ignorantly like the blinde man that hitteth the white cannot be accepted of him or looke for any reward at his hands God will accept of none to be his seruants that know him not Will any man receiue into his seruice one that cannot see to dispatch his businesse and shall we thinke that God will admit blinde men that regard not to vnderstand his wayes and want their spirituall eyes to discerne betweene good and euill This we see by sundry examples as Psal 95.10 where the Lord rendreth this reason why the people erred in their hearts and greeued him forty yeeres in the wildernesse Psal 95.10 because they had not knowne his wayes It was the cause why the Sadduces denyed the resurrection Matt. 22.29 Ye do erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God This caused the Iewes to crucifie the Lord of life Act. 3.17 Now brethren I wote that through ignorance ye did it as did also your rulers for if they had knowne him they would not haue crucified the Lord of life This is it that maketh the proud iusticiaries of the world to rest in their owne righteousnesse Rom. 10.3 because they know not the righteousnesse of God This was the cause of the idolatry of the Gentiles Gal. 4.8 When ye knew not God ye did seruice vnto them which by nature are no Gods So what was the cause but ignorance that moued Paul to persecute the Saints he rendreth this as the reason 1 Tim. 1.13 I was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and iniurious but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in vnbeliefe And as it is the roote that brancheth out into many sinnes so it is as pitch that defileth whatsoeuer it toucheth turneth good affections into euill and maketh them to decline and degenerate into sinne Religion deuotion hope feare being ioyned and guided with the eye and light of knowledge please God whereas without this sight they highly displease him For religion ioyned with ignorance begetteth and bringeth forth idolatry deuotion accompanyed with ignorance is no better then superstition hope ioyned with ignorance worketh presumption feare ioyned with ignorance engendreth desperation If we haue not knowledge to support and season vs we erre out of the right way and are deceiued beyond all measure Loue blinded with ignorance becommeth sottish Zeale patience and such like corrupted with ignorance are turned into brutish and sauage passions This reprooueth three sorts of men First the practise of the Church of Rome â—reâ— that taketh away the key of knowledge from the people and seeketh to bring in palpable darknesse These false teachers cannot endure that the people should enioy the light of the Scriptures They reade them in an vnknown tongue perswading them they may be most deuout when they are most ignorant that it shall goe well with them though they haue no faith of their owne but an implicit faith to beleeue as the Church beleeueth albeit they know not what it beleeueth These are they that notably abuse the people to their perdition and bewitch them with spirituall socery as they that bring Gods iudgments vpon their heads â—â—8 â— 13. and 〈◊〉 1. â— 10. â— 1. 8. for when a land is destitute of the knowledge of God al things are couered with darknesse and the persons are liable to his fearefull iudgements as is euident by sundry places of Scripture Dauid saith the blind and lame that mocked at him were hated of his soule so that such should not enter into his house 2. Sam. 5.8 Such as are spiritually blinde shall neuer enter into Gods kingdome they are all seers that shall come thither The want of naturall sight is nothing in comparison of the want of the eyes of the minde Our Sauiour pronounceth them blessed that are pure in heart â— 5.8 because they shall see God This sight of the minde is two fold partly in this life partly in the life to come one of them vnperfect the other perfect when we shall see him as he is This is eternall life to know God â— 3.2 it is eternall death not to know him and to be ignorant that God is our father that Christ is our redeemer and that the holy Ghost is our sanctifier â—â—econd â—ofe The second reproofe is of those that are children in knowledge that liue in the light and yet can see nothing The Sunne shineth brightly in their faces yet they shut their eyes Many thinke they haue religion enough if they haue a good mind and meaning and leade a ciuil life among their neighbours who like not such busy fellowes that will be medling euermore with the Scriptures They are accounted honest men and are well liked of all they pay that they owe they are iust of their word they deceiue no man But this ciuil conuersation and honest behauiour shall profit them nothing nor be able to bring them into the fauour of God nor giue them any title to the kingdome of heauen so long as they are destitute of knowledge forasmuch as they haue God their aduersary who will contend with them and plead against them neither will he know them that regard not to know him Others despise it and contemne it like the foole or idiot that casteth away a pearle or precious stone not knowing the value or worth of it These come to the Church sometimes and heare the word of God both read preached and yet are not so much as acquainted with the histories of the Scripture the principles of religion which are as milke for yong children They know not what faith is they are not acquainted with the meanes of our iustification they know not the difference betweene the Law and the Gospel neither the vse of the one or the other they cannot discerne any thing betweene the religion of Christ and of Antichrist Lastly The third reproofe it serueth to stoppe the mouthes of all proude and malicious slaunderers of the Gospel that accuse the preaching and publishing thereof as the cause of the sinnes and enormities that abound among vs as also of the plagues and pnishments that God hath inflicted vpon the land These men vttering the froth and scumme of their soule mouthes and belching vp the venome of their poisoned hearts cry out It was neuer wel since this new religion sprung vp since there was so much teaching and preaching that we haue so much knowledge and learning that we are well the worse for it The cause of Gods iudgements is not the preaching of the Gospel but the contempt of the Gospel and because we haue the light but loue darkenesse more then the light God iustly giueth ouer such prophane beasts into a reprobate sense Our great ignorance is the cause of our sinnes and that we are children of darkenesse rather then of the day of the night not of the light Are not these ashamed to say that the light of the Sun causeth men to stumble and goe
lifted vp himselfe against the LORD of heauen So when wee behold any cut off from the society of the Saints and doe not feare the same sentence it argueth that we are as members benummed and want that liuely feeling which ought to be in the members The fourth end is that those punishments which hang ouer the Church for sinne may be auoyded For so long as they that deserue to be excommunicate remaine in the Church God is prouoked to plague that Church as we saw before in the example of Achan Iosh 7.11 When the Church hath done what lyeth in them to do God is appeased and his wrath turned away as we noted by the zeale that Phinehas shewed against the adulterer and the adulteresse Numb 25.7 Psal 106.30 he stood vp and executed iudgement and so the plague was stayed Lastly the glory of God which is the ende of all good things is another end of excommunication This the Church ought to aime at and if this be before their eyes that are the gouernours of the Church it will keepe them from declining either to the right hand or to the left hand both from sparing the guilty and from punishing the guiltlesse from winking at the sinnes of great ones and censuring the faults and infirmities of those of low degree too sharpely from winking at great beames in some and hauing Eagles eyes to pry into the motes of others This will make vs walke in the beaten path of Gods word If then â—or 10.31 in the least things as our eating and drinking we must do all to the glory of God how much more ought we to respect it when wee are to deale in so serious and weighty a cause For his name is honoured and glorified in the saluation of the Elect and in the iust condemnaon of the reprobate both which are furthered by this ordinance of excommunication being rightly vsed 5 And the Lord spake vnto Moses saying â—â—â—it 6.3 6 Speake vnto the children of Israel When a man or woman shall commit any sinne that men commit to doe a trespasse against the Lord and that person be guilty 7 Then they shall confesse their sinne which they haue done and he shall reoompense his trespasse with the principall thereof and adde vnto it the fift part thereof Leuit. 6.5 and giue it vnto him against whom he hath trespassed 8 But if the man haue no kinseman to recompense the trespasse vnto let the trespasse be recompensed vnto the Lord euen to the Priest beside the ramme of the attonement whereby an attonement shall be made for him 9 And euery offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel which they bring vnto the Priest shall be his 10 And euery mans hallowed things shall bee his whatsoeuer any man giueth the Priest Leuit. 10.12 it shall bee his The first part of the Chapter hath hitherto beene handled touching the putting of lepers and other polluted persons out of the hoste the second part followeth concerning falsehood committed wherby our brother is damnified beguiled and deceiued to the 11 verse Our neighbour trusteth vs and reposeth confidence in vs at our word but we often make no conscience to deceiue and defraud him so it may be to our owne gaine and commodity against the common rule that nature taught the Gentiles themselues Whatsoeuer yee would that men should doe to you doe ye euen so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets Matth. 7.12 In this diuision therefore we are to consider two things first the promulgation of the law instituted of God to amend and correct this fault Secondly the application of this particular to the generall law touching the Priests maintenance The law is first propounded and enacted and then amplified by a prouiso or exception set downe by way of preuenting of an obiection The substance of the Law is this If any man or woman haue dealt falsely with his brother in any part of his goods by circumuenting of him fraudulently or detayning any of them wrongfully whereby he is iniured and God is offended so that his owne conscience accuseth him witnesseth against him this course is to be taken he must seeke to blot out and wash away his trespasse and offence which he hath done three wayes First by confession secondly by restitution thirdly by reconciliation First he must confesse his sinne and craue pardon from the bottome of his heart he must submit himselfe vnto God and acknowledge freely willingly what he hath done knowing that he can by no meanes hide his sin nor by any colour keepe it from the sight of God It booteth him not to deny it or defend it or excuse it or diminish it or turne it ouer vpon others If he would receiue pardon and forgiuenes it is necessarily required of him that he vse hearty confession both of this and all other trespasses and transgressions Secondly we must make satisfaction to him whom we haue wronged and from whom we wrested any thing It is not enough to make open confession vnto God vnlesse also wee make actuall restitution vnto men For the sinne is not pardoned except that which is taken away be restored Wherefore that the party offended should be recompensed and the party offending should be punished hee must together with the principall make good the dammage and put a fift part more thereunto and giue it vnto him against whom hee hath transgressed This is done to discourage iniurious persons and to make them afraid to doe wrong whether by fraud or violence For if they should onely restore the principall they knew if their offences were found out they should be no losers Thirdly he must seel â— reconciliation and atonement with God by offering vp of a ramme in sacrifice which figured out the suffering of Christ and offering vp of himselfe once vpon the Crosse for the discharge of our sinne and appeasing of the wrath of his Father It is in vaine to make satisfaction vnto men except we know how God will be satisfied and it shall profite vs nothing to be at peace with men except we be at peace with our God This is the enacting of the Law an exception is annexed by way of preuention For the offender that hath trespassed against his neighbour might obiect and say How can I restore that I haue taken it may be the party is dead it may be he hath neither sonne nor daughter neither brother nor kinseman may I not then lawfully conceale it and iustly retaine it vnto my selfe I answere nay the Lord answereth Thou shalt by no meanes detaine the goods that are not thine own if thou look for any good at my hand as if he should say when thy neighbour is any way damnified let the losse be recompensed and the damage restored prouided alwayes and be it farther enacted that if the owner be dead or vnknowne and he haue none of his kinred and aliance liuing to be his heire it shall not
shee hath sustained Salomon saith Prou. 20 25. It is a snare to the man who deuoureth that which is holy after vowes to make enquiry but gaine blindeth the eies of the wise Ananias and Sapphira are seuerely punished who with-held part of that mony which was consecrated to God by their owne gift these deteine part of that which neither they nor their fathers euer gaue and yet neither feare it nor are touched with it And who can deny but all tithes are due by vow in the times of the Gospel and that the true and due paiment of them is long before all customes and prescriptions It is a rule of common equity Serm. of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that no man hauing passed his consent and his deed may change it to the preiudice of another Now that which is giuen to the Church is passed ouer to God for his seruice and therefore whosoeuer shall take it away againe without the consent of God whose it is coÌ„mitteth sacriledge against him and dealeth worse with him then he will suffer any man to deale with vs. Obiection But it will be said the Ministers themselues consented to this alienation and therefore beeing willing no iniury can be done vnto them I answer Answ our consent is not sufficient because the vow is made to God and thereby hee is entituled vnto them and hath receiued a right in them by our vow so that consequently they cannot be taken away without his consent The donation of Ananias and Sapphira was made to God for the vse of the poore it lay not now in their power nor in the Churches to reuoke reuerse that grant wherein God became now to be interessed We see this in marriage published in the face of the Church solemnized by consent of parties and parents ratified by the action of the Minister and celebrated in the presence of many friends the knot cannot be vntied no not by agreement of the parents of the parties of the Minister of the friends of the whole Congregation because marriage is not of the nature of a ciuill contract but God is a party and hath a speciall hand in it and whom God hath ioyned together Math. 19 â— let no man put asunder or separate againe without his coÌ„sent The like we may say of the Church-endowments they are not meerely ciuill where God is a party and therefore that which hee hath receiued let no man take away without his alowance Great was the deuotion zeale of the faithfull gained to the Gospel in the beginning our fore-fathers thoght nothing too much for the spreading abroad of the sauing truth of Iesus Christ Many ministred vnto Christ out of their substance 〈◊〉 8 3. which hee kept in a bagge wherein he kept the things that were giuen to supply his owne wants and the wants of others Iohn 13 29. After the death and resurrection of Christ when hee was ascended into heauen many deuoute men solde their possessions Acts 2 45 and 4 34 35 and brought the price thereof and laid it downe at the Disciples feete which communication of all things though it tended and extended to the benefite of all yet was there especiall regard had to the Apostles that they should want nothing For how vnreasonable a thing were it that seeing they ministred vnto the Church all things that pertaine to life godlinesse the Church should not minister vnto them food and raiment and al things belonging vnto this life After the Church was once setled and established among the Gentiles dispersed throughout the world which before was contained within the boundes of Iudea it was better to giue lands commonly now called the glebe as being a more sure and setled endowment then mony which as one merrily â—tem diceâ—â—â— quid â— Horat. lib. 1. Saâ— but yet truely saith he would haue called the Churches fixt inheritance but that he seeth the same also to be moueable At the first then the church turned their possessions into mony and afterward mony into possessions Thus we see the zeale and feruency of the first times ages of the Church while the blood of Christ lately shedde was yet warme in mens hearts whereby it came to passe that it had very anciently landes and possessions both glebe and houses belonging vnto it wherein they followed the president of God when he appointed Cities for the Leuites to dwell in with a conuenient circuit of fields for the maintainance of their cattell Numb 35 2. But neuer was the zeale of men so hot but now their deuotion is as cold and we are so farre from giuing to the Church that wee liue in a frozen age wherein men striue who shall take most from the Church I haue heard some men affirme who would be thought great friends to the Church but they are such friends to the Church as the East winde is to the fruites of the earth that they are willing to pay so much and they can see no reason why they should pay any more as the soile will naturally yeeld and bring foorth of it selfe without charge of tillage or manuring notwithstanding in the late case of Tithe-wood which groweth out of the ground without their labour or without any great cost no other benefite arising to the Minister from thence haue also refused to pay any wood at all in kinde or any thing else in lieu of it If then these men will allow vs neither the tenth of the earth laboured neither yet the tenth of that which groweth without any labour I would gladly know what they would allow vs Such is the couetousnes of many men that they seeke to make new customes and prescriptions euery day and lay the foundation of many iniurious courses which in time to come will tend to the ouerthrow of religion But let all such consider looke to themselues that be any way authors of deteining tithes and of bringing in prescriptions preiudiciall to the Church for how many soeuer perish for want of food in the places where they liue are guilty of the murthering of so many soules before the tribunal seat of the eternall Iudge as Austine teacheth Lastly seeing God hath prouided that the Vse 4 Ministers should be prouided for and hath taken care that they should bee cared for it is their duty to bee diligent in teaching of the people and preaching in season out of season For as they are worthy of their wages so they must be faithfull labourers and as they must liue of the Gospel so they must preach the Gospel As the people must communicate vnto the Ministers in all good things so it is required of them to teach instruct theÌ„ and as they are counted worthy of double honor 1 Tim. 5 17 so they must rule well As the mouth of the Oxe must not be muzled so hee must tread out the corne and they that eate of the milke of the flocke must bee carefull to feede the flocke euen so
his power is not now weakened he can deale thus with all his enemies the enemies of his Church If he blow vpon them with the blast of his mouth they passe away suddenly as the chaffe is scattered before the winde An example heereof is recorded in the holy History 2 Chron. 20 23. when a great multitude of the Moabites Ammonites and Amorites assembled themselues to fight against Iehoshaphat after he had set himselfe to seeke the Lord proclaiming a fast throughout all Iudah asking counsell of the Lord and praying to him in the zeale of his spirit the enemies slew one another with the sword Thus doth God turn the edge of the sword drawne against the Church vpon themselues rescueth his people when there is none to helpe We haue had experience of Gods protection of his church our eyes haue seene and our eares haue heard how one hath butchered and murthered another whereby God hath giuen a time of rest and breathing vnto his seruants Hee is the same without changing with him is no variablenes neither shadow of turning if we turne to him with all our hearts he will turne to vs and not suffer the rod of the wicked alwaies to rest on the lot of the righteous lest they should put forth their hand to wickednes Therefore Israel dwelled in all the Cities of the Amorites in Heshbon and in all the Villages therof We haue heard of the murthers slaughters that were betweene the Moabites the Amorites in the which howsoeuer one sought to defend himselfe the other preuailed by vsurpation as might sometimes ouer-cometh right yet the purpose of God who ouer-swayeth all actions of men and draweth good out of euill was to giue rest to his people and to make them inherite and inhabite the Cities and Villages which the Amorites had wrongfully gotten Doctrine Gods childreÌ„ are oftentimes brought into the inheâ—itaÌ„ce of the vnfaithfull Hereby we learne for our instruction that God oftentimes bringeth the godly and faithfull that please him to inherite the Lands and possessions of the wicked and vngodly Howsoeuer the beleeuers that feare God are many times thrust out of house and home and haue their lawfull possessions taken from them as we see in Naboths Vineyard 2 King 21 15. Gen. 21 25. and in Abrahams Well yet sometimes God returneth in mercy to the faithfull and maketh the substance and inheritance of the vnfaithfull to descend vnto them This is confirmed in the Booke of Exodus at the departure of Israel out of the Land of Egypt at which time GOD recompenced the sore labours and heauy trauels of his people imposed vpon them by cruell taske-masters For they asked of the Egiptians Iewels of siluer and Ingots of gold and change of rayment then the Lord gaue them fauour in the sight of the Egiptians so that they granted their requests inriched the Israelites and spoiled themselues Exod. 12 35 36. This goodnesse of God the Prophet with praise acknowledgeth toward his people saying He cast out the Heathen before them caused them to fall to the lot of his inheritance c. Psal 78 55. This verifieth the saying of the wise man Prou. 28 8. He that encreaseth his riches by vsury and interest gathereth them for him that will be mercifull to the poore And in another place Prou 13.22 The good man shall giue inheritance to his childrens children and the riches of the sinner is laid vp for the iust In like manner Iob describing the condition of the vngodly fheweth that though he should heape vp siluer as the dust Iob 27.16 17. and prepare raiment as the clay hee may prepare it but the iust shall put it on and the innocent shall diuide the siluer Thus God taketh away the things of this life from such as vse theÌ„ wickedly and bestoweth them vpon such as will imploy them lawfully Reason 1 The Reasons remaine to be considered to strengthen this truth and to make it appeare to the conscientes of all of vs to be a necessary and apparant truth First of all the mercy of God toward such as are sealed vp to be his seruants is without end there is no brim nor bottome of it If then his mercy surmount our thoughts he will let passe no part of his kindnes toward them that do feare him Thus the Prophet reasoneth Psal 136 21 22. Where vpon these examples of Gods great kindnes toward Israel in ouerthrowing Sihon King of the Amorites and Og the King of Bashan hee saith He gaue their Land for an heritage for his mercy endureth for euer euen an heritage vnto Israel his seruant for his mercy endureth for euer Whensoeuer therefore wee see this come to passe we must acknowledge the cause of it to be in God who ceasseth not to bee good to those that be his Reason 2 Againe God maketh knowne his power among his people to teach them to depend vpon him to shew vnto them that they serue not a weake and impotent God to instruct them to walke in the obedience of his waies This the Prophet pointeth out Psalm 44 2 3 and 111 6 105 44 45. Vse 1 The vses follow First this truth teacheth who is the soueraigne disposer of all things in heauen and earth namely God He ordereth kingdomes and disposeth Countries he giueth and taketh away hee encreaseth and diminisheth he maketh rich and maketh poore It is not our owne strength or pollicy it is not our owne care or labour it is the bountifulnes and blessing of God that is all in all We haue heere beneath vpon the earth Owners and Land-lords we haue such as account themselues possessours of houses and lands but we must know that wee are all Tenants at will we enioy nothing by Lease or Indenture for terme of yeares but hold the tenure of the Lands and liuings at the will and pleasure of the great and high Land-lord of all the world This is the confession of Hannah in her song of thanksgiuing 1 Sam. 2 7 8. The Lord maketh poore and maketh rich bringeth low and exalteth he raiseth vp the poore out of the dust and lifteth vp the begger from the dunghill to set them among Princes and to make them inherite the seat of glory for the Pillars of the earth are the Lords and he hath set the world vpon them Whatsoeuer therefore we haue let vs acknowledge therein not our owne desarts or merites but the goodnes of God toward vs filling vs with good things to serue him Secondly let vs from hence confesse that Vse 2 all the carke and care of man with his best endeuours cannot alwaies attaine to the benefit and fruite of his trauell but he prouideth that which another enioyeth This the Prophet Haggai testifieth chap 1 6.9 Yee haue sowne much and bring in little ye eate but ye haue not enough ye drinke but ye are not filled ye cloathe you but ye are not warme c. According to that which
dispatching worldly matters they must needs neglect better studies For the greater their care is in the one the more their carelesnesse is in the other and the more deepely they diue into the world the more shallow are their meditations in the word The office of the Deacons to attend vpon the poore to receiue the almes with one hand and to distribute them with the other was meerely Ecclesiasticall and therefore being in part of the same nature might with more ease and lesse trouble be annexed to the Ministery of the word yet the Apostles as we heard before cast it from them as a burden vnto them how then shall we in these daies not to bee compared with the Apostles and for dispatch and expedition but children to them presume to mingle and shuffle matters of the world with our Ministery that are of diuers nay contrary nature and thinke to mannage and order them both very sufficiently He would bee accounted a fond and vnwise man who hauing an heauy burden already vpon his shoulders as much as he is able to beare endure should notwithstanding lay hold of another as weighty as the former and yet suppose himselfe to haue sufficient strength to carry it with the same facility But some man may obiect that Peter and Obiection 1 the other Apostles were fisher-men and did also go to fishing after they were called to be Apostles and Paul became a Tent-maker labouring with his hands and exercising a manuall occupation I answer Answer this doth not allow the Ministers of the Gospell to be trades-men or fiâ—hermen where there is a Church well established and reformed they are onely tolerated in the ruines and desolations thrreof In these cases it is lawfull for the Minister to ioyne to his calling another calling in the pouerty of his owne person not otherwise able to maintaine his estate and in the generall want and need of the Church not able sufficiently to prouide for him The causes and occasions of Pauls labouring with his hands were partly that he might not in that point be inferior to the false Apostles who tooke no wages or stipend thereby seeking to winne credite to themselues and to disgrace the true seruants of Christ in regard whereof he sought to cut away occasion from them which desired occasion 2 Cor. 11 12 and partly that he might helpe to ease and support the need and pouerty of the Church The Apostles did this in case of necessity but what is this to iustifie and beare out the practise of worldly minded men who do it to be great men in the world to grow rich and wealthy and to raise vp their posterity to be mighty vpon the earth These are so much choaked with the thornes of cares of this life and deceitfulnesse of riches that they can preach sildome and that so coldly and rawly and vndigestedly as that it may well appeare they haue earth in their mindes and mouthes that their voyces are stopped and their guifts are decayed and their zeale is quenched What then will Obiect 2 some say Would you haue vs alwayes poring vpon a booke or would you not haue vs prouide for our family that God hath giuen vs I answer Answer it is lawfull to do the office of the father of a family to order the matters of his owne houshold aright GOD commandeth it man willeth it nature requireth it and law alloweth of it so that Whosoeuer prouideth not for his owne 1 Tim. 5 8. especially those of his family hath denied the faith and is worse then an Infidell Neither are men alwayes bound to bee in their studies as in a Prison that which wanteth seasonable rest cannot long endure and continue The minde is as a man that trauaileth a long iourney in the end he will wax weary and must haue rest or as a bow that cannot stand alwayes bent lest it be ouermuch weakned If an archer should continually shoote in his bow and neuer vnbend it hee would in short time breake it into shiuers and make it vnprofitable So when the Minister hath wearied himselfe in the weighty workes of his holy calling he is not denied leaue and liberty to refresh himselfe other waies If it bee in shooting or grafting or planting or such like he sinnes not prouided that there be a difference made betweene recreation and an occupation and that they hinder not his generall or particular calling Euery Minister if aright hee consider of his place shall finde hee hath as much as hee can turne his head and hand vnto when they do their best endeuour Wee are commanded to giue no offence to Iew or Gentile or to the Church of GOD. 1 Cor. 10 32 But for vs that professe our selues spirituall men and yet to liue as temporall men is offensiue to the people and layeth a stumbling blocke before them and therefore it is to be auoided of vs. Let vs set before vs the example of Christ Iesus and his practise Luke 12 verse 13. who refused to diuide the inheritance among the Bretheren hauing respect vnto the boundes and limites of his calling declaring therby that it belongeth in no wise to the Ministers of the word to intermeddle in the iudgement of such causes Hee failed not in any duties that fell out in the compasse of his calling but perfourmed them willingly this office he vtterly refused and therefore no doubt was impertinent to the Minister Likewise when the people would haue taken him and made him King he conueyed himselfe out of their sight and would not accept such honour at their hands Thus he also refused to pronounce sentence vpon the harlot that was brought vnto him Iohn 8 11. saying I do not condemne thee goe thy way and sinne no more so that hee would not meddle with ciuill and criminall causes And as he practised himselfe so hee taught his Apostles and others that professed to be his Disciples When one that was called to follow Christ Math 22 25. Luk. 9 59 60 61 62 said Lord suffer mee first to go and bury my father Iesus saide vnto him Let the dead bury their dead but go thou preach the Kingdome of God Then another saide I will follow thee Lord but let me goe first and bid them farewell which are at mine house Iesus saide vnto him No man that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh backe is apt to the Kingdome of GOD. To conclude therefore no man must ouer-burden himselfe with things that belong not to his calling And albeit some haue done such things in the pouerty of the Church yet wee must make a difference betweene those that doe it to sustaine necessity and others that thereby maintaine superfluity the one doth it thorough defect the other in all pompe and excesse Thirdly this reproueth those that albeit they doe not entangle them-selues in worldly businesse The third reproofe yet they entangle themselues with sundry liuings that it is not possible for them
without any necessity and that it is a needlesse worke but they are far deceiued as we shall see afterward Wherefore Christ our Sauiour commending the practise of Mary that sate at his feete and heard his word saith vnto her sister Luk. 10 41 42 Thou art carefull and troubled about many things but one thing is needfull and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her See how contrary these men are vnto Christ and their words to the words of Christ Can they then be good Christians that are led by a spirit contrary vnto Christ Hee telleth vs that the hearing of the word is necessary they say it by their practise seale to it that it is not necessary Can light and darknes be more contrary then these two He teacheth that this is one necessary thing they are not ashamed to affirme with tongues set on fire of hell that among all vnnecessary things this is most idle and vnprofitable This is a deepe iudgement of God vpon them for their contempt of his ordinance This bewraieth the corruption of their hearts that indeed they are of no religion For he that learneth not religion by the word neuer yet knew what true religion meaneth Such then as haue not a setled ministery and Minister to resort vnto Iames 1 6. are for the most part vnsetled in their opinions vnconstant in religion and vnstable in all their waies Sometimes they hold one thing sometimes another and sometimes nothing at all Math. 11 7. as a reed that is carried to and fro with the windes as a weathercocke that turneth often in a day and stagger hither thither like a drunken man And such as liue vnder a ministery planted according to the institution of Christ but haue not their eares setled to heare the fame forasmuch as they come once and misse twice slippe in out of the Church at their pleasure heare one Sermon and absent themselues from another their conscience is seared with an hot iron their sin is come vp to heauen Ignorant they are will learne nothing they are fickle in matters of faith and godlines knowing no point of religion as they ought to know neither being able to giue an account of the hope that is in them These starters that come and goe when they please haue not so much as the outward shew of a true Christian much lesse the truth of the heart that is within neyther can they looke for any blessing from him from whom all blessings do proceed as from the Father of lights To conclude then the power of Satan is great to hold man in sinne but the word is as the Scepter of God to breake it that wee may escape and to ouerthrow his kingdome The seuenty Disciples sent out by Christ into euerie City and place whither hee himselfe should come returned again with ioy saying Lord euen the diuels are subiect vnto vs through thy Name And the Lord said vnto them Luk. 10 17 18 I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heauen Luke 10. Behold how necessary the preaching of it is to all people to which we ought all to subscribe Secondly it serueth to reproue diuers abuses Vse 2 I will name three in particular First such as thinke spare not to say that the ministry is a vaine and superfluous thing and that the Ministers are men that may very well be spared as if they were a sixt finger vpon the hand or a sixt toe vpon the foot that is bringing a burden rather then a benefit and that their labours may be spared also inasmuch as they bring with them in their opinion needlesse charges and vnnecessary expences For as they account the Sabbath the losse of one day in a weeke the losse of one weeke in a moneth the losse of one year in seuen so they account the maintenance of the ministery the losse of their goods and substance and a departing with the tenth part of their labours to no purpose These haue learned another language then the tongue of Canaan they doe not the workes that beseeme christians and they cannot speake as beseemeth those that professe the feare of God if so be they do professe so much Is it a needlesse thing to haue the light of the Sunne in the Firmament without which all things are couered with darknesse and nothing can haue life and quickning But the Sunne is not more necessary to be in the world thē the light of the word in the church to giue life and light vnto them that sitte in darknesse Math. 4.16 Is a candle needlesse to be in the house in the night season to giue light to them that are in it The Church is the golden candlestick the word is the candle that shineth in our hearts to guide vs in all our waies Mat. 5 15. Luk. 8 16. Is it needlesse to haue labourers to reape downe our corne in time of haruest To haue meate brought vnto vs and prouided for vs when we are hungry or drinke when wee are thirsty The preaching of the Gospel is as light in the Firmament as a candle in the house as the eye in the body as the meate in the stomacke and as the labourer in time of haruest Matth. 9. The want of this blessing is to couer the earth with darkenes to put out the light of the eye to suffer good corne to perish for want of reaping and gathering into the barne as the state of Egypt was when it wanted corne and cryed out to Ioseph for bread or as Iudaea whē it wanted the light of the Sunne Miserable therefore and thrice miserable are those people that want this albeit they were stored with aboundance of all earthly commodities vnder heauen If they had all the riches of the world that euery nation borrowed of them and they of none what should they help them wanting this onely Could the other saue them or make them a blessed people No no in the middest of these blessings they must needs be accursed Is not that Land miserable that is compassed about with enemies yet is without armour Are they not as a naked people that lie open to become a prey to them that gape after their destruction Thus notwithstanding it is without the Ministers who are the Chariots and horsemen of Israel 2 Kin. 2 12. 2 Kings 2 12 and 13 14. Is it not a miserable thing to goe into warres and to haue no Captaines to leade the battell What hope can there be of victory Nay what can be looked for but present destruction The Ministers are the Leaders and Ouerseers of the Lords host to rule them and keepe them in order Heb. 13 7. Is it not miserable to see a flocke of sheepe without a Shepheard wandring vp and downe from the fold and ready to be deuoured of the wolues But such as are without a teaching Minister are scattered abroad as silly sheepe are without a
made light in the Lord that were sometimes darknesse and therefore they must walke as children of the light Secondly for the neglect of this duty the Reason 2 wrath of God falleth vpon the sonnes of men He is the God of order and requireth that all things in the Church be done in order Hence it is that the Apostle saith Col. 3 6. For such things sake the wrath of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience And we haue sundry examples of this in the people of Israel who were diuersly destroied because of their sins 1 Cor. 10 5. With many of them God was not well pleased for they were ouerthrowne in the Wildernesse If then notorious sins bring downe Gods wrath notorious sinners are not to bee winked at to the end that his wrath may bee turned away Reason 3 Thirdly we shewed before that they were as swine and dogges or as vncleane beasts and should not be admitted to the fellowship of Christs sheepe which are cleane lest they defile them and corrupt them through their contagion and tread downe with their feete the residue of their pastures The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 5 6. Doe ye not know that a little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe Sinne therefore being infectious the sinner is not to bee tollerated in the assembly of the righteous The vses remaine to be handled First of Vse all it should minister great matter of much greefe and sorrow to euery society of Christian men and women when any of the Congregation grow to be thus prophane and defiled with the contagion of sinne Is it not a great greefe to haue any one member of the body cut off Or can any endure it without paine and anguish So should it be when any that is called a brother is put from the rest of the body of the Church and seuered from the externall communion of Saints This the Apostle teacheth 1 Corinth 5 2. Ye are puffed vp and haue not sorrowed This reprooueth those that regard not this censure whether it bee executed vpon themselues or others neyther are touched with the dishonour that is done to God when hainous and horrible sinnes do breake out of the bosome of the Church The Prophet testifieth Psal 119 136. that his eyes gushed out Riuers of teares because they kept not his law So the Lord speaketh to the man that was cloathed in linnen whom he appointed to preserue such as were his Ezek. 9 4. Goe through the middest of the City through the middest of Ierusalem and set a marke vpon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abhominations that bee done in the middest thereof If any man be present and behold the Chirurgian ready to cut off the arme or legge of another he is moued with a kinde of compassion and commiseration and is touched with greefe for it how much more ought wee to be greeued when a brother is cut off from the communion of the Church which is the mother of vs al The Prophet reioyced whē they said vnto him Let vs go into the house of the Lord so it ought to minister matter of mourning when any haue this greeuous punishment laid vpon them as to be turned out of the Church It ought therefore to be accounted neither matter of ioy nor matter of gain neither should we bee glad to heare that any are so proceeded against Secondly it is a cause of great mercy and Vse 2 of a wonderfull blessing from God whē such as transgresse are resisted and punished So long as sinne is suffered God is offended and his wrath is extended ouer those places and persons He hath a controuersie against those that sin against him Iosh 7 1◠◠8 1 2. The host of Israel could not prosper so long as Achan remained among them the enemies preuailed against them and they turned their backs vnto them but when he was taken away and the glory of God reuenged which he had defaced Israel prospered and had the vpper hand They could not stand before their enemies vntill they had put the accursed thing from among them And how much he hateth sin he declareth sometimes in his owne seruants for Ionah must be cast into the sea or else the Ship and the passengers in it shall euer be in ieopardy therfore he said vnto the Marriners Take me vp and cast me foorth into the sea so shall the sea bee calme vnto you 〈◊〉 12. ◠for I know that for my sake this great tempest is vpon you If then he spare not his owne people how should he spare others that are his enemies We haue a notable example of this afterward in this booke when the people of Israel began to commit whoredome with the daughters of Moab bowed down vnto their Gods and so coupled themselues vnto Baal-peor God brought a fearefull iudgment vpon them 〈◊〉 8 9. and there died in that plague foure and twenty thousand But Phinehas the son of Eleazar rose vp from the middest of the Congregation and with his speare he smote the adulterer and the adulteresse so the plague ceased from the children of Israel the anger of God being turned away from them A contrary example is to be seene in Eli 1 Sam. 2. hee winked at the wickednes of his vngodly sons and it brought downe a greeuous iudgment vpon them and vpon himselfe and vpon the people Such churches therfore as are carefull to put from among them notorious offenders are blessed of God Sinne is the cause of all iudgement and the remouing thereof bringeth all blessings with it Thirdly euery Congregation is bound to Vse 3 purge their owne body from such excrements and filthinesse as annoy it We must haue herein true zeale godly courage in the cause of God and his truth We must not stand in feare of the faces of men though they be neuer so great and mighty The censures of the Church must not be like the spiders web which catcheth flyes and gnats wheras the bigger creatures break from it They must be administred indifferently without all respect of persons otherwise it laieth open a gap to destroy religion faith honesty iustice and equity maketh a way to wrong and all impiety This reproueth such as dare not deale with great mē rich men and mighty men they are afraid to touch them lest they purchase their displeasure 〈◊〉 in Phor. 〈◊〉 1. These are like to fowlers that pitch not the net to catch kites or Hawkes that do hurt but for such as do no hurt They suffer great men to do what they list and see thē not they let them alone either through negligence they will not or through feare they dare not controlle them according to the saying of the Poet 〈◊〉 satyr 2. Dat veniam coruis vexat censura columbas They that are censors or chastisers of the manners of others do pardon such as are most wicked and greatest malefactors but doe condemne them that
will raise vs also We are the members he is the head Therfore if the head be aliue he will no◠leaue the members dead so that if he be risen frō the dead we shall rise againe How thē shall we that are appointed to glory defile our bodies beastly lustes the end and wages whereof is shame and ignominy Seeing then Christ Iesus hath determined to make our bodies glorious let vs not make them foule and infamous for as much as the reward of fornication is shame not glorie If then we look that these fraile and mortall bodies should be partakers of immortality at the last day let vs keepe them as fit vessels to receiue honor and glory and euerlasting life It is no small offence to pollute the body of Christ with filthines and vncleannes which God raiseth frō the dead and maketh it sit most glorious in the heauens The fourth motiue to worke in vs the detestation and to lay before vs the danger of whoredome is this the members of Christ are not to bee made the members of an harlot but our bodies are the members of Christ therefore we ought not to make them the members of an harlot Now the bodies of the faithful are called the members of Christ because Christ is the head of the church and performeth the office of an head vnto it into which all the elect are grafted by faith If any man were asked whether he would willingly rent or pull away a member from Christes owne body to make it the member of an harlot he would vtterly deny it he would be ashamed of it he would be ready to defie him that should charge him with it Howbeit the Apostle feareth not to lay that imputation vpon such as commit fornication they separate themselues quite away from Christ so that it must needs be a deadly sin which parteth and pulleth vs from him Wherefore hee saith Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ 1 Cor. 6 15. Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Hereby then we must learne how heinous whoredome is because wee are the members of Christ but by it we make our bodies the members of an harlot which is as much in effect as to turne Christ himselfe into an harlot and to make him a whoremaster then which nothing is more reproachfull and dishonorable vnto the glory and maiesty of Christ Colos 1 18. Eph. 1 22. For the Church is the mysticall bodie of Christ which hee hath redeemed with his blood whereof hee is the head and by his Spirit so ioyneth it to him that it is made one spiritual body with him So then euery faithful person is one member for his part of the body of the Church and of Christ the head ioyned with him by faith quickned by his Spirit He that ioyneth himself therfore to an harlot is made one body with an harlot so that of the members of Christ hee shall make them the members of an harlot and thereby cease to be any longer the members of Christ then which what can be more dangerous to vs or more reprochful to Christ or more dishonorable to God The fift motiue to disswade from fornication is because this sin is committed against the body whereas all other sins are without the body He that committeth whoredom defileth and abuseth his own body and leaueth a proper staine and blot vpon it making it both the subiect and the obiect of his sin It is not so with the theef or the murtherer or the slanderer they deale with the life with the goods and with the good name of another But the whore-master vseth his bodie as the instrument and sinneth against his owne body more then any other Hence it is that the Apostle saith Flie fornication euery sinne that a man doth is without the body 1 Cor. 6. ◠but hee that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne bodie If a man kill himselfe he hurteth indeed his owne bodie howbeit he vseth sworde or knife or fire or water or some such like instrument which is out of the body but the fornicator both vseth and abuseth his owne body he maketh it either instrument or obiect or subiect or all of them The sixt motiue that is vsed is this That our body is the Temple of the holye Ghost whereupon the Apostle would haue it inferred that a fornicator is a sacrilegious person because he hurteth and wrongeth the temple of God But Whosoeuer defileth the Temple of God him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy which temple we are 1 Cor. 3. ver 17. Temples are ordained and appointed for holinesse and pure actions and are not therefore to be prophaned with filthinesse forasmuch as they be consecrated and dedicated to God which is most pure and holy To this purpose he speaketh and argueth What 1 Cor. 6 13. Know yee not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost which is in you which ye haue of God If our bodies be Temples they ought to bee kept cleane and decent of vs. The Apostle nameth the bodie in this place as hee did also before in regard of the matter he hath in hand to the end hee might withdraw vs from the defiling and poluting of our bodies Wee heard alreadie that our bodies are the members of Christ heere he saith Our bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost not that our soules are excepted and exempted for they are made partakers of Christ and we are the Temples of God in soule and bodie as hee speaketh in the second Epistle Ye are the Temples of the liuing GOD. 2 Cor. 6 16. If he dwell in vs let vs beware of fornication because he will not inhabite and abide in defiled bodies He is the spirit of purity therefore we must be pure he is the spirit of holinesse therefore we ought to be holy otherwise we are not his He will dwell in a clean house therfore not in a stye of vnclean and filthy swine Let vs take heed we greeue not the spirit of God whereby wee are sealed vnto the day of redemption Eph. 4. The Gentiles knewe by the light of nature that they ought to keepe their temples swept and garnished Christ whipped out of the temple such as bought sold in it yet what are these but lime stone and such corruptible stuffe how much more then ought wee to looke to our selues our souls bodies that we do not defile them and God destroy them The Temple of Ierusalem was burned and the Arke carried away for the sinnes of the people there is no holinesse of place can priuiledge vs if sound Religion be wanting in them that inhabit it Thus was it also at the destruction of Ierusalem foretolde in Scripture after the Gospell of Christ was preached the abhomination of desolation was set in the holy place so that one stone was not left vpon another
as we haue noted in sundry particulars before We sinne against God because we resist and withstand his will whose pleasure it is that wee bring forth the fruites of sanctification wee pollute and prophane the holie ordinance of Matrimony wee make the members of Christ the members of an harlot and so seeke to draw as much as in vs lyeth our blessed Sauiour into a filthy fellowship of our sinne Down Lectur on Hos 4 2. we defile the Temples of the holie Ghost and turne them into stewes Against our neighbour because this sinne is not committed alone but we draw some other to be partakers with vs in the same wickednesse punishment we sin against the wife or husband of the married-party whom we wrong in the cheefest treasure possession that she or he hath we sinne against the fruite of our owne body whom we disgrace brand with a note of perpetuall infamy which for the most part proue a degenerate brood through want of good-education and especially thorough the secret iudgement of God we sin against our owne families which wee oftentimes ouer-turne by defiling of them turn our houses into stewes we sin against the Cities societies kingdomes where we abide because we defile the land and cause it to vomit out the inhabitants we sinne against the church of God both by hindering the propagation thereof Malach 2 â—5 which encreaseth by an holye seed and by causing it to be euill spoken of by others as if it wer a company of vnclean persons Against our selues because we make our bodies the instruments of sin and sathan we weaken them and make them subiect to diuers diseases and we plunge soules bodies into the pit of hell which burneth with fire and brimstone Such then as are adulterers do not goe into hell alone they carry other company with them If then the iudgements of pouerty beggery infamy infirmity folly and impenitency will not mooue vs to make conscience of this sin yet let this preuail with vs that thereby we destroy our owne soules and exclude our selues from his presence Let vs threfore be watchful ouer our own wayes let vs pull vp the roote of this sinne and all other of the same sort and mortifie the deedes of the flesh Col. 3 5. Let vs cut off all occasions that may draw vs to them as surfetting drunkennesse idlenesse wantonnesse prophane company and such like And aboue all these things let vs obserue these three things First let vs remember that as God is holie so he requireth an holy people to serue him It is his wil that we liue in sanctification so that without holinesse no man can see God or haue fellowship with him Heb. 12. Secondly we must learne to feare God in his word and mark the commandement that forbiddeth adulterie Nothing maketh vs to fall into sinne but the forgetting of the Law which saith thou shalt not sin This stayed vp Ioseph in a strong tentation which being yeelded vnto did set before him a faire shew and goodly traine of all pleasures profits honors but being withstood did threaten him with a multitude of miseries hatred pouerty sorow shame imprisonment destruction and death it selfe yet he eschewed the sin by this means Shal I do this Genesis â—5 3â— and sin against God The word of God must be made our wisedome and direction our guide and our counsellor it is able to deliuer vs froÌ„ the stranger that flatteteth with her wordes This is it that Salomon setteth before vs My sonne keepe thy fathers commandements Prou. 6 â—â— â— 23 24. and forsake not the law of thy mother binde them continually vpon thine heart and tie them about thy necke c. For the Commandement is a lamp and the Law is light c. to keepe thee from the euill woman from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman He teacheth that the lips of a strange woman drop as an hony combe and that her mouth is smoother then oyle but her end is bitter as worme-wood and sharpe as a two-edged sword how then shall we bee deliuered from her if the word of truth bee not in our mouthes and that which is more in our hearts to rule and reforme vs and to order our pathes aright Such as are ignorant of the word are soonest ouer-taken and they that haue not the loue and power of it dwelling in them The foolish woman that sitteth at the doore of her house and calleth the passengers that goe right in their waies Prou. 4 â— maketh choyse of such as are simple and want vnderstanding to turne in vnto her Lastly let vs keepe inuiolable the Couenant of marriage made in the presence of God of Angels and of men let the married persons make one another the delight of their eyes and the ioy of their hearts and be carefull to performe the duties they owe one to another And as the vnlawful impure coniunction of man and woman is detested of God so is holy matrimony euer accepted of him and adorned with many blessings and crowned with a continual supply of the fruits of his loue and fauour The Prophet sayeth Blessed is euery one that feareth the Lord walketh in his waies 〈◊〉 28 1 2 for thou shalt eate the labour of thine hands happy shalt thou be and it shal be well with thee thy wife shall bee as a fruitfull Vine by the sides of thine house thy children like Oliue plants round about thy table behold that thus shal the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. Riches are the inheritance of parents but a prudent wife is a speciall gift of God and wee receiue her as at his hands The Apostle doth beautifie it with an honorable title when he calleth it honorable in all It is the spirit of error which calleth that vncleane which God hath sanctified Adultery is foule and vncleane but the marriage bed is vndefiled Damnable then is the decree of Pope Syricius that marriage it selfe is the pollution of the flesh that the married cannot please God Diuellish also is the law of forced chastity restraining some orders and degrees from it whereas to auoid fornication euery man is commaÌ„ded to haue his owne wife and euery woman her owne husband 22 And when he hath made her to drinke the water then it shall come to passe that if she be defiled and haue done a trespasse against her husband that the water that causeth the curse shal enter into her and become bitter and her belly shall swell and her thigh shall rot and the woman shall bee a curse among her people 28 And if the womaÌ„ be not defiled but be clean then she shal be free and shall conceiue seed Wee haue shewed already that in setting downe this law of triall Moses obserueth 3. things First the cause is propounded Secondly the question and controuersie is determined And lastly the euent of the whole is deliuered The two former haue bene
would be thought no strange thing to any but a ground whereunto all persons yeeld against which none dareth oppose himselfe howbeit if we come to their workes and examine their waies into which they are entred we shall see it is farre remooued from their hearts and innermost parts We are not therefore to flatter our selues in our sins as though no eye saw vs or no eare heard vs as the maner of the prophane and vngodly is who say who seeth me I am compassed about with darknesse of the night the walles of the house hide me no body can behold me what need I then to feare There is not one of an hundreth that maketh any bones at sinne so he may cary it away cleerely and closely smoothly and secretly from the sight and knowledge of the world They stand more vpon their credite then vpon their conscience and regard more the shame of men then the feare of God But what shall it profit a man to hide his sinnes from men when they lie open to the eyes of God Nay albeit we thinke our selues neuer so sure and secret yet we doe but deceiue our selues forasmuch as our owne conscience as a thousand witnesses will not be bribed to hold his peace but will reply against vs within our owne bosome and say vnto vs I see thee I wil not keepe thy counsell I will accuse thee I wil bring in euidence against thee I will indite thee and condemne thee So long then as we haue a conscience what are we the better though we haue no body priuy to our sinnes for if our owne heart condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things Ioh. 3.20 The coÌ„science is as a watchman set ouer vs to marke all our thoughts â—â—cond E. that pryeth narrowly into vs that nothing at all can escape him It is as a Scriuener that alwayes holdeth a pen of yron in his hand to write vp all that passeth from vs who doth so firmely ingraue it that nothing shall be able to blot it out It is a faithfull remembrancer to register and record all our actions nothing can escape him that was done or thought or spoken a thousand yeeres agoe This serueth to reprooue all such as thinke to delude God and to hide their dealings from him as the adulterer supposeth to goe in the darke the theefe and murtherer in solitary places but the Lord in his word preuenteth such peeuish and foolish conceits Psal 10.11.13.14 He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he hideth his face he will neuer see it wherefore doth the wicked contemne God he hath said in his heart thou wilt not require it But thou hast seene it for thou beholdest mischiefe and spite to require it with thine hand the poore committeth himselfe vnto thee thou art the helper of the fatherlesse Thus we see God is not in all his thoughts So in the 94 Psalme 〈◊〉 78. which we cited before bringing in the vngodly to speake thus The Lord shall not see neither shal the God of Iacob regard it he reproueth them in this manner Vnderstand ye brutish among the people and ye fooles when wil ye be wise They then are deceiued that thinke to escape Gods sight and knowledge Salomon complaining of such as speake euill of Princes and those that are in authority Eccle. 10.20 declareth that rather then it shall be kept secret the fowles of the ayre shall discouer it Eccle. 10.20 and that which hath wings shall tell the matter that is it shall certainely come to light and be set in the sight of the Sunne that all men may see it Much more then will God himselfe finde infinite meanes to lay open the thoughts of our hearts so that nothing shall escape him If Elisha by the Spirit of God was able to disclose the secret counsels of the king of Syria that he plotted and contriued in his secret chamber 2 King 6.12 Shall not God then lay open our secret sinnes that we commit or can we hide them from his sight His eyes are in euery corner of the earth He seeth not as man seeth nor looketh vpon the countenance but God beholdeth the heart euen he that formeth the spirit within him Secondly let no man sin with hope of concealement Vse 2 neither thinke to escape when hee hath sinned He saw the sacriledge of Achan though he committed it secretly none of the people could accuse him or detect him God commanded euery family to appeare before him apart and if hee had not taken him and singled him out neither Ioshua nor the Elders of the people could haue knowne him by all their wisedome and gifts of discerning Iosh 7 1. It was God that found him out that tooke the accursed thing it was not in the power and policy of man to bewray the theft He discouered the hypocrisie of Ananias and Sapphira their counterfeit liberality toward the distressed members of the Church They were taken to be most earnest beleeuers most forward professours and most zealous Christians such as gaue example of a good life vnto others seemed to shine as goodly lights in the firmament neuerthelesse the Spirit of God that searcheth all things did make manifest the hollownesse of their hearts and therefore Peter inspired with knowledge from aboue saith vnto them How is it Act. 5.3.9 that yee haue agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord or why hath Satan filled your hearts to lie to the holy Ghost He saw into the treachery of Iudas when none of the disciples could espie it For when they sate at the Passeouer and Iesus reuealed vnto them that he should be betrayed by one of them that dipped his hand in the platter with him they were very sorrowfull and knew not whom to suspect but one said Master is it I and another said Is it I Mat. 26 22. Mar. 14.19 All these were detected of hypocrisie and all these were punished by the hand of God most seuerely Achan was stoned with stones and burned with fire Iosh 7.25 Ananias and Sapphira were both of them stricken with sudden death and had no time of repentance giuen vnto them for they fell downe straightway at Peters feet Act. 5.5 10.11 yeelded vp the ghost and great feare came vpon all the Church and vpon as many as heard these things Iudas when hee perceiued that Iesus whom he had betrayed was condemned brought back again the thirty peeces of siluer to the chiefe Priests and Elziers and cast them downe in the Temple and departed and hanged himselfe Matth. 27.5 Wee see an this present place which now we haue in hand how the Lord vsed the bitter waters of iealousie to find but the adultresse We doe not find throughout the whole Testament the like solemnity in the searching out of any sin no not idolatry or witch craft or sorcery or blasphemy or murther neither was the person suspected compelled to subscribe to certaine words
of presence Howbeit many come to the house of GOD as if they were none of his houshold-seruants but strangers in his house nay as if they were strangers to God God vnto them as if they had no knowledge of him or he of them They come so sildome that they may appeare to belong to some other family or fraternity But what shall it auaile vs to pray for the protection of the Church vnlesse we hide our selues in his pauilion and liue vnder his protection This vse we finde Ps 27 4 5. where vpon his assurance that God will hide him in his Tabernacle and set him vpon a rocke he setteth down this One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I wil seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the lord to enquire in his Temple They are pronounced blessed that dwell with him who is to be blessed and is the author of all blessings Psal 84. This doth the church testifie in Salomons song Tell me O thou whom my soule loueth Cant. 1 2 where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocke to rest at noone for why should I bee as one that turneth aside by the flockes of thy companions As Christ proueth the loue of Peter by this signe of feeding his sheepe Iohn 21 ver 16. so we may proue our loue to him by louing his Church and Church-assemblies Doubtlesse whatsoeuer we may perswade our selues to the contrary yet we do not loue Christ if we doe not loue the assemblies of the Christians for where two or three are gathered together in his Name there is he in the midst of them Ver. 25 26. The Lord make his face to shine c. We haue shewed before in the interpretation of the words that by grace we must vnderstand the fauour and good will of God and by peace the effects of his grace happinesse and prosperity inward outward consisting in the peace of a good conscience and such like benefits First we are taught to desire grace vnderstood by the lifting vp of his countenance and making his face to shine vppon vs and then the peace of a good conscience From hence we learne this point to include theÌ„ both together that we must cheefely and principally pray for Gods fauour and then in the next place for peace of conscience Doctrâ—â—â— Wee muâ—â— cheefely 〈◊〉 for Godâ—â—â—uour and peace oâ— good conâ—â—ence Thus doth the Prophet direct vs Psalm 4 6. Lift vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs and 67 1. God be mercifull vnto vs and blesse vs and cause his face to shine vpon vs and Psal 83 3. Cause thy face to shine and we shall be saued and to shew the necessity of this praier the earnestnesse of his affection 9 17. he doubleth trebleth the same praier as if he desired nothing at all in comparison of the shining of his face and the lifting vp of his countenance Thus doth the Prophet declare that the Israelites got not the land in possession by their owne sword neither did their owne arme saue them but the right hand of God and his arme and the light of his countenance because he had a fauour vnto them Ps 44 3. and Ps 85 7. Shew vs thy mercy O Lord grant vs thy saluation This order we see euermore obserued by the Apostle praying for grace and peace Rom. 1.1 Cor. 1. This was the course which he tooke Reason 1 And no maruaile For first grace is the fountaine and beginning of all good things From whence haue we election but by grace Rom. 11 5. Whence cometh our calling to saluation but by grace 2 Tim. 1 9. Whence haue wee faith but by grace Phil. 1 29. Whence haue we our iustification but by grace Rom. 3 24. Whence shall we haue glorification and eternall life but by grace Rom. 6 23. Secondly we must lay the foundation of all our requests vpon the fauour of God because that being once obtained bringeth with it all other benefits and blessings whatsoeuer and without it all things are vnsauoury and vnprofitable if first we seeke the fauour of God all other things shal be ministred vnto vs. â— 6 33. If we want this we want all things if we haue this we haue all things The Apostle Peter said to the impotent man 3 6. Siluer and gold haue we none yet in his second Epistle he sheweth that the diuine power had giuen them all things 2 Pet. 1 3. Vse 1 From hence we must learne to hate the odious scoffes of the Papists and such like Ismaelites that mocke at our doctrine touching the assurance of Gods mercy and loue in the pardon of our sins for we should not be alowed to pray for them except we had assurance grounding our selues vpon his promise to obtaine them Neuertheles such is the sottishnesse of some of them that from hence they would conclude that according to our owne principles our people forsooth are in a miserable case because they are bound neuer to aske God forgiuenesse of their sins and why Because they are already assured of grace of the loue of God and of forgiuenesse of their sins I answer that this is a silly shift for we must pray euen for those things wherof we are assured before we pray And that appeareth by these three particulars First thogh we haue some assurance yet our assurance is not perfect we must therefore pray for the increase of it and forasmuch as we are many waies shaken and assaulted we haue need of more and more assurance Secondly we must pray for the continuance of this grace Our assurance may be much weakned we haue therfore need of Gods strengthning Spirit to stay vs vp in this faith Lastly we are to pray for a new act of pardon to be daily sealed vp in our hearts and consciences as we daily prouoke him by our new sinnes Secondly aboue all things desire the grace Vse 2 of God to be reconciled to God to haue our sins forgiuen to taste abundantly of his mercy One drop of this is more worth then all the gold of Ophir or all the pearles and precious stones that the meÌ„ of this world take so much paines to enioy We see how far men will goe what labour and what losse they will endure what hunger they will sustaine 1 King 9.26 and 22 48. 2 Chr. 20 37. what cares they will spend to get the goods of this life O that we had this care this loue of heauenly things but alasse the least difficulty that we meet in the way doth quickly discourage vs and put vs out of hart Thus it falleth out that many haue the riches of this world who are poore in the true treasure and haue store of gold that haue little store of grace Let vs say with the Prophet Lord Psal 4 6 7. 73 2â— 26. if thou lift vp thy
nothing Another sort seeing the Ministery so vilified and seeking to shun that rocke do rush and dash themselues violently against another for they giue almost no reuerence at all to the Liturgie neither care to affoord vs their presence at the same But we must walke in the golden meane betweene both these giuing to each that which is meete without comparing the one to the other and so yeelde obedience to both In the one God speaketh to vs in the other we speake to God The Wiseman handling them both beginneth with the preaching and hearing of the word as the most principall part of Gods worship and afterwards he proceedeth to prescribe rules of praier Eccl 4 5. Acts 2 42. So the church is saide to haue continued in the Apostles doctrine in prayers They then deceiue themselues that vnder a pretence of receiuing the prayers of the church do contemne the Ministery of the word and think they haue done enough if they haue bin present at them saying We haue godly praiers published and set forth by commaÌ„dement of the Prince why cannot men bee contented with them These speake through hypocrisy and would seeme zealous of publike prayers howbeit they are like to Iudas he cried out against the waste of the ointment as if it might haue bin better bestowed vpon the poore He seemed very carefull of the good of the poor but hee spake this not that he cared for the poore but because he was a theefe and bare the bag Ioh. 12 6 So do these men talk much of prayers as if they were so zelous that they were altogether giuen to prayer howbeit they do not this for any zeale to prayer or for any great care they haue to frequent theÌ„ but thereby to seeke a couer for their owne negligence in hearing the word Such as liue vnder an vnpreaching Ministery thinke themselues well enough when as notwithstanding they want a chiefe and principal part of Gods seruice the ordinary meanes of saluation Ro. 10. Iam. 1. On the other side such as ascribe al to preaching and regard not the prayers of the Church are blame-worthy this must be done but the other must not be left vndone It is the office of the Ministery to perform both Act. 6. and the duty of the people to bee present at both yet great is their negligence this way if not contempt Vse 3 Lastly from hence ariseth great comfort to such as are weake in faith and in the giftes of faith For God will not reiect vs or our prayers though we be not able to performe them as we ought to do Albeit we come vnto him halting and borne by others yet he will embrace vs and receiue vs. This may bee a notable motiue to encorage vs to this duty Christ hath promised that he will not quench the smoaking flaxe nor breake the bruised reede Math 12 20. Blessed are they that come to him creep on hand and foote if they cannot walâ—e vpright but woe vnto them that come not at al. If wee haue but a graine of Mustard seede of faith he cherisheth it and accepteth of vs. Let vs therefore come vnto him by prayer howsoeuer we come by our selues or by others forasmuch as our comming to him shall haue a reward See more of this before chap. 6. Rise vp O Lord and let thine enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flie before thee This is the prayer made when they began to march This prayer is short but it is verie effectuall The summe and substance is to commend vnto God the good and preseruation of the church from the many enemies of it As if he had saide O merciful God which hast promised thy presence among vs go thou before vs and scatter thine and our enemies put theÌ„ to flight which seeke to stop our way and to hinder vs from entering into the land of Canaan which thou hast promised vnto vs. The prayer consisteth of two parts a cause and the effect The cause is Gods arising to the defence of his seruants wherein he speaketh after the maner of men because properly God neither riseth vp nor sitteth downe as also he neither slumbreth nor sleepeth Psal 121 4. But it is spoken in regard of a new worke whereby he manifesteth his help to be ready at hand and sheweth that he shrinketh not backe in time of neede from those that are his Sometimes he is saide to lie still and to be as it were asleep when he doth beare with patience Illyr câ—au Sâ— and suffer the wicked to rage and run on against the righteous and against religion so when he beginneth to take the cause into his owne hand both by defending his children and maintaining his owne glory against the wicked hee is saide to arise and stand vp Esay 2 21. as 2 Chro. 6 41. Psa 44 23. 82 8. 132 8. The reason of the speech is borrowed from men who can do no work of any moment or account while they lye still but if they wil go in hand with any thing they must rise vp The effect of his arising is the scattering of his enemies If he once arise to the help of his people then followeth quickly the fall of his enemies If he fight for them They shall flye before him as chaffe before the wind and as wax melteth before the fire so the wicked perish at the presence of God Psa 68.2 We might note from hence that when once God sheweth himselfe for his people the enemies are quickly put to flight Exod. 14. When Pharao pursued the Israelites and ouertooke them at the redde sea and that their hearts began to faile and fall away to be troubled and as it were to melte away Moses said vnto them Feare not stand stil and see the saluation of the Lord which he shal shew you this day 13. The Lord shal fight for you and you shal hold your peace 14. Deut. 28 7. and Ro. 8 31. If the Lord be on our sides who shal be against vs This is a great comfort to the Church 2. Chro. 15 2. The Lord is with vs if we bee with him Againe let euery faithful soule apply this to himself and gather assurance by it to stand vnmoueable vnder the shadow of the almighty Lastly it noteth out the wretched miserable condition of the enemies of God and of his children for when they thinke to arise God wil giue them a sodain and shameful fal But I onely point out this point and proceed to the consideration of the titles which Moses giueth to the vngodly â—â—â—â—rine he calleth them the enemies of God â—â—e wicâ—â—â—â—e Gods â—â—i s and â—â—â—â—m such as hate him So then obserue that al wicked men are vtter enemies to God they hate him they abhorre him they cannot abide him They say in their hearts There is no God Psal 14 1. God hath forgotten he hideth his face hee will not require it Ps
power Christ Iesus witnesseth that hee would haue gathered the people of Ierusalem by his Ministery but they would not Mat. 23. So God promised to gather together the dispersed of Iudah from the foure corners of the earth Esay 11.12 Secondly he is euermore a present helpe in time of trouble willing to heare them with speed and ready to speak to them with comfort Whatsoeuer they aske of him they shall receiue but if he were not present with vs he could not heare vs in our need nor succour vs in our wants Psal 46.5 Thirdly Satan dwelleth and ruleth in the world He is called the prince of the world Eph. 2. who ruleth in the children of disobedience and blindeth their eyes that they cannot obey the trueth 2 Cor. 4.4 Lastly his loue his special loue is set vpon them and the loue the speciall loue of his people is set vpon him and where should he rest and remaine but among them or how should one be without another The vses This reprooueth all such as haue Vse 1 no care to dwell with God in his Church of which the number is not small in all places These are like vnfaithful seruants that care not for comming in their masters presence or like malefactors that hate nothing more then the face of the iudge So is it with euill men they like no place worse then the Church They take as much pleasure in it as the theefe doth to be in the Iaile who careth not how soone he were out and rid of his fetters The word of God is to the vngodly as bolts and gyues it fettereth and hampereth and holdeth him that he knoweth not which way to turne himselfe The Church is to him as it were a prison it restraineth his liberty he loueth no place worse then it It is otherwise with the godly man hee liketh it and preferreth it in his thoughts in his affections and in his practises aboue al other places because the Lord dwelleth and resideth therein Luk. 19.46 It is the house of prayer where the people of God meet God is neuer absent from hence and they are happy that may dwell there with him Psalme 27.4 And we may pronounce this is a certaine truth that such haue no company or communion with God that delight not to visite his Temple Let such look for no blessing at Gods hand to come vpon them Secondly this proclaimeth woe and misery Vse 2 to come vpon all wicked persons because God is not among them His presence is the fulnesse of ioy at his right hand are pleasures for euermore Psalm 16 11. where he is not there can be nothing but horrour and confusion But he is not in the Congregation assembly of euill persons It will be said Is not God euery where He is with his essence but not with his grace And they shall know he is present with them and they with him albeit they seeke nothing more then to banish him out of their presence and company They haue forsaken the waies of God and he hath forsaken them for their wickednesse Howbeit in the last day when they shall stand before the tribunall seat of the Iudge of al the world they will acknowledge their owne folly and desire to behold one comfortable day of the Sonne of man with the losse of all their pleasures in the daies of their vanity but shall not be able Vse 3 Thirdly hence ariseth comfort to Gods children to know this and to be throughly perswaded of it in their hearts Thus doth Abijah the king of Iudah comfort himselfe against his enemies 2 Chron. 13.12 Behold God himselfe is with vs and likewise Christ his disciples Loe I am with you vnto the end of the world Matth. 28.20 Hee need not feare any thing that hath God to be with him He need not feare the subiect that hath the Prince to stand for him He hath no cause to be afraid of the seruant that hath the master on his side Let euery one therefore comfort himselfe in the execution of his calling God hath set vs in the same and he will beare vs out Vse 4 Lastly it is a duty belonging vnto all men to seeke the Lord as well where he may bee found as when he may be found For as there is a time when he wil not be found Pro. 1.28 Mic. 3.4 Luk. 13.24 so there is a place where he will not be found He resteth not in the tents of wickednesse If God be sought in the society and fellowship of sinfull men hee cannot be found Hee is found in his house and Temple if we delight in his word and worship we cannot be farre from him nor hee from vs. If we shew our selues willing to heare his voyce and to goe no farther from him then that we may euermore bee within the sound of his mouth we shall be sure of his presence There he will be found as in a garden of spices The Lord is said to dwell in the highest heauens and indeed this is the city of the great king Now the Church is as the suburbes and leadeth vs the right and ready way to this citie We can neuer come to it if we do not enter by the gates of the Church Heere God keepeth his court heere we shall be sure to find him All men will seeme in loue with the heauenly Ierusalem but they care not at all for Sion They would rest in the hill of God Psal 25.1 but they desire not to soiourne in his Tabernacle They would haue heauen but they will haue none of the Church They loue to heare Mat 25.34 enter into the kingdome prepared for you but they care not for the feasts of the word and Sacraments prepared for them These doe altogether deceiue themselues and separate those things which God hath ioyned together for as much as we must long after the place of his habitation vpon earth if we looke to be receiued into the place of his habitation in heauen For God hath two houses as his dwelling places one beneath the other aboue the one I may call the lower house the other the vpper house God hath two dwelling places his vpper house and his lower house He that would dwell in the one must also dwell in the other One is the Church the other is the kingdome of glory If we delight in the first house more then in all other places let vs not doubt but be well assured that in his good time we shall haue entrance into the second house But if we will not dwell with him in his Church vpon earth we shall neuer dwell with him in glory in the highest of which Christ our Sauiour saith In my Fathers house there be many mansions Ioh. 14.2 Whereby he meaneth heauen it selfe in which all the Saints and blessed spirits of iust men perfected shall dwell with God for euer in glory and immortality If we be any way in loue with this celestiall house let
quickned and the vital spirits begin to work all the rest of the members reioyce So it should be with vs when it may be said This my brother was dead and is aliue againe hee was lost and is found it is meete we should make merry and be glad Luke 15.32 When the sheepe that went astray is brought home into the sheepefold why should we not reioyce there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God in heauen ouer one sinner that repenteth verse 7.10 When the hand of the Lord was with the Apostles so that a great number beleeued and turned vnto him they were glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they should cleaue vnto the Lord Act. 11.23 and 13.48 When therefore we see the Church grow in grace and increase in number and florish in peace we cannot but reioyce and be glad This is a notable signe and infallible token that we are fellow members of that body and that the word of God hath gotten roote in our hearts This vse is taught by the Prophet Psal 47.6 7 8 9. Sing praises to God sing praises sing prayses vnto our king sing praises for God is the king of all the earth and reigneth ouer the heathen c. The faithfull were wont to giue him thankes for the encrease of their priuate houses much more then ought we to doe it when the house of GOD encreaseth and his sauing health is made known more and more But of this doctrine see more chap. 23.10 CHAP. XI Ver. 1. AND when the people complained it displeased the Lord and the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled c. HEere beginneth the second part of the booke 〈◊〉 secâ—nd 〈◊〉 of the â—â—â—ke according to the diuision obserued before wherein we are to consider the iournies of the children of Israel according vnto their particular murmurings against God Of this chapter there are two parts which are two of their murmurings both of them fell out in their twelfth remouing as appeareth in the 33 chapter afterward where their seuerall stations are particularly distinguished The first is in the three first verses opening vnto vs their sinne their chastisement and the euent thereof The cause of their murmuring and the words of these murmurers are not expressed but may in part be gathered from the end of the former chapter where it appeareth they departed from Mount Sinai three daies iourney without resting or intermission with all their luggage and portage as it were with bag and baggage they had rested long at the foot of the Mountaine now therefore it is tedious and toilsome vnto them to goe so long together so that they begin to fret and rage to murmure and complaine against Moses or rather against God himselfe The iudgement followeth the sinne and ouertaketh the sinner for God is offended at it and sent a fire from heauen which consumed the vttermost part of the Campe and no doubt burnt vp many of them in the same God hath all creatures in his owne hand sometimes he drowneth with water sometimes hee consumeth with fire somtimes he infecteth with the aire and sometimes swalloweth vp in the eatth neuer leaueth sinne and rebellion vnpunished so long as there is any creature in the world to arme against the sinner Lastly we haue the euent and issue of all the people cryed to Moses whom they contemned before and he vnto God who was intreated to spare them and a monument both of their sinne and of Gods iudgement is described by the place which is named Taberah that is a burning vpon this occasion First of all let vs consider their murmuring This is a greeuous sinne or rather an heape of many sinnes compacted together as pride disdaine vnthankfulnesse infidelity impatience forgetfulnesse tempting of God and a violent insurrection ioyned with fretting and chasing against him and many such like corruptions The doctrine Doctrine from this example is this that it is the property of carnall men Carnall men are ready to murmure against God vpon euery occasion whensoeuer any thing falleth not out according to their corrupt desire to murmure against God as Prou. 19 3. This was the common behauiour of the discontented Israelites while they wandred in the wildernesse and sometimes they wished they had died in Egypt rather theÌ„ they would any way be crossed in their humours Exod. 16 and 17 3. This male-contentednesse died not with Reason 1 them for first euery one would haue what him listeth and regardeth not what God appointeth and approueth Ier. 44 16 17 and 18 verse 12. Secondly euery man would haue present helpe in trouble he cannot abide quietly to be one moment vnder the Crosse and if it be not by and by remoued he sheweth the corruption that is in him We are like to him that hauing receiued a wound will be healed presently or else he will not be healed at all Thirdly they want faith and hope to beleeue in God and to waite vpon him Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the euidence of things not seene Heb. 11 1. And if wee hope for that which we see not we do with patience waite for it Rom. 8 25. Fourthly they deuise and inuent to themselues false causes of their crosses and neuer enter into their owne hearts to consider the true cause as Deut. 1 27. Ye murmured in your tents and said Because the Lord hated vs hee hath brought vs foorth out of the Land of Egypt to deliuer vs into the hand of the Amorites to destroy vs. They should haue accused themselues and not God they should haue confessed their owne sinnes not haue alledged the hatred of God which was to make that the cause which was not the cause and not to make that to be the cause which indeed was the true cause The vses This serueth iustly to reproue all Vse 1 such as mutter and murmure when they haue not their owne will like waiward children that will neuer be quiet but wheÌ„ their mouths are ful How many are there that mislike their places and callings and fret against God if he do not please them in all things If they bee touched with pouerty famine sicknes losses or any kinde of aduersity they are offended and discontented with the Almighty If God send out any contagious sicknesse or blasting or mildew or foule weather c. how do we take on and vex our selues We are like the Israelites we breake out into impatiency we neuer thinke vpon our owne deseruings nor consider we haue deserued far greater plagues We may say as Moses doth The Lord heareth the murmurings of the people Exod. 16.12 Or rather these are like that prophane beast in the booke of the kings when in extremity of famine 2 King 6.33 he faid Behold this euill commeth of the Lord shall I attend on the Lord any longer Some there are that smell rankly of the smoke of the Romish religion who will seeme to cast
their consciences can finde out somewhat we may iustly feare and suspect there is more behinde that is vnespied of vs and therefore we haue iust cause to humble our selues vnder his most mighty hand We should iudge our selues that we may not be iudged of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11 There is no way to escape his iudgement that knoweth all and is ignorant of nothing Fourthly it is a matter of great comfort to Vse 4 those that are the Lords because though they be oppressed with false iudgements vncharitable calumniations of men yet when hee iudgeth he will iudge righteously when hee cometh to try all the children of men he will first make enquiry before euer he proceed against them Therefore this is the comfort of euery man he shall neuer bee wronged before God howsoeuer he may be before men so that he may stand at defiance with all his aduersaries whatsoeuer they be forasmuch as GOD will proceed so iustly and righteously with him Though they haue heauy and horrible things laid to their charge by malicious men yet God himselfe will do them right and albeit they be denied iustice vpon earth yet with God they shall be sure to haue righteous iudgement Fiftly this serueth to informe those that sit Vse in any place of iustice to doe right to others either publike or priuate in the common-wealth or in the family namely that they ought not to proceed but vpon a sure and knowne cause It is the practise of God so to do and it ought also to be theirs and as it is the practise of God so also it is the precept and commandement of God to which they ought to be obedient Whosoeuer wil iudge truely he must labour so to do it that he peruert not iustice It is the course that God hath vsually taken and therefore they that would be like vnto God must proceed after the same maner so as they haue him for an example First we must make enquiry and after the cause is tried known to sit in iudgement otherwise we can neuer deale iustly Pro. 18 13. Acts 21 33 22 24. Some do altogether trust reports and accusations of seruants and haue but one eare to heare but as we haue one eare that we lend to the accuser so we should keepe another alwayes for the accused Lastly this putteth vs in mind of the generall Vse 6 iudgement at the last day that all must appeare before Gods iudgement seate and be iudged of him Dan. 12 2. True it is there shal mockers arise and there are such atheists already risen in the world that shall say where is the promise of his coming howbeit the iustice of God requireth it though the patience of God do deferre it We see not this alway done in this world 〈…〉 â—1 6 â—6 25. â—15 19. â— 10. 〈…〉 5. At that day shall euery man receiue according to the things he hath done in his body whether good or euill Let vs therefore endeuour euermore to keepe a good conscience toward God and men 6. And he said heare now my words If there be a Prophet among you I the Lord will make my selfe knowne vnto him in a vision and will speake vnto him in a dreame 7. My seruant Moses is not so who is faithfull in all mine house 8. With him will I speake mouth to mouth c. After the citation followeth the conuincing of those guilty persons to their faces For in iudgment the parties accused must be present 〈◊〉 51. 〈◊〉 10. 〈◊〉 15. â— 16. This conuiction hath a preface commaÌ„ding them to heare for it is the duty of all to heare when God speaketh and the substance it selfe containing Gods arguing pleading witnessing against them and a reproofe of them In the pleading God declareth that he communicateth himselfe in special manner to Moses aboue the rest of the Prophets hee spake to them by visions and dreames but to him mouth to mouth apparently not darkly But did Moses see Gods essence behold him as he is who is said to behold the similitude of the Lord. Answ No man hath seen God at any time Deut. 34 10. Exod. 33 and 34. He saw the likenesse of God not the essence of God He saw him in a certaine resemblance so farre as he was able to bear and comprehend and farther then any other and in a greater measure and degree then the rest For as God called him to a greater office and function so he endued him with greater gifts Heb. 3 4 5. Obserue froÌ„ hence that in former times God vsed many waies to discouer and manifest his truth and will vnto his people Heb. 1 1. See heereby the greatnesse and excellency of his hand hee hath diuers waies to manifest his truth he vseth what seemeth best to himselfe Iob 33. Againe we haue occasion heereby to consider that Gods mercy is greater to vs theÌ„ to our fore-fathers Christ hath left vnto vs from the bosome of his Father the doctrine of the Gospel shining bright in our eies Moreouer in comparing Moses with the Prophets and preferring him Doctrine God reuealâ—th himseâ—f â—o one mo e then to anoâ—her â— Cor 12. â— 3 Luke 1.16.17 Mat 11.11 2. King 2 9. We see that God reuealeth himselfe to one more then to another and giueth greater gifts to some then he doth to other to Moses more plenti ully then to the Prophets To the end we should stand in need one of another and thereby binde vs more closely together and to try vs how wee will employ them to the good of others as he doth in earthly blessings This point is of good vse vnto vs being rightly applied Let Vse 1 not such as haue receiued a greater portion and measure of grace contemne such as haue lesse for should the seruant disgrace or reproch such as the master of the house doth accept and approue nay doth grace and honor Mat 25.23 And as for such as haue receiued lesse let not them enuy those that God hath made aboue them for though one member in the body haue more honour then another yet is there no diuision in the body so the stronger should beare with the weaker Againe let euery Vse 2 one be thankefull for gifts receiued that they may be sanctified to our selues and to others 1 Cor. 14.18 Lastly it behooueth vs to Vse 3 stirre vp the gifts that are giuen vnto vs and to desire the best gifts that thereby wee may doe the most good It is dangerous to hide the gifts we haue receiued as the euill seruant did his talent And if to couer them vnder a bushell much more to turne them and apply them to the destruction of the Church the subuerting of the faith as many doe that are not sanctified Let vs labour to vse them and to vse them well that we may grow in knowledge zeale and sanctification 2 Tim. 1.7 lest they decay in vs so be taken away
is slow Reason 1 to anger and of great kindnesse more ready to shew mercy then to send iudgement Psal 103 8 9. Secondly he doth not afflict willingly nor greeue the children of men Lam. 3 33. Thirdly he dealeth with vs as a father dealeth with his children spareth them as a father doth his sonne that serueth him Mal. 3 v. 17. Psal 103.13 Esay 49.15 Fourthly he spareth oftentimes the wicked and vngodly and powreth not all his wrath vpon them and so prone is he to shew mercy that an outward humiliation hath obtained a mitigation and prorogation of the punishment For when Ahab hearing the threatning of God denounced to come vpon him as a fearefull thunderbolt and against all his house so that such as dyed in the city should be eaten of dogs and such as dyed in the field should bee eaten of the fowles of the ayre hee rent his clothes and put on sackecloth vpon his flesh he fasted and lay in sackcloth the word of the Lord came vnto the Prophet saying Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himselfe before me See the accomplishment hereof 2 King 9.25 because he humbleth himselfe before me I will not bring the euill in his dayes but in his sonnes dayes will I bring this euill vpon his house 1 King 21.27 29. This was but a temporary repentance as appeareth in the chapter following verse 8. yet it was not altogether fruitlesse but obtained a blessing answerable to the repentance the repentance was for a time the deferring of punishment was for a time also If God grant thus much to the penitency of an hypocrite we may be well assured that he will be gracious to such as bring forth true repentance and the fruits thereof Fiftly we are the workemanship of God created by him who willingly destroyeth not the worke of his owne hand therefore hee is not pleased with the striking of them Iob. 10.8 c. Esay 38. Lastly he seeth what is in our hearts he knoweth that we are but dust euen as a wind that passeth away Psal 78.39 Therefore he is full of compassion he turneth his anger away and doth not stirre vp all his wrath Vse 1 Learne from hence that God is compassionate he is soone intreated vpon our serious repentance He taketh no pleasure in our destruction hee desireth not to crush vs vnder his feet he is full of mercy and goodnesse This is the nature of God these are his titles And howsoeuer he may seeme to our corrupt affections to be seuere and rigorous as the euill and vnfaithfull seruant speaketh in the Gospel Matth. 25.24 I knew thee to be an hard man reaping where thou hast not sowen and gathering where thou hast not strewed yet euen in his corrections and our afflictions his great mercy and moderation appeareth 1 Cor. 10.13 This is a singular comfort to all that are in distresse whether it be of body or minde to consider how God is affected toward vs. Vse 2 Secondly we see that happy is the state of the Church no euill shall ouertake those that are truely the Lords farther then tendeth to their good Gen. 19.16 their afflictions shall fall out to the best We deserue to bee made like to Sodome and Gomorrha Wee know the affliction of Iob and the ende that GOD made for hee is very pittifull and of tender mercy Iam. 5.11 Now he is euermore the same with him is no change or shadow of turning as he was good to him so also hee is and will be good to vs. Thirdly is God thus fauourable then be assured that the soule which returneth shall Vse liue Ezek. 18.25 and 33.11 As I liue saith the Lord I haue no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and liue turne ye turne ye from your euill wayes for why will ye dye O house of Israel It is with God as it was with the woman that had found her groat as with the shepheard that had found his strayed sheepe as with the father that embraced his leude and licentious sonne Such as beginne to see their sinne must not thinke it to bee too late to returne When God calleth and cryeth out so often so earnestly so louingly turne ye turne ye froÌ„ your euill wayes shall we answere as infidels or as men in despaire the time is past it is too late when God saith Why will ye die shall we reply against God nay indeed against our owne selues It is too late to liue Let vs bewayle the abuse of Gods mercy patience and long suffering but withall we must know that the Lord delighteth not in the death of a sinner but would that the should liue The people iourneyed not till Miriam was brought in againe See here the greeuousnesse of sinne it was committed by one or two but the contagion of it passeth farther it was the worse for them that were neere vnto it for the people were stayed and could not goe forward Sinne therefore hurteth not onely those that commit it but such also as come neere it and troubleth those that are within the reach or sent of it Againe as God is iust in causing her to be shut out of the hoste so he is merciful in suffring her to be brought in And here is an instruction to the Church of God that they be not too rigorous in execution of the discipline and dispensation of the keyes We must be as ready to receiue the penitent as zealous in casting out the impenitent We haue spoken already of putting out of the Church open offenders and of the mitigation of the censure at the commandement of God now before we end the chapter obserue the quality and condition of the person against whom God proceedeth Miriam was a great Prophetesse the sister of Moses and Aaron and great suit and supplication was made to God for her that she might be healed of her leprosie and receiued againe into the assembly yet she continueth a leper and as an excommunicate person We learne hereby this truth That no man Doctriâ—â— None caâ— free from iudgemeâ—â— hauing â—â—â—ned though neuer so excellent of what place soeuer he bee can be free from Gods iudgements when he hath sinned against him What was it that droue Adam out of the garden and as it were banished him into the rest of the earth Gen. 3.24 was it any thing but disobedience 2 Sam. 6.7 Who hath sinned against the most High and hath not reaped the fruit of his owne wayes Let the Angels speake that first sinned and were first punished who because they kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation he hath reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darkenesse vnto iudgement of the great day Iude vers 6. Was it any better with the old world among whom were men of al sorts high and low rich and poore old and yong they sinned together and as it were made a conspiracy with one accord against God in the end they
the multitude when he was dishonoured by others We learne hereby Doctrine God hath euer had some witnesses of his truth that God hath alwayes had some witnesses of his truth in all ages euen wheÌ„ it hath beene most of al oppugned and resisted as Reuel 11 4. Ier. 38 8 9. Luke 7 35. Wisedom is iustified of her children when others regard it not Nicodemus stoode vp and defended the cause of Christ when the Pharisies sought to condemne him Iohn 7 35. When the whole multitude had condemned Christ the penitent theef vpon the crosse confessed him to be the Lord of life Luke 23 42. and when they sate in councel vpon him to put him to death and gaue full consent to make him away Ioseph a good man and a iust consented not to the counsell and deede of them Luke 23 50 51. And how can it be otherwise For the truth Reason 1 shall neuer decay from the earth but be spread abroad from place to place and from generation to generation for euer Psal 119 89. We perish and decay for all flesh is as grasse and all the glory of man is as the flower of the fielde but the word of the Lord abideth for euer 1. Pet. 1 24. God will haue this neuer to dye or decay neuer to wither or to be worne away Secondly hee hath the hearts of all men in his owne hand to turne them and change them at Reason 2 his pleasure as we see in Paul who persecuted the church and bound them in chaines which called vpon the name of Christ but the Lord sodainly appeared vnto him when the poore sheepe were neere to the shambles conuerted him and appointed him a witnesse of his truth To beare his name vnto the Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel Acts 9 15. So sayeth Christ Luke 19 40. I tell you if these should holde their peace the stones would cry and therefore he can neuer be without some witnes to maintaine and defend his truth This teacheth vs that God is most glorious Vse 1 and powerfull he is a most mighty God and will be knowne in the earth Psal 8 1 2. with Math. 21 15. Acts 14 17. He chooseth manie times instruments in the eyes of the world vnfit and vnable for to accomplish any great worke that the power and praise may bee giuen to him We see how he worketh for the most part contrarie to the manner of men that the opinion of our owne excellency shold not ouershadow his power In war he saueth with few in the saluation of the soule which is one of the greatest workes he worketh by weake instruments and putteth his grace in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of vs euen as he commanded the light to shine out of darkenes 2 Cor. 4 6 7. So that wee may conclude with the Psalmist O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth Who hast set thy glory aboue the heauens c. Psal 8 1 2. Mat. 21 15. Vse 2 Secondly great and mighty is his truth preuaileth he hath alwaies had a church vpon the face of the earth and he neuer forsaketh it though multitudes conspire against it and swarmes of enemies set vppe lies yet it shall haue the vpper hand at last This is easie to be shewed in the middest of darknesse when the foggy mistes of popery had corrupted the aire and ouer-shadowed the truth yet God euermore raised vp some one or other that crossed opposed the strong faction that was maintained in the church of Rome Thisf were not hard to shew in many particulars touching the Canon of the Scriptures touching the sufficiency of the Scriptures touching the reall presence and transubstantiation touching the supremacie of the byshop of Rome and the infallibility of his iudgement touching Pardons and Indulgences and many other points which were neuer generally receiued no not in the Church of Rome The doctrine of Antichrist hath beene reprooued in all times by sundrie persons euen in the greatest darkenesse of the night of superstition for as it grew vp by little and little so was it resisted openly euidently to which purpose I could produce infinite testimonies which a man may reade at large in Catalogo testium veritatis set forth by Illyricus Vse 3 Thirdly be not discouraged when the truth is oppressed because God is able to maintain it and raiseth vp his enemies oftentimes to defend it and to speake for it and the professors and preachers of it Acts 5 34. He maketh the weake strong and the fearefull to be bolde in his cause so at the passion of Christ when all forsooke him euen his own disciples he opened the mouth of the theefe as we noted before vpon the crosse to confesse him as his Sauiour and Redeemer that was able to bestow vpon him the kingdome of heauen Luke 23. He will neuer want hearts to beleeue in him who can change the heart neyther mouthes to confesse him who out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings hath perfected his owne praise Againe obserue that he saw what the greatest number of the spies and searchers out of the Land hath reported yet he is so farre from ioyning with them that hee maketh it plaine and apparent that they should be well able to ouercome all their enemies The Doctrine from hence is this Doctrine â—he euil of oâ—â—ers yea alâ—â—ough the◠〈◊〉 many may 〈◊〉 be followâ— of vs. The euill of others yea although they be many should not be imitated and followed of vs. We may not follow the example of euill men that go before vs in euil We see this in Micaiah an holy prophet when the Messenger sent vnto him bad him to say as the rest had saide and to flatter the King Let thy word I pray thee be like the word of one of them which declare good to the King 1 King 22 12 13 He refused to assent vnto it but saide As the Lord liueth what the Lord saith vnto mee that will I speake verse 14 So Ezek. 20. ver 18. Walke ye not in the statutes of your Fathers and keepe my iudgements Math. 23 6 7. Noah his family were iust in that vniust generation when the whole worlde had corrupted their wayes and the whole earth was filled with crueltie Gen. 6. Eliah was alone when idolatry had gotten the vpper hand in Israel 1. Kings 19 verse 10. 1 Cor. 10 6. The Reasons Whatsoeuer is in it selfe euill and vnlawful Reason 1 cannot bee made good and lawfull by anie example nor by many examples It cannot be warranted by the law of man much lesse by the law the pure law of God himselfe Secondly no greatnesse no companie no Reason 2 multitude can saue a man from iudgements due to the least sinne for though hand ioyne in hand the wicked shall not go vnpunished Pro. 5. and 11 21. If we could couer our selues vnder the might of
owne glory Exod. 9.6 Rom. 9.17 Exod. 32.11 12. Secondly the seruants of God haue beene so farre carryed with a desire of promoting and preferring of it as that they haue preferred it before their owne life nay before their owne soule and saluation when they haue come in comparison together ◠32.32 ◠9.3 as appeareth in Moses and in Paul Thirdly Gods glory is most deare to himselfe if then we will bee his children tender deare vnto him we must follow his example we must prize that at the highest rate which he prizeth aboue all we must loue that which he loueth 48.11 and that ought to bee most deare vnto vs which is most deare to him Vse 1 The vses This reproueth the most part of the world who neuer set this marke before them to ayme at nor intend the glory of God in their prayers but the fulfilling of their own wils and desires and the satisfying of their owne gaine and profit It is nothing precious vnto them but lesse regarded then their owne names Euery man naturally regardeth himself and magnifieth his owne name but the name of God neuer goeth neere them Ioshua hath relation to such a point as this when he saith speaking of the Canaanites and all that inhabited the land ◠9 They shall cut out our name from the earth and what wilt thou doe vnto thy great name Salomon teacheth in the Prouerbes that a good name is rather to be chosen ◠1 then great riches and louing fauour rather then siluer and gold ◠2. it is better then a precious oyntment but if we speake of the Name of God which is glorious and fearefull Deu. 28.38 it ought to be more deare vnto vs then all the siluer gold then all the Iewels precious stones which worldlings make their heauen and happines Vse 2 Secondly let vs in all distresses and troubles be comforted with this consideration that he will respect his owne glory and therefore the good of his Church For the preseruation of the Church and the aduancement of Gods glory are ioyned together He will neuer forsake those that are his in prosperity or in aduersity because if he should any way faile of his promises he should lose much of his own glory which is vnpossible The Church shall neuer sinke vnder the burden that lyeth sore vpon it It is like the bush that burned which Moses saw in the wildernesse while he fed the sheepe of Iethro his father in law it flamed but it consumed not whereby God declared the low ebbe of the church into which it was brought distressed in Egypt but it should not be destroyed he that dwelled in the bush preserued the same Deu. 33.16 If then the glory of God shall neuer faile the gates of hell cannot preuaile against the Church Lastly we must giue no occasion of causing Vse 3 the name of God which is holy in it selfe to be blasphemed Let vs be no means to make it euill spoken off but labour by all means to be instruments of setting it forth Blessed are such as any way aduance it Euery one should aime at it high and low rich and poore master and seruant husband and wife Matth. 5.16 1 Tim. 6.1 Tit. 2.5 Phil 2.15 Iosh 15.8 2 Sam. 12.14 Rom. 2.24 Verse 17. Verse 18. Euery one may gaine some glory to God how meane soeuer his place how simple soeuer his calling be The Apostle chargeth the Iewes that through thē the Name of God was blasphemed because they had the law and made boast of God they knew his wil and were instructed in the word For as wicked children doe dishonour and discredit their parents 1 Sam. 8.3 so it turneth after a sort to Gods discredit in the world when they which are called the children of God and named by the name of Christ doe liue vnworthily so high and holy a calling There is none that liueth in the Church albeit in the poorest and lowest calling but if hee professe Christ and walke not according to his profession he causeth the Name of God to be euill spoken off the seruant that hath the meanest office if he will be thought religious and haue the Gospel in his mouth and do not performe the duties of his calling with great care and a good conscience hee causeth the Name of God and his doctrine to be blasphemed 1 Tim. 6.1 The higher more eminent any mans place is the more scandal he giueth and the greater occasion of greefe to the godly of hardning to the wicked and of dishonor to God Let a man be as prophane as may be that neither feareth God nor reuerenceth man let him liue in the grossest sinnes that can be committed or named let him bee an open blasphemer a contemner of the word a prophaner of the Sabboth an abuser of the Sacraments and of all good things there is commonly no great matter made of it he is neither reproched no reproued But let one that professeth religion bee suddenly ouertaken thorough infirmity in any sinne or purpose of sin not onely he is taunted and traduced by the prophane multitude but the truth of God and the profession of the trueth nay the God of truth is euill spoken off dishonoured and blasphemed These things ought to goe neere vs euen to the heart and to make vs watchfull ouer our wayes seeing wee haue those that watch ouer vs to see if they can haue ought whereof to accuse vs. 17 And now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying 18 The Lord is long suffering and of great mercy forgiuing iniquity and transgression and by no meanes clearing the guilty c. In these words we haue the second reason drawen from the consideration of the nature or being of God which is seene by shewing mercy and iudgement both which are in his hand mercy to his owne people iudgement to his enemies This description is taken out of the booke of Exodus chap. 34.6 very comfortable to afflicted and distressed consciences So Ionah 4.2 first he is said to be long suffering then of great mercy and thirdly forgiuing iniquity and transgression If any aske Is he onely mercifull is he not also iust The answer is he wil by no meanes cleare the guilty but will visite the iniquity of the fathers vpon the children But of this latter clause we shall speake afterward verse 33.34 Out of the former Doctrine God is of great patience and much long sufferance note that it is the property of God to be alwayes of great patience much gentlenesse and long-sufferance Hee is of a forbearing nature and slow to anger expecting many dayes the conuersion repentance and recouery of sinners Esay 65.2 Ier. 35.15 and 25.5 Matth. 23.37 We haue many examples hereof in the word of God Gen. 6.3 1 Pet. 3.20 The long suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah while the Arke was a preparing So
neither more nor lesse is morall but if it should euer be changed againe we could not keepe the iust number of one in seuen but at the first change the proportion and morality would be broken â—ct If any aske how then was it changed at the first I answer â—er the Iewes that beleeued altered not the morality of one in seuen albeit they changed the day which was ceremoniall For in the first change they kept two Sabbaths together to wit the Iewish and the Christian yet without breach of the former proportion The Iewes kept the seuenth day for the week past we take the first day which is next to it and so keepe the Sabbath for the weeke to come they obserued that day in memoriall of the worke of creation which was past we christians keeping as we haue great cause the remembrance of the worke of redemption begin our Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ for the time following And thus was the day altered without breaking the morality of one day in seuen which is vnpossible euer to be so changed againe The Princes of Iudah are charged to change the boundes and landmarkes Hos 5 10. God hath set stakes and boundes as it were to compasse and inclose his Sabbath by appointing the time and limiting the season therefore to remoue this is as great an offence to God as to pull vp the pales and hedges of the ground is a trespasse to man If then we take vpon vs to appoint another day of our owne it cannot be called the Lords day but mans day or our owne day or the Churches day And it may be said of vs as Esay 1 12. Who required these things at your hands To set vp another day is to appoint a strange day like to Nadab and Abihu that offered strange fire If any say we may serue the Lord as well vpon another day I answer so might Nadab and Abihu consume the sacrifice with strange fire as well as by that preserued on the Altar yet they were punished of God because they altered his institution as we haue seen before Secondly this reproueth sundry sorts of persons Vse 2 that offend against this doctrine Of all the commandements of God none are more often vrged and yet not one is or hath beene more despised and transgressed The breach of the Sabbath is the maine sin of the world a generall euill spreading farre and neere an iniquitie abounding in euery congregation as if God had neuer spoken anything touching a Sabbath or as if it were a meere ordinance of man Nay humane inuentions and traditions are ordinarily better obserued and more regarded then this commandement of GOD. Now it reproueth especially three sorts First The first reproofe such as make the Lords day which should be the market day of the soule a day of vain pleasures and carnall delights a day of sports and recreations thinking it enough if they follow not the workes of their calling For wherefore are the workes of our ordinary vocations forbidden vpon the Sabbath and why are we restrained from them not that they are vnlawfull in themselues but because they take vp the minde and suffer it not to bee emploied in Gods businesse The same may be said of our owne pleasures much more which naturally we follow with more greedinesse and earnestnesse And it is well obserued that the multitude had rather goe to Church then goe to worke yet had rather go to play then to the Church This is the disposition of the greatest part especially of seruants and of the younger sort who commonly make no other reckoning of this day then as of a day of riot and reuelling of gaming and drinking neuer intending the worship of God which ought then especially to be performed Thus is the commandement turned vpside downe and that day which should be kept holy to the Lord is spent in the seruice of the diuell If they haue beene at the Church in the forenoone they dispense with themselues to serue Satan in the afternoone But as Christ telleth vs that none can serue God and Mammon so no man can serue GOD and their pleasures on that day Secondly The second reproofe heere are reproued such as seeme more ciuill then the former but yet take liberty to follow their owne businesse ordinary affaires Such are they which go or ride about their worldly matters to buy to bargaine to sell to talke with others robbing God of his day to spare one of their owne God hath kept but one day in the weeke to himselfe and euen this also we take from him and grudge at it to giue it to him like the rich theefe that hauing many sheepe of his owne yet killed his neighbours that had but one 2 Sam. 12 4. The third reproofe A third sort are reproued who thinke it enough if they obserue so much as is enioyned by lawes and in iunctions of men if they be at morning and euening praier they thinke they giue to the Lord a large allowance and iustifie themselues as if they were good obseruers sanctifiers of the Sabbath Such men take liberty all the rest of the day to do what they list pertaining to theÌ„selues whether to their profit or to their pleasure Thus they make it partly the Lords day and partly their owne howbeit there is no parting of stakes with him We cannot properly call it the Lords day except wee make it wholly to be his and consecrate it wholly to his worship Vse 3 Lastly it is our duty to remember this day before hand that so wee may euery way fit our selues to the sanctifying of it and therfore the Lord said Exodus 20 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Our nature is very forgetful of this performance of holy duties and therfore we haue need to think of them before hand God hath giuen vnto vs sundry commandements but he commendeth the Sabbath to vs especially aboue all the rest he dealeth with vs like a master that giueth many precepts to his seruant but willeth him to remember one aboue all the rest So it is with the Lord he saith Thou shalt haue no other Gods before me Exodus 20 3. Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image verse 4. Thou shalt not bow downe thy selfe vnto them nor serue them verse 5. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine ver 7. But aboue all these Remember the Sabbath day to keepe it holy For indeede the right obseruation of all the rest consisteth in the due regard of this How can we learne obedience to the rest vnlesse wee be carefull to keepe this day Or how should we be able to practise them to know what God requireth except we giue attendance at the posts of his house to heare his voice We must euermore remember the precept of the Apostle Col. 3 2. Set your affections on things aboue and not on things vpon
which in the end will faile them For albeit they be neuer so loose in their liues and prophane in their conuersations yet they trust by vertue of their good prayers and other good deedes to pacifie Gods wrath to escape his iudgements to make amends for their sinnes and to come to heauen by the string of their workes Of this sort are infinite numbers who as they satisfie themselues so they think to satisfie God with externall wordes and workes These are in deed holy in themselues if they were religiously performed but as they proceed from them they are hypocriticall and accursed These are such as shall say We haue eate and drunke in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets but he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all ye workers of iniquity Luke 13.26 27. And to all such the Prophet saith put away the euill of your workes Esa 1.16 Our plausible shewes be they neuer so great can doe vs no good God seeth the falsehood of our hearts and hateth the same as on the other side he commendeth and rewardeth the meanest seruice that the faithfull yeeld being offered in the vprightnesse of their mindes Vse 3 Lastly we must learne to come to God in an holy and right maner with a true faith a sincere affection and a purpose to performe obedience or else all is in vaine Hence it is that Christ saith Take heede not onely what you heare Mar. 4.24 but also how ye heare Luk. 8.18 If we looke as well to the manner as to the matter of our seruice we shall bee accepted and be well assured of happy and good successe Verse 16 18 19. Moses said vnto Korah Be thou and all thy company before the Lord c. In the words before hee protested his owne innocency that hee had giuen them no iust cause of this insurrection he had not taken an asse from them nor any way hurt them wherin he speaketh modestly of himselfe for hee had done them all good and preferred their safety before his owne life To teach vs Magistratâ— should be right in the gouernmeâ— that Magistrates should be vpright in their gouernment and seeke the good of those ouer whom they are set Such was the sincerity of Moses in this behalfe that he appealeth vnto God for the truth of it The like we see in Samuel 1 Sam. 12.3 he made protestation in the sight of the Lord and before his Annointed that he had not laid his hand vpon any mans goods so much as a shooe and no man could accuse him and in Paul Act. 20.18.33 34. So Exod. 18.21 They must be men fearing God and hating coueteousnesse which is the roote of all euill 1. Tim. 6 and no better then idolatry Ephe. 5. Gehazi coueted and obtained both money and rayment of Naaman but he procured from God the plague of leaprosie as the wages of his iniquitie 2 King 5. Achan dreamed of a golden day when he stole away the wedge of golde but he was stoned with stones for his labour Iosh 7. Iudas receiued thirtie peeces of siluer for betraying his master but it was not long before he brought them backe and hanged himselfe But to proceed consider the care Moses hath of the good of these men hee laboureth againe and againe to reforme them Hitherto hee saw no good of his labours yet he will not giue ouer vntill God command him to separate the people from them as desperate persons that could not bee recouered The Ministers Doctrine The Miâ—â— must not 〈◊〉 ouer thâ—â— they see 〈◊〉 fruit of thâ— labours though they see little or no fruite of their labours yet must continue in teaching and though they gaine vnto God few or none at all they must not giue ouer but bee constant in the worke of the Lord. The reasons follow First because wee Reason 1 know not when God may be pleased to blesse our labours and heare our prayers and saue the soules of those that are rebellious against him 2 Tim. 2.25 26. the man of God must be gentle vnto all in meekenesse instructing those that oppose themselues c. The husbandman knoweth not what profit he shall receiue of his labours when hee hath tilled his ground and though hee reape little profite the first yeere he will not giue ouer but still he hopeth for better increase so should it bee with the Ministers of God though we see little hope of gaining at the first yet we should be constant we know not how soone it may please him to blesse our labours to turne their hearts and to adde them vnto the Church Secondly we haue the example of God he Reason 2 is patient and beareth long with the vessels of wrath as Christ saith to Ierusalem hee would haue gathered them together but they would not Matth. 23.37 Thirdly albeit we gaine none and when we hearken we can heare no man repent of his wickednesse saying What haue I done Ierem. 8.8 yet we doe not altogether lose our labour and in this it is better with vs then the earthly husbandman if hee haue no encrease he loseth all his cost and labour It is not so with vs for we shall haue no lesse recompence if we be found faithfull in dispensing the word and Sacraments then if we had gained many thousand soules to God 2 Cor. 2.15 We are the sweet sauour of God to euery man we shall haue our reward with God The seruants â— 22.3 which our Sauiour sent out to inuite the ghests mooued none to come to the feast yet were they neuer a whit lesse welcome when they returned to the master of the feast he was indeed wroth with the ghests that were bidden not with the seruants that did bid them because they had done their deuoire So God will not be offended with his Ministers when they haue done their endeauour although they gaine none to him and therefore they haue reason to be faithfull and constant in their places Vse 1 This reprooueth many Ministers such as can be content to labour in their youth and in time of their strength and so long as they finde good entertainment among men but when once they grow old and are come to their gray haires and when they finde not so good entertainement as before they did or as they looked for they grow idle and negligent in their callings and as much as lyeth in them they betray and deliuer the people into the hands of their spirituall enemies But these men are willing in age to receiue the wages as well as in youth and whether their doctrine bee receiued or not they are ready to receiue their tithes There is no reason that while our hands are open our mouthes should be shut When we are no longer able to labour through weakenesse of body and the infirmities of age we ought to bee maintained of the Church euen for labours bestowed and strength spent in our youth A
this chapter is this God hath instituted the way and meanes how the vnclean shal be cleansed wherby to assure themselues that no infirmity shall separate them from the fauour of God The parts of this Chapter are two The contents of this Chapter the first is touching the water of clensing or separation so called because such as were separated for any vncleannesse were sprinkled with it the second touching the persons that were to vse it and to be cleansed by it Touching the water we are to know the matter wherof it was made of the ashes of a redde cow without spot without blemish without yoke And the rites vsed about the heifer before it was offered and also following the offering all which may bee learned in the words themselues The persons that were to vse this water of separation are the vncleane which are of two sorts first by touching a dead body of any man Secondly by approching and comming neere to the tent where the dead lyeth c. It is dangerous to be neere any vncleane person which pointeth out the danger of euil and teacheth to haue no communion with it Whosoeuer neglecteth this law and beeing vncleane seeketh not to be clensed shall be cut off from the coÌ„gregation verse 13 20. declaring that we should not suffer sin to rest vpon vs though we fall into euill and cannot keep our selues vpright yet we must not lie in sin neither giue it any entertainement no not for a time But to passe ouer particulars obserue the scope and drift of this chapter which is to proclaim the mercy of God to such as confesse and forsake their sinnes â—ctrine â— penitent â—ons shal be 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 fauour The Doctrine then is this that all penitent persons shall bee receiued into Gods fauour so that no euill shall come nere them Esai 1 17 18. It skilleth not what our sins are or how great they haue bin but how true and sincere our repentance is Ier. 50 20. 1 Iohn 1 9. Ezek. 36 25 26. This truth is farther confirmed by many examples as Manasses 2 Chro. 33 12 13. the sinful woman that had many sinnes forgiuen her Luke 7 48. the penitent Theefe vpon the crosse Luk. 23 41 42 43. To those that put Christ to death the Apostle Peter preached repentance and many of them beleeued and were saued Actes 2.37 Reason 1 The grounds of this are first that no sinner should despaire with Cain 1 Tim. 1 26. or be damned with Iudas Iohn 6 70. or be reiected with Esau Heb. 12 17. Reason 2 Secondly Christ Iesus hath satisfied for vs all Esay 53 5 6. Rom. 8 33. he is our suretie and hath paid all our debt for vs whatsoeuer could in iustice be required of vs. God the father is the creditor we are the debters Christ is the surety sin is the debt hell is the prison into which we deserue to be cast But as the creditor cannot come in with any after reckonings nor put the poore debter into prison when once the debt is satisfied by the surety so the Lord will not lay any thing to our charge nor send vs to hell as to prison forasmuch as his owne Sonne hath laide downe his life as the full price of all our iniquities whereby his wrath is appeased and his iustice satisfied Vse 1 The vses First we learne how it commeth to passe that the sin against the holy Ghost is said to be the vnpardonable sin the sin that shall neuer be forgiuen neither in this life nor in the life to come Matth. 12 32. Marke 3 28 29. 1 Iohn 5 16. not because God cannot forgiue it for his mercy is infinite and greater then all our sinnes but because such as commit it can neuer repent Such as were once lightned with the knowledge of the truth haue receiued the heauenly gift haue bin made partakers of the holyghost haue heard the good word of God with ioy and tasted of the powers of the world to come if they fall away it is vnpossible they should be renewed againe by Repentance seeing they crucifie to themselues the son of God afcesh and put him to an open shame Heb. 6 4 5 6. 10 29. These are not onely malicious and obstinate offenders but desperate sinners that dash themselues in peeces against the rocke they know the truth and saluation to be by no other then Christ yet they reiect and renounce saluation by him These are like desperate murtherers that hang themselues or cut their owne throates True it is that many weake Christians languishing vnder the burthen of sinne are oftentimes afraid they haue committed this sin but whosoeuer feareth he hath committed that sin I dare pronounce no euill against that soule For I take this to be a certaine rule that Whosoeuer feareth he hath sinned against the holy Ghost hath not committed that sinne neither can commit it but is altogether free from it Such as are so forsaken and giuen ouer of God to fall into it are not afraide of it but rather boast of it glory in it and liue and dye with it The feare to offend this way is but the shadow of it and not the substance and this shadow is a notable preseruatiue to keepe them from it and it from them and therefore shall hurt no man no more then the shadow of the sword can cut in peeces which hath no edge But those wretched sinners that sin this sin do it to despite God to his face would if they were able pull him out of heauen they tread vnder their feete the Son of God and count the blood of the Couenant wherewith they were sanctified as an vnholy thing and do despite vnto the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10 29. Secondly it reproueth the Church of Rome Vse 2 and quencheth the fire of Purgatorie which they haue kindled They finde it to be gainefull merchandize and a fire that heateth all their kitchins and therefore as Demetrius and the rest of the craftsmen which receiued no smal gaine by making siluer shrines for Diana were zealous for idolatry because thereby they had their wealth so are the Romanists zealous for their Purgatory knowing that if that fal their whole craft is in danger to be set at nought Actes 19 24 27. And if they did not find aduantage by it they would soone giue ouer the defence of it For it is directly against the Scriptures which make onely two places heauen and hel Lu. 16 23. and two sorts of persons such as beleeue such as do not beleeue Mar. 16 16. And as this is a meere fiction deuised in the idle brain of superstitious men so is their doctrine of praying for the dead no whit better We reade Leuit. 4 3.13 22. of sundry sacrifices appointed for all sorts of people For the Prince for the Priest for the Congregation for sinnes of ignorance of knowledge ch 5 6. but we reade no where of any for the dead We reade
their enemies We do oftentimes feare enemies and inuasion by enimies but wee feare not that which bringeth in the enemies and openeth them a free passage to spoile and destroy without compassion to wit sinne So long as wee walke with our God and are reconciled vnto him we are vnder Gods protection and hee is a Buckler round about vs 〈◊〉 3 3. we are in league with the stones of the streete and the beasts of the field For if God he on our side who shall be against vs Rom. 8 31. If then the Ministery of the word be as a brazen wall and the Ministers thereof stand in the breach betweene the liuing the dead to turne away the wrath of GOD when his iudgements runne through the Land Nu. 16 47 48 Psal 106 23 there is great cause to bee humbled when God pulleth from the Church and Commonwealth so great posts and pillars that helpe to hold them vp Againe it is a signe of Gods wrath heauie Reason 2 displeasure and a fore-runner of a farther iudgement When God tooke away the good and godly King Iosiah a nursing father of the Church that reformed religion in his young and tender yeres sought vnto the Lord 2 Kings 21 19 hūmbled himselfe before him and wept when hee heard the threatnings denounced against the land he spared not Ierusalem and the inhabitants thereof long after If there be a good Pastor in the church if a good Prince in the land if a good Magistrate in town or city if a good Master in a family and God take him away ther is cause to lift vp our voice by mourning weeping and great lamentation this being a token of Gods displeasure a sign of taking his former mercies from vs so that the seeing and feeling of Gods wrath in bereauing vs of such as might do good along time publikely or priuately ought to be no smal greefe to vs. The prophet teacheth that when God hath any vengeance ready to be poured vpon a people hee taketh away the righteous from the plague as he did Lot out of Sodome saying The righteous perisheth Esay 57 1. and no man considereth it in heart and merciful men are taken away from the euill to come Therefore when God taketh excellent and principall members from the rest of the body it is as a threatning alwaies to those that are left behind and an euident testimonie to them that they are vnworthy of their company and presence as the Apostle declareth That the world was not woorthy of those faithfull men that shined as lights in the midst of a froward crooked generation Heb. 11 38. So then it is a right mourning and wel ordered greefe when we lament the taking away of good men endued with the graces of the Spirit which haue liued in the feare of God and done notable seruice in the Church or Commonwealth Let vs apply this point to our instruction Vse 1 edification First it serueth to condemne the Stoicall senslesnesse and blockishnesse of such as take it to be a part of manhood courage to be affected with nothing to be greeued at nothing It is lawfull to mourne for the dead so did Abraham the Father of the faithfull for Sara Genesis 23 2. nay so did Christ the head of the church in whom was no sinne 1 Peter ◠22. neyther guile found in his mouth mourne for Lazarus 1 Thess 4 13. These lamented the dead but not the state of the deade which they knew to bee most comfortable to all the faithfull as the Apostle teacheth Reu. 14.13 Blessed are they that dy in the Lord for they rest from their labors and their works follow them In regard wherof Reuel 14 13. Paul warneth the Thessalonians concerning them that are asleepe that they sorrow not euen as they which haue no hope 1 Thess 4 13. True it is we cannot so renounce or reforme our affections but that there wil be alwaies somewhat worthy of blame and fault in vs in our mirth and mourning in our loue and hatred in our hope and feare in our anger and such like passions and we finde it the hardest thing in the world to keep the mean between excesse and defect betweene too much too little yet it is absurd to dreame of such a kind of dulnesse and stupidity as ouer-turneth humane nature and cannot be found in flesh and blood yea standeth not with the condition of mankinde as he was created or as he became corrupted For so long as man remaineth in this life he cannot bee voide of affections and perturbations or bee senslesse like stockes or stones albeit wise men are to moderate their passions that Reason remaine mistresse of the soule as it were the gouernor of the house Wherefore wee must know that Christian Religion doth not abolish naturall affections or pull them vp by the roots but onely doeth moderate them and keepe them that they ouer flow not the bankes and doth bring them in subiection vnto the will of God So the Apostle as wee heard before did not forbid the Church to sorrow for the dead but putteth as it were a bridle into their hands only restraineth immoderate sorrow Againe he doth not absolutely condemne and reproue al anger and indignation conceiued in the heart but represseth the excesse abundance thereof Ephes 4 25. as a wise Physitian that seeketh to purge the ouer-flowing of choller And in another place hee doth not condemne weeping in aduersity or reioycing in prosperity but hee requireth that they which weepe 1 Cor. 7 30. bee as though they wept not and they that reioyce as though they reioyced not and they that vse this world as though they vsed it not Furthermore Christ our Sauiour doeth not forbid the louing of Father and Mother of wife and children of brethren and sisters as that which standeth with the law of God and man but onely ordereth it aright bringeth it into his compasse saying Hee that loueth father or mother more then mee Matth. 10 37. is not worthy of mee and he that loueth sonne or daughter more then me is not worthy of me Thus then we are taught to vse temperance and moderation in all the affaires of our life in speaking or holding our peace in ioy or in sorrow that wee giue not scope to our vnbrideled affections but alwaies order and dispose them as there is iust cause Vse 2 Secondly it condemneth such as are bereft of all sense and feeling of such greeuous iudgments of God Alas how can such assure thēselues to bee true members of Christs body For tell me Can a man lose a principall part of his body as his eye his hand his foot and not be greeued Or can a man be depriued of thē and make a sport of it as at a play or pastime Euen so such as in the suffering of the members of the Church do reioyce 1 Cor. 12 25.26
thy selfe in the dust Mich. 1 9 10. He enioyneth theÌ„ silence lest the same thereof spread it selfe to their enemies to encrease their reproch and to multiply their sorrow For what doth more vexe vs double our misery then to see men so farre from pittying vs that they triumph ouer vs and laugh at vs This condemneth many that liue among vs in these daies of dissention that tender not the peace of the Church which ought to bee as deare vnto vs as our owne liues but publish the shame reproch one of another as with the blast of a Trumpet albeit our enemies and the enemies of our religion liue among vs. Abraham tooke vp the controuersie betweene him and Lot saying Let there be no strife I pray thee betweene me and thee Gen. 13 7 8. neither betweene my heard-men thy heardmen because the Canaanites dwelled at that time in the Land If we did aright consider this point that our enemies are among vs that are as whips on our sides and thornes in our eyes that seek the subuersion of the Common-wealth not the conuersion of the Church there would not be so many bad bitter inuectiues written as it were with gall and wormewood setting on fire the hearts of one against another as if we were enemies not friends strangers not brethren infidels not beleeuers These contentions are a stumbling blocke vnto the weake an hardning and heartning of the aduersary and an vtter estranging of vs one from another Let vs therefore follow those things that belong to peace and vnite our forces together as one man that we may seeke the building vp of the Church among vs and double our strokes vpon the backe of the enemy Vse 3 Thirdly let vs vse patience vnder the crosse lying as vnder Gods hand and in the midst of all our afflictions say with the Prophet I was dumbe and opened not my mouth because thou didst it Psal 39 9. This we reade to haue bin worthily practised of Iob when the cup of affliction began to ouerflow chap. 2 10. Shall we receiue good at the hand of God and not receiue euill In all this did not Iob sinne with his lips This also we find expresly required Heb. 10 32 33 34 35 36. Where we see in the example of these afflicted Hebrewes that when our enemies insult ouer the Church we must not murmure tepine but be still and silent vnder the crosse and according to the counsell and commandement of Christ Luke 21 19 By patience possesse our soules and without this we shall neuer haue comfort and contentment in such afflictions as we are called to endure Vse 4 Lastly seeing God at sundry times and in diuers manners giueth those that are his into the hands of their enemies surely in the ende he will not spare the wicked he deferreth his punishments but he striketh at the last As he is longer in drawing his Bowe and making ready his Quiuer so his Arrowes when they come pierce the deeper and wound the sorer The higher his hand is lifted vp before it falleth the greater the blow is when it lighteth He hath a leaden foote and hasteth slowly but howsoeuer hee tarry till the appointed time yet surely he will come and will not stay but recompence the slownesse of his coming with the greeuousnesse of his punishing When hee will crush them with a Scepter of iron Psalm 2 3. and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell This Moses teacheth in his song concerning Gods benefits toward his people and their vnthankfulnesse toward him If I whet my glittering sword and my hand take hold on iudgement I will execute vengeance toward mine enemies and will reward them that hate me and I will make mine arrowes drunke with blood Deut. 32 41 42. Let them not therfore triumph ouer the Church people of God and let vs waite a while and see the end of all her enemies how God hath set them in a slippery place We see in this History that albeit these Canaanites were as the rod of God to chastise his seruants for their security yet God in the end threw them in the fire and gaue them as a prey to his people as appeareth afterward The like the Prophet Dauid declareth Psal 137 3 7 8 9 that howsoeuer the Edomites and Babylonians flouted at the Church in affliction and they that led theÌ„ captiues required of them in mockage songs and mirth saying Sing vs one of the songs of Sion yet they escaped not the iust hand of a reuenging God according to the prayer of his people Remember the childreÌ„ of Edom O Lord in the day of Ierusalem which said raze it raze it to the foundation thereof O daughter of Babel worthy to be destroied blessed shall hee bee that rewardeth thee as thou hast serued vs blessed shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones And the Prophet Dauid being greeuoufly persecuted vnder Saul and hunted froÌ„ place to place as a Partridge in the Mountaines Psalm 141 â— assureth himselfe that flying to God in his afflictions and possessing his soule by patience he shall in the end behold God taking such vengeance on all his enemies rewarding them seuen fold into their bosome that he shall in pitty and compassion pray vnto God for them in their miseries True it is hee doth not alwaies recompence them presently so soone as they haue sinned because he is the God of patience waiting for their repentance bearing with the vessels of wrath and making them without excuse yet at the length hee will reproue them and set their sins in order before them Psal 50 21. Verse 2. So Israel vowed a vow Before the Israelites trusted in themselues now being ouerthrowne by the enemies they turne to God and learne obedience by the things which they suffered So then the present ouerrhrow giuen vnto them maketh them consider their owne weaknesse and driueth them to God in their distresse The doctrine froÌ„ hence is this that affliction is profitable to the Church â—ne â—on is â—ellent â—turne God it bringeth driueth vs vnto God The Church of God in generall and the seruants of God in particular which cannot profitably vse prosperity and beare themselues thankfully in the daies of peace do learne in aduersity to turne to God and are thereby brought vnto him Heereunto cometh the example of the Israelites Iudg. 3 8 9 10. When the wrath of God was kindled against Israel doing wickedly forgetting God and seruing their idols that turned to their ruine then they cried vnto the Lord and he stirred vp a Sauiour vnto them Hereunto also coÌ„meth the threatnings of Moses Deut. 4 27 28 29 30. 2 Chron. 15 3. To this purpose the prophet speaketh Psal 107 6 13 19 28. WheÌ„ they wandred in the Desert and found no City to dwell in when they were bound in misery and iron because they rebelled against the words of the Lord when they
the Canon the clattering of Armor crying in our streetes for then it were to be hoped we would turne vnto God in our misery repent vs of our iniquity and flie vnto God in our aduersity We see by wofull experience that peace prosperity haue lulled many of vs asleepe in a bed of case haue done the Church more harme then cruell war and bloody persecution True it is the blessings of God are not hurtfull of themselues but our corruption turneth that into a curse which God bestoweth as a blessing So that he which should haue beene vpright is laden with fatnesse Deut. 32 15. and spurneth with his heele Therefore God is constrained to punish vs to take his benefits from vs and to bring vs into order and obedience by the want of them Vse 3 Lastly seeing afflictions and chastisements draw vs to God as losse of the battaile did heere the Israelites we learne that whensoeuer they lie vpon vs and presse heauily vpon our bodies our soules our neighbours our familes our friends whether they be common or priuate calamities then it is high time to turne vnto God and to search out the cause of our affliction This must be our practise feeling when his hand is vpon vs when he scattereth the brands of his fire and shooteth the Arrowes of his Quiuer when he draweth out his glittering sword and his hand taketh hold of iudgment wheÌ„ he sendeth famine dearth of bread or the famine of his word which is the sorest and sharpest famine as the Prophet affirmeth Amos 8 verses 10 11 12. Then is cause of humiliation then it is time to cast downe our selues at the foorstoole of God to cry to him to spare his people The Lord thretening by his prophet a great and fearefull iudgement vpon the Land that shall turne their feasts into mourning and make it as the mourning for an onely sonne Doth he meane the sharpenesse of the sword or the arrowes of famine or the inuasion of enemies or the deuouring of wilde beasts or the raging of the pestilence or the carrying away into banishment and captiuity which are the things that worldly minded men feare and regard No But a famine of hearing Gods word that they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North euen to the East shall they runne to and fro to seeke the Lord and shall not find it In that day shal many perish for thirst according to the doctrine of Salomon Pro. 29.18 Where vision ceasseth the people perish Howsoeuer therfore carnall prophane men haue no sense or feeling of any thing but of earthly losses yet the Spirit of God teacheth and euery faithfull soule acknowledgeth that as there is no blessing like to the blessing of the word so there is no worke of his iudgement like to the want of his word And howsoeuer the Pastor may not want the people in respect of the meanes of his maintenance inasmuch as God hath ordained that they which preach the Gospel 1 Cor. 9 1 should liue of the Gospel yet the people want the Pastor more as the child wanteth the nurse more then the nurse the child as Lamen 2.11 12. The babes sucklings swound in the streets of the city they haue said to their mother Where is bread and drinke when they gaue vp the ghost in their mothers bosome Now the Ministers are called not onely the Fathers but the Nurses of the Church 1 Thess 2. We were gentle among you euen as a Nurse cherisheth her children and the Apostle exhorteth that as new borne babes we desire the sincere milke of the word 1 Pet. 8 â— that wee may grow thereby because we haue tasted that the Lord is bountifull And thus much of the end and vse of afflictions which God sanctifieth to the good of his Church that thereby they may draw neerer vnto him Israel vowed a vow vnto the Lord and said If thou wilt deliuerer this people into mine hand c. The people pray promise and vow vnto God the destruction of men cities if God would deliuer them into their hands We learne hereby that vowes are lawfull Doctrinâ— It is lawfâ— to vow anâ— such are tâ— performeâ— so vowing we are to performe the same This we see practised by Iacob going to his vncle Laban for auoiding the fury of his brother Esau Gen. 28.20.21 Hannah vpon condition of hauing a sonne 1 Sam 1 â— Pâ—al 6â— 1â— 132 2 5. vowed him for a perpetuall Nazarite to the Lord. So doth Dauid oftentimes make vowes to God in the time of his trouble vpon condition to be deliuered out of his trouble Thus in this example of the Israelites in this place wee see that if God would bee on their side when their enemies rise vp against them to swallow them vp quicke and deliuer them as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler Psal 124 â— they promise and vow the performance of an outward and bodily exercise So then out of this place the doctrine of vowes may bee strongly confirmed and the lawfull practise of them sufficiently maintained and warranted to be good and godly Reason 1 For to come to the reasons whereupon the doctrine standeth a lawfull and holy vow is a profitable helpe to further vs in the worship of God True it is a vow is not a part of Gods worship no more then fasting is as fasting is no more a part of Gods worship then feasting or eating and drinking is which in it selfe and by it selfe considered pleaseth God no more then externall and bodily exercises doe â—m 4.8 yet it is an helpe and furtherance of the true seruice of God a prop and stay to further the same The kingdome of God standeth not in outward things as the Apostle teacheth It is not meat and drinke but righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Romanes chapter 14.17 But when wee promise to God with full purpose of hart some outward duty it serueth the better to excite and stirre vs vp to repentance and thankesgiuing toward God And thus the seruants of God haue vsed it Reason 2 Againe it is farre better neuer to vow then hauing vowed not to pay and performe that which is gone out of our lips so as wee may reason as Peter doth with Ananias Acts 5.4 Likewise may it be said to such as breake their lawfull vowes offered vnto God was it not in thy liberty to vow or not to vow how theÌ„ hast thou conceiued this wickednesse in thy heart to lie not to men but vnto God Vowes were prescribed or appointed by the Law of God as testimonies of faith â—ron in Ecâ— cap. 5. and bonds of that reuerence and obedience which we owe vnto him therefore to vow and not to pay performe the solemne promise and couenant that we haue made is impudently to mocke God and consequently to pull great punishment vpon our owne heads This the Wise man
word of God is preached and deliuered hee speaketh to vs and calleth vpon vs to heare him If then wee would haue God regard vs when we cry to him we must respect him wheÌ„ he calleth to vs. We cry by prayer he calleth vs by his word Therefore it is that the Lord often denounceth and threateneth all impenitent persons that hee will despise them that despise him and will not heare them praying vnto him that will not heare him preaching vnto them as Pro. 1.24 26 27 28 29. Zach. 7.11 12. Mic. 3.4 Prou. 28.9 Of all comforts that we feele in this life none is greater then to pray vnto God in our troubles with assurance to be heard this the vngodly with all their rage and cruelty can neuer take from vs. Therefore this is a sore iudgement when God openly professeth and proclaimeth that hee will not heare our prayers crying vnto him in our miseries When wee are reiected and forsaken of men in our afflictions yet we haue our recourse and refuge vnto GOD and wee are comforted How wretched therefore is the estate of all vnrepentant sinners who stopping their eares at the hearing of the Law doe make all their prayers to be abominable So did God threaten his people to number them to the sword because saith he I called Pro. 28.9 Esay 65.12 and ye did not answer I spake and ye heard not but did euill in my sight and did chuse that thing which I would not If then wee would haue God open his eares to heare vs let vs acknowledge it to be our duty to open our eares to heare him God will neuer stop his eares against any but those that haue stopped their eares against him Vse 4 Lastly learne to acknowledge the greatnesse of Gods mercy and louing kindnesse and returne the praise and glory of his owne workes to his great Name As he hath heard vs graciously so let vs beare our selues thankfully in rendring to him the calues of our lips and offering to him the sacrifice of praise Euen as he filleth vs with his mercy let vs fill our mouthes with his praise and the memoriall of his Name Psal 116.12.13 and 145.18 19 21. and say What shal I render vnto the Lord for all his benefits toward me I will take the cup of saluation and call vpon the Name of the Lord. This vse the Prophet teacheth Psal 145. hauing declared that God sheweth himselfe neere to those that call vpon him and feare him he addeth My mouth shall speake the praise of the Lord and all flesh shall blesse his holy Name for euer and euer If I can say when all men forsooke me the Lord took me vp I haue beene running into the pathes of death and was neere to destruction but thou hast brought me backe shewing me the wayes of life and saluation I haue beene ignorant and thou hast instructed me If I haue this experience of his goodnes so many waies toward me he openeth my mouth to praise his mercy and I can neuer sufficiently magnifie his Name that hath brought so great things to passe for me This practise is likewise taught Psal 107. Psal 107.8 15 21 31. where the Prophet mentioning sundry deliuerances that God sheweth his people in times of famine and in the dayes of affliction by land or by sea he doubleth oftentimes his affection Let them therefore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and his wonderfull works before the sonnes of men He deliuered them the Canaanites and they vtterly destroyed them See heere the vncertainety of warre The Israelites after their ouerthrow fight againe and haue the victory They were at the first ouercome and taken prisoners by their enemies but now they preuaile get the vpper hand Albeit the righteous fall for a time yet they are not cast off for euer Psal 37.24 and 144.1 2. for the Lord putteth vnder his hand Great deliuerances giueth he to his seruants he teacheth their haÌ„ds to fight and their fingers to battel he is their strength and their fortresse their tower and their deliuerer their shield and in him they trust The horse indeed is prepared against the day of battell Prou. 21.31 1 Sam. 14.6 but saluation is of the Lord to whom it is not hard to saue with many or with few This the Prophet setteth downe Psal 81. Psal 81.13.14 Oh that my people had hearkened vnto me and Israel had walked in my wayes I would soone haue humbled their enemies and turned my hand against their aduersaries Heereby we learne that howsoeuer God thinke it meete that his Church lie vnder the crosse yet in his good time hee helpeth he forsaketh it not for euer Doctrine Though â—â— Church lye long vnder the croffe â— God learâ—â— it not for eâ— uer but returneth againe in great mercy and compassion Albeit affliction dwelleth vpon the seruants of God not onely for a moment but oftentimes presseth them for a long season that they haue no breathing time Iob 7.19 No not to swallow their spittle as Iob speaketh yet in due time God is not vnmindfull and forgetful of them Hereunto commeth the saying of the Psalmist Hee endureth but a while in his anger Psal 30.5 but in his fauour is life weeping may abide at euening but ioy commeth in the morning This the Lord expresseth in the Prophet Esay 54.7 For a little time haue I forsaken thee but with great compassion will I gather thee for a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee for a little season but with euerlasting mercy haue I had compassion on thee We see this point largely declared in the booke of Iudges Iudg 3.8 â— when God raised vp enemies against the Israelites and sold them as a vile thing of base account for whom he tooke no mony yet when they called and cried vnto him he sent them a deliuerer who saued them out of the hands of their aduersaries This appeareth in the histories of Ioseph of Iob of the Church in Egypt of Dauid of Daniel Gen. 41. 1â— Iam. 5 11. Exod. 12 â— Psal 18.1 Dan. 6 23 who first indured shame and the reproach of the crosse yet afterward hee returned vnto them when the time of refreshing came from the presence of God The reasons are plaine First his eares are Reason 1 alwayes open to the cryes of his children hee putteth their teares in his bottle of remembrance and writeth them in his Register Psalme 5â— so that when they cry their enemies shall turne their backs for God is with his This he saith Exod. 2. the children of Israel sighed for the bondage and cryed and their cry for their bondage came vp vnto God Exod. 2 2â— and 3 7. Then the Lord said I haue surely seene the trouble of my people which are in Egypt I haue heard their cry and moane for I know their sorrowes and I will deliuer them verifying that in the Psalme Psal
oppressour as an honest Iurate witnesseth against him and cryeth for vengeance And shall the Lord be deafe and not heare such great and loud out-cryings of so many distressed and oppressed persons entring into the highest heauens and piercing the eares of the Lord of hoasts Shal not God auenge his elect which day and night cry vnto him â—e 18 7.8 yea though he suffer long for them I tell you he will auenge them quickly to the comfort of the oppressed but to the confusion of the oppressour Vse 3 Lastly seeing wrongfull dealing must bee auoided it serueth to condemne all inordinate liuing in no setled or lawfull calling idlely vnthriftily and prodigally For euery man liuing in the Church of what degree or condition soeuer must haue some particular calling to walke in how high soeuer his estate bee how great soeuer his reuenues be which condemneth the wandring vp downe of rogues and beggers the Cloysters of Monkes and Fryars the idlenes of rich men that haue lands and liuings all such as are Drones vnprofitable to the Church or Common-wealth or family wherein they abide Adam in time of his innocency immediately after his creation in the Image of God â—2 15. had a speciall calling appointed him to dresse and keepe the Garden It was likewise said to him and his posterity immediately after the fall â—3 19. In the sweate of thy browes thou shalt eate thy bread till thou returne vnto the earth out of which thou wast taken So the Apostle saith 2 Thess 3 11 12. Christ Iesus the head of men and Angels before the solemne inuesting and entring into his Office liued priuately in Iosephs house and wrought in his trade â— 6 3 â—â—tra 〈◊〉 and therefore it is that the Iewes call him not onely the Carpenters sonne but a Carpenter If then we would settle our selues in a lawfull calling eating our owne bread trusting in the prouidence of God contenting our selues with our present estate thinking it the best and fittest for vs we should keepe our selues from oppression wrong But because some liue without any calling some without a lawfull calling others liue distrustfull discontented it driueth them to make vngodly shifts and vse vnlawfull meanes which God abhorreth Let vs lay these things to our own hearts and not spend our dayes in ydlenesse The time is precious let vs seeke to redeeme it Let vs euery day do some good or other Ephe. 5 16. let vs learne some good of others or be teaching some good thing to others But alasse how many are there in all places that spend whole dayes and moneths and years in vanity who if they would call themselues to an account of their liues past might see and perceiue many dayes passe ouer their heads without doing any good whereof albeit they will take no account of themselues yet they must giue an account to God at the day of iudgement Verse 23. But Sihon gaue Israel no licence to passe through his Border and Sihon assembled all his people and went out against Israel into the wildernesse c. The request to giue the Israelites a quiet and peaceable passage beeing quiet peaceable men was iust and reasonable yet the petition is denyed and the people themselues that made it are persecuted They offered no wrong they drew no sword they shot no Arrow they cast no Dart they took away nothing yet they are hated and hurried vnto the death and assaulted without mercy This teacheth Doctrine The wicked hate and persecute the godly without cause that the vngodly do hate and persecute the godly without cause This is the practise of wicked men to pursue the children of God with all iniurious and despitefull dealing albeit they offer no occasion of hurt or harme vnto them We see this practise in Cain who hated his brother Gen. 4 8. and albeit hee spake friendly vnto him yet drawing him into the field he rose vp against him slew him This the Prophet complaineth of Psalm 69 4 and 35 7. Ioseph was sold as a slaue and imprisoned as a malefactor Ieremy was many wayes troubled and clapped vp Dauid was hated hunted froÌ„ place to place The Apostles were whipped and scourged in the Synagogues Stephen was reuiled and stoned Christ was scorned and crucified Paul was buffetted and persecuted The Saints were tryed by mocking burned in the fire slaine with the sword they wandred in the wildernesse they were hidden in caues and holes of the earth The Reasons are very plaine direct For first it seemeth vnto them more then strange Reason 1 that the faithfull are not brethren with them in euill but separate themselues from them will touch no vncleane thing If we were of the world the world would loue his owne but because we are chose out of the world therfore the world hateth vs. So long as Paul ioynd with the Pharisies in persecuting the Church imprisoning all those that called vpoÌ„ the Lord Iesus who was in greater fauor and credit with theÌ„ But wheÌ„ he was called to preach the truth which before he had oppugned and became zealous in the faith which before he destroyed by by the Iewes tooke counsell to kill him Acts 9 23. Christ Iesus the Lord of life before he was installed into his Office Luke 2 52 3 2 4 28 29 was in fauor with God and men but when he was baptized albeit he was alwaies in fauour with his Father yet immediately afterward he was tempted of the diuell contemned of his Country-men and ledde to the edge of an hil to be cast downe headlong This is that which the Apostle Peter witnesseth 1 Pet. 4.4 5. But it is better for vs to haue the hatred of men and the ill will of all the world then faile in any part of our duty vnto God who is able to cast body and soule into hell Reason 2 Secondly no maruaile if the wicked hate the godly for the world hateth Christ He was called a Samaritan he was counted a Coniurer he was esteemed as a drunkard a deceiuer a diuell a friend of Publicans and sinners If they haue thus reuiled the Master of the house no maruell if they respect not the members The Embassadour must not looke to be greater then he that sent him Iohn 13 16 and 16.20 the Disciple must not dreame of a better condition then the Lord if they haue done thus to the greene Tree what will they doe to the dry and withered Luke 23 31. If they deale thus with him that is alwayes fruitefull florishing and liueth for euer we must not look that they should deale better with vs that are vnfruitfull and full of the vnsauory fruites of our corruption This Christ himselfe teacheth in sundry places Mat. 10 24 25. The Disciple is not aboue his Master nor the seruant aboue his Lord it is enough for the Disciple to bee as his Master is and the seruant
a sort the Lord also doth it who as a iust Iudge for the wickednes of the world and contempt of the Gospel letteth loose Satan to deceiue in his heauy yet righteous iudgement So the Apostle teacheth that God shall send strong delusions that they shall beleeue lies that will not imbrace and receiue the truth 2 Thes 2 11. The vses are to be thought vpon and to be Vse 1 learned of vs. First maruaile not if wicked meÌ„ many times prosper and preuaile For if God vse them as his Rods and enableth them to worke his will albeit they do not feare God nor purpose to serue him nor ayme at his glory yet they shall ouercome and haue the vpper hand for God hath sent them God hath armed them God hath saide vnto them goe and prosper Let vs not therefore thinke when euill men preuaile that all things are shufled hudled together let vs not doubt of Gods high prouidence ouer-ruling the world let vs not make prosperity a note of the Church as if it were alwaies here in flourishing estate multiplying in wealth aboundâ—ng in friends glorious in victories flowing in honours increasing in multitudes and excelling in outward priuiledges for God many times raiseth vp the heads of euill men to bring mighty things to passe This the Prophet Ezekiel declareth chap. 29 18 19 20. Sonne of Man Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel caused his army to serue a great seruice against Tyrus euery head was made bald and euery shoulder was made bare yet had he no wages nor yet his army for Tyrus for the seruice that he serued against it therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I will giue the Land of Egipt to the King of Babel and he shall take her multitude and spoile her spoile and take her prey and it shall bee the wages of his army I haue giuen him the Land of Egipt for his labour that he serued against it because they wrought for me saith the Lord God Where the Prophet sheweth that Nebuchadnezzar had serued Gods prouidence in the siedge and sacking of Tyrus and therfore he had another kingdome giuen him for it and blessed with victory ouer other enemies This is the reason why euill men are set vp and haue a reward of temporall blessings because they are Gods souldiers and are vnder his pay who suffereth them not to goe and depart without their wages Thus all earthly things fall out alike to all there is the same outward condition belonging to all To the iust and vniust to the pure and to the polluted Eccles 9 2. Secondly let vs from hence know assuredly there are no waies to withstand his wrath Vse 2 no policy to preuent his iudgments no force that can resist his purposes We see how many meanes he hath to bring forth his decrees he can make the vngodly serue him whensoeuer he will command them True it is Gods children guided by his Spirit and framed to the obedience of his will will alwayes be seruiceable to him with cheerefulnes of heart and willingnes of minde If he command his aduersaries any worke they must obey him albeit against their wils hee enforceth them as slaues to do his will Whatsoeuer their purposes be God disposeth them to bring his own decrees to passe What man then can promise to himselfe rest and peace or thinke to winde himselfe from the hand of God or escape the sentence gone out against him or stand against God comming out to take vengeance vpon him Seeing he hath so many seruants in readinesse set in battell aray to performe his purposes and can single out what instruments he listeth albeit as euill as themselues This the Prophets teach euery where to the terror of al Gods enemies Consider that Ieremy is bold and saith to Zedekiah King of Iudah Deceiue not your selues saying The Chaldeans shall surely depart from vs â— 37 9 10. for they shall not depart for though ye had smitten the whole hoast of the Chaldeans that fight against you and there remained but wounded men among them yet should euery man rise vp in his Tent and burne this City with fire The destruction of the vngodly hangeth not vpon the power and pleasure of men nor on the might and multitude of Souldiers but on the iudgment of God who giueth strength to the weake and courage to the coward and might to the maimed man to root out and to destroy This should greatly humble and terrifie the wicked man that promiseth safety security to himselfe who notwithstanding lyeth open euery way to the wrath and indignation of God Lastly let the people of God comfort theÌ„selues Vse 3 though they be ouer-burdened and ouer-mastered by them A time will come and loe it tarrieth not when those wicked men that oppresse and vexe the Church shall bee rooted out The Lord of hoasts hath men and Angels and all creatures to worke out their destruction he can whistle for other enemies as euill as themselues to come against them to conquer and ouercome them Be not therefore daunted to see them rule and reigne Fret not thy selfe because of the euill men neither be enuious for the euill doers â— 37 1 2 3 â—6 for they shall soone be cut downe like grasse and shall wither as the greene Hearb Trust in the Lord and do good dwell in the Land and thou shalt be fed assuredly I haue seene the wicked strong and spreading himselfe like a greene Bay-tree yet he passed away and loe he was gone and I sought him but he could not be found Let vs therefore no whit bee troubled to see the enemies of God and of the godly exalted and lifted vp they are set in slippery places they are suddenly destroyed and horribly consumed as a dreame when one awaketh For God sendeth an euill spirit among them as hee did betweene Abimelech and the men of Shichem to bee reuenged of the cruelty which they had shewed toward the 70. sonnes of Ierubbaal Iudg. 9 23 24. We see this in the deliuery of the Church out of Babylon God stirred vp the Medes Persians as great idolaters as proud and prophane persons as themselues and by Cyrus deliuered them whom long before he had designed and deputed to that worke This the Prophet Esay sheweth chap. 21 2 10. So theâ—â— albeit the Church were as it were thressed with a Flaile and a Cartwheele turned vpon their backes albeit their loynes were filled with sorrow yet shall their enemies come to ruine and destruction Babel is fallen it is fallen and all the Images of her Gods hath hee broken to the ground Esay 21 9. Howsoeuer therefore the estate of the Church in Babylon seemed desperate and past al hope of recouering her former glory yet we see God wanted not waies and meanes to free his chosen people and set them at liberty he raised the Medes and Persians to leade them by the hand out of the hand of their oppressors His hand is not now shortened
on the left hand we know not what the miserie of slauery and slaughter meaneth we do not behold our Citties besiedged our Countries wasted our Townes entrenched our walles bâ—tterâ—d our houses fired consumed blessed bee the great name of our most gracious God therefore for euermore Let vs then take heede that wee abuse not these mercies and good things of Almighty GOD lest hee take them away from vs in his fierce wrath and indignation O that there were in vs wise hearts to consider these things whilst we dwell safely in these our houses and habitations and before the enemie approacheth neâ—e vnto vs and casteth a trench about vs. But if we prouoke God and make warre with him how can we haue peace with men how can we looke to liue in safetie any longer with our wiues and children This our Sauiour hath set downe and with â—eares taught the Iewes long before their destruction came vpon them For when he came neere and beheld the City he wept for it and passionately saide Luk. 19 41 42 43 44. O if thou haddest euen knowne at the least in this day those things which belong vnto thy peace But now are they hid from thine eies For the daies shall come vpon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compasse thee round keepe thee in on euerie side and shall make thee euen with the ground and thy children which are in thee and they shall not leaue thee a stone vpon a stone because thou knowest not that season of thy visitation Let vs apply these things vnto our selues and if wee desire to liue peaceably with men let vs first seek to be at peace with God and if we would be reconciled to our brother let vs in the first place be reconciled to our God and then all things shall speake peace vnto vs. Verse 29. Woe be to thee Moab O people of Chemosh thou art vndone hee hath deliuered his sons which escaped and his daughters into captiuity to Sihon king of the Amorites Here the Poet rhetorically turneth his speech to the Moabites describing their foolish confidence in their dumbe Idolles Psal 115 4 5. Which are the worke of mens hands which haue eies and see not eares and heare not they haue a mouth and speake not noses and smell not hands touch not feet and walke not neither make they a sound with their throat they that make them are like vnto theÌ„ and so are all they that trust in them The Nations of the Gentiles had multitudes of gods and euery Nation his seuerall Idoll-goâ— As Chemosh was the idoll of the Moabites Baal of the Caldeans Ashteroth of the Sidonians Moloch of the Ammonites Rimmon of the Syrians Dagon of the Philistims These are false gods and had the godhead or diuine nature falsly ascribed vnto them who were not able to saue such as did worship them as the author of this song here declareth Hee hath deliuered his sons and daughters to captiuity and was not able to deliuer them out of the hands of Sihon king of the Amorites 1 King 18 26. For as the Israelites cried for fire to come from heauen from morning to noone O Baal heare vs so no doubt did the Moabites for deliueraÌ„ce from their enimies cal to their idol Chemosh O Chemosh heare vs but there was no voyce nor any to answer so that they fel into the hands of the Amorites and receiued no profit or benefit by their idoll seruice Heere then wee see how the idolatrous Moabites worshipping a false god and trusting in their great Idol are defeated and destroyed Hence we learne Doctrine Idolaters shal be confounded and destroyed That Idolaters lye open to iudgement The worshipping of Images howsoeuer it bee coloured with false reasons is the true cause of Gods iudgements We see heere how the Moabites were rooted out of theyr Townes and Cities for this sinne Hitherto come the threatnings of the Prophets against the Nations by Esay chap. 46 1 2. and Ier. 46 44 7 8. for their idolatry We see in Iudg. 2 11. when Israel committed idolatry began to cleaue to strange gods and forsook the Lord God of their fathers God sold them into the handes of their enemies so that they could no longer stand before them This was the destruction of Ieroboam the son of Nebat that made Israel to sinne and of Iehu who set vp idolatry after he had destroyed it This was the cause that the wrath of God brake in vpon the Israelites when they had erected the golden Calfe which sin was reuenged with a greeuous and horrible slaughter Heereunto also the Prophet hath relation Psal 106 34 35. They destroyed not the people as the Lord had commanded them but were mingled amongst the heathen and learned their workes and serued their Idols which were their ruine Thus we see how idolatry turneth to the destruction of the idolater The Reasons follow First God is the husband Reason 1 of his Church and can no more abide to haue his honour and worship communicated to any other then the husband any partner or fellow in his loue Prou. 6 35. â—ho cannot beare the sight of any ransome neither will hee consent though thou augment the gifts Idolatry therfore is spirituall whoredome and God is a iealous God of his honor and glory and will not suffer the same to be giuen to any other Esay 42 8. Exod. 20 5. This is notably declared and woorthily expressed by the Prophet Hosea where the idolatry of the Israelites is resembled to the adulterous and whorish woman that doateth vpon her louers that forsaketh the guide of her youth and forgetteth the couenant of her God Their mother saith the Lord by his Prophet hath played the Harlot she that conceiued them hath done shamefully c. As then God is the husband of his Câ—urch so our spirituall worship is as a certaine marriage of our soules consecrated vnto the Lord therfore all false and forged worship is spiritual whordome and adultery toward him To this purpose speaketh Hosea ch 2 19 20. I will marrie thee vnto me for euer yea I will marry thee vnto me in righteousnes and in iudgement c. Thus also the Prophet Ieremy speaketh ch 2 2. Thus saith the Lord I remember thee with the kindnesse of thy youth and the loue of thy Marriage when thou wentest after me in the wildernesse in a Land that was not sowne Secondly Idols are the workes of mens Reason 2 hands whether they bee of Siluer or Golde they are the worke of the Founder or whether they bee carued or grauen in stone or timber they are the hand of the workeman or whether they bee wrought in blew silke or purple Ieremy 10 9. All things are made by cunning men Heereupon it followeth that they that depend vpon them and seeke helpe of them doe seeke helpe of flesh and doe make stockes and stones their god and therefore they
Deuter. 3 11. Onely Og the king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Gyants whose bed was a bed of Iron is it not at Rabbah among the children of Ammon The length thereof is nine cubits and foure cubits the bredth thereof after the cubit of a man Now the more mighty and monstrous tâ—is Giant was the greater occasion had the Israelites to ascribe the victory to God and to giue him the glory alone And the Prophet singleth out these two enemies by name Deu. 29 7. Psal 135 11. 136 19 20. Sihon the King of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan aboue all other kings and in the meditation of Gods mercy deliuering them into their hands stirreth vp the people to praise the name of God which sheweth that they were enemies greatly to bee feared and such as brought great terrour vnto the Israelites yet no power can preuaile agâ—inst God There is no counsel nor wisedome nor vnderstanding nor strength against the Lord. Pro. 21 30 31 The horse is prepared against the day of battell but saluation is of the Lord. The land of Bashan was a fertile fruitfull soyle commended in sundry places of the Scripture it was a goodly mountain abounding with ranke and rich pastures yeelding cattle of great bone and bignesse and flourishing with sundry commodities which kindled a desire in the two Tribes and the halfe to haue it giuen them in possession Wherefore Moses commending the bountifulnes of God toward his people Deut. 32 14. sheweth that he gaue them butter of Kine and milke of Sheepe with fat of the Lambes and Rams fed in Bashan And Dauid to expresse the lustinesse and loftinesse the pride and presumption of his enemies resembleth them to the mighty buls of Bashan Psal 22 12. Ezek. 39 â—8 Amos 4 1. Esay 2 13. fed to the full in most fruitfull pastures Moses knowing the goodnesse of the soile the strength of the Cities and the malice of the enemies sendeth out his scouts and espials to search out the situation of the places and the purposes of the persons that inhabited therein and hauing taken Iaazer he marched toward this Bashan whereof we speake The king aduertised of the matter and vnderstanding the drift and designe of the Israelites commeth forth to meete them and to hinder their approach to his Townes and Dominions thinking his safety to consist onely in his weapons forgetting that all mortall things are mutable and the end of warre vncertaine and prouiding more for reuenge then for his owne defence Heereupon Moses before hee made an head against the enemy as it should seeme made a stand to know the will of God whether he should fight with them in the place and whether God would deliuer them into their hands The answer of God sheweth that they were greatly afraid and stoode in neede of comfort wherein consider first the Commandement of GOD Feare not your enemies Secondly the reason rendred to encorage theÌ„ I will deliuer all your enemies into your handes which is amplified by a like example and by the former experience which they had of the mercy of God in the destruction of Sihon king of the Amorites After this comfort and raising vp of their hearts that began to shrinke they ioyned battel they fought with the king of Bashan they ouercame their enemies and put them all men women and children to the sword and possessed his Land as hee did the Land of the Amorites Thus God gaue them a ioyfull victory who had before determined the destruction of Og euen while the gyant thought nothing of the hand of God against him and who is it that knoweth what God intendeth against him in heauen while he offendeth him and sinneth against him on the earth The Lord that sitteth in Heauen seeeth the wickednesse of mans heart abiding on Earth Verse 33. And they turned and went vp the way toward Bashan and Og the King of Bashan came out against them c. We see here another iudgement of God vpon another enemy of the Church and the mercie of God in his ouerthrow after the destruction of the former enemie God could haue brought them together and bound them in one bundle to bee cast into the fire but they are destroyed one after another some in the dayes of Moses others are reserued for Ioshua who succeeded Moses in the gouernment of the people Wee learne heereby Doctrine The eneâ—â—â— of the châ—â—â—â— are not consumed at 〈◊〉 That the enemies of God and his Church are not consumed in a moment but wasted and consumed in the prouidence of GOD by little and little True it is God is able to raine downe fire and brimstone snares and stormie Tempests vppon them hee is able to bring them vnto nothing at once with the breath of his mouth when once the Coales of his wrath and indignation are kindled but it is his pleasure to wast and consume them one after another now one and then another that sinne against him This Moses declareth vnto the people of Israel Deut. 7 21 22 23. Esay 9 22. The Prophet Amos setteth downe the dealing of God in the destruction of his enemies chap. 9 10 11. So that God brought not all his iudgements vpon them at once nor discharged the whole volley of shot against them together but one punishment came in the necke of another the first was ouertaken of the second and the second of the third The like may be said of the plagues which God brought vpon Pharaoh and the rest of the Egyptians he did not draw out his arrowes and empty his Quiuer at once but wasted the Land consumed the fruites smote the cattel and destroyed the inhabitants one after another some were destroied with haile â—â—l 9 and â—12 14 some were slaine by the destroyer others were drowned in the red Sea these came not altogether but as a softly fire consumed them or as a lingring disease pined them away by little and little vntil they came to vtter ruine The Reasons remaine to be considered First Reason 1 God will not roote them out at once to the end that by them he may try the faith exercise the patience of his seruants There are none that haue receiued to beleeue but God will haue theÌ„ proued to declare to themselues and manifest to others what is in their hearts No maruell if others bee oftentimes deceiued in vs and are ignorant of the secrets of our soules seeing wee our selues know not thoroughly our selues vntill we haue ended and endured triall For such we are indeed as we are in the time of tentation Therfore Salomon teacheth in the Prouerbs chap. 24.10 If thou be faint in the day of aduersity thy strength is small Wherefore it is necessary that so long as we liue in this world we should be kept in a continuall exercise of faith of prayer of repentance and of obedience as the Lord speaketh euidently in the booke of Iudges chap.
Iewell Therefore the wise man saith Prou. 22 1. A good name is to be chosen aboue great riches and louing fauour is aboue Siluer and Gold Eccles 7 4. Wherefore let no man thinke to raise himselfe by the fall of others or to gaine estimation to himselfe by the discredit and defamation of other men But onely what thing I say vnto thee that shalt thou do In theâ—e wordes God before hand instructeth and informeth Balaam what shall be the euent and issue of all his desires namely that howsoeuer hee coueted to curse the people of God and so to earne his wages and hire by the practise of wickednesse yet hee should be compelled and constrained against his will to wish the flourishing estate of the Church and to pronounce the blessing with his owne mouth Howsoeuer therefore hee were maliciously bent and carried with extreme fury and frenzy against the godly yet God declareth that all his rage should turne to the good of the Church and his tongue should vary from his heart Hereby we learn That the malice of the wicked 〈◊〉 â—â—e of â—â—â—d 〈◊〉 at 〈…〉 reâ—â— how great soeuer it bee is limited and restrained Albeit the enemies of the Church be oftentimes suffered to proceed and preuaile and to lay very great afflictions on the seruants of God yet al their power is stinted and determined they can proceede no further then God suffereth and permitteth This trueth is taught vs in sundry Scriptures for our instruction When Laban intended euill against Iacob God appeared vnto him and sayd Gen. 31 24 Take heede that thou speake not vnto Iacob ought saue good and Iacob telleth him that except the God of his father the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac had bene with him he would haue sent him away empty but God beheld his tribulation and the labour of his hands and rebuked him yesternight When Pharaoh and the Egyptians pursued after Israel with horses and Chariots and sought their vtter destruction God fought for his people while they stood still and held their peace Exod. 14 25. This is it which our Sauiour signified when the Pharisies sayd vnto him Luke 13 32 33. Depart and go hence for Herod will kill thee Then hee sayd vnto them Go ye and tell that fox Behold I cast out diuels and will heale still to day and to morrow and the third day I shall be perfected neuerthelesse I must walke to day and to morrow for it cannot be that a Prophet should perish out of Ierusalem So Isaiah comforteth the messengers of Hezekiah against the blasphemies of Sancherib against the dangers of the city and against his rayling on and reproaching the liuing God 2 Kin. 19 6 7. So shall ye say to your master Thus saith the Lord Esay 37 26. Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard Behold I will send a blast vpon him and he shall heare a noise and returne to his owne land because hee hath raged against me and his tumult is come vp into my ears therefore I will put my hooke in his nostrils my bridle in his lips and I will bring him back againe the same way he came All these things teach vs the truth of that doctrine which wee haue in hand namely that howsoeuer the vngodly rage and fret against the church of God yet their malice and madnesse is limited and the time of the continuance thereof appointed of God The reasons to confirme our faith farther Reason 1 in this point are these First the prouidence of God ruleth all things in heauen and earth the least and smallest things are ordained and ordered by him nothing falleth out by chaÌ„ce neither is whirled about in the wheele of fortune The Birds fall not to the ground the haires fall not from our heads without the will of our heauenly Father Matth. 10 verse 30. Howsoeuer therefore the enemies of the Church doe take crafty counsels and make bloody decrees against the peace and prosperity thereof yet they can doe no more then God hath concluded and then he hath in his purpose determined This the Apostles acknowledge Actes 4. verse 2â— in their prayer to God Doubtlesse against thine holy Sonne Iesus whom thou hast annoâ—nted both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered theÌ„selues together to doe whatsoeuer thine hand and thy counsell hath determined before to bee done They cannot satisfie thâ—ir owne lusts nor accomplish the desseignes of their owne hearts their rage is restrained as with a bit and bridle that it should not hurt the people of God Againe maruell not that the course of wicked Reason 2 men is stopped by the hand of God for the diuels are limited and all the power of darkenesse is curbed so as the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the church We see this in Iob 1 12. 2 6. hee could not slay his seruants with the sword burne vp his sheepe with fire spoile him of his Camels by Robbers destroy his children with windes and touch his person with boyles before the Lord had saide vnto him Loe all that hee hath is in thine hand but saue his life Likewise when the Lord Iesus dispossessed the two possessed with diuels which came out of the graues very fierce so that no man might goe by that way Matth. 8 31 the diuels could not enter into the heard of Swine before they had besought him to suffer them to enter into them so that wee may bee assured that howsoeuer they be bloody spirits and greedy to hurt yet their tyranny is bound vp beeing compassed within the listes and limites of the power of God and inclosed within the circle of his iurisdiction that they cannot annoy such as are created after the image of God and redeemed with the blood of Christ without the diuine permission For the Prince of this world is iudged and cast out Iohn 12 31. and 16 11. his weapons are taken from him the spoils diuided his workes are dissolued and loosed his head is bruised and broken Vse 1 The vses of this Doctrine minister great comfort and instruction vnto vs. First we learne from hence to acknowledge the infinit power of God aboue all earthly power that is in flesh and blood True it is the rage of the enemies is great and the gates of hell are set wide open against the church of God yet they cannot preuaile or haue the vpper hand for God is with vs his power is manifested and his malice is abridged It hath alwayes beene an hard matter for men to stay in dangers and feare the remnants of infidelity and the dregs of distrust doe rest and remaine in the best men The trueth and omnipotency of God is hardly yeelded and consented vnto as appeareth in the example of Moses Aaron Num. 20 12. Psal 106 33. They beleeued not God to sanctifie him in the presence of the children of Israel but spake vnaduisedly with their
blindnes as hee did Elymas with crookednes deformity as the woman in the Gospel with foolishnes as hee did Achitophel with want of reason vnderstanding as he did Nebucadnezzar to teach vs to take heed to our selues and our senses lest we abuse them to our destruction Lastly seeing God can blinde the eyes and Vse 3 bind vp the senses when it pleaseth him let vs go forward walk boldly in the duties of our calling let vs not feare any enemies seeing the Lord hath so many wayes to helpe his chosen people to succour them to saue them harmlesse Let vs commit commend our selues to his prouidence who albeit hee suffer vs to fall into many dangers yet hee can smite his enemies with many suddain iudgments He can visit them oftentimes in sundry manners Euery thing serueth to his wll therfore if we serue God let vs be assured he wil make it serue to our benefit They shal not stir a foot or moue any member or lift vp an hand but at his beck and appointment Ieroboam stretched out his hand from the Altar to lay holde on the Prophet but immediatly it dried vp 1. King 1â— and he could not pull it in again vnto him Ananias Sapphira his wife were among the Apostles and seemed to be in perfect health far from death yet suddainly they fell down were caried out Olde Eli whose sons walked not in the steps of their father sate vpon a seat by the way side waiting for the successe of the battel fought against the Philistims A man would haue thought he sate safely and surely at his owne pleasure and no doubt he iudged no lesse himselfe of himselfe but when hee heard that the Arke was taken suddainly hee fell from his seate backward 2 Sam. 4. â— and his neck was broken When Vzziah King of Iudah presumed to burne incense vpon the Altar of incense lift vp his heart to his owne destruction while he waxed wroth against the Priests of the Lord had the incense in his hand to burne it 2. Chroâ—â— 19. suddainly the leprosie arose in his forehead he was compelled to depant out of the Temple We are able to do nothing of our selues as of our selues seeing that in him we liue moue Act. 17 2â— and haue our being Let vs in all our sufferings comfort our selues heerein that the Lord holdeth the wicked in his owne hand turneth their wisdome into foolishnes Absalom rebelled against his father and was assisted by Achitophel Dauids companion and chiefe counseller for the counsell which hee counselled in those dayes was like as one had asked counsell at the oracle of God Dauid prayed vnto God to turne his counsell into foolishnes 2 Sam. 1â— God heard his prayer and confounded the deep wisdome of this great Polititian so that he set his house in order hanged himselfe 1 Cor. 3â— 20 Hee catcheth the wise in their owne craftinesse for the wisdome of this world is foolishnes with God the Lord knoweth that the thoughts of the wise be vain If any therefore seeme to be wise in this world let him bee a foole that hee may be wise All humane wisdome in the vnregenerate is oftentimes turned into extreme folly Iezabel enemy against the Church hated Eliah vnto the death but sending him this word by a messenger The Gods do so to me and more also if I make not thy life like one of theirs whom thou hast slaine by to morrow this time 1 Kings 19 2.3 hereby he had fit occasion and opportunity to flye away and to shift for himselfe receiuing warning and learning wisedome by his enemy Herod a subtle Fox and withall a bloody Lyon and wise in his generation might haue sent one of his Courtiers with the wise men for his greater assurance yet hee sendeth them alone and appointeth not one to goe with them Mat. 2 8. Thus the Lord striketh his enemies with the spirit of giddinesse and turneth all their deuices into sottishnesse he circumuenteth the wise in their owne pollicies and the counsell of the wicked is made foolish They meete with darknesse in the day time and grope at noone day as in the night but he saueth the poore from the sword from their mouth and from the hand of the violent man so that the poore hath his hope but iniquity shall stoppe her mouth Iob 5 12 13 14 15. Indeed they seeke wayes imagine meanes to destroy the godly but they cannot finde them out they are endued with wisedome iudgement counsell they are very subtle and deceitfull but that which happened to the eyes of the Sodomites falleth vpon their mindes They are smitten with blindnesse and madnesse are smitten with astonying of heart c. Deut. 28 28 29. Verse 34. Then Balaam saide to the Angel of the Lord I haue sinned Heere is offered to our considerations the corrupt conscience of an euill man So soone as the Lord charged him with his sinne by and by his heart smote him and he confessed his offence Heere was no true sanctificatioÌ„ of the conscience which indeed did checke and condemne him for his disobedience and couetousnesse but did not bridle suppresse the inclination of his heart vnto euill neyther could testifie that his transgression was pardoned We learne in this example â—â—â—ine 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 â—â—â—traiâ—â—â—â—onâ—â—â—â—innes that euill men are oftentimes compelled to confesse their owne sinnes God wanteth not many wayes and sundry meanes to draw from men a confession of their owne iniquities This wee see in Pharaoh when the hand of God was heauy vpon him and his plagues pressed sore against him he called for Moses and Aaron and said vnto them I haue now sinned the Lord is righteous but I my people are wicked Exod. 9 27. Albeit he could not beleeue to obtaine remission yet he confessed his sinnes to his condemnation The like we see in Saul who persecuted Dauid and sinned against his owne conscience yet when he saw that Dauid had saued his life when some willed and cryed to kill him he saide Thou art more righteous then I for thou hast rendred mee good and I haue rendred thee euill I haue sinned come againe my sonne Dauid for I will do thee no more harme because my soule was precious in thine eies c. 1 Sa. 24 18. and 26 21. So then howsoeuer the vngodly delight in sin and regard not to prouoke God to wrath yet theyr owne mouthes are made witnesses against theÌ„selues and they publish theyr owne shame as with the blast of a Trumpet The Reasons are these First the wrath of Reason 1 God is gone out against them and their owne consciences summon them vnto iudgement to answer for their sins before the high Iudge of heauen and earth so that the more they seeke to couer and smother them in the ashes of their owne corruptions that the flame of them breake not out the more
the end wee may not deceiue others nor flatter our selues in the good motions of the Spirit wee must carefully obserue these few rules and directions following First we must beginne to cherish in our harts a loathing and detestation of all sinne Not of some few sinnes and retaine others that agree with our corrupt Natures but we must hate all sinne If the olde subtle Serpent get in his taile he wil winde in his head also and after followeth al the body If we giue him scope to possesse vs in any one knowne sinne he will thereby bring vs to destâ—uction as wee see in Saul Herod Iudas Ananias and Sapphira Wherefore wee must truly turne to God and repent vs of all sinne Secondly we must be changed and renewed in our mindes and consciences bring forth fruites worthy amendment of life otherwise we may still suspect our selues that sauing grace is not yet planted in the heart Let vs carefully looke to our hearts that the worke of regeneration be truly begunne there If wee haue once giuen our hearts to God all other parts will soone follow Our eares our feete our eyes will not be farre behind where the heart leadeth the way This is it which Salomon teacheth in Prou. 23 25. My sonne giue mee thine heart and let thine eyes delight in my waies One can take no pleasure but where his heart is Thirdly we must not stand at a stay or looke backe wee must not thinke wee haue knowledge fayth zeale and obedience enough therefore the Apostle saith touching his own practise Philip. 3 12. Brethren I count not my selfe that I haue attained to it but one thing I do I forget that which is behinde and endeuour my selfe vnto that which is before and follow hard toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus And indeed in our Christian race there is no standing at one stay For either we go forward or else we go backward If we do not increase we do decrease like the sea that neuer rests but euer ebbeth or floweth To stand still is the first step to declining and declining the first degree of decaying and decaying the forerunner of a finall falling away and falling away the worker of our confusion and destruction as the water that hath beene heate first waxeth luke-warme afterwards turneth to be key-cold Lastly we must endeuour euery day to grow better and better more strong in faith more constant in hope more rooted in charity more setled in obedience more abounding in all good workes This is made the commendation of the church of Thyatira Reu. 2 19. I know thy workes thy loue and seruice and faith and thy patience and thy workes which are more at the last then at the first So the Apostle Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians in the Lord Iesus that they increase more and more as they had receyued of the Apostles how they ought to walke please God Heereunto accordeth the doctrine of Christ where he teacheth Ioh. 15 2. That euery branch that beareth not fruite in him hee taketh away c. And Peter wriâ—ing to the dispersed Iewes dwelling here and there stirreth them vp as new borne babes to desire the sincere milke of the word that they might grow thereby c. 1 Pet. 2 2.3 But alas where is this increasing proceeding and perseuering to be found Hee that was ignorant is ignorant stil hee that was faithlesse is faithlesse stil he that was vniust is vniust stil he that was filthy is filthy stil Reu. 22 12. Behold the Lord Iesus cometh shortly his reward is with him to giue euery maÌ„ according as his work shall be Vse 2 Secondly seeing the wicked do desire the death of the righteous it is plaine and euident that the godly cannot but dye well theyr end shal be in rest their departure shal be in peace Their sorrow shal be turned into solace their pain into pleasure their mourning into mirth their heauinesse into happines God will wipe away all teares from theyr eyes No man so happy as the faithfull Christian He that liueth well cannot choose but dye well whether he dye sodainly or leysurely whether he bee taken away by a naturall death or by a violent death whether it bee by land or by sea in youth or in age Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints the Lord redeemeth the soules of his seruants and none that trust in him shall perish Psal 116 15. 34 22. Blessed are they that die in the Lord for they rest from their labors and their workes follow them Reu. 14 13. Let vs solace our selues and comfort one another with these words All men naturally haue a desire of saluation wheÌ„ God toucheth their conscience and summoneth them to answer at his barre Aske the most wicked and notorious liuer that forgetteth God and contemneth him euery day that neuer thinketh of godlinesse that giueth himself to blasphemy prophaning of the Sabbath whoredome couetousnesse drunkennes cruelty hatred slandering and backbiting his brother aske him I say whether he would be saued and inherit euerlasting life hee will by and by answer It is his whole desire and he will thinke you offer him the greatest wrong that may bee to make a doubt of it But these words are no better then Balaams wish Balaam would dye the death of the righteous but he would not liue the life of the righteous for hee loued the wages of vnrighteousnesse and thirsted ambitiously after the honour of vngodlines and therefore he continued in his sorcery went still to fetch his diuinations So likewise many in these dayes haue the wishes of this Wizard Greg lib. 23. mora cap. 21. they desire the death of the righteous but they neuer regard their life they desire their end but they will not walk in their way they are willing to end with them but not to begin with them they catch for the Crowne but will not come to the Crosse they would taste the sweete but they cannot abide the sweat If wee will liue with Christ for euer 2 Tim. 2 we must here dye with him for a season if we will reigne with him in heauen we must first suffer with him on earth we can neuer dye comfortably vnlesse we be careful to liue vnblameably â—ornard ser in Canticâ— 21 If we would finde life and peace in the end of our dayes wee must heere seeke it If we would haue God to bee our God in sicknesse wee must bee his people in our health If we hate and abhorre the life of the righteous they are foolish and vaine wishes of carnall men to desire to dye the death of those that are spirituall For what shall it profit vs to come nere them in our words and to flye from them in our workes Wherefore as the vngodly cannot abide the life of the righteous nor seeke to cut off the least lust nor endure the doctrine
Abel in Saul toward Dauid in the Scribes and Pharisies toward Christ in Haman and his sonnes toward Israel in the chiefe Priests toward Paul Albeit they be ouermamastered their counsels detected their purposes defeated and themselues be disappointed that they may see how they fight not against men but against God yet their diligence is vnweariable and their rage vnspeakable This truth will further appeare vnto vs by Reason sundry reasons drawn from the person of God and from the conditions of the enemies of the Church God seeth the wickednesse of their hearts heareth the groanes afflictions of his elect yet he suffereth the vngodly to whet their tongues sharpen their swords against them to the end hee may gaine glory to his great Name in the confusion destruction of them Pharaoh contriued sundry plots fetching deuices to subuert the Church in Egypt some secret some open Exo. 1.17 9 16. Rom 9.17 He commanded the midwiues to stifle strangle the young infants comming out of their mothers wombe which are the spawn fry of Religion the hope of the succeeding Church When this diuellish deuice was discouered and disappointed because the midwiues feared God did not as the King charged them but preserued aliue the men children then he attempteth another way commanding by publique edict to drown and destroy their children afterward vexeth them by making bricks and carrying burdens Thus he proceedeth from one euill to another God setteth him vp as a marke and appointed him to shew his power in him and to declare his Name throughout all the world Thus GOD draweth good out of euil and manifesteth his owne glory in confounding the malice of mischieuous enemies Secondly the enemies of the Church run Reason 2 on in malicious courses to vndermine the good estate of the Church because they are led by the spirit of the diuell as his vassals and slaues to do his will Why did Cain burst with enuy against his brother hanging down his head drawing his weapon Because he was led by that euil one the prince god of the vngodly 2. Cor. 4 4 who blindeth their minds worketh in their hearts holdeth them in ful power possession The greatest deuouring beasts in the wildernesse alwayes keepe their courses recourses Psal 104 2◠12 23. either wearinesse constraineth them to cease or the light of the Sunne affrighteth them whereby the silly prey getteth some respite and refreshing But Satan the Prince of this world is neuer at rest he is euer greedy and neuer weary alwayes plotting practising catching destroying and deuouring The light of the day and darkenesse of the night are both alike to him Iob 1 7. Who compasseth the whole earth and walketh in it too and fro 1 Pet. 5.8 like a ramping and roaring Lyon seeking whom hee may surprize and subuert The end of one tentation is the beginning of another Hee will neuer make peace with vs vnlesse wee deliuer our soules vnto him in hostage Nahash the Ammonite is noted of extreme cruelty that would no otherwise make a couenant with the men of Iabesh Gilead but on this condition that he might thrust out all their right eyes and bring the shame vpon all Israel 1. Sam. 11. But Satan as he is more mighty so is he more malicious he will haue both eyes and hands he wil haue both head and heart hee will haue possession both of soule and body And therefore no maruaile if the sonnes of Belial bee stamped with his Image and resemble him in an vnweariable desire of mischiefe plotting and performing day and night one mischieuous attempt or other against the children of GOD. Vse 1 Let vs now carefully apply this doctrine to our vses First consider from hence the cause of the confusion of the enemies of the Gospel and of the godly They deuise crafty counsels and conspiracies against the faithful but withall they worke out their owne death and destruction and ouerthrow themselues in their malice mischiefe For of al such the Prophet saith Psal 7 15 16. He hath made a pit digged it for another and is fallen himselfe into the pit that he made his mischiefe shall returne vpon his owne head and his cruelty shall fall vpon his owne pate The hatred of the vngodly goeth before and the iudgements of God follow immediately after who hath prepared him deadly weapons will ordain his arrowes for them that persecute his seruants This the Prophet pronounceth against y◠enemies of the Church Esai 8 9 10. Gather together on heapes ye shall be broken in pieces gird your selues and ye shall be broken in pieces take counsell together yet it shall be brought to nought pronounce a Decree yet it shall not stand for God is with vs Behold the horrible down-fall of Haman an Arch-enemy of the people of God 〈◊〉 7 9 10. raised vp from the highest degree of honor and dignity who thought it too little to lay hands on Mordecai alone but sought to destroy all the Iewes that were throughout the whole kingdome he fell into the lowest step of shame reproach was hanged on the tree that hee had prepared for Mordecai The aduancement of the wicked is but for a momēt their destruction commeth suddainly according to the saying of the Prophet Dauid Psa 37 35 36 58 6 7 8 in Iob 20.4 Thus we see that the malice of the wicked turneth to their own calamity and confusion so that when they haue raked ransacked all the corners of their heart to contriue meanes to ouer-throw the Church they shall find by woful experience that God hath many moe meanes and wayes to turne their owne deuices to their owne destruction Secondly see hereby Gods almighty power Vse 2 and abundant kindnesse in sauing and preseruing the Church among so many enemies as it were a little flocke of sheepe among so many wolues For we may behold a part of his chastisements vpon his Church by setting them in the world as in a wildernesse and that among the wicked as it were among so many beasts whereby their faith is tried their obedience manifested and their patience proued so wee see his maruailous mercy in their deliuerance from them as out of the denne of Lyons inasmuch as we know to our endlesse comfort that notwithstanding all the pollicies and practices of the diuelish and damned crew of most spiteful and desperate enemies yet God holdeth vp the heads of his people that they are not drowned like the Arke that floated on the waters Reu. 12 15. Howsoeuer the serpent cast out of his mouth water after the woman like a floud that he might cause her to bee carried away of the floud Let vs therfore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse and acknowledge surely that saluation is of the Lord and not of our selues of his mercy and not of our own merit This the Prophet professeth at large Psal 114 1
be effectuall to stay vs in our obedience because God wil continue the same God of mercy and truth vnto vs without alteration which he was to Noah Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph and all the faithfull so highly renowned and greatly commended in the Scriptures so it must serue to bee a bridle in the iawes of the vngodly and prophane wretches of the world that as he hath plagued consumed and throwne downe into the bottomles pit of hell the wicked heretofore that rebelled against him and resisted his will so he is vnchangeable in Name and Nature and therefore he will do the same to them now and to as many as shall walke in their steps for euer This we may see to be a plain case in the righteousnes of God Eccl. 8 12 13. Though a sinner do euill an hundred times and God prolongeth his dayes yet I know it shall be well with them that fâ—are the Lord and do reuerence before him but it shall not be well to the wicked neither shall he prolong his daies he shall be like a shaddow because he feareth not before God And the Apostle Iude in his Epistle Iude 6 7. 2 Pet 2 1 5. alledgeth and applyeth the examples of Gods vengeance vpoÌ„ the wicked past to those present and to come shewing that if God spared not the Angels that had sinned but cast them downe into hell and deliuered them vnto chaines of darknesse to bee kept vnto damnation neyther spared the olde world but brought in the flood vpon the vngodly c. Let vs remember that wee shall finde God the same toward vs for euer neuer presume that he can or will be changed now from that which he hath beene heeretofore toward others Verse 21. He seeth not iniquity in Iacob he beholdeth not transgression in Israel Hitherto we haue spoken of the vnchangeablenesse of Gods loue toward his Church Now let vs see the reasons of it both in spirituall things and then in temporall The cheefest priuiledge of the Church standeth in the fruition and enioying of spirituall blessings Among all spirituall blessings this is one of the cheefest Remission of sinnes This is expressed by this phrase that God seeth not sinne in them that is he forgiueth theyr iniquity and imputeth not sinne vnto them To the same purpose the Prophet saith Our sinnes are couered Psalm 32 verse 1. These may seeme at the first strange speeches and phrases For shall not he that made the eye see Psalme 94. Shall not he that made the eare heare He that made the heart shall not he vnderstand and know the secrets of the heart Are not all things naked and open before him or can any hide himselfe from his presence and winde himselfe from his prouidence The meaning is not that God doth not behold them but it is a borrowed speech from the custome of men which lay away those things out of sight which they do not vse or would not remember so that he doth not see them when he doth not punish them he couereth them when he doth pardon them and account them as if they were neuer committed So Hezekiah saith Esa 38 17. God had cast his sins behind his backe Thus the Prophet speaketh Esay 1 18. Though your sinnes were as Crimson they shall be made white as Snow though they were red as Scarlet they shall be as wool And chap. 44 22. I haue put away thy transgressions like a Cloud and thy sinnes as a Mist So the Prophet Micah saith chap. 7 19. He will turne againe and haue compassion vpon vs he will subdue our iniquities and cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the sea From all these Testimonies we learne this truth That to euery true member Doctrine of the Church To all the members oâ— the Churcâ— belongeth the forgiuâ—nesse of 〈◊〉 belongeth the forgiuenes of all theyr sins It is a peculiar priuiledge of the faithfull for the merits and righteousnesse of Christ to haue theyr sinnes forgiuen whereby it commeth to passe that God esteemeth of sinne as no sinne and of iniquity as if it had neuer bene committed Heere then we haue offered to our considerations a principall and fundamental point of our Christian Religion and of the holy faith That all our sinnes wants and impections originall and actuall as well in the committing of euill as in omitting of good in thought word deed are couered healed and released thorough the righteousnesse of Christ imputed vnto vs which being apprehended by faith and applyed vnto vs doth not onely make them as if they had neuer bene but also iustifie discharge vs causing vs to appeare blamelesse and spotlesse in the sight of God Thus God proclaimeth him selfe to be a most gracious and merciful God readily inclined to forgiue sins Exod. 34 6 7. Esay 33 24. and 43 25. Ier. 31 31 32. and 33 8. Reason 1 And this truth to wit that iustification staÌ„deth in the remission of sinnes through the satisfaction of Christ is confirmed vnto vs by sundry reasons out of the worde of GOD. For first we must appeare as iust and perfect in Gods sight either by the imputatioÌ„ of Christs righteousnesse or by the merite of our owne workes there is no third way can be deuised This is a full distribution of causes as appeareth by the Apostle speaking of the election and calling of the Iewes Rom. 11 6. If it bee of grace it is no more of workes or else were grace no more grace but if it bee of workes it is no more grace or else were worke no more worke Thus we see hee maketh an opposition betweene the grace of God and the workes of men But no workes can iustifie vs neither of congruitie nor condignity neither of nature nor of grace wrought in vs by the spirit of God but by Gods acceptation of the intercession and merits of his owne Son This the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 3 20. Gal. 3 6. By the workes of the Law shall no flesh be iustified in his sight And in another place I count all things but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lord that I might bee found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ euen the righteousnesse which is of God through faith Phil. 3 7 8 9. Reason 2 Secondly whatsoeuer giueth the creature cause of boasting and robbeth God of his glory may not be admitted and cannot be accepted in the worke of our iustification But all things sauing the righteousnesse of Christ minister to vs matter of boasting depriue God of the honor and glory due to his name This the Apostle teacheth in sundry places Rom. 4 2. If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce 〈◊〉 2 8.9 but not with God By grace are ye saued thorough faith and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes lest any man should boast himselfe So
life Alas saith one how hard are these times we suffer pouerty penury and great misery O woful and wretched times saith another the plague is in such a place it is come neere our dwellings we may looke for it euery day to sweepe vs away how shall we do in these extremities or whither shall wee turne our heads from these troubles Neuerthelesse we must know that a man may be free from all these distresses yet liue in the greatest dangers We may haue peace and plenty we may enioy health and liberty we may abound in riches prosperity yet be possessed and compassed about with a thousand plagues more fearfull What times are most dangerous more deadly and more dangerous then the pestilence sword and famine which trouble vs so much and bring vs to our wits end Let vs take heed of our corrupt iudgement of the times and learne more to feare men that liue in prosperity then such as sinke down into aduersity inasmuch as their tentations are more strong effectuall Prosperity ease peace and riches haue turned through our corruption to be the pests and poison of the Church This the wise man teacheth Prou. 1 32. Ease slayeth thee foolish and the prosperity of fooles destroyeth them It is therefore a great mercy of God when he teacheth his children to stand vpright in this slippery way and that they make them not their bane which are giuen them as a blessing Hee setteth before their eies the dayly changes of all things vnder the Sunne and assureth them that nothing continueth in one estate hee frameth them to the contempt of the worlde and setleth their hearts to desire no more then their most wise and prouident Father thinketh meete for them He teacheth them that the most beautifull flowers do fade and lose the glory which for a time they had They see riches to bee vncertaine and deceiâ—full healâ—h to bee changeable our friends and acquaintance subiect to death and al humane things to be transitory vain and soon flitting away By al these meditations it pleaseth God to stay vp his people that they fall not from him in their prosperity Secondly it should teach vs to vse patience Vse 2 vnder the crosse and wisely to beare al the afflictions that God seeth good to lay vpon vs. We see by experience that peace and plenty haue done the Church more harme then wars and bloudy persecutions not that Gods blessings are hurtful and pernicious of themselues but by reason of our corrupt nature which is ready to turne his blessings into curses and his great mercies into so many plagues This wee see in the example of the Sodomites they dwelled in a fruitful soyle like the garden of Eden which God planted and therein placed our first parents but they became exceeding sinners and abused the blessings of God to their owne confusion Gen. 13 10. How farre prosperity abundance make vs to forget God consider in the examples of Nebuchadnezzar Herod Dan. 4 27. Acts 12.22 Haman and sundry others Iob feared that his sonnes in their feasting and banquetting had blasphemed God Iob 1 5. It appeareth in the parable of the rich man that made a feast sent out his messengers to inuite his guests Luke 14 19. that they refused to come and pretended sundry excuses one had hyred a farme another had bought fiue yoke of oxen another had married a wife he could not come wherby our Sauiour sheweth what causes commonly they are that withdraw and withhold mens minds from obeying Gods word embracing the Gospell to wit the cares of the world the commodities of this life the deceitfulnes of riches the pleasures of the flesh the study of earthly things these were such ranke thornes that they choaked all heauenly meditations hindred the growth of spirituall graces these brought a fogginesse vpon the soule and wrought in them a forgetfulnes of God Wherfore let vs not murmure and repine vnder the crosse but stoope down vnder his mighty hand who sendeth his correction for our good that we should not perish and be condemned with the world Heb 12 7. Psal 119 71. 1 Cor. 11 31. He doth not take pleasure and pastime in punishing of vs but as a louing father he respecteth onely our benefit Hee hath many wayes to deliuer vs promiseth that our afflictions shall not bee aboue our strength but haue a good end and an happy yssue We must be content with the Lords doings and know that he will sanctifie the afflictions of our bodies to the comfort of our soules whilest those that flow in earthly blessings and abound in outward prosperity do forget God that made them and runne on in the pride of their hearts to vnthankfulnesse against God Vse 3 Thirdly let vs not be deceiued with sinfull pleasures when the baite is offered and the net pitched before vs to take vs with the hooke and to catch vs in the snare but bee carefull to reiect and refuse whatsoeuer tempteth vs vnto euill Pleasures are of two sorts some are simply vnlawfull and not to be vsed at all being directly contrary to the word of God Such are the pleasures that carnall men take in eating till they surfet and in drinking till they are drunken such are the pleasures that whoremongers take in adultery fornication and vncleannesse Others are of themselues indifferent and in their owne Nature neyther good nor euill but according as they are vsed as hunting hawking and other lawfull recreations and euen these when they take vp all our thoughts and thrust out better things out of the doores are called thorns in the parable of the Sower as wel as vnlawfull pleasures Luk. 8 14. There is nothing doeth so much choake the word of God as the pleasures of the flesh nothing causeth vs so soone to forget it nothing maketh vs so soon weary and loath to heare it as the desire to follow and pursue after our delights so that it standeth vs vpon to cut them vp and to pull them out of the ground of our hearts We see men wil not suffer briars and bushes to spring vp where their corne shold grow much more it is required of vs to rid our hearts of all occasions and allurements vnto sinne The Faith of Moses is commended that hee refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter Heb. 11 24 25 and chose rather to suffer aduersity with the people of God then to inioy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the rebuke of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt for hee had respect vnto the recompence of the reward Let vs therefore shake off al pleasures of sinne not onely such as are in themselues vngodly and vnlawfull but all other whatsoeuer when they become clogs and incumberances vnto vs and hinder vs in the duties of our callings Many indeed are drawn and driuen from the word by trouble and persecution Prosperity is more dangerous
youth Shall wee make a mocke of it and a may-game at it These prophane beasts haue filled vp the measure of their sinne and are set downe in the seate of the scorners God alloweth no more liberty in sinning to youth then he doth to age The wise man willeth such to remember their Creator in the daies of their youth Eccl. 12 1. 11. and telleth them that for all the lustes of their eyes the vanity of their mindes the swinge of their pleasures and the lewdnes of their harts God will bring them to iudgement The Apostle teacheth That whoremongers and adulterers shall not inherite the kingdome of God 1 Corinth chapter 6 verse 9. The wise Salomon saith He that committeth adultery with a woman destroyeth his owne soule Prou. 6 verses 22 33. and so is accessary to his owne death And in another place he saith He shall finde a wound and dishonour and his reproch shall neuer be put away and shall wee make a sport of it to delight our selues in it We are admonished by the Apostle Paul that our bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost 1 Corinth 6 19. so that seeing God vouchsafeth vs this honor to choose our vile bodyes which are dust and ashes earth and rottennesse to make them Temples and Tabernacles for his holy Spirit to dwell in let vs not turne them into filthy stables and vncleane styes and so driue him from vs who would possesse vs as his mansion and dwelling place Heereby then we vnderstand that wee are not to iudge of whoredome after the common opinion of men which make but a sport and pastime of it as we see how scoffers iest at it and despisers of God make a game of it Such mockers were risen vp long agoe in the dayes of the Apostle of whom he exhorteth vs to beware For hauing said that no whoremonger neyther vncleane person hath any inheritance in the kingdome of God he addeth in the next place Let no man deceiue you with vaine words for for such things commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of disobedience Eph. 5.5 6. And this example of the people of Israel which now wee haue in hand in this Chapter is able to strike a terror and feare into our hearts for euer breaking out into this iniquity The life of man is precious and deare vnto God we are creatures created according to his image he taketh no pleasure in our destruction Now in that hee destroyed such a number of his owne Images and Creatures for this sinne must not this sinne of fornication be great greeuous which kindleth such a fire of his vengeance and indignation that flamed out so farre and could not bee quenched but with the slaughter of so many thousands Thirdly it behoueth euery one according Vse 3 to his place and calling to punish this sinne seuerely that so euill may be taken out of Israel But such as haue a light estimation of this sinne which is the cause of the encrease of it do obiect the example of Christ who hauing a woman brought before him Obiect that was sound committing adultery in the very acte would not condemne her nor pronounce sentence of death vpon her but said vnto her Goe and sinne no more Iohn 8 11. Heere our Sauiour seemeth to free her from the law of Moses Leuit. 20 10. I answere this is Popish Diuinity Answer taught in the dayes of darknesse which cannot beare the tryall of the light For this is to make it not onely a venial sinne but no sinne at all Christ forgaue her freely and denounced no punishment at all against her neither of limb nor life nor chasticement nor other mulct bee inflicted vpon her so that if it doe not proue that the Magistrates should not punish whoredome sharply it proueth as well that he ought not to punish it at all if it ought to receiue no correction we cannot acknowlenge it for any transgression Furthermore the Iewes beeing in subiection vnto the Romanes and constrayned to beare the yoke of forraigne gouernment had the ciuill punishments of death eyther wholly taken from them or at least suspended vpon the will and pleasure of their officers which were sildome vpright often corrupted This is it which the Pharisies confesse in the Gospell For when Pilate willed them to take Christ to iudge him after their owne Law although the malice of their hearts and the cruelty of theyr hands were against him yet they sayde vnto him It is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death Iohn 18 31. Lastly the office of Christ was not to be an earthly Iudge to giue sentence of death but to be a Sauiour to call sinners to repentance Hence it was that hee refused a temporall kingdome when it was offered vnto him Iohn 6 15. and denyed to diuide the inheritance when he was requested as wholly impertinent vnto his calling and therefore he said Man who made me a Iudge or a diuider ouer you Luke 12 14. So then this Obiection being remoued it belongs to all Magistrates to be zealous in punishing this sinne and to sharpen the law against this other sins that bud vp and grow apace among vs lest they ouerthrow good Corne. Yea it appertaineth not onely to Magistrates but generally to all men to bring such offenders to open shame that so they may come to amendment of life The Apostle speaking of vnclean liuers saith If any that is called a brother bee a fornicator or couetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one eate not 1 Cor. 5 5 11 and speaking of an incestuous person he chargeth the Corinthians to put him from among them and to deliuer him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may bee saued in the day of the Lord Iesus Such vncleane liuers should bee swept out of the Church of God and haue the sword of excommunication drawne out against them that so they might learne not to transgresse But so long as wee beare with such persons and foster them in the bosome of the Church as the practise is too common neyther are we their friends neyther are we the friends of the Church neyther indeed are we the friends of almighty God For if we were their friends and loued them aright we would seeke their conuersion and repentance wee would vse the meanes to bring them to a shame of their offences to a sight of their sinnes and vnto a confession of their iniquities And if we were the friends of the Church we would labour to separate the vncleane from the cleane and the infected from the sound knowing that a little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe And if we were the friends of God we would be zealous of his glory and not suffer his Name to be prophaned through the lewde and wicked life of such rotten members For so long as such are harboured in the Church which is the body of
the sinne might be knowne and the men also knowne that do commit it And to what end doth the Apostle Iohn tell vs 1 Iohn 5 ver 16. There is a sinne to death and of seeing our brother sinne vnto death If then it may be seene it may be knowne And hence it is that when the Church saw Iulian the Apostata who had bin enlightned with the truth and bin zealous in the profession of it to despite God openly to lift vp himselfe against his word and to make a mocke of all religion they would haue no more to do with him they accounted him as a diuell and they prayed with one consent against him that God would confound and destroy him They did not pray vnto God for his conuersion and to giue him a new heart but because he could not repent being past amendment they called vpon God to hasten his condemnation that he might shew thereby what account he maketh of his most holie truth Last of all we ought to haue a care to bee Vse 3 helpfull and profitable to the Church and to be zealous in the seruice of God that thereby to the comfort of our selues and our posterity we may carry a sweet remembrance a blessed report in the Church for euer The loue of Mary in annointing Christ with the precious oyle which she powred on his head is promised by Christ to bee remembred for euer in what place of the worlde soeuer the Gospel shold be published Verily I say vnto you whersoeuer this Gospel shal bee preached throughout all the world there shall also this that she hath done be spoken of for a memoriall of her Matth. 26 13. The praise of Iehoiada is recorded in Scripture he dyed an old man and full of dayes they buried him in the City of Dauid with the Kings because hee had done good in Israel and toward God his house 2 Chr. 14 16. This serueth to reprooue such as care not at all what men thinke or speak of them and regard not what name they haue good or bad what report is giuen of them honorable or dishonorable sweet or rotten so they may preuayle in their purposes Cicer. of fâ—ic l 1. and bring to effect their diuellish deuices An heathen man could say It is the part of a retchlesse and dissolute man to neglect what a man sayth of him Salomon teacheth vs that a good name is more to bee desired then great riches and a louing fauour more then siluer and gold Pro. 22 1 Eccles 7 3 This is not attained by flattery or falshood but by godlinesse and righteousnesse by humility and an vpright conscience Riches are fraile and transitory subiect to vanity and corruption but a good name and louing fauour remaine for euer So the Prophet describing the blessednes of the man that feareth the Lord and delighteth in his commandements sayth that he shal neuer be moued but the righteous shal bee had in perpetual remembrance Ps 112.6 A good name is better then a great name And albeit the godly be despised in the world yet God will aduance theyr estimation giue theÌ„ a sweet sauour among all good men True it is sinfull men are magnified of sinners for euen the sinners loue those that loue them Luke 6 32. to receyue the like of them againe yet they shall bee made abhominable vnto the Saints and their name shall bee cursed and as much loathed as the filthy fauour of his carkasse that lyeth rotting in the graue So then seeing shame shall be as an vnseparable companion of wickednesse and no man can separate those things which God hath ioyned together on the other side heere is comfort to the godly that GOD will vndertake the protection of their names so that no creature shall bee able to rob them of it but as he preserueth them to saluation so he will maintayne their credit and estimation Wee see this in many the deare seruants of God who albeit they haue had their names for a time diminished impayred yet they haue beene restored and recouered The name of Naboth was greatly blemished with the slanderous imputation of treason and blasphemy but that momentary shame is swallowed vp and recompensed with euerlasting honour throughout all generations 1 King 21.10 The like wee might say of Cranmer Ridley Latimer Hooper Bradford Philpot and many other the deare seruants of God that gaue their liues for the truth howsoeuer they were condemned for heretikes yet they are renowned for Saints and shall be so acknowledged to the end of the world 16 Againe the Lord spake vnto Moses saying 17 Vexe the Midianites and smite them 18 For they trouble you with their wiles wherewith they haue beguiled you as concerning Peor and as concerning their sister Cosbi the daughter of a Prince of Midian which was slaine in the day of the plague because of Peor We haue hitherto in this chapter handled the transgression of the Israelites and the reconciliation of God Now remayneth the decree and determination of God against the Midianites For after that God had chastened his owne people and iudgement hath begun to breake out against the house of God hee riseth vp in wrath and indignation as a iust Iudge against his enemies Heerein we are to marke two things First the commandement Secondly the reasons or causes of the commandement The commandement and charge directed vnto Moses in this Smite and slay the Midianites Thus doth wickednesse returne vpon the heads of the authors thereof These enemies being drawne into the league to take part with the Moabites had conspired against Israel soght to subdue them not by strength but by sensuality nor by force of warre but by lasciuiousnesse and wantonnesse of women Now the wheele is turned vpon themselues the stone is rolled vpon them that first stirred it and mischiefe falleth vpon the first contriuers Obiect But heere out of this commandement arise two questions fit to be mooued and worthy to be discussed First inasmuch as God euery where forbiddeth reuenging of our owne causes and quarrels why doth hee now permit and prouoke the people of Israel therunto as if they were not by nature prone enough to vengeance I answere Answ there is a double kinde of reuenge one priuate the other publicke Priuate reuenge is that which proceedeth from the priuate motion of our corrupt nature seeking to satisfie our owne malice with the hurt of others This is forbidden by our Sauiour Christ Mathew 5 44 commanding vs to loue our enemies and to ouercome euill with good Publique reuenge is that which is commanded and warranted by God being imposed vpon vs either mediatly by authority of the Magistrate or immediatly by the secret instinct of the Spirit This is allowed and lawfull as we saw before in Phinehas and others inasmuch as it proceedeth not from the corruption of nature but from the inspiration of God For God the iust reuenger of all wickednesse may vse the ministery of
God vpon the people and places where vngodly sinners dwell and causeth him to turne away his face and fauour from them Deuter. 23 9 14. Hos 2 ver 5 9 10. We reade in the Prophesies of Daniel chap. 3 29 that the king made a Decree that euery people nation and language which blasphemed God should be cut in peeces and their houses made a dunghill in the same manner it is with God hee bringeth reproch and maketh infamous not onely the persons that prouoke him by their sinnes but also the places and habitations where they dwell He could haue destroyed the men of Sodome Gomorrha and yet haue spared their Citties and houses and substance but hee destroyed these also to make them more ignominious to all posterity Iude verse 7. This teacheth vs how iust it is with God Vse 1 and how warrantable it is for vs to disgrace and discredite and discountenance the City and Church of Rome that they might bee odious in the eyes and stinke in the nostrils of all good men as a dead carkasse without life and breath For although their faith was once famous through the whole world Rom. 1 8 yet inasmuch as they are fallen from that faith to heresie and from sincerity to hypocrisie wee haue iust cause to hate the same to disgrace it what we can It is iust with GOD that it should be so and lawfull for vs to do so Reu. 18 2. But to cleere themselues of apostacy from the faith Obiect they will tell vs that we cannot tell them from whence their supposed heresies should first proceed who was the author of them and the scatterer of them abroad as wee see in Campians sophisticall and verball challenge he demandeth at what time Rat. 7. quo tempore qua via qua vt c. vnder what Bishop by what steps and proceedings a new religion was spread ouer the church of Rome and the whole world I answer Answ it is not necessary to set downe the minutes and moments of time inasmuch as some alterations are insensible Many errors creepe on secretly and as it were in the darke The euill and enuious man in the Gospel sowed tares among the wheate in the night when no man could see Mat. 13.25 The hayres of our head are not all white at a suddaine and old age doth not creepe vpon vs in a day Take the oldest man that liueth vpon the earth who can tell when he began to be old We know by sundry infallible tokens that he is an olde man but what day or weeke or moneth or yeare when he began to be so who can assigne or determine This is manifest in al things that arise of small beginnings and grow by little and little to a greater quantity vntill they come to perfection If we see a man sicke of the pestilence or a City corrupt in manners with riotousnesse and wickednesse or an house ruinous and ready to fall or a ship in the midst of the sea ready to sinke shall we deny all these to bee because we know not when they first began to bee when that man began to bee infected or the City to bee corrupted or in what yeare the house began to be ruinous or in what day the ship began to leake We know not how and when weeds and thornes and thistles first tooke roote vnder the ground but whē once they are sprung vp and growne aloft wee see them we discerne them wee feele them wee plucke thē vp So the alterations of the church of Rome are as a mystery The mystery of iniquity 2 Thess 2 ver 7 and albeit we could not shew the beginning of them yet that such desolations and ruines of the ancient building are among them that they vtterly lay waste the foundatiō we proue by the word of God in the old and new Testament This is the triall of all errors and heresies And because the doctrines that they embrace and the religion that they professe are not agreeable to these ancient monuments and records which are as the Meteyard or the Standard to try all measures wee therefore say and conclude they are errors and wee wrong them not at all though wee bee not able to produce the first broachers and beginners of them all This is enough for vs we finde by the word of God that they are heresies and therefore iustly chalenge them and complain that Bethel is become Beth-auen and the Church of God become the Synagogue of Satan Hos 4 verse 15. How many heresies haue sprung vp in the Church like darnell in the fielde among the Corne noted by Epiphanius Austine and others of the learned and ancient of whom neither we nor they know the first authors The Scribes and Pharisies taught many things against the Law or else Christ would not haue reproued their false glosses Math. 5 neyther willed his Disciples to beware of the leauen of the Pharisies and of the Sadduces Mat. 16 6 that is of the doctrine of the Parisies and of the Sadduces verse 12 yet the circumstance of time when these corruptions crept in and the persons that deuised them are altogether vnknowne and who is able to tell vs In the primitiue Church there were a kinde of heretiques called Acephali because no man was found to be their head and master Alphons haer l. 4 The like we might say of many other heresies of which if any should aske as Campian doth In what age vnder what Pope vpon what occasion by whose compulsiō by whose power it came to passe I doubt the best answer would be silence Wherefore it is not necessary to produce the precise time and tokens of euery change because the alteration was not made at an instant or all at once as when a land is inuaded by a forreigne enemy that turneth all things vpside downe but it entred slily and slowly into the Church as a worme that gnaweth the roote of the tree by little and little to omit that wee in these last dayes want the histories and records of many things done before vs and the Romane tyranny hath suppressed or corrupted a part of them that are left vs. The Probleme is not vnknowne which the Greekes so curiously debated Plutark touching the Argos wherein Iason sayled for the golden fleece which at his returne and comming home was layde vp and reserued in the Road for a great and worthy monument This ship decaying by little and little for what is it that time doth not consume as a moth and eat as a canker they alwayes peeced and repayred where it began to weare away till in the ende the whole substance of the old vessell or bottome wherein Iason sayled and made his voyage and aduenture was vtterly wasted and nothing remaining of it but onely the later reparations successiuely made in the roome of the other Now the question was A probleme of the Argos wherein Iason sayled whether this were the ship wherein Iason sayled
determined by Polycarp and Victor that euery one should follow their owne custome and iudgement and that it is a very foolish and absurd thing for such rites to separate one from another as enemies Euethes ethôn heneken allêlôn charizesthai Sozom histor lib. 7. cap. 19. Now that which is left free at liberty for either side to follow cannot bee holden necessary but to keepe the Passeouer on this day or that day is left free and at liberty for either side therefore it is not necessarie vnto saluation So then nothing is more vncertaine then Tradition for both parts pretended the Apostles and Apostolike Traditions but both of them could not be true nay Socrates taxeth them both of errors affirming that this sprang not of Tradition but of Custome And if either the one opinion or the other had any good foundation from the Apostles it might be that in the beginning and first planting of the Gospel to beare with the infirmity of others they obserued certayne dayes and times which afterward was obserued and vrged as a precept liberty being abolished and that which was retained of charity was turned into a law of necessity Again ther is no cause or reason at all why any churches or persons should contend to haue the Passeouer receiued much lesse so bitingly bitterly For Socrates speaketh well and truly that the Apostles ordained nothing of holy or festiuall daies and sheweth at large the vanity of those that striue to no purpose about it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socrat. lib. 5. cap. 22. Forasmuch as the Passouer was a type and ceremony but types and ceremonies were abolished So then it was superstitiously done of such as beare the names of Christian Churches to bring in a feast of Passeouer vnder pretence that the Iewes had the same for that were to compell the Gentiles to liue as do the Iewes which Paul reproued in Peter Gal. 2 14 But these Traditions got authority in the church by little and little I haue spoken this not that it is vnlawfull to haue one day in the yeare wherein to celebrate the remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord Iesus Christ for that were to run into extremities whereas our infirmity is allowed to haue some helpes to quicken our faith that wee might the better bethinke vs all our life what benefit the resurrection of our Lord hath brought vnto vs neuerthelesse this is established onely for order sake But to vrge this strictly of necessitie or to make a seruice of God thereof or to think that we ought to fashion our selues after the example of the Iewes to wit that as they had their Passeouer so ought wee to haue ours in these dayes were to turne all things vpside downe and to put a veile before the face of Christ that we might not see the light of the Gospel shining vpon vs. Vse 3 Lastly this Passeouer was celebrated with many circumstances whereof some were obserued onely at the first Passeouer while they were in Egypt as the preparing of the paschal Lambe and keeping it apart from the rest of the flock from the 10 day to the 14. the sprinkling of the blood vpon the doore postes the eating of it in haste and the killing of it within their owne houses but afterwardes it was done in the publike place of Gods worship Deut. 16 5 6 7 for which purpose Ierusalem was afterward chosen where it was killed by the Priestes and flayed in the Court of the Temple and the blood sprinkled on the Altar 2 Chron. 35 1 2 6 10 11 then the owner of the Lambe tooke it at the Priests hands brought it to his owne house and roasted it All these things aymed at the shedding of Christs blood and the sprinkling that is the applying of it to the hearts of all true beleeuers Ezek. 45 19. 1 Pet. 1.2 Heb. 9 13 14. As when the Law was commanded to bee written vpon their doore posts it pointed out the writing of it into their hearts as it is expounded by the Prophet Ier. 31 31. Hebr. 8 10. And whereas they were to sprinkle the vpper doore postes not the threshold or the floore vnder their feete it did put them and vs in minde what recouerent account and estimation wee ought to haue of the blood of Christ that wee should not treade vnder our feete the Sonne of God neither account the blood of the couenant wherewith we haue beene sanctified as an vnholy thing Heb 10 29. Some points were to be obserued at all times whensoeuer and wheresoeuer they killed and kept the Passeouer and consumed it with fire they must eat it with vnleauened cakes for all leauen must be cast out of their houses to this they ioyned bitter herbes The roasting of it with fire was a figure both of Gods Spirit Math. 3 11. Through which Christ offered himselfe to God Heb. 9 14 also of Gods fiery wrath which he was to suffer whilst hee was made a curse for vs by his death vpon the crosse Gal. 3 15 Ier. 4 4. The vnleauened loaues signifie that none can be partakers of any benefit by Christ but such as cast out the leauen of maliciousnesse and wickednesse out of their hearts 1 Cor. 5 8. This belongeth to euery one to eat the vnleauened cakes or loaues of sincerity truth of which before chap. 9. The soure or bitter herbes which are thought by the Hebrew Rabbines to bee wild Lettuce Cichory Hore-hound Maimon treat of leauen cap. 7. and such like and were eaten with the Lamb brought to their remembrance the affliction in Egypt where their liues had beene bitter Exod. 1 14 yea more bitter then gall or wormewood where the Egyptians made their liues bitter with hard bondage in mortar and in bricke and in all manner of seruice in the fielde and heereunto the Church seemeth to allude Lament 3 15 and all these were as types of the bitter sorrowes of Christ to whom they offered gall to drinke as also of our mortification and afflictions with him For we must bee made like vnto him 1 Cor. 5 7. 11.26 Phil. 3 10. Also in the day of the first fruits when ye bring a new meate offering vnto the Lord after your weekes be out ye shall haue an holy conuocation ye shall do no seruile worke 27 But ye shal offer the burnt offering for a sweet sauour c. 28 And their meat Offering of fine Flower c. 29 A seuerall tenth deale vnto one Lambe c. 30 And one Kid c. 31 Ye shall offer them besides the continual burnt Offering c. Heere is handled the feast of Pentecost or of Weekes which was kept yeerely amongst the Iewes The feast of the first fruits of wheat haruest to giue God thankes after the gathering of their haruest This was a meane to put them in minde to honor God for sending his benefits to the sustenance of man Leu. 23 17. Deut. 16 9 10. It
disciples that he must go to Ierusalem and suffer many things of the Elders and chiefe Priests and Scribes be killed and bee raised againe the third day he tooke him aside and began to rebuke him saying Be it farre from thee Lord this shall not be vnto thee the Lord Iesus turned about and said vnto him Get thee behinde mee Satan thou art an offence vnto me for shou sauourest not the things that be of God but those that be of men Mat. 16 23 where by we are taught that such as are an offence to others are no better then the instruments of Satan therefore iustly beare his name Vse 1 The vses follow First this setteth downe the vnlawfull condition of such as hinder others in the profession and labour to make them fall from God Thus did the diuels as we heard before they threw downe our first parents from the hight of their happinesse therefore are reserued in chaines vnto iudgement 2 Pet. 2 4. In the Law hee is accursed that layeth a stumbling block before the blind to cause him to wander out of the way and all the people shall say Amen Deut. 27 18 hee therefore that seeketh to subuert and supplant the faith of men and to destroy the soule must needes be vnder a farre greater curse of God and man The soules of such as perish through their procuring shall cry out against them and bring downe an heauy iudgment vpon them Hence it is that Christ our Sauiour saith Who so shall offend one of these little ones which beleeue in me it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his necke and that hee were drowned in the depth of the sea woe vnto the world because of offences it must needes be that offences come but woe to that man by whom offences come Math. 18 6 7 we see therefore the wretched estate and condition of all those that giue offence to others They are guilty of horrible sins against God and against their brethren O that they had eyes to see them and hearts to bewaile them Euery man is prone through the corruption of his nature to fall from God but much more when occasions are laid before them for two are stronger then one and if we haue alwayes one foot ready to slip we are in more danger of falling when wee are pushed forward Let all such consider as haue caused others to fall that the time will come when it will be required at their hands These do hunt for the precious life of a man they are soule-hunters and soule-killers and destroyers and murther those for whom Christ died These are the chiefe causes of the coldnes and backwardnesse of Religion and that so few professe it in sincerity Our Sauiour pronounceth an heauy woe against them that neither entred into the kingdome themselues neither suffred others to enter but hindred them Luke 11 52. This woe lieth vpon the shoulders of all those that stop the way of others that they cannot enter into it Vse 2 Secondly thinke it not strange when wee haue this measure offered vnto vs and when men whisper vs in the eare to take heed we be not too forward or precise and that thereby we shall lay our selues open to the reproches of the world if sinners thus entice vs hearken not vnto them It hath beene an old practice to discourage and discountenance others from obeying God It is bitter to heare and beare the railings and reuilings of carnall men and many start aside from the truth by such taunts And if these reproches proceeded onely from open enemies they might be borne more easily but it pleaseth God many times to try the faith and to proue the patience of his faithfull seruants farther and they receiue much discouragemēt from their acquaintance from their friends with whom they tooke sweete counsell together and walked with them into the house of God Iob receiued much disgrace by his owne wife that lay in his bosome as also by his three friends that were as his owne soule and came to visite and to comfort him but miserable comforters were they all as himself complaineth chapt 16 2 and chapt 19 2 3 How long will ye vexe my soule and breake mee in pieces with words these ten times haue yee reproched me c. Was not this thinke you a great tentation and assault to the faith of this righteous man to bee thus taunted and tormented by his deare friends and by his dearest wife was hee not flesh and blood as well as others to haue an inward feeling of these sorrows to drinke vp the very lees of this bitter cup was he as brasse and iron or had he a body of steele that these afflictions could not pierce him or enter into him No doubtlesse for then his patience could not bee commended vnto vs and set before vs for an example Iam. 5 11. If then it go so with vs we haue the Prophets and holy men of God for an example of suffering affliction that haue gone before vs. The Church complaineth in Salomons Song that the watchmen that went about the city found her they smote her the keepers of the walles tooke away her vaile from her Cant. 5.7 They that should bee her guard turned to bee her griefe and they that watched for her wounded her The people that professe the truth in sincerity looke to haue all encouragement from their Ministers in weldoing yet oftentimes it falleth out as with the Church before that such worke them al the disgrace they can and seeke to put them to shame that should bee their glory Phil. 4 1 and vexe them with the crosse that ought o tbe their crowne and discomfort them that indeed might be their ioy and their comfort Paul complaineth oftentimes of the Iewes and of false brethren by whom he receiued greater hurt then euer hee did at the hands of the Gentiles Tit. 1 10 11. 2 Cor. 11 26. Sometimes children haue hard measure offered vnto them by their fathers and mothers whose reioycing it should be to see their children prosper in good things yet oftentimes it falleth out they are scoffed at by them and this falleth out not onely in the bloody dayes of persecution when parents haue betrayed their owne children the fruit of their bodies into the hands of cruell persecutors but likewise in the times of peace and prosperity and the generall and publike profession of the Gospel when we seem all to embrace one faith and one Religion yet if their sonnes and daughters be zealous in the truth they mock taunt them for their precisenes and grieue the bowels of those that are and should be theyr owne bowels not onely by nature but in loue and affection And therefore Christ teacheth such children Math. 10 34 35 36. I came not to send peace vpon earth but a sword and to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter c. And a mans foes shall be they
two points First The contents of this chapt the seuerall mansions and stations where the Israelites rested and stayed Secondly a law and commandement how they should behaue themselues toward the Canaanites and how their land should be diuided among thē Touching the first that is theyr iournies in the Wildernesse it is set downe generally v. 1 and 2. and then particularly how God led them from place to place first he noteth the place from whence they went till they came to the red sea afterward notwithstanding theyr often infirmities and fallings from God he brought them in despite of their enemies and all opposition of flesh and blood to the borders of the Land which many of the faithfull before them desired to see but did not see it onely they beleeued the promise in theyr heart The people of God had long bene deteyned in slauery and bondage now GOD brought them forth with a mighty hand and an out-stretched arme killing all the first born of Egypt and destroying their Idols in which they trusted whereupon the Egyptians were striken with such a sudden astonishment and amazement that they were not able to resist and withstand the Israelites but were compelled to open them a free passage to depart Thus thē they went out early in the morning hauing eaten the Paschall Lambe the euening before they had liued many yeares in great heauinesse and endured many tentations in the Land of Egypt but they go out thence with their young and with their olde with their sonnes and with their daughters with their flocks and with their heards in great ioy much comfort of heart so that they might say with the Prophet Psal 126 1 2. When the Lord turned againe the captiuity of Sion wee were like them that dreame then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing then saide they among the heathen The Lord hath done great things for them the Lord hath done great things for vs whereof we are glad Thus doth the Lord turne the ioy of the wicked into heauinesse and contrariwise the heauinesse of his children into ioyfulnesse This teacheth vs Doctrine The Church is preserued from all dangers and deliuered from bondage that God preserueth his Church in the midst of dangers when it wanteth humane defence and protection and deliuereth it out of bondage and slauery wherein it is holden Exod. 12 22. Ezek. 9 6. True it is God doth many times giue ouer his people to serue hard masters and to suffer many calamities for a time yet in the end he deliuereth them when they call vpon him Ier. 25 11 12. Mic. 2 10. This truth standeth vpon good grounds Reason 1 For first when he deliuereth them into the enemies hands he doth it to correct them and not to corrupt them to bring them the neerer vnto him not to cast them farther off from him wherby it appeareth that he hath a purpose and meaning to redeeme them and to bring them out of their hands Secondly God will neuer cast off his people he loueth them with an vnchangeable loue and therefore will accept them and receiue them vpon their repentance and humiliation He hath a speciall feeling of their miseries and therfore he will giue them deliuerance Thirdly God will magnifie his owne mercy and power toward his people by giuing them deliuerance It would haue beene a great dishonour to the great Name of God if he had suffered the Egyptians to hold their rodde euermore ouer the Israelites and the loynes of his people to be clasped and compassed therewith therfore to shew his mercy and power toward them to magnifie his owne honour he sent them deliuerance and brought them out of that horrible seruitude and captiuity Vse 1 This gracious dealing of God admonisheth the enemies of God into whose hands hee hath for a time deliuered his people to bee Lords ouer them not too much to tyrannize and triumph ouer them because howsoeuer God suffer them to bee vnder their power for a while that they lift vp their hands against them and trample them vnder their feete yet the Lord will not forget eyther to bee iust or mercifull he will take them out of the snare of the hunter and the more they haue insulted ouer them in the pride of their harts the greater shall be their deliuerance yea their deliuerance shall bee the cause of the destruction of these enemies Thus did Moses speake to the Israelites These Egiptians which yee haue seene ye shall neuer see them againe any more for euer Exod. 14 13. So then we may conclude the wofull and wretched condition of all the Churches enemies because albeit they seeme for a time to be as it were Lords of the earth and to haue power in themselues to doe what pleaseth them yet their turne shal be the next and their destruction sleepeth not For when the Israelites were deliuered out of the hands of the Egyptians that were cruell masters ouer them it was not onely the cause of their shame but of their destruction also as appeareth in the death of all the first borne and in that hee drowned Pharaoh and his host in the red sea so that these things being duely considered the wicked haue no cause at all to triumph and insult ouer the children of GOD when they haue gotten them in subection vnder them Secondly this teacheth euery soule that Vse 2 belongeth to God if he fall into this captiuity and estate to be ruled by cruell Lords that they should suffer it with all patience this is but for a while Heauines may abide at euening but ioy cometh in the morning Psal 30 for God will surely deliuer them What though the bondage bee sharpe and bitter yet this must be their comfort they shall haue deliuerance out of all and ought to nourish such hope in them that although they see no meanes of deliuerance yet they must looke vp to God and waite his leysure and in the ende they are sure of an happy yssue Exod. 3 9. God neuer afflicteth vs without iust cause and therefore we should looke vpon our selues and search our owne hearts and labour to beare patiently our afflictions whatsoeuer they be whether they come before or after repentance For doubtles whosoeuer shal search his owne wayes shal not onely finde that God hath bin iust in punishing his sinnes but that hee hath also bene mercifull in not laying greater iudgments vpon him as iustly he might haue done and therefore hee ought not to murmure against him but patiently to beare his hand knowing that the greatest punishments that almighty God inflicteth vpon vs are nothing so great as those which wee haue deserued at his hands Thirdly we ought all to labour to be members Vse 3 of the true Church that so these priuiledges may belong vnto vs. It is a very great honour to liue vnder Gods protection and to abide vnder the shadow of the Almighty If we be deliuered at any time
dayes of the Gospel to entertain and giue way vnto them may be a great question Whether Sanctuaries priuiledged places may be allowed among Christians Peter Martyr disputing this point whether they are to be retained or abolished deliuereth his opinion that because the law of God allowed them the customes of nations approued them and for that there may bee at some times iust cause of them therefore they may haue place among Christians so that certaine conditions be obserued First that neyther publike nor priuate wealth bee any way hurt or damnified Secondly that vices bee not nourished and fostered by hope of pardon or escaping without punishment Lastly prouision must be made that they should not stand open to all sorts of offenders but onely be granted to certaine persons as when a man at vnawares hath killed another and feareth the auenger or is oppressed and ouer-burthened with debt without his owne fault feareth the creditor Neuerthelesse it seemeth to me that these reasons carry more shew then substance and perswade rather by the number then by their waight For to allow such Sanctuaries and yet to limit them with these cautions seemeth to mee all one as if one should deliuer a knife into the hands of a childe and then appoint three or foure keepers and ouerseers to attend vpon him to take care that hee doe no hurt to himselfe or to others whereas the knife might more safely be taken away and the labour of the men better employed And as for the two particular instances that this learned man giueth in case of man-slaughter and debt there are Courts of iustice and conscience to try euerie mans cause and to mittigate the rigour of such as are mercilesse and therefore howsoeuer wee haue had Sanctuaries and other priuiledged places among vs as appeareth in our Chronicles in the late reigne of Edward the fourth Edward the fift the memory whereof yet remaineth which peraduenture may yet bee in force yet through disuse and discontinuance of them it may appeare that the euil was iudged to be greater then the good that came by them And if some inconuenience in some one case might fall out through want of them it were better to beare that inconuenience by missing of them then to admit a mischeefe or rather an heape of mischeefe by retayning of them But howsoeuer it may bee iudged in some certaine cases a matter of charity to allow to some persons the Sanctuary to saue themselues from such cormorants as would neuer be satisfied but by the body and blood of the poore debter yet because vnder colour and pretence of this protection infinite enormities would arise vnto the detriment of the Commonwealth and that the former supposed causes may bee better remedied by other meanes no way hurtfull or preiudiciall at all to any it were much better quite to dissolue them then to retaine them For grant once this priuiledge and immunity to such as are growne to decay by ineuitable losses you shall haue others in time claime that benefite yea and perhaps sooner receyue it that are gone to decay by their owne negligence and vnthriftinesse And if it were needefull or expedient in case of debt to allow the Sanctuary no doubt the Lord himself setting vp these Sanctuaries would haue extended the liberty to such persons to flye vnto them whereas among the people of God none were allowed to haue refuge vnto them but such as were pursued by the auenger of blood And if there were no other reason to abolish them it were sufficient to see the horrible abuses of them in the Papacy where murtherers and traytors and varlets and a rabble of all sorts of cut-throats as we shall see afterward are protected and allowed to be protected contrarie to the expresse commandement of God Exodus 21 14. If a man come presumptuously vpon his neighbour and slay him with guile the thou shalt take him from the Altar that he may dy And we see the practise of it in Salomon 1 Kings 2 31 for when Ioab a wilfull murtherer that slew two men more righteous and better then him selfe and shed innocent blood in the time of peace fled into the Tabernacle of the Lord and caught hold vpon the Altar he commanded him to be slaine in that place But to return to the former point Popish Sanctuaries vnlawful whether this be inconuenient or not this is most certaine that no states do so much offend by denying of them as the Romanists do by admitting of them whereby it commeth to passe that Churches and Monasteries are turned into dens of theeues It is noted that Innocentius the third wrote to the king of Scottes that then was That no man should be taken by violence out of the church albeit he had committed very heynous offences Howbeit lest they should seeme to let open a window and to set loose the reynes vnto all sorts of wickednes they haue excepted some certaine cases Decret de Immvnit eccles First they will not defend common theeues and robbers which do stand by the high-way side to set vppon such as passe by whether it be by day or night neither yet those that offend greeuously in the Church or Churchyard in hope there to bee priuiledged because such ought not to bee protected by the Church which sin heynously against the Church Decreâ— 36 9. Can. de Rapto As for other wickednesse and most lewd and loose villanies as the murthering of men the rauishing of Virgins adulteries and such like practises they defend them as appeareth in the Decrees And they offer this immunity and impunity not only to Christians but to the Iewes and heathen people yea to excommunicate persons and to heretickes prouided that the heretickes come into danger for other crimes whereas if it be for heresie they are denyed the benefit of the Sanctuary Neyther is this liberty granted to the Church onely Decret 17 9 4 câ—â— id constitutionis but to the Byshops palace albeit it be not ioyned vnto the Church As great a priuiledge likewise they grant to their breaden-god and great reason why so often as it is carryed about in pompe and procession or vnto the sicke for if in such case any man ioyne himselfe to the Priest he hath a safegard and Sanctuary Many such like enormities are committed and passe as currant among them and so much wickednesse goeth vnpunished whereby God is offended the Church is polluted and the Land it selfe is vtterly defiled and yet such places of speciall priuiledge and protection are retayned and defended Command vnto the children of Israel that they giue vnto the Leuites c. Heere we see what great allowance God gaue to those that ministred at the Altar and did the seruice of the Tabernacle And albeit the Leuiticall Priesthood and all that ministration bee now abolished yet because God to the end of the world gathereth vnto himselfe a Church by the Ministery of the most holy
soules vnto God The Apostle hauing declared that he would not be negligent to put them in remembrance of the same things and that he thinketh it very meete to do so addeth this as a reason motiue to moue him which also ought to encourage vs Knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle 2 Pet. 1 14 1â— euen as our Lord Iesus Christ hath shewed me Moreouer I will endeuour that you may be able after my decease to haue these things alwayes in remembrance And then indeed wee haue done our duty when wee haue taught the truth in this manner to our people not onely once and away as it were glancing at it but continually dwelling vpon it teaching them line vpon line and precept vpon precept like masters that teach young schollers to reade that must not content themselues once to tell them but must oftentimes put the same things into their mouthes and mindes or else they forget them straight-waies Let vs now make application of the Doctrine which is the life of instruction forasmuch Vse 1 as teaching without applying is as the body without the soule First of all we learne hereby that the perpetuity standing course of teaching is most needfull and necessary in euery Congregation It is the Ministers duty to sowe and to continue sowing to weed and to continue weeding to teach and to continue teaching to conuert and to continue conuerting to conuince and to continue conuincing to instruct and to continue instructing For as wee haue alwaies neede of meate and that as we eate so we must continue eating or else wee famish and perish so the Minister must feed and weed and watch ouer his people and abide continually in it without ceasing and intermission This is it the Apostle teacheth Timothy 1 Tim. chap. 4 verse 16. Take heed to thy selfe and vnto the doctrine continue therein for in doing this thou shalt saue both thy selfe and them that heare thee So then it is not enough to take heede vnto himselfe and his doctrine to liue well and to teach well but hee must continue in them both and not giue ouer It was well saide of the heathen man â—2 de It is no lesse vertue to keepe then to get to preserue then to obtaine Many know how to get but they know not the art how to saue that which they haue gotten and therefore it passeth away suddenly as grease that melteth before the Sunne If the husbandman should onely plant and neuer water he might looke for no fruite to come of his labour It is not enough for the watchman to haue discouered the enemy once or twice vnlesse hee descry him so ofter as hee maketh an approch so it can be no discharge to the spirituall watchman of soules to haue giuen warning by blowing the Trumpet vnlesse he doe it during the whole time of the warre which is perpetuall and continuall We can take no truce nor make no league with our spirituall enemies Our aduersary the diuell goeth about continually 〈◊〉 8. seeking whom he may deuoure Hence it is that Christ requireth of Peter not onely to feede but to feede againe and againe â—1 15. Feede feede feede according to the charge committed vnto him and Paul would haue Timothy be instant in season and out of season â—4 2. so that there is required diligence faithfulnesse painefulnesse and continuance in teaching It is worthy to bee well considered which the Lord saith in the Prophet Esay ch 62 6. I haue set watchmen vpon thy walles O Ierusalem which shall neuer hold their peace day nor night Wee know not at what time the Lord will call effectually and touch the harts of those that we teach He must first feed with milke before he giue them strong meate for euery one that vseth milke is vnskilful in the word of righteousnesse inasmuch as hee is a babe but strong meate belongeth to them that are of ful age euen those who by reason of vse haue their senses exercised to discerne both good and euill Hebr. 5 13 14. It is the Ministers duty to ring the alarme bell continually he hath some work alwaies to do to strengthen fortifie to comfort and raise vp to exhort and admonish to heale the sicke to bring home them that wander to encourage the weak to establish them that are strong and to answer doubts that arise among his people If it were possible to teach all truth particularly that is required of a Christian man yet we haue not then time to be idle and sit downe at our ease but euen then we must goe ouer the points againe that our people that haue learned them may learn them againe and if they know them they may yet know them better if they remember them that they may remember them better if they practise them that they may practise them better and better Yea if we be growne old in learning we must learne still for wee must liue and dye learning something Euery one both Minister people must be a scholler in the Schoole of Christ Timothy himselfe must giue attendance to reading â—m 4 13. to exhortation and to doctrine all men must stirre vp the giftes that are giuen vnto them 2 Tim. 1 6. which will soone decay without vse and diligence as the fire will goe out except the coales bee kindled and more wood added When Christ had distributed his talents among his seruants he said Occupie till I come Albeit then by the Ministry of the word we haue receiued to beleeue Luke 19 13. yet this must not abate our diligence in hearing but we ought as carefully to seeke the foode of our soules afterward as before forasmuch as without continuance of attendance to this ordinance it is vnpossible that any should be saued God not suffering the means of saluation appointed by him to bee neglected or contemned Secondly this reproueth sundry abuses Vse 2 both in the Ministers and in the people as first of all the nicenesse of many Teachers who because they would be singular and popular gaining to themselues many followers and seeking the praise of men more then the glory of God labour to bring new doctrines into the Church neuer heard off before not proportionable to the ancient faith of the Prophets and Apostles but of a new coyne and stampe These cannot abide to be beating vpon old points they thinke it a discredite and disgrace vnto them to treade in the beaten path troden by others that went before them they must euer bee seeking of vnknowne and vncouth waies this is their delight and in this they glory This hath bene the poisoned and pestilent humor of heretikes and of false teachers to draw away the minds of the simple and vnlearned from the ancient truth receiued from the Scriptures and to turne them out of the right course followed by all the faithfull Such were those false Apostles that troubled the faith of the Galatians and brought
into that Church another Gospel euen a new Gospel Gal. 1 6. Such are they in these daies that hammer cockle and darnell vpon the anuill of their owne braines broaching strange positions long since buried raking them out of the graues or ashes of Pelagians and other forlorne heretikes These glory in their owne wits and account themselues happy that they can maintaine new assertions trouble the peace of the Church with them Secondly they are reprooued that scorne to take this course which Christ and his Apostles tooke to deliuer precept vpon precept heere a little and there a little They thinke it no way agreeable to their learning and high places to insist vpon one thing and to beate vpon the same matter who are like vnto a master that is greedy to teach his scholler faster then he can learne But hauing taken vpon vs the charge of soules wee must submit our selues to the slowe and slender capacities of the people and make it our chiefe end to profite theÌ„ And touching the people themselues it brandeth those with a note of fickle and itching eared hearers that loathing the olde wholesome doctrine of saluation turne their eares from the ancient truth and being like the Athenians mentioned in the Acts Acts 17 21. doe hunt after nouelties and onely doe like new doctrines new teachers new matters that they neuer heard off before lusting after change of diet like to their wicked fore-fathers that loathed the heauenly Manna wherof they had often tasted as a light meat they must haue variety and be fed with quailes to fill their delicate and dainty stomackes There is little hope to do any great good vpoÌ„ these nice and new fangled hearers that are ouergone and ouergrowne with a dangerous disease Of such the Apostle hath foretold 2 Tim. 4 3 4. The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their owne lusts shall they heape to themselues Teachers hauing itching eares and they shall turne away their eares from the truth shall be turned vnto fables Such were some of the Galatians who were bewitched by false teachers that they should not obey the truth before whose eyes Iesus Christ had bin euidently set forth and crucified among them Gal. 3 1. Many such are in our daies in towne and city that surfet through plenty and wax wanton through abundance of Gods blessings Were not he an vnwise man that would leaue his old Physition to whom he hath bin long accustomed and who knoweth by long experience the state of his body and foolishly long after others that neither hee knoweth them nor they know him So is it exceeding folly to loathe the knowne Physition of thy soule that knoweth the state and condition of thy soule and consequently is most likely to do thee most good and to haunt after new teachers that may feede thee with winde in stead of sound and wholesome nourishment or at least though he teach soundly yet cannot speake so powerfully and apply his word so profitably and know thy necessity so fitly as thine ordinary teacher that hath the ouersight and charge of thy soule Vse 3 Lastly this admonisheth all hearers to bee content to be ordered in this manner and not to thinke amisse of their Ministers for deliuering vnto them knowne truthes which they haue read and heard learned and known long before For it is the old commandement the common and ancient faith which they must teach and teach againe which are the true Pastors He that bringeth in another Gospel then that which hath beene already receiued if it were an Angel from heauen let him be accursed Gal. 1 8. Wherefore whosoeuer findeth fault with them for these repetitions reprooueth Christ himselfe and checketh the holy ordinance of God These are they that while they would be thought wise become fooles they will take a course by themselues set Christ and his Apostles to schoole to learne as if the blinde should teach them that can see to hit the marke For if wee will consider the matter and iudge it aright the truth is more fit to be remembred and recommended to theÌ„ that do already know it then to those that are ignorant of it This is the duty whereunto Iohn doth prepare his hearers in his first Epistle 1 Iohn â— 21. chapt 2. Brethren I write no new commandement vnto you but an old commandement which ye haue heard from the beginning I write vnto you babes because ye haue knowne the Father I write vnto you fathers because yee haue knowne him that is from the beginning I haue not written vnto you because ye know not the truth c. We that are in the number of Gods people must learne to know our owne good and heare greedily diligently the same things which we haue heard and learned as they that haue eaten hungerly of one dish of meate to day come to it without any loathing the next day againe But some will say Obiectiâ—â— what neede haue we to heare the same things as coleworts twice sodden especially considering there is such variety and diuersity of matter for the Minister to insist vpon I answer Answer there are many causes to beare out this practise as wee noted before For who knoweth any thing as hee ought to know And who practiseth any duty as he ought to practise Who hateth any vice so fully and perfectly as he ought to hate it or is so armed and strengthned against the assaults and temptations thereof as is required Who is so fenced against errors and heresies but he may daily fortifie himselfe better and scoure vp his rusty armour Or who remembreth any thing so well as hee should and is not prone to forget what he hath once knowne and learned It may be we haue receiued to beleeue and obtaine Christ to repent and fight against sinne howbeit our knowledge our faith our obedience are imperfect our combates with Satan are mingled with much weaknesse and oftentimes wee are constrained to take the foile so that it is necessary that we should bee continually put in remembrance of these things The Apostle writeth to the Philippians Phil 3 1. that it greeued him not to write the same things there is more cause to speak the same things then to write them because the things spoken passe away and are soone forgotten whereas the things written remaine and continue Where are they then and how great is their ignorance shall I say or folly that when they heare one doctrine twice or peraduenture thrice doe repine and disdaine at it and thinke it not worthy to bee spoken and commended vnto them againe or themselues too worthy to heare of it againe but if it fall out to bee deliuered the second time by a meaner Minister then it was before inferiour in degrees or weaker in gifts then they abhorre it so much the more and cry out aloud that they are shamefully abused They reply Can he say
held in the number of them but are as rotten members to be cut and pulled from the body The heathen had no communion with the Iewes nor the Iewes with them in matters of religion The Publicanes were men giuen ouer to couetousnesse vnrighteousnes Excommunicate persons are infamous extortion oppression and to all kinde of iniquity If a man should meete them and tell they are as the Pagans and Paynims or call them Publicanes sinners they would scarse endure it they would be at defiance with him they would think they had wrong offered vnto them Neuerthelesse we heare and cannot be ignorant what Christ hath pronounced with his owne mouth shall he say that if these cannot be gained neyther by the priuate admonition of the brethren nor by the publike warning of the Church Let him be vnto thee as an heathen man and a Publicane and shall wee be afraid to speake as he speaketh to cal them as he calleth and to name them as he nameth them These are as true as fit names for thē as that which they receiued at their baptisme If they be ashamed of the names let them also be ashamed of their sins and if they scorne to be branded and vp braided with them let them consider the cause which maketh them to deserue them Wherefore all excommunicate persons are infamous and of euill note Euery man must thinke of them and speake vnto them as they deserue that they seeing how others are ashamed of them may learne at last to be ashamed of themselues Fiftly the Apostle teacheth that such are to bee deliuered ouer to the power of the diuell that they may bee knowne not to bee the members of Christ but limbes of Satan neither to be heires of heauen but inheritors of hell not vnder the protection of GOD but in the power of the Prince of darknesse forasmuch as such as contemne the admonition and reprehension of the Church haue lost the communion of Saints and are become the bondslaues of the diuell This we see very plainely 1 Cor. 5 3 4 5. For I verily as absent in body but present in spirit haue iudged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed In the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Iesus Christ To deliuer such a one vnto Satan for the destruction of the flesh c. So was Hymeneus and Alexander deliuered vnto Satan 1 Tim. 1 20. that is cast out of the Church of Christ The reason of this manner of speaking is this because Christ is the head of the Church and promiseth that he will bee our King and maintaine vs by his power Wherefore whensoeuer we are cut from the Church and haue Christ no more to bee our head needs must we be laide open and naked as a prey to the tyranny of Satan For Christ reigneth among his own he keepeth his sheep in his fold such as wander from it are left to be deuoured of the wolues Hee speaketh of two persons whom he singleth out for examples sake We are not so moued with iudgements as we ought to be and therfore it is requisite that we haue some men set before our eies that we may consider better of our selues and learne to walke in feare before him and carefully to take heed to our waies And if by this separation from the Church and deliuerance to Satan they be not reformed yet it shall shut their mouthes and bridle their tongues from speaking euill against God and his truth and preserue the Church in purity and verity For to this end he setteth a note of infamy vpon them and brandeth them with a marke in the forehead as we see malefactors burned in the hand that they might no longer be of any eredite either to hinder the saluation of the godly or to draw the weake to destruction If any man had the question asked of them whether they would willingly be deliuered ouer to Satan to haue him their Lord to rule them their Prince to leade them their God to haue the whole gouernement of them they would shake and tremble at the thought of it For who would openly professe himselfe to bee the seruant of such a master the bondslaue of such a tyrant Notwithstanding this refusall and deniall in words all excommunicate persons must know that while they remaine out of the Church as filth cleansed out of the streete or as dung swept out of the house they are committed to the custody of Satan as prisoners to a Iaylor who will keepe them safe and sure if possibly hee can For who reigneth out of the Church but the diuell The world is his kingdome and their hearts are his throne where he sitteth as in a principality These men so long as they continue thus separated cannot be saued forasmuch as out of the Church there is no saluation but a fearefull looking for of iudgment and fiery indignation which shall deuoure the aduersaries Sixtly this also serueth to note out the most fearefull and dreadful condition of all excommunicate persons because beeing cast out of one Church they are banished out of al churches All are to take them as Gentiles and heathen men wheresoeuer they liue all are to shun them among whomsoeuer they come This point also notably sheweth the greatnes of their punishment and serueth to adde somwhat to the heape of their iudgements When they are cast out of one Church if they might be receiued into another and by changing their dwelling bee admitted as members of that Church it might much mitigate the sharpnesse of the censure for that were but as it were to leaue one house and betake them to another as a stranger that is driuen out of one chamber and lodged in another But it is not so with them The Churches throughout the world as louing sisters doe hold communion one with another whom one receiueth all do receiue whom one reiecteth all do reiect and such as haue dealt otherwise haue bin sharply reproued as were easie to bee shewed out of sundry Histories Fathers and Councels Aug epist 14 if it were expedient or necessary If a seruant that belongeth to one certaine family did certainly know that being cast out from thence hee could be receiued no where beside it would make him carefull to please his master and fearefull to offend him If a man that hath his dwelling in a house where he is well entertained did know that if he should be turned out of it he could be suffered to dwell in no other place but must wander vp and downe as a sheepe from the sheepefold it would make him make much of that house and to take heed he were not remoued and displaced out of it Thus should it be with euery one of vs the Church is Gods house and his children are of his family if we be put out of it as a servant turned out
of service for his misbehauior and misdemeanor whither shall we go or who shal receiue vs we must say as the disciples did to Christ To whō shal we go thou hast the words of eternall life Iohn 6 68. The Churches of God haue all cast him out whom one hath cast out and therefore he is become a member of Satan and a limbe of his Church For as God hath his Church so the diuell hath his chappell If we be not parts of the Church of God we belong to the Synagogue of Satan It were good therfore that all those that are Church-officers would look to this and haue a great care that no excommunicate persons such as they heare or know to be excommunicated in other places as wel as those that dwell among themselues doe shroud in themselues as the guests that had not on his wedding garment came vnto the feast Mat. 22 12. When they are cast out of the Church and cannot resort to their owne parish they betake themselues to other beeing ashamed to be of no Church albeit so long as they stand in that estate their hearing and praying are abhominable Let not vs therfore harbour any such vnruly and disordered persons who shake off the cords of discipline from their shoulders suffer not themselues to be tyed with any chaines of order and obedience Lastly to these things we might adde sundry decrees and constitutions established by humane lawes and ordinances of Princes the which albeit they bee not instituted of God and expressed in his word yet they are not contrary to the word but serue to adde farther strength to these things and to set forth the horrible and hideous condition of such persons as are put out of the Church to the end that such as will not be won by a loue of the word may by encreasing of the punishment as it were by doubling of the strokes be made to stand in more feare They are reputed as outcasts and outlawes we heard before that they were out of Gods protection now we must vnderstand that they are out of the Princes protection and haue no benefit by the law Others shall haue actions against thē but they against none others may sue them and recouer their right from them but they can wage law against none They are not allowed to dispose of their goods and to make their last will and testament to set their house in order They are not thought worthy to be witnesses to testifie any truth for whatsoeuer commeth out of their mouth is holden either false or suspected They are not to be buried in Christian buriall but as they are out of the Church in their life so they should not come neere it after their death and as they would not liue among the faithfull so their bodies should not lie among the faithfull nor come into the sepulchers of their fathers that they might not bee honoured either dead or aliue Thus standeth the case with these wicked mē this is the fearefull condition of such as are iustly excommunicated they are shut out of the Church where only saluation is to be sought and can be found as heathens and Turks they are accounted as dogs and swine to whō holy and heauenly things doe not belong they haue no title or interest to the kingdome of God they are excluded from Christ remain vnder the subiection of Satan they haue no right in the priuiledges of the Church they haue not God for their Father they haue not Christ for their Redeemer and Sauiour they haue not the holy Ghost for their Comforter and Sanctifier they haue not the Church for their mother they haue not the faithfull for their brethren they haue not the Angels for their guard they haue not the vse of the word and praier with the Saints they haue no remission of sins Iohn 20 23. and therefore can looke for no resurrection to life and immortall glory for that they are in worse case then dogges then swine then toads then serpents while they stand in that heauy state They are bound on earth and therefore do remaine fast bound in heauen Wee haue profited well if we haue learned to feare the bloody stroke of this censure which woundeth deeper then a two edged sword If any say how can the Church of God deale thus toward any Obiection which is a louing and tender mother not an vniust stepmother I answer the Church of Christ is not onely a tender mother to the obedient Answer but a sharpe executioner against the disobedient hauing vengeance committed vnto her of God to correct and punish nay without repentance vtterly to destroy Hence it is that Salomon in his most excellent song describeth it to bee comely as Ierusalem and terrible as an army Cant. 6 7. and Psal 149 6 7. Let the high praises of God bee in their mouth and a two edged sword in their hand to execute vengeance vpon the heathen punishments vpon the people Hence also it is that Iude exhorteth the church in taking pitty of some to saue others by feare pulling them as it were out of the fire Iude 22 23. But the Church in those daies had no other meanes to strike any feare into the hearts of stubborne persons obstinate offenders that were as it were firebrands halfe burnt and consumed but by this Ecclesiasticall punishment Such are to bee cured with mercy compassion as sin of ignorance and infirmity but such as otherwise are incurable must be terrified affrighted as it were with the stroke of a thunderbolt and the flash of a lightening and the force of a sword that if it be possible they may be saued with feare and terror True it is the meanes of feare are two Two waies meanes to put men in feare Rom. 13 4. the one ciuil by the power authority of the Magistrate who beareth not the sword in vaine against offenders as the Apostle teacheth If thou do euill be afraid for hee beareth not the sword in vaine for he is the Minister of God a reuenger to execute wrath vpon him that doth euill This meanes which is in it selfe an wholesome preseruatiue the Church wanted at that time and therefore it cannot bee vnderstood in this place The other meanes is spirituall which indeed is that which the Apostle meaneth respecting the soule not the body This is of three sorts Three censures of the Church and all of them haue their proper time and place and vse and obiect according to the nature of the offence and party offending to wit admonition suspension and excommunication The first is admonition or exhortation to amendment which also is ioyned with reprehension and denuntiation of Gods iudgements against the party not repenting This is done with words alone The practise heereof we see in God toward Adam Gen. 3 11 and toward Caine Gen. 4 6 7. The abuse of it we see in the high Priests Scribes Acts 4 18.