ruine of the Chaldeans for being puffed up and proud of their victories they shall not acknowledge the great God of heaven the God of their warre or esteem themselves his agents to chasten the Jews but shall give the glory of their conquest to their own Idol god Now in these words thus interpreted observe 1. The Totall 2. The Particulars 1. The Totall is the answer of God to the greivous complaint and expostulation of the Prophet 2. The Particulars are two 1. The Judgment threatned 2. The executioners of this Judgment very fully and Rhethorically described 1. The Totall God answereth the Prophets complaint Yeildeth this Doctrine that God doth hear the complaints of such as have just cause to complain of violence Doctr. to execute his judgments upon them that offend The story of holy Scripture is full of examples of this truth Cain for Abel vox sanguinis the voyce of bloud The whole old world was punished with a general inundation for the cruelty that was upon the earth their violence made the Lord repent that he made them You have heard out of Obadiah how the cruelty of Edom was intolerable and God heard the cry of the Church and delivered them and punished Edom with desolation And when Israel was in the land of Egypt in the house of bondage God sayeth I have seen Acts 7 34. I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt and I have heard their groaning and am come down to deliver them Even Israel his own people is not spared Sion his holy mountain Jerusalem his holy City is punished for oppression He doth this First Reas 1 In regard of his servants that do complain to him to let them see the power of their prayers that he may stirre them up in all greivances to commit their cause to him and not to seek private revenge Injuriam as Tertull. Si apud deum deposueris injuriam ipse ultor est si damnum restitutor est Therefore let not the oppressed wrong their own cause with vexing Vse and disquieting their own hearts at them that lie heavy upon them for St. James tels us that The wrath of man worketh not the righteousnesse of God Jam. 1.20 Let them not vent their spleen in bitter cursings and execrations which be the voyce and language of impatience and impiety and turne upon us and all to tear us But let them seriously complain to God and he will hear them and do them right Let them tarry the Lords good leasure and they shall see that he will take the matter into his own hand 1. Either he will take the oppressed out of the world and give them rest from their labours and lay them in the beds of ease and lock them in the chambers of peace till all stormes be over and then he will say Returne ye sons of Adam 2. Or he will change the heart of the oppressours and for stony hearts give them hearts of flesh and fill them with compassion and tendernesse 3. Or he will restrain the power of the wicked against his chosen and suffer no man to do them wrong but will reprove even Kings for their sakes the rage of man will he restrain 4. Or he will give the oppressed such a measure of patience and charity as he shall bear injuries without murmuring and blesse them that hate and persecute him 5. Or he will pour forth his wrath upon the oppressor and let him feel the weight of his hand either upon his body by inflicting diseases upon it or upon his minde by the troubles of an unquiet conscience Or upon his familie by cursing the fruit of his loyns that they shall be his sorrowes by taking ill wayes Or upon his estate by cursing all his gatherings that though all the streams of profite runne every way into his bagges nothing shall make him rich like the Caspian sea into which many rivers do pour in water continually yet is it never the fuller rather like the lean kine never the fatter Or upon his life by taking him out of the world and thereby giving occasion to the afflicted to rejoyce Therefore art thou afflicted pray and complain and expostulate with God for he will hear thee 2. God heareth the complaint of the just against the oppressours for his names sake Reas 2 for so David urgeth him Hear me O God for thy names sake For it toucheth God in honour when his faithfull servants do appeal from the school of unrighteousnesse where they are oppressed to the tribunal of his judgment where they should be releived and cannot be heard You remember when Christ was on the crosse and his enemies had their cruel hearts desire against him they contented not themselves to be cruell and scornfull to him but they blasphemed also the name of God saying He trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him Mat. 27 43 The very theives that were fastened then to the crosse on either hand of him cast that in his teeth When the wicked prevail against the just the next word is Where is now their God Let us then know the name of God is himself Vse he cannot deny himself he hath a name above all things and a speciall glory due to that name he cannot suffer that name to be blasphemed He will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine Therefore in all greivances let us say with David Our help is in the Name of the Lord who hath made Heaven and Earth It is our comfort in trouble that we do suffer together with the name of God and if we do lay fast hold on that we shall be delivered together with it we may well cast our trust upon that name for in hoc vinces in this thou shalt overcome is the Motto and word thereof it is a strong tower to all that trust in it 3. God will hear the complaints of the just Reas 3 for his truths sake for he hath promised the just I will not leave thee nor forsake thee And he hath said He shall call upon me and I will hear him I am with him in trouble I will deliver him and he shall glorifie me And David saith He will not suffer his truth to faile We have more then his promise we have his oath against the ungodly I have sworn in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest Ps 95.11 Vse Let us build then upon this promise for God is faithful that hath promised The violent and the oppressour hath part in the wrath of God as he saith And I will come near to you in judgement Mal. 3.5 and I will be a swift witnesse against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against false swearers and against them that oppresse the hireling in his wages and the fatherlesse and the widow and that turn aside the stranger from his right and that feare not me saith the Lord of hosts Here is Gods
Prophets of the Lord and his holy Ministers beholding the sins which they do daily reprove to come up so fast as though they had never layd the axe of Gods judgment against the root of that corrupt tree the zeal of Gods glory so stirreth them that they cannot hold â—ut they must strike with the sword of the Spirit they must lift up their voices like trumpets they must tell the house of Jacob their sins Jeremy doth expresse this to the life Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord Jer. 6.11 I am weary with holding in I will pour it out upon the children abroad c. Let not the sensuall and carnall man call our threatnings of sin our own ravings and railings and our comminations of judgment the intemperate issue of our own choler Jeremy calleth it The fury of the Lord. And so long as we reprove justly and mingle none of our own heat with the fire of Gods altar we shall kindle a fire in the bones of the sinner which shall give him no rest but his conscience shall say to him as Nathan said to David Thou art the man 3. In respect of his compassion Do not think that it is any joy to us to reprove or to threaten St. Paul is loth to use the rod. Jonah will rather runne away from God then he will carry the newes to Niniveh that it must be destroyed Many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you weeping We shall find as soone as we are past this first verse that this Prophet did feel the burthen which he did see and the griefe he took for them turned his Harp into mourning and his Organes into the voyce of them that weep every tender heart avoydeth being a messenger of evil news but their feet be beautifull that bring glad tydings tydings of peace 3. The word of threatning is a burthen to the people to whom it is sent 1. Judaeis non Chaldaeis 1. To the Penitent 2. To the Impenitent 1. To the Penitent it is an heavy burthen to them to think how they have provoked God to anger and have drawn out his sword against themselves They that truly fear God when they hear their sins threatned do retire themselves into their chambers they weep and deplore their iniquities Hezekiah hearing the Prophet threatning his life He turned himself to the wall Isa 38.2 3. he prayed to the Lord and Hezekiah wept sore Never think that you hear the threatnings of God with any profit till you feel the burthen of them oppressing and the edge of them drawing bloud on you Lachrymae be sanguis animae The Lyon roareth and all the beasts of the forrest do tremble a tender sonne that hath done a fault and heareth his father threatning to punish him findeth that threatning so great a burthen to him that he can give himself no rest till he have recovered his fathers favour 2. The very Impenitent who have any sense of the terrour of the Lord feel Gods threatnings heavie it will make Ahab that sold himself to do wickednesse put on sackcloath and crowne his head with ashes and go mourning if he hear that Gods anger is stirred to bring evill upon his house Even Absolon an ungratious son is impatient of living out of his fathers presence and he setteth Joabs corn on fire for neglecting the mediation which might bring him to his fathers face Esau will seek his fathers blessing with tears and what would not Balaam give that he might die the death of the righteous Surely God is a consuming fire and if coals of this fire are kindled in the bosome of the impenitent and their damnation doth not sleep but is awake in them in the accusation of their guilty consciences to begin their hell even here on earth Hab. 1.2 O Lord how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear even cry out unto thee of violence and thou wilt not save Here this Habakkuk this Wrastler doth begin his wrastling for what is this whole Chapter but a serious Expostulation and complaint wherein the Prophet 1. Contesteth with God himself vers 2.3 4. 2. He bringeth in God denoucing his own intended judgments against Judah and Jerusalem vers 5.6 7 8 9 10 11. 3. He returneth again to expostulate with God vers 12.13 14 15 16 17. 1. He contesteth with God Wherein 1. He chalengeth him for not hearing his prayer vers 2. 2. For shewing to him the sins of the people v. 3.4 In the first observe 1. What the Prophet did 1. He cryed 2. He cryed long 3. He cryed to him 2. What cause he had Of violence 3. What successe 1. Thou wilt not heare 2. Thou wilt not save To give some light to that which followeth let me first admonish you that it may well be gathered by the title that is here given to Habakkuk the Prophet that he was sent by Almighty God to preach to the Iews to reclaim them from their evil wayes and to still the noise of their crying sinnes and prevailing nothing with them to bring them to repentance he prayeth and cryeth to Almighty God for his judgement upon this People to punish their many sins and God not hearing him nor giving way to his anger to correct them the Prophet moved with the zeal of Gods glory wrastleth with God and contendeth with him for his rod upon them 1. What the Prophet did 1. I cry he lifteth up his voice against this People his brethren for it is twice exprest 1. He cryeth then he resumeth it he saith he cryeth out this is a thing that God doth use to take special notice of expectavi Justitiam ecce clamor It is said of Abel that being dead he spake Moses saith it was voxsanguinis a voice of blood God said that voice cryed to him out of the earth for vengeance The Cry of a Prophet one of Gods Secretaries to whom he revealeth his will one of Gods Chaplains to whom he committeth the Ministry of the Revelation of his will one of Gods Saviours to whom he committeth the office of saving his People the crying the vociferation of one of Gods Seers who cries not out of passion or humane perturbation but from a secret inspiration illuminating him and shewing him things to come One of Gods holy ones whom the zeale of Gods glory doth inflame with this earnestnesse the grief of mans rebellion doth provoke to that loudnesse Such a cry cannot spend it self all into aire and Sunne and perish with the noise it makes 2. He was no Sonne of thunder to make some suddain ratling noise and then cease He cryed loud he cryed long How long shall I cry if the weaknesse of his voice could not penet rate the eare of God vi by force here was saepe cadendo by often falling So David got an hoarsenesse in throat with crying loud and long to the Lord and our Saviour hath commanded that kind of importunity in Prayer and
worser then self-opinion we esteem one poor and proud very odious and such are they that ascribe any thing to themselves because we are not able of our selves to think to move to live to subsist without our God 7. There is no vice that pleaseth Satan better then self-confidence for that quitteth Gods part in us and separateth us from God which is all that Satan seeks for then he hath sure possession and all that he holdeth is in peace 8. A proud man that ascribeth all to himself must needs be unthankful I may stirre up all the inconveniences of self-opinion with this for it is an old truth Ingratum sidixeris omnia dixeris Say he is unthankful and you have said all this is a full imputation and Saint Bernard saith Ingratitudo est ventus urens siccans sibirorem misericordiae fluenta gratiae 2. The Remedies These we may reduce to these few 1. A frequent and serious consideration of our selves what we were by Creation what we are by our sal for so we shall find how poor and impotent we are in our selvs how we have no strength to do any thing but we are debters to God for all all that we have is borrowings quid habes o homo quod non accepisti We have lost the freedom of our Will to any thing that is good we do carry about us legem membrorum corpus peccati so that our strength is weaknesse our wisedom is folly our friendship with the world enmity with God 2. The clearest mirrour to behold our selves in is the Holy Word of God which reporteth to us the story of our Creation and of our Fall which openeth and revealeth God to us in his Justice and Holinesse and Wisedome and Power and Mercy 3. Let us set God always before us and the nearer we approach to him the more shall we perceive whereof we are made and we shall then remember that we are but dust We shal perceiv wherfore we are made namely to live in the obedience and service of our Maker to bestow all our time constantly therein even to the end to glorifie God in our bodies and in our souls We shal see how unable we are to perform any part of this duty without God how we stand obnoxious to the curse of the law for either omitting the duties which we should perform or committing any thing against that just law What have we then to be proud of seeing in him and for him and by him are all things 4. Let us often revolve and recount the good favours of God to us and remember all his benefits and consider what he hath done for us and we shall find that there is a full stream of favour coming towards us whether we sleep or awake whether we drink of that brook in the way or not The Apostle joyneth two Precepts together which do sweetly serve to exercise a Godly and Christian life Pray continually in all things give thanks which do shew that all good gifts come from above to us and therefore all our holy duties must direct themselves that way and as our help cometh from those hils so our eyes must be ever to those hils It is not bread that man doth live by but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God it is not the letter of the Word that quickeneth us but the spirit Our whole help is in the name of the Lord who hath made heaven and earth Hallowed be that name we are his People and the Sheep of his Pasture Let us go into his gates with Thanksgiving and into his Courts with praise let us be thankful to him and speak good of his name Let us do this faithfully and we shall see it is no thank to our own net or drag that our portion is fat and our meat plenteous For none but he filleth the hungry with good things Peter and his company though they had their nets and fished all night yet they caught nothing when at Christs word they let fall their net and made a great draught they knew whom to thank for it A domino factum est hoc this is the Lords doing Is the voice of the Church therefore non nobis non nobis twice he putteth it from our selves sed nomini tuo da gloriam Not unto us but unto thy name give the glory 5. Grievance Ver. 17. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations He continueth his former figurative manner of speech and presseth his grievance shall those fishing Chaldaeans when they have filled their net with fish empty it and return to another fishing will it hold out that they shall go from nation to nation and make all theirs as they go The grievance is that the Prophet doth not see any end of their cruel perfecutions as yet for the lingring afflictions which gather increase of strength by time do threaten final ruine whereas violent extremities spend themselves into vanity and nothing 2. Things are here feared 1. The hurt that they may do if they may fill and empty and fill again their net as often as they will 2. The pride of heart that they may gather by the vain-glory of their Conquests The point here confiderable is Doct. that The ungodly man hath no bowels Cain must kill Abel his own natural brother and Judas must betray innocent blood They that be once flesh't in the blood of men can make no spare thereof there is oculus in sceptro but not oculus in gladio an eye in the Scepter not in the sword Agags sword made many women childlesse The growing Monarchies ruined all before them as they went and overflowed all as a deluge nations and kingdomes that prevented not sacking and destruction with timely dedition perished before them But it is a signe of an unestablish't state when the foundation thereof is laid in blood and such as must be watered in blood to make them grow shall have an informer against them vox sanguinis fratris tui clamat de terrâ the voice of thy brother cryeth from the earth This makes all that love the gates of Sion and take pleasure in the prosperity of our Ierusalem to give God no rest in their earnest devotions praying him not to deliver our Church into the hands of Papists because it is a bloody Religion such as doth hazard Princes more then common men which doth bear them out in murthers and legitimateth Massacres for the safety and increase of their Church 2. It is wisedome out of the present state of things to forecast what may come hereafter as the Prophet doth the Chaldaeans must come and invade the land they shall fill their net with fish God hath spoken it it is like to be a merry time with them they shall rejoyce and be glad They are like to grow very proud upon it sacrificabunt lagenae suae c. They shall sacrifice to their net But shall this conquest so
me out of his belly shall flow rivers of the water of life John 7.38 These be sure proofs of sincere faith which though it be weak yet it will gather strength and being able to fight will in the end be made able to overcome all our enemies 3. How faith may be preserved This seemeth a needlesse question because we have cleare evidence of Scripture that sincere faith cannot be lost True it cannot finally be lost it is assured to God but we must preserve it so as that in temptations and afflictions we may not be cast down with fear that it is lost Neither that we do bear our selves too bold upon it so farre as to presume Therefore we are bound to the use of all those means ordained by God to preserve faith If it be an hypocritical or a temporary Faith it may be lost if it be a true Faith this is one certain sign of it The same means that breede Faith in us the same means do nourish it therefore If thou standest by Faith be not high minded but fear It is a Tenet of the Church of Rome Rom. 11.20 and it is now revived of late by the Anabaptists in a book of the last yeer that a man may finally fall away from saving grace And many false shewes are made out of Scriptures not rightly understood to maintain this heresie I say no more but as the Apostle doth Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall He that is once assured of his standing 1 Cor. 10.11 cannot fall because the same Spirit which witnesseth to our spirits that we are the sonnes of God doth also teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance which Christ hath taught us The means are The Word the Sacraments Prayer 1. The Word for as we are born anew by the immortal seed of the Word so we must as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow thereby 2. The Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper for these also serve to strengthen Faith 1. By visible representations to the sense of the inward graces of Gods spirit that walking here by Faith and not by sight we may have something to fasten our eye upon which may be to us as the brazen serpent lifted up 2. By the vertue of consignation because these Sacraments are the Seals of Gods Covenant of grace obliging God the giver to continue his love to us and reciprocally binding us to return duty and love and obedience to him 3. By the efficacy of mediation because they be the means in the Ordinance of God whereby he doth convey his spiritual graces to us so that Baptism is called the cover of regeneration and by Baptism Christ is put on The Supper of Christ presenteth Christ to us our spiritual food and therein we do eat and drink his body and blood This admonisheth us to be swift to hear and to neglect no opportunity for the same To renew our Baptism by often repentance to frequent the Table of the Lord as the feast of our souls This advanceth our ministry of these by which this Serpent is lifted up on high and set on a pole for all that desire health to look upon it They that are carelesse and negligent in these things will soon make shipwrack of that temporary faith that they seem to have for they that live in the neglect of these things do forsake their own mercy and declare plainly that their Faith is not sound and sincere but their whole righteousnesse is like the morning dew soon dried up 3. Prayer 1. for that shewes of whom we hold not of our selves but of God 2. That bringeth us into Gods acquaintance and familiar conversation whereby we do more perceive Gods love to us and declare our love to God 4. How Faith must be used The handling of this point draweth in the third word of my text which is life The just shall live by Faith The right use of Faith is to live by it as I have shewed in the exposition of the words 1. There is use of it in the natural life 2. In the spiritual life 3. For the eternal life 1. In the natural life for 1. In prosperity 2. In adversity there is use of it 1. In prosperity 1. Faith is a shield to bear off all the flattering temptations of the flesh Heb. 11.24 the world the Devil so it is said of Moses By Faith Moses when he was come to yeers refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter And by Faith Joseph when he was tempted by his unchaste mistris whose offer tendered him all sensual delight refused her and would not sin against God 2. Faith is the contentment of the righteous in those things that they possesse they beleeve them to be the gifts of God and they are satisfied with his allowance so by Faith Daniel was content with his pulse and refused the Kings meat they that do beleeve that God knows better then they what is good and sufficient for them are content with what they have 3. Faith is the acknowledgment of all our good from God for thanksgiving is a work of Faith and giveth God his due 4. Faith dependeth upon God for the time to come Psal 16.5 as David saith thou maintainest my lot I have set the Lord alwayes before me Psal 16.8 he is at my right hand I shall not be moved Upon which ground the faithful do build things hoped for and commit their wayes to the Lord. They cast all their care upon God for he careth for them And surely it is for want of Faith that the filii saeculi hujus the men of this world do rise so early and go so late to bed and eate the bread of carefulnesse robbing God of his service and breaking the Sabbath and often doing wrong to their brother to build up themselves it is a signe that they dare not trust God A strange inference 1. For we beought nothing with us into the world 2. We cannot deny but that whatsoever we have or possesse in the world it is the gift of God for aperiente manum de implet omnia we have no interest in any thing being born in sin the right is in him the gift from him 3. We must confesse that very little will serve our necessities whilest we do live in the world 4. We shall carry nothing away with us and why should we discruciate our selves with cares for others seeing that is the care of God our children also are his inheritance I know and beleeve that our children are under the Covehant and Promise of grace Ero Deus tuus seminis tui Let us study to breed them to the love and service of God let us not waste unthriftly what we may spare from our own necessities and for the charge of their education Let us use all honest and lawfull means to provide for them Thus are we discharged
covetousnes corrupteth our selves but oppression doth violate our neighbour of whom the law giveth such charge ama proximum ut teipsum 3. Their folly for what is this great stock which they have gathered and what is the rich heap that they have caught it is but thick clay and what have they done with all their labour and travel but made a burden thereof for themselves 4. Their cruelty is charged upon them which is exprest in sundry circumstances of amplification as 1. In the extremity of it no lesse then spoiling which comprehendeth all kinds of hard measure that can be offered 2. In the extent of it which is amplified by two circumstances 1. Not Persons nor Societies Towns Cities but whole Nations 2. Many Nations 3. In the effect of their cruelty which also brake forth into blood the blood of men a thing that God holdeth at such a price that he not only made severe laws for preservation of life but he maketh a curious inquisition for blood when contrary to his law it is unjustly spilt unto which God hath given a voyce For there is vox sanguinis a voyce of blood as we say in Abels story and to which voice he lendeth an eare for that blood cryeth unto him 4. In the general infection of this cruelty which hath corrupted the whole land of the Chaldaeans the City the great City of Babylon and all the People that dwell therein The Prophet in the former chapter did complain to God of the pride and cruelty and covetousnesse of the Chaldaeans in which as they exceeded so the poor Church of God smarted and the patience of God forbearing to punish them made them think that God gave no regard to them and it made many even within the Church stagger fearing least God had taken no notice of their sufferings and their enemies injuries Do you not now receive it from the mouth of God himselfe that he hath all those things written in his book that he keeepeth an exact account both of the offences done and of the offenders 5. To shew that they have abused his patience and long-suffering by continuing in the evils above-mentioned he saith How long to shew that he hath contended with them in patience al this while and that no forbearance will recover them from their evil ways no spoile or cruelty will satisfie them in their evil ways therefore he proceedeth to judgement against them The argument of this text is the punishment of the pride of the Chaldaeans punished 1. With just reprehension of all 2. With derision they shall be taunted 3. With spoile and destruction Here we must first take notice of the justice of Gods processe against them Note 1 for he giveth account of his provocation and rendreth a reason of his judgments Our lesson is Whensoever God punisheth there is a fault deserving serving that punishment for God is just he doth not punish the innocent Thus he began with the first sinners that we read of in the holy story With the Serpent quia tua hoc fecisti Gen 3.14 because thou hast done this So to Adam because thou hast hearkned to the voyce of thy wise c. And to Cain if thou do evill sinne that is the punishment of sinne standeth at the doore And for the processe against the old world first God saw the fault thereof before either he repented the making of it or resolved the punishing of it and so forth all the Scripture through and through the experience of all times 1. Because God is just Reas 1 and justice is a vertue that giveth suam cuique every one his own now rods are for the back of fools and all sinners are fools and all men are sinners and therefore none past the rod in the justice of God 2. Because punishment in the nature of it is evill though in the use of it it be good for the good it doth Reas 2 and sin brought it into the world it is contemporary with sin it cleaveth to it it cannot be parted from it as the mortality of man is joyned with the nature of man Therefore we may conclude whensoever we feel any punishment in our selves or see any inflicted on others subest culpa There is a power that deserveth this punishment Against this it may be objected that 1. God doth chasten some of his own beloved children with punishments for their tryal that they may come forth as gold fined 2. God doth sometime correct his own for example of others 3. The wicked and ungodly vex and torment the righteous even for the serving the true God many have lost their goods their liberties their lives for the testimony of the truth Thus did all those holy Confessours and all those glorious Martyrs suffer the cruelty of the enemies of God 4. The corruption of justice and the abuse of power doth sometimes turn into tyranny and so evill men are cherished and good men punished as the Prophet Isaiah saith He that abstaineth from evil maketh himself a prey 5. Sometimes good Princes are abused by their flatterers and lying informers who possess them of an evil opinion against better men then themselves as in the example of Mephibosheth for Ziba his Bayly accosed him falsely of treason to David and David though a King of Gods choosing was not at leasure to search into the matter 2 Sam 16 3 4. but presently not hearing the just defense of Mephibosheth gave away to Ziba all that pertained to Mephibosbeth 6. Sometimes just persons in execution of justice are nimium justi over wise and such justice is injury as Solomon faith Be not just over-much and the light of nature taught the heathen to say Summum jus est summa injuria 7. Sometimes Judges are swayed by the affection they bear to others to regard rather the satisfying of their envy whom they love then the execution of Justice and so wrong may be done where it is not deserved as Herod cut off Iohns head for no dislike of him in himself but to please his minion In answer to all these objections put the case how you will I am sure God is just and will neither himself punish nor cause nor suffer any to punish but where so much punishment is well deserved Peradventure he that inflicteth the punishment may offend in it and there may be a fault done in the manner of it or that for which the punishment is inflicted may be no just cause or the person may be mistaken but still I say God is just subest culpa there is a fault the hand of God the will of God is in every punishment and they never do any thing without the justice of God Job that justified his integrity so stoutly as we read in his story did never deny himself to be a grievous sinner and to deserve the punishment that he suffered though he still did stand upon it that he was not therefore punished If the punishment be for tryall the
things which we use are called impedimenta Impediments for as the baggage of an army is of necessary use yet hindereth the speed of their march so do our riches they are the faculties of well-doing yet we can hardly attaine the wisdom to keep them from being hinderances and let to us in our journey homewards They serve us for fame and reputation for they support our credit in the world They serve us for shew for they furnish the table with dainties the back with bravery c. They serve us for custody to lay up for posterity They serve for dole and distribution to be bestowed upon good uses They serve to buy out dangers and to deliver us from evils They serve to make us freinds And they that can plaister their wals with this thick clay may keep off many a storme and much foul weather Yet we have seen that all rich men are not happy even in the things of this life Tully saith of Rabirius Posthumus Jn studio rei amplificandae non avaritiae praedam sed instrumentum bonitati quaerebat that is the best use of them We see in this example that the wals of Babel though plaistered and the roofs tyled with this thick clay so as it was called the golden City could not priviledge it from ruine and contempt Therefore let us not strive and study by indirect means nor take too much and immoderate care by direct means to overload our selves with this thick clay we shall carry none of it away with us when we dye and we are not sure that they shall enjoy it to whom we would fainest leave it The third punishment of Babel doth shew that this thick clay hath wings It is subject to spoile It makes Babel a good booty for when those spunges have suckt in their full draught many of them come to the wringing and squeezing till they be left dry There be such in the world as study the emptying of those full vessels and find means to spring a leak in them This fall from plenty and fulnesse to want from honour to low condition from power and command to subjection and awe makes the proud man a scorne to the world for to out-live riches and honour and power and to see others deckt in our trappings whereof we had wont to be so proud this pricks our bladder and le ts out all the wind and leaveth us lank and empty This is the justice of Gods proceeding against the proud whom he resisteth as you hear out of Obadiah in the example of Edom and see now in the example of the Chaldeans As they that despise others are now punished with contempt so they that spoiled others are now punished with spoile One while the hand is receiving bribes as fast as it can to get all and in a moment the same hand is giving of bribes as fast if it be possible to save some If therefore there be no better hold to be taken of these outward things which make many so proud if riches increase set not thine heart upon them use them rather then keep them Yet this is a great comfort to all that are oppressed by the proud tyranny of men God is still good to Israel even to all that have true hearts Psa 125.3 and the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous God will find a time to spoile the spoyler and to strip him out of all There is neither wisdom nor counsel nor strength against the right hand of God that right hand wil find out all his enemies Greatnesse and power are fearful to the common man yet nothing can restrain either the thoughts of men and their judgments but that they will search into the actions of the Highest and observe what is done according to the rules of justice and wherein Religionand Iustice are wounded Nothing can hinder but that where men may dare to communicate their thoughts to faithful ears there the scroul of greivances will be unfoulded and the unjustice of tyrannicall oppressions will be laid open Nothing can hinder the vengeance of our just God the King of all the earth but that he will take the matter into his own hands and deliver the oppressed and spoil the spoiler Oppressours must dye then will their names stink and be abhorred of posterity and there will be black records made of them in the books of time when God putteth his hand to the spoiling of them he will spoil them in all that they trusted in 1. In their Friends they shall fall off and be the first that shall help to strip them 2. In their Honours every man shall put an hand to the casting of dust upon them 3. In their reputations their names shall be hateful upon the face of the earth 4. In their posterity God shall curse their seed and never trust any of them again with his power or the execution of his judgments Only let the oppressed wait the leasure of God for this the Vision is for an appointed time but it will come to passe it will not fail Vers 9. Woe to him that coveteth an evill Covetousnesse to his house that he may set his nest on high that he may be delivered from the power of evil 10. Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thy soul 11. For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the beam out of the timber shall answer it 12. Woe to him that buildeth a towne with blood and stablisheth a city by iniquity 13. Behold is it not of the Lord of hoasts that the people shall labour in the very fire the people shal weary themselves for very vanity 14. For the earth shal be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the Waters cover the sea These words do taxe the Chaldaeans with another sin and denounce a punishment against it Concerning the words Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousnesse to his house THere is a good covetousnesse which engrosseth the treasure of spiritual graces of which the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Covet the best gifts 1 Cor. 12.31 Here is desire with intension it must be zeal and zeal with aemulation striving to be before others that no man get precedence of us therein but the things desired be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is such gifts are given of free grace But that covetousnesse is evil to a mans house that is to his estate and family and posterity which is joyned with ambition of height That he may set his nest on high to be above others Which is joyned with distrust in God and trust in things temporal that he may be delivered from the power of evil Believing that honour and high place will set him out of the reach of misery Thou hast consulted shame to thy house in cutting off much People Vers 10. Here is another sin added to covetousnesse and ambition cruelty and
no divided hearts 3. Thou mistakest the cause of thy disease and thy Physitian for thou thinkest it to be some propension in thee to sin which needeth some preventing physick wheras it is a coroding plaister to eat out dead flesh yet flesh and blood hath many inventions we use to shoot another arrow after the first and like Balak try in anoth place and see if it will prosper there Vers 14. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea 3. The effect Vide sura pag. IT is plaine that Gods remissenesse in the execution of his just judgments upon the proud and cruel Babylonians and the miserable face of the Church disfigured with tears her voyce hoarse with roaring for help her throat dry her heart aking and no relief appearing all this had not only made the ungodly and profane confident that there was no such thing as Providence but it appeareth by this Prophet that the faith of Gods children was staggered hereby But when God shall declare his justice against these his enemies then he shall recover his glory then shall they both know that Christ is the Lord both the oppressour shall know it and the delivered shall know it and they that are no parties to the cause of any side shall all understand The words of God in this text are full of marrow and fatness for God is rich in mercy aper it manum implet so he dilateth his favours 1. In the latitude all the earth over 2. In the plenitude the earth shall be filled 3. In the magnitude the knowledge of Gods glory 4. In the profundity as the waters cover the sea We are taught from hence Doctr. 1 that the delivery of Gods Church from the power of the enemies and his vengeance upon them doth give honour to the name of God upon earth so David we are in great misery Help us O God of our salvation Bs 79 9 for the glory of thy name and deliver us 1. Because if the wicked overcome the Church Reas 1 they will triumph against God So Moses Wherefore shall the Egyptians speak and say Ex. 32.12 he hath brought them out maliciously to slay them Rabshakeh the General of Senacheribs forces proudly insulteth Who is he among all the gods of these lands Is 36 20. that hath delivered their Country out of my hands But God delivering his Church and punishing the enemies thereof is magnified thereby Isa 37.20 as Ezechias did pray Now therefore O Lord our God save thou us out of his hand that all the Kingdomes of the earth may know that thou only art the Lord. 2. Because as the Schoole saith Reas 2 gloria est clara notitia cum laude and what doth more make the name of God known with praise then his present help to his Church his quick vengeance upon the enemies thereof The Heathen shall say the Lord hath done for them great things 3. Because this declareth the justice of God Reas 3 for First He is just and faithful in performing the gracious promises that he hath made to his Church Secondly He is just in the punishment of oppression and iniquity which his soul abhorreth Vse The use of the point is to teach us that whensoever we see the Church or any part thereof delivered from the hands of their enemies and so the righteous God taking vengeance upon them that we ascribe glory to God for the same Moses song is a good example of this duty for when the Egytians that pursued Israel into the red sea were covered and destroyed by the returne of the waters of the sea upon them Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying I will sing unto the Lord Exod. 15.1 for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he throwne into the Sea This deliverance was a type of the final deliverance of the Church from all her enemies and therefore in Johns Vision it is said They sang the song of Moses the servant of God Rev. 15.3 and the song of the Lamb saying great and marvailous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy name for thou only art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before thee Verse 4. for thy judgments are made manifest We have great and gracious examples at home of this our blessed Queen of happy memory Queen Elizabeth Anno 1588 after defeat of the Spanish Armado came in person to the chief Church in her Kingdom where having upon her knees devoutly given the glory of that deliverance to God she heard the Sermon at Pauls crosse and taught her people by her godly example to know the glory of God for in those dayes Spaniards loved us not and we thought it a great favour of God to be delivered from them The like publike declaration did our Soveraign that now is make of the glory of God for the deliverance of his royal person Crown and posterity the Religion and peace of the Kingdom in the last session of that first Parliament delivered by the hand of God from the bloody designe of the Papists whose Religion was also in those times thought dangerous to this Common-wealth his speech and recognition of the protection of God is extant in print And as States and great Common-wealths have their dangers and deliverances wherein as every one that is a member thereof hath their share of benefit so from every one is growing a debt of duty Isa 38.19 to acknowledge the same so that as Ezechiah faith The father to the children shall make known the truth of God So in our particular estates we have many tastes of the sweetnesse of God in our deliverances from dangers at sea on shoare from sicknesse imprisonment infamy and many other evils which annoy our life in all which God revealeth to us the knowledge of his glory and we shall do him but right to give him as David faith the glory due to his name and to invite our brethren as David did I will tell you quid Deus fecil animae meae what God hath done to my soul Seeing God promiseth to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God Doctr 2 we are taught that God is glorious and so we ought to conceive of him our Saviour hath taught us so to acknowledge in the close of the Lords Prayer Tua est gloria thine is the glory St. Stephen saith The God of glory appeared to our fathers Act. 7.2 And of this God is so jealous that he saith My glory will I not give it another Hold this fast the Devill when he tempteth us to sin Isa 42 8. Reas 1. doth not finde an easier way to fetch us about then to blemish the glory of God and to dim that to our sights and
and was afraid In thy word I see how corrupt I am for that sheweth me what thou requirest my conscience feareth those sins of which it is guilty for which I come to thee for mercy O give me through Iesus Christ our Lord that which my prayer without him dare not presume to ask Here is spirituall boldness through Iesus Christ our Lord here is fear in respect of our selves for we must serve the Lord in fear and rejoyce in trembling it is vvell that that is not branded vvith a mark of contradiction We have to do vvith three sorts of persons 1 The prophane and carnall 2 The generation the Wise man nameth of such as are wise in their own eyes yet want washing 3 The truly zealous faithfull ones that do worship God with fear and trembling First concerning the prophane and carnall These do not pray at all the reason is because they do not fear Psa 9.20 of such David saith Put them in fear O Lord that they may know they are but men for when they know that they will see and confesse that they have need of help Thus was Saul converted there suddenly shoon a light from heaven upon him a voyce spake to him he was cast down to the earth Then trembling and astonished he said Lord Act. 9.6 what wilt thou have mee do then was hee fit to be wrought To such wee must preach as Paul did to Felix of righteousnesse Act. 24.25 temperance and the judgment to come to put them into trembling better to put them between the two mil-stones of the law of Moses and the lavv vvritten in their hearts and to grind them as small as the dust of the earth then to let them make sinne out of measure sinfull by holding out to be abominable and to every good vvork reprobate We cannot open the gates of hell too vvide for such to shevv them the anger to come a fit text for a generation of Vipers vve cannot lift up our voyces too loud in the deaf ears of such to tell them their transgressions and to put them in fear David vvept rivers of vvaters for such and that is a good remedie let the faithfull vveep for them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvhich signifieth to vveep comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frango So vvhen the man of God looked on Hazael 2 Reg. 8.11 and fore-savv the cruell butcheries vvhich his bloody hand should perform he vvept this vveeping of the Prophet brake the heart of Hazael for the time and he said Is thy Servant a dog that he should do these things So St. Paul putteth them together What mean you to weep and to break my heart Act. 21.13 their vveping brake his heart The hearts of the prophane are hardened with the custome of sinning St. Bernard Aperiatur vena ferro compunctionis vve must dravv bloud of them by the preaching of the terrour of the Lord to them This bloud is the tears of compunction of vvhich David My soul melteth or drippeth for heaviness St. Augustine saith that Lachrymae compunctionis be sanguis vulnerati cordis Epist 199. vvhen the remembrance and consideration of their sins hath vvounded them and left them half dead then the good Samaritan vvill come vvith his Wine and Oile even the Oile of gladnesse and the poor patient vvill say Thou hast put gladnesse into my heart This was Sauls hard heart broken in pieces first and he that before did carry the crosse of Christ to torment others now rejoyced in nothing but the crosse of Christ himself whereby the world was crucified to him and he to the world Thus vvhen the lavv hath humbled the prophane under the mighty hand of God he turneth all into tears full of the fear of God and vovveth vvith himselfe as he did in the Poet In fontem frontem atque in flumina lumina vertam then is he fit to pray and to call upon the name of the Lord saying Sana animan mean quia peccavi contrate heal my soul O Lord for I have sinned against thee 2 Wee have to doe vvith that generation vvho are vvise in their ovvn eyes these have a good opinion of themselves that they knovv more then others and they are not in conversation like to the Publican and therefore they look God in the face they dravv neer to him they stand and pray these are so ful of the spirit that they need no help in their prayers they can pen their ovvn petitions their hearts endite good matters their tongues are the pens of ready vvriters they can talk vvith God Almighty ex tempore Dabitur illa hora. Self-opinion is a kind of spirituall drunkenesse and therein of like effect it maketh men daring and fool-hardy the prophane care not for God there is no fear of God before their eyes these make tvvo bold vvith him they also must take a little physick to purge the exuberancy of their presumption vve must give them a doze of fear and teach them to drink of the cup of trembling next their hearts there is no such antidote against tumor as timor swelling as fear It is the Wise mans counsell Be not rash with thy mouth Eccle. 5.2 and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before the Lord for God is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few He addeth Vers 3. a fools voice is known by multitude of words that is further urged In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin Prov. 10.19 For this Christ teaching us to pray beginneth at Our Father which art in heaven that we upon earth might consider that he to whom we pray is in Heaven that we might compose our selves with fear and reverence to come before him and to present him with our prayers And again he comprehendeth all that we may aske of God in a very short prayer to teach us that our words must be few And to that purpose in his Sermon he taught Mat. 6 7. But when ye pray use not vain repititions as the heathen do for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking They that come in presence of great persons speak their words by number and by weight the very presence doth stamp in them an impression of reverence and fear now seeing God to whom we pray is invisible our faith must behold him before us in glorious majesty as hee saith I have set God always before mee and like Abraham the neerer we come to his presence and the more that we solicite him the more shall vve be shaken vvith this holy fear considering him vvho dwelleth in the light that no man can attein unto and considering our selves that we are but dust and ashes the heathen could teach deos caste adeunto let men go reverently and inwardly cleave before their gods 3 There are yet another sort of them vvhom their sins do oppress as a burthen too heavie for them to bear
us at the doore vvhen vve are going forth to act it he may overtake us vvhen we are upon the vvay he may cut us off in the act of sin and bring us from the fact to judgement And how soever his mercy hath the name above his other works and his patience and long suffering be the fruits of his mercy yet he never had mercy enough to swallow or consume either his justice or his truth He hath diverted his plague often he hath sometimes called it in and long he keepeth it in for that he expecteth repentance but he hath never turned it out of his service but hath it always before him he hath also turned his fire another way that it might not come neer the Tabernacles of the righteous but he hath never quenched it it is always at his feet if he moveth that moveth with him the Rain-bow about his head is the joy of his Church the coals of terrour at his fire are the terrour of the wicked 2. We have also our lesson herein Vse 2 2 Cor. 5.11 for the Apostle saith Knowing therfore the terror of the Lord we perswade men but we are made manifest unto God and I trust are made manifest also in your consciences We find this danger in sin and this severity in judgement thereupon we perswade men to a conscionable course of life such as may keep them unspotted of the world If we do not acquaint you with the terrour of the Lord and shew you the pestilence that walketh before him and the burning coals at his feet God will right himself upon us for as he told his Prophet Ezekiel so he will deal with us Son of man I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel therefore hear the word from my mouth Ezc. 3.17 and give them warning from me When I say to the wicked thou shalt surely dye and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from his evill way to save his life the same wicked man shall dye in his iniquity but his bloud will I require at thy hand This excuseth us to you when we preach the rod of God even pestilence and coales of fire that this is not our furie and railing as some call it but it is the wrath of the Lord against sin and if we temper a bitter potion for you to drink it is not poison but medicine and it is ministred to you as God himself saith to save your lives that you may not dye in your sins it is the therapentique physick to heal your souls it is prophilactique to us to prevent disease that we perish not for your unreproved sins The arrows of vengeance are aimed at your sins that you may kill sin and save the sinner alive Cry therefore Spare us good Lord. 4. Doct. God is glorious in heaven and in earth for this Heaven is covered with his glory and the Earth is full of his praise This is the confession of David O Lord how excellent is thy name in all the Earth Psa 8.1 who hast set thy glory above the heavens What need we any more reason to think this his due Reas 1 then these two 1 His name onely is excellent his glory is above the Earth and Heaven Here we are sure we cannot over-doe in matter of praise and glory the Angels and Saints do him that service and cover the heaven with the praises of God Psa 148.13 for his love shineth to his Church and we pray Sicut in Coelo as in heaven He also exalteth the horne of his people Psa 14.3 the praise of all his Saints Let not us sit out vvhen all joyn to glorifie God Vse let not any of us like the fleece of Gideon be dry vvhen all the floore is watered vvith the joys and jubilations of the Church David is not content vvith a bare praising of the name of God as they that say alway The Lord be praised but he requireth both a song Ps 149.1 Canticum novum a nevv song and that in the congregation of the Saints He also requireth a dance Verse 3. he requireth also instruments of musique he gives reason He vvould have us delight in the service that we do to God therefore he addeth The Lord taketh pleasure in his people Verse 4. he will beautifie the meek with Salvation Let the Saints be joyfull in glory Verse 5. let them sing aloud upon their beds Let the high praises of God be in their mouth Verse 6. This is that vvhich this example requireth not to be shallovv and sleight in the promises of God but to strein our selves to the uttermost the inward man of the heart the voice the hand playing the feet dancing till vve cover the heaven and fill the earth vvith his glory Verse 6. He stood and measured the earth he beheld and drove in sunder the Nations and the everlasting Mountains were scattered the perpetuall hils did bow his ways are everlasting 2 HEre is a commemoration of the power and glory of God in giving to his Israel the Land of Canaan for their possession Diverse judgments have made diverse constructions of these words Mr. Calvine is of opinion that they declare God in his glorious Lordship over all the world for as David when he should come to be absolute Monarch of Judah and Israel said I will rejoyce therefore and divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth c. So God is here declared absolute Monarch in this phrase of measuring of the earth as David would cast his shooe over the Philistines would rejoyce So God is here declared Conquerour of all by dividing in sunder the nations c. St. Augustine turnes all into Allegory and applieth it to Christ You remember how before I found that the Church doth comfort their present miseries with remembrance of Gods former mercies therefore I choose to keep pace with the story of Gods former mercies to his Israel And as before he spake of the comming of God from Teman and Paran when he appeared glorious to them in giving the law so now he comes to another powerfull mercy that is when he gave them the promised Land for then he that went before them all the vvay of their journey in their removes now stood still as declaring that novv they vvere come to the land of their rest as he had promised it And there He measured the Earth it is ascribed here to God that he divided the land amongst the Tribes because it vvas done by lot vvherein not chance but God answered This hath reference to that story vvhich vve read Joshua 5. for when the people vvere entred into the land of Canaan and vvere come so far in to it as Gilgall that the Ark of God was setled in Gilgall Then God commanded the Sacrament of Circumcision to be revived vvhich in the vvhole journey between their comming out of Aegypt to this place had been omitted
fear of them upon them all This is a great advantage in all wars to have God on their sides for as David saith If the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up c. Then is God a speciall protectour when he directeth his war to the good of them whom he protecteth and marcheth in fury against their enemies And thus it was with Israel when they took possession of Canaan as you have heard For they gate not the Land in possession by their own arm neither did their own arm save them Psal 44. but thy right hand and thine arme c. The distressed have a speciall warrant to call upon God and it was the voice of the Church when the Arke removed to say Exurgat Deus dissipentur inimici ejus let God arise and let his enemies be scattered God is mercifull to our land and Church that we yet live in peace it is full of comfort when God marcheth before his Church in their wars but it is much more happinesse when he biddeth us go to our chambers and shut the door after us and tarry a while till the storm of troubles over-blow But then it is most joyous hen he giveth peace within our walls and plenty within our palaces Thus have we lived hitherto by the favour of the God of peace and it shal do well that we do lay this example to heart For the same God that marched before Israel to plant them in doth now march before the Chaldâ—ans to cast them out he that fought for them to give them their land now fighteth against them to carry them captives out of the Land It is the indigâ—ation of God that maketh this change and it is their sin that thus provoketh him Yet they look back in their captivity and comfort themselves with the remembrance of Gods former protection Sin hath made this change are we more in the favour of God then Israel was or have we sinned lesse then they did that their evils should not come on us Surely the sins of our land are both many and hainous the double edge of the word which is drawn and used against them doth not draw bloud Nullus sequitur de vulnere sanguis The course that is taken for reformation is preposterous for men look without themselves and complaine of the faults of others and would faine amend their brethren but the right way is Let every one strive and labouâ— to amend one And all that say Let not this evill come upon us not the sword not the pestilence not famine let them be tender that no evill come out of them for our sins are they which part God and us which maketh him that set us up cast us down 2 His conquest This is exprest in divers phrases to declare it fierce and violent 1 Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger 2 Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked 3 Discovering the foundation to the neck All look one way to describe God in his indignation how he layes about him and they teach us that It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God for he is known by executing judgement and the heathen are punished in his sight True that he is patient and long-suffering even toward the heathen that know not God long did the cursed seed of Cham possest the land of Canaan and God deferred their punishment to the fourth generation himself giveth the reason of it For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full There be six signs of ensuing judgment Gâ— 15.16 and where they are found what remaineth but a fearfull expectation of the fierce wrath of God 1 The qualitie of the sins committed if they be of those crying sinnes which do immediately impeach the glorious Majesty of God such as are superstition and Idolatry which do give the glory of God to creatures Blasphemy breach of Gods Sabbath Or such as violate humane society sins against nature as in the Sodomites sins of bloud as in the old world sins of oppression bribery extortion corruption of justice and such like These things do put Almighty God so to it that he saith How shal I pardon thee for these things Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Jer. 5.7 Ver. 9. shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this The fields look yellow as Christ saith for the harvest and call for the sickle of Gods vengeance to cut them down 2 The spreading and extent of sins when it hath corrupted the most as in the old world God said to Noah Thee onely have I found righteous before me in this age And in Sodome not ten righteous to be found and in Jerusalem God said Run too and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see now and know and seek in the broad places thereof if ye can find a man if there be any that executeth judgement that seeketh truth and I will pardon it The Prophet did go the circuit He searched amongst mean men and he found them foolish and ignorant he gate him amongst the great ones and he found them such as had broken the yoak When sin once covereth the face of the earth and is grown like a generall pestilence infecting the greatest part Moses Job Samuel and Daniel may pray and have no audience 3 The impudencie and boldnesse of sin when men are not ashamed of their evils that they commit to cover and conceal them to do them in the dark but brave the Sun with them as Absolon defiled the Concubines of David in the sight of the Sun and before all Israel It is Gods complaint of his people The shew of of their countenance doth witnesse against them Jer. 3 9. and they declare their sin as Sodome and they hide it not And again Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination nay Jer. 6.15 they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush Thou hast an Harlots forehead thou refusest to be ashamed 4 Ostentation of sin â—er 3.3 when men do make their boast thereof Why boastest thou thy self in mischief Upon which words Saint Augustine saith Gloria malignitatis gloria est malorum He saith it is a foolish boast to glory in evill for evill is easily done He gives many instances the care of preparing the seed and of the ground the sowing the weeding the attending how many hands it asketh and Absolon can set it all on fire in a moment So Samsons Foxes did the fields of the Philistines The Wiseman setteth it down as a fault Most men will proclaim every man his own goodnesse Prov. 20.6 how much more to boast of evil As wantons boast how many they have defiled and drunkards how many they have out-drunk 5 Making a mock at sin so the Wiseman saith there be that tosse fire-brands and say Am not I in sport All our sins are fire-brands we
need no other rods to scourge us here no other fewell to enfire us hereafter then our owne sins this is Hilaris insania to make our selves merry with these and to set in the chair of the scornfull 6 Incorrigibility when the gratious warnings of God do not lead them to repentance when the angry threatnings of God do not draw bloud of them when the rods of Gods favourable chastisement doe not smart upon them O Lord saith Jeremy Jer. 5.3 Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved Correction had wont to be the way to reclaime sinners but when iniquity is come to the full ripeness God may lay on while he will they that have not known the way of peace will harden their hearts as Pharaoh did and correction will but make them curse and blaspheme God to his face This was the full iniquity of these nations whom God threshed and wounded and digged up and cast out that he might plant his Israel therein And it teacheth us to be wise to salvation Vse as the Apostle saith Thou man of God fly these things And let me say to you as Lot to the Sodomites I pray you my brethren do not so wickedly Take heed of Idols Babes keep your selves from Idols Idolatry hath growen bolder of later then heretofore the Factors of Rome are busie amongst us trading for proselites but God stirreth up the spirits of his religious servants to solicite the cause of Religion and the worthies of our land stand up with zealous fervency of spirit for the truth of God This is the light of Israel so long as we keepe the fire of God burning upon our Altars we shall have hope that God is with us and that he will give us his blessing of peace Let us break off our sins by repentance that we may turn away the indignation of God from us let not sin reign in our mortall bodies that we should obey it in the lusts thereof Let us take heed that we give not way to sin either in our selves or in others left it over-grow us but let us examin our own hearts in our chambers and turn to the Lord. And if a brother by occasion fall into sin let them that are spirituall restore him with the spirit of meeknesse Let shame cover our faces for the evils that we have done it is no shame to be ashamed of our evils as there is a godly sorrow so there is a godly shame let us say with Job I covered not my transgression with Adam by hiding my iniquity in my bosome Let it grieve us that wee have sinned and let us not boast thereof but say with Job Peccavi quid faciam tibi with Saul I have sinned and done foolishly Let the remembrance of our sin smite our hearts as Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people and let us do no more so Let the judgments of God make us afraid Let the corrections of God humble us and cast us at the feet of God that he may shew us mercy and with Paul let us pray three times that the Angel of Satan may be taken from us Then shall we neither feel the flail of God threshing us nor the sword of God wounding us nor the spade of God diging up but we shall rejoyce every man under his own Vine and under his own Fig-tree 2 What he did in favour to his own Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people even for salvation with thine annointed David saith Truly God is good to Israel The everlasting comfort of the Church hath been planted and grounded in the favour of God by the mediation of Jesus Christ his anointed For although Christ were not so manifest to his Church before and in the time of the law as he hath been in the time of the Gospel yet he hath been always the hope of all the ends of the world The reason is Reason because Christ is not onely a Mediatour of intercession to pray for us and a Mediatour of satisfaction to die for us and a Mediatour of salvation to prepare eternall mansions for us but he is and ever was and will be a Mediatour also of temporall protection all to keep and defend us from all evils So that the Sun shal not smite us by day nor the Moon by night For as God created us to his own image so he fitted to his only begotten Son a body in our image he was made of a woman and so soon as his word had made him the promised seed so soon was he crucified for us and was the Lamb slain from the beginning of the World Then did he take his Church into his bosome and married her to himself and they became one body and ever since his Angels have charge over her to keep her in all her ways and this must comfort Israel in Babylon that God vvent before them vvith his anointed to setle them in the promised Land There be no other mercies that vvill tarry by us but those which God doth vouchsafe us by the means of this Mediator He importeth many outward blessings even to the vvicked by the means of his holy ghost For all the knovvledg that they have all the vvisedome in arts and sciences be the gifts of the holy ghost but they have no portion at all in the office of Christ he vvas not anointed for them From hence the Apostle doth conclude that God hath not forsaken the Jevvs but that they shall be called again for he saith Hath God cast away his people he ansvvereth God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew Ro. 11 1 2. The election of grace vvhich made them his doth confirm them to him forever and therefore they mention his going before them with his anointed to assure them that though they go into captivity and abide a long time there yet they shall not be left in bonds for ever For the spirit of the Lord is upon this anointed to preach liberty to Captives Isal 61.1 and the opening the prison to them that are bound This is now the true comfort of the distressed parts of the Church which groan under the burthen of oppression and bloudy persecution They cry for the help from men and no Nation doth succour them they weep and pray to God and to his annointed and no doubt but in good time he wil come down to them to visit them in his mercy they are Christians and they carry the name of Gods anointed his name is in them and his righteousnesse and truth are their hope and strength It is time for thee Lord to put to thy hand for the wicked sons of Belial the children of Edom cry out against thy Church down with it down vvith it even to the ground The Bishop of Rome abetteth the unchristian shedding of Christian bloud by his letters and disperseth his vvhetstones to sharpen the sword of Gods enemies against Gods Church Let us say vvith old Jacob O Lord
our God for ever we may go forth boldly in the strength of the Lord both against the enemies of our temporall estate and the spirituall adversaries of our souls for who can wrong us if we follow the thing that is good God who maketh in us both velle facere to wil and to do and make us able for this work of our salvation Verse 14. Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me Hab. 3.14 there rejoycing was to devour the poor secretly THis as you have heard before in the exposition of the words hath reference to that victory which God gave against the Midianites to his Israel Judg. 7.22 wherein the Lord set every mans sword against his fellow throughout all the hoast for there he strook them with their own staves and armed them against themselves to their own ruine Wherein consider with me two things 1 Their punishment 2 Their sin In the punishment we are taught That God in his just judgment maketh the ungodly rods to punish one another of them Doct. if they have no other enemies but themselves they shall go together by the ears amongst themselves and smite one another This is that which God threatned against the sinnes in Israel no man shall spare his brother Isai 19.19 He shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry and he shall eat on the left hand and shall not be satisfied they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm Manasseh Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh and they together shall be against Judah This was the burthen of Egypt And I will set the Aegyptians against the Aegyptians Isai 19.2 and they shall fight every one against his brother and every one against his neighbour City against City and Kingdome against Kingdome In the first of these two places the Prophet doth foretell how the Tribes shall fall out among themselves and how their greedinesse of wealth and honour shall make them devour one another For the Apostle giveth warning that we be tender how we bite one another Lest we be devoured one of another This is sin and punishment both wherein they offend therein they are punished In the second example of the Egyptians destroying one another we behold the uncertain state of ungodly nations and people they can have no constant peace 1 Because they know not Reas 1 they serve not the God of peace and where true Religion doth not unite hearts they may cry a confederacie which may hold so long as it may some private turns but the next great provocation turns all into fury and combustion for there wants the foundation of peace within them 2 Because he would thereby maintain the equity of that naturall law written in every mans heart by the finger of God Reas 2 Do as thou wouldest be done to Wouldest thou bee content to be beaten with those staves that thou hast made to beat others to be hewed and mangled with those weapons of violence therefore God in his justice employeth this preparation against themselves and scourgeth them with their own rods 3 That we may know that all things in the administration of the world are directed by the wisedome and providence of God Reas 3 who though he be a God of peace yet he also causeth divisions and contentions amongst men and punisheth transgressours therewith The ten Kings in the Revelation which are the 10 horns of of the beast that is of Rome These at first joyn their forces against the Lambe and set up the beast Revel 17.13 These have one mind and shall give their strength unto the beast But in the end And these 10 horns which thou sawest upon the beast Verse 16. these shal hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and shall burn her with fire For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree and to give their Kingdom to the beast untill the words of God shall be fulfiâ—â—â—d From whence we gather that that agreement which is amongst wicked men against Christ and against his Church is strengthened by the will and providence of God for a time till that time the confederacies of the ungodly do hold but when he pleaseth to dissolve them they end in self-woundings and intestine combustions This serveth to settle our judgments Vse 1 concerning the combinations of the wicked against the Church they are of God and he hath his secret and just ends therein either to chasten the errours and transgressions of his people or to bring their patience and piety to the test to try whether any thing will make them forsake their hold and relinquish their trust in him Or to bring the greater condemnation upon those whom he useth as instruments in this tryall of his chosen servants Therefore now that we both hear the news and see the effects of this new bloudy league to destroy the Church and to root out the Protestant Religion whereby much Christian bloud of Innocents is already shed more is feared let it establish our hearts and settle our judgments upon this rest The Lord will have it A Domino factum est hoc Tu Domine fecisti thou Lord hast done it Surely there is much drosse in our gold which must be purged we have not spared one another with schismaticall mouthes and pens to break the peace of the Church and God in his just judgment suffereth the wicked to prevail against us This comforteth the Church against these tempests of fury Vse 2 that her enemies do raise against her For though they weaken us thereby and exalt their own horn on high yet when the waves of the sea do rage horribly God that is on high is more mighty then they and he will smite them with their own staves that supported them and wound them with their own swords that defended them 3 This admonisheth us not to settle any confidence or trust in the friendship of man Vse 3 whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be trusted The Prophet Micah saith The good man is perished out of the earth Mical. 7.2 there is none upright among men they all lie in wait for bloud they hunt every man his brother with a not That they may do evill with both hands earnestly The Prince asketh Verse 3. the Judge asketh for a reward and the great man uttereth the mischief of his soul so they wrap it up The best of them is a bryar Verse 4. the most upright of them is sharper then a thorn hedge And from this consideration of the generall falshood that is in friendship his caution is Trust ye not in a friend Verse 5. put no confidence in a guide keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosome For the Son dishonoureth the Father Verse 6. the Daughter riseth up against her Mother the Daughter in
too hot for them God cast them down ejecit conjecit dejecit rejecit subjecit and that anger is yet their burthen and shall be for ever The first tenants of Paradise could not they fled from the face of God and the curse of God lay heavie upon them Cain confest his punishment more then he could bear the old World all but eight persons sunk under this wrath and were drowned in the great deep The transgressing Cities suffered the consuming and tormenting flames of fire and brimstone The very earth trembled and shoke Psal 18. the foundations also of the mountains moved and quaked because hee was angry smoake went out at his nosthrils and consuming fire out of his mouth Beloved let me tell you what I fear never any times did more put almighty God to it to reveal his anger from heaven and to raine down burthens upon the sons of men for the clearer the light of the Gospel shineth the more his expectation is of walking in the light but our knowledge is rather floating in the braine then working in the obedience of our life Christ saith It shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of the Lord then for those of that generation to whom the light appeared in his Ministery so clear and glorious and yet they love darknesse better then light because their works were evill Great is the weight of a milstone hanged about our neck and wee cast therewith into the bottome of the sea yet the burthen of Gods wrath hee sayeth is much heavier then that And yet we make no care nor conscience and live without fear of this anger we do this and that great wickednesse and sin against God and provoke him to anger with our actions and inventions as if the Lord saw not this as if there were no knowledge in the most High As if he could not pluck his hand out of his bosome as if we had stollen away his sword and his quiver full of deadly arrowes I beseech you my brethren do not so wickedly your oaths and blsalphemies your pride and vanities your crueltie and oppressions your frauds and circumventions your abuse of Gods good creatures in excesse and wantonnesse they are all gone up to heaven and awake vengeance and chaleng the God of mercy to declare his justice Doth not some part of the Church now in the Palatinate and in Bohemia groan under the burthen of warre wherein the goods the liberties the lives of men Christian men professours of the same faith with us do lie at the stake and bloud toucheth bloud Doth not our neighbour Church in France tremble for feare of a new massacre hath not the sword of violence tasted already of Protestant blood do not the Jesuites the incendiaries of the Christian world blow the coal and incense the King thereof to grassation and destruction of all that have not the marke of the beast either openly in their foreheads or secretly in their hands and dare we anger our God who gives us the early and the latter rain who crownes our land with peace and the daughter of peace plenty Shall we flatter our selves and say that although we do wickedly this burthen shall not fall upon us let us pray for them and amend our own lives and sin no more least some worse judgment do fall upon us for we shall else finde too late that the wrath and judgment of God is too heavie a burthen for us to bear 2 The wrath and judgments of God they are a burthen to God 2. Deo he professeth it As I live saith the Lord I delight not in the death of a sinner he calleth upon his Israel why will yee perish O house of Israel When he punished his people how heavy was the burthen of their punishment upon him He smarted under his own rod the burthens that he put upon his people wearied him Why should you be stricken any more Isay 1.5 The whole head is sicke and the whole heart is faint From the soal of the foot to the head there is no soundnesse in it c. Truly God doth bear with us in a double sense for he doth forbear our punishment in expectation of our amendment and he doth suffer with us in our sufferings he is our father and every stripe he layeth on us smarteth upon him O greive not the Spirit of God by whom you are sealed up to the day of your redemption 3 The word of God threatning sin is a burthen 1. To God 2. To the Prophet 3. To the People It is a burthen to God to threaten judgment 1 Deo he loves to speak us faire and to speak and treat kindly with us to draw us with the cords of men and with the bands of love to be as one that taketh off the yoake for he knoweth whereof we be made for he made us and not we our selves he will allure and perswade Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem. If Adam do transgresse his one commandment given to him in Paradise he tarrieth expecting when Adam will come to him to acknowledge his fault and cast himself at his feet to seek mercy if Adam will not he will come to him but it shall be the cool of the day first and he will call him to accompt but yet so fatherly that he cannot execute the law without preaching the Gospel he cannot banish him the earthly Paradise til he have opened to him an heavenly He cannot threaten till he have promised he cannot punish till he have pardoned 3 This is a burthen to the Prophet and that two wayes 2 Prophetae 1. In respect of his fidelity to him that sendeth him 2. In respect of his zeal 3. In respect of his charity and compassion to them to whom he is sent 1. In respect of his fidelity It is a burthen to him to keep in the word of this Prophecy he cannot conceal it When Jeremy found the people incorrigible and that the word of God in his Ministery was despised and made his reproach Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name Jer. 20.9 but his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay Some carnall men do confesse that it is true that we must preach the judgments of God against sin that is our trade but let children fear those bugbears they know as well as we can tell them that God is mercifull and his mercy is above all his works It is true that we must preach judgment against sin for we have fear of the burthen of all those sins of others which we reprove not to fall upon our selves If thou givest him not warning his blood will I require at thy hands Therefore this word of excommunication Ezek. 3 18. is our burthen and we must not conceal it 2. In respect of his zeal For the