be a passage from a transitory to a lasting felicity Thus much of the condition excluded Now followes the limitation The Apostle doth not say not any but not many wise rich and noble There are so few that the Scripturâ— sometimes cals them none Mat. 11.25 Thou hast â—idden these things saith our blessed Saâ—iour from the wise and prudent without naming any exception The wisdome of God saith St. Paul was â—nown to none of the Princes of this World 1 Cor. 2.8 Yet must we not exclude all great men from the kingdome of heaven for the text doth not The Scripture sometimes speaks in generall though it speak not of all but of the most part So John the Baptist accuseth all No man received his testimony Joh. 3.32 33. yet in the next verse mentions some receivers He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true The summe is that rich men are not wholly excluded from the Kingdome of heaven Else where should we look for Abraham the father of the faithfull Where for Isaac the son of the promise Where for Israel that prevailed with God Where for David a man after Gods own heart All these were rich in this world yet never any good man questioned their happinesse in a better world God is no accepter of persons All men naturally pity the poor whether their cause be right â—or wrong and condemn the rich ere their cause be discussed God doth not so His commiseration is not so great as to save all the poor nor his austerity so great as to condemn all the rich Though he be a friend to the poor yet is he not an enemy to the rich Though the poor more commonly finde his ear open yet is he not hard to be entreated by the rich and wealthy It were the way to make rich men despaire if God had rejected them Who should receive them to favour whom God had refused Who can make them happy whom God had devoted to eternall misery Without Gods favour there is no salvation It is a hard thing for rich men to be saved yet is it possible to God It were the way to make poor men to insult and almesmen ingratefully to despise their benefactous and to trample their persons under feet by whose purses they are maintained Lastly it might be a means to bring Gods good gifts and temporall blessings into contempt and to make men cast away their goods that they might not damn their souls Who would keep those treasures that must necessarily bring him to eternall confusion Who would thank God for those riches that must needs keep him from heaven Who would count that a blessing that â—infallibly brings an everlasting curse upon him No man in his right wits Some have been so far from hurting themselves with their riches that they have helped others So far from encreasing their pain in hell by the abuse of them that they have through Gods mercy increased their reward in heaven by the right use of them They have built houses for Gods worship They have maintained Ministers They have setled Schooles They have founded Hospitals Many other good things have they done pleasing to God and profitable to the world They have sowne their seed liberally in this world and received a plentifull harvest in the Kingdome of heaven They have not laid up treasures upon earth but sent them before to heaven Shall I say that these mens riches are perished with them God forbid They were rather wings to mount them toward happinesse and ladders to clime by to a greater degree of glory Vse The former meditation might drive rich men to their prayers this may urge them to the praising of God that hath not clean refused them Although he have given them a more liberall portion then others upon earth yet hath he not deprived them of all hope of the Kingdome of heaven Those great men that have been good have been very thankfull to God because they have perceived Gods speciall love to them in their double portion But it sufficeth them not to acknowledge Gods bounty to them unlesse they make use of it Their earthly portion must not satisfy them nor make them negligent in seeking after an heavenly Salvation is a matter of great consequence and is not attained without hard labour and much diligence worldly wealth cannot be gotten with looking about much lesse can heavenly which is of far greater estimation If there were no hope at all of obtaining heaven for great men them needed they not labour for it It is invain to wash a Blackmore But the difficulty of obtaining it should not discourage but incourage noble natures to endevours beseeming so great happinesse None but a mad man besiegeth a Town that cannot possibly be taken But if the town be hard to be taken yet if it be rich the warlike Governor will not give over the siege â—till he be Master of the Town He knows that the labour is great and â—he cost not small but the spoyles will pay for all So should great men â—eckon for heaven It will cost them more pains then poorer men to attain â—o it but the glory and happiness thereof will make a full amends Let them â—hen pursue it with courage and they â—hall not misse of it So farre have we waded in the Negative description of Gods called â—nes Now it is time to come to the Affirâ—ative Wherein the Apostle First sets out their Election And Secondly the end of it In their Election note 1. The Electour 2. The Elected The Electour is God But God hath â—osen Where the Apostle informeth us â—at Mans salvation depends upon Gods Election Gods choise is the true ground oâ— our happinesse Hence it is that in Scripture they have that honourable title of Gods Elect. Luk. 18.7 Rom. 8.33 Shall not God avenge his own Elect Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect When the Jeweâ— were cast out and the Gentiles received in their room yet was there among the Jews a remnant according to the election of grace Rom. 11.5 7. And this election hath obtaineâ— that which Israel could not The free dome of Gods election and foundation of mans felicity appears in Jaâ—â— and Esau born of the same parents lying in the same womb at the sanâ— time yet one received the other refused not for any thing in themselves for it was before the children had doâ—â— good or evill Rom. 9.11 but for Gods choise thâ— the purpose of God according to election migâ—stand God hath indued us with aâ— spirituall blessings in heavenly thing in Christ Eph. 1.3 4. saith the Apostle but it is according as he had elected us So thâ— every where the beginning of our haâ— pinesse is ascribed to the same fountain even to Gods choise alone anâ— to nothing besides For our case aâ—â— and condition in nature is alike Iâ— Adam we are all dead We are children indeed
glory hath God put by the greatest See his choise But the foolish things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle alters his phrase he saith not the foolish men of the world but the foolish things that is the most foolish men and such as are scarse esteemed men sometimes because of their simplicity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non videre vel a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non cura vel nulla providentia Etymol Men that the world will not vouchsafe to look upon or men that have no manner of forecast to provide such an honourable condition for themselves by their foresight and providence And therefore must needs have it cast upon them by the providence of God So low doth God descend in his choise among the sons of men that he may advance his own honour Peradventure may some man say God chose the foolish things because there were no wiser to choose The Apostle stops this gap in the next word Of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No doubt but the world had choise of worldly wise men It hath its name from ornament and neatness in the Greek and in the Latine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gr. ornatus et mundus Mundus Lat. orbis et purus As in the heavens then there are bright starres as well as darke clouds and in the earth there are sweet flowers as well as noysome weeds so questionlesse in the world there are wise men as well as fools Gods choise therefore is the more admirable because he chuseth not foolish men for lacke of wise but rather then the wise that not they but he might have the greatest honout But who hath made this choise this strange choise the Apostle here mentions God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And no marvail for it is not like the choise of men If a man were to chuse he would take a wise friend rather then a foolish a powerfull favourite rather then a weak one a wife of a honourable stock rather then of a mean God who is wiser then all men doth otherwise they chuse like men he chuseth like a God they make choise of such as may be helpfull to them he makes choise of such as he may be helpefull to and not they to him The next thing considerable is the action of God Hath chosen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is in the world as in his orchyard he gathereth one apple of a tree and leaveth the rest or as in his garden where he crops one flower and leaves the rest where he found them So God chuseth some foolish men and omits many wiser then they The chusing which the Apostle here speaks of may be taken for Gods eternall choise before the world was made And then the Apostle gives 〈◊〉 a reason why God calls not the wise but the foolish for the most part because he had chosen them from all eternity And God is no changeling It may be taken also for Gods selecting in time rather then for his electing before time and then the Apostle confounds calling and chusing and takes them for one and the same thing even for a work of Gods Spirit in our souls bringing mean men to true faith in Christ which many greater never attain unto for all their greatnesse Come we now to the end why God prefers the foolish before the wise To confound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Greek word signifies to make a man ashamed by putting some disgrace upon him so that he blush or hold down his head for shame And well may wise men be ashamed to shew their faces when they shall see very idiots learn the way to true felicity which they having studiously sought after and spent many houres in disputing about the chiefest good could yet never attain unto with all the wisdome and learning the world could afford them The persons confounded come next into our consideration The wise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It were no great wonder for God to confound a fool by a wise man It were strange to confound one wise man by another It were stranger to confound one fool by another But it is strangest of all to confound a wise man by a fool In the former men have some share in the commendation in the latter all the praise must needs be Gods For there is nothing in fools to procure it but there is much in wise men to hinder it Thus God takes the wise in their subtilty and robs the proud of all their glory Thus then hath God chosen the foolish rather then the wise But he hath refused the mighty as well as the prudent Whom hath he chosen in their room And God hath chosen the weak things of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non possum Those that are able to do least God hath chosen So the word signifies such as are of no force or can do nothing to wit in comparison of such as God hath refused To what end God hath chosen these weakest ones the Apostle declares unto us in the words following To confound the things which are mighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hereby God shewes us the vanity of all worldly power and force when those that are mightiest are through his over-ruling hand confounded and brought low by such as are weakest and have most need of strength to do it We see how ill the wise and mighty speed fares it any better with the noble no surely for as God hath rejected many of them so he hath chosen base and mean men 〈◊〉 their room for so it followes Ad base things of the world hath God chosen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine genere That is such men as are bred of so mean a stock that there are no Chronicles of their predecessours nor no pedegrees to be found for them upon record for it is the fashion of the world to keep account of the genealogies of Princes and Noblemen but other meaner men scarse know any thing of their predecessors These men then whom God chooseth in the room of nobles are men without stock that is such whose genealogies are not observed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or as the Syriack Testament reads it whose kindred is small or of no reckoning in the world That he may the better expresse their meannesse the Apostle addes And things which are despised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such men as go for nobody in the world and are despised as esteemed worthy of no account Nay that he may bring them as low as may be he proceeds further as if no words were sufficient to expresse their former baseness except he should put them quite out of the world and saith of them Yea and things which are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men that are so mean and so vile that they are as much slighted in the world as if they had no being at all
knew what want meant that were nobly borne and richly provided for by their parents But to him that hath been in a Sea of wants and tempests of troubles before though he have had a calme of plenty between these second stormes are far more portable then to the other freshwater Souldiers Fourthly 4 Sobriety it produceth sobriety in them They have learned by experience what it is to want flesh and food and apparell and other comforts and therefore will not abuse Gods gifts and blessings lest God take them away and reduce them to their former necessities Fifthly 5 Humility it makes them humble to remember how low they have been before either in their spiritual or temporal condition They that always have been rich or great or civilly good are easily puffed up But such as have tasted of poverty or been scandalous in their courses are more easily humbled Thus Abraham humbles himself before God by calling to minde his beginning dust and ashes Whereupon Basil of Seleucia infers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil Seleuc. Orat. 28. There might you have seen an unusuall thing a tongue made of earth talking of heavenly things When Abraham set it as a preface before his speach I am dust and ashes then did he by the acknowledgment of his nature most of all exceed the bounds of nature in worth and dignity So also Moses Abrahams successour in manners being made more honourable by his conference with God cast downe himself as a vile person saying I am slow of speach and of a slow tongue For look how much he puls down high-mindnednesse so much doth he draw grace unto himselfe and the power of humility is the measure of encreasing grace How great the benefit is that ariseth out of the remembrance of our former condition Magnus esse 〈◊〉 a minimo incipe Cogitas magnam fabricam construere celstâ—udinis de functarnemo prius cogita humiâ—itatâ—s De verb. Dom. ser 10. and how great a furtherance it is to true humility Augustine very well understood and therefore prescribes it as the road-way to exaltation Wouldest thou be great saith he begin at the least Dost thou intend to build a great frame and an high one think first of the foundation of humility Now of all thoughts that can come into a mans minde there is nothing more fit to humble him then the remembrance of his low estate before God exalted him Sixtly 6 Charity it workes in us Charity to those that are in a mean condition They that have never felt poverty themselves know not how to pity others Such as were never afflicted in minde themselves esteem light of other mens pangs But they that have been low know how to commiserate such as are mean though they be now advanced Vse 1 The first concernes all true Christians in generall they have been limbs of Satan now they are members of Christ Think often what ye have been A Christian must have two spirituall eyes one of memory to look backward to what he hath been the other of providence to look forward to what he may be The former will make him humble the latter will make him wary The profit of this looking backward will appear in his prayers and in his prayses In his prayers for it will force him to call upon God in an humble and lowly manner and to say with the prodigall Luk. 15.21 I am no more worthy to be called thy Son In his prayses it will make him ever to slight his own and to magnifie Gods goodnesse saying with Jacob I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Gen. 32.10 It is a speciall worke of grace to make a man humble that hath grace Nature would teach him to be puffed up and to contemne all others that are beneath him yea to condemne them for reprobates and naturalists but grace teacheth him to remember what he was of himself and what he is it tels him comes of Gods grace His own meannesse then must humble him but Gods goodnesse must not make him proud Vse 2 Secondly it concernes such Christians in particular as have been raised from poverty to great meanes and honour It cals upon them to be mindfull of their former penury The dung that yeelds a noysome savour to the nose being laid upon the ground makes it fruitfull So doth the remembrance of mens former poverty bring forth many good fruits of humility and liberality in them although it be displeasing to the pride of nature Meeknesse and lowlinesse of heart become Godly men though they grow great in the world Pius in eo quod mitis est nulla adversitate frangitur in eo autem quod humilis est nulla prosperitate vel gloria elevatur Aug. ad frat in eremo ser 16. A godly man saith Augustine because he is meek is broken by no adversity and because he is humble he is not lifted up by any prosperity of glory It is no shame for the greatest in the world to remember that they have been mean It is profitable to remember it but very prejudiciall to forget it Vse 3 Thirdly let not such as are oblivious be offended if Gods ministers put them in minde sometimes of their low and forgotten condition St. Paul puts the Corinthians in mind of what they had been after they were washed Having spoken before of Theeves and Covetous and Drunkards and the like he addeth 1 Cor. 6 11. And such were some of you The Colossians he admonisheth more largely For these things sake cometh the wrath of God on the children of disobedience Col. 3.6 7. in the which ye also walked sometime when ye lived in them But most largely of all he rubs up the memory of the Ephesians Remember that ye being in times passed Gentiles in the flesh Eph. 2.11 12. who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flestirmade by hands That at that time ye â—â—ere without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world And have not we as much need to be put in mind of it as they Let us then hear and â—ear it with patience Thus much for St. Pauls exhortation Now followes Gods vocation In which we are to note 1. The persons called or chosen 2. The impulsive cause The persons are described two wayes First Negatively Secondly Affirmatively Negatively in these words How that â—â—t many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called In which words observe 1. The condition excluded 2. The limitation For the condition of men that are excluded they are called wise according to the flesh mighty and noble The naturall good things of soul body and estate prove more often impediments to salvation then furtherances Rich men are often the greatest enemies of
Eph. 2.3 but it is but children of Gods wrath as well as others This is our greatest title in Gods sight whatsoever titles else we be born to in the world At Gods beck we escape or perish His mercy may save us his justice may condemn us What happinesse then can we look for but from his election The price of our redemption is the bloud of Christ Joh. 1.29 He is Gods Lamb that must take away the Worlds sin Him God would not give for the Angels that were falne Him he did give for men that had offended him What is the reason why Men are more happy then Angels Why Christ dyes for Men not for Angels Gods choise And is not that the reason why one man rather then another shall be saved by his death Questionlesse it is so When Christ is dead for us how comes the merit of his passion to be applyed to us We are dead in sins and cannot stretch out our hand to take it nor open our mouth to feed on it As men in a trance must have their mouths opened and hot water put in by others so must we have Christs passion applyed unto us by Gods Spirit And how comes Gods Spirit to apply it to one soul and not to another but because God hath chosen the one and not the other This kind of proceeding doth much illustrate the glory of God Had God chosen all election had been a common favour And common favours are lightly set by when peculiar priviledges are highly rated as betokening more love in the giver and bringing more profit to the receiver If there were any thing in those whom God chuseth more then in others the choise would not tend so much to Gods glory as to Mans. The honour would not be the Electors but theirs that are elected But that favour that proceeds from pure election redounds altogether to the glory of the Electour Thus is Gods glory most promoted by the freenesse of his own choise But why should this free choise of God offend the sons of men What means the lowing of the Oxen and the bleating of the Sheep Many things are objected against Gods liberty shewed in his choise Obj. 1 First it is muttered that this choise is injurious to such as are rejected who by this means are made uncapeable of eternall happinesse Answ I answer That it cannot be injurious to any because God is most free If a King may receive what servant he will and refuse whom he please raise whom he list and neglect whom he please shall God be held injurious because he neglects those whom he was not bound to receive We gaâ—her one flower and neglect another We chuse one friend and refuse anoâ—hers friendship as we please our selves Yet are we more obliged to our â—ellow creatures then our Creator can â—e to us God then is bountifull to such â—s he receives but cannot be injurious â—o such as he refuseth Furthermore God considers both â—orrupt in Adam falne from their inâ—egrity and lyable to his wrath and eternall condemnation so that he might â—â—stly have rejected both and how â—â—en can he do wrong in rejecting one When Pharaohs servants had both deâ—erved death what wrong could he 〈◊〉 to him that was hanged in pardoâ—ing his fellow A malefactor hath no â—use to complain of his deserved puâ—â—shment whatsoever favour be shewed â—thers It is free for God to shew mercy 〈◊〉 execute justice Secondly Obj. 2 It is objected that this derogates infinitely from Gods mercy which would be far more glorious if it were extended to all men and if all had been chosen to eternall happinesse Answ To this objection many solid answers may be framed 1. We say that Gods mercy is sufficiently shewed in saving those whom he chuseth He might in justice have condemned all men and therefore it was abundant mercy in him to chuse any to eternall happinesse 2. We say further that if God should have had pity upon all and taken all it had been no election at all He that refuseth none chuseth none It is one thing to pick and chuse another thing to take all and put by none 3. We say God is just as well a mercifull Now if God should have elected all he had lost the occasion oâ— shewing his justice upon the sons oâ— men which could never have been redeemed again unlesse God should aâ—â—ter his resolution and change his decree which is impossible Lastly why do not these objectoâ— consider that if this reason taken from the extending of Gods mercy to the uttermost bounds were good they must be forced with Origen to bring in the Devils too into heaven to leave hell empty and to make our Saviour false of his word who affirmeth expressely that there are some sins which shall not be forgiven neither in this world Mat. 12.32 nor in the world to come Well may Gods mercy then be sufficiently shewed though some be left for patterns of his justice Obj. 3 Thirdly We hear men objecting that the means of salvation are made frustrate by this doctrine of Gods particular choise And that it is in vain to preach the Gospell if our salvation depend upon Gods election for as much as it will be unprofitable to the most who are refused Answ To drive out one nail with another we aske why men do not reason so in temporall things Why do they not say I shall be rich if God have so determined what need I labour And if it be otherwise determined I labour in vain Why do they not say I shall live long if God have so decreed and not otherwise What need I eat Why do they not conclude I shall recover of my sicknesse if God have so appointed and what need I take Physick Unlesse they think that he without whose providence not a sparrow fals to the ground take no care what becomes of mens lives or estates Yet because this stopping of gaps in Divinity is but half satisfaction We answer further that our salvation depends primarily upon Gods choise but not upon it alone God that hath chosen us hath kept his counsail to himself but hath appointed certain subordinate means to bring us to the assurance of our salvation Even as in our temporall states God doth not acquaint us who shall be rich and who shall be poor but appoints us to labour and to commit the successe to him so for our souls God keeps his determinations to himself but wils us to use the means and to commit the event to him not doubting of his favour if we be not failing to our selves Obj. 4 Fourthly This is said to be a doctrine that maintains security impiety lasciviousnesse and overthrows prayer and watchfulnesse For what need he to pray or watch or forbear evill that cannot but be saved whatsoever he do because he is chosen to eternall life Answ We answer 1. That we must pray and watch as much as if our choise were uncertain to us So St.
be found in the former unlawfully curious and in the latter damnably ungratefull Vse 4 Fourthly we are taught here to whom to ascribe the glory of our glory and happinesse namely to God that hath chosen us to it It becomes us to say with the four and twenty Elders Revel 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Otherwise we are unworthy of our vocation and deserve to be numbred among such as are refused if we be unwilling to acknowledge the liberality of Almighty God in chusing us So great was this favour and so little was there in us to move God to do it that no thanks should be thought too much that either our hearts could invent or our tongues utter It is fit in our prayses not to begin at the conclusion with the happinesse we hope for nor at the middle with the comforts of soul and body we have here but at the beginning of all comforts which is placed in Gods free choise Thus may we rightly descend to the rest when we have begun at the first and chiefest We have mounted up on high to find the Elector and now we must dive as low to find the elected The chuser is not so great but the chosen are as mean Hitherto I may fitly apply that of the Psalmist Psal 113.4 5 6 7 8. The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth He raiseth the poor â—ut of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill That he may set him with Princes even with the Princes of his people Thus you have their meannesse in the words of the Psalmist take it now in the words of the Apostle The foolish things of the world the weak things of the world the base things of the world and things which are despised yea and things which are not The Apostle would not have any man to be mistaken in them nor to think better of them then they did deserve and therefore thinks no words sufficient to set out their meannesse The foolish things of the world that is Stulta munde i. quos potentes et Pholosophi stultos aest mabat Haymo in textum saith Haymo Those whom great men and Philosophers esteemed fools Philosophers counted them fools Great men counted them weak Noble men counted them base and despised yea and meer nothings yet God makes choise of them Those then whom God chuseth to prefer are lightly the lowest So our Saviour confesseth to the praise of God Mat. 1.25 I thank thee O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes St. James confirmes it and that with a proclamation Hearken my beloved brethren Jam. 5 5. hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heires of the Kingdome which he hath promised to them that love him The auditours of our Saviour Christ were for the most part poor The poor have the Gospell preached unto them Mat. 11.5 We find at his Sermons not the Scribes nor the Pharisees unlesse it be to entangle him in his talke There we find Joseph the Carpenter and Mary his wife Peter and Andrew James and John fishermen and others of this rank One ground of Gods proceeding this way is â—o cross the world His wisdom is counted foolishnesse by the world and the wisdome of the world is foolishnesse to God Luk. 16.15 That which is highly esteemed aâ—ongst men is abomination in the sight of God Wise Rich Noble personages â—re deep in the worlds books but least â—n Gods On the contrary those which are least in the worlds account â—s the foolish the poor the meanest â—en these are often in greatest repuation with God Another ground is kind of equity which though God â—e not alwayes tied unto yet for the â—ost part he doth observe Such as â—re miserable in this world are made â—appy in another world And such as â—e happy here are made miserable there They are rare spectacles thaâ— are happy here and hereafter and they are as rare that are miserable in both Abraham gives this sentence to stop the rich mans mouth in hell Luk. 16.25 Sonne remember that thou in thy life time receivedst the good things and likewise Lazarous evâ—â— things but now he is comforted and thâ—â— art tormented The birds that hide their heads in the winter sing most merrily in the Summer so those that through poverty and meannesse lie hid and unregarded in this world lie closest with Lazarus in Abrahams bosome A thirâ— ground may be taken from civill policy Princes use to raise the lowest that they may depend upon theâ— alone by whom they are raised anâ— be faithfull to them So the greaâ— Turke hath his officers that in aâ— coasts of his dominions take up hopeful young children and bring them up tâ— make Janizaries to attend upon him These he supposeth must be faithful to him because they know no country nor kindred nor father nor mother but all their welfare depend upon his favour So may God weâ— expect faithfulnesse from mean menâ— that have no wisdome to shift for them selves no wealth to rely upon no friends to trust unto nor any comfort but what they must expect from his mercy And these he chuseth These will promote his kingdome only that they may rise with it As it is noted of Leo the first of that name of the Bishops of Rome though otherwise a good man that he mounted up the sea of Rome to the skies Rainolds and Hart. that himself might rise up with it The last ground of this choise of the meanest may be Gods glory which is much illustrated by the promotion of mean persons God knows that by the choise of base men who are destitute of all means of help and safety in themselves his glory will be more manifested then by the electing of famous men who look for all felicity from themselves and attribute all good things received from God to their own wisdome or their own deservings And therefore he makes choise of the weaker These will not commend themselves or set out their own good parts who have no wit to plot for preferment no power nor wealth to make steps for a ladder to clime up upon no nobility for which they should be honoured It is manifest both to themselves and others from whence their glory comes namely from Gods liberality in electing them If God should set his minde upon great men they should not submit to many mean offices that God cals them unto Their spirits are too great But mean men have not such high spirits nursed within them but are more easily humbled So
examinandum All examination requires diligence Else will not that be found that we look for The Shepherd that hath lost but one sheep leaves ninty and nine in the wildernesse Luk. 15.4 and goes after that which is lost untill he finde it The woman that lost her peece of silver lights a candle V. 8. and sweeps the house and seeks diligently till she finde it The Judge that searcheth out a murder examines all the circumstances of the fact So must we ransacke all the powers and faculties of soul and body to finde out what God hath wrought in us and by us to assure us of our vocation The former reason required much reading to finde the notes of election in the Scriptures this requires many meditations to finde the same notes engraved by the Spirit of God in our own soules 3. Ad augendum To augment Diligence is required to encrease the graces of Gods Spirit in us when we have found them Without fuell the fire will decay rather then encrease Without food the strength of the body diminisheth Without the constant use of religious exercises the sense of Gods favour will be diminished in us The Sacraments the seales of Gods favour the one must be often thought upon the other often received The sight of his Evidences confirmes a man in his hope of the quiet possession of his Lands The right use of the Sacraments assures us of Gods favour As the Sacraments must be our food so Prayer must be our fuell to make the perswasion of Gods love to flame in us The more we seek Gods favour by fervent prayer the more will he assure us of it 4. To Act. Ad agendum Without action all the meditations in the world cannot assure us of Gods favour For whom God loves them doth he inspire with the fire of good affections which flames forth into good actions Now there are many impediments of good actions Some lets we meet withall abroad in the world Others we finde within in our own soules All these must be removed and this remove cannot be done without diligence Adde hereunto the manifold varieties of good actions to be done There are duties of Piety and duties of Sobriety duties of Equity and duties of Charity And can all these duties be done without diligence No certainly it is impossible Thus are we freed from Popish and Arminian cavils They exclaime against us for teaching that we may be assured of our election They call it a doctrine of security of liberty and of profanenesse They say we teach men to live as they list because they are sure of Gods favour We teach men with St. Peter that their election and calling to eternall happinesse may be certainly made known to themselves But we teach them withall as the Apostle doth in the text that it cannot be done without labour and diligence We demonstrate to them indeed that Gods favour cannot be lost for God sunchangeable This we acquaint them with for their comfort in the world But we shew them withall that the sense of Gods favour may be lost by negligence and then shall they live as uncomfortably as if they never had had it This we do for their caution against the temptations of Satan and provocations of the World Yea to make them the more carefull we tell them that the sense of Gods favour cannot be had nor being had cannot be kept without much labour and diâ—igence For the Devill hath many â—aetes to beguile us of this principall â—illar of our spirituall comfort and â—ively provocation to cheerfull obedience Theeves have not so many devices to cheat our rich men of their gold and silver as Satan hath to beâ—uile us of the feeling of Gods love Thus do we give to God his due and to Gods elect theirs Thus do wâ— maintain Gods constancy and keep Gods people from security Now let me urge every one thaâ— heares me according to the scope oâ— the text to be diligent to make hiâ— calling and election sure Whatsoeveâ— become of thee in the world make surâ— thy happinesse in another world Thiâ— cannot be done without pain and perill but this must be done else wiâ—â— thou never live with comfort Thoâ—â— hearest the Merchant discourse of thâ— many stormes he hath endured at seaâ— how often the sea beneath opened he mouth to devoure him how ofteâ— the heaven above frowned upon him as if it would give him over to thâ— fury of the seas how often the eartâ— denyed him the sight of her as if sâ—â— would never be trod upon more bâ— him how often the winds blew fierce ly upon him one crossing another as 〈◊〉 they contended whether should finâ— him And all this he endured for gaiâ— Thou hast read the Souldiers troubleâ— how he stands in sight of the enemy that seeks his ruine the bullets oâ— while whisk by his ear the swoâ— another while would shorten him by the head sometimes hunger bites him in the day and sometime cold strikes him in the night And all this he endures for gain Thou seest the Physitian toyle and endanger himself one while he visits the pox another while he trades in Spotted feavers yea sometimes he looks the Plague in the face And all this he endures for gain And wilt not thou endure any labour or run through any perils to be sure of heavenly treasures which no theef can steal which no mouth can corrupt which no fire can consume of which no death can disappoint thee Look upon the rich and great men of the world I mean not those humane Monsters inhumane Mahometans that leave not a brother alive for fear of injury But look on Christian and Religious people what care they have to make good their titles to settle their inheritances upon theirs And all this care is but for temporall riches Wilt not thou then be more carefull to settle thine interest to eternall glory If thou be quiet now yet the Devill will finde a time to trie thy Evidence and call thy title into question Sicknesse and death are times of weaknesse to thee wherein he like a subtill enemy displayes all his art and strength Provide thee arguments now that may uphold thy hope when thou art at the weakest Consider the misery of doubting persons at their death Think upon the anguish that their souls endure They apprehend God angry with them the Devill accusing them earth leaving them heaven refusing them hell clayming them soul and body parting friends weeping and themselves hopelesse going they know not whither What would they not give that they had made their election sure in the time of their strength or that they might be strong to do it yet Be thou warned by their folly Make thou all sure beforehand As worldly men get riches in health to cherish them in sicknesse and as the Bees get in Summer hony to feed on when stormes keep them within their hives so do thou in time of health get good grounds