upon the cheek bone Use 4 4. This teacheth us our duty before the War in the War and after the War 1. Before the War and in the War to joyn prayers with our prepatations and our attempts for God declared in the Wars of Israel with Amalck that Moses praying on the hill with Aaron and Hur and Joshua fighting belowe in the valley Exod 17. were both of them the forces of God And that prayers were the better fighting for when Moses ceased praying Amalek prevailed 2. After the War we are taught to whom to attribute the victory and good successe of the War that is to give the glory thereof to the Lord and so say with David The right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to passe So the daughter of Jephta came out with timbrels to meet her father and confest to her father Judg. 11.36 The Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies even of the chldren of Ammon Yet may we not herein smother the well deserving prowesse and valour of valiant Commanders and souldiers but give them their due honour so even the women meet Saul returning from the slaughter of the Philistines and they answered one another in their song saying Saul hath killed his thousands and David his ten thousands 1 Sam. 18 7. Doctr. 2 2. Whereas Israel saith to the Heathen Arise ye and let us arise making use of the power and strength of the Heathen against Edom we are taught that God doth use one evil man and one evil Nation to punish another The Lord did smite the Moabites by the Ammonites and took from them some part of their land Chedorlaomer maketh war against other kings and taketh away their substance The Midianiâ—â— were their own Conquerours The Lord set every ones sword against his fellow there wont all the host The children of Israel did call the Heathen here to them Jud. 7.22 they joyned in one war against Edom as if at this day Princes of the Popish Religion should joyn themselves with a Protestant Prince to maintain him in his Kingdom against the Emperour the Popes eldest son Is not this setting Egytians against Egyptians and defending the Church by the enemies of the Church Reason 1 The reason why God doth this is not for want of other strength for he is Lord of hosts but to declare him to be King and Lord over all he doth whatsoever he will in heaven and in earth and in the sea and all deeps What doth more declare his absolute Soveraignty then his Power to whip and scourge the enemies of his Church by one another of them which is to make Sathan cast out Sathan This sheweth that Sathans kingdom is subordinate to the Kingdom of God there is but one Kingdom of which it may be truly said Et Imperijs ejus non est finis There is no end of his Kingdom Christ shall one day make this good when he shall have put down all his enemies for then he shall deliver up the Kingdom to God In the mean time the subjects of Sathans kingdom are the vassalls of God and Sathan himself shall be and is at his command to be the rod of God for execution of his wrath where he pleaseth Reason 2 2. God useth to punish the wicked to declare to the Church that there can be no true love but where there is love of the Truth onely true Religion doth unite the hearts of men and all that embrace not that want the bond of peace They may cry a confederacy and give one another the right hand of fellowship for a time but if God be not the knot of their union all other respects will come short of setling a constant concurrency We see this clearly in the vicissititudes of confederacies and wars amongst the enemies of true Religion temporall respects make their leagues temporall respects do again dissolve them The Uses of this point Use 1 This doth serve to reform our judgements and to settle our hearts in our great vexation for did not the foot of David almost slip when he saw the prosperity of the ungodly and compared it with the main and great troubles of the Church For seeing God doth make this use of them to be his sword marvell not that he keepeth his sword by his side that he keepeth it in a sheath that he keepeth it bright And David saith Deliver my soul from the wicked which in thy sword that is one cause why God rewardeth the wicked with some temporall favours Psa 17.13 because he maketh use of them to punish his enemies this is fully exprest For thus saith the Lord to the Prophet Son of man Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus Every head was made bald and every shoulder was peeled Ezech. 29 18.19 yet had he no mages nor the army for Tyrus that served against it therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I will give the land of Egypt into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and he shall take her multitudes and take her spoils and take her prey and it shall be the wages for his army This may satisfie us that we grieve not at the prosperous estate of the wicked for God hath use of them and he will not let them serve him for nothing The elect of God have fairer hopes let them stay their stomack and let them wait the Lords leisure Use 2 2. We may see in this example in my text and in many more that God maketh use of the wicked in the behalf of his Church and therefore we must not give the glory of Gods justice to the means but to God The wicked know not what they do when they fight the battells of the Lord yet God doth put such mettall into them that they do most valiantly perform his will A full example hereof is The word of the Lord to Zedekiah king of Judah by his prophet Jeremiah Jer. 37.8 The Chaldaeans shall come again and fight against this city and take it and burn it with fire Thus faith the Lord deceive not your selves saying The Chaldeans shall depart from us for they shall not depart For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you and there remained but wounded men amongst them yet should they rise up every man in his tent and burn this city with fire This must needs be the hand of the Lord and therefore the glory must be given to God onely the means are weak but the Lord is strong he alone must be exalted and all the glory of victory must be ascribed to him The Church may use the help of the Heathen and of Idolaters in the Lords battells for they are the sword of the Lord as you have heard Use 3 3. We are taught that though Israel and the Heathen do come together though the godly do use the
in summa pericula misit Venturi timor ipse mali fortissinâ—â—â— ille est Qui promptus metunda pati The feare of evil to come hath endangered many he is the most valiant that is ready to suffer what is feared 2. It tryeth our faith Christ said to Peter Cur times exiguâ fide praedites when he so felt himselfe sinking in the waters God promised I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Do we beleeve him Dare we trust him as Christ Do you beleeve in God beleeve also in me 2 My brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations Jam. 2. 3. Knowing this that the trying of your Faith worketh patience 4. But let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing 1 Pet. 1 7. That the tryall of your Faith being much more precious then of gold which perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ c. 3. This setteth before our eyes the great appearance that our enemies shall make before us either in this world when our eye shall have our desire on them that hate us or in the last day when the Saints shall judge the world which serveth to admonish us with the Prophet To commit our wayes to the Lord and to trust in him for he shall bring it to passe Excellent is the story of Elisha whom the King of Syriâ— sent an Army to take and they beset Dothan where he lodged but Elisha prayed and God smote the whole Army with blindnesse and he whom they sought offered himselfe to them to be their guide and he brought them into Samaria and then God opened their eyes and they saw themselves in the hand and power of their enemies Thus doth God blind the eyes of the enemies of his Church and when ther malice is at the height they find themselves set at the Barre to be judged by his Saints then Iacob shall judge the Mount of Esau Methinkes I see the great appearance of the boisterous Tyrants of the earth whose eyes did sparkle fire in the faces of Gods servants whole tongue spake proud words whose foot trode upon Gods Saints whose hand spared them not whose countenance darted against them scorne and disdaine and whose swords were made drunke in the bloud of Gods Holy ones With what a feareful trembling and horrible dread they come to this judgement against their wils where they shall see the Saints all in long white robes like a flock of sheep that come from the washing in whose glorified faces they shall behold their owne shame and dishonour in whose place and joy they shall behold the bloudy persecution wherewith they have oppressed them in their life and in whose setled happinesse they shall read their doom of eternall woe And as Saint Peter saith How shall the wicked and ungodly appeare there needs no more evidence against them bring them to judgement and that sight shall convince them 3. The issue and effect of all And the Kingdome shall be the Lords This is the proper fruite of our deliverance from the hands of our enemies that the Kingdome of God may be established on earth in Gods Church 1. For so long as the enemies of God do tyrannize and fill all with their grosse actions the face of the Church is covered the Temples of God are defiled and demolished the worship of God seeketh private corners and sheweth not it selfe the Saints of God fly from the Sword of Persecution wandring here and there from one Nation to another people and it is hard to say where the Church of God is During the persecution under the cruell Emperours till Constantine aross and restored the Kingdome to God the Kingdome of God on earth was not abolished quite but it was in some sort invisible not that it was then hidden from all the faithfull as it was from the world therefore concerning the invisiblenesse of this Kingdome we do affirme 1. That though this Kingdome of God be so established on earth that the gaâ—â—â— of hell shall not prevails against it because God gave to his son that asked him the heâ—â—hen for his inheritance and the utmost part of the earth for his possession And Christ promised to give the Holy Ghost to his Church to abide with it for ever 〈◊〉 yeâ—at sometimes the faithfull may be so few in number and they so separated one from another in the pursuit of their owâ—â— sâ—â—â—ty that the world cannot easily discome the face of a Church This some of the Church of Rome have confessed affirming that about the time of Christs passion and the dispersion of his Disciples theâ—â— true faith remained onely in the blessed Virgin Mary But untruly◠〈◊〉 the Disciples though they fled from the persecution of that time they fled not froâ—â— the â—aith of Christ But was it not so in Eliahs time when he knew of no more but himselfe alone that served the true God yet God had knees that had never bowed to Baal even then 2. We affirme that Satans Kingdome may so farre dilate it selfe in power and spreading that the externall government of the Church may cease the succession of Bishops and Pastors may be interrupted the Discipline of the Church hindered and the outward exercise of Gods Worship suspended the sunne of righteousnes may suffer ecclipse and thus much the Rhemists do confesse in their notes upon 2 Thes 2.2 3. That which the common opinion doth embrace for the Kingdome of God may be Satans Kingdome whose doctrine is poison whose pastors are wolves in sheeps cloathing whose children are bastards of the Strumpet of Babylon This appeares in the Church story for when Româ— forsook her first Love and began to turne saith into faction and religion into carnall policy to establish a tâ—anscendent greatnesse on the face of the earth and to tyrannize over all that stood for the truth revealed in the word then was the candle of the Church put out so farre as they could prevaile and the word of God the light of our steps was taken away from the people Then did the faithfull subjects of Gods Kingdome hide themselves from the sword and the fire and the sundry persecutions which Rome devised to oppresse them then their heresy past for truth commonly their usurpers for lawfull Bishops their mercenaries for Pastors their legendes for Gospel and they boasted themselves the only true Church of God and Spouse of Iesus Christ And when by the ministry of Dr. Lurher the Church began to lift up the head againe and that one single man opposed the Pope and was a burning and shining Lampe to whose light many dayly resorted we see that ever since that time the Church hath come more and more in sight and growne both in number and strength Kings have been nursing Fathers and Queens have been Nurses and the Kingdom of God hath been gloriously advaanced on earth Then did England
hope that either God may divert the evil or mitigate the same or give patience to bear it or sanctifie the chastisement ad dignam emandationem for their amendment for onely the Lord knoweth who are his When Saul was rejected and Samuel was the messenger of that heavie judgement 1 Sam. 15.35 yet Samuel did not cease mourning for Saul untill the day of his death That is the most effectual manner of praying even that which the Holy Ghost useth in us with sighs and groans Plus fletu quam afflain Thus when Abraham saw Ishmael cast out for a scorner and persecutour of Isaac yet he prayed O that Ishmael might live in thy sight And God said I have heard thee also concerning him somewhat is obtained Therefore let us still be praying for all men Especially seeing God doth not make us of his counsell so far as to declare to us whom he accepteth and whom he rejecteth From this lesson of the certainty of the judgements of God upon the wicked certain whether we consider the nature of God without change or the weaknesse of man without any possibility of resisting or the nature of the reprobate without any ability of repenting We are taught 1. To rest in the decree of God let us know that he cannot deny himself and therefore though wrath go not out from the Lord presently and although his judgement is delayed yet let us resolve that upon the wicked he will rain snares and he will break the impenitent with rods of iron He was an hundred and twenty yeers preaching to the old world and they repented not so long was he ere he would pluck his hand out of his bosome yet at last he smote the World with a great slaughter and drowned all but eight persons Two Errours do grow in us if we do not wisely weigh this doctrine 1. An Errour in judgement These things hast thou done and I kept silence Psa 10.21 thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self as Aug. Deum quia non pateris ultorem vis habere participem quia malefacta tua placent tibi tu putas etiam ea placere mihi 2. An Errour in manners Because sentence against an evill work is not executed speedily Eccles. 8.11 therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evill For indeed what maketh men to walk so unconscionably on earth blaspheming the sacred name of the highest Majesty polluting his holy Sabbaths making their belly their penny their pleasure their God but this corrupt opinion of Gods either not seeing or not caring or pardoning of sins the presuming on his mercy not knowing this that the judgments of God howsoever deferred will surely light where they are threatned Therefore let every man in hearing and reading of the word of God observe his owne sins how they are threatned and let him know that he hath no way nor means but by his serious repentance to escape that judgment 1. Let us take heed of dallying with the Almighty God for be not deceived God is not mocked they that think to finde him when they list know not that there is a time when he will be found and they that neglect that time do lose their season of him 2. But especially let men take heed of abusing his patience and making that a motive to and a strength of sin for Laesa patientia fit furor patience abused turns to fury when men sin against the mercy of God they spill the medicine that should heal them they cut the bough that they stood on for it is that which keepeth our heads above water and standeth in the gap 3. To conclude let men take heed of falling so farre from God as to make a covenant with death and an agreement with hell that is to make peace with Satan for this bed the Prophet saith is too short and this covering is too narrow to cover us We are taught here not to repine at the present prosperity of the wicked This hath much disquieted very godly persons David confesseth it to have unrested him and his foot had almost slipt Psal 73. It made some wise men among the heathen doubt An sit providentia whether there be a providence and no humane wisdome can maintaine providence because bonis malefit good men suffer There is a parting of the red sea and then it will appeare who be Israelites and who be Aegyptians What if it last prosperous all their life long at the parting of the soule and body Lazarus and the rich man shall feele a change therefore grudge not the wicked their pleasures of sin for a season 2. By what means this intelligence of the judgement against Edom was given the meanes are two 1. By a rumour from the Lord. 2. By the Embassadours sent from the Heathen 1. The rumour from the Lord. Jeremiah useth the same word the Interlin auditum audivimus à cum Domino Jer 49.14 His meaning is as before is exprest that God hath put this prophecie in the mouth of many of his Prophets so that it is not a particular instinct by revelation to some one but a rumor that is a general opening of the same filling the mouths of many which declareth the consent of the Prophets in this Prophecie Doctr. It advanceth the message of God amongst men when the Lords trumpets doth Dare sonum certum give a certain sound when they all agree together as one man in the ministery thereof The messenger that came from Michaiah to bring him to the two Kings Jehoshaphat and Ahab thought he had used a great argument to perswade Michaiah to Prophesie good successe to that intended expedition against Ramoth-Gilead 1 Reg. 22.13 saying Behold now the words of the prophets declare good unto the King with one mouth let thy word I pray thee be like the word of one of one of them c. These false prophets all joyned together to flatter that expedition God revealeth the secret hereof by Michaiah there was an evil spirit offered his service to God saying I will go forth and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets And God said Thou shalt perswade him and prevail also The Prophets and Ministers of God do consent in their message and Sathan that studieth the ruine of the Church doth his best to make his false prophets agree all in a tale to make the fairer shew of Truth that he may deceive many It is one of the great objections of the Papists against our Religion that it cannot be the Truth of God because we Ministers do not agree in the Preaching thereof To whom we answer That the Church of England in all points both of Religion and Discipline is as a city which is at unity within it self if some particular Persons in the Ministery leave the way of the Church and go in their own way that is no fault of the Church but the
If I have spoken evil Joh. 8.22.23 bear witnesse of the evil but if well why smitest thou me This then is spoken by our Saviour to forbid private revenge that no man should be the judge of his own wrong but should bear it with patience It is Saint Augustines answer Obedientia istanon in ostentatione corporis est sed in preparatione cordis And he saith Non maxillam tantum obtulit sed totum corpus dedit figendum cruci And he addeth Quanto melius et respondit vera placatus et ad perferenda graviora paratus est He could have withdrawn his cheek from the smiter Lam. 3 30 but he would fulfill the Prophecie He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him he is filled with reproaches Private revenge Christ forbiddeth us Christ did not take it against his adversary that smote him he reproved it in Peter he amended the maim that he made and healed his smiter But war is a publike revenge and the Magistrate beareth the sword to that purpose to execute revenge upon evil doers Vengeance is Gods and where he committeth the trust of execution thereof as he doth to the Magistrate there it is lawfull This cleareth many other like objections as that Qui gladio ferit Lam. 11. gladio peribit He that smiteth with the sword shall perish by the sword we must recompence to no man evil for evil For all this is meant of our revenge but the revenge of the Magistrate is the vengeance of God because he is Gods Minister Object 2 The prophet Isay foretold that in the time of the Gospel Isa 2.4 they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more Sol. These words bear three interpretations 1. That this was a signe of the coming of the Messias into the World he was born in a time of cessation from wars when the Romane Monarchy had leasure to leavie a taxation by the Poll so when David had rest then he thought of numbring his People 2. That this was fulfilled in the spirituall Peace and Unity of the Church collected now out of all nations of the World Iew and Gentile made one 3. That this is the proper effect of the Gospel where it was embraced faithfully to make Peace Under the name of Edom we may understand all the enemies of the Truth of God and Christian Religion such as are Schismaticks and Hereticks who understanding not the mystery of Godlinesse and Peace do set their wits against the Church to corrupt the Truth therein deposited and professed or to disturb the quiet professours thereof 1. Hereticks These are our brethren by outward profession 1. Heretiques calling themselves Christians but they see that we have gotten the birthright and the blessing from them and therefore they hate us and are comforted against us to destroy us The Church is Gods Israel the children of the Promise filij regni filij thalami filij lucis children of the kingdom of the Bridechamber and of the light The Embassadours that are sent to stir up to war against those be the Ministers of the Word of God for to this purpose we are sent forth to confirm the brethren against those to reconcile these to God And we are commanded to arise against these in battell The war and so the weapons with which we fight against these are not carnall but spirituall the clear light of the Gospel which is the power of God to salvation to them that beleeve and the Truth of God which is strong and prevaileth against them that beleeve not It is time for us to joyn together as one man in battell against these Especially the Papists whose Religion is ambition whose piety is worldly policy whose zeal is combustion whose faith is fury who hide the Word of Light in the darknesse of an unknown tongue to keep the people ignorant that they may not know Gods right hand from his left to emplunge them in the flames of their imagined Purgatory that they may be well paid to release them thence They mingle the sacrament of Baptisme with their own inventions which they make acquivalent in vertue to the power of Gods ordinance The mangle the sacrament of the Lords supper by robbing the people of one half thereof taking the cup from them They disable the sacrifice of Christs sufficient satisfaction for sin by addition of humane merits of erogation and super erogation They weaken the sole intercession of Christ by intrusion of more Mediatours Angels the Mother of our Lord and Saints They shorten the free and full grace of God which Christ himself from Heaven told Paul was sufficient by their lying doctrine of Free-will They flatter and abett some by their doctrine of indulgencies which attributeth to the Pope power of pardoning sins past and to come They dishonour the holy sufficient Word of God by acqui-ballancing with the same humane Traditions and false Legends They destroy true saving faith by their false doctrine of implicite faith teaching that is enough to beleeve as the Church beleeveth not declaring what the Church beleeveth and upon what ground their faith is built They maintain flat Idolatry by teaching the worshipping of Images and praying to Saints And for the power which they give to the Pope against God in dispensing with the breach of his Covenants in coining new Articles of faith in defining the interpretation of Scriptures in usurping authority over temporall Princes to enthrone and to dethrone at pleasure to arm their natural subjects against them to animate Incendiaries to abett treasons to blow up States All these things and many more call upon us take arms and joyn our strengths against this Edom this red and hairy and bloody enemy whose mercies are cruell The best weapon against this Kingdom of darknesse is the Light of Truth the more we carry this Light about us the more will the ignorant amongst them know how they are abused and mis-led For our war is spirituall not against their Persons but against their Heresies 2. Schismaticks These also call us brethren but they break the Unity and Uniformity of the Church All the children of Peace must arise against these in battel this also is a spirituall war and the sword of the spirit must be drawn and used against these to cut them off as Saint Paul wisheth I would they were cut off that trouble you Or if the Word of God cannot prevail with them to convert them to peace The discipline of the Church which Saint Paul calleth his rod must be used against them to cut them off from our congregations The Apostle calleth them Leaven and saith that a little leaven soureth the whole lump So do Schismaticks for a few of them do corrupt many and divert them from the congregations whereof they are members and distaste the established Ministery to them and set them in opposition to
serve 1. To take downe the heart and to humble men under the mighty hand of God for the afflicted man cannot but like the Mariners in the Ship with Jonah being in a storme search for whose sake the storme ariseth When Manasseth was carried Captive into Babel and there put in chaines he soone found where the fault was and he fell to confession and prayers humiliavit se valde 2 Chro. 33.12 The Church of God under the crosse said Let us search and try our wayes and turne to the Lord. Lam. 3.4 In health liberty plenty ease we find something else to doe we have no leasure to search our wayes therefore God layeth his rod upon us and when the smart of affliction doth make us weary of the world and putteth us out of the way of our delights then we can consider and try our hearts within us and our wayes without us As Peter when he beginnes to sinke can cry for helpe and the Disciples in a storme will awake their Master The heart must be first broken and our stout stomack taken downe before we can enjoy the sweet fruits of liberty Behold his soule which is lifted up is not upright in him Hab. 2.4 Proud persons have crooked soules they do not look up but like the woman that had the spirit of Infirmity they are bent to the earth to see how many they can overtake But sicknesse disgrace imprisonment will make our Buls of Bashan as tame as Lambs and then a poore mans tale may be heard We have seene examples of great fals in our time and in them that stand now and looke up where they did sit it is as easie a matter to behold as great a change of their hearts as of their fortunes Truly so do men rise or fall indeed as their heart riseth or falleth for an humble man keeps the same posture alwayes he knowes how to abound and how to want and no prosperity can soare him up higher no adversity can cast him lower then his pitch for his heart is not exalted 2. Afflictions do serve to breed in us a conscience and feare of sinne when we see what smart it bringeth as here it turned Israel out of house and home it fired their City and their holy Temple and carried them away Captives to a strange land and fed them with the bitter bread of Banishmentâ— it filled their soules with the despite of the wicked and the reproach of the proud This affliction saith unto them Sin no more lest some worse thing fall upon thee But who makes that use of sicknesse imprisonment disgrace to cast it upon the merit of his sin that maketh the hand of God so heavie upon us and that returneth judgement so often to us But here Israel is brought to holinesse by it and let us mistrust our selves that we stand not in a state of grace with God except our affliction do mend us and bring us to repentance of our sins and to holinesse of life 3. Afflictions do bring us to an awe and reverence of the worship of God for they do declare God to be just and not to be dallied with he is whetting his sword whilest we are in our sinnes he is bending his bow and preparing instruments of vengeance he is still turning over the Book of remembrance wherein all our sinnes are recorded and perusing the Inventory of his graces which we have received in vaine and of his gifts which we have abused of his Talents which we have misimployed teaching us to feare him and to seare all our wayes before him So David will be wiser hereafter Against thee only have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight These three humility conscience of sinne and of the Majesty of God will bring us to holinesse of life which is the way of peace and it is good for Israel to be afflicted to come to his 2 The Church here was the better for this affliction that they sustained even in their temporall estate 1. In the restitution of their possessions for it is a rule of truth though it shew a very great imperfection in our judgement as great corrupion in our affections Carendo magis quam fruendo by waiting rather then by enjoying we come to know the true worth of Gods savours And that carendo by wanting not so much in an ante-want as in a post-want In an Ante-want when we rise from poverty to wealth from basenesse to honour from labour to ease commonly as our good so our bloud ariseth and it is a great grace of God if the rising of our fortunes be not the sinking and falling of our faith and obedience to God For many in low estate have been humble whose pride in high estate have been importable many in poverty have had tender hearts who in wealth have turned great oppressours of their brethren and many in labour have been content with a little who in ease have growne resty and idle But in a post-want when men fall from wealth to poverty from honour to the dust from ease to labour then they can look back and recompt the sweetnesse of these outward favours Holy Iob hath two whole Chapters In one he confesseth his former estate the fulnesse and the power and the ease and the glory thereof he beginnes it with an optative O that I were as in monthes past as in the dayes when God preserved me Job 29. When his candle shined upon my head when by his light I walked through darknes as I was in the dayes of my youth Few of us in health do feel the favour of God to us therein few in wealth do taste the sweetnesse of Gods open and giving hand few content with their portion But in sicknesse every little mittigation of our paine is sweet and we are ready to fall on our knees before God to thanke him for it In poverty every almes given to us thankfully received and then if we were as in monthes past how much better would we use wealth For Job in the next Chapter doth feel the change and findeth bitternesse in it Job 30. and he endeth that Chapter My harpe is turned into mourning and my Organs into the voice of them that weed Therefore when we once come to want that which we formerly have possest we whose ambitious desires gave us no rest either to be thankfull for that we had or content with it would desire no more then to be as in some monthes before that God would but light that candle againe and restore us to what we have lost As in the spirituall state of the soule David that neglected the day of his salvation which God gave him before his fall and sold it for a little carnall pleasure when he came againe to himselfe he only prayes Restore to me the joy of thy Salvation Hos 2.7 And the Church revolting from God remembreth her selfe and saith I will go and returne to my first husband for
A BRIEF Commentarie OR EXPOSITION Upon the Prophecy of OBADIAH TOGETHER With usefull Notes delivered in sundry Sermons preacht in the Church of St. James Garlick-Hith LONDON By EDWARD MARBURY the then Pastor of the said Church Psal 101. Ver. 1. My song shall be of Mercy and Judgement unto thee O Lord will I sing LONDON Printed by T. R. and E. M. for George Calvert and are to be sold at the Signe of the Halfe-Moone in Watling-street neere Pauls-stump 1649. To my worthy friends the Citizens and Inhabitants of the Parish of St. Iames Garlickhith London all the blessings of this life and that which is to come I Have not without good cause inscribed this Commentary unto you First those Sermons were Preach'd amongst you Secondly some of you have heretofore often importuned the publication of this and some others of my Labours Thirdly you were my First fruits and therefore the First Commencement of my Labours in this kind doth properly belong to you As then it is justly Dedicated unto you so I desire it may have your favourable acceptance and passe under the Convoy of your worthy names I have by me an Exposition of three other of the the Small Prophets viz. Habakuk Zephanie and Haggai which together with this are Licensed and intended for the Presse but the charge of Printing being great and the number of Buyers of Bookes in these times if we may beleeve the Stationers very small I thought fit to send forth this as Joshua did the Spies to see what encouragement the rest may happily finde to follow after it I am of Saint Austins minde who accounted nothing his owne but what he did communicate and professed himselfe to be of that number qui scribunt proficiendo scribendo proficiunt that write what they have learn't and learne more by writing and if the graine be good it is fitter for the Market then for the Garner What entertainment this will finde there I know not for mine owne part I have taken the Councell of the Wise neither to praise nor dispraise my owne doings the one he saith is vanity the other folly others will be ready enough to save me that paines to whose uncertaine censure I submit my selfe to stand or fall before them Yet thus much I will make bold to say for my selfe that I have done little or nothing herein without consulting the best Authors both Ancient and Moderne to which I have added that light which God by his Spirit revealeth in my understanding to discerne what his will is and to suggest what I shall French in his Church as the Bee gathereth Hâ—ny and storeth her Hive out of severall sorts of Flowers for the Common-good so have I out of these Collected and Gathered sundry Honey-Combes of truth for the use and benefit of the Publick All my desire is to doe all the good I can and to that end my Tongâ—e being suspended for some time I have taken this opportunity to supply the defect thereof by my Pen. I am loth to lose our Crowne of rejoycing in the day of the Lord. Animae servatae the saving of Soules will procure us a better Garland at the coming of Christ then Cives servati the saving of Citizens did the Ancient Romanes That is the onely marke we aime at and if we be light and not smoake in the Church of Christ the onely Subject and Matter of all our Preaching and Writing And the saving of your Soules a part of that bounden duty and debt which by the just bond of thankfulnesse I owe unto you especially Testis est mihi Deus quomodo cupiam vos omnes in visceribus Jesu Christi God is my witnesse how much I have desired the good of you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ and if I have not been able to doe for you what I would yet that I have desired and endeavoured it what I could may deserve acceptance or at the least will satisfie my owne Conscience In a word to see the welfare and happinesse of you and yours how much will it revive his heart who professeth himselfe You affectionate Friend and Servant in the Lord EDW. MARBVRY A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION Upon the PROPHECY of Obadiah VERSE I. The Vision of OBADIAH THis short prophecie calleth to my remembrance the words of David concerning God with the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward v. 27. For thou wilt save the afflicted people Psal 18.26 but wilt bring down high looks For in the former part of this prophecie God thundereth with the terrours of his judgements in the latter part we hear the whisper and still voice of his mercy 2 Things set consideration a work at First 1. The title which sheweth 1. Whose 2. What. 2. The Prophecie it self 1. Whose Obadiah Whether this were the proper name of a man or a notation onely to expresse the calling of him that wrote this prophecie we may doubt for Abad servus a servant and Jah Dominus a Lord may denote this prophet in his function a servant of the Lord and so are all the ministers of the word in a speciall service concerning the building up of the house of God That which Lyranus saith to be the judgement of most Ecclesiasticall writers that this was the same Obadiah that was steward of king Ahabs house 1 Reg. 18.4 and hid the prophets in the cave and fed them with bread and water and was contemporary with Elias that how great authours soever it hath is so clearly confuted in the words of this prophecie that we resolve against it For the prophecit it mentioneth the taking of Jerusalem was 800 yeers after Ahab It is likely that it was the proper name of the prophet and Dorotheus thinketh him the same that lived in Ahabs time which cannot be as I have shewed It must suffice us that we know this prophecie to have been ever received in the Canon of the Church Melitâ— in his epistle to Onesimus Euseb 4.25 naming the books of Canonicall Scripture doth name one book of the twelve prophets whereof this is one And I never read the authority of this prophecie doubted of in any age of the church he was one of those holy men 2 Pet. 2. who wrote and spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost The maid that came to the door when Peter knockt Act. 2.14 knew him by his voice and surely the Majesty and weight that is in the Canonicall Scriptures doth declare them to be the voice of God which wanteth in all the Apocryphall Assuments as a reader diligently exercised in the Scriptures may easily discern These holy writings addressed to the perpetuall light of the Church are spare in their inscriptions Who wrote the books of Joshua Iudges Ruth Samuel Kings Chronicles Ester They are written they are ours the wisdom of God is seen in them the grace of God is confirmed by them the church of
God ever received them the Spirit of God testifieth of them and God in all ages hath been glorified by them The church of Rome doth attribute to the church a power of authorizing books of Scripture and maketh the Churches authority the warrant for the authorising thereof S. Aug. alloweth the Church the reputation of a witnesse Contra Faust 33.6 but not the power of authority herein for he saith Platonis Aristotelis Ciceronis libros unde noverint homines quod ipsorum sint nisi temporum sibi succedentium contestatione continua therefore that these books were the Canon of scripture the testimony of all ages in their successions doth maintain but this testimony doth not give them authority but witnesseth the authority given them by the Spirit of God We finde that even the authority of holy scriptures hath been denied by Hereticks Sadducaei nullas Scripturas recipiebant nisi quinq libros Mosis Simon prophetas minimè curandos dixit Iren. 1.20 quia a mundi fabricatoribus angelis Prophetias acceperunt Saturninus totum vetus test repudiebat Ptolemaitae libros Mosis Epiph. Haer 33. Nicolaitae et Gnostici librum Psalmorum Anabapt Cant. Salomonis Et lib. Iob. Porphyrius scripsit volumen Cont lib. Danielis The New Testament hath had many enemies the children of darknes have ever made war against light We are better taught and seeing the Holy Ghost hath not satisfied us from whence this our prophet came but hath only given us his name and his prophecie this contenteth us The vessel was but of earth which brought us this treasure if we have lost the vessell and kept the treasure The messenger was a man like us the message was the Lords if the messenger be gone and the message do yet remain the matter is not great Let us glorifie God for his Saints whom God hath used as instruments of our good and praise him for all his prophets and holy men by whom these heavenly oracles were received from him and communicated to the church The son of Sirach Ecclus. 4. Let us now commend the famous men in old time by whom the Lord hath gotten great glory let the people speak of their wisdom and the congregation of their praise Of this there is a double use 1 That we that do Legere read may learn Degere Sanctorum vitas to live the lives of saints and do the church of God all the good service we can 2 That God may be honoured in Saâ—ictis in the saints as saint Jerome saith Honoramus servos ut honor servorum redundet ad Dominum This is the honour of God and this is the praise of this prophet Obadiah whosoever he was he liveth in this prophecie to preach the will of God to you here present and to let you know both the justice of God against the enemies of his church and his mercy to his own beloved people For as the Apostle doth say of Abels faith and by it he being dead yet speaketh Heb. 11.4 so may we say of this and all other pen-men of holy Scripture that by these works of theirs though they be dead yet they do now speak in the church of God Avel spake two ways for there was 1 Vox sanguinis a voice of blood which cryed for judgement Gen. 4.10 Heb. 11.4 and 2 Vox fidei a voice of faith which is example for imitation Thus all Ecclesiasticall writers do speak and we in our studies do confer with dead men and take light from them That is the reason that the elect of God do not arise to their full reward before the resurrection of all flesh because their works do follow them in order as they are done and their light goeth not out by night Death doth not quench their candle Thus the antient fathers of the Church have left living monuments of their holy learning and we come after them and enter upon their labours They are unthankfull and spightfull that despise their names and refuse their testimonies which they have given to the truth and blemish their memory as if they were unworthy to be named in our sermons or to their judgements to be held in any estimation It is the only way for a man gloriously to out-live himself to be the instrument of doing good to the church of God when he is gone hence and is no more seen Blessed is that servant whom his Master when he cometh shall finde so doing 2. What The Vision Some have confounded these two termes Vision and Prophecie as both expressing the same act of Propheticall vocation I finde three of these titles used together Now the acts of David the King first and last 1 Châ—on 29 29. behold they are written in the book of Samuel the Seer and in the book of Nathan the Prophet and in the book of Gad the Seer Where though our English Translation do use the same word for Samuel and Gad calling them both Seers the Hebrew distinguisheth them and a learned Professor of Divinity doth read in verbis Samnelis inspicientis the Inspector Dr. Humâ— Decor-Interpret lib. 3. Nathan Prophetae the Prophet Gad videntis the Seer I do not take these to be three distinct Offices but three parts of the same Office For 1. Such must be Videntes Seers God must open their eyes that they may see what the will of God is Balaam being to prophecie at the request of Balak against Israel beginneth thus Balaam the son of Beor hath said the man whose eyes are open hath said Num. 24.3 He hath said which heard the words of God which saw the Vision of the Almighty who had his eyes shut but now open Therefore they must be videntes Seers for if the blinde do lead the blinde you know where to finde them both 2. Such must be inspicientes inspectors and that both in regard of the suggestion that it be no humane phantasie no satannicall illusion but a divine and spirituall revelation As also in regard of the thing suggested that they may rightly informe themselves in the will of God and so farre as God revealeth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they may boldly say and maintaine Sic dicit Dominus thus saith the Lord. 3. Thus prepared they may be Prophets that is the Publishers of this will of God to them to whom they be sent So that Vision and Inspection belong to preparation prophecie to execution of that Office from whence Docemur we are taught 1. Doctrine The faithfull minister of the word of God must receive his information and instructions from the Spirit of God before he preach or prophesie We are ambassadours and messengers from God and the warrant of our calling is our mission the Apostle saith How shall he preach except he be sent for mission importeth fit instructions in the errand God hath laid blame upon them that run unsent and no man putteth himself in that imployment but he that was sent as was Aaron The Son
That as there is authoritas Scripturae the authority of Scripture which is the ground of faith so there must be testimoniuâ—â— Ecclesiae the witnesse of the Church as Vincent Lirinensis well adviseth Cap. 2. Quia Scripturam Sacram non uno eodumque sensu universi accepterunt And in this case not having Antiquitatem ministrantem universall consent and we are put to it to search out what the most learned most sincere Divines in all ages have taught concerning this point here there is a necessity of consulting and declaring the constant judgement of the Church for the Testimony to the Truth 2. In all points of doctrine it giveth a great assurance to our hearers of our faithfulnesse if we declare our selves to be such as feed our hearers with the same Bread of Life which our fathers before us did break to their children 3. Whereas it is surmised that these citations of fathers be but a pride of our feeding and a vain boast of our learning It were more charitable to think 1. That our humility is such that we are not ashamed to professe by whom we learn any thing 2. That we have so unworthy an opinion of our own judgements that we chuse rather to apply the learned judgements of those that have gone before us then our own And who can deny but that our Preaching out of them is with the warrant of our Text. Sic dicit Dominus Thus saith the Lord if the Lord spake by them to his Church For the use of Heathen writers I onely say with S. Aug. Omnis scientia in gâ—nere bonorum est In arundine sterili potest una pendere Truth is the language of God and if ignorant men wicked men Devils do speak truth we may quote and write them and we may say truly Sic dicit Dominus Thus saith the Lord. The prophecie of wicked Balaam and of Caiaphas was the word of the Lord and the confession of devils testifying of Christ is a good confession there is no wrong done to the word Qui non est contra me mecum est He that is not against me is with me 2. The hearers lesson You are all taught to receive this wholesome doctrine which the Minister preacheth from the mouth of the Lord. It is not you that speak saith Christ he that hath ears to hear must hear Quod Spiritus dicit what the spirit speaketh When we tell the house of Jacob of their sins this is the word of the Lord. When we say unto you going in an evil way as Lot to the Sodomites Do not so wickedly Do not say Duruâ— est hic sermo he rayled to day against swearing or against drunkennesse c. I will tell you how you shall receive both comfort and great profit by our Ministery and the word is given to profit withall Mich. 2.7 Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly recto judicio rectis moribus I will give you a fair example Israel said to Moses Go thou now neer Deu. 5 27.28 and hear all that the Lord our God shall say and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will hear it and do it God took it well and said to Moses I have heard the voice of this people they have well said all that they have spoken We must tell you that the Word of the Lord which he sendeth forth in our Ministery shall not return to him empty it shall finish the thing for which it was sent Therefore take you heed how you hear and consider what we say hide the Word that we Preach in your hearts that you sin not against God If we do our duty he that heareth us and receiveth us receiveth Jesus Christ that sent us and in these earthen vessels rich treasures are brought unto him He that refuseth us our Ministery refuseth him that sent us and the Word of the Lord which we bring to them will prove a rod correction to chastise them and although they feel not the pain presently it will be owing to them till affliction or Death assault them and then they will remember the Word of the Lord with much horrour Obadiah v. 1. We have heard a rumour from the Lord and an Embassadour is sent among the Heathen Arise ye and let us arise against her in battell We are now come to the Prophecie it self which holdeth to the end of the sixteenth verse The parts whereof are four 1. The judgement intended against Edom v. 1.2 2. All the hopes of Edom despaired v. 3.4.5.6.7.8.9 3. The cause provoking God to this severe processe against them v. 10.11.12.13.14 4. Gods revenge upon them v. 15.16 1. In the judgement intended observe 1. The discovery thereof 2. The effect of it 1. In the discovery observe 1. By whom it was discovered 2. How two wayes 1. By a rumour from the Lord. 2. By Embassadours 1. To whom this threatened judgement was discovered we have heard We that is the prophets of the Lord for although Obadiah writ this present Prophesie yet was not this judgement onely revealed to him but to many more of the Holy Prophets for so saith the Prophet Amos Surely the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his secret to his servants the prophets not unto one onely but to more And so fully was this revealed to Jeremiah Amos 3.7 that he doth prophesie even in the same words against Edom but under the name of Bozrah which was the name of a Principall city in Edom as appeareth Gen 36.33 the words of the Prophecie are these I have sworn by my self saith the Lord that Bozrah shall become a desolation Jer. 49.13 a reproach a waste and a curse and all the cities thereof shall be perpetuall wastes I have heard a rumour from the Lord an Embassadour is sent to the Heathen saying Gather ye together and come against her c. The margents of the Bibles refer you to that place The Lord gave great charge to Israel concerning Edom Deut. 23.7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite for he is thy brother Yet because the Edomite was ever an enemy to Israel God revealed his judgement against them to many of his Prophets Balainâ— foretold their subjection to Israel And Edom shall be a possession Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies and Israel shall do valiantly Num 24.18.19 Out of Jacob shall be come that shall have Dominion and shall destroy him that remaineth of that city The Psalmist prayeth for their punishment Psa 137.7 Remember O Lord the children of Edom. It had not been lawfull for the Prophet to have provoked the justice of God against Edom unlesse God had revealed his purpose of judgement intended against them to him For Davids imprecations be all Prophecies The burden of Dumah that is of Idumaea Isa 21.11 He calleth unto me out of Seir Watchman what was in the night c.
Schisme of Private men Such as they are discovered so are they restrained and separated from the rest to Room then Parcius ista viris tamen objicionda memento Personall oppositions do not fasten imputation upon any entire Church of God And we say to the Roman Church Novimus et qui to c. For we have good evidence even from their own wrightings that the Church of Rome hath in later times dissented from those Tenets which in former times it hath maintained not in matters of light moment but in the main points of Christian Religion 1. For the books of Canonicall Scripture the learned of former times did refuse all those books which we call Apocryphall as well as we yet the Counsell of Trent hath since placed them in the Canon and given them equall authority with the Canonicall Scriptures 2. For the sufficiencie their own best learned have heretofore acknowledged the same as much as we 3. The vulgar translation hath been by their learned refused the originall preserved 4. For the conception of the Virgin Mary without sin it is not yet determined in the Church but contradictories are allowed 5. The distinction of Mortall and Veniall sins 6. The Doctrines of merite of super-erogation of the seven Sacraments of Transubstantiation of Purgatory of praying to Saints worshipping of images Indulgencies Popes supremacie all refused Therefore let them no longer charge us with differences our Church doth maintain one Truth in all these things with the former Church of Rome against this that now is Therefore let us observe the setled doctrine of the Church in which we live and receive that against the perverse oppositions of all schismaticall coiners of new Doctrines and that is the safest way for us to walk in for this rumor Domini is no rumour of the Lord. Doctr. 2 2. Because it is auditus a Domino heard from the Lord whence we are taught to distinguish between the rumours which we hear from men and those rumours which we hear from the Lord let us judge them by the word of God and let us learn of the Church the Spouse of Christ who best discerneth these spirituall things because they are deposited with it and the Spirit of God is with it and abideth with it for ever How holy Scriptures must be interpreted Let every man put his own particular fancies and humours to silence and as the Apostle saith let us receive with meeknesse the word of God and let it be graffed in us For the word of the Lord endureth for ever that is like him that gave it without variablenesse there is in it no shadow of change It was Davids rest Audiam quid loquatur Deus I will hear what the Lord speaketh And that we may hear this rumour of the Lord profitably The word is given to profit withall let me shew you who they be that receive the word of God profitably these namely who 1. Receive it in their understanding 2. in their judgement 1. In their understanding knowing what the Lord speaketh in his Word for the Word is the revelation of the good will of God To this is necessary 1. A preparation to this understanding 2. An use of the means For the preparation of our understanding two things are necessary as Saint Paul speaketh 1. Be not conformed to this world this world is our enemy Rom. 11.1 we must shake off all acquaintance with it it is the serpents fair fruit wherewith he tempteth us he setteth the eye and the heart a lusting and filleth us with the pride of life Christ first separated his disciples from the world then he fitted them to his service They deceive themselves that think they may embrace true religion and the world too following the vanities of fashion and surfetting in the pleasures of life for Godlinesse and vanity cannot dwell together and the god of this world blindeth the eye of the understanding that they which love the world cannot love God and the secrets of the Lord are revealed to none but such as love and fear God 2. Be ye transformed by the renewing of the minde that is be ye new Creatures casting off the old man which is corrupt for this new wine must be put in new casks We must sing a new song Canticum novum novus homo a new man none else can sing it therefore David desired Cor novum a new heart and spiritum rectum a right spirit it is the only new fashion as in many of ours to renew the old fashion the image of God stamped in us in our Creation which is decayed repaired anew by the image of the new Adam who came to restore us 2. A use of the means which are 1. Delight in reading of the word give attendance to reading 1 Tim. 4.15 what though thou understand not what thou readest no more did the Eunuch but God sent Philip to him he was in the way of illumination Idle and wanton books take up too much of our time from the reading of Gods book rumor populi a rumour of the people takes us from reading this rumor Domim this rumour of the Lord. Yet these things are written for our use and onely these things make the man of God wise to salvation 2. Meditation for that helpeth the understanding and layeth up what we read in the memory that we may know where to have it again when we have need of it It is said of Mary Luâ—k 251 that she kept all these sayings in her heart The wise son of Sirach saith well The inner parts of a fool are like a broken vessel Ecclus. 21 14. and he will hold no knowledge as long as he liveth Truly the cause of all our sins and frailties is want of meditation in the Word want of keeping it in our heart we see in our selves how we are affected here in hearing of the Word of God if we did meditate on it we should have the same affections still 3. Hear the Word preached for this is Gods ordinance for the saving of souls Nehem. 8. Ezra had a pulpit of wood made him he stood up be read the law and gave the sense and all the people wept when they heard the wonderfull things of the Law But it is said All the people were attentive both man women yet he preached not by the glasse but from morning till mid-day And Paul preached from evening till midnight for it pleaseth God by the foolishnes of preaching to save those that beleeve Be swift to heaâ— 4. Meditation is necessary also after hearing the word in the publike Ministery for the Minister speaking to a mixt auditory if he divideth the word aright he hath a portion for every hearer milk for some stronger meat for others some have need of information in things unknown some of comfort some of resolution in doubes some of confutation of errours some of chiding some have need to have their dulnesse spurred others their deadnesse quickened
come to passe that every one that findeth me shall slay me Adoni-Bezek confest this justice of retaliation executed on him for they took him and cut off his thumbs and great toes and he said Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbs and toes cut off gathered their meat at my table Ver. 23. Jude 1.6 as I have done God hath requited me So saith God to the Chaldeans Because thou hast spoyled many Nations Heb 2.8 all the remnant of the people shall spoyle thee And God made this judgement good against Amalek for they sought to destroy Israel and God by Israel destroyed them Samuel said to Agag their King As thy sword hath made women childlesse so shall thy mother be childlesse among other women 1 Sam. 1.5 33. so he hewed him in peeces before the Lord. Ahab slew Naboth and himself was slain 1 King 21.19 Jezabel shed Naboths blood Thus saith the Lord In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick even thy blood also The dogs shal eat Jezabel by the wals of Iezreel As Solomon threatneth They shall eate the fruit of their own way Prov. 1.31 and be filled with their own devises The Apostle calleth this righteousnesse in God It is a righteous thing with God 2 Thes 1.6 to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you The word is decomposite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth a retribution contrary to them that in the same they shal be Patients wherein they have been Agents From this fountain of justice cometh that Law judiciall Ex. 21.24 an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth which Law Christ did not abrogate but interpret and put it into the power of the Magistrate where it ought to be taking it away from private persons Vse Let us all lay this justice of God to heart and let us look for it at the hands of God that he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to us our iniquities unrepented Let the Adulterer heare Job If my heart have been deceived by a woman or if I have laid wait at the doore of my neighbour let my wife grind to another Job 31.9 10. and let other men bow down upon her Let the cruel oppressor of his brethren look to be oppressed in himself or in his posterity If the daughter of Babel oppresse Blessed shall he be Psa 137.8 that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us It it Gods own word He that honoureth me him will I honour but he that despiseth me shall be despised Doctr. 3 There is no true love and peace between the ungodly Here hath been much confederacy between Edom and other Nations they were men of Peace they did eat and drink together yet even those turned perfidious to Edom and betrayed him Christ in his legacy of Peace said pacem meam do vobis non sicut mundus dat Job 14 27 My peace I give unto you not as the world giveth For Either it is pax adulationis the Peace of Adulation of which David saith Olâ—um peccatoris non confringet capat meum Ravennas note is that in all Sacrifices to God salt was used for God cannot be flattered when we say the most we can of him we come short Adulatio quam similis est amicitiae non imitatur tantum sed praecedit Poore men have the advantage of the rich in this for who flattereth them Sinners say we need not this waste why should we bestow it on them that cannot requite us We will save it and give it to them which are mighty 2. Or it is pax malae confederationis the peace of evil confederacie such as is between Thieves we will all have one purse these be as old Jacob said of Simeon and Levi fratres in malo brothers in evil St. Aug. calleth this ne fariam amicitiam a wicked friendship into their secret let not my soule come These tares bind themselves in bundles for the fire 3. Pax simulationis a dissembling peace when men hide malice under a shew of Peace that they may sub amici fallere nomen that they deceive under shew of friendship so â—udas kisseth and betrayeth Amasa entreateth and stabbeth 4. Pax temporalis a temporall peace when men maintain love and friendship and exchange great gifts and tender love and service to serve a turn So men set up the Ladders that they clime by as high as they can but when their turn is served they lay them along upon the ground This is the peace which the world giveth and there is no true friendship in it Pro. 17.17 for a friend loveth at all times Nec ullis divulsus querimoniis Suprema citius solvit amor die True peace is like the dew of Hermon none but the Elect of God have it My Peace I give to you it is not like the light of the Sun that shines on good and bad This is like the light that shined on Gosâ—en when all Egypt else was in palpable darknesse This is like the pretious oyle powred on Aarons head and running down to the skirts of his raiment Psa 133.2 3. for there the Lord Commanded the blessing and life for ever more Aristotle held that friendship contracted either by pleasure or profit could not hold for the cement and glew that should tye them together is but weak this continuation is but hujus ad hoc of this to that But the union of the faithful is hujus in hoc of this in that For they be incorporate in one body and they are made members of Christ and members one of another one flesh one body We see men in their greatnesse followed and served and petitioned observed and presented with choisest and richest gifts if we see them decline in favour or power we see them forsaken of their servants We see young prodigals frequented with company courted with complements feasted and swelled with all delights but when the fountain of this friendship is drawn dry and the means faile who calleth those men friends or seeketh their conversation This yet appeareth more plainly in the Idumeans of Rome that have long persecuted the true Church of God for though they have laboured ever since the first corruption of the Church to maintain their Hereticall opinions yet could they never be at any perfect peace amongst themselves And this ofter our Church may boldly make to them that there is no Tenet in our Religion we maintain against them but we wil renounce it if we do not find it averred by some one or most of eminent learning amongst themselves And because it will take up too much time to give instance in al particulars of our difference from the Trent Church For a taste let me refer so many as are desirous of better satisfaction to read that learned proofe of this truth in the Reverend Dean of Glocesters third book of the Church at the end of it where he nameth the agreement of our
storm it is gone saith David The wisdom of God in man is ever at the best in the greatest tempest of danger and sense of sin The Disciples when they are brought before Kings and Rulers are promised Dabo vobis sapientiam I will give you wisdom and further Dabitur illâ horâ it shall be given in that houre Steven at the houre of his death not distracted with the fury of them that stoned him dyed calling upon God calling on him for them that killed him God takes away wisdome from them that know not how to use it Such as are wise to do evil but to do good have no understanding Wisdom in an ungodly man is armata nequitia armed wickednesse and therefore David prayeth against it let not their wicked imagination prosper It was Davids wisdom Audiam quid loquaturin me Deus I will heare what the Lord will say For he will speak to our hearts peace and joy in the Holy Ghost He will uphold us with his counsell the feare of the Lord is the beginning of our wisdome 2. The Assurance Thus saith the Lord. For the trust in wisdome is so confident that the holy Prophet though he had called his prophecy his Vision and though he had begun his whole Prophecy with Thus saith the Lord yet the more to assure the events threatned he resumeth this authority 1. He bringeth in God himselfe despersing their first hope I have made thee small the pride of thy heart hath deceived thee 2. In their second hope which was in the strength of their habitation he bringeth in God speaking to Edom I will bring thee down saith the Lord. 3. Now again in this third hope of theirs in the wisdome of their wise men two things do meet in this verse to fortifie the assurance 1. The authority of him that saith and doth those things Thus saith the Lord. 2. His appeale to them for he doth not say I will destroy the wise men out of Edom but he appealeth to their own hearts saying Shall I not destroy them q. d. Do you think that I will be over-reached by your wise men No they shall not have wit enough to save themselves much lesse to save you For I will destroy them Which peremptory declaration of the will of him who is judge of all the world doth leave no place for evasion for the Psalmist saith of him that He doth whatsover he will in heaven and in earth and in all deep places By vertue of this certaine word of God we do gather this assurance against all the enemies of the Church in all ages thereof for he hath said it by the mouth of Iob How often is the Candle of the wicked put out Job 21.17 And how oft cometh their destruction upon them God distributeth sorrowes in his anger What though the execution of this wrath be deferred he addeth God layeth up his iniquity for his children that is the punishment of his iniquity ver 19. as there is a decree against them in the counsell of God and word against them declaring the decree of God so dies erit there shall be a time 3 The time in that day Our days and times be all in the hand of God and they be hid in his own power who in his secret wisdom hath appointed them when that day should come he hath not yet revealed to Edom in this Prophecie God is so patient and long-suffering that he doth not punish presently for vengeance is his he may take his time when he will and no man can resist him The point here considerable is That God in his secret wisdome hath designed a particular day for every execution of his will yea the Scripture goeth so far as to the houre even to a moment the least fraction of time This declareth that the wisdome of the world and of flesh hath but its time there is a period fixed wherein it must detertermine Ahitophels counsels went for Oracles till this day then God turned his wisdom into folly and destruction So God threatned Ierusalem with a day in which the Lord would take away from them the mighty men Isa 3.2 and the men of warre the judge and the Prophet the prudent and the ancient This he doth two wayes One by turning all their knowledge into ignorance and their wisdome into folly Another by destroying their persons either by his sore judgements or by leading into captivity here both are threatned for he will destroy both prudentes wise men and prudentiam their wisdome in that day This may remember us of that great day of which St. Paul preached to the Athenians Act. 17.31 that God had appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousnes by that man which he hath appointed For as the day of Ierusalem and the day of Edom and the time of Gods particular judgements is set and fixt so is the day of the last judgement in which every man shall give an accompt to God of himself and all our works shall come to judgement What manner of men then ought we to be expecting this day and providing for it This Doctrine of the set day of particular execution of Gods threatned wrath against sinners doth teach 1. Holy patience in waiting the Lords leasure and as the Apostle admonisheth Cast not away therefore your confidence For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye may receive the promise Heb. 10 35 36 37. For a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry And blessed is he that endureth to the end This living under the rod of the ungodly and this beholding the prosperity of the wicked doth much disquiet even the Saints of God on earth as is the example of David we see Therefore we have need of patience to sweeten the sorrows of life to us and to clear our eyes that we may not mourn as men without hope 2. It teacheth faith for the same Author saith Ver. 38 Now the just shall live by faith for he that hath promised is faithfull and no word of his shall fall to the ground unfulfilled Faith cometh by hearing let us then use it as the best remedy against the oppressions of the ungodly to be swift to hear the word of God that we may get the shield of faith to bear off all the darts of Satan so David in that disquiet went to the house of God there he was taught the end of those oppressors 3. It teacheth holinesse for seeing the wrath of God from heaven is revealed against the enemies of the Church there is no safety but in the Church of God and that is the Congregation of Saints these are safe in that day he hideth such under his wings his faithfulnesse and truth is their shield and buckler There shall no evill happen to them neither shall any plague come nigh their dwelling So long as we make conscience of our
the Gospel for the Church of God and the patrones of his truth are under the banner of Gods love and their latter end must be peace let us by daily prayers command them to the tutelary protection of God and let him hear vocem fidei the voyce of faith of those that fight his battels and vocem sanguinis the voyce of blood of those that die in his quarrel 2. It furnisheth us with patince to tarry the good pleasure of God for when he shall arise his enemies shall be scattered and they that hate him shall fall before him he hath promised his Church victory and he will not suffer his truth to faile Excellently is this comfort exprest by the Prophet Isaiah And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercie upon you for the Lord is a God of judgment Is 30.18 blessed are all they that wait for him For the people shall dwell in Sion at Jerusalem Verse 19. thou shalt weepe no more he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear is he will answer thee And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity Verse 20. and the water of affliction yet shall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers 3. The assurance which the Church of God hath in all this The Lord hath spoken it They build sure that build upon the word of God for heaven and earth shall faile and perish but no word of God shall be unfulfilled Ye have a sure word saith the Apostle for God hath magnified his name and his word above all things This is my comfort in mine afflictions Thy Word hath quickned me Remember thy Word unto thy servant upon which thou bast caused me to hope Ps 119.50 Verse 49. The best faith hath many fears and terrors joyned with it to shake it and the faithfull do sometimes want the feeling of the favour of God we are directed here like wise men to let rather our understanding spiritually enlightned then informed by sense govern us The naturall mans understanding is wholly led and instructed by the outward senses and as they suggest that apprehends when the sense feeleth paine the understanding apprehends cause of feare and grief and stirreth the affections that way But the spirituall man doth not value Gods love by what the sense feeleth but by that which the Word of God suggesteth In paine the flesh smarteth the sense complaineth and Satan saith God hath forsaken thee but the spirituall man saith no for Gods Word saith I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Therefore in all afflictions the soule of man hath no better remedy then to resort to the Word Thou art my hiding place and my shield I hope in thy Word this is the poole of healing waters Gods Bethesda for all infirmities and he hath sent his Angels his Ministers to stir these waters by exposition of the Word exhortation and consolation to heale the diseases of his Saints VERSE 21. And Saviours shall come upon Mount Sion to judge the Mount of Esau and the Kingdome shall be the Lords 3. The means ordained for the performance of all this Vid. dinis supr pag. 182. Mount Sion here doth signifie the whole Church of God in the two houses of Jacob and Joseph as they are before distinguished that is the two Kingdomes of Iudah and Israel as they were divided under Rehoboam for Mount Sion was at first Caput imperii the head of the Empire the Saviours here mentioned are those that God imployed for the restablishment of the state of his Church and that Either in the procuration thereof Or in the execution of the same First In the procuration 1. Cyrus King of Persia hath the honour of the meanes of this favour for God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia Ezra 1 1 c. and he confesseth that God The Lord of heaven gave him all the Kingdomes of the earth and charged him to build him an house at Ierusalem which is in Iudah and therefore by Proclamation he gave a large Commission to this purpose 2. The chiefe Fathers of Judah and Benjamin had the same motion from God to undertake this designe Verse 5. But Artaxerxes by a contrary Edict made this work to be given over cap. 4.17 3. Then God by the Prophecy of Haggai stirred up Zerubbabel and Ioshua the son of Iozedek to attempt the work This also was opposed and Darius then King of Persia was solicited against the Jewes to hinder their building so 4. Darius came in as a Saviour to help the people and confirmed the Decree of Cyrus cap. 6. according to that he found in the search of the Rolls and the work went on and the house of God was finished and dedicated 5. Ezra moved Artaxerxes and prevailed for a full grant both for the return of the people out of captivity and for the re-establishment of the worship of God at Ierusalem 6. Nehemiah mooveth Artaxerxes for the building again of the City of Ierusalem he prevaileth and they go to work and their enemies who by scornful speeches and violent opposinges hindred their building Nehem. 2. lost their labour These be the Saviours who by procuration did advance this work of God in his Church 2. By Execution all these concurred 1. Cyrus gave leave and meanes so did Artaxerxes and Darius restoring them the treasures of the Temple which Nebuchadnezzar had taken away and arming them with full Commission for all the helps that might advance that work 2. The Prophets of the Lord encouraged the work and Ezra the Scribe prayed and wept and mediated with the Kings 3. Zerubbabel Nehemiah and Joshua and the chief Fathers of the people laboured to hasten the execution of that work and for this all these are called here Saviours because God used them as his instruments in his preservation of his Church giving them the honour of his own proper appellation for in the fitnesse of the word and in the fulnesse of sense God only is properly and by peculiar prerogative capable of that great title as himself hath laid claime to it I Isa 43.11 Ose 13 4. even I and there is no Saviour besides me And he gave this title to his Son who thought it no robbery to be equall with God for he shall save his people These Saviours shall come upon Mount Sion to judge the Mount of Esau By the Mount of Esau Edom or the Idumaeans the posterity of Esau is understood throughout this Prophecy that people who as you heard dealt so cruelly with their brother Jacob in his posterity To judge this people is to execute those jugements upon them which God hath in this Prophecy threatned and elswhere as you have heard from other Prophets especially that of Balaam and of Ezechiel for God
to be taught by him what he ought to doe Act. 10.16 And to the Apostle Christ saith qui vos audit me audi he that heareth you heareth me Lu. 10.16 2. This teacheth us looking on the weak means which God ordaineth for the good of his Church not to rest in them but beyond them to look to that high wisedome and power by which those meanes are enabled for the Church of Rome hath overshot that way Iohn when an Angel talked with him was ready to worship him we are naturally prone to give undue honor to the means because we are more led by sense then by faith But the faithful must walke by faith not by sight from this sensuall and carnall eye upon the meanes the honour of God is given in the Church of Rome to the Mother of our Lord to Angels to Saints yea to very Images and Pictures and so Idolatry is committed Therefore Peter and Iohn after they had raised the Criple that lay at the Porch of the Temple finding the people amazed and feating least and carnall opinion might wrong the glory of God preâ—â—nâ—â—d any undue ascriptions to themselves and directed them where to fasten them Ye men and brethren why marvel ye at this or why look ye so earnestly on us Act. 3.12 as though by our own power or bolinesse we had made that man walk he attributeth this work to Jesus his name through saith in his name hath made this man strong Doctr. 3 3. We are taught to give honour to all the meanes of God ordained and used for our good you see that God himselfe doth so for although none but God is properly a Saviour yet he hath given the honour of that great attribute to the meanes of his peoples safety and calleth them here by the name of Saviours This Title he giveth to those temporall deliverers who saved Israel from the hande of their enemies So Oâ—hniel is called a Saviour and Ehud hath the same title And I shua was a Saviour Judg. 3 9. ves 15. he had even the name of Christ of whom he was a Type The Minister of the Gospel have this high title also given to them S. Paul to Timothy So doing thou shalt save thy selfe and those that hear thee S. Iames If any man erre from the truth and another convert him let him know that be shall save a soule from death so the Layman may be a Saviour too S. Iude derecting his Epistle to all at large that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Iesus Christ and called admonisheth them 1. To build up themselves in the most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost c. 2. And of some have compassion making a difference And others save with feare pulling them out of the fire Jude 16.22.23 1 Cor. 7.14 Also the Apostle saith The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wise and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband So Christ to his Apostles whosoevea sins ye remit they are remitted We do all know that all those be but the meanes by which God worketh and yet they are graced with the attributes and effect of him that useth them At â—his day God hath left no other outward meanes of salvation but by our Ministry if we be not your Saviours you cannot be saved he that employeth us in this great service and honoreth us with his owne Title will both see and avenge the contempt of his Messengers The eye of the world is too much fixed on the earthen vessels and regardeth little the treasure that is sent therein Gods owne people did offend that way in neglect of Gods Prophers who were sent from God to them and it lay heavie upon their consciences and they felt the sorrow and smart of it upon themselves and their children Ezra prayeth and consesseth We have forsaken thy Commandements which thou hast commanded by thy servants the Prophets Ezra 9.10.11 Dan. 9.6 10. Daniel prayeth and confesseth Neither have we hearkened to thy servants the Prophets which spake in thy name The great preserver of men useth the Ministry of men for the salvation of his people to us hath God committed the Ministry of reconciliation as if God by us did speak to his Church Your faith is begunne in you by our Ministery and we exhort you to encrease more and more as you have received of us how you ought to walke 1 Thes 4. 1 1 Thes 3.20 and to please God therefore Despise not prophecying The Grecions in St. Pauls time called preaching foolishnesse but he saith that God by this foolishnesse of preaching saveth â—uch as do beleeve The reason why God giveth this honour to the meanes by which he worketh any good to his Church is To instruct us by his example to do the like for thus it must be done to the man whom the King will honour Haman thought these five things necessary to expresse the honour of a King done to a servant that he delighted in 1. That he be cloathed in royall apparell such as the King useth to we are 2. That he be set on the horse that the King rideth on 3. That the Crowne Royal be set upan his head 4. That this be done to him by one of the Kings most Noble Princes 5. That be proclaime before him that he is one whom the King will honour The Apostles and their successors have all this honour done to them 1. That apparell which the King useth to we are is put upon them for he giveth them his owne attributes he calleth them Teachers and Pastors and Saviours of his Church 2. He setteth them upon his own horse for they ride upon the wings of the wind the wind is the Holy Ghost alae spiritus the wings of the spirit by which it flieth over the Church be the two Testaments which holy men wrote as they were inspired They ride prosperously becausa of Truth Meeknesse and Righteousnesse Propter veritatem quam pradicant Psa 45 4. propter mansuetudinem qua pradicant propter justitiam quam parturiunt Thirdly the Kings Crowne is set upon their heads for the people of God whom they teach and convert are their Crown For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoycing 1 Thes 2.19 Are not ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming 4. This is put upon us by the most noble of all Gods Princes even the son of God himselfe who sendeth us abroad and saith Go unto all Nations 5. He proclaimeth this Sicut misit me Pater sic ego mitto vos as the father sent me so send I you not onely sending us forth to do his work but in some measure also to partake of his honour as embassadours of Princes are received and esteemed honourably for their sakes whom they represent This the Apostle confessed to the praise of the Galatians Gal. 4.14 that they received him as an Angel of God even as
then was it better with me then now Therefore it is a great favour of God to his people to restore them their owne possessions againe that they may be as in yeares past for now they having wanted them do better know the favour of God then they did before in the use of them They would have esteemed it a greater favour in their captivity to have had but some ease of their burthens some liberâ—y to have eaten the fruites of their labours in great miseries every little breathing of ease is sweet and comfortable but here is a full restitution of them to their former possessions promised 2 But here is much more promised even dilatation of their borders they shall have more then they had they may call their place Rehoboth as Isaac called the Well when he had room to dig in Gen. 26.21 The Lord hath an open and a filling hand even in this also Multiplicat benefacere here is Copiosa redemptio copiosa restitutio For as it is another degree of favour to rise from restitution to dilatation so it may stand for a degree that he enlargeth their bounds out of the possession of their enemies and giveth away their Land to his people Let no man charge God with injustice herein for The earth is the Lords and all that therein is he giveth it where he will And Jesus Christ his Son hath promised the meek the inheritance of the earth for by right none but the Elect are true owners of the earth the ungodly are but intruders and usurpers thereof Thus much added to their owne to make them more territory and thus much taken from their neighbouring enemies the Edomites and the Philistims and given to them makes them gainers by their losse their banishment was a sowing in teares this is a reaping in joy David was so reasonable that he only desired of God saying Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the yeers wherein we have seen evill Ps 90.15 God is a more bountifull giver for he maketh his people glad not only with that which they lost but with much more he enpoverisheth their enemies to enrich them that they may take the labours of the people into their possession Job would have wisht no more then to be as he was in some months past Job v 2.10 and God not only restoreth him what he formerly had but he giveth him twise so much as he had before So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more then his beginning which Saint Gregory doth apply to the state of the Church in the last day when they shall receive full glory both in their souls and bodies in his Kingdome For in things temporal this doth not alwayes hold that God repaireth thus the losses of his children neither do they expect it for they have learned how to want but what wanteth in outward things is restored to them in spirituall graces in the gifts of patience and contentednesse in thankfulnesse and the spirit of supplications Doctr. 2 2. Doctr. God punisheth the enemies of his Church by those against whom they have prevailed for the house of Jacob shall be a flame and the house of Joseph a fire Not â—â—â—â—substant are into fire and flame as a Papist might prove as well out of this text as he hath the corporeal presence of Christ out of Hoc est corpus meum this is my body but by way of similitute and by reason of the effect that shall follow for they shall consume the house of Edom whom God will make as stubble for them easie to take fire It was Balaams Prophecy of the people of Israel then in distresse Num. 23.24 Behold the People shall rise up as a great Lyon and lift up himself 〈◊〉 a young Lyon he shall not lye down till he eate of the prey and drink the blood of the slain Which was begun to be performed by Moses continued by Joshuah further prosecuted by David fully accomplished by Christ Ps â—10 1 2 whom God made to rule in the midst of his enemies The Elect are built upon a rock in the sea of this world all the men of war that assault it shall dash themselves in the end against this rock Pro. 11.8 so Solomon The righteous escapeth out of trouble and the wicked cometh in his stead And again he saith Prov. 21.18 The wicked shall be a ransome for the righteous and the transgressor for the upright The reason of this is the equal law of Gods justice before mentioned that as it hath been done by them so it may be done to them and that their reward may fall upon them For he will avenge the blood of his servants and yeeld vengeance to his adversaries Deut. 31.43 but he will be favourable to his owne Land and be merciful to his own people Even this also must passe for a further degree of his love to overthrow the enemies of Israel by Israel for not only this Prophet but Balaam foretold it even this particular Seir shall be a possession for his enemies and Israel shall do valiantly Num. 24. â—8 19. Out of Jacob shall he come that shall have dominion and shall destroy him that remaineth of that City In Amoz God saith I will send fire upon Teman which shall devoure the palaces of Bozrah Amoz 1.1 2 here Obadiah sheweth what fire Amoz meaneth the house of Jacob shall be that fire and the house of Ioseph that flame Both expounded in plain terms by the Prophet Ezechiel Ezech. 25.24 I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury and they shall know my vengeance saith the Lord. And what God threatneth the temporal and carnal enemies of his Church the same hath he also threatned to the spiritual enemies thereof The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly Rom. 16.20 It had been enough for us if God hâ—â— trodden him under his own feet but God will cover his enemies with shame and grief as well as smart and pain All the Elect have their part in this victory of the world for he that overcometh hath this promise such shall have power ever Nations so that they shall rule them with a rod of Iron Rev. 2.26 and as the vessels of a porter they shall be broken Which promise doth assure the Church that although here her enemies prevaile against her yet her Spouse whose power shall put down all rule and all authority and power shall conquer for her and she united to him by her faith shall by faith overcome all This admonisheth uâ— 1. Not to be troubled at the power and prevailings of the enemies of Gods Church though we see and hear evill news daily that toucheth us to the quick and all them that love the peace of this Land and the liberty of