Citie c. This is the second temptation wherewith our Sauiour Christ during the infirmitie of his body for want of food was aslaulted where it pleased God to giue Sathan leaue to carry him in the aire after a strange manner and to set him on a pinacle of the Temple where he reasoneth thus with him Thou saist man liueth not by bread only but by the blessing of thy Father who can maintaine thee without bread and heerein thou doest well now because thou art assured and doest promise thy selfe that God will neuer destitute the nor forsake thee shew me thy power in casting thy selfe downe and not hurting thee the power of thy father is able to do this thou art heere at Ierusalem the famous city shew them what thou art able to do that they may all giue thee the applause and it will be a notable meanes to make them swarme after thee And because thou maist know I goe about nothing preindiciall to Gods glory or dangerous to thine owne person it is written that especially thou shalt be protected by Angels and they shall wait vpon thee to keepe thee from hurt therfore thou needst not despaire Now Christ tels him not that he was not able to doe this for he would not gratifie him so much but lets him know that hee wronged the words and wrested the sense of the place alleaged for it is not said generally the Angels shall support him in all things but they shall defend him in all his waies that is such as my Father hath appointed me to walke in so that if I or any other Christian will lay claime to this promse I must keepe me in my wates and so must they that is from this pinnacle I must come downe by the staires and not throw my selfe headlong for my father hath appointed me no such way but this should be an vnlawfull meanes and to that thou hast brought corrupted I oppose another plaine place that I must not tempt God but keepe my selfe within my compasse and then I am sure to haue sauegard Hence we may gather two parts first the temptation secondly the repulse The temptation hath two parts first whereto Christ is tempted secondly a reason perswading him to yeeld to the temptation For the first generally obserue that Sathan dealeth by contraries both with the head and with the members for when he saw he could not ouercome Christ in the case of famine to make him despaire of Gods prouidence now hee laboureth to ouer-reach him in a matter of presumption that hee should trie his prouidence that since he could not doubt but to be fed without bread hee might make him presume to bee vp-held without meanes Euen so dealeth he with vs either to make vs distrustfull through penury or proud through plenty in the time of ignorance seeking to make vs proud through works and to be in loue with them without faith and now to stand vpon faith without works before labouring in zeale without knowledge and now hunting after knowledge without zeale For the second which is the reason hee alleageth scripture namely Psal 91.1 wherein obserue two things first that though scripture heere be opposed to scripture yet not to withdraw the determination of matters from the booke of God and to post them off to Rabbins and Councels for none can better trie the truth then the spirit of truth Secondly that it detracteth nothing from the glory of the Scripture to come foorth of Sathans mouth nay nothing graceth it so much as this the reason whereof is that Sathan knew what baite Christ and all the faithfull would best and soonest bite at and in his subtilty if any stratageme could haue preuailed more then other he wold haue vsed it but hee knew Christ relied vpon nothing so much as the voice of his Father and therefore he vseth the greatest weapon against the greatest enemy that hee might shew in pretence to haue as much truth on his side as Christ If thou be the Sonne of God c. This is the temptation it selfe wherein consider three points first that the diuell transformeth himselfe so farre into an Angell of light as hee brings scripture secondly to examine how rightly and truly hee doth apply it thirdly how falsly he doth abuse it For the first It is written saith the diuel dealing with the sharp and blading it out with the Scripture sometimes hee dealeth plainely and sheweth his hornes as it were by apertly opposing himselfe with violence against the truth sometimes more priuilie and shroudeth himselfe vnder pretence of truth and this two waies first by hereticall doctrine and grosse superstition secondly by perswading men that he is a louer of the truth as in this place that hee would perswade Christ to nothing but that he had scripture for Thus dealt he Act. 16 17. where a woman possessed with a diuell hauing the power of spirituall diuination hauing seene Paul after he had there preached the spirit in that maide giueth an honorable testimony by a subtill stratageme of Sathan of Paul and Silas saying These bee the seruants of the most high God which shew vnto you the way of saluation a strange testimony to bee giuen from the diuell and farre degenerating from his nature to giue witnesse of the truth himselfe being the father of lies and knowing Paul to be a sworne enemy should yet yeeld voluntarily and proclaime audience and ring the bell as it were to gather the people about him is worth the wonder But what was his drift and subtilty in this sauing that by the maides often repeating it and clamorous noising of it it might perswade the poore disciples and weake followers of the Gospell that Paul and the diuell had both combined and compacted together as if thereby the Gospell might be brought into suspition to bee but the illusion of Sathan and light to bee mingled with darknesse therefore it is said vers 18. that Paul was grieued till he had cast him out euen so heere to bring the people to suspition that the scripture serueth him as well as Christ thereby to make vs forsake our hold and suggesting this that nothing hath brought more disparagement to the Scripture them this that all men of all opinions doe alleage it Heereupon some take occasion to dispense with their conscience for any profession so many places one against another the Diuell alleageth it Christ alleageth it what shall we doe if we goe in either way we may goe a misse and if we turne on the right hand for any thing wee know it leadeth to hell This is most prophane for whereas they pretend to be abused by this incertainty they are so ciuill to displease no part as they are content to take any kinde of tergiuersation or flinching to extricate and shift themselues of the enquiry of the truth whereas they might feare as well to eate lest they should be choked and open the gates and leaue watching because the enemy hath so many
name as a thing that Ioseph could not be vnmindefull of And this indeed is the duty and ought not to be the labour of euery trembling Christian to lodge as it were with the booke of God in their bosome and with the Noble-men of Beraea Act. 17.11 to receiue the word with readinesse and to search the Scriptures daily which is the garden of the Lord where runneth the riuer of wisedome to resolue all doubts and where is to be had the oile that softeneth all our afflictions Now in the testimony it selfe heere alleaged consider two things first the person that should beare a virgine secondly the person that should be brought foorth Emmanuell consubstantiall with vs in nature for both these the Prophet beginneth with a word of wonder Behold as of a miracle neuer performed but once If it be asked how it was possible a virgine should conceiue we must beleeue it was so and rest in this nothing to bee impossible with God Mat. 19.26 For as it was possible at the first to make a woman out of a man without the helpe of a woman as wee may see in the first creation Gen. 2.22 so was it possible for him in this new creation to make a man out of a woman without the helpe of a man Which was done to this end because if there should haue beene any corruption of the seed of man in Christ he could not haue sanctified others Concerning the person that should be brought forth it is Emmanuel the same that Iesus and they both imply one thing for he that is Emmanuel is God with vs as Iesus is God sauing vs. Now he is God with vs many waies and albeit in the Arke vnder the law the Lord was alway speaking through the Cherubins insomuch as the very enemies of God the Philistims 1. Sam. 4.7 could say when the Arke came that the God of Israel came and therefore cried woe vnto vs yet is he farre neerer with vs namely in such a spirituall manner as the Prophet speakes heere a God not onely present and fauourable to vs but connaturall to vs and vpon which did depend all the graces of God formerly giuen to his Church Therefore if Moses did say in admiration of the Lords goodnesse Deuter. 4.7 Looke if euer the like came to passe that God from heauen should speake vnto his people and shew his glory so to appeare on earth much more may we breake foorth into the like astonishment to whom God is come so neere as to be of the same nature with vs and to speake vnto vs not in the publication of the killing law but in the manifestation of the quickening Gospell whereby we may receiue comfort in the deepest dangers that gathering our selues vnder his wings and seeking rest and refreshing at his hands he will first giue vs a generall charter of grace for the pardon of out sins And because pardon of our sinne will not saue vs from hell but our iudgement shall be iust vnlesse we yeeld full obedience to the law hee will secondly impute and lay all his obedience and righteousnesse vpon vs so as in him we shall fulfill it And yet because we are still sinners as carying about vs the orignall vncleanenesse we brought with vs Ephes 5.30 the third rest he will giue vs is so to sanctifie vs as we shall be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh not that we are absolutely sanctified in this life but that that which this our Christ brings vs is al-sufficient to saluation And being sure of this we need not to be dismaide for the waters of trouble are but a bath to cleanse and purge vs from those corruptions we gather by walking in this dirty world Further let vs consider heere why it was necessary that he that should be Iesus should also be Emmanuel first it was necessary he should be the Emmanuel that is the strong God for when wee were all enwrapped in sinne and shut vp vnder death then was there neede of remedy And what shall that be Mercy No God is iust and we hauing smitten his Maiesty by our sinne must bee smitten againe by his punishment Shall it then be iustice No for we haue need of mercy Heere so to be mercifull as not to disanull his iustice and so to be iust as not to forget his mercy and to make a way both to appease his wrath that his iustice might be satisfied and yet so to appease it as his mercie might be magnified in forgiuing there must needes come a mediation and if all the world should be offered to God for satisfaction it is nothing for it is his owne the worke of his owne hands If Angels should step in before the Lord it were nothing for they are engaged to him for their creation and being but temporally good they cannot satisfie for an infinite sinne howbeit he that must satisfie must bee infinit to suffer infinite punishment for an infinite sinne committed against an infinite Maiesty therefore he must be God he must be also Emmanuel with vs for how can there bee satisfaction for our apostasie but by humility nor procurement of life but by death Now when God comes to obey hee must needes bee humbled and when he comes to deserue hee must needes serue which God alone cannot doe and when he comes to die he must needes be mortall which God cannot be Therefore hee was man to be himselfe bond God to free others man to become weake and God to vanquish man to become mortall and God to triumph ouer death The situation also of the Ladder spoken of Gen. 28.12 is an euident demonstration of the two natures of this Emmanuel for the word must bee vnderstood of the second person in the Trinity By the foot to satisfie his Fathers wrath as being of our nature that he might stand close to Iacobs loines and to his Church militant and by the top to expresse his diuinity which toucheth the seate and reacheth to the bosome of God that he might in time bring thither his Church triumphant Now euery ladder is a Medium or meane whereby weascend to some place that otherwise we could not reach vnto which this Emmanuel is to vs for wee being euill debters and God a seuere creditor Colos 2.14 Christ is the meane to cancell this debt and to set it on his owne score and we being ignoant clyents and God a skilfull Iudge not able to vnderstand our tale Christ must be our aduocate 1. Ioh. 2.1 to pleade our cause for vs. And as betweene God and vs so betweene the diuell and vs he is a mediator for he casteth fierie darts against vs which we onely driue backe by the shield of faith in Christ Ephes 6.11 Further in the word Emmanuel obserue three things first the truth and verity of the subsistance of both these natures in Christ secondly the reall distinction of them thirdly the personall vnion of them And these three points wisely and
subtilties as it will be hard to keepe him out Whereas God doth this to exercise his seruants in praier and to make them more diligent in searching and not that we should turne it to a matter of security and idlenesse these men not being so deuout as they that worship the Sunne and Moone Reu. 12.4 for they haue some conscience We must know that Sathan is able to pull starres from heauen as it is in the Reuelation and hee doth not alwaies speake with the mouth of a Dragon therefore in these perplexities wee must approch to God Mat. 7.8 whose promise we haue Seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shall be opened and Iohn 7.17 if any man haue an honest heart and good inclination to liue well I will shew him saith Christ from whence my doctrine is And the Lord hath promised to be a Schoole-master to the humble they being not prepossessed with preiudice and he will giue plentifully and neuer vpbraid O most bountifull inuitation of our gracious God whereby wee may bee assured that asking the truth hee will not giue error Luke 11.12 and desiring to be conducted in the right way he will not leade vs into by-paths no more then asking bread hee will giue vs a Scorpion but he will vphold vs in the most dangerous temptations whereas others hauing no desire at least in a single affection for their malice and preiudice may be iustly damned 1. Thess 2.16 But what shall we doe shall we make them like waxe flexible to euery impression or like bels tuneable to the eares of the heater What resolution is there for the conscience the text cannot speake It is written saith Christ It is written saith the diuell if they be written they are both true and must needs be contrary being cited by enemies We answer it is true the letter printed cannot speake and they that writ it are in heauen The Church therefore hath prouided certaine meanes whereby a man not preiudicate may know the truth which bee sixe first praier with Dauid that the Lord would open our vnderstandings and shew vs the light of his statutes Psal 25.12 and the way that wee may choose whereby our steps may be assured Secondly wee must vnderstand the words of the place in the originall tongue of the old Testament in the Hebrew of the new in the Greeke for this was the instrument sanctified to that purpose Thirdly we must consider the words what they be by themselues and what they bee together ioyned with others whether they bee to bee taken properly or figuratiuely which shall bee knowen if either they be not proportionable to the analogie and rule of faith or not agreeing with the circumstance of the place Fourthly to examine the drift of the place what went before and what followeth as Christ to one asking him how hee should get eternall life answered by keeping the commandements Luk. 18 2â— not meaning thereby that wee must come to it by our workes as the Papists gather Luke 10.26.29 but he speaking to one that iustified himselfe by keeping the Law spake after that sort to shew him his wound namely that that was not the way vnlesse he fulfilled all Fiftly by comparing and conferring of places one with another the true sense of the Scripture against the Scripture abused as Christ in this place doth and as else-where Loue couereth the multitude of â—â—nes 1. Pet. 4.8 conferre with this Prou. 10.12 Hatred stirreth â—peontention but loue couereth all trespasses loue being taken â—or the loue of men whereby things are qualified and the best made of the worst and not for couering of sinnes before God â—s the Papists would haue it but inding it before men So Aâ—raham was iustified by faith faith Paul Rom. 4.3 by works saith â—ames chapt 2.21 Saint Iames dealing with them that denied â—orks altogether S. Paul with them that stood too much vpon â—â—em the one speaking how aman might approue himselfe before men to be iustified the other how men are iustified before God Sixthly approue of no interpretation nor accept of any scripture which is not proportionable to the analogy and agreeable to the rule of faith which is threefold first the tenne commandements secondly the Lords praier thirdly the Creed of the Apostles As when it is said This bread is my body I must not take it for the very substantiall body of Christ as it was on earth because it is against my Creed which teacheth me to beleeue he is in heauen Againe if we eate him in the bread flesh and bone it crosseth a commandement Thou shalt not kill for it is cruelty so to rend his flesh betweene our teeth Oh but how shall vnlearned men doe this Let vs know that God is the teacher of the vnlearned and he wil not giue a stone if we aske food but he will instruct the humble and in compassion will bring them foorth of darknesse if they will confer with the learned as the Eunuch did with Philip Act. 8.31 and if they will frequent the word preached with the same hearts that the men of Beroea did heare Pauls sermons Act. 17.10 comparing then with the verity of the word written For the second how truely Sathan applied the Scripture he brought the place is taken out of Psal 91.11 and though his purpose was to abuse Christ hauing no promise of protection going out of his waies yet in this he saith truely that hee applied the pomise especially to Christ the naturall Sonne of God though it extend to all the faithfull for Christ is that ladder of Iacob Gen. 28.12 whereupon the Angels ascended and descended and so much did he himselfe tell Nathaniel of 1. Iohn 51. that he should see the Angels ascend and descend vpon the sonne of man for they are seruiceable properly to him as the sonne of God and of him it is principally true that the Angels do attendeâ— for though they serue vs it is but for his sake not that they are inferior to vs in themselues but God hauing for his sonnes sake made vs heires of glory and Christ vouchsafing vs to bee companions with him in his kingdome they minister vnto vs and by that ladder doe descend vnto vs hauing of our selues nothing Further note that the diuell doth know that Christ and 〈◊〉 Gods children must haue sufficient security from God thâ—â— walking in their calling and in the waies prescribed them they shall be guided by the prouidence of the most high which is our comfort that neither the pestilence that walketh by night Psal 91.5.6 nor the arrowes that flie by day neither the dragon nor the aspe the open furious nor the secret malicious tyrant shall once hurt vs for Sathan knowes and doth heere testifie that we dwell in the secret of the Highest and vnder his shadow that shall shelter vs from stormy blasts and boiling heate and no more shall wee need to feare Gen. 11.4 then did the heauens when
that he might haue been aduanced and Diotrephes 3. Iohn 1.9 to hinder preaching that he might be chiefe and the Disciples to fall out Luke 9.46 among themselues who shall be chiefest one desiring to sit on the right hand the other on the left that they might be iolly fellowes But neuer any tooke the Diuell so much at his word as the Hierarchie of Rome who from God had nothing giuen them but the Word and Sacraments but from Sathan hath had his staiers and degrees to ascend into the mountaine first God hauing prouided men should bee Pastors ouer the people it was appointed by man that there should bee superintendents ouer the superintendents that is Bishops ouer Pastors which was thought good to appease the â—â—â—ention of the church and to aduance men for the excellencie of their gifts After was deuised that some should bee ouer the Bishops as Archbishops deuised at first by singular policy that as Bishops in their Dioces were ouer the Pastors so these should bee ouer them to deale with them as they did with the Pastors After was inuented that some should bee ouer them and then was the Church giuen to foure Patriarkes which were to haue as ample authority ouer them as they had ouer the Bishops and these were placed in euery corner of the Church namely at Alexandria Antioch Constantinople and Rome Heereupon by reason of the multitude of matters brought to these foure Sathan withdrew them from their studies being so instantly importuned as they were From hence they being in such eminent places and bearing the name of great professors the Emperours growing to bee Christians indowed them with great substance called them to be of their Councell and gaue them much worldly wealth as to great men of the earth and when they began thus to negotiate in the world they despised preaching After when they were inriched and brought thus farre ad gloriam mundi to behold the glory of the earth then Sathan wanted no more then to see which of these would fall downe first and haue all at the end the strife grew betweene Constantinople and Rome as Patriarkes of the East and West Churches and after some buckling Rome preuailed partly by the absence of the Emperour partly by the diuision of the Empire in the East partly in that it sought it more ambitiously than the other and partly for the fulfilling of the Prophesie that the seat of the Beast should bee built vpon the seuen hils And how was this done but by Phocas that killed his Master Mauritius wherupon afterward partly by worldly power disposing of Emperours and the yoke of conscience thinking them Peters successours he was stupor mundi the wonder of the world hauing power in the peoples vnderstanding both in hell heauen earth and purgatory and when he came to rule in all these them was this fulfilled heere spoken of Fall down and worship me And this hath also infected the Churches of the Protestants as one Bishop Bennet hath written namely the Diuell hath shewed them the 〈◊〉 Bishopricks Deaneries and Parsonages of the land and hauing once gotten them at this lift hath brought them to disclaime and renounce the simplicity of the truth and leauing their calling to betake themselues to the glittering shew of the world and to be sed and fatted with ambition For the third which is the condition hee requireth for his â—â—berality he will not giue it for nothing Where note that the Diuels promises are faire but there is some cursed condition tied and annexed to them He will giue Absolon a kingdome but he must rauish his fathers concubines 2. Sam â—â— 22. 1. Sa. 22.9.18 Luk. 23.2 Ioh. 19.12 he will get Doeg a place in the Court but he must persecute the Church Caiphas shall be chiefe Priest so he will betray Christ Pilate shall bee a Iudge if he will be Casars friend Balaam shall be highly promoted if he will but curse the people and Christ shall haue the whole world if he will but bend his knee to him He will promise Num. 23.11 a merchant shall be made an Alderman if he will but continue his vsury a Lawyer shall be made a Iudge if he will not sticke at a little bribery a scholar shall haue great preferment if he but follow his counsell at first to preach pleasingly not to do it often for then he shall be stale to come vp only in famous places especially at Bethel the Kings Chappell so as the country must not content him he must preach like a Clerke in his Greeke Hebrew and Latine that the people may rather admire him than vnderstand him thinke hee hath knowledge rather than get any for themselues for Sathan cannot abide to haue them learned hee must defend all things not onely to bee well established but well executed to beware lest he gall men in authority and howsoeuer in the pulpit he may generally glaunce at abuses yet after to shew himselfe plausible and to make himselfe deafe when he heareth an oath Thus doth the diuell indent with men and thus is wine giuen to the Nazarites Amos 2.12 as Amos speaketh and vnlesse thou wilt suffer God to be dishonored and thy soule hazarded he will giue thee nothing But it may bee said It is a shamefull thing to demand this of Christ so may it seeme of vs for no man will professe to worship the diuell But this cannot be denied in action howeuer it be in woâ—ds for if a man worship him whom hee serueth and serueth him whom he obeyeth as S. Paul saith Rom. 6.14 And if wee may measure the worship by the fruits of worship he that by pâ—â—ier expecteth not a blessing by loosnesse of life giueth himselfe to vncleannesse and from the poison of his heart profaneth the Sabbath doth worship the diuell greatly though hee crie neuer so much against it for none will sooner defend her honestie then a strumpet nor giue bigger words then a coward Yea some are so fully possessed with him as they doe not know it and those diseases are most dangerous that are not felt Now the diuell is worshipped two waies either by idolatrie in iudgement as in grosse superstition or by idolatrie in affection as they that make their belly their God for the couetous man is an Idolater Ephes 5. and so is the voluptuous man Phil. 3. yea if we plant our hearts any where but in heauen we commit Idolatrie Now for the resistance of the temptation it hath two parts the first generall the second particular Fist answering by the detestation of the person Auoid Satan for because he had dealt more shamefully in this temptation then in the others he giueth him a more sharpe answer then before Secondly he descendeth for the instruction of the godly into a more particular answer I must worship God Out of the first learne the wisdome of our Sauiour Christ who dealing with a most malicious enemy would not multiplie words or argument with
the vengeance as neuer to be forgotten Tosiphone that tooke vengance vpon murtherers yea almost for euery sinne committed they had a seuerall fury which was thought to punish it Yea by this very light of nature they likewise imagined some of these furies to burne the of fendours with torches some to sting with Adders And what bee these furies saith the Philosopher Nothing else but Suae quemque exagitant furiae that is Euery man is tormented with his owne furie which is his conscience the property whereof is to present thy sinne before thy fâ—ce that out of thine owne mouth thou maiest â—ee iudged yea the heathen had such a deepe impression of these tortures as committing some foule and hainous fact without some expiation or sacrifice they thought they should neuer bee in quiet But the greatest instrument which is the second that the spirit vseth to strike feare into the soule and conscience is the law written which is a dead letter and such a sentence that for desert pronounceth damnation as oft as we read it which we must needs conceiue to bee so if wee consider that the least bad thought is damnation though it bee not coupled with consent to bring forth an actuall fruit of sinne What then Is the preaching of the law the worker of this terror And are some by the booke of nature so exagitate and troubled with furies as they cannot rest when they haue slipt into some sinne and yet shall there be some in these daies that are so frozen in Atheisme and so ouergrowne in the weeds of Popery and so possest with the power of the diuell that they are not once touched or pricked in their hearts for their horrible sins but that liuing as diuels they hope to be saued as Saints Indeed it is not be doubted but that now there is greater Atheisme in some and lesse sorrow and remorse for sinne in others then was in the heathen and yet it was the iust iudgement of God then as Paul saith to giue vp the heathen into a reprobate sense Rom. 1.28 that they might receiue in themselues such recompence of their error as was meete and therefore much more in vengeance doth the Lord deliuer vp these men to be beguiled of their owne fancies and to become senssesse in their owne sins since they profit not by this booke of the written law pronounced by the Lords owne mouth and deliuered by the Lords owne hand the truth whereof ought not to be called in question though these men really confute it by their liues thinking there is no Christ to saue nor God to punish nor conscience to accuse nor diuell to torment but with scurrility do scorne at the wholsome disease of tendernesse and terror of conscience which they themselues at their separation shall finde so great as neither themselues can still neither in truth can it be stilled And howsoeuer many peraduenture haue commanded their conscience to be silent and put away the euill day far from them and think themselues safe inough if they may be let alone till the last day yet we haue seene some of the eldest sons of Sathan after a long and redious hypocrisie wherein they were fallen asleepe to haue beene so fearefully astonished in the end and plunged and cast down into so deepe despaire as they euen seemed to heare the very echo of the damned spirits which is a most hideous and terrible sound in the eares of the most carnall man that is and could by no meanes bee comforted or any whit eased but haue either hanged themselues as Iudas did or otherwise died in a sense of hellish torment in this life For as in a seared peece of flesh there is alwaies left in the toppe some crust but vnder that there is euer some pregnant sense so if the Lord once pare away from the soule that is cauterized and crusted then is the feare and terror of those men greater for they feele the flame of the Lords indignation which the elect neuer doe hauing by a sanctified wisedome preuented this extremity by seeking remedy in Christ who giueth and neuer vpbraideth Now to prooue that the Law is such a dead letter as being rightly vnderstood it is impossible to keepe thy selfe from despaire in respect of any thing which in thine owne person thou canst deserue obserue that this law of God teacheth that lust in thy heart is absolute adulterie Mat. 5.22.28 and that anger in heart is flat murder wherein it goeth beyond and surpasseth all the laws of any earthly Prince which free the heart and extend onely to the act whereas this law bindeth both the outward man from working and the inward man from compassing mischiefe Now if thou come to weigh and examine thy selfe in this ballance and take this law for a touchstone to trie whether thou beest gold or drosse thou shalt find thy selfe too light but refuse for who can say I haue not offended who can say I am not crazed nay whateuer thou art thou canst not clear thy heart of these such like passions of heat betokening wrath and of corrupt thoughts bewraying thy vncleane heart But if thou enter into this consideration that though thou thinke of such things and thy heart reprooues thee yet that in the strict construction of this law if thou hast but a wandring or wanton thought in the precisenesse thereof thou shalt be damned for all and euery particular power both of body and soule ought to bee taken vp for Christ and wholly vsed to his glory so as if thou callest in doubt the truth of the Scripture though thy heart abhorreth it it is damnation If thou examine thy selfe according to this rule and yet escapest from the sight of despaire it is hard nay it is impossible for this is the sharpest edge of the law and the most fretting corasiue that eates out the dead flesh of our sinful hearts that sounds the bottome of mans vast soule and toucheth the sinnes that lie betweene the skinne and the bones Since for our very thoughts alone by the tenth commandement without consent we are culpable of iudgement which S. Paul Rom. 7.7 expresseth by speaking in his own person I had not known lust that is the fountaine and seate whence lust doth spring except the Law had said Thou shalt not lust Heere then we must needs confesse since this ought to bee euery mans examination that if we doe not examine ourselues after this sort formerly set downe it is a signe we haue not this spirit of adoption because we haue not had the spirit of bondage Now this is no examination of our selues to liue morally as to receiue the testimony of men that we are honest in giuing perhaps a groate to the poore and pardoning the forfeiture of an obligation and such like and yet not sticke to prophane Gods sabbath to contemne his messengers to poure out othes by Faith which includeth the whole blessed Trinity and say it is nothing
for shee set them out at a window a thing done without mutinie or any fraudulent purpose to escape and therefore iustifiable euen as the letting downe of Paul in a basket was Acts 9.25 And in this whole worke shee sinned nothing but in making of a lie which though some excuse and extenuate because it was Mendacium officiosum an officious and dutifull lie yet it is no way excusable for no lie to saue a soule is lawfull Wherein wee obserue that euen the Saints of God in their best purposes haue in some things followed their mother wit and their owne corruption Withall note the louing kindnesse of the Lord that this particular blemish in the worke doth nothing derogate from the excellencie of her obedience no more then Rebecca Genes 27.8 who notwithstanding she subscribed to the oracle of God that Iacob should ouercome Esau yet shee by indirect meanes sought to preuent this worke of God which the Lord in mercie did winke at in respect of her generall resolution to be obedient The like may bee saied of Abraham who because hee thought the feare of God was not in the house of Abimelek and that they would haue slaine him for his wiues fake Genesis 20.2 dissembled Sarah to bee his wife and caried her vnder the name of his sister which infirmitie the Lord passed by because in other his actions hee was faithfull Heere some to debase this worke of Rahab may say Why was this such a matter to haâ—◠〈◊〉 few messengers of the Lord and why should this commend her faith since she neuer came to triall to auouch this worke We answer that the resolution she admitted was very great since it might haue cost her the greatest torment that could bee and shee might so haue stunke in the sight of the people by thus betraying them and their countrey as either the people in a mutiny or the King in iustice might seuerely and cruelly haue executed her so as by this it argueth that she was perswaded that the God of Israel was onely to bee worshipped and the seede of Abraham onely in the world to bee esteemed and heereupon shee did practise the rule of our Sauiuor Christ euen to hate her owne nation Mat. 11.20 and tooke her life as it were into her hands to saue theirs that were the seruants of God So as though in the former example the Ramme onely was sactificed and not Isaak and in this example Rahab safely deliuered and her parentage reseued yet the resolution of them both was nothing lesse and so the speech of Christ true that they that for his sake forsake all Mat. 10.37 shall haue more comfort in that little that is left hauing peace of conscience then of all the former store nay that they that suffer for his sake shall bee free when their persecutors shall bee fettered as appeareth Ieremie 39.11.15 Ieremie that was in desolation and in prison was safe when the King himselfe had his eyes put out and Ebedmelech the Kings counsellour was promised not to perish when the rest should fall by the sword because hee had made the Lord his arme Further this example of Rahab to stand so resolutely for the deliuerance of the Lords messengers conuinceth all those that howsoeuer religion twang vpon their tongue that they can prate of it yet proue that they haue nothing in them but the Laodicean luke-warmth Reuel 3. in that they so professe it as they shrinke in the day of triall and dare not aduenture to harbour the Lords Embassadors and to succor them as Rahab did Yea and this example condemneth others who are so farre from forsaking lawfull things as wife possessions life c. for the Gospels sake as they will not forbeare vnlawfull things no not to leaue off the least shew 〈◊〉 pride or the least profit in biting gaine Whereas by this example wee are taught to take vp our crosse and not to looke backe-like Lots wife Genes 19.26 for there is no tarying in Idolatrie or other profanenesse to fetch any thing from the house toppe Mat. 24.17 or to runne backe into the fields to take our garments though they bee necessarie for this life as our Sauiour speaketh in the Gospell But more iustly the example conuinceth them that row with the tide and professe with the parliament for he that doth therefore professe religion because he hath his protection from the Prince and State would with the State serue the diuell Nay in matters of religion wee must not ground vpon examples but vpon the trueth of the religion for as we must not follow a multitude to do euill so neither must we follow a multitude to do good onely because they do it Exod. 23.2 For it is not the religion of God which we enioy because the parliament enioineth it but therefore it is by parliament commanded because it is the religion of God and fearefull it is to thinke that a Prince can prescribe a law to the eternall God which is farre more disparagement then for a subiect to make a law how he will obey his Prince which notwithstanding is not sufferable But as Rahab was perswaded that the God of Israel that sent those men was the onely God and that the loines of Abraham for whom this land was to be gained were the true owners by the speciall promise of God and in this respect she regarded not her Prince nor her countrey nor her owne fathers house but that by speciall mercy they were exempted but she did most faithfully and in great obedience and in a most Christian resolution willingly resigne vp the countrey to them to whom the Lord had giuen the title Euen so must wee in matters of the Lords seruice alwaies preferre and stand for the will of God to be obserued rather then either to haue our countrey preserued or our Prince obeyed For as Peter saith Act. 4.19 It is better to obey God then man yet still so as we submit our selues to the power and authoritie of the higher powers vnder whose sword are our bodies though our soules be vnder the shadow of the Almightie Againe where it is said She receiued the messengers obserue the cause why she did it beâ—â—â—se she was perswaded the God of Israel sent them so that it was not to gratifie the men respecting the men sauing that religioâ—â— did constraine her and her loue to them arose in respect of her loue to God that had conuerted her Whereupon we noâ—â—â—â—at the world determineth wrongfully of good workes 〈…〉 man may be an honest man and liue well and doe good 〈◊〉 neighbor though he be not greatly religious for all actions wherein the glorie of God the loue of God in Christ the comfort of our consciences and the desire of the saluation of our brethren do not concurre those are not good so as a good action without religion can no more be good then a house without a foundation a tree without a root water without a