yea it doth appeare often that riches are laid up for the owners thereof for hurt And these be the benefits temporall which Abraham had for himselfe a good wife good children in their kinde and one religious good servants good friends good name good favour and great wealth to which add one particular benefit a great and famous victory over foure great and conquering Kings as the Holy Ghost telleth us Gen. 14.15 he pursued them he divided himselfe against them he and his servants by night and smote them and pursued them to Hobah and brought backe all the goods and Lot his brother and his goods and the women and his people An absolute victory was obtained by Abrahams wisedome and valour God gave him the wisdome God gave him the valour God gave him the successe The Prophet Esay sets forth Gods goodnesse to Abraham in generall as a sure argument that God will shew the like mercies to his people in after times bidding them looke unto Abraham and Sarah and saying Isa 51.2 I called him I blessed him and increased him and 41.2 3. He setteth forth this very benefit in magnificall phrases saying who raised up the righteous man from the East called him to his foot gave the nations before him and made him rule over Kings gave them as dust to his sword as driven stubble to his bow hee pursued them and passed safely by the way that he had not gone with his feete God would have his people take notice of this mercy in saving Abraham and making him victorious to assure them of his like love in defending them and giving them victory over all their enemies even the whole Church and each particular member thereof He that sheltered Abraham was with him gave Kings before him shall not he declare his love as much in future ages to his people Surely he is the same for ever Let this comfort us against all those that rise up against us But what did God for others for Abrahams sake First he blessed Lot the more for Abrahams sake and as it is noted Lot that went with Abraham had heards and after when God destroyed Sodome he thought of Abraham and delivered Lot also So God for a good mans sake will blesse and helpe even his friends and well-willers and those that belong to him shall be much the better for him according to the promise that he had made saying I will blesse them that blesse thee And for Abrahams children he blessed Isaac and gave him great outward things yea gave him also grace and made him heire of the Covenant and continued the Church in his house giving him a sonne in the life time of Abraham For Abraham had Isaac at a hundred and lived 175 yeares and Isaac married at forty and had Esau and Iacob at sixty so Abraham lived to see those two sonnes about five yeares old and gave outward things to Ishmael and abundance to him that Princes came of him in likelihood during Abrahams life time and he sent away his sonnes by Keturah with great riches and you know that even after Abrahams death God honoured him still by calling him his friend in many places and for his sake did great things for his sonnes after him in many generations Thus you see how worth the while it is to serve feare and obey God what abundant blessings he grants what honour and same even after death though all Gods people have not all these outward things in like manner bestowed upon them yet they have that which is sufficient for them and those that finde their friends and children happy in outward respects must observe Gods hand to be thankfull Yea we must all take notice of Gods like dealing with many of his people whose posterity flourish when they be dead some in goodnesse as well as goods and some at least in earthly respects and leave a good name behinde them so that many yeares after their decease their names are honourably mentioned and all men count them good and faithfull servants of God The name of the righteous is had in everlasting remembrance whilst they live and when they die God shewes himselfe gratious and bountifull to them even in temporall blessings oftentimes as well as spirituall But if any want these outward benefits they must consider of themselves whether their sinnes doe not deprive them thereof For sometimes such mercies are denied to Gods people to chastize and keepe downe and roote up some vices in them David was crossed in his children to correct his fondnesse and to chastize his adultery and murder Salomons posterity was brought low to chastize his Idolatry If in outward things the Lord seeme carelesse of his people they might easily finde by searching that some evill carriage of theirs hath caused him to chastize them in this life that by being brought to repentance they might not be destroyed and perish in another world and so much for these temporall benefits Now for spirituall blessings the first was that God called him out of his Countrey and Fathers house from the Idols of his Fathers house for they served false gods there Iosh 24.2 and acquainted him with himselfe the onely true God No greater blessing can befall a man here then to be called from a false religion to the true religion so that his heart be inclined also to the practise of the true religion and that he be effectually sanctified as was Abraham Wee must looke that wee have this mercy of effectuall calling Indeed from Idols and such kinde of false gods wee are called or rather we have beene kept from following them at all but ah are we called to walke before God in holinesse and righteousnesse not alone turning from darkenesse to light from a false religion to the true but from the power of Satan unto God that is from serving the Divell in a wicked life to serve God in an holy life If we be not so called we are not sonnes of Abraham and outward blessings will doe us little good If we be then wee have cause to rejoyce before the Lord our God with exceeding great joy for he that is so called happie is he This is a mercy of mercies to be a Saint by calling one whom God hath so wrought upon by his Spirit that his outward call hath wonne him from the state of corruption to the state of grace And if any finde not himselfe so called or finde it doubtfull to himselfe whether he have beene so called yea or not let him earnestly seeke to God for it and if wee would know whether we be called yea or not compare our selves with Abrahams Call Gen. 12.1 God had said meaning before his Fathers death before he dwelt in Charran saith Steven for though because Terah was the Father the departure is ascribed to him yet God gave the call first to Abraham and he acquainted his Father with it and so his Father went out and he with
a piece or crosse-bow but it is hard to take the flying bird It is easie for Satan to intangle with his temptations the Idlesbee but hard to fasten on the man of imployments The Lord commends and rewards diligence in a calling and bids know the state of thy flocke and bids men goe and learne of the Pismire and discommends idlenesse and sluggishnesse and threatens him that followes the idle Let good Abel teach you faithfullnesse in your calling Cast away sluggishnesse and unthriftinesse wearing out your bodies in vanities and worse then vanities and set your selves to some such worke as may make you able to answer the question of God and your Master when hee shall call you to account for the laying out of so pretious a thing as time But secondly hee was religious and devout hee brought of the fruit of his flocks yea of the firstlings and of the fat thereof He did bring to God one of the best and fattest of his Rammes or Ewes for Weathers were not for Sacrifice and no maimed thing was to be offered on Gods Altar It is not observed of Caine that hee brought of the first fruites and best of his corne or other graine It is likely that the Holy Ghost would have done this office of a faithfull Historian and have given Caine his due by telling the quality as well as the matter of his offering if it had beene as well qualified in this respect as his Brothers Wherefore when he commends Abels offering because it was of the choice and fattest of his flock it may be well thought in forbearing to say any thing in like commendation of Caines that hee tooke no great care whether it were of the best or not and therefore wee may well conceive that one cause of Gods rejecting Caines Sacrifice was because hee did not bring of the best of his fruites as one cause of his accepting Abels was because hee did bring of the choicest of his flock not that God looketh to these outward things but to the minde of the doer which for the most part if necessity hinder not doth shew it selfe in the valew and worth of the gift He that loves God will bring him as full a Sacrifice as hee can hee that loves him not will give him as leane a Sacrifice as it may stand with his credit to give A man whose heart is not upright with God will be at as little cost with him as is possible A man that is upright with him will inlarge his bounty towards him you shall see in Mal. 1.13 that God refuseth the Sacrifices because they were halt and blinde the worst and refuge of all and he curseth the deceiver that hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing and verse 8. he saith Offer it now to thy governour will hee be pleased with thee and accept thy person saith the Lord The Lord knowes that niggardlinesse towards him shewes want of love and faith but freenesse and bounty shewes truth of love and of faith and because he looketh to the heart therefore hee liketh that gift which comes from a loving and faithfull heart and hates that which comes from a contrary heart Learne therein to imitate Abel bring to God the best things you have he must have the fat the fat I say of your heards or flocks The chiefest of your affections must be his and your affections must shew themselves in action You must be willing to serve him with a costly service and be ever of Davids mind that said I will not serve God without charge Now these two things you have in the Text of Abel two other things you have in another place Heb. 11. He offered a better Sacrifice then Caine by faith Hee offered in faith and that caused him to bring a better that is I suppose he meanes there a more costly Sacrifice of better worth and valew of more price and cost not the cost but the faith that made him willing to be at the cost and the cost alone as it was a fruit and signe of the faith did content God and made the Sacrifice acceptable Let us learne therefore to doe all wee doe in faith The faith that good Abel had was the same that after is commended in Henoch hee was perswaded that God was and was a rewarder of them that diligently seeke him it was such as that which the Apostle there describeth it was the evidence of things not seene and the substance of things hoped for It was such an apprehension of Gods being and goodnesse to true Converts and such a perswasion of his will to give him the future invisible things hoped for as made Abel serve God in the course of his life in righteousnesse and not alone for a time to come to the Altar and offer Sacrifice Sacrificing was a profession of their owne guiltinesse submitting themselves to the Justice of God as men worthy to die and be burnt as that beast or other thing to be burnt but withall of their hope that God would pardon them for his goodnesse sake through that true Sacrifice which was to come And hee that offered Sacrifice without this faith of Gods accepting him for his mercy sake and without acknowledgement of his worthinesse to perish did not please God and all our Sacrifices must be done in faith now more distinct because we have a fuller revelation wee must doe all wee doe in faith not alone a perswasion of the lawfullnesse of what we doe but also an indeavour to trust particularly for our acceptation both of persons and Sacrifices in Christ not in the worthinesse of our selves or of our workes He that hath this faith he and his services shall please God hee that hath it not cannot please God whatsoever he doth Let mee therefore commend unto you the care of searching into your hearts whether you have this faith or no viz. that you beleeve your selves in your selves to be miserable sinners but confesse that Christ Jesus is a perfect Saviour and therefore even trust upon Gods mercie in him for grace and salvation But the Scripture saith that Abel was righteous and saith that he obtained witnesse that hee was righteous Where hath hee that witnesse Partly in that God testified of his gifts by accepting them for he accepts nothing but that which comes from a righteous man he heareth no sinners or more fully from the mouth of our blessed Saviour who calleth him righteous Abel Note therefore that Abel was a righteous man The Scriptures give infinite comfort and commendation to the righteous man Now there is a righteousnesse of the Law and of the Gospell A righteous man by the Law we shall finde none in all the world for S. Paul telleth us that by the workes of the Law no flesh shall be justified before God and that there is none righteous no not one and Iob saith of himselfe in this sence that if hee went to
causing us never to see the second death though we must not be freed from the first for that was the speciall priviledge of Enoch and Eliah and was never granted to any other that we read Labour therfore to hold fast in your soules a firme perswasion of Gods love to you in Christ and withall a firme purpose of pleasing him in all things Let sincere truth of obedience be joyned with a firme perswasion of Gods love and the firme perswasion of Gods love be joyned with a sincere indeavour of obedience then death shall never come amisse then you are alwaies ready for it So David faith I have hoped in thy salvation and done thy Commandements So then if we would be ready for God we must doe two things Turne to him and walke with him To turne is to begin to walke with God to walke with God is to continue to turne to him O ye that have not begun to turne doe it to day turne now call to mind your former evill waies to judge your selves for them to lament them to seeke of God in Christ forgivenesse of them and power against them and labour to rest your selves upon his goodnesse in Christ for pardon and helpe and so have you made your peace then keepe your peace by a constant indeavour to please God in holinesse of life and a constant renewing of your assured perswasion of his love O happy man he that can so fit himselfe for his latter end Brethren let the mention of the deaths of so many aged persons make you carefull to prepare for death you that be young doe it because death takes away young men as well as old and you that be old doe it because you may meete with it very suddenly and must needs meete with it afore it be long Againe you see these long-liv'd men here wrestling with the corruptions of the world and their owne some a longer time and some a shorter but all in comparison of our selves a great while The longest lived man for number of dayes was Methuselah who lived nine hundred sixty nine yeares but for perfection of life Adam who lived a perfect man nine hundred and thirty yeares The shortest lived of all the Patriarkes was Noahs Father Methuselahs Sonne Lamech for he lived seven hundred seventy and seven yeares and died the yeere before the floud a little before his Father Methuselah who lived till that very yeare that the floud came and drowned all and was taken away that he might not see the floud Now why did God lengthen out the daies of the Patriarkes I answer chiefely to maintaine the knowledge of God and true religion in the world that by the long life of one godly man the truth which then was not put in writing but by word of mouth delivered from man to man might be kept more pure and undefiled Adam lived till Methuselah was two hundred forty and three yeares old Methuselah lived till Sem the Sonne of Noah was one hundred yeares lacking two so that Sem talked with him that had talked with Adam who could acquaint him with all things concerning the creatures the fall and the promised seed out of his certaine knowledge and experience he had beene made of nothing he had seene all perfections and Methuselah could tell it to Sem and Sem lived to see Isaac borne and a Father So that Isaac might speake mouth to mouth with him that had spoken with him that had spoken with Adam the first man that ever was Was not this a notable confirmation of his Faith THE FIFTH EXAMPLE OF The Old World WEe have propounded particular Examples unto you hitherto as also the Scriptures have done Now following them wee must set before your eyes the Examples of an whole multitude even of an whole World full of men and women that gave themselves to worke wickednesse before the Lord. It is called in Scripture the old World and the world of ungodly In the space of a 1656. yeares the generation of mankind was growne to that height and exorbitancie of wickednesse that the patience of God could no longer endure them Now concerning this Old World we will shew you three things 1. Their sinnes 2. The goodnesse of God to them notwithstanding their sinnes 3. The severe punishment that fell upon them at the last and so will make use of all First for their sinnes the Holy Ghost sets them out in generall and more particularly In generall the sinne of man is said to be great and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was evill and onely evill and that continually Secondly it is said that all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth So their naughtinesse was remarkeable in these two respects it was exceeding hainous and grievous in that they committed great and fowle sinnes in great abundance with great wilfullnesse and gave themselves to add sinne to sinne doing nothing but plodding and contriving wickednesse and then all men gave themselves over to the same bad course you could not finde a man that made scarce a shew of goodnesse out of Noahs house When all consent together to sell over themselves to worke iniquity and grow past shame or feare running into most grievous and notorious sinnes with greedinesse and wilfullnesse this is very offensive to Almighty God and will certainely provoke his wrath to bring upon them some fearefull and heavie punishments Divers reasons may be thought of that caused this exceeding great growth of sinne in those times 1. The long life of men for let an unsanctified man continue long and he will grow more and more sinfull the longer he continues Sinne by frequent exercise growes more and more violent and head-strong So living a great space of time they grew above measure naught 2. They had strong and able bodies together with health and ability to enjoy the things of this life 3. They had great peace in regard they all lived under a paternall governement the agedst in the family still being acknowledged the governour of the family and they had all one language and so no great cause of controversie and one religion too it is like seeing the Patriarkes lived so long that they were immediately taught of God save that they degenerated to prophanenesse and the most became of no religion and so did not warre with the contrary little partie unlesse it were with jests scoffes and contumelies Long life great strength great peace begat great wickednesse But more particularly the Lord takes notice here of their 1. Unlawfull and carnall marriages 2. Of their violence and oppression And our Saviour telleth of their great worldlinesse that did sell over themselves to temporall dealings and cared nothing for better things and S. Peter tells of their obstinacy in sinning and their not beleeving nor regarding they were disobedient whilest the long suffering of God waited in the daies of Noah Yea our Saviour
shew of disgrace for worldlinesse Why should not we be followers of Abraham his vertues Why should we use meanes to get wealth joyned with apparent reproach such as would set the mouthes of all men on talking against us more then this fact would have filled the mouth of Chedarlaomer with talke against Abraham O what a businesse of minde is this newes and how doth it shew our inordinate affection to riches more then to a good name which yet is to be preferred above all treasures if we would hearken to Salomon I conclude that we must shew our true magnanimity by sleighting great abundance of outward things so as that no man might ever have cause to grudge against us that these riches which should have beene his if all things had beene fairely carried have made us rich especially let no man grow rich by taking forfeitures of poore men it is worse to use extremity to a meane person then to a great Now consider this worthy mans carriage to the Cananites inhabitants of the land in which he was a stranger First for the Countrie it selfe then for the persons that dwelt in it For the Countrey Abraham made it much the better for him by two things wood and water very necessary things for the life of man For hee planted groves and hee digged wells againe which had beene digged in the daies of his Father As concerning those groves it is conjectured that they might be for religious use because it is said there he called on the name of God but the word here used is not the same under which such groves for religious use are after forbidden therefore more like it is that here alone was intended civill use and sure it is a good thing to plant wood for the benefit of mankind after our selves be dead A man would have thought what should a stranger trouble himselfe to make a grove He is likely to depart from the place soone and then he cannot carry his trees with him but this did not discourage Abraham he knew that some man might enjoy it if himselfe did not Indeed for wells and water the profit redounded to himselfe presently as well as to others for the future Now learne of him to be common Benefactors by helping to store the world with wood and water-springs and other like things the use of which shall redound to many as well as to your selves Especially the care of planting woods should be commended unto you our age destroies that necessary provision All cut downe none plant for another age wood is usefull for shade for timber for fewell it is one of the things wee cannot want it is one of the things that if it be discreetely done will quit the cost that it requireth The tree after a little time will grow without any labour of expence bestowed about it it will pay for its standing if you set your hedge-rowes with trees they would grow as well as thornes If here and there at convenient distance trees were planted especially timber trees the grasse would not be much the lesse But I am not a husband-man good enough to commend these particulars to you Let mee commend the thing in generall Order things for the common benefit and shew your selves lovers of mankinde be not all for your selves and for the present Now to the persons generally he shewes curtesie that is a carriage savouring of lowlinesse and good esteeme together with love and good will unto the Hittites when he came unto them about the matter of a field of buriall for Sarah Gen. 23.7 Hee stood up and bowed himselfe the word is the same that is in other places translated worshipped meaning he bowed his body with his face downeward in testimony of honour and respect and afterwards verse 12. Hee bowed downe himselfe before the people of the Land You see lowly and respective carriage in this worthy servant of God We ought to carrie our selves courteously to all men Honour all men saith S. Peter he meanes it of this kinde of respective behaviour of body This is a meanes to shew love and to beget love and to increase love and to keep out jarres and discontents as a sower and hautie and sullen dogged carriage doth proclaime contempt or hatred or both and so causeth jarres and fallings out and dislikes and increaseth them if they have beene begun Those therefore that be of a haughty carriage or rude and boysterous behaviour not knowing how to give due salutations or complements of courtesie are to be blamed as men that doe not alone want education but charity and humility for if those graces did rule in the heart though they could not prompt a man to a kinde of artificiall demonstration of them yet they would some way infuse themselves into the carriage and make it gentle and amiable Therefore let your carriage be faire and kinde and sweete bow bend salute use cap knees all such things as either nature or custome maketh to be as it were badges and professions of humble love and serviceablenesse of a not too much preferring your selves above others and under-valewing them in comparison of your selves accustome your selves unto and use them for conscience sake that they may savour of piety in the estimation of God who can see piety in such things and so they may be more then morrall vertues even spirituall actions and fruits of Sanctification Onely I beseech you to take heed of causing your courtesie to be meere complement and of being the more crafty by how much you seeme more courteous and of ushering in some naughtinesse by a goodly and lowly carriage of your selves If such vertues be corrupted and that there be nothing in them but the meere out-side the more loathsome to God and at length also to man Particularly see how he carrieth himselfe to Hephron the Hittite with whom he bargained for a field of buriall He deales plainely and squarely with him Ephron offered to give it him freely he would none A wealthy man should not be apt to receive a thing of gift it would be a signe of covetousnesse and of an having disposition Then he asketh the price and saith that hee will give as much as it is worth I will give thee saith hee the money of the field that is what it is worth and Ephron answers t is worth 400 shekels A common shekell is thought to be worth 1 s. 3d. of our money so 400 shekels is 25 lb. and then Abraham weighes him the money of silver currant with the Merchants Abraham in a bargaine of 25 lb. doth not stand halfe-perthing and first bids 15 then 17 then 20 then 22 then 24 then 25 as a number of base niggardly minded men would have done but when he saw it to be worth the money at a word he payes it and when Ephron saw Abraham desirous of this land he doth not aske 40 or 35 or 30 or 32 but at one word tells him so much it
his appointment shee was a good huswife and helpefull unto him in the overseeing of his great family shee was every way contentfull and pleasing unto him and a little too obsequious in being content for his sake to say she was his sister Wherefore let this first benefit be noted and let those that have it confesse it with praise and thankes to God and let those that have it not as yet learne to seeke it at Gods hands knowing his readinesse to exercise his goodnesse upon all men in all ages if they feare and obey him as well as upon Abraham in his time Secondly God gave Abraham children also First he had Ishmael by Hagar then in due time he had Isaac by Sarah the sonne of the promise the sonne of his old-age besides a godly and dutifull sonne that inherited the promises and the blessings with him and in whom the covenant of God was established Hee gave him also many other children by Keturah which had also children in his life time Children are a blessing of God chiefly if they be good and vertuous willing to be ruled by their parents These are the inheritance of God when they grow up as Olive plants round about ones table and the Psalmist saith blessed are they which have their quiver full of them they shall not be ashamed when they speake with their enemies in the gate These comfort him in their childhood and are a delight to him when they be young these are a staffe to his old-age In them his name liveth when his person is dead and they be as it were branches springing from himselfe as a roote and making his house to flourish and be greene So God blessed Abraham in the fruite of his body Let all those therefore whom God hath blessed with this blessing see Gods good hand to them and praise him for it Indeed to be a parent of many and towardly children if it lift up the heart to God and occasion our hearty thankefulnesse unto the Lord is a speciall favour Those that have it must see Gods good hand in it and those that have it not must seeke it of God and walke before him obediently that they may be capeable of it Next God gave Abraham good servants for they all hazarded themselves for and with him in the battaile fought with foure victorious Kings and helped him to redeeme his brother Lot out of captivity and submitted to be circumcised and to be taught and instructed Had they not beene loving and couragious Abraham could not have accomplished his desire for his kinsmans deliverance But especially he had one exceeding faithfull servant religious diligent discreete carefull of his businesse and one in whom he might put his trust for the well ordering of his goods and for the dispatch of any affaires committed to him You see his carriage in the 24. of Genesis He was cautelous and warie in taking of his oath and would not sweare rashly He was carefull in observing his oath after he had taken it He made use of his masters goods and the power which his master had given him over his family and goods to finish well that great worke of taking a wife for Isaac He commended the matter to God with earnest prayer He followed it thoroughly and brought it to passe effectually He made a good choice for Isaac and made hast to returne to his master and bring him backe the fruit of his journey with good successe No doubt it was a great joy of heart to Abraham when he saw Eliezer returning with so good speed from Padan-Aram and bringing backe with him so sweet and choice a Virgin for Isaac according to the earnest desire of Abraham Let all masters marke Gods dealing with them in their servants and if he please to store them with many good servants or with one or two alone of excellent parts and graces let them even praise God for it considering how great a vexation it is to be crossed with servants of a contrary disposition which will be unto him even as smoake in his eyes and as vineger to his teeth And let all that desire such a blessing take the same course that Abraham did that is labour themselves to be good masters and to command and teach their servants to feare God as Abraham did and to shew themselves loving kind and liberall to them But further Abraham had a good kinsman Lot that consented to beare him company in a holy pilgrimage and was easily wonne by his wise dealing to keepe peace and amity with him though some little breach began yet it was soone made up betwixt them and Lot and he lived in good peace and concord together No doubt this also gladded Abrahams heart and proved a speciall consolation unto him If God have given any man such a religious and godly Cousin or Kinsman let him make much of him and be a kind Kinsman as Abraham was Yea the Brother of Abraham Nahor though he continued in the land of Aram and went not out with Abraham yet was in his kind a good Kinsman too for he rejoyced to heare of Abrahams welfare and intertained his servant courteously and most readily sent his daughter to him so long a journey into a farre countrey to be a yoake-fellow to Isaac his sonne to the no small comfort of Abraham and Isaac both Herein he shewed mercy and truth to Abraham as the servant spake and did the office of a good and loving Brother If God afford such blessings to any that he hath a loving wife and courteous Brother ready to gratifie and comfort him he must observe it with thankes and those that would have the good hand of God to stirre up their Bretheren to shew them due respect must even walke upright and before God that he may reward them as he rewarded Abraham But another blessing Abraham had too he met with very faithfull friends who were confederate with him and did most carefully observe the conditions of friendship and amity for you see they did readily joyne with him and helped him in his warre against the forenamed conquering kings and were instruments by their valour to redeeme Lot and to vanquish those conquerours This is a most desirable benefit to have true and trusty friends and allies that will sticke to him in his need and hazard themselves for him and joyne with him in his good cause and not prove like unto a leg out of joynt or a broken tooth when occasion serves to imploy them and use their labour or hazard for his benefit Doe you not think that Abraham rejoyced in the fidelity and amity of his associates Doe you not thinke that he blessed God for it and did account himselfe very happy in enjoying three such noble and worthy confederates Let us encourage our selves to obey God and to forsake our country and kindred at his command for cannot he repay and repaire that losse easily by raising us up even in
agreement is not so cordiall and hearty as it ought to be But the next Crosse in Lot was worse for in the spoile of Sodome he was spoiled and taken captive by those that tooke the Sodomites captive This comming to Abrahams eares pierced him indeed that his loving Cousin who had beene brought up in his house with him and had borne him company in all his peregrination from Vr till almost that time should fall into the hands of so cruell enemies should have his cattell and goods seized upon and himselfe and wife and children made slaves and bondmen This affliction is usuall enough in the world Much misery and distresse befalls them to whom wee wish well and we suffer in their sufferings whom naturall affection doth so indeere us unto as that wee cannot but have a fellow-feeling with them in their distresses as the members of the body suffer by consent But a second evill that I had almost forgotten pinched Abraham in Lot for Lot lost all in Sodome and went and dwelt in the Mount and there lay with his two daughters and begat of each of them a sonne This was no doubt noised abroad it came to Abrahams eares and filled his heart with a great deale of griefe that such a man as he had taken Lot to be and found him to be after God had afflicted and chastened him and also shewed him mercy and delivered him should runne into so monstrous and unnaturall sinnes as to commit incest not with one of his daughters which had beene farre too much but even with both of them one after the other This I say pierced Abrahams soule to thinke of he could not but be sensible of all the bitter reproachfull taunts that the true religion of God would suffer for this crime of Lot The sinnes and crimes of those that are deare to us and the reproach that followes thence both upon themselves and sometimes upon the truth of God which they professe must needs breede much heavinesse unto good men and sometimes the providence of God so disposeth of things that the people of God shall be humbled so as Paul saith God would humble him he feared when he should finde many impenitent sinners in Corinth and it had brought anguish to his heart that the incestuous man had not alone so shamefully offended but also beene tolerated by the Church as no doubt also the heare-say of Rubens incest was a great vexation of heart to Iacob when the report of it was brought unto him Now see what Abraham suffered in his owne house in respect of his wives and children First his wife Sarah a good woman and deare to him was twice taken away from him once by the King of Egypt and after by the King of Gerar and he could not but be grieved at it so much the more because it came to passe by his owne default and sinne and because shee was so taken away as that it was likely every day that shee should have beene married to another man or at least have beene made a minister to serve his lust What an anguish was this thinke you How did this gaule his heart when he abode alone in his Tent and Sarah was not in hers when he lay alone at home and Sarah bare him not company yea when shee was perhaps in the bosome of another man to whom he had betrayed her by his cowardly feares and dissembling it scarce befalleth any of us to meete with such a crosse in his wife But secondly Sarah his wife was barren shee had no children fruitfullnesse and shee were parted as the Holy Ghost noteth This affliction hath befallen many good women and it was so much the more bitter to Abraham because he did not intend to take any other woman but that at last Sarah when her selfe was now by meanes of age past all hope did earnestly perswade him unto it To be childlesse is a crosse wherewith some are exercised but to Abraham it was a worse crosse then ordinary because the want of a childe was to him the want of salvation too for himselfe and all Nations were to be blessed in his seede So that if hee had had no sonne hee could have had no Heaven and nothing stood as a stronger objection against his being saved then his being childlesse Barrennesse with this aggravation comes not to any of us and if God had not eased this burden to Abraham by often renewing the promise of a child unto him doubtlesse it would have afflicted him sore But another crosse in Sarah upon occasion of Hagar there fell out a great jarre betwixt him and Sarah and shee that ever before had shewed her selfe a dutifull and respective wife now brake forth into much tartnesse and passion with him eagerly and wrongfully charging him to maintaine Hagar against her and to be the cause of her stubborne and contemptuous carriage This sounded harshly in Abrahams eares and this language was tedious to be so rated by Sarah it made him thinke the case strangely altered Indeed he by his wisdome calmed the tempest very soone it continued not long but it was a soure thing for the time many a man hath the same trouble for matter but more frequent and more lasting A wives passions are an husbands sufferings her anger and discontent and brawles with maides and men and children sometimes fall upon him and shee is ready causelesly to quarrell with him when she is displeased with them this crosse is so much the more tedious by how much a man doth more affect and love his wife and sometimes too it is aggravated by this that hee hath some way beene an occasion of it though unwittingly But lastly Abraham buried Sarah she died before him and he was faine to part with her unto the dust This calamity falleth upon many men to bury their wives but to many it is not a calamity they know how very quickly to make this affliction nothing by a speedy bringing in of another but to Abraham who loved Sarah and had long lived with her it must needes be matter of sorrow and so the Scripture witnesseth saying Hee rose up from before his dead whether hee had gone before to mourne and weepe for her These things he suffered in his wife Sarah Now in his Concubine Hagar first her ill carriage to Sarah was surely a griefe to Abraham when two such persons fall at oddes hee that is a common friend to both suffers in both The custome of Poligamie is weeded out of the Christian world so that men now are happier then to be vexed with the mutuall brawling of two Antagonists as I may call them but now the contentions of neere friends do fall out somewhat bitter sometimes to them that love both so well that they know not where to take part Secondly When shee was now great by him she ran away from him and Sarah and carried the fruite of his body away with her This no doubt
too If when we reade of this worke of his grace to others we praise him for it he will graunt it to us as well as to them The Lord is able to make any other man or woeman godly as well as Sarah Shee had as bad a nature and as unable to make her selfe good as wee have for she also was a daughter of Adam Therefore if you find your selves yet not to be indued with faith and holinesse take notice of these wants and goe to the throne of grace for grace beseeching the Lord to fulfill his covenant to you in giving you his Spirit to make you his children and it shall be unto you according to your constant and humble supplications And those whom God hath beene pleased to deale so graciously with let them heartily and constantly praise him labouring to make all crosses seeme nothing to them in comparison of this benefit Say though I bee poore despised afflicted yet God hath given mee some faith and some holinesse and begun to sanctifie and will preserve me in this estate to life eternall What cause have I to be discouraged at crosses to make one truely godly though they be not without their faults is the worthiest of all mercies In Heaven the Saints rejoyce in God and are not interrupted in his service by remembrance of former afflictions we one earth should labour so to be glad in hope of that eternall weight of glory that neither feeling of present miseries nor feare of future should much hinder us therein Secondly Sarah had a godly husband and did partake with him of his riches honours credit and all the good things which hee enjoyed This is a great favour to a wife if she be married to a good and holy man and a man also of convenient estate and good esteeme that she may be comforted by his goodnesse shewing it selfe in good carriage towards him and may taste the sweetnesse of his good and of his credit To have an yoake-fellow that can patiently beare with ones wants that is diligent and trusty and so provideth for his family that nothing is wanting to her selfe and family that lives in so good repute as she for his sake is better respected in a word such a one as is a comfort and credit to her a saviour of his body as indeed the husband should be is a singular benefit She hath a great blessing that hath such a husband and must not forget to be much and often thankfull yea though in some things he may be faulty to the hurting and hazarding and bringing crosses both upon himselfe and her as twice Abraham did though an excellent man Take notice of his favour and learne to be carefull in doing your duties so much the rather because your husbands be vertuous But next she had Isaac at length if God give a woman children and good children godly and holy partakers of the blessing of God in their soules that is a benefit to the wife as well as to the husband She shall have joy of such a child as well as hee both the parents of righteous children shall have joy of them Let woemen as well as men acknowledge this mercy wee see that those which are crossed in children are much troubled at it should not those whom God doth free from that little crosse giving them the contrary mercy learne to praise and rejoyce in him for it But further God did vouchsafe to deliver her twice out of that miserie into which twice she had cast her selfe by her owne fault If any one by their owne unbeleefe carnall feares or other evill behaviour have thrust themselves into the brambles and God by his speciall providence and care hath granted them an happy issue and escape they must even admire and applaud Gods goodnesse that hath so undeservedly pittied them and passing by their faults hath carried himselfe fatherly to them Sarah by saying I am Abrahams sister procured that she was taken by Pharaoh to be his wife God hindered Pharaoh from comming neere her and after by a dreame warned him of the matter and so hee dismissed Sarah untouched After she offended in like manner againe and againe the Lord in like manner delivered her what a graciousnesse of God was this She knew not in the world what to doe she had intangled her selfe in a snare and could not get out now God hee sets in hee breaketh the snare and sets her at liberty Without doubt Sarah and Abraham both were exceeding glad of this escape and praised God for it If by the meere providence of God without any fault of our hand miseries breake in upon us and then we crie to God and be rescued we have cause to acknowledge it as a great favour How much more then when he drawes us out of the evills into the which we have sinnefully thrust our owne selves sending some such meanes of helpe as we could never conceive of or procure to our selves Call to mind such deliverances to praise God with great fervency and humility for them and learne both to trust upon his goodnesse after the more stedfastly especially if more then once wee have thus insnared our selves and more then once the Lord hath pittied us and helped us we must never cease wondering at his goodnesse resolving also to take heed of ever provoking him by like folly for he that can open the doore of danger when we our selves by seeking sinnefully to escape some other evill have locked it upon our selves can surely yea and will keepe us if we doe cast our selves upon him and refuse to take up sinnefull and unlawfull shifts Could not the Lord have found a good and holy way of saving Abrahams life and Sarahs chastitie of restraining the cruelty of these men as well as their wantonnesse If God can helpe out of reall and present danger beyond our hopes he can surely keepe us out of feared and imaginary dangers aboue our thoughts And if any of Gods people have wound themselves into crosses they must not be dismayed from seeking to God for helpe by aggravating their crosses with this thought O foolish and sinnefull man I have pulled it upon my selfe by my folly how can I expect helpe from him but most humbly acknowledge their owne folly and yet take boldnes to sue to him for mercy both to pardon and to helpe them These be the speciall benefits given to Sarah Now her crosses must be considered First She was barren a long time this was a crosse to her no doubt because of her earnest desire to have childeren and because as I said of Abraham the hope of her salvation did hang upon the fruit of her wombe Barrennesse is such a crosse you see as hath befallen a godly woeman Let them therefore that are exercised with it learne to beare it with patience and labour to get hearts so much more fruitfull of good workes that such spirituall fruitfulnesse may make amends for the want of the
sorrow for sinne And let those children that are yet unmarried take heed of intangling their affections without the privity of Parents or of seeking to draw the affections of one another untill such consent have gone before for feare they make this duty very difficult unto them or thrust themselves out of the way of duty and obedience by their headstrong passions So much of Ishmaels good deeds now of his bad First at some 15. or 16. yeares he mocked Isaac this mocking was a degree of persecution and a fault in him I cannot conceive that he did it out of any dislike of Isaacs piety who being but a new weaned childe could not discover any piety unto him at least any such act of piety as should stirre up disdaine and derision but seeing such a great gladnesse and a merry feast at the weaning of Isaac he made a sport of him as it were disdaining that Isaac should seeme to thrust him out of the inheritance Now it is a great sinne to mocke any one out of envy and scorne that they should be preferred before them Mocking shewes a great deale of pride in him that useth it nothing but overvaluing of our selves makes us undervalew others Mocking is a tedious thing to suffer the good esteeme wee have of our selves and those that are neere unto us makes the contrary carriage of others unsufferable therefore is mocking a great offence Take heed I pray you of using it toward your bretheren or neighbours It is an act that tendeth strongly to provoke and we must not provoke one another It is then most loathsome when it comes from envy and malice make not a may game at your bretheren floute them not breake not jests upon them this jesting is that which S. Paul forbids especially laugh not at their miseries and at their sinnes but most of all mocke not at them for well doing Mocking is any carriage by which a man expresseth his contempt of another and seekes to make him also contemptible and despicable unto others He that can set light by a man for goodnesse sake which should procure honour how blind a minde how perverse a judgement hath he Be penitent if your folly have carried you to such a sinne and now bridle your selves from such ill carriage hath not God shewed his dislike of it sufficiently by punishing it in Ishmael with banishment out of Abrahams house Another fault of Ishmael is that which was foretold of him that he was a wilde man a kind of Asse-colt that would not be subject to any almost nor ruled by any This is a grievous fault indeed when he that hath the face shape and faculties of a man and should have wisedome to submit himselfe to such as have authority over him will yet know no governour submit to no authority be kept within no boundes but leape over hedge and ditch as it were and runne about after his owne fancy and live as he lists himselfe that is to say will evertake upon him the qualities of a wild Asse-colt to man-ward will never carry himselfe as a sheepe dutifully to God-ward Beware of being such wild fellowes that now follow their owne humours and care not what trickes they play not heeding any admonition or any reason If any of you have shewed your selves such formerly bewaile it before God pray him to pardon you pray him to turne you by shewing you your sinnes and miserable estate by nature and pray him to make you at length to learne to take the yoake of obedience and cast of all wilde courses live like men not like wilde Asses The wilde Asse runnes up and downe in the wildernesse and will not be led nor driven but will be where her fancy carryes her Be not you such but let the directions and admonitions of your parents and governours like bounds keepe you within compasse He that will live wildly shall surely procure a world of miseries to himselfe at last hardship shall tame him whom nothing else will tame or else at the end of his wilde race he shall stake himselfe as it were upon the vengeance of God and eternall death Yet another fault Every mans hand was against him and his against every man The meaning is he was a quarrelsome fellow still brawling and falling out one that would easily take and give matter of strife and debate apt to speake and doe that which would give distaste to others and apt to distaste the things that others said and did to him so as to make it the matter of a fray or grudge or both This is the fault that is described in these words Now a sore sinne it is that makes a man troublesome to himselfe and all his neighbours and causeth his life to be like the life of a Cocke of the game that is still bloudy with the bloud of others and himselfe I pray you examine your selves whether you be not such froward contentious men still in suite in contestation in opposition with some or other that will take no shew of wrong but will doe enough that cannot long keepe out of some brabling matter If it be a legall kind of quarrelling it is a signe of much folly much pride or both much more if it be a kind of martiall quarrelling that tends to stroakes and bloudshed Repent repent of this evill humour and seeke to God to give you a meeke and quiet spirit able to beare and forbeare able to shew kindnesse and to passe by unkindnesse for surely it is a kind of diabolicall life to live so unquietly and it will cause Gods hand to be stretched out against him whose hand is against every body And these are Ishmaels faults Now his benefits are First deliverance from two great dangers one before hee was borne when his mother was taking a course to undoe both her selfe and him God was so favourable to both as to meete her in the way and turne her backe from her wandering that returning home againe Ishmael might be borne in Abrahams house and by him brought up in all good order till his 17. yeere or thereabouts A great benefit it was and the foundation of his future worldly greatnesse This mercy must be confessed if God have prevented danger from us whilest we were in our mothers wombes and it were fit that Parents should acquaint their children with such mercies that they might learne to inlarge their thankesgiving by mentioning of them also We cannot shew our selves too exact and diligent in reckoning with God for his benefits Secondly God himselfe vouchsafed to meete him againe when he was banished and to provide water for him and refresh him when he was now ready to die for thirst How great was Gods care of him that sent an Angell to open his Mothers eyes and cause her to see a Well neere hand which either griefe of minde or weakenesse of sight thorough faintnesse had disabled her from seeing or else made a Well for the
man doth disobey God and transgresseth his Law in suffering it he doth alone receive misery to himselfe now the greatest misery is not so great an evill as the least sinne It behooveth us to take heed that our carnall reason doe never so over-sway us no not on the suddaine that wee should consent to act any evill for the procuring of any good And if wee have done otherwise wee are to impute it to our selves as a great weakenesse and so to confesse it and humble our selves for it before God Againe Lot lingred in Sodome till the Angels tooke him by the hand and in a kind of gratious violence set him in safety against his will Willing hee was to escape the destruction which was now falling upon Sodome but loath he was to save his life at so deare a rate as the loosing of all his substance It is a sinne to cleave so fast in affection to goods as not to be willing with the losse of all to save out lives He loves riches too well that will cast his life upon great danger for the saving of them and not gladly leave them all to free his life from perdition Satan could say Skinne for skinne and all that a man hath will hee give for the redemption of his life If wee have at any time found our heart so glewed to wealth that we have beene lingring about it to the manifest indangering of our lives much more our soules we should even heartily condemne our selves for too great lovers of riches Another sinne in Lot was that he was too timerous and durst not commit himselfe to the Mountaines whither yet he was faine at length to flie for feare least some or other mischiefe might befall him there and therefore was he so over-importunate for the sparing of that City because it was little might he not as well have trusted the Angels direction as his owne conceits and sought and expected safety in the Mountaines when they commanded him to escape thither Doubtlesse it is a fault not to trust God with our welfare but to cast in our heads what evill may befall us there where he doth send us for safety Let us not yeeld to our owne fancies nor frame perill to make us discontent with that estate to which God doth call us for we shall finde at length that our owne hopes will deceive us and we shall be never the farther of from danger because we followed our owne heads Let mee goe to Zoar saith he and my soule shall live but after he found that his soule could not live with comfort there Live where God would have us live and looke for his protection there where it shall please him to appoint us to live Now I come to his two last offences he suffered himselfe to be made drunken by his daughters two severall times one shortly after another You see how a good man may be overtaken with grievous sinnes and drawne by those whom he loveth and trusteth to grievous abhominations O let us feare our selves and pittie others and take heed wee suffer not our neerest friends to be a snare unto us Especially beware of drunkennesse it is not alone a great offence it selfe but laies us open to all other crimes Make a man drunken and he will easily be drawne to defloure his owne daughter Keepe your selves from excessive drinking of wine or strong drink It is raging it is mocking it will change you into very beasts and make you runne into such crimes as your soules at other times would even loath to thinke of Labour to be temperate or else you do hardly be chaste and modest Deprive not your selves of reason by pleasing your palate expose not your selves to the danger of the foulest of all sinnes by so base a pleasure as satisfying the tast with the relish of this liquor And all you Governours and Magistrates set your selves with all diligent severity to prevent and beate downe drunkennesse if this offence abound all other evills will abound with it Now wee come to Lots benefits First God drew him out of his sinnes and gave him repentance else S. Peters words had not beene true that called him a just man O how great a mercy of God is this not to call us from the state of corruption at first but when wee have almost departed backe againe to folly to recall us from our grievous sinnes and heale our wounded soules by causing us to repent unfainedly Presume not on this mercy but if you have found it praise God most earnestly for it and let not the greatnesse of sinne discourage you from returning unto God againe for such is his grace that he will readily receive you after such wandrings Againe you see that God gave him riches great store the Lord can give the same to other of his people with as plentifull a hand but if hee doe not you see in Lot what cause there is not to murmure for riches did undoe Lot almost and therefore was God faine to take them all againe because hee could not so use them as not to set his heart too much upon them If God hath beene pleased to grant you these things let Lots example make you carefull to keepe your hearts from being too much inamoured of them Further Lot obtained a gracious deliverance for himselfe and his wife and his daughters out of the burning of Sodome hee lamented their sinnes and escapeth the punishment Learne the best way to save your selves from common stroakes even by bewailing the common sinnes and prooving your selves to be righteous persons Yea God yeelded much to Lots weakenesse in granting him leave to goe to Zoar and saving that City also for his sake Surely God is as ready also now to passe by weakenesses and will much more willingly grant the better digested petitions of his servants Now Lots misery first hee was taken Captive and lost all his goods Secondly hee lost his goods againe in Sodome Thirdly his Wife Lastly hee was plagued with wicked children that drew him to grievous offences Prepare to loose all you have especially if you finde your soules over-earnestly addicted to them and cause not God to pull them out of your hands by setting your hearts upon them Prepare your hearts to loose your yoake-fellowes by some strange and unexpected accidents Prepare to have your children naught and wicked and take heed that your owne folly in choosing for wealths sake an evill place of habitation be not an instrument of making them such yea learne to be thankfull that God hath yet saved you from such miseries and make your smaller crosses seeme lighter to you then else they would by comparing them with these so heavie and burdensome crosses Now what became of Lot after all this the Scripture doth not speake and therefore here wee leave and will speake two words of his Wife also first the benefits shee received Secondly the sinne shee committed Thirdly the punishment that
fell upon her The benefits shee received were two first shee was redeemed from the Captivity of the Kings that had taken her selfe Husband Daughter and whole Family prisoners in the Conquest of Sodome where they dwelt at that time and upon their deliveance neither shee nor her husband had the grace to consider of it and to remoove from Sodome and dwell againe in some better place neerer Abraham Secondly shee was delivered out of the burning of Sodome together with her Husband and Daughters saving that shee made the benefit unprofitable to her selfe by her sinning And her sinne though it seemed little in respect yet indeed was very great The matter was small the transgression was great as in great poyson fullnesse may be found in a small quantity of liquor even in a drop or lesse then a drop Shee was forbidden by the Angell that sent her forth to looke backe to Sodome and yet expressely against that charge shee did looke backe the cause of that prohibition may seeme to have beene this the Lord knowing her too eager affection to the goods shee left behinde her would have her now cast off that inordinate passion and accepting the goodnesse of God in giving her her life for a prey not so much as to turne and looke towards Sodome but trust God for goods who had now vouchsafed them life but shee belike thinking as many of us would have thought as good die as be sent away a beggar and destitute of all things could not keepe her heart constant in taking notice of the great benefit of escaping the fire but out of griefe to leave house and all after her turned backe to salute them once againe with her eye This sinne was compounded of disobedience to God speaking in the Angell and dis-esteeme of the present mercy and over-grieving the losse of her wealth Take heed you give not your selves leave to commit a thing expressely forbidden for usually much naughtinesse concurreth to produce such an act so the Lord that searcheth the heart accounteth that great which your blindnesse maketh you to esteeme nothing and so to punish it many times with some heavie punishment As it befell this woman her punishment was to be turned into a Pillar of salt The Lord instantly smote her with death and taking her soule from her body changed the body into a pillar which whether it be called a pillar of salt because it was of that matter or because of the everlasting continuance of it as an everlasting Covenant is called a covenant of salt I cannot determine The latter seemeth to mee the more probable howsoever shee is set forth to us for an example by which wee may informe our selves thus much that when God hath chastened us and by our chastisements taken pittie upon us and granted us deliverances and yet wee profit so little by both as to continue faulty in the same faults wee shall then finde his hand more heavie upon us by some exemplary blow as it is noted by David that though the Lord brought the people out of Egypt yet hee did after destroy them in the wildernesse that did not beleeve Let us feare least the Lord set us up also as Monuments of his just severity when hee findes us not reformed by former goodnesse and gentlenesse * ⎠* THE TVVELFTH EXAMPLE OF LOTS Daughters and others of that time WEE have finished the things that are recorded of Lots selfe and his Wife Next let us tell you what is recorded of his two Daughters Their names their birth their death the Lord vouchsafeth not to mention and of their life not much is written and that which is tends all to their reproach First good deeds we have none for which to commend them or in which to follow them but bad deeds too many considering how great they were Their first sinne was that they consulted together and agreed about a most abhominable sinne nay a paire of grievous crimes at once In which the first-borne did make the motion and the younger gave her consent In the consultation about it see what reason induced and what it is to which they were induced by that reason The reason is 1. Their Fathers age who being now shortly to leave the world they would not have his off-spring perish in themselves 2. The want of other men to company with them there is not a man in all the earth to come in unto us after the earth They wanted other husbands to beget children of them in lawfull matrimonie Surely their late abode in Zoar might cause them to know that the whole world was not destroyed if they meant that there was never another man left with whom they might joyne themselves they did beguile themselves too too palpably for onely Sodome and Gomorrha and Admah and Zeboim foure Cities of the plaine were consumed with fire from Heaven the rest stood in their former estate Zoar they had seene standing and left it with their Father and seeing they dwelt upon a Mountaine they could not but discerne other Cities round about for that Countrey was full of Townes and people It is like therefore that they meant none neere unto us none of our blood and kindred But why should they make doubt of marrying any other besides their owne kindred They had beene betrothed to husbands in Sodome might they not as well marrie any other Cananite as a Citizen of Sodome It is apparant that their reasons were frivolous and vaine yet upon them they build a full resolution of committing two fearefull offences for they agree together saying Come let us make our Father drinke Wine and then let us lie with him to preserve seed of him They would seeme each to other to be carried with libidinous fancies as if lust led them but that a desire of preserving seed was the motive to the villanous designe Wee see how mans nature is easily drawne by weake and poore grounds to runne into very loathsome and foule crimes Better the world should have wanted continuance and ended in their persons then have it stored with an incestuous off-spring No other meeting together of man and woman if it had beene in the way of Matrimony is simply and of it selfe unlawfull but onely that of Parents and children for there was a time when the Brother married the sister without fault as in the beginning when the world had no other persons in it but brethren and sisters but never at any time was it lawfull for the daughters to have the Father or the Mother the sonne This therefore was the most unlawfull mixture in the same kinde and of different Sexe that possibly could be Yet upon a slender pretext that they knew not how to come by any other man and so their Fathers posterity should perish they consent to accomplish it Had they not beene made more then ordinarily immodest with the conversation of impure Sodomites they would have beene restrained with shame and
doth send them upon men in favour to prevent divers sinnes which else hee knowes they would have committed in that time if health had continued Let us not murmure against GOD because of such crosses but rather take notice of his goodnesse in the same especially in point of sicknesse if it linger upon us and thinke thus with our selves how many sinnes might I have runne into if this bodily feeblenesse had not kept mee within dores And when wee bee sicke or otherwise affected let us turne our thoughts round about us to finde out if any such thing be some sinne that wee should have runne into but for such prevention See if thine heart have not harboured some unconsidered fault and further the health of your bodies by turning sicknesse into purging physicke for your soules So have we finished the example of this King Somewhat about that time there lived foure Kings whose names are recorded in holy Writ but nothing at all for their praise Their names were 1. Amraphel King of Shinar that is as it is thought of Chaldea or Babilon where it may seeme that Nimrod erected a Monarchie and it may bee that this man was some successor of his or one of his Posterity and would needes inlarge his Monarchie so farre as the land of Canaan with whom was joyned Amoch King of Elkasar Chedarlomer King of Elam and one Tydall King of Nations What these Kings were or whether mentioned in Heathen Stories or not it matters not to enquire But here they are patternes of unjust violence in Warre They had the keener swords and therefore would make themselves Lords over other Kings and compell them by brunt of Warre to receive their yoke and acknowledge some Homage Nothing more usuall then for potent Kings to make at least unnecessary Warres for their growth in greatnesse many times they doe not so much as alleadge a shew of title but their owne ambition is the ground of their plea and sometimes they pretend most frivolous titles So doe they disquiet themselves and others and cause much innocent bloud to bee shed almost inforcing their Subjects to become wilfull murderers Wee must blesse God that hath caused us to live now a good time under peaceable Princes and must inforce our prayers to God begging the like mercy still The Conquering side is often more miserable by sinning then the conquered by slaughter or captivity But God doth use these great Cockes of the game as instruments of his Justice to punish the naughtinesse of those that abuse peace and become more wicked by so great a benefit Let us learne to take heede of wickednesse that the God of Heaven may not also make us a prey to violence and ambition And though you bee not Kings to whom I speake yet I pray you take heed that you runne not into the same fault that these Kings though not in so high a degree use not injustice and injuriousnesse and violence so much as your lower places will suffer a Weesell is a ravenous beast as well as a Lion But the maine sinne that these committed and which brought upon them their ruine was this that they would needs take Lot among the Sodomites Suppose the Sodomites did owe them Homage and gave just cause of quarrell yet was Lot no Sodomite nor Patron of their rebellion They should have spared him that never had beene their subject nor done them any wrong at all Indeed if Lot had gone to Warre against them and involved himselfe in the Sodomites evill cause if their cause were evill hee was justly taken captive with them but the briefe narration seemeth rather to intimate otherwise Chap. 14. verse 11 12. They tooke the substance of Sodome and their victuals and went their way and they tooke Lot also and his substance for hee dwelt in Sodome intimating as I said that hee was taken not in the battell but in the spoiling of the City afterward but you see what is the manner of insulting conquerours they sweepe away all they meete and every thing and person shall bee good bootie that lies within their reach but they smart for this spoile for hence was Abraham justly occasioned to put forth his courage for the reskue of his Kinsman and so were they deprived of the whole victory because they spared not a man whom they should have spared It often falleth out that one act of injustice looseth much that otherwise was justly gotten Beware of swallowing ill gotten wealth it hath a poysonfull operation and like some such evill simple in the stomacke will bring up the good foode together with ill humours It is said the King of Sodome had rebelled so intimating a kinde of justification of the Warre with him but it is not said that Lot had rebelled and therefore they should not have seized on him for the Sodomites sake Use justice and take nothing from any man that is due unto him neither punish any without right chiefely touch not a good man that feareth GOD unlesse his faults require that hee bee made to smart for them GOD can beare the carrying away Captive of many Sodomites rather then of one Lot Now consider how God humbleth these great and insolent Conquerours that carried all before them hee armes Abraham against them with so much wisedome and valour that hee sets upon them by night and discomfits them afore they could well tell who it was that fought with them So it falleth out often that God doth beate farre greater armies by the farre fewer Hee that feareth God and hath a just cause neede never bee discouraged from battell because his companies are but few The God of Warre whom the Scripture cals a man of Warre carries victory to that side where hee pleaseth to joyne and tell mee if hee have not most times given the greatest victories to his servants when their enemies power was such as farre surpassed theirs Some trust in bow and speare but hee that maketh mention of the name of God he is in best possibility to become a victor Take heed of making God your enemy that maketh one man to chase ten and ten to flie before one * ⎠* THE FOVRTEENTH EXAMPLE OF The Sodomites WEE are come along in Abrahams time to the Sodomites Concerning whom the Holy Ghost found nothing so much as like to any vertue which might be commended or imitated in them unlesse perhaps it may have a little relish of vertue that the King of Sodome after Abrahams victory over the foure Kings Gen 14.17 21. went out to meete Abraham and willed him to give unto him the persons and take the goods for a booty to his owne use There may seeme to be a small shadow of gratitude in that hee was willing that Abraham should enjoy the spoile but if wee consider the matter better this will shew it selfe to be rather a vice for first hee doth not so much as thanke Abraham for his hazard and paines in fighting with those
a most undecent thing to see the sinnes of youth prevailing in times of age it were monstrous to behold greene apples on a tree in winter If the frost of age cannot nip the blossomes of libidinous desires how great was that heate who can thinke that he is at all mortified in other things where nature affordeth lesse helpe that hath not prevailed against the things that should even die of themselves But it is sure that length of time will not conquer his hatefull passion unlesse grace be granted from above the elder adulterer is the most neighing he desireth so much the more by how much he can effect lesse as you see it in some kind of creatures whom the knife hath caused to cease to be perfect males O if any old man amongst you have a wanton heart head hand tongue and gives himselfe to please himselfe with dalliances and lascivious gestures words and carriages let him be exceedingly abased in himselfe the consideration of ones ancientnesse makes the least attempt in him more loathsome then any act in a young stripling so long as one is carried with the fervour of youth to such offences there is hope that age will temper but in whom these fires continue sparkling when his body is little warmer then a dead carkasse what hope can be conceived of his amendment what charity can thinke that hee will ever bee chaste for hee is not chaste that cannot but hee that will not be lascivious But see here young men as well as old the Holy Ghost nameth not alone men come to the vigour of their youth but even the younger youths that were scarce past child-hood these also learnt of the elder and it pleased them to be present where filthy deedes were done Verily child-hood will soone receive the infection of lust and there is scarce a sinne that will shew it selfe more early in imitating those evill speeches or actes it heares or sees young ones will drinke in this poison greedily and will shew that themselves are of kinne to the elder by bending the same way How carefull therefore should elder persons be to forbeare all such wordes and carriages before these buds as may begin to season with evill too too timely and why should any be so naught as yet some parents have beene to delight to teach their childeren libidinous songs and carriages some love sinne so well that they delight to instruct young ones in this foule and obscene trade Hath any amongst you spate out this venome in the presence of young ones to make them sooner wicked then else they would O how very great is his sinne whose filthinesse will live in another when himselfe is dead A man hath more cause to bewaile the contagion of his lust in this kinde then the lust it selfe in himselfe he may kill it by repentance but what will he doe to stop the contagion in another Againe the fault is exceedingly aggravated from the manner of doing First they carried themselves most impudently in this matter they stucke not to tell their minde plainly bring them out to us say they and they doe not pretend any honest errand nor will so much as goe about the bush a little to shelter their naughtinesse till opportunity served to put it in practise but as if it were the most honest occasion that might be they proclaime that wee may know them The Holy Ghost abhorreth turpitude of speech and therefore delivers their meaning in a modest phrase but whither they affected any such modest vaile of speaking it s greatly questionable at least it is more probable that those which would declare their mindes so openly and so loudly would utter it also as broadly for shame is the onely pull-backe to these kinde of loose speeches Men feare to speake grossely because they would not be thought so vile as to delight in filthinesse and he that would be knowne to intend such a leudnesse no question but he would also please himselfe in the worst phrases he could invent Impudency in sinne especially in this sinne against which God hath pleased to arme corrupt nature with some degree of shame for were it not a matter of reproach to offend in this kinde how few would live chastely in their younger and wilder dayes nay scarce in their elder Mens credit is dearer to them then their soule pleasure would conquer conscience in those in whom it cannot conquer vaine-glory but I say impudency in all sinnes chiefely in this sinne doth make it out of measure wicked they cannot blush saith the Prophet they declare their sinne like Sodome they know not how to be ashamed when they had done evill It is a signe that a man hath stript himselfe of the nature of a man when he begins not to be ashamed of sinne especially not of this sinne A beast hath not the understanding to discerne the turpitude of evill therefore he cannot be ashamed so the shamelesse is turned into a very beast having lost the sence of good and evill such a one if any hath gotten to himselfe that which is called a reprobate minde a minde that cannot trie or proove things that can put no difference Therefore learne to preserve shamefastnesse in your selves and to know how to blush it is the colour of vertue in the younger sort which should onely therefore be separated from elder persons because they should then be more perfect then to say or doe things that might occasion it else impudencie in vice is the more loathsome by how much the head is grayer Indeed want of store of bloud will not give so red a hue to the cheekes but if an old man be not more confounded within himselfe for his wickednesse then a younger it is a signe that his age hath profited little in ability of judging and discerning evill from good and good from evill If any amongst you finde himselfe to have a brazen fore-head that is never a whit abashed at the doing of evill chiefely of wanton deeds that he cares not much who sees or knowes what dirt is harboured in his minde he is neere neighbour to a Sodomite But as they did it impudently so most wilfully for when Lot by loving dehortations and as any but a brutish person would have conceived offers of that which might have better contented them then that which they propounded even his owne two daughters virgins yet they grew disdainefull towards him stand farre of or beyond the word is approach beyond as much as in our phrase get thee farther of and accusing him of great insolencie that being a stranger would needs make himselfe a Judge He takes upon him as a chiefe ruler in the conceit of a wicked man that seekes to drive him from his sinne they fall to threaten that they will deale worse with him then with them So gentle words did rather exasperate them then any thing mitigate their eagernesse therefore the Angels pulling in Lot unto them into the house strike the
forth his griefe before God in these words If thou wilt deale thus with me kill me now kil me if I have found favour in thine eyes and let me not see mine evill Sometimes you finde good men desirous to escape death and crying Lord save me from the hands of mine enemies and sometimes againe even covetous of it and crying with vehemency again and again kill me Lord kill me and if thou lovest me kill me Iob was exceeding desirous to die and said He would seek for it as for gold yea and fine gold So you perceive that mans nature is prone to waxe weary of living because of affliction and that this is a fault and a weaknesse is evident It is an act of ingratitude because a man considers not as well the good he enjoyeth as the evill for if he would reckon well he doth alwaies receive more good at Gods hand in this life than evill but as one bitter morsell causeth that the mouth tasteth nothing almost but bitternesse though it have before received many dainty morsels so it is with us in this case Againe it is a fruit of hopelesnesse and despaire the soule doth not expect the favourable goodnesse of God to strengthen and deliver in due time but thinks it will never be better with mee till I die and therefore wisheth it selfe out of the world Hope would hold the heart up from these faintings but it is a kinde of despaire that casts it into such swounes as Iob said As for mine hope where is it Thirdly pride is one great cause of this disposition men consider not with themselves how unworthy they be of any good how much they have deserved far greater evill and therefore are immoderately vexed with those they feele and therefore count their beeing a burden But is it not a fruit of great pride in a man that as if he were his own maker preserver disposer will be no longer then he may have his own will and may see things to go along with him after his owne wishes Further a man wrongs himselfe exceedingly by suffering himself to grow weary of life for first he makes the misery greater by makeing himselfe weaker to beare it If a man be to beare a great burden it doth him much hurt to scratch the skin of his shoulder for that will adde much to the pain of bearing A gauled place will smart of it selfe how ill doth be provide for himselfe that rubs off the skin from his shoulders when he is put to carry a thing So doth he that will needs give way to so much impatiency as to be weary of life yea he exposeth himselfe to the danger of becomming a self-murtherer that yeeldeth to this wearinesse of life For it will not be very hard to perswade any man to cast away that which is his burden So it is evident that this was an offence in Rebekkah And now come you men and women of all rankes looke into your selves Have not you also been weary of life and that upon a very small occasion A maide is crossed in her desires by her parents for her good and she sees no likelihood of having what shee would have then she pules and takes on and wisheth she were dead and buried she would forgive him that would knock her on the head A man hath met with somewhat a froward woman which vexeth him with her words then he will be dead in a chafe I would I were out of the world never man was so pestered with a shrew as I so it is with wives too Come now recount you owne passions are you not ashamed of these drunken distempers what is life a thing so dog cheape with you that upon every occasion you would cast it away Are your selves things of so little value that so small a matter should make you weary of your selves You wrong God exceedingly in such distempers for you make it appeare that you think of him as of an angry governour that cares not how unreasonably he laies upon his servants in his anger Either these corrections are sufferable or not I meane such as by wisdome and discretion you might compose your selves to beare with gentlenesse or they be not if they be why do you chafe thus If they be not who hath sent them Verily you provoke God to send unsufferable crosses that will make easie crosses unsufferable What saith the Father to the froward childe doe you cry for nothing take you that then to make you cry for something and so doubles and redoubles his blows with a strong arme till the childe feeling the smart of his Fathers anger begins to compose himselfe to a little more sufferance Brethren let us repent of this folly there scarce liveth a man that hath not overshot himselfe in this fashion O let us repent of it and let us diligently resist such disorderly passions hereafter Let nothing make us weary of life but sin and not that so excessively as to make us intemperately wish death Of sin we should be weary but of life for sins sake I know not whether we may allow our selves at all to be weary But for crosses be they what they will we should not be so weak and impatient as to grow weary of life For God is able to deliver us out of all crosses and will do it and he will so sanctifie them to us that it may be more for our profit than if it were removed and can give as in Iobs case he did so blessed an issue that our selves shall confesse it was but our folly not to be willing to continue under them according to his will Had not Iob cause to unwish his former wishes when the Lord did make so large an addition of happy dayes unto him Above all we must consider of our worthinesse to be damned that we may not thinke much of crosses and labour so to rest upon God for the escape of damnation that afflictions which are but for a short season may not seeme unto us extreame Looke upon our Lord Iesus Christ what sufferings were comparable to his Yet we never meet with any wearinesse of life or wishing of death in him Looke upon S. Paul too Never man had feeling of greater tribulation and he tels us that hee tooke pleasure in necessities afflictions tribulations but that he wished himselfe dead that hee might be free from his crosses wee never reade Let us follow the vertues of godly men but let their weaknesses be our warnings And that we may not distaste life for any crosses that befall us therein let us often renew our faith in Gods gracious promises to give us an happy issue out of all and to bring us safely to his heavenly kingdome Moreover if sometimes these fainting fits doe gather upon us and our mindes be overtaken with this tirednesse of spirit let us learne though to be humbled yet not to be discouraged We conclude not against Elias Moses Rebekkah Iob that they were not truly
sanctified because they were imperfect in patience Why should we make such untrue and uncharitable and indiscreet conclusions either against our selves or others with whom we live As an extenuating of faults to make them seeme nothing and make our hearts hard under them is to be condemned so an over-aggravating of them to make our selves seem no children making our case worse then ever any mans before is likewise to be condemned Satan is author of both these follies and the effect of the latter is to drive us from God as well as of the former and all things are ill used when they tend to keepe us from comming to God and trusting in him So much of Rebekkahs good and bad now of the good and evill occurrents that befell her Her prosperity first was great for God called her from her Fathers house in which Idolatry did raigne and false worship prevailed to be a member of Abrahams house and a mother of the Messiah and a professor and practiser of Gods true religion and not alone so but gave her grace to be a godly woman an heire of the promise made to Abraham together with her husband This is the greatest of mercies here below to be called from darknesse to light from serving the devill and Idols to serve the true and living God If God have granted to any this mercy even to call them effectually to himselfe out of the darknesse of a false worship and religion to the light of a godly life How much cause hath he to blesse God and to rejoyce in this mercy above all mercies and bee freequently and heartily thankfull But if you have not yet attained it for many live in the Church that be not of it take notice of your wretched condition and now cry earnestly to God to bring you to the effectuall and saving knowledge of his truth that you also may be indeed and â—ot in bare profession of the houshold of Abraham the true Church But Rebekkah had other benefits beauty health and strength for ought we reade after marriage as before A rich and godly husband in whom she was doubly happy for her soule and state and one godly childe too whom she dearely loved and who shewed himselfe a man worthy to be loved A good husband a good state a good childe good health bee they not benefits indebting us to God in many praises and thankes and much carefull obedience Let not these mercies be strangers to your thoughts but ponder upon them to stir up your selves to thanksgiving and obedience Now for her crosses some shee suffered in her dayes as well as others First her husband fell blinde and weake and almost bedridden No doubt but she did participate with him in this affliction and it was a griefe to her to see him so imprisoned in darknesse and some trouble it must needs be though her love made it easie to give attendance upon him in that estate Likewise she could not but grieve to see her husbands affections to be so much more than they should have been for a long time upon her elder but worser son It was also a great griefe unto her to see the rudenesse and bloodinesse of her son Esau who comforted himselfe against his brother with an intention so soon as his Fathers funerals were over to dispatch him and rob him of the blessing though he could not get it to himselfe Would it not cut the heart of one of you Parents to heare that one of your sons you having but a couple in all the world should resolve to become a murderer of the other and so you stood in danger of being deprived of them both at once would not both these things grieve you Againe it was a griefe to her to have her good son as it were banished from her house and compelled to fly away in secret for his life For had he not been compelled to steale into Padan Aram in respect of Esau as to steale thence again in respect of Laban his Fathers estate was not so low that he must needs have travailed over that Iordan with a staffe and come to Labans house all alone and there have served an hard service for a wife Sure Isaac was not a prodigall he had not consumed his estate so that Abrahams grandchilde must be sent out so poorely appointed whose steward when he fetched a wife for Isaac had ten Camels well laden with rich things and many servants to attend him and so with speed returned home with his errand But feare of Esau caused him to goe speedily and secretly that no man might know it lest so he might have fallen into mischiefe by his meanes and to tarry so long till he might heare his brother was pacified Now did not this think you wound Rebekkahs heart Did she not part with a great part of her comfort when she parted with her beloved son Iacob so far so long and in such a manner But worst of all so long as she lived with her daughters shee was miserably vexed with their frowardnesse and ill conditions Indeed at length Esau tooke his journey to mount Seir where her friends dwelled and made this crosse more easie by removing his habitation with his wives and all he had but in the mean it was an anguish to her and that viz. losse of Esau too when Iacob was gone could not but minister matter of some affliction to her in minde Now let all of us be perswaded to looke for these and the like crosses that by fortifying our selves against them we may be made more patient and so beare them with lesse discontent for what are we that God should handle us with more indulgence than this so good a woman And those that lie under any such crosse in husband sons daughters daughters in law let them frame themselves to a more contented suffering because they finde that they bee no other kind of evils than those wherewith their Father hath exercised their betters in former times as he doth also for the present Hee must be an unruly childe that will roare and take on when he beareth no more than his other brethren and sisters beare before him yea and if we have escaped these particular crosses let us be thankfull to God for our freedome even from them and make the bearing of the rest more easie because we have not as we have deserved and might have had the same we have and these also for an overplus of misery THE SEVENTENTH EXAMPLE OF ESAV WEE are now to handle the example of Esau Hee was a twin Iacob being the other twin We must treate of his birth life and death First for his birth we are informed that hee was the son of Isaac and of Rebekkah the wife of Isaac daughter of Bethuel by his wife Milcah Which Bethuel was son of Nachor the brother of Abraham He was borne in the yeare of the world 2108 as some thinke and as others
leaves the land of Canaan and of his owne accord goes away to Mount Seir from Iacob because he found it not so commodious an habitation He and his brother could not dwell together there he would not dwell in Tents as Isaac Iacob to shew himself an heir through hope of the same promises so this was an utter forsaking of all care of true religion turning meer worldly and earthly O take heed that none of you suffer profaneness to take so strong a hold and settle so deep rooting in you that you should quite and cleane give over all shew of piety and follow the world wholly altogether and professedly He is profane that hath no great care of heaven at least not at all to get grace and therefore first makes no great reckoning of next despiseth and after relinquisheth and casteth off the signes and meanes of grace that God hath appointed O let not any of you be such perish not after the example of Esaus naughtinesse but let his badnesse teach you to feare to be bad in the same kinde and labour to be devout holy and religious that you may be saved Yet more faults must be spoken of towards his Father and Mother he did not shew that due respect which he ought unto them for he married Cananitish wives against their good liking you may be sure which proved an heart-breaking unto them and when he thought to mend the matter in super-adding the daughter of Ishmael he went yet in the same roade that before not craving their advice and counsell but did it of his own head which though be were now married hee should not have done so long as he lived as then it may seeme he did live under their roofe Beware you children of this sin of Esau wrong not the authority of God and your parents both by marrying without their consent liking or privity whether is it safe better more desirable to be Iacobs imitators or Esaus but of that I have spoken already Another rank of faults see towards his brother First he accuseth him for beguiling him of his birth-right which was a false accusation for he could not couzen him of that but himself out of a profane ignorance and contempt of the worth thereof sold it away for a poore price a messe of pottage But man is ever ready to cast the blame of his faults upon others if they have any colour so to do it were better plainly to confesse and take the blame unto ones self than to double the fault by covering it with falshood springing from self-love Let no man say that another hath deceived him of that which he hath fondly cast away or the like But when Iacob had indeed beguiled him of the blessing which I cannot tell how to excuse then he hated him It is a grievous offence to be so imbittered specially against a brother or kinsman as to entertain hatred against him Thou shalt not hate thy neighbour in thine heart Love your enemies do good to them that do evill to you saith our Saviour This is far from being like God and so from being a fruit of the Spirit of Christ who loved his enemies Should not the Image of God in a man prevaile more to make one love than his own injury to make him hate If any of you be an Esauite in this thing an hater of one that hath done him wrong let him be assured that it is a great sin and if he excuse it defend it deny it will not see it not carefully resist it let him be assured that his sin is not pardoned He that saith he loveth God and hateth his brother is a lyar and hee that saith he is a childe of God and is not a lover of God is a lyar too You may ask me what it is to hate ones brother I answer There is a passion of hatred and a habit of hatred and both work in two degrees The passion of hatred is a kinde of aversnesse and rising of the heart against a man when one sees him so that hee cannot away with him nor can speake unto or looke curteously or peaceably upon him but ones countenance fals when he sees him and he even turnes away and by his goodwill would have nothing to doe with him To be so disposed to a man in respect of his soule and wicked carriage is not a sin but to be affected in respect of an injury is this sinfull hating of him But the habit of hatred is when the heart is so setled in this alienation and estrangement that it grows to wish and desire and seeke his hurt now sometimes these passions and these grudges be seen lamented resisted and by degrees overcome here hatred ruleth not sometimes a man will not see his sin in such hatred and taketh no paines to chase this sowre leaven out of his heart This over-ruling hatred is a sinne that cannot stand with true charity to God O take heed of it see it amend it and be no longer like Esau Next he not alone intends to kill his brother but comforts himself in that thought as you may reade Gen. 27.44 It is a fearefull thing to resolve upon murder and that with delight and pleasure so that the heart concludeth to commit it so soone as such and such a let is removed or fit occasion offered and that so setledly as not conscionable obedience to God but alone some meere respect to men doth hinder the accomplishment So the Pharisees resolved to kill Christ only fearing the people they forbeared it was glad newes to them when Iudas offered his service to betray him This is to give ones selfe over as a servant to sin and cannot be found in any childe of God at least not usually or often Doe any of you sinne thus in any kinde What should I call you but Esaus and I beseech you to take heed of malice that it may not produce murther and of all the inward motions to evill with allowance for feare they produce the grossest acts of evill Nay Esaus malice strived twenty yeares in his breast for he went out against his brother when he returned from Padan Aram Gen. 22. with foure hundred men after him minding to destroy him but that God vouchsafed to stop him by putting a passion of kindenesse upon him A great sin it is to attempt greivous offences though one be stopped in the middest yea though the stoppage grow from some inward motion in himselfe for this shewes that the heart was once fully bent unto it but if some outward hinderance alone have been the cause of its not being done then the thankes of forbearance is lesse Repent therefore of such purposes and attempts and shew your selves truly sorrowfull and penitent by confessing to God the sin of attempting and blessing his name for not permitting you to follow your wicked desires His benefits they were all temporall The dew of heaven and the fatnesse
amongst them from their lusts that war in their members You see the loathsomenesse of this vice from the bad causes and effects of it Take notice therefore of your owne hearts and lives and see if none of you bee a quarellous and contentious person that is ready upon every occasion to strive with his brother and to breake forth into brawles and suits challenging that which is none of his and disquieting his brethren and himselfe A man may use legall meanes to get and keepe that which is rightfully due to him but he must not doe this in a froward manner with bitternesse and rage against his adversary but for the things that appertaine not to him in equity hee must make no striving at all otherwise he is a contentious man And because selfe-love maketh us so blinde that wee are apt to deceive our selves and to imagine we have good title to that which indeed belongs not to us wee must bee content to referre our selves willingly to other mens judgements and not stand upon our owne opinions I mean to other indifferent and uninterested persons whose judgements are like to bee clearer than our owne in things wherein themselves be not ingaged Let me therefore commend peace and concord let nothing bee done of strife in an humour to crosse and oppose another or to vexe and anger him If covetousnesse or envy rule in a mans heart hee will boile with contention and flame forth into debates and strifes but if he have an heart contented with his estate and charitably disposed to his brethren hee will then insue peace and follow after it For a just controversie may bee carried in a quiet and peaceable manner and so ought to be but be the cause of striving never so equall if the thing be carried tumultuously with bitter words and behaviour with railings swellings whisperings backbitings mutuall disgracing and upbraiding one another this is a signe of a naughty heart in whom the wisdome that is from below doth rule and beare sway Resolve therefore to follow peace with all men not striving but upon just cause and then also in a loving gentle and milde manner And so much for Isaacs contemporaries with whom his occasions gave him cause of intermingling I proceed now to Isaacs heire and successor that is to say Iacob * ⎠* THE EIGHTEENTH EXAMPLE OF IACOB THE word Iacob signifieth he holds the heele the reason of which name you may reade Gen. 25. 26. He and Esau were Twins born at one birth Esau was the first borne and when he was borne his brother came out after him and held him by the heele whence this name was given him Of Iacob we must shew three things as in former Examples His birth life and death Concerning his birth the time and parents were the same which we noted before of Esau the manner was as you have heard as if hee had wrestled with his brother for the birth-right even in the birth in which may seem to be signified the great stir that should be betwixt their Successours as well as themselves yea and betwixt the good and bad in all ages even those that are heires of the promise and those that be contemners of the promise For the Lord had foretold that two Nations were in Rebekkahs wombe which should be separated one from the other and in them the Lord did manifest the freedome of his Election seeing he chose the younger before the elder to inherite the promises and that before they had done good or evill that the purpose of God according to election might remaine or be firme not of workes but of him that calleth meaning that Gods intention of saving by his grace who freely calleth not of any workes in any person whether repenting beleeving or any other workes might be stedfast and stable No workes cause God to call one or to purpose to call one or not to call another but alone his good pleasure whereof though it be sure that God hath in himselfe just reason for he is a reasonable agent and doth all things and most understandingly yet he sees it not good to reveale to us any reason because he would make us see what subjection we owe to him that is to say to rest in his will as a sufficient reason to satisfie us God might have purposed to call and also have called all without any picking or choosing or preferring one before another but his purpose was according to election or choice he intended not to raise up all out of the miserable estate into which Adam brought all but alone some and in his choosing he might have left whom he tooke and contrarily but he would take some not all and these not those because in his wisdome he saw it fit and so great is his power and soveraignty that we ought to be contented with this reason God would have it so Gods Election is his purpose to call such and such leaving the rest and of this purpose we can give no other cause but this so it seemed good unto him though himselfe have such grounds of his choice within himselfe as it is fit for a wise agent to have for the ground of all his actions He that will not quiet himselfe thus in the matter of election shall entangle himselfe so that he will never bee loosed And so much of Iacobs birth Now for his life we will consider his vertues faults crosses benefits For his vertues we will speake of them first in generall and here two things are noted in him Gen. 25.27 Iacob was a plaine man and did dwell in Tents The word translated a plaine man signifieth a perfect or upright man It is of larger signification than that phrase of ours A plaine man for that in common speech noteth one that is simple and dealeth squarely and eavenly without fraud deceit guile or any tricks in his actions so may one be and have no great goodnesse in him But this word is used to denote an upright hearted man a truly and intirely godly man a perfect man that is good within as well as without and good in all things at all times and in all places one as well as another one that carefully follows all the Commandements of God not giving himselfe leave to swerve from any of Gods wayes at any time Perfection is that property in things by which they have all which is requisite for their due constitution There is a double perfection one of degrees unattainable in this life and it is when a man hath all the parts of obedience in the highest degree that the Law requireth of him this is a legall perfection without which no man can be justified before God by the Law and because no man can attain it therefore By the Law shall no flesh be justified but beleevers have it in Christ in whom they are made the righteousnesse or God and to whom righteousnesse without workes meaning workes of their own
is Gods Church and such a thing as he is interessed into and is sacred with a true and reall sacrednesse Mine house shall be called an house of prayer to all nations Loe an house of prayer that is of publique worship a part for the whole and this house Gods house and that among all Nations Would you wish a clearer proofe for the warrant of Churches and their sacrednesse but what availes it to keep a Church handsome if you frequent it not O therefore come to Gods house frequent the publique worship there performed The meanest service done amongst us if it be but reading of a Chapter is more noble because not so typicall than the killing of a beast Come therefore to Gods house constantly sure Iacob did not meane that he would set apart a place for publique worship and not come neare it but that his care should be there to worship God O that you would all come frequently to Gods house for conscience and love At least O that the Officers would compell them by feare whom goodnesse cannot bring that so they may bee in good way of being bettered by Gods Ordinances But Iacob vowes to give the tenth of all that God should give him to God even to the maintaining his publike worship in that place for Gods worship will bee costly Himselfe personally can receive nothing but by giving it to his worship and the places and things and persons that belong to his worship it is given to him If there be any amongst you that thinkes examples of holy writ to binde him as it seemes some doe in other things where the matter is such as will put them to no great cost let them aske their consciences Why should not this example binde them as well as any other example That it should bee a typicall ceremoniall and temporall ordinance to give God tithe of all wee have I could never yet heare any reason of any force Some doe straine their wits to finde out a kinde of shadow in it and tell what it may signifie but the Scripture for ought I know doth not give any notice of any such thing You see it was the use afore the Leviticall priesthood and therefore it is not a thing depending upon the Leviticall priesthood Nay the Apostle makes mention of it as a thing due to the eternall priesthood of Melchisedek Therefore why should any man thinke his conscience bound by any other Example and not by this But to me it seemes plaine that Abraham and Iacob would never have observed this portion in measuring out these paiments to God if they had not conceived it a perpetuall and a naturall duty It is surely a morall precept to honour God with our goods and by bringing presents to him Seeing these holy men thought it fit to grant God so liberall a portion why should we not thinke him worthy as much But if you cannot bring your selves to thinke that so much is due to God yet I hope you will make your selves beleeve that surely something must bee due to God and that in a liberall quantity For God is worthy to bee honoured with our goods I trow as much now as ever and doe we honour him if we bring him no present no gift will you therefore be somewhat liberall to God will you binde your selves by vow or without vow freely dedicate some good part of your substance to God and as God blesseth you lay still aside something if you distrust God so much as you thinke he will not reward such a quantity as the Tenth why then with a ninth or an eighth or a seventh or a fifth with something I say that shall shew you are desirous to obey every Commandement and so to prove your selves sincere to God Surely to marke how God prospers a mans labour and then to bee constant in laying aside a good portion for God this shall be none of mine it shall be Gods ready at hand for pious uses to keep up and beautifie Gods house to further Gods worship any way and to relieve the poore members of Christ would make you so rich in good workes and so increase your liberality by exercise as would undoubtedly pull a rich blessing upon you and cause you to have interest into the blessing of having your prayers to runne over with increase Shew your selves liberall to God and be good Iacobs else he that is a niggard to God and will honour him indeed with his lips not with his goods gives others reason to thinke though himselfe be so full of self-love that he will not think so of himselfe that he honours him only with his lips If any say his state is so poore that he cannot I answer God hath propounded this as a meanes to get riches and the poore man hath no reason to thinke that Gods meanes will bee unavaileable But a poore necessitous man that is faine to live of the bounty much what of others must not be a rule for those that have better estates I am verily perswaded that one great cause of many a Christian mans poverty is this he honours not God with his riches and why should God make him rich If we see a man not to honour God with his wit and strength and then God deprive him of wit and strength Doe we not readily impute this crosse to the desert of that sin and why are we not induced to conclude God doth not prosper this man in his estate because he did not honour God with his estate And so much for Iacobs devotion in vowing and the things vowed Now he worshipped God also by sacrifice and performed his vow to God at last Gen. 35.3 I will make an Altar unto God at Bethel who answered me in the day of my distresse and was with me in the way which I went by which it is to be thought that Iacob prayed in his journey when he was benighted in the way and that dreame was Gods answer to his prayer and ver 7. He builded an Altar and called it El Bethel Now this Altar was not without sacrifices and a publike profession of Gods whole worship He made God a house and began there to settle the publike worship of God according to his vow Indeed it was a weaknesse in him to stay so long till God was faine to put him in minde both by a sore crosse and by a Vision of going to Bethel for this end but he was religious and kept his Vow at last O let us keep our vowes let us offer spirituall sacrifices of prayers praises contrite hearts our owne selves almesdeeds and so shew our selves right Israelites or Iacobites Lastly his devotion shewes it selfe in his religious taking of an oath himselfe to Laban and ministring it to his son Ioseph as you see Gen. 31.53 He sware by the feare of Isaac he was carefull to keep him to the true God and swearing by him and that seriously and on a just occasion not lightly and
moneths after his comming thither as may be demonstrated by the ages of the children by name of Ioseph the youngest who was seventeene when hee was sold into Aegypt and thirty when he stood before Pharaoh first and lived after seven yeares of plenty and then two yeares of scarcity that is thirty nine in all and then was Iacob one hundred and thirty So that Iacob was ninty and one yeares of age when he begate him and that was in the last of the fourteene yeares agreed upon for by and by upon his birth Iacob would have laboured for his owne house and Laban agrees upon wages Therefore hee was seventy and seven yeares or thereabouts when he came to Laban and being of that age it was not likely that he would live so long unmarried afore hee tooke a wife Againe betwixt Iacobs going to Padan and returning were but two yeares at the most and then was Ioseph seven yeares old for hee was borne toward the end of the fourteenth yeare and if Iacob had not married Leah till seven yeares were ended the eldest of Iacobs sonnes could be but seven yeares at most elder than hee that is fourteene yeares and Ioseph was thirty and nine yeares when Iacob came to him or thereabouts Therefore the eldest of Iacobs sonnes at that time was but forty and six and Iudah was the fourth of the same mother so he must be but forty and two or thereabouts and yet had he three sonnes marriageable before he begate Pharez and Pharez had two sonnes when they went downe to Aegypt Allow Iudah to marry at fifteene Er at fifteene and let Thamar waite but two yeares for the third sonne now Iudah was thirty and two Let Pharez marry at fifteene and have two sonnes in two yeares that is seventeene so have we forty and nine yeares and therefore seeing greater haste could not be made at least so many yeares did passe betwixt and that will come to just seven yeares more than the time will amount too if Iacob married at the end of seven yeares therefore he married the first yeare But whensoever he married in making himselfe a son in Law he made himselfe an hired servant too now how did he carry himselfe as a servant First with all diligence Secondly faithfulnesse For he followed his masters businesse painfully and constantly and ordered himselfe towards them most innocently and so made his little much through the blessing of God upon his labour and fidelity Now these duties appertaine to all servants and are required of S. Paul saying doing Service with good will and not with eye service as men pleasers but with singlenesse of heart fearing God and shewing all good faithfulnesse that the name of God be not evill spoken of And seeing God would have families maintained and a distinction of Master and Servants in the families it was requisite that he should oblige servants to these duties for upon the prosperity of families depends the welfare of Townes and Countries and so of the whole World An house in which good servants live prospers but idle and untrusty servants quickly bring it to nought God therefore that made all things for good welfare and prosperity must needs according to the rules of his own wisdome fit the means to the end and require servants in this manner to governe themselves to their Governours Now you that have been servants formerly which hath beene the state and condition of the greater number amongst you Consider what servants you have been let not your younger dayes be passed over forgetfully It is a principall part of an aged mans duty to looke backe upon his former times and to finde out the mistakes of his youth that by humbling himselfe for them he may attaine pardon from God Loe this duty now and if you can remember your selves to have been slothfull wastfull undutifull servants as far unlike to Iacob as blacke and white are unlike each to other then take time to present your selves before God and judging your selves for such injuriousnesse beg pardon and remission and resolve against the like corruptions of your present places And you who finde that God did inable you in that estate to shew your selves diligent and trusty give God the glory and rejoyce in his great goodnesse that gave you not over to the unbridlednesse of your evill natures An aged man whose youth hath been indifferently well ordered hath great cause to blesse Gods name that gave him not over to the licentiousnesse of that age And all you that be servants must pray to God that he would make you good and conscionable servants that not alone out of love to your owne reputation and a desire to thrive in the world that you may be painfull and trusty but out of a desire and intention to please God in your places and callings for S. Paul would have servants to remember that They serve the Lord Christ and To looke unto the immortall inheritance with which he will reward them as well as those that serve him in higher callings Again He discovered a great deale of patience and gentlenesse towards him for Laban was fickle and inconstant and changed his wages many times he saith ten times I suppose using by a wonted figure a certaine number for an uncertaine But Iacob devoures this wrong patiently doth not expostulate with him nor shew himselfe sharp or bitter but puts it over without words and goes not from him through discontent till God by an Angel bid him goe to his Fathers house againe So should servants shew themselves gentle to their ungentle masters that are unkinde and injurious to them and doe not use them so well as equity requireth and not be clamorous and violent against them But most servants though they receive no hard measure but alone are justly reproved and corrected for their faults are so impatient that they cannot beare it but make false and harsh complaints and are so imbittered and discontented that they straight resolve to run away and cannot bring themselves to stoope these are of a contrary spirit to Iacob Now lastly in the cloze of all when Iacob went from his Father in Law he shewed himselfe a man that though hee were sensible of injuries could yet moderate his passions and keep anger within due limits for hee chid with him indeed and was angry against him which any man may lawfully doe against him that seekes to doe him hurt but he doth not raile at him nor give him foule language only he telleth him before their common friends of his former and evill usage acknowledging Gods goodnesse in preserving him from his rage O that we could learne of him to be so farre masters of our selves that when just occasion of anger doth offer it selfe wee might then command our selves to forbeare bitter and reviling speeches and not be so transported beyond our selves as to raile sweare curse threaten and it may be worse than all this Most men when anger begins
him in his affections and afforded him no great signes of love but this was somewhat mitigaed because God inclined his mothers heart to him who at least in this matter was better than her husband Now if it be the lot of any childe to be neglected of his Parents and to have irreligious brethren preferred before him let him beare it patiently it was Iacobs lot and let him not be discouraged from good wayes for at last God may change his Parents hearts unto him It could not but grieve Iacob that his Father should so disaffect him as to give away the blessing from him But let children to whom it befalleth beare the crosse quietly for it is easie with God to make all end well Another crosse that befell him in his Fathers house was this his brother Esau was bitter against him and resolved to kill him A miserable calamity to be hated of his owne brother and to have his own brother yea a twin borne at the same time to hate him so sharply as to intend his death You must looke for such a crosse and beare it if it come and blesse God if he have pleased to keep you from suffering it so that your brothers and kindred agree well with you and rather shew you kindnesse A third crosse was his flight into Padan Aram and being benighted in the way in a solitary and desert place all alone which yet was mitigated by the goodnesse of God appearing to him in a dreame To be driven out of one Countrey and forced to hard and solitary travell and to meet with such kinde of accidents as benighting and the like be calamities we must even prepare for them that we may beare them without discouragement as seeing God in them and considering that he is with us when we want other company Now in Labans house he met with great crosses 1. His Father deceived him in his wife substituting Leah in Rachels stead then which how could a man more beguile another for by that meanes hee was compelled to adde seven yeares service more Againe he sought to deceive him in his wages and changed it many times being angry that God gave him so large and plentifull a recompence then he grumbled at him and looked discurteously upon him as also did his sons And last of all he pursued him with an intention to take all from him and there falsly accuseth him of stealing his gods See here from his Father in Law and Vncle most unjust and discurteous usage you that have found at least with your nearest friends just and kinde dealing acknowledge Gods goodnesse in it The contrary would tast very sowre let this drive you to most hearty and humble thanksgiving It should be confessed a very great mercy to escape very great crosses and if you pehaps meet with the same crosses be quiet for did not Iacob beare them and why not you Wee must not thinke never man was so used as I am and by that counterfeit aggravation flatter our selves in our impatiency and make our selves beleeve wee have cause to be disturbed but rather informe our selues of that which fell to other of Gods Saints and so bring our passions to a reasonable calmnesse But in his journey he was like to fall into a great danger for his brother Esau came against him with foure hundred souldiers intending to kill him and that affrighted him exceeding much but you see what end God made Learne to stand alwaies ready for death and yet alwaies confident in God though you see not how to escape the same but now see his crosses in his children First Reuben deflowred his Concubine Dinah his daughter was deflowred His sonnes used fraud and deceit to couzen the Sichemites and then most barbarous cruelty in killing all the men and spoiling the women children and goods and when he reproved them for it they made him a surly answer Shall they abuse our sister as a Whore Then Rachel dyed in childbed or travell then Ioseph was sold into Aegypt but as he thought slaine even Ioseph his most beloved and towardly son After Iudah went from him and his two sons were naught and himselfe defiled his daughter in Law and had two sons by her A great griefe and disgrace to Iacob Then Simeon was detained in Aegypt and Benjamin must needs travell downe to the great feare and doubt of the old man and this was the last of his crosses save that he lived in a grievous famine for two yeares till he came downe to Aegypt So have I briefly run over Iacobs miseries but they lay hard and heavy upon him Of all which you must make these uses First be thankfull for escaping the like prepare for them hereafter beare those that doe come patiently And take heed of provoking God for he is not a fond Father but Will scourge every son whom he receiveth For the first you have heard how many miseries this godly man was exercised withall Let me propound one question unto you Thinke you that your selves have more wit than he had or more goodnesse or more of both I presume I may make answer for you that you will not be so over conceited of your selves as to affirme either of these things Now if you be neither wiser nor godlier than he how commeth it that you have so long lived in the world and yet have not met with divers of those crosses that followed him No nor any in all your lives so pinching or grievous Sure if it be not to be attributed to your understanding and piety as it is not if you doe indeed acknowledge your selves to be not superiour or rather not equall unto Iacob therein who yet did meete with them then must you ascribe the same to the wisdome and goodnesse of God that hath disposed of things so by his wakefull providence as that such miseries have not way-laid you and seized upon you Therefore you must learne to be humbly thankfull to him and praise his holy name acknowledge his bountifulnesse graciousnesse and tendernesse that hath spared you from such smarting stroakes as these that fetched blood and teares as it were from good Iacob so holy a man If we be preserved from crosses that other men feele wee begin to lift up our selves to commend and prefer our selves above them that are heavier laden and to flatter our selves as if we were more loved of God than they then our ease is our bane and it shewes that we have not grace to make a good use of ease but if we confesse that we have deserved as much and more and had as little ability to shun them only God tendering our weaknesse hath used us with more clemency and so make this clemency an argument of praising him and of being more carefull to please him who would not strike us though he had both provocation from us and ability in himselfe this is an holy use of the absence of the
of gladnesse even then when your selves want it Happy is he that partakes in every mans happinesse It is in a mans power to taste some of the sweete of every mans estate and to heale his wounds by a medicine made of comfortable rejoycing in their soundnesse Why should we not make our selves merry at things rather than sad and discontented If we were so wise and godly as to seeke and desire Gods glory as our maine end then we should rejoyce at all those things which conduced to that end and so doe the benefits bestowed upon our brethren as well as those that our selves enjoy If wee could bee lovers of the common good and desirers of the publike welfare why the benefits of others further that and therefore should also glad us Mankinde was encreased the power of God in furnishing the world demonstrated by Leahs off spring as well as if Rachel had conceived two and shee two be we therefore lovers of Gods glory and lovers of the common good and we shall not be envious This vice sometimes seekes a reason to hide its unreasonablenesse by conceiting that anothers having such things hinders himselfe and so it may fall out in some cases as when two stand in competition for the same thing but this is no wrong though it be a damage and therefore should not produce any grudge For seeing but one can have the thing and he hath it is it just to bee offended with him that hath done no more to my self than I would have done to him even preferred himselfe before me Wherefore see that you give not place to this wicked vice but learne so to love your neighbours as your selves that you may rejoyce in their prosperity as in your owne But let us every man prepare himselfe to meete with this fell monster of envy that if it encounter us yet we may not be thrust into distempers by it It is not in any mans power to hinder the malicious and malignant natures of other men from shewing it selfe but to be quiet milde and patient towards him that envies a man that his wisdome and charity should inable him to performe for is it not common to all good things to come attended with envy Was not Christ envied Was not Paul Have not the best been Yea wee must endure envy even from our nearest kindred The brother must bee prepared to suffer the envy of the brother the sister of the sister and must bee able to hold their spirits in such order that they may not lesse love one that envies them which yet is hard to love those that use us ill For by how much envy proveth more implacable than other kindes of grudges by so much carnall reason will bid us to bee more apt unto it but Gods Spirit frames men to a gentle carriage Pray God to make you of such a temper that you may bee able to shew kindnesse even to him that envies you I come to another fault of Rachels shee was passionate and snappish towards her husband Iacob and in a fume shee quarrels with him for not having children as if it were his fault that her selfe was barren It is a great fault in a wife to bee angry and finde fault with the husband without due cause and to lay blame upon him when hee deserveth it not as did Sarah upon Abraham It is contrary to the reverence obedience and love which they owe to their husbands it is a meanes of estranging the husbands heart by putting him into frequent fits of anger You wives bee sorrowfull if you have in such a case over-shot your selves and now labour for so much discretion and meekenesse of wisdome that may preserve your tongues from speaking passionately and unadvisedly to those whom the Lord commands you to feare What a fond speech was Rachels Give me children Beware that anger doe not fill your mouthes with foolish words And if this bee a fault in your Wives good men know it is a great fault in your selves in whom more wisdome is required Nourish peace betwixt your selves your yoake-fellows and shunne angry and brawling words that breede such a koare of unkindnesse as sometimes runs forth into alienation and perpetuall jarring But Rachel was discontented so that shee would die if shee had no children shee doth not meane that shee would kill her selfe Wee must not put the worst sence no not upon cholericke speeches but she meaneth that shee thought her selfe no better than dead that shee should not enjoy her life that it would doe her no good that shee wished her selfe rather dead than alive This shee meaneth and this is bad enough O what a mixture of pride and folly is it to wish ones selfe dead for so small crosses as this that one hath continued a little while barren Good men have beene over-taken with such cloudes of discontent as have made them desire death but to bee weary of life because one hath not a childe I meete not with such impatiency any where but in Rachel Take heed to your selves that no crosses no not the greatest draw such distempers into your mindes as to make you weary of life but be much more ashamed if a small thing hath thus put you out It is true that many times this lavish talke of Would I were dead is from the teeth alone If death should offer it selfe at that instant they would finde some other imployment for him than to take them out of the world but to be so full of discontent and vexation as to give vent to such words whether they seriously meane them or not is a proofe of a man that doth not weigh things rightly in his minde Rachel had a good husband she had likelihood of a good estate and now lived abundantly shee had the love of her husband shee had health What and was not the fruition of all these able to make life sweet to her but she must die if she had not a childe Did wee not forget or dis esteem the favours God hath shewed us wee could never be put so far out of taste as it were that want of one benefit should imbitter it selfe But envy doth so rot the bones that no ease can be felt of him that hath suffered that sicknesse to breed and grow strong in him Yea see how all Hamans honour contented him nothing so long as Mordecai was an eye-sore to him Pray God to keep you from such disordered passions and greatly bewaile them when you meet with them But see another folly of Rachels Shee brings her maid servant to her husband and he must take her for his Concubine to see if shee might be made a kinde of foster-mother by her Fond Rachel was not Leah nearer to thee than Bilhah Couldest thou not have esteemed thy sisters children thine owne as well as thy bondmaids Here were two faults First she pressed her husband to Polygamy but that was a fault of meere ignorance let it be passed by The next
be wondrous thankfull that God hath not so farre left us to our selves as to be drawne to such enormous offences He that can looke upon the worst men that have beene and the worst deeds so as to accuse himselfe of the same bad nature and to confesse himselfe obnoxious to the same crimes and therefore labours to be more humble in himselfe because of the badnesse of his nature and to be thankfull to God for the goodnesse he shewes in restraining that bad nature he makes a singular use of other mens sins But if we heare or see other mens faults onely to brag of our selves that we have not so offended nor will not so offend it is a testimony of much blindnesse and unacquaintednesse with our selves and may justly cause the Lord to make us know our selves by giving us over to our owne selves in like manner But now a word of the common goodnesse of all first to their Father they all gathered together to comfort him when he was in his great and exceeding sadnesse This was well done though they had wronged him in being a cause of his sorrow yet it may seeme they were greatly troubled to thinke of their naughtinesse and were carefull to to use all meanes of restoring him to contentment againe But ah what bitter accusations must those their words reflect upon their owne selves which they used to comfort their Father How could they choose but almost bewray themselves by blushing one while and palenesse another through the cheekes of their owne consciences when ever they heard him as often no doubt they did heare him name the name of Ioseph But howsoever it was commendably done that now they sought to asswage his sorrowes All good children should strive to minister matter of comfort to their grieved Parents and it is an hainous and unnaturall hardnesse to doe otherwise Further they were all dutifull to him in going downe to Egypt and not taking Benjamin with them secretly or against his will and shewed much love and honour in burying him and lamenting him and shewed themselves carefull of their families and very penitent to Ioseph at last and called to minde this sin in their troubles at Egypt and declared by their submission to Ioseph that they had truly repented besides in their behaviour to Ioseph before they knew him they shew lowlinesse and good discretion So in one word they grew better and better as fruits by time grow ripe and mellow and at last unfainedly repented and all turned godly men O that you which have beene rude wilde debaushed in youth would be carefull now in your more stayed time to be truly penitent and become truly godly There is a kinde of amendment by age which is nor sufficient to salvation though it something recover the credit It is to lay aside the practise of ones grosser faults and to frame to a civill carriage and to a creditable behaviour though still the heart remaine vaine and earthly and bee not humbled duely by the sight of these faults which were formerly committed Such a kinde of morall amendment is better then none but I pray you that be old doe not satisfie your selves with that but mend throughout See and lament your badnesse as well as your bad lives lament and bewaile in secret and frequently the former disorders Be base in your owne eyes because of them and labour to get them pardoned and your corrupt natures healed and to shine in piety and holinesse and all goodnesse so much the more by how much your youth was more sinnefull All you that have beene grievous sinners in youth take this counsell learne this lesson of Iacobs sonnes And you young men that have too too much broken forth O take your selves to taske betime and begin to amend betime Let your Parents have the happinesse to see you reformed in their life time to behold your change that they may rejoyce in your reformation and blesse God for his goodnesse in hearing their prayers and granting their desires and you may cause them to live so much longer and more cheerefully by seeing so happy and desireable a sight It will add a new youth to an aged Parent if he may see his much offending children returned quite backe to the waies of God and goodnesse most comfortably will they leave earth and goe to Heaven when they leave their children in such plight as they may hope to meete them there at last But let us looke into the benefits which the Lord bestowed upon them First they had a godly Father and Progenitors and were themselves members yea and pillars of the Church of God of them came a most populous and flourishing nation in whom the visible Church continued then when all the nations of the world besides did lie in darknesse A greater mercy then this the world cannot have to be the Church of God to have the Church continue in a mans posterity this is a singular favour and God pleased to take all these sonnes and to make them heires of his promise Isaac had but two sonnes Iacob and Esau God tooke Iacob and refused Esau Abraham had but two sonnes God cast out Ishmael and gave the blessing and promise to one alone even to Isaac but see the great favour shewed to all these they be all taken into the Church all partake of the blessing all are made heires of the promise If we consider their carriage Ishmael never committed so great and monstrous a fault against the second Table as Iudah for he never fell into incest but hee scorned Isaac Esau never did so foule a fault as Simeon and Levi but he despised his birth-right and hated Iacob So God did not take these for their goodnesse but of his mercy though they were of rude carriage hee suffered them not to despise and contemne the truth and so still kept them within the Church Furthermore foure of these were borne of hand-maidens as well as Ishmael and yet the Lord rejected them not This is the first benefit we must learne to esteeme it a choice mercy that God vouchsafeth us the same in making us members of his Church and in planting the true Church amongst us Further God saved them all from a great danger over-awing the Canaanites that they did not pursue and destroy them for that insolency they shewed at Shechem It is a great mercy if God represse the wrath of men towards any so that when they have both provocation and power yet they be restrained from taking vengeance God hath the hearts of men in his hand and can if he pleaseth and often doth over-rule and over-awe them in this manner Thirdly they had riches and wealth in abundance this is a common benefit learne not to over-esteeme it nor abuse it and be confident that if we feare God he will not denie us necessaries Lastly they had a good friend sent downe to Egypt to provide for them that their families and themselves
that had the conquered in their power having saved their lives did make their persons absolute slaves unto themselves making this law too that the children which they should beget bond-men and bond-women mixing together should be also bond-men So came the greatest number of slaves men yeelding themselves in battell made themselves servants for ever But it may seeme that debt was another cause when a man did owe more then he could pay his person and his children became the creditors servants that he might satisfie by labour what he was not able otherwise so it came in Quest Is it just or not to buy and sell and keepe servants I Answer at first sight it seemes harsh to use reasonable creatures like horses and to make merchandize of our owne flesh but God allowing his people Israel to have servants and buy and sell them of any saving their owne nation doth evidently shew the lawfulnesse of it for it would not stand with his justice to allow them a thing unlawfull Againe when S. Paul teacheth masters how to use their servants and doth not command to manumit them it is evident that it is lawfull to have and therefore also to buy and sell servants But it is a very commendable thing in Christians that they have as it were by a common consent laid downe this custome of bond-service and left it to the Turkes and Pagans So in this the Merchants offended not but if they did by any meanes perceive that Ioseph was a free-man as no doubt they did by his manner of carriage towards his brethren then they did greatly offend in buying and selling him If it be a sinne to buy stolne goods if one knew them to be such much more to buy and sell a free man if one have any probable reasons to declare his freedome as if he were a slave but it is usuall with Merchants to buy any thing that promiseth gaine without consideration how justly it be come by of them that sell it of which be you trades-men warned for thinke you what you please of it it is a fearefull sinne and makes you partakers of the same unjustice which was found in the seller So much of the Midianitish merchants that did bring Ioseph to Egypt Now of those with whom he had occasion to converse in Egypt First his master that bought him he was a man of principall place and command in Egypt his name was Potiphar his office was Prince of the slaughterers as the word signifies as we would call him Captaine of the Gaurd Princes of old have had about them even men that attended them continually as to defend them so to doe execution upon such as themselves appointed to die Such men had need of a discreet and prudent and stout man to be their Captaine this office was put upon Iosephs master it may seeme by his carriage that he was a man of an indifferent good nature we will note his faults his good deeds his crosses and his benefits For his faults First it carrieth a shew of a fault at least that having gotten a trusty steward and finding him both faithfull and prosperous he gave himselfe wholly over to his ease and tooke account or care of nothing but of his diet He would not appoint Ioseph what provision to make for his belly himselfe would looke to that to nothing else he would looke So it may seeme he was as we use to terme such persons a very belly-god that tooke thought for nothing but good fare If he had not beene too much given to his pallar he would have left the matter of his tabling to him as well as other things but that he which would brooke none other thoughts would himselfe have an eye to his meate it is a very probable proofe that he was too great a friend to his belly and over-loved fine and dainty fare A man of place might have found some higher and nobler businesse wherein to have imployed his freedome from domesticall cares then about the kitchin but such an epicure was Potiphar that his mind soared little higher then a beasts doth to please his tooth and pamper his flesh with delicacies And I pray you be there not many gentlemen Potiphars that leave all other affaires at randome and oversee nothing but that they may fare well Men of great state have little else to doe and will have little else but to cram themselves and shew themselves good trencher-men Businesses of any moment they neither doe nor will know how to doe but stuffe themselves with good victualls and to get them a stomacke is the maine matter of their life that they may eate a better meale and digest it better Such as give themselves to live in pleasure on earth and nourish themselves as in a day of slaughter are bidden by S. Iames to howle and weepe for the miseries that shall come upon them but for the most part they be growne so brawny-hearted that they would but laugh at Christ himselfe if he should bid them weepe yet if any amongst you be such that cares for no more but to give himselfe over to sports and feasting let him see how brutish he hath made himselfe and be sure that Heaven is still shut against Divesses and Hell is still open to receive them Next I should thinke it a reasonable exhortation to you that be Christians that if you have leisure or freedome from other worldly cares you would bestow your time better then this Aegyptian in some profitable study in reading chiefely the Scriptures and in a large bestowing your selves on exercises of piety and then in other fit knowledge or knowledges whereby you may be better able to doe your countrey service with comfort to your selves you must account with God for time If an idle word must come under a reckoning sure other no lesse idle wasting of time shall not be slipped over Live as those that know there is a God that he will call them to judgement that ill and unprofitable spending of time shall goe for a crime No man forbids you good fare and a convenient measure of recreation by lawfull sports but to make your lives nothing else but a chaining of breakefast dinner supper together with the linkes of divers kindes of sportes if this be not a ready way to Hell I professe I cannot find any in Scripture or in nature that will bring men thither doe you think that our Saviour spake the Parable of the rich glutton in vaine But another fault of his was that he beleeved his wives cunning slander against his servant Ioseph and was so wrath that instantly he cast him into prison very likely without calling him or at least patient hearing him to answer for himselfe Shee accused Ioseph to have inticed her and offered to ravish her the man beleeves his wife is in fierce wrath against innocent Ioseph and imprisons him It is a fault to receive a report or accusation against any man
with full beleefe so as to suffer wrath to arise against the person accused untill a man have well weighed the matter and given the man accused leave to use all the good wayes of clearing himselfe And by how much the fault is the greater wherewith any one is charged by so much easinesse to beleeve it and an over-speedy intertaining of the accusation is more blame-worthy because it shewes lesse charity for a common imperfection is very likely to be found in the best men but we must see cause to suspect him of great naughtinesse concerning whom we beleeve a grievous accusation It was Sauls fault also to be open eared unto false accusers indeed the consideration of the person accusing a wife her manner of doing it in such a bold and withall subtill fashion faigning her selfe to be so vexed at the indignity that her servant should offer such a thing to her and then the sight of his coat in her hand left there as others that came in at her cry would witnesse just upon his going out All these mitigated his fault but did not wholly excuse it for hee should have considered how faithfull Ioseph had shew'd himselfe and how vertuous and should not have conceived that he would so soone have turned so desperately evill as to have offered violence to his mistris Be you therefore humbled if any of you have beleeved and beene angry with and punished so much as you could another for a fault wherewith he was wrongfully burdened if the end or issue make it appeare the party was innocent though the person accusing and manner of accusing may extenuate the fault of your credulity yet it cannot utterly take it away And now learne to use both eares afore you credit a report or accusation against any whose course hath beene vertuous and commendable though it come even from a wife or person very neere Indeed a man whose knowne evill carriage doth give it selfe for a very probable argument of his guiltinesse hath no wrong if a probable though not all out true narration be beleeved against him but it is a great fault to credit a lewd tale against a Ioseph Search thorougly into such accusers and accusations and be not angry at first for that will hinder a man from being indifferent in searching out the truth of the matter You see Potiphers faults see his good deedes First hee marked the Faithfulnesse of his servant and his good successe in all things and accordingly both loved trusted and preferred him in his house It is a point of wisdome in any man to shew due love and respect to a faithfull and prosperous servant as after the Governour of the prison did and as Laban did before To see this is a point of discretion but to like and reward it adds justice to discretion vertue would be noted in the meanest condition and where it is seene it is worthy to be honoured especially in a servant by whose vertues a mans estate is so greatly furthered It is a wrong to ones selfe and to all masters not to cherish good behaviour by shewing good liking and giving good reward Therefore God commanded the masters to impart to their servants when they set them free some good part of the substance wherewith God had blessed them under their labours And Salomon saith that as hee that tendeth the fig-tree shall eate of its fruits so hee that attendeth on his master shall come to honour It is a shame for the fig-tree if the gardener doe not fare the better for it and an arrant shame for the master if a diligent servant reape not benefit from him If any of you masters have beene barren fig-trees to your faithfull servants confesse it to be a fault of unjustice and a kind of ingratitude a fruit of niggardize and selfe-love and a just cause to provoke God to give you such wicked servants as may become a plague to such sorry and pinching masters The Holy Ghost bids us doe to servants that which is just and equall and to recompence a man well for his paines and fidelity is a point of equity Hee that will not requite a servant doth but seeke himselfe not exercise vertue if hee seeme ready to requite his equals and superiours he would be as slâ—cke towards them as to his servants if he did not either feare some losse or expect some gaine from them learne of Christ to be good masters nay learne of Potiphar And if any of you have beene so much favoured by the divine providence as to be provided of these houshould instruments good and faithfull and every way vertuous let them afford them all encouragements by all good usage You know how much it concernes an Artificer to get a good and strong and fit toole no lesse needfull is a prudent diligent and trusty servant Consider now that which Potiphar could not consider that in Iesus Christ there is neither bond nor free the meaning is that Christ will not respect men more or lesse in respect of grace or salvation because of their being masters or bond-men therefore seeing God will reward a servants graces why should not masters reward their paines Nothing but worldly-mindednesse will oppose this exhortation and none but very worldly minded men will neglect it Another thing to be liked in him is that he did but imprison Ioseph and not take away his life in a rage considering what was the crime and who the accuser It is a good thing even in unjust punishing yet to observe some moderation so as not to proceed to capitall blowes till time of respight have beene taken to take more thorough notice of the matter And it is probable that Potiphar had a little kind of pacification towards Ioseph because he proceeded not after to greater severity Learne you to put some time betwixt the accusing and utmost punishing that truth may have leasure to cleare it selfe and see how monstrously cruell many of ours be that will kill in a rage and not onely be angry for that for which their owne more sober thoughts would account even a blow to be an over-measure of punishment These are the faults and good deedes of Potiphar His benefits were very great but all temporall Hee had an honourable office about the King he had riches and prosperity in his outward estate and that in abundance Hee lighted upon a wise and faithfull and diligent servant who being his Steward ordered all his businesses so well that Gods blessing attended him in all things So he had dignity and wealth and an excellent steward You see that these common benefits are cast upon Heathen men and therefore be exhorted not to set your hearts upon them nor to satisfie yourselves in them but to seeke the Kingdome of God and its righteousnesse and to esteeme of these things but as the vantage not the principall bargaine as most times men doe And seeing the having of these things doth not difference you
and Ioseph and that also of Iosiah a King who began to seeke God when hee was not above 12 yeares old These reasons should perswade you let them perswade you that are to follow after Godlinesse it is a rare thing but the rarer the better it shall never repent you to have gone before others in well doing now let mee tell you how you may bee good First ponder much of your Baptisme and informe your selves very carefully what interest you have into God and he into you and from hence embolden your selves to pray to God for the inward washing that he would baptize you with the Holy-Ghost and make you able to turne to him and obey him Secondly be carefull to attend to Gods Word in publike and to reade it and to ponder on it resolving to obey it in your private meditations and these meanes will make a young man good and as Joseph began to be good betimes so continued hee good a long space even to his last age to the end He was good in his Fathers house in Putiphars house in the Prison at Court in youth in age for hee died at an hundred and ten yeers Now I beseech you that have begun earely with him to continue to the end with him and see that neither change of place nor of state adversity nor prosperity turne you out of the wayes of Godlinesse and if any of you have seemed at Josephs age very forward in Religion but are now in a manner waxed key cold and starke naught scarce retaining any savour of your former piety let Josephs example make you take notice of your want of perseverance that now at last you may consider your decayes and strive to recover againe and so to runne to the end of the race with comfort And you that are Young strive to get truth and to stand by Gods strength continually using Gods meanes and you shall be constant and so much of Josephs goodnesse in generall especially in respect of its beginning and continuance Now more particularlie consider what was good in him in his Fathers house and in Aegypt for so may his life bee fitly distinguished by the places wherein he lived In his Fathers house 1. He was willing to tell of his Brethrens ill carriage unto his Father so that they might be reformed Those of you that are of so slender authoritie or power by reason of their youth or upon other considerations of meannesse of estate or the like that their owne admonitions are not likely to prevaile with offendors shall doe a good office if they make knowne the faults of such offendors to their betters and superiours that so the care may be wrought by another hand which themselves cannot worke Thus they of the house of Cloe complained to Paul of the contentions and divisions that were so rife and scandalous amongst the Corinths This a man is enjoyn'd and bound unto by the rules of Charity which command him to seeke his Brothers amendment and reformation of those things that are evill I know that most men will hate such as complaine of them and call them tel tales but this kinde of complaining may bee carried closely enough that it shall not procure envie to the complainer if the Governour will use his discretion and take care to find it out some other way as in most cases he may rather then to seeme to have come to the knowledge of it by such a meanes But if it cannot be concealed all men must forme their duties though they hazard themselves to some ill will and danger Now you children and Servants that live together in families take notice of Josephs example if you see any evil way of your common inferiours speake to them admonish them if it be fit and if they will not reforme bring their bad deedes to their parents or masters eares that so you may not partake in their sinnes for want of using due meanes to reforme them Onely take heed First that you be not apt to complaine for every light weakenesse which ought to be passed by and Secondly that you never aggravate any thing much lesse faine lye counterfeit for false and slanderous complaining against a servant to his master is forbidden expressely by Solomon saying accuse not a Servant to his Master the word is used to denote slanderous and malitious accusations and such must be avoyded in respect of servants and men of lower ranke that by setting their betters against them they may not occasion much causelesse misery to them Againe if there be any that have chafed and entertained great discontent against their fellow servants or others for telling of their faults to their Governours they must now condemne themselves for this ungrounded and causelesse anger especially if they have beene first admonished and no amendment hath followed yea though the others have told it first to their Governours the fault being grosse and themselves so low as there was no likelihood that they should have beene heard for why should any man be offended because another hath done his duty and imitated so good an example as Joseph For seeing all men must take heed of partaking of others faults they shall partake in those they seek not to reform by such fit meanes as they may use and this of complaining to Governours is a fit meanes it followes that they were bound in Conscience to open their mouthes in this kinde and it is doubtlesse a sinne to bee offended with another for that which hee could not omit without Sinne. This falling out with him that hath detected a mans faults is an evident signe of a man that loves his Sinne and would willingly live in it but for feare of punishment Secondly Joseph whilst hee lived in his Fathers house had divine Dreames afforded unto him as foretelling his owne advancement and these hee faithfully and truly told unto his Father and unto all his Brethren although his Brethren did hate him for it and his Father seemed to rebuke him but his reproofe was very gentle and rather for fashion sake to mitigate his Brethrens anger then because hee esteemed him an offendor in telling his Dreames So it behoveth all men to communicate their knowledge unto others so farre as is convenient especially those whom God hath made seers and put into an office of teaching others must bee carefull to instruct them though the things bee such as they will rather hate them for then accept Dreames were at that time Ordinances of God to instruct men If Joseph could not forbeare to tell his dreames how much lesse should any forbeare to instruct teach or admonish their fellow-servants or brethren or any that are neare to them Young Samuel did tell his master Eli his Dreame and did well in telling it yea Eli charged him with great earnestnesse to tell him all the truth But let men be sure their Dreames bee from God before they tell them I meane that they have just
cause to speake and that it bee the certaine truth they speake before they speake to any Thirdly while Joseph was young hee shew'd himselfe obedient to his Father for when he called him to send him to visit his Brethren hee was ready to obey him and did the office of a dutifull Sonne addressing himselfe to the appointed businesse although it was to take a journey of two or 3 dayes on foot Come young men and young women and learne of this good youth how to carry your selves to your Parents if they call you come and give them dutifull and mannerly answers if they send you goe and preferre the doing of their will in lawfull things before your owne ease and pleasure You know how precisely the Lord hath imposed this duty upon the consciences of children Children obey your Parents in all things You must make no restriction of the largenesse of this Commandement but by adding that word Lawfull which out of other Scriptures must needes bee understood and hee gives a reason saying this is the first Commandement meaning of the second Table with promise and with promise of welfare saying that it may bee well with thee As ever you desire to finde prosperity from God so you must bee dutifull to your Fathers and Mothers the instruments of your beeing and bringing up and the most immediate Deputies of God and you which hee hath set in his stead to take care of you and to rule you Now you that are sinfull and disobedient Sonnes and Daughters whose carriage doth farre differ from that of Josephs see the foulenesse of your Vice by opposing unto it the fairenesse of his Vertue Doe not your hearts within you say that it was very well done in Joseph to say to his Father here am I when hee called him to goe on his errand and when his father had told him his work by and by to set about it doe you not thinke that Joseph did the office of a godly childe and that which his duty bound him to and wherwith God was well pleased If he did as your selves must needes affirm he did be you grieved ashamed within your selves of your quite contrary carriage whose consciences can tell that instead of answering here I am have retained some surly answer and instead of going on the businesse have gone a quite contrary way Let your hearts smite you to Repentance that you may comfort your Parents with obedience hereafter whose hearts you have formerly vexed by your gracelesse stubbornesse Fourthly when Iosephs Brethren used him exceeding injuriously and hardly viz. selling him to forrainers for a Bond-man what did he but even intreat and beseech them to deale better with him as themselves tell of his carriage when they were touched with some remorce for their cruelty Gen. 42.21 He besought us and we would not heare Loe how it behoves a good body to behave himselfe to his equals or betters or any that being too strong for him when they doe offer hard measure unto him even intreat pray beseech use all submissive gentle quiet and milde words and carriage Learne that of S. Paul who saith being defamed we intreat You know Abigals carriage toward David when she found him in a great chafe against her husband and ready to doe violence to her family she intreated him and caused his passion to stoppe it selfe by her faire words Solomon hath told us that gentle words pacifie wrath and if any thing in the world will asswage the fury and mollifie the hardnesse and remove the cruelty of an enemy it is this kinde of language and behaviour If therfore any of us be guilty of betaking our selves in such case to railing bitternesse and violence giving all the vile tearmes that wrath would put into our mouthes against our Superiours when they wronged us and dawbing them with most foule names let us take notice of our folly in being wrathfull This was not the course that naturall discretion much lesse that Christian Religion would prescribe to a wronged man this shews him to be as proud and bitter that suffers as they that offer the wrong S. Peter saith we should not render reviling for reviling if we must not raile on him that abuseth us in words neither then on them that abuse as in actions Now then learne meekenesse of Ioseph learne to frame your tongues to this kinde of humble speech when you be wronged Perhaps you may say that Joseph did this because he durst doe no otherwise I answer if he feared his Brethren are not you to feare God if hee durst not speake wrathfully to them that hee might not the more provoke and move them should not you take heed of provoking GOD with the licentious use of your evill tongue But secondly I answer that it is very probable Ioseph did not this out of bare feare for then when he saw that the matter grew desperate and hee could not prevaile by intreaty he would have fallen to bitternesse at last wherefore follow his mildnesse beseech when you are wronged but doe not rayle and revile This is all I have noted of Iosephs private life in his Fathers house now we will follow him into Egypt and see how he carryed himselfe there 1. in private in the house 1. of Putiphaer 2. in prison 2. more publikely Iosephs carriage in Putiphars house deserveth praise 1. because he was a diligent and faithfull servant unto him Ioseph had beene bred up tenderly as the free sonne of a noble and great man Iacob of a sodaine God by his providence made him a bondman he frames himselfe to such dutifulnesse and fidelity that he winnes his Master and gaineth greater favour with him then any other servant as you may reade Gen. 39. ad 7. For had not he beene faithfull and painefull God had not beene with him nor prospered him as he did Let me commend his example to you that be servants to imitate it labour you to be good servants faithfull diligent in your Masters businesse and respective towards their persons that so God may be with you too and prosper you and you also may draw the loves and good wils of your Masters Your service is not bond service but free service at the worst it is but a service of eight or nine yeares likely See the commandement of God lying upon you as much as it did upon Ioseph and doe that which you see in him is possible to doe this is the way to make your service most easie and comfortable to your selves and most acceptable and pleasing to God you are servants now you may be Masters or Governours hereafter so frame your selves in the function of servants that God may blesse you with good servants Carry your selves towards your Masters as you would wish your servants to carry themselves to you and for the most part you shall find that in this as well as in other things the Lord will returne a mans owne measure into