbins finde in the books of Moses dilated into 248. Commandements affirmative which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Precepts commanding to the number of joynts in a mans body And the negatives in the same five bookes of Moses into 365 negative Commandements which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precepts forbidding to the number of the daies in the yeere both added together make 613. according to the letters of the ten Commandements 2. That wheresoever a thing is either forbidden or commanded 2. Rule there all the homogenea of the same kinde to it are commanded or forbidden The same may be seen in mans law A law is extended vel specificè vel per aequipollens specifically or by a thing of like force and valew Specifically Cum quid sit ejusdem naturae circumstantiis diversum when a thing is set downe that is of the same kind but by circumstance is diverse 2. By equipollent The Rabbins call it by two names 1. Where the ballances hang equall the Logicians call it à pari from the like As in the Commandement of theft to set a mans house on fire is as evill as to steale 2. Where one is either lighter or heavier from the lesse to the greater If a man be bound to honour his superiour then much more to preserve him The third is peculiar to the law of God Ro. 7.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. Rule the law is spirituall c. When you have extended this specifice per aequipollens specifically and by equipollent they must be extended to the spirit Lex humana ligat manum linguam divina verò comprimit animam The Law of man ties the hand and the tongue but the law of God presseth the soule John 4.23 the true worship of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in spirit and truth And the reason is good for the heart is the fountaine for all evill è corde cogitationes malae out of the heart come evill thoughts This appeared in the heathen by the dreame of Polydorus in Plutarch de sera numinis vindicta of the grievous punishment of God that dreamed in the night that his heart came to him and said Ego tibi horum omnium malorum sum author I am unto thee the authour of all these evils The heart therefore is first to be cleansed by truely planting the feare of God in it and the knowledge of him Plutarch said that the heathen if they could they would have restrained the heart but because they could not come to it they forbare it The law of man by reason of it ceaseth two waies 1. For want of knowledge because they know not the heart 2. For want of power as where the number of the offenders is so great or the power so great that there is no standing against thē And upon these must needs come both tolerations in the Church Common-wealth For want of knowledge as when things are so subtilly and slylie conveyed that one cannot tell where the fault is or how it may be remedied But in Gods law neither of these holdeth and therefore there is no fault tollerable with him For his power Jerem. 17.9 Cor hominis pravum inscrutabile quis cognoscit idem the heart of man is wicked and unsearchable who knoweth it And in the next verse scio I know he sheweth that there is a quis who and who it is that knoweth it Ego dominus scrutans renes corda I the Lord who search the reines and the hearts There is no defect of knowledge in God for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the knower of hearts August If the Candle burne videt te he sees thee if it be out videt te he seeth thee he seeth all thy faults both present and past and thy thoughts too 7 Degrees in sin before we come to the act A desire to looke on it a little longer Therefore in this point it s justly said that the law is spirituall Now for the thought it may be divided into seven branches or stations 1. Cogitatio ascendens the thought ascending the very suggestion 2. Inclinatio voluntatis the inclination of the will to give entertainment to that thought 3. Mora a delay in the thought 4. A delight which commeth of the conceiving of it 5. The desire of the feeling in outward act of the inward pleasure agreeable to the outward act 6. The consent of the heart to the practise 7. The deliberation of many meanes and the choosing of some one to bring it to passe The law of God taketh hold of all these though mans law doth not The fourth rule of extension is 4. Rule that which the law of man hath made Cum quid prohibetur prohibentur illa omnia per quae pervenitur ad illud contra when any thing is prohibited all things which lead thereunto are also prohibited and on the other part The Jewes say ambulandum est in praeceptis we must walke in the Commandements not by any out-path but viâ regiâ by the Kings high way that is by those meanes and instruments that God hath commanded the reason is Bonum pendet à fine A good thing dependeth upon the end The goodnesse of a way or motion dependeth of the end So that if these or these meanes bring to an evill end they are evill and so consequently are not to be used in good things neither are we in them to seeke God Psalm 1. Nor stood in the way of sinners The way is the meanes So with the act we conclude the meanes So if the thing be good the omission of it as also of the meanes is evill Bonae legis est non solùm tollere vitia sed etiam occasiones vitiorum and contrariwise Good lawes do not onely prevent vices but the occasions of vices The fifth rule is a rule also of man Cum quid prohibetur 5. Rule vel jubetur prohibentur vel jubentur illa omnia quae consequuntur ex illo When any thing is prohibited or commanded then all the consequences thereof are prohibited or commanded That is the signes and outward notes of things ante before namely where the good thing is commanded there is also the signe of it commanded And contrariwise when it pleaseth the Holy Ghost to condemne pride
with that Heb. 11.6 that without faith it is impossible to please God And the reason why God dealeth thus streitly with them that beleeve not for there is no man but desireth this to be credited To argue that the Princes word must be so stedfast as if that no other disgrace or dammage might come to him but the breaking of his word yet in that respect he is to stand to his word The honourable man thinks the venturing of his honour sufficient for his credit the Prince his word if there be such majesty in an earthly Prince then much more in the word of God not only giving his word but also sweaâ—ing writing sealing pledging c. as you have heard before and the greater person he is the more he desireth it as a private man would be credited upon his honesty a man of greater state upon his Worship or Honour the Prince upon his own word Teste me ipso witnesse my selfe and if on any of these offers credit were denyed to any of these they would thinke great discourtesie offered them If there be a God he must set himselfe higher then a Prince and consequently he may with greater right say teste meipso witnesse my selfe because he is above all Job saith none dare say to a wicked Prince Impius es much lesse to a good Prince and least of all can any say it to God Especially seeing he ads on his part that it is true 1 John 3.33 If ye beleeve signastis quod Deus est verus you have set to your seale that God is true and on the contrary 1 Joh. 5.10 Qui non crediderit facit Deum mendacem he that beleeveth not God hath made him a lyar and there can be nothing more to Gods disgrace then to say that he is a lyar Bernard upon that sine fide impossibile est placere Deo without faith it is impossible to please God Quomodo potest placere Deo cui non placet Deus how can he please God saith he that is not pleased with God that likes not of him And this is for the necessity and end of Faith Unbeliefe forbidden Now we come to our Rules As we have seene the Affirmative and what is commanded so we must see the Negative and what is forbidden Here is forbidden first Unbeliefe Ephes 5.1 it is a note of the reprobate to be the children of unbeliefe whether it be a proud imagination of our owne reason as Habac. 1. ver 5. saith or in contempt or any other wretchednesse that notwithstanding the forbidding of it yet in carelesnesse the world is like to grow to be Scepticks and to come to this that Machiavell holdeth God punisheth unbeliefe by it selfe Non curandum quid boni credat sed quid faciat it matters not what our beleife is if our actions be good And it is thus punished 2 Thes 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lye If thou any way reject the truth thou shalt be given over and beleeve a lye Because they beleeved not Christ when he came in his Fathers name one shall come in his owne name and shall prevaile and they shall beleeve him So in our age those that would not cleave to the truth shall be given over to untruths in this World and for the world to come And so the promises of God they shal see them performed in this life albeit in the life to come thy shall have no communication that punishment shall befall them which is 2 King 7.19 when the Prince on whose hand the King leaned would not beleeve the Prophet prophecying of great plenty of victuals though the Lord should make windowes in Heaven the Prophet said to him Videbis sed non gustabis thou shalt see it but shalt not tast of it So they shall see the glory of God and their children after them but they shall have no tast of it 2. A scanty measure of faith forbidden And as unbeliefe is forbidden so also a scant measure of faith is forbidden when a man doth partly beleeve but it is mingled with many doubts Rom. 12.3 there is mention of a measure of faith and if we want that we are not of the faithfull Mat. 8.10 verily I say to you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat. 15.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must pray for faith and I 〈…〉 when â—is setled ad 〈…〉 then bring it to the measure O woman great is thy faith there is a great faith and Mat. 14.31 Christ to Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt here is a little faith Luke 17.5 there is a prayer made by the Apostles to the Lord for the increase of Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord increase our faith and this is if we have faith if we have it not then in Mark 9.24 Credo Domine adjuva incredulitatem meam Lord I beleeve helpe my unbeleife We must first pray to God to helpe it Secondly to increase it The reason of the quantity why it must come to a measure If it be not in some measure it will not be able to hold fast as Heb. 11. the quantity we see is not great no greater then a graine of Mustardseed Luke 17.6 It is Roman 14.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let every one have a full assurance a full resolution The Interpreters thinke it is a metaphor taken from a Ship This is our power and our strength 1. against Satan 2. against the world that commeth with full sailes Our strength it is of God Ephes 6.16 there is commended unto us a speciall defence against the Devill and his firy darts scutum fidei the shield of faith against the World 1 John 5.4 This is your victorie wherewith ye overcome the World Fides vestra even your faith Against the Flesh 1 Thes 5.8 the Apostle willeth us to be sober and to put on loricam fidei the breast-plate of Faith And no marvaile that faith is a thing of so great might and hath such strength seeing the Apostle maketh the strength of the Sacraments to come by Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. who through faith subdued Kingdomes Heb. 11.33 c. beside that which we see Matth. 14.29 It prevailes with things above nature as also in things naturall Peters faith made his body so light and brought it to such a temper that he walked on the sea and sunke not and that Mark 6.5 that except faith be his power is restrained not but that he can worke miracles but that he hath so compounded it and as this was to prove the concurrence of Faith with the mercy of God so he ascribeth the strength of all the Sacraments to Faith Christ could not worke any more miracles because of their unbeliefe so that it seemeth by Gods owne ordinance that he must have helpe
the Prophet Psal 4.2 maketh his complaint that there is a generation of men that turne the glory of the true God into dishonour i. are not carefull to deliver unto him his true honour And therefore 1 Tim. 6.20 to have scientiam falsi nominis i. to follow vanity and lies and come to have the fruit as Hosea they shall eat the fruit of lies i. Griefe of mind smart of body confusion of soule therefore to have it is not sufficient but we must also have the truth And indeed that which the heathen man Plato saith of this is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every man if he will have a thing he will have it according to the truth Every soule if it have not the truth it is not because it is not desirous of the truth but if it find not out the truth it is against the will of it unlesse it goe against nature Gen. 20.9 When as Abraham had made answer to Abimelech not in truth as he thought Every mâ—n for knowledge is desirous to have the truth Abimelech being an heathen could tell him that he had done those things that he should not so these men can say that see meerly by the eye of reason that truth is it which wee all seeke after But that which is yet more strange Gen. 3.1 the Devill begins there Yea is it true indeed hath God said indeed Ye shall not eate of every tree of the garden so that he himselfe being the author of lies Now when â—t commeth to practise Aug. distinction bonum dulce bonum amabile wee will first seeke after yet this is his desire that the woman should make him a true answer So we see the mighty force of truth that howsoever it is not sought in practise yet in judgement not onely good men but also the wicked the Heathen yea and the devils themselves would not willingly be beguiled but witnesse to it This Commandement is because of our triall and our triall is because it â—s precious in Gods eyes and that is because it is the course of nature The end and scope of the Law and the Lord the Lawgiver it is in respect of triall which before was named 1 Pet. 1.7 this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the triall of our faith is more precious to the Lord than all the riches and goods in the world This triall of us hath bin the cause why God hath permitted doth permit so many errours heresies and false worships Deu. 15.11 We may say in a fit coÌ„parison that albeit God hath plenty and abundance of all things that he could have made all rich yet for the triall of a liberall and a compassionable mind in the rich he would suffer the poore alwaies to be So it may be said of truth it had beene an easie matter for him to have taken order for every one to have had the true profession but onely for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our triall 1 Cor. 11.19 Ideo oportet esse haereses inter vos therefore there must be heresies among you that there may be a triall and that they may be knowne that are sound and true He said fiat lux facta est let there be light and there was light As easie had it been for him to have said fiat veritas let there be truth let there be great plenty of truth there should have bin nothing else but truth only He hath given a cause and a reason why he suffereth errour that they may be tried that seeke after the truth The meaning is this Psal 138. â— that forasmuch as it being set downe that God hath magnified his word and truth above all i. that it is the highest thing that he maketh account of and most highly esteemeth it therefore he would have it diligently to be sought of us that we should shew our estimation conformable to his and that we likewise should esteeme it and magnifie it above all things and this is Pauls counsell and this is the end and he would thus have his glory sought For the necessity of it we need not speake much of it for it hath partly beene handled heretofore And for as much as truth and true religion is a way and is called so 2 Pet. 2.2 and that way must bring us unto the right end then necessary it is we find it if we find it not aliquis erit terminus eunti in via but error immensus est if a man keepe the right way he shall at length come to the end of his journey Jam. 1.8 but errour hath no end Therefore it is requisite By the spirit of truth and the way of truth we shall come into the truth The thing commanded is Religion or true religion veri nominis religio which Christ Mat. 13.35 under the name of the Kingdome of heaven likeneth to a pearle and him that sought after it to a Merchant that sought many pearles and at the last found one of inestimable value and when he had found it he sold all that ever he had and bought it Herein are three things 1. that we seeke the truth 2. that when we have found it we rest in it 3. that it be to us a girdle Then this desire is first an earnest studie and applying of the mind to find out the truth among errours and falshood in the world ought to be in us Whereas the common manner is this every man in that religion he is borne in he will grow up in it and die in it and we presuppose our selves to have found the pearle before we seeke it and so when our studies begin to ripen we only sticke to some learned mans institutions Deut. 4.32 Moses seemeth to be of another mind it is not onely an exhortation but commeth in the way of a commandement that the Israelites they should enquire into all antiquities and in all parts and ends of the world whether there were any such religion as theirs and that they had nothing but truth it selfe and wisedome it selfe So that this is the first thing As there is inquisitio dubii so there is examinatio veri Esa 65.1 Rom. 10.20 that no man do suppose that he hath found the truth before he hath sought it and Mat. 7.7 he that seeketh for it he hath a promise that he shall find it The promise of the calling of the Gentiles that God would be found of them that sought him not is not a patterne for us in this case but as we are to enquire into all doubts so are we to examine all truths among the pearles that sundry shew us and promise us that they have worthy stuffe for us we must take that course that we can distinguish that all those are not such pearls as that a man should sell all that he hath for them but that we indeed have the inestimable pearle that the Merchant found and bought with all that hee had Hereditary religion religion upon offence
downe under them both he becommeth a peasant 2. Another signe like to this but it is under the Crosse Looke how we are there When a man receives comfort under the Crosse by that that hee hath done out of the Crosse a good signe so we are in deed that will bewray what our heart is 2 King 20.3 there is a Crosse that dismaieth not Hezekiah Why because he knoweth that in his health he walked aright before God but contra Psal 22.14 it is in the middest of a mans body like melting waxe 1. A detestation of sinne in our selves and in others 3. Gen. 38.14 by the example of Iudah that if the like hatred of any sinne be in himselfe or rather greater when he doth no lesse punish it in himselfe then in other if it be the case of Thamar then to crie Away with her to the fire let her be burned but we see a strange and sudden alteration in vers 26. if it be his owne case then he saith Sure I am not so righteous as shee is this falleth much into the account as the Heathen man saith of Anthony and his fellow Brutus Cassius The true hatred of sin must beginne at our selves that they did odisse tyrannum but not tyrannidem hate the traytor but not the treason c. But the true hatred of sinne must beginne of our selves yea and that for the least as Rom. 7.24 the Apostle for concupiscence in himself we see what a great hatred and griefe he falleth into that he crieth out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver c. 4. The last may be this it is somewhat an hard signe if there be any man that can say the two last verses of Psal 139. an excellent Psalme in this behalfe if he can say it without panting of his heart and feare or changing of the affections Prove me and trie me O Lord c. If any dare take this upon him if he deceive not his owne heart it is upright But a gentler then this Psal 7.3 where he saith If my heart be not true and sound in this respect then let me feele the hand of God then let the enemy persecute me c. or when Psal 4.4 when a man entring into his chamber can say As mine heart hath beene upright before thee so I desire to be helped in my greatest neede and to be comforted in the last gaspe so to offer up obedience within us must needs be a true signe 6. Rule for the procuring of it in others Reg. 6. we have the Apostles desire and commandement Phil. 1.10 and the example we have in the friends of Iob though after a corrupt manner for though they tooke a wrong course yet the desire was good to see that his heart was upright haec de integraute Perseverance THe knitting up of all is to persevere Perseverance it standeth first Perseverantia Non habebis or non erunt thou shalt not have or there shall not be but in the order of handling hath the last place because it hath the shutting up of all It is in the words non erunt which will not be answered with non sunt or non habui or non habeo but this must answer it non habebo I will never have any other God And this is a greater matter then many doe imagine fui sum and ero are the notes of the three times surely every man examining these three times shall finde that fui the time past to remember is a sorrowfull thing and as Bernard saith Recordare praeteriti erubesce it is a great shame for us to remember what we have beene In sum the present time peradventure there may be comfort because we strive to attaine but howsoever it is ero the future time must needs be a fearfull thing for a man to consider in what case he shall be hereafter and what his latter end shall be whether God will forsake him as he hath done many that have beene in as good and peradventure in better case then he is and therefore non erunt is a sharpe commandement We place it last and this is the naturall order for it to come in here both because the Heathen have seene it that say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the end or last part of fortitude is perseverance and because that all vertues are preserved by this or to allude to the phrase of the holy Ghost poudred with it as 2 Cor. 13.5 Abijam King of Iuda to Ieroboam of Israel Ought you not to know that the God of Israel hath given the Kingdome over Israel to David forever that is to him and to his sonnes by a covenant of salt by serving him in a covenant of salt and the truth of that is that every vertue should not be as summer fruit but as a vertue conserved and poudred There was no Sacrifice without Salt in the Type of the Law Now the reason is in regard of the end that God looketh at in all our actions by our persevrance is made knowne the truth of our performances otherwise the Hypocrite might goe for a true Professour 2. It pleaseth God to make a propotrion in every vertue to some quality in God But another and peculiar to this For there is in every vertue a conforming of our selves to some attribute in God as in our knowledge to his wisdome in our beliefe to his truth in our seare to his justice in love to his mercy in integrity to his ubiquity and in our perseverance to his eternity because he Revel 1.8 is α and ω the beginning and ending which is the booke of perseverance so we according to our Quamdiu begnadi till I die usque ad mortem and as he saith to the Angel of Smyrna Revel 2.10 not onely to naturall death but also to violent death Heb. 12.4 there is another usque and that usque includeth bloud usque ad sanguinem So doth the Apostle resolve it Acts 21.13 I am ready not onely to be bound but also to die at Ierusalem this is our ω and howsoever or wheresoever our α is placed this must be our ω this must be our eternity even till I die Otherwise as Bernard saith Quid levitati aeternitati there is no fellowship of God and man without perseverance So on the other side against our nature as we had in regard of the last affection a desire to seeme rather then to be because it is easier and we love ease so here we have an affection that is of a back-starting Bow Psal 78.5.8 as he describeth the nature of the Israelites We have often a desire to start back so that it commeth to be a paine to goe forward and of all to be like a Bow that is bent almost and let it goe never so little and it starts back againe or as Gal. 6.9 no lesse excellent by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. to feele a grudging in our
he will worke the like effect as men doe for the breach of Wedlocke Out of these we have three commodities First we learne that we are of dull spirits not feared with Gods proper names of justice c. but he must take other of raging men so jealousie we feare but when we heare that God is just we heare it without any great motion Secondly that of Tertullian Lib. 2. contra Marcion Utitur Spiritus hoc vocabulo ad exaggeranda ejus scelera that sinne is so odious a thing and so vile that if it were possible would make God angry and to be that he cannot be Thirdly it is the Apostles use that he maketh of the justice of God as we see in 1 Cor. 11.29 he protesteth himselfe to be jealous that we our selves might be jealous that is that every man enter into his owne heart and consider what God is and say thus What saith God that he is jealous let us consider what God is and againe what we are how excellent hee is and how vile and wretched creatures we are Why then it should appeare that this should pertaine to us and not to him and rather of our selves and our owne salvation there is nothing worthy in us that he should be jealous of And this for the entry to the thing Now to the thing it selfe Visiting the finnes c. This commination hath two things 1. The censure of the sinne 2. The punishment The censure is by two names First by hatred for if it bee love that maketh us to keepe the Commandements then it must be hatred that maketh us to breake them But can any thing hate God The nature of God is essentially good Solut. nay goodnesse it selfe which can no way come to be the object of hatred Againe sundry of his effects come from his love and they are such as the very wicked love them and him for them because he bestoweth on them their being life sense moving But there is another kind of effects that proceed indeed from his love by which he would have us preserved and so consequently he giveth us Commandements Cohibentia voluntatem inordinatam that bridle our licentious will and these are they that make him to be hated of us For when a man is given to his owne will and is drowned with the zeale of himselfe then he must needs hate those Commandements because they are adversaries and contrary to his will and affection and indeed God commeth to be hated by too much love of our selves For it would have all our desires to be free to our selves and any that doth oppose it selfe it hateth it So then as God saith Mal. 1.5 Your eyes shall see it and you shall say The Lord will be magnified upon the borders of Israel Secondly I have loved you saith the Lord And ye say Wherein hast thou loved us Was not Esau Jacobs brother yet I loved Jacob and hated Esau and made his Mountaines wast c. Expounded Rom. 9.13 to be nothing else but that he did not choose Esau Then are we said to hate God when there standeth a case betweene his will and an inordinate affection of ours when his will is not chosen but our inordinate affection is preferred and our minde Hoc est odisse deum deum non eligere For God loving us it is the will of God that when the question commeth his loving being so exceeding good to us as that it challengeth us wholly and that love is Vinculum conjugale and therefore the love of the Lord should be Amor conjugalis which hath no third thing but aut amat aut odit non est medium Mat. 6.24 either he must love or hate Deut. 22.16 the Maids father shall say to the Elders I gave my Daughter to this man to Wife and he hateth her c. and chap. 24.3 And if the latter husband hate her and write her a bill of divorcement c. treating there of love betweene married persons he saith If a man marry a wife and hate her that is cease to love her and begin to be weary of her If shee be not onely and wholly loved she is hated because these duties are joyned to one alone there can be no third thing 2. The other name which God calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iniquity perversnesse peevish and perverse the having of it is to meete with the opinion and censures of men as Dan. 3.14 Nebuchadnezzar to the three Children What disorder is this in you that you will not serve my god nor worship the golden Image that I have set up For the observing and not transgressing of this Second Commandement they were called perverse fellowes and disordered Subjects because they obeyed not the Kings decree Therefore God sheweth the truth who are disordered even those that are breakers of this Commandement and so it shall be found at the judgement of judgements at the last day of judgement God saith Exod. 23.2 A man must not follow a multitude to doe evill his reason is because in doing so he shall become perverse But the voice and judgement of the world is cleane contrary But the resemblance of it that is commonly made of the Fathers is of a pond full of Crabs a perverse swimming fish for she swimming backwards and a fish that were cast into the pond should swimme right they would charge her of not swimming right because she swimmeth not backward as the rest But God Christ the Prophets and Evangelists the Apostles tell us it is not so but that they are disordered that breake this Commandement And this for the censure 2. Now for the punishment It were enough to be found among the hated of God but God moreover addeth here a visitation the meaning of it we haue 1. Sam. 7.16 the word betokeneth the Circuit of a Judge as Samuel went his Circuit year by yeare to Bethel Gilgal and Mispeh and judged Israel And out of our owne practise or as we our selves terme it the Visitation of a Bishop And because visitare is to goe to see it presupposeth absence and so an intermission and it doth very fitly resemble the judgements of God For the forbearing of them as it is Luke 19.44 Dominus requiret de manibus vestris he will require it at our hands to know the time of our visitation As there be some that say the Lord is long a comming so there be some that say he will not come at all That say Non requiret Dominus as Ps 10.12 therefore for the patient waiting of the just for the judgement and glory of God that they may know that it 's a sure thing that he will come as a Judge and though he be long a comming yet at the last he commeth and then he taketh order so certaine we should be of the requiring of our sinnes at our hands though he seeme as though he would not come at all The visitation of God we find to be fitly resembled to this his
due advisement and reverence as Prov. 21.6 if it be Actio erroris an action of errour that is set against constancy though he have a good end yet if he doe not so stably as is said it is in vaine that is lightnesse if any come to take the name of God and if he be not res stabilis and he come not with due reverence there is another taking in vaine When it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebhel a light thing as smoke or chaffe and so fit to bee carried away with every blast 3. In respect of the Worke 3. Worke. in that there is a third vanity when a thing beareth a shew of that it is not this vanitas opponitur veritati this vanity is opposed to vertiy want of stability want of truth So Jer. 10.15 It is a vaine thing a thing of errour i. e. when the thing is taken from a Lie for looke what truth is in naturall things the same is truth in morall things If it want his justice in action it is vaine if it want his truth in affection it is vaine Of the two manners whereby the name of God is lifted up by us the one was as a burthen which is applied to the necessary use of it and being necessary it commeth first to be intreated off and handled I meane that taking of Gods name up by swearing by it wherein albeit God be not more nor so much glorified as in the other kind yet in regard of our necessary use of it the precept hath almost taken up the whole commandement as little mention of it For the duty As first for the necessity of it upon what occasion after this manner it is expedient that all controversies Heb. 6.16 and strifes should not be continued but have an end and this cannot be except one part have a confirmation above the other And for confirmation of these wee see God Gen 18.21 when he in his judgment will goe downe ut certò cognoscat to know it surely that he may proceed on a sure ground Now this proceeding where it may be had by argument or proofe it is best So if it can be as wee see the practise of Joseph to his brethren Gen. 42.20 this was his triall of their truth if they brought Benjamin Where Argument and reason wanteth there wee must come to witnesses which is the second course Deut. 19.15 where argument or proofe wanteth that the matter should be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses And because many times it falleth out that not only proofe but also witnesses want then as Numb 5.13 the man being in jealousy upon a suspition of his wifes adultery the woman not being taken in the very deed then as it is vers 19. shee shall sweare that shee hath not defiled her selfe This necessity as many times in regard of the action it is hidden so alwaies in these two respects it falleth out that when there is an assurance to be had de occultis cordium of the hidden secrets of the heart which cannot be knowne by any externall proofe Jer. 17.9 who knoweth the heart there is no knowledge of it And secondly when it is concerning things to come Eccl. 8.7 who knoweth that which is to come then commeth an Oath to men they cannot be wise because they cannot know what will come hereafter so for promises of these three cannot be by witnesse and argument any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or confirmation had Now in regard of the secrets of a mans heart and of uncertaintyes in things to come here commeth in the division of Oaths Of secret things some are de facto past here is jus jurandum assertorium an oath of assertion some are to come and there jus jurandum promissorium an oath of promise Then when as the argument of a mans will and testimony of his mouth falleth out in these cases there is no way but to fly to God i.e. to make him a witnesse and not only a witnesse but a Judge and a revenger if he be called to an untruth for it is nothing els but calling him to witnesse In this place falleth the two parts of an oath according to these two First where God is called as a witnesse whether it be true Secondly the other where it is called forth as a Revenger if it be false The first is called sub Deo teste Contestatio a taking to witnesse so did God himselfe Numb 14.21 vivo ego as truly as I live so the Fathers in the old Testament began to use it Judg. 8.10 vivit Jehovah as the Lord liveth and so I shall see the effect of that I promise The second part Sub deo vindice this is called Execratio that is the curse of themselves if it be not true as he may well witnesse to it And againe Levit. 26. and Deut. 28. he taketh this order but this also in relation to that place where are all the threatnings of his revenge Sic faciat mihi Dominus addat the Lord doe so to me and more also if that they have not spoken the truth The first plague and the second it commeth in those termes God doe this to me and add this also So it is used by Ely 1 Sam. 3.17 God doe so to thee and more And when he is brought to this that he hath affirmed it and God is his witnesse and if God be called to an untruth that he hath desired against his soule then as in Greek it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hedge or inclosure he hath hedged and inclosed himselfe with the truth of God and his judgement to performe it so in the part of the swearer he that hath sworne is holden as it were persistere in dicto praestare pollicita to persist in his saying and to performe his promise Now contrà in regard of the party to whom it is sworne it is called in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a safety or satisfying which sheweth that he must be contented and satisfied and that he must be filled that is satisfied And therefore it signifieth to Sweare and to fill to Satiety and the Latin translation of Ierome pro jure habere that is now that I have promised I have bound my selfe to it even es it were done by a Law here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an end of contention And so of the necessity of an oath and upon what causes oathes were first But our necessity is small except God have glory by it Then to apply this to the scope of Gods glory there commeth a great portion of glory to God in an Oath For first our rules of reason tell us that Nihil confirmatur nisi per certius there is no confirmation but by a thing more stedfast Then there is a great honour to God when Demonstration and all faile that his name should be Turris fortissima the most strong tower more certaine then all
consequently because this includeth both vanitatem finis the vanity of an end opposed to profit and opposed to soundnesse and stedfastnesse withall as he must know the time so a man must know what it is Psal 111.9 The Prophet sets downe holy and reverent is his name to holy is opposed pollute Levit. 22.32 Neither shall yee pollute my holy name And to make common Acts 10.15 Reverence that is Feare against that commonly is opposed Rashnesse whether it be of anger or griefe or an headdy affection outgoeth an oath Eccles 5.1 Be not rash with thy mouth looke well to thy feet and they need lesse looking too these two offend in judicio in judgement If a man use it commonly if rashly in the case of necessity So Preach 8.2 I advertise you that yee have a due regard to the word of a King but much more to the Oath of God Out of the case of necessity we must not sweare a truth but we must have it in price and reverence Preach 5.2 A reason why rashnesse in swearing is condemned God is in Heaven and thou in the Earth and in the sixt of the same he sheweth commonnesse in swearing should be condemned and the times of necessity are not commonly sine judicio without judgement In publico juramento in the oath of imposition there is good order taken by taking order in regard of breaking judgement that nulli impuberes none under fourteene yeares of age should bee admitted to sweare that were not nor that had beene proved to forsweare himselfe before That men should not sweare for feare of the inconvenience crept into the Sacrament as 1. Cor. 11.21 men should not sweare after any meat taking lest that might haue overthrowne their discretion 4. Lastly that they should sweare vncovered and with an admonition before and the Booke of GOD laid before them onely to incite the inward deliberation or judgement concerning this fearfull action wee have in hand In the voluntarie oath there hath bene no order taken but rashly upon every vaine perturbation stirred up in us there commeth an oath herein we are so rash that we make Gods Name our parenthesis 1. Sam. 25.33 David moved with the affection and griefe of unkindnesse sweareth upon the sudden but after being let to see what an oath it was he blesseth God for sending Abigail to him on the other side 1. Sam. 14.28 Saul touched with a greater desire of the victorie then to the request of God sweareth that if any touched bread or drink till sunne downe he should die And we see the great evill successe that followed on it Every foole useth this in every foolish speech wee may speake of it with griefe For the commonnes of it and the doing of that to him that we would be loath to doe to any other i e every halfe houre and for every trifle calling him out of Heaven to confirme our quarrels and so one sayth Wee turne Gods Sanctuarie into a brothell house making the Name of God like an harlots house Aug. lib. 1. confessionum Cap. 16. touched with an holy griefe breaketh out into these words Vae tibi flumen moris humani cursed bee the streams of the customes of men quis resistet tibi quando non siccaberis quousque evolues Ecclesiae silios in mare magnum formidolosum quod vix transcendunt when will this dry up it carrieth them even as a strong streame into that fearfull lake that they which are in the Shippe can scarsly escape it Per te aguntur flagitia non putantur flagitia by this customary swearing detestable sinnes are committed which are not thought to be sinnes And as he saith Serm. 30. verbis Apostoli it is as the slipperinesse of the member quia lingua in udo posita est the tongue is seated in a moist place And therefore James Cap. 3. giveth great charge of it especially For the hand and foot not so much And saint Aug. counsell vpon that place is Quanto illa citius movetur facilius tanto tu adversus illam fixius ito domabis si vigilabis vigilabis autem si timebis timebis si te Christianum esse recorderis c. The more quick and nimble the tongue is be thou the more steddie and resolved against it thou shalt tame it if thou watch over it thou shalt watch over it if thou fearest it thou shalt feare it if thou remembrest that thou art a Christian Si cras factum non fuerit non fiat juramentum hodie pignus fiet cras cras non omnino triduo moritur pestis illa â die qua laboramus Sicut vigilabis sic vinces And of himselfe hee addeth Juravimus nos passim incidimus in istam teterrimam consuetudinem sed ex quo die DEO servire incepimus quantum malum sit vidimu◠timuimus vehementer veternosam consuetudinem timore excussimus I have bene a swearer my selfe I have had this custome very riefe and it would have brought me to death but since I fixed my heart to serve GOD and considered what great evill is in it I was set in a trembling Then for these voluntarie oaths privately taken upon us it may bee inquired whether they are not in cases lawfull we doubt they are Then as Augustine saith for private oaths quantum ad me attinet non juro sed quantum mihi videtur magna necessitate compulsus cum videam nisi sic faciam mihi non credi ei qui crederat magnum ei qui non crederet incommodum then hac perpensa ratione consideratione librata cum magno timore reverentia coram Deo dico novit Christus quod hoc est in animo meo For my owne part I sweare not yet I conceave were I necessarily thereunto compelled as when I see if I doe not sweare I shall not bee believed and that my word would bee profitable to him that would believe mee and prejudiciall to him that would not in this case this reason truely wayed and considered with what feare and reverence I use this forme of speach Before God or this Christ knowes I speake from my heart And after hee saith quod meum est est est quod amplius est praeter est non est jurantis sed non credentis For mine own part I would never wish to say but est est non non yea yea nay nay But it is the incredulitie of the other partie The fourth Rule is in the Psal 24.4 Et non juratus est dolose proximo suo and hath not sworne deceitfully unto his neighbour it must bee spirituall Our case must not bee juravi linguâ mentem injuratam gero my tongue swore but my minde never meant it it was so odious that the whole companie hissed at it Man must not take Gods Name in guile but meane it from his heart The heathen men saw it that lex est spiritualis that it must bee a spirituall
on of hands or taking a thing by violence and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a crafty way of compassing Upon the petition that pertaineth to temporall things in the Lords Prayer of daily bread Chrysost saith that habere convenit etiam malis habere autem de manu dei sanctis tantum the wicked may lawfully possesse goods but to enjoy them as blessings and favours from God is the portion of the Saints which God saith he praeparare non vetat sed cum peccato praeparare qui enim cum peccato praeparat ei diabolus dat quod manducat non Deus forbids not to purchase at all but not to compasse them sinfully which whosoever doth he hath it of the gift of the Devill and not of the gift of God neither can justly make that petition and hee hath with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some pledge that some visitation shall come upon him for it On the other side the vertue opposite is the just getting and that is the object we have in hand It is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sludium honeste rem parandi Prov. 16.8 Every man ought thus to be perswaded that a little by righteous meanes well gotten is better then great revenues without i. as very well the Apostle setteth downe both the parts 1 Tim. 6.5 where he speaketh of covetous men he saith they are corrupted in mind and destitute of the truth the reason is this is their position Game is godlinesse as the Heathen man saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let me put up the money in my bagge and call me a piller and a poller and what you will But in the next verse he sheweth that if a man can turne the proposiion and say that godlinesse is gaine that is to account the true gaine as indeed it is that that is gotten by Gods prescript not by mans oversight Gen. 43.4 But that he may say so as Iacob said to Laban Gen. 30.33 call my doings to account cras respondebit pro me justitia mea my righteous dealing shall be able to answer for me and to acquit me Now unto this vertue as it appertaineth to save and preserve us from evill dealing yet because the world is full of it and men have mentem malam they are in a wicked and vicious race and so runne on till stopp'd by conscience and then afterwards touched therefore is there a second vertue that they call Restitution and that is necessary if perhaps any man have over-shot himselfe in getting his goods unjustly It is one of the greatest and principallest common places throughout the Fathers from the time of Constantine the great And August Restitution he sets it downe for a Canon Non dimittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum The sinne of an unlawfull purchase is not pardoned unlesse restitution be made the ground of it is Numb 5.7 For God saith there if they have done any such thing they shall confesse the fault that they have done and restore the dammage to him that it was done to And agreeable to that is the affection of Iob in the law of nature Iob 20.18 He shall restore his labour and devoure no more the reason he addeth in the next verse For hee hath undone many and spoyled houses he never built And as by the example of nature so by the example of the practice of it under the law Nehem. 5.11 For there Nehemiah saith Ye shall restore the people their lands and Vine-yards and the goods they had gotten by usury and they said they would and he called the Priests and caused them to sweare that they should doe according to this promise and he shooke his lap and said So let God shake them that would not restore such things as they had gotten wrongfully God shall shake them off and all the Congregation shall say Amen If we come to the Gospel we shall see the rule of it Rom. 13.7 Give to every man that which is his And in the repentance protestation of Zacheus Luk. 19.8 that if he had done any wrong by cousening forgery or falshood he would restore foure-fold the value of it And as this is in goods unlawfully gotten so in those things that have a lawfull contract there is a restitution too as in the gift donation God De it 21.15 taketh order for the conveyance of inheritance But for that matter there is but little order to be taken These things that are of the nature of a gift as that one being wholly commended to the necessity liberalis donatio so the other wholly to the trust depositum the committing of any thing upon trust to be restored Exod. 22.7.10 vers 7. if any man deliver money to his neighbour to keepe c. vers 10. if any deliver to keepe Oxe or Asse there must be a restitution of whatsoever is delivered to our trust to keepe or else justice will be broken Among the depositarii in regard of the thing committed Depositarii fiduciarii as the Law calleth them in regard of the trust that is put in them Those that are put in trust with children while their fathers be alive as tutors or guiders after their fathers death they must make an account and give an account for their depositum the things committed to their trust for we see that the holy Ghost doth give an honourable witnesse of Mordocheus Hester 2.7 he was put in trust with Hester his Uncles daughter he saith he brought her up as carefully as if she had beene his owne daughter that is the extremity that can be required And so they that have charge during the parents lives Whatsoever they take as Prov. 22.20 Solomon did he saith he had uttered and written three times many times in counsels and knowledge that is that they must diligently read whatsoever they receive or whatsoever commeth in the bill of accounts Luk. 16.6 If 50. be put in the bill for 80. surely this must not be so of Executors that are put in trust with the administration of the goods of the dead and feoffees put in trust with the conveyance of lands 1 Sam. 20.15 there David is put in trust with Ionathans sonne and the execution of it and that in good order 2 Sam. 9.1 And for those Luke 20.14 when as they had the Vine-yard and the heire was sent to receive some fruit of them they said Let us kill the heire and the inheritance shall be ours We see how grievously he threatneth them and what a great woe the Lord pronounceth against them for it 3. After these things that goe sub ratione depositi Strayes under the name of trust they joyne those things that come sub ratione inventi strayes Exod. 23.4 God saith If we meete our enemies Oxe or Asse going astray we shall bring him home to him and if we be farre from him and we know him not Deut. 22.2 we must keepe it till he come for it And if the owner never come for it
as man eateth and drinketh every day so he drinkes iniquity like water Iob 15. Thirdly vve runne into such debts as vve are not able to discharge for if vve vvere vve needed not to say Dimitte nobis Forgive us our debts but Have patience with me and I will pay thee all Matth. 18. To signifie to us the greatnesse and number of our sinnes one vvas brought that ovved 500. pence and another that ovved 50. Luke 7. and another that ovved to his Master ten thousand Talents By vvhich vve perceive that vve cannot make satisfaction to God therefore hee must remit them The consideration vvhereof ought to vvorke in us humiliation First that as Iob sayes our hearts doe not excuse us and that vve seek not to justifie our selves that as God requireth we confesse our mis-deeds Levit. 26.40 that we acknowledge our sinnes to God and hide them not Psal 32. For if we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull to forgive our sins 1 Iohn 1. Secondly that vve doe not onely confesse but be sorry for them Psal 38. that vvhile vve are in danger to God for our sinnes vve goe and humble our selves and intreat him and suffer not our eves to sleepe till we be sure how we may obtaine forgivenesse Prov. 6 3. The consideration of sinne made David forget to eate his bread Psal 102. so greatly was he disquieted till he was assured of pardon For the second point if our sinnes be debts they must be payed Owe nothing to any but we are not able to answer one of a thousand Iob 9. and for the penalty of malediction we are not able to endure it Psal 90. Who knoweth the power of his wrath therefore our prayer must bee to God that our misery may prevaile more with God to move him to compassion then our unworthinesse to stirre up his indignation and that he will Cancell the hand-writing Col. 2. which thing for that he is full of the bowels of compassion Ier. 31.20 hee is moved to doe when he seeth us sorry for our sinnes howbeit his justice must be satisfied else his mercie cannot take place but Christ by his death having done that God saith of the sinner Deliver him for I have received a reconciliation Iob 33. Qui circumcisus est debitor est totius legis Gal. 5.3 But Christ was circumcised and therefore fulfilled the law for us ad ultimum quadrantem to the utmost farthing and not onely so but he saith of himselfe Exolvi quae non rapui I restored that which I tooke not Psal 69.4 He not onely perfectly fulfilled the Law but suffered the curse of the Law which he had not deserved with this condition Sinite istos abire Let these goe Iohn 18. that is hee was content to be the reconciliation for us that he might draw us out of the hands of Gods justice The estate of our debts may be compared with the Widewes state that was left in debt by her husband 2 King 4. for as the Lord blessed her Oyle in such sort as she did not onely pay her debts but had enough to live on after so Christ is our Oleum effusum our Oyle powred out that is of power not onely to satisfie Gods wrath for ous sins but also to give us an estate in the Kingdome of Heaven and for his sake it is that we may be bold to pray for remission of sinnes and are taught to beleeve that for his merits our sinnes are forgiven so that is true Legem operandi legem credendi lex statuit supplicandi the Law of prayer stablished both the Law of obeying and beleeving Our of Dimitie arise three things for our comfort First that even these sinnes which we commit after Baptisme after our calling and when we are come to the knowledge of the truth are remissible In teaching the Apostles to pray he assureth them of this favour that the same party that saith peccata nostra our sinnes is taught to say Pater noster Our Father Our comfort therefore is that still we are the children of God though great sinners for though we lose the dutifull affection of children yet God cannot lose Viscera patris the tender bowels of a Father David to a rebellious sonne could not but shew a fatherly affection Doe good to the young man Absolon 2 Sam. 18.5 So though the prodigall sonne had offended hainously yet the Father is ready to receive him Luke 15. Secondly another comfort that albeit we commit sinne daily yet he will daily forgive us for God should mocke us saith Augustine if bidding us pray for forgivenesse he should for all that shut up the bowels of his mercie he bids us pray for pardon of our sinnes putting no difference whether they be peny-debts or Talents whether fifty or a thousand if we aske forgivenesse he tels us be is ready daily to remit them Thirdly that be our sinnes never so great so great as cannot be satisfied by us yet he will forgive them propâ—er seipsum for his owne sake Isa 45. Christ hath made himselfe a satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole world 1 Iohn 2. We must labour how we may soundly apply his satisfaction to our selves and among other meanes whereby we apply the satisfaction of Christ to our selves prayer is one They shall confesse their iniquities then I will remember my covenant Levit. 26.40.41 He shall pray unto God and he will be mercifull unto him Iob 33.26 I confessed my sins unto the Lord and thou forgavest the wickednesse of my sinne Propter hoc orabit omnis sanctus Psal 32. For this cause shall every one that is holy pray c. By vertue of this prayer Solomon saith that the people having committed any sinne if they come into the house of the Lord and pray for pardon God who is in Heaven will heare them 1 King 8.47 But this is more plaine in the new Testament Matth. 18. Did I not forgive thee quia rogasti me and to Simon Magus Pray to God if he will forgive thee the thoughts of thy heart Acts 8.22 that is if we confesse and be sorry for our sinnes and aske pardon he will forgive us How long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth to thee Psal 66. But we must be of the number that is meant by Nobis that is of the Apostles that is such as are baptized into Christs death Rom. 6. We must die unto sinne as he died for sinne Vt sicut is demisit peccata so we must dâ—mitiere peccata he hath suffered in the flesh and hath ceased from sin so must we 1 Pet. 4. We must have a care that hereafter we fall not into sinne more then our infirmity compels us For sinnes of infirmity Gods grace is sufficient 2 Cor. 11. But if we willingly sinne after remission there is no more sacrifice for sinne Heb. 10. We are therefore to crucifie the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof if wee will be Christs and receive benefit by