all sinne both originall and actuall A Sacrament of that purgation wee have in Baptisme which we receive once for all our life though it bee not barely the externall act that cleanseth us but the answer of a good conscience to God To this is added another Sacrament of nutrition by which we are invited to a spirituall feast of the body and bloud of Christ To which our preparation must be a putting on of holinesse But as Iehoshus the high Priest was first stripped out of his filthy raiment and then had cleane cloathes put on So must wee lay aside the old man corrupt with the deceiveable lusts of the flesh before we can be renewed in the spirit of our minde and put on the new man in righteousnesse and holinesse I herefore for our better preparation to this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ let me commend to you the holy example of David Let us beginne at a search and survey of our hearts for sinne even so deepe as our birth-sinne and originall uncleannesse Let us compare what we are in our inward parts with that which God desireth and the folly that possesseth us with the wisedome which God will give us if we aske it of him then shall we see what favour God hath done us in his holy Sacrament to offer us the benefit of his passion and the sprinkling of his bloud to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses This full example tendreth us all the ingredients in an holy preparation for Gods Table 1 Knowledge both of our disease and the remedy of it 2 Repentance of our sinnes as being sensible of the burthen and wearie of the annoyance of them 3 Faith depending upon God both for his tender mercies to pardon them and for his holy wisedome to prevent our relapsing after repentance into them 4 Charity to our brethren for David after promiseth to teach sinners and to direct them in good waies God can wash without hysope he can teach without the word he can cleanse without Baptisine he can nourish without the Lords Supper But having ordained outward types and signes and Sacraments and meanes for our purgation and nutrition David teacheth us hereto 5 To adde prayer to God not onely for the spirituall grace but for the outward meanes also Teach me by thy word wash me with thine hysope feed me with thy Supper So ought we to pray with David for the power of grace in the outward ordinance of God And that is the way to sanctifie our selves both to the Word and to the Sacrament There is nothing that doth more ineffectuate this blessed Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ to the receivers thereof then their uncleannesse for Pearles are not to be cast unto Swine And we must wash our hands in innocency before we compasse his altar Those corruptions which are within us in our heart are they that doe defile us for out of the heart proceed murthers adulteries drunkennesse strife and envying and these things pollute us These aske a great deale of hysope to sprinckle us with bloud to drench and steepe us in to fetch out the deep steines which they have made in our consciences These removed or our endeavour done to remove them wee may eate of this bread and drinke of this wine that he hath prepared 3 In resumption of this Petition we still see how weary David is of his filthinesse how ambitious of a purification For being yet in the stench and deformity and foulenesse of his sinnes he beleeveth that if he might be of Gods washing he should be whiter than snow Saint Paul biddethus desire the best gifts In things concerning this life wee have no warrant to desire above a competency Agur the wise sonne of Iakeh hath left us his prayer and it is part of our Canonicall Scripture Give me not riches give me not poverty feed mee with food convenient for me Christ hath limited our prayer for daily bread that is the necessaries of this life The Apostle biddeth if we have food and raiment to be therwith content but in the spirituall and eternall favours of God a greedinesse an ambition a covetousnes for the most and best highest of them doth best of all Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse There be degrees and measures of spirituall graces there be divers quantities of them As in the dye of sinne some are crimsin some scarlet so in the wash of repentance some attain to the whitenesse of wooll some of snow As David in the judging of himselfe findeth none so uncleane as he is so in his desire of purging he affecteth the whitest innocency They that have truely tasted the heavenly gift of holinesse here and the joyes of the life to come desire the uttermost of both and we cannot overdoe in coverousnesse of the one or ambition of the other But how doth David promise himselfe this whitenesse above snow Saint Augustine answereth that this innocency is but begun here it commeth not to any perfection in this life but his faith apprehendeth the complement of it hereafter 2 We may conceive in these sicuts these comparisons the fullest measure of innocency that wee are capable of here and hereafter 3 Or we may comfort our selves in dignatione divina in Gods approvement in whose gratious acceptation wee appeare so white because he accepteth us who calleth things that are not as if they were Or we may extend it to the full effect of the bloud of Christ which maketh a perfect work of our purification VERSE 8. Make mee to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce 2. HE prayeth for comfort against the terror of his conscience for his sin wherein 1 We have his griefe his bones broken 2 His suit fac me andire c. Make me to heare 1 In his griefe consider 1 The affliction it selfe bones broken 2 The author hereof Thou 2 In his Petition observe 1 Where he seeketh remedy of God 2 In what way by prayer 3 What is his suit to heare joy c. 4 What effect ut ossa gaudeant that the bones may rejoyce 1 His griefe therein 2 Of his affliction ossa confracta the bones broken This is a figurative speech whereby extreame affliction is often in Scripture expressed Sathan to God of Job Touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face It was Iobs complaint My bones were pierced in me in the night season David useth often to complaine of his bones as there is no rest in my bones because of my sinne his meaning is that the vexation of his conscience for his sinne is as painefull to him as the breaking of his bones How are we deceived in the temptation to sinne in the pleasute of sinne when we drinke it downe like water and hide it under our tongue if ever wee come to repentance of it it will be bitternesse in
and purged doth seeme to declare in him 1 A Conscience sensible of his pollution and weary of it 2 Aâ—ervency of spirit breathing importunity with God in strong cryes and supplications to remove the annoyance of it 1 A conscience throughly touched with sense and remorse of his sinne for he hath beene earnest with God already in this Psalme before for this and hath begd of God to blot out his iniquities that they might not remaine upon record against him to wash him throughly and cleanse him from his sinne and now he reneweth and re-enforceth his petition to the same purpose The reason I conceive to be because he hath now beene deepe in the confession of his sinne and in contemplation of the holinesse and purity of God and of that integrity which he exacteth of us For if our thoughts could be at leiâ—are to thinke effectually of these things we should apply our desires more to the servcie of God and to the declining of evill wee should finde our sinnes sit blushing in our faces and bleeding in our wounded consciences The tendernesse of the heart would yearne at any offence done to him from whom we receive so much good and the terrour of his power who is able to doe us so much hurt and the shame of requiting him unthankfully who hath declared so much patience in our aberrations would worke upon us to love and feare and seeke him with all our hearts Now we may see in David an holy wearinesse of his evill wayes we may feele sinne a burthen oppressing him we may see it a pollution annoying him no rest in his bones because of his sinne Wee may also discerne some present effect of that wisedome which God had taught him which beginneth at the feare of God to eschew evill and doe good 2 Note the fervency of his spirit in this importunity of his strong supplications He that feeleth want of any thing good for him will not be said nay The unjust Iudge that feareth neither God nor man shall have no rest till he doe his poore petitioner justice The Disciples cannot still nor drive away the poore woman that petitioneth Christ for her distressed daughter The diseased of all sorts did pursue Christ for remedy The paralitique is let downe through the roofe of the house to be presented to Christ This teacheth us fervency in prayer for the fervent prayer of the just prevaileth with God It is the Apostles precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore he must be washt and purged till he may be cleane and he must be of Gods washing for who else can finde out all the secret conveiances of sinne who but he can sound the heart and search it to the bottome none but he can purge this temple of our bodies and whip out the defilers of it and make a denne of theeves an house of prayer againe 2 Yet more to shew his pollution he desireth to bee washt with hysope wherein he hath respect to the ceremoniall purgation used in the Law for the cleansing of a Leper Sinne is a leprosie and as the leprosie was purged with hysope dipt in bloud so must sinne bee purged with the sprinckling of bloud But the first mention that I reade of the use of hysope doth interpret this suit of David best for in the institution of the Passeover in the land of Egypt they were commanded to kill a Lambe and it is said And ye shall take a bunch of hysope and dip it in a bason in the bloud and ye shall strike on the upper dore post and on the two side posts with the bloud that is in the bason This sprinckling of bloud with a bunch of hysope was a type of the bloud of the Lambe without spot Christ Iesus used for 1 Purgation to remove the pollution of sinne 2 For propitiation to remove the punishment of sinne to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses and to establish safety there against all euill Saint Peter directeth his Epistle to the Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit and sprinckling of the bloud of Iesus Christ for if the bloud of Bulles and Goates and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe to God without spot Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God so that we may say of David in this Petition that hee is now come To Jesus the mediatour of the new Covenant and to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel Saint Augustine and Saint Gregory doe referre this Petition to the humility of Christ in his passion whereby wee are purged Surely Dauid had respect onely to the bloud of Christ for his purification from sinne for all the lotions and purgings of the old law did looke that way and were representations and types of that full purgation which was to be accomplished by the bloud of Iesus Christ for though temporava iatasunt the times are changed yet fides una faith is one and the same But give me leave to search somewhat deeper into this mystery for Davids last confession was of his originall sinne And this Petition following it so close calleth to my remembrance a Law of purgation of uncleannesse mentioned with hysope dipt in water to sprinckle the tent the vessels and the persons of such as were uncleane which I conceive to be a type of our Christian Baptisme which Christ instituted as a remedy against originall sinne and which the Apostle calleth the Laver of our new birth Cardinall Bellarmine was before me in this meditation Aperit unum ex occultis mysteriis divine sapientiâ— quòd videlicet tempore novi testamenti aspergendi essent homines aqua munda in Baptisme He opens one of the hidden mysteries of divine wisedome that in the time of the new Testament men were to be sprinckled with pure water in Baptisme Both wayes the bloud of Christ is the liquor of our purification and David so many yeares before the fulnesse of time in which he came actually to performe the worke of our redemption by the saerifice of his bloud did by faith apprehend both this remedy and the full effect of it for it was ever the way of our cleannesse since the fall of Adam and therefore Christ is called agnus occisus ab origine mundi the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world The grace of the holy Ghost inwardly purging the conscience from sinne by the application of the bloud of Christ was not perceptible by the sense and reason of man Therefore it pleased God in the law to relieve their weakenesse with externall types figures and representations Sacraments of strong signification to make these things more demonstrable The body of these is Christ and it is his onely bloud by which we are washed from
griefe so inward as in anima in the soule yet so sensible as nos vidimus we saw it How were the rivers of their bloud which runne in the channels of their veines to water the earth of which they are made frozen and congealed that they had neither mercy to pitty their fathers sonne nor so much tendernesse as to looke another way nos vidimus we saw Seeing malice and envy had taken away their hearts why had it left the eyes open to let in so unpleasing a sight Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother Thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity oculi augâ—â—â— dolorâ—m commonly that the eye sees not the heart grieves not here the mercies of the brethren were all turned eruell 4 I but perchance Ioseph might thanke his owne stout heart for their cruell usage of him for many times our own untemperate carriage in afflictions brings fewell to the fire that scorcheth us and blowes more breath into the tempest of winde that bestormeth us But Iosephs brethren have not this excuse they confesse their brother resisted them not but with humble entreaties they confesse he besought us The petition of a soule in anguish faire-spoken and humble hath pierced hard hearts and relented cruell intentions of evill but it wrought not here for 5 They confesse we would not heare They did heare the request of their brethren but they would not heare for they will not heare that doe not heare to doe what they are requested I have prest this example the more to declare how troubles awake the conscience from a dead sleepe and turn our eyes into our owne bosomes that if there lye a notoriouâ— unrepented sinne in the heart stoned as low as Jonah who lay asleepe in the bottome of the shippes Hold affliction will romage the ship and will cry as the Mariners to Ionah Awake thou sleeper and bring it above hatches Therefore it is wisedome by confession by repentance and prayer to quit our consciences so soone as we can of such sinnes Here is a sinne of bloud almost a full yeare old and though Nathan hath pronounced Gods pardon of it the conscience of David is not yet at rest his thoughts are upon it and his prayers be concerning it 2 Another of Sathans seasons to call such speciall sinnes to remembrance is when we are neare our end that is a season wherein many of the faithfull servants of God have dangerous and fearefull conflicts with Sathan After his 40. daies temptation of Christ in the wildernesse it is said that he departed from him for a season Once he borrowed the heart and tongue of an Apostle even of Peter to tempt him but Christ resented him and said Get thee behinde me Sathan but he confesseth a little before his passion The Prince of this world commeth but he hath nothing in me There is his advantage against us when any speciall sinnes lye upon the conscience unrepented then he hath something of his in us This makes many an aking heart upon death-beds for then judgement is at hand and the old flatterie of sinne Dominus tardabit the Lord will delay is removed by the sensible decay of the body and the evident symptomes of approaching death The widdow of Sarepta when her onely sonne was dead was in a storme at Eliah and said unto him What have I to doe with thee O thou man of God art thou come to call my sinne to remembrance and to slay my sonne Did the death of her sonne call her sinne to remembrance bethinke you then how our owne death in sight and sense will call all our sinnes to remembrance that we have done And in this Inventorie if there be any capitall sinne texted and recorded by the conscience in great and capitall letters not yet blotted out by our repentance and Gods gracious pardon how will that sin present it selfe to present remembrance how will it cruciate and torment the inward man even the hid man of the heart Judas his last words gushed out the bowels of his despaire as his last passion did the bowels of his body I have sinned in betraying innocent bloud he had not the heart to breath one miserere have mercy to comfort the agony of his despairing end The penitent convert thiefe on the Crosse was in a better minde he glorified God and his Sonne Christ by a free confession for he rebuked his blasphemous fellow thiefe saying Dost not thou feare God seeing we are in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for wee receive the reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amisse This had beene the Crosse of his soule as that he hung on was of his body if his faith had not nailed his sinnes as fast to Christ as Christ was nailed for them to his Crosse which he declared in the next words And he said unto Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome which was answered with bodie mecum cris to day thou shalt be with me It is worthy our observing that Iesus Christ did institute the holy Sacrament of his Passion the evening before his suffering as it were acting his death in visible demonstration before he under-went it To teach how effectuall the death of Christ is against our sinnes and for preparation of the soule for her remove hence And from hence it is that the holy Church hath not only offered this Sacrament as the bread of our spirituall life to nourish it but hath commended it also to sicke persons upon their death beds as viaticum animae the provision of the soule so the Councell of Nice calleth it That the conscience being then purged from all sinne may receive Iesus Christ inâ—o it And in this holy action our search of our hearts will soone finde out any eminent and notorious sinne to confesse and repent it that the conscience may be disburthened and that the soule of man may be domus pacis the house of peace for otherwise we receive that Sacrament unworthily to our condemnation Our Saviour is precise in this If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee More if God have ought against thee leave there thy gift Goe and be reconciled et offer and then bring it This is a Sacrament from God to us it is a sacrifice from us to God If any great extraordinary sinne lye upon the conscience we had best exonerate us thereof for we and our gift will else be unacceptable to him If God receive our gift he will not refuse us for he looketh first upon Abel then on his sacrifice we make our offering acceptable not that us Now because our sinnes lye so heavy especially our notorious sinne this or that particular transgression upon our conscience in the agonie of death Christ hath ordained a gracious remedy that upon our repentance the faithfull Minister of the Word should
Impenitents 2. So our thanks-givings are but the sacrifices of fools 3. We cannot heare with profit for good seed must be sowne in good ground 4. We cannot receive the holy Sacrament for pearls must not be given to swine So we are unfit for all acts and exercises of Religion And especially upon our death-beds when we should part with this life Our iniquities shew us quite out of heavens way and we have no warrant to commend our spirits into the hands of God for he receiveth no such souls as turn aside to crooked wayes he leadeth them forth with workers of iniquitie There is none so unhappie as the impenitent sinner For the world cannot be friend him and God will not Who shall then have pity upon thee O Iesus David feels the burthen of sinne importable There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne For mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me My wounds stinke and are corrupt because of my foolishnesse I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long S. Augustine very judiciously looketh beyond David in this Psalme and maketh the whole Psalme the complaint of Christ Who though he were free from the infection of sinne yet was he over-laden with the burthen thereof for God layed on him the iniquities of us all So the point is more prest to the conscience of a sinner for if my sinnes could make the soul of Christ heavy to death if my sinnes could make him sweat water and bloud and pray with strong cryes and supplications how blinde must my reason be if I see them not How insensible and dull must I be if I feele not the stench and annoyance the weight and burthen of them For these iniquities do move God to anger and it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God in his displeasure for even our God is a consuming fire Now we see in Davids example how combersome a few sinnes are and what feare what agony of heart what griefe what shame they bring We have cause to lay this to our hearts for when we shall see our many crying bold presumptuous sinnes together in order before us when our conscience shall tell us not onely that we have received the grace of God in vain but that we have turned the grace of God into wantonnesse and have abused his best â—avours and despised his threatnings At once carrying in our faces Cains frowns and in our heart Cains malice against our brother having Esaâ—s prophanenesse Achans theft Ahabs oppression out-sinning those who are in the holy story the spots and blemishes of their times How doth Sathan benight us if we discerne not our fault and our danger How doth he harden our hearts if we feele not the burthen How doth he benumme and dead the conscience if the lash of our iniquities do not smart upon us We have cause to think upon it now if our Land after so great blessings of God swarme at this day with impious sinnes if Religion hath suffered symonie and oppression pride and drunkennesse Sodome and Gomorrah were modest sinners in comparison of us It will be easier for them one day for we live in the light we have more knowledge of our Masters will then our fathers had Pulpit and Presse have filled the eare and eye with the wayes of life And we are filii tenebrarum sonnes of darknesse still and walk in the paths of death We are hearers onely deceiving our own selves and the more we know of our Masters will the more stripes it will cost us that we have done so little of it we have gathered such drosse to our gold that it will ask an hot fire to refine us God in favour yet forbeareth us expecting our repentance and there is no hope of his love but in that way To fast and mourne for a day to ask God forgivenesse to promise amendment is no more then Ahab may do and it may spinne out the time and put off judgement for a while But plangere commissa to bewail sinnes committed is but a part of repentance and it hath lost the labour and our tears shall never be put into the bottle if after we do committere plangenda commit sinnes to be bewailed Transgressions iniquities sinnes these are our disease and that which threatneth it mortall is our dangerous impenitencie 2. What remedie Mercie this is the soveraigne remedy this heals all diseases but some few drops of this balme will not do it here David knows that God hath sundry vessels of this wine some stronger then other he desireth to draw of the strongest and for quantity he desireth the multitude a great measure and that running over for qualitie his tenderest and dearest compassions Those that are extracted and distilled to the height of strength sinnes of ignorance sinnes of infirmitie and weaknesse sinnes committed with reluctation and resistance the Fathers have called veniall because a small measure of Gods mercy will remove them and their punishment but studied sinnes acted after deliberation and practised upon advise and used to hide and shelter other sinnes have a more provoking qualitie in them to kindle the wrath of God a worse deserving condition to draw that wrath upon us David needs the most the best and strongest of these mercies for his transgressions Saint Augustine Attendis contemptores ut corrigas nescientes ut doceâ—â— confitentes ut ignoscas Thou observest the despisers to correct them the ignorant to teach them the confessours of sinne to pardon them Zacharie calleth these mercies that he beggeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bowels of the mercy of our God Sicut pater miseretur as a father takes pity Christ hath given us a full example of such a Father in the parable of the prodigall Look how high the heaven is above the earth so high is the mercie of God to them that feare him that is nothing in comparison for mercie cannot be numbred This is that which boundeth the waters of the Sea that they do not return to drown the earth This keepeth his fire and brimstone bound up that it falleth not upon our Cities and Towns our persons and cattell to consume them This locketh up the earth underneath us that it doth not open the mouth to swallow us up quick This keepeth the key of his treasures of judgements that they cannot come abroad to destroy and consume the world as Jeremy saith It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not They are new every morning Though he cause griefe yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies for he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men They that love lying vanities forsake their own mercy The mercy of God is called our mercy for God hath no occasion to use his mercy any where else but among the sonnes of men The Angels
delight and expiate it at short warning But such pardons were not afoot in Davids time he confesseth to Nathan and undergoeth a sore penance after Nathan had absolved him Good use might be made of this in the Church If a true Penitent revealing his wounded conscience to some learned and godly Physitian of his soul and declaring his true griefe did establish his repentant heart with the comfort of the Word and receive the benefit of Gods gracious pardon in the way of Gods holy ordinance In businesses of our estate we may heare wise men speak out of experience and reading and observation but it is safest to trust such whose profession and practise in the laws may give us more full satisfaction in all our doubts In diseases of the body reading experience and observation may accommodate men unprofessed to speak rationally and to advise wisely but health is a deare commoditie they do most safely that consult the learned studied and practised Physitian he is the likeliest to direct for our good In the occasions of the soul although many great Scholars have profited to ability to informe the judgement in the truth to convince errour to instruct and comfort yet seeing God hath ordained some in his Church to do this ex officio and hath sent them to teach to baptise to commend the prayers of the Church to him to absolve penitents our using of their ministery in these things is strengthened with warrant and in this case Nathans absolution is as good as on Angels 2 We finde David confessing here to God his wickednesse Nathan hath used all the good and discreet wayes that may be to bring David to a sight and sense of his sinne 1 He shewed him his sinne in a parable borrowing another person to represent to him his sinne 2 He shewed it in the commemoration of Gods manifold favours to him which cannot but shew that God had better deserved of him then to be answered with transgression of his commandments For he might plead Do you thus unkindly requite my love 2 He came to the point and opened his wounds and shewed him the rottennesse and stench of them in an hoc fecisti Thus hast thou done and I held my peace all this while 3 He revealeth to him the purpose of God for his correction by a severe punishment of his faults divers wayes as you have heard This made him cry God mercie and crave aid of Gods tender compassions to wash him For I acknowledge my wickednesse Which teacheth That true repentance ariseth from a knowing and beginneth at confessing our sinne They pray but faintly and weakly for mercy to wash them that do not well discerne and confesse their wickednesse The woman of Canaan that came to Christ for her daughter cries loud for his help the disciples cannot still her Blinde Bartimeus runnes hard and cryes lowd for his sight The woman with the issue of bloud pressed through the crowd as neare as she could to Christ to touch the hemme of his vesture David sometimes cryed till his throat was hoarse Moses prayed till his hands fell All that feele need of help from God and know it no where else to be had will ply him heartily and give him no rest So forceable is the knowledge of our sinnes to put us upon God in importunate eâ—â—lagitations of mercy Such know that there is no state here on earth so unhappy as the state of a sinner Let us never hope for peace in our conscience or favour with God till we come to see and confesse our wickednesse Oh that there were such an heart of piety and holy zeale as to search and try our own wayes and to detect our own sinnes as we have hearts of malice and curiousitie to dive into the transgressions of others I would we could discerne our own beams as clearly as we see the motes in our brothers eye I acknowledge my wickednesse I search no further Let me now turn your eyes upon your own hearts and put you to the search of them to the bottome that you may confesse your wickednesse to God betweene you and him alone For wounds must be searched before they can be cured And then shall you be prepared to heare the story of Christs bitter passions that he susteined for you which shall shortly be recounted to you out of the Gospell by appointment of the Church There you shall see the loving kindnes of God and the multitude of his tender compassions you shal see what need your wounds had of his stripes what need your voluptuous lives had of his dolorous throws and pangs what need your crown of pride had of his crown of thornes what need your crying sinnes had of his strong prayers and supplications what need your deserved curse had of his undeserved crosse If all tears were wiped from our eyes for our selves and that our mouthes were filled with laughter and our tongues with joy yet if we did consider in what liquour we were washt the precious bloud of a Lambe without spot Pilates Ecce homo Behold the man shewing us our Redeemer newly come from his cruell whipping his pretious body the glory of humanity ploughed up with scourges into deep furrows to save our skinnes whole Uox sanguinis the voyce of bloud speaking better things then the bloud of Abel crying for our purification and his dying plea even for his enemies Father forgive them for they know not what they do These and a thousand more considerable passages in his dolorous passion were enough to turn all our harps into mourning and all our organs into the voice of them that weep to make our heads fountains of tears to melt us into passion to distill us into spirit of compassion for him that payed so deare for our souls Sic Deus dilexit mundum misit filium suum dedit unigenitum as August dedit unicum ut non esset unicus So God loved the world He sent his Sonne He gave his onely begotten Sonne He gave his onely Sonne that he might not be his onely Sonne And in the manner of giving Non pepercit filio suo he spared not his sonne he layd upon him the iniquitie of us all Will you finde the cause of all this the roote of bitternesse the gall and wormwood that made his potion so corroding Search your heart for sinne and wash the bloudy wounds of your Redeemer in a bath of compassionate tears your own putrified soars in a bath of penitentiall tears And as Israel brought forth Achan and put him in sight who had trespassed in the accursed thing so let our confession put our transgressions in sight saying with David I acknowledge my wickednesse And with Achan I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done That which undoes Religion and destroyes the fear and service of God and hindereth our repentance and evacuateth all our acts of piety that which maketh the word to us a dead
what danger to both We can never repent heartily till we come to this and we are very loath to come to it Now David seeth his sinne clearly the whole sinne the motives the means the acts the colours and conveyances there all coram me before me Coram populo before the people shame to him Coram Ecclesia before the Church griefe to them Coram inimâ—cis before the enemies joy to them Coram Deo before God anger against him Coram Nathane before Nathan a chiding But if any hope of repentance and amendment it is in Peccatum meum coram me my sinne before me Here is the distresse of a sinner he never discerneth how unhaphie he is till his sinne is before him Excused be the masks of sinne pleasure is the sweetning of sinne secrecie is the night of sinne Remove all these and let thy sinne appeare naked and stript of this shelter Mulier formosa supernè turpiter atrum desinet The fairest womans face Foule nether parts disgrace How quickly could David see his own sinne in another person in the parable of Nathan It was ten moneths before his own sinne was before himself We are very blinde to behold our own faults yet we are most beholding to them that help our weak sight and cleare our eyes that way It was the wish of a well-minded heathen man that he might ever dwell either by a true friend or some very malitious and spightfull enemy because either love or malice would ever tel him his own and he should be sure to know his faults Christ What say men that I am we must use all the meanes we can to search our wounds that they may be healed To know our disease ut curetur it is S. Gregor note upon this Text Ascendat tribunal mentis suae constituat se ante se Videat foeditatem suam at corrigat ne nolens videat erubescat Let him ascend the tribunall of his minde and place himself before himself let him see his foulnesse to correct it lest against his will he see it and be ashamed at it Some put all their vertues before themselves as the Pharisee he gave not himself an ill word in his confession I am not like other men I fast I pay tithes I give almes I pray c. The poore Publicane could not see any good Corn within his field it was so over-grown with tares Lord be mercifull to me the sinner Great persons have so much the more danger from sinne because they have so many flatterers to keep their vertues ever in their sight or to lay vertues to their charge that they have no right too And so few Nathans to shew them their sinnes and to say Tueshomo thou art the man How can they repent when their sinne is yet behinde their backs and no body dares put it in sight Or if it come in sight there may be foâ—nd law to make it good Sinnes when they are grown to have countenance of authority and strength of custome to establish them are no longer sinnes Leges fiant they are made laws And time cals that a sinne now which anon is a singular vertue But let us call sinnes and vertues by their proper names and let them be in our sight and we shall begge the grace of repentance very heartily 5 Sempe alwayes Sinne is sweet in the mouth Job speaks of hiding it under the tongue but in the stomacke it is unwholsome and upbraiding David found it so when once it came before him it was ever in his sight as before he said There is no rest in my bones propter pâ—ccatum by reason of my sinne Sometimes he thought how he had sinned against Vriah a faithfull servant in defiling his bed in betraying his life sometimes how he sinned against his own â—oul and body in defiling it with the flesh Sometimes how he had sinned against Joab to make him an instrument of injury against Vriah to defile him also with innocent bloud Sometimes how he abused the good creatures of God to make Uriah drunk how he twice wronged the honorable state of matrimony once desiring to make Vriahs repaire to his house a cover for his sinne and when that failed and Vriah was slain he veiled his sinne with his own marriage of the defiled widow alwayes he thought how he had sinned against God This case of David is a lively peece describing to the life the unrest of an unquiet conscience overcharged with sinne That which Poets feigned of Furies ever disquieting some persons was nothing else as Tully found and applied it but a troubled conscience which hath no peace And we can never attain to peace before we have felt the sting of sinne the rigour of the law the terrour of the Lord the rods and scorpions of an afflicted and unrestful conscience And this will hold till our repentance Gods pardon sealeth our quietus est no company no pleasure no comfort will help this no such sorrow as Animus dolet the minde is sorrowfull VERSE 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 3. HIs confession expresseth where he hath given offence which hath two parts For 1 He accuseth himself 2 He cleareth almighty God 1 In his self-accusation 1 Here is the height of sinne against God Tibisoli c. Against thee onely 2 Here is the boldnesse of his sinne In thy sight In the first here is 1 Ego I the person 2 Peccavi have sinned the trespasse 3 Against thee Pars laesa the party offended 1 Ego I the person This comes in still for it maketh weight alwayes in the confession Some charge the malevolent aspects of their starres some charge Sathan with all their sinne Others have other put-offes to save themselves harmlesse David takes all upon himself his own corruption his own rebell flesh his unregenerate part his old Adam did it Me me adsum qui feci Here here I am that did it I whom thou tookest from following the ewes great with lambe whose sheep-hooke thou hast changed for a Scepter whose sheep for thine own people Israel upon whose head thou hast set a crown of pure gold I whom thou diddest lately invest in the full Monarchie of thy people to whom thou gavest the possession of Ierusalem from the Iebusites I who setled peace Religion and Courts of justice in Ierusalem that thou mightest be served and honoured and I would faine have built thee an house there Ego I to whom God committed the trust of government to rule others the trust of judgement to punish others as King over his inheritance I to whom God committed the care of others souls to guide them by his word to direct them by good counsell to allure them by his gratious promises to terrifie them by his threatnings as the Lords holy Prophet I who both wayes as King and Prophet should have beene an example of holinesse and righteousnesse to all Israel Nathan said Tues homo thou art the
the latter end it will not be a luxation of our bones putting them out of joynt but a breaking literally this must not be understood of the breaking of bones neither the contrary spoken also by David Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him our of them all He keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken for wee know that not onely alive but dead the bones of the Lords servants have beene violated their dead bones lye scattered like chippes of wood at the mouth of the grave By bones the strength of the body the inward strength and vigour of the soule is meant And the conscience of sinne and the terrour of judgement doth breake the heart of a true penitent so long as he beholdeth his sinne deserving his death his judge ready to pronounce the sentence of it hell open to receive him for it and the evill Angels Gods executioners at hand to hurry him to it Here is extremity of anguish even anima doloris dolor animae the soule of sorrow the sorrow of the soule enough to make a man goe weeping all the day long I beseech you lay this example to heart David that walked with an upright heart and the holy Ghost hath testified him unblameable save onely in this matter of Vriah the Hittite Yet see how he afflicteth himselfe for all his other transgressions which were not laid to his charge his conscience forgiveth him nothing No question but David had many infirmities and many other aberrations some upon record yet they were all by his repentance and the favour of God past over yet they upbrayd him now all of them come upon him like a breach of waters with so fierce irruption and so deluging inundation that they steepe him in deepe waters and cover him all over with affliction The reason is as in sinne the fault he that breaketh the least Commandement and repaireth not himselfe by repentance is guilty of the whole law so in transgressions he that repenteth of all the sinnes he hath done and hath his pardon under seale by the next offence is lyable to all the evidence againe of his former sinnes he cancelleth and forfeiteth his pardon for pardon ever bindeth to good behaviour This breakes the bones of David to have all this weight upon him 2 The author of this Thou hast broken God in favour to his children doth afflict them for sinne and the very phrase of breaking his bones though it expresse extremity of misery and paine yet it hath hope in it for broken bones by acunning hand may be set againe and returne to their former use and strength so that a conscience distrest for sinnes is not out of hope yet upon that hope no wise man will adventure upon sinne saying though I am wounded yet I may be healed againe though I am broken I may be repaired for let him consider 1 Who breakes his bones Thou he that made us our bones and put them in their severall places and tyed them together with ligaments and covered them with flesh he that keepeth all our bones from breaking it must be a great matter that must move him to breake the bones of any of us The God of all consolation that comforteth us in all our distresses when he commeth to distresse us this makes affliction weigh heavy It was Iobs vexation The arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God doe set themselves in array against mee He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth mee with bitternesse What greater sorrow can be then to have God in opposition 2 The paine of the affliction exprest so feelingly in the breaking of bones which as is said is the anguish of the soule for sinne and feare of the consuming fire of Gods wrath and the tempest as Iob cals it of anger 3. The paine of setting these bones againe for though bones dislocate may be put in joynt and though bones broken may be set againe yet this is not done without paine and great extremity to the Patient Repentance setteth all our broken pained bones it recovereth the soule from the anguish thereof but hee that once feeleth the smart of a true repentance will say the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season are as hard a bargaine as ever he made and as deare bought they cost teares which are sanguis vulner aticordis the bloud of a wounded heart they cost sighes and grones which cannot be exprest they cost watching fasting taming of the body to bring it in subjection even to the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof Therefore let no man adventure his bones in hope of setting them againe But how did God breake the bones of David here 1 Outwardly by his word sent in the ministerie of Nathan the Prophet for the word and voyce of God is a two edged sword This was all the strength by which Jeremie was sent forth by God on that great businesse over nations and over kingdomes to root out to pull downe and to destroy and to throw downe Behold I have put my words in thy mouth This is the sword of the spirit and though our doctrine drop as the raine gently and easily if we drinke it in and become fruitfull by it yet when our sinnes doe overgrow we shall finde it a sharpe Conlter to rend the fallow grounds of our hearts we shall finde it a rod of iron to breake our soules in pieces and this word runneth very swiftly it is gladius versatilis a sword that turneth every way 2 But it is a dead letter and draweth no bloud till it come to the conscience for so long as it beateth the eare and ayre onely and worketh no further than the understanding there is no great cumber with it as wee see in those who daily heare their swearing and drunkennesse reproved in the house of God and threatned with losse and deprivation of the kingdome of God it worketh not upon them but when Nathan comes home to their consciences tu es homo thou art the man God hath sent mee to thee to charge thee with this sinne and to tell thee hee is angry and is whetting his sword to cut thee off for it this breaketh and shattereth the bones and though our publike ministery doe not descend to such particulars as tu es homo thou art the man and our private reproofes are subject to ill constructiou yet a plaine dealing death bed will roare it in our eares of our inward man Tu es homo thou art the man thou hast lived a blasphemer of the name of God a glutton a drunkard c. This fils the soules of many dying persons with so much bitternesse that when the sorrowes of death are upon them and the judgement of their whole life in sight the conscience of their sinnes doth make their soules much sicker then their bodies One of
of God 3 A wandring unsetled life 4 Terrour of conscience Observe the effect upon himselfe for 1 He repineth at the justice of God for inflicting too much punishment 2 He despaireth of the mercy of God he neither hopeth nor asketh Gods pardon 3 He lookes for retaliation whosoever meeteth me will kill me he holdeth himselfe now no better than a man of death The reason why God declared himselfe so soon so quick so sharp an avenger of murther is because hee is author of life and conserver of it Iob giveth him that title the preserver of men and he cannot beare it that hee taking care of all to preserve their lives men should unsive one the other In the plantation of Paradise he set in the middest of the Garden a tree of life not onely a Sacrament but an instrument of life It was one of his quarrels with the old world For the earth is full of violence because of men Therefore when he renewed the world after the floud hee exprest his care of mans life Surely the bloud of your lives will I require at the hand of every beast will I require it and at the hand of every man and at the hand of every mans brother will I require the life of man Whosoever sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed for in the image of God made he man Cains conscience thought this just when he said whosoever meeteth me wil kill me This was after established for a law whosoever killeth any person the murtherer shall be put to death Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murtherer which is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death he giveth two reasons of this severe law 1 For bloud defileth the land and the land cannot bee cleansed of the bloud that was shed therein but by the bloud of him that shed it The Iewish Doctors interpret this law thus The avenger of bloud cannot pardon wilfull murther because the bloud shed is not the possession of the avenger of bloud i. e. of the Magistrate but it belongeth to God 2 For I the Lord dwell among the children of Israell This agreeth well with their exposition of the Law God taketh this into his owne judicature his peremptory law must stand Salomons doome is A man that doth violence to any mans person to bloud shall flye to the pit let no man stay him God unpriviledgeth him Thou shalt take him from mine Altar that he may dye In overt acts of murther this law is cleare and just There be covert acts as when our hand is not the actor but our instigation and proxie as in Naboths case whom Ahab murthered by a coloured processe and in Davids case here Consent and approbation in the Court of conscience extendeth so farre as drawing in a party as principall So Paul confest that he slew Stephen who saâ—e by and kept the garments of them that stoned him Yet God favoured the lives of such as by misadventure without malice which our law calleth Chance-medly had shed bloud he priviledged Cities of refuge for them to flye unto where they continued till the death of the high Priest then they had liberty Which shewed that involuntary murther needed the expiation of the death of Christ our high Priest For shedding of bloud in our owne defence for preservation of our lives in an assault nature reason religion and the lawes under which we live doe all excuse it Yet there ought to be a tendernesse in us to favour life as much as may be because the law of God is so expresse proximum ut teipsum love thy neighbour as thy selfe but wilfull murther is my Text. Davids fault was no lesse and against the vengeance of that sin he here prayeth For engagements to duels which in point of honour do often inflame great spirits to bloudy executions Let us wisely weigh the matter and we shall finde manifest injurie maintained on one side professed revenge on the other both naught The heinousnesse of this sinne of bloud thus detected in culpa poena in the fault and punishment Our use of this point is 1 A caution ne fiat let it not be 2 A remedy post factum when it is The first I confesse is not in my Text yet seeing how heavy this sinne lay upon the conscience of David we may deduce this use of it knowing the terrour of the Lord to admonish all men to looke to the law non occides thou shalt not kill For these things are written for our learning as the Apostle applyeth the commemoration of the old sinnes of Gods people to them to whom he wrote Not to lust after evill things not to be idolaters not to commit fornication not to tempt Christ not to murmure as they did so we may admonish not to shed bloud as many have done Take heed of murther I may use the words of Gamaliel Lest haply ye be found even to fight against God for it is against God 1 In his law not occides thou shalt not kill 2 In his image for man is so 3 In his Magistrate who beareth not the sword in vaine he weareth it as a defender of thy life and as an avenger of thy bloud 2 For remedy post factum after the sinne committed David was a King and in no danger of temporall lawes to avenge the bloud by him shed and it was carried so cunningly as he appeared not to it But had Zimri peace who slew his Master or had David any peace who slew his servant he repaireth to God by holy devotion and prayer to be delivered from blouds for this bloud had defiled him If bloud doe make the land uncleane in which it is committed it doth much more defile the person guilty of it till it be avenged And surely now we come to the reason why David doth not before pray Lord forgive remit or pardon but wash wash throughly make mee cleane wash me with hysope blot out all my sinnes For bloud defileth it is no ordinary pollution it is a foule steine it will not easily out it is a crimosin a scarlet dye No man can ever wash out that tincture no man can pardon that sinne We may say as our Saviour doth with men this is impossible but with God all things are possible hee must be sought by prayer libera me deliver me The words of Davids petitioâ— libera me Deus deliveâ—â—e O Lord doe shew that David is in durance for this is â—â—x Captivi the voyce of a captive He is in laqueo diaboli in the snare of the divell so the Apostle calleth the guilt of sin and before hee calleth it the condemnation of the divell The divell hath his snares like a cunning fowler as well as his pawes being a roaring Lyon he maketh snares of our owne sinnes to hold us fast and David himselfe saith of God Vpon the wicked
murder destroyeth the body and spilleth the bloud on the earth like water which cannot be gathered up againe Adultery increaseth the world though with an illegitimate issue murder depriveth the world of a legitimate Here adultery defiled a woman but murther lost the state of a faithfull servant Adultery is an act of peccant nature murther is against nature contrary to humanity Sâ—vire in propriam speciem to be cruell against our own kinde is hainous and therfore lay more heavy upon the conscience of the offendor was more offensive to God and man and needed more speciall deprecation 4 Sins are much weighed according to the measure of comfort given to them and therfore such sins as are done upon a sodain temptation be commonly no other then sins of infirmity Satans surprizes and our overtakings Such was Davids adultery for he was idle he walked on the roof of his house Vidit concupivit accersivit convenit c. He saw desired sent for her confers c. caetera quis nescit the rest who knows not But his other sin a deliberate act of study a premeditated mischief seen and allowed Here was fulnesse of malice depth of cunning fairest pretexts of high favour all to palliate a close designed practice against the life of a faithfull servant Sins on the by are often more hainous then the maine sin As here the making Uriah drunke and killing him worse then the adultery So when we have deceived a neighbour in bargaining the maintenance and supportation of our deceit by lying and swearing defileth the conscience more then the first sin Sinnes that come on for the shelter and occultation or for the defence and justification of any sinne weigh twice their own weight because they seem to make sins out of measure sinfull Adultery should have beene declined but being committed it should have been presently repented but when in stead hereof sin is added to sinne that over-measure of iniquity is more then the first transgression Therefore here wanted not cause from the monstrous provoking condition of this sin to put in a speciall caution by prayer against it that it destroy not utterly 5. When David purposed to build an house to God which was before this fall of his God refused his offer Thou hast shed bloud abundantly thou hast made great wars thou shalt not build an house to my name because thou hast shed much bloud upon the earth in my sight If the bloud of lawfull warre shed in the quarrell of God and his Church did foule Davids hands and made them unfit for that work No question but now David doth consider how he hath shed the bloud of warre in peace How he hath defiled his hands with innocent bloud wilfully shed which taketh from man the privilege of Gods Altar And the conscience of this might well stirre him up to this particular request To be delivered from blouds all serveth to admonish us 1 To be very carefull how we do charge our consciences with deliberate sinnes for they cleave fast and they weigh heavy Repentance hath somewhat to doe to put them off So long as wee go no further then the evill wee would not do and commit sin with reluctation and griefe wee are within the verge of mercy But when once wee commit 〈◊〉 with greedinesse and delight and beare out one sinne with another we forget and forsake quae ad pacem what concerns our peace 2 To do our best to preserve the life of our brother It is our bloud that runs in his veins he is caro de carne nostra flesh of our flesh and calls Adam and Eve father and mother as well as we The vexation that David sustained for this sin may discourage any man to have bloudy hands There is no conveyance to hide and conceal it and grace is hardly obtained to pardon it 2 Promittit hee promises And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 1 Quod promittit that hee promises 2 Quid what 1 Quod that This may beare a double construction 1 As a vow Lingua mea my tongue c. 2 As a declaration of the effect of that deliverance desired 1 Votum a Vow These be noble and holy great and good thoughts As Araunah spake like a King to David when he offered him his Floore Oxen c. So David speaks like a King to God when he promiseth to do somwhat for him All receive daily benefits of donation of condonation every one desireth his owne turne served but few think of returning to give thanks as the tenth of the Lepers Many seeke the face of God for such things as they want spirituall or temporall few bethink Ego autem quid Domino What shall I render to the Lord David joyneth Petition and Promise with a conjunction copulative Liberame lingua mea Deliver me and my tongue c. They should not part Beneficium Benefit Officium Duty With us one good turn asketh another and they speake to purpose who when they request do also promise And it is happy for us that we have to do with one that may be entreated to doe us favours and to expect our retribution after Thankfulnesse is a great loser by our times 1 It hath got an ill name for bribes and all gifts either to buy or to corrupt justice are called thankfulnesse 2 It hath not the libertie it had it had wont to be free now forced 3 Onely it hath got place for it had wont to follow a benefit now it commonly goes before it Nothing loseth us the favour of God more then our barrennesse If like the earth wee would bring forth an harvest for the seed sowed in us if like the Sea wee did evaporate If like rivers we did return to our Sea whence we came we might have spem augustiorem a fuller hope but commonly we are sepulchra beneficiorum graves of benefits 2 These words may be understood onely to declare the effect of Gods pardon for the joy of it will set him a singing and the favour of it will set him a worke to magnifie the righteousnesse of God It is Davids owne rule O give thanks to the Lord Let the redeemed of the Lord say so But indeed the Prophet here desireth God to set his instrument in tune that hee may sound his prayse For till God deliver him from the foulnesse of sinne he is unclean and cannot be admitted in chorum into the number of singers God will refuse him as before What hast thou to do to declare it But if God be pleased to remove all his sins then he shall be a fit instrument to sound the prayse of God Therefore Augustine Admonet non ut deponat praedicationem sed ut assumat poenitentiam obedientiam It is not as if he ceased to prayse God but that he takes to himself repentance and obedience Ex bono thesauro bona Good things from a good treasury God looked on Abel and his
the account 2 From this utique dedissem I would have given if we observe what he had given which was sacrifice This expresseth the time in which David lived under the law wherin sacrifices were in season and if we read the law concerning them and the practice of the Church in those times Wee shall see how costly Religion was under the law That law was made and established by God in Moses his time and the precise manner of ordering that service punctually set down yet the law of sacrifices was as old as the World the presse injunction and expresse elucidation of the law was reserved to Moses his time The morall Law is an everlasting law and the ten Commandements were aâ— justly exacted from the beginning as at any time since yet the solemne publique proclaiming of the Law was on Mount Sinai when God gave it to Moses in two tables of his own writing For then God began to establish a full and entire body of a Church in Ecclesiasticall and Morall and Civill government that it might enter so into Canaan For the antiquity of Sacrifices wee read first of them in the story of Cain and Abel For so soon as we reade of their birth in the two first Verses of the fourth Chapter the third and fourth Verses report their Sacrifice which doth not conclude as some would have it that this was a wil-worship of their owne devising approved by God by him after made into a law This were to make man after his fall the authour of this law Rather we conceive that this was a service commanded by God to Adam and by him practised and taught in his Family and so derived to after-times For we reade of Noah when he came out of the Arke that he builded an altar to the Lord and took of every clean beast and of every clean fowle and offered burnt offerings on the altar and the Lord smelled a sweet savour and hee said in his heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake And long before Moses Abraham being commanded by God to offer his sonne built an altaâ— and God sparing his sonne he offered a Ramme for a burnt offering in stead of his sonne Saint Augustine concludes from hence that God commanded this kinde of service for by the light of nature Socrates who was by the Oracle pronounced the most wise oâ— all men then living did affirme Unumquemque Deum sic coli oportere quomodo se ipse colendum esse praeceperit Every God is so to be worshipped as he himself hath commanded For Every man is brâ—tish by his knowledge and the Apostle saith They that are in the flesh cannot please God For it is written I will destroy the wisdome of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent Flesh and bloud cannot reveale to us the mystery of Gods worship Ye shall not do every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes concerning the worship of God but he directeth it and so it must be The use and intention of Sacrifices declareth this for they were 1 Either for pacification of God provoked against us for sin 2 Or for testification of our faith in the Mossiah promised of whom these Sacrifices were a figure 3 Or for expression of our thankfull duty to God for his favours All which declare the Commandement of God and not the wit or will of man to have devised and established this manner of service But that which doth conclude the point against all contradiction is Gods declaring of himself by his law after established to approve this service and to command it to posterity by so particular and precise injunction for this cleareth it to us that he was not the approver onely out the author of this service And indeed seeing that there was no use of the bodies of beasts or fowles before the flood for food no flesh being then eaten and the fruits of the earth susteining the life of man The use of them for sacrifice was convenient for those times and God was gracious in his accepting of them to that use though he needed them not It is no improbable opinion of them who think that after God had given his judgement upon our first parents and reveiled Christ to them that they offered to him a sacrifice of cleane beasts in token of their thankfulnesse and in purpose and with vow and promise of future obedience and that God clothed their nakednesse with the skins of their sacrifices In the whole time before the floud the Comandement was easie for sacrifices because there was little other use of the bodies of these creatures But when the law of Ceremonies was established in Moses his time the cattle of the people were a great part of their wealth and then it grew very costly to serve the Lord so There were sacrifices of course as the Juge sacrificium which spent two Lambes a day constantly one in the morning the other in the evening There were burnt offerings which were all consumed by fire upon the Altar adreverentiam majestatis in reverence of Gods majesty There were sin-offerings for propitiation There were peace-offerings for reconciliation and thanksgiving David in respect of his duty to God and offence committed against God should have offered all these sacrifices and hee protesteth a willingnesse to give them Else would I have given thee Especially now at last having obtained peace with God hee ought to have exprest his thankfull duty to God in a peace-offering which he was willing to have done Let me onely observe in this passage how costly the Religion of those times was under the Law The common charge of the Sanctuary the maintenance of the house of God with all things necessary for Gods service The maintenance of the persons employed in the speciall ministery in holy things The cost of sacrifices of all sorts the labour and cost of journey to the solemne Feasts Every private persons necessary sacrifices and oblations upon particular occasions amount to a very great charge which yet was imposed by God and born by the people We live in times of much more outward ease of body much lesse charge of the purse Wee have houses of our God ready built to our hands the supportation of them is esteemed a burthen Our father 's set out competent maintenance for the Ministerie our brethren have weighed it and found it too heavy for us It is the vicissitude of times one age gathered stones together another scattered them The Church was complained of to devoure the Common-wealth The Common-wealth hath made it selfe amends Wee have no cause to complaine of the cost of our Religion But such as are faithfull in it are of Davids minde that if God desired their goods their labours their bloud their lives in sacrifice they would give all to him who is all in all You see the aime of my observation from Davids words If thou desiredst
and brought him no presents They are called men of Belial i. sine jugo without a yoke But of Moab it is said when David had subdued them and they came under his yoke The Moabites became Davids servants an◠brought gifts In the short story of the old World little is recorded of the acts of those persons who lived then Yet this is of the two first brethren before any Law exprest for it In processe of time it came to passe that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought of the first-lings of his flocke and of the fat therof No question instructed by Adam and by him exampled to it and seasoned with that axiome of nature that God must have gifts from us Aristotle that great Naturalist doth maintaine that gifts are of good use for conservation of friendship Every good and perfect gift commeth to us from God Thankfull gifts returned from us to him conserve his friendship The Athenians who worshipped an unknowne God yet had an altar in the street for oblations and sacrifices to be offered to him Not David onely saith Quid retribuam Domino What shall I render unto the Lord But the people who had perverted their wayes by many revolts from God do bethink themselves Wherwith shall I come before the Lord and bow my selfe before the high God Here is not care taken how to shift the charge and to doe it as cheape as may be Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings with calves of a yeare old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oile Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soule Here are gratulatory and propitiatory and expiatory sacrifices studied to remunerate and to reconcile God It is true that God hath no need of us or our gifts If he were hungry hee would not make his moan to us Yet these tenders of our thankfull duty to him doe acknowledge our love and humble subjection to his government and confesse him Lord of all that we possesse and stoop all that we have to his power and will How glad are wee when our Prince will receive graciously any such present as wee are able to bring him More should it concern us in duty to present our God with our gifts and more cause have we of joy if hee doe accept our persons in them And seeing wee cannot adde any thing to him by any present that we can tender to him for our wel-doing extendeth not to him yet wee may at second hand do him honour in his house by adorning that in his Saints by feeding their hunger clothing their nakednesse healing their sicknesse And with such sacrifices God is well pleased Now that wee have seen in Davids overture what is the most acceptable tender wee can make to God and that a broken spirit and a contrite heart are called the sacrifices of God Wee behold the absolute necessity of these Sacrifices For God must have his due And they be no better then sonnes of Belial that deny him his due herein If wee fall short herein God will lay Felony to our charge You have robbed mee Will a man rob God but ye say wherin have wee robbed thee in tithes and offerings Ye are cursed with a curse for yee have robbed me even this whole Nation God requireth of you broken spirits and contrite hearts and you with-hold them from him You will not endure the smart and paine of contrition The losse of your vain fancies and imaginations The crossing of your sensuall and carnall delights and desires the disquieting of the body of sinne your separation from the World The mortification of your earthly mēhers the crucifying of your old man The bringing of your body into subjection Caro sanguis flesh and bloud cry Durus est hic sermo It is an hard saying And when God demandeth all we have of us as Benhadad of Aram did of Ahab King of Israel wee put him off with this answer This thing I may not do But remember the necessity of this Sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart For these are Sacrifices to God such as God exacteth of all and without which there is no appearing in his presence Let no man appeare before me empty is his Law and we have no fulnesse but in this Sacrifice How unkindly doe wee take it at the hands of God when we cry unto him and he heareth us not at least as one that did not vouchsafe us the hearing hee doth not grant our requests Yet hee may say of every one of us of some twenty of some forty of others sixty yeers long and more have I been grieved with this generation That is the shame and it threatneth to be the sorrow of our unthankfull Land God hath not his due amongst us though he give us rain and fruitfull seasons Corne and Wine and Oile all the necessaries of life Wee give him not the sacrifices of our broken spirits and contrite hearts which are the sacrifices of God We come off liberally to men to purchase their favour and mediation in our suits and bribes given to men have robbed God of the Sacrifices due to him Let us lay it to heart I reade of the Sybarites a people effeminate and vaine in their sensuall delights that they had a prophecy that their City should subsist till their gods were in lesse estimation then men It fell out that a slave obtaining no mercy at the hands of his Master for the gods take fled to the monument of his Masters Ancestors and for their sakes implored and obtained pardon When Amyris a Philosopher living there heard of this that men were more regarded then their gods hee looked for a ruine to come upon the City fled away from it Shortly after the Crotonians their adversaries subdued them and fulfilled that Prophecy Wee may take home this example to our times and apply it to those with whom God is neglected and men regarded more then God Their voluptuous and Sybariticall life hath opened a way to the indignation of God And they have no way to helpe it but with a full Sacrifice of broken spirits and contrite hearts We need not with the fearfull Philosopher quit our Country forsake our habitations let us remove our crying sins by which God is dishonoured and there will be peace within our walls and prosperity within our Palaces And the eyes of them that desire to see us in the dust shall faile and the ruines of our hearts shall repaire the ruines of our temporall Felicitie 2 This title expresseth the excellency of these Sacrifices they be Sacrifices of God For there be Sacrificia stultorum the Sacrifices of Fooles Be more neere to heare then to offer the Sacrifice of fools they know not that they do evill Cains was not the Sacrifice of God
for this life no â—arther then panâ—m quotidianum our daily bread And there is enough to suffice nature in the world without any mans want And our sentence in Adam was Vesâ—â—r is paâ—e thou shalt eate thy bread c. The sonne of Iakeâ— Give me not riches feed me with food convenient for mâ— This limitation may destroy in us all these corruptions of distrust of covetousnesse of pride of envie For that feare which undoeth charitie lest God should abate from us to supply the want of others we have great examples oâ— his â—ulnesse The poore widow payed her debt with oyle she was relieved and no body the worse for it Christ payed his tribute and no body had the lesse he sent to sea to a fish and had it He improved a short provision â—o the suffisance of many We need not feare to pray one for another God is rich to all that call upon him 2 Secondly we are here taught to pray God for the state of his Church she is our mother let us seeke her peace Here we were new borne of water and the holy Ghost At her breasts we sucke the sincere milke of the Word of God she feedeth us with strong meat and feasteth us with the body and bloud of our Redeemer We have great cause to ply God with our devoutest supplications and to give him no rest for his Church for his Lillie is ever among thornes And his Church complaineth Circâ—ndederunt me tanquam apes They have compassed me about like Bees Strepitus a noyse and stimulus a sting We see the bow of God bent against our brethren in other Lands we see the enemie prevaile and insult What are we or how have we setled the favour of God upon us that we should be spared in the day of his wrath or that a Passeover of mercie should skip our Cities and townes and houses We may in the inventorie of our sinnes reade our danger better then we can discerne an issue out of it in the course that we runne Let our prayers comfort the sorrows of the Church and establish our comfort And let our teares runne downe like a river day and night and let not the apple of our eye cease Let us poure forth our hearts like water before the face of the Lord and lift up our hands towards him for his favour to his poore distressed Church God seeth the corne yellow and ready for the sickle the day of the Lord is at hand it was hor a novissima the last houre in Saint Johns time now the last minute of that houâ—e approacheth he is comming to judge the world in righteousnesse And judgement beginneth at his owne house Turne thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned renew our dayes as of old 3 The petition Do good Do good O Lord to the good and to them that are upright in their hearts Deale favourablie or bounteously Benignefac Do good Lâ—rgam benedictionem impende Bestow a great blessing Which may be done 1 Peccata diâ—â—ttendâ— by forgiving of sinnes 2 Graciam conferendo by giving of grace And this is the summe of Davids whole supplication for himselfe he knows that all the members of the Church have need of this favour The petition in the letter hath respect to Sion and Ierusalem and desireth the bountie of God to them For God hath promised to receive an house there builded to his name and to establish his holy Arke there the visible Sacrament of his reall presence This was also after performed and not onely the outward peace and strength and plentie and honour of Ierusalem is here desired but the establishing also of the holy worship of God and the seats of justice as after This is good for Ierusalem for any state when Religion and justice are cherished But this is not all he looketh prophetically into the state of the universall Church to the worlds end and prayeth for the welfare of it That God would do it good that he would be favourable to it in his bountie It is a short prayer Subita ejaculatio a sudden ejaculation but it is full of content for it may comprehend summam petendorum the summe of thing to be prayed for It is the Lord prayer in little for wherein may we desire or God shew us favour which may not be comprehended in this petition Do good Every good and perfect gift cometh from this Father of lights to whom David saith Thou art good and thou doest good This request of David Benefac do good doth begge the favour of God to Ierusalem For it is not peace nor strength nor plentie nor honour nor victory over enemies that can make a state happy except God be pleased to turne all these in bonum to good Therefore they have fared better that have fed on green herbs then they that have had their share of a stalled oxe Daniel thrived better of his pulse then others â—ed from the Kings trencher Riches have beene given to the owners of them for hurt The prosperitie of fooles destroyeth them Many carefull parents gather wealth for their children which proves their ruine therefore our prayer in all things must be Benefac c. Do good For neither prosperity shall corrupt our faith nor adversitie our patience If God do us good we shall finde as David Bonum est mihime affâ—igi It is good for me to be afflicted 4 The limitation of the petition In thy good pleasure We must take â—eed in all ouâ— suits to God that we submit our selves to the holy will of God And that we confine our desires to his good pleasure Not like unto Israel who turned backe and tempted God and limited the holy One of Israel God is many wayes limited by us in our petitions 1 If we â—â—â—â— his power by our infidelitie doubting whether he can performe to us what we desire As Israel Can God furnish a table in the wildernesse They remembred â—â—â— his hand 2 If we limit his goodnesse and mercy doubting whether he will do us good which is a great wrong to him from us after our full experience of his loving kindnesse to David was perplexed Hath God forgotten to be gracious â—â— his mercy cleane gone for evermore But he recovered and calleth this his own infirmity and remembred the yeares of Gods right hand 3 For the kinde of favour we may limit God if we hold him to this speciall favour and leave him not to his owne wisedome to do us good in what kinde he pleaseth The Lord hath copiosam redemptionem plentifull redemption and he will either give quod petimus what we aske or quod novit utilius what he knows to be more profitable Christ Take this cup from me but with reservation of the libertie of his Father Si vis If thou wilt 4 For the quantity of favour we limit God when we appoint him in what measure he shal relieve uâ— and how much good he
mention of a Church in Abel we have Cain to murder him Before Isaak wee have Ishmael to scorn and persecute him Iacob wrastleth with Esau before he is borne in the wombe and Esau ever hated Jacob in their posterity When Israel was established a visible Church in Iacobs Family a famine sent them into Egypt where after a few yeares their City of refuge proved their house of bondage God delivered them and sent them home to their own Land they had many enemies in the way and when they came home their sword cuttl em out â—ooâ—e for habitation and under their Iudges and Kingâ— their Chronicles are full of names When the Christian Church began in the revelation of Christ â—he â—nnocent infants were the first sacrifice offered by the sword of â—erâ—d Christ himselfe pursued to death to the Crosse His Disciples Apostles and Confessours suffered in the ten bloudy Persecutions Then began rents in the Church and Heresie grew as cumbersome and busie and cruell as in fidelity The Arian Persecution brake down the walls of Jerusalem And then in the Waine of the Empire The Turke arose in the East to the great terrour of Christs little flocke This Church of ours which hath like the fleece of Gedeon been watered when all the floore about it was dry standeth now like a Lily amongst thornes We have great cause to pray for good and strong wals for our Ierusalem wals of Gods own building left the arrows of our enemies stick fast in our flesh and their swords drinke our bloud Yet it is well for us that wee know who can build the walls of the Church strongly and fortifie it against the gates of Hell For the gods of the Heathen are but Idols there is no helpe in them their eyes see not their eares heare not their hands help not Let us but recover our God by repentance redeeme his favour with a sacrifice of broken and contâ—ire spirits and he will build up our walls and repaire our â—uines and fortifie our desolate places Our Fathers in the darknesse of Popery had this strong beliefe that the Church and State was more strengthened by zealous and devout prayers then by all other provisions for offence and that was the motive that advanced so many Religious Houses and setled upon them so faire and plenteous revenues that they might have many at continuall leasure to be alwayes praying for them It was great pity that their holy zeale had not some equal proportion of knowledge for in their way they were devout and before the pestilent Incendiaries of the Church came up who turned Religion into Policie and Zeale into Fury I doubt not but God had many faithfull and true soules in the Church of Rome full of his love jealâ—us of his honour whose holy devotion kept up the walls of Ierusalem and prospered all the works of their hands 2 Observe the petitions of David Doe good to Sion Build up the walls of Ierusalem he doth pray for defence of his Church against enemies hee doth not pray that God would turn all their Sythes into Swords and strengthen them to an offensive warre Though David were a Sword-man and had laâ—ely recovered Sion by his sword by the Jebusite he prayeth not for warre and strength to pluck down the walls of other Cities But that God would build up the wals of his own God is called the God of peace and though hee be daily provoked by the bold sins of men to draw his sword hee is loth to strike he would have us like himself to be very jealous how we undertake an offensive warre let Religion and Policie joyn in advise before a Sword be drawne against any neighbour state that wee may have God to Friend that we may say The Lord of hâ—asts is with us For then there are more with us then against us still these two Iudges of the quarrell have determined the justice of warre let us hold our hands For iâ— Princes engage their Subjects in unlawfull warres all the bloud spilt on their sides is put upon their account but this petition of David is ever safe VERSE 19. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousnesse with burnt-offering and whole burnt-offering then shall they offer Bullocks upon thine Altar HEre is the successe of David suit obtained For if God will be pleased to declare himselfe the Patron and Protector of his Church to do it good and to sence it against the enemy Then followeth a double event 1 In David and the people For they will apply themselves to the worship of God 2 In God he will accept of their service 1 For David and the people They do not set God a price of their service as if he must bay it of them by doing them good and building their walls But hee sheweth what good use the faithfull servants of God will make of his favours they will use them as motives to his free service They shall enjoy peace and prosperity and good leasure Nature teacheth this retribution the shepheard Ille meos errare boves ut cernis My wandring oxen as you see c. And how may this be considered Namque erit ille mihi semper Deus illius aram c. He is my God his Altar I le frequent In time of peace and prosperity and in the cleare light of heavenly knowledge God declareth himselfe most clearly and deserveth the worship of his servants most apparantly and Deus nobis haec otia fecit these times of rest our God vouchsafes There is the season for it But we have God complaining often of the contrary For the prosperity of Fooles destroyeth them and wee are never more wanton and carelesse of Gods service then when he feedeth us fattest and doth us most good But Ieshurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxed fat thou art growne thick thou art covered with fatnes then he forsook God that made him and lightly esteemed the rocke of his salvation Too much compost doth make the ground ranke and full of weeds This did God foresee and gave them great warning oâ—it In the former Chapter When I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their Fathers which floweth with milke and hony and they shall have eaten and filled themselves and waxen fat then will they turne unto other Gods and serve them and provoke me and break my Covenant And they did so and it cost them deare a deportation for 70 yeeres into Babylon After the returne the Levites in their confession acknowledge so much to justifie Gods severe proceeding against them and to cast all the blame upon themselves And they took strong Cities and a fat Land and possessed housesfull of all goods wels Olives Vineyards fruit-trees So they did eat and were filled and became fat But they were disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy Laew behind their backs This commeth generally of fulnesse it is the sin
he shall raigne snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest 1 Snares to hold them then if they be not delivered follow fire and brimstone and they cannot escape This is the case of a sinner if he repent not if God pardon not hee is in the snare of Sathans temptation he is in the snare of divine vengeance let him therefore cry aloud for his deliverance that he may have his feet in a large roome The wicked lay snares for the righteous but God either preventeth them that their soules ever escape them or else he subventeth them The snares are broken and we are delivered No snares hold us so fast as those of our owne sinnes they keepe downe our heads and stoope us that wee cannot looke up a very little ease they are to him that hath not a seared conscience 2 A quo petit from whom he askes Christ directeth us to say Pater noster qui es in coelis Our Father which art in heaven libera nos à malo deliver us from evill David directeth his prayer to God the God of his salvation This prayer is like to speed 1 Oratio plana an open prayer It is confession and prayer for in that he prayeth to be delivered from bloud-guiltinesse he pleadeth guilty to the evidence of bloud Confession hath a great efficacie to induce mercy prayer of great force to obtaine it Here they are in composition and they shew that the two punishments of sinne shame and feare are upon him Confession sheweth his shame prayer sheweth his feare of Gods anger and just vengeance so it is oratio plana an open prayer 2 Legitima lawfull It is an honest lawfull request his soule is Gods for he saith all soules are mine hee desireth deliverance of their soule 3 Plena full He desireth two things herein to be delivered from the sinne of bloud ne relabatur lest he relapse into it from the vengeance due to that sinne ne corruat lest he perish by it so it is oratio plena 4 Recta right Hee knowes that this is a sinne which none but God can pardon he hath not left the dispensation of pardon of this sinne to any subordinate Magistrate on earth he hath deputed under him an avenger of bloud no pardoner therefore he directeth this prayer onely to God so it is oratio recta it goes the right way as he saith I will direct my prayer to God and will looke up 5 Fidelis faithfull It is full of confidence for he calleth God to whom he addresseth himself the God of his salvation My Saviour my King my God challenging a propriety and interest in him so it is oratio fidelis 6 Fervens earnest It is full of zeale and holy earnestnesse and importunitie as appeareth in the â—ngemination here used O God he resumeth it and taketh better hold of him Thou God of my salvation 1 O God is a good invocation for hee heareth prayers 2 Yet to distinguish him from all false Gods hee is so particular as to single him from all other thou God 3 And to magnifie him and to reenforce his Petition he calleth him Deum salutis the God of Salvation which expresseth him able to deliver him for it is his nature and his love and his glory to be a preserver of men 4 And to bring home this joy and comfort into his own heart he addeth salutis meae of my salvation So it is oratio fervens and the Apostle telleth us that such a prayer prevaileth much with God For God may be a Saviour and a deliverer and yet we may escape his saving hand his right hand may skip us Wee can have no comfort in the favours of God except we can apply them at home rather we may thinke on God and be troubled I finde that in David himselfe My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so farre from helping me and from the words of my roaring 2 O God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent This would never have troubled him if he had seene that all had fared alike if he had heard none complaine but it followeth Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted in thee and thou diddest deliver them They cryed unto thee and were delivered But I am a worme and no man despised c. His enemies upbraided him he trusted in the Lord that he would deliver Let him deliver him c. But a stedfast faith laying hold on God as my salvation the decreer the worker the giver of my salvation that armeth me against all the malice of the world against all the sinnes of my soule against all the divels of hell Why art thou so sad c. Confidam in Domino ipse mihi salus I will trust in the Lord he is my salvation But here is a Quaere why David doth in particular desire to be delivered from the sinne of bloud and mentioneth not his great sinne of adultery for which hee did commit that murder That that sin was the fulnes and height of his transgression as the Apostle saith when sin is finished it bringeth forth death so that is the comprehension of the whole transgression If he be freed from that he is câ—â—ere of all When Judas made confession of his sinne hee saith no more but I have finned in betraying innocent bloud that passeth for a full confession yet he sinned in covetousnes also for so one of our Ancients saith Auaritia Christum vendidit Covetousnesse sold Christ yet because his treason was the finishing and full growth and stature of his sin that comprehendeth all the rest The word blouds here used is by Saint Augustine Saint Gregory and others interpreted according to the frequent use of Scripture to contain our whole naturall corruption In multis sanguinibus tanquam in origine peccati multa peccata intelligi voluit In many blouds as in the originall of sin hee would have understood many sins Ad peccata respiciens looking to his sinnes plus dicit he saith more Caro sanguis non possidebunt regnum Dei Flesh and bloud shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Refert ad Vriae caedem referri dicit ad omnia ejus peccata mortaâ—iâ— Hee hath reference to the murder of Uriah and saith that all his mortall sinnes are to be referred to it So Saint Gregory and after them Master Calvine Both Davids sins were sins of hot bloud First bloud enflamed with lust Secondly bloud enflamed with anger and revenge Here was the right bloud of lawfull marriage extinct by murder a propagation of illegitimate bloud added by adultery Uxor a wife became mulier ahenea a brazen-fac'd woman a shamefull and hatefull title So both sins here contained 3 The greater sin is here named for murder is a more hainous sinne then adultery Adultery defileth the body that may be thoroughly washed and made clean but