in his Law hee doth meditate both day and night HITHERTO we haue heard a godlie man described First The description of a godly man affirmatiuely negatiuely shewing what euilles hee doth most carefully shunne and auoyde Now he commeth to his description affirmatiuely shewing what good things he doth most carefully embrace and follow In this description first note the Christian duety and holy practise of a godly and righteous man namely to be much and often in serious and Christian meditation Secondly the obiect of his Studie not his pleasures preferments or profits as most carnall men doe which minde nothing but earthly things but he is conuersant in the holy Scriptures doth furiously study the word of God his meditation is concerning the Law that is the heauenly doctrine which shews the will of God and his worship what man must and ought to beleeue and do to eternall life Thirdly the circumstance of times is carefully to be considered for the godly man doth not now and then by starts and fits like a man in an ague Reade study and meditate the word and doctrine of God but it is his dayly study and continuall exercise not that wee should imagine hee doth nothing else but the meaning is hee setteth some time apart daily to serue God some time to reade some time to heare and some time to meditate yea oftentimes he bestoweth some part of the night when some be at rest and sleepe and bestoweth it on Gods seruice setting his minde on heauen and heauenly things First in that the Spirit of almighty God describeth a godly man not onely by leauing and auoyding lewd company and the counsell of the wicked but also by liuing well and framing himselfe to study the Scriptures and to leade his life thereafafter Hence I gather this doctrine that Doctr. 1. Not to do euill is not svfficients it is damnable not to do good it is not sufficient for the leading of a godly life which may both please God and bring comfort to a mans owne soule to abstaine from euill but he must also doe well not onelie not to doe euill but to doe good it is not enough to prooue a man to be a godly man and a sound Christian that hee carefully shunne and auoyde the lewd counsell and company of wicked men but hee must also be as carefull to meditate in the Law of God day and night And therefore as in this place so vsually in the holy Scriptures they are both ioyned together cease from euill learne to doe well Esay 1.16 Psalme 34 Matt. 3.10 eschew euill and doe good and thou shalt liue for euer The Axe is put to the roote of the Trees euery Tree that bringeth not foorth good fruit Marke Christ sayth not onely euery Tree that is barren and bringeth foorth no fruit good or bad nor euerie one that bringeth foorth euill fruit But that bringeth not foorth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Mat. 25.41 And at the last day the Lord will say to the wicked Depart yee cursed not for robbing the poore of meat drink or apparrell or casting them out of doores but for want of shewing mercy vnto them A Christian life doeth consist of two partes so set downe by the Apostle Paul Abhorre that is euill there is one halfe And cleaue to that is good Rom. 12.9 there is the other halfe If any want the former or the latter he is but halfe a Christian and so shall at last come short of a rewarde And therefore this is a priuiledge to all the Commandements of God that where any vice is forbidden the contrarie vertue is commanded and where any vertue is commaunded the contrary vice is forbidden The owner of an orchard is not contented that his trees beare no naughty fruit but if they beare not good fruit hee will hew them downe as fewell for the fire It is not enough for Zacheus that hee be no more an extortioner But if hee will become a true conuert indeede hee must make restitution of that hee hath wrongfully gotten Luke 19.8 Iames 2.25 These and the like examples make this Doctrine apparent vnto vs That for the leading of a godly life it is not sufficient that a man doe no euill Not to walke in the counsell of the wicked not stand in the way sinners nor sit in the seate of the scornefull but hee must doe good His delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Lawe hee doth meditate both day and night Vse 1 This serues to reprooue most men in the world as no godly men indeed nor sound Christians for most men doe thinke if they can say I thanke GOD I doe no bodie anie harme nor say them harme I am neither whoore nor thiefe I am neyther blasphemer drunkard c. All is then well they be as good Christians as the best and shall as well be saued as the best Preacher of them all Yea but you see here a godly man must not onely abstaine from euill But meditate in the Lawe of God not onely cease from euill but do good Looke on the places of Scriptures before named Matt. 3.10 Mat. 25.41 Iudg. 5.23 Deborah pronounces a heauy curse against Nerosh not for hurting or hindering the people of GOD but because they did not helpe them against the enemies of GOD and so the axe and curse of GOD shall bee vpon all those that be not as carefull to doe good as to eschew euill S. Paul professeth that hee was a man of an vpright life and one that was vnrebukeable to the world and yet professeth that all this was but as Dung without the righteousnesse of CHRIST Philippians 3.4 It were good if our ciuill honest men as wee call them would consider this they stand vpon this they defie al the world who can say black is their eie they say no body harme nor doe none well grant that they say which is impossible though they could abstaine from all outward euill as swearing lying drunkennesse whooring pride enuy c. So as no man could lay any of these to their charge yet heere is but halfe a Christian but one part of his life for hee must not onely not doe euill but doe good Not onely to bring foorth euill fruit is damnable but not to bring foorth good fruit And in the day of iudgement CHRIST will proceede against men not onely for doing euill but especially for nor doing good Vse 2 Secondly if such as abstaine from grosse euills bee in danger of damnation for want of doing good that is to say because they haue not ledde a godly life bestowed much time in hearing and reading the Scriptures praying and calling on Gods name doing workes of mercie and equitie to men how much more those that abstaine from no euill but breake out into all kindes of wickednesse and prophanenesse Such as make a mocke of Religion and seldome or neuer come to heare the Word
must keepe their friends company or as those that were bidden to the feast One hath his oxen and gaine to hinder him an other his wife his pleasures and delights which hee is married vnto and so can finde no time to serue God euen the least thing in the world is matter sufficient to hinder them from seruing of God these men shew that they find no comfort at all in the seruice of Almighty God no good no fruit no benefite for if they did they would not be such strangers vnto it Let euery one bee exhorted and Vse 2 stirred on to this duety if we haue not begunne now to beginne and in the feare of the Lord to imitate Gods children as Dauid and the rest Let vs set some time apart euery day for the word and prayer else wee shall neuer prooue our selues good Christians else wee should neuer finde true comfort else we can neuer looke for Gods blessing vpon vs let vs then set apart some of our idle time that wee bestow in talking in walking in playing in vaine delights or else idlely and bestow it on Gods seruice and worshippe in hearing reading praying meditating c. Dauid earely in the morning preuented the day light yea at mid-night would hee be so busied The Eunuch in his iourney was reading the Scriptures Let vs then neuer arise in the morning or goe to bedde but as duely let vs euer be mindefull of this duety Let vs not mis-spend our precious time Let vs I pray you consider why wee liue heere in the world not to spend and consume our time in toyes and vanities but to serue God and to seeke for comfort and saluation vnto our owne soules Let vs therefore so spend it as wee may haue comfort in the end Last of all we are heere exhorted Vse 3 to be very carefull after wee haue begunne a good course in godlines to perseuer and to continue in the same Day and Night euen vnto the end not onely in the day-time of prosperity but in the night-time of aduersity for vnto GOD The day and night are both alike Ps 139.12 Many make a faire beginning but the end is very fearefull and dangerous Many lay their hands to the Lords Plow Luke 9.62 but in the end they looke back Lots wife seemes as forward as her husband shee goes out of Sodome as well as hee shee takes her iourney with her husband but shee did not continue and hold out to the end but lookes backe contrary to the commandement of God and so was turned into a pillar of Salt And shee being made a spectacle to all back-sliders our Sauiour puts vs in minde of her when hee saith Remember Lots wife Luk. 17.32 And Paul when hee had Preached the Resurrection of CHRIST Agrippa said vnto him Thou perswadest mee almost to become a Christian Act. 26.28 But there he stayed and rested and would proceed no further These are fearefull examples It had beene better for such They had neuer knowne the way of righousnesse 1. Pet. 2.21 for indeed in a Christian race there is no standing at one stay for not to go forward in Religion is to go backward And thus much for the description of a godly man affirmatiuely shewing what hee doth carefully embrace and follow But his delight is in the Law of the Lord c. The first Psalme VERSE 3. Hee shall be like a Tree planted by the Riuers of waters that will bring forth her fruit in due season whose leafe shall not fade so whatsoeuer he shall doe shall prosper HItherto the Prophet Dauid hath described vnto vs a godly and righteous man such a man as is truly blessed both negatiuely shewing what be the euills hee must carefully shunne and auoyde as also affirmatiuely by those vertues and holy dueties which he doth carefully embrace and follow Now in this Verse the Prophet proceeds to set out the happinesse of a godly man Wherein the godly man is blessed Parts of the verse or wherein his happinesse doth consist And this doth he first by a similitude comparing him vnto a pleasant fruitfull and flourishing tree secondly by that blessed successe God giues vnto a godly man in the end of this verse The precedent part of the verse the similitude it selfe it hath in it these parts First whereunto the godly man is compared to a Tree Secondly the nature of this Tree is described not euery common or triuiall Tree but such a Tree which for the originall of it planted secondly for the situation of it By the riuers of waters thirdly for the propertie of it that will bring forth her fruit in due season fourthly by a contrary propertie whose leafe shall not fade First then obserue by this Similitude that man is compared to a Tree and in three things especially the Shape the Growth and the State of a Tree Man like to a Tree 1 In Shape Man may well be compared to a tree in respect of his Shape For as a Tree consists of the root the stock and the boughes or branches euen so doth man this misticall tree Hee hath his head which is the root and haire as small rootes his body as the stock and his armes and legges as so many boughes and fingers and toes as lesser twigges Onely the difference betweene the naturall tree and man this Mysticall Tree is this The naturall tree is rooted in the earth Gen. 27.28 receiuing as Esaus blessing the Fatnesse of the same but man this Heauenly Plant deriues not his iuice and nourishment from the fatnesse of the earth but from heauen aboue according to Gods wise disposing of his roote which is aboue not below and therefore are we exhorted by the Apostle to set our affections on heauenly things and not on things heere below for wee through Christ 2. Pet. 1.4 are made partakers of the Diuine Natute in heauen therefore must our conuersation be Secondly 2 In growth man may bee said to be like a Tree in respect of his growth for a tree at first is flexible by nature and so by degrees a little and little growes to be stronger and stronger till it come to perfection and then againe begins to wither to dry vp so fareth it with man this Mysticall Tree while hee is in the state of infancy he is as a tender twig and his mind is as flexible as a twig easily inclined to vertue if hee bee accordingly educated or else to vice if the same be neglected an excellent caueat to all parents and gouernours of youth that they take a due time of correcting educating of these tender plants namely to bend the tree while it is a twig for if it be suffered it will grow to bee curelesse And as man is like to a tree in respect of his infancy and tender age so in respect of his decrepit old age for when the Tree is once come to his perfection in growth it
then decaies and declines so fareth it with man let him seeme to bee as tall and as straight as a Cedar Tree hee must become a shrub againe and stoup to age For mans life is well compared to a day whose euening will most certainely follow his morning vntill the night of death cause him to sleepe in the graue For as there is a time to bee borne Eccle. 3.1 so there is a time to die Be it that now thou seemest to bee as strong as the Oake and as tall as the Cedar as flourishing as the Bay Tree yet at last rottennesse will creepe into the strongest Oke and strength and tallnesse will bee abated in thee when the keepers of the house shall tremble Eccl. 12.3 c. 3 In State Thirdly man may bee compared to a Tree in respect of the State of a Tree and that diuers waies First as the talest Cedar is in greatest danger of winde and weather Euen so the man that is tall either in place of authority riches honour or the like Loca quae alijs celsa ipsis prerumpa videntur Seneca is most subiect to the assault of Sathan and the rage of wicked men And men of such excellent places in Church or Common-wealth are more subiect to changes disfauours to enuy insurrections poysonings murtherings as to so many raging winds whereas those that with little Dauid Tend the Ewes great with yong are free from these assaults Secondly it is commonly seene the more tall the Tree is the lesse fruitfull So fareth it with man naturally vnlesse men bee seasoned by grace riches honout dignity or the like are great occasions of an high minde and a high minde is like vnto a Mountaine which the higher it is the more barren it is Whereas if hee bee meane and humble of Spirit hee may fitly bee compared to the valleyes which are euer fruitfull and as the Psalmist saith Stand thicke of Corne For humility is the ground worke of Christian vertues and pride the roote of all euill and the queene of all vice Thirdly and lastly the end of euery tree is to become either timber for building or fewell for burning So fareth it with man this Mysticall tree when death commeth which is Gods Axe by the which hee doth cut vs downe hee becommeth either timber for the Lords house when this earthly tabernacle shall bee destroyed 1. Pet. 2.5 to bee a building not made with hands but eternall in the heauens or else alas but fewell for the fire of Gods wrath Esa 30.33 euen in Tophet where there is fire and much wood and where the Lords wrath as the bellowes shall neuer cease blowing and kindling the same Doctr. 1. Ministers duety to instrct the simplest It is heere first of all to be noted that the Spirit of God sets out the happinesse of a godly man by comparing him to a goodly greene Tree Hence we learne first of all that it is not onely lawfull but a commendable profitable kind of teaching for Gods Ministers to illustrate points of doctrine by similitudes and comparisons so that they bee familiar and fit to make the people conceiue what they teach and to raise comparisons from the Plow and Plow-share to that end that euen the simplest in a Congregation may vnderstand what is said and what is taught This was the course of the Prophets from time to time in their Sermons to the people This was the course of our Sauiour himselfe Iohn 15. Math. 13. Iohn 10.1 who in all his Sermons vseth both Parables and Similitudes comparing good men to good Trees bad men to bad Trees Mat. 3.10 Luke 8.4 comparing Himselfe to a Vine the Father to a Husbandman vs to Branches Himselfe to a Sheepheard wee to Sheepe and the word to twenty things as Seed Mustard-seed c. to teach all those that are Gods Ministers that when they preach vnto their people that they lap not vp their speech in a mist of words but so to deliuer it as that the meanest and shallowest amongest the hearers may vnderstand it Thence came the profession of Paul we preach not our selues but Christ Iesus our Lord 2. Corinthians 4.5 And hence came that worthy resolution of his I had rather in the Church to speake fiue words c. that I might instruct others then ten thousand wordes in a strange tongue 1. Corinth 14.19 In which words by strange tongue we are not simply to vnderstand Hebrew Greeke Latine c. but by speaking of the mother-tong in a strange maner Preachers are fitly compared to a Nurse a Nurse doth halfe chew the meate to the little one and doth babble vnto them in their owne stammering tongue so must Preachers proportion their Doctrine to their hearers capacity and fitte his tongue to their vnderstanding This may serue to reprooue such kinde of Preachers who seeke not to preach CHRIST crucified but preach themselues euen such as in handling the word of God preaching the Gospel seek to shew their owne learning wit art and memory and so indeed preach not Christ but themselues like the old Pharisees Louing the praise of men more then the praise of God But what shall Dauid the Prophet of the Lord or rather the Spirit of God in him stoupe so low as to speake to the vnderstanding of all men by similitudes comparisons and the like And shall sinfull man a worme of the earth exalt himselfe aboue God to seeke only to tickle itching eares with the words of mans wisedome Seeing Gods Ministers must bee Vse 2 faithfull Teachers of the trueth of God and must deliuer the same in the plaine euidence of the Spirit not with the enticing wordes of mans wisedome This serues to direct the hearers in the Art of Hearing They must submit themselues to Gods ordinance and be ready to know the will of God we must not haue itching eares that are not able to suffer wholesome Doctrine like the Gentiles who despised the Preaching of the Apostles because it was not stiled with mans painted eloquence esteeming it foolishnes What is this but to stint the Spirit 1. Cor. 1.21 and to teach the Lord to speake prescribing the Minister what hee shall say and restraining our hearing what we will heare What then will follow but that we shal heare without fruit and the word to bee vnto vs onely a sauour of death vnto death Doctr. 2. Double vse of all the creatures of God Hence wre obserue heere a second point of Doctrine that seeing the Prophet compareth a godly man to a Tree That of all the creatures of God there is a double vse one Naturall the other Spirituall As a Tree in nature signifies such plants of the earth as bring forth fruit according to their kind Now besides this naturall signification it serues to put vs in minde what wee ought to bee Math. 3.10 namely friutfull trees in the Lords orchard lest if we be barren or
punished with them as Lot in Sodome was taken prisoner and all his houshold and therefore as men doe shunne a house infected so let vs shunne such company as most dangerous pernitious and hurtfull And heere wee are to wonder at Vse 1 the palpable blindnesse of wicked men at their blockishnesse and senselesse security that though their estate bee as wee haue heard out of the word of God and testimonies of holy Scriptures so cursed miserable wretched and damnable yet they see it not they feare it not they beleeue it not they feare no danger they desire no remedy their mindes are so blinded through selfe-loue and so hardned in all kinde of sinne that nothing can moue them and do them good They bee like the Smiths dogge no strokes nor sparks can awake them Of all diseases they be most dangerous that be least felt as the Apoplexy dead Palsie Lethargie c. So when a man is sicke euen soule sick and sick vnto death and feeleth no paine his case must needes bee dangerous Many men complaine of the stone in the kidny and ride and runne night and day to find ease for it but few complaine of the stone in the hart men haue hard stony and flinty hearts And neither loue of heauen nor feare of hell neither mercy nor iudgement can moue them or make them to repent Well to conclude this point let men take their courses runne on in sinne walke in the counsell of the wicked stand in the way of sinners and sit in the seate of the scornefull Let them refuse the counsell and the company of Gods seruants and when they haue done all that they can they are but cursed caitifes and the time will come that they will curse the day that euer they were borne and say Woe worth the time they kept bad company Wised 5. Reue. 6.13 Oh what fooles and mad men were wee When they shall wish the heauens to fall vpon them and the rockes to crush them in peeces for feare of the anger of God And thus much for the generall description of a wicked man in these words The wicked are not so But as the Chaffe which the wind driueth away THe Prophet Dauid hauing shewed the difference betwixt the godly and the wicked by a generall Introduction It is not so commeth now to set out their estate by a Similitude and Comparison where hee compares the wicked to Chaffe And it is all one as if hee should say The wicked and vngodly man is not like a tree well planted and watered that beares good fruit and alwaies flourisheth but like vnto Chaffe which hath no root at al in the earth no iuice nor sap but wants all kinde of good fruit and greenenesse so as it is easily scattered and dispersed with euery blast of winde Euen so the wicked are not rooted nor grafted into Iesus Christ and are altogether voide and destitute of all fruite of good workes and of all sauing grace haue no iuice nor sap of goodnesse in them and in time of trouble and temptation they fall away yea euery blast of false doctrine euery storme of temptation triall or persecution yea the least blast of Gods anger driueth them hither and thither they know not which way to turne them So that in this Similitude or Comparison there are two things to bee considered of vs. First the matter whereunto the wicked are compared vnto Chaffe Secondly the condition of Chaffe which the winde driueth away In the former of these wee are to consider how the wicked resemble Chaffe naturally and accidentally Wicked compared to Chaffe How Naturally Chaffe is light and vnprofitable First it is light containing in it no solide and weighty matter but a very sleight and frothy substance 1 Light subiect to many alterations euen so the wicked are not solide in their purposes enterprises weighty in their carriage and courses but as Chaffe light easily tossed blowne away It may appeare vnto vs that the wicked are as Chaffe light because they bee light of their words Ecclesiastic 12.26 they haue not their mouth in their heart like a wise man but they haue their heart in their mouth like a foole Do they promise any thing their words are as wind as the Prouerb is Doe they vow any thing they keep their vowes like those that vowed Pauls death Do they sweare any thing they are but as belles and bubbles in the water broken in a moment of time So that the wicked in respect of their words vowes or othes may well be compared to Chaffe light Againe the wicked may well bee cōpared to chaffe light because they are light of their minds entertaining and excluding one while admitting another while reiecting infinite purposes and thoughts of heart Againe they are light of their bodies by cōmitting many fornications Yea let their vertues be compared with their vices it will then appeare That they are lighter then vanity it selfe Secondly as the wicked are like Chaffe light so are they vnprofitable and that two waies First in matters temporall concerning this life wherein though they haue ability as they haue for the most part yet they want wil to do good with the same Secondly in matters spirituall wherin though they haue a will which is a rare thing to bee found in the wicked yet they want ability Vnprofitable First the wicked are as chaffe vnprofitable in regard of matters temporall For who doth regard the afflictions of Ioseph For either their will is wholly bent vpon Couetousnesse or Prodigality This is an euill which the Preacher saw vnder the Sunne Eccl. 6.2 A man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures and honours and he wanteth nothing for his Soule of all that he desireth but God giueth him no power to eate thereof but a strange man shall eate it vp Yea such is the case of many a man that where hee locks vp his riches from others with one locke hee lockes them vp from all power is of God Hee doth bring downe the mightie from their seate Yea hee hath all creatures at a becke and at a call to humble man yea and the least of all creatures when it is armed and sent of God is sufficient to destroy the wicked as Frogges Lice Flies and the like creatures did Pharaoh and the Egyptians Exod. 10. and as the Palmer-worm and the like kind of Caterpillers did the men of Iuda and Israell Ioel. 1.3.4 And therefore this must needes bee a terrour vnto the wicked who are no stronger then the chaffe to resist the wind of Gods iudgements This may teach them humllity and pull downe the haughtinesse of their hearts when they shal heare the irreuokeablenesse of their destruction Secondly seeing the destruction Vse 2 of the wicked are irreuokeable and that the iudgements of God come suddenly we are taught heere that it is our dutie to awake out of sinne and to bee watchfull ouer our owne soules