Ely and the wrath of God was kindled against him for the iniquitie of his sonnes which he saw in them and staied them not and so honoured them aboue the Lord. When Nebuchadnezzar d Dan. 4.30 31. vaunted vaine gloriously of that great Babel which he had built by the might of his power and to the honour of his Maiestie how was he debased his kingdome was taken from him he was driuen from amongst men and sent to grasse with the beasts of the field for seuen yeares space vntill he was made to know that the most high God ruleth in the kingdome of men And lastly remember Gods hand on Herod e Acts 12.22 23. who taking to himselfe the glory which was due vnto the Lord when the people applauded his eloquent oration was immediatly smitten by the Angell of God and was eaten vp of wormes and so gaue vp the Ghost f 1 Cor. 10.11 Now all these things happened vnto them for ensamples vnto vs and they are written for our admonition vpon whom the ends of the world are come to the intent that we should not doe as they haue done lest g 1 Sam. 2.30 despising him we be despised as they were Let these things be laid to heart and kindly worke vpon vs so as that whatsoeuer we are we may be it h Rom. 11.36 A loue principium Virg. Eglog 3. In him through him and for him Begin all your workes in God and end in God yea dedicate your selues vnto him No Tradesman can endure to haue any of his chiefe tooles which he hath made or wherewith he worketh vsed to a wrong end Man is one of Gods chiefe instruments whom he hath made for his owne honour and therefore cannot endure that he or any of his members should be instruments of wickednesse to his dishonour And let all good Christians take heed lest they doe any thing which may cause God or his Gospell to be blasphemed The lewd life of one professor doth more harme and tends more to Gods dishonour than the lewd life of an hundred Atheists as daily experience maketh good Let a prophane wretch that neither feareth God nor reuerenceth man liue in the grossest sinnes that can be thought of there is hardly one word of reproofe or dislike vttered Let another that professeth religion be ouertaken through infirmitie and that but once in all his life then are the mouthes of all the prophane multitude opened against the very truth and profession it selfe These are your Bible-bearers your professors your men of the holy house see their fruits Thus euery little aberration in a Professor is noted when outragious wickednesses of prophane wretches is nothing at all regarded When the lesser starres be eclipsed none takes knowledge of it but if the Sunne be once then euery one obserues it what cause therefore haue all such to be carefull of their cariage Looke to thy selfe therefore thou that art a professor of the Gospell thou dippest in the same dish with Christ and therefore thou of all other shouldst be farthest off from dishonouring his name Dauid tooke it more to heart that those who did eat bread at his table did despise him than that others did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Absolom should seeke his life than that Shemei should rayle vpon him And thou my sonne Brutus art thou one of them said Iulius Caesar to his son when he saw him to be amongst them that murdered him this pierced deeper into his soule than the swords of all his enemies did or could So the sinnes of such as come neere vnto the Lord in a holy profession of whom he looketh to be sanctified is more grieuous to him than the grosser sinnes of other men To such he will one day say as Caesar to his sonne Art thou one of them What in the habit of a professor and liue like a beast One in shew that loues me and yet a worldling a drunkard or the like On how wilt thou answer it Thou that gloriest in the name of a Professor and yet liuest like a Pagan Vt nemo de nobis malè loqui absque mendacio possit Hier. can God endure it Surely no. See then thou so liuest as that none may speake euill of thee but that all the world may see he lieth Yet further this would be pressed to all callings and conditions Let Magistrates minde this and doe what lyes in them to establish the Churches peace and continuance of the Gospell let godlinesse be countenanced sinne punished and the faithfull be by them incouraged i Deut. 4.6 It shall be their wisdome and glory in the sight of the people thus to doe Let Ministers be carefull in a speciall manner of this Oh! how difficult a thing is it for vs not to lurch away some part of our Masters praise A glorious and comfortable thing it is indeed for a Minister to be able to say that he hath beene Gods instrument to bring one soule to the obedience of Christ yet for him to ayme at his owne vaine-glory euen in gaining of soules to Gods kingdome suits not with that sincere affection which ought to be in him to promote not his owne but the praise glory of him that sent him Let vs then not suffer any part of the repute or honour of any of our labors to rest vpon our own heads but repell it forcibly frō our selues and reflect it carefully vpon the Lord Iesus saying with S. Paul Not I not I but the grace of God in me Yea let euery one of what calling or condition soeuer so carry his course of life as that God may be honoured in all things And here let me bring to minde Ioabs commendable cariage in taking of the Citie Rabbah with which I will conclude the point for when he had fought against it and tooke the Citie of waters that is the waters of the Citie so called by a figure and cut off the conduits Hypallage Praecisis aquae ductibus Ioseph by which his policie he brought the people into such distresse as that they could no way escape he sends this message vnto Dauid k 2 Sam. 12.28 Gather the rest of the people together and encampe against the Citie and take it lest I take the Citie and it be called by my name i. lest it redound to my honour and that victorie be ascribed vnto me Doubtlesse this was his great praise so to order the battell as that his Lord and King might haue the glory of the day and not himselfe Should not we doe thus Are not we more bound to God than Ioab was to Dauid Ought not we more to respect our God than he his King What good thing therefore soeuer we doe or haue giue him the glory of it saying with the Psalmist l Psal 115.1 Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name be the praise Text. Welbeloued We haue before seene whom the Prophet meaneth
againe the Crowne and Kingdome and so Soueraigntie ouer him he would haue spared his cursed speeches vsed against him and haue beene more temperate Or had Iosephs brethren as much beleeued his dreames i Gen. 37.11 that they should come and bowe to him as they enuied him for them they would haue vsed him with more mildnes but they when they sold him thought neuer to haue seene him more much lesse did they expect to haue beene told of their crueltie from his mouth And yet what ere they thought it so fell out contrary to all their expectations Now when they heare him which was a Ruler in Aegypt say k Gen. 45.4 I am Ioseph your brother whom you sold how amazedly doe you thinke they lookt one vpon another with what palenesse and silence doe they stand before him Wonder Doubt Reuerence Feare Hope Guiltinesse strooke them at once the more they considered they wondred the more and the more they beleeued the more they feared for those words I am Ioseph whom you sold seemed to sound thus much to their guilty thoughts You are murtherers and I am a Prince in spight of you my power and this place giue me all opportunities of reuenge my glory is your shame my life your danger c. Euen thus it is and shall be with all wicked ones When they reuile and mocke Gods children doe they thinke they shall euer see Ioseph more or euer come and bowe before him and doe him reuerence Alas they haue no such thought and yet they must and shall for Ioseph will appeare though not in Aegypt yet in Heauen to their confusion and shame Then will they be vexed and amazed who now set Gods children at nought then will they change their mindes and sob and sigh for griefe of spirit and say within themselues These are the men and women whom we disdained and contemned and called Puritanicall fooles and precise fellowes These are they whom we slandered and molested But now we see how highly they are aduanced being counted amongst the children of God hauing their portion with the Saints Oh that such as vex and molest the righteous either with virulent tongues as Shemei l 2 Sam. 16. or with violent hands as Herod m Acts 12 or with both as Iulian the Apostata whether by themselues as Diotrephes n 3 Iohn 9. or by other as the Scribes and Pharisies o Matth. 26.3 whether closely like Iezabel p 1 King 21. or openly like Pharaoh q Exod. 5. would thinke of this change and alteration And how soone it may come who knoweth But certainly it will come and then what the Psalmist speaketh shall infallibly be verified r Psal 112.9 10. Their horne shall be exalted with glory The wicked shall see it and be angry he shall gnash with his teeth and consume away the desire of the wicked shall perish Vse 2 And therefore let this serue further for our Instruction that we learne highly to esteeme of such as be truly godly seeme they neuer so meane or base in the worlds eye Thus did S. Lawrence Euseb that blessed Martyr of Christ Iesus who being demanded of the Tyrant where the riches of the Church lay looking for store of gold and such like treasure he gathered together a multitude of poore Christians telling the Tyrant that there was the riches and beauty of the Church and albeit they were now ragged and vnseemly in the eyes of men yet they should one day be clad in white robes and shine in maiestie and glory before the throne of God Aeneas Syluius cap. 20. The like as I haue read was the practise of Ingo an ancient King of the Draues and Veneds who making vpon a time a stately feast inuited thereunto all his Nobles who were at that time Pagans and vnconuerted to the Christian faith and a multitude of poore Christians His Nobles he set in his Hall below and those poore Christians with himselfe in his presence chamber entertaining them with the royallest cheere and kingliest attendance that might be At which when his Nobles wondered he told them this he did not as hee was king of the Draues but as king of another world wherein these should bee his companions and fellow Princes To them he would giue ciuill due in the gouernment of the Commonwealth but these hee must loue and honour in his heart as most honoured and best beloued or God Reade this to thy shame who knowest not how to shew the least respect vnto a Christian and if thou wouldst not haue it to condemne thee let it mend thee causing thee to be more respectiue in thy cariage towards such as serue the Lord So shalt thou imitate God like a good childe herein and get a testimonie to thy owne conscience that thou art Gods Å¿ Iohn 3.2 because thou louest his image which marke of a childe of God may comfort thee when all others in the time of temptation may faile thee Hence also we may haue Direction how to become Vse 3 excellent and famous namely by becomming gracious This way will not faile to effect it and no other course can be auaileable without it Men may be wealthy and ignominious they may haue gorgeous apparell and yet be contemptible t Cant. 1.8 Pharaohs horses had costly trappings and the Midianites Camels u Iudg. 8.26 had chaines of gold about their necks Grace and goodnesse doe more decke and adorne than all these doe or can This is that which the Apostle calleth * Rom. 2.7 Seeking glory and honour by well-doing and only is that whereby x Heb. 11.12 Abel Noah Abraham and the rest obtained a good report How grosly then are such deceiued as thinke godlinesse doth cause contempt and the way to become honourable is to grow gracelesse and sinfull For can any wise man thinke that the dunghill of wickednesse is a fit Mine to digge out a good estimation or that the puddle water of vanity will make a man seeme beautifull and faire or that the onely way to make a man sweet is to tumble in a iakes Certainly figgs grow not vpon thornes neither is the sweet oyntment of a good name compounded of those stinking ingredients Pride Drunkennesse Whoredome Profanenesse or the like Famam extendere factis hoc virtutis opus A good name ariseth out of honest things as the Poet could say and not from actions sinfull and dishonest Cain and Esau we know were wicked men and dead many hundred yeeres agoe yet the Scripture neuer speaketh of them but with great reproach as Prophane Esau Heb. 12.16 1 Iohn 3.12 Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his brother And so Iudas who is neuer almost spoken of but he is called by the name of traitor The Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles haue likewise beene a long time dead and yet how louely are their names Scripture neuer speakes of them but with great respect
perplexed conscience thou poore one who tremblest vnder Gods hand for thy manifold infirmities as the childe doth vnder the rod and be not out of heart or hope l Psal 103.8 The Lord is mercifull and gracious slow to anger and plenteous in mercy who will not alwaies chide neither will he keepe his anger for euermore He beareth patiently with the wicked his slaues his vassals and will he not with thee who art his childe his darling Is it possible that he should be worser towards thee who seekest his face than he is with them who seeke it not at all That cannot be And thus much for the Manner how he maketh his Appeale Now for the Matter or thing it selfe for which he doth Appeale and that is Iudgement Iudge I pray you He doth not say condemne these Text. or iustifie my procedings but iudge aduise take counsell and accordingly passe sentence Thus God is content to submit his courses vnto scanning Doctr. God is content to submit his courses vnto scanning c. and to bring his proceedings with the sonnes of men vnto a triall before he proceed to iudgement In the first Chapter of this Prophesie we reade how the Lord doth as it were prouoke the people to a pleading with him m Isay 1.18 Come now and let vs reason together saith the Lord c. as if he should say If you are so well perswaded of the goodnesse of your cause and are so ready to accuse me and excuse your selues which is the propertie of all hypocrites let vs reason about the businesse and bring the matter vnto a triall that so it may appeare whether I or your selues be most in fault The like Plea he offers his people by the Prophet Ieremiah n Ier. 2.9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you saith the Lord and with your childrens children I will plead And by the Prophet Micah he summons them to the like businesse willing them to plead the cause with him as it were at euen hand offering to make answer to whatsoeuer they could obiect or lay vnto his charge and he cals vpon the hils and mountaines to be witnesses yea Iudges of the cause o Mich. 6.1 2. Heare O ye mountaines saith he the Lords controuersie and ye strong foundations of the earth for the Lord hath a controuersie with his people and he will plead with Israel O my people what haue I done vnto thee and wherein haue I wearied thee testifie against me c. And the maine reason hereof is Reas that the Iustice of God might hereby be cleared and euery mans mouth stopped p Ps 51.4 That he might be iustified when he speaketh and cleared when he iudgeth But the Apostle reproueth such as dare word it with the Lord and dispute with him about his proceedings Obiect q Rom. 9.20 Who art thou O man saith he that pleadest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus c. Answer True for though God be content to offer it for the clearing of his iustice and conuiction of the sinner yet it is ouer-great boldnesse and sawcinesse for any man to require and demand it Here was Iobs failing Ieremiahs weaknesse and Dauids infirmity Make these vses of this point Vse 1 First let it serue for our Iâ—struction that wee admire the rich mercy and great goodnesse of the Lord who is content so to abase himselfe as to put his holy actions and proceedings to our scanning and plead with vs Clay and Dirt Dung and Wormes-meat about his iust and righteous proceedings Should he vse Martiall law against vs and as soone as euer we offend like Draco write his lawes in bloud vpon vs it were but iust and right Now for him to come and reason with vs and plead about the iustice of his cause before hee proceeds to iudgement this deserues acknowledgement and admiration in the highest degree Should the wood quarrell with the Carpenter or the Iron with the Smith or the clay with the Potter Would they doe thus And yet there is more difference betweene God and vs than is or can be betweene the Carpenter and his wood the Smith and his Iron the Potter though he were a King and his pot though it were of the worst fashion or for the basest vse r Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and louing kindnesse of our God! How vnsearchable is his goodnesse and his mercies past finding out Vse 2 Secondly let it bee for Admonition vnto vs that we beware how we taxe God of the least iniustice in any of his proceedings for he is so assured of the equity of his actions as that he feares not the scanning of them by his very enemies yea so farre is he from fearing it as that hee will prouoke them to a pleading with him that doe accuse him Now we know none call for a day of triall but such as are well perswaded they are of the surer side as for those that doe euill they Å¿ Iohn 3.20 hate the light as our Sauiour speaketh lest their deeds should bee reproued Bee thou then contented with his will hee hath reason for his actions though thou knowest it not This is a lesson wee cannot hit on the best of vs are much wanting in it Wee can all say It is a shame to contend with the Almighty yet when his hand lies any way vpon vs then Oh that I might speake with the Almighty Holy Iob while he was himselfe t Iob 9.1 2 3. acknowledgeth this but being tried with affliction then u Cap. 23.3 4. he forgat himselfe for which God sharply * Cap. 40.2 reproues him and then x Cap. 42.1 2. Iob cries peccaui and acknowledgeth his owne vilenesse and promiseth amendment Whatsoeuer God doth acknowledge to bee most iust Say not what a hard case is this or how can this stand with iustice But learne thou better things and with Ely say y 1 Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good And with Mauritius remember that of Dauid z Psal 119. Righteous art thou O Lord and iust are thy iudgements What thou canst not vnderstand inquire not a reason of but reuerence it Couldst thou vnderstand it thou shouldst much more vnderstand that thou hast no reason to complaine though it were for the reprobation of thy husbands wiues childes or owne soule The Parties who are appointed Iudges in the cause are in the next place to be considered and they are themselues You inhabitants of Ierusalem Text. and men of Iudah He doth not put the businesse to this or that friend to arbitrate neither doth he call vpon a Isay 1.2 heauen and earth nor on the b Mica 6.1 2. mountaines and strong foundations as he doth elsewhere to heare the quarrell for it might haue beene thought these would haue beene partiall But
here speaketh of the sufficiencie of the outward meanes and not of inward grace That was done to this wicked Vineyard which if it had beene good would haue brought forth the fruit of repentance and new obedience The Raine fals the Sunne shines vpon the earth the garden hereupon brings forth herbes the desart thornes whence is this but from the nature of the ground there is as much done to make one fruitfull as the other Thus God had done enough the meanes he vsed were sufficient had not this people been of such a peeuish and froward disposition Resp 2 And secondly God speaketh not here of his absolute power whereby he can doe whatsoeuer pleaseth him he could make iron swim and cause stonie rocks to yeeld forth streames of water he could raise vp of stones children vnto Abraham and giue Christ more than twelue Legions of Angels to deliuer him but he denies that he was bound to doe any more for them than he did And therefore that cauill would haue beene but friuolous saith Caluin for their consciences pricked them in such wise as that they could not escape by laying the fault vpon another For albeit God doe not pierce with efficacie into the hearts of men by his holy Spirit to make them teachable yet it will be in vaine for any notwithstanding to mutter that this was wanting to them seeing that their externall vocation doth sufficiently cut off all pretext and shew of ignorance whatsoeuer And now let vs come to some such Instructions as the text will naturally afford And first we see how Doctr. God cannot any way be charged with mans barrennesse God is altogether out of fault and can no way be charged with the sinfulnesse and barrennesse of mens hearts and liues In another place of this prophesie we finde the Lord complaining Å¿ Isai 65.2 that he had held out his hands all the day long to a gainsaying and rebellious people His armes were stretched out he ready to receiue but they did gainesay and rebell and refused to come into his armes And by the Prophet Ieremiah he telleth the people how t Ier. 44.4 5. he sent all his seruants the Prophets vnto them rising early and sending them saying Oh doe not such abominable things which I hate But they harkned not nor enclined their eares to turne from their wickednesse And by the Prophet Hosea he thus speaketh u Hos 12.10 I haue spoken vnto them by the Prophets and I haue multiplied visions and vsed similitudes by the ministerie of the Prophets The meaning is that he had declared his will and made knowne his minde vnto them so plainly as that they could not plead ignorance or any way charge him with fault And our Sauiour Iesus Christ complaines thus * Matth. 23.37 O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent vnto thee how often would I haue gathered thy children together euen as a Hen gathereth her chickens and yee would not Where we see clearely how God would their conuersion vnderstand it of his x Voluntas signi not voluntas beneplaciti signifying will and therefore gaue them the outward meanes sending vnto them y Vers 34. Prophets Wisemen and Scribes messengers endued with all varietie of gifts administrations and operations and that not once but often How often would I haue gathered Often by the mouth of his seruants often by his owne selfe as the louing Hen is alwaies caring for her chickens alwaies clucking and calling them if they wander out of her sight neuer so little that shee may gather them and guard them from the mischiefe of all vermine But they would not they themselues gainesaid Where then lay the fault And so S. Stephen complaineth of the Iewes yea telleth them to their faces that they were z Acts 7.51 stiffe-necked and of vncircumcised hearts and eares and did alwaies resist the Holy Ghost that is the worke of the Holy Ghost in the ministerie of the word and would not be wrought vpon But the Scripture speaketh of Gods hardning a Exod. 7.3 10.27 Pharaohs heart Obiect so that the meanes should not be profitable vnto him And God himselfe commandeth Isaiah to preach vnto the people that they may be hardned b Isai 6.10 63.17 and so not conuerted True and yet in all this God cannot be charged Resp. 1 with any fault or blame For it is a iust and righteous thing with God to punish sinne with sinne c Psal 81.12 My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me so I gaue them vp vnto their owne hearts lusts and they walked in their owne counsels Thus then God doth this for a punishment of such as withstand and contemne those gratious meanes hee offers them for their good Pharaoh seipsum indurauit libero arbitrio Deus indicrauit Pharaonem iusto iudicio Aug. If Pharaoh harden his heart against the meanes God will harden his heart that he shall not profit by the meanes So then though Sathan hardneth as a malitious Author and man hardneth himselfe as a voluntarie instrument yet God hardneth no otherwise than as he is a iust Iudge and righteous auenger of sinne And secondly God doth nor harden d Non inducendo malitiam sed subtrahendo gratiam Aquin. by infusing euill but by with-holding of his grace and forsaking of his creature which Diuines call spirituall desertion As the Sunne freezeth the water not by adding coldnesse to it but by keeping backe his heat so is God a deficient cause of hardnesse but no efficient thereof And this must be marked that we erre not in this point Now let vs make the Vse Vse 1 And first this frees vs from a slander that the Papists haue laid vpon vs in giuing out that we teach directly or by consequence that God is the author of sinne and only cause thereof Now whether this be true or no iudge you You now heare it taught that he is out of fault and may no way be charged with the least spot of sinne he is most holy iust and pure in all his waies and workes Now therefore the Lord be Iudge betweene them and vs. Vse 2 And secondly see how damnable and excuselesse shall the carelesnesse of the most be in the matter of their saluation to excuse and lessen their owne sinne they will not sticke to lay the fault on God himselfe and charge their Maker with their damnation They sweare swagger drinke to drunkennesse defile forbidden beds shoot at heauen with their blasphemous oathes and then fetch from Gods decree and purpose excuses for these their outragious wickednesses And why should fault be found with them If God would it should be otherwise e Rom. 9.19 Who hath euer resisted his will and why doth he yet finde fault He hath decreed it and his decree must stand If the Deuils in hell should speakes what could they
loued to say with shame y Hos 4.18 Giue yee Now I pray you what difference is there betweene Giue yee and Deliuer yee except it be this Giue yee goeth often in chaines of gold whilst Deliuer ye lieth in fetters of iron before God there is no difference betweene theeuery and briberie I doubt not but this kingdome will afford as worthie Iudges and Magistrates as any Land or people in the world And as Iustinian said so with a safe conscience many of our Rulers may They can lift vp their hands cleane to God to the King and to the Law and make protestation with iust and vncorrupt Samuel z 1 Sam. 12.3 They haue defrauded none they haue oppressed none Yet I wish and therein I hope doe no man harme that all could say so Then would not Iustice be made a hackney to be backed for money neither could a golden spurre doe any thing to bring her to the desired iournies end of iniury and wrong But oh the wickednesse of these times wherein with Solomon we may obserue a Eccles 7.15 many a iust man to perish in his righteousnesse and the wicked to prosper in their wickednesse Is a man well monied then saith the Prouerbe he is too heauie to be cast Pecuniosus damnari non potest Cui vis est ius non metuit ius obruitur vi for what is wanting in the goodnesse of his cause the greatnesse of the Fees will make vp So that the rich may say vnto the poore as Aesops Wolfe vnto the Sheepe when they were in contention together Thou hast a better cause than I but I haue stronger teeth than thou Gaine and rewards be the Remora to the ship of Iustice Shee cannot now be called the Speed but the Delay A Motion this Terme an Order next and instantly all is crossed A writ of Error puts all out of course Iethro was not pleased as it seemes to see causes hang from b Exod. 18.14 morning to euening had he liued in these daies how would it haue grudged him to see them hang from Terme to Terme from yeare to yeare And the best causes to be vsed as sore legges are by vnconscionable Chirurgions held long in hand not for the difficultie of the cure but for the gaine thereof The poore Client is faine to trudge vp this Terme and next emptying his purse with paying Fees to one and to another and still the web of his suit is drawne out of a greater length till he want weft to prosecute it and so after all his paines and cost is in the end enforced to let it fall Or say he haue the day Maior est expensarum sumptus quà m sententiae fructus Aelian lib. 9. cap. 18. yet he makes no sauing match by reason the charges of his suit are greater than the costs that shall be awarded Oh the vncertaine euents of suits besides the trouble I hope to see an end this Terme of my suit saith the poore bloud-drawne wretch when alas he sees no end the next Terme nor next after that yea oftentimes the next and next yeare is past first His suit is a suit of Durance almost an euerlasting suit And thus while the poore oppressed runnes to them who should be as a c Isay 32.2 shelter from the winde and a couert from the tempest it oftentimes fals out that with the silly sheepe running in a storme to the hedge or thicket they are so ensnared amongst the thornes and briers as that they can hardly winde and wrest themselues out without losse of wooll and coat what with delaies demurres and a thousand trickes which money will finde out they lose their fleece and carry away their flesh whole vpon their backes with much adoe If this weather hold many men will goe nigh to be of the minde that Themistocles was sometimes of who professed that if two waies were shewed him one to hell and the other to the Bar he would choose that which went to hell and forsake the other See then all you that are in place of Iustice that you keepe your selues vntainted of this sin d Isay 33.15 Walke righteously speake vprightly despise the gaine of oppression shake your hands from holding of bribes stop your eares from hearing of bloud and shut your eies from seeing euill 2. Mercilesse and cruell Landlords who partly by racking and improuing of old rents and that without the old minds of our forefathers I meane their charitie for so it is lawfull to improue them partly by enclosing of Greenes Commons Woods or other of the like which appertaine of right vnto their tenants partly by burdening them with cariages and such like seruices more than was couenanted or agreed vpon and partly by making their leases void when it pleaseth them Pactū non pactū est non pactum pactum est quod illis lubet Plaut so that a Couenant to day shall be none to morrow and that which is none now shall be one anon they oppresse their tenants grinde their faces and sucke their blouds The poore Farmer he is faine to endure the heat and burden of the day he riseth early goeth late to bed eateth the bread of carefulnesse and sitteth with many a hungrie meale not being able to spare a morsell of bread to others nay hardly able to giue food vnto his family and all that he does or can doe is but as a prey to his greedie Landlord Good words it may be praiers they shall sometimes haue returned as God helpe you blesse you and giue you good of it c. but if their praiers were worth a penny they would keepe them to themselues their tenants should not be troubled with them And herein they are like Darius who praied for Daniel e Dan. 6.16 that God would deliuer him when he himselfe sends him to the Lions denne These are Oppressors and such ones as God hath sworne f Amos 4.2 to take away with hookes and their posteritie with fish-hookes 3. Ingrossers whose practise is to compasse sea and land to get a commoditie into their hands which hauing once obtained they set a price vpon it as large as their owne consciences Or else hoard it vp only to make a dearth without a scarcitie I deny not but it is lawfull to buy the ouerplus of any commoditie and when mens turnes are serued in times of plentie to take the residue as Ioseph did that in time of dearth he may haue to helpe the Common-wealth with some good and moderate gaine to himselfe also But these in stead of laying vp to preuent a dearth doe hoard vp to procure one which time is the Ingrossers day wherein he doth enrich himselfe with the spoile of the poore Against these very persons Amos thus prophesieth g Amos 8.4 5 6. Heare this oh you that swallow vp the poore that you may make the needie of the land to faile saying when will the new moone be gone
he makes his aduersaries themselues the Iudges of the cause Whence note we Doctr. God will fetch witnesse from his aduersaries owne consciences for the iustifying his proceedings God will fetch witnesse from his aduersaries owne consciences for the iustifying and condemning themselues God will neither chuse nor vse any other Iudge to condemne man than man himselfe Thus the Lord after hee had vsed all good meanes for the conuerting of Ephraim and Iudah demands of no other than of themselues c Hos 6.4 what hee should doe more And so our Sauiour after hee had propounded that Parable of the Vineyard d Matth. 21.40 let out to wicked husbandmen requires of the Priests and Rulers their iudgement and they sentence them and in them themselues thus That they were worthy to be destroied and to haue the Vineyard taken from them and let out to others who should render the fruits in their seasons The like I might shew of Pharaoh e Exod. 9 27. who by force of conscience was made to iustifie the Lord to his owne confusion And of Adonibezek f Iudg. 1.7 who acknowledged when Iudah had taken him and cut off his thumbs and toes that as he had done by others so had God requited him And of Iudas g Matth. 27.4 who read the sentence against himselfe there being none else to doe it Besides many other of whom mention is made in Scripture whose mouthes haue beene opened to reade their owne doome to the iustifying of the Lord and condemning of themselues Hereunto tends the Apostles speech when hee telleth vs that the sinner is subuerted and sinneth h Tit. 3.11 being selfe-condemned Thus God loues to haue a sinner accuse himselfe before hee accuse him condemne himselfe before hee condemne him Vse 1 See then here the vse of conscience and what good seruice it will doe The Lord God hath set it as his deputy in the brest of man which though it bee oftentimes a neuter when the act is doing and while sinne is a commiting yet afterwards it will proue a friend and faithfull witnesse for the Lord but an aduersary against man Oh that the wicked would thinke of this who sinne in hope of secrecie why who sees them who can witnesse any thing against them who can condemne them for such or such an action Alas poore soule There is a conscience within thee that sees thee and will condemne thee thy selfe shall passe sentence against thy selfe Now thou canst hide couer and cloake thy sinne and plead in the defense thereof but when God shall cite thy conscience to giue in euidence that shall bee as a thousand witnesses Conscientia mille testes and condemne thee for thy most secret sinnes Though thou doe escape all apprehension and accusation in this world yet thy owne conscience will arrest thee and hale thee vnto iudgement And albeit thou escape mans iudgement yet the iudgement of thy owne conscience thou shalt neuer escape Neither thinke that what thou thy selfe knowest shall euer bee concealed thou art priuy to thy owne lewdnesse and knowest of thy drunkennesse adultery theft c. Quid tibi prodest non habere conscium habenti conscientiam What art thou the better then in that no body else is priuy to them so long as thou hast a conscience within thee Neither thinke thou that because thy conscience is now asleepe or seared and benummed through a continuance in the custome of sinne that it will neuer be awakened or that this is nothing so For as the poize of a clocke being downe all motion ceaseth the wheeles stirre not but being wound vp all is set on going So albeit now while thy conscience is downe there is no noise nor mouing in thy heart all is quiet yet when it is wound vp by the iustice of God as one day assuredly it shall it will set all the wheeles on working thy tongue to confesse and say guilty Lord guilty thy eies to weepe thy hands to wring thy voice to cry thy heart to ake and yet all in vaine Bee watchfull therefore and euer remember Conscience Beware of hypocrisie and secret sinnes for though thou canst hide them from men and Deuils yet not from it And looke thou neglect not the checks of conscience Doth it now checke thee and reproue thee for thy waies know the time commeth when that conscience which doth now checke thee shall iudge thee and condemne thee and that which doth now reproue thee shall hereafter torment thee in endlesse woe if thou repent not Vse 2 Secondly seeing this is so that Man shall iudge himselfe and iustifie the Lord then let it teach vs this point of wisdome to beginne betimes and now i 1 Cor. 11.31 iudge our selues that we may not be iudged Selfe-condemning is an especiall meanes to preuent future condemnation and the more speedily we set vpon the worke the more mercifully will the Lord deale with vs. It is recorded of Edward the first sometimes King of this land k Acts and Monum that being crossed by a seruant of his in the sport of Hawking and further incensed by a sawcie answer which he made vnto the Kings threatnings telling him it was well there was a riuer betweene them spurd his horse into the depth of the riuer not without great danger of his life the water being deepe and the bankes too high and steepe for his ascending Yet at last recouering land pursues his seruant with his drawne sword The seruant finding himselfe too ill horsed to outride the King and seeing no way to escape his fury lights from his horse and on his knees exposed his necke to the blow of the Kings sword The King seeing this puts vp his sword and would not touch him Behold how humble submission and selfe-iudging soone pacifies him whom a dangerous water could not with-hold from violence Whiles men stand out against God iust fying themselues stubbornly flying from him he that rides vpon the wings of the winde posts after with the sword of vengeance drawne but when we condemne our selues and cast our selues downe at the foot of his mercie then will his wrath be soone appeased towards vs. Vse 3 Thirdly here we haue a patterne for our imitation and a coppy set to write after Let vs herein also be followers of God l Ephes 5.1 as deare Children and be so vpright and iust in our proceedings as that wee may dare to appeale to the consciences of our aduersaries for witnesse and testimonie of our innocency And as the Apostle willeth m 2 Cor. 4.2 let vs approue our selues to euery mans conscience in the sight of God Such was Dauids cariage towards Saul n 1 Sam. 24.18 26.21 as that he was constrained twice to testifie of him Thou art more righteous than I. The innocencie of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego o Dan. 3.26 caused Nebuchadnezzar to pronounce with his owne mouth they were the seruants of