we trust in God when others make flesh their arme so shall wée séeke for lawfull meanes to escape whē others shal vnlawfully therfore vnprofitably shal seeke to law to auoid danger We must hold therefore a generall rule that our trust must be vpon the promises of God And now let vs consider what God promiseth God saith Ps 118.1 2 3 4. that if he hath thought vpon vs to day to fauour vs he will not forget vs to morrow but wée shall be helped by his hand all our life long Psalm 89 28. My mercy will I keepe saith God for him that is Dauid for euermore and my couenant shall stand fast with him Behold what his promise is Then may we well assure our selues that GOD will alwaies kéepe vs and that by meanes thereof we shal not be in daunger of falling into decay Psal 23. But yet herewithall wee must make our accompt to be subiect to fall into many inconueniences For our gratious and louing father saith not that he will kéepe vs as it were shutte vp in a mewe that we should sée none aduersitie nor be acquainted with any trouble but be in continuall ioy and felicity he promiseth vs no such matter but onely that he will ayd and succour vs in all our necessities Wherfore it behooueth vs to vnderstand that God wil exercise vs with many aduersities that we are subiect to the cōmon afflictions of this present life that in the meane season it ought to suffice vs that wée shal be aided by him and that wée shall not be vtterly forsaken Seing the case so standeth let vs not sléepe when we be in prosperity as though this state were euerlasting so as nothing could chaunge it And therefore in presuming so farre we step beyond our bounds Why so Our louing good Father telleth vs that wee may peraduenture suffer many aduersities but hée will helpe vs continually Now then in the meane while wée shal fight yea be assailed at all assaies And they that passe their boundes shal be punished for their ouerhardines yea the faithful may euer looke for strokes yet neuer cease to be quiet to possesse their soules in patience How so when wée consider the chaunges turmoylings of this world we must néeds be carefull euery one of vs must prepare himselfe to receyue blowes when it pleaseth God to smite him But yet herewithall we know that in our falling we cannot but light vpon our feete because we be held vp by the hand of God nor be vtterly oppressed because he relieueth vs. We see then how we cannot be vexed with excéeding great vnquietnes yet we may be sore gréeued in our heauinesse not to withdraw our selues frō God to make none accompt of calling vpon him but to haue our recourse vnto him Ps 25.5 Lead me forth in thy truth teach me Text. for thou art the God of my saluation in thee do I trust all the day Doct. 2 2. Doct. It is the duty of vs all men and women in our afflictions to pray vnto the Lord that whatsoeuer shall come vnto vs by his permission and appointment that he would not suffer vs to fall away from his will or to be drawen away eyther through contumacy or by any other wicked desire but rather by the truth of his holy word hée would stay vs quieted vnder his holy obedience The Reason is Our owne experience doth teach that when as aduersities haue darkned our senses how hard a thing it is in that darknes to discerne what we should follow take in hand And if this demonstration was so necessary for Dauid so holy and worthy a Prophet endewed with so excellent a light of the knowledge of Gods word and holy will what shall become of vs vnlesse the Lord driue away that great and palpable darknes which we haue in our afflictions lest that it darken the sight of his light Vse The Vse Let vs therefore alwaies pray vnto the Lord so often as any temptatiō doth trouble vs that his truth may shine before vs lest we taking euil courses run astray frō his wil. Wherefore let vs shut our eies when things go contrary to our liking let vs only settle our selues vpon this point to say O Lord thou art righteous I wil by the assistance of thy holy spirit be cōtented with thy righteousnes for so the truth of thy holy word teacheth me vntil thou make me to enter into thy sanctuary there perceiue why thou orderest the state of mankind after the sort Truly if I should follow mine owne fancy as it is in these mine afflictions being daseled therwith I should murmure yea repine against thée to sée how things are confoūded here O Lord teach me instruct me with thy truth that thou gouernest the whole world in wisedome righteousnes let me confesse the same although I know no reason thereof Thou art the God of my saluation Text. Doct. 3 The Prophet by these words acknowledging his saluation from the Lorde teacheth vs that the former benefits receiued of the Lord should bee vnto vs motiues of his continuall sauour to bée vndoubtedly perswaded The Reason is It is not onely his vsuall custome but his nature so to doe For for this cause he vndertaketh the deliuerie of his seruantes and relieueth their necessities that he might still continue his grace towards them Let vs therefore know that whome the Lord loueth he loueth to the ende So long as wee know not whether the Lord loueth vs or no wée must néeds feare and with Adam shun his presence as much as is possible So as you sée in what case the wretched creatures are which haue no taste of Gods goodnesse to trust in him that they might comfort themselues Therefore let vs marke well that it behoueth vs to be perswaded of Gods loue towards vs that thereby wee may conceiue such trust as we may present our selues vnto him and bee well assured that our soueraigne good is to answere him that is not to hide our selues from his sight but to be alwaies willing to bee guided by his hand so as wee desire nothing but to be vnder his hand and at his direction Psal 95.67 Let vs consider that wee are the workes of his hands For the thing wherein wee may settle our trust that we be acceptable vnto God is that hee hath created vs and that we be his people and the shéepe of his pasture Then must we not pretend to be loued at Gods hand for any deserts of our owne but because he séeth that we are his workemanshippe and his people and shéepe Thus in Esay and the Psalmes Psa 131 8. Esay 64.8 Lord thou wilt not despise the worke of thy hands thou wilt not forsake that which thou hast begun without finishing it How be it wee must not looke onely to our first creation for the hope that wee shall haue thereby wil be very
a father he is to his children Therefore Iudgement and way signifie none other thing then the gouernment whereby he sheweth himselfe as an excellent good father to his children Doct. 1 The 1. Doct. The poore in Spirite onely are directed by the Lord to haue a right iudgement in all things that concerne the glory of God the saluatiō of their soules The Reason is God resisteth the proud 1. Pet. 5.5 such as are wise in their owne conceit Decke your selues inwardly in lowlinesse of mind for God resisteth the proude and giueth grace to the humble Math. 13.11 And he answered said Because it is giuē to you to know the secrets of the kingdome of God The vse is That we pray to God to giue vs his spirit of iudgement of the workes of the Lord. And first of his word Let vs consider how gratious the Lord is to them that are méeke to them he will open his iudgements which to the prowde are secrete vnknowen as to the Papistes many others A foolishnes of self estimation of self-wéening of our selues that wée are of some value is so rooted in man possessed with the spirit of pride that it is very hard to bring thē euen vs regenerate to a right vnderstāding of our owne wāts so as we might be cléere from all pryde presumption Concerning the doctrine of Election Reprobation Wheras the Apostle knew that flesh blood would dispute Why should God elect some refuse other some Rom. 9.20 he answereth But O man what art thou which pleadest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus vers 21. Hath not the potter power of the clay to make of the same lūpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour And this he setteth downe after that he had alledged the obiections wherein men thinke thēselues to haue a faire colour to dispute against God and to demaund why hée should destroy those whom he hath created why he should put difference betweene one and another without knowing any causes so that the one should be loued the other refused Therfore whēsoeuer any such temptation hath taken hold on vs let vs pray vnto GOD to make vs lowly and poore in Spirite then shall we haue a right iudgement of his secrete mysteries and wonderfull workes When we treat of Gods word euery man almost falleth to it at aduenture and euery one shootes out his verdit as though they reasoned but of moon-shine in the water so vnreuerently wée speake thereof The things therein contayned be such as passe all mans vnderstanding and yet notwithstanding it is manifest that some are bold to treat of Gods high mysteries without reuerēce which ought to rauish our wits to wonder at them which with al feare trembling we ought to honour I say we are bolder to babble of them then if a man spake of a matter but of 5. shillings value or of some trifle I know not what And what is the cause thereof but that men haue not cōsidered how God hideth ouercasteth his owne secrete determinatiōs hath in his holy Scriptures vttered vnto vs his wil whereunto it behoueth vs to be subiect We sée on the one side how the Papistes blaspheme God wresting falsifying marring corrupting the whole holy Scripture so that they spare not to scorne God his word And why They neuer knew what it is to haue a right iudgement in Gods will word they are possessed with the spirit of pride the spirite of sound iudgement is farre from thē they scorne at our answere when to their demand Who shal iudge of the true meaning sence of the Scriptures we say The holy spirit shal doth lead not onely the whole Church but euery particular singular member of the Church into all truth Campianan ratione Sophismat Also there are drunkards which could find in their harts to subdue God in their fantastical mind Yf they were the wisest men in the world the best séene in the holy Scriptures yet shall they be faine to stowpe to this point that Gods purposes are aboue our reach But they are vtterly dull brutish there is neither skill nor reason in them the wine ouer-mastereth thē they are worse then swine yet will néeds be Diuines and wil controll things in such sort that if a man should now beléeue them he should be driuen to forge and frame a new Gospell Let vs alwaies know that whensoeuer wée speake of God of his workes or of his word they are high matters On the other side what is it that we cā bring forth of our selues except wee be truly humbled what is that little that wee can conceiue in our vnderstanding Euen wordes without knowledge Let men put themselues into the balance and they shal be found lighter then vanitie it selfe as it is said in the Psalme Psal 62.10 So much the more it behooueth vs to marke this doctrine that there is neither skill aptnesse nor iudgement in vs to entreat of Gods workes or his word except he vouchsafe by his blessed Spirite to direct vs. Let vs therfore pray vnto his diuine Maiesty to vouchsafe of his vnspeakeable mercy and goodnesse to powre downe his holy Spirite into our hearts that whereas by the fall of our first parents our Iudgements concerning Gods mysteries his workes and word are corrupted and therefore haue néed of direction that by the same Spirite of truth and iudgement wée may be ledde into all truth and iudgement so shall wée iudge according to his holy will Let vs also mislike our selues to the end wée may resort vnto him to find the goodnesse there which wanteth in our selues that thereupon it may please him so to gouerne vs by his holy Spirite that beyng replenished with his glory wée may haue wherewith to glory not in our selues but onely in him And teach the humble his way Text. Doct. 2 2. Doct. The Lord will surely teach the humble the way of his gratious fauour The Reason is Vnto him that hath it shal be giuen by him As the Lord hath giuen him humility which is a spirituall gift and grace bestowed vpon the elect onely whom he especially loueth as a father Psalm 103. much more will he cause him to tast of his prouidēce which extendeth it selfe in respect of sustentatiō not onely to the wicked but to euery liuing creature be it neuer so base Vse The Vse is That wee magnifie the glorious name of our good and gratious Father who so mercifully causeth vs the childrē of wrath to become his children by adoption and assureth vs without all doubting of the continuance of his fauour towards vs. This doctrine of Gods fauour towardes the humble his children is comfortable to our conscience and therefore the longer to be vrged and taught Euery man naturally séeketh to comfort himselfe some by voluptuousnesse some by worldly wealth some by
honors and reputations among men which all are vaine We sée after what sort men comfort themselues namely by forgetting God For it séemeth to them to be a melancholy matter to think vpon him And in sooth how many are there that wil say stoutly enough We are good Christians and yet notwithstanding when they entend to be merrie they driue away all thought of God and eternal life and not onely so but also offend God of set purpose After what maner They cannot be merry dut in doing euil Seing then that the nature of men is such that wée be attainted with that disease let vs looke well to our selues and be sure that our mirth shall not be blessed from aboue except we be assured of the remissiō of our sins Therfore if we haue Gods fauour and pray to him therein consisteth true gladnes which is approued of God is eternal will bring vs to euerlasting saluation But so long as we know not in what case we are in with our God nor seeke to be reconciled to him but lie rowting still in our owne filthines the more we desire to be merry the more we kindle Gods vēgeance against vs the more we encrease still the fire of his wrath we plunge our selues the déeper into his bottomles pittes We see then that it is more thē néedfull that it should be shewed vs how much it standeth vs in hand to be well assured of Gods mercifulnesse towards vs. And that also is the cause why the holy Scripture when it treateth of giuing ioy and comfort to vs doth alwaies set before vs the fauour of God Isa 49.13 Reioyce O heauens and be ioyful O earth brast forth into praise O moūtaines for God hath comforted his people and will haue mercy vpon his afflicted Isa 44.23 Reioyce ye heauens for the Lord hath done it showte yee lower parts of the earth brast forth into praises ye mountaines O forest euery tree therein for the Lord hath redeemed Iaakob and wil be glorified in Israel Isa 52.1 Arise arise put on thy strength O Sion put on the garments of thy beauty O Ierusalem the holy one for hēceforth there shall no more come into thee the vncircūcised the vncleane Isa 60.1.2 3. c. thoroughout Luc. 2.10 11. to the end of the Chapt. Zach. 9.9 Reioice greatly O daughter Siō showt for ioy O daughter Ierusalem behold thy King cōmeth to thee he is iust and saueth himselfe poore and riding on an Asse and vpon a colt the foale of an Asse Hereby we are taught that we must néeds be in trouble vnquietnes so long as we know not whether we be in Gods fauour True it is that the wicked will séeke meanes enough to make thēselues merry they ruffle it out you sée in despising God but howsoeuer the world goe with them yet he sendeth them such prickings and torments of mindes so as they be grieuously distressed and if they daūce it is as Moses saith namely that yet neuertheles sinne lieth at the doore that is tormenteth their consciences there waiteth for them like a dogge that waiteth for his master Yée sée then that the wicked may ruffle it out but yet can they not goe out of their doores without gnawing of their consciences and GOD must still hold them at that bay Therefore so much the more ought wee to thinke vpon this doctrine that we turne not our backe vnto God nor burie our sinnes when wée would haue peace but that wée alwaies haue some promise of GOD to comfort vs. And when wée sée that GOD allureth vs to saluation let vs be glad thereof for then shall our gladnesse be blessed And if wée haue the taste that GOD is our louing Father it will swéeten yea it will sanctifie all our ioyes but without it wée must néeds quayle and there is no other meanes for vs truely and in deed to reioice Marke this Also let vs consider that the onely grace of God ought to suffice vs although we haue neuer so many sorrowes mixt with it according as God will exercise vs. For he in this our fraile life will not send vs full ioy so as we may laugh with open mouth as they say yet not withstanding it behoueth vs to reioyce in this certainty that we haue him to our good and louing father and that we shal find mercy with him Then if we haue this grace to call vpon God and can assure our selues that the gate is open to vs and that we in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ shall haue accesse vnto him I say if wée can haue that boldnesse not through our owne rashnesse but that he hath vouchsafed to open his holy mouth to witnesse his loue to vs which thing he doth when to vs his holy Gospell is preached then notwithstanding that many and infinite were our temptations and afflictions yet he will comfort vs and she we himselfe as a kind comfortable and louing father vnto vs. Psal 25.10 All the pathes of the Lord are mercy and truth vnto such as keepe his couenaunt and his testimonies The 2. part of the 4. Sermon The sence is THe faithfull the children of GOD which onely kéepe his couenaunt and testimonies shall surely taste and féele in this life and in that to come both his eternall and swéete mercy and his perpetuall and constant truth of his promises Doct. 1 1. Doct. They onely which remaine in and obserue the couenants and testimonies of God shal taste and féele that all the pathes of the Lord are mercy and truth to them The Reason is God hath so promised Psal 50.23 To him that disposeth his way will I shew the saluation of God Vse The Vse is That we neuer can assure our selues of Gods mercie and his promises of fauour except we endeuour to kéepe his couenant and testimonies which his law containeth consisting of two tables The first concerning our dutie towards GOD immediately which I haue oftentimes heretofore handled and the second concerning our neighbours And that I may the better comfort you with assuraunce of Gods mercy and truth which GOD graunteth to none but to them that leade a godly and charitable life and that except you doe good workes you cannot assure your selues of Gods mercy I purpose the rather to insist vpon this necessarie vse of the doctrine that I might thereby exhort you to good workes that you may féele the fauour and goodnesse of GOD thereby towards you Our Sauiour Christ in the 25. of S. Math setteth down a Catalogue of good workes among which hee accompteth To féede the hungrie To giue drinke to the thirstie To cloth the naked To visite the sicke and prisoners To lodge the barbourlesse Gen. 18.1 2 3. To entertaine straungers and waifaring men not the least This did good Abraham wel vnderstand and practise who sate in his tent doore in the heate of the day of purpose to inuite and call in straungers and wayfaring
notwithstanding God findeth meanes whereby the euill that is in Sathan and in our selues are turned to our good And here we sée how S. Paul was cured as it were Heb. 2.14 with a medicine as he himselfe confesseth after he had spoken of those high Reuelations which God gaue him 2. Cor. 12.1 2. Co. 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. It is not expedient for me no doubt to reioyce for I will come to visions and reuelations of the Lord. ver 2. I know a man in Christ aboue fourteene yeeres agone whether hee were in the bothe I cannot tell or out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth which was taken vp into the third heauen ver 3. And I know such a man whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God knoweth ver 4. How that hee was taken vp into Paradise and heard words which cannot bee spoken which are not possible for man to vtter ver 5. Or such a man will I reioyce of my selfe will I not reioyce except it bee of mine infirmities ver 6. For though I would reioyce I should not be a foole For I will say the truth but I refraine lest any man should thinke of me aboue that hee seeth in me or that hee heareth of me c. to the end of the ninth verse God hath prouided for me that I should not exalt my selfe too much Loe here a good preuision and very profitable for him For we know that pride is ready to throw vs headlong into hell and there is nothing that more prouoketh Gods displeasure then it For hee must of necessitie shew himselfe an enemie to the proude and to such as presume aboue their owne strength after what maner so euer it bee And S. Paul was in the same daunger if God had not remedied it In what sort did hee it It was saith Paul by sending me the messenger of Sathan to buffet me Sée how Sathan worketh in S. Paul euē by Gods permission And what was the issue Questionlesse he meant vtterly to haue ouerwhelmed him and his intent was to haue drawne him into wickednesse to the end that hee would haue him haue giuen ouer the seruice of God and by little little to haue withdrawne himselfe from Christianitie by reason of the wearisome miseries and troubles which he endured without ceasing Behold heere Sathans purpose Notwithstanding this God purposed another end to binde his deare seruant that he should not forget himselfe and so exalt himselfe to the great displeasure of God For this cause he was buffetted The Apostle doth purposely chuse the phrase of buffetting God vsed him not as a man of armes that fighteth in the fielde to giue him a glorious victorie but buffetted him like a boy to his shame and reproach Thus the holy Apostle whome God had endued with so excellent gifts of the holy Ghost was so farre made an vnderling to Sathan that he as it were spit in his face and wrought him many other villanies We sée then how God turneth the euill into good when hee maketh all Sathans stings to serue vs as medicines whereby he purgeth vs of the vices that Sathan hid in vs. And therfore we haue cause to praise God in al respects yea euē although at the first sight his iudgemēt séemeth to our imaginations ouer-boysterous and that by our fleshly vnderstanding wee cannot vnderstand them When we haue well considered all these and many more of these his mercies we shall euer haue wherewith to glorifie and magnifie our good God and father To bee yet better confirmed in this truth let vs consider how afflictions serue for our profit and saluation First for as much as the reliques of sinne abide still euen in the perfectest in this life which maketh them hardned in their sinnes Fruite to awake vs out of our sinnes Rom. 12.1 and inclined to offend GOD we haue néede of helpes to be awaked to be humbled and drawne from our sinnes to kéepe vs in the time to come and so to dispose vs to a perfect obedience holy and acceptable to God And to this end tend the afflictions of them which kéepe the couenaunt and testimonies of God his deare children which for this cause are called chasticements corrections and medicines of our selues Iosephs brethren Gen. 42 21. The children of Iacob hauing committed a detestable crime in selling their brother Ioseph neuer thought of it vntill they being in Egypt oppressed with reproches and imprisonment called to mind their sin saying one to another Surely wee haue sinned against our brother for we sawe the anguish of his soule when hee besought vs and we would not heare him therefore is this trouble come to vs. Manasses king of Iudah Manasses hauing set vp Idolatrie persecuted those that would haue purely serued the Lord 2. Chro. 33. so that Ierusalem was full of bloud and hauing shut his eares to the admonitions of the Lord in the end was taken by the army of the king of the Assyrians bound with manacles fettered in chaines and carried prisoner into Babylon Then being in afflictions he was excéedingly humbled before God hee praied to the Lord and was heard and carried backe vnto Ierusalem The fifth Sermon vpon the 25. Psalme the 11 and 12. verses 11 For thy name sake O Lord be mercifull to mine iniquitie for it is great THis is a prayer of the holy Prophet king Dauid after his holy meditation of the vnspeakable mercy and eternall truth of God in kéeping his promises to them that truely worship him and obey his holy lawes Two special branches it containeth The first an earnest and zealous prayer to GOD for his name sake not for his merites to pardon his sinne Secondly is a déepe search of them without soothing excusing or hiding them Text. For it is great The forme that the Prophet obserueth in ioyning this prayer to his former meditation of the mercie and truth of GOD towards them that obey him is this When he had throughly meditated with himselfe that God was good gracious towards his seruants he considered himselfe acknowledging that except the Lord of his great mercie would pardon his great and gréeuous sinnes he should be none of them Therfore he praieth as the like he did at another time before when hee spake of the reward which God layeth vp for the faithfull that kéepe his holy Lawe Psalm 19.10 Psal 19.10 11 12. And more to be desired meaning the holy lawes of God thē gold yea then much fine gold sweeter also then the hony the hony cōbe verse 11. Moreouer by them is thy seruant made circumspect in keeping of thē there is great reward vers 12. Who can vnderstand his faults clense me frō my secrete faults that GOD for his name sake would pardon him The sence is briefly this My sinnes O Lorde as a great burden sore oppresse mee for whose sake except thou pardon them of thy