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A12996
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A treatise on the First Psalme. By Mathew Stonham. Minister and preacher in the cittie of Norwich
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Stoneham, Mathew.
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1610
(1610)
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STC 23289; ESTC S117850
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168,319
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238
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it is farre other-wise hee knoweth not what repentance meaneth Hee may say of repentance the worke of the Holy-Ghost as those Disciples of Ephesus sayd of the Holy-Ghost him-selfe that they had not so much as heard whither there were an Holy-Ghost or no. They know well Act. 19. 2. what belongeth to the returning vnto sinne but are wholy ignorant of that which concerneth the turning away from sinne Therefore these actions of the wicked Oh how can they prosper Yea alasse how can they bee but defaced disprospered In them is rather to bee found bitternesse then sweetnesse disprofit then profit as may appeare vnto vs by a summary view of these particulars Arguments that they cannot prosper The first is that the Vice of the wicked by the continuall practise of it hardeneth the heart of him that practiseth it Hence it is that they which would bee called though they deserue it not the Children of Abraham become as stones hardened as Matth. 3. 9. we read of stones whome God is able to raise vp that they may bee the Children of Abraham This maketh the fleshy tables of their Exod. 34. â— hearts to be as the tables of stone in which were grauen not the sweet comforts of the Gospell but the affrightfull terrors of the Lawe It maketh the ground of their heart to become as stony ground which causeth the seed of the word Matth. 13. 5. 6. sowne thereon to parch and wither A stony heart which being throughly hardened by the custome of sinne prooueth more impenetrable then the stony rock in the wildernesse because the Rodde of Moyses smiting this rocke so mollyfied the stifnesse thereof as it became as a liuing Fountaine to yeeld water to the thirsty Israelites but not the Rodde of Moyses but the Scepter of God himselfe Exod. 17. 6. smiting not once but often not on the stony Rocke of Horeb but on the rockie stone of our hearts is so farre from mollifying it as it rather prooueth like the Adamant of which some say that the more it is beaten vpon it is still more and more hardened The second point whereby the bitternesse and disprofit of the wicked which commeth by the actions of their vices may appeare vnto vs is the guilt and galling of Conscience which continually recordeth and suggesteth vnto them their sinne committed Gods lawe violated his Maiesty offended punishment deserued c. And are in the soule as Antiochus wormes were in his bowels continually gnawing The Whippe with which CHRIST draue the buyers and sellers out of the Temple was but for a Iohn 2. 15. time but the scourge of a bad conscience is vncessant perpetuall yet hidden and secret Occultum quatienti animo tortore flagellum Iuuenal The Tormenter shaking an hidden whippe in the soule of the tormented This is a dampe that putteth out all the light and a pang which taketh away all the delight of the wicked so that their vicious actions cannot prosper The third point whereby the bitternesse and disprofit of the wicked which commeth by their actions of vices may appeare vnto vs is the Angering of GOD thereby Sinnes be the cause of Gods anger because they bee the only Vanities which prouoake him to anger An anger which because sin is both the fuell the bellows of it shal burne euen to the hottome of hell and sâ—all consume the earth with her increase and will set on fire the foundation of the mountaines Deut. 3 2. 21. It is much to consume the earth and the increase of it more to set on fire the foundations of the mountaines most of all to burne to the bottome of hell As there is a depth of Gods Wisedom so is there of his Wrath which descendeth from the surface of the earth to the foundations of the Mountaines and from the foundations of the Mountaines to the bottome of hell a Wrath which in the 42. verse of that Chapter is called by the name of Arrowes and a sword of Arrowes which kill eminus a farre off and of a sword which woundeth cominus neare hand These Arrowes are not ordinary Arrowes but Arrowes which are made drunke with blood This Sword not a sword Ibid. of common vse but a Sword which shall eate flesh Seeing then the vicious actions of the wicked doe prouoke such and so great a Lord to such and so great an anger though it bee said of the Godly that whatsoeuer they shall doe shall prosper yet The wicked are not so Tâ—e fourth point whereby the bitternesse and disprofit of the wicked which commeth by their vicious actions may appeare vnto vs is that they are no true possessors but vsurpâ—rs of the outward blessings of this life for they of right and due claime belong onely to the godly as the blessed Apostle witnesseth speaking of and to the Saints All things are yours which generall title he after openeth by the particular members of it not onely Paul or Apollâ—s or Cephas or life or death or things present or things to come but euen also the world it selfe The wicked then 1. Câ—rin 3 21 22. 2. Câ—rin 4. 4. may bee said to bee Lords of the World as the Deuill to bee God of the world by forged Euidence Intrusion vsurpation Therefore as in a possession euilly gotten vniustly holden with the Godly they cannot bee prospered The wicked are not so The fifth point whereby the bitternesse and the disprofit of the wicked which commeth by their vicâ—ous actions may appeare vnto vs is that they shutt them out of Gods kingdome for whereas there is a blessednesse for them which doe Gods Commandements by entering in through the gates into the Citty the wicked which are as Apoc. 22. 14. 15. Dogges and Enchanters and Whore-mongers and murtherers and Idolaters and whosoeuer loueth and maketh lyes shall stand with-out Apocal. 22. 15. Therefore the wicked are not so The sixt point whereby the bitternesse and disprofit of the wicked which commeth by their actions of vices may appeare vnto vs is that they Presse them downe without repentance to hell A notable testimony concerning which point is set downe Esay 5. 14. In the former part of which chapter the Prophet hauing set downe not onely the barrennesse of the wicked to good but their proâ—enesse yea greedinesse to euill as their oppression which caused a crye among the people vers 7. couetousnesse in ioyning house to house and field to field till there be no more place but that they may bee placed alone in the middest of the earth vers 8. drunkennesse which men rose vp early to follow and continued at it till night vntill the Wine did inflame them vers 11. In vers 13. denounceth hee a temporall punishment against them consisting of Captiuity Shame and Famine But vers 14 commeth hee to the most heauie and insupportable spirituall iudgement it selfe that therefore that is for the cause of these vicious actions Hell hath first enlarged her selfe within Secondly
face of the earth yet yeeldeth shee her fruite in Grapes her Grapes in clusters and her clusters iu aboundance of plenty So is it with Man this misticall Tree whâ— the higher he is the more dangerfull hee is and the lesse fruitfull First he is the more dangerfull Locaquae aliis celsa ipsis praeupta videntur saith Seneca Those places which seeme Seneca to be stately vnto others are steepe vnto themselues they lay open vnto the contrary windes of alterations to the blasting lightnings of disaster aspects if they be subiects of their soueraignes if they be soucraignes yet of GOD who is the great Monarche and soueraigne of the world at the barre of whose tribunall they stand euer arreigned many of them as Pharaoh Antiochus Belshazzar Herod c. haue beene as with a flash of lightening both very suddenly and fearefully punished and confounded Who sit on their chaires of estate as sometime Damocles did on the throne of Dionysius hauing not one but many swords hanging ouer them a sword of Enuie from their equalls in forreigne states a sword of mutinies and insurrestions from their inferiors of poysnings from their feigned friends in their owne territories and of murtherings from their open enemies both forreigne and domestick It is an excellent saying of Hugo Victorinus Quatuor sunt quae trahunt Hâ—gâ—Victorinus elationis currum c. Foure things there bee which draw the chariot of Aduancement Desire of rule Loue of our owne praise Contempt Disobedience the wheeles of this Chariot are first Boasting of minde secondly Arrogancy thirdly Gloriousnesse of speech fourthly Leuity or lightnesse The driuer of this Chariot is the spirit of pride They who are borne therein are Louers of this world But farre from security is both this Chariot and they which are borne in it because as the same Author speaketh the horses are vnbrideled the wheeles easily turned the driuer froward and they but weak who are borne in it And therfore if the Chariot shal be ouerturned must needs bee the more grieuously bruised and more easily oppressed High places may be compared to the Cantharides whose outward shew is glorious but their inward working poysonous like a Tree which the higher it is the more danger it hath Secondly Man this misticall Tree the higher he is the lesse fruitfull as Trees vse to bee An high place vnlesse grace doth alter it occasioneth an high minde and an high minde is like an high Mountaine which the higher it is is also the barrener Saint Gregory saith Greg. in morall Radix cuncti mali et regina omnium vitiorum superbia Pride is the roote of all Euill and the Queene of all Vices How can a man then gather Grapes of this Thorne or Figges of this Thistle It is not possible It may also appeare vnto vs that man in regard of the state thereof is like vnto a Tree because as a Tree the lower he is the lesse dangerfull he is and the more fruitfull First hee is lesse dangerfull because hee is not subiect to Chaunges to Dis-fauours to Enuy to Insurrections Poysonings Murtherings as to so many seuerall raging wiâ—des blastings lightnings fearefull thunderbolts for as much as hee with little Dauid sitteth at home tending it may bee The Ewes great with young ones when his elder and stronger bretheren are mustred to maâ—ch vnder Sauls coullours against the Philistines 1 Sam. 17. The smaller the markeâ— the more hardly it is hitte But the greater the more easily it is pierced The smaller frye may escape the net when the greater fishes shall be entangled and needes must hee bee safe whose Lord Protector the Lord of hoastes becommeth by whose grace and blessing it commeth to passe that when the Bowe and the mighty are broken then the weake and humble gird them-selues with strength 1 Sam. 2. 4. And though the Lordes adueâ—saries bee proud like vnto them whome the Lord professeth That hee will resist 1 Pet. 5. 5. Yet shall they be destroied and out of Heauen shall the LORD thunder vppon them 1. Sam 2. 10. VVhile hee on the other side rayseth the poore out of the dust and lifteth the begger from the dung-hill to sette them among Princes and to make them inherit the seate of 1 Sam. 2. 〈◊〉 glory To which end also Iudith the humble hand-maid of the Lord faith Thou O Lord art the helpe of the humble and of litle Ones and a defonder of the weake and a protector of them that are for-saken and the Saviour of them which are Iudg. 911. without helpe Like a Tree the lower the safer Secondly Man this misticall Tree the lower hee is the more fruitfull therein not vnlike to the Vallies Humility is not onely the foundation of our Righteousnesse S. Chrysoft as S. Crysost writeth but of our Religion which according to the testimony of blessed Iames If it bee pure and vndefiled before GOD euen our Father visiteth the fatherlesse and Widowes in their aduersities and causeth a man to keepe him-selfe vnspotted of the Worlde I am 1. 27. By consequence wherof it may appeare that none can sincerely haue eyther true Purity in him-selfe in keeping himselfe vnspotted of the Worlde or true Charity toward other in visiting the fatherlesse and widowes vnlesse hee bee religious which true Religion man cannot haue without Humility Humility therefore it is the ground-worke of euery good worke like a Tree the lower the fruitfuller The fourth and last thing wherein Man may be likened to a Tree is the end of a Tree The end of a Tree is eyther to become when it is cutte downe timber for building â—t fuell for burning So Man this Misticall Tree being cutte downe by the axe of death becommeth eyther as an holy Timber to bee built in the Heauenly Ierusalem a member of that Spirituall house mentioned 1. Pet. 2. 5. Wherein our building in Heauen shall not bee like vnto that building vppe to Heauen as it was intended Gene. 11. 4. That proued but a Babell a matter of confusion as in the same chapter is manifest but so shall this building 2. Coâ—in 5. 1. bee reared vppe in Heauen As it shall become aâ—ernall A building where the Stone shall not crye out of the wall and the beame out of the tymber shall answere it VVoe bee vnto him which buildeth a Towne with bloud and erecteth a Cittye by iniquitie Abacu 2. 11. 12. But shall sing like the Seraphins one to another holy holy holy is the Lord of hoastes the whole world is full of his glory Esay 6. 2. As Math. 21. 12. We read of an house of prayer so shall we then be in an house of praise Furthermore Man this misticall Tree beeing cutte downe by the Axe of Death otherwise becommeth as fuell for the fire but for what fire Not for The fire Materiall which when matter fayleth forth-with goeth out but for Fire Alasse Immateriall Infernall Vnquenchable Math. 3. 12. which goeth not out