feele them and set himselfe on some merrie pinne to face out the matter as if hee were at good ease when all this is eyther a senselesse estate more void of comfort then of feeling or a laughter in the face when the heart is heauie or the laughter of fooles as Salomon sayth whose propertie is to laugh most when they haue least cause Thirdly what true ioy or cause of ioy can he haue on whom the sentence of condemnation is passed the execution of which sentence hee may daily expect Surely the greatest Monarch aliue if hee were in chaines vnder his greatest Enemie and condemned to dye could take no ioy of his wealth greatnesse or of any earthly delight but wicked men are in the chaines of the Deuill and abide vnder the sentence of death euer readie to feed vpon them Baltazer indeede was merrie and in his Reuels with his Princes but what cause had hee when the Hand-writing appeared on the wall So Amnon was merry in his brother Absoloms House but what cause had hee seeing men were appointed presently to kill him Let a wicked man be as merry as hee will sure it is his estate giues him no leaue Fourthly what can minister true ioy to him that hath no part in any of Gods Ordinances which begin and perfect the ioy of Gods people First for the Word of God hee refuseth the ioyfull tydings of his saluation the doctrine of free Remission of sinnes which onely bringeth lasting ioy he hath no part in nor in that Redemption purchased by Christ and published in the Gospell thus the word is a bill of Inditement to him Secondly the Sacraments seale nothing to him but are as seales set to blankes for hauing no part in the Couenant hee hath nothing by the seales onely hee makes himselfe guilty of the bodie and bloud of Christ as Iudas did and for want of faith eates and drinkes his owne damnation Thirdly Prayer from him is not onely not heard but euen abominable besides hee hath no helpe of Christs intercession for he prayes not for the World nor of the Prayers of Gods people because he is not of that communion Fourthly the duties of his calling are sinne to him To the impure all things are impure euen his best actions exclude him out of heauen neyther can a man haue any ioy of his actions till he can reioyce that his person is a member of Christ. Fiftly the creatures of God hee can no more truely reioyce in then a Thiefe can of a true mans purse neyther can that be true ioy in the creature that riseth from the creature resteth in the creature and goeth no higher then the creature but such is the wicked mans ioy Sixtly lesse ioy can hee haue in his sufferings or sorrowes because their nature being not altered they are no tokens of loue nor tend to their good as in the godly but are punishments in part and in hand and flashes of Gods euerlasting wrath and beginnings of Hell In the Lord. from this limitation which is the third part of the verse we may learne this instruction namely that All the reioycing of godly men ought to bee in the Lord that is spirituall and Christian a ioy worthy the Lord. And then it is spirituall and Christian when it hath two conditions First when it is in the Lord as the authour and fountaine of all the good wee can enioy or ioy in yea the matter of our ioy Secondly when it is in the Lord that is according to the will of the Lord and not against it so the phrase is vsed 1. Cor. 7. 39. Let her marry onely in the Lord that is according to Gods Word and direction and not against it First God must be the authour and matter of our ioy as Dauid made the Lord his Song all the day long for First how great reason haue wee to make him the matter of our ioy of whom wee are all that wee are both in our first and second Creation He is the Potter and we are the Clay nay we are his new Creation and workemanship regenerated iustified sanctified and saued are become his by a new couenant in which hee accepts vs as children reconciled by the death of his Sonne in whom wee may reioyce as in a mercifull Father yea as a wife married to a most louing husband by vertue whereof she hath interest into his person and whole estate Of this the Apostle speaketh Rom. 5. 11. Wee reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whom we haue receiued the atonement Secondly this ioy is most perfect which riseth of the presence of that which is most perfect and the greater the good enioyed is the greater is the ioy and therefore in Heauen it shall be most perfect and glorious because wee shall perfectly enioy God and see him as hee is in whose face is fulnesse of ioy Thirdly to make God the matter of our ioy is to perpetuate our ioy and make choise of that which shall neuer faile vs for as GOD himselfe is euerlasting so shall the ioy of his people bee like a streame which continually runs knoweth not the yeere of drought yea it shall hold out in dangers troubles and persecution Romans 5. 3. as the Martyrs reioyced in the verie flames What may wee not ioy in outward things as meat drinke wife children wealth honour c. Yes but neuer out of God or without reference vnto him neyther in outward nor inward things we hold all in capite and must bee Homagers of all vnto him hee must haue the glorie of all as Ier. 9. 23. 24. Let not the rich man reioyce in his riches nor the wise man in his wisedome c. but herein let him glorie that he knoweth mee to be mercifull and righteous this must be the chiefe pleasure honour riches and wisedome of a Christian to know God reconciled and to hold all in this tenure We may also reioyce in the meanes of saluation but if wee reioyce not onely in Gods fauour but desire to bring something of our owne towards it as the ignorant or wilfull Papists doe This is not to reioyce in the Lord but in our selues We must reioyce in our Prayers but onely because God is a God hearing Prayer in our hearing reading and receiuing of the Word with ioy but in this respect to God that hee teacheth and speaketh to the soule in the duties of our callings but because we are in Gods Worke in the duties of loue but because we lend to the Lord and feed and cloath Christ in all the comforts of life in the wife of our youth in gracious children in prosperitie c. but because and so farre as these are pledges and fruits of Gods fauour in Christ. Yea more we must reioyce in aduersitie and tribulation because it is that estate which God sees best for vs yea in death it selfe but as it is a going to GOD to enioy him more immediately
and his owne measure shall be met to him againe Mat. 7. 1 2. so that if a man be an Ismael rough against euery man God will be rough against him and if we be vnpittifull we shall be vnpittied of God and Men. Thirdly no sound worship can proceede but from a sound Religion and that is the Religion and wisedome which is from aboue and the qualitie of it is that it is peaceable Iam. 3. 17. gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits The Gospell which we professe is a Gospell of peace fostereth peace and seeketh it by all meanes Fourthly so long as any aâ—e slaues to the deeds of the flesh it is impossible they can be acceptable to God but debate hatred anger rage murthers are condemned for the vvorkes of the flesh which shut a man out of heauen Gal. 5. 21. But vvherein stands this mercy vvhereunto prayer must be coupled It stands in these things First in pittying the bodies of men in their wants Secondly their soules much more Thirdly in supplying their wants as reliefe succour comfort counsell c. to be rich in good workes and restore them that are fallen by the Spirit of meeknesse This teacheth all of vs that professe the doctrine of the Gospell and true Religion and the pure worship of God how wee ought to be disposed when wee come to performe vnto God religious duties as prayer c. Those that come neerest to God to present seruice acceptable to him must more especially look to this point namely to take heede of the spirit that lusteth after enuie and sets men in a rage against Gods image and those of the same profession with them and they must take the counsell of the Apostle 2. Cor. 13. 11. Bee of one minde liue in peace and the God of peace shall be with you And let vs consider First we are all members of one bodie wherof Christ is the head nature teacheth one member to pitie and help another if one bee ill affected to get remedy for it and so must Christians Secondly a meeke and mercifull spirit is much set by of God and called for at our hands by Christ of whom wee must learne to bee humble and meeke a sure note of one that is brought into Christs Kingdome and sheepefold Thirdly God hath taken all execution of vengeance out of our hands Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord Deut. 32. 35. and if we will take the sword of reuenge into our hands it will prooue but a sword to our owne destruction Fourthly if we looke at the recompence of reward we are to be prouoked to the workes of mercie As a man sowes so shall he reape sowe mercy and reape mercy sowe liberally and reape liberally God giues seede to the sower 1. Cor. 9. 10. and makes men rich vnto the works of mercie ver 11. How was the poore widdowes oile increased when shee sowed mercie to Elias in his want She had sufficient till the hard yeere was blowne ouer Thy expences shall haue a rich returne it shall bee but a lending to God with abundant vsury for earthly and base things we shal obtaine heauenly and glorious it is a sowing on earth to reape in heauen Fiftly if we desire patternes and presidents in mercifulnesse we haue enough First wee haue God himselfe whose mercies are aboue all his workes how mercifully did he forbeare the world an hundred yeeres and what experience haue our owne soules how he daily forgets and forgiues innumerable sinnes Therefore be we mercifull as our heauenly Father is mercifull Secondly Christ the Sonne of God is a president herein whose mercy and compassion was such as hee laid downe his life for vs that wee should also lay downe our liues for the brethren 1. Iohn 3. 16. Thirdly the Saints of God haue gone before vs in examples of mercy Moses was a man mightie in word and deede yet the meekest man on earth Numb 12. 3. Abraham yeelded to Lot his inferior Isaac swallowed many indignities at Abimelechs hands and Iaacob as many at Labans Dauid spared Saul his enemie when he had him at an aduantage and pardoned Shimei a Traytor when hee had cursed him and threw stones at him Yea all the Prophets Apostles and Saints as much as lay in them had peace with all men If wee professe our selues the Sonnes of God how are we so rough against our brethren so without pittie and charitable disposition as Lamech Ismael or Cain who learned of the Deuill who was a murtherer from the beginning to hate and kill his brother Let professors leaue these workes of the flesh to such as are in the flesh let vs be led by another rule as Christians mercifully considering one another and not as bruit beasts ledde by sensualitie We must not follow noysome lusts and humours but the rule of Gods Word to blesse though we are cursed and take things at the best and seeke peace and follow after it Let professors consider the sweet fruit of Christian communion which by a mercifull and meeke spirit is enioyed but by wrath and rash anger violenced how that the peace of the Church and publike quietnesse the honour of their profession the comfort of their conscience and acceptance of their prayers or any seruice cannot stand by them if they subdue not their spirits in this behalfe Secondly this shewes vs what to thinke of that religion which vpsetteth and vpholdeth it selfe by crueltie and malicious rage and furie it is a religion which God hath no delight in hee neuer did set it vp nor accepted it It cannot be the right religion which by crueltie sword and fire either planteth it selfe or seeketh to supplant others Therefore wee may note in the Scripture that those religions that were hated of God were cruell and vnmercifull One might haue read in Cains forehead what religion he was of no maruell if God reiected his sacrifice seeing hee bore such deadly malice against his brother Of what religion were the Egyptians that kept vnder the Israelites so tyrannically but barbarous wicked and idolatrous Iaacob must haue a place by himselfe to dwell in because his religion was an abomination to them they must not see him performe the seruices of it Manasseh set vp Idols sought to witches yea himselfe was a Magician or Coniurer and what was his practice Looke and wee shall see that no man euer shed more innocent blood then hee did Here was a note of a false religion euen cruelty such as wee read not of in any of his predecessors Antiochus Epiphanes a monster among Idolaters did so prodigiously waste the blood of the holy people as neuer was since there began to be a Nation till that time Dan. 12. 1. The heathen Emperours made such butcheries vpon the bodies of the Saints as euery street seemed a shambles of Christians and euery line of the story written in blood and their religion was sutable
barbarous and butcherly Saul was zealous in his religion and breathed out nothing but slaughter and threatning but all that while his religion was proportionall hee knew not Christ nor what hee did But the Romish religion goes beyond all other in crueltie and vnmercifulnesse and therefore of all other must be most hatefull to GOD. It was said long since that Antichrist the head of that Church must be an Appollyon a Destroyer and 2. Thes. 2. 3. the sonne of Perdition both actiuely and passiuely in himselfe and vnto many others He must be cloathed in scarlet a colour dyed in the blood of the Saints and a beast that must make warre against the witnesses of God The Church of God in the Old Testament indured most grieuous oppression and was vnmercifully handled in Egypt by Pharaoh in Canaan by the King of Syria Iudg. 3. 8. by Eglon King of the Moabites by Iabin King of the Canaanites by the Midianites Ammonites and Philistims and by Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonish captiuitie But all this was nothing to that it suffered by Antiochus Epiphanes And yet this of Antiochus was but a type of Antichrists persecution his wicked rage was but a shadow to this Here is an vnmercifull Destroyer that killeth first the soules of men by poysoning their mindes with false and damnable doctrines Secondly the bodies of men with horrible and vnheard-of crueltie and tyrannie Here is a woman drunke with the blood of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Iesus Reu. 17. 6. What shall we thinke of that religion by whose edicts perswasions and approbations all the Christian blood almost hath bin shed vpon earth since the ten first Persecutions Who hath done this but the firebrands of Babylon What of that religion which committeth Kings and Emperours together making them Wolues and Tygers one to another and who doth this but Nebuchadnezzar the head of this Babylon What of that religion that blowes vp Massacres Rebellions Seditions Treasons in all Countreys This also doth the scarlet-whore of Babylon What of that Religion that sends out cut-throat villaines with Pardons to stab and poison Kings and Potentates of the earth yea to blow vp with one terrible blow three whole states and Kingdomes This also doth the mercifull holy Father at Romish Babylon Who hath kindled so many furnaces to burne the bodies of Gods Saints in all Christendome but that meeke sonne of perdition whose mercies are cruell What may wee thinke of the mercilesse inquisition in Spaine Or that horrible massacre of the Christians in France the like whereof was neuer seene in any Nation Here in our owne land what damnable plots and deuillish designements haue there beene against the persons of our Kings and Princes What shall I speake of the vnnaturalnesse of their cruelty amongst vs while they haue chased away all pitie and respect of silly persons who in regard of the impotencie of their mindes or their tender age might by all lawes of nature and Nations haue laid claime to mercie if the Ocean of heathenish I meane Popish crueltie had not broken all bounds and bankes What hurt could a Boy of eight yeeres old doe to their religion who yet for that was scourged to death in Bonners house What hurt could that babe do them that sprang out of the mothers wombe and was cast in againe because it was a yong Heretique and so baptized in the mothers flames and the owne blood What madnesse was it to apprehend a madde man one Collins who held his dogge ouer his head as the Priest did the hoast for which hee and his dogge were burnt for Heretiques a wofull meanes to bring a madde man into his wits With how little reason could they demaund a reason of the faith of a madde man one Cowbridge and make a madde mans words without vnderstanding a sentence of his owne death for which hee was burnt at Oxford but where furie hath madded men no argument can mooue them to pittie What religion is that the wrath of which sticketh not either to bury the quicke as Marion at Burges or to vnbury the dead as Wickliffs bones burnt one and fortie yeeres after his death Peter Martyrs wife at Oxford two yeeres after his death burnt for an Heretique at Cambridge Mr. Bucer Phagius cited out of their graues to appeare foure yeeres after their buriall which when the silly ashes could not doe they were digged out and burnt on the market-hill because they did not answere and satisfie such articles as were laid against them Richard Hun apparantly hanged by them in the prison was also burnt after his death Iohn Tooly being dead and buried was cited to appeare before Bonner by a day appointed at which time limited and expired he was excommunicate and straite charge giuen that no man should eate or drinke with him or if any met him they should not bid him God speed or if he came to Church in time of diuine seruice he must be thrust out after that this excommunication wrought nothing vpon the dead man hee was condemned and committed to the secular power and so the poore dead man was the second time by the Sheriffs executed Is this cruell religion of God Did Christ or any of his Apostles bring in the trueth by fire or sword No it is falsehood that must stand by power and humane policie When the two Disciples asked Christ if they should call for fire from heauen against the Cities that receiued thē not No saith Christ Ye know not what spirit ye are of But let Antichrists Disciples aske him as Faux Winter did Garnet Shall we call for fire from hell against those Kingdomes which will not receive vs Hee saith Yea because hee knowes what spirit they bee of resolute but infortunate Gentlemen begin to dig vnder the Parliament-house and when all the house is set to make lawes against the Catholikes giue them a terrible blow and they shall neuer know who hurt them O but what speake you this against the Religion of the Church of Rome this is the fault of men not of their doctrine Nay but it ariseth out of the grounds of their doctrine which is ful of cruelty and bloudinesse Iesuitisme is the Rebels Catechisme I will set downe their doctrine in certaine positions which are eminent in their Authors at this day First the Pope ought to driue Woolues and bad leaders heretique Kings that is Protestants à grege dominio not only excommunicate but also driue them from their Kingdomes This is Bellarmines position defended by the Pope himselfe Secondly not onely manifest but also secret and suspected heretiques so Symancha Thirdly not onely themselues but all their fauourers also and children So Creswell Fourthly quibuscunque modis by any meanes saith Sanders vi or dolo as Iudith put downe Holofernes and Iehu Athaliah Reinolds and Boucherius or by a knife or dagger as Henrie the third and fourth Kings of France were murthered or by Dag Dagger or poyson as
makest him no roome by embracing the Gospell in the Kingdome of grace hee will neuer make roome for thee in the Kingdome of glory Now is the light shining now lay hold on the light Oh but it may continue long and what needes such haste First that is vncertaine we haue seene as faire Sunnes as ours fall from the midst of heauen as the Churches of Ephesus Corinth and the seuen in lesser Asia Secondly thou canst not deny but that we haue forfeited all our liberties by horrible sinnes against it Thirdly suppose the Gospell doe continue with vs yet thou knowest not whether thou shalt stay with it one night Therefore work while the day is before the night come and thou canst not worke Surely in the flood of great waters they shall not come neere him NOw we come to the second part of this verse and in it to that excellent promise made to the godly man praying namely of speciall safetie from most present and perillous dangers By flouds of waters the Scriptures Metaphorically expresse extreme dangers and violent troubles whether sent First by God himselfe as Psal. 42. 7. All thy floods and waues are gone ouer me Secondly by Satan as Reuel 12. 5. The Serpent cast out waters like a flood Thirdly by wicked men Isa. 59. 19. The enemie shall come as a flood because first as inundations and swellings of waters come fiercely and terribly or as the flood of Noah to which the Prophet may allude bare downe all before it so afflictions come as though they would swallow the godly as Psal. 18. 4. The floods of wickednesse made mee afraid Secondly because as a man ready to bee drowned is drawne out of the waters and so saued so Gods present deliuerance is compared to the drawing out of the waters Psal. 18. 16. He hath drawne mee out of many waters Thus Moses was drawne out of the waters and Gods protection is the onely Arke to saue his children Shall not come neere him WHat did euer godly man auoide them was not Noah neere them and they neere him was not Dauid ouer head and eares in them Psal. 69. 1 2. was not Ionas in the midst of them Chap. 3. 5. All thy waues and surges passed ouer me The meaning of the phrase is that these floods shall not come neere the godly man to hurt him or as euils or till they be altered It were not fit that the godly should be priuiledged and quite exempted from afflictions but that the hurt and euill of them shal not come neere them for they shall all turne to their good yea to their best Psal. 105. 15. Touch not my Prophets The phrase is presently expounded Doe them no harme no not the least harme And Saint Iohn saith He that is borne of God the wicked one shall not touch him No what say you to Iob and his children of Marie Magdalen possessed with seuen deuils of many of Gods children bewitched and vexed with the deuill why Satan is most busie with the sonnes of God neither spared Christ himselfe True but he toucheth them not to doe them harme he cannot haue his will on them Surely Or certainely an asseueration added first to confirme their hearts that shall seeke God in prayer Secondly to shew that as the promise of God is large and excellent so it is most sure and true Thirdly to reproue the distrust of men and want of application Dauid himselfe is not alwaies in case to apply the promises Psal. 116. 11. I said in my haste All men are lyars that is all the promises are vntrue This promise yeelds vs this point of instruction that No iudgement in the world can hurt or touch a godly man to doe him the least harme Psal. 91. 6 7. No plague shall come neere his tabernacle A thousand shall fall at thy side and 1000. at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee When the reuenging Angell was to passe through all Egypt and smite the first borne his commission is limited he must passe ouer the Israelites where the blood was sprinkled on the doore-postes and lintels Ezek. 9. 4 5 6. The man in white rayment who was Gods executioner of a common iudgement must first Marke those in the forehead who mourne for their sinnes and spare them Reuel 7. 3. The Angell must not hurt the earth till all Gods Saints be marked First the godly man stands on a rocke the Lord is his rocke that looke as in the ouerflowing of many waters houses are driuen downe men are drowned and cattel perish but he that is vpon a high rocke is safe so he that hath made the Lord his Rocke and defence heauen and earth cannot stirre him In the great deluge the waters rose not vp to heauen but onely fifteene cubites aboue the highest Mountaines of the earth and if thy Rocke be in heauen the floods of great waters shall not touch thee Secondly Gods protection compasseth his people as the hilles compassed Ierusalem Moses being cast vpon the waters but first put into a basket was safe enough till he was drawne out When the great deluge couered the face of the whole earth the Lord prepared an Arke for Noah and his familie therein they were safe because God shut them in Gods protection is this basket this Arke to his children Thirdly as if a man be cast into the sea and can keepe his head aloft hee cannot bee drowned so as long as Christ the head is aboue hee will not lose the least and basest of his members If Christ bee in the ship all is safe Fourthly Gods word and promise is to be with them at Christs word Peter walkes safely on the water But sense and reason is against all these your sayings What haue not the enemies with their violent inundations come neere yea and almost ouerturned the whole Church What stirres tumults martyrdoms and butcheries haue been outragiously committed on the poore Saints What horrible slaughters haue beene done on Protestants in France Flanders Spaine in our owne Countrie the fires haue been kindled as hot as Nebuchadnezars furnace to burne the bodies of Gods Saints and some yet aliue haue seene those Marian daies wherein the streetes ran with the blood of the Saints as Ierusalems did in the time of Manasseh The Church is like the Arke of Noah which the more the waters rose the more and higher it rose or like the ship wherein Christ lay asleepe which may bee tossed with windes and waues but not ouerturned euen so the more the waters of affliction bee increased the more is the Arke of the Church exalted The Church may bee beaten with waues but it shall bee still lifted vp aboue them The Disciples may faint and see the streames readie to swallow thē yea in their sense may say Master we perish but Christ is in the ship he will awake in due season and rebuke both the storme and their